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As an opioid epidemic that has claimed hundreds of thousands of American lives continues to ravage communities, medical schools on Long Island and nationwide are expanding opioid-related education.
The schools are teaching future doctors how to best communicate with patients about opioids, to determine when — and when not — to prescribe opioids for pain relief, and to understand that opioid use disorder is a health care issue, not a moral failing.
On Saturday, first-year medical students at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell began learning about opioid addiction — and how to reverse an overdose — during new-student orientation.
First-year medical students learn how to use Naloxone kit to be ready to assist in an opioid overdose at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell on Saturday. Photo Credit: Yeong-Ung Yang
Until several years ago, most medical-school students nationwide received little or no education on addiction to opioids and other substances, said Dr. Sandeep Kapoor, an assistant professor of medicine at Hofstra/Northwell.
"You guys, when you leave the doors of this medical school, you're going to be better prepared than the average person who has been practicing medicine for 30, 40, 10, 5, whatever amount of years," said Kapoor, who has led development of the school’s continuously expanding substance-use curriculum, much of which focuses on opioids.
The other three medical schools on Long Island — the New York University Long Island School of Medicine, the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, and the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University — also have robust opioid-education curricula, officials with the schools said.
“There’s the recognition we experienced — as well as all the medical schools across the country — that we needed to increase the amount of education being provided to ensure we could make a dent in the crisis, as well as prevent further crises going into the future, with the next generation of physicians,” said Dr. Kristie Golden, associate director of operations at Stony Brook Medicine, who has worked on curriculum development at the Renaissance School.
Much of the expansion has occurred in the past five years, said Lisa Howley, senior director of strategic initiatives and partnerships in medical education for the Association of American Medical Colleges, which represents all 154 accredited medical-doctor programs in the United States.
In May, the association convened its first conference focused on the opioid epidemic. Officials from medical schools across the country shared curriculum ideas and best practices and discussed plans for further opioid-education expansion, Howley said.
The association also has run opioid-education webinars and is awarding grants to encourage educational collaborations.
First-year medical students learn how to use Naloxone kit to be ready to assist in an emergency, at at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra University, on Aug. 3, 2019. Photo Credit: Yeong-Ung Yang
The roots of the opioid epidemic lie in the late 1990s, when doctors began prescribing opioids at greater rates for pain relief after pharmaceutical companies asserted there was little chance of addiction.
“There was a different understanding of the level of risk” of addiction associated with opioids then, Howley said.
Today, medical schools such as NYIT put “more emphasis on the addictive nature of it" and include more discussion of pain-relief alternatives to opioids, said Dr. Jerry Balentine, dean of the NYIT medical school.
At Stony Brook, a committee convened earlier this year to discuss how to expand opioid education across the curriculum starting next month, "so it’s first and foremost in their minds when they graduate,” Golden said.
At the newly opened NYU Long Island School of Medicine, opioid-related education also is integrated throughout the curriculum, said Dr. Gladys Ayala, senior associate dean for medical education.
One key focus at NYU Long Island, which concentrates on training students to be primary care physicians, the doctors people typically see for routine medical care, is teaching how to get patients to be forthcoming about possible opioid use, Ayala said.
“Physicians need to ask these questions in a nonjudgmental way to elicit information, and patients hopefully will be able to respond appropriately and feel that through their confidential, therapeutic relationship they can discuss these issues with the physician,” she said.
That nonjudgmental approach to opioid and other substance use is crucial, as is the increased focus in curricula on prevention and learning how to gauge people’s risk for substance use disorder, rather than just treating people when they become addicted, Kapoor said. Like other people, physicians and nurses are susceptible to stereotyping and judging people with addictions, he said.
“This is a health care issue, just like [high] blood pressure,” he said. “We’re trying to humanize this so we can look at it like we look at other chronic illnesses.”
The Hofstra/Northwell curriculum did not begin addressing addiction to opioids and other substances until five years ago, he said. The amount of material on substance use disorder has increased every year since then, to 30 hours this year, including an intensive three-day focus on opioids.
Much of the opioid education had been in the third year, but second-year Hofstra/Northwell student Matthew Hill, 24, of Northport, lobbied with another student to have some of it included during orientation. That way, first-year students can more effectively communicate with the patients they will start seeing during initial clinical training in a few months, he said.
"It's a hard topic," Hill said. "To have some sort of eduction and training on it we thought would be useful for these students, so they can have more meaningful conversations with their patients." | |
Attic frost is not an uncommon phenomenon in New Jersey properties when temperatures dip below freezing. Attic frost is evidence of a moisture problem that you may not have noticed otherwise. In New Jersey, attics often suffer from humidity issues– whether it is due to lack of ventilation, improper insulation, air leaks from the main living space or other maintenance issue. Elevated attic humidity is typically the culprit behind attic frost. When the warm, moist air in your attic cools with dropping temperatures, the cooler air can no longer hold as much moisture. Water vapors from the air will condense (or shift from a gaseous state to a liquid state) onto your building materials. Once temperatures drop close to or below freezing, the condensation on your sheathing, nails and other building materials will freeze and leave you with a frozen attic.
If you discover frost in your attic, it means you have a bigger problem in your attic– moisture. Something is going that is allowing excess accumulation of humid air that is condensing and freezing on the underside of your roof sheathing. Moisture buildup from excess humidity can damage your attic building materials and create the ideal breeding ground for mold growth. Additionally, your attic will eventually thaw with rising temperatures. When that happens, water collects and can leak into your house. If the water stays in the attic, it will saturate you porous building materials and lead to expensive water damage and attic mold growth in New Jersey homes. Water damage and mold growth can compromise the structural integrity of your building materials, diminish your property value and become a potential health threat.
Warm air from the main living space beneath your attic naturally rises and travels upwards. When warm air from inside the house travels up through attic bypasses, this can lead to excess accumulation of humid air in your attic if you are not careful. Elevated attic humidity is one of the most common causes of attic mold growth in NJ homes. Moisture buildup in the attic can be the result of a variety of problems. The following are some of the more common causes of humidity and moisture issues in New Jersey attics.
Solving moisture problems can be complicated and will likely require professional assistance. Moisture problems are typically caused by an assortment of issues and often require a combination of efforts to eliminate. It’s a matter of achieving a balance between adequate ventilation and adequate moisture input, to maintain a healthy indoor living environment. New Jersey homeowners can counter moisture and humidity issues in attics with the right combination of proper insulation, sufficient attic ventilation and strategic bypass sealing.
Regardless of the cause, moisture and humidity issues need to be addressed. Unaddressed moisture and humidity issues can be problematic and lead to issues like attic mold growth and water damage.
The key to preventing attic frost, attic water damage and attic mold growth is moisture control. New Jersey homeowners can play a crucial role in maintaining attic moisture control. Routine maintenance checks and a strategic combination of attic mold prevention tactics can go a long way in keeping moisture related problems, like mold, at bay. See below for some common moisture control methods that can go a long way in protecting your property and maintaining a healthy environment for you and your family.
Learn more about by checking out our article on attic moisture control and attic frost prevention in South Jersey homes and properties.
Attic moisture can feed mold growth. If an attic moisture problem is not properly addressed in a timely manner, it can lead to extensive property damage that will require an expensive repair. Attic frost is a sign that you have a moisture problem in your attic. It is important to get to the bottom of it and address it as soon as possible to prevent additional issues. Furthermore, when attic frost begins to thaw, the water build up and leave you with water damage and mold growth. If you discover attic mold growth in addition to frost, you need to consult an attic mold remediation professional in your New Jersey area. | https://mastertechmold.com/2019/01/attic-frost-moisture-problems-nj/ |
How do you know whether the problem within your property is with condensation or rising or penetrating damp?
The word “damp” is a general term used for all different types of damp within a building. This could be:
- Rising damp from the ground
- Lateral penetrating damp from the ground
- Water ingress as a result of external building defects
- Water as a result of plumbing leaks, or defective seals around baths, showers etc.
- Condensation within a building
Nobody wants to live in a damp home and the important point is, correct diagnosis of the reason for the dampness within a property. So! How do you really know whether the damp you are experiencing in your property is caused by condensation?
In many respects, condensation, as a form of damp within a building is more complex and more difficult to deal with than either rising or penetrating damp. With rising and penetrating damp, there are usually physical things that can be carried out to eradicate the damp and prevent further damp ingress in the future.
Condensation is often an environmental matter and could be dependent on a number of things including:
- The layout of the property
- General usage of the areas where condensation is occurring
- Levels of heating and ventilation within the property
- The type of construction of the property
Condensation can commonly be attributed to a lack of balance between heating and ventilation resulting in a rise in relative humidity. Air can hold more water vapour when it is warm, than it can when it is cold. When warm air is cooled, such as when the heating system is switched off at night, it will deposit the water, which it can no longer retain, as condensation on a cold surface.
All air contains water vapour of varying quantities. The lower the air temperature means the smaller the maximum possible capacity for vapour. When air is cooled, relative humidity increases, until at a particular temperature, called the dew point, the air becomes saturated. Further cooling below the dew point will induce condensation of the excess water vapour.
Condensation may occur at any height on almost any cool surface. In its less serious form, condensation may “steam up” windows and mirrors. In more severe cases, it can be absorbed by surface wall finishes and underlying plaster causing dampness although the underlying brickwork or masonry will normally be of lower moisture content.
There are a number of things to look for in an effort to differentiate between rising / penetrating dampness and condensation in your property. These include the following:
- Is there a general feeling of higher humidity within the property?
- On surfaces which are “damp” is there visible water, or when you touch the surfaces, do the palms of your hands become wet?
- Is there evidence of mould growth on the surfaces of walls, skirting boards, around window frames etc.?
- Is there evidence of mould growth forming on fabrics in the property such as the edges of carpets, the backs of furniture which are very close to walls, shoes and other items of clothing stored in wardrobes and cupboards?
- When you wake in the mornings, do you notice high levels of moisture on the insides of windows?
- Is there a noticeable “musty” odour within the property, or in localised areas in the property?
- Do clothes, furnishings etc. feel damp to touch?
If any of the above apply to you, or your property, then there is a significant chance that the dampness you are experiencing is a result of condensation occurring.
As we stated earlier, condensation issues are often more complex and more difficult to deal with than what may be straightforward rising, or penetrating dampness.
However, the problems can be addressed in a number of ways; some of which may be lifestyle changes, along with addressing the balance of ventilation and air circulation/extraction with the use of specialised condensation control units.
If you believe you may have issues with condensation, or other forms of damp, it is important that they are assessed by qualified surveyors, who will be able to diagnose the problem properly and specify the correct remedial options.
If we may be of assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Preservation Treatments provide Damp Proofing, Structural Waterproofing, Timber Treatments, Condensation Solutions and Structural Repairs throughout London, Hampshire, Middlesex, Surrey, Berkshire and Sussex.
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• RUSADA and the Russian Ministry of Sport ensuring that re-testing of samples stored at the Moscow Laboratory required by WADA following analysis of the LIMS data is completed no later than six months after the set date referred to above.
• That the responsible authorities for anti-doping in Russia publicly accept the reported outcomes of the McLaren Investigation, including RUSADA, the Ministry of Sport and the Russian Olympic Committee. A 19 June 2018 letter from the CRC clarified that it considered this as acceptance of the existence of ‘an institutionalised doping scheme involving named individuals from the Ministry of Sport, the Centre for Sports Preparation, RUSADA, the FSB, and the Moscow anti-doping laboratory’.
• That the Russian government must provide ‘access for appropriate entities’ to the samples stored at the Moscow Laboratory. The 19 June 2018 CRC letter clarified that it considered this as provision of access to all samples stored at the Laboratory, as well as access to all of the Moscow LIMS date concerning tests conducted from 2011 to 2015.
The agreement that WADA and the Russian Ministry of Sport has come to is rather different. Kolobkov has acknowledged that ‘a number of individuals within the Ministry of Sport and its subordinated entities’ were involved in ‘manipulations’ of the anti-doping system in Russia. The CRC has accepted that this amounts to acceptance of the findings of the Schmid Report, however it is a far cry from the original requirement for a public acknowledgement of Richard McLaren’s findings by the Ministry of Sport, RUSADA and the Russian Olympic Committee.
It would also appear that WADA has consented to the Investigative Commission of the Russian Federation (SKR or Sledcom) managing WADA’s access to both the Moscow LIMS database and the urine samples still stored at the Moscow Laboratory. In a 13 September letter to WADA, Kolobkov outlines that: ‘After the re-instatement of RUSADA and the consent of the Russian Investigative Committee, we will provide as soon as possible to an independent expert, agreeable to WADA and the Investigative Committee, the access to the analytical equipment to retrieve (under the supervision of the Russian Investigative Committee and under conditions that preserve the integrity of the evidence) an authentic copy of the LIMS data and of the raw analytical data mentioned in your letter’.
Kolobkov has dictated that access to the Moscow Laboratory’s stored samples and LIMS database is conditional on RUSADA being reinstated. No RUSADA reinstatement? No access.
Even if RUSADA is reinstated, Kolobkov outlines access to both the samples and the LIMS database depends on the ‘consent’ of the SKR.
The Russian Ministry of Sport will be providing the independent expert used to analyse the LIMS data and samples, which WADA will be required to approve or reject.
Kolobkov only commits to providing an independent expert with access to analytical equipment to retrieve the LIMS data and urine samples – not access to the data and samples themselves, and not the full access to both originally sought by WADA.
The independent expert’s access to the analytical equipment must be supervised by the SKR.
Even under such limited access, conditions are specified by Kolobkov in his letter. He outlines that if adverse analytical findings (AAFs) are discovered, ‘we will work in a spirit of cooperation with WADA and the Investigative Committee and in compliance with the Russian Criminal Procedure Code to enable the independent re-testing of these samples in accordance with the International Standard for Laboratories’.
As ongoing investigations into Russian doping by the Investigative Committee have prevented access to the samples stored at the Moscow Laboratory in the past, it will be interesting to see what happens should such an eventuality play out. Who will independently test the samples held at the Moscow Laboratory, should analysis of the LIMS database point towards AAFs within those samples?
• RUSADA and the Ministry of Sport ensure that re-testing of any samples required by WADA is completed no later than six months after the above date.
The main finding of WADA’s four investigations into Russian doping was that individuals within State institutions had subverted the doping control process. Therefore, it is perhaps ironic that WADA is allowing a State institution to manage WADA’s assessment of whether RUSADA has met its conditions for reinstatement.
It is also ironic that the CRC states that there is a ‘clear urgency’ as to the date by which Russian authorities should supply WADA with its requested data. Russian authorities have been holding on to the LIMS data and the urine samples held at the Moscow Laboratory since it was suspended on 10 November 2015. Russian authorities have consistently pointed to a criminal investigation launched on 8 June 2016 as the reason for such a continued delay. No end date to such investigations has been specified, nor has such an end date been requested by WADA.
A further irony is that the IOC and WADA sought to implement four year bans against any Russian athletes implicated in their investigations into systemic doping in Russia. As per the World Anti-Doping Code, such athletes had to prove they were innocent in order to escape a four year ban. RUSADA has been suspended for less than three years, and looks set to be reinstated despite Russia failing to prove that those in charge of anti-doping were innocent and despite the extensive weight of evidence against them, as outlined in Dr. Rodchenkov’s affidavit.
Such justice is not the ‘level playing field‘ that the IOC and WADA continue to venerate. Athletes such as Beckie Scott, a former member of WADA’s CRC, have every right to resign in protest.
The CRC’s recommendation is also comical because the SKR is also the authority that charged Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, former Director of the Moscow Laboratory, with obstructing the above investigation by offering financial rewards to Russians in return for the supply of the Moscow LIMS to WADA. The same SKR will be managing WADA’s access to the Moscow Laboratory LIMS and the urine samples still held there.
A 19 June CRC letter states that a copy of the LIMS database held by WADA reveals 9,453 ‘suspicious findings’ that were not reported in WADA’s Anti-Doping Administration and Management System (ADAMS). It said that some of these relate to the 2,867 samples still stored at the Moscow Laboratory.
Firstly, it is questionable how many of the 2,867 samples stored at the Laboratory will be of use to WADA. Part 2 of the Independent Person Report produced for WADA by McLaren revealed that after receiving a December 2014 letter from WADA announcing a ‘surprise’ inspection, a large number of samples taken prior to 10 September 2014 were destroyed, and only around 3,000 remained. Of the samples that remained, the ‘dirty’ ones underwent the sample swapping system outlined by McLaren in his Reports.
In that Report, WADA stated that it removed 3,571 samples from the Laboratory in December 2014 and during two subsequent visits. ‘The IP has identified over 300 samples remaining at the Moscow Laboratory to be targeted for forensic and laboratory analyses’, it reads. ‘Approximately 58 relate to high profile athletes’.
As previously mentioned, the Moscow Laboratory was suspended in November 2015. Irrespective of whether we are dealing with 2,867 samples or 300, such samples have been under the protection of Russian State authorities for almost three years. If McLaren’s conclusions are correct and individuals within Russian State authorities were involved in manipulating the doping control process, can the integrity of such samples be relied upon to bring forward AAFs against athletes? Especially as such access is managed by the SKR?
Have the samples that remain at the Laboratory been stored at optimum conditions? Have they been opened? Have the samples degraded during the three years they have been stored there? If any anti-doping rule violations (ADRVs) are brought forward on the basis of such samples, arbitrators at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) would face a difficult task, should any athlete choose to appeal.
Russia is the largest country in the world in terms of land mass, and the ninth largest in terms of population. It has been without a functioning anti-doping agency for almost three years, during which the personnel resources of other anti-doping agencies (such as UK Anti-Doping) have been stretched in order to ensure adequate testing takes place in Russia.
Kolobkov’s letter reveals that Russia’s perception as to what occurred has barely shifted. It maintains its original line that corrupt individuals were responsible for subverting the doping control process.
Russia stuck to its ground, safe in the knowledge that for the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Summer and Winter Olympics without one of the world’s largest consumers of sport would be a disaster. The IOC obliged, allowing Russians to compete as neutrals at Rio 2016 and as ‘Olympic Athletes from Russia’ at PyeongChang 2018.
WADA proved a tougher nut to crack, but it has now also shifted its demands in Russia’s direction. The financial and political demands of maintaining RUSADA’s suspension have proven too much for an Agency whose annual budget is less than the annual wage of the world’s best paid footballer.
In that statement, you can almost hear a smug grin. | https://www.sportsintegrityinitiative.com/a-compromise-likely-to-reveal-little/ |
Colby: First of all, congratulations on being named the Baller of the Month for December! OSU has been having a stellar year, and I hear that is in large part to how you’ve been performing. How does it feel?
Derrek: At the beginning it was just a lot of practices because of Covid-19 delays to the season. But once we were getting closer to the first tournament we began to practice more seriously and watch game film. This was when I realized just how competitive this league actually is. For my first tournament, I didn’t have many expectations besides to play and learn the game. You can read the rule-book many times, but actually playing is how you gain experience about the rules and strategy to the sport.
C: What made you join and stick with the Dodgeball Club?
D: I joined by seeing the club at OSU’s Student Involvement Fair. I knew that I wanted to join a sports club in college and I signed up for all different kinds of sports, but Dodgeball had the first meeting. So I went and had a blast, and quickly made any veterans my rivals, and had so much fun getting to play against them practice after practice.
C: What sports did you play in High School, and how do you think those skills helped to prepare you for dodgeball?
D: The high school that I came from was a small town school where you could play multiple sports, so I was able to play a ton of different sports. I played football, basketball, baseball, and track. With everything that I did, I was able to learn a bunch of great skills. These being discipline, focus and court awareness.
C: Now that you have been in the league for several months, have you developed a rival? Either an opposing team or a player from that specific team that you consider a personal rival or Ohio State’s rival?
D: For me, and for the limited amount of teams we’ve been able to play, I would have to say my personal rival and Ohio State’s would be Cincinnati. Before ODC we were 1-1 against them and we were going to play again at the Ohio Dodgeball Cup. Unfortunately I was the player who broke his arm and wasn’t able to play in that match. But the difference between each of those previous matches was that our players really came a long way and showed how competitive we can be against other top teams in the league. It will be great to play more out of region teams and develop an out of state rival, and going to Akron’s tournament should accomplish that.
C: What has been your favorite matchup thus far? It doesn’t have to be a match that OSU participated in.
D: My favorite match was when we played UC in December. This was our second meeting with them and the first time we took a pretty convincing loss to them due to our inexperience and how prepared they were at the start of the season. Playing them really showed how much we’ve improved as a team since then. This was my favorite matchup because I really got the chance to stand out and make a name for myself. Being a rookie, it was nice to show my skills and survivability late into the match. I had to make some well timed catches and throws to help us secure the victory, and it helped me become a critical player for my team, and that was very fun for me.
C: Do you have a mentor? Or a specific player that you modeled your game after?
D: Two big mentors for me have been Dylan Greer and Ben Johnson. These two individuals have had great careers and have tons of experience. Dylan has done a lot for me and the other rookies this year by introducing rules and strategy to help our young team, and we’ve grown so much because of it. Ben has also done a lot for us during tournament play. He is able to give mid-match advice so we can make timely adjustments to our play, and close out points against our opponents.
As for my style of play, I’ve developed a really aggressive style thanks to Jeff Starr. His run you down and knock you off your feet style directly lined up with the raw talent that I brought to the table, and it allowed me to play into my existing strengths. I essentially became his apprentice thanks to my style of play.
C: What improvements do you think we could make in the league to help progress our game-play?
D: Some improvements would be getting the officials to be consistent as a whole. Overall the league seems to be young, so learning the rules and having knowledgeable referees to officiate our matches is important. We need to help the young players make consistent calls and how to properly officiate, as well as helping them develop the strategy of our game. Having this to help out when our veterans and older players graduate will help us gain the much needed consistency that we’re missing with our in-game officials.
C: Does Ohio State have any pre-match rituals?
D: During tournament weekends we will usually have a team dinner to watch film the night before the tournament. This allows us to bond better as a team and learn and watch the matches together. At these sessions, the captains point out things to the younger players so they can know what to expect going into a tournament.
C: Finally, what are your pre-tournament and post-tournament meals?
D: Usually on game days I don’t eat much of a meal beforehand. I generally eat light, so things like fruit, granola bars, or trail mix. Post-game is always Piada, which is an Italian street food place on campus.
C: This has been a real pleasure. Thanks Derrek, and good luck on the rest of your season and a quick recovery!
D: Thank you!
I appreciate the insight into Derrek’s life and his passion for the sport. The league will be in good hands moving forward as his generation takes over. | https://ncdadodgeball.com/blog/baller-of-the-month-december-2021-derrek-kemper/17513/2 |
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Early Specialization Part 3
I was looking at Stack Magazine the other day and came across these gems. Stack interviewed three of the most successful coaches in the country UVA’s Men’s Lacrosse Coach, Dom Starsia, USC’s Pete Carroll and Florida State Track Coach Bob Branum on the subject of early specialization. All three advocated playing multiple sports or doing multiple events.
Starsia said ” for young guys,- especially those seventh, eight, ninth and tenth graders- it’s a little too early to decide that you are going to a football player or, that you are going to be a full time lacrosse player.”
” Probably 95% of the time our kids ( at UVA) are multi- sport athletes. It’s a bit strange to me if somebody is not playing other sports in high school.”
Carroll echoes the same sentiments. “The first question I ask about a kid is what other sports does he play?… I really, really, don’t favor kids having to specialize in one sport.”
Even in track Braman says “versatility becomes more important when on the men’s side I’m looking at twelve scholarships and I’m trying to divide them up”
I know I keep harping on the same subject but, parents need to know that good coaches don’t favor early specialization. If your son or daughter has a coach that is trying to convince them to play one sport prior to high school , take a look and see how that coach earns their money. I’ll bet 90% of the time it’s from that sport.
Bottom line, the best coaches in the country advocate playing multiple sports until at least high school.
15 Responses to “Early Specialization Part 3”
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The Tipping Point is certainly not first grade. I think around 12-13 two sports makes sense even for a gifted kid. The problem you run into is that small pyramids get built on small bases. Think 2-3 sports at least up to age 12.
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I recall a stat from MIAA( Mass high school governing body ) that said only 5% of kids that play a particular sport in high school go on to play that sport in college. I was kind of surprised it was so small.
I imagine the truly gifted athletes, as in the scholarship level athletes these coaches recruit, can get away with playing a variety of sports just because they’re freakishly talented. But there may be some that need the extra specific work, not playing, but more specific training to get there.
I’m not disagreeing. We know that parents are caught up in the early specialization and enlightened trainers are advocating not specializing. What’s the solution? Where might we find the “tipping point” in this battle?
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Hi Mike!
Great information! One question though: The biggest problem with early specialization is regards to the fact that they won’t develop a proper movement pattern, is that correct?
Since I am involved in soccer and have been following some of the bigger academy’s in our country, they have their kids specializing in soccer at the age of 10-12 years old. I know this is not unique to our country, I know it happens all over the world, especially in the game of soccer.
Is it just plain and simple the soccer community that is behind? I mean, the biggest clubs in the world are following this concept in their academy’s. Would just like to hear your input and thoughts on this!
I know the bigger academy’s are doing a lot of movement based training and focusing a lot on developing the players physical skills. Can this make up to the problem with only playing one sport all year around?
Regards,
Jonas
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Well said. Hopefully parents will one day start looking at the big picture and do what’s best for their young athletes; play multiple sports and stay away from sport specialization. Let them develop a solid foundation in athletics first through muilti-lateral development. This concept was confirmed in the study conducted by Harre way back in 1982. Keep up the great work Mike.
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Man Steve Nash is a great example of what to do, he gets it! Mike you think it’s more physical literacy than sport? The fundamental sport skills / movement skills catch, run, throw, skip, walk, push, kick, jump, pull, shuffle,etc.. on ground in water on ice snow etc.. how bout riding bikes, skateboards, surf, handball skiing, stick ball, kick ball, wiffle ball, hiking..free play, more sports means more adult coaches. Away from sports the issues runs much deeper with kids that lack the motor skills and physical confidence as we see these adults later in life everyday in our gyms. Thanks Mike
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Amen!
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Keep pushing the truth Mike! I keep telling parents and athletes that my “sport specific training”(which I feel that SS is crap) is fixing the overuse injuries caused by specializing in one sport! We need the sport coaches to keep talking about what they recruite-athletes!
Keep up the great content! | https://strengthcoachblog.com/2009/09/24/early-specialization-part-3/comment-page-1/ |
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§ 5 Delivery period
1. The delivery period stated by us presupposes timely and proper performance of the obligations of the Ordering Party. We reserve the right to plead the defense of non-performance of the contract.
2. Should the Ordering Party fall into default of acceptance or culpably breach any other cooperation obligations, we shall be entitled to claim compensation for any damages, including any additional expenses incurred by us as a result. We reserve the right to make further claims. Should the above circumstances apply, the risk of accidental destruction or deterioration of the purchase item shall transfer to the Ordering Party at the moment when the Ordering Party enters into default of acceptance or payment.
3. Adherence to the delivery period is subject to correct and timely delivery by our own suppliers. Suppliers must provide notification of any impending delays as early as possible.
4. The delivery period has been observed if the delivery item has left the supplier’s works, or if readiness for dispatch has been communicated before its expiry. If acceptance of the delivery is required – except in the case of justified rejection – the date of acceptance, or alternatively the date of notice of readiness for acceptance, is conclusive.
5. This does not affect further legal claims and rights of the Ordering Party due to default of delivery.
§ 6 Transfer of risk upon shipment
If the goods are shipped to the Ordering Party at its request, the risk of accidental destruction or deterioration of the goods is transferred to the Ordering Party upon shipment to the Ordering Party, at the latest when the goods leave the works/warehouse. This applies irrespective of whether the shipment originates from the place of performance, or which Party bears the shipping costs.
§ 7 Retention of title
1. We retain the title to the delivered article until all receivables from the delivery contract have been paid in full. This also applies to all future deliveries, even if we do not always make explicit reference to this. We are entitled to take back the purchased article if the Ordering Party acts in violation of the contract.
2. The Ordering Party is obliged to treat the purchased article with care as long as ownership has not yet been transferred. In particular, the Ordering Party is obliged to insure the purchased article at its own cost against theft, fire, and water damage to the sum of the value when new (note: only applicable in the case of sale of high-value goods). If any necessary maintenance and inspection work must be performed, the Ordering Party must perform them in a timely manner and at its own cost. As long as ownership has not been transferred, the Ordering Party must immediately notify us in writing if the delivered item is at risk of seizure or other interventions by third parties. If the third party is unable to compensate us for the judicial and out-of-court costs of a court action pursuant to § 771 ZPO (Code of Civil Procedure), the Ordering Party shall be liable to us for these costs.
§ 8 Warranty and notice of defects as well as recourse/manufacturer recourse
1. Warranty rights of the Ordering Party require that the Ordering Party fulfills its obligations pursuant to § 377 HGB (Commercial Code) to carry out an examination and lodge a complaint in a proper manner.
2. The right to claim for defects expires 12 months after we have delivered the goods to the Ordering Party. The statutory limitation period applies for compensation claims for intent and gross negligence as well as for injury to life, limb, and health which are caused by an intentional or negligent breach of obligation by the user.
3. If, in spite of all due care, the delivered goods should have a defect which was already present at the time of transfer of the risk, we shall, at our own discretion, remedy the defect or deliver a replacement, provided the defect has been reported in a timely manner. The Ordering Party must always grant us the opportunity of supplementary performance within a reasonable time period. The above regulation has no effect whatsoever on recourse claims.
4. If the subsequent performance fails, the Ordering Party shall be entitled to withdraw from the contract, without prejudice to any claims for damages.
5. Claims for defects do not apply in the case of only slight deviation from the agreed quality, slight impairment of serviceability, natural wear and tear such as damage which occurs after the transfer of risk due to incorrect or negligent treatment, excessive stress, unsuitable operating equipment, or by virtue of particular external influences, which are not presupposed by the contract. Similarly, no claims for defects apply if the Ordering Party or a third party performs incorrect repairs or alterations resulting in damage, or for any consequences from this.
6. Claims by the Ordering Party due to costs made necessary for the purpose of subsequent performance, in particular transport, delivery, labor, and material costs, are excluded if these costs are increased as a result of goods delivered by us subsequently being moved to a location other than the address of the Ordering Party, unless this corresponds with the intended use of the goods.
7. The Ordering Party has statutory rights of recourse against us only in so far as the Ordering Party has not reached any agreements with its customer which go beyond the statutory claims for defects. Furthermore, Article 6 applies correspondingly for the extent of the Ordering Party’s right of recourse against the supplier.
§ 9 Repairs
1. After receipt of the goods, we compile a cost estimate. This lists the costs for labor and material and assesses whether a repair is feasible.
2. The customer bears the costs for shipping and return shipping.
3. In the case of repairs covered by warranty, ADT Fuchs bears the costs for material and labor. The customer bears the costs for shipping and return shipping.
§ 10 Miscellaneous
4. This contract and the entire legal relationship between the contracting parties are subject exclusively to the law of the Federal Republic of Germany with the exclusion of the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG).
5. The place of performance and the exclusive place of jurisdiction is our registered office in Nuremberg.
6. All agreements made between the Parties for the purpose of carrying out a contract have been recorded in writing in this contract.
§ 11 Offer
Our offer is exclusively for commercial use according to EN 61326-1 (2013) for industrial electromagnetic environment class A. | https://adt-fuchs.de/en/gtc/ |
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When the users in a MIMO broadcast channel experience different spatial transmit correlation matrices, a class of gains is produced that is denoted transmit correlation diversity. This idea was conceived for channels in which transmit correlation matrices have mutually exclusive eigenspaces, allowing non-interfering training and transmission. This paper broadens the scope of transmit correlation diversity to the case of partially and fully overlapping eigenspaces and introduces techniques to harvest these generalized gains. For the two-user MIMO broadcast channel, we derive achievable degrees of freedom (DoF) and achievable rate regions with/without channel state information at the receiver (CSIR). When CSIR is available, the proposed achievable DoF region is tight in some configurations of the number of receive antennas and the channel correlation ranks. We then extend the DoF results to the K-user case by analyzing the interference graph that characterizes the overlapping structure of the eigenspaces. Our achievability results employ a combination of product superposition in the common part of the eigenspaces, and pre-beamforming (rate splitting) to create multiple data streams in non-overlapping parts of the eigenspaces. Massive MIMO is a natural example in which spatially correlated link gains are likely to occur. We study the achievable downlink sum rate formore »
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Testing and controlling for horizontal pleiotropy with probabilistic Mendelian randomization in transcriptome-wide association studies
Abstract
Integrating results from genome-wide association studies (GWASs) and gene expression studies through transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) has the potential to shed light on the causal molecular mechanisms underlying disease etiology. Here, we present a probabilistic Mendelian randomization (MR) method, PMR-Egger, for TWAS applications. PMR-Egger relies on a MR likelihood framework that unifies many existing TWAS and MR methods, accommodates multiple correlated instruments, tests the causal effect of gene on trait in the presence of horizontal pleiotropy, and is scalable to hundreds of thousands of individuals. In simulations, PMR-Egger provides calibrated type I error control for causal effect testing in the presence of horizontal pleiotropic effects, is reasonably robust under various types of model misspecifications, is more powerful than existing TWAS/MR approaches, and can directly test for horizontal pleiotropy. We illustrate the benefits of PMR-Egger in applications to 39 diseases and complex traits obtained from three GWASs including the UK Biobank. | https://par.nsf.gov/search/author:%22Yang,%20Sheng%22 |
Jeremy Corbyn has accused the Conservatives of trying to hide the true effects of their Brexit deal claiming it would put a border in the Irish Sea despite Boris Johnson’s denials.
The Tories insisted Labour is indulging in “wild conspiracy theories” after the party produced leaked Treasury documents on the implications of the Withdrawal Agreement.
The new Brexit deal puts Northern Ireland in a different customs and regulatory regime from the rest of the UK. The Prime Minister has told Northern Irish business leaders that if they are asked to fill in forms when transporting goods to or from Great Britain, they should “throw that form in the bin”.
But the Treasury documents say: “Exit summary declarations will be required when goods are exported from NI to GB.” It adds that the Government “will need to balance the benefits of unfettered access against the risks of reduced control over imports”.
‘Simply not true’
The dossier adds that increased friction on trade across the Irish Sea will increase the price of High Street goods and hit business profits. It is the equivalent of imposing tariffs on 30 per cent of all purchases in Northern Ireland, officials wrote.
Mr Corbyn said: “For trade going from Northern Ireland to Great Britain the government cannot rule out regulatory checks rules of origin checks and animal and public health checks.
“And for trade going the other way from Great Britain to Northern Ireland there will be all of the above plus, potentially, damaging tariffs. This drives a coach and horses through Boris Johnson’s claim that there will be no border in the Irish Sea. It’s simply not true.”
Asked about the leak, Mr Johnson said: “I haven’t seen the document you are referring to but that’s complete nonsense. What I can tell you is that with the deal that we have, we can come out as one whole UK – England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, together.”
His own ministers have previously admitted that some form of checks will be needed on goods crossing the Irish Sea. The Government will seek to minimise the checks while negotiating a future free-trade agreement but the outcome is uncertain.
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Conservative sources described the Treasury document as a “snap analysis” based on a partial analysis of the Withdrawal Agreement, and insisted no senior officials involved in negotiating the deal had authorised it. | https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/brexit-latest-operation-yellowhammer-jeremy-corbyn-brexit-deal-irish-sea-border-372138 |
Tackle ‘poor and poor oral health’ link, says BDA
A dental professor is calling on the government to address the link between social deprivation and poor oral health.
Commenting on the preliminary findings from the 2009 Adult Dental Health Survey (ADHS) published last week, Professor Damien Walmsley, scientific officer with the British Dental Association (BDA), says: ‘Depressingly, this report confirms what we know about the strong link between social deprivation and poor oral health. Addressing this must be a priority for the UK’s governments.’
The BDA has generally given a positive reception to the continuing improvements seen in adults’ oral health.
The report shows that adults are retaining at least some of their natural teeth later into life.
Additionally, the report found that 86% of adults had 21 or more natural teeth.
In 1978, this was the case for only 74%.
Professor Walmsley adds: ‘This survey confirms that the condition of people’s teeth overall has got much better since this survey was first carried out. Fluoride toothpaste, greater awareness of the importance of a healthy diet and regular visits to the dentist have all undoubtedly contributed to the better dental health we see in adults today.
‘While the growing number of patients retaining more of their teeth into later life is, of course, excellent news, this improvement brings its own challenges. The way that teeth are cared for will need to evolve to ensure that these challenges are met.’
The report also confirms the relationship between low socio-economic status and poorer oral health.
A total of 11,380 adults were interviewed for the survey, and 6,469 adults were examined, making this the largest ever epidemiological survey of adult dental health in the UK.
The study, which gives a snapshot of adults’ teeth across England, Northern Ireland and Wales, shows that a greater percentage of adults in Wales have poor dental health compared to their counterparts in England.
The survey – commissioned by The NHS Information Centre – was carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) working in partnership the National Centre for Social Research and a team of academics from the Universities of Birmingham, Cardiff, Dundee, Newcastle and University College London.
The publication contains preliminary findings from the survey, which was carried out between October 2009 and April 2010.
A series of more detailed reports are due to be published in March 2011.
The report can be accessed at www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalsurvey09. | https://dentistry.co.uk/2010/12/13/tackle-poor-and-poor-oral-health-link-says-bda/ |
These Conditions of Sale govern the sale of products by HQI to you.
Please read these conditions carefully before placing an order with HQI. By placing an order with HQI, you signify your agreement to be bound by these conditions.
2 OUR CONTRACT
Your order is an offer to HQI to buy the product(s) in your order. When you place an order to purchase a product from HQI, we will send you an e-mail confirming receipt of your order and containing the details of your order (the "Order Confirmation E-mail"). The Order Confirmation E-mail is acknowledgement that we have received your order, and does not confirm acceptance of your offer to buy the product(s) ordered. We only accept your offer, and conclude the contract of sale for a product ordered by you, when we dispatch the product to you and send e-mail confirmation to you that we've dispatched the product to you (the "Dispatch Confirmation E-mail"). If your order is dispatched in more than one package, you may receive a separate Dispatch Confirmation E-mail for each package, and each Dispatch Confirmation E-mail and corresponding dispatch will conclude a separate contract of sale between us for the product(s) specified in that Despatch Confirmation E-mail. Your contract is with HQI. Without affecting your right of cancellation set out in section 4 below, you can cancel your order for a product at no cost any time before we send the Despatch Confirmation E-mail relating to that product.
This right to cancellation does not exist for certain product groups and services, including personalized materials. You agree that you will receive invoices in electronic form. Electronic invoices are sent to you in PDF, to the email address you provided for sending the invoice, if you have not entered this field the invoice will be sent to your login email address
3 PROPERTY RIGHT
The delivered products remain the property of HQI until they are paid in full to HQI. They can always be due and payable after not paying within a reasonable period of time. (see payment terms)
4 RIGHT OF CANCELLATION UP TO 14 DAYS
Statutory right
You have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days from the day on which you or a third party designated by you (not the carrier) the products (or the last product, the last partial shipment or the final part in the case of a contract with relation to multiple goods of one order or the delivery of a product in several partial shipments or parts). In order to exercise your right of withdrawal, you must inform us about your decision to revoke this agreement. Send your request via the form to: [email protected]
You can complete and return your statement to the Customer Service in accordance with the explanation and with the forms that can be found online. The notification is timely if you have sent the revocation statement before the expiry of the withdrawal period and if you have returned the goods within the period defined below.
For additional information on the scope, content and instructions for the exercise, please contact our Customer Service.
Effects of cancellation
We will reimburse all payments received from you for the goods purchased and will also reimburse delivery charges for the least expensive type of delivery offered by us, no later than 14 days from the day on which we received the above communication. We will use the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise. In any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement. We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest. If reimbursement occurs after the maximum time period mentioned above, the amount due to you will as of right be increased.
You must return the goods immediately and in any case no later than fourteen days from the day on which we are informed of your cancellation of this agreement. The notification is timely if you have sent the goods before the expiration of the withdrawal period of fourteen days. The return costs are for your account. The returned goods must also match the ordered goods. The price will always be the same as on the purchase agreement. For the return a restocking fee will be charged of 10% of the value of the purchase agreement with a minimum amount of 25 euros.
5 EXCEPTIONS TO THE RIGHT OF CANCELLATION
The right of cancellation does not apply to:
6 OUR VOLUNTARY RETURNS GUARANTEE
Without prejudice to your statutory rights, HQI provides you with the following voluntary returns guarantee:
If none of the exceptions apply and if the products are complete and are in the same condition as upon receipt, you can return products from HQI bvba to HQI bvba within 14 days of receipt of the products.
If you return goods in accordance with this voluntary refund guarantee, we will refund the purchase price already paid by you; however, the shipping costs of your original purchase are for your account, as well as the transport risk and the costs of returning. This refund guarantee is without prejudice to your statutory rights and your right of withdrawal as described above.
7 LEGAL WARRANTY LAW
In addition to your 14-day refund guarantee, orderers in the European Union have warranty rights for 12 months from delivery of the goods and are entitled to repair or replacement of the products purchased on HQI if they show defects or do not comply with their description. If the goods can not be repaired or replaced within a reasonable time or without problems, you are entitled to a refund or reduction of the purchase price. In case of consumables or incorrect use, the warranty period can be shorter than 1 year.
8 PRICING
All prices do not include sales tax if you are a professional customer.
Despite our greatest efforts, some products in our catalog may have the wrong price. We check the prices when we process your order and before we invoice. If a product is wrongly priced and the correct price is higher than the price on the website, we will contact you before sending the goods to ask if you want to buy the product at the correct price or if you cancel order. If the correct price of a product is lower than the price indicated by us, we will calculate the lower price and send the product to you.
9 PAYMENTS, OWNERSHIP RESERVATION
The buyer can pay the purchase price with a credit card or invoice. For payment on invoice there is a payment term of 30 days after invoice date or if agreed otherwise between the seller and the buyer.
Each delivered product remains the property of HQI bvba until it is paid in full.
Purchase on invoice:
Payment on invoice is only possible for consumers aged 18 and over. The invoice amount becomes due on receipt of the invoice. HQI bvba reserves the right not to offer certain payment methods in individual cases.
If the invoice amount for reasons attributable to the customer is not paid by the due date at the latest, HQI bvba will charge a fixed compensation in the amount of € 15.00, unless the customer can prove that there is mutual agreement between the seller and the purchaser.
In case of payment on invoice as well as in other cases for which there is a justified cause, HQI checks and assesses the data of the customer and exchanges data with credit registration agencies.
For a decision on the use of the payment method 'purchase on invoice' we use - in addition to our own data - probability values for the assessment of the credit risk that we receive from our external partner. The calculation of the probability values is based on a scientifically recognized mathematical statistical procedure. The aforementioned companies will continue to be used to validate the address details you have provided.
10 DELIVERY
Unless otherwise agreed, the delivery takes place at the delivery address specified by the customer. On the website you will find information on the availability of products sold by HQI (eg on the relevant page with product specifications). Please note that all information on availability, shipping or delivery of a product is only approximate and indicative. They do not form a binding resp. guaranteed shipping or delivery times, unless this is expressly stated as such in the shipping options of the relevant product. If during the processing of your order HQI determines that your ordered products are not available, you will be informed separately by e-mail or via our customer service. The legal claims of the customer remain unaffected by this.
Shipping costs
Shipping costs may be charged, depending on invoice amount and delivery address.
The shipping costs are shown in the purchase process.
If delivery to the purchaser is not possible because the delivered goods do not fit through the entrance door, the door or the stairwell of the customer or because the customer is not found at the delivery address specified by him, while the delivery time with due observance of a reasonable period of time. The orderer has been announced, the costs for the failed delivery will be borne by the customer.
11 CUSTOMS
When ordering products from HQI for delivery outside of the EU you may be subject to import duties and taxes, which are levied once the package reaches the specified destination. Any additional charges for customs clearance must be borne by you; we have no control over these charges. Customs policies vary widely from country to country, so you should contact your local customs office for further information. Additionally, please note that when ordering from HQI, you are considered the importer of record and must comply with all laws and regulations of the country in which you are receiving the products. Your privacy is important to us and we would like our international customers to be aware that cross-border deliveries are subject to opening and inspection by customs authorities. More information about import of products and customs regulations can be found with your customs services.
12 WARRANTY ON PRODUCTS SOLD BY HQI AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
In addition to your 30-day refund guarantee, order takers in the European Union have warranty rights for one year from delivery of the goods and are entitled to repair or replacement of the products purchased on HQI, if they show defects or do not comply with their description. If the goods can not be repaired or replaced within a reasonable time or without problems, you are entitled to a refund or reduction of the purchase price.
If after delivery a replacement delivery is chosen, the customer is obliged to return the first delivered goods to HQI within 30 days. These costs are for the purchaser or if agreed otherwise. The defective goods must be returned in accordance with the statutory regulations. HQI reserves the right to claim compensation in accordance with the legal conditions.
The warranty period may be less than one year for consumables or incorrect use of the product.
For additional information about the terms and conditions, we refer to our return conditions.
HQI is unlimitedly liable insofar as the damage ensues from deliberate or grossly negligent shortcomings in the performance by HQI or by a legal representative or auxiliary person of HQI.
Furthermore, HQI is liable for the negligent violation of essential obligations. Substantial obligations are obligations whose breach jeopardizes the fulfillment of the purpose of the agreement or whose compliance only allows the proper execution of the agreement and the compliance with which you are confident. HQI will then only be liable for foreseeable damage typical of the Agreement. HQI is not liable for the negligent violation of obligations other than those mentioned in the above sentences.
The above limitations of liability do not apply in case of damage to life, body or health, defects related to guaranteed properties of the product and not in the case of intentionally concealed defects. The liability under the statutory product liability remains unaffected.
All products must be checked for their detectability by the purchaser before use. Each company has its own separate settings for the detectors, whereby certain components may not be detectable. The seller can not be held liable if contamination occurs due to the use of his products.
Insofar as HQI's liability is excluded or limited, this also applies in favor of the liability of employees, representatives and auxiliary persons.
13 APPLICABLE LAW
Belgian law applies. Agreed is the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts in the district where HQI is located. This means that you can submit claims in connection with these Terms and Conditions of Sale arising from the consumer protection standards of your choice both in Belgium and in the EU country where you live.
The Dutch version of this agreement takes precedence over all other languages.
14 AMENDMENTS TO THE CONDITIONS OF SALE
We reserve the right to make changes to our website, policies, and terms and conditions, including these Conditions of Sale at any time. You will be subject to the terms and conditions, policies and Conditions of Sale in force at the time that you order products from us, unless any change to those terms and conditions, policies or these Conditions of Sale is required to be made by law or government authority (in which case it may apply to orders previously placed by you). If any of these Conditions of Sale is deemed invalid, void, or for any reason unenforceable, that condition will be deemed severable and will not affect the validity and enforceability of any remaining condition.
15 WAIVER
If you breach these Conditions of Sale and we take no action, we will still be entitled to use our rights and remedies in any other situation where you breach these Conditions of Sale.
16 CHILDREN
We do not sell and offer minors products (-18 years)
17 OUR CONTACT DETAILS
HQI bvba, | https://www.haircap.eu/en/conditions-of-sale |
Mapping reef features from multibeam sonar data using multiscale morphometric analysis
Ziegler, S., Stieglitz, T., and Kininmonth, S. (2009) Mapping reef features from multibeam sonar data using multiscale morphometric analysis. Marine Geology, 264 (3). pp. 209-217.
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Restricted to Repository staff only
Abstract
Classification of seafloor habitats from geomorphological proxies is increasingly being applied to understand the distribution of benthic biota, particularly as more and larger datasets, collected with high-resolution multibeam echo sounders, are becoming available. With increased capacity to collect and use sonar data, there is a need for automated approaches to identify seafloor structures and habitats. For a survey area of approximately 2.5×2.5 km, a generic feature extraction algorithm similar to terrestrial topographic analysis has been developed and applied to a spatially complex submerged mid-shelf reef in the Great Barrier Reef lagoon. Multibeam data collected with a RESON Seabat 8101 was gridded at 1 m resolution, and an automated feature extraction method was applied that analyses the seafloor geomorphology to predict reef features from geomorphological proxies. Quadric surface fitting was used to determine various surface parameters based on multiple spatial scales. Subsequently, 6 morphometric feature types (plane, channel, ridge, pass, pit, and peak) were derived for all mapping scales. Weighted multiscale fuzziness was then applied to extract the dominant morphometric feature classes. Finally, seafloor morphology patterns in combination with seafloor rugosity measurements were analysed in order to predict reef features. These reef features cover significant patches of bioturbation beyond the submerged platform reef, as well as the dominant reef features such as outer-reef crest and inner-reef flat. Layback-corrected and manually classified towed video transects support the classification algorithms used to extract the reef features. | https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/10964/ |
FIELD
BACKGROUND
SUMMARY
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
The present disclosure generally relates to the field of machine learning, and in particular, to a method of knowledge transferring, a storage medium having stored thereon instruction code capable of causing a machine to implement the method of knowledge transferring, and an information processing apparatus capable of using a model which is obtained by the method of knowledge transferring.
Knowledge transferring is used for training a network model called as a "student" model using a supervisory signal of a network model called as a "teacher" model. In knowledge transferring, knowledge of the "teacher" model is transferred to the "student" model by causing the "student" model to output the same result as the "teacher" model, and thus the "student" model acquires the expression capacity of the "teacher" model.
As an example, the "teacher" model may be a large neural network model, and the "student" model obtained after the knowledge transferring may be a small neural network model. Further, the "teacher" model and the "student" model may be network models for processing different data. For example, the "teacher" model may process face image data, and the "student" model obtained after the knowledge transferring may process fingerprint image data. Different objects may be achieved by the knowledge transferring in different conditions. For example, a processing speed of a network model can be increased, and an existing model can be used for a new task.
With the development of machine learning, it is desired to provide an effective method of knowledge transferring.
Brief summary of the present disclosure is given hereinafter, to provide basic understanding for certain aspects of the present disclosure. It should be understood that, the summary is not exhaustive summary of the present disclosure. The summary is not intended to determine key parts or important parts of the present disclosure, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. An object of the summary is only to give some concepts of the present disclosure in a simplified form, as preamble of the detailed description later.
In view of a demand for improving the conventional method of knowledge transferring, it is desirable to provide a method of knowledge transferring, a storage medium having stored thereon instruction code capable of causing a machine to implement the method of knowledge transferring, and an information processing apparatus using a model obtained by the method of knowledge transferring, which achieve the knowledge transferring more effectively.
In an embodiment of a first aspect of the present disclosure, a method of knowledge transferring is provided. The method of knowledge transferring includes: obtaining a first model which has been trained in advance with respect to a predetermined task; and training a second model with respect to the predetermined task by utilizing a comprehensive loss function, such that the second model has knowledge of the first model. The comprehensive loss function is based on a first loss function weighted by accuracy of an output result of the first model for a training sample in regard to the predetermined task, and a second loss function. The first loss function represents a difference between processing results of the second model and the first model for the training sample. The second loss function represents accuracy of an output result of the second model for the training sample in regard to the predetermined task.
In an embodiment of a second aspect of the present disclosure, a knowledge transferring device is provided. The knowledge transferring device includes a first unit and a second unit. The first unit is configured to obtain a first model which has been trained in advance with respect to a predetermined task. The second unit is configured to train a second model with respect to the predetermined task by utilizing a comprehensive loss function, such that the second model has knowledge of the first model. The comprehensive loss function is based on a first loss function weighted by accuracy of an output result of the first model for a training sample in regard to the predetermined task, and a second loss function. The first loss function represents a difference between processing results of the second model and the first model for the training sample. The second loss function represents accuracy of an output result of the second model for the training sample in regard to the predetermined task.
In an embodiment of another aspect of the present disclosure, an information processing apparatus is further provided. The information processing apparatus includes a processor. The processor is configured to: input data for process into the second model which is obtained by the method of knowledge transferring described in the first aspect of the present disclosure, and obtain a processing result of the second model for the data for process.
In an embodiment of yet another aspect of the present disclosure, there is further provided a program causing a computer to implement the method of knowledge transferring described above.
In an embodiment of still another aspect of the present disclosure, a corresponding storage medium is further provided. The storage medium has stored thereon machine readable instruction code. The instruction code, when read and executed by a machine, is capable of causing the machine to implement a method of knowledge transferring. The instruction code includes an instruction code portion for: obtaining a first model which has been trained in advance with respect to a predetermined task; and training a second model with respect to the predetermined task by utilizing a comprehensive loss function, such that the second model has knowledge of the first model. The comprehensive loss function is based on a first loss function weighted by accuracy of an output result of the first model for a training sample in regard to the predetermined task, and a second loss function. The first loss function represents a difference between processing results of the second model and the first model for the training sample. The second loss function represents accuracy of an output result of the second model for the training sample in regard to the predetermined task.
With the above aspects according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, at least the following beneficial effects can be achieved. With the method of knowledge transferring, the knowledge transferring device, the information processing apparatus and the storage medium provided in the present disclosure, it is advantageous in avoiding transferring incorrect knowledge of a "teacher" model to a "student" model, such that the knowledge transferring can be achieved effectively and accurately.
The above and other advantages of the present disclosure are apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with the drawings.
Figure 1
is a schematic flowchart of a method of knowledge transferring according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figures 2A and 2B
are schematic diagrams showing a difference between a loss function based on a Euclidean distance and a loss function based on a cosine distance;
Figure 3
is a schematic structural block diagram of a knowledge transferring device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and
Figure 4
is a schematic structural diagram showing an exemplary hardware configuration for implementing the method of knowledge transferring, the knowledge transferring device and the information processing apparatus according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
The present disclosure can be understood better with reference to the description given in conjunction with the drawings in the following. The same or similar element is indicated by the same or similar reference numeral throughout all the drawings. The drawings are included in the specification together with the following detailed description and form a part of the specification, and are used to further illustrate preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and explain principles and advantages of the present disclosure by examples. In the drawings:
Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described hereinafter in conjunction with the drawings. For the sake of clarity and conciseness, not all the features of practical implementations are described in the specification. However, it should be understood that numerous implementation-specific decisions shall be made during developing any of such practical implementations so as to achieve the developer's specific goals, for example, to conform to constraints related to system and service, with these constraints varying with different implementations. In addition, it should further be understood that although the developing work may be very complicated and time-consuming, the developing work is only a routine task for those skilled in the art benefitting from the present disclosure.
It should further be noted that only those apparatus structures and/or processing steps closely relevant to the solutions of the present disclosure are illustrated in the drawings while other details less relevant to the present disclosure are omitted so as not to obscure the present disclosure due to those unnecessary details.
Figure 1
In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a method of knowledge transferring is provided. is a schematic flowchart of a method 100 of knowledge transferring according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 1
As shown in , the method 100 of knowledge transferring may include: a first model obtaining step S101 of obtaining a first model which has been trained in advance with respect to a predetermined task; and a second model training step S103 of training a second model with respect to the predetermined task by utilizing a comprehensive loss function, such that the second model has knowledge of the first model. The comprehensive loss function used in the second model training step S103 may be based on a first loss function weighted by accuracy of an output result of the first model for a training sample in regard to the predetermined task, and a second loss function. The first loss function represents a difference between processing results of the second model and the first model for the training sample. The second loss function represents accuracy of an output result of the second model for the training sample in regard to the predetermined task. For example, the second loss function may represent a difference between the output result of the second model for the training sample in regard to the predetermined task and a correct result (i.e. the ground truth).
In the method of knowledge transferring in this embodiment, the first loss function related to the knowledge transferring that represents a difference between the first model and the second model is weighted by the accuracy of the output result of the first model for the training sample in regard to the predetermined task, said accuracy also being referred to herein as a confidence of the first model for the training sample. That is, the first loss function is weighted by the confidence of the first model as a "teacher" model for the training sample. Therefore, compared with the conventional technology in which the knowledge of the "teacher" model is transferred to a "student" model regardless of the confidence of the "teacher" model for the training sample, an embodiment of the present invention is advantageous in avoiding transferring incorrect knowledge of the "teacher" model to the "student" model, such that the knowledge transferring can be achieved more effectively and accurately.
In a preferred embodiment, as the accuracy of the output result of the first model for the training sample in regard to the predetermined task is higher, a weight of the first loss function is greater. In this case, the first loss function related to the knowledge transferring may play a greater role in the comprehensive loss function, indicating that the first model as the "teacher" model may lead the entire training process, such that "correct" knowledge of the first model can be transferred to the second model. In contrast, as the accuracy of the output result of the first model for the training sample in regard to the predetermined task is lower, the weight of the first loss function is smaller. In this case, the second loss function related to the accuracy of the second model may play a greater role in the comprehensive loss function, indicating that the second model as the "student" model may lead the entire training process, such that processing capacity of the second model can be improved. In the above weighting manner, when the accuracy of the "teacher" model for a certain training sample is quite low, the first loss function related to the knowledge transferring may play almost no role in the comprehensive loss function, thereby avoiding transferring incorrect knowledge of the "teacher" model to the "student" model.
In a training process of the second model training step S103, the second model may be iteratively trained, for example, with an object that the comprehensive loss function meets a desired condition (for example, reaching a minimum value). The training process may end when the comprehensive loss function reaches the minimum value, when the value of the comprehensive loss function no longer changes, when a predetermined number of iterations are performed, or when other iteration end conditions are met, thereby obtaining the second model to which the knowledge is effectively transferred. Those skilled in the art should understand that, the second model may be trained, based on the constructed comprehensive loss function, by any existing method such as a gradient descent method, to obtain optimal parameters of the second model, which are not described in detail herein.
As an example, each of the first model and the second model may be a neural network model, such as a convolutional neural network (CNN) model. For example, the first model may be a neural network model having a complex structure and a number of parameters, and the second model may be a neural network model smaller than the first model, for example, including fewer layers and fewer parameters than the first model. In this case, the processing speed of the second model obtained after the knowledge transferring can be faster than that of the first model, and the second model is more suitable than the first model for an application in a mobile device or an embedded device that has limited processing resources.
As an example, the training sample may include one of an image sample, a speech sample, or a document sample. For example, the training sample may include a face image sample, for example, including front face images or side face images of different humans, or face images at different postures of different persons. Further, the training sample may also include a fingerprint image sample.
As an example, the predetermined task may include a classification task. For example, the predetermined task may be a task of classifying the face images into categories or classes that correspond to different postures or different persons, such as a face recognition task.
As described above, the first loss function represents the difference between processing results of the second model and the first model for the training sample. The "processing result" herein may include, for example, a final output result of the first model or the second model for the training sample in regard to the predetermined task, such as a classification result of the classification task. The classification result may be indicated by probabilities of the training sample belonging to respective classes. Further, the "processing result" may also include a feature extracted from the training sample by the first model or the second model. For example, in the case that each of the first model and the second model is a neural network model, the processing result may include output data of a certain layer of the neural network model after the training sample is inputted into the neural network model.
Figure 1
It should be noted that though the following description is given by taking a neural network model performing the classification task on image data as an example of each of the first model and the second model, those skilled in the art should understand that the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The present disclosure may be appropriately applied to a first model and a second model having any structure for any task, as long as the first model and the second model are applicable to the flowchart shown in .
In an embodiment, the first loss function related to the knowledge transferring may include a first sub-loss function. The first sub-loss function represents a difference between a predetermined feature extracted from the training sample by the second model and a predetermined feature extracted from the training sample by the first model.
The first sub-loss function representing the feature difference is particularly useful when the second model is obtained to be used as a feature extractor. When the first loss function is constructed based on such a sub-loss function and then used in the comprehensive loss function, the second model obtained after the knowledge transferring acquires a capacity of the first model to characterize (features of) data. Therefore, the obtained second model may be used in feature extraction, similar to the first model.
The present inventors find that the first sub-loss function constructed for the knowledge transferring process may be reasonably set according to demands of subsequent applications. Therefore, in a preferred embodiment, the first sub-loss function may be based on a cosine distance between the predetermined feature extracted from the training sample by the second model and the (corresponding) predetermined feature extracted from the training sample by the first model. The cosine distance is defined based on a cosine similarity and is used to evaluate a difference between vectors. The cosine similarity is defined as a cosine value of an angle between two vectors in an inner product space. A sum of the cosine distance and the cosine similarity is equal to one. That is, a value of the cosine distance is obtained by subtracting a value of the cosine similarity from one.
In this preferred embodiment, the second model obtained after the knowledge transferring is be used in tasks of recognition processing or calculating similarity (for example, a task of comparing whether a sample to be recognized/processed matches a registered/target sample), such as face recognition, speaker recognition, and fingerprint recognition. In the tasks, a cosine similarity between features is generally utilized to evaluate a similarity between data for process (the sample to be recognized) and target data (the registered sample). With the first sub-loss function constructed based on the cosine distance between the features of the first model and the second model, the second model can acquire a feature extraction capability similar to that of the first model in calculating the cosine similarity, thus improving the accuracy of the recognition processing, when compared with the conventional technology that usually utilizes a loss function based on a Euclidean distance to perform the knowledge transferring.
Figures 2A and 2B
Figures 2A and 2B
Figure 2A
Figure 2B
T
S
S
S
Performances associated with a loss function based on the Euclidean distance and a loss function based on the cosine distance are compared with reference to , which are schematic diagrams showing a difference between a loss function based on a Euclidean distance and a loss function based on a cosine distance. In , F represents a feature extracted from a given training sample by a first model (i.e., representing a location of said feature in a feature space), and F represents a feature extracted from the given training sample by a second model before being optimized. F' in represents a feature extracted from the given training sample by the second model after being optimized utilizing a loss function based on the Euclidean distance. F' in represents a feature extracted from the given training sample by the second model after being optimized utilizing a loss function (for example, the loss function including the first sub-loss function constructed based on the cosine distance as described above) based on the cosine distance. The second model is optimized, for example, with an object that the loss function based on the Euclidean distance or the cosine distance reaches a minimum value.
Figure 2A
S
T
S
T
S
T
It can be seen from that, after the second model is optimized utilizing the loss function based on the Euclidean distance, a Euclidean distance between the feature F' extracted from the given training sample by the second model and the feature F extracted from the given training sample by the first model is reduced from L to L', while an angle between the feature F' and the feature F is increased from θ to θ'. That is, a cosine similarity cos θ between the feature F' and the feature F is reduced.
Figure 2B
S
T
S
T
S
T
S
T
In contrast, as shown in , after the second model is optimized utilizing the loss function based on the cosine distance, though a Euclidean distance between the feature F' extracted from the given training sample by the second model and the feature F extracted from the given training sample by the first model is increased from L to L', an angle between the feature F' and the feature F is reduced from θ to θ'. That is, a cosine similarity cos θ between the feature F' and the feature F is increased. In other words, with the loss function based on the cosine distance, the cosine similarity between the feature F' extracted by the optimized second model and the feature F extracted by the first model is made as large as possible. Therefore, in this preferred embodiment, the first sub-loss function, which is based on the cosine distance between the predetermined feature extracted from the training sample by the second model and the predetermined feature extracted from the training sample by the first model, is particularly useful for recognition tasks that utilize the cosine similarity as a similarity.
Figure 2B
T
S
T
S
T
S
T
Further, although shows a case in which the cosine similarity between the feature F's extracted by the optimized second model and the feature F extracted by the first model is increased while the Euclidean distance between the feature F' and the feature F is increased, this is only an example. In practical applications, there may also exist a case in which the cosine similarity between the feature F' and the feature F is increased while the Euclidean distance between the feature F' and the feature F is decreased or substantially unchanged. In this preferred embodiment, it is only required that the cosine similarity is increased, while the change of the Euclidean distance does not matter, which is not described in detail herein.
In a preferred embodiment, in addition to the first sub-loss function based on the cosine distance, the first loss function may further (optionally) include a second sub-loss function. The second sub-loss function represents a difference between output results of the second model and the first model for the training sample in regard to the predetermined task.
i
{x, i=1, 2, ..., m}
i
A
i
x
sub1i
L
i
x
i
x
sub2i
L
i
x
i
x
L
1
<mrow><msub><mi>L</mi><mn>1</mn></msub><mo>=</mo><mrow><mstyle displaystyle="false"><mrow><munderover><mo>∑</mo><mrow><mi>i</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>1</mn></mrow><mi>m</mi></munderover></mrow></mstyle><mrow><msub><mi>A</mi><mi>i</mi></msub></mrow><mfenced separators=""><msub><mi>L</mi><mrow><mi mathvariant="italic">sub</mi><mn>1</mn><mi>i</mi></mrow></msub><mo>+</mo><msub><mi>L</mi><mrow><mi mathvariant="italic">sub</mi><mn>2</mn><mi>i</mi></mrow></msub></mfenced></mrow></mrow>
For instance, an example is described as follows. It is assumed that each of the first model and the second model is a neural network model implementing the classification task, and a label of a category c is indicated by 1, 2, ..., C, where C is a natural number and represents a total number of categories in the classification task. An input training sample is indicated by , where m is a natural number and represents a total number of training samples. In this case, a first loss function may be expressed as follows:
where denotes accuracy of a classification result (or a confidence) of the first model for a training sample , denotes a first sub-loss function representing a difference between a predetermined feature extracted from the training sample by the second model and a (corresponding) predetermined feature extracted from the training sample by the first model, and denotes a second sub-loss function representing a difference between a classification result of the second model for the training sample and the classification result of the first model for the training sample .
i
A
i
x
i
x
i
x
i
w
i
w
i
x
i
A
<mrow><msub><mi>A</mi><mi>i</mi></msub><mo>=</mo><mfenced separators=""><mn>1</mn><mo>−</mo><msub><mi>w</mi><mi>i</mi></msub></mfenced></mrow>
<mrow><msub><mi>w</mi><mi>i</mi></msub><mo>=</mo><mfrac><mn>1</mn><mn>2</mn></mfrac><mrow><mstyle displaystyle="false"><mrow><munderover><mo>∑</mo><mrow><mi>c</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>1</mn></mrow><mi>C</mi></munderover></mrow></mstyle><mrow><mrow><mo>‖</mo><msubsup><mi>y</mi><mi>i</mi><mi>t</mi></msubsup><mfenced><mi>c</mi></mfenced><mo>+</mo><msubsup><mi>x</mi><mi>i</mi><mi>t</mi></msubsup><mfenced><mi>c</mi></mfenced><mo>‖</mo></mrow></mrow></mrow></mrow>
<mrow><msubsup><mi>y</mi><mi>i</mi><mi>t</mi></msubsup><mfenced><mi>c</mi></mfenced></mrow>
<mrow><msubsup><mi>x</mi><mi>i</mi><mi>t</mi></msubsup><mfenced><mi>c</mi></mfenced></mrow>
As an example, the confidence of the first model for the training sample may be expressed as follows:
where denotes a probability that the training sample actually belongs to the category c, denotes a probability that the training sample is classified into the category c by the first model, and 1/2 is a coefficient for normalizing a value of in a range of 0 to 1. When the value of is 0, it is indicated that the training sample is correctly classified by the first model, and in this case, the accuracy reaches a maximum value.
sub1i
L
Fi
L
i
x
i
x
Fi
L
<mrow><mtable><mtr><mtd><msub><mi>L</mi><mi mathvariant="italic">Fi</mi></msub><mo>=</mo><mn>1</mn><mo>−</mo><mi>cos</mi><mfenced separators=","><msubsup><mi>f</mi><mrow><msub><mi>x</mi><mi>i</mi></msub></mrow><mi>s</mi></msubsup><msubsup><mi>f</mi><mrow><msub><mi>x</mi><mi>i</mi></msub></mrow><mi>t</mi></msubsup></mfenced><mo>=</mo><mn>1</mn><mo>−</mo><mfrac><mfenced separators=","><msubsup><mi>f</mi><mrow><msub><mi>x</mi><mi>i</mi></msub></mrow><mi>s</mi></msubsup><msubsup><mi>f</mi><mrow><msub><mi>x</mi><mi>i</mi></msub></mrow><mi>t</mi></msubsup></mfenced><mrow><mrow><mo>‖</mo><msubsup><mi>f</mi><mrow><msub><mi>x</mi><mi>i</mi></msub></mrow><mi>s</mi></msubsup><mo>‖</mo></mrow><mrow><mo>‖</mo><msubsup><mi>f</mi><mrow><msub><mi>x</mi><mi>i</mi></msub></mrow><mi>t</mi></msubsup><mo>‖</mo></mrow></mrow></mfrac></mtd></mtr><mtr><mtd><msub><mi>L</mi><mrow><mi mathvariant="italic">sub</mi><mn>1</mn><mi>i</mi></mrow></msub><mo>=</mo><msub><mi>λ</mi><mi>F</mi></msub><msub><mi>L</mi><mi mathvariant="italic">Fi</mi></msub></mtd></mtr></mtable></mrow>
<mrow><msubsup><mi>f</mi><mrow><msub><mi>x</mi><mi>i</mi></msub></mrow><mi>t</mi></msubsup></mrow>
<mrow><msubsup><mi>f</mi><mrow><msub><mi>x</mi><mi>i</mi></msub></mrow><mi>s</mi></msubsup></mrow>
F
As described above, the first sub-loss function may be based on the cosine distance between the predetermined features. For example, the first sub-loss function may be based on a cosine distance as expressed in the following formula (4):
where denotes a predetermined feature extracted from the training sample by the first model, and denotes a predetermined feature extracted from the training sample by the second model. Further, λ is a coefficient set for the cosine distance to balance influences of different loss (sub-loss) functions, which may be reasonably set according to experiments or application demands.
i
x
<mrow><msubsup><mi>f</mi><mrow><msub><mi>x</mi><mi>i</mi></msub></mrow><mi>t</mi></msubsup><mn>.</mn></mrow>
<mrow><msubsup><mi>f</mi><mrow><msub><mi>x</mi><mi>i</mi></msub></mrow><mi>s</mi></msubsup></mrow>
As an example, after the training sample is input into the first model which is a neural network model, output data of a layer of the model is extracted as the predetermined feature (a feature vector) Similarly, the predetermined feature (a feature vector) may be extracted by the second model. The layer described above may be a layer other than an input layer or an output layer of the neural network model, for example, one of a plurality of hidden layers of the neural network model.
<mrow><msubsup><mi>f</mi><mrow><msub><mi>x</mi><mi>i</mi></msub></mrow><mi>t</mi></msubsup></mrow>
<mrow><msubsup><mi>f</mi><mrow><msub><mi>x</mi><mi>i</mi></msub></mrow><mi>s</mi></msubsup></mrow>
<mrow><mtable><mtr><mtd><msub><mi>L</mi><mi mathvariant="italic">Ei</mi></msub><mo>=</mo><mrow><mo>‖</mo><msubsup><mi>f</mi><mrow><msub><mi>x</mi><mi>i</mi></msub></mrow><mi>s</mi></msubsup><mo>−</mo><msubsup><mi>f</mi><mrow><msub><mi>x</mi><mi>i</mi></msub></mrow><mi>t</mi></msubsup><mo>‖</mo></mrow></mtd></mtr><mtr><mtd><msub><mi>L</mi><mrow><mi mathvariant="italic">sub</mi><mn>1</mn><mi>i</mi></mrow></msub><mo>=</mo><msub><mi>λ</mi><mi>E</mi></msub><msub><mi>L</mi><mi mathvariant="italic">Ei</mi></msub></mtd></mtr></mtable></mrow>
i
x
i
x
sub1i
L
Ei
L
F
E
λ
Alternatively, in another example, the first sub-loss function may be based on a Euclidean distance between the predetermined feature extracted from the training sample by the second model and the predetermined feature extracted from the training sample by the first model. For example, the first sub-loss function may be based on a Euclidean distance as expressed in the following formula (5):
Similar to λ in the formula (4), in the formula (5) is a coefficient set for the Euclidean distance to balance influences of different loss (sub-loss) functions, which may be reasonably set according to the experiments or the application demands.
sub2i
L
i
x
sub2i
L
Li
L
i
x
i
x
<mrow><msub><mi>L</mi><mi mathvariant="italic">Li</mi></msub><mo>=</mo><mrow><mstyle displaystyle="false"><mrow><munderover><mo>∑</mo><mrow><mi>c</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>1</mn></mrow><mi>C</mi></munderover></mrow></mstyle><mrow><msubsup><mi>x</mi><mi>i</mi><mi>t</mi></msubsup><mfenced><mi>c</mi></mfenced></mrow><mi mathvariant="italic">log</mi></mrow><mfrac><mrow><msubsup><mi>x</mi><mi>i</mi><mi>t</mi></msubsup><mfenced><mi>c</mi></mfenced></mrow><mrow><msubsup><mi>x</mi><mi>i</mi><mi>s</mi></msubsup><mfenced><mi>c</mi></mfenced></mrow></mfrac></mrow>
<mrow><msubsup><mi>x</mi><mi>i</mi><mi>t</mi></msubsup><mfenced><mi>c</mi></mfenced></mrow>
<mrow><msubsup><mi>x</mi><mi>i</mi><mi>s</mi></msubsup><mfenced><mi>c</mi></mfenced></mrow>
Further, the second sub-loss function may represent the difference between the classification results of the second model and the first model for the training sample . For example, the second sub-loss function may be in the form of a cross entropy, such as a KL divergence that may be calculated as follows.
where denotes a probability that the training sample is classified into the category c by the first model, and denotes a probability that the training sample is classified into the category c by the second model.
sub1i
L
Fi
L
<mrow><msub><mi>L</mi><mn>1</mn></msub><mo>=</mo><mrow><mstyle displaystyle="false"><mrow><munderover><mo>∑</mo><mrow><mi>i</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>1</mn></mrow><mi>m</mi></munderover></mrow></mstyle><mfenced separators=""><mn>1</mn><mo>−</mo><msub><mi>w</mi><mi>i</mi></msub></mfenced><mrow><mfenced separators=""><msub><mi>λ</mi><mi>F</mi></msub><msub><mi>L</mi><mi mathvariant="italic">Fi</mi></msub><mo>+</mo><msub><mi>λ</mi><mi>L</mi></msub><msub><mi>L</mi><mi mathvariant="italic">Li</mi></msub></mfenced></mrow></mrow></mrow>
In summary, when the first sub-loss function is based on the cosine distance expressed in the formula (4), the first loss function may be expressed as follows:
sub1i
L
Ei
L
<mrow><msubsup><mi>L</mi><mn>1</mn><mi>ʹ</mi></msubsup><mo>=</mo><mrow><mstyle displaystyle="false"><mrow><munderover><mo>∑</mo><mrow><mi>i</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>1</mn></mrow><mi>m</mi></munderover></mrow></mstyle><mfenced separators=""><mn>1</mn><mo>−</mo><msub><mi>w</mi><mi>i</mi></msub></mfenced><mrow><mfenced separators=""><msub><mi>λ</mi><mi>E</mi></msub><msub><mi>L</mi><mi mathvariant="italic">Ei</mi></msub><mo>+</mo><msub><mi>λ</mi><mi>L</mi></msub><msub><mi>L</mi><mi mathvariant="italic">Li</mi></msub></mfenced></mrow></mrow></mrow>
Alternatively, when the first sub-loss function is based on the Euclidean distance expressed in the formula (5), the first loss function may be expressed as follows:
L
Li
λL
It should be noted that although the case of the first loss function including both the first sub-loss function and the second sub-loss function is described herein, those skilled in the art should understand that the first loss function in this embodiment may include only the first sub-loss function. For example, the first loss function may be expressed as an expression in which an item of in the formula (7) or the formula (8) is removed.
2
L
i
x
si
L:
ic
S
i
S
i
x
ic
y
ic
y
i
x
ic
y
<mrow><msub><mi mathvariant="normal">L</mi><mi>Si</mi></msub><mo>=</mo><mrow><mstyle displaystyle="true"><mrow><munderover><mrow><mo>∑</mo></mrow><mrow><mi>c</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>1</mn></mrow><mi>C</mi></munderover></mrow></mstyle><mrow><msub><mi>y</mi><mi mathvariant="italic">ic</mi></msub></mrow></mrow><msub><mrow><mi>log</mi><mi>s</mi></mrow><mi mathvariant="italic">ic</mi></msub></mrow>
Further, as an example, in this preferred embodiment, a second loss function may be based on a cross entropy representing a difference between the classification result of the second model for the training sample and a correct result, such as a Softmax loss function
where denotes, for example, a c-th value of an output vector in a Softmax layer following a full connection layer in a neural network model as the second model, and it represents a probability that the training sample belongs to the category c; and denotes a label of the sample. A value of is equal to one only when an actual category (i.e. a ground-truth cateogery) of the sample is the category c, otherwise the value of is equal to zero.
si
L
2
L
<mrow><msub><mi>L</mi><mn>2</mn></msub><mo>=</mo><msub><mi>λ</mi><mi>S</mi></msub><mrow><mstyle displaystyle="false"><mrow><munderover><mo>∑</mo><mrow><mi>i</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>1</mn></mrow><mi>m</mi></munderover></mrow></mstyle><mrow><msub><mi>L</mi><mi mathvariant="italic">Si</mi></msub></mrow></mrow></mrow>
Based on the Softmax loss function , the second loss function may be constructed asfollows:
F
E
λ
S
λ
Similar to λ in the formula (4) and in the formula (5), in the formula (10) is a coefficient set for the Softmax loss function to balance influence of different loss functions, which may be reasonably set according to the experiments or the application demands.
<mrow><msubsup><mi>L</mi><mn>2</mn><mi>ʹ</mi></msubsup></mrow>
<mrow><msubsup><mi>L</mi><mn>2</mn><mi>ʹ</mi></msubsup><mo>=</mo><msub><mi>λ</mi><mi>S</mi></msub><mrow><mstyle displaystyle="false"><mrow><munderover><mo>∑</mo><mrow><mi>i</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>1</mn></mrow><mi>m</mi></munderover></mrow></mstyle><mrow><mfenced separators=""><mn>1</mn><mo>−</mo><msub><mi>A</mi><mi>i</mi></msub></mfenced><msub><mi>L</mi><mi mathvariant="italic">Si</mi></msub></mrow></mrow><mo>=</mo><msub><mi>λ</mi><mi>S</mi></msub><mrow><mstyle displaystyle="false"><mrow><munderover><mo>∑</mo><mrow><mi>i</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>1</mn></mrow><mi>m</mi></munderover></mrow></mstyle><mrow><msub><mi>w</mi><mi>i</mi></msub><msub><mi>L</mi><mi mathvariant="italic">Si</mi></msub></mrow></mrow></mrow>
Ai
i
x
Alternatively, a second loss function weighted by the accuracy of the classification result of the first model for the training sample may be constructed in a manner similar to but "complementary to" that of the first loss function.
<mrow><mtable><mtr><mtd><msub><mi>L</mi><mi mathvariant="italic">overall</mi></msub><mo>=</mo><msub><mi>L</mi><mn>1</mn></msub><mo>+</mo><msub><mi>L</mi><mn>2</mn></msub><mo>=</mo><mrow><mstyle displaystyle="false"><mrow><munderover><mo>∑</mo><mrow><mi>i</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>1</mn></mrow><mi>m</mi></munderover></mrow></mstyle><mfenced separators=""><mn>1</mn><mo>−</mo><msub><mi>w</mi><mi>i</mi></msub></mfenced><mrow><mfenced separators=""><msub><mi>λ</mi><mi>L</mi></msub><msub><mi>L</mi><mi mathvariant="italic">Li</mi></msub><mo>+</mo><msub><mi>λ</mi><mi>F</mi></msub><msub><mi>L</mi><mi mathvariant="italic">Fi</mi></msub></mfenced><mo>+</mo><msub><mi>λ</mi><mi>S</mi></msub><mrow><mstyle displaystyle="false"><mrow><munderover><mo>∑</mo><mrow><mi>i</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>1</mn></mrow><mi>m</mi></munderover></mrow></mstyle><mrow><msub><mi>L</mi><mi mathvariant="italic">Si</mi></msub></mrow></mrow></mrow></mrow></mtd></mtr><mtr><mtd><msub><mi>L</mi><mi mathvariant="italic">overall</mi></msub><mo>=</mo><mrow><mstyle displaystyle="false"><mrow><munderover><mo>∑</mo><mrow><mi>i</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>1</mn></mrow><mi>m</mi></munderover></mrow></mstyle><mrow><mfenced separators=""><mfenced separators=""><mn>1</mn><mo>−</mo><msub><mi>w</mi><mi>i</mi></msub></mfenced><mfenced separators=""><msub><mi>λ</mi><mi>L</mi></msub><msub><mi>L</mi><mi mathvariant="italic">Li</mi></msub><mo>+</mo><msub><mi>λ</mi><mi>F</mi></msub><msub><mi>L</mi><mi mathvariant="italic">Fi</mi></msub></mfenced><mo>+</mo><msub><mi>λ</mi><mi>S</mi></msub><msub><mi>L</mi><mi mathvariant="italic">Si</mi></msub></mfenced></mrow></mrow></mtd></mtr></mtable></mrow>
Based on the formula (7) (in which the first sub-loss function included in the first loss function is based on the cosine distance) and the formula (10) (in which the second loss function is not weighted), a comprehensive loss function in this preferred embodiment may be obtained as below.
<mrow><mtable><mtr><mtd><msubsup><mi>L</mi><mi mathvariant="italic">overall</mi><mi>ʹ</mi></msubsup><mo>=</mo><msub><mi>L</mi><mn>1</mn></msub><mo>+</mo><msubsup><mi>L</mi><mn>2</mn><mi>ʹ</mi></msubsup><mo>=</mo><mrow><mstyle displaystyle="false"><mrow><munderover><mo>∑</mo><mrow><mi>i</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>1</mn></mrow><mi>m</mi></munderover></mrow></mstyle><mfenced separators=""><mn>1</mn><mo>−</mo><msub><mi>w</mi><mi>i</mi></msub></mfenced><mrow><mfenced separators=""><msub><mi>λ</mi><mi>L</mi></msub><msub><mi>L</mi><mi mathvariant="italic">Li</mi></msub><mo>+</mo><msub><mi>λ</mi><mi>F</mi></msub><msub><mi>L</mi><mi mathvariant="italic">Fi</mi></msub></mfenced><mo>+</mo><msub><mi>λ</mi><mi>S</mi></msub><mrow><mstyle displaystyle="false"><mrow><munderover><mo>∑</mo><mrow><mi>i</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>1</mn></mrow><mi>m</mi></munderover></mrow></mstyle><mrow><msub><mi>w</mi><mi>i</mi></msub><msub><mi>L</mi><mi mathvariant="italic">Si</mi></msub></mrow></mrow></mrow></mrow></mtd></mtr><mtr><mtd><msubsup><mi>L</mi><mi mathvariant="italic">overall</mi><mi>ʹ</mi></msubsup><mo>=</mo><mrow><mstyle displaystyle="false"><mrow><munderover><mo>∑</mo><mrow><mi>i</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>1</mn></mrow><mi>m</mi></munderover></mrow></mstyle><mrow><mfenced separators=""><mfenced separators=""><mn>1</mn><mo>−</mo><msub><mi>w</mi><mi>i</mi></msub></mfenced><mfenced separators=""><msub><mi>λ</mi><mi>L</mi></msub><msub><mi>L</mi><mi mathvariant="italic">Li</mi></msub><mo>+</mo><msub><mi>λ</mi><mi>F</mi></msub><msub><mi>L</mi><mi mathvariant="italic">Fi</mi></msub></mfenced><mo>+</mo><msub><mi>w</mi><mi>i</mi></msub><msub><mi>λ</mi><mi>S</mi></msub><msub><mi>L</mi><mi mathvariant="italic">Si</mi></msub></mfenced></mrow></mrow></mtd></mtr></mtable></mrow>
Alternatively, based on the formula (7) (in which the first sub-loss function included in the first loss function is based on the cosine distance) and the formula (11) (in which the second loss function is weighted), an comprehensive loss function in another form in this preferred embodiment may be obtained as below.
overall
L
overall
L'
In the training process, the second model may be iteratively trained with an object that the comprehensive loss function or reaches a minimum value. The training process may end when the comprehensive loss function reaches the minimum value, or when a value of the comprehensive loss function no longer changes, thereby obtaining the second model to which the knowledge is effectively transferred. Those skilled in the art should understand that, the second model may be trained, based on the constructed comprehensive loss function, by any existing method such as a gradient descent method, to obtain optimal parameters of the second model, which are not described in detail herein.
An exemplary manner of constructing the comprehensive loss function has been described, for example, using the loss function based on the cosine distance, the loss function based on the Euclidean distance, or the Softmax loss function by example. However, it should be noted that based on the present disclosure, those skilled in the art may construct the first loss function or the second loss function, or the first sub-loss function or the second sub-loss function in any appropriate manner to obtain the comprehensive loss function, as long as each of the first loss function, the second loss function, the first sub-loss function and the second sub-loss function meets the corresponding definition in the present disclosure.
Figure 1
The method of knowledge transferring according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is described above with reference to . With the method of knowledge transferring, it is advantageous in avoiding transferring incorrect knowledge of the "teacher" model to the "student" model, such that the knowledge transferring can be achieved more effectively and accurately.
Figure 3
In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a knowledge transferring device is provided. is a schematic structural block diagram of a knowledge transferring device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 3
As shown in , a knowledge transferring device 300 may include a first unit 301 and a second unit 302. The first unit 301 is configured to obtain a first model which has been trained in advance with respect to a predetermined task. The second unit 302 is configured to train a second model with respect to the predetermined task by utilizing a comprehensive loss function, such that the second model has knowledge of the first model. The comprehensive loss function used by the second unit 302 may be based on a first loss function weighted by accuracy of an output result of the first model for a training sample in regard to the predetermined task, and a second loss function. The first loss function represents a difference between processing results of the second model and the first model for the training sample. The second loss function represents accuracy of an output result of the second model for the training sample in regard to the predetermined task.
Figure 1
The knowledge transferring device and the units in the knowledge transferring device may perform, for example, operations and/or processes of the method of knowledge transferring in the first aspect of the present disclosure described with reference to , and operations and/or processes in steps of said method of knowledge transferring, and may achieve technical effects similar to those of the method of knowledge transferring, which are not repeated herein.
The second model which is obtained after the knowledge transferring by the method of knowledge transferring in the first aspect or the knowledge transferring device in the second aspect acquires a processing capacity of the first model, and thus it can be used to process data.
In a third aspect of the present disclosure, an information processing apparatus is provided. The information processing apparatus includes a processor. The processor is configured to: input data for process into the second model which is obtained by the method of knowledge transferring described in the first aspect of the present disclosure; and obtain a processing result of the second model for the data for process.
As an example, the second model (as well as the first model on which the second model is based) used in the information processing apparatus may be a neural network model, such as a convolutional neural network (CNN) model. As an example, the data for process may include one of image data, speech data, or document data. For example, the data for process may be human face data.
As an example, the first model may be a neural network model having a complex structure and a number of parameters, and the second model may be a neural network model smaller than the first model, for example, including fewer layers and fewer parameters than the first model. In this case, the processing speed of the second model obtained after the knowledge transferring can be faster than that of the first model. Therefore, the processing efficiency can be increased with the information processing apparatus performing process using the second model.
Similar to the description of the method of knowledge transferring in the first aspect of the present disclosure, the "processing result" of the second model for the data for process may include a final output result of the second model for the data for process in regard to the predetermined task, such as a classification result of the classification task. That is, the information processing apparatus may directly use the second model to perform the recognition task, and the output result of the second model is used as the classification result.
In a preferred embodiment, for the comprehensive loss function constructed in the method of knowledge transferring for obtaining the second model, as the accuracy of the output result of the first model for the training sample in regard to the predetermined task is higher, the first loss function in the comprehensive loss function that is weighted based on said accuracy will have a greater weight. Therefore, with the second model obtained by the method of knowledge transferring, the incorrect knowledge of the first model can be prevented from being transferred to the second model, thereby improving the processing accuracy of the information processing apparatus.
Further, similar to the description of the method of knowledge transferring in the first aspect of the present disclosure, the "processing result" may also include a feature extracted from the data for process by the second model. For example, in the case that the second model is a neural network model, the processing result may include output data of a certain layer of the neural network model after the data for process is input into the neural network model.
Since the second model which is obtained by the method of knowledge transferring in the first aspect of the present disclosure acquires the processing capacity of the first model, such as a capacity of the first model to characterizing a feature of a sample, the second model may be used as a feature extractor for extracting the predetermined feature of the sample.
In a preferred embodiment, for the comprehensive loss function that is constructed in the method of knowledge transferring for obtaining the second model, the first loss function related to the knowledge transferring that is included in the comprehensive loss function may include a first sub-loss function. The first sub-loss function represents a difference between a predetermined feature extracted from the training sample by the second model and a predetermined feature extracted from the training sample by the first model. Further, the first loss function may optionally include a second sub-loss function. The second sub-loss function represents a difference between output results of the second model and the first model for the training sample in regard to the predetermined task.
The first sub-loss function representing the feature difference is particularly useful when the second model is obtained to be used as a feature extractor. When the first loss function in the comprehensive loss function is constructed based on such a sub-loss function, the second model obtained after the knowledge transferring acquires a capacity of the first model to characterize features of the data. Therefore, the information processing apparatus may use the second model in feature extraction.
In a preferred embodiment, the predetermined task of the second model may include a classification task, and the first loss function included in the comprehensive loss function which is constructed in the method of knowledge transferring may be based on a cosine distance between the predetermined feature extracted from the training sample by the second model and the predetermined feature extracted from the training sample by the first model.
L
Li
λL
For example, the first loss function may include the first sub-loss function based on the cosine distance described in the above formula (4) and optionally the second sub-loss function, and it can be expressed as the above formula (7). Alternatively, the first loss function in this preferred embodiment may include only the first sub-loss function, without the second sub-loss function. For example, the first loss function may be expressed as an expression in which an item of in the formula (8) is removed.
In this preferred embodiment, the processor may be configured to extract a predetermined feature from the data for process by the second model, as the processing result for the data for process. The processor may further be configured to calculate a cosine similarity between the predetermined feature extracted from the data for process and a predetermined feature extracted from target data by the second model, to determine a similarity between the data for process and the target data based on the cosine similarity, for example, so as to determine whether the data for process matches the target data. Optionally, the processor may further be configured to determine whether the data for process is the target data based on, for example, a comparison result between the calculated cosine similarity and a predetermined similarity threshold, so as to complete the recognition processing.
Preferably, the predetermined feature that is extracted from the data for process or the target data by the second model in calculating the similarity corresponds to the predetermined feature that is extracted from the training sample by the second model in constructing the first loss function included in the comprehensive loss function in the method of knowledge transferring. For example, the above features are extracted from a same layer of the second model which is a neural network model.
Figure 2
As previously discussed with reference to , the second model which is obtained after the knowledge transferring with the loss function based on the cosine distance is especially suitable for tasks involving similarity comparison, such as tasks of face recognition, speaker recognition, and fingerprint recognition. The inventor performs an experiment involving comparative models. For each model involved in the experiment, face image recognition is performed with respect to a public dataset of labelled faces in wild (LFW), wherein a cosine similarity is calculated between a feature extracted by the model from an face image to be processed in the LFW and a feature extracted by the model from a target face image, so as to determine whether the face image to be processed matches the target face image. In the experiment, when the features are extracted by a first model which is obtained in advance, the recognition accuracy is 97.73±0.62%. When the features are extracted by a second model which is trained by utilizing a first loss function including a first sub-loss function based on a Euclidean distance, the recognition accuracy is 96.90%±0.97%. When the features are extracted by a second model which is trained by utilizing a first loss function including a first sub-loss function based on a cosine distance as described in this preferred embodiment, the recognition accuracy is 97.85±0.60%, thus proving that the loss function which is based on the cosine distance between features in this preferred embodiment is effective for recognition tasks.
Operations implemented by the information processing apparatus according the embodiment of the present disclosure have been described above. With this information processing apparatus, the data may be processed by the second model having the "correct" knowledge of the first model and having a processing speed faster than that of the first model. Further, in a preferred embodiment, the second model having a feature extraction capacity that is suitable for the recognition processing may be used as a feature extractor to perform recognition processing.
Figure 4
is a schematic structural diagram showing an exemplary hardware configuration 400 that is capable of implementing the method of knowledge transferring, the knowledge transferring device and the information processing apparatus according to the embodiments of the present disclosure.
Figure 4
In , a central processing unit (CPU) 401 performs various types of processing according to programs stored in a read only memory (ROM) 402 or programs loaded from a storage portion 408 to a random access memory (RAM) 403. Data required when the CPU 401 performs various types of processing is stored in the RAM 403 as needed. The CPU 401, the ROM 402, and the RAM 403 are connected to each other via a bus 404. An input/output interface 405 is also connected to the bus 404.
The following components are connected to the input/output interface 405: an input portion 406 (including a keyboard, a mouse or the like), an output portion 407 (including a display such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a speaker or the like), the storage portion 408 (including a hard disk or the like), and a communication portion 409 (including a network interface card such as a LAN card, a modem or the like). The communication portion 409 performs communication processing via a network such as the Internet. A driver 410 may also be connected to the input/output interface 405 as needed. A removable medium 411 such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk and a semiconductor memory may be installed on the driver 410 as needed, such that computer programs read from the removable medium 411 are installed in the storage portion 408 as needed.
A program product having stored thereon machine readable instruction code is further provided in the present disclosure. The instruction code, when read and executed by a machine, is capable of implementing the method of knowledge transferring according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. Accordingly, a storage medium for carrying the program product, such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk or a semiconductor memory, is also included in the present disclosure.
That is, a storage medium having stored thereon machine readable instruction code is further provided in the present disclosure. The instruction code, when read and executed by a machine, is capable of causing the machine to implement a method of knowledge transferring. The instruction code includes an instruction code portion for: obtaining a first model which has been trained in advance with respect to a predetermined task; and training a second model with respect to the predetermined task by utilizing a comprehensive loss function, such that the second model has knowledge of the first model. The comprehensive loss function is based on a first loss function weighted by accuracy of an output result of the first model for a training sample in regard to the predetermined task, and a second loss function. The first loss function represents a difference between processing results of the second model and the first model for the training sample. The second loss function represents accuracy of an output result of the second model for the training sample in regard to the predetermined task.
The storage medium may include but not limited to, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a semiconductor memory or the like.
In any of the above aspects, the various features may be implemented in hardware, or as software modules running on one or more processors.
The invention also provides a computer program or a computer program product for carrying out any of the methods described herein, and a computer readable medium having stored thereon a program for carrying out any of the methods described herein. A computer program embodying the invention may be stored on a computer-readable medium, or it could, for example, be in the form of a signal such as a downloadable data signal provided from an Internet website, or it could be in any other form.
In the above description of specific embodiments of the present disclosure, the features described and/or illustrated with respect to one embodiment may be used in one or more other embodiments in the same or similar manner, may be combined with features in other embodiments, or may replace features in other embodiments.
Further, the method described in embodiments of the present disclosure is not limited to be performed in a chronological order described in the specification or shown in the drawings, but may also be performed in other chronological order, in parallel or independently. Therefore, the order for executing the method described in the specification does not limit the technical scope of the present disclosure.
Further, it is apparent that various operation procedures of the method according to the embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by computer executable programs stored in various machine readable storage mediums.
Further, the object of the present disclosure can also be achieved in the following manner. A storage medium on which the above executable program codes are stored is provided to a system or device directly or indirectly. A computer or a central processing unit (CPU) in the system or in the device reads and executes the above program codes.
In this case, as long as the system or the device has a function of executing a program, the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the program, and the program may be in any form such as a target program, a program executed by an interpreter or a script program provided to the operating system.
The above machine readable storage mediums include but are not limited to, various memories and storage units, semiconductor devices, disk units such as an optical disk, a magnetic disk, a magneto-optical disk, and other mediums suitable for storing information.
Further, an information processing terminal as a client device may also implement the embodiments of the present disclosure by connecting to a corresponding website on the Internet, downloading and installing the computer program codes in the present disclosure to the information processing terminal and executing the program codes.
obtaining a first model which has been trained in advance with respect to a predetermined task; and
training a second model with respect to the predetermined task by utilizing a comprehensive loss function, such that the second model has knowledge of the first model, wherein the comprehensive loss function is based on a first loss function weighted by accuracy of an output result of the first model for a training sample in regard to the predetermined task, and a second loss function, wherein the first loss function represents a difference between processing results of the second model and the first model for the training sample, and the second loss function represents accuracy of an output result of the second model for the training sample in regard to the predetermined task.
Solution 1. A method of knowledge transferring, including:
Solution 2. The method of knowledge transferring according to Solution 1, wherein the first loss function includes a first sub-loss function representing a difference between a predetermined feature extracted from the training sample by the second model and a predetermined feature extracted from the training sample by the first model.
Solution 3. The method of knowledge transferring according to Solution 2, wherein the first loss function further includes a second sub-loss function representing a difference between output results of the second model and the first model for the training sample in regard to the predetermined task.
Solution 4. The method of knowledge transferring according to Solution 2, wherein the training sample includes one of an image sample, a speech sample, or a document sample.
Solution 5. The method of knowledge transferring according to Solution 2, wherein when the accuracy of the output result of the first model for the training sample in regard to the predetermined task is higher, a weight of the first loss function is greater.
Solution 6. The method of knowledge transferring according to any one of Solutions 2 to 5, wherein the predetermined task includes a classification task.
Solution 7. The method of knowledge transferring according to Solution 6, wherein the first sub-loss function is based on a cosine distance between the predetermined feature extracted from the training sample by the second model and the predetermined feature extracted from the training sample by the first model.
input data for process into the second model which is obtained by the method of knowledge transferring according to solution 1; and
obtain a processing result of the second model for the data for process.
Solution 8. An information processing apparatus, including:
a processor configured to:
Solution 9. The information processing apparatus according to Solution 8, wherein the data for process includes one of image data, speech data, or document data.
Solution 10. The information processing apparatus according to Solution 8, wherein the first loss function includes a first sub-loss function representing a difference between a predetermined feature extracted from the training sample by the second model and a predetermined feature extracted from the training sample by the first model.
Solution 11. The information processing apparatus according to Solution 9, wherein the first loss function further includes a second sub-loss function representing a difference between output results of the second model and the first model for the training sample in regard to the predetermined task.
Solution 12. The information processing apparatus according to any one of Solutions 8 to 11, wherein when the accuracy of the output result of the first model for the training sample in regard to the predetermined task is higher, a weight of the first loss function is greater.
Solution 13. The information processing apparatus according to any one of Solutions 8 to 12, wherein the predetermined task includes a classification task, the first loss function is based on a cosine distance between a predetermined feature extracted from the training sample by the second model and a predetermined feature extracted from the training sample by the first model, and
wherein the processor is configured to extract a predetermined feature from the data for process by the second model, as the processing result for the data for process, and is further configured to calculate a cosine similarity between the predetermined feature extracted from the data for process and a predetermined feature extracted from target data by the second model, to determine a similarity between the data for process and the target data based on the cosine similarity.
obtaining a first model which has been trained in advance with respect to a predetermined task; and
training a second model with respect to the predetermined task by utilizing a comprehensive loss function, such that the second model has knowledge of the first model, wherein the comprehensive loss function is based on a first loss function weighted by accuracy of an output result of the first model for a training sample in regard to the predetermined task, and a second loss function, wherein the first loss function represents a difference between processing results of the second model and the first model for the training sample, and the second loss function represents accuracy of an output result of the second model for the training sample in regard to the predetermined task.
Solution 14. A storage medium having stored thereon machine readable instruction code that, when read and executed by a machine, is capable of causing the machine to implement a method of knowledge transferring, the instruction code including:
an instruction code portion for:
Solution 15. The storage medium according to Solution 14, wherein the first loss function includes a first sub-loss function representing a difference between a predetermined feature extracted from the training sample by the second model and a predetermined feature extracted from the training sample by the first model.
Solution 16. The storage medium according to Solution 15, wherein the first loss function further includes a second sub-loss function representing a difference between output results of the second model and the first model for the training sample in regard to the predetermined task.
Solution 17. The storage medium according to Solution 15, wherein the training sample includes one of an image sample, a speech sample, or a document sample.
Solution 18. The storage medium according to Solution 15, wherein when the accuracy of the output result of the first model for the training sample in regard to the predetermined task is higher, a weight of the first loss function is greater.
Solution 19. The storage medium according to any one of Solutions 15 to 18, wherein the predetermined task includes a classification task.
Solution 20. The storage medium according to Solution 19, wherein the first sub-loss function is based on a cosine distance between the predetermined feature extracted from the training sample by the second model and the predetermined feature extracted from the training sample by the first model.
In summary, with respect to embodiments of the present disclosure, the present disclosure provides the following solutions but is not limited thereto.
Finally, it should further be noted that the relationship terminologies such as first, second or the like are only used herein to distinguish one entity or operation from another, rather than to necessitate or imply that the actual relationship or order exists between the entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "including", "comprising" or any other variant thereof are intended to encompass non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, a method, an article, or a device including a series of elements include not only those elements, but also include other elements that are not explicitly listed, or include elements that are inherent to such processes, methods, articles, or devices. In addition, in the absence of more restrictions, the elements defined by the sentence "including a ..." do not exclude the presence of additional same elements in the process, method, article, or device that includes the elements.
Although the present disclosure have been described by the description of specific embodiments of the present disclosure above, it should be understood that, various changes, improvements or equivalents may be made by those skilled in the art on the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims. The changes, improvements or equivalents should be regarded as falling within the protection scope of the present disclosure. | |
In an emergency such as flood or bushfire, you should be conscious of which recordings are truly irreplaceable (e.g. a unique recording of baby’s first words or a deceased relative) and commercial recordings or equipment which may have monetary value but which could be replaced if necessary.
You should consider safeguarding any recordings of great personal importance from extreme hazard by copying them and storing the copies elsewhere. In the event of a flood, evacuate the recordings or store in a sealed container — try to avoid them becoming wet. In the event of a fire, evacuate the recordings or bury them in a sealed container.
For professional assistance in the event of such a disaster, or if you notice unusual things happening to your recordings, seek professional advice. If tapes show any signs of shedding, sticking or squeaking, or if recordings develop a strong smell of vinegar or a ‘plastic/organic’ odour, this is usually a sign that they are chemically deteriorating and probably require expert treatment. On any recording also look out for crazing, cracks or other damage, and mould, contamination or interaction with packaging. | http://conservationanswers.net/answers/how-can-i-protect-my-audio-collection-in-a-fire/?backlink=Lz9wb3N0X3R5cGU9Y21hX3RocmVhZA=&ajax=1 |
You may be aware that Cyber security is a rapidly expanding industry with many job opportunities. Numerous firms are increasing employees to handle these risks as significant hacks happen more regularly. Those who want to work in cyber security have a wide range of career alternatives at their option, so it is essential to take the time to learn about them all. Your unique interests, skill set, and long-term objectives will determine your best fit.
Anyone with relevant skills in cyber security or technology-related fields has a lot of great chances. Even if you have not worked in cyber security, there are ways to enter the area even if you do not already have any experience. You can try a cyber security course online that covers the basics of cyber security, which is one approach to acquiring the experience. Here will see what the job prospect for cyber security is in 10 years:
Chief Information Security Officer – CISO
An organization’s entire information security is ensured by a senior-level professional known as the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). CISOs are in charge of developing and maintaining programs for information security and risk management in addition to dealing with stakeholders and notifying them of problems with information security. A CISO is typically someone who has excelled in a number of different cybersecurity-related positions.
Forensics Analyst
An investigator who follows the digital evidence and practically solves a crime is known as a forensics analyst. Data is recovered, and the security breach’s cause is discovered. If you become a forensics analyst, you will investigate the attackers’ entry methods, network movements, actions, etc. A forensics analyst is supposed to have the key analyst. You must work with the risk management and incident response teams to conduct a thorough analysis. You can carry out forensic operations to find signs of compromise. To spot malicious or compromised activities, you must analyze all data sources, such as the firewall, web, database, logs, etc. You can check for security problems in new software and tools. Develop best practices for digital forensics.
Cybersecurity Engineer
Engineers specializing in cyber security create security methods to protect a company from cyberattacks. They are in charge of safeguarding the organization’s data and network infrastructure. To preserve overall security, they build cybersecurity platforms with the other teams. The first step in becoming a cybersecurity engineer is obtaining a computer science or information technology degree. You should have at least two years of work experience in the sector before taking on the role of a cybersecurity engineer.
Penetration Tester
Penetration testers, often known as ethical hackers, plan, practice, and carry out attacks on business networks and systems to locate and resolve weaknesses. Penetration testing is a programming-intensive position, in contrast to analyst positions. Therefore, master one of the widely used application programming languages before doing anything else. After that, become certified in ethical hacking or penetration testing. You can join a professional cyber security training and job placement to become a qualified cyber security.
Cloud Security Specialist
Cloud security experts are in great demand and will continue to be so due to the rising reliance on the cloud. A cloud security specialist’s job is to defend networks, systems, and data from cyber-attacks. You can achieve this by identifying risks and weak spots, putting safety measures in place, focusing on cyber attacks on networks, and checking legal compliance.
The protection of data kept on a cloud server is the responsibility of cloud security experts. You can create and implement rules and practices that safeguard data against unapproved access, modification, or disclosure. Depending on your level of experience, cloud security specialists are paid differently.
Final Thoughts
If you are looking for the best career, cyber security is the best choice. You will get the best job role when you complete the course in cyber security. The above listed are the few job prospect for cyber security in 10 years. | https://bagyatech.com/job-prospect-for-cyber-security-in-10-years/ |
Balcony, Satellite Channels, Flat-screen TV, Air Conditioning, Seating Area, Heating, Tile/Marble floor, Wardrobe/Closet, Clothes rack, Shower, Hairdryer, Bathroom, Kitchenette, Refrigerator, Microwave, Dining area, Electric kettle, Kitchenette.
TOURISM FEE: 0,55€ per person per night.
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Sand in the showers: We kindly ask all our guests to enter the property free of sand. Furthermore, it is prohibited to bring sand into the shower cabin, because it causes obstructions within drainage system. | https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/11329725 |
Prophylaxis with lactoferrin, a novel antimicrobial agent, in a neonatal rat model of coinfection.
Lactoferrin has broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, and the authors hypothesized that recombinant human lactoferrin (Talactoferrin alfa [TLF]) would reduce mortality and morbidity in a coinfection model. The MIC 50 (minimum inhibitory concentration required to inhibit the growth of 50% of organisms) of TLF against Candida albicans and Staphylococcus epidermidis was determined. Neonatal Wistar rats were infected with C albicans or S epidermidis or both, at doses of 2 x10(8) colony-forming units (CFUs) given subcutaneously. Rat pups in each group were randomly given TLF intraperitoneally at 40 mg/kg/dose or 300 mg/kg/dose, or saline in 0.2 mL, once a day for 4 d and were monitored for mortality, weight gain, and blood culture positivity. Trough serum levels of TLF were measured at 24, 48, 72, 96, and 144 h. MIC 50 of TLF was 30 microg/mL and 500 microg/mL for C albicans and S epidermidis, respectively. TLF prophylaxis significantly improved survival in the coinfection group at 40 mg/kg/dose (by 16.1%; P=.019) and at 300 mg/kg/dose (by 15.1%; P=.027) and in the S epidermidis group at a dose of 40 mg/kg/dose (by 18.6%; P=.04). Weight gain was not affected by TLF prophylaxis. Serum trough levels of TLF were 1000-fold lower than in vitro MIC 50. The authors conclude that lactoferrin prophylaxis significantly enhanced survival in coinfection and in the subgroup of S epidermidis infection (40 mg/kg/dose) through indirect mechanisms.
| |
By demanding that a bounce is nonsingular and that perturbations are well-behaved at all times, we narrow the scope of possible models with one degree of freedom that can describe a bounce in the absence of spatial curvature. We compute the general properties of the transfer matrix of perturbations through the bounce, and show that spectral distortions of the Bardeen potential are generically produced only for the small wavelengths, although the spectrum of long wavelength curvature perturbations produced in a contracting phase gets propagated unaffected through such a bounce.
1 Introduction
It has become generally admitted, especially with the recent WMAP data , that the Universe must have undergone a phase of inflation , i.e. a very short period of time during which the ongoing expansion was exponentially accelerated. This phase not only solves the usual cosmological flatness, homogeneity, monopole excess and horizon problems, but it also produces, as a bonus, an almost scale-invariant (usually, but not always, slightly red) spectrum of primordial scalar perturbations. These small inhomogeneities, of one part in about , have the right spectrum and can be given, with some amount of fine-tuning, the right amplitude to seed the large scale structure formation. In fact, it can be argued that the inflationary expansion and the ensuing superadiabatic amplification of the zero-point energy of the quantum fields is the only plausible mechanism to transfer microscopic quantum fluctuations up to the cosmologically relevant length scales without annihilating the amplitudes of those fluctuations in an ever expanding universe.
Bouncing models [4, 5] have been proposed as alternatives to this scenario, mostly in the framework of string theory [6, 7] (see, however, Ref. ). A bounce, i.e. a period of contraction followed by expansion, could explain the flatness if the expansion phase lasted much less than the contracting era; it could explain homogeneity by making the past light cone very large during the contracting era so thermalization could take place; and, as it turns out, it can very easily give rise to the same mechanism of superadiabatic amplification as inflation .
The main distinction of bouncing models compared to inflation lies in which term dominates the spacetime curvature . Whereas in inflation and the physical wavelengths grow much faster than the curvature radius , close to a bounce and the curvature radius grows to as the contraction rate grinds to a halt, then falls back down rapidly as the expansion phase begins.
This means that the modes of interest are pushed inside the curvature radius during the bounce, and then out again as the universe expands. This “in-out” transition is what makes superadiabatic amplification possible, both in inflation as well as in bouncing models. The question is whether sufficiently natural models can be found which give rise to near-scale invariant spectra of cosmological perturbations .
As opposed to inflation, in which the phenomenological consequences of the simplest single-field, slow-roll models are extremely similar (slightly red spectra), in bouncing models the ensuing spectrum of cosmological perturbations can vary dramatically, depending on the model. Moreover, making the universe bounce is far from straightforward since general relativity forbids this behavior as long as the Null Energy Condition (NEC) holds. As a result, bouncing models can become rather intricate. The simplest bouncing models developed so far have relied on a combination of fluids , the presence of spatial curvature or ghost fields . Some models predict mode mixing with or without spectral modifications through the bounce itself, and it has been suggested that these features essentially originate from either the mixture of two fluids, i.e. from the entropy perturbations (see and, in particular, where the precise treatment of entropy perturbations is done), or from spatial curvature . Hence the need for a single field flat space bouncing model.
Therefore, we propose here a minimalistic model for a bounce with a single matter component (a generalized scalar field, or K-essence) and zero spatial curvature. The condition that spatial curvature is small shortly after the bounce is a natural one if the contracting phase lasted much longer than the ongoing expansion phase. We also demand that the energy density is positive at all times, that a non-singular bounce takes place, and that the sound speed of perturbations is well-behaved at all times.
By expressing the Lagrangian of the generalized scalar field as a Taylor series around the field and its momenta, we can easily implement these constraints and proceed to construct a very general class of sensible bouncing models with a single fluid and no spatial curvature. The only shortcoming of our class of models is that, because near the bounce, they all lie in the “phantom” sector, , so the connection with an expanding radiation era would necessitate the introduction of matter fields and a decay mechanism similar to preheating . This is precisely the scenario recently proposed in Ref. , where an explicit scenario is realized using the ghost condensate model . For additional context on the use of non-canonical scalar fields in cosmology, see, e.g., Ref. [17, 18, 19]. Note also that if one assumes a contracting phase dominated by normal matter (preferably pressureless matter, in order to get an almost scale invariant spectrum of perturbations ), then because the phantom divide cannot so easily be crossed , there must also exist a transition between this contraction and our K-bounce, equivalent to preheating but in the other way, that one could henceforth call precooling.
The advantage of our models lies in the simplicity of their perturbative sector. We show explicitly that cosmological perturbations can be propagated in a non-singular way through the bounce. We also show that the perturbations are well-behaved through the numerous instantaneous de Sitter phases (moments of time at which ) that take place in our model.
We have computed the transfer function for perturbations, and we show that an initial spectrum of cosmological perturbations can get distorted by the bounce. As this distortion depends on the duration of the bounce, our conclusion is that bouncing models generate power spectra with a wide variety of scale dependences. However, the scale dependence of the transfer matrix is important only for short wavelengths, so that the cosmologically relevant (large) scales are transferred through the bounce unaffected.
This paper is organized as follows. First, we describe the K-essence model generating the K-bounce, provide the relevant equations of motion for the background and derive the conditions under which a bounce is possible (Sec. II). We then specify, in Sec. III, through a Taylor expansion around the bounce, the form of the pressure function we use afterwards, and provide the constraints for a non-singular bounce to take place. Sec. IV discusses a number of specific background models and attempts at classifying them by the bounce duration. We then move on, starting in Sec. V, to the study of the perturbations. We first reduce the overall system to a single equation for the only degree of freedom avalaible, which we chose to be the Bardeen gravitational potential . We discuss analytically several potentially problematic cases (the bounce itself, the instantaneous de Sitter phase, and the quasi de Sitter bounce), and we show that is well behaved at all times. Having shown the propagation of linear perturbations across the bounce to be regular at all times, we then compute numerically this time evolution, setting initial conditions at an arbitrary time at which we impose and for the Fourier modes. We end up with some considerations about model building in a concluding section.
2 Generalized scalar-field models
We will assume that the matter sector is represented by a scalar field Lagrangian of the form
|(1)|
where
|(2)|
and use the timelike signature, for the metric . From this Lagrangian, one gets a stress-energy tensor reading
|(3)|
with energy density and . These relations give back the usual one for the canonical scalar field theory provided one then takes the simplest Lagrangian function .
Since Ostrogradski’s theorem [22, 23, 24] precludes local higher derivative terms from appearing in the action principle, Eq. (1) is the most generic scalar field Lagrangian which may be stable. Notice that our Lagrangian does not need to be separable in terms of functions of the kinetic term and the field , as is sometimes assumed for K-inflation or K-essence .
The important aspect of the quantum instability of this theory would also need to be addressed, since evidently any Hamiltonian which is unbounded from below would be instantly destroyed by quantum tunelling of positive-energy particles into the negative-energy particles . For theories with non-canonical kinetic terms the quantum stability is a nontrivial issue, in particular for the case of “phantom” models – see, for instance, Ref. .
Introducing the flat Friedman-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker metric with scale factor , namely
and the Hubble parameter (a dot standing for a derivative w.r.t. the time coordinate ), the Einstein field equations are then given by
|(4)|
|(5)|
As for the matter field, the Euler-Lagrange equation stemming from Lagrangian (1) is nothing but the conservation of the stress-energy tensor (3), i.e.
|(6)|
which, under the assumption of homogeneity of the scalar field, , is reduced to the simpler form,
|(7)|
which reduces to the Klein-Gordon equation for the canonical theory . Here the sound speed is given by
|(8)|
and it should be clear from the unapproximated equation of motion that it is the function responsible for the speed with which inhomogeneous scalar field fluctuations propagate through spacetime. In particular, a negative would give rise to exponentially growing small-scale fluctuations, meaning that the theory is classically unstable.
Since our final aim concerns the predictability and spectrum of cosmological perturbations before and after the bounce in a one-fluid model, our first requirement is that the sound speed never becomes negative. We also demand that it remains finite, since a diverging sound speed would cause a singularity in the transfer matrix [12, 13] that relates the cosmological perturbations before and after the bounce – destroying, once again, the predictability of the theory. Therefore, our first physical constraint is
|(9)|
Notice that even though we demand that the sound speed squared is always positive and finite, we should still work under the assumption that our models are just phenomenological realizations of some unknown fundamental theory, so that the second-quantized perturbations of the gravitational degrees of freedom are not being taken into account properly here. Otherwise, since both and are negative through the bounce phase in our models, the theory can become unstable, decaying instantaneously through graviton production [24, 28].
Our second requirement is that the energy is non-negative. In particular, if the bounce happens at we must have that
|(10)|
and, as a result of the Einstein equations written in the form , we conclude that we must impose
|(11)|
This means that, as , the equation of state parameter becomes infinitely negative. But is the domain of the so-called “phantom” (or “ghost”) models, and it has been shown that crossing the “ barrier” is impossible in simple single-field models [21, 29]. Therefore, our bouncing model is limited to , which in practice means that in the asymptotic past (future) the Universe approaches a contracting (expanding) de Sitter stage. These limiting stages must somehow be connected with non-phantom dominated epochs through precooling and preheating phases.
3 Taylor expansion of the Lagrangian
Our model relies on a series expansion of the Lagrangian in terms of the field and its momentum. Without loss of generality we set the value of the field at the bounce to be , and its time derivative , so we can write
In order to obtain a well-behaved bounce, it is helpful to assume that the behavior of the field near the bounce is analytic in time
|(13)|
which means that . We stress that the Taylor expansion in Eq. (13) is not used in any way to constrain the dynamics – we only use it as a means to adjust the parameters of the Lagrangian in light of the constraints.
The constraint that translates into
|(14)|
A second constraint comes from the stress tensor conservation, i.e. , imposing that at the bounce. This means that only the term in which is quadratic in time survives. In terms of our parameters, this condition is expressed as
|(15)|
Finally, the Friedman equation at leads to the third constraint, namely that and , with given by
|(16)|
Notice that and must be chosen such that the square root is real, and such that is negative. Notice also that the and branches are identified by simultaneously changing the signs of and .
To summarize: our set of constraints determines some relationships between the Lagrangian parameters , and in the context of the class of models in which the behavior of the scalar field near the bounce can be represented as Taylor series. Presumably, other models for which the scalar field around the bounce cannot be represented by such a series will lead to similar constraints between the parameters involved in these cases. As we are interested in some minimalistic bouncing model and the general conclusions that can be drawn thereof, this will suffice for us.
Notice that the scalar field parameters are essentially free, and that the Lagrangian parameters , and are also essentially free – we only need to make sure that the square root in Eq. (16) remains real. Higher-order parameters ( etc.) would come into these constraints, but they would also remain basically free. This means we can tune the parameters of the Lagrangian in order to make the models stable – which is very important for phantom models. It also means that we can set the parameters such that the bounce is short or long, fast or slow, at will.
4 Concrete models: background
The class of models one can construct with the procedure above has a very rich phenomenology. In all of them the conditions we impose on the parameters are such that any bounce, defined as the point in time at which , is necessarily non-singular, having at this point. Therefore, if we set our initial conditions to a Universe that is contracting, it necessarily will end up bouncing provided the constraints on the underlying parameters are indeed satisfied.
There is only one kind of fixed point in our theory, namely . As a result, and whatever the initial conditions, once we have passed through the bounce, our models necessarily asymptote to a de Sitter Universe; this fixed point is an attractor provided , and a repulsor otherwise. In practice, some intermediate quasi-de Sitter phases (contracting as well as expanding) can happen as the model contracts and then expands, which is rather interesting from the point of view of the background model, but represents a formidable complicating task if one is interested in the perturbations.
We have chosen to concentrate on three concrete models, one in which the bounce is relatively fast and short, one in which it is a slow and long phase, and another in which we tuned the parameters so that the bounce is also a quasi-de Sitter phase (i.e., both and at the bounce.) All models approach a contracting (expanding) de Sitter phase in the past (future), which is natural since going backwards in time transforms the repulsor with into an attractor. The contracting phase is in fact an unstable point which all trajectories exit from, whereas the expanding de Sitter phase is an attractor point where all our models must finish. Therefore, in order to make the transition to a radiation-dominated Universe we must introduce new ingredients, or make the scalar field decay into some other fields. As this reheating process usually preserves the basic properties of the cosmological perturbations (at least in the single field case at hand), we will not treat it here – see, for instance, Ref. . Similarly, if we want to originate with a stable-matter dominated phase, we will need a transition (precooling) to lead into the bounce phase. For the same reasons as the preheating, we shall not consider the details of such a transition, and will just assume, as usual, that the long-wavelength spectrum of perturbations is transmitted unchanged through these precooling and preheating phases. Technically, this translates into saying that we do not impose physically motivated initial conditions here, assuming that they have been generated in the phase preceeding the precooling, and therefore out of the scope of this paper.
It is useful to write down a few identities for the background that hold in general. The equation of state can be written, with the help of Friedmann equations, as
|(17)|
while its time derivative can be conveniently expressed as
|(18)|
where we have used the continuity equation, .
5 Perturbations
We now perturb the scalar field as , and for the metric we fix the gauge to the conformal-newtonian (longitudinal) one as
|(19)|
By using the constraint equations in the case of a single generalized scalar field we can express the Mukhanov-Sasaki variable as
|(20)|
where
|(21)|
and in our case () we have
|(22)|
The Mukhanov variable obeys the equation
|(23)|
where a prime denotes a derivative with respect to conformal time , i.e. . In lieu of Eq. (23) we can view as an effective potential that is scattered by the incoming wave .
However, it can be immediately seen from Eq. (22) that the transformation to the variable is ill-defined in two particularly important situations: first, if the equation of state goes to infinity, as happens in our bounce, and second, if , as happens if the Universe reaches a de Sitter phase. In fact, the effective potential becomes singular in these situations. Obviously, in these cases the Mukhanov variable cannot be usefully employed and we must search for other, more suitable ways to represent the perturbations. It is interesting to realize that the situation is similar to what happens in the curvature dominated bounce examined in Ref. : the Mukhanov variable becomes useless in both these bounce cases. We must therefore resort to the original Einstein equations for the metric perturbations directly.
In the single scalar field case it is possible to write a second-order differential equation for , which reads
|(24)|
It is clear that this equation is completely well-behaved through a bounce (), as long as remains finite.
As is well known, this equation also describes well the perturbations in a nearly de Sitter (inflationary) spacetime. This is evident if we write Eq. (24) in terms of the slow-roll parameters and
|(25)|
It then becomes obvious that by taking and and neglecting the exponentially decaying gradient term we obtain that in the slow-roll regime
|(26)|
to first order in the slow-roll parameters.
However, Eq. (24) may not be appropriate in an instantaneous de Sitter point, i.e., an instant of time when (.). We have found that it is particularly enlightening to write the following set of first-order equations
|(27)|
|(28)|
These relations, together with Eq. (21), show that the perturbations are propagated through the many important phases described below in a regular way.
5.1 Exact solution near the bounce
First, consider a bounce at that occurs within the class of models given by Eqs. (3)-(13)111Here and in the following subsection, the choice for the point under consideration is of course a mere convention aimed at simplifying the subsequent equations; in the numerical approach, we will set the initial contracting solution at , so the bounce takes place at a different location.. We can then write
|(29)|
where we take in accordance with our class of models for which . We suppose the approximation above to be valid for small times such that .
Substituting the approximation above into Eqs. (27)-(28) or, equivalently, into Eq. (24), and keeping only the dominant terms we obtain the following equation for :
|(30)|
where is the (near-constant) scale factor at the bounce, so we implicitly assume that . We will also assume that the sound speed is approximately constant during the bounce, which is the case in all models we have considered. It is interesting to notice that if , then there is a limiting case () for which the exact solutions near the bounce are pure oscillatory modes.
By writing the solution to Eq. (30) as a truncated Taylor series in time, it is easy to find two linearly independent approximate solutions,
|(31)|
where . We can in fact find exact solutions to Eq. (30), and the two linearly independent modes turn out the be essentially a Hermite polynomial and a confluent hypergeometric function . Both functions are analytic at and reduce, to lowest order in , to the approximate solutions (31).
In terms of the curvature fluctuation , the approximate solutions are:
|(32)|
Therefore, the curvature perturbation is completely regular across the bounce. Notice that neither the growing nor the decaying modes of the curvature fluctuations near the bounce depend on the cubic term in Eq. (29), even though the newtonian potential does. From Eqs. (21) and (31)-(32) we can also see that by keeping only the dominant mode we make the curvature fluctuation equal to at the bounce.
Notice that what was the growing mode in the contracting era becomes the decaying mode in the expanding era, and vice-versa. This behavior is completely generic for the linear cosmological perturbations, and has been shown to work in much more complex bouncing models .
5.2 Exact solution near an instantaneous de Sitter phase
Now we analyse the solution near a de Sitter point – i.e., and instant of time when . Since we assume that the sign of does not change, we take the following approximation for the Hubble parameter near a de Sitter point which we place at :
|(33)|
where we suppressed the linear term because we want at , and the absence of a quadratic term is implied by . The approximation is valid for ; we have found that it is always valid near de Sitter points in our class of models.
Neglecting the subdominant terms we obtain the following equation for :
|(34)|
with
Notice that the cubic term does not show in the equation for at leading order order – it will, however, reappear when we compute .
Defining
rescaling the time to , and making the variable change , we can reduce Eq. (34) to the equation for the confluent hypergeometric function,
|(35)|
where and . The two linearly independent solutions to Eq. (35) are given by
|(36)|
where the coefficients and can be found in standard textbooks on special functions . Notice that the first solution is well-behaved everywhere, but the second solution is non-analytic at the origin due to the presence of the term. This happens because the confluent hypergeometric function with integer has a branch cut in the Riemann plane. As a result, we could not have found the second solution by writing a naive Taylor series around , as was done in the previous section. Nevertheless, specifying the value of the second function and its derivative anywhere fixes its value everywhere in the Riemann plane, so the solution can be propagated from negative to positive values of . Of course, Eq. (34) is only approximate, so the exact solution to the exact equation may be much better behaved, but this subtlety rendered the actual numerical evolution of the perturbative equations tremendously complicated at de Sitter points.
In terms of the newtonian potential we find the following approximate solutions for small , namely
|(37)|
The first is a decaying (growing) mode in the contracting (expanding) phase, while the second is a constant mode.
Upon substitution of the modes (37) into the definition of we find
|(38)|
The first solution is nothing but the constant curvature mode that passes essentially unaltered through the instantaneous de Sitter phase, while the second solution has a pole at the de Sitter point but has no constant piece. This pole corresponds to no real physical singulariy: it just points out the inadequacy of the definition of the curvature fluctuation in this situation since the solution for the newtonian potential is completely well-behaved and can be propagated through any de Sitter point.
5.3 Exact solution near a quasi-de Sitter bounce
An interesting limiting case happens when the bounce occurs in such a way that, as , as well. Since in our types of models, we conclude that near this quasi-de Sitter bounce we also have . Therefore, near the quasi-de Sitter bounce the Hubble expansion parameter can be expanded as
|(39)|
which, substituted into Eq. (24), leads to
|(40)|
with . There are trivial solutions to this equation in terms of spherical Bessel functions ,
|(41)|
where . The approximate solutions for the curvature perturbation around the bounce are then given by
|(42)|
So, again we see the presence of a constant mode, and of another mode which decays rapidly in the contracting phase but grows rapidly in the expanding phase.
5.4 Numerical evolution in some concrete models
We now study a few concrete models. It is important to keep in mind that the condition that (or, equivalently, ) at the bounce means that the equation of state must be phantomlike at all times, as crossing the phantom barrier is prohibited in single-field models . Since in the phantom case the only stable fixed point is , it is only natural that the asymptotic solutions are quasi-de Sitter (contracting and expanding), as we indeed find.
Nevertheless, our freedom to set the parameters of the Lagrangian (, , , etc.) means that we can vary the duration of the bounce. Since at the bounce, the time scale which sets how fast the bounce occurs is naturally given by . Therefore, by tweaking we can construct models in which the bounce is very fast or very slow.
As we are ultimately interested in the cosmological perturbations and their spectra in these models, it is useful to consider what should happen to the perturbations if the bounce is very fast or if it is very slow. Eq. (23) tells us that we can regard the problem of the propagation of cosmological perturbations as that of the scattering of a wave function by a potential . By changing the duration of the bounce, we are in effect changing the potential and changing the interval of time in which the wave function interacts with the potential. Hence, intuitively we should expect that for very fast bounces the short wavelengths will barely reach reach the oscillatory regime, while for slow bounces the oscillating stage will be fully realized by the short wavelengths. Hence, we should expect that, for those wavelengths that can reach the oscillatory regime, the change in their amplitudes is going to be more drastic in slow bounce models than in fast bounce models – see, later, Fig. 5.
We have constructed three models which are broadly representative of the phenomenology of K-matter bounces: a fast bounce (FB), a medium bounce (MB) and a slow bounce (SB).
First, consider the fast bounce (FB) of Fig. 1. As shown in the upper panel, the universe starts in a quasi-de Sitter contracting phase, with and . It contracts with that initial rate up until , then it bounces at as the expansion rate grows very rapidly. It then reaches another quasi-de Sitter phase, albeit an expanding one. In our arbitrary time units, the bounce lasts about . Notice that at the density and the expansion rate become flat for an instant of time, meaning that at that point the equation of state reached the value – that is, the universe went through an instantaneous de Sitter point. Notice also that nothing special happens to the sound speed – indeed, in all our models the sound speed is well-behaved and is not crucial to any of our discussions.
The cosmological perturbations in the FB model are shown in the lower panel of Fig. 1, for two different wavelengths ( and ), along with the scale factor. As discussed above, we do not have a natural criterium to impose on the initial conditions of the Bardeen potential. Thus we chose, for all numerically evolved models below, to set and : then, getting anything else but a constant for asymptotically long times after the bounce would be evidence of mode mixing.
It can be seen that the newtonian potential is well-behaved at all times (as shown in the analytical solutions of the previous sections). For wavelengths longer than that of the mode the solutions for the perturbations are all identical, meaning that the bounce does not affect them differently. With our initial conditions all perturbations go through a sign change at around , which is just a manifestation of the relative growth of the dominant mode compared to an initially mixed-mode state.
Notice that the small-wavelength mode detaches from the behavior of the mode at around , which indicates that the small-wavelength mode almost reaches the oscillatory regime. Indeed, for wavelengths smaller than that of the mode the perturbations go through a period of oscillations which becomes longer as we consider smaller wavelengths. This means that these modes are small enough to be insensitive to the curvature radius created by the bounce. Equivalently, we can say that the modes experience a very small effective potential , so they simply oscillate.
In Fig. 2 we show a bounce model (MB) in which the bounce itself happens over a longer period of time, . We have also set the parameters so that the instant of the bounce coincides with an instant when . Hence, in this model the bounce () is also a quasi-de Sitter point (); in other words, the background behaves, close to the bounce, like Minkowski spacetime. It is interesting, although not entirely unexpected, that even in this critical model the perturbations are entirely well behaved at all times.
In Fig. 3 we show the SB model. Here the bounce is accompanied by many quasi-de Sitter instantaneous points (.) The bounce happens during a time scale of . The most telling characteristic of the perturbations is that now the mode with experiences more than 20 oscillations during the bounce, while in the MB model it only had time to perform about six oscillations.
The main result of this Section is that cosmological perturbations pass through the bounce with their spectrum essentially unchanged. However, our numerical evolution cannot address the important question whether there is mixing between the dominant and sub-dominant modes, before and after the bounce. This is due to the rapidly decaying nature of the sub-dominant solution after the bounce.
Let us consider the possibility of mode mixing by means of a simplified analytical model inspired by the numerically solved fast bounce scenario. Let us take the following model for the Hubble parameter:
|(43)|
which interpolates smoothly between a de Sitter phase with contraction rate and an expanding de Sitter phase with expansion rate . Notice that we have neglected the term , since the numerical analysis have shown that it only matters for perturbations of very small wavelength. Eq. (24) then becomes:
|(44)|
In order to get an analytical solution we assume that , and we take for simplicity. (Note that this is strictly equivalent to introducing a new variable and rescalling all the constants accordingly.) With these choices, the two linearly independent solutions to Eq. (24) are:
|(45)|
|(46)|
where , , and and are the associated Legendre functions of the first and second kind, respectively .
Since we would like to connect this universe model with a previous contracting phase (before pre-cooling) and an ensuing expansion phase (after pre-heating), we should consider what happens with the two modes above both at early times () and at late time (). This is necessary if we give initial conditions for the perturbations and their time derivatives at some initial (early) time, and if we would like to follow their evolutions at late times and ask whether that choice of initial values implies a mixture of the two modes of Eqs. (45)-(46).
It turns out that the asymptotic limits () and () are very subtle for the associated Legendre functions: in fact, the limit is singular in the Legendre differential equation, which translates into the fact that the Legendre functions are almost degenerate – and, of course, without a complete basis of linearly independent functions we cannot accomodate an arbitrary set of initial condition. As a result, we need to expand the functions to 3 order in the small parameters so as to break that degeneracy. The result is that, in the limit (), we get:
Here we have implicitly assumed that , so the series in non-integer powers of is ordered correctly.
Comparing the first two terms in Eqs. (5.4)-(5.4) one can see that they are identical, up to a constant. Only the third-order terms in these solutions have different factors. Therefore, if we want to assign arbitrary initial conditions to the perturbations at very early times, we need to go to third order in the series around . Since this small factor goes exponentially to zero as , this means that numerically it is very hard to select only one of the modes. Any choice of initial conditions that selected one mode at the expense of the other, if made at a very early time , would imply a fine-tuning of order . This means that quite generically, any natural choice of initial conditions at very early times will necessarily select a mixture of the two modes, and .
Consider now the limit ():
It can be noticed also in this limit that the two modes are degenerate up to second order in .
The conclusion we can draw from the solutions above at both asymptotic limits is that, in order to obtain a pure mode at one would need to fine-tune the initial conditions to order , and inspect the final solution up to the same order and precision. It should be evident that a numerical calculation would need an astonishing level of accuracy to be able to detect such minute differences. This explains why we could not address the question of mode mixing in the numerical analysis.
With these solutions at hand, one can ask the question: is it actually possible to avoid mixing when making a transition between two contracting or expanding de Sitter phases? We see on inspection of Eqs. (5.4) to (5.4), expanding the functions in time, that the general solution for the gravitational potential reads
|(51)|
where the coefficients , , and can be obtained formally from Eqs. (5.4) to (5.4). In the absence of mode mixing, one would expect the transition matrix relating to to be diagonal. As the coefficients of the modes are different from one side to the other, this is clearly not the case, so one expects mixing, at least in this simplified model.
As a result, if the contracting and expanding phases are of comparable durations, an initial condition in the contraction era which is a mixed state of the dominant and subdominant modes will become a very different mix of the dominant and subdominant modes at the end of the contraction era, in effect transferring power from one component to the other. This transfer can result in a large amplification of . This would mean that, provided there is a scale-invariant spectrum in before the bounce, however small its amplitude, and even if it is present only in the sub-dominant mode, the bounce can manage to amplify it to large values. However, this mechanism does not separate the spectrum from the amplitude, as, say, the curvaton models , because the curvature perturbation is, on large, cosmologically relevant scales, conserved through the bounce, and thus retains its amplitude as well as its spectral index.
6 Spectrum of perturbations in a K-bounce
There are two ways in which we can address the question about cosmological perturbations in K-bounce models. First, we could assume that there were no perturbations initially, and that a spectrum of cosmological perturbations was generated by the bounce itself, through the usual quantum mechanism. Second, we could equally well assume that the bounce only distorts a pre-existing spectrum of cosmological perturbations. Of course, in general both processes will occur, but in linear theory they can be treated separately and the final spectrum will be a combination of the two spectra. Let us briefly discuss the first possibility of producing the perturbations at the bounce itself.
While tempting to produce perturbations close to the bounce, one immediately faces a major difficulty, namely that it seems rather unlikely that natural, vacuum-like, initial conditions could be imposed close to the bounce. Indeed, with the expansion (29), one has in (20), so that switching back to the time variable , we obtain
|(52)|
where we have set, for simplicity, to unity, since we have seen above (numerically) that this quantity is completely regular through the bounce and actually hardly varies at all. To leading order in , Eq. (20) becomes
|(53)|
whose general solution is expressible in terms of hypergeometric functions. For all but the smallest wavelength modes, these happen to have no oscillatory part to which one could connect the vacuum initial condition . The evolution through the bounce itself is therefore completely arbitrary for all scales of cosmological interest. Hence, in what follows we shall be concerned exclusively with the second possibility, namely, of modifying a spectrum originally produced during the contracting phase prior to the bounce.
Recently, considered a K-essence model in which the contracting phase prior to the bounce was described by near the bounce, which leads to . However, that approximation clearly breaks down at the bounce. We will now assume, in the same fashion, that a contracting phase not described by our K-bounce model has already taken place, and that a radiation-dominated era starts shortly after the bounce. The situation is summarized on Fig. 4. We will simply assume that the curvature perturbations are transmitted in a non-singular way through these precooling and preheating phases – as happens in the usual mechanism of preheating. Therefore, here we are just interested in the way an initial spectrum created in a pre-bounce era (before precooling) is affected by the bounce, and how that spectrum is transmitted to the radiation-dominated era after preheating. Given that all modes of interest are in the infrared limit (long wavelengths) before and after the bounce, we only need to ask what spectral distortions (if any) are introduced by the bounce.
The overall conclusion we can draw from the last section is that an initial spectrum of long-wavelength modes is entirely unaffected by the bounce: the long-wavelength modes all behave in exactly the same way, so their relative amplitudes remain unchanged. The curvature perturbation is conserved across the bounce for large enough wavelengths. What emerges from the numerical analysis discussed in the previous section is that for long, i.e. cosmologically relevant, wavelengths, the spectrum produced before the bounce, during the contracting phase, is essentially unchanged apart from an overall amplification factor for which, however, still leaves the curvature perturbation constant. Let us consider for instance the case of Fig. 2, very close to the bounce, and suppose the contracting phase lasted much longer in the past than indicated. Since we are working with arbitrary units in time, we are free to assume that the preheating-like phase begins, in this model, around , i.e. very shortly after the bounce. Note that we must assume that the expanding era is sufficiently close to the bounce in order to ensure a natural solution to the flatness problem.
Connecting the bounce with the radiation-dominated phase, in a way yet to elucidate, very shortly after this bounce took place, we end up with a spectrum of perturbations which is undistorted. (recall that our initial conditions were such that and .) In other words, the transfer matrix , i.e. the matrix that relates the initial amplitudes of the growing and decaying modes to their final amplitudes at some fiducial instant of time, does not depend on scale. As we have evolved the perturbations numerically, it is extremely difficult to extract information about the decaying mode. Instead, we focus on the spectrum of the perturbations at some point after the bounce has occurred.
There are two ways in which we can compute the spectrum. First, we can use the dominant solution of Eq. (26), and calculate its amplitude as a function of the wavenumber . By setting all modes to the same initial value, we thus obtain the spectral distortions caused by the bounce. This is shown in Fig. 5 for the concrete models we considered. The main result is that for long-wavelengths (small ) the amplitudes are completely flat, meaning that the bounce does not distort the initial spectra. Notice also that, for the small wavelengths, the onset of the oscillatory regime influences their relative amplitudes, and the change in their spectrum seems to be model-dependent. In general, slow bounces seem to produce a decay in the spectrum for small wavelengths, whereas fast bounces have little to no overall effect over the UV sector of the spectrum apart from some oscillations.
The second method is to evaluate the amplitude of the long-wavelength modes after the bounce. This is useful in order to compute the amplification factor – which is only meaningful for those long wavelengths. We have obtained, for the three models we studied, , and for the FB, MB and SB models respectively – see Figs. 1-3. Note that these values are very much dependent on the initial time we put the initial conditions on. This means that in practice, much larger amplifications could easily be achieved. However, notice that the physically relevant function is the curvature perturbation . We have found, in agreement with , that in fact remains essentially constant – even if can be vastly amplified. This means that the physical observables are unaffected by the bounce.
7 Discussions and conclusions
Bouncing models have been proposed as possible alternatives to inflation. Even though such models seem to be able to solve at least some cosmological puzzles such as the horizon and flatness problems, many of them still face a basic difficulty of producing an almost scale-invariant spectrum of perturbation. The main reason for this failure is that there is no generally agreed upon way of making a bounce. In particular, this stems from the fact that General Relativity forbids a bounce to take place without spatial curvature or violations of the energy conditions.
Bouncing models have been built based either on a positive spatial curvature [12, 13] or many fluids – one of them having negative energy. The results that have been obtained up to now are very strongly model-dependent, ranging from no effect whatsoever (the modes passing unaltered through the bounce), to a complete modification of the spectrum involving mode mixing. It has been argued that both the mode mixing and/or the spectral modifications could be due to either the spatial curvature and/or the presence of many degrees of freedom, and hence of entropy perturbations. Therefore, there has been no agreement about whether bounces would lead inevitably to spectral distortions. Hence the need to try and find a simple bouncing model with only one degree of freedom and no spatial curvature in the framework of GR.
We have achieved the construction of one degree of freedom simple bouncing models by means of a generalized scalar field theory. Our models violate most energy conditions, but still we have . However, because the phantom barrier () cannot be bypassed without some sort of singularity, such models cannot be very realistic, and must be embedded into a more complete theory containing at least the usual expanding radiation-dominated era. As we have shown, all our cosmological models flow to asymptotic de Sitter solutions with . This implies that the connection with the radiation era must be realized through some sort of preheating mechanism. Similarly, the contracting de Sitter solution is a repulsor from which all contracting solutions flow. This means that, going backwards in time, all pre-bounce solutions must have initiated from a contracting de Sitter stage. Again, in order to relate the bounce to a contracting universe dominated by a regular fluid such as dust or radiation, one must have a mechanism similar to preheating, but going the other way around, that we have called precooling – see Fig. 4.
We have found that, in these simple models, the propagation of perturbations is highly non-trivial: although the transition matrix which relates the growing and decaying modes before and after the bounce is wavelength-independent (no mode mixing in the terminology of the first of Refs. ), it is however non diagonal, so there is in general some amount of mixing between the two modes. Analytical calculations show that even an exponentially small initial contribution of the sub-dominant mode can lead to a high degree of mode mixing in the final spectrum of perturbations. Hence, if the two modes have different spectral tilts in the contraction era, the resulting spectrum will almost surely consist of a superposition of the two spectra.
We have also found that this mixing can lead to an amplification of the metric perturbations : any initial suppression of the sub-dominant mode deep in the contraction era would be offset by an equal amount of growth prior to the bounce, leading to potentially large amplification factors for . However, this does not impact the physically relevant curvature perturbation , which remains essentially constant despite the growth of , implying that the bounce does not affect physical observables.
8 Acknowledgments
R.A. would like to thank the Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris, and P.P., the Instituto de Física (Universidade de São Paulo), for their warm hospitality. We very gratefully acknowledge various enlightening conversations with Jérôme Martin, Nelson Pinto-Neto and Fabio Finelli. R.A. would like to thank João C. A. Barata for key comments on the theory of confluent hypergeometric functions. We also would like to thank CNPq, CAPES and FAPESP (Brazil), as well as COFECUB (France), for financial support.
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Trusted to care in Stroud, Gloucestershire
We’re a diverse and dedicated team at Scarlet House. We love to make residents smile and the best part of every day is the time that we’re spending with the people we care for. We’re also here for you, our residents’ family members. You can find out more about us on these pages.
I joined Care UK in 2017, initially at the organisation’s Ambleside care home in Stratford Upon Avon, before moving to Highmarket house care home in Banbury where I progressed to Deputy Manager level.
I’ve always worked in the care sector – before joining the Ambleside team I worked in domiciliary care. I love working for Care UK because the organisation is growing and there are always new challenges and opportunities to get involved in. Care UK has a strong ethos of care and everyone at every level is passionate about delivering the highest standards of care.
The best part of what I do is seeing the residents and making a difference to their lives. Seeing them happy and smiling makes everything we do worthwhile. I also enjoy supporting colleagues to progress their careers and develop new skills. Care UK has enabled me to progress through its Future Home Manager programme, and I’m very proud of what I’ve achieved to date.
In my free time, in normal times, I enjoy eating out with friends, holidays, walking my dogs and occasionally binge watching a good series on Netflix.
My background is in hospitality and retail management – I’ve worked everywhere from hotels and restaurants to castles and events venues.
In these sectors, the focus on the customer experience is all-important, and I’ve been delighted to discover that the same is true at Care UK. It’s all about delivering superb customer care and service.
What I like about the organisation is that it cares about its colleagues too. I’d heard great things about Care UK as a great place to work, including its training and development opportunities.
Without a doubt, the best part of my day is chatting to the residents. It’s fantastic to learn about what they’ve experienced, and what they still want to achieve. I’m also enjoying developing the strong links that the home already has with the local community. I’m looking forward to supporting the Scarlet House team on its journey from ‘good to great’.
I’ve been a Registered Nurse for the last 20 years and have worked in hospitals as well as care settings.
I was attracted to work for Care UK and Scarlet House by the Care UK values of Passionate, Teamwork, and Caring. The team really does live these values every day and we’re supported to do our best work here.
The great ‘plus’ of working in care homes as a nurse is the opportunity you have to get to know the people you’re caring for, and develop a bond with them and their families. I enjoy the variety of the work – every day is different – and I relish the challenges that come with being the home’s Clinical Lead.
I’m very passionate about our Stroud care home – I want us to be a flagship home for Care UK, where residents find calmness, kindness and comfort.
In my free time I enjoy spending time with my family, walking the dog or exploring new places. I also enjoy reading, listening to music and I like to crochet, knit and sew.
I have a background in care, before I joined the Scarlet House team I worked as a rehabilitation assistant supporting people with acquired brain injury.
It was a role that demanded empathy, energy and creativity. My role included establishing good communication with a person who had lost their language skills.
I was really interested when this role came up as I felt I could use my experience and interests to benefit the residents of Scarlet House. I love spending time with residents; I enjoy listening to their stories and it’s a very rewarding feeling to know that I’ve made a difference to their day.
I have lots of interests outside my work. I have two rescue dogs who are my besties! We go camping together and sometimes they’ll come with me when I go paddleboarding. I paint, make stained glass and practice yoga. I’m also a volunteer for the Severn Area Rescue Association; we rescue people and animals who are in trouble in or around water or mudflats.
I’m passionate about keeping residents and colleagues safe.
In this role I train colleagues in IPC and I undertake regular audits to ensure we’re keeping to the stringent standards we set ourselves. I also help to run the dementia suite at Scarlet House, and I support on other suites whenever I’m needed. Alongside my IPC responsibilities I help with pre-admission assessments, medication management and completing and updating residents’ care plans.
I aim to be patient and understanding with every person I work with, or support. A smile goes a long way, and I enjoy building a strong rapport with residents and colleagues alike. The whole team here works hard and supports each other to deliver the best care to residents.
I love supporting residents to live their best life. As a nurse I feel it’s important to take a holistic approach to residents’ care – seeing them as a whole person. Good care is about taking into account a person’s physical, social, occupational and psychological needs.
I joined Care UK in 2015 because I wanted to make a difference to older people’s lives and help them to live each day to the full.
I started as a hostess and moved across to the kitchen team to work as a catering assistant. I then became a receptionist and administrator, and now I’m a BA. I love how I’ve had every opportunity to try different roles and see what I enjoy the most. Care UK is great at supporting its colleagues to learn and develop.
As Business Administrator, I need to be efficient, organised and approachable. This role combines lots of different tasks and demands different skills. Given that I’ve worked in a number of different roles, I’ve had a steep learning curve to navigate a lot of the time. It’s important to be positive about learning, and to admit when you don’t understand something. The Scarlet House team is really supportive and helpful. There’s always someone who can advise and lend a hand.
I always enjoy seeing the residents, finding out how they are and making them smile and laugh. Any time I can spend with them is time well spent.
The pandemic led to some big changes in many people’s lives, and I decided to join Scarlet House when I was furloughed from a previous role.
My wife works here, and it sounded like a fantastic place to work. I was ready for a new challenge too. Starting a new role in a care home during a pandemic, things were going to be challenging, but I haven’t looked back.
I’ve always been a handy person, with an ability to solve problems and get things done. I enjoy the satisfaction of completing tasks and, here, I can do that and enhance the residents’ lives. I used to deliver beer for a local brewery, and I ran my own business for 30 years installing and running coffee vending machines. I enjoyed being out and about and meeting new people.
Working in a care home is an extremely rewarding job. Even though I’m not involved in people’s care, I can ensure they have a meaningful chat and a laugh – a sense of humour is important. I always look forward to seeing the residents each day, finding out how they are and if there’s anything I can help them with. I also enjoy supporting the team here. We all get on well and there’s always good banter!
Every day Care UK colleagues live our values of passionate, caring and teamwork to empower residents to enjoy fulfilling lives.
Our hardworking teams always keep individuals and their families at the heart of the care they provide. We work with you to shape the care your loved one receives, the food they’re served, the activities and experiences they want to do – even the ways they prefer to keep in touch with their friends and family.
The nurses at Care UK are highly skilled and receive sector-leading training, which enables them to keep developing expertise in different clinical fields from dementia to palliative care.
Our dedicated lifestyle teams work hard to organise a range of activities and events at our home. From gardening and baking to quizzes, music sessions and even live entertainment. Above all, we get to know your loved one to make sure our activities are tailored to suit their interests and hobbies.
From catering to maintenance, housekeeping to administration, our home support teams play a crucial part in ensuring individuals enjoy an exceptional and safe service every day.
All our teams get to know each person they care for to ensure they provide a service that’s designed around their unique needs and tastes.
Each of our homes have a trained Infection Control and Prevention Champion – they are responsible for carrying out daily infection control audit and ensuring cleaning protocols are meticulously applied. | https://www.careuk.com/care-homes/scarlet-house-stroud/team |
So, picture it. You and your friends are going for a hiking/ camping weekend, embracing the roots of our Homo sapien ancestors with the help of a few modern conveniences. So you’re there, you’ve set up the tents, you brought pre-prepared food for the whole trip and you’re eating.
But, night is falling, it’s getting windy and cold, and in the most primal of traditions you need a fire to keep warm. So you gather the logs and the kindling, and you assemble them in your desired style. But, the lighter won’t stay lighted; it’s just too windy and the lighter’s flame can’t hold up against the force if the winds.
The following night, you decide to start making the fire earlier, before the wind and before the cold has time to seep in. Except, you just realized the gasoline in your disposable lighter is done.
So you reach for the matches that you had stowed away in your pocket, only to remember that you had taken an unceremonious dip in the river that morning and they’re actually still damp. So with a sigh you and your friends resign yourselves to spending another cold night in your tents, only thankful that you all had decided to bring food.
It’s the last night of your trip and you are getting prepared to spend another cold and miserable night in your tent; the only thought keeping you warm is the thought of leaving the dratted place in the morning. When suddenly, one of your friends remember that they have a lighter in their bag. They search their tent frantically, throwing things hither and yon, so you get up to enter their tent to help them search. As soon as you take a step inside, you hear the sound of plastic splintering and when you lift your foot you find the lighter.
Going into any situation that robs you of the conveniences of modern technology without the proper gear and utensils, especially the utensils you need to start a fire, is an act of folly. Regular disposable lighters are vulnerable to all sorts of hazards and mishaps that are common when one goes into the wild; and there is no nearby drug store to run to when things go wrong. That’s why every person should invest in a camping lighter, like the Yeepi Jet Flame 4200, if they’re interested in camping, jungle trekking or other such adventures.
Camping lighters have 4 main features that make them a better choice for adventurers, some of which were touched upon in the scenario above.
- Durable – These lighters cannot break easily, a good camping lighter must be able to survive a drop of several hundred feet.
- Elegant Design – Rarely do you find any outdoor gadget designed with all gorgeous functionalities and still looking appealing to the eyes. However, you can look to Yeepi as the exception to that rule so when looking for a jet flame lighter that fuses functionality with a great design, then look no further than Yeepi.
- Refillable – Disposable lighter aren’t refillable, thus when the fuel runs out, even if you had packed extra fuel, you’re out of luck.
- Windproof – Camping lighters should be able to light and keep a flame irrespective of the environment they’re in.
These are four criteria that any good camping lighter should meet and that you should invest in if you’re a routine adventurer. Camping lighters like the Yeepi Jet Flame 4200 are a great product to keep on trekking. | http://lighter.my/great-product-keep-trekking/ |
why did many conservatives disagree with new deal economic policies?
This opposition was reflected in a … Although traditionally the New Deal is divided into two stages (First New Deal, 1933-34/5 and Second New Deal 1935-38), some historians refer to the final phase of the New Deal as the Third New Deal. Important years to note for New Conservatism: 1960: Barry Goldwater publishes his biography, The Conscience of a Conservative, laying the foundation for the New Conservative movement. Wade convinced many Americans that the country was losing its traditional values. Led by conservative Democrats such as Al Smith , it fades after Roosevelt's 1936 landslide and disbands in 1940. When New Deal policies did help workers, they disproportionately benefited white men. Conservatives join the American Liberty League, in the 1930s, to oppose President Roosevelt's new deal policies. That's according to William A. Niskanen, a founder of Reaganomics. It is a misconception to think that the New Deal was a time of great expansionary fiscal policy. Reagan's tax cuts did end the recession. Why the New Deal Was a Success . From 1933 until 1941, President Roosevelt’s New Deal programs and policies did more than just adjust interest rates, tinker with farm subsidies and create short-term make-work programs. Southern Democrats were a key part of a Conservative Coalition that largely blocked New Deal labor legislation in Congress from 1937 to 1963, though they tended to be liberal and vote with the rest of the Democratic Party on other economic issues. The coalition’s members did not form a solid anti-New Deal legislation voting bloc. The New Deal worked. New Left historians in the 1960s criticized Roosevelt and the New Deal for not attacking capitalism more vigorously and not helping African Americans achieve equality. Many conservative businessmen and financiers did not support the economic measures of the New Deal. The New Deal was the firing of both barrels of policy buckshot, and each policy had it own degree of success or failure which is sometimes hard to tease out from the whole. Niskanen belonged to Reagan's Council of Economic Advisers from 1981 to 1985. Ronald Reagan was to succeed in defusing the political power of the New Deal motive. Because of the regulation though, there was a dramatic increase in the power of the federal government as a whole during Roosevelt's 12 years in office. The clash between Democrats and Republicans over the nation's economic crisis isn't just fueled by politics. The New Deal did not in fact end the Great Depression like Roosevelt had hoped it would. Conservatives needed a way not to get spun by the president’s destabilizing act of disloyalty, so they steadied themselves by reaffirming their loyalty down the remainder of the ballot. Summary of First and Second New Deal programs. To the extent this is true Ben Stein is exactly right, New Deal policies in fact did cause the Depression as we know it, and Krugman and DeLong are simply wrong in denying it. With the programs already in place, the economy continued to mend, albeit slowly, but not until the wartime manufacturing boom of the early 1940s would America again see full employment. Conservatives argued that the New Deal limited big business (and thus economic activities) and, in practice, meant socialism. It's also being driven, in part, by two competing views of history. 2. They saw New Conservatism as a way to return the country to its moral roots. In 1937, frustrated by a conservative Supreme Court that struck down a series of his New Deal programs, President Franklin Roosevelt set about to reform the court — … Conservative New Deal critiques can’t plausibly argue that the economy worsened in the ’30s (though some try), but rather that all the programs and interventions delayed what would’ve been a quicker recovery if they’d allowed the free market to work out its own kinks. This is the main reason why most people argue that the New Deal was a failure. There were those on the Left who argued that New Deal policy was not going far enough to reform society. A handful of liberal measures did pass when the Conservative Coalition was divided (most notably the minimum wage laws). Opposition to New Deal policies first takes shape as the American Liberty League. The modern welfare state has been criticized on economic and moral grounds from all ends of the political spectrum.Many have argued that the provision of tax-funded services or transfer payments reduces the incentive for workers to seek employment, thereby reducing the need to work, reducing the rewards of work and exacerbating poverty. Franklin D. Roosevelt between 1933 and 1939, which took action to bring about immediate economic relief as well as reforms in industry, agriculture, finance, waterpower, labour, and housing, vastly increasing the scope of the federal government’s activities. After FDR had launched the first New Deal, the economy grew 10.8% in 1934. Conservatism, political doctrine that emphasizes the value of traditional institutions and practices.. They also thought it gave the federal government too much power. Construction jobs went to men as a matter of custom, and benefits went to whites as a matter of politics. This is especially relevant because in recent years, Progressives have touted the “Green New Deal” as a solution to a wide variety of economic… The New Deal didn't itself pull us out of the depression, but what it did do was establish regulation where it was desperately needed, which prevented further decay of the economy. Conservatives believed the government was doing too much. On the other hand, politicians and businessmen on the Right argued that the New Deal gave government too many powers. Many conservatives thought the government was growing to fast. Inflation was tamed, but it was thanks to monetary policy, not fiscal policy. Many say that the New Deal actually prolonged the Depression and made things worse than they would have been had no … Conservatives supported a laissez-faire government policy … Why did many conservatives disagree with New Deal economic policies? Many conservatives thought the government was growing to fast. Both conservatives and liberals criticized the New Deal. Conservatives join the American Liberty League, in the 1930s, to oppose President Roosevelt's new deal policies. Many conservatives criticized the New Deal because they felt it was socialism. By 1936, the term "liberal" typically was used for supporters of the New Deal and "conservative" for its opponents.From 1934 to 1938, Roosevelt was assisted in his endeavors by a "pro-spender" majority in Congress (drawn from two-party, competitive, non-machine, progressive and left party districts). When the second New Deal rolled out, the economy increased by 8.9% in 1935 and 12.9% in 1936. This was a period when the Bolsheviks faced rising opposition and rebellion. Conservatism is a preference for the historically inherited rather than the abstract and ideal. The New Economic Policy, or NEP, was a revised economic strategy, developed and introduced by Lenin in early 1921. The New Deal form was reinstantiated. Conservatives believed in balanced budgets, low taxes, and less regulation by the … federal government. Businessmen begin organizing their opposition especially to labor unions . Why did conservatives criticize the New Deal? After FDR cut government spending in 1937, the economy contracted 3.3%. In doing so, he managed the public/private line, moving many concerns back to being private concerns that the New Deal form had seen as public matters. The results of the 1938 midterm election demonstrated that the dissatisfaction with New Deal policies grew. Instead, they responded to each proposed law depending on how much, in their opinion, it violated the conservative principles that they supported. New Deal, domestic program of the administration of U.S. Pres. The New Deal faced some very vocal conservative opposition. The NEP replaced war communism as the Soviet regime’s official economic policy. A "Conservative Coalition" in Congress could now successfully block Roosevelt's legislation, and no more New Deal programs were passed after 1939. Many conservatives believed in balanced budgets, low taxes, and low government spending. Why did many conservatives disagree with New Deal economic policies? Conservatives believed that wealth should be equally distributed so no one would live In reality, FDR’s New Deal did not help end the Great Depression, it exacerbated the worst economic downturn in U.S. history. Notably, through the bulk of Roosevelt's presidency's Great Depression years, he had stayed at least somewhat committed to maintaining a balanced budget. They were voting against a personal crisis of identity, not the Green New Deal.
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, | http://eattoblog.com/dear-john-bjfuz/7c5a08-why-did-many-conservatives-disagree-with-new-deal-economic-policies%3F |
Hiroshima International Animation Festival is a biennial manifestation held in Hiroshima City in August, endorsed by Association Internationale du Film d'Animation (ASIFA). Under the spirit of LOVE & PEACE, the festival has been dedicating to the advancement of visual media art culture in general, by promoting international cross-cultural exchanges through the development of animation art.
Together with those festivals held in Annecy, Ottawa and Zagreb, the Hiroshima Festival is considered as one of the most respected animation festivals in the world.
Hiroshima International Animation Festival was established in 1985, as a project commemorating the 40th anniversary of the atomic bombing. From the beginning, Hiroshima City and ASIFA shared a same idea, that is, to promote the international mutual understanding and to pursue eternal world peace through the development of animation art, which is a medium common to all human beings beyond nations and languages. The creation of this festival was largely due to the earnest efforts of the two animation filmmakers --- Renzo Kinoshita, who at that time was serving as a Board Member of ASIFA and the President of ASIFA-Japan, and Sayoko Kinoshita, who was serving as the General Secretary of ASIFA-Japan. Sayoko has been the festival director since the first edition, dedicating herself to lay foundation of this festival until today, and is now also the Vice-President of ASIFA and President of ASIFA-Japan.
Hiroshima Festival is a comprehensive animation festival, featuring competition programs to choose the Grand Prix, Hiroshima Prize and other prizes out of many latest animation shorts submitted from around the world. The festival also offers many special programs including retrospectives of masters and talented filmmakers, feature animations, high quality student works, animations for peace, for children, as well as seminars, symposiums, workshops, exhibitions, and educational film market, etc. With its outstanding international programs and administration, the festival is highly recognized not only within animation field but also throughout the media art society.
On the occasion of the fourteenth edition HIROSHIMA 2014, the competition attracted 2,217 entries from 74 countries and regions, and 32,011 people participated during the five days of the festival.
Hiroshima Festival continues to contribute ceaselessly as a festival respecting animation filmmakers in the first place, and also to serve as a gateway to success for world-class professionals.
Our International Selection Committee will choose competition titles by previewing all entries submitted from around the world.
Competition will be held during the festival, and our International Jury Members will decide Grand Prize, Hiroshima Prize, Debut Prize, Renzo Kinoshita Prize, Audience Prize and other prizes, which will be announced and presented on the final day. Especially, the Audience Prize will be chosen by votes of audience. In this program, internationally renowned animation masters and young promising animators will be competing each others equally, and audience will enjoy their high quality works with competition directors attending from all over the world.
Retrospective of various animation fimmakers as well as many other special programs such as "Best of the World", "Stars of Students", "Animation for Peace", "Animation for Children", etc., will be shown.
Also, exhibitions of artworks related to animation will be held.
We will be providing various free spaces for participants to screen their works, make presentations, exchange ideas, etc. For example, "Frame In" for animation students, and "Nexus Point" for animation professionals. You are welcome to apply for a space on the festival first day and after. Please bring your own work and participate.
The unique film market providing bridges between schools, students and productions. Japanese Universities and colleges, which have animation major, will be participating to introduce themselves and their student' s work. Also, it has a previewing corner where audience can appreciate student works from all over the world. | http://hiroanim.org/en2014/e01about/1-03e.html |
This book has been produced with the aim of stimulating the general naturalist to take a closer look at the bumps and lumps that make up the fascinating world of plant galls. Induced by a variety of insects and other organisms and ranging from tiny pimples to bizarre and often very attractive and exquisitely sculptured growths, plant galls are mystery to many people, but they offer a fascinating field of study for both botanists and zoologists. Galls can be found on a very wide range of both woody and herbaceous plants, with over 50 different kinds occurring on Britain's oak trees alone, and there is still much to be learned about even the commonest examples.
- An introduction to the nature of plant galls and their formation
- Brief descriptions of some of the organisms that cause or induce galls
- Superb photographs of just over 200 of the commonest or most conspicuous of Britain's 1,000 or so plant galls, arranged according to their host plants to aid field identification
- Descriptions of these galls and the life histories of the organisms that cause them
Michael Chinery is best known for his field guides to insects and other creepy-crawlies, especially those that occur in gardens, and for his numerous books encouraging young people to explore and enjoy the countryside and its wildlife. Insects and wild flowers fascinated him from a very early age and this inevitably led to an interest in plant galls with their intimate mix of plant and animal life. He joined the British Plant Gall Society soon after its formation in 1985, and has been editing the Society's journal, Cecidology, since 1990. | https://press.princeton.edu/titles/9783.html |
For detailed information about this series, visit the Harry Potter Wiki.
Contents
Summary
Harry Potter is an urban fantasy saga by J.K Rowling. The Potterverse consists of the main series, Harry Potter and (the Philosopher's Stone, the Chamber of Secrets, the Prisoner of Azkaban, the Goblet of Fire, the Order of the Phoenix, the Half-Blood Prince, the Deathly Hallows, and more recently, the Cursed Child- Parts One and Two), as well as several spin-off titles, (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Quidditch Through the Ages, and The Tales of Beedle the Bard).
Eight blockbuster movies have been made by Warner Brothers from the first seven books, (Deathly Hallows was separated into two parts because of its length and Cursed Child was a play). Video games based off those movies have been made for all gaming consoles. Pottermore.com and JKRowling.com are newer sources of canon information as well.
A new five-part franchise inspired by spin-off book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them follows the arc of Newton "Newt" Scamander, an awkward Magizoologist (a person who studies magical creatures, a field known as Magizoology) and his unprecedented role in stopping Gellert Grindelwald, a Dark Wizard that caused a Global Wizarding War. It spans over 19 years, from 1926 to 1945, and is produced and written by J.K Rowling.
The premise of Harry Potter, however, is that in the early fifteenth century the persecution of wizards and witches began to take pace
Power of the Verse
This verse is not particularly strong, with several wall busting spells and athletic human speeds. Even the strongest characters, such as Voldemort and Albus Dumbledore, have only demonstrated city block level destructive capacity, and are below the speed of sound.
However, the verse has a wide variety of hax abilities such as memory erasing, mind control, invisibility, spatial manipulation, instant kill attacks, and teleportation.
The verse also contains creatures called Dementors, that are hard to damage and can suck out souls. It also has creatures called Nundus, which are able to singlehandedly wipe out groups of highly trained wizards. | https://vsbattles.fandom.com/wiki/Harry_Potter_(Verse) |
Reliability and validity of Turkish version of the caregiver quality of life index cancer scale.
Measuring effects of cancer on family caregivers is important to develop methods which can improve their quality of life (QOL) . Nevertheless, up to now, only a few tools have been developed to be used in this group. Among those, the Caregiver Quality of Life Index-Cancer Scale (CQOLC) has met minimum psychometric criteria in different populations in spite of conflicting results. The present study was conducted to evaluate reliability and validity of CQOLC among Turkish cancer family caregivers. The CQOLC was administered to 120 caregivers, along with Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Medical Outcomes Study MOS 36- Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Internal consistency and test-retest stability were used to investigate reliability. Construct validity was examined by using known group method, convergent, and divergent validity. For the known group method, we hypothesized that CQOLC scores would differ between depressed and non-depressed subjects. We investigated convergent validity by correlating scores for CQOLC with scores for other similar measures including SF-36 and STAI. The MSPSS was completed at the same time as CQOLC to provide divergent validity. The values for internal consistency and test-retest correlation were 0.88 and 0.96, respectively. The CQOLC discriminated those who were depressed from those who were not. Convergent validity supported strong correlations between CQOLC scores and two main component scores (PCS, MCS) in SF-36 although there was a weak correlation between CQOLC and STAI scores. Regarding divergent validity, the correlation between CQOLC and MSPSS was in the low range, as expected. The Turkish CQOLC is a reliable and valid tool and it can be utilized to determine QOL of family caregivers.
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You will find organizations broken into four categories along with a short description of each and a link to their respective websites. Browse through the listings to obtain more information on the groups that are of interest to you.
You can find a printable list of organizations complete with brief descriptions at this link: Smeal Student Organizations
Contacting a Smeal Student Organization
Many organizations publish appropriate contact information on their individual websites. If you encounter a broken link or an out of date contact during your search, please follow these steps to contact your student organization of interest.
- Access the Union and Student Activities Student Organization Directory.
- Type in the appropriate criteria to initiate your search. You can also search for an organization by category and by mission statement. When ready, click SEARCH to obtain your results.
- Be mindful of the boldfaced and clearly worded disclaimer at the top of the directory as it pertains to contacting student organizations. | https://careerconnections.smeal.psu.edu/student-organizations/contact-an-organization/ |
Mentone is one of the most ideal destinations for sightseeing from Lookout Mountain. Mentone is a very small and quaint town in DeKalb County, Alabama. The population is less than 500, and this makes it an interesting place to visit. There are many different things that you can do in and around Mentone. When staying in town it's often easiest if you check into a local Mentone bed and breakfast.
DeSoto Falls is a great opportunity to see some beautiful countryside in Alabama. There is a 12 mile road which borders the Little River Canyon. If you walk all the way along this you will see the falls, which are 104 feet high; the water falls into DeSoto Lake. The walk is very enjoyable, as it's surrounded by dense woodland and wildflowers. This also has some fantastic views of the whole area.
The Sequoyah Caverns are named after Sequoyah, a native American who created the Cherokee alphabet. There are a number of beautiful lakes which are beautifully lit. Inside the caverns there are some fantastic examples of stalagmites, which give the whole area a very special feel. It's almost like an underground palace.
If you're a fan of fishing, Weiss lake is an ideal location. There are some huge fish to catch in this lake, with many anglers managing to catch fish over 2 pounds in weight. There are also plenty of other things to do at the lake thanks to over 400 miles of shoreline and shallow beaches. There are also some huge coves which make relaxing very easy. If you are fishing in this area then you will need to apply for a license. You can catch bream and shed using the right types of bait, and you'll also find a Southern favorite here - crawfish. The lake is open all year round to anglers and anyone who just wants to enjoy the wildlife. Stay in a Mentone Inn to enjoy your visit to the area.
The Lookout Mountain Scenic Parkway is a very beautiful 93 mile long footpath which crosses through 7 different states. There is no need to walk the entire length of the footpath, as it can be joined at any point. There are a number of great attractions along the way and if you visit the website then you should be able to plan your route. This route also has some amazing views of Lookout Mountain, which is beautiful throughout the year. In different seasons there will be different flowers and plants growing in the area. The Lookout Mountain Scenic Parkway can occupy you for a very long time. It's possible to get on and off whenever you want, to ensure that you see all the attractions you want along the way. | https://www.bbonline.com/articles/alabama/mentone/mentone-a-destination-for-lookout-mountain-sightseeing.html |
What up doe?! I'm Deborah Anderson! I'm originally from Detroit, MI and I'm now living in Los Angeles, CA. I'm a 3D Modeler that specializes in hard-surface modeling. I've done environment, prop, vehicle and industrial modeling throughout my career. I also have management and leadership experience.
My first job in the animation industry was as a 3D Modeler for Digital eMation in Seoul, South Korea where I had the opportunity to work on Family Guy, The Cleveland Show, Batman: The Brave of the Bold and Scooby-Doo. I worked on environments, props and vehicles using Autodesk Maya and Softimage XSI and implementing toon shading techniques.
I also worked at TurboSquid where I helped do quality assurance for their CheckMate Lite/Pro programs and gained leadership experience by managing multiple team in my Associate Producer position.
I spent 5.5 years working for state government as an Animation Specialist for Louisiana Economic Development - FastStart. We led the way in the country as far as innovation and providing specialized training materials and events for companies across the state of Louisiana. I created images and animation for several industrial manufacturing, chemical paper and oil & gas companies. I used Autodesk Maya, Cinema 4D and Adobe After Effects.
Most recently, I am a 3D Design teacher for the Academy of Media Arts in Crenshaw, Los Angeles where I teach 9th and 10th graders Blender.
I'm looking for an Environment Modeling position at an animation company. | https://www.debthe3dmodeler.com/aboutme.html |
“The System of Care Community Management Team is a diverse group of dedicated individuals
working in collaboration with area organizations toward a common goal of ensuring that the social,
emotional, physical and safety needs of all children and youth in the White Mountains Regional community
are addressed sustainably.”
One of our first objectives is to identify a community of stakeholders that will work to identify goals, based on youth and family needs. The Community Management Team (CMT), along with those they deem appropriate for this work within their organization, have been identified as integral members of this team. Our meetings are a great opportunity to interface with those who work in the direct path of supporting youth and families' behavioral health and wellness with our community and begin our shared discussion.
Initially we hope to outline our grant components, including our high fidelity FAST (Families and Systems Together) Forward services, including the process for both referral and eligibility. Additionally we hope to begin work on a shared mission and vision, among all school and community partners, and create a community work plan that will best support the needs of our students and their families in the most culturally linguistic manner.
It is our hope that we may increase community services and supports to families and youth in need, develop effective and best practices that ease the burden on both families and providers, with the goal of keeping children in their homes, schools and communities, while embarking on a path of wellness for all. | http://www.sau36.org/departments/system_of_care/community_management_team |
Darkening was formed in 2004 by guitarist Oscar Pita in Havana City, Cuba. That same year the band released their first EP ‘When The Soul’ and played numerous venues around the island of Cuba. Oscar in 2008 moved to the U.S. and the band was on a hiatus for a period of 7 years before he started to reform the band on American soil. He was able to reform the band with several other Cuban musicians in the bands new hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. Over 1,000 miles from where the band originated it was rebuilt. They began to write music and it was somewhat different than the previous material, but it stayed true to the bands brutally heavy roots. The band recently finalized their sophomore release ‘In Exile United’ and it released on December 9, 2016. The album was produced by Artifex Pereo guitarist Jordan Haynes (We Were Giants, Greyhaven, Intent To Kill) at Earlygrayce Studios in Louisville, Kentucky. The band also recently recorded a music video for the track “Time” from the EP. The video was filmed and directed by YoYo Lopez, and is expected to release in March, in the meantime you can see a small clip of the video below.
Darkening open this EP with the track ‘Waiting For A Dawn’, and waiting is something we don’t have to do here. The song is an immediate transport into a realm of brutality. Guitarist Oscar “Thrasher” Pita‘s riffs ring out with pinpoint precision, and the thundering drum beats is like a rapid heartbeat. Halfway through the song we get some classic guitar riffs. The variation of guitar tone throughout the song helps create an appealing contrast. Vocalist Ernesto Rivera has a deep and aggressive growl that fits into the music like a glove. We are introduced to the song “The Heaviest Brick” with a kick ass drum beat followed by a racing guitar riff. The vocals on this track though still heavy have a slightly more clean effect at times. Just that slight changed creates a great variation in the song that helps set the chorus apart from the rest of the song. Musically the song has break neck tempo changes that will take your breath away at times. At times Darkening’s style will remind you of some Swedish thrash, but they blend so well with other influences that they can’t really be pigeonholed to a single genre. “The Heaviest Brick” is the definition of speed and precision. It’s only fitting that the song comes to a screeching abrupt halt, like driving at the speed of sound and suddenly hitting a brick wall. “Wall Of Illusion” showcases a somewhat more raw sound from the band. The song incorporates a massive amount of groove from start to finish. The drums and guitars keep the song at a galloping pace. Enough cannot be said about the vocals and the range in which they are delivered. The slight change in the pitch of Ernesto’s voice adds huge amounts of depth to the song. The riffs evolve into a more progressive style and add another layer to the bands beautiful complexity. As a whole this EP has amazing appeal for fans of varying genres. The amount of differing guitar tones and styles through the EP are something that is unmatched in anything I’ve heard. Darkening’s ability to adapt so many different guitar tones and styles into each track and it still remain cohesive is astonishing. ‘In Exile United’ is just the beginning of what this band is capable of.
Follow Darkening on Facebook here, and buy their new EP here. | http://metalnexus.net/review-darkening-in-exile-united-stream/ |
Pt100/Pt1000 are platinum thermal resistors, the resistance value increases with temperature. The common ones are ceramic components, glass components, mica components, etc., which are made by winding platinum wires on the ceramic framework, glass framework, and mica framework respectively, and then processed through complex processes. It is widely used in high-precision temperature equipment such as medical treatment, electrical machinery, industry, temperature calculation, satellite, meteorology, resistance calculation, etc.
Pt100 means that the resistance is 100Ω at 0°C.
Pt1000 means that the resistance is 1000Ω at 0°C.
Pt100/Pt1000 wiring: two-wire, three-wire, and four-wire are common.
Two-wire : the method of connecting a wire at both ends of the thermal resistance to lead out the resistance signal is called the two-wire system: this kind of lead method is very simple, but there must be lead resistance r in the connecting wire, and the size of r depends on the material and length of the wire Factors are related, so this lead method is only suitable for occasions with low measurement accuracy
Three-wire : The method of connecting one lead at one end of the root of the thermal resistance and connecting two leads at the other end is called three-wire system. This method is usually used in conjunction with a bridge, which can better eliminate the influence of lead resistance. It is industrial The most commonly used lead resistance in process control.
Four-wire : The method of connecting two wires at each end of the thermal resistance is called a four-wire system, in which two leads provide constant current I for the thermal resistance, convert R into a voltage signal U, and then pass the other two leads Lead U to the secondary meter. It can be seen that this lead method can completely eliminate the influence of lead resistance and is mainly used for high-precision temperature detection. | https://www.gaimc.com/products/pt100-and-pt1000-temperature-sensor/Pt100/Pt1000_functional_principle.html |
Jordan says he'll be history if Bulls rebuild
GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) - Michael Jordan is taking Phil Jackson's departure as a sign the Chicago Bulls are rebuilding. And he wants no part of that.
"I don't want to start over. I'm pretty sure losing Phil is a sign of that," Jordan said Saturday at a news conference before teeing off at the Michael Jordan Celebrity Golf Classic. "So I can tell you where my mind is leaning in some respects. ... I don't want a rebuilding process."
Jordan once said he would only play for Jackson, though he softened that stance toward the end of the season. And when the coach made good Monday on his season-long threat to leave, Jordan said his decision also depended on the future of teammates Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman.
Jordan, Pippen and Rodman are free agents, as are six other players on Chicago's 12-man playoff roster. Pippen, believing he's been undervalued and underappreciated by Chicago management, has said repeatedly that he wouldn't return to the Bulls. But he, too, has wavered, saying that he would be open-minded if everyone else came back.
Rodman wants to return, but only if Jordan and Pippen do.
While Jordan said Saturday he might be leaning one way, he wants to weigh his options and hasn't reached a final decision.
"My decision is coming very quickly. And I know this time I want to evaluate all options, and I don't want to make a rush judgment," he said. "Yes, I've said all along that if Phil is not my coach there's no way I can play. And I'm pretty firm with that."
Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said during the NBA Finals that he wants to keep the same team as long as its winning championships, and general manager Jerry Krause repeated that Saturday.
"It's like I've said before, we want to try and bring the team back. But we don't control that," Krause said at the Bulls' practice facility.
More Reading...
* Chicago stars prepare for what might be their final game together. CHICAGO - Nobody was certain of the answer Thursday as the world pondered the question: Will this be the final game for the dynasty known as the Chicago Bulls? "It's going to ... [Read More...]
* Dennis Rodman helps Bulls open up a seemingly insurmountable 3-1 lead over the Jazz. CHICAGO - Do the right thing. In the long run, it pays. This is the life lesson you teach your children. Which gives you the challenge this morning of ... [Read More...]
CHICAGO - Scottie Pippen stood in the locker room, his championship T-shirt drenched with champagne, a smoldering cigar in his hand. He smiled as he remembered the other five times he has been there. And for the first time in a long while, ... [Read More...]
LONG GROVE, Ill. - He gave himself the tiniest of outs in case he changed his mind. The rest of what Michael Jordan said surely sounded as though he was gone. Jordan all but said he was retiring Thursday by reiterating that he ... [Read More...]
Karl, Jackson eye time off By Bart Wright Sun Sports Editor This time of the year, it's not unusual to hear professional basketball coaches considering the merits of taking a year off. Logically, one might expect that coaches looking to spend some time ... [Read More...]
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James Gunn has compiled another bang-up soundtrack for his highly-anticipated Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. The upcoming space adventure is the latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the sequel to Gunn’s surprise summer blockbuster of 2014. Here again with Awesome Mix Vol. 2, the songs featured were precisely hand-picked by Gunn and strategically placed throughout the film, serving to underscore the script as a subtle, but dynamic cast of supporting characters. Awesome Mix Vol. 2 is an eclectic assortment of mostly well-known tunes, and happily in its own unique way, just as marvelous as its predecessor Awesome Mix Vol. 1, which went on to sell a whopping 2.5 million copies worldwide. The brilliant second soundtrack album includes Electric Light Orchestra, Cheap Trick, Parliament, Fleetwood Mac, as well as the amusing “Guardians Inferno,” featuring David Hasselhoff. [Read Full Review]
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A warm welcome to Copper Base here at Damers First School.
Our key aim within this specialist teaching base is to help every child develop their social interaction skills to a level where they can learn in a mainstream class, interact successfully with their families, friends and teachers and contribute as independent, confident, happy members of the school and wider community.
Our Pupils
Copper Base is a 10 place base for children experiencing significant communication difficulties impacting on social interaction and social inclusion. The children in Copper Base are all able to access a suitably adapted mainstream curriculum.
Specialist advice is sought from all of the professionals involved with your child to indicate whether this provision would be suitable for your child and whether they would benefit from being in a mainstream environment, but require more intensive support than would normally be available in a mainstream setting.
The children that access Copper Base all have an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) that identifies social communication needs as the primary need. Places within the base are allocated by a panel of professionals who determine whether a child’s needs meet the admissions criteria for the base and whether this provision is suitable.
Key Staff
Copper Base is led by Rachel Nesbitt, Assistant Headteacher for Inclusion and SENCo.
The base leader works closely with the base teacher, mainstream staff and many outside agency professionals to ensure that children within the base access a broad and balanced curriculum and that barriers to learning and social inclusion are proactively removed.
The base leader leads the Annual Review process for all children and works closely with parents to ensure a holistic approach to children’s provision.
The children are taught by an experienced specialist teacher, Sarah Kenny.
The base teacher ensure that every child’s needs are individually planned for during their learning time within the base and within their mainstream lessons. They provide highly personalised programmes of teaching and are available to observe and support in mainstream lessons to ensure that all of the essential skills learnt within the small group environment are transferred into the wider context of the mainstream classroom and beyond.
Targeted specialist teaching is delivered in order to develop key skills, with a particular focus on social communication and social understanding. Staffing, support levels and adaptation of resources and activities are planned to encourage maximum independence for each individual child. Staff throughout the school recognise their joint responsibility to support pupils within Copper Base. They support both educational and social inclusion and facilitate joint planning between the Copper Base team and the mainstream class teams.
Specialist teaching assistants support in the base and within mainstream lessons where needed. They also deliver individual programmes under the guidance of the base leader and outside agency professionals eg: speech and language programmes, sensory diets, occupational therapy programmes.
The children have weekly access to a Specialist Speech and Language Therapist that work within the base.
The Speech and Language Therapist delivers highly specialist programmes as an integral part of the curriculum. This is a highly valued part of our provision within Copper Base and the development of these basic skills enables the children to develop as effective communicators within school and beyond.
All staff at Damers promote strong inclusive practice and demonstrate an understanding of the specific needs of pupils with CCN. The school promotes a feeling of belonging and ensures that pupils feel safe and secure and recognise themselves as valued members of a whole school community.
Individual Child Led Planning
When a child starts at Damers in Copper Base, consideration is given immediately to any actions that need to be taken to facilitate a pupil’s inclusion. Activities and expectations are suitably adapted to take into account individual needs. Planning for potential difficulty is proactive, so that all staff are able to respond appropriately if any difficulties occur.
The exact level of integration within the mainstream classroom will vary according to individual needs. Individual timescales will vary, but children will learn alongside their mainstream peers for a part of the school day and the level of integration will increase over time. Integration opportunities will be varied and will not necessarily mean whole class inclusion all of the time.
The continued suitability of placement will be considered at annual reviews of Education Health and Care Plans (EHCP) and if necessary during interim reviews. The base leader, base teacher and the Headteacher attend all Annual Reviews.
Home School Communication
Home school communication and a strong relationship with families is integral to the way we work at Damers and especially in Copper Base. We believe strong partnership is essential to enable children to gain the most from not only their school experience but also their home life.
Alongside the more formal meetings that take place, we also hold regular catch up meetings, and provide home school communication books to ensure a consistent and shared responsibility for your child’s learning journey. Parents are actively encouraged to engage with the Copper Base staff to ensure that all relevant information is shared and contributes to a holistic picture of the children, so that individual provision can be tailored.
We welcome visits to Copper Base by appointment.
Please contact Rachel Nesbitt (Base Leader) via the school office ([email protected] or 01305 264924) if you have any further questions about our base provision or if you would like to arrange a visit to the school.
We are incredibly proud of our Copper Base provision – thank you for your interest. | https://www.damers.dorset.sch.uk/about/specialist-base-provision/ |
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London, KY 40742
Ask your company for assistance with submitting your proof documentation. You may be able to submit documentation through the company’s website, if they make that option available. | https://www.affordableconnectivity.gov/how-to-apply/show-you-qualify/ |
Background
==========
The total weight of lambs weaned per ewe is an important component of meat market production and is a function of litter size, lamb survival and lamb growth. Pre-weaning growth is a complex phenotype that is influenced by two distinct components: direct and maternal effects. The maternal effect is a strictly environmental effect on the offspring \[[@B1]\]; it arises from the mother\'s ability to produce the milk needed for growth and her maternal behaviour. The direct component corresponds to the suckling behaviour and growth ability of the young. It has been shown that these two components are heritable in sheep (as reviewed by Safari et al. \[[@B2]\]). The pre-weaning growth of lambs is highly dependent on the number of lambs born and suckled \[[@B3]\]. The number of suckling lambs modifies both the mother\'s milk production \[[@B4],[@B5]\] and the suckling/competition behaviour of the young \[[@B6]-[@B8]\]. Based on the work of Ricordeau and Boccard \[[@B9]\], the French genetic evaluation model for pre-weaning growth \[[@B10]\] accounts for this effect by applying a multiplicative factor (*α*) to the maternal genetic effect (*α*= 1, 0.7 and 0.5 for one, two and more than two suckling lambs, respectively), in addition to including the birth\*rearing type combination as a fixed effect, which acts on the mean. However, to date, no other argument justifying the use of this multiplicative model has been reported. Furthermore, the model seems to suffer some drawbacks since it has been reported from the field that the maternal EBV of ewes having previously reared single-suckling lambs decreases very much if they rear two or more lambs in a subsequent year.
Consequently, the aim of the present study was to determine 1) whether pre-weaning growth is the same trait in single- and twin-reared lambs; i.e. to determine whether the number of lambs suckling affects the variance components that act on pre-weaning growth, 2) whether applying the multiplicative coefficient represents an appropriate solution to account for such heterogeneity, and 3) whether, when the multiplicative coefficient is applied, the maternal EBV of ewes having previously reared single-suckling lambs decreases markedly if they rear two lambs in a subsequent year. To address these objectives, we compared eight models that allowed for heterogeneity of the various variance components for the average daily gain from 0 to 45 days of age in Romane sheep as a function of the number of lambs reared.
Methods
=======
Data
----
Data from Romane lambs born between 1987 and 2009 at the experimental farm of La Sapinière (INRA-France) were used in this study. This experimental population is the nucleus flock of the composite sheep strain INRA401 \[[@B11]\]. Only data from lambs reared as a single or twins were retained for analysis (29,612 observations, 18% reared as singles, 82% as twins). All animals were bred in the same system. During the 1987-2009 period, ewes were managed under two schemes. The management scheme used during the first part of the period is described in detail in \[[@B12]\]; briefly, ewes were first exposed to rams in April at 16 ± 1 months of age. Ewes that lambed in September were mated again in October at 22 ± 1 months of age. Then, for subsequent lambings, ewes were mated once a year in July-August. No lambs were retained as replacements from the first two lambings of a ewe. During the second part of the 1987-2009 period, ewes were managed under the following scheme (Figure [1](#F1){ref-type="fig"}): they were first exposed to rams in July at 10 ± 1 months of age. From April to September, the ewes were kept outside and then lambed indoors in December. No lambs from the first lambing were retained as replacements. The ewes were then mated once a year in April and lambed in September. These adult ewes were on pasture from mid-May to mid-July, from November to December and from February to April. Lambs were reared with their mothers from birth to weaning (60 days).
{#F1}
Lambs were weighed at birth and at 45 days of age (on average 44.5 days (± 4.3) for single- and 44.8 days (± 3.7) for twin-reared lambs) using a standardized method (i.e. same animal restraint method, same weight scale). Resulting weights were used to calculate the average daily gain (ADG) between birth and 45 days. The average ADG was 254.9 g.d^-1^(± 62.1) for all lambs, 304.3 g.d^-1^(± 62.7) for single-reared lambs and 243.7 g.d^-1^(± 56.2) for twin-reared lambs. The distribution of ADG is shown in Figure [2](#F2){ref-type="fig"}. Pedigree information was established for 33,304 animals with minimal sire misidentification. Data are summarized in Table [1](#T1){ref-type="table"}.
{#F2}
######
Data description
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
N Mean (std)\
of number of records^1^
-------------------------------------------- -------- -------------------------
Lambs 29,612
Single-reared lambs 5,479
Twin-reared lambs 24,133
Animals in the pedigree 33,304 \-
Dam with records
*all* 6,379 4.6 (3.2)
*rearing single lambs* 3,815 1.5 (0.9)
*rearing twins* 5,811 4.4 (3.0)
Sires of lambs with records
*all* 683 33.2 (21.5)
*Single-reared* 640 6.1 (4.9)
*Twin-reared* 681 29.5 (19.2)
Maternal grand sires of lambs with records
*all* 723 43.0 (32.1)
*Single-reared* 675 8.6 (7.3)
*Twin-reared* 711 35.5 (26.3)
Litters 18,269 1.6 (0.49)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
^1^mean and standard deviation of number of ADG records per animal. For instance, the mean total number of lambs weighted per females rearing single is 1.5.
Model comparison
----------------
Data were analyzed using eight distinct models which were all sub-models of the following \"global\" model:
$$\left\{ \begin{matrix}
{\mathbf{\mathit{Y}}_{1} = \mathbf{\mathit{X}}_{1}\beta_{1} + \mathbf{\mathit{Z}}_{\mathbf{\mathit{d}}1}\mathbf{\mathit{d}}_{1} + \alpha_{1}*\mathbf{\mathit{Z}}_{\mathbf{\mathit{m}}1}\mathbf{\mathit{m}}_{1} + \mathbf{\mathit{W}}_{1}\mathbf{\mathit{p}}_{1} + \mathbf{\mathit{M}}_{1}\mathbf{\mathit{l}}_{1} + \varepsilon_{1}} \\
{\mathbf{\mathit{Y}}_{2} = \mathbf{\mathit{X}}_{2}\beta_{2} + \mathbf{\mathit{Z}}_{\mathbf{\mathit{d}}2}\mathbf{\mathit{d}}_{2} + \alpha_{2}*\mathbf{\mathit{Z}}_{\mathbf{\mathit{m}}2}\mathbf{\mathit{m}}_{2} + \mathbf{\mathit{W}}_{2}\mathbf{\mathit{p}}_{2} + \mathbf{\mathit{M}}_{2}\mathbf{\mathit{l}}_{2} + \varepsilon_{2}} \\
\\
\end{matrix} \right)$$
where subscripts 1 and 2 refer to single- and twin-reared lambs, respectively; ***Y~i~***is the vector of measured ADG for single- (i = 1) or twin-reared (i = 2) lambs; ***β~i~***is the vector of fixed effects; ***d~i~***is the vector of direct genetic effects; ***m~i~***is the vector of maternal genetic effects; ***p~i~***is the vector of permanent environmental effects for the dam; ***l~i~***is the vector of litter effects; ***ε~i~***is the vector of residuals; ***X~i~***, ***Z~di~***, ***Z~mi~***, ***W~i~***, ***M~i~***are the corresponding known incidence matrices. All random effects were distributed as centered normal distributions with variance covariance matrices equal to $\mathbf{\mathit{A}} \otimes \begin{bmatrix}
\sigma_{\mathbf{\mathit{d}}1}^{2} & \sigma_{\mathbf{\mathit{d}}1\mathbf{\mathit{d}}2}^{} & \sigma_{\mathbf{\mathit{d}}1\mathbf{\mathit{m}}1}^{} & \sigma_{\mathbf{\mathit{d}}1\mathbf{\mathit{m}}2}^{} \\
& \sigma_{\mathbf{\mathit{d}}2}^{2} & \sigma_{\mathbf{\mathit{d}}2\mathbf{\mathit{m}}1}^{} & \sigma_{\mathbf{\mathit{d}}2\mathbf{\mathit{m}}2}^{} \\
\mathbf{\mathit{sym}} & & \sigma_{\mathbf{\mathit{m}}1}^{2} & \sigma_{\mathbf{\mathit{m}}1\mathbf{\mathit{m}}2}^{} \\
& & & \sigma_{\mathbf{\mathit{m}}2}^{2} \\
& & & \\
\end{bmatrix}$ for the genetic effects, where ***A***is the relationship matrix, $\mathbf{\mathit{I}}_{\mathbf{\mathit{p}}} \otimes \begin{bmatrix}
\sigma_{\mathbf{\mathit{p}}1}^{2} & \sigma_{\mathbf{\mathit{p}}}^{} \\
\sigma_{\mathbf{\mathit{p}}}^{} & \sigma_{\mathbf{\mathit{p}}2}^{2} \\
& \\
\end{bmatrix}$ for the permanent effects, $\begin{bmatrix}
{\mathbf{\mathit{I}}_{\mathbf{\mathit{l}}1} \otimes \sigma_{\mathbf{\mathit{l}}1}^{2}} & 0 \\
0 & {\mathbf{\mathit{I}}_{\mathbf{\mathit{l}}2} \otimes \sigma_{\mathbf{\mathit{l}}2}^{2}} \\
& \\
\end{bmatrix}$ for the litter effect, and $\begin{bmatrix}
{\mathbf{\mathit{I}}_{\varepsilon 1} \otimes \sigma_{\varepsilon 1}^{2}} & 0 \\
0 & {\mathbf{\mathit{I}}_{\varepsilon 2} \otimes \sigma_{\varepsilon 2}^{2}} \\
& \\
\end{bmatrix}$ for the residual effects, and where ***I***are identity matrices of appropriate size.
The first seven models (mod(1) to mod(7)) assumed no multiplicative coefficient for the maternal genetic effect, regardless of the number of lambs reared, that is $\alpha_{1} = \alpha_{2} = 1$. The corresponding tested models differed at the parameter level, the latter being estimated in the covariance matrices (Table [2](#T2){ref-type="table"}). Mod(1) corresponded to the classical single trait model: regardless of the number of lambs reared, the direct (maternal) genetic effects ($\sigma_{d1}^{2} = \sigma_{d2}^{2},\sigma_{d1d2}^{} = \sigma_{d1}^{}\sigma_{d2}^{};\sigma_{m1}^{2} = \sigma_{m2}^{2},\sigma_{m1m2}^{} = \sigma_{m1}^{}\sigma_{m2}^{}$) and the maternal permanent effects ($\sigma_{p1}^{2} = \sigma_{p2}^{2},\sigma_{p}^{} = \sigma_{p1}^{}\sigma_{p2}^{}$) were identical, and the variance of the litter effect ($\sigma_{l1}^{2} = \sigma_{l2}^{2}$) and the residual variance ($\sigma_{\varepsilon 1}^{2} = \sigma_{\varepsilon 2}^{2}$,) did not vary. Mod(2) assumed that the maternal permanent effect depended on the number of lambs reared. Mod(3) allowed the residual variance to differ between single- and twin-reared lambs. It should be noted to allow for identifiability, mod(3) (and, for the same reason, mod(4) to mod(7)) considered no litter effect for observations on single-reared lambs; i.e. $\sigma_{l1}^{2} = 0$. Mod(4) assumed that both the maternal permanent effect and residual variance depended on the number of lambs reared. Mod(5) (mod(6)) assumed, in addition, that the direct (maternal) genetic effect differed between single and twin-lambs. Finally, mod(7) corresponded to the global model, in which all parameters were estimated (except $\sigma_{l1}^{2}\textsf{~}$). The last model (mod(coef)) was derived from the French indexation method of accounting for the heterogeneity between single- and twin- reared lambs. Mod(coef) made the same assumptions as mod(1) but considered, in addition, a multiplicative coefficient for the maternal genetic effect, i.e. $\alpha_{1} = 1,\alpha_{2} = 0.7$.
######
Assumptions of the different models
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Direct\ Maternal\ Maternal\ Litter Residual
genetic genetic permanent
----------- -------- ---------------------- ---------------------- ------------------------ ---------------------- ---------------------- ------------------------ ---------------------- ---------------------- ------------------------ ---------------------- ---------------------- ---------------------- ----------------------
*α*~2~ $\sigma_{d_{1}}^{2}$ $\sigma_{d_{2}}^{2}$ $\rho_{d_{1}d_{2}}^{}$ $\sigma_{m_{1}}^{2}$ $\sigma_{m_{2}}^{2}$ $\rho_{m_{1}m_{2}}^{}$ $\sigma_{p_{1}}^{2}$ $\sigma_{p_{2}}^{2}$ $\rho_{p_{1}p_{2}}^{}$ $\sigma_{l_{1}}^{2}$ $\sigma_{l_{2}}^{2}$ $\sigma_{e_{1}}^{2}$ $\sigma_{e_{2}}^{2}$
Mod(7) = 1 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Mod(6) = 1 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ = 1 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Mod(5) = 1 ✓ = 1 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Mod(4) = 1 ✓ = 1 ✓ = 1 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Mod(3) = 1 ✓ = 1 ✓ = 1 ✓ = 1 ✓ ✓ ✓
Mod(2) = 1 ✓ = 1 ✓ = 1 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Mod(1) = 1 ✓ = 1 ✓ = 1 ✓ = 1 ✓ ✓
Mod(Coef) = 0.7 ✓ = 1 ✓ = 1 ✓ = 1 ✓ ✓
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
✓ in two cells indicates that the two components are equal; = × indicates that the component is fixed to x. for litter size i; $\sigma_{e_{i}}^{2}$ is the residual variance; $\sigma_{d_{i}}^{2}$ and $\rho_{d_{1}d_{2}}^{}$ are the direct genetic variance and correlation; $\sigma_{m_{i}}^{2}$ and $\rho_{m_{1}m_{2}}^{}$ are the maternal genetic variance and correlation; $\sigma_{p_{i}}^{2}$ and $\rho_{p_{1}p_{2}}^{}$ are the maternal permanent variance and correlation; $\sigma_{l_{i}}^{2}$ is the litter variance
All the fixed effects and one-way interactions of biological relevance included in the models were selected beforehand in a step-wise manner, using nested models that were compared with the likelihood ratio test (including interactions with rearing type). The following effects were tested: type of birth, sex of the lamb, year, season, age of the dam, age of the sire, and age of the lamb at weighing. Models were fitted using the mixed procedure of SAS^®^8.1 (SAS^®^, version 8, 1999). After removal of non-significant effects, the following combinations of effects were retained: type of birth\*sex of the lamb, year\*season, and age of the dam for each rearing type.
All models were fitted using Asreml software \[[@B13]\]. Estimates of heritability was computed based on resulting estimates of variance and co-variance components, based on $\alpha_{i}^{2}\sigma_{mi}^{2}\left. /{} \right)\left( {\alpha_{i}^{2}\sigma_{mi}^{2} + \sigma_{di}^{2} + \alpha_{i}^{}\sigma_{dimi} + \sigma_{pi}^{2} + \sigma_{li}^{2} + \sigma_{\varepsilon i}^{2}} \right)$ for the maternal effect and $\sigma_{di}^{2}\left. /{} \right)\left( {\alpha_{i}^{2}\sigma_{mi}^{2} + \sigma_{di}^{2} + \alpha_{i}^{}\sigma_{dimi} + \sigma_{pi}^{2} + \sigma_{li}^{2} + \sigma_{\varepsilon i}^{2}} \right)$ for the direct effect. Models were compared using the Akaike information criteria (AIC).
Once the most parsimonious model which best fitted the data had been identified, the estimated EBV were compared to those obtained with mod(coef). Furthermore, the stability of EBV estimations for females having reared single and then twin lambs was compared for mod(coef) and the model which best fitted the data by reanalyzing two data subgroups: data1 included all records prior to 2005 (23,521 records, 5,214 dams) and data2 included all records prior to 2006 (25,385 records, 5,590 dams). The year 2005 was selected as a cut-off date because it ensured us with a maximal number of \"selected\" females (43), i.e. females that reared twin lambs for the first time in 2006 after having reared single lambs at least twice before. We then investigated, for all two methods, whether the selected females showed a reduced EBV when compared to the group \"all females\". For these comparisons, we 1) compared maternal EBV obtained with data1 and data2, 2) performed the Wilcoxon rank sum test to compare the distribution of rank between \"selected\" and all other females (i.e. all females excluding selected females), and 3) compared the number of \"selected\" females in each quartile of the EBV distribution in 2005 and 2006 based on the Chi-square statistic of the 2 × 4 contingency table.
Results
=======
The variance components and AIC obtained with the different models are presented in Table [3](#T3){ref-type="table"}. A comparison of the different models shows that both the direct effects and maternal genetic effects were the same for single and twin lambs (AIC between mod(7) and mod(5) or mod(6) and mod(4) for direct effects, and between mod(7) and mod(6) or mod(5) and mod(4) for maternal effects). The maternal permanent effect differed between single and twin lambs (comparison of mod(4) with mod(3)). Heterogeneity was observed between the residual variances for single and twin lambs (comparison of mod(2) with mod(4)). Mod(4) shows the lowest AIC. This model assumed heterogeneity of residual variances and that the dam permanent effect differed between single and twin lambs.
######
Estimates of variance components, heritabilities (s.e.), correlations (s.e.) and AIC obtained with the different models
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mod(Coef) Mod(1) Mod(2) Mod(3) Mod(4) Mod(5) Mod(6) Mod(7)
------------------------ ------------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ----------
$\sigma_{e_{1}}^{2}$\ \ \ \ 2260.68\ 2085.98\ 2086.10\ 2073.32\ 2033.06\
\ 1581.87\ 1688.97\ 1633.56\ \ \ \ \ \
$\sigma_{e_{2}}^{2}$ 1556.34 1556.18 1556.70 1563.27 1566.96
$\sigma_{d_{1}}^{2}$\ \ \ \ \ \ \ 415.35\ 473.15\
\ 390.34\ 416.33\ 403.72\ 384.93\ 385.85\ 385.04\ \ \
$\sigma_{d_{2}}^{2}$ 422.07 366.79
$\sigma_{m_{1}}^{2}$\ \ \ \ \ \ 228.20\ \ 265.40\
\ 347.11\ 284.58\ 180.16\ 181.83\ 179.71\ \ 179.52\ \
$\sigma_{m_{2}}^{2}$ 198.44 168.52
$\sigma_{p_{1}}^{2}$\ \ \ 719.60\ \ 454.17\ 419.12\ 441.14\ 416.21\
\ 219.50\ 225.86\ \ 232.50\ \ \ \ \
$\sigma_{p_{2}}^{2}$ 211.30 212.17 219.31 215.56 218.47
$\sigma_{l_{2}}^{2}$ 355.99 202.93 275.24 315.35 323.78 323.97 324.74 325.07
$h_{d_{1}}^{2}$ 0.13 (0.01) 0.16\ 0.14\ 0.13\ 0.12\ 0.12\ 0.13\ 0.15\
(0.02) (0.01) (0.01) (0.01) (0.01) (0.03) (0.03)
$h_{m_{1}}^{2}$ 0.12 (0.02) 0.11\ 0.06\ 0.06\ 0.06\ 0.07\ 0.06\ 0.08\
(0.01) (0.01) (0.01) (0.01) (0.02) (0.01) (0.02)
$h_{d_{2}}^{2}$ 0.14 (0.01) 0.15\ 0.15\ 0.14\ 0.14\ 0.14\ 0.14\ 0.14\
(0.02) (0.02) (0.02) (0.02) (0.02) (0.02) (0.02)
$h_{m_{2}}^{2}$ 0.06\ 0.10\ 0.06\ 0.07\ 0.07\ 0.06\ 0.07\ 0.06\
(\<0.01) (0.01) (0.01) (0.01) (0.01) (0.01) (0.01) (0.01)
$\rho_{d_{1}d_{2}}^{}$ 1.00\ 1.00\
(0.06) (0.09)
$\rho_{m_{1}m_{2}}^{}$ 0.89\
(0.14)
$\rho_{d_{1}m_{1}}^{}$ 0.08 (0.09) 0.11\ 0.05\ 0.07\ 0.07\ 0.07\ 0.13\ -0.10\
(0.09) (0.09) (0.10) (0.10) (0.13) (0.14) (0.19)
$\rho_{d_{2}m_{2}}^{}$ 0.10\
(0.11)
$\rho_{d_{1}m_{2}}^{}$ 0.09\ 0.13\
(0.11) (0.16)
$\rho_{d_{2}m_{1}}^{}$ 0.06\ 0.00\
(0.10) (0.14)
$\rho_{p_{1}p_{2}}^{}$ 0.60\ 0.76\ 0.73\ 0.73\ 0.74\
(0.06) (0.09) (0.11) (0.09) (0.11)
AIC 322 486 354 300 288 294 292 298
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For litter size i, $\sigma_{e_{i}}^{2}$ is residual variance; $\sigma_{d_{i}}^{2}$ direct genetic variance; $\sigma_{m_{i}}^{2}$ maternal genetic variance; $\sigma_{p_{i}}^{2}$ maternal permanent variance; $\sigma_{l_{i}}^{2}$ litter variance; $h_{d_{i}}^{2}$ heritability for direct effect; $h_{m_{i}}^{2}$ heritability for maternal effect; $\rho_{d_{i}m_{j}}^{}$ correlation between direct (i) and maternal (j) effects; $\rho_{d_{1}d_{2}}^{}$ correlation between direct genetic effects; $\rho_{m_{1}m_{2}}^{}$ correlation between maternal genetic effects; $\rho_{p_{1}p_{2}}^{}$ correlation between maternal permanent effects. Figures across two lines indicate that the two components are equal.
Estimates of heritabilities obtained with the different models were consistent (Table [3](#T3){ref-type="table"}). The heritability of the direct effect was moderate and ranged from 0.12 to 0.16 for single-reared lambs and from 0.14 to 0.15 for twin-reared lambs, depending on the model. The heritabilities obtained for maternal effects were low for all models and ranged from 0.06 to 0.12 for single-reared lambs and from 0.05 to 0.10 for twin-reared lambs. The genetic correlation between direct and maternal effects was low and did not differ from 0 in all models.
When the maternal permanent effect was considered to be different for single- and twin-reared lambs (mod(2) and mod(4) to mod(7)), the variance of the permanent effect of dams was higher for single-reared lambs (ranging from 416.21 to 719.60 depending on the model) than for twin-reared lambs (ranging from 211.30 to 219.31, depending on the model). The correlation between the two permanent effects was generally high, ranging from 0.60 to 0.76 depending on the model, but different from 1 (AIC between mod(4) and mod(3), between mod(2) and mod(1)). The results were consistent for the different models that assumed heterogeneous residual variances (mod(3) to mod(7)). The residual variance was higher for single-reared lambs (1.1 to 1.4 fold) than for twin-reared lambs. Litter variance represented 7 to 12% of the total variance, depending on the model.
Correlations between the EBV obtained with the model showing the lowest AIC (mod(4)) and mod(coef) are presented in Table [4](#T4){ref-type="table"}. Correlations were high: 0.979 for maternal effects and 0.998 for direct effects. The percentage of animals in common among animals with the 10% highest or the 10% lowest EBV for the two models was high for the direct effect (93 and 96%) and slightly lower for the maternal effect (79%).
######
Agreement between EBV estimated with the model that best fitted the data (mod(4)) and with mod(Coef)
Direct effect Maternal effect
-------------------------------------------------------- --------------- --------------- -----------------
Correlation between EBV 0.998 0.979
Percentage of animals in common among animals with the 10% best EBV 93 79
10% worst EBV 96 79
In order to determine whether the maternal EBV of ewes that previously reared single-suckling lambs decreases when they subsequently rear two or more lambs (\"selected\" females), comparisons of EBV obtained in 2005 and 2006 with the model that best fitted the data (mod(4)) and mod(coef) based on the Wilcoxon rank sum test and the chi-square statistic are presented in Table [5](#T5){ref-type="table"}. For both models, the mean EBV for selected females were not significantly different in 2005 and 2006 (p = 0.45 and p = 0.24 for mod(4) and mod(coef), respectively). None of the Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were significant, indicating that no differences could be observed in the position of the \"selected\" females in comparison to all females, regardless of the model or the year of evaluation. Finally, for both models, the chi-square statistic of the contingency table which compared the number of \"selected\" females in each quartile of the EBV distribution in 2005 and 2006 was not significant (p \> 5%). All these results indicate no evidence of a decrease of the maternal EBV of ewes that rear twins for the first time after previously having reared only single lambs.
######
Comparison of maternal EBV between selected and all females estimated with mod(Coef) and the model which best fitted the data (mod(4))
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mod(Coef) Mod(4)
--------------------------- -------- -------------------- ----------------------------- -------------------- ----------------
**All animals^1^** **Selected females**^**2**^ **All animals^1^** **Selected**\
**females^2^**
Mean EBV (std) Data1\ 8.4 (9.4)\ 9.4 (9.0)\ 6.3 (7.1)\ 6.5 (5.5)\
Data2 8.5 (9.9) 8.4 (9.5) 6.2 (7.3) 6.6 (6.6)
Wilcoxon rank-sum test^3^ Data1\ 0.23\ 0.27\
Data2 0.29 0.36
$\chi_{3ddl}^{2}$ test^4^ 0.84 0.82
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
^1^756 females having records in 2005 and 2006; ^2^43 females having twin lambs for the first time in 2006 after having reared single lambs at least twice; ^3^p value of the wilcoxon rank-sum test to test if the distributions of rank of all versus selected females are different; ^4^p value of the chi-square test to test if the percentages of selected females in each quartile of the EBV distribution are different in 2005 and 2006; Data1: all records before 2005; Data2: all records before 2006
Discussion
==========
The data we used came from an experimental farm, which provides some advantages over field data. For instance, weight recordings were performed in a standardized manner; weight at birth was measured within 12 h after lambing and weight at day 45 was measured very close to the actual 45^th^day of life. This avoided approximations by interpolation in the calculation of the ADG. However, the use of such experimental data has the disadvantage of including relatively few records and special attention must be paid to make sure that the data can disentangle direct and maternal effects. In this particular dataset, we are confident that this is the case for single trait analyses (mod(1)) because of the strong genetic relationships between individuals, especially cousin relationships. The mean number of records per dam, sire and maternal granddam for single reared-lambs was low (1.5, 6.1 and 8.6, respectively). However, these animals were also parents of twin reared-lambs. Consequently, records from twins provided the necessary information to estimate random parameters for single reared-lambs (if correlated) and helped to disentangle the direct and maternal effects for single reared-lambs when estimated in the case of multiple-trait assumptions. This was confirmed by the consistency of the estimates of heritabilities and correlations between models.
We decided to analyze the hypothetical differences between single- and twin-reared lambs by testing for differences between singles and twins for all random components of the model. At present, the results reported in the literature are in favour of a difference between the effects associated with singles and twins. Concerning direct effects, it has been reported that the behaviour of single-reared lambs is different from that of twin-reared lambs. On pasture, single-reared lambs were usually further from their dams than were multiple-reared lambs \[[@B7]\]. It has also been shown that single lambs suckled less frequently but longer than twins \[[@B7],[@B14]\]. In other species, it has been reported that the behavioural mechanisms of sibling competition range from very aggressive interactions, through various milder agonistic interactions, to scramble competition \[[@B7]\]. Although, to our knowledge, such mechanisms have not been reported in sheep, we can assume that competitive behaviour also exists in this species. With regards to maternal effects, the lactation curve differs between ewes nursing single and twin lambs. Ewes suckling twins have been shown to produce more milk than those suckling single lambs; their peak yield is reached during the 3^rd^week of lactation, compared with the 4^th^week for ewes with single lambs, and they show higher persistency \[[@B3],[@B5]\]. Furthermore, ewes with twins have higher milk fat levels and produce more milk energy than those with single lambs \[[@B15]\]. From a genetic point of view, these differences could be interpreted as differences in both the ewe\'s and lamb\'s environmental conditions depending on the number of lambs reared. However, the results we obtained did not support the hypothesis of a genetic by environment interaction between single and twin lambs, which we evaluated with a multiple-trait model; the genetic correlation between the direct (maternal) effects for single or twin lambs was not significantly different from 1 and their variances did not differ. These results are not consistent with those obtained by Buvanendran et al. \[[@B16]\], who reported that genetic variance and heritability were greater for twins, although heritabilities were not significantly different.
Our results demonstrate that the maternal permanent effect was not the same when ewes reared single versus twin lambs. The permanent effect of dam accounts for all environmental factors related to the dam that are not explicitly incorporated in the model but which modify the non-genetic component of the maternal environment and therefore influence the growth of the lambs. A difference in permanent effects of dams for single versus twin lambs indicates that some of those unaccounted factors exert different effects depending on the number of lambs reared. One of these factors could be impairment of one quarter due to mastitis, which would have a negative influence on the ability of the ewe to rear two lambs but not on her ability to suckle a single lamb.
Our results for the relative importance of the litter effect (7 to 12%) are in the range of those reported in previous studies (0.11 \[[@B17]\]) or slightly lower (0.26 to 0.31 \[[@B18]\]). The litter effect is a combination of everything that affects members of a litter in the same way, including environmental conditions that are not accounted for by the other effects included in the model, and maternal temporary environmental effects (ewe\*year effect in our case).
The results obtained here are in favour of different residual variance for single- versus twin-reared lambs. The raw data showed that single lambs have a higher ADG and a higher standard deviation than twins. The difference in variance was not due to a mean and variance relationship. In fact, the data were normally distributed and the slope of the regression linking the standard deviation of the raw data to the mean (with 10 g steps) was null (3.2.10^-4^).
Variances of dam permanent and residual effects were higher for single- than twin-reared lambs. One possible explanation for these differences is that, in the case of single-reared lambs, the observed ADG represents the \"optimal\" growth that can be obtained for the corresponding lamb-ewe-environment combination, while the competition between twin-reared lambs results in only part (*α*%) of this optimal growth to be expressed. In other words, if we only consider random factors: $y_{1.obs_{ij}} = y_{optimal_{ij}} = d_{i} + m_{j} + p_{j} + \varepsilon_{ij},y_{2.obs_{ij}} = \alpha y_{optimal_{ij}}$ where $y_{1.obs_{ij}},y_{2.obs_{ij}}$refer to the observed ADG for the single or twin lamb *i*of ewe *j*, respectively, and other notations are the same as for the general model. Under this assumption, the variances of all random factors for single lambs are higher than for twins and this is consistent with the results obtained in this study. In fact, although not significantly different from 1 for the genetic effects, the ratio between the variances of random factors for single and twin lambs varied from 0.7 to 0.9 for the different factors in mod(7). Although convenient, this hypothesis oversimplifies the problem because the correlation between the permanent effects of the dam is not equal to 1 between single- and twin-reared lambs.
Our estimates of heritability are consistent with most of the heritabilities reported in the literature for pre-weaning ADG in sheep. Bromley et al. \[[@B19]\] reported heritabilities varying from 0.07 to 0.20 for direct effects and from 0.04 to 0.05 for maternal effects, depending on the breed. In a review, Safari et al. \[[@B2]\] reported an average heritability of 0.15 for the direct effect and 0.05 for the maternal effect. Heritability was also higher for the direct effect (0.21) than for the maternal effect (0.01) in Mousa et al. \[[@B20]\]. Hagger \[[@B18]\], when comparing models in two breeds, obtained heritabilities varying from 0.08 to 0.16 for direct effects and from 0.02 to 0.10 for maternal effects. On the contrary, Snowder and Van Vleck \[[@B21]\] reported a low heritability for direct effects (0.03) and a higher heritability for maternal effects (0.28). Estimates of the genetic correlation between direct and maternal effects obtained in previous studies vary to a much greater extent, from -0.52 \[[@B20]\] to 0.52 \[[@B19]\]. Our close to 0 estimate of the genetic correlation is consistent with the review by Safari et al. (-0.02 (0.08)) \[[@B2]\]. It is a well-known fact that estimates of this correlation are particularly sensitive to data structure \[[@B22]-[@B24]\] but, as previously mentioned, working with experimental data from a single herd probably overcomes this bias. The genetic parameters used in the French genetic evaluation model are heritabilities of 0.20 for the direct effect and 0.30 for the maternal effect, and -0.4 for the genetic correlation, (J.P. Poivey, personal communication). The discrepancy between these parameters and those estimated in the present study indicates that it may be of interest to update the parameters for field data.
We did not find any spurious changes in the maternal EBV of ewes rearing twin lambs for the first time after having reared single lambs the previous years, as had been reported from the field. One explanation for this result is that problems reported from field data are due to the quality of the data recorded, especially absence of recording lamb deaths which introduces bias in the type of rearing factor. This problem does not exist for the experimental data used for this study.
In this study, we focused on the possible heterogeneity of variance components for pre-weaning growth in sheep due to the number of lambs reared in order to check if the multiplicative coefficient assumptions made in the French genetic evaluation system are valid. Several other factors have been reported in the literature to affect early growth but are not included at present in the French genetic evaluation model and can introduce biases. A non-exhaustive list of these factors is the following: an environmental covariance between dam and offspring \[[@B25],[@B26]\], sire\*year, sire\*herd\*year \[[@B23],[@B27]\], sire\*dam, dam\*number born \[[@B28]\] combinations, etc. The importance of these factors should be tested on field data when updating the French genetic evaluation model.
Conclusions
===========
The objective of this study was to evaluate the best way to take account for differences in pre-weaning growth between single- and twin-reared lambs in comparison with the method used at present in the French genetic evaluation model. Our results show that the genetic effects do not differ between single- and twin-reared lambs, that the permanent environmental effect of dams depends on the number of lambs suckled, that the residual variance is different for single and twin lambs and that it is better to consider these assumptions than to apply a multiplicative coefficient to the maternal genetic effect. Given these results from experimental data, it would be of interest to compare a model that includes all these new assumptions with the model used at present for the genetic evaluation in other breeds with field data and update the genetic evaluation model based on the results obtained.
Competing interests
===================
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Authors\' contributions
=======================
ID performed statistical analysis and drafted the manuscript. DF performed data edition. FB was responsible for recording data. JPP and LT are responsible for the current genetic evaluation for pre-weaning growth. All authors have been involved in drafting the manuscript and proofing and have approved the final manuscript.
| |
What is the best year of the 21st century?
Best Years of the 21st Century
- (MMXX) was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 20th year of the third millennium, the 20th year of the 21st century, and the 1st year of the 2020s.
- 20 2001.
- 21 2021.
Did Christianity start the Dark Ages?
For a thousand years, a period that began with what some historians called the “Dark Ages” in the Christian West and that endured through both the Eastern and Western extensions of the Roman Empire, the essence of Christian faith was guarded differently than it had been in the first three centuries, before Christianity …
What was the main cause of the dark ages?
The cause of the dark ages was the rejection of reason – barbarians destroying stored knowledge and the church outlawing reason as the means to knowledge, to be replaced by revelation, which they have the monopoly on. The dark ages were only dark for the Roman empire, much of the rest of the world thrived.
Why is 536 the worst year?
In 2018, medieval scholar Michael McCormick nominated 536 as “the worst year to be alive” because of the extreme weather events probably caused by a volcanic eruption early in the year, causing average temperatures in Europe and China to decline and resulting in crop failures and famine for well over a year.
Is 2020 the worst year of the 21st century?
2020 has been the worst year of the 21st century by far. The combination of bad news and events that have taken place surpasses all the other years. The combination of deaths, the pandemic, government issues, and racial injustice has made it the worst year. To top it off, this year is not even over yet.
When did the dark age end?
476 AD – 1000 AD
How long were the dark ages?
Migration period, also called Dark Ages or Early Middle Ages, the early medieval period of western European history—specifically, the time (476–800 ce) when there was no Roman (or Holy Roman) emperor in the West or, more generally, the period between about 500 and 1000, which was marked by frequent warfare and a …
Why is 2020 the worst year?
When we talk about 2020 as the worst year ever we mean many entangled things: A pandemic. The death and economic destruction caused by the pandemic. The governmental mismanagement of the pandemic. The ways the pandemic has exposed the failures of our social system.
Why was it so dark during the eruption?
Climate cooling is consistent with the idea that the atmosphere became shrouded in a haze of dust, as is known to happen after large volcanic eruptions. A dust veil, causing cooling and spectacular sunsets, appeared after the eruptions of Tambora in Indonesia in 1815, and of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines in 1991.
What is our era called?
Cenozoic
What volcano caused the Dark Ages?
Ilopango
Why is 2000 the 21st century?
We live in the 21st Century, that is, the 2000s. All this because, according to the calendar we use, the 1st Century included the years 1-100 (there was no year zero), and the 2nd Century, the years 101-200.
Why were the Middle Ages called the Age of Faith?
This period of time is also known as the Medieval Age, the Dark Ages (due to the lost technology of the Roman empire), or the Age of Faith (because of the rise of Christianity and Islam).
Could the year without a summer happen again?
If the climate continues to change at its current rate, our children – and even some of us – could experience “years without summers” in the not too distant future. It is believed – and this study appears to have confirmed – that this devastating eruption triggered the so-called “year without a summer” in 1816.
What’s the worst year ever?
‘ Falling in the time known as the ‘Dark Ages’, the year 536 AD fully embraced this moniker as Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia were plunged into 24-hour darkness for 18 months. Summer temperatures plummeted between 1.5-2.5°C causing crops to fail and millions to starve to death.
When was the worst year in history?
1348
Is 2020 a cursed year?
It is but natural to say that the year is a cursed one, and half the year is not yet over. The side effects also do not look good at all. The downward slide of the economy is a problem faced globally due to the pandemic coupled with the loss of jobs in India and other parts of the world.
What was the worst time to be alive?
Top 10 Worst Times To Be Alive In History
- 1 The Year 536.
- 2 1467 – 1600: The Sengoku Period.
- 3 Being A Miner In Ancient Rome.
- 4 1947: The Partition Of India.
- 5 1942: Firebombing Raids During WW2.
- 6 17th Century: The Thirty Years’ War.
- 7 1983 – 2009: Sri Lankan Civil War.
- 8 1918 – 1919: The Spanish Flu.
How did the dark age end?
The Dark Ages ended because Charlemagne united much of Europe and brought about a new period in time of emerging nation-states and monarchies. | https://www.true-telecom.com/what-is-the-best-year-of-the-21st-century/ |
Daniel Grayling “Dan” Fogelberg (August 13, 1951 – December 16, 2007) was an American singer-songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist, whose music was inspired by sources as diverse as folk, pop, rock, classical, jazz, and bluegrass. He is best known for his 1980 hit “Longer” and his 1981 hit “Leader of the Band”.
Inspired by “Leader of the Band” by Dan Fogelberg
A quiet man of music, Denied a simpler fate
He tried to be a soldier once, But his music wouldn’t wait
He earned his love Through discipline, A thundering, velvet hand
His gentle means of sculpting souls, Took me years to understand
I have been very fortunate through my career to have had the opportunity to work with, learn from and mentor some incredible people. I often get asked for advice, encouragement and suggestions as individuals are beginning their career and or reflecting on their careers. As I think through the many people I have encountered, and they come from all walks of life, they do have some traits and skills and beliefs that make them more similar than dissimilar.
Although I do not profess to be an expert, I am a lifelong learner who has been shaped and influenced by some outstanding people at all levels. So, let’s look at these traits, attributes, and skills, and together we can build a skills inventory that you may want to use as you perform your legacy analysis on yourself.
I believe it starts with Values. It is what you do when no one is watching that counts. Integrity can often be used to describe this activity, but I would like to take it further, it is integrity of your word as well as your actions. I think the integrity of our actions is something we can grasp and to which we can relate. But what do I mean by integrity of your word, simply put, you make a commitment to follow up on something, respond to a request, commit to an action, and you do it!
I believe that two fundamental ingredients of a successful person are hard work and enthusiasm. There is no substitute for Hard Work and an equation that I believe successful people use is…. Time + Effort + Enthusiasm = Results.
Enthusiasm is what fuels your drive and keeps the engine revving. Without enthusiasm your equation is time and hard work, and although these are two important ingredients to success, always remember hard work without enthusiasm is just that… HARD WORK. Hard work by itself gets old!
Another way to look at it is: Make it Fun, Make it Happen but Make it Happen.
Finally, I believe we should all ask ourselves some key questions and answer them with a critical eye and with honesty of purpose:
• How can I add value in this current position and going forward?
• Do I have a process mind with a strategic vision and the ability to execute tactically the strategy?
• Can I develop a strategy, build a business plan, and execute that plan?
• Can I provide clear communication and walk the talk?
• Can I teach my teams to learn to take better control of their day and balance multiple priorities, measuring and following-up for continuous improvement?
• Do I accept the responsibility for my results?
For more information visit our web site at https://www.3sixtymanagementservices.com/training/, or
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Great leaders challenge their people NOT TO STOP AT THE FIRST RIGHT ANSWER.
Tighten The Lug Nuts is that book that will help you move past that first right answer and is full of detailed examples that are organized in an educational and entertaining way to form a framework of real-world concepts. This book serves as a blueprint that can be easily applied by leaders, entrepreneurs, and all of us in our everyday lives.
This is one of the best leadership books you can read to help you accelerate towards your personal and professional goals.
Whether you are a seasoned professional or a first-time manager, Tighten The Lug Nuts is not only motivational but also a call to action for those who have yet to make a mark in their field.
Visit https://tightenthelugnuts.com/ for additional information and to order your copy today.
” In my view the significant difference in the leaders who will successfully lead the rapid rebuild of their businesses is their honesty of purpose. It pertains to your motivation, to the pursuit of your goals and dreams. There is no substitute for hard work for the leader as you embark on this rebuild journey. But it is how you face it and the journey you take that speaks to your character. Your true character is defined by your honesty of purpose. Your purpose is sacred and authentic. Honesty is what is at the core of your moral character. It is being trustworthy, loyal, fair, sincere, and true, even when it is difficult to be. It is not only how you create your values, but also how you add value to the lives of others.”
Rocky Romanella
Visit the Leadership Library at https://www.3sixtymanagementservices.com/rockys-podcast/.
VISIT OUR INFORMATION LIBRARY:
Rocky was recently interviewed by a British TV outlet, BV-TV, for the Achiever Leader Show. You
can view that video at the homepage at 3SixtyManagementServices.com.
Much more is available at these links:
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Our book, Tighten The Lug Nuts: The Principles of Balanced Leadership –
https://www.3sixtymanagementservices.com/book-tighten-the-lug-nuts/
List of 23 Leadership Competencies – https://www.3sixtymanagementservices.com/
Coaches Corner – https://www.3sixtymanagementservices.com/category/leadership-training/
Rocky has gone virtual!
Contact Rocky today to lead your strategy sessions, rapid rebuild plans
and communications with your teams. He is available virtually today and
live in the not-too-distant future.
Contact Rocky at [email protected], or call 610-322-0720
EMAIL ROCKY TODAY
For additional information visit our website: | https://www.3sixtymanagementservices.com/building-your-legacy-2-2/ |
This study involves the fractionation and characterisation of three propyleneethylene random copolymers. The fractionation technique used in the study was temperature rising elution fractionation (TREF). The TREF fractions ...
The structure-property relationships of polyolefins
(Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2009-03)
Polypropylene is an extremely versatile material and has a broad spectrum of applications due to the variations in properties which are possible with this material. The variations in the properties of the material are ... | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/222/discover?filtertype_0=subject&filter_relational_operator_0=equals&filter_0=Dissertations+--+Polymer+science&filtertype=author&filter_relational_operator=equals&filter=Harding%2C+Gareth |
Phrases That You Need to Understand When Talking to a Drupal Developer: Field and Block
In this post, you will find more phrases often used by Drupal programmers. Familiarise yourself with this and the other texts in the series in order to work more effectively with the development team.
The most commonly used phrases related to Drupal
Other articles of this series can be found here:
Field
In short: Fields in Drupal are attributes assigned to the data type, e.g. tags in articles or the amount of remuneration in a job offer.
More detailed explanation
Node Types are created in the administration panel on the subpage /admin/structure/types. You can also edit the already existing content types there. One of the edit options is "Manage Fields".
The Fields are assigned to Entities – a Node entity in this case (explanation of the word [Node]). One field means one additional element on the content adding form (there are exceptions, but they are rare).
If you want to have a form for adding job offers, and in it – the option to enter the amount of remuneration, add a new field. If you want to add products on a website and provide PDF instructions together with a product description, add a field, etc.
Below are examples of the data structure of several types of content from the previous article.
Article:
- Title,
- Introduction,
- Content,
- Main photo,
- Category.
Job offer:
- Position name,
- Duties description,
- Requirements,
- Location,
- Remuneration,
- Number of vacancies.
Each of the elements listed above is a separate field.
Field types in Drupal
Fields can have types. In this case, the list is exhaustive and defined by the Drupal core or additional modules. The most commonly used field types are:
- Single-line text field,
- Multiline text field.
- Field with a list (e.g. select one element from the 20 defined),
- Field with a reference (the content types can be combined, e.g. a Job offer may have references to the "Company facility" content type),
- Field for uploading a photo,
- Field for uploading any type of file,
- Link,
- E-mail,
- Phone.
A programmer can write a module that defines a new field type. He can also install one of the additional modules defining a new field type, e.g. Address Field.
Knowing the field types and knowing that you have the ability to create many types of content, you can plan the structure for the data that you want to present on the website. By using these terms, you can quickly set out the details with the programmer.
Regions and Blocks
A block is a fragment of a page that may be used repeatedly within a single subpage or on many subpages. A block is usually a small part of a page presenting text or graphics. I will provide some examples in order to illustrate what can be a Drupal block:
- Menu,
- Search engine form,
- Social media icons,
- Form for logging in,
- Last 3-5 pieces of content of a given type,
- Banners redirecting to other areas of the website,
- Form for subscribing to a newsletter.
Every subpage in Drupal consists of the following elements:
- content – i.e. what is in the centre of the screen,
- blocks – i.e. what is usually above the content, below the content and next to the content (in a column or two columns, depending on the layout of the page).
Sometimes there are other elements but let us assume that in our ideal situation there are only content and blocks on the subpage.
Bocks are placed within so-called regions. Regions are places on a page with a specific location, e.g. a footer. Within a single region, you can insert one or more blocks, e.g. in the footer, you can insert a block with the menu and a block with social media icons.
Most often, the subpages are built so that the blocks in the Header and Footer regions are the same on all subpages. This is the rule for most [corporate websites]. Only their content changes. Depending on the website, it is just the content, extending to 100% of the page width, or the content and columns (e.g. 67% for the content and 33% for one column).
When talking with a Drupal programmer about the layout of elements on a given subpage, you will probably hear about blocks and regions quite often. Now you know what do these words mean.
Summary
It is a second article of the series. From these two articles you already know what a Node, Field, Block and Region are. When you have such knowledge, talking with a Drupal developers’ team should be much easier.
If you have not seen the previous articles of the series yet, you can find them here: | https://www.droptica.com/blog/phrases-you-need-understand-when-talking-drupal-developer-field-and-block/ |
For many children, Halloween is one of the most anticipated holidays of the year. From Power Rangers and athletes to princesses and pirates, dressing up in their spookiest or most imaginative attire and trolling the streets in search of treats is a major part of the fun for school-age children. For younger children, however, the ghosts and goblins who are meant to entertain can cause too much of a fright.
“Halloween can be a wonderful holiday for children,” said Linda Gulyn, professor of psychology at Marymount University in Arlington. “But fears related to Halloween are real to children, especially in the preschool years, ages 2-5.”
One of the reasons that Halloween can be particularly frightening for small children is because they are highly imaginative, but not logical, she added. “They believe what they see is real and true. For example, if a little [3-year-old] boy puts on a werewolf mask, he sees himself as a werewolf and believes he is.”
The same is true when children see adults in costume. “If Mom puts on a witch costume, this could lead to fear that she has turned into a witch” Gulyn said. “Kids fail to realize that appearance can be transformed, such as placing a mask on a face, but the person is still the person.”
Parents and caregivers can help determine what is too scary for a child and at what age. “It is important know your child and observe their reactions to certain characters or situations during the Halloween season,” said Ashley Akerman, a family counselor in private practice in Potomac, Md. “Something as innocent as a 6-year-old in a furry squirrel costume can frighten a 2-year-old child. Keep a close watch on the way that your child reacts and notice if they seem frightened or concerned.”
HALLOWEEN CAN BE OVERWHELMING for many. With strangers ringing the doorbell, people walking around with masks on, and some costumes that are downright gory, it can be very scary, especially for younger children. “It is important to know your child's developmental stage as well as their overall temperament, as each child is different,” said Carolyn Lorente, associate professor of psychology at Northern Virginia Community College’s Alexandria campus.
Validate and avoid diminishing the significance of a child’s fears, says Lorente. “If they express fears or insecurities, follow your child's lead,” she said. “Remember, you are their safe place. But telling them that there is nothing to be afraid of starts a lifetime of not cuing into their own feelings and intuition. This is not what you want your child to learn.”
Instead, make sure a child knows that it is normal to be afraid of people, environments or situations that are unfamiliar. There are ways, said Lorente, to familiarize young children with Halloween. “Play. Kids learn through play,” she said. “For all kids, before the big day, talk about Halloween so they know how your family celebrates the event and what to expect.”
Festive cooking, as well as arts and crafts, can also make the holiday less intimidating. “Build up to the event by making Halloween-themed cookies, decorating a pumpkin and drawing pictures to post on the door to greet the trick-or-treaters,” said Lorente. “Play dress up with your child. Give them opportunities to see you putting on a mask and taking it off. You can even make your own masks using a paper plate, cutting out space for eyes, decorating it and gluing on a popsicle stick.”
Gulyn suggests forgoing potentially scary movies and gory, dramatic costumes and masks. “For young children, I like costumes where the child's face is still recognizable, for example, a ballet dancer or a firefighter. That is really fun for the child.”
A child’s pleasure during the holiday is the most important factor to consider. “Respect the limitations of young children's understanding of reality,” said Gulyn. “Take cues from the kids, even if you worked tirelessly on a realistic-looking vampire costume. Don't worry: that vampire will be appreciated in a year or two.”
Halloween Safety Tips from the Fairfax County Police
As children take to the streets on Halloween to trick-or-treat, their risk of being injured by motorists increases greatly. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that Halloween is consistently one of the top three days for pedestrian injuries and fatalities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that children are four times more likely to be struck by a motor vehicle on Halloween than any other day of the year.
Because excited trick-or-treaters often forget about safety, parents must be even more alert. Here are some tips for helping keep young ones safe on Halloween:
Parents
Ensure an adult or older, responsible youth is available to supervise children under age 12.
Plan and discuss the route your trick-or-treaters will follow.
Instruct children to travel only in familiar areas and along established routes.
Teach children to stop only at well-lit houses and to never enter a stranger’s home or garage.
Establish a time for children to return home.
Tell children not to eat any treats until they get home.
Review trick-or-treating safety precautions, including pedestrian and traffic safety rules.
Make sure Halloween costumes are flame-retardant and visible with retro-reflective material.
Trick-or-Treaters
Be bright at night: Wear retro-reflective tape on costumes and treat buckets to improve visibility to motorists and others.
Wear disguises that don’t obstruct vision, and avoid facemasks. Instead, use nontoxic face paint. Also, watch the length of billowy costumes to help avoid tripping.
Carry a flashlight containing fresh batteries and place it facedown in the treat bucket to free up one hand. Never shine it into the eyes of oncoming drivers.
Stay on sidewalks and avoid walking in streets if possible.
If there are no sidewalks, walk on the left side of the road, facing traffic.
Look both ways and listen for traffic before crossing the street.
Cross streets only at the corner, and never cross between parked vehicles or mid-block.
Trick-or-treat in a group if someone older cannot go with you.
Tell your parents where you are going. | http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2014/oct/16/getting-children-excited-halloween/ |
EINSTEINS FOLLY went up 8lb for his final victory of the last campaign and came up against a progressive type when runner-up to Francis Of Assisi on his return. He should do well again this year and can go one better though Qasser, who didn't run as a juvenile and was having just his fourth start when scoring at Cork in October, looks a big threat. Star Links has won eight times and took advantage of a lenient mark and very testing ground to score at Leopardstown. Seanie ended last season with a superb effort in a very tough handicap at Leopardstown and should make a bold bid to defy his big weight.
Formwatch
Seanie (IRE) 8-1 (9-0) Towards rear, headway on outer in straight, ridden to go 4th inside final furlong and every chance final 100 yards, no impression on winner close home, 2nd of 17, nk behind Lily's Angel (9-4) at Leopardstown 7f hcp gd in Sep.
Hurricane Twister (IRE) 16-1 (8-1) Prominent, 2nd halfway, ridden and no extra over 2f out, weakened, last of 13, 19l behind Strait Of Zanzibar (8-8) at Dundalk 7f hcp pol.
Ondeafears (IRE) 7-1 (9-1) Held up in touch, headway on inner entering straight, 3rd 1f out, kept on well, no chance with winner, 2nd of 10, 4l behind Lady Wingshot (9-5) at Leopardstown 7f Listed stks (1) sft in Nov.
Gunner Lindley (IRE) 8-1 (8-10) Chased leader, 3rd halfway, ridden in 6th 2f out, no extra and weakened, 14th of 20, 21l behind Sweet Lightning (9-8) at Curragh 1m Extended Handicap (4yo+) hvy in Mar.
Einsteins Folly (IRE) 7-2 (9-4) Settled behind leaders, 4th halfway, ridden into close 2nd under 2f out, no impression winner over 1f out, kept on same pace, 2nd of 7, 4l behind Francis Of Assisi (9-3) at Curragh 7f 3yo ext hcp hvy in Mar.
Qasser (IRE) 8-13fav (9-5) Made all, travelling best from over 2f out, soon asserted, clear when flicked tail under 1f out, reduced lead close home but always well in command, won at Cork 1m 3yo mdn hvy in Oct beating Epic Encounter (9-2) by 1 3/4l, 9 ran.
Cash Or Casualty (IRE) 7-1 (8-8) Soon disputed, 3rd halfway, ridden in 5th 2f out, soon no extra and weakened, 12th of 13, 18l behind Strait Of Zanzibar (8-8) at Dundalk 7f hcp pol.
Star Links (USA) 8-1 (9-3) Chased leaders, 3rd halfway, headway into 2nd 1 1/2f out, ridden to lead 1f out, kept on well final furlong, won at Limerick 1m hcp 50-80 sft beating Maundy Money (8-5) by 4l, 11 ran.
The Giving Tree (IRE) 7-1 (8-7) Mid-division, 8th halfway, no threat in straight, 13th of 14, 8l behind Aladdins Cave (9-1) at Dundalk 1m 4f hcp pol in Nov.
Imaginationrunwild (IRE) 7-1 (9-10) Soon mid-division, wide straight, no impression approaching final furlong, 10th of 13, 12l behind Paene Magnus (9-8) at Dundalk 1m hcp 60-80 pol in Nov. | http://www.skysports.com/racing/racecards/naas/20-04-2013/556557/summer-barbeque-evenings-handicap |
Oil on canvas
90 x 100 cm.
Painted in 2018
23. Kerry Harding
Lapwing II
Oil on canvas
ESTIMATE
£1,800 - 2,800
Shipping estimate
Notes
Kerry Harding studied fine art at The Ruskin School, Oxford University in 1991 followed by an MA in fine art at Falmouth and has been teaching at St Ives School of Painting since early 2014. During her career, the Cornish based artists has had work exhibited all over the U.K and in Miami, Berlin, Australia and South Africa. The artist worked for a number of years in South Africa before moving to London and eventually to Cornwall in 2000. The latter was a move that Kerry identifies as fundamental moment to her work.
“Seeing a horizon after being in London for 7 years, and living by the sea after years of longing, I felt like I’d come home. Cornwall offered me a subject matter of a weathered atmospheric landscape created through the elements adding and taking away. This physicality and unpredictability of what is left behind were exactly what I enjoyed most in the painting process. During this period I created abstract work concerning myself with the textures, atmospheres and poetic resonance of my new home.”
Through years experimenting different uses of oil paint, Kerry has a distinctive vocabulary of marks and surfaces that successfully interpret the textures and atmospheres of the Cornish landscape.
“This current direction of my work builds upon these experiments but using more figurative compositions. Previous work has been solely abstract, developed intuitively within a process of layering and scraping away, resulting in more subtle atmospheric references to a general coastal landscape. But these new paintings see more predetermined compositions referencing specific motifs of the north Cornish landscape around my studio. The process of re-layering and taking away is then used to ‘destroy’, distort or encompass the motif to reflect the imprint of something that you see every day. | https://theauctioncollective.com/previous-auctions/sea-fever/lapwing-ii-23/ |
What is the point of a mid-engine?
Mid-Engines
By placing the engine in the middle of the car, engineers balance the front and rear weight and are able to maintain equal traction in all four wheels. This makes them incredibly stable in the corners.
Are mid-engine cars hard to drive?
Finally, because of the evenly balanced weight, mid-engine cars are sometimes harder to control when you lose traction, say, during a spin. In other cars, you can find traction and stability, either at the front or the rear by accelerating or braking, but this is much harder to do in a mid-engine vehicle.
Are all Corvettes mid-engine?
The C5, C6, and C7 Corvettes all share a very similar front-mid layout, with a torque tube connecting the engine mounted ahead of the passenger compartment to a transaxle just behind the seats.
Why is the 911 rear engine?
The engine’s placement will have a huge impact on passenger space, practicality, acceleration, braking, weight distribution, and overall driving dynamics. Porsche decided to put the 911’s engine in the back, behind the rear axle, way back in the day when the 911 was first designed.
Are Camaros mid engine? | https://thecarsecrets.net/auto-parts/best-answer-why-are-mid-engines-better.html |
AbstractThere is extensive interindividual variability in drug response and tolerability. One of the major reasons for this is differences in drug metabolism, which may reflect pharmacogenetic variability and/or environmental factors, such as age and drug-drug interactions. Cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) is the most important enzyme in drug metabolism, but its phenotype is not determined by pharmacogenetic differences. Thus there is a great interest in identifying practical non-genetic measures as potential CYP3A4 biomarkers. 4β-Hydroxycholesterol (4βOHC) is formed from cholesterol by CYP3A4 and has been proposed as a biomarker for determination of individual patients CYP3A4 activity (phenotype). The overall aim of this thesis was to investigate different aspects of 4β-hydroxycholesterol as a potential biomarker for CYP3A4 phenotype. An initial study of the thesis found a significant correlation between 4βOHC level and daily dose but not steady-state serum concentration of carbamazepine, a potent CYP3A4 inducer. The dose specific induction indicated that 4βOHC level reflects both intestinal and hepatic phenotype, which is considered important for a CYP3A4 biomarker to be robust. A second study investigating the correlation between 4βOHC level and steady-state serum concentration during oral use of the antipsychotic drug quetiapine, a CYP3A4 substrate subjected to extensive presystemic metabolism, showed that 4βOHC level, age and gender explained approximately 30% of the variability in dose-corrected serum concentrations of quetiapine. In addition to supporting a role of intestinal CYP3A4 in biomarker formation, the study supported a potential clinical usefulness of 4βOHC as a biomarker for estimation of individual dose requirements of quetiapine, as well as monitoring of CYP3A4 phenotype during ongoing therapy. However, in a subsequent third study in 22 healthy volunteers who consumed grapefruit juice (GFJ), an intestinal CYP3A4 inhibitor, for three weeks, no significant reduction in cholesterol corrected levels of 4βOHC was observed. This latter finding suggests that intestinal CYP3A4 likely plays a minor role in formation of 4βOHC. In conclusion, the findings of the thesis may support a potential application of 4βOHC as an endogenous biomarker for monitoring of CYP3A4 phenotype in clinical practice, but it is unlikely that it could be used for estimation of individual dose requirements of CYP3A4 substrates without accounting for other factors of importance for the respective drug’s pharmacokinetic variability. | https://www.duo.uio.no/handle/10852/68493 |
Limitations in the 1996 National-Scale Air Toxics Assessment:Variability
The national-scale assessment results show how air concentrations, exposures and risks vary broadly across geographic regions of the country. They do not fully characterize how these three quantities vary between individuals, except to the extent these individuals live in different geographic regions and have the values typical of a census tract in that region. They also do not characterize how emissions and ambient air concentrations vary geographically or in time within a census tract.
To understand this difference, consider the reasons why two places might have different ambient air concentrations, or why two individuals might experience different risks from air toxics:
Each of the above factors can depend on the age, gender, and ethnic group to which an individual belongs. These groups make up different receptor populations or cohorts, and the exposures and risks must be calculated separately for the different groups. There even are variations of all factors within a receptor population. Two Hispanic males, each aged 12 years, can have differences in ambient air concentration, exposure, susceptibility and/or sensitivity. | https://archive.epa.gov/airtoxics/nata/web/html/page3.html |
The Chicxulub Crater
The Chicxulub crater marks the point of contact where a massive asteroid hit the Earth. The asteroid was so large that it wiped out every dinosaur on the planet. The crater stretches 93 miles in diameter and plunges 12 miles into the ground. It is the second-largest asteroid ever to make impact on the Earth. Experts believe that the asteroid hit 66 million years ago.
Peak Ring
This crater is very impressive because its peak ring is still intact. Its long-term preservation is very impressive. The only other crater with a peak ring still intact is located on the moon. Since this isn’t a convenient place for scientists to study, they are thankful or the Chicxulub crater.
The Crater
The crater got its name from the Mexican town nearby that shares the name. Scientists have been studying the crater, and they have managed to go beyond the topical details. The crater sits more than a mile beneath Mexico’s Yucutan Peninsula. Based on the measurements taken by scientists, the asteroid that hit the Earth had to be up to 50-miles wide. As mentioned earlier, the diameter of the crater is 93 miles, which is just 1.6 miles shorter than the drive between New York City to Philadelphia.
Calculating the Strength
While studying the crater, the experts wanted to know the strength that the rock hit the Earth. They estimate that the asteroid or comet has 21 to 291 billion times as much energy as the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima during World War II. Even the strongest human-made explosive, the Soviet Union’s Tsar Bomba, couldn’t come close to the power from this asteroid.
The Second Deepest
This crater goes 18.6 miles into the ground. This is a very deep hole. It is the second-largest impact on Earth, just behind the crater near Vredefort in South Africa. Unlike the South African crater, the Chicxulub has a peak ring intact. This tells the experts that the impact site has no single central peak. Scientists say that it is “ground zero of the Cretaceous extinction event.”
No Rush To Dig
Scientists haven’t really been rushing to study the crater since it has been sitting there for 66 million years. Over the years, the crater has been filled with water and rock. Today, over a half-mile of sedentary rock covers the crater.
Discovering the Crater
Even though the crater had been there for 66 million years, it wasn’t discovered until 1978. Two geophysicists, Glen Penfield and Antonio Camargo, stumbled upon the crater. They weren’t even looking for it. They stumbled upon it while searching for petroleum. The two men went up in a plane to compete for a magnetic survey that mapped any potential drilling locations beneath the Gulf of Mexico. They were going through the data collected when Glen noticed something strange. There was a 40-foot-wide underwater arc with amazing symmetry. When the men saw this, they decided to dig a bit deeper. This was when Glen and Antonio discovered that the two arcs made a circle.
Something Amazing
Glen knew right away that they had found something amazing. He believed that he had pinpointed a cataclysmic event in the planet’s history. Glen and Antonio got permission from the Petroleos Mexicanos to present their findings at the 1981 Society of Exploration Geophysicists conference. Oddly, their revelation didn’t go over the way that they thought. Since their find didn’t garner too much attention, Glen decided to give up his research on the crater. He did publish the data that he collected, and other scientists have had similar findings over the years.
Alan R. Hildebrand and William V. Boynton
In 1981, a graduate student from the University of Arizona, Alan R. Hilderbrand, was working with his adviser, William V. Boynton, to publish their own Earth-impact theory. They needed a crater to collaborate their hypothesis, and they had plenty of evidence with the crater studied by Glen. They even learned more than Glen did.
An Ancient Volcano
Experts Drilled Into The Crater That Killed the Dinosaurs And Made An Incredible Discovery. Drilling took place at the crater site because it was believed that there was once an ancient volcano in the area, that was destroyed when the asteroid hit. When Glen and Antonio drilled at the site, they discovered proof of a volcanic eruption. While everyone has their own theories, there is one thing that everyone agrees with. The crater is responsible for killing all non-flying dinosaurs on the planet. After more drilling, experts discovered that the impact of the crater pushed sediment from miles beneath the surface up to the top. The rocks also gave the experts an idea of what the world looked like post-impact. The rocks made the experts believe that when the asteroid hit the earth, it created a hole, and a tsunami formed. Between the rock hurling in the air, the tsunami causing floods, and the heat from the initial impact, everything was gone. | https://factsverse.com/experts-drilled-into-the-crater-that-killed-the-dinosaurs-and-made-an-incredible-discovery/ |
Ruling Changes the Legal Landscape for Abortion
LINDA WERTHEIMER, host:
This week, a newly constituted U.S. Supreme Court with two new Bush appointees changed the legal landscape on abortion. By a 5-4 vote, the court for the first time upheld a regulation banning a particular abortion procedure - the procedure that abortion opponents call partial birth. And in so doing, the court opened the door to a wide variety of other abortion restrictions.
As NPR's legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg reports, the majority and dissenting opinions represent conflicting notions of those whose interest count most in American society.
NINA TOTENBERG: For Justice Anthony Kennedy taking up a pen for the majority, this was a case about the unborn and the state's interest in promoting fetal life. For Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg in dissent, this was a case about a woman's right to control her own reproductive destiny.
The government said Justice Kennedy may use its voice and its regulatory authority to show its profound respect for the life within a woman. Countering that, Justice Ginsberg said, the court, for the first time, tolerates, even applauds, a law that threatens the health of some women.
Ginsberg, a leading pioneer of women's rights in the 1960s and '70s, observed there was a time not so long ago when women were pigeonholed into the role of homemaker and denied full and independent legal status under the Constitution.
Fifteen years ago, in reaffirming Roe v. Wade, she noted: This court acknowledged that the ability of women to recognize their full potential is intimately connected to their ability to control their reproductive lives. Under restrictions on abortion procedures, added Ginsberg, limit a woman's autonomy, her ability to determine her life's course, and to enjoy equal citizenship.
Not so, said Justice Kennedy. Fifteen years ago, when the court reaffirmed Roe v. Wade, the decisive three justices - and he was one of them - did not intend to create a scheme that would be tantamount to allowing a doctor to choose the procedure he or she might prefer. In this case, Kennedy said, Congress was well within its rights to ban a procedure that has a disturbing similarity to the killing of a newborn infant. Although Kennedy conceded that Congress had been wrong in many of its findings about the procedure, he nonetheless said that Congress had legitimate moral and ethical concerns that justified the ban, namely drawing a bright line that clearly distinguishes between abortion and infanticide.
Justice Ginsberg responded by saying that the so-called partial birth ban saves not a single fetus from destruction. Instead, she said, the law outlaws a procedure that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and other leading medical organizations say is the safest one for some women.
The court majority admits, she noted, that its opinions hinged on moral concerns. But those moral concerns are untethered to any government interest in preserving life. And to make her point, she quoted Justice Kennedy's opinion in the 2003 gay rights case: "Our obligation is to define the liberty of all, not to enforce our all moral code."
Undeterred, Justice Kennedy had this to say: Respect for human life finds an ultimate expression in the bond of love the mother has for her child. The partial birth ban recognizes this as well. And, said Kennedy, while we find no reliable data to measure the phenomenon, it seems unexceptional to conclude some women come to regret their choice to abort the infant they created. Because patients often do not want to know the details of the procedures they will undergo, he said, it is unnecessary inference that this ban will encourage some women to carry their pregnancies to full term.
Ginsberg called this passage nothing more than a shibboleth, for which the Court admits it has no reliable evidence. Even if it is true that women would be discouraged from some abortions if they knew the details, she said, the solution the Court approves is not to inform them of the different procedures and their attendant risks but to cut off what may be the safest abortion method for them.
To that, Kennedy replied: When alternative procedures are available to the woman, even ones that are marginally riskier, that's enough to protect her rights.
Nina Totenberg, NPR News, Washington.
(Soundbite of music)
WERTHEIMER: You're listening to WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. | https://www.npr.org/transcripts/9750924 |
4 NLP Tips to Rewire Your Brain
Let’s face it: Change is hard. Why do so many of us struggle to go from intention to action?
For example, let’s imagine you want to quit smoking. You say to yourself: It’s such a bad habit – I need to stop. But wait, my birthday is coming up in a few weeks. I should wait. I know I’ll be too tempted. I don’t have time to make any progress between now and then.
Do you see what happened there? In a matter of seconds, your thoughts spiraled out of control. As you started to think about a goal you wanted to achieve, you jumped extremely far ahead. Since you felt stressed, you procrastinated. You decided not to take action.
From a scientific perspective, procrastination is our brain’s way of managing stress. Designed to protect us, our brains stop us from doing things that could be dangerous – things we perceive as being a threat.
To create change, we need to change the way we think. With neurolinguistic programming (NLP), we can rewire our thoughts and behavior.
What is NLP?
Neurolinguistic programming is a methodology that uses communication techniques and language processing to change behavior patterns. “Neuro” refers to the brain, “linguistic” refers to language and “programming” is the way we process that information. To put it simply, NLP is how verbal and non-verbal communication affect the human brain.
One of the main responsibilities of an NLP practitioner or therapist is to identify a person’s preferred representational system (PRS) – a person’s preference towards one sensory system. This can be determined through language. For example, if you tend to say phrases more along the lines of “I hear what you’re saying” versus “I see what you mean” that indicated you have more of an auditory PRS rather than a visual PRS.
The five representational systems include:
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Visual (sight)
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Auditory (sound)
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Olfactory (smell)
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Gustatory (taste)
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Kinesthetic (touch)
Our language reflects our subconscious perception of ourselves and the world around us. If our perception is incorrect, this creates a false internal belief system. Since our thoughts directly affect the way we think and behave, positive lasting change starts with rewiring your brain.
“The thing about beliefs is they are like a program that keeps running, where you keep checking things against whether it matches your beliefs or not, says Dr. Richard Bandler, co-creator of NLP. “And when your beliefs say that things are possible, and things will make you feel good, then what’s going to happen is it is going to affect you physiologically in a very different way than if you believe it’s impossible. When you believe that things are impossible, you do not actually try and you certainly do not try with every fiber in your soul and every cell in your body.”
Your beliefs are more powerful than you realize. When your beliefs are strong enough, you can literally change your biochemistry. “When you believe that a medical treatment is actually going to heal you and actually work, then you open yourself up to every possibility,” Bandler explains.
Are you ready to close the gap between where you are and where you want to be? Here are a few effective NLP tips you can try today:
1. Practice positive affirmations
The reason affirmations are so effective is because they work at every stage of goal-setting. For example, let’s say your affirmation is “I am optimistic about my love life. I am confident I will find someone who will make me feel happy and loved.” When you meet someone and enter the relationship stage, your affirmation will change to “I am in a healthy and loving relationship with mutual respect.”
Saying the affirmation in the present tense is important because your subconscious mind will work to turn the positive intention into reality; hence, rewiring your brain faster.
Affirmations increase your self-awareness. Through repetition the new thoughts replace the old ones, becoming ingrained in your mind. With enough practice, you can change your belief system. This technique is helpful with addiction, such as the smoking example mentioned above. When it comes to change, your brain needs to get on board first, and then over time your body will follow.
Fun fact: According to a study published in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, practicing affirmations helps you perform better in the workplace. Participants who repeatedly reminded themselves of their job strengths performed with more confidence under pressure in their work environments.
2. Visualization
Did you know that your brain can’t tell the difference between something imaginary and something real? In other words, if your imagination is vivid enough, you can trick your brain into experiencing the positive emotions that go along with a positive memory or mental image.
Ask yourself: What images align with achieving your goal? To continue with the example above, if you are looking for romance, you should envision what being in a relationship will feel like. Be as specific as you can and try to get as many senses involved as possible. Smell, taste, sound, touch, whatever you can - the point is to completely immerse yourself in the visualization so it feels as real as possible.
Abigail Brenner, M.D. explains, “Thought precedes creation; the idea guides energy in the physical world in order to create certain behaviors.” In order for visualization to be effective there are three requirements, which include “1.) the desire to create what you have decided to visualize, 2.) the belief in what you have chosen to attain through your visualization and the certainty that you will attain it, and 3.) the acceptance of having whatever you have visualized as your goal.”
Visualizations bring clarity to your dreams. The more positive visualizations we have, the more positive thoughts we have, which will ultimately lead to positive behavior.
3. Content Reframing
Everything is surrounded by the meaning we give it. Think back to a time when you feel angry or upset. For instance, let’s say you lost your job or ended a relationship. When you think about it, you most likely feel negative emotions. To transform your negative emotions to positive, you reframe the situation.
For example, you’re now open to a job or relationship that’s a better fit. You have the freedom to explore new options, and you have emerged from this hardship as a stronger, better version of yourself.
It’s natural to panic when you lose a job or break up, but this only creates more emotional turmoil. By shifting your focus and changing your perspective, you will be feel more at peace.
In one study, researchers examined a group of nursing and midwifery students who were separated into two groups. NLP training was given in five 2-hour sessions and the groups were analyzed.
Both the nursing and midwifery group “showed a significant difference in the scores of mental health, physical signs, anxiety, social function and depression.” Results concluded, “NLP strategies are effective in the improvement of general health and its various dimensions.”
4. Anchoring
This NLP technique involves connecting a positive emotion or thought to a specific phrase or gesture. This trains your brain to associate the positive feeling with the phrase or gesture.
First, think about what emotion you want to experience. Do you want to be more confident? Happier? Calmer?
Next, imagine the last time you felt that emotion. Make this mental image as vivid as possible.
Then, choose an anchoring phrase such as “I am happy. I am calm. I am confident” or clench your fist.
Repeat every day until eventually you can say the anchoring phrase or clench your fist and your mood shifts to happy, calm, or confident almost instantly.
“Each time you make a new choice that is in alignment with your future, you are priming your brain to install the neurological hardware to actually think, act, and feel like the person you want to be in your future,” says Dr. Joe Dispenza, researcher and author of Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself. “If you keep firing and wiring those networks in your brain, the hardware eventually becomes the software program and making choices that are in alignment with your future becomes more automatic.”
Repetition is everything. The more you practice these techniques, the more they will become ingrained in your mind. When you think, feel, visualize and act in accordance with your intention you will break the cycle of negative habits.
Most importantly, remember these techniques are simply tools. You have to continuously put the work in to experience the positive effects. In order to change, you have to truly want to change.
“You do not drive a ratchet wrench. You use it to tighten an engine and the tools that we created are the tools to be able to tune up your mind and optimize your thoughts so you get the maximum out of your neurology,” says Bandler.
More specifically, you can use your sense of smell as an anchoring technique. Did you know Jordan Belfort (more commonly known as the Wolf of Wall Street) uses anchoring? When he closes a sale and experiences the incredible feeling that comes with success, he takes a whiff of his essential oil inhaler to anchor in that positive emotional state.
Are you ready to create positive lasting change? Follow these NLP tips and watch how it transforms your life. | https://boomboomnaturals.com/blogs/news/4-nlp-tips-to-rewire-your-brain |
Research has shown that the lack of meaningful connections in your life is more dangerous than smoking 15 cigarettes a day. But how do you foster deeper relationships with people? What are the barriers? What steps must you take to overcome them? Join Lisa and leadership consultant, Nicole Unice, as they provide a path to expanding your relational intelligence and mastering your presence as a leader in this week’s episode of Something Extra!
Bio: Nicole brings 20 years of leadership and counseling experience to her work as a coach and communicator. Nicole’s passion is facilitating environments of safety and vulnerability so that individuals and communities can courageously identify obstacles keeping them from maximum potential.
In her books and videos, Nicole is passionate about making transformation attainable and accessible to people in all stages of life. As a coach, Nicole brings clarity and courage for individuals and teams as they pursue a preferred future. As a speaker, Nicole brings both wit and wisdom to the platform, with an honest and vulnerable approach that appeals to both faith and leadership environments alike. Her latest book, “The Miracle Moment: How Tough Conversations Can Actually Transform Your Most Important Relationships” invites readers into the practical steps to creating miracle moments within all of their relationships.
Nicole works around the world but loves her home in Richmond, VA, which she shares with her husband and three kids. Nicole holds degrees from the College of William and Mary and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and serves on the board of CHAT, a local nonprofit focused on restorative work with young people in poverty.
Nicole’s Something Extra: Your presence.
Links and Mentions:
Credits: | https://technologypartners.net/blog/2021/12/nicole-unice-expanding-your-relational-intelligence-162/ |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a copying apparatus which can form a binding margin on one edge portion of a transfer medium.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Forming a binding margin on one edge portion of a transfer medium is very convenient for putting documents in order because it permits apertures for filing to be formed in such binding margin. Copying apparatus are known in which a binding margin is formed on one edge portion of a transfer medium with the position of the copy image shifted on the transfer medium. However, where the original to be copied has information such as characters or figures from end to end, if the position of the copy image is laterally shifted on the transfer medium to provide for a binding margin on the transfer medium, a part of the original image will be beyond the transfer medium and part of the characters or figures occupying one end of the original will fail to be copied.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to overcome the above- noted inconvenience peculiar to the copying apparatus of the prior art.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a copying apparatus which can form a binding margin on transfer mediums and in which the original image does not protrude out of the transfer mediums.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a copying apparatus in which the width of the binding margin formed on transfer mediums is variable and moreover, any original can be copied fully on the transfer mediums.
The invention will become fully apparent from the following detailed description thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a part of the appearance of the copying apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 illustrates the arrangement of various means in an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 illustrates a mechanism for moving the lens.
FIG. 4 illustrates the scanning-moving mechanism of the mirrors.
FIG. 5 illustrates a pulley displaying mechanism.
FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C are developed views of the optical path when a part of the FIG. 1 apparatus is seen in the direction X.
FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate transfer medium conveying means.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to FIG. 1, various control keys are arranged on the operating panel 63 of a copying apparatus outer housing 62 containing therein various means and members to be described. Designated by 64 is a copy key. By depressing this key 64, a drum is rotated as will hereinafter be described, and an original placed on an original supporting table 1 is scanned, and a copy of the original is obtained through the electrophotographic process which will hereinafter be described. Denoted by 65 is a both-side copy instructing key. By depressing this key 65, copy images can be formed on both sides of transfer paper as will hereinafter be described.
Keys 66, 67, 68 and numeric key group 69 are the keys for controlling motors 28 and 56 to be described, and the keys 66, 67 and the key group 69 also control a motor 33 to be described, and the key 68 and the key group 69 also control a timer 60 to be described.
When the key 66 is depressed, there is formed a binding margin on the right end portion of transfer paper; when the key 67 is depressed, there is formed a binding margin on the left end portion of transfer paper; and when the key 68 is depressed, there is formed a binding margin on the leading end portion of transfer paper. The key group 69 sets the width of the said binding margins to that desired by the operator. That is, the key 66 causes forward rotation of the motor 33, whereby a lens 4 to be described is moved leftwardly as shown in FIG. 6A. The key 67 causes reverse rotation of the motor 33, whereby the lens 4 is moved rightwardly as shown in FIG. 6B. The amount of rotation of the motor 33 and accordingly the amount of lateral movement of the lens is controlled by the key group 69. That is, the lens 4 is laterally moved by a distance corresponding to one or more numeric keys of the key group 69 which have been selected by the operator. The operator may depress one or more keys corresponding to the desired width of the binding margin.
Also, when the key 66 or 67 is depressed, the motors 28 and 56 to be described are rotated to vary the copying magnification. When the motor 28 is rotated, the lens 4 is moved in the magnification direction and, when the motor 56 is rotated, a mirror 3 to be described is moved to change its forward movement starting point position. The amount of rotation of the motors 28 and 56 and accordingly, the amount of movement of the lens 4 in the magnification direction and the amount of movement of the mirror 3 are controlled by the key group 69. That is, the lens 4 is moved in the magnification direction by a distance corresponding to said one or more numeric keys selected by the operator, and the mirror 3 is also moved by the distance corresponding to said one or more numeric keys.
Also, when the key 68 is depressed, the motors 28 and 56 are rotated to move the lens 4 in the magnification direction and move the mirror 3. The amounts of movement of the lens 4 and the mirror 3 are also controlled by the key group 69 similarly to what has been previously described. When the key 68 is depressed, the key group 69 controls a timer 60 which in turn controls the driving of a pair of register rollers 14 to be described. That is, the set time of the timer 60 is changed correspondingly to said one or more numeric keys selected by the operator.
The desired width of the binding margin set by the key group 69 is displayed by a display device 70. For example, if the numeric key "5" is depressed, "05" is displayed on the display device 70 and a 5 mm width of binding margin is provided on the transfer paper, and if the numeric keys "2" and "5" are successively depressed, "25" is displayed on the display device 70 and a 25 mm width of binding margin is provided on the transfer paper.
Designated by S in FIG. 1 is the original scanning direction, and mirrors 2 and 3 to be described are moved forward in the direction of arrow S. The original O is placed on the origianl supporting table 1 with one side edge O' thereof registered to one end 1' of the table 1 and with the fore end O" thereof registered to an end edge 1" perpendicular to the end 1'.
Referring now to FIG. 2, the original O to be copied is placed on the transparent original supporting table 1. This original is illuminated by a lamp, not shown, and is scanned by movable mirrors 2 and 3. That is, the mirrors 2 and 3 are moved forward or leftward at a velocity ratio of 1:1/2 from the forward movement starting point positions (2) and (3), respectively, and scan the original O during this forward movement. When the original scanning is terminated and the mirrors 2 and 3 arrive at their respective forward movement terminating points 2--2 and 3-2, respectively, the mirrors 2 and 3 are moved backward to return to their respective forward movement starting point positions. During the above- described original scanning, the light from the original O is reflected by the mirrors 2 and 3 in succession and enters a lens having mirror therein, i.e., an in-mirror lens 4. The imaging light beam which has emerged from the lens 4 is reflected by a stationary mirror 5 and impinges on an electrophotographic photosensitive drum 6 at an exposure station E, the drum being rotated in the direction of arrow. That is, the drum 6 is slit-exposed to the optical image of the original. Before this slit-exposure, the drum 6 has been uniformly charged by a charger 7 at a charging station C. Accordingly, by the slit-exposure to the optical image, an electrostatic latent image of the original is formed on the drum 6. This latent image is developed by a developing device 8 at a developing station D. The visible toner image obtained on the drum 6 through the developing step is transferred onto transfer paper P under the action of an image transfer charger 9 at a transfer station T. After the image transfer, the drum 6 has its surface cleaned by a cleaner 10 at a cleaning station CL, thus becoming available for another cycle of image formation process.
The transfer paper P is fed from a transfer paper supporting deck 11 by a feed roller 12 and comes to a pair of register rollers 14. When the leading end edge of the transfer paper P has arrived at the pair of rollers 14, the rollers are stopped from rotating. Accordingly, the leading end edge of the transfer paper P strikes against the pair of rollers 14 and the transfer paper temporally stops advancing. Thereafter, the pair of rollers 14 start rotating, whereby the transfer paper re- starts advancing. The pair of rollers 14 transport the transfer paper P to the transfer station T at a velocity equal to the peripheral velocity of the drum 6. The point of time at which the rotation of the pair of rollers 14 is started is variable. Thus, the time between the point of time at which the fore end edge O'" of the original O is scanned by the mirror 2 (the point of time at which the mirror 2 has come to a position 2' whereat it can see the fore end edge O'" of the original O) and the point of time at which the leading end edge P'" of the transfer paper P arrives at the transfer station is variable. At the point of time whereat the fore end edge O'" of the original has been scanned, a latent image of the fore end edge O'" of the original is formed on the drum 6.
After the image transfer, the transfer paper P is conveyed to a fixing device 16 by a belt 15. The fixing device 16 fixes the toner image on the transfer paper P. After the fixation, the transfer paper P is discharged onto a tray 17. However, when it is desired to obtain copy images on both sides of the transfer paper, the transfer paper may be directed to an intermediate tray 18 after the fixation of a first side of the transfer paper by depression of the both-side copy instructing key 65, and then it may be again fed in accordance with a second side copy operation so that the back side of the transfer paper comes into contact with the photosensitive drum, whereby both-side copy may be obtained through a process similar to what has been previously described.
Now, in the apparatus of the present invention, a binding margin of any width can be formed on the side edge portion or the leading end edge portion of transfer paper. In order that the image of an original may be formed fully on the area of the transfer paper except for the set binding margin, in the apparatus of the present invention, the magnification of the copy image relative to the original, namely, the copying magnification, is changed correspondingly to the set width of the binding margin.
In order that the copying magnification may be changed correspondingly to the set width of the binding margin, in the embodiment of FIG. 2, the lens 4 is movable in the magnification direction. (The term "magnification direction" used herein refers to a direction in which the lens is moved, whereby the magnification of the image of an original formed on the drum 6 can be changed. That is, by the lens being moved in the magnification direction, the length of the optical path between the original and the lens and the length of the optical path between the lens and the drum can be changed.)
In order that a binding margin may be formed on the side edge portion of transfer paper, in the apparatus of FIG. 2, the lens 4 is movable also in a direction perpendicular to the rotational direction of the drum 6 (this direction is also perpendicular to the original scanning direction).
FIG. 3 shows a mechanism for moving the lens 4. In FIG. 3, a first moving carriage 21 is slidably supported on a pair of guide rails 19 and 20 disposed along the magnification direction. A second moving carriage 24 for fixedly supporting the imaging lens 4 is slidably supported on a guide rail 22 disposed on one side of the upper surface of the first moving carriage 21 in a direction perpendicular to the rotational direction of the drum and a projected edge 23 provided on the other side of said upper surface in the same direction. A rack 25 extending parallel to the rail 22 is fixed to one side edge of the second moving carriage 24, and a roller 27 mounted to the rack 25 by means of a shaft 26 is slidably placed on the upper surface of the projected edge 23 of the first moving carriage 21.
A servomotor 28 is mounted on the upper surface of the first moving carriage 21, and a gear 30 fixed to the output shaft 29 of the servomotor is exposed from an opening 31 formed in the first moving carriage 21 and meshes with a rack 32 fixed to the apparatus body and extending parallel to the guide rails 19 and 20.
A servomotor 33 is further mounted on the upper surface of the first moving carriage, and a gear 35 fixed to the output shaft 34 of the servomotor 33 meshes with the rack 25 of the second moving carriage 24.
In the foregoing, by the motor 28 being operated, the first moving carriage 21 is guided by the guide rails 19 and 20 and moved in the magnification direction. That is, the lens 4 is displaced in the magnification direction to change the length of the optical path between the original and the lens and the length of the optical path between the lens and the drum.
Also, by the motor 33 being operated, the second moving carriage 24 is guided by the guide rail 22 and the projected edge 23 of the carriage 21 and moved on the carriage 21 in a direction perpendicular to the rotational direction of the drum. That is, the lens 4 is displaced in the direction perpendicular to the rotational direction of the drum. The length of the optical path between the original and the lens and the length of the optical path between the lens and the drum are not changed by such displacement of the lens, but the position of the image of the original formed on the drum is displaced in the direction perpendicular to the rotational direction of the drum.
The motors 28 and 33 may be operated at a time, or the motor 33 may be operated after the operation of the motor 28 has been terminated, or the motor 28 may be operated after the operation of the motor 33 has been terminated.
Now, where the lens 4 is a fixed focus lens, to change the magnification of the image, it is desirable that not only the lens 4 be displaced in the magnification direction but also the relative positional relation between the mirrors 2 and 3 be changed to change the length of the optical path between the original and the lens and thereby bring it into a length corresponding to the magnification to be set to correct the amount of variation by the displacement of the lens, or that the position of the mirror 5 be changed to change the length of the optical path between the lens and the drum and thereby bring it into a length corresponding to the magnification to be set to correct the amount of variation by the displacement of the lens. In FIG. 2, the forward movement starting point position of the second mirror 3 is changed to thereby change the relative positional relation between the first and second scanning mirrors 2 and 3. The driving mechanism for the mirrors 2 and 3 will now be described by reference to FIG. 4.
In FIG. 4, first and second mirror supporting beds 36 and 37 for supporting the mirrors 2 and 3 respectively are slidably supported on guide rails 38 and 39 disposed parallel to the original supporting table 1. Wire 40 having one end secured to the second mirror supporting bed 37 is passed over a pulley 41 positionally fixed to the apparatus body, a drive pulley 42, a pulley 43 positionally fixed to the apparatus body, a position-adjustable pulley 44, a pulley 45 positionally fixed to the apparatus body, a pulley 46 provided on the second mirror supporting bed 37, and a pulley 47 rotatably supported on a shaft 48 common to the pulley 44, and the other end of the wire 40 is secured to a portion 49 of the apparatus body. Between the pulleys 45 and 46, the first mirror supporting bed 36 and the wire 40 are fixedly connected together by a member 50.
In the above-described construction, when the drive pulley 42 is rotated counter-clockwisely, the pulley 46 functions similarly to a running block and the first mirror supporting bed 36 and the second mirror supporting bed 37 are moved forward at a velocity ratio of 1:1/2. When the original scanning is terminated by this forward movement, the pulley 42 is rotated clockwisely, whereby the mirrors 2 and 3 are moved backward to return to their forward movement starting point positions. The velocity of the counter-clockwise rotation of the pulley 42 is variable correspondingly to the set copying magnification. That is, the forward movement velocity (the original scanning speed) of the mirror 2 is given by v/m, and the forward movement velocity of the mirror 3 is given by v/2m, where v is the peripheral velocity of the drum 6 and m is the set copying magnification.
In the device of FIG. 4, the forward movement starting point position of the second mirror 3 can be changed by changing the positions of the pulleys 44 and 47. A mechanism for displacing the pulleys 44 and 47 will now be described by reference to FIG. 5.
The shaft 48 of the pulleys 44 and 47 has one end slidably supported in a slot 52 formed in a guide plate 51 and the other end secured to a pulley supporting member 53. The supporting member 53 is slidably supported on a guide rail 54. A rack 55 extending parallel to the guide rail 54 is fixed to the supporting member 53, and a gear 58 fixed to the output shaft 57 of a servomotor 56 is in mesh engagement with the rack 55.
In the above-described construction, when the motor 56 is operated, the pulleys 44 and 47 are displaced, whereby the forward movement starting point position of the second mirror 3 is changed, for example, to 3--3 of FIG. 2. When the drive pulley 42 is then rotated, the first mirror reciprocates between the position (2) of FIG. 2 and the position 2- -2, and in synchronism with the first mirror, the second mirror reciprocates between the position 3--3 of FIG. 2 and the position 3-4. In any case, during the forward movement of the mirrors 2 and 3, the original O is scanned and the image thereof is projected upon the drum 6.
In the foregoing, if the operation mode of the apparatus is the normal mode (the operation mode in which formation of a binding margin on the end portion of transfer paper is not instructed and a copy image equal in magnification to the original is formed), then the lens 4 lies at the solid-line position (4) of FIG. 2 and the forward movement starting point position of the second mirror 3 is the position (3) of FIG. 2. At this time, the length of the optical path between the original and the lens and the length of the optical path between the lens and the drum are 2. multidot.f (f is the focal length of the lens 4).
On the other hand, if the operation mode of the apparatus is a binding margin formation mode, the key 66 or 67 or 68 of FIG. 1 and one or two desired keys of the key group 69 are depressed. Thus, the key 66 or 67 or 68 and the key group 69 control the motors 28 and 56, thereby controlling movement of the lens 4 and the second mirror 3. That is, the key 66 or 67 or 68 and the key group 69 move the forward movement starting point positions of the lens 4 and mirror 3 to such positions that the length of the optical path between the original and the lens is (2W-l/W-l)· f and the length of the optical path between the lens and the drum is (2W- l/W)·f. That is, the lens 4 is changed to the position 4-2 and the forward movement starting point position of the second mirror 3 is changed to 3--3. At this time, the magnification of the image of the original is W-l/W, that is, the difference between the width of the transfer paper and the width of the binding margin, divided by the width of the original. For convenience of description, explanation is made with respect to a case where both the width of the original and the width of the transfer paper are W, but the present invention is also applicable to a case where the width of the original and the width of the transfer paper differ from each other. The above- mentioned l is the width of the binding margin set by the key group 69.
The binding margin formation mode consists of two different modes. In a first mode, a binding margin is formed on the side edge portion of transfer paper and, in a second mode, a binding margin is formed on the leading end edge portion of transfer paper. The first binding margin formation mode is designated by depressing the key 66 or 67 and the second binding margin formation mode is designated by depressing the key 68.
In the embodiment illustrated, when the second binding margin formation has been designated, the lens 4 is moved only in the magnification direction. That is, the motor 28 of FIG. 4 is operated but the motor 33 is not operated. However, when the first binding margin formation mode has been designated, the lens 4 is displaced in both the magnification direction and the direction perpendicular to the rotational direction of the drum 6. That is, both of the motors 28 and 33 of FIG. 4 are operated. Thus, the amount of rotation of the motor 33 is controlled by the key group 69 as previously described, and the amount of displacement of the lens 4 in the direction perpendicular to the rotational direction of the drum by the operation of the motor 33 is given by Wl/2(2W-l). The key 66 causes the motor 33 to rotate in the forward direction, whereby the lens 4 is displaced leftwardly as seen in FIG. 6A. Accordingly, a binding margin F.sub.1 is formed on the right side edge portion of transfer paper P. On the other hand, the key 67 causes the motor 33 to rotate in the reverse direction, whereby the lens 4 is displaced rightwardly as seen in FIG. 6B. Accordingly, a binding margin F.sub.2 is formed on the left side edge portion of transfer paper. FIG. 6C shows a case where no binding margin is formed.
Now, in FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C, the transfer paper P contacts the area A. sub.1 (width W) of the drum 6 at the transfer station. In the case of the aforementioned normal mode, as shown in FIG. 6C, the ono-to- one magnification image of the original is formed on the area A.sub.1. In this case, the image of the right side edge O' of the original O is projected upon the left end A.sub.1 ' of the area A.sub.1 and the image of the left side edge O" of the original O is projected upon the right end A.sub.1 " of the area A.sub.1. Thus, the image of the original is formed on the transfer paper P from the right end P' to the left end P" thereof.
In FIG. 6A, the image of the right side edge O' of the original O is projected upon the left end A.sub.1 ' of the area A.sub.1 while the image of the left side edge O" of the original O is projected upon a point A. sub.2 ' in the area A.sub.1. That is, the image of the original (reduced image) is formed on an area A.sub.2 from a point A.sub.1 ' to the point A. sub.2 ' and the image of the original is not formed on an area A.sub.3 from the point A.sub.2 ' to a point A.sub.1 ". On the other hand, the transfer paper P contacts the entire width the area A.sub.1. Accordingly, an image W-l/W times the original O is formed on that area I. sub.1 of the transfer paper P which contacts the area A.sub.2. The image of the original is not formed on that area F.sub.1 of the transfer paper P which contacts the area A.sub.3, and this area F.sub.1 is utilized as the binding margin. Of course, the width of the area A.sub.3 is l.
Likewise, in FIG. 6B, the image of the left side edge O" of the original O is projected upon the right end A" of the area A, while the image of the right side edge O' of the original O is projected upon a point A.sub.4 ' in the area A. That is, the image of the original (reduced image) is formed on the area A.sub.4 from a point A.sub.1 " to the point A.sub.4 ', and the image of the original is not formed on the area A.sub.5 from the point A.sub.4 ' to the point A.sub.1 '. On the other hand, the transfer paper P contacts the entire width of the area A. sub.1. Accordingly, an image W-l/W times the original O is formed on the area I.sub.2 of the transfer paper P which contacts the area A.sub.4. The image of the original is not formed on the area F.sub.2 of the transfer paper P which contacts the area A.sub.5 and this area F.sub.2 is utilized as the binding margin. Of course, the width of the area A. sub.5 is l.
In any case, in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the direction of displacement differs, but by the control of the motor 33 by the key group 69, the lens 4 is displaced from the position of FIG. 6C by a distance Wl/2(2W- l) with respect to a direction parallel to the rotational axis of the photosensitive drum 6 (a direction perpendicular to the original scanning direction). Also, in all of FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C, the transfer paper P is in contact with the same area A.sub.1 of the drum 6.
In the aforementioned normal mode and the first binding margin formation mode, as shown in FIG. 7A, the leading end edge I' of the original image I formed on the drum 6 and the leading end edge P'" of the transfer paper P are substantially coincident with each other at the transfer station T. That is, the image of the original is formed on the leading end edge of the transfer paper P. On the other hand, in the second binding margin formation mode, a binding margin F.sub.3 of desired width l can be formed on the leading end portion of the transfer paper P. In this case, as shown in FIG. 7B, the leading end edge P'" of the transfer paper P arrives at the transfer station T before the leading end edge I of the original image I formed on the drum 6 arrives at the transfer station T. An image W-l/W times the original O is formed on the transfer paper P at an area thereof after the distance l from the leading end edge P'" thereof, namely, an area I.sub.3.
In FIGS. 7A and 7B, let L.sub.1 be the rotational distance of the drum 6 from the exposure station E to the transfer station T, or in other words, the circumferential length of the drum 6 between the stations E and T, L.sub.2 be the movement distance of the transfer paper P from the pair of register rollers 14 to the transfer station T, and v be the peripheral velocity of the drum 6 and the conveyance velocity of the transfer paper P by the pair of rollers 14.
The time required from the point of time at which the photosensitive drum 6 is exposed to the image of the fore end O'" of the original until the image of the fore end O'" of the original arrives at the transfer station T is L.sub.1 /v. Also, the time required from the point of time at which the leading end edge P'" of the transfer paper P starts from the position of the pair of rollers 14 until it arrives at the transfer station T is L.sub.2 /v. Accordingly, by the driving of the pair of rollers 14 being started at a point of time later by a time (L. sub.1 -L. sub.2)/v than the point of time at which the drum 6 has been exposed to the image of the fore end O'" of the original, the transfer paper P is conveyed so that, as shown in FIG. 6A, the leading end edge P'" of the tranfer paper P is coincident with the leading end edge I' of the image of the original at the transfer station T. In contrast, if the driving of the pair of rollers 14 is started at a point of time later by a time (L. sub.1 -l-L.sub. 2)/v than the point of time at which the drum 6 has been exposed to the image of the fore end O'" of the original, the leading end edge P'" of the transfer paper P will arrive at the transfer station T earlier by a time l/v than the point of time at which the leading end edge I' of the image of the original on the drum 6 arrives at the transfer station T. That is, at the point of time whereat the leading end edge P'" of the transfer paper has arrived at the transfer station T, the leading end edge I' of the image of the original has just arrived at a point of distance l upstream of the transfer station T with respect to the rotational direction of the drum. Consequently, the image of the original is not formed on the area F.sub.3 of width l in the leading end edge portion of the transfer paper, and this area F.sub.3 is utilized as the binding margin.
The point of time at which the driving of the pair of register rollers 14 is started is controlled in the following manner. In FIGS. 7A and 7B, reference numeral 59 designates a detector such as a microswitch or the like. The detector 59 is disposed in proximity to the movement path of the first scanning mirror 2, as shown in FIG. 4. When the first mirror 2 has arrived at a position for scanning the fore end O'" of the original (the position 2' in FIG. 2) after it has started its forward movement from its forward movement starting point position (2), a cam 62 provided on the first mirror supporting bed 36 bears against the detector 59 to cause the latter to produce a signal. That is, the detector 59 produces a signal at a point of time whereat the scanning of the original O has been started, or in other words, at a point of time whereat the drum 6 has been exposed to the image of the fore end O'" of the original at the exposure station E. Timer means 60 is energized by this signal. This timer means is a conventional one whose set time is variable, and its set time is controlled by the key group 69. After the set time has elapsed from the receipt of the signal from the detector 59, the timer 60 energizes a clutch 61 for transmitting the drive force from an unshown motor to the pair of rollers 14. When the clutch 61 is energized, the pair of rollers 14 start rotating, whereby the transfer paper P begins to be conveyed toward the transfer station T. Thus, the time set by the timer 60 is said (L.sub.1 -L.sub.2)/v where a binding margin is not formed on the leading end edge portion of the transfer paper P, and is controlled to said (L.sub.1 -l-L.sub.2)/v by the key group 69 where a binding margin of width l is formed on the leading end edge portion of the transfer paper P. In the case of FIG. 7A, the timer 60 starts to drive the pair of rollers 14 in a time (L.sub.1 -L.sub.2)/v after the detector 59 has detected the start of the scanning of the original. In the case of FIG. 7B, the timer 60 starts to drive the pair of rollers 14 in a time (L.sub.1 -l-L.sub.2)/v after the detector 59 has detected the start of the scanning of the original.
Where the movement velocities of the mirrors 2 and 3, i.e., the original scanning speed, is changed correspondingly to the set copying magnification as previously described, it is simplest to control the point of time at which the driving of the pair of rollers 14 is started with the point of time at which the original scanning is started as the standard as described above. This is because the time from after the mirrors 2 and 3 have started to move forward from their forward movement starting point positions until the original scanning is started (the time required for the mirrors 2 and 3 to move over the preparatory running section preceding to the original scanning section) varies correspondingly to a variation in the original scanning speed and therefore it becomes cumbersome to set the length of time if the point of time at which the driving of the pair of rollers 14 is started is controlled, for example, with the point of time at which the mirrors 2 and 3 start their forward movement or the point of time at which rotation of the drum 2 is started before the mirrors 2 and 3 start their forward movement as the standard. Particularly, in a case where the width l of the binding margin is variable, this cumbersomeness would be increased. However, design may also be made such that the point of time at which the driving of the pair of rollers 14 is started is controlled with the point of time at which forward movement of the mirrors 2 and 3 is started or the point of time at which rotation of the drum 2 is started as the standard point of time. In short, the length of time (including 0) between the point of time at which the leading end edge P'" of the transfer paper arrives at the transfer station T and the point of time at which the leading end edge I' of the image arrives at the transfer station may be varied in accordance with whether a binding margin F.sub.3 is formed on the leading end edge portion of the transfer paper or, where the binding margin F.sub.3 is formed, in accordance with the magnitude of the width l of the binding margin F.sub.3.
In the above-described embodiment, a fixed focus lens is used as the lens 4, but a zoom lens is also usable as the lens 4. Where a zoom lens is used as the lens 4, when the image magnification is changed correspondingly to the width of the binding margin, the position of the lens need be changed but the relative positional relation between the mirrors 2 and 3 need not be changed. Accordingly, in such case, the mechanism described in connection with FIG. 5, namely, the mechanism for displacing the pulleys 44 and 47, is not necessary.
Also, even in the case of the conditions of FIGS. 6A and 6B, if the set time of the timer 60 is changed, a binding margin can be formed not only on the side edge portion of the transfer paper but also on the leading end edge portion thereof.
Further, if design is made such that the timer 60 is not controlled by the key 68 and the key group 69, that is, the set time of the timer 60 is rendered to the same time (L.sub.1 -L.sub.2)/v as that described in connection with FIG. 7A in any operation mode and the lens 4 and, if required, the mirror 3 are made movable by the key 68 and the key group 69, then a binding margin of width l will be formed on the trailing end edge portion of the transfer paper P by depressing the key 68 and depressing one or two keys of the key group 69, because although the magnification of the image of the original formed on the drum is (W- l)/W, the transfer paper P is conveyed to the transfer station T so that the leading end edge P'" thereof is coincident with the leading end edge I' of the original image I.
The term "width of transfer paper" used herein refers to the length of the transfer paper with respect to a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the transfer paper where a binding margin is formed on the side edge portion of the transfer paper, and refers to the length of the transfer paper with respect to the conveyance direction of the transfer paper where a binding margin is formed on the leading end edge portion or the trailing end edge portion of the transfer paper. Also, the term "width of the original" refers to the length of the original with respect to a direction perpendicular to the original scanning direction where a binding margin is formed on the side edge portion of the transfer paper, and refers to the length of the original with respect to the original scanning direction where a binding margin is formed on the leading end edge portion or the trailing end edge portion of the transfer paper. Also, the term "width of the binding margin" should be understood similarly to what has been described just above. | |
The evolution of small disturbances to a horizontal interface separating two miscible liquids is examined. Initially, the liquid-liquid binary system is assumed to be out of its thermodynamic equilibrium, and hence, the system immediately starts moving towards its equilibrium state. The aim is to investigate whether the slow interface smearing is overrun by faster and more complex mixing. The study is based on the numerical solution of the linear stability of the phase boundary subjected to normal thermo- and hydro-dynamics perturbations. It was found that the classical results for the stability of immiscible interfaces can be re-obtained through the phase-field approach provided that the wavelength, that defines the perturbation, is greater than the thickness of the interface. Additionally the system becomes thermodynamically unstable if the value of the interface thickness is greater than the value of the interface thickness that is defined at thermodynamic equilibrium, so the gravity waves may become unstable. It was also found that the interfacial mass transfer plays the role of additional dissipation, reducing the growth rate of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability and increasing the dissipation of the gravity waves, and the mutual action of diffusive and viscous effects completely suppresses the modes with shorter wavelengths. The flow imposed along the interface adds the mechanisms of the Kelvin-Helmholtz and Holmboe instabilities. It was found that if the heavier liquid lies above the lighter liquid, then the interface is unconditionally unstable. Viscosity, diffusivity and capillarity reduce the growth of perturbations. In the opposite case of the heavier liquid underlying the lighter one, the interface can be stable. The stability boundaries are primarily defined by the strength of the density contrast and the intensity of the imposed flow. Thinner interfaces are usually more unstable (characterised by larger zones of instability), however, the thermodynamic instability identified for interfaces with thicknesses greater than the thickness of a thermodynamically equilibrium phase boundary makes such interfaces unconditionally unstable. Surprisingly, the diffusivity and capillarity effects were found to alter the behaviour of the interface in miscible liquids. However, the viscosity effect retains its stabilising role for both immiscible and miscible liquids. | http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.632618 |
I vividly remember attending my first University Union debate. I expected that reasons would be put forward for and against the motion, that seconders would evaluate, challenge and refine the arguments and that, in conclusion, the best argument would win. But I was appalled! It was more like a slanging match using sophisticated language and humour to score points. It was not a case of may the best argument win, but may the best entertainer win. The reason that I was so offended was that I believed controversy to be a form of cooperation, which was ultimately a way of arriving at truth, to paraphrase Auden.
Designer Babies belongs to a series of short books, sponsored by the Institute of Ideas, called Debating Matters which seek to expand the boundaries of public debate. The method is to ask contemporary experts to contribute short essays setting out a variety of viewpoints on burning issues of the day. In this particular book Veronica English of the BMA, Agnes Fletcher of the Disability Rights Commission, John Harris of the UK Human Genetics Commission, Josephine Quintavalle of the Centre for Bioethics and Public Policy and others, set out their views. The strength of the book is that in very short space one finds an up to the minute discussion of all the main arguments. The language is also accessible to non-specialists. It will be extremely useful to the A level student and to anyone wanting a good foundation in the subject. But the shortcoming of this approach is that the essays stand alongside one another with little debate between them. Is this a device to make the reader come to his or her own conclusions after weighing up both sides, or does it raise the question as to the nature of public debate as such?
This question is highlighted for me in three of the essays. John Harris puts the progressive case for designer babies relying on consequentialist and human rights arguments. Agnes Fletcher calls for caution because the issue could undermine the rights of those with disabilities. Josephine Quintavalle puts the conservative argument, though this is stated in its weak form based on consequentialist arguments drawing attention to the risks involved in the processes. If she had argued for the stronger conservative case, which forbids all experimentation and manipulation of human embryos, then the three cornered fight would have been complete. It would then have been clear that public debate on this issue is a matter of the different fundamental stances taken by the participants. Having such different starting points public debate can only be a form of the one who shouts the loudest, or the one who holds the most power, winning the day. In these circumstances how can public debate ever fulfil my adolescent dream of a form of cooperation which arrives at the truth? This is a vital question for fundamental ethics. If public ethics is ever going to be more than simply stating your case based on your own presuppositions, then some more sophisticated ethical method must be practised.
Jürgen Habermas in his Discourse Ethics believes that he has found such a method. It is not one that aims at establishing truths for all time, it is more modest in that it claims to be dialogical in the here and now sense of finding a way forward in concrete historical debates. It takes the contradictory positions of the progressive and the conservative and offers a method of getting to the next step. The problem is that Habermas’ method does not convince me, and so all I am left with is a sophisticated version of emotivism.
I will certainly be using Designer Babies in my teaching, and I will be recommending it to others. I will also be sending off for the other books in the series, though the Institute of Ideas website (www.instituteofideas.com) was a disappointment. But I am still left struggling with the philosophical question of the nature of public debate. Is it a matter of disputation as in the courts or in parliament? Is it dialogical as in Plato’s Dialogues? Is it dialectical in either its Hegelian, Kierkegaardian or Marxist forms? These are pressing questions for our modern democracies when the rationalist linguistic approaches of a Habermas or a Hare cease to satisfy.
Michael Williams is the Vicar of Bolton Parish Church.
• Designer Babies, The Debating Matters Series, (Institute of Ideas/Hodder & Stoughton), 2001, £5.99 pb ISBN 0340848359. | https://philosophynow.org/issues/41/Designer_Babies_Where_Should_We_Draw_the_Line |
Business architecture blueprints are critical planning elements in the enterprise. They use a notation that is easy to understand and does not require knowledge of standard modeling notations such as the Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN). A high-level business architecture blueprint provides a quick way to convey business architecture design ideas.
Various types of business architecture blueprints are typically required to help elaborate business requirements and represent business architecture at a high level. Michael Porter introduced the concept of “value chain” to capture the flow of activities that are typically used in a manufacturing business to transform raw materials into sellable products (Porter, 1985). This approach is now used to represent the different functional components of a business which may or may not be applied in a sequential way. In other words, a business architecture blueprint represents the functional components of a business and quickly outlines the corresponding business capabilities.
The Value Chain and Business Capability Model provide additional perspectives on the business. Just as there are additional ways of looking at the business, there are additional blueprints to provide a visualization of those different perspectives.
In this Assignment, write a 3- to 6-page paper that addresses the following:
1) Justify whether Adopt-A-Farm is a product-driven or service-driven business structure in its current state of business.
2) Identify and document high-level business requirements for the current business structure model of the Adopt-A-Farm virtual business. Based on these requirements, create business architecture blueprints for the value chain and business capability model. You can use Visio, the Shapes and SmartArt features within PowerPoint, or any graphics editing tool that allows you to create and manipulate shapes to build your blueprints
3) Assuming Adopt-A-Farm moves its business to a cloud solution, how will the business structure model change? | https://www.homeworkgain.com/downloads/justify-whether-adopt-a-farm-is-a-product-driven-or-service-driven-business-structure-in-its-current-state-of-business/ |
Manufacturing of cement, Jan 10, 2018· The Calcareous and Argillaceous Materials used in Manufacturing Process of Portland Cement are shown in the Table in the Next Slide 9 Table shows the raw materials for Portland cement manufacture 10 Manufacturing Processes Of Portland Cement There are 2-Types of Processes that can be used to Manufacture Portland CementCement composition and classification, Jun 25, 2015· No additions other than calcium sulfate or water, or both, shall be interground or blended with the clinker during manufacture of Class H well cement This product is intended for use as a basic well cement Available in MSR and HSR grad Properties of cement covered by API specificationsProperties of Cement, The major cements: composition and properties Portland cement Chemical composition Portland cement is made up of four main compounds: tricalcium silicate (3CaO SiO 2), dicalcium silicate (2CaO SiO 2), tricalcium aluminate (3CaO Al 2 O 3), and a tetra-calcium aluminoferrite (4CaO Al 2 O 3 Fe 2 O 3)In an abbreviated notation differing from the normal atomic symbols, these compounds ,Cement Boards 101, Dec 19, 2013· Above - Table 1: Typical properties and applications of the different types of cement boards Figure 1 shows the division of cement board types being produced worldwide by 90 global manufacturers Fibre cement board, the oldest board type, has 43 global producers, while wood strand cement board (also known as EltoBoard) has only sixHydrophobic Cement, Manufacture of Hydrophobic Cement The process of manufacture of this special cement is same as that of portland cement The clinkers formed in the manufacture of cement are grinded with water repellent film substance such as Oleic Acid or Stearic Ac.
Properties Of Cement, Properties of CementThe properties of Cement entirely depends upon its composition, burning and grinding The important properties of good Cement are the following:-Strength: The compressive strength of cubical blocks of ordinary Portland cement and sand (1:3) after 7 ,The Properties of Ordinary Portland Cement and Physical ,, Oct 04, 2018· Cement is a commonly used binding material in the construction The cement is obtained by burning a mixture of calcareous (calcium) and argillaceous (clay) material at a very high temperature and then grinding the clinker so produced to a fine powder It was first produced by a mason Joseph Aspdin in England in 1924 He patented it as Portland cementConcrete Design & Production, Materials for Use in Concrete Aggregat Aggregates are classified by ASTM C33 (AASHTO M 6/M 80) as fine or coarse Fine aggregate consists of natural sand, manufactured sand, or a combination thereof with particles that are typically smaller than 02 inchManufacture and properties of prepacked aggregate concrete, This thesis describes some experimental programmes on prepacked concrete that include its manufacture and a study of its strength, deformation and failure mechanism To compare these aspects, normal concretes having the same water-cement and aggregate-cement ratios were made and tested under the same conditionWHITE CEMENT, CaF2) with gypsum, thus allowing white cement clinker with a C3A content of less than 5 wt% to be produced, which means a sulphate-resistant white cement or a white cement resistant to seawater In this type of material the main fluorosulphate melt contains molten White cement - properties, manufacture, prospects.
Portland Pozzolana Cement(PPC), Manufacturing of Portland Pozzolana Cement: A Pozzolanic ingredient in PPC essential includes the siliceous or aluminous material Which itself does not possess any cementitious properties, which will, in finely divided form and in the presence of water, react with calcium hydroxide liberated in the hydration process which is performed at normal temperature to form compounds Possessing cement ,Aggregate: Mechanical Properties of Aggregate | Concrete ,, ADVERTISEMENTS: Several mechanical properties of aggregate are of interest for the manufacture of concrete, specially high strength concrete subjected to high wear Some of them are discussed here in brief: 1 Toughness 2 Hardness 3 Specific Gravity 4 Porosity of Aggregate 5 Bulking of Sand Property # 1 Toughness: It is defined as the resistance [,]Cement: stages of manufacture of artificial cement | Vicat, Cement: discover the various stages of manufacturing artificial cement Today, Vicat's production capacity amounts to more than 30 million tonnes of cement! Main component of concrete, cement gives it a number of properties,Concrete | ScienceDirect, Concrete describes the properties of concrete, its manufacture, and use in building and civil engineering construction A scientific approach to the properties of materials and concrete has been united with a practical approach to methods of constructionManufacture and properties of fluoride cement, Manufacture and properties of fluoride cement Malata-Chirwa, Charles David; Abstract This research work aimed at characterising composition, hydration and physical properties of fluoride cement, by studying samples of the cement obtained from Malawi, and comparing them to ordinary Portland cement By confirming the suitable characteristics of ,.
Cement Properties,Composition,Manufacturing and Hydration ,, Manufacture of cement C alcareous materials such as limestone and chalk and argillaceous materials such as shale or clay are used as the raw materials for the manufacture of cement The location of the cement factories are selected based on the availability of the these raw materials(PDF) THE CEMENT MANUFACTURING PROCESS | Junaid Younis ,, THE CEMENT MANUFACTURING PROCESS Prof Dr Elshafie Ahmed Gad Faculty of Applied Science Chemistry Dept Portland Cement Portland cement is made by mixing substances containing CaCO3 with substances containing SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3 and heating them to a clinker which is subsequently ground to powder and mixed with 2-6 % gypsum Raw Materials Necessary for Portland Cement Manufacture ,(PDF) Cement Manufacturing, 32 Cement manufacturing process , This 358 page book presents the properties of concrete as needed in concrete construction, including strength and durability All concrete ingredients ,Portland Cement: Composition, Production and Properties ,, Portland cement is one of the most traditional of construction materials Rising costs of the energy required for its manufacture and the increasing interest in understanding the mechanisms of concrete deterioration, as well as the importance of optimising the use of Portland cement in high quality concrete, have continued to sustain interest in this important materialManufacture and properties of fluoride cement, manufacture of fluoride cement Hence, the properties and characteristics reported in this study relate to the cement currently manufactured in Malawi, and, on a comparative basis only, to that manufactured in other parts of the world Samples of the fluoride cement used in the study were obtained by synthetic manufacture of the cement using common.
White Cement, White cement is same as that of grey Portland cement but the only differ is in the colour and fineness This colour of this cement is determined by its raw materials and the process of manufacture In this article we study about manufacture, properties, uses and difference of white cement Contents:Manufacture of White CementFollowing Raw material [,]Cement Manufacturing Process, Stage of Cement Manufacture There are six main stages of cement manufacturing process Stage 1 Raw Material Extraction/Quarry The raw cement ingredients needed for cement production are limestone (calcium), sand and clay (silicon, aluminum, iron), shale, fly ash, mill scale and bauxite The ore rocks are quarried and crushed to smaller pieces of about 6 inchConcrete: Manufacturing Process, The cement in conjunction with water acts as a binder The mobility of the mixture is aided by the cement paste, fines and nowadays, increasingly by the use of admixtur Most of the properties of the hardened concrete depend on the care exercised at every stage of the manufacture of concreteManufacture of Portland cement, Concrete Technology/ Ch1 Dr Basil Salah ۱ Chapter One Portland Cement Cement: is a material with adhesive and cohesive properties which make it capable of bonding minerals fragments into a compact whole For constructional purposes, the meaning of the term "cement" isCement Types, Composition, Uses and Advantages of ,, We first discuss cement production and special nomenclature used by cement industrialists in expressing the composition of their cement products We reveal different types of cement products, their compositions, properties, and typical us Wherever possible, we tend to give reasons as to why a particular cement type is more suitable for a given purpose than other typ Cement manufacturing ,. | https://www.lustaufreben.de/mobile/8914/properties-of-manufacture-of-cement.html |
A fashion accessory is an item used to contribute, in a secondary manner, to the wearer's outfit, often used to complete an outfit and chosen to specifically complement the wearer's look. The term came into use in the 19th century.
Fashion accessories can be loosely categorized into two general areas: those that are carried and those that are...
June 25, 2015
Ok, so let’s talk about men’s fashion.
We all know some men hate shopping and others don’t like it as much as most women do. I have found that there is a growing percentage of men that are starting to appreciate dressing up and shopping for it.
Yes, most men don’t give a lot of thought to what they are going to wear in the morning. They usually have their basic jeans and T-shirt or a...
May 6, 2015
Every season the fashion industry introduces new collections and trends. Some seasons the collections suit us perfectly, and sometimes the new trends don’t really flatter us or match our own style or personality. Finding our personal fashion style has a lot to do with knowing and accepting ourselves. The majority of people tend to go with the common fashion trends while disregarding the...
April 26, 2015
As a designer I constantly look for inspiration everywhere I go, not only in fashion but in every aspect.
This couple was so perfectly matched, the black and white top, short white pants, her b&w nail polish, his white shirt and black folded pants, and let’s not forget the colorful tattoo. This is a pose for a fashion shoot; It simply emphasizes the elegance of Black and Whi...
April 24, 2015
People respond differently to new beginnings. Some do not like to move out of their comfort zone, whereas for others, like me- moving to a new place is a pretty cool thing.
It does have its downsides; I miss my family, my friends and I had to close my fashion label which was starting to take off. But after all, you don’t get a lot of opportunities to go on a new adventure to a... | https://www.ynassomoh.com/blog |
Ancient Mongolian Teeth Demand New Research Into the Mysterious Origins of Lactose Intolerance in Humans
Over 3000 years ago, the Steppes of Mongolia were dominated by herds of horses, sheep, cows and yaks, and the humans that ate them, according to a new study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), “milked their animals as well.” However, it is known that the same people were lactose intolerant, causing a temporary historical paradox. Could this study help explain the origins of lactose intolerance in humans?
‘Lactose intolerance’ is a term used to describe a very common digestive problem (curse) that affects over 75% of humans on the planet. It is diagnosed when the body is unable to digest lactose, the primary carbohydrate (sugar) in milk and dairy products and its digestion by sufferers causes symptoms including; bloated stomach, cramps, pains, feeling bloated, flatulence (wind), and sometimes diarrhea.
Cattle in Mongolia. ( CC0)
Early Mongolians were Lactose Intolerant but still Milked their Animals
What has been called “a ground breaking” new study was discussed in an article in ScienceMag which describes it as “cutting-edge analysis of deposits on ancient teeth”, revealing that early Mongolians milked their animals as well. And while this might not sound particularly startling news, “DNA analysis of the same ancient individuals shows that as adults they lacked the ability to digest lactose.”
- Evolution of Genetic Health Improvements in Humans Stall over Last Millennium
- 4,700-Year-Old Tooth Provides Insight on the First Farmers of the Iberian Peninsula
- Should Adults Really Be Drinking Milk? Studying Neolithic Ancestors Suggests Not
What we have here is a case of lactose intolerant ancient adults drinking milk, and apparently getting away with it. “So what’s going?” We might rightfully ask.
Christina Warinner of the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History (MPI-SHH) in Jena, Germany, said in the PNAS paper “The findings present a puzzle, challenging an oft-told tale of how lactose tolerance evolved.” “We know now dairying was practiced 4000 years before we see lactase persistence [the ability to digest lactase].” “Mongolia shows us how,” added Warinner.
Map of the Eurasian steppes. ( A) Distribution of the Western (brown) and Eastern (green) steppes and the locations of ancient (red) and modern (black) populations discussed in study. A box indicates the location of the LBA burial mounds surveyed in the Arbulag soum of Khövsgöl aimag. ( B) Enhanced view of LBA burial mounds (white circles) and burial clusters selected for excavation (boxes a–f) with the number of analyzed individuals in parentheses. ( C) Photograph of burial 2009-52 containing the remains of ARS026, a genetic outlier with Western steppe ancestry. ( Choongwon Jeong et al., 2018 )
It has traditionally been the belief of anthropologists and archaeologists that most people lose the ability to digest lactose in adulthood. In ancient pastoralist cultures, DNA mutations allowed many adults to digest milk, a state known as ‘lactase persistence.’ But a closer look at the teeth of ancient Mongolians reveals that even though "more than a third of their calories” came from cheeses, yogurts, and other fermented milk products, “95% of those people are lactose intolerant” stated the new research paper.
Warinner and her team analyzed human remains from six sites in northern Mongolia that belonged to the Deer Stone-Khirigsuur Complex, a culture that existed between 1300 and 900 BC. MPI-SHH researcher Shevan Wilkin took dental calculus samples from nine skeletons to test for animal proteins. The results showed the people ate dairy products made from “sheep, goats, and bovines such as yak or cow, yet they were lactose intolerant.”
Bacteria’s Role in the Origins of Lactose Intolerance
Warinner says “Modern Mongolians digest dairy by using bacteria to digest lactose for them, turning milk into yogurt and cheese, along with a rich suite of dairy products unknown in the Western diet.” She suspects that the ancient Mongolian pastoralists must also have adopted similar strategies for the “Control and manipulation of microbes” which she says, “is core to this whole transformation.”
Mongolian dairy products - Aaruul, Eezgii. (Takeshi KITAYAMA/ CC BY NC SA 2.0 )
If the speculations of Warinner and her team are right, all the thousands of geneticists who believed lactase persistence and dairying were linked, must now accept they were quite simply wrong, and rethink why the adaptation is common within some dairying populations yet untraceable in others.
An even more fundamental question will hopefully be answered by Warinner’s team in the near future: how did dairying even reach Mongolia so early in the first place? In the Bronze Age, the Yamnaya’s genetic signature replaced many Asian and European populations, but they abruptly stopped west of Mongolia at the Altai Mountains. “Culturally, it’s a really dynamic period,” Warinner says and she thinks that even though the Yamnaya “didn’t contribute their genes to East Asia, they did spread their culture, including dairying.”
The new study’s perplexing results will soon begin phase two, which aims to gain a better understanding of “how Mongolians and other traditional dairying cultures harnessed microbes to digest milk and render lactose tolerance irrelevant and to figure out which of hundreds of kinds of bacteria make the difference.”
- Should Humans Drink Cow’s Milk? Part 2 - Digesting Milk in Ethiopia
- Donkey milk: Ancient elixir of life experiences modern-day resurgence
- Oval Huts, Dairy Temples and Holy Milkmen: How a Secluded Existence Produced the Idiosyncratic Toda Traditions
A herder woman milks her yaks in Must, Khovd Province, Mongolia. (United Nations Photo/ CC BY NC ND 2.0 )
When Did Humans Start Dairying?
To date, the earliest archaeological evidence for ‘dairying’ (the processing of milk fats) is around the seventh millennium BC in northwestern Anatolia, the sixth millennium BC in eastern Europe, the fifth millennium BC in Africa, and the fourth millennium BC in Britain and Northern Europe . However, a research article published on ThoughtCo informs that goats were first domesticated in western Asia about 11,000 years ago and in the eastern Sahara cattle were being farmed no later than 9,000 years ago.
Archaeologists have always surmised that the primary reason for this was for an easier source of meat than hunting, but this new study opens history right up again and it must now be considered that maybe some of these pre-historic people milked their animals and made cheeses, gloopy creams, and yogurts. If so, ‘Ancient Greek’ yogurt might soon have to be rebranded Ancient Anatolian, or African, yogurt. | https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/origins-lactose-intolerance-humans-0010960 |
Webinar Summary:
Watch this webinar to hear the thoughts & expertise from our panelists on how to survive the on-going recession.
About Change Management Series:
The discussion and learning process should never stop even when we are not able to attend events physically. As we are now under the Movement Control Order (MCO) period, HealthMetrics brings you it's first-ever #StayAtHome HR Summit Series that will provide an online sharing platform on a weekly basis in April.
The fourth topic focuses on 'Surviving Recession: Balancing the HR Roles' in collaboration with Work Inspires, Ramli Capital Holdings, and MECA.
First Aired: 28th April, 2020
Moderator
Mallory Loone
Work Inspires
Mallory Loone, co-founder and Creator of Opportunities of Work Inspires has been in the Talent Development space for the past 6 years where she has created and developed frameworks and modules to help attract the best talents through onboarding programmes, engaging with talents through strategic and customised Team Building as well as Learning Programmes. On the side, Mallory is also a frequent mentor of Sunway Mentoring Programme, Axiata Young Leaders Mentor4Mentor Programme and Startup Weekends.
Panelist
Fauzi Che Rus
Ramli Capital Holdings
Fauzi’s successful experience and skills in helping company business turnaround and compete in the difficult market condition through programs that aligned people to the organizations' goals have been proven valuable to organizations that want to continuously improve in order to compete with the best in the world. He played a pivotal role in helping PepsiCo’s bottler in Malaysia and Western Digital turnaround their business results when he was with them. He has been in a leadership position in MNCs, GLCs, and Government agency for the last 27 years. During these periods he has been directly involved, with the senior leadership and the Board, in strategizing and executing business turnaround, business growth, organization transformation and corporate governance.
Panelist
Rachel Tan
MECA
Rachel holds a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of London and completed her Certificate of Legal Practice in 2011. She is admitted to the High Court of Malaya as an Advocate & Solicitor in 2015. Prior to legal practice, Rachel has acquired many experiences in the role of Marketing and Business Development since 2005; having worked for multinational companies in various industries including banking and finance, Information Technology as well as NGOs such as Bar Council Malaysia and KLRCA (now known as AIAC). | https://healthmetrics.co/b/surviving-recession-balancing-the-hr-roles-webinar-recording/ |
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The goal of the 2019 I Stop Traffic Awareness Campaign is to:
INCREASE AWARENESS about child trafficking and child exploitation of American children by creating and distributing cause related multi-media. The IST campaign uses that awareness to support our partnering organization’s initiatives to prevent, rehabilitate, and support victims.
- PHASE 1: Awareness & Prevention
- PHASE 2: Non-profit support & Rehabilitation
- PHASE 3: Ending the Demand
Your donations will help us:
I Stop Traffic Campaign 2005-present
1. Created two award-winning films, Svetlanas Journey and Cargo: Innocence Lost on the issue of sex trafficking.
2 Taken part in campaigns to fund shelters and orphanages around the world.
3. Created a three-disc human trafficking educational DVD series used by law enforcement, non-profit organizations, and universities around the world.
4. Created five public service announcements with Ashley Judd for distribution virally.
5. Hosted and/or sponsored more than 40 screenings, Q&A panel discussions, and conferences globally.
6. Transported medical supplies to victims of the earthquake in Haiti and to sex trafficking victims in Thailand.
7. Appeared on national media outlets such as: CNN, World News w/ Charles Gibson, The Tyra Banks show, ABC news reaching millions of people around the world about the cause.
8. Created The Agent of Change Awards to recognize the efforts of activists in the anti-trafficking movement. | http://istoptraffic.com/i-stop-traffic-campaign/ |
For years, Hazel Park schools’ Curriculum Director Mike Brower watched as accolades for high achievement on Michigan Education Assessment Program tests went to the schools in Oakland County communities where family incomes are higher than in southern Oakland districts that often come out at the bottom of the scale.
This year was no exception. Among those vying for the top five spots among Oakland County’s 28 public school districts in almost every grade level and subject were districts such as Rochester, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Lake Orion, Troy, South Lyon and Novi.
However, dramatic gains were noticed at the lower end of the MEAP score comparison charts. Although they were still testing lower than the top schools, districts such as Hazel Park, Clawson, Oak Park and Madison were definitely moving up the curve on the chart.
The gains in some of the 17 tests given overall to third through ninth graders in various subject areas were significant enough to make Oakland County Superintendent Vickie Markavitch and Ernest Bauer, Oakland Schools testing and evaluation consultant, point out the proficiency of students in those southern districts
At Hazel Park schools, Barlow attributes the significant gains to an emphasis on reader in the district, where 85 percent of children are from families whose income is low enough to be eligible for free and reduced lunch.
With the hard work of teachers, Barlow said scores have moved up, and the improvements can be seen in data provided by Oakland Schools.
Reading scores went up significantly in every grade level. In eighth grade, reading went up between 2012-13 from 59 to 65 percent proficient, compared to 91, the highest of any district. Seventh grade reading went up from 41 percent in 2011-12 to 60 percent proficient in 2013-14, compared to the highest score of 89. Sixth grade reading increased from 52 to 68 percent and fifth graders from 52 to 58 percent, between 2011-12 and 2013-14.
Average proficiency went up in other areas but not significantly and down in three areas.
“We have taken a much more scientific approach to teaching of reading; far more technical and scientific,” Barlow explains.
“We have been evaluating and making targeted interventions for students not quite at the baseline and we have been doing intense intervention with students who are way off grade level in reading.
“It is paying off. If you can’t read well, you can’t do well in science, you can’t do well in math, you can’t do well in social studies. You can’t be a good writer if you are not a good reader,” Barlow emphasized.
Other programs are important, too. For the first time this year, high school students are receiving free after-school tutoring four days a week in all disciplines — paid for by a grant from the Hazel Park Promise Zone authority with funds that came from the Walmart Foundation.
Elementary and middle school students are provided with free summer school if they are having problems with any subject. High school students pay a minimum amount for high school credit recovery to make up classes they might have missed or failed, which Barlow said may not be needed in the future because of the free tutoring program.
“Eighty-seven percent of high school seniors are on track to graduate on time,” he said. In the past, that was 50 to 60 percent, and now 72 percent of ninth graders are on track to graduate.
Barlow said the increase in achievement coupled with the technology and facility improvements underway with funds from a bond issue approved by the community two years ago are creating a new beginning for the district. | https://www.theoaklandpress.com/news/kids-making-great-strides-under-hazel-park-reading-and-intervention/article_22caaf65-0da1-561f-b861-294851ce7bfa.html |
Virgin Galactic, SpaceX, Stratolaunch Systems, XCOR, and Blue Origin. These companies have all been formed since 1999, and together are the bulk of the truly private space industry (i.e. are not dependent on government contracts or subsidies and intend to develop space for commercial purposes). There are also very well-funded startups looking beyond LEO for business - Planetary Resources and Bigelow Aerospace.
These companies have big bucks behind them, much more than earlier attempts. The success of SpaceX (admittedly the only commercial success so far, and still greatly bolstered by government business) makes the success of the others seem likely for the first time.
Why is this happening now?
One answer is the sudden flurry of nerd billionaires. A gaggle of Google billionaires, two dot-commers, and two MicroSoft billionaires are responsible for the bulk of this. They've got lots of money and they like space. But I wonder if the maturity of certain key technologies have now brought us to a tipping point. Is it the micro-sensors, micro-controllers, and microchips? Is it the vast power of CGI design software? Are there other things? | https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/8051/why-is-private-spaceflight-suddenly-expanding-so-quickly/32140 |
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Posts for tag: teeth grinding
The fast-paced world of sports and entertainment isn’t all glitz and glamour. These high-profile industries create a unique kind of emotional and mental stress on celebrities. For many of them, a way to “let off steam” is an oral habit known as teeth grinding.
Teeth grinding is an involuntary habit in which a person bites and grinds their teeth outside of normal activities like eating or speaking. It’s common among young children, who usually grow out of it, but it can also affect adults, especially those who deal with chronic stress. If not addressed, teeth grinding can eventually wear down teeth, damage gum attachments or fracture weaker teeth. It can even contribute to tooth loss.
A number of well-known personalities in the spotlight struggle with teeth grinding, including actress Vivica Fox, model and TV host Chrissy Teigen, and star athletes Tara Lipinski and Milos Raonic of ice skating and tennis fame, respectively. The habit represents not only a threat to their dental health, but also to one of their most important career assets: an attractive and inviting smile. Fortunately, though, they each use a similar device to manage their teeth grinding.
Besides seeking ways to better manage life stress, individuals with a teeth-grinding habit can protect their teeth with a custom mouthguard from their dentist. Made of slick plastic, this device is worn over the teeth, usually while sleeping, to minimize dental damage. During a grinding episode, the teeth can’t make contact with each other due to the guard’s glossy surface—they simply slide away from each other. This reduces the biting forces and eliminates the potential for wear, the main sources of dental damage.
Chrissy Teigen, co-host with LL Cool J on the game show Lip Sync Battle, wears her custom-made guard regularly at night. She even showed off her guard to her fans once during a selfie-video posted on Snapchat and Twitter. Vivica Fox, best known for her role in Independence Day, also wears her guard at night, and for an additional reason: The guard helps protect her porcelain veneers, which could be damaged if they encounter too much biting force.
Mouthguards are a prominent part of sports, usually to protect the teeth and gums from injury. Some athletes, though, wear them because of their teeth grinding habit. Tara Lipinski, world renowned figure skater and media personality, keeps hers on hand to wear at night even when she travels. And Milos Raonic, one of the world’s top professional tennis players, wears his during matches—the heat of competition tends to trigger his own teeth-grinding habit.
These kinds of mouthguards aren’t exclusive to celebrities. If you or a family member contends with this bothersome habit, we may be able to create a custom mouthguard for you. It won’t stop teeth grinding, but it could help protect your teeth—and your smile.
If you would like more information about protecting your smile, please contact us or schedule a consultation. To learn more, read the Dear Doctor magazine articles “Teeth Grinding” and “When Children Grind Their Teeth.”
While your teeth and gums can take a lot, they still face dangers like dental disease. Your teeth are also affected by aging-related wear and tear.
And, something else could put your teeth at risk: teeth grinding. This is an involuntary habit afflicting one in ten adults in which they grind or clench their teeth, often while they’re asleep. This generates higher than normal biting forces that can cause sore jaw joints, accelerated teeth wear and damage to the ligaments that hold teeth in place. In the worst case, you could eventually lose teeth.
So how do you know you’re grinding your teeth, especially if you’re asleep? You might notice your jaw being unusually sore after you wake up or your jaw muscles feel tired. Your dentist may also notice higher than normal tooth wear during a regular checkup. One of the best indicators, though, might be your sleeping partner or family: Teeth gnashing together can be loud enough to disturb others’ sleep.
In treating adult teeth grinding, it’s best to first determine the underlying cause. One of the most prominent reasons is chronic stress: If you’re under high pressure from situations at work or at home, pent-up stress can vent through physical outlets like teeth grinding. You can manage high stress through relaxation techniques, biofeedback or group therapy, which could in turn reduce teeth grinding.
Teeth grinding could also be related to a sleep disorder, such as problems with shifting between nightly sleep cycles. Certain psychoactive drugs are often associated with teeth grinding too. And, because of alterations in brain chemistry, tobacco users are twice as likely to grind their teeth as non-users. So, receiving treatment for a medical condition or making certain lifestyle changes could help lessen a grinding habit.
Many of these approaches take time to alleviate teeth grinding. For immediate relief, your dentist can create a custom mouthguard you wear while you sleep to reduce the effects of teeth grinding. The guard prevents the upper and lower teeth from making contact while biting down, which reduces the forces against them.
The damage from teeth grinding is often cumulative. If diagnosed early, though, we may be able to stop or minimize the damage before it goes too far.
If you would like more information on teeth grinding, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Teeth Grinding.”
Ever since childhood, when her career as a model and actress took off, Brooke Shields has enjoyed worldwide recognition — through advertisements for designer jeans, appearances on The Muppet Show, and starring roles in big-screen films. But not long ago, that familiar face was spotted in an unusual place: wearing a nasal anesthesia mask at the dentist's office. In fact, Shields posted the photo to her own Instagram account, with the caption “More dental surgery! I grind my teeth!” And judging by the number of comments the post received, she's far from alone.
In fact, researchers estimate that around one in ten adults have dental issues that stem from teeth grinding, which is also called bruxism. (Many children also grind their teeth, but it rarely causes serious problems, and is often outgrown.) About half of the people who are teeth grinders report problems like persistent headaches, jaw tenderness and sore teeth. Bruxism may also result in excessive tooth wear, and may damage dental work like crowns and bridges; in severe cases, loosened or fractured teeth have been reported.
Researchers have been studying teeth grinding for many years; their findings seem to indicate that it has no single cause. However, there are a number of factors that play a significant role in this condition. One is the anatomy of the jaw itself, and the effect of worn or misaligned teeth on the bite. Another factor relates to changes in brain activity that occur during the sleep cycle. In fact, nocturnal (nighttime) bruxism is now classified as a sleep-related movement disorder. Still other factors, such as the use of tobacco, alcohol and drugs, and a high level of stress or anxiety, can make an individual more likely to experience bruxism.
What can be done for people whose teeth grinding is causing problems? Since this condition may have many causes, a number of different treatments are available. Successful management of bruxism often begins by striving to eliminate the factors that may cause problems — for example, making lifestyle changes to improve your health, creating a soothing nighttime environment, and trying stress-reduction techniques; these may include anything from warm baths and soft music at bedtime, to meditation and mindfulness exercises.
Several dental treatments are also available, including a custom-made occlusal guard (night guard) that can keep your teeth from being damaged by grinding. In some cases, a bite adjustment may also be recommended: In this procedure, a small amount of enamel is removed from a tooth to change the way it contacts the opposite tooth, thereby lessening the biting force on it. More invasive techniques (such as surgery) are rarely needed.
A little tooth grinding once in a while can be a normal response to stress; in fact, becoming aware of the condition is often the first step to controlling it. But if you begin to notice issues that could stem from bruxism — or if the loud grinding sounds cause problems for your sleeping partner — it may be time to contact us or schedule an appointment. You can read more about bruxism in the Dear Doctor magazine article “Stress and Tooth Habits.”
Modern life can be demanding. The body helps us rise to the occasion through responses we collectively call stress.
But while stress can be a good thing, it can also overwhelm us and manifest in some harmful way: bouts of back pain, stomach ulcers or even acne. It could also trigger tooth grinding, often occurring as we sleep. And like other stress relievers, tooth grinding can be detrimental to your health long term.
Teeth-on-teeth contact occurs normally when we eat or speak, or simply as our jaws contact each other with glancing touches hundreds if not thousands of times a day. Such normal contact is beneficial because it stimulates healthy bone growth in the jaw. But if the forces created exceed the normal range as with tooth grinding (up to ten times), it can cause a bevy of problems to the teeth and jaws.
While excessive jaw motion during teeth grinding can cause inflammation and painful spasms in the muscles, the greater danger is to the teeth, which could even fracture from the high amount of force. The more common occurrence, though, is an increased rate of enamel erosion, which causes the tooth to lose vital structure and eventually appear shorter in appearance.
Fortunately, there are ways to reduce teeth grinding or its severity. The first order of business is to treat its effects by reducing its symptoms and ongoing damage. We can recommend some behavior modification techniques to alter the frequency of the habit or a night guard to protect the teeth from the intensity of the habit if you’re unable to change the behavior.
A custom-fitted night or occlusal guard, a retainer-like dental appliance made of smooth acrylic plastic is designed so that the lower teeth glide over the guard surface when grinding and can’t make solid contact with the upper teeth. This reduces the generated force and helps protect the teeth.
In the long term, though, you should address the root cause — how you’re handling daily stress. Treatment by a psychotherapist or counselor, for example, could help you develop ways to channel stress in more productive ways.
However your treatment strategy develops, it’s important to address stress and teeth grinding as soon as possible. Controlling it will have long-term benefits for your teeth and smile.
If you would like more information on dealing with stress that causes tooth grinding, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Stress & Tooth Habits.”
Clenching, or grinding of your teeth (also known as bruxing) are common habits. Biting forces are normally small, gentle, fleeting and very frequent throughout the day. In fact, it's the normal stimulus necessary to keep your teeth and jawbone healthy. When you clench or grind your teeth you apply forces up to ten times normal (in the 200 lb range). And it's not just the force, it's the duration and frequency with which they're applied. High forces lasting for seconds or minutes, frequently exerted, can affect some or all of the masticatory system. This includes the teeth, jaws, jaw joints and muscles, causing aching jaws, headaches, earaches, neck and even backaches; and the teeth themselves causing excessive wear, fractures, or even loose teeth.
Why does grinding occur? Habitual grinding is most frequently a reaction to stress. Sometimes abnormalities in your bite or malocclusion (“mal” – bad; “occlusion” – bite) can trigger clenching or grinding. It is normal for children to sometimes grind their teeth when new teeth are coming in, but it may be indications of stress too. You may be grinding your teeth subconsciously in your sleep, but it may be so loud as to awaken your sleeping partner. Or our office may be the first to suspect it during a dental exam because of the apparent signs of change to muscles, joints and teeth especially abnormal tooth wear.
What can be done about teeth grinding or bruxing? If you are symptomatic, having pain, muscle, joint or tooth soreness, the first step is to get you comfortable. Generally, a mild non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication (aspirin, ibuprofen) and muscle relaxants will help in addition to moist heat and mild jaw exercises. Stress management is also helpful. To prevent further damage, we may recommend a bite guard made of wear-resistant plastic that fits over the biting surfaces of your upper teeth. These customized unobtrusive appliances when properly fitted and adjusted stop clenching and grinding activity, or at least the damage they can do. A bite guard can be worn day or night especially during stressful periods. | https://www.stjohnsdentaloffice.com/blog/tag/teeth+grinding.html |
How long does nausea last after an operation?
These symptoms usually peak 2 to 3 days after surgery and then get better. Many people also feel a little dizzy, sleepy, or drowsy. Nausea (feeling sick to stomach), and vomiting (throwing up) are also common. These symptoms usually last less than 24 hours.
Why am I nausea days after surgery?
While nausea and vomiting after surgery is a known risk of anesthesia, there are other factors that can play a role, such as dehydration, medications being given on an empty stomach, an overly aggressive return to a normal diet, and a lack of preventative nausea and vomiting medication.
Can anesthesia make you nauseous days later?
Side effects of general anesthesia can include: Nausea and vomiting – This very common side effect can occur within the first few hours or days after surgery and can be triggered by a number of factors, such as the medication, motion, and the type of surgery.
How do I stop Post Op Nausea?
If opioids are needed, the lowest effective dose should be used. Administer an antiemetic as prescribed and needed. As prescribed, provide adequate presurgical hydration with crystalloids or colloids, which have been shown to reduce the incidence of PONV on the first postoperative day.
How long does anesthesia stay in your body?
Anesthetic drugs can stay in your system for up to 24 hours. If you’ve had sedation or regional or general anesthesia, you shouldn’t return to work or drive until the drugs have left your body. After local anesthesia, you should be able to resume normal activities, as long as your healthcare provider says it’s okay.
How long do you feel sick after general anesthesia?
Your anaesthetist should discuss these with you before your surgery. Most side effects happen immediately after your operation and do not last long. Possible side effects include: feeling sick or being sick (vomiting) – this usually happens immediately, although some people may continue to feel sick for up to a day.
When should you go to the ER after surgery?
Advance as you improve. If the nausea and vomiting does not improve or advances, go to the ER. Nausea and vomiting that occurs more than 24 hours after surgery should never be considered normal and if the problem is ongoing or worsening, we recommend you call or go to the emergency room.
What is the most common post op complication?
The most common postoperative complications include fever, small lung blockages, infection, pulmonary embolism (PE) and deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
How do you stop feeling sick after General Anaesthetic?
Can I do anything to avoid feeling sick?
- Avoid sitting up or getting out of bed too quickly.
- Avoid eating and drinking too soon after your operation, but do not delay too long. …
- Good pain relief is important. …
- Taking slow deep breaths can help to reduce any feeling of sickness.
How do you flush anesthesia out of your system?
Care after general anesthesia
- Drink small amounts of clear liquids such as water, soda or apple juice.
- Avoid foods that are sweet, spicy or hard to digest for today only.
- Eat more foods as your body can tolerate.
- If you feel nauseated, rest your stomach for one hour, then try drinking a clear liquid.
What are side effects from anesthesia?
You may experience common side effects such as:
- Nausea.
- Vomiting.
- Dry mouth.
- Sore throat.
- Muscle aches.
- Itching.
- Shivering.
- Sleepiness. | https://markboguski.net/human-body/best-answer-is-it-normal-to-be-nauseous-after-surgery.html |
OBJECTIVE: Using metaanalysis, we sought to determine acustimulation (AS) effects on postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in children. METHODS: Metaanalyses were performed on various acupoint AS effects including acupressure, acupuncture, laser acupuncture, and electrical stimulation (ETS) on PONV in children. On-line databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from 1966 through May 2005. In addition, the reference lists of reviewed papers were scanned for additional trials. The identified RCTs were evaluated for methodological quality using the Quality Reporting of Meta-analyses (QUOROM) guidelines, and results were pooled using the fixed-effects model. RESULTS: Twelve RCTs were pooled for the outcomes of 24-hour PONV including 12 trials for vomiting and two trials for nausea. Compared with the control groups, all AS modalities reduced vomiting (RR = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.59-0.80, P , .0001) and nausea (RR = 0.59, 95% CI: 0.46-0.76, P , .0001). Acupressure (two trials) and ...
Reviews on Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting. PONV is an unwelcome problem in the peri-operative period.. Effective drug treatment requires a planned management protocol that includes intravenous anti-emetic administration at appropriate time intervals (ie, if a specific agent hasnt worked by the time it should have, give something else!). Drugs included in a PONV protocol should span the range of pathways involved. Medical review is needed for any patient with refractory PONV to exclude a surgical or medical cause.. When reviewing abstracts, note the difference between prophylaxis and treatment protocols, and also between nausea and vomiting. Hospitals should have a prophylaxis protocol that identifies at-risk groups and the agent/s they should be offered, and independently a treatment protocol for nurses to use in the peri-operative period for anyone afflicted with PONV.. Annalyn Kuok provides this point-form summary of PONV and its management.. PONV is discussed in detail by Gan in 2003, ...
TY - JOUR. T1 - Effectiveness of P6 acupoint electrical stimulation in preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting following laparoscopic surgery. AU - Yeoh, Aik Hoe. AU - Shereen, Tang Suet Ping. AU - Abdul Manap, Norsidah. AU - Wan Mat, Wan Rahiza. AU - Said, Shuraya. AU - Che Hassan, Muhamad Rahimi. AU - Abdul Rahman, Raha. PY - 2016. Y1 - 2016. N2 - Background/aim: The effects of pericardium 6 (P6) electrical stimulation in patients at risk of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) following laparoscopic surgery were evaluated. Materials and methods: Eighty patients for laparoscopic surgery with at least one of the determined risks (nonsmoker, female, previous PONV/motion sickness, or postoperative opioid use) were randomized into either an active or sham group. At the end of surgery, Reletex electrical acustimulation was placed at the P6 acupoint. The active group had grade 3 strength and the sham group had inactivated electrodes covered by silicone. It was worn for 24 h following ...
The AmpliChip CYP450 analysis was performed on the same patient samples as the Invader copy number FRET analysis. The AmpliChip assay was able to provide both confirmation of the gene dosage as indicated by the FRET assay and a more detailed analysis of the exact polymorphisms each patient possessed. Table 3lists the gene frequency in the study population. All patients demonstrating a 1× signal on the FRET analysis were shown to carry the CYP2D6*5 gene deletion allele on the AmpliChip assay (100% concordance). This finding is consistent with the design of the Invader copy number test, which does not recognize or bind to the CYP2D6*5 allele. The presence of CYP2D6*5 is therefore inferred from the 1× signal in a compound heterozygote (where one of the alleles is CYP2D6*5). The AmpliChip CYP450 assay further allowed us to clarify the status of those patients designated as 2× by indicating the presence of nonfunctioning and reduced activity alleles other than CYP2D6*5. Using the AmpliChip data, ...
Measure #430: Prevention of Post-Operative Nausea and Vomiting (PONV) Combination Therapy National Quality Strategy Domain: Patient Safety 2016 PQRS OPTIONS FOR INDIVIDUAL MEASURES: REGISTRY ONLY DESCRIPTION:
The global post-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV) market was valued at US$ 1,608.6 Mn in 2017 and is projected to expand at a CAGR of 8% from 2018 to 2026.
A 2008 study compared 121 Japanese patients who experienced PONV after being given the general anesthetic propofol to 790 people who were free of post-operative nausea after receiving it. Those with a G at both copies of rs1800497 were 1.6 times more likely to experience PONV within six hours of surgery compared to those with the AG or AA genotypes. But they were not significantly more likely to experience PONV more than six hours after surgery. Postoperative nausea and vomiting results from patient factors, surgical & anesthetic factors. Surgical factors that confer increased risk for PONV include procedures of increased length, gynecological, abdominal and laparoscopic procedures, ENT procedures, strabismus procedures in children. Anesthetic risk factors include the use of volatile anesthetics, Nitrous Oxide (N2O), Opioids, and longer duration of anesthesia. Patient factors that confer increased risk for PONV include female gender, Obesity, age less than 16 years, past history of motion ...
Acupuncture. A1. Cheong KB, Zhang JP, et al. The effectiveness of acupuncture in prevention and treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting--a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2013 Dec 13;8(12):e82474. A2. Rithirangsrirok K, Manchana T, et al. Efficacy of acupuncture in prevention of delayed chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting in gynecological cancer patients. Gynecol Oncol. 2015;136(1):82-86. A3. Lee A, Chan SK, et al. Stimulation of the wrist acupuncture point PC6 for preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 Nov 2;(11):CD003281. A4. Shin HC, Kim JS, et al. The effect of acupuncture on postoperative nausea and vomiting after pediatric tonsillectomy: A meta-analysis and systematic review. Laryngoscope. 2016 Aug;126(8):1761-1767. A5. Lu D, Lu D, et al. [Electrothermal acupuncture in the prevention and treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting: a randomized controlled trial]. Zhonggguo Zhen Jiu. 2017;37(4):355-359. B. ...
Background. In a large cluster-randomized trial on the impact of a prediction model, presenting the calculated risk of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) on-screen (assistive approach) increased the administration of risk-dependent PONV prophylaxis by anaesthetists. This change in therapeutic decision-making did not improve the patient outcome; that is, the incidence ... read more of PONV. The present study aimed to quantify the effects of adding a specific therapeutic recommendation to the predicted risk (directive approach) on PONV prophylaxis decision-making and the incidence of PONV. Methods. A prospective before-after study was conducted in 1483 elective surgical inpatients. The before-period included care-as-usual and the after-period included the directive risk-based (intervention) strategy. Risk-dependent effects on the administered number of prophylactic antiemetics and incidence of PONV were analysed by mixed-effects regression analysis. Results. During the intervention period ...
Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) remains a common complication for both inpatients and outpatients undergoing surgical procedures. PONV is a complex physiologic phenomenon involving multiple neurophysiologic pathways and both central and peripheral receptor mechanisms. The frequently used antiemetics produce dopamine, acetylcholine, histamine, and serotonin receptor blocking properties.1 More recently, the neurokinin (NK)-1 receptor antagonists were also shown to have the potential for both preventing and treating PONV.2 - 7 In this issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, Gan et al.8 report on rolapitant, a novel NK-1 receptor antagonist with a long elimination half-life value, for the prevention of PONV. This clinical trial was designed as a dose-ranging study involving both placebo and active comparator controls. The authors concluded that "rolapitant reduced the incidence of postoperative vomiting in a dose-dependent manner and was superior to placebo at all doses studied." They also noted ...
Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is one of the most common and distressing complications after surgery. An identification of risk factors associated with PONV would make it easier to select specific patients for effective antiemetic therapy.
Post-operative nausea and vomiting are the major complications after spinal anesthesia with intrathecal morphine, therefore antiemetic drugs should be administered for best satisfaction of anesthesia to prevent these complication.. Furthermore, administration of a combination of antiemetic drugs with different mechanisms of action appears reasonable and synergistic effect of drugs.. In conclusion, we study efficacy of antiemetic effect of single antiemetic drug compare with combination antiemetic drugs. ...
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved granisetron (Kytril) for the prevention and treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting. The approval was based on the results of recent clinical trials. 1
Demneri, M.; Hoxha, A.; Pilika, K.; Saraci, M.; Qirinxhi, M., 2012: Craniotomy type and postoperative nausea and vomiting: a matched case-control study
SUMMARY Nausea and vomiting are among the most common postoperative complaints that can occur after general, regional or local anesthesia. It can result in patient discomfort, morbidity such as aspiration of vomitus, delay of oral drug therapy and fluid i ...
An AE was defined as any unfavorable and unintended change in the structure, function, or chemistry of the body temporally associated with the use of the SPONSORs product, whether or not considered related to the use of the product. Any worsening of a pre-existing condition which is temporally associated with the use of the SPONSORs product, was also an AE. Changes resulting from normal growth and development which did not vary significantly in frequency or severity from expected levels were not to be considered adverse events. Vomiting and retching were not defined as AEs during the period of data collection (24 hours following the end of surgery) unless they met the definition of an SAE. The percentage of participants discontinuing study due to an AE was reported by dose group ...
Information on this website is obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov. Using this information is subject to ClinicalTrials.govs Terms and Conditions ...
The contents of this website are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. See additional information.. ...
This study assessed the efficacy and tolerability of dronabinol in preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in patients undergoing elective surgery
Postoperative problems, such as nausea, vomiting, changes of haemodynamics 20 % beyond baseline measurements, or hypoxia will be reported. Also postoperative nausea and vomiting, shivering dizziness, confusion etc. are stated as adverse events ...
Opioid-free general anesthesia is safe, effective and dramatically decreases postoperative nausea, according to a single-center study of more than 1,000 patients being presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2017 annual meeting.
In the captioned article, the authors concluded that the wristband P6 (Neiguan) acupoint is effective in preventing nausea and vomiting in the postoperative period and recommended its usage as an alternative to pharmacologic methods in the gynecologic surgery population.1 We have read the article in detail and have the following concerns and suggestions from a practitioners point of view:...
Does perioperative intravenous dextrose reduce postoperative nausea and vomiting? A systematic review and meta-analysis Seung Hyun Kim,1 Do-Hyeong Kim,2 Eungjin Kim,1 Hyun Jung Kim,3,* Yong Seon Choi2,* 1Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea; 2Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Anesthesia and Pain Research Institute, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea; 3Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Institute for Evidence-based Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Korea *These authors contributed equally to this work Purpose: Perioperative dextrose-containing fluid administration has been used as a non-pharmacologic preventive measure against postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), a common and distressing complication of anesthesia. However, its efficacy remains unclear as previous studies reported inconsistent results. Our objective was to compare
NEW YORK-New data suggests that granisetron (Kytril) can effectively prevents postoperative nausea and vomiting at doses as low as 0.1 mg. Robert DAngelo, MD, Department of Anesthesiology, Wake Forest University, Baptist Medical Center, presented the study results at the 56th Annual Post Graduate Assembly in Anesthesiology. 1
Aromatherapy for treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting: Cochrane systematic review answers are found in the Cochrane Abstracts powered by Unbound Medicine. Available for iPhone, iPad, Android, and Web.
The objective of this overview is to summarize existing knowledge about the effects of acupuncture-point stimulation on nausea and vomiting. Systematic reviews on postoperative nausea and vomiting, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, and pregna
Side effects of anticholinesterases include bradycardia, hypotension, bronchospasm (and hypoxia), increased respiratory secretions,possibly nausea and vomiting (although this is controversial and, according to Miller (1), "Reports on the effect of anticholinesterase administration on postoperative nausea and vomiting are conflicting"), increased GI motility and secretions, miosis, and decreased intraocular pressure.. Interestingly, excessive neostigmine may also lead to a depolarizing block, similar to succinylcholine. According to Nair and Hunter, "neostigmine and other quaternary ammonium anticholinesterases have a direct action on skeletal muscle. Anticholinesterases increase the amount of acetylcholine released, by their effect on presynaptic receptors. In overdose, depolarization of the endplate caused by excess acetylcholine predominates and leads to depolarization block. The excess acetylcholine at the synapse also causes repeated stimulation of the receptors resulting in the decay time ...
Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is a common and unpleasant outcome of anesthesia care that can lead to other complications, lengthening the patients recovery period after surgery. Effective management of PONV leads to optimal patient outcomes and comfort during the postoperative period. The Apfel score is one of the most common risk predictors for PONV and is based on 4 variables: female gender, non-smoking status, history of PONV or motion sickness and postoperative opioid administration. The presence of each additional risk factor increases a patients risk of PONV by twenty percent. Although including a prophylactic anti-emetic administration protocol that considers such risk factors has shown to reduce the incidence of PONV, there is high variability in this outcome. For the purpose of this measure, PONV is defined as administering any rescue medication (antiemetic MPOG Concepts in table below) or documentation of nausea or vomiting in the immediate postoperative period.. ...
Dolasetron is an antinauseant and antiemetic agent indicated for the prevention of nausea and vomiting associated with moderately-emetogenic cancer chemotherapy and for the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting. Dolasetron is a highly specific and selective serotonin 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, not shown to have activity at other known serotonin receptors and with low affinity for dopamine receptors ...
Every year millions of patients undergo surgery worldwide. Surgical site infections (SSI) occur in up to 12 per cent of these patients. Complications resulting from SSI lead to increased morbidity and mortality, extended hospital stays, and carry an associated cost of up to US$10 billion per annum. Dexamethasone is widely used by anaesthetists in the perioperative period, principally as an effective antiemetic to prevent postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). The molecular mechanisms underlying dexamethasones antiemetic action are not fully understood. However, because it is a potent glucocorticosteroid, it is has immunosuppressive and hyperglycaemia effects. It is hypothesised that these actions may increase the risk of perioperative infections, particularly in patients with diabetes mellitus, who are already at increased risk of complications. Whether the use of dexamethasone in the perioperative period increases the risk of surgical site and other infections, has not been definitively ...
The marijuana extract tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is ineffective at preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting, according to research published in Anesthe
EDITOR,-Rebecca L Aspinall and Neville W Goodman conclude that patients who participated in placebo controlled studies investigating the role of ondansetron in the management of postoperative nausea and vomiting were denied access to effective treatment.1 This is not correct: no patient was denied access to effective treatment, and the health and wellbeing of patients are … ...
A Randomized, Double-Blind, Active Comparator-Controlled, Parallel-Group Study Conducted Under In-House Blinding Conditions, to Examine the Safety, Tolerability, and Efficacy of 2 Doses of Aprepitant for the Prevention of Postoperative Nausea and ...
Transderm Scop Film is used for motion sickness, postoperative nausea and vomiting and other conditions. Transderm Scop Film contains the following active ingredients: Scopolamine.
4. Tang DH, Malone DC. A network meta-analysis of efficacy of serotonin type 3 receptor antagnoists used in adults during first 24 hours for postoperative nausea and vomiting prophylaxis. Clinical Therapeutics 2012; 34:282-294 ...
When Does Nausea and Vomiting Require Emergency Care. Nausea and vomiting is one of those symptoms that is very common, and we may have experienced it at one time or the other. Nausea and vomiting can be indicative of a number of health conditions from minor ones to very serious ones that are potentially life-threatening. Whats more, it is not always easy to diagnose if your nausea and vomiting is a sign of something more serious or not. We are told to never self-diagnose and if you are not sure what your nausea and vomiting is about and you feel that it may be something serious, then the best thing to do is to head over to an emergency room to be assessed. What we do know is that, on one end of the spectrum, nausea and vomiting may be a sign of early pregnancy, which by all accounts is good news while on the other end of the spectrum, it may be a sign of very serious conditions such as heart attacks. Even if you take into account the nature and frequency of the vomiting, these symptoms, unlike ...
Nausea can be signaled by a number of triggers such as smells, taste, food irritants, dizziness, pain and infection. Nausea will often begin suddenly without warning. The treatment for nausea includes providing plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration.Food PoisoningFood poisoning causes nausea after an individual consumes contaminated food or a drink. Symptoms that occur within 48 hours of eating the food include nausea, abdominal cramping, vomiting and diarrhea.Gastrointestinal VirusThe gastrointestinal virus is often known as the stomach flu and is very contagious. Symptoms of the virus include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping, headac...
And speaking of POV shots, this might be minor but I find it interesting... You may have heard of the technique Lynch and the cameramen came up with that they call Floaty cam or something like that. It refers to, for example, the scene with Dan and Herb inside Wikies, if you notice the camera, its in a constant state of slow movement, sort of like a POV shot. It constantly moves slowly in small circular motions (some say a figure 8 motion, like the infinity symbol we see on the ground in front of Club Silencio) instead of staying still. Its used many times in the film. Is this intended to make us feel like theyre POV shots instead of objective camera shots? Furthermore, when Dan and Herb go outside, sometimes the walk is shown as if through Dans eyes (POV shots), but as the POV passes the payphone, the camera turns toward the phone as it walks by. It cuts while still on the payphone, but Dan is looking straight ahead, with the payphone right next to him. In other words, the POV shot does ...
Question - Severe heart burn, nausea, burping, bloating, nausea and mood swings. Pregnancy symptoms?. Ask a Doctor about diagnosis, treatment and medication for Nausea, Ask an OBGYN, Maternal and Fetal Medicine
Nausea - Check Your Symptoms and Signs Nausea is the sensation that there is a need to vomit. Nausea can be acute and short-lived, or it can be prolonged. When prolonged, it is a debilitating ...
Learn everything you want about Nausea and Vomiting with the wikiHow Nausea and Vomiting Category. Learn about topics such as How to Throw up As Comfortably As Possible, How to Cure Nausea, How to Get Rid of Nausea Fast, and more with our helpful step-by-step instructions with photos and videos.
Food Related Tips for Nausea and Vomiting Article - Preventing or Controlling Nausea | Preventing or Controlling Vomiting Nausea is a feeling of queasiness in the stomach and may be followed by the urge to vomit. Food Related Tips for Nausea and Vomiting - How To Cooking Tips - RecipeTips.com - 4
When nausea hits, the only thing you can think about is how to find immediate, effective relief. The best thing you can do is to be prepared with a quick fix for nausea that works for your body. Every person is unique, which is why there isnt a one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to nausea remedies. But you can f
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September 7 - September 13: 12 Weeks 0 Days - 12 Weeks 6 Days.. This week was hard. A multitude of women and pregnancy resources told me that Id miraculously start feeling better in the second trimester, so Id been impatiently awaiting week twelve. At eleven weeks and five days I puked for the first time, and the next day I puked again. I was still hoping for a miracle at the twelve week mark.. Early Monday afternoon, twelve weeks and zero days, I slumped defeated at my kitchen table with my head in my hands. I was nauseated as ever and ready to burst into tears. Granted, things have improved. Im not as fatigued-I can now walk uphill without getting completely out of breath-and the nausea isnt as debilitating. However, the nausea is definitely still there and its unforgiving in the afternoon.. Ive discovered there are different types of nausea. Earlier in pregnancy my stomach had a dull ache and I felt queasy. Various smells and situations made me feel worse, but only a couple times did I ...
Hey! Im 5 wks today and for the past week or so I have been waking up with horrible nausea! I remember having nausea most of the day with my first but so far with this pregnancy the nausea during the day isnt bad. But at night its awful, and keeps me up for a few hrs! Anyone else have this symptom too?! I will admit I like having some symptoms to remind me that the pregnancy is progressing! Sticky baby dust to all and look fw to sharing this wonderful journey with you!!
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Is Nausea a common side effect of Tildiem? View Nausea Tildiem side effect risks. Female, 56 years of age, was diagnosed with hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia and took Tildiem 200 Mg Qd Po.
Could Sprintec cause Nausea? We studied 1,556 Sprintec users who have side effects from FDA and eHealthme. Among them, 171 have Nausea. See what we found. | https://lookformedical.com/en/sites/postoperative-nausea-and-vomiting |
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In Uruguay on Wednesday an international coalition was launched for equal rights worldwide for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people. Foreign minister Bert Koenders and his Uruguayan opposite number Rodolfo Novoa jointly opened the conference, which the Netherlands and Uruguay co-organised.
Government representatives attended from every continent. Several countries, including South Africa, the US, Spain and Argentina, have already joined the Equal Rights Coalition. The number of participating countries, currently 18, is growing steadily. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon thanked the Netherlands and Uruguay for organising the conference, saying, ‘Ending rights abuses against LGBT and intersex people is a great human rights cause at the heart of the UN’s founding mission.’
Free and equal in dignity and rights
As the coalition’s name makes clear, its aim is not to win special rights for a special group, but rather to guarantee equal rights for all. ‘The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, ‘All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights,” Mr Koenders emphasised. ‘That makes justice for LGBTI people a test of our universal values.’ In his speech, heard by more than 200 country and organisational representatives, he said: ‘The future can be as bright as a rainbow – but only if we join forces for change.’
Last month’s ‘heinous attack in Orlando’ shows how badly the coalition and its concerted, resolute approach are needed, the minister said. He set out the Netherlands’ specific focuses in this field: combating discrimination and violence, fostering social acceptance and decriminalising homosexuality worldwide.
Tribute to Uruguay’s leadership role
Promoting LGBTI equal rights is one of the Netherlands’ foreign policy priorities, and cooperation with other countries is crucial to making headway. Mr Koenders stressed that launching the Equal Rights Coalition in Montevideo was a tribute to Uruguay’s leadership role on the issue, and that the Netherlands highly values its partnership with Uruguay on LGBTI rights.
Uruguay is not only playing a pioneering role in Latin America, but is also in the front ranks globally in advocating equal rights for the LGBTI community. It recently joined six other Latin American countries in an initiative in the UN Human Rights Council to appoint an Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The expert is tasked with raising awareness of these human rights violations and helping countries combat them. | https://sxpolitics.org/international-coalition-launched-for-lgbti-equal-rights/15326 |
Do you know the definition of albeit? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the word albeit, including its definition, usage, word origin, and more!
What does the word albeit mean?
According to Merriam-Webster and other sources like the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language and Collins English Dictionary, the word albeit is a conjunction that means even though or although. Albeit is three syllables – al-be-it, and the pronunciation of albeit is ɔːlˈbiːɪt. This word uses the third-person singular present subjunctive of the verb be. Albeit cannot be used to introduce an independent clause, unlike although, but it can be used to introduce an adjectival phrase, adverbial phrase, dependent clause, subordinate clauses or a concessive clause and can be used with an adverb. Albeit is usually preceded by a comma. This is considered fairly formal, and is not entirely natural sounding English.
There are many different languages that contain words meaning albeit. You may notice that some of these words look and sound similar to each other. This is likely due to the fact that they share a common origin. Usually, cognates, which are words that look, sound, and mean the same thing across languages, are formed when two words or languages share a common ancestor like Latin or Greek. This list of translations of albeit is provided by Word Sense.
- Bulgarian: макар (makár), макар и (makár i)
- French: bien que, quoique
- Turkish: her ne kadar, yine, gerçi, ise de
- Latin: etsi
- Cyrillic: иако, мада, премда, чак и ако
- German: wenn auch, wenngleich, obgleich, obschon
- Russian: хотя́
- Lithuanian: nors ir
- Danish: omend, selv om
- Hindi: किन्तु (kintu), परन्तु (parantu)
- Japanese: とはいえ (to-wa ie), であるが (dearu ga)
- Arabic: وَلَو
- Norwegian: selv om, om enn
- Swedish: även om, ehuru, om än, låt vara
- Czech: třebaže
- Catalan: encara que, tanmateix, però
- Roman: iako, mada, premda, čak i ako
- Gujarati: જોકે (jōkē), પરંતુ (parantu), તેમ છતાં (tēm chatāṁ)
- Dutch: alhoewel, hoewel, ofschoon
- Mandarin: 雖然, 虽然 (suīrán)
- Finnish: vaikka, vaikkakin, joskin
- Persian: اگرچه (agarche), هرچند (harchand)
- Portuguese: se bem que, mesmo que
- Slovene: četudi, čeprav
- Esperanto: kvankam
- Polish: chociaż
- Spanish: aunque, no obstante, si bien
- Romanian: totuși, dar
- Italian: benché
- Occitan: malgrat, tot ben que, encara que
How can the word albeit be used in a sentence?
The word albeit can be used in many different circumstances in the English language. Using words in a sentence is a great way to memorize their definitions. You can also try making flashcards or quizzes for yourself to text your understanding. Try using this word of the day in a sentence today! Below are several examples of albeit to get you started.
Earl was quite tech savvy and had an affinity for browsing the internet, albeit his excessive tendency to spend hours on the amazing computer frustrated the rest of his family. He loved using it to research the history of England, from King Harald to the men of the countryside and more.
She was prepared, albeit nervous for her interview with the Financial Times. She knew she had prepared enough for the interview, but years of being shot down and disrespected in her field had given her severe anxiety for any sort of publication.
He was a competent, albeit distant guardian for the twins. They had been independent practically since birth, always taken care of by a nanny. They never knew their mother, and their father was quite mysterious aside from the odd breakfast or birthday gift.
What is the origin of the word albeit?
According to Etymonline, the word albeit is a conjunction that has been used since the late c14 Middle English. This is a contraction of the phrase “al be it,” “all be it,” or “although it be that.” Chaucer also used a past tense form of this phrase, the Middle English al were it. Usage commentators observed this word having a resurgence or comeback in the middle of the 20th century. While they found it archaic, it never really went out of use, though it certainly became less popular until the 1930s.
What are synonyms and antonyms of albeit?
There are many different words in the English language that mean the same thing as the word albeit. These are called synonyms. Synonyms are a very useful device to know because they can help you avoid repeating the same word over and over again while also expanding your vocabulary. This list of synonyms for the word albeit is provided by Thesaurus.
- whereas
- granting
- despite
- admitting
- though
- granting all this
- despite the fact
- still
- in spite of
- while
- notwithstanding
- although
- supposing
- even supposing
- much as
- even though
- even if
- when
There are also many different words that mean the opposite of the word albeit. These opposite words are called antonyms. Antonyms are useful words and phrases to know to expand your vocabulary. This list of antonyms for the word albeit is also provided by Thesaurus.
- being
- over
- thanks to
- in view of
- in the interest of
- by reason of
- as long as
- owing to
- as a result of
- since
- in as much as
- in behalf of
- on account of
- for the reason that
- by cause of
- for the sake of
- as
- because
- whereas
- on the grounds that
- considering
- through
- by virtue of
- due to
- in that
- seeing
- for
- now that
- as things go
Overall, the word albeit means although or even though. This word has been used since the Middle English, and is a contraction of al be it. The word albeit is less used than a word like although, but can be used with an adjectival phrase, adverbial phrase, dependent clause, subordinate clauses or a concessive clause. | https://thewordcounter.com/meaning-of-albeit/ |
TYSONS CORNER, Va., Jan. 27, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- MicroStrategy® Incorporated (Nasdaq: MSTR), a leading worldwide provider of enterprise software platforms, today announced financial results for the three-month period ended December 31, 2013 (the fourth quarter of its 2013 fiscal year).
Fourth quarter 2013 revenues were $165.9 million versus $156.0 million for the fourth quarter of 2012, a 6% increase. Product licenses and subscription services revenues for the fourth quarter of 2013 were $58.8 million versus $48.1 million for the fourth quarter of 2012, a 22% increase. Product support revenues for the fourth quarter of 2013 were $72.5 million versus $68.8 million for the fourth quarter of 2012, a 5% increase. Other services revenues for the fourth quarter of 2013 were $34.6 million versus $39.1 million for the fourth quarter of 2012, a 12% decrease.
Operating expenses for the fourth quarter of 2013 were $114.4 million versus $105.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2012, an 8% increase.
Income from continuing operations for the fourth quarter of 2013 was $18.5 million, as compared to income from continuing operations of $13.7 million for the fourth quarter of 2012, a 35% increase. Net income for the fourth quarter of 2013 was $16.1 million, or $1.43 per share on a diluted basis, as compared to net income of $8.2 million, or $0.73 per share on a diluted basis, for the fourth quarter of 2012.
Non-GAAP income from continuing operations, which excludes share-based compensation expense, was $20.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2013, as compared to non-GAAP income from continuing operations of $13.7 million for the fourth quarter of 2012, a 47% increase.
As of December 31, 2013, MicroStrategy had cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments, excluding those held-for-sale, of $357.4 million versus $223.1 million as of December 31, 2012, an increase of $134.3 million. As of December 31, 2013, MicroStrategy had 9.1 million shares of class A common stock and 2.2 million shares of class B common stock outstanding.
The table at the end of this press release includes a reconciliation of income from continuing operations to non-GAAP income from continuing operations for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2013 and 2012. An explanation of this non-GAAP measure is also included under the heading "Non-GAAP Financial Measure" below.
Only vendor to achieve "Excellent" or "Good" (green) ratings in all 14 functional areas.
Largest number of "Excellent" ratings of any vendor - in eight of fourteen categories.
Only vendor to be rated "Excellent" in the "Mobile BI" category.
Highest rated among BI Platform vendors in the "Ease of Use" and "Visual Discovery" categories.
Only vendor to be rated "Excellent" in both the "Administration" and "Architecture" categories.
"The fact that MicroStrategy was the only vendor to achieve "Excellent" or "Good" ratings in all major 14 functional areas and had the largest number of "Excellent" ratings of any vendor - in eight of fourteen categories - is testament to their focus on innovation and BI Platform architecture," said Howson, founder of the BI Scorecard.
Forrester Research Cited MicroStrategy as a Leader in its Report Entitled "The Forrester Wave™: Enterprise Business Intelligence Platforms, Q4 2013"
In December 2013, Forrester Research, Inc. cited MicroStrategy as a leader in its report entitled "The Forrester Wave™: Enterprise Business Intelligence Platforms, Q4 2013." MicroStrategy received its top scores in Product direction, Global presence and install base, and Architecture.
According to the report, "MicroStrategy shines with seamless architecture and a top mobile BI platform. MicroStrategy has grown organically and architected its entire suite as a single platform. Forrester clients find that, after making the initial investment and effort in MicroStrategy, the reusability of all objects and the relational OLAP engine with drill-anywhere capability often result in longer lower-term total cost of ownership. We've also seen clients having the most success with enterprise-scalable mobile BI applications delivered on the MicroStrategy platform. Forrester found that MicroStrategy had excellent mobile information delivery, scalability, integrated metadata and reporting, and querying functionality."
According to the report, MicroStrategy customers praised our data access, information delivery, reporting and querying, operational capabilities, and corporate and product vision. The report found that MicroStrategy is differentiated by its completeness, comprehensiveness, and integration of its entire BI architectural stack.
In December 2013, Dresner Advisory Services rated MicroStrategy the number one overall offering out of 25 vendors for Mobile Computing / Mobile Business Intelligence. This is the third year in a row that MicroStrategy has topped the list of vendors included in Dresner's Wisdom of Crowds® Mobile Computing / Mobile BI Market Study.
Users in Sales & Marketing business functions have been among the earliest adopters of Mobile BI.
Top perceived benefits include pervasive access to information, better and faster decision-making, and better support for increasingly mobile and customer-facing workforce.
As in 2011 and 2012, Apple's iOS devices remain the top priority in terms of what devices organizations are using or plan to use, followed by Android smartphones.
Also notable is the continued decline in the RIM Blackberry platform - with more than 50% of respondents indicating "no interest."
From a vertical industry perspective, Retail & Wholesale assign Mobile BI the highest importance and have been among the most ambitious in its adoption - with many examples of excellent use cases related to store and field management.
For the most popular mobile platforms (iOS, Android) users still have a strong preference for native apps over web apps.
"Mobile Computing / Mobile BI is not only becoming more pervasive in and across organizations, it's becoming much more mature and advanced," said Howard Dresner, Founder and Chief Research Officer, Dresner Advisory Services, and author of the 2013 Wisdom of Crowds® Mobile Computing / Mobile BI Market Study. "Users' needs have shifted away from simple viewing of charts / reports and KPIs in favor of more sophisticated capabilities including data selection and filtering / drill-down navigation. For the third year in a row, the study rated MicroStrategy the top Mobile BI offering with the highest overall score for Mobile Computing / Mobile BI among all 25 vendors rated."
In December 2013, MicroStrategy was named the top retail software vendor in the 2013 Retail Information Systems (RIS) News Software LeaderBoard. This annual report highlights all of the major retail technology vendors in head-to-head comparisons largely based on retailer evaluations and serves as an objective guide to help retailers find the solutions and vendors they need. MicroStrategy finished in first place in the Top 20 Overall category among an international group of 87 leading retail software vendors. According to Joe Skorupa, Editor-in-Chief of RIS News, all vendors that appear on this master list are "truly retail technology's best of the best."
Furthermore, MicroStrategy ranked in the top 10 in 11 other categories: Leaders in Apparel; Leaders in Specialty Retailing; Leaders in Retail Concentration; Large Vendor Customer Satisfaction; Leaders for Mid-Size Retailers; Leaders in Recommendation Status by Tier One Retailers; Leaders in Product Reliability by Tier One Retailers; Leaders by Apparel Retailers; Leaders in Overall Performance by Tier One Retailers; Leaders in Administration/Maintenance by Tier One Retailers; and Broad Suite Vendor Customer Satisfaction.
In November 2013, Chairman and CEO Michael Saylor participated on a POLITICO emergency-preparedness panel at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. Saylor discussed how mobile technology provides critical solutions for emergency and disaster response in the post-9/11 world. Among these solutions is MicroStrategy's Usher™ mobile identity management platform, which represents a transformational mobile app technology for public safety, at a time when the U.S. Department of Commerce is exploring a high-speed, nationwide network of secure communications for the country's First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet).
Brussels Airport is the airport to the capital of Europe and is situated seven miles northeast of Brussels, Belgium. It provides flight information and booking services, assistance services, baggage and travel information, and a wide range of other services to both passengers and business partners. Brussels Airport selected MicroStrategy as its new enterprise analytics standard replacing its previous BI solution. A new MicroStrategy customer, Brussels Airport will use the MicroStrategy Analytics Platform™ to analyze its business operations and improve insights into the airport's operational performance and costs, and will provide executives and managers with information dashboards that display volumes of data in a highly visual and interactive manner. In choosing MicroStrategy, Brussels Airport cited MicroStrategy's ease of use, interactivity, performance, and scalability.
Einstein Noah Restaurant Group Inc., with headquarters in Lakewood, Colorado, is the nation's largest operator of bagel bakeries and a leader in the quick casual segment of the restaurant industry, owning retail brands Einstein Bros.® Bagels, Noah's New York Bagels®, and Manhattan Bagel®. Einstein Noah Restaurant Group said an expansion of MicroStrategy licenses will allow it to rapidly deploy and extend its mobile application providing store-level information to its management team. The focus will be on migrating from traditional grid reports to delivering similar information in a highly visual and interactive manner to generate rapid insight into operational performance at the store, region, and brand level. Additionally, Einstein Noah Restaurant Group is using MicroStrategy Mobile™ to monitor restaurant evaluation information from customer surveys providing feedback regarding customer satisfaction. Tracking sales and cost information for each individual store will be combined with customer service ratings, providing company leadership a more detailed view of store and staff performance. Einstein Noah Restaurant Group selected MicroStrategy for its platform's ease of use, self-service analytics, scalability, and mobile leadership.
Elektroskandia Sverige AB, with headquarters in Sollentuna, Sweden, is the market leading wholesaler of electronic equipment in Sweden. Elektroskandia chose MicroStrategy to supply its sales managers and field sales force with easy and accurate access to KPIs via the web and mobile devices. Having a single reliable access point to information will help Elektroskandia's senior leadership make better decisions to increase productivity and overall revenue. Elektroskandia chose MicroStrategy for its low total cost of ownership, scalability, comprehensive analytics platform, and ease of use.
Hawaii Medical Service Association (HMSA), headquartered in Oahu, is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, as well as Hawaii's most experienced health plan, insuring more than 50 percent of Hawaii's population. A recent addition of MicroStrategy licenses will allow HMSA to expand its presence in the community and focus its analytic efforts on understanding consumers by measuring and predicting their behavior. MicroStrategy was chosen for its platform's ease of use, self-service analytics, and scalability.
Headquartered in Clermont-Ferrand, France, Michelin is a leading global tire company dedicated to manufacturing and marketing tires for every type of vehicle. Michelin is present in more than 170 countries, has 113,400 employees, and operates 69 production plants in 18 different countries. A MicroStrategy customer since 1998, Michelin uses MicroStrategy for a broad range of analytics applications, including finance, operations, sales and marketing and supply chain analysis. Michelin recently chose to expand its usage of the MicroStrategy Analytics Platform, making it its worldwide analytics standard. MicroStrategy will help Michelin to better monitor the performance of its worldwide manufacturing plants and improve business decisions through visual and mobile analytics. MicroStrategy was selected for its scalability, robustness, ease of use, and comprehensive analytics and mobile architecture.
With headquarters in Tokyo, Nomura Research Institute (NRI) is Japan's largest consulting firm and has a more than 30-year history of delivering IT services to the world's largest convenience store chain, with more than 50,000 stores worldwide. NRI selected MicroStrategy to better understand the performance of product sales across 8,000 stores in the US, Canada and Mexico. With MicroStrategy, all levels of managers, from store managers through operations managers, to company executives will be able to track the performance of critical KPIs, improve sales performance and labor productivity, and lower perishable food costs. In selecting MicroStrategy over other analytics products, NRI cited scalability, robustness, ease of use, and MicroStrategy's leading comprehensive analytics and mobile architecture platforms.
Headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, S-Group (SOK) is a retailing cooperative organization consisting of 20 regional cooperatives operating across Finland in the markets for groceries, consumer durables, service stations, hotel and restaurant services, agricultural supplies, and car sales. A MicroStrategy customer since 1999, SOK uses MicroStrategy for a broad range of analytics applications, including sales, operations and merchandising. A recent investment in MicroStrategy Mobile licenses will allow SOK executives and management to consume business- critical data on their mobile devices, and react to trends and anomalies quickly. SOK selected MicroStrategy for its strategic focus and leadership in mobility, ease of use, scalability, and device-independent enterprise platform.
The Weather Channel, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, provides millions of people every day with the world's best weather forecasts, content, and data, connecting with them through television, online, mobile, and tablet screens. A new MicroStrategy customer, The Weather Channel selected the MicroStrategy Analytics Platform to help them better analyze performance and trends around products, audience, pricing, and revenue. The Weather Channel chose MicroStrategy for its platform's ease of use, self-service analytics, scalability, and mobile capabilities.
Virginia Tech is a public land-grant, space-grant, and sea-grant university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, with other research and educational centers throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, the National Capital Region, and international locations in Switzerland, India, and the Dominican Republic. Virginia Tech selected MicroStrategy as its enterprise BI software solution. By standardizing its reports and dashboards on MicroStrategy, Virginia Tech will give its end users highly interactive views of university data for admissions and enrollment information, as well as financial and HR data. Virginia Tech selected MicroStrategy for its organically-grown architecture platform, ease of use, superior customer references in the higher education space, as well as for its visualization and reporting capabilities.
MicroStrategy is providing a supplemental financial measure for income from continuing operations that excludes the impact of share-based compensation arrangements. This financial measure is not a measurement of financial performance under generally accepted accounting principles in the United States ("GAAP") and, as a result, this financial measure may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies. Management uses this non-GAAP financial measure internally to help understand, manage, and evaluate business performance and to help make operating decisions. MicroStrategy believes that this non-GAAP financial measure is also useful to investors and analysts in comparing its performance across reporting periods on a consistent basis because it excludes a significant non-cash expense that the Company believes is not reflective of its general business performance. In addition, accounting for share-based compensation arrangements requires significant management judgment and the resulting expense could vary significantly in comparison to other companies. Therefore, MicroStrategy believes the use of this non-GAAP financial measure can also facilitate comparison of the Company's operating results to those of its competitors.
The MicroStrategy Analytics Platform™ enables leading organizations to analyze vast amounts of data and distribute actionable business insight throughout the enterprise. Our analytics platform delivers reports and dashboards, and enables users to conduct ad hoc analysis and share their insights anywhere, anytime. MicroStrategy Mobile™ lets organizations rapidly build information-rich applications that combine multimedia, transactions, analytics, and custom workflows. The MicroStrategy Identity Platform™ (branded as MicroStrategy Usher™) provides organizations the ability to develop a secure mobile app for identity and credentials. The MicroStrategy Loyalty Platform™ (branded as MicroStrategy Alert) is a next-generation, mobile customer loyalty and engagement solution. To learn more about MicroStrategy, visit www.microstrategy.com and follow us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/microstrategy) and Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/microstrategy).
MicroStrategy, MicroStrategy Analytics Platform, MicroStrategy Mobile, MicroStrategy Identity Platform, MicroStrategy Loyalty Platform, and MicroStrategy Usher are either trademarks or registered trademarks of MicroStrategy Incorporated in the United States and certain other countries. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
This press release may include statements that may constitute "forward-looking statements," including estimates of future business prospects or financial results and statements containing the words "believe," "estimate," "project," "expect," or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements inherently involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results of MicroStrategy Incorporated and its subsidiaries (collectively, the "Company") to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Factors that could contribute to such differences include: the extent and timing of market acceptance of MicroStrategy's new offerings; the Company's ability to recognize revenue or deferred revenue through delivery of products or satisfactory performance of services; continued acceptance of the Company's other products in the marketplace; fluctuations in tax benefits or provisions; the timing of significant orders; delays in the Company's ability to develop or ship new products; competitive factors; general economic conditions, including significant downturns in industries, including the financial services and retail industries, in which we have a significant number of customers; currency fluctuations; and other risks detailed in the Company's registration statements and periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. By making these forward-looking statements, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release. | https://ir.microstrategy.com/news-releases/news-release-details/microstrategy-announces-fourth-quarter-2013-financial-results |
Harriet Tubman Residential Center Gets New Life Thanks to “Raise the Age”
SENNETT, N.Y. — A recent measure passed by the state of New York has resulted in the need for more juvenile correctional facilities. This is good news for the town of Sennett, whose Harriet Tubman Residential Center has sat empty for six years and will benefit from needs arising from the so-called “Raise the Age” legislation, which raises the age of criminal responsibility in the state from 16 to 18 years old.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office announced that the state Office of General Services is seeking bids for a $12 million project that will transform the former Harriet Tubman Residential Center into a limited secure residential center for 25 people, according to AuburnPub.com, an area news service.
The Harriet Tubman Residential Center, named for the celebrated abolitionist and humanitarian, was constructed in 1993 and was operated as a juvenile justice facility for young women, according to a statement on the state’s Office of Children and Family Services website. However, the facility, which was a 22-bed female residential center, has been closed since 2011. Presently, the 11,800-square-foot facility is situated on close to 110 acres of land and includes offices, classrooms, a kitchen and dining room, recreational space, as well as a pair of garages and a 6,600-square-foot gymnasium.
A sports medicine company purchased the facility at an auction for $900,000 but failed to realize its vision of an athletic complex despite being awarded $500,000 via the state’s regional economic development initiative in support of the project. Likewise, the city of Sennet explored repurposing the center as a park and community center to no avail.
“After passing groundbreaking legislation this year to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 18 years old, it is crucial that we now invest in facilities that will offer rehabilitative services that these teens need,” Cuomo said in a statement. “This is a major step toward breaking the cycle of recidivism, increasing public safety and creating a stronger and more secure New York for all.”
The new center, which will be operated by the state Office of Children and Family Services, will have 85 employees. A similar project that is also benefitting from the “Raise the Age” measure, is the Adirondack Correctional Facility in Ray Brook, N.Y., which will be completed by fall 2018. | https://correctionalnews.com/2017/09/27/harriet-tubman-residential-center-gets-new-life/ |
Medicinal Moments and What It Means to Choose Ourselves
I tried to write yesterday, but the words wouldn't come. Some people refer to this as writers block, but I've never really thought of it that way. I think that some things simply need time and space. Sometimes silence and stillness. Sometimes music or motion. A chance to absorb or observe. An opportunity to consider.
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And still the World asks that we prioritize productivity over almost everything else. Somewhere along the way we have come to celebrate and glorify busyness, often using it as an indicator of our success.
We keep going, we keep doing, and we keep waiting for the contentment that never seems to come because how can we ever really relax into a moment when we're so conditioned to always be thinking ahead.
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So, when the words won't come, I ask myself what I need. Not what I need to be more productive. Not what I need to achieve the next goal. I simply ask what I need in the moment. And then I do my best to meet that need.
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Lately, my needs have looked like recognizing that not everything I think, feel or create has to be shared. They've looked like understanding, with the most wonderfully unburdening clarity, that I don't have to read ten opinion pieces on social media before I can form my own view. They've looked like not investing in relationships that are shallow beyond the surface and offer little meaning beyond the superficial. They've looked like trusting in the timing of my life and what it means to choose myself. They've looked like swimming laps of a pool, over and over again as my body comes to remember weightlessness and ease.
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It's remarkable to me just how medicinal simplicity is. To not have to unnecessarily adorn everything. To let the solitary second be rich and bare. And how, then, there is no block, no obstacle, just a flow of awareness and gratification at what it is to come home to ourselves. | https://www.skylarlibertyrose.com/blog/2019/3/12/medicinal-moments |
I joined Google+ in late 2012, something of an internet virgin. Prior to that, I hadn’t been active on social media to any significant degree. I immediately began sharing music, because it’s important to me, as it is for many people.
After maybe a year or so, I got frustrated at the near-total lack of engagement on my music shares. I don’t think I was purely seeking external validation. My frustration was more existential: why waste the effort if no one’s interested? So I stopped.
Which was stupid. We’re all at least as fickle as we experience everyone else to be. We like what we like and don’t what we don’t and aren’t keen to let anyone suckle our attention — just as we are owed no suckling ourselves.
I resumed sharing, and have continued since, for no other reason than that I enjoy it.
Today, the first day of a new year, I want to share a pair of tracks — or rather, a song and a short video about a song. Think of them as the entry and exit points for a uniquely American art: the fuse and its 35-year explosion.
AMERICAN RHAPSODY
“Rhapsody in Blue” (1924), which I believe marks the beginning of the so-called American Century, was built on a con.
After the success of an experimental classical-jazz concert held at Aeolian Hall, New York in 1923, famed band leader Paul Whiteman decided to attempt something more ambitious. He asked George Gershwin to contribute a concerto-like piece for an all-jazz concert he would give in the Aeolian in February 1924. Gershwin declined on the grounds that, as there would certainly be need for revisions to the score, he would not have enough time to compose the new piece.
Late on the evening of January 3, while George Gershwin and Buddy De Sylva were playing billiards, his brother Ira Gershwin was reading the January 4 edition of the New York Tribune. An article entitled “What Is American Music?” about the Whiteman concert caught his attention, in which the final paragraph claimed that “George Gershwin is at work on a jazz concerto, Irving Berlin is writing a syncopated tone poem, and Victor Herbert is working on an American suite.”
In a phone call to Whiteman next morning, Gershwin was told that Whiteman’s rival Vincent Lopez was planning to steal the idea of his experimental concert and there was no time to lose. Gershwin was finally persuaded to compose the piece.
Since there were only five weeks left, Gershwin hastily set about composing. On a train journey to Boston, the ideas of Rhapsody in Blue came to his mind. He told his first biographer Isaac Goldberg in 1931:
It was on the train, with its steely rhythms, its rattle-ty bang, that is so often so stimulating to a composer – I frequently hear music in the very heart of the noise. … And there I suddenly heard, and even saw on paper – the complete construction of the Rhapsody, from beginning to end. No new themes came to me, but I worked on the thematic material already in my mind and tried to conceive the composition as a whole. I heard it as a sort of musical kaleidoscope of America, of our vast melting pot, of our unduplicated national pep, of our metropolitan madness. By the time I reached Boston I had a definite plot of the piece, as distinguished from its actual substance.
The title “Rhapsody in Blue” was suggested by Ira Gershwin after his visit to a gallery exhibition of James McNeill Whistler paintings, which bear titles such as Nocturne in Black and Gold: The Falling Rocket and Arrangement in Grey and Black (better known as Whistler’s Mother).
Gershwin finished his composition in a matter of weeks and passed it to Whiteman’s arranger Ferde Grofé, who orchestrated the piece, finishing it on February 4, only eight days before the afternoon premiere at Aeolian Hall. Many important and influential musicians of the time were present, including Sergei Rachmaninoff, Igor Stravinsky, and John Philip Sousa.
The purpose of the experiment, as told by Whiteman in a pre-concert lecture, was to “at least provide a stepping stone which will make it very simple for the masses to understand, and therefore, enjoy symphony and opera”. The program was long, including 26 separate musical movements, divided into 2 parts and 11 sections, bearing titles such as “True form of jazz” and “Contrast: legitimate scoring vs. jazzing”. Gershwin’s latest composition was the second to last piece (before Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1). Many of the numbers sounded similar and the ventilation system in the concert hall was broken. People in the audience were losing their patience — until the clarinet glissando that opened Rhapsody in Blue was heard.
Listen (if only to the intro).
Gershwin decided to keep his options open as to when Whiteman would bring in the orchestra and he did not write down one of the pages for solo piano, with only the words “Wait for nod” scrawled by Grofé on the band score. Gershwin improvised some of what he was playing, and he did not write out the piano part until after the performance, so it is unknown exactly how the original Rhapsody sounded.
The opening clarinet glissando came into being during rehearsal when; “… as a joke on Gershwin, Ross Gorman (Whiteman’s virtuoso clarinettist) played the opening measure with a noticeable glissando, adding what he considered a humorous touch to the passage. Reacting favourably to Gorman’s whimsy, Gershwin asked him to perform the opening measure that way at the concert and to add as much of a ‘wail’ as possible.” [Adapted from Wikipedia]
That clarinet wail is as close to a jazz call as classical music can get. Jazz wasn’t exactly new by this time. The first use of the word came some 20 years before (but no one is certain of its birth or parentage). We hear the word and think “highbrow,” but at the time, it was closer to hip-hop circa 1985 — a popular form of “street music” that made the upper classes nervous for all its associated behaviors: drinking and dancing and women with bare ankles!
I suspect Whiteman was actually aiming for the exact opposite of his stated goal. He was not trying to give the masses an introduction to classical music. He trying to give the luminaries of the age and introduction to jazz — something like a Smithsonian “urban music festival” performed at the Kennedy Center. To that aim, Gershwin, without really intending it, created the perfect marriage of jazz and classical.
In an article in Atlantic Monthly in 1955, Leonard Bernstein, who nevertheless admitted that he loved the piece, was ambivalently critical of the Rhapsody:
The Rhapsody is not a composition at all. It’s a string of separate paragraphs stuck together. The themes are terrific, inspired, God-given. I don’t think there has been such an inspired melodist on this earth since Tchaikovsky. But if you want to speak of a composer, that’s another matter. Your Rhapsody in Blue is not a real composition in the sense that whatever happens in it must seem inevitable. You can cut parts of it without affecting the whole. You can remove any of these stuck-together sections and the piece still goes on as bravely as before. It can be a five-minute piece or a twelve-minute piece. And in fact, all these things are being done to it every day. And it’s still the Rhapsody in Blue.
Born of a jazz mother and classical father, named after an American painter, “Rhapsody in Blue” is a musical assembly piece, every bit as interchangeable as the interchangeable parts upon which American industrial and military might was built. One expects that if Gershwin and Whiteman were not under pressure of competition — that most American of conditions — if they hadn’t “rushed to market,” the final piece would’ve been seamless, hefty, and polished flat.
GIANT STEPS
After 35 years of unbridled popularity, “Giant Steps” (1959) is where jazz left the mainstream. Depending on your tastes, the song either has one foot in or one foot out the door. In either case, after “Giant Steps,” jazz departs the popular consciousness, never to return.
Artists before Coltrane explored experimental improvisational techniques, of course, but those attempts were just that: tentative, abortive, exploratory. Coltrane wasn’t scouting the periphery to impress his pals. He intended to leave and never return. In the 1960s, he began playing avante-garde jazz, followed later by his own brand of spiritualist music based on Hindu and Buddhist teachings, both of which perplexed audiences and critics alike.
But “Giant Steps” is a masterpiece, every bit the giant step it claims to be. Luckily, the good folks at Vox created a wonderful short video that explains why.
And as we depart, here is the full track. Jazz didn’t “die” with this song. Jazz is very much alive today. But this was where it stopped growing, if you will. After “Giant Steps,” jazz has its midlife crisis. It tries hard to recapture its youth (check out Miles Davis’s strange concerts in the 1970s), fails, and settles into a comfortable and respectable old age. | https://rickwayne.blog/2019/01/01/music-the-35-year-explosion/ |
The aim of this publication is to give an overview of the guidelines of Brazil's foreign policy in a wide variety of areas. The country's present position on the world stage means that its diplomatic agenda has become increasingly complex. For this reason the systematic and continuous monitoring of the positions taken by Brazil at the international level has become a real challenge. This Handbook has been developed to meet this challenge.
The work is dedicated to VaR models, estimated on the equities quotes of the six European countries. The time series cover three economic periods - pre crisis, crisis and post crisis, where the crisis period is the financial crunch of the 2008 year. The volatility estimation is based on the four APARCH(1,1) models and six distribution functions. The results of the investigation show the connection of the model with country's economic development and its financial condition at the different periods of time.
It was not until the early 18th century that Russia began to establish commercial and diplomatic relations with Western Europe. Peter the Great's foreign interests were focused toward the major states of Northern Europe, but the Iberian Peninsula was not wholly without significance for Russia. His westernization campaign extended across the Pyrenees. This tradition continued by the Russian empress Catherine II. Russian-Spanish relations, once terminated after the failure to connect Russia to the Viennese Alliance in 1730 , were reestablished since 1760. This article examines diplomatic relations between the two nations after Catherine II's ascension to the throne when Russian high-ranking diplomat, count Piotr Buturlin, was sent as an Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary minister to the Spanish court. Based on archival manuscripts (diplomatic and other correspondence) from the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire, which were published for the first time, the research deals with the political and commercial relations between two nations during the early 1760s.
This edited volume provides an inclusive explanation of what, why, and how cities interact with global counterparts as well as with nation states, non-governmental organizations, and foreign publics. The chapters present theoretical and analytical approaches to the study of city diplomacy as well as case studies to capture the nuances of the practice. By bringing together a diverse group of authors in terms of their geographic location, academic and practitioner backgrounds, the volume speaks to multiple disciplines, including diplomacy, political science, communication, sociology, marketing and tourism.
We address the external effects on public sector efficiency measures acquired using Data Envelopment Analysis. We use the health care system in Russian regions in 2011 to evaluate modern approaches to accounting for external effects. We propose a promising method of correcting DEA efficiency measures. Despite the multiple advantages DEA offers, the usage of this approach carries with it a number of methodological difficulties. Accounting for multiple factors of efficiency calls for more complex methods, among which the most promising are DMU clustering and calculating local production possibility frontiers. Using regression models for estimate correction requires further study due to possible systematic errors during estimation. A mixture of data correction and DMU clustering together with multi-stage DEA seems most promising at the moment. Analyzing several stages of transforming society’s resources into social welfare will allow for picking out the weak points in a state agency’s work. | https://publications.hse.ru/en/books/228235868 |
The gallery is pleased to present Keltie Ferris' first solo gallery show in New York, which will coincide with a solo project at the NADA Art Fair in Miami. Entitled Dear Sir or Madam and Sincerely Yours, the pair of exhibitions present new paintings dealing with notions of expression and identity.
Using oil, acrylic, and spray paint, Keltie Ferris creates layered abstractions in which the hard edged forms embedded within the under painting contrast with the soft blur of the sprayed surface to create visual and metaphorical tensions. Oscillating between the pictorial structures of Joan Mitchell and Hans Hoffman, clusters of brushstrokes and bursts of spray paint create “clouds” that dominate the picture plane while blocks and edges are squarely painted to create visual depth. Demonstrating a rigorous concern with spatial illusion and color relationships, her process often includes spraying translucent oil paint over scraped surfaces and cutting or peeling small sections to expose the under painting or raw canvas beneath the painting’s “skin.”
Representational elements such as teeth or eyes sometimes reveal the subtle image of a mask, which when coupled with a scavenger’s eye for surface, traces a lineage to artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jean Dubuffet, or the CoBrA Group. In her most recent works, a mysterious, almost prehistoric symbol is carefully drawn with dots of spray paint in the foreground, which summons the Abstract Expressionist fascination with the spiritual, metaphysical, and unconscious.
Titles such as “Spider Silva” (a legendary fighter) and “Jobriath“ (the first openly gay pop star) engage the tropes of sexual identity, while “Jesus of the Moon” (a metaphor for a sleeping woman) and “Ragnarök” (a series of apocalyptical events) evoke more visceral, emotional associations. Using metallic silver and bright, almost fluorescent colors, the artist invites free associations with the era of glam, drag, decadence, The Factory, Old Hollywood, "space age" science fiction, and blatant artificiality.
Keltie Ferris (b. 1977, Louisville, KY) lives and works in Brooklyn. She received a MFA from Yale University in New Haven, CT and a BFA from Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD). She has been included in exhibitions at Artspace, New Haven, CT; Jack Tilton, New York; Markus Winter, Berlin; and numerous exhibitions organized by Simon Watson of Scenic. Her work has recently been discussed in L.A. Weekly and Details. She is the recipient of both a Jacob Javits Fellowship and a Rema Hort Mann Foundation Grant. Dear Sir or Madam is the artist’s first New York gallery show. | http://hortongallery.com/exhibitions/dear-sir-or-madam/ |
Marcia Wegman lives in Iowa City. She has worked in multiple media, including intaglio printmaking (which she studied for her MFA at the University of Iowa), oil, watercolor, collage, and paper making. Her landscapes of the Midwest capture the spirit of Iowa. In addition to pastoral pastels, she also paints abstract landscapes, like this one. They convey a feeling rather than the exact details of a location. The layering of long brushstrokes fractures the landscape and rebuilds it in new and exciting ways.
Artist's Statement:
Several times a year, I put away my numerous boxes of pastels, clear off the studio table, bring all the various tubes and bottles of acrylic paint, a wide assortment of brushes and tools, various sizes of canvases up out of the basement, and spend several weeks immersed in abstract painting. This is an exciting switching of gears where I go from representational landscapes using my photo references to working entirely from my imagination and allowing the color, forms, and marks that I randomly apply to begin to guide the direction of the painting. | https://education.uiowa.edu/wegman-marcia |
A study by the Department of Energy found that in green buildings net operating income was 28.8% higher than in non-green buildings. Missouri has more green buildings than Tennessee, but far fewer than Maryland.
The residential and commercial buildings in the U.S. consume about 40% of the nation’s total energy consumption. Green buildings use less energy, improve occupant health and productivity, and lower ownership risk. However, until recently researchers have lacked sufficient historical data to analyze the link between energy efficiency and financial performance because the information has been proprietary.
A recent study by the U.S. Department of Energy addressed this question. The authors were able to identify a set of 131 buildings for which the necessary data were available. Only buildings that met the following criteria were accepted into the study:
- Market value per square foot was greater than $400.
- Rent concessions in the building were greater than $0, but less than $3 per square foot.
- Monthly rent in the building was greater than $6 per square foot.
- Occupancy in the building was greater than 50%.
The authors then divided the buildings into two groups: buildings were “green” if they had an Energy Star score of 75 or higher (a measure of energy efficiency compared to other buildings of the same type) or if they had achieved LEED Certification. A discussion of what these criteria mean is below. Buildings were “non-green” if they did not meet either criteria. The result was 2 groups of buildings, green and non-green, each with more than 60 buildings in it.
The authors then compared the buildings on the following metrics:
- Market value per square foot;
- Net operating Income per square foot;
- Operating expenses per square foot;
- Rental income per square foot;
- Rental concessions per square foot;
- Occupancy rate.
Table 1 gives the results. Green buildings had higher market value, higher net operating income, higher rent, lower rental concessions, lower operating expenses, and higher occupancy rates. The differences in operating expenses and net operating income achieved statistical significance (p = 0.0089 and 0.0015 respectively), and the difference in market value approached it (p = 0.094).
Looking at Table 1, what jumps out is that net operating income was 28.8% higher in green buildings. Most of the increase seems to have come from reduced expenses, with a smaller contribution coming from increased rents.
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The Department of Energy study is not the only study to suggest better financial performance from green buildings. Table 2 summarizes results from 3 additional studies, all of which found that LEED and ENERGY STAR buildings generated higher rents, higher occupancy rates, and higher value per square foot.
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So how many green buildings are there in Missouri? A database operated by the U.S. Green Building Council lists 389 LEED certifications in Missouri, covering 35.27 million square feet. Tennessee, Missouri, and Maryland are the 17th, 18th, and 19th most populous states in the country. Tennessee has 377 LEED certified activities (48.35 million square feet), and Maryland has 964 (11.4 million square feet). Figure 1 shows the data, with the number of LEED certified buildings in blue and the LEED certified square footage in red. Clearly, green building has caught on in Maryland to a much greater extent than it has here. It’s too bad – if you could deliver health benefits to those who live and work in a building, while at the same time improving its net operating income by 28.8%, you’d think that you’d want to do that, wouldn’t you?
Explanation of Energy Star and LEED Certification: ENERGY STAR is a building energy benchmarking program operated by the U.S. Department of Energy. Building owners enter their building’s energy consumption (from utility bills and similar sources) into a computer database. The database then compares the building’s energy consumption to that of other similar buildings. In other words, hospitals are compared to hospitals, schools to schools, office buildings to office buildings, etc. The program then gives each building a rating from 1-100, the higher the number the better the building’s energy performance. LEED is an acronym that stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. To achieve LEED certification, a building must incorporate a suite of technologies that improve the building’s environmental performance in a number of areas, from energy consumption to indoor air quality to water consumption, and others. The LEED system is administered by the U.S. Green Building Council.
MoGreenStats is now going on break for a few weeks. The next post will be scheduled for August 24, 2017. Happy trails ’til then.
Sources:
Department of Energy. 2017. Utilizing Commercial Real Estate Owner and Investor Data to Analyze the Financial Performance of Energy Efficient, High Performance Office Buildings. Downloaded 7/9/2017 from https://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2017/05/f34/bto_PilotResearchStudy-DOEFinancialDataInitiative_5-8-17.pdf.
Miller, Norm, Jay Spivey, and Andy Florance. 2008. Does Green Pay Off? Published by U.S. Department of Energy. Downloaded 7/10/2017 from https://www.energystar.gov/sites/default/files/buildings/tools/DoesGreenPayOff.pdf.
The Green Building Information Gateway, an online database operated by the U.S. Green Building Council. Data accessed online 7/9/2017 at http://www.gbig.org. | https://mogreenstats.com/2017/07/27/green-buildings-have-better-financial-performanc/ |
Randy Becker, a member of the Temagami First Nation and the new operator of the Frontenac pit, has ambitious plans to use the property as an active exploration site for base metals, establish an aggregate extraction operation, and utilize the site as a training ground for future Indigenous diamond drilling assistants and heavy equipment operators. “We have a couple of people signed up for training this summer and are waiting to see about drill availability,” said Becker.
https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/industry-news/aboriginal-businesses/a-real-world-education-647078
A College Built For Canadian Settlers Envisions an Indigenous Future
NY Times – June 19, 2017
Now, all that has changed. The powwow graduation in May was one example of how universities across Canada are “indigenizing” — a new, elastic term that means everything from drawing more aboriginal students and faculty members onto campuses built largely for white settlers, to infusing those stodgy Western institutions with aboriginal belief systems and traditional knowledge. While sporadic efforts on many campuses took root decades ago, a true campaign was set off by the Canadian commission that looked into residential schools and their abuses against indigenous children.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/19/world/canada/a-college-built-for-canadian-settlers-envisions-an-indigenous-future.html
Afn National Chief Bellegarde Commits to Action On An Indigenous Languages Act
Anishinabek News – June 15, 2017
(Ottawa, ON) – Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Perry Bellegarde today participated in a joint announcement with the Federal Minister of Canadian Heritage, the Honourable Mélanie Joly, on the co-development of an Indigenous Languages Act aimed at revitalizing, protecting, recovering, and maintaining Indigenous languages. “Revitalizing First Nations languages is a vital part of self-determination,” said National Chief Bellegarde. “Language is culture and central to our songs, stories, and ceremonies. The recognition, promotion, and recovery of First Nations languages – the original languages of these lands – will not only strengthen our Nations but enrich the whole country. We look forward to the First Nation engagement process supporting First Nations jurisdiction, and will ensure language rights are recognized as inherent rights. This vital work will be a lasting legacy for our children.”
http://anishinabeknews.ca/2017/06/15/afn-national-chief-bellegarde-commits-to-action-on-an-indigenous-languages-act/
Greater Essex School Board Signs New Indigenous Protocol
CBC Indigenous – June 14, 2017
Under the new agreement, the Greater Essex County District School Board will hire more Indigenous teachers, reflect more Indigenous people in the curriculum and offer Indigenous language classes. “I’m absolutely overjoyed that this school board has made a commitment to increasing achievement, but also respecting the culture and the history and the perspectives in all that they do,” said Leslee White-Eye, Chief of the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/greater-essex-school-board-signs-new-indigenous-protocol-1.4157530
6 Victoria Schools Come Together To Explore Indigenous Culture
CBC Indigenous – June 13, 2017
Most of Rhude’s performers are First Nations students from the six schools, and for many, this is their first time acting on stage. “I really want to highlight the courage of these students,” she said. “I’ve watched these students who were scared to even get on stage wearing regalia and singing, really nervous, but excited to share what they have.”
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/victoria-indigenous-education-bc-1.4159255
First Nations Activist Says Education is Critical for Canada’s Next 150 Years
Waterloo Region Record – June 13, 2017
WATERLOO — Reconciliation sounds nice, but putting it to action is what will make a real difference for Canada’s indigenous communities, says Roberta Jamieson. “For the next 150 years, we indigenous people are looking for change,” the lawyer and First Nations activist told a crowd at University of Waterloo Monday night as part of a special convocation lecture. “This time around, Canadians have the opportunity to become former colonizers.” Jamieson was the first First Nations woman to earn a law degree in Canada. She has seen a lot of positive change since she was one of only four indigenous students at university, but there is still a long way to go. “We have to demonstrate that we live in a reality where we support each other,” she said.
https://www.therecord.com/news-story/7370389-first-nations-activist-says-education-is-critical-for-canada-s-next-150-years/
Western Graduation: London-Area First Nations Chief Leslee White-Eye Implores Graduates to Forge Bonds with Aboriginal Communities
LF Press – June 13, 2017
Get bridge-building with Canada’s aboriginal communities. That was the message graduates of a Western University-affiliated school heard at their convocation Tuesday, from an area First Nations chief who became her community’s first woman leader in more than 60 years. Chief Leslee White-Eye of the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation received an honourary degree as she addressed the King’s University College graduates, pleading for them to embrace community and forge bonds between themselves and indigenous communities. “There’s a lot of work ahead of us,” she said. “You are going to be our emerging leaders that will draw from a different vision of Canada, where we can both walk on a similar road.”
http://www.lfpress.com/2017/06/13/western-graduation-london-area-first-nations-chief-leslee-white-eye-implores-graduates-to-forge-bonds-with-aboriginal-communities
University of Montana: A Native-Friendly Higher Learning Institution
Indian Country Today – June 13, 2017
Montana is the traditional territory of 12 Native nations and at 6 percent, the state has a higher concentration of American Indian people than most states. According to Forbes, the student body at UM is roughly 3 percent Native. Forbes ranks UM 146th in public colleges, and 176th in research universities. It is a tier two research university, according to the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education (tiers one to three are based on doctoral research activity, determined by factors such as expenditure, number of doctorates awarded, research-focused faculty, etc.). UM is known to be one of the most affordable universities in the country, with an in-state tuition at $6,389, and out of state fees at $23,845. The average grant aid received is $3,708, and the student to faculty ratio is 18. Around 93 percent of students who apply are admitted, and the student body population is roughly 13,000.
https://indiancountrymedianetwork.com/education/native-studies-tribal-colleges/university-of-montana-a-native-friendly-higher-learning-institution/
Windsor Public Board Takes Steps to Improve Indigenous Representation in Education
Our Windsor – June 12, 2017
The Greater Essex County District School Board has signed a document which aims to make policies and teachings more inclusive of Indigenous communities and history. The Indigenous Education Protocol is a response to the calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. The local public board is the first in Ontario to move ahead with outlining principles to address the commission’s recommendations.
https://www.ourwindsor.ca/news-story/7368228-windsor-public-board-takes-steps-to-improve-indigenous-representation-in-education/
Council to Provide Update on Inquest Recommendations
TB News Watch – June 12, 2017
To that end, staff are proposing council approve a First Nations student bus pass pilot program, to be rolled out in September. Another recommendation was a safety audit of the city’s waterways, which was carried out last month and the results are to be presented on Monday as well. Council will also receive a report recommending the city approve up to $125,000 dollars in funding to tow the former icebreaker Alexander Henry to Thunder Bay, to use it as a museum ship. | http://education.chiefs-of-ontario.org/june-19-2017-new-mural-at-thunder-bay-catholic-school-remembers-residential-school-legacy/ |
Young Entrepreneur Society Forum
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Young Entrepreneur Society Forum
March 23 @ 5:00 PM - 9:00 PMFree
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Organized by: The Young Entrepreneurs Society Philippines
(YES) is an organization of young entrepreneurs who share a common passion for excellence in business and professional growth. YES Philippines was established to educate, promote, encourage, network, and develop aspiring and successful entrepreneurs. Through a series of engagements with successful business owners and executives, learning events, mentorship and networking opportunities, members of the society learn the crucial elements necessary to become successful entrepreneurs.
You must log in to post a comment. | http://phil-it.org.ph/calendar/young-entrepreneur-society-forum/ |
I can do anything audio.
I cut my teeth in my father's analog tape studio with an A500 and a MIDI port. In my youth, I was putting out tracks on every hot electronic record label out there. I have recorded, mixed and mastered tons of different styles of music.
I simply enjoy working in any style of music to make a more perfect sounding track. If you are an indie band and you are looking for a better mix, I'm your guy. If you are a Rapper looking for quick temp tracks to work out your arrangements, I'm your guy. If you are an acid house producer looking to throw down an EP on vinyl and you need some advice on mastering, I'm your guy. If you are video game producer looking to score several levels and sound effects quickly and cheaply, I'm your guy. If you are a singer with a great song and no producer, I am that guy who can do those things which you need.
Would love to hear from you. Click the contact button above to get in touch. | https://www.soundbetter.com/profiles/243768-sawbone-studios |
Creative Healthy Cooking/
I have cooked for so many years and learned almost every time I made something, a new tip, trick or way to love food. This is a recipe I made up one night after seeing a few inspirational pictures of healthy meals. I am like most people, always trying to up my healthy lifestyle game. Cooking healthy but creatively adds so many dimensions to a rich life. It incorporates my creative side, healthy but delicious food for sustenance but also time spent learning and thinking about what my body needs physically and emotionally. And really, if you can think outside the box, anyone can do this.
Recipe
Ingredients for two:
Cod portions (I used frozen but fresh would be great)- 2
Cauliflower- 1/2 head
Napa Cabbage- 1/2 head sliced lengthwise in half
Yam or Sweet Potato- 1
Fresh Garlic-4 to 5 cloves
Fresh Rosemary- 2 springs
Sundried Tomatoes-2 tablespoons
Olive Oil-as needed
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper-as needed
Course Sea Salt-as needed
Red Pepper Flakes- 1 tablespoon
Garlic Powder- 1 tablespoon
Italian Seasoning- 1 tablespoon
Chicken broth-as needed but at most 1/4 cup
First, Roast all the veggies
Toss course chopped cauliflower, potato of your choice, garlic left in skins in olive oil and place on a sheet pan. (Tip: I always cover the pan with tin foil for easy clean up). Sprinkle liberally with course sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Then pop into a 400 degree oven for up to 30 minutes turning it over half way through. Check every ten minutes in case it gets done faster.
You are looking for a nice lightly browned vegetable like in the picture below. Place the cauliflower, garlic, sun dried tomatoes and finely chopped rosemary in a Cuisinart. Make sure at this point you took the garlic out of its skin. Add a little vegetable or chicken broth 1/8 to 1/4 cup to blend it to a thick smooth consistency. Cover to keep warm while you prepare the rest of the meal. Set the potatoes aside to keep warm too. I use my warming oven.
Next coat your fish with olive oil and seasonings. I use garlic powder, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper on both sides. But you can use the seasonings you love. Use the same pan that you used for the other veggies for less clean up. Pop into a 400 degree oven for around 20 minutes turning half way through.
Also at the halfway point of cooking your fish add you wedges of Napa cabbage that is lightly coated in olive oil, sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper. It will turn light brown too. Perfecto!
When your fish is done, it's time to build. Put your mashed cauliflower down for a bed. No need to be perfect, rustic is fun. Then place your potatoes and cabbage on and finally top it with your gorgeous fish! Garnish with a wedge of lime and more rosemary or cilantro.
Before serving, warm your plates. You can put them in your warmer, run them under hot water or set in your oven for a couple of minutes while it is still warm (if they are oven proof).
Bon Apitite!
Linking up some of the things I use so often. My dishes are several years old from Costco but I found some that look identical at Walmart.
Thanks for stopping by!
Peace!
P.S. If you have questions feel free to ask. I am not expert at writing recipes as you can tell ! Ha ha!
Use the share buttons below to share, pin & like. It's so easy, just one click and that's it! | https://www.northwestmountainliving.com/new-blog-3/2018/3/29/creative-healthy-cooking |
Contents:
As of 2021, US companies have one more reason to transform their businesses. - All of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) provisions came into enforcement. Lots of enterprises are concerned about preparing for innovation. But, as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) implementation shows, the efforts will be justified. Here you will discover what’s the difference between these two acts, what risks are incurred by non-compliance with the CCPA, and what to do to follow the regulations.
CCPA Regulations: What You Should Comply With
What is the CCPA?
California Consumer Privacy Act is a state regulation created to ensure a high level of personal data security and secure them as consumers' property. The CCPA covers employees, contractors, and business customers' data transferring as well.
Who must comply with the Privacy Act?
CCPA applies to commercial companies that do business in California or employ California residents. Moreover, the law concerns only businesses that:
make annual commercial data transactions owned by min. 50K Californians
receive $25M of gross annual revenue or more
conduct the above data transactions, receiving at least 50% of annual revenue from it
Core CCPA requirements
According to the Act, consumers have the right to receive notifications and request information about the volume and purpose of their data usage. A company must answer a consumer's request within 45 days after its receiving. The tricky part is, as of January 1, 2021, businesses are obligated to provide data usage information for the last 12 months.
CCPA fully maintains consumer control over their data. They can refuse to submit personal information or require a company to delete it. In case of unauthorized non-compliance with obligations, consumers can sue enterprises. Following Perkins Coie, as of June 2021, there were 135+ litigation cases related to CCPA. The most significant number of claims concerns privacy notice.
One of the curious Act's provisions is the prevention of revenge. In other words, if a client demanded personal data deletion, a company does not have the right to overstate goods/services costs.
CCPA: Challenge or Opportunity?
The CCPA adoption is a win for consumers. Meanwhile, the business faced a second avalanche of challenges. Enterprises have to set up data processing in brief terms to:
know what data and why they collect
boost data storage
perform accurate custom notification
delete data without harming business
This approach often requires data processing systems modernization. Businesses are going to invest there up to $100K per year.
You may also like: Legacy Contact Center Migration: Does End Justify The Means?
It seems the California Consumer Privacy Act is a troublemaker. Meanwhile, it provides companies with the opportunity to improve the quality of their business. Due to compliance with the law, enterprises can:
operate only with reliable information
improve customer experience and level of trust
boost software base, bringing ourselves closer to digital transformation goal
improve marketing strategies
take care of data protection
CCPA vs. GDPR: Similarities & Differences
CCPA Compliance Checklist
Any violation of CCPA, including loss of data, will lead to penalties or damage to the company's reputation because of litigation. Businesses strive to find a versatile list of improvements they should implement to avoid poor overcomes. We defined the top 10 to-dos able to protect your company:
Create a robust strategy concerning data processing. You must understand all aspects of working with data and respond to consumer requests promptly.
Improve your current software base. Compliance with CCPA will become one more overwhelming burden on outdated systems.
Boost a UI. Add a pop-up banner with a confirmation feature. It will notify users about data collection and help to get their approval.
Build scenarios of actions for all possible CCPA-related requests.
Organize in-house training to prepare staff for new work conditions. Pay attention to your employees' data protection as well.
Initiate risk-management procedures concerning your business partners to make sure they also comply with CCPA.
Check all current agreements concerning data transferring and update them following the Privacy Act requirements.
Use robust software for data protection. Make sure your data storages are scalable and reliable.
Track any amendments to CCPA and shadow how your competitors provide their compliance with it.
The Bottom Line
They say CCPA is not the end of the world. It's a motivation for business to get better. By the way, the regulation will not bypass non-Californian companies. Initiatives to implement similar acts have sprung up in several states. To avoid issues, enterprises should prepare for changes before they come.
If you strive to migrate to new software for compliance with CCPA, feel free to contact our specialists. We’ll provide you with tips on where to start. | https://www.jevera.software/post/what-the-ccpa-is-general-view |
Fluorometry is the technique of measuring any parameter using fluorescent emission. In the context of modern bioscience, fluorometry is used to detect biological macromolecules such as proteins and measure their concentration in the experimental sample.
Fluoro – related to fluorescence
Metry – related to measurement
In modern bioscience, multiple experimental methods use fluorescence to qualitatively and quantitatively detect macromolecules such as nucleic acids and proteins, and cell organelles such as nuclei and mitochondria.
Such experiments are commonly classified as fluorescence detection assays.
In this article we will first look at the phenomenon of fluorescence and how it is used in biochemical detection. Next, we will discuss some common chemicals used in fluorometric detection assays, their working principle and the type of experiments they are used.
In this article:
How is fluorescence exploited in biological experiments?
Fluorescence-based bioassays analogy
Methodology for fluorescence-based bioassays
Option 2: Probe with fluorescent tag
Option 3: Probe with enzyme tag
Biochemicals and reagents in fluorometric detection assays
Fluorophores and fluorescent stains
Antibodies for immunofluorescence assays
What is fluorescence?
When a substance absorbs a light wave of a certain wavelength and then emits another light wave of a different and higher wavelength, this phenomenon is called fluorescence.
Consider a fluorescent item. It absorbs light in the UV range and emits light in the visible range. So, you can’t visually see the light that is triggering the fluorescence because humans cannot visually detect UV waves.
But we can see the material glow because the emission is in the visible spectrum. Fascinating, isn’t it?
This is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Representation of how fluorescence works.
Fluorescence is commonly seen in nature. Monarch caterpillars are a good example of this. They fluoresce under ultraviolet light.
Figure 2. Monarch caterpillar under UV light shows incredible fluorescence and contrast. Image via Chris Clemens, Nature’s Rainbows.
Other examples of naturally fluorescent organisms include jellyfish, a range of other marine fish including some sharks, corals, some amphibians, scorpions etc.
How is fluorescence used in biological experiments?
Fluorescence is often utilized in the qualitative and quantitative detection of a single type of biological macromolecule. These include DNA or a specific protein, some cell organelles such as lysosomes, and interaction between two macromolecules – DNA-protein or protein-protein interactions.
Specific experimental techniques include fluorescence microscopy and Western blot. Nowadays fluorescence-based ELISA (F-ELISA) is also being reported in recent literature.
Fluorescence-based bioassays analogy
Consider a dark room where you need to detect a dark object. The challenge is that you cannot switch the lights on. However, the good thing is that the target object fluoresces red when you turn on the UV lamp – and the room indeed has a UV lamp that you may turn on. Of course, you have put on gear for UV protection.
So, you turn on the UV. You cannot see the UV wave but now the target glows red. And you seamlessly detect it.
This is illustrated in figure 3.
Figure 3. Basic example of fluorescent detection. The same concept can be applied to fluorescent assays.
When it comes to this example, consider the dark object as a cellular structure or component which you can visualize using fluorescence.
Likewise, this dark room is your sample – say a single cell or tissue section on a microscope slide.
The target object is a cellular structure that can fluoresce. So, you put the experimental sample on a microscope slide under a microscope that hits it with UV radiation and you see your target organelle glowing red under the microscope.
Methodology for fluorescence-based bioassays
In experiments where a biological structure such as a cell organelle, or a macromolecule such as DNA, or a specific protein is the target for detection, the experimental surface that has the sample (microscope slide/ Western blot membrane etc.) is first treated with a chemical that specifically detects and binds to that target.
As shown in the figures below, this chemical probe can be either a fluorescent probe, a probe with a fluorescent tag, or a probe with an enzyme tag.
We’ll look at each of these options in more detail.
Option 1: Fluorescent probe
The first option is where the probe itself is fluorescent – typically, a fluorescent dye or stain (figure 4-1).
The probe binds directly to the target, but still does not fluoresce yet because it is not excited with an incident light of appropriate wavelength.
This is depicted schematically in panel A (left) in figure 4-1.
Now when the target-bound fluorescent probe is excited with the incident light, there is a fluorescence that is detected and quantified. This is shown in panel B (right) of figure 4-1.
Figure 4-1. Fluorescent Dye as the probe that detects the target protein (as specifically shown here) or cellular target. A) probe binds to target but no visual signaling yet. B) probe fluoresces when illuminated by incident light.
Option 2: Probe with fluorescent tag
Figure 4-2 shows an example of a probe that is tagged with a chemical that exhibits fluorescence.
There may be two experimental approaches for this.
Figure 4-2. A) Probe is tagged with another chemical that exhibits fluorescence. B) Probe is detected with a second chemical probe which is tagged with a fluorescent chemical.
In this case of what is shown in figure 4-2 panel A (left), the probe is an antibody that detects the actual target molecule in the sample. This type of antibody that directly detects the actual or primary target in the sample is called a primary antibody. In this case, the primary antibody is tagged with a chemical that can fluoresce when excited appropriately.
For the case shown in panel B of figure 4-2, the primary antibody detects the target in the sample, but does not have a fluorescent tag. Instead, another antibody serves as a second probe that detects and binds to this primary antibody probe. This antibody is a secondary antibody.
The secondary antibody probe has a fluorescent tag and exhibits fluorescence when excited with a light wave of appropriate wavelength.
For a detailed understanding of how primary and secondary antibodies work and are used in experiments, please refer to this article.
Part A of Figure 4-2 shows how the primary antibody is used to bind to the target protein, after which, fluorescence occurs.
Part B of figure 4-2 is similar but employs a secondary antibody with a fluorescent tag.
Option 3: Probe with enzyme tag
The third option is where a probe is tagged with an enzyme that can act on a substrate to cleave it to a product that exhibits fluorescence.
These types of substrates are called fluorogenic substrates.
This method involves the extra step of adding the fluorogenic substrate to the experimental surface.
Figure 4-3. Detailed look at an antibody tagged with an enzyme that cleaves a fluorogenic substrate.
Figure 4-3 shows the steps involved when using an antibody tagged with an enzyme that cleaves a fluorogenic substrate.
In the first stage, the primary antibody with a conjugated enzyme is added. The antibody is specific only for the target protein, which is among many proteins fixed to a membrane.
After the antibodies are given enough time to bind to the target protein, there is a wash step where any remaining unbound antibodies are washed away (second stage).
In the third stage, fluorogenic substrates are added. At this point, these substrates have not yet been acted upon by the enzyme and therefore no fluorescence should occur.
However, once the enzyme acts on the substrate (fourth stage of figure 4-3), changes occur to the substrate. The substrate is cleaved which leads to a new, fluorescent product (fifth stage of figure 4-3).
In either case, the final step uses specialized equipment such as a fluorescence microscope for hitting the experimental surface with a short wavelength radiation. Most of the time, the short-wave radiation will be a UV wave.
All that is left is observing your target glow somewhere in the visible spectrum.
The higher the intensity of the fluorescent glow, the higher the concentration is of your target in the sample.
Intensity of fluorescence emitted from the detected target biomolecule or organelle is used as the readout for measuring its concentration in the experimental sample.
Biochemicals and reagents in fluorometric detection assays
In fluorometric assays common chemicals required are:
- fluorescent dyes that act as the probe to detect the cellular target, or
- primary antibodies conjugated (attached) to a fluorophore, or
- secondary antibodies conjugated with a fluorophore. These antibodies are used to detect a non-fluorescent primary antibody that detects the actual cellular target – like a specific protein.
- a primary antibody conjugated to an enzyme. This enzyme in turn cleaves a substrate that is added at a later step, to produce a fluorescent product that is detected.
In this section we will look at the chemicals and components that aid in fluorogenic detection.
Fluorescent proteins
Fluorescent proteins GFP, YFP, RFP and a few others, that occur naturally, are extensively used in fluorogenic assays.
This is how scientists use these proteins in research experiments. Using the advances in modern recombinant DNA technology, fluorescent proteins, such as RFP (red fluorescent protein), are cloned in the cells or tissues that are aimed to be studied. This enables visualization and analysis of these fluorescent protein-expressing cells under a microscope that can trigger fluorescence and detect fluorescent images.
This technique is called fluorescence microscopy.
Nowadays mutants of naturally occurring fluorescent proteins that are optimized for better results are more commonly used in these experiments.
Here is an example of how RFP, along with fluorescence microscopy might get very useful in an experiment.
Imagine you have a bacterial strain that causes pneumonia. You want to study how fast this pathogenic strain multiplies within human lung cells, in comparison to a benign non-pathogenic bacterium.
For this, you transform the clinical isolate with RFP and the non-pathogenic strain with GFP and infect a lung cell line culture with equal numbers of both strains.
After a few hours of incubation, you observe the lung cells under a fluorescence microscope. You can easily quantify the number of both the pathogenic as well as the non-clinical bacterium inside each lung cell because they fluoresce red and green respectively.
Fluorophores and fluorescent stains
Fluorophores, also called fluorochromes, are compounds that exhibit fluorescence. They are conjugated to the probe, for example, an antibody, that detects the actual cellular target.
A fluorescence microscope triggers and detects the fluorophore’s fluorescence. Indirectly the tagged antibody, and the bound target can in turn be detected.
Instead of a fluorophore, a fluorescent stain may also be tagged with the detection probe. In this case, the principle of detection is the same as that of a tagged fluorophore.
In some cases, the fluorescent stain may itself be the probe that detects the cellular target.
A classic example of this is DAPI (4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole). DAPI binds to A-T regions in DNA.
DAPI is used as a direct probe for the cell’s nucleus (DNA rich region) and can be detected using its fluorescent properties because DAPI absorbs maximally in the UV spectrum (358nm) and fluoresces in the visible blue wavelength of 461nm.
Consider DAPI as the fluorescent probe in figure 4-1. Of course, in that case, the target for detection would be nucleic acids, and not a protein.
Antibodies for immunofluorescence assays
Immunofluorescence is the process of detecting a target using both its immunogenic properties, that is, using an antibody, as well as by using fluorescence in the same experiment.
This is depicted in figure 4-2.
If the primary antibody itself is conjugated to a fluorophore and no secondary antibody is required, the assay is called primary immunofluorescence (fig 4-2A).
More commonly, after the primary antibody detects the actual target protein or cell organelle in the sample, after a wash step that eliminates unbound primary antibody, the secondary antibody is added and detects the primary antibody already bound to the target.
This secondary antibody is conjugated to a fluorophore and is detected using the latter’s fluorescence.
The secondary antibody-conjugated fluorophore aids in the visual detection of the underlying complex comprising of three components:
- the target protein
- the primary antibody
- the secondary antibody.
This type of detection is known as secondary immunofluorescence.
Common techniques where immunofluorescence is useful are fluorescence microscopy, Western blots and ELISAs.
Fluorogenic substrates
Fluorogenic substrates are compounds that are not fluorescent by themselves, but when acted upon by a specific enzyme.
When acted upon by an enzyme, fluorogenic substrates are cleaved to a product compound that is fluorescent. Figure 5 is a closeup showing the relationship between enzyme and fluorogenic substrate.
Figure 5. Substrates (orange) are added and are acted upon by the enzyme (pink). Action leads to changes in the substrate. Cleavage of the substrate (by the enzyme) yields a new fluorescent product (green).
Find Fluorogenic Substrates
GoldBio has a wide variety of fluorogenic substrates for many enzyme types. You can browse the selection here.
Table 1. Classification of fluorogenic substrates based on the enzymes and the emission wavelength of the fluorescent product. | https://goldbio.com/blog/post?slug=All-About-Fluorometric-Detection-Assays |
The effect of paraffin wax embedding procedures on the ability of the fluorescent antibody test to demonstrate bluetongue virus antigen in insect tissue.
The effect of the reagents used in paraffin wax embedding procedures on the fluorescent antibody technique was investigated with a view to using this test for virus location studies on paraffin wax sections of bluetongue virus infected Culicoides variipennis. Experiments were carried out using tissue smears rather than prepared sections, enabling the effect of individual reagents to be evaluated. Infected smears treated with acetone alone showed bright specific fluorescence, while treatment of infected smears with all other reagents, including low melting point wax and acetone-soluble ester wax, prior to immunofluorescence testing reduced the brightness of specific fluorescence or rendered the test completely ineffective.
| |
checking the quality of manufactured samples. We work in class 7 cleanrooms in compliance with the ISO 13485 Quality Management System, following SOPs and keeping accurate records of all work undertaken. A background in medical manufacturing or other regulated industry would be preferable. Full training will be provided.
Responsibilities
- Undertake tasks as allocated on the production plan including setting machines for production runs, post processing, quality inspections and general cleanroom preparation and checks.
- Operate and calibrate equipment according to SOPs and instructions
- Carry out quality control testing at different stages of the manufacturing process - using standard and specialised laboratory equipment and following defined procedures
- Assist in Process Improvement actions and Quality Investigations as required.
- Maintain records for equipment and assist in the generation of batch documentation
- Work to and maintain Quality Standards.
- Ensure the management team and appropriate team members are aware of issues or
- potential issues in a timely manner.
- Work with the wider technical team to ensure the efficient running of the site.
- A hard-working and can-do attitude, enthusiasm and eagerness to learn and drive continuous improvements
- Attention to detail and good organisation
- Experience operating laboratory and/or industrial equipment
- Good hand-eye coordination
- Ability to follow instructions and procedures in order to comply with a Quality controlled environment
- Competent with office software (MS Word, PowerPoint, Excel etc)
- Teamwork: taking individual responsibility and supporting team members.
Please note that no terminology in this advert is intended to discriminate on the grounds of a person's gender, marital status, race, religion, colour, age, disability or sexual orientation. Every candidate will be assessed only in accordance with their merits, qualifications and abilities to perform the duties of the job. | https://www.mprecruitment.co.uk/job-search/546-production-technician/healthcare-medical/didcot/job |
- Credit: ©ARCHANT } NORFOLK 2002.
I was interested to learn from your paper (July 19, 2013) that the Elysian works property development site plan at 28 Temple Street has been passed by the town council with only six letters of objection and one for support from members of the public. The timings for objections seem to vary.
On a notice in Lawn Vista it states that the closing date for objections is July 24, 2013; in a letter sent to residents the closing date was stated as July 16, 2013.
Is this confusion to allow the plan to be passed without any discussion of the objections by residents at the various stages? I understand that there have, in fact, been more than six letters of objection.
The area is stated to be a conservation area and Lawn Vista overlooks the Byes and is in a unique position. The houses are attractive especially when viewed from the park.
When the building yard was in operation, as far as I remember, there was not a particular problem with the parking of building vehicles as they did not stay for long periods. There was a line marked for their access to the yard but they rarely entered the yard.
Over the last few years there has been an increase in the volume of parking due to the various activities around the area.
For example: town band, brownies, dog walkers, drama club, school users, allotment users, visitors to the vets (as their car park has been built on), workers from the business at the entrance to Lawn Vista parked all day, plus the town council members when there is overspill for their meetings. This often does not leave room for residents.
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This volume of parking continues to increase and has not been helped by the limited time for parking in the car park near Lawn Vista, off Temple Street. This used to be available and unrestricted. As you can imagine, the residents of Lawn Vista are already overburdened by this volume of traffic and parking and, at present, just about manage to live with it.
If these new houses require access via Lawn Vista, and the loss of five parking places for turning, parking for present residents will be further restricted and congested and this small road will be totally overburdened.
Lawn Vista is not a wide road and does not have a pavement. This means people walk on the road. Extra turning of cars into the development would add danger for pedestrians and car drivers.
Last week I looked at the Elysian yard, 28 Temple Street, from the Temple Street side. Access was recently made available. I discovered that the near-derelict house, which has been empty for at least 10 years and is where the builders possibly started their business, has an old garage attached to it.
This is an improvised building and, if demolished, would allow cars to pass through on to Temple Street, so leaving Lawn Vista to remain how it is, without taking away our parking places.
This kind of access on to Temple Street occurs all along the road and no excuse can be made about allowing the new investment development to have the same.
It is interesting that since I looked last week, and sent my letter to the Central Planning Team, a new fence has been erected, to close off the garage and back of the derelict house!
Perhaps the investment developers can be persuaded to revise their plans and show some consideration – is that possible when financial profit is the aim? | https://www.sidmouthherald.co.uk/lifestyle/consider-this-6090828 |
Despite tensions, China’s state visit to US an important step in Sino-American relations
Despite rising tensions stemming from Beijing‘s assertiveness over the Asia Pacific and alleged involvement in recent cyber-attacks targeting Washington, President Xi Jimping’s upcoming state visit to Washington represents an important step in Sino-American relations.
The expected upcoming visit of President Xi Jimping to Washington offers an interesting opportunity to assess the development of Obama’s policy toward China. Characterised by American wishes to see Beijing play a greater role in the world affairs, the trip will also shaping a diplomatic framework based on a new model of Major Power Relations.
Despite Beijing’s reassurance that the rise of China is following a path of prosperity and peaceful development, many analysts in Washington fear that such an expansion would strongly affect the peace and stability of the Asia Pacific region, representing a direct threat.
Pivot to Asia
Despite initial attempts to contain Beijing via the “Pivot to Asia” policy, Washington now seems to be more determined to establish a constructive dialogue with Beijing. Specifically, the U.S. recognises China’s strategic interest in the region and, at the same time, is reassuring Pacific allies about Washington’s ongoing efforts to maintain regional stability.
A key element of this plan is contingent on preventing China from imposing new forms of regional hegemony, through the direct or indirect control of vital SLOCS located in the East China Sea.
In order to prevent dreadful escalations that might jeopardise the regional security architecture, the Obama administration has clearly stated its commitment, declaring the protection of a rule of law-based regional order, the peaceful resolution of territorial disputes, and protection of the freedom of navigation as core interests.
During the evolution of the U.S.’s Asia rebalance strategy, Washington has adopted different strategies to strengthen its security architecture and expand allied and new actor participation. This strategy has been built on three main pillars; Firstly expanding U.S military presence and enhancing strategic capabilities such as air, naval, missile defence and reconnaissance assets in the region. Secondly, upgrading and expanding the roles and responsibilities of allies with respect to regional defence cooperation, as well as promoting the participation of new regional actors (Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam).
Lastly, Washington is encouraging participation from regional actors to regional organisation, such as ASEAN and APRC, with the aim of supporting the implementation of multilateral security agreements with states willing to be part of the U.S. security umbrella.
Fighting over who gets to keep the peace
In the last few years, the “Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation” has become the new shibboleth among the Chinese politburo. Under the influence of a new Sino-centrist model, the fifth generation of CCP leaders have embodied the pledge of restoring past national greatness and ushering in a new era.
Unsurprisingly, China’s rapid changes in the last decades have led many to speculate on China’s behaviour on the world stage. The crux of such discussions is whether China is seeking hegemony at the expense of the United States or if its peaceful rise can be a viable tool to promote regional stability and prosperity?
For a long time, Chinese leaders have been cautious towards Washington, and despite Xi Jinping’s remarks about developing a new framework for great power relations, little progress has been made. Nevertheless, China has continuously emphasised the nature of the emerging Pax Sinica, basing its new regional engagement on two main cornerstones: the respect of other countries’ sovereignty, and the the concept of an “interest community” as the main diplomatic tool with which to engage neighbouring countries.
Moreover, China is also seeking to promote strong partnerships with new allies; with Beijing touting the benefits of entering its strategic sphere of interest, such as mutual prosperity via the Silk Road Initiative and the Maritime Silk Road strategies.
Indeed, China strongly demands recognition of its regional sphere of strategic interests; demands which are a direct consequence of a Confucian statecraft vision, as restored under Xi Jinping. Furthermore, according to many analysts; China’s massive military expansion, robust assertiveness in dealing with territorial issues in the South China Sea, and insatiable appetite for important regional energy sources reflects Beijing’s efforts to establish its own Monroe Doctrine in the region.
Nevertheless, the erosion of American power in East Asia due to the American focus on the Middle East during the Bush years allowed China to expand its strategic presence in the region at Washington’s expense.
China as a revisionist power
Despite Washington’s acceptance of this new status quo, Beijing is less inclined to establish common frameworks for strategic cooperation due to its nature as a revisionist power. China has also only displayed a minor interest in being more engaged in transnational issues such as humanitarian intervention, cyber security and non-proliferation.
Instead, it has shown a greater commitment to establish and strengthen regional and trans-regional economic and strategic initiatives, such as the BRICS Developmental Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Recent Chinese diplomacy has been characterised by emerging revisionist behaviour. Consequently, despite several attempts to reach mutual positive outcomes in bilateral relations with Washington, few results have been achieved so far. Beijing’s fears about Obama’s rebalancing strategy – considered a direct threat to Chinese strategic interests – and the reluctance of Beijing to assume wider responsibility for regional security promotion hampers cooperation with the U.S. Bilateral relations are also strained due to China’s rising involvement in cyber-attacks, which have surely undermined the chance of overcoming diplomatic ambiguity and mistrust.
In the next Sino-American summit, Washington is expected to strongly rectify the trajectory of the bilateral relations, bringing to the table a new security framework that would allow Beijing to reduce tensions with neighbouring countries, but also to leave enough room for Obama to reinvigorate American strategic initiatives with regional allies by upholding freedom of navigation and flight, thus preserving the delicate regional status quo. | https://globalriskinsights.com/2015/09/despite-tensions-chinas-state-visit-to-us-an-important-step/ |
In compliance with the Italian Legislative Decree no 196/2003 and later amendments and additions, the Dallara Automobili S.p.A., with registered offices in Varano De' Melegari (PR), Via Provinciale, n° 33 - 43040 - ITALY, in the person of its legal representative, as the Controller of personal data, hereby informs concerned parties of the purposes and procedures for the handling of the personal data collected, the scope of their transmission and dissemination, as well as the type of data and its provision.
Purposes
The personal identification data collected and the data collected from the curriculum vitae is handled and used in full accordance with the principles of appropriateness, lawfulness and the relevant legal provisions, in order to respond to the request of the concerned party and, more specifically, to proceed with assessing the conditions for recruitment and/or for beginning collaboration. The collection will only concern the common data; the applicant will therefore not have to disclose so-called sensitive data, as qualified by Article 4 of the Italian Legislative Decree 196/2003, namely personal data that reveals race and ethnic origin; religious, philosophical or any other kind of convictions; political opinions; allegiances to parties, trade unions, associations or organizations of a religious, philosophical, political or trade union nature; as well as personal data that reveals state of health or sex life. Such data however can be made available if it is necessary for the purposes of establishing a work relationship.
Handling procedures
The data is handled using computer procedures, electronic means or paper supports by people, internal or external, specifically appointed to this task and so committed to confidentiality. The data is stored in paper and electronic archives fully in line with the security measures set by the legislator.
Transmission and dissemination
The data collected shall not be disclosed or disseminated. Transmission to third parties, other than the data Controller and its supervisors (be they internal or external to the corporate organization), and those identified and appointed to handle the data under Article 29 and 30 of the Italian Legislative Decree no 196/2003, is only required for selection and assessment activities for establishing a relationship, the protection of the rights of the concerned party being guaranteed. It is also required for transmitting data to other companies of the Group to which the data Controller belongs where such activity is legally permitted.
Period of retention
The data shall be retained by the Controller for the time deemed necessary to select the applicant.
Rights of the concerned party
The concerned party will be able to enforce his or her rights as specified by Articles 7, 8, 9 and 10 of the Italian Legislative Decree 30th June 2003 no 196, by contacting the data Controller. In particular in accordance with Article 7 the concerned party will be able to obtain confirmation of whether or not there is personal data that concerns him or her, even if the person is not yet registered, and his or her communication in an intelligible form. The concerned party has the right to information on:
- the origin of the personal data;
- the purposes and procedures of the handling;
- the logic applied when the data is handled with the use of electronic instruments;
- the identification of the Controller, the supervisors and the designated representative pursuant to Article 5(2);
- the party or the party categories to whom the personal data can be transferred or that can gain knowledge of it as designated representative in the territory of the State, of supervisors or those appointed to the task.
- the updating, correction or, when interested, additions to the data;
- the deletion, transformation into anonymous form or blocking of data handled in violation of the law, including data which there is no need to retain for the purposes for which the data was collected and subsequently handled;
- certification that those to whom the data was transferred or disseminated have been notified of the operations specified in points a) and b), concerning their content as well, except when notification is impossible or requires the use of means clearly unconducive to the protection of the right.
The party concerned has the right to object to the handling in the terms and with the procedures laid down by the aforementioned provisions.
Data Controller and Privacy Communication
The Data Controller is Dallara Automobili S.p.A., with registered offices in Varano De' Melegari (PR), Via Provinciale, n° 33 - 43040 - ITALY.
Nature of Provision and Consent
The provision of the data is optional and it is done by the applicant who submits his or her curriculum vitae, without any involvement of the Controller. As regards any data subsequently requested by the Controller, failure to provide it will make it impossible to proceed with checking the conditions for recruitment and/or beginning collaboration and also, therefore, establishing a work relationship with the Controller.
Consent for handling is not necessary under Article 24 of the Italian Legislative Decree no 196/2003 and later amendments and additions, since the handling concerns data contained in curricula vitae voluntarily transmitted by concerned parties with the aim of establishing a work relationship. The same applies for any sensitive data transmitted by the concerned party using the same procedures, for which consent is excluded by Article 26(3)(bb) of the Italian Legislative Decree no 196/2003 and later amendments and additions. | https://appform.dallara.it/privacy.php |
San Marino was founded in 301 AD and is - beside the Holy See - the only still existing territorial entity of the various independent States on the Italian territory prior to its unification in the 19th century. The Republic of San Marino is 61 km2, has a population of over 31 000 people and is divided up into nine political / administrative municipalities (called Castles).
During the post war years, industrialisation and a revival in tourism were factors which influenced the transformation of San Marino, also from a cultural point of view. The Titano Theatre became a stage for a series of prestigious cultural events as well as traditional civil celebrations. Several contemporary exhibitions organised during the 1950s contributed to the establishment of the Modern and Contemporary Art Gallery; the collection of the gallery was made up with works from key exhibitions held throughout the Republic.
In 1950, the first and only edition of the "San Marino Literary Prize" was held in the Republic. This cultural event, organised by the former Government Body for Tourism, saw the participation of the most illustrious intellectuals, poets and writers of that time, whose works were judged by their peers. The prize was unanimously assigned to Eugenio Montale, who participated with a typescript entitled "47 Poems", including a selection of verses composed by him between 1940 and 1950. This typescript became subsequently part of the collection entitled "The storm and other poems". The "San Marino Literary Prize" was the first prize won by Eugenio Montale during his career. On the same occasion, a special prize was assigned also to Leone Traverso for his translations of Eschilo, Gongora, Yeats and George.
In 1956 the San Marino prize for figurative arts, the first important painting event, inaugurated a successful series of San Marino Biennials, which attracted more than 100 000 visitors and gathered 515 artists and 1 312 works. San Marino Biennials caught the attention of the international artistic community and encouraged many painters to take part in these exhibitions. The 6th Biennial which took place in 1967 was, however, the last of this series of exhibitions. Subsequent events organised around the awarding of prizes such as the Olnano Castle Painting Prize (which later became the Serravalle Castle Painting Prize) were held until the 1980s and influenced the State purchase of about 80 works of art.
In the late 1960s, the State Office for Tourism, Sport and Performing Arts, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs organised several festivals focused on the distinctive aspects of cultures from various parts of the world by involving intellectuals, artists, journalists, ambassadors and Nobel Prize winners of the targeted country. This initiative ended in 1989.
While the 1970s can be characterised as a period of continued focus on the organisation and hosting of several large exhibitions, the 1980s were marked by an important reform of the public administration responsible for culture. Several new cultural institutes were created such as the Office for Social and Cultural Activities. Other State institutions received increased independence such as the State museum, library and archive. The aim of the government's cultural policy was to separate tourism from culture, to grant culture a more official "status" and to promote the image of San Marino; the latter a priority which was carried over into the 1990s. In this context, the main objectives of the government were to promote the active participation of San Marino artists in international fora and to support the cultural development within the country. New centres were opened outside of the city centre (in the Castles of Dogana and Fiorentino) to organise cultural events. Calls were made to open new libraries in the Castles of Serravalle, Domagnano and Faetano.
In 1982, San Marino participated for the first time in the Venice Biennial International Art Exhibition on an equal footing with other countries. In the late 1980s, the role of the Modern and Contemporary Art Gallery was discussed more in detail and envisaged as a public museum to monitor and promote new artistic trends. The first step taken in this direction was "Summer 2", which included the participation of local cultural associations and researchers in the selection of public modern art works. Summer 2 was an initiative intended to offer an alternative summer of entertainment and leisure to be held within the city centre, with a variety of spectacular events, exhibitions, shows and theatre performances.
In the late 1990s, the Ministry of Education and Culture became the Ministry of Education and Cultural Institutes, thus stressing a political will to make the cultural sector autonomous and to free it from the staffing obligations of the public sector provided for by law. In 1996 San Marino organised the International Meeting "Cinema and History" and launched the "International Photomeeting". Among the major events organised during these years are the exhibitions: "Giorgio De Chirico", "Salvador Dalì" and "The Goths in San Marino". This last initiative was organised by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and of Culture. It brought together, for the first time, all pieces of the Treasure of Domagnano scattered in various museums and collections worldwide and stressed the importance of international cooperation in the preservation and circulation of cultural goods.
In general, the cultural policy of the 1990s centred on far-reaching and high-value initiatives, which were to leave a mark and to promote San Marino abroad. The new millennium started with celebrations dedicated to the 2000 Jubilee. Two major exhibitions were organised in cooperation with the Russian State Museum in Saint Petersburg: "From icons to avant-garde. Mysterious treasures of Russian art" and "Christ in the Russian Art. Five centuries of religiousness and faith". These were two absolutely unique and original exhibitions for Western visitors, since it was the first time that Russian art crossed the boundaries of ancient Saint Petersburg. In 2003, the exhibition "Libertatis Fundator: Saint Marino: iconography, art and history", was organised and was dedicated to the Republic's Patron Saint, under the aegis of UNESCO and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Walter Schwimmer.
In 2009, a new cultural initiative entitled "L'Alba sul Monte" (Sunrise on Mount Titano) was launched. The objective of this initiative is to engender synergy among central government institutions, the Republic's municipalities (called Castles), Township Councils (see chapter 3.2 for details on these local bodies) and cultural expressions and associations in San Marino, while identifying their most interesting and typical aspects in order to propose ad hoc initiatives (see chapter 3.4.6 for details on this and other initiatives).
The two-year period 2010-2011 marks another important step forward for San Marino culture: the exhibition entitled "Monet, Cézanne, Renoir and other stories of painting in France", one of the most prestigious exhibitions ever held in the Republic, attracted thousands of art lovers from San Marino, neighbouring Italy and around the world. This exhibition was shown for five months, from October 2010 to March 2011, and was defined by the government and by the organising banking Foundation (San Marino Foundation - Cassa di Risparmio della Repubblica di San Marino - SUMS) as an important springboard to make San Marino a cultural centre, an arts capital able to attract arts lovers from all over the world. In light of this positive experience, the government intends to explore some opportunities of twinning with Italian and European arts capitals with a view to developing synergies outside the San Marino borders, so that the Republic can become part of a prestigious cultural circuit. In the meantime, confirming the commitment and enthusiasm for important exhibitions, San Marino has become part of the Italian circuit of great art exhibitions, which in 2012 has involved the main cities in Italy. From January to June, San Marino is hosting another high-level cultural event involving art from the USA entitled "From Hopper to Warhol, 20th century American painting in San Marino". Also in this case, the event has been organised in collaboration with the concurrent exhibitions displayed in Castel Sismondo, Rimini, and dedicated to the national painting of the EU countries. Once again, these events have involved the San Marino Foundation - Cassa di Risparmio della Repubblica di San Marino – SUMS, (see also chapter 7.3), the Ministries of Tourism and Culture and some private sponsors. The now consolidated collaboration between the State and the economic world continues to facilitate culturally important events, with considerable positive benefits for tourism and trade.
In 2011, the exhibition "L'Uomo, il Volto, il Mistero. Capolavori dai Musei Vaticani", with some works of art from the Vatican Museums, was displayed at the State Museum to pay homage to the visit paid by Pope Benedict XVI to the Republic of San Marino on 19 June 2011. This exhibition started an important collaboration with the Vatican Museums. Also, the 17th century painting exhibition "Opus Sacrum, Opus Profanum" was included among the initiatives organised on the occasion of the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the Republic. This exhibition included some important paintings from the private collection of Pier Luigi Pizzi, which was shown to the public for the first time in its complete form.
During 2011, several initiatives were organised in the context of the celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the Italian Unification by the Embassy of Italy, in collaboration with the government of San Marino, but also by some cultural associations, such as the Dante Alighieri Association (for further information on this Association, see chapter 3.4.2). By celebrating this anniversary with a series of cultural initiatives, San Marino intended to reaffirm the sentiments of friendship by which the two countries have always been connected.
In December 2012, the first "San Marino Film Festival" turned the small Republic into an international showcase, by welcoming film directors, actors, first transmission of art-house films and short films, with the aim of "promoting the new cinema generations". More than 70 films were projected throughout six days (feature films and short films, both in and out of competition) to pay homage to the poet and scriptwriter Tonino Guerra, from the Romagna Region. This Film Festival extensively explored today's international cinema, leaving much scope not only for young directors, but also to newsreel films and socially relevant films. The San Marino Festival suggested a new development approach for the country, that is to say cultural tourism, and showed the great potential of an international event where the public, in perfect harmony with the private, may work to seize social, economic and employment opportunities (see also chapter 3.4.6 and chapter 6.3).
During the same year, also the first edition of the "San Marino Animæ Festival" was organised. This international festival dedicated to Japanese animation officially gathered for the first time the most important representatives of Japanese animation films in an event organised outside Japan. This unique film festival was a meeting point between Eastern and Western cultures and was the first attempt to present Japanese animation to a European audience. This project promotes the idea of an "international culture" based on a mix of cultures of different countries and on the concepts of peace, brotherhood and liberty. These are the values that bring together San Marino, the most ancient Republic in the world, and Japan, the most ancient imperial dynasty. This Festival was one of the most important events in terms of social and cultural relations between San Marino and Japan.
Finally, the production of stamps and commemorative medals has constantly been a priority for San Marino. Always in great demand, these objects are issued on the occasion of major events to celebrate famous people and promote peace, culture and justice all over the world. Philately and numismatics are still an important tradition in San Marino, as well as being of considerable revenue for the State budget; moreover, they represent a fundamental means of communication and promotion. They are recognised and appreciated throughout the world and have received prestigious awards in the field of advertising and graphic design. The last award received was the D&Ad Pencil Award in 2015, which marks the start of a new artistic cycle, also with regard to the themes chosen. | http://www.culturalpolicies.net/web/sanmarino.php?language=de |
BJ was a leading provider of hydraulic fracturing and cementing services to upstream oil and gas companies engaged in the exploration and production of North American oil and natural gas resources. Based in Tomball, Texas, the Company operated in every major basin throughout U.S. and Canada. The book value of the inventory is $53.6mm. The inventory is at (10) locations in the U.S and (3) locations in Canada, with a majority located at (4) U.S. and (1) Canadian locations. The inventory consists of Fleet Service Parts including Spare Parts, Instruments, Fluid Ends, Pumps, and Iron, as well as Fracking Materials including Chemicals, Cement, and Sand and Capital Spares including Rebuilt Engines, Engines, and Transmissions Spare Parts including a wide variety of consumable spares for trucks and operating equipment, including maintenance and repair parts (e.g., belts, hose, bearings, gears, electrical parts, seals, bulbs, fuses, valves, paints, and lubricants).
- Instruments consisting of electronic and electro-mechanical instruments for measurement of pressure and flow
- Fluid Ends including large manifold-like devices that can have three, four, or five (tri, quad, quint) passages for fracking material to pass through as it is transmitted downhole
- Pumps comprising a variety of large pumps for fluid and sand
- Iron including a variety of steel items, such as pipe, tube, and structural
- Fracking chemicals include, but not be limited to: dyes, hydrochloric acid, biocides, friction reducers, IntegraSeal, IntegraCem, dispersants, foam preventers, stabilizers, accelerators and reducers, resins, potassium chloride, bentonite, mineral oil and soda ash.
- Buyers are responsible for removing all of their purchases. Hilco does not provide rigging or shipping services and is not responsible for any rigging or shipping issues.
- Buyers are responsible for removing all purchased lots, including all associated parts, components and accessories, if applicable, from site by removal deadline. Buyers with items left on site after deadline are subject to fines of $500 per day or could be subject to abandonment with no further recourse.
- Removal deadline: TBD
- Standard Removal Terms apply.
- Anyone performing removal will need to provide proper insurance.
- A buyer release form must be completed and supplied to Hilco personnel if someone other than the registered bidder is picking up auction purchases. They can be turned into Hilco personnel on site or faxed to our office at +1 616.732.7100.
- Prequalified riggers offering services for this sale will be listed here as they become available.
Transportation Only
Logical Solution Services, Inc.
200 Union Avenue
Lakehurst, NJ 08733
Contact: Michael Height
Tel: 732-657-7777 x 2 Fax: 732-657-7705
Email: [email protected]
www.solutionservices.us
Looking for more information about the equipment, need a quote or want to schedule an inspection? Give me a call.
Or send me a question. | https://www.hilcoind.com/sale-details/sale/BJS/item/347612?view=detailview&pid=fad889fe-f8fa-11ea-a52e-0ad6b217f8b4&alias=BJS |
A comparison of methods used for inducing mental fatigue in performance research: individualised, dual-task and short duration cognitive tests are most effective.
Despite research indicating the negative impact that mental fatigue has on physical and cognitive performance, whether this is a result of mental fatigue or a state of under-arousal remains unclear. The current research aimed to explore the effectiveness of the methods being used to induce mental fatigue. Twelve participants attended six sessions in which two cognitive tests, the AX-continuous performance test (AX-CPT) and the TloadDback test, were compared for their effectiveness in inducing mental fatigue. Both tests were set at a standard processing speed (1.2 ms) for two conditions, and a further condition involved the individualisation of the TloadDback test. Participants presented significantly higher physiological and psychological arousal (p < 0.05) in the individualised dual-task test compared to the AX-CPT. The individualised TloadDback test is a more effective method of inducing mental fatigue compared to the AX-CPT, as it sustains physiological arousal whilst inducing measurable reductions in mental resources. Practitioner summary: Mental fatigue negatively impacts physical and cognitive performance. It is unclear whether the current methods being used to induce mental fatigue are effective. This study compared different methods and confirmed that short, individualised and dual-task tests are most effective for inducing mental fatigue whilst maintaining arousal.
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Recently, paper substrates have attracted tremendous interest from both academia and industry. Not only is paper highly abundant and portable, it is lightweight, disposable, easy-to-use, and can be rolled or folded into 3D configurations. More importantly, with a unique porous bulk structure and rough and absorptive surface properties, the construction of nanomaterials-functionalized cellulose has enabled cellulose paper to be applied for point-of-care (POC) paper devices with reasonably good performance at low cost. In this review, the latest advances in the modification of nanomaterials on paper cellulose are summed up. To begin with, the attractive properties of paper-based analytical devices are described. Then, fabricating methods for the functionalization of cellulose with diverse materials, including noble metals, bimetals, metal oxides, carbon nanomaterials, and molecular imprinting polymer nanoparticles, as well as their applications, are introduced in detail. Finally, the current critical issues, challenges, and future prospectives for exploring a paper-based analytical system based on nanomaterials-modified cellulose are discussed. It is believed that more strategies will be developed in the future to construct nanomaterials-functionalized cellulose, paving the way for the mass production of POC paper devices with a satisfactory performance. | https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2017/nr/c6nr08846e/unauth |
Frequent guest of History Channel’s Ancient Aliens series, Reverend Michael Carter, takes ancient astronaut theory to its next developmental step in his latest work, drawing on the works of such giants as Erich von Däniken and Zecharia Sitchin, it is well established that many in the UFO community believe that our ancient ancestors mistook extraterrestrial visitors for all powerful deities. Reverend Carter builds on this outlook by reexamining religious and spiritual philosophies and demonstrating how off-world intelligences shaped early religious teachings. Website: michaeljscarter.com Rev. Michael J. Carter is an ordained Interfaith minister and received his BA Degree in Letters from...
Psychologists Say SETI Has Faulty Alien Contact Methods
Posted by K R on
A group of psychologists say scientists will never make contact with aliens because aliens are likely to use communications based on unknown physical principles. They also say scientists are prone to so-called inattentional blindness. A group of psychologists from the University of Cadiz in Spain has published an article criticizing alien-seeking scientists involved in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) project, saying they will never make contact with extraterrestrial civilizations. According to the article, published in Acta Astronautica, the scientists involved in SETI are concentrating solely on searching for radio signals when aliens are likely to use other forms of...
One Scarce Element May Be Why We Haven't Found Alien Life
Posted by K R on
It’s spring in the Northern Hemisphere, which means anyone with a lawn will soon be spreading fertilizer all over their grass to make it grow long enough and green enough so they can walk on it barefoot for a few days before it turns brown from the drought and excessive heat. According to a new study, that stuff you’re spreading – or at least one element in it — may show aliens in other solar systems evidence that there’s life on Earth. Conversely, the fact that we can’t see it on planets orbiting other stars means they may not have...
The Drake Equation Is Broken; Here's How To Fix It
Posted by K R on
In 1961, scientist Frank Drake wrote down a simple-looking equation for estimating the number of active, technologically-advanced, communicating civilizations in the Milky Way. From first principles, there was no good way to simply estimate a number, but Drake had the brilliant idea of writing down a large number of parameters that could be estimated, which you would then multiply together. If your numbers were accurate, you'd arrive at an accurate figure for the number of technologically advanced civilizations that humanity could communicate with, within our own galaxy, at any given moment. It's a brilliant idea in concept, but one that's...
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- Tags: aliens, Category_News>Pushing the Envelope, drake equation, exoplanets, extraterrestrial, MITD
Flying Saucer German Technology From Before WW2
Posted by K R on
A German newspaper recently published an interview with George Klein, famous German engineer and aircraft expert, describing the experimental construction of ‘flying saucers’ carried out by him from 1941 to 1945.” Exotic technology has been around for a long time, and so have the agencies within the Department of Defense that use it. Just imagine what type of technology the NSA — an intelligence agency whose existence was denied until the mid-1960s — was using in the 1950s. Then there’s the National Reconnaissance Office, which was founded in 1960 but remained completely secret for 30 years. Secret technologies have been... | https://www.darkmatter.radio/blogs/blog/tagged/extraterrestrial |
The Four Corners region of the United States is home to numerous cliff dwellings and ancient Pueblo structures. None is more famous than the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park. A trip here amazes visitors as they contemplate the lifestyle of the ancient Puebloan people and wonder why they suddenly disappeared from the region 800 years ago.
We visited Mesa Verde in late March which was a good time to avoid the Summer crowds. Unfortunately, tours to Cliff Palace and other locales were unavailable at this time of year (the tours run from April through October). Also, the Wetherill Mesa Road was closed for the season. However, we still got to drive along the Mesa Top Road and see many pit houses, pueblos, and cliff dwellings.
Your tour starts at the Visitor’s Center, where you can purchase tickets for tours of Cliff Palace, Balcony House, or Long House; collect Junior Ranger books; and get maps and information. It is a 20-mile drive from the visitor’s center to the pit houses and pueblos, so it’s a great idea to stop off before driving into the park.
My kids and me at the Visitor’s Center.
After our stop here, we drove into the park. It took about 45 minutes to drive the 20 miles through switchback roads. The kids worked on their Junior Ranger books during the drive. We saw a few hawks during the drive, and caught some breathtaking vistas, too.
Our first stop was Far View Community. Here, we learned how the people built the homes and lived in community. The structures are built right on top of each other. Far View gave us a good first taste of what was to come on the Mesa Top trail.
From Far View we drove along the trail, which has a number of stops and pull outs along the way. We stopped at all locations where we were able to see pit houses. the earliest structures found at Mesa Verde date from A.D. 600 and were dug into the ground with wood pole beams and covered by mud roofs. Here, we learned about the kivas, holes built at the base of the structures where it was believed spirits could enter into this world.
One of the many pit houses along the road.
In addition to the pit houses, we were able to stop and see the stunning vistas and mesas, hundreds of feet above the valley floor. It made us wonder how the people would climb up and down these canyons to hunt and harvest.
After seeing many pit houses, I was greatly moved when we saw the first cliff dwelling, Square House Tower, built somewhere between A.D 1200-1300. I was in awe of the people who built the structure and wondered more who they were and what hardships they faced daily.
Square Tower House. 60 of the original 80 rooms remain.
We next made our way to Sun Point View, home of Sun Temple, Mummy House, Sunset House, and Oak Tree House. It took a minute for our eyes to adjust to the view and actually see the structures built into the cliff walls. The kids took many pictures here.
From here, we drove to one of the most famous cliff dwellings, Cliff Palace. We got close to the dwellings, but we really wished we had gone during summer so that we could take a tour and stand on the structures.
Balcony House is located under the parking lot at this location. So, when we visited, we were unable to see Balcony House, since tours were not operating.
We took a second, summer trip to Mesa Verde and were able to tour Balcony House. The site contains 40 rooms and two kivas, suggesting that two families lived in these cliff dwellings. The tour is quite strenuous, requiring a climb up a 32-foot tall ladder and crawling through a 12-foot tunnel.
After our journey through the Mesa Top trail, we made our way to Spruce Tree House and the Chapin Mesa Archaeological Museum. Here we also stopped at a restaurant for lunch. The food portions are huge, and we bought too much food for my kids. The museum was a great place to see some artifacts and learn more about the ancient Puebloan people. Our kids also turned in their completed Junior Ranger books and received their Junior Rangers badges.
The museum is a few hundred feet from Spruce Tree House. The museum tells the history of the Ancestral Pueblo people with dioramas and artifacts found on site. Unfortunately, shortly after the discovery of the cliff dwellings, amateur archaeologists ransacked the structures, often collecting or pilfering the artifacts.
The Chapin Mesa Archaeological Museum has still been able to collect many pieces from the 5000 plus sites for public viewing. Artifacts range from baskets, jewelry, tools, and pottery. The black on white pottery of the Ancestral Pueblo is world famous and the museum displays many masterpieces of the form.
Have you visited Mesa Verde? What did you enjoy? Let us know.
Read about our trip to Puebloan Ruins in New Mexico.
Read about the time We Survived the Balcony House Tour.
Our family archaeological dig in Golden, Colorado.
Those are incredible. I can’t believe how much engineering must have gone into that. And I wonder what the furniture looked like.
Yes, it is amazing to see and wonder how everything was built.
There are many cliff dwelling in the Four Corners area, but Mesa Verde is probably the most famous. It’s definitely a region we could visit again and again.
Wow, lovely marvels of ancient architectures.
Thanks. We were in awe.
Oh wow, I hadnt even heard of these Puebloan people before, sounds like a fascinating visit for the whole family. Thank you for sharing.
It was a fascinating place to visit with lots of interesting history. And there is so much that is not known about the people, which makes them even more fascinating.
We loved our trip there and we miss it a lot. Good call to remind us that another trip is in order, Mesa Verde is such an incredible park!
We cannot wait to go back, too.
I didn’t know there are such cliff dwellings in the US. It reminds me of the cave houses in Cappadocia. It also makes me wonder what happened to the Puebloans who once lived here, and why they left their homes.
Doing a tour of the sands structures would have been an amazing experience, but even so, you got to see them from a distance. I never knew there was a civilization that just got wiped out here, is there any ideas to why they got wiped out?
It is unclear what happened. Was there a famine that forced the people to move? Disease? Or some other event? No one is sure.
This place looks amazing, full of history and a place which should be on anyone’s list. Never even heard of Mesa Verde until today so hope to come here one day and check it out.
I did this years ago and really loved it. I’ glad you mentioned that its closed part of the year, because I was thinking of going in April. Such an amazing site.
It is open year round, but the tours are only available during Spring and Summer months. If you are going in April, you’ll want to check their website to see if tours are available when you are visiting. We went in Mid-March.
Mesa Verde National Park looks fascinating. The story of the people who must have inhabited these land in times long gone by must have been really intriguing. The fact that they disappeared from the land without a trace is indeed an enigma. Would love to visit this place someday.
It was one of our favorite National Parks. You really should plan a visit.
Mesa Verde is such an amazing place. It’s a National Park I could visit over and over.
What an interesting site! The Cliff Palace really is the crown jewel of this place. Some of the portions are quite well preserved, aren’t they? Should add this to my list, it fits in with our kind of travel .
Cliff Palace is pretty amazing. | http://familywelltraveled.com/2017/09/12/a-visit-to-the-ancient-cliff-dwellings-at-mesa-verde-national-park/ |
Cape Cod Farm House is a contemporary “farmhouse” that sits on a peaceful site that was once a working farm. Although no farming is currently done on the property, it evokes the best of the tradition with an open landscape, wrap-around porch, simple gables, and shed dormers. The client had spent time on a farm that was quite special to her, and this experience influenced the design of the home that PSD created with her.
Coupled with the farmhouse characteristics is the feeling of a traditional Shingle Style cottage. The original cottage sat in a grassy field, but did not ignore its proximity to the sea. It had a small tower that looked like a lighthouse. Having rented the original cottage for 14 years, nostalgia for the original space inspired certain elements of the later design. A tower rises from one corner of the new home. Atop the tower a PSD-designed weather vane follows the breeze. Its first floor screened-in porch and treetop sitting area off the primary bedroom connects the farmhouse and Shingle Style cottage vernaculars. Inside, architectural elements like crown molding, V-groove paneling, and raised fireplace paneling continue this connection.
The landscape itself, and specifically a prominent maple tree, became an additional focal point for the home’s design. While renting the previous cottage, the client found herself often sitting under the maple tree on summer days. Inside, open and bright living spaces are oriented towards this special tree, connecting the house to the landscape. The interior layout itself is also designed around tranquility and connectivity. A Moroccan-inspired primary bath is a unique retreat for the owners within a retreat for their entire family. A separate guest house and garage looks like a small barn that has been modified over time. | https://www.psdab.com/portfolio/cape-cod-farm-house |
Performance evaluation of urban community based organizations in Tanzania : a case study of two services delivery CBO's in Dar Es Salaam city
Muthoni, Caroline Wairimu
URI:
http://hdl.handle.net/10474/244
Date:
2005
Abstract:
This study was conducted in Tandale and Kigamboni wards in Dar es Salaam city starting from January 2004 to January 2005. The aim of the study was to evaluate the performance of urban community based organizations in Tanzania. Two organizations WAMKUTU (CBO) and UMAWA (NGO) were the focus of this study. The scope of this research was to examine efficiency of urban-based service delivery CBOs in a view of advising on performance improvement on these organizations. The CBO members and the target population served by the organizations were the major units of inquiry. A cross-sectional research design was adopted in collecting data. Primary data was obtained through questionnaires survey. Supplementary data were obtained through focused group discussions, informal interviews of key informants, and direct observations. Research findings revealed that capacity building among these organizations was necessary in order to improve organizations effectiveness. Community acceptance, proper management skills, good leadership, participatory approaches, and teamwork support were some of the qualities deemed essential for improving the performance and management of these organizations. Awareness creation and community sensitization, as well as mobilization of funds to support the organizations activities were found to be important. (Author abstract)
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Traumatic brachial plexus injuries (BPI) pose a significant economic burden to the United States health care system, as they disproportionately affect young, able-bodied patients. Beyond the direct costs associated with medical treatment, there are far-reaching indirect costs for BPI patients relating to workforce productivity that have not yet been estimated. Our objective was to estimate the per-patient indirect cost associated with traumatic BPI.
Methods
We performed a systematic review of the BPI literature to establish the demographics of BPI patients. We then estimated indirect costs as the sum of (1) short-term wage losses, (2) long-term wage losses, and (3) disability payments. Short-term (6-month) work losses were calculated as the product of missed workdays and the average earnings per day accounting for fringe benefits, based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Long-term work losses were estimated using a combination of permanent total and partial disabilities using the results of a literature review. Disability benefits paid were estimated using the Social Security Administration (SSA) online calculator. Monte-Carlo simulation was used to perform a sensitivity analysis of long-term work losses by varying age and gender simultaneously (according to demographics reported in the literature). All cost estimates are made in 2017 dollars.
Results
A systematic review and pooled analysis of demographics among the international BPI literature demonstrated that patients had a mean age of 26.9 ± 3.7 years and were 90% male. The most represented occupation category was manual labor. Based on these demographics, our base case was a 27-year-old man working as a manual laborer prior to the BPI. Mean annual wage for a manual laborer was estimated as $34,850. Short-term work losses (including fringe benefits) were estimated as $22,380. Controlling for gender and age of onset of BPI, long-term wage losses resulting from total disability were estimated from the Monte-Carlo simulation to be $1,537,300. Monthly disability benefits (collected from age 28–67) at this annual wage level after 9 years in the workforce were estimated as $1,591. For this base case, total indirect cost of traumatic BPI was $2,342,452 (in 2017 dollars) over the course of a post-injury lifetime.
Summary Points
- •We estimate that the per-patient indirect cost of traumatic BPI is $2.34 million (in 2017 dollars) over a lifetime.
- •BPI is associated with a substantial indirect cost over a lifetime, justifying increased allocation of resources to return patients to function and employment.
Bibliography
- Patient satisfaction and self-reported outcomes after complete brachial plexus avulsion injury.J Hand Surg Am. 2014; 39: 948-955
- Complete traumatic brachial plexus palsy: treatment and outcome after repair.J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1999; 81: 20-28
- Factors influencing return to work.Br Med J. 1971; 4: 277-281
- Functional outcome of brachial plexus reconstruction after trauma.Neurosurgery. 2007; 61: 1016-1023
Article info
Publication history
Paper 82
Footnotes
Clinical Paper Session 14
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Identification
Copyright
© 2018 Published by Elsevier Inc. | https://www.jhandsurg.org/article/S0363-5023(18)30992-4/fulltext |
© 2022 MJH Life Sciences™ and CURE - Oncology & Cancer News for Patients & Caregivers. All rights reserved.
A four-step approach proved to be beneficial in offering psychosocial support to patients with head and neck cancer.
Patients diagnosed with head and neck or lung cancer are especially prone to feelings of distress, especially depression, and researchers in the Netherlands have found that using a gradual or “stepped” approach to providing psychosocial support not only improves their quality of life, but is also cost-effective.
A team of investigators at the Vu Medical Center in Amsterdam sought to determine the cost-utility of a psychosocial intervention based on a stepped care (SC) model, whereby patients proceed to the next level of care only when their symptoms don’t resolve.
The approach involves four steps: (1) watchful waiting; (2) guided self-help via the Internet or a booklet; (3) face-to-face problem-solving therapy; and (4) specialized psychological interventions and/or psychotropic medication.
Prior cost-effectiveness studies of SC programs have shown that they improve quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) or the number of days without depression when compared with care as usual (CAU) controls, but these have been limited to primary care and older patients, as well as those with diabetes. The cost utility of the SC model has not yet been examined in patients with cancer, the researchers noted in their cost analysis, published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
To determine eligibility for the randomized controlled trial upon which this cost utility analysis was based, patients with head and neck or lung cancer were screened for symptoms of distress, anxiety or depression, using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). A total of 265 eligible patients with elevated HADS scores were identified; after excluding those who didn’t want to participate or were unable to be reached, 156 patients were randomized to either SC (75 patients) or CAU (81 patients).
The efficacy of the SC model in this trial was analyzed and reported in the Annals of Oncology. Overall, investigators reported that patients with untreated distress in the SC group scored better than controls on the HADS, with recovery rates of 55 percent versus 29 percent, respectively, posttreatment, and 46 percent versus 37 percent, at the 12-month follow-up. Over the course of the four steps, 28 percent of those in the SC group improved after watchful waiting, 34 percent following the guided self-help, 9 percent after step 3 (problem-solving) and 17 percent after receiving psychotherapy and/or psychotropic medication.
For the study reported here, investigators evaluated the intervention’s economic value by calculating the mean cumulative costs and mean number of patient QALYs. The mean cumulative cost figure is based on several variables, including the cost of healthcare use and medication (direct medical costs), cost of psychological help, direct nonmedical costs (eg, support groups, transportation, and parking) and indirect nonmedical costs such as loss of productivity from employment due to absenteeism or working while in poor health.
Five follow-up assessments were conducted in each arm: Patients in the SC group were evaluated after completing stepped care, and three, six, nine and 12 months later. Usual care participants were assessed at four months, and then at the same four follow-up time points as the intervention arm.
The researchers reported that the number of QALYs was higher in the SC group and cumulative costs were lower when compared with patients in the control group. Specifically, mean cumulative costs were —€3950 (about –$4196) lower using SC. Overall, they found that the mean number of QALYs was 0.116 higher in the SC arm versus controls.
These findings, they reported, translate into a 96 percent probability that cumulative costs were lower and QALYs higher with SC—a finding which held up after four additional data analyses, including one that excluded the effect of productivity losses.
“Our efficacy study showed that SC was beneficial in improving level of distress,” the authors wrote, “which may have had a beneficial effect on productivity losses in the intervention group compared with the control group … However, even without productivity losses, SC had a probability of being 97 percent more effective and less costly.”
Although study authors recommended further research to learn how stepped care can best be integrated into clinical practice, they expressed confidence about its cost-utility:
“Stepped care is highly likely to be effective,” they concluded. “In combination with findings on the efficacy of SC, it is expected to be beneficial in routine head and neck cancer and lung cancer care practice.”
References
1. Jansen F, Krebber AM, Coupé, et al. Cost-utility of stepped care targeting psychological distress in patients with head and neck or lung cancer [published online ahead of print December 5, 2016]. J Clin Oncol.
2. Krebber AM, Jansen F, Witte BI, et al. Stepped care targeting psychological distress in head and neck cancer and lung cancer patients: a randomized, controlled trial. Ann Oncol. 2016;27(9):1754-1760. | https://www.curetoday.com/view/a-stepped-approach-to-psychosocial-care-in-head-and-neck-cancer-is-cost-effective |
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Chapman University’s approach to returning to campus centers around a single goal: To protect the health and well-being of all members of our community.
We know that as family members your utmost concern is for your student’s health and safety. We are committed to ensuring their welfare while at Chapman. Our entire campus community will be working to meet that goal with the understanding that we all have a role in keeping ourselves and others safe.
Here’s what that means for you and your student as members of the university community.
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W Debate: Who is the better athlete, Bonnie Blair or Kerri Walsh Jennings-Misty May-Treanor?
Bracket Challenge Round 1: Bonnie Blair or Kerri Walsh Jennings and Misty May-Treanor?
The case for Bonnie Blair starts with this: She is the most decorated female Winter Olympian in U.S. history.
No American woman can top the five Olympic gold medals or the six overall medals Blair won in speedskating from 1988-1994.
Blair's dominance started at the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary, where she set a world record in the 500 meters and also won bronze in the 1,000 meters.
The Cornwall, New York, native followed that up four years later by winning both the 500 and the 1,000 -- becoming the first American woman ever to win an event in consecutive Winter Olympics, and the first American athlete overall to do it since 1952.
In 1994, Blair made it three golds in a row in the 500 (after no one had ever won even two in a row in the event before) and also repeated as champion in the 1,000, where her margin of victory was the largest in Olympic history for the event.
"Her long strides make her the best technician in the world over the sprint distance, man or woman," U.S. coach Peter Mueller told ESPN.
Blair left on top. On the day she turned 31, in 1995, Blair set an American record in the 1,000 and then hung up her golden skates.
Kerri Walsh Jennings was physical, tall and powerful, loud and extroverted, an intimidating blocker and the best offensive player in volleyball. Misty May-Treanor was finesse, small and fast, quiet and focused, an outstanding setter and the game's best defender.
Together, the two opposites combined to make the best beach volleyball team of all time. Walsh Jennings and May-Treanor went 21-0 in the Olympics, losing just one set total while winning three straight gold medals in 2004, 2008 and 2012. They also won 112 matches in a row, 19 consecutive tournaments and three straight FIVB world championships (in 2005, 2007 and 2009).
Both had athletic parents -- Margie Walsh was a volleyball MVP at Santa Clara University, and Bob May was a member of the 1968 U.S. men's national volleyball team.
Both had illustrious college careers -- May-Treanor won the NCAA Female Athlete of the Year award when Long Beach State went undefeated in 1998 and won the national title, while Walsh Jennings won two national titles at Stanford and was the second volleyball player to be a four-time first-team All-American (1996-99).
Both left the 2000 Olympics short of the medal stand (Walsh Jennings finished fourth with the U.S. team in indoor volleyball, and May-Treanor placed fifth on the beach with partner Holly McPeak). Thanks to their combined efforts, it was a feeling of disappointment they would not know again at the Olympics. During the next three Games, Walsh Jennings and May-Treanor became two of the most beloved and recognized athletes in America. | http://www.espn.com/espnw/news-commentary/debate/13460610/bonnie-blair-kerri-walsh-jennings-misty-treanor |
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