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Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 23 prescribes acquisition policies and procedures supporting the Government’s program for protecting and improving the quality of the environment, and to foster markets for sustainable technologies, materials, products, and services.
- Reducing or preventing pollution;
- Managing efficiently and reducing energy and water use in Government facilities;
- Using renewable energy and renewable energy technologies;
- Acquiring energy-efficient and water-efficient products and services, environmentally preferable (including EPEAT-registered, and non-toxic and less toxic) products, products containing recovered materials, non-ozone depleting products, and biobased products;
- Requiring contractors to identify hazardous materials;
- Requiring contractors to comply with agency environmental management systems. FAR Part 23 has evolved over time to direct Federal agencies in the procurement of environmentally sound products including biobased, energy efficient, and EPEAT-registered products. | https://denix.osd.mil/spc/policies/laws/ |
By Daphne Grace
"Articulations and expressions of gender could be destabilising, transgressive, progressive and radical, encompassing either a painful legacy of oppression and a joyous exploration of latest experience." Analysing key texts from the nineteenth to twenty first centuries, this ebook explores a number British and Anglophone authors to contextualise women's writing and feminist conception with ongoing debates in awareness reviews. Discussing writers who attempt to redefine the gendered international of "sexualized" area, even if inner or exterior, psychological or actual, this e-book argues how the "delusion" of gender distinction may be addressed and challenged. In literary concept and in representations of the feminine physique in literature, identification has more and more turn into a transferring, a number of, renegotiable-and controversial-concept. whereas acknowledging old and cultural structures of sexuality, "writing the body" needs to eventually contain wisdom of human awareness. the following, an realizing of recognition from modern technological know-how (especially quantum theory)-as the elemental development block of life, past the body-allows precise insights into literary texts to clarify the matter of subjectivity and what it capacity to be human. together with dialogue of themes comparable to feminism and androgyny, business enterprise and entrapment, masculinities and masquerade, madness and emotion, and person and social empowerment, this research additionally creates a full of life engagement with the literary procedure as a way of fathoming the "enigma" of attention.
Read or Download Beyond Bodies: Gender, Literature and the Enigma of Consciousness (Consciousness, Literature and the Arts, Volume 38) PDF
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Extra info for Beyond Bodies: Gender, Literature and the Enigma of Consciousness (Consciousness, Literature and the Arts, Volume 38)
Example text
This explanation is clearly relevant here to our initial understanding of Wuthering Heights and the process of its most powerful effect on the reader. The characters in the novel glimpse the transcendent in the wilderness of moors and mountains, in a pantheistic communion with nature—as Emily Brontë’s poetry suggests the author did herself. Heathcliff in fact is nature, for he is “heath”, the moors, and “cliff”, the peak represented most vividly in the text by the projecting phallic symbol of Penistone Crag, which dominates the whole landscape of the action.
Compared to what we ought to be, we are only half awake”, claims James. “We are making use of only a small part of our possible mental and physical resources. In some persons this sense of being cut off from their rightful resources is extreme […],” yet it becomes a “habit of inferiority to our full self” and “that is bad” (James qt in Wilson 2009: 201). So how can experiences of consciousness be capable of transforming everyday life? In further tackling this question, this text will approach authors such as Virginia Woolf, who critically enunciate gender ambiguities while wrestling with the nature of consciousness, famously creating new modes of expression and style.
Blackmore 2005b: 118-9) Thus linking qualia, subjective conscious appreciation of experience, with the most fundamental levels of physical existence and aesthetics is most apposite here. As a result of rasa, the mind is taken in the direction of this most fundamental level of nature, which physicists have also argued to be the level of pure consciousness—the level from which consciousness becomes conscious of its own nature. It is a level of self-referral, of knowing itself—a deeper, more refined level of the mind than the intellect or ego, where the knower, the known and the process of gaining knowledge are one and the same. | http://brainproducts.org/index.php/kindle/beyond-bodies-gender-literature-and-the-enigma-of-consciousness |
Researchers from NYU discuss their 2018 study published in Oncotarget, entitled, "Prognostic role of elevated mir-24-3p in breast cancer and its association with the metastatic process."
Francisco Esteva
Hi, my name is Francisco Esteva, Professor of Medicine and Oncology at NYU Langone Health at the Perlmutter Cancer Center. And we would like to tell you a little bit about the recent publication in Oncotarget, about the prognostic role of mir-24-3p in breast cancer and its association with the metastatic process. The motivation to do this project was to understand and identify biomarkers that will be associated with prognosis in breast cancer patients.
So we started with a prospective collection of plasma samples from patients with stage one to stage three breast cancer, and we followed those patients for a number of years. And we identified a group of patients who subsequently developed metastatic breast cancer. And then we found another group of patients who had not developed breast cancer, as a sort of a case control approach. And then we were interested in noncoding RNAs, particularly microRNAs. So we decided to use NanoString technology to look at a wide number of microRNAs and found one that we felt was very interesting. And we'll discuss in more detail how we did it in the laboratory.
I'm a believer in the importance of translational research and how to apply information from genomics and gene sequencing studies to the clinic. And we can review a little bit what will be the clinical implications of this work. So I like Adriana to introduce herself and discuss some of the technology we used at NYU.
Adriana Heguy
Hi, my name is Adriana Heguy. I'm the Director of the Genome Technology Center, and recently have also become the Assistant Dean for all the Advanced Research Technologies here at NYU Langone. And the scope of our work is to provide really advanced technologies for physician scientists or basic scientists to be able to tap into this resources for translational projects, basic science projects. And this one was a perfect example of integration of clinical data, genomics data, bioinformatics data.
It was particularly challenging because these are plasma samples and it's very easy, or a lot easier, to do research on tissues where the nucleic acids or the biomarkers are abundant. But for plasma samples, it is very challenging. And we took advantage of this technology called NanoString encounter technology that measures the microRNAs or the mRNAs directly without any PCR amplification. And in this case, you can use very small volumes of plasma to do the analysis, and because there's no PCR amplification, there's also less bias.
So it was an excellent technology for us to apply, but of course, at first we had many samples and we weren't exactly sure how to extract the RNA. We had to work the perfect conditions. We also added spike-in exogenous microRNAs for us to be able to measure precisely the concentration of the real microRNAs and make sure we weren't introducing any biases in the collection or the extraction of the RNA or the processing of the samples. And NanoString has put together a panel of 800 of these microRNAs. And so we can look at all 800 at once with a very little amount of total RNA. So this was really an ideal technology to look at this type of samples.
Alireza Khodadadi
Hi, my name is Alireza Khodadadi. I'm a Senior Bioinformatics Analyst at NYU Applied Bioinformatics Laboratories and Genome Technology Center at the Division of Advanced State Research Technologies. And in this paper we really wanted to use detecting these microRNAs, not only to just prognosis, but we'd wanted to put emphasis on ... but not only for diagnosis, but our emphasis was on prognosis to find out which of the patients might in the future develop metastasis. And we also performed tests to identify the targets of this microRNA, to see the genes that are being targeted by this microRNA, what are the impacts of those and what roles they play in cancer.
Francisco Esteva
So one of the most interesting aspects of this research is to integrate real patient samples that we can collect prospectively in our clinics with information already available from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), which Reza analyzed extensively. More than a thousand patients with RNA sequencing data are publicly available and looking at the expression of these microRNAs in tissue samples from TCGA combined with our innovative approach at the looking at plasma microRNA using NanoString technology. And in this case combined, these are very powerful techniques to identify new biomarkers, which may have important implications in the future, since what we are trying to predict is which patients with early stage breast cancer will develop metastasis at some point in their lives, which could be of course, major event.
So I'd like Reza to comment a little bit more on the TCGA analysis, how he was able to mine the TCGA to find genes, in this case, microRNAs associated with metastasis and how then we went back to our patient samples to come up with this biomarker we identified, miR-24-3p in breast cancer.
Alireza Khodadadi
So the idea was to use TCGA primary tumor samples because cancer cells are expressing some of the genes abnormally high, and the product of these genes, whether proteins or RNAs, they leak into the blood. So we were thinking that the microRNA that we found in blood, that could be used for prognosis, is originating from a primary tissue. So we use the samples from TCGA and then ran statistical analyses to match the data and see if the microRNA that we found in the blood was originating from the primary tissues.
Francisco Esteva
And also finding pathways that may be associated with the mechanism of resistance. So in summary, this collaboration between clinicians, basic research, very sophisticated gene technology laboratory and bioinformatics, I think, is a good example of translational research and how we would like to move in the future of NYU Langone Health. Thank you.
Alireza Khodadadi
Thank you.
Adriana Heguy
Thank you.
Click here to read the full study published by Oncotarget.
—
Oncotarget is a unique platform designed to house scientific studies in a journal format that is available for anyone to read—without a paywall making access more difficult. This means information that has the potential to benefit our societies from the inside out can be shared with friends, neighbors, colleagues, and other researchers, far and wide.
For media inquiries, please contact [email protected]. | https://www.oncotarget.com/videos/interview/interview-with-francisco-esteva-adriana-heguy-and-alireza-khodadadi-jamayran/ |
Canterbury Christ Church University marked its commitment to sustainability with a day of events focused on social and environmental justice.
The Social and Environmental Justice for a Sustainable Future event welcomed staff, students and the wider community, to explore and analyse various aspects of social and environmental justice with workshops, interactive activities, and talks from University lecturers and external speakers.
Dr Stephen Scoffham, Reader in Sustainability and Education at the University, and speaker at the event, explained what Social and Environmental Justice means for him.
“It is so important,” he said. “Unless we have a reasonable measure of equality between different people and communities; and unless there is a reasonable level of intergenerational equity, we are not going to be able to move forward on solving and addressing the environmental crisis which we know is such an important issue.”
Simon Hood, Research Analyst at Runnymede Trust, the UK’s leading independent race equality think tank, opened the event with a keynote speech and Q&A on ‘Race and the Environmental Emergency.’
Students and staff got involved in workshops and activities throughout the day and there was a range of stalls from campaigners and activist organisations, student societies and community groups.
Students led an ‘anti fast fashion awareness’ workshop to encourage more sustainable thinking in fashion and buying clothes, to avoid negative environmental impacts.
Talks included ‘Indigenous peoples and climate change from Alex Ntung, a talk around climate science denial and ‘vulnerability to eco-facism’ from Heather Luna, the former Education for Sustainable Development Project Coordinator for the Higher Education Academy.
Other themes discussed throughout the day included sustainable human development, geographical maps for social and environmental justice, religion, sustainability and the common good, science, religion and sustainability in schools and sustainable media production practices and content creation.
Dr Adriana Consorte-McCrea, Education for Sustainable Futures Lead, gave her view on environmental and social justice.
Environmental justice for me has two sides – one is our connection with everything that is alive and is part of the same system so one part is always connected to the other in what it does and what comes out of it – and the other part is how people fit in with this greater scheme of things: in the same way that the environment has been exploited, a lot of people have been exploited with the same mentality of use, rather than care and without consideration for their own value so I think that environmental justice is very much related to social justice – Dr Adriana Consorte-McCrea, Education for Sustainable Futures Lead.
The conference was organised by the Academy for Sustainable Futures in partnership with Closing our Gap, BH365, Equality, Diversion and Inclusion team, LTE, Global Majority Network, Interdisciplinary Research Network, International Office and Christ Church Students’ Union.
The Academy for Sustainable Futures is based on ten years of pioneering work in sustainability and has been created to enable the University to make a step-change in its drive towards educating, advocating, and influencing our collective sustainable futures. In responding to the climate crisis, the Academy will drive forward the academic elements of the strategy, leveraging the University’s wider influence and civic duty. Its priorities are:
- to provide evidence through undertaking and sharing sustainability research;
- embed education for sustainability within all learning and teaching;
- exemplify sustainable practices through University operations; and
- build relationships for change through engagement with the University and local communities, and with national and international policy and policymakers. | https://cccualumni.com/creating-a-sustainable-future-for-all/ |
The Investment Analyst will work closely with the Chief Investment Officer, the Director of Investments, and the Associate Director of Investments as well as the other members of the investment staff. He/she will be working with various asset classes, including public equities, real assets, absolute return/hedge funds, and private equity funds. The Investment Analyst will have a primary focus on analyzing new investment opportunities including significant field research and due diligence globally. In addition, the Investment Analyst will be expected to participate in the generalist model employed by the College’s investment team, taking an interest in, and responsibility for, all aspects of the investment function. The position will be based in the College’s Des Moines, Iowa office.
RESPONSIBILITIES
• Source and conduct due diligence on potential new investment opportunities across asset classes globally by meeting with individual managers and attending various investment conferences
• Evaluate strategies and managers within equities, real assets, absolute return/hedge funds and private equity funds
• Develop networks and relationships to strengthen sourcing and market mapping within all asset class strategies
• Monitor and help manage relationships with existing investment managers
• Contribute to all aspects of the investment function under the College’s generalist investment staffing model
REQUIREMENTS
• Ability to travel up to 80%, including international developed and emerging markets
• Meaningful record of institutional or other portfolio management experience
• An undergraduate degree is required, MBA and/or CFA preferred
• Minimum of 2 years of relevant investment experience
• Highly developed, demonstrated knowledge of global financial markets and the broad range of investment structures and security types, including alternatives (absolute return/hedge funds and private equity funds)
• High level of maturity, professionalism and integrity
• Demonstrated aptitude and desire to be part of a collaborative, problem-solving investment team
• Strong knowledge of asset class and manager assessment methodologies • Demonstrated ability to develop and manage relationships with external investment managers
• Demonstrated understanding of the quantitative methods and analytical capabilities required for the development of investment strategies and policies. Complex problem solving skills and the ability to articulate alternatives based on thorough due diligence and analysis
• Excellent oral and written communication and presentation skills
• Commitment to the College’s articulated mission and core values
• Employee to be based in the College’s Des Moines investment office
This position does require a background check prior to employment.
Application Process: Please submit applications online by visiting our application website at https://jobs.grinnell.edu. Candidates must upload a cover letter, resume and three employment-related references. This position will remain open until filled. Please contact the Office of Human Resources at (641) 269-4818 with questions. | https://www.thetrustedinsight.com/investment-jobs/Investment-Analyst-Job-In-Grinnell-Ia-United-States/ |
The reinforced fuselage and the gear of Albatross 2.2 are
engineered to endure multiple takeoffs and landings during a day,
as well as considerable maneuvering accelerations and high
speed.
UAVis converted from a manned Pipistrel Sinus aircraft.
The carrier is made of composite material with low RCS.
Takeoff, en-route flight and landing of the drone are fully automatic. Havihg entered a flight mission into GCU, an operator presses the button to permit takeoff; all next procedures are done automatically.
Diagnostics, flight planning and remote control can be performed using a wireless network connection.
Proprietary Autopilot.
|Parameters||Data|
|Temperature range||-40°C…+50°C (-40 ...122F)|
|Base||Paved runway|
|Runway length, not less than||850 m (touchdown accuracy - 250 m)|
|Runway width, not less than||25m (touchdown accuracy - 10 m)|
|Takeoff and landing on runway||Fully automatic|
|Ground support equipment||Not required|
|Parameters||Data|
|Wingspan||15 m (49.2 ft)|
|Length||6.6 m (21.65 ft)|
|Height||1.7 m (5.57 ft)|
|Wing area||12.26 m2 (132 ft2)|
|Gliding ratio||18.3|
|Empty weight||370 kg (815 lbs)|
|MTOW||850 kg (1873 lbs)|
|Fuel capacity||350 l (92 gal)|
|Max payload||280 kg (617 lbs)|
|Parachute||Ballistic|
|Parameters||Data|
|Cruising speed (75% power)||200 km/h (124 mi/h)|
|Range distance||5400 km (3355 mi) with 30 min reserves|
|Endurance (std tanks)||28 hours|
|Service ceiling||8,000 m (26246 ft)|
|Max load factor permitted (x 1.8)||+4 g - 2 g|
|Fuel consum. at cruis. speed||12.4 l/hour (3.35 gl/h)|
|Engine||ROTAX 912IS|
|Generator||3kW - 12V|
Phone: +1 650 584-3176 | https://www.uavos.com/products/fixed-wing-uavs/albatross-2-2 |
What is saline water and why is it defined as saline?
The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines water with an EC greater than 4.0 dS/m as saline. The horticulture industry frequently uses a standard of 2 dS/m to define saline water.
What is sodic water and why is it defined as sodic?
Sodic water is defined as having a SAR greater than 12.
Can a water source be both saline and sodic?
Water can be both saline and sodic, or saline-sodic. If water has an EC greater than 4 (2 for horticulture) and a SAR greater than 12, it is considered saline-sodic.
What causes a water source to be saline or sodic?
Water can naturally become saline or sodic by coming into contact with soil or geologic material that is high in salts. Upon contact, salts dissolve into the water, raising the EC and/or the SAR of the water. Water can also become saline when evaporation concentrates naturally occurring salts.
What is a saline seep?
If water is introduced to an upland site in a watershed and is not removed by plant uptake, it could move below the root zone, travel down slope, and surface at a low spot in the watershed. In some geologic formations (especially in soils formed from glacial till or stratified marine deposits) water percolating through the soil dissolves salt from the soil. Once the water reaches a compacted layer or a zone of much greater horizontal conductivity, it can move laterally until it surfaces at a low spot in the watershed either as saline potholes or seep sites. This process is called saline seep. For more information, refer to the Montana Salinity Control Association.
Alkalinity is the ability of water to neutralize acids or buffer the water from change in pH. Alkalinity is measured by determining the concentration of bicarbonate (HCO3-), carbonate (CO3-), and hydroxide (OH-) and is reported as the concentration of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) equivalent to the sum of the carbonate, bicarbonate and hydroxide. Well-buffered surface water systems have alkalinity of 20 to 300 ppm. Commercially available meters or test strips can be used to test alkalinity.
What is the salinity of rivers and streams in Montana?
In surface water systems (rivers, lakes, streams, etc.), the TDS varies from as low as only a few hundred parts per million (or milligrams per liter) in many western mountain areas, to as much as 2500 to 3000 parts per million (mg/L) during the lowest flow periods in some of the smaller prairie streams of eastern Montana. If you are interested in variability in TDS of a stream in your area, the United States Geological Survey has an extensive database of historical water quality information on streams and rivers across the U.S.
What is the relationship between stream flow and EC, and between stream flow and SAR?
Generally, salinity decreases as stream flow increases and increases with decreasing stream flow. The same is true for SAR. In many high plains streams, salinity may rise with the first flush of runoff water due to bank flushing, which washes salt off the soil adjacent to streams. Stream flow generally decreases after spring snow melt and runoff from higher elevations ends. When the river goes through rising and falling stages due to rain (especially thunderstorms), the EC is usually lower when the river level is falling, rather than rising. For a good report on this topic read the USGS Publication "U.S. Geological Survey Monitoring of Powder River Basin Stream Water Quantity and Quality."
The EC of stream water may also increase during periods of drought and during the irrigation season from addition of irrigation return flow.
The SAR of a stream is dependent on the amount of sodium in the stream relative to the amount of calcium and magnesium. If sodium is a significant component of irrigation return flow, the SAR of the stream could increase during low flow. Similarly, if evaporation is extensive, this may also cause SAR to increase due to concentration of salts and precipitation of calcium as limestone.
What causes a soil to be saline and/or sodic?
Saline soils are indicative of inadequate drainage to leach salt from the soil or upward migration of salt from shallow ground water. Sodic soils have an abundance of sodium. Some soils are naturally saline and/or sodic. If the soil was formed on parent material high in salts, such as marine deposits, and it has inadequate drainage, the soil will be high in salts as well.
Soils can become saline and/or sodic from unnatural processes as well. Fertilizers, soil amendments (gypsum or lime), and manure may contribute to soil salt problems. Applications of saline and/or sodic water without adequate leaching or in the presence of a high water table will increase soil EC over time, eventually resulting in saline soil. Soils can also become saline through the process of saline seep.
Poorly drained soils, such as near a stream or river plain, can become saline and/or sodic over time, especially under irrigation or in the presence of abundant water or shallow water tables. Careful attention must be paid to management to avoid accumulation of salts where net water movement is upward due to rising water tables, excessive evaporation, or excessive plant water use without drainage.
How do I measure soil salinity and sodicity?
It is generally agreed upon among soil scientists that salinity of the soil saturated paste extract most closely represents conditions faced by plants. The general guideline is that the soil saturated paste extract will be equal to between 1.5 and 3 times the salinity of the applied irrigation water and generally will be less saline than what the plant is exposed to.
The device used to measure salinity of water is an EC meter. With the right soil water mixtures, they can be used to measure salinity of soil as well. However, only a lab can measure the sodicity, or SAR, of irrigation water. Your local county Extension or United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resource Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) offices will have information on purchasing or borrowing meters, as well as information on labs in your area.
What is an adjusted SAR?
The SAR of groundwater and soil water may need to be adjusted to account for changes in the chemistry of the water when it comes in contact with soil. This change can be caused by calcium precipitation. The actual concentration of calcium in soil water may be lower (or sometimes higher) than that of the irrigation water. In soils, dissolved calcium ions will become insoluble in the presence of the carbonate (CO3-) in the applied water. Calcium and carbonate combine to form limestone. Thus, following irrigation, the concentration of soluble calcium in the soil might be lower than that of the irrigation water. It is generally safe to assume that the SAR experienced by the soil will be 10-25% greater than the SAR of the irrigation water, due primarily to calcium precipitation.
How do I know if I have a problem with saline and/or sodic soils?
Often the problem is obvious. Excess soluble salts will often crystallize on the surface of fallow fields, while thin, patchy salt crusts will form under clods or on the shady side of clods where marginal salt problems are found. Thick, continuous crusts form in saline seeps. Saline soils tend to inhibit germination and emergence of plants. Therefore, patterns of growth in cropped fields will be poor, with spotty stand establishment. Under severe salt stress, herbaceous crops appear bluish-green; leaf tip burn and die-off of older leaves in cereal grains can result from salinity or related drought stress.
Where do saline and sodic soils occur in Montana?
The most common locations to find saline soils are in the eastern and central part of Montana and in poorly drained areas north of the Missouri River. Naturally saline soils are found along many stream terraces and bottoms, while saline seeps can be found throughout most of the glaciated plains region. Sodic soils occur in many of the same locations as saline soils, found most commonly in eastern and north central Montana and along irrigated flood plains of many rivers.
end of suitability for irrigation water) will introduce 1.8 tons of salt per acre of land. Soluble salts do not leach as readily in fine textured soils as in sandy soils; therefore, it is critical to add enough water to meet crop water requirements and to maintain net downward movement of water through the soil.
What is the tolerance of common Montana crop and forage species to saline irrigation water?
Table 1 illustrates salt tolerance levels for some common Montana crops.
Table 1. Salt tolerance for common Montana crops.
Source: MSU Extension Montguide #8382 Salinity Control Under Irrigation and MontGuide MT8321 "Salt Tolerant Forages for Saline Seep Areas"
How does saline water affect alfalfa growth?
waters of progressively higher salinity levels (Figure 1). Alfalfa nodulation (ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen) was reduced and actual weight and number of nodules decreased when plants were irrigated with moderately saline water. Growth of alfalfa plants was also inhibited, even with nitrogen fertilizer application. Growth of alfalfa decreased linearly with each increase in irrigation water salinity. Increasing salinity of irrigation water caused a greater decrease in yield for non-inoculated alfalfa than for inoculated alfalfa.
What's a recommended irrigation strategy to reduce salt injury to seedlings?
On new plantings of grass, legumes, small grains, corn, and sorghum, shorten the set times early in the season when plants are small, and irrigate more frequently. Maintaining a fairly moist soil during early growth will result in a better stand, better early growth, and an increase of as much as 25% in overall yield.
What are the common problems or difficulties with the use of sodic water for irrigation of crops?
leaves, causing burn along the outer leaf edges. In addition, sodium canindirectly affect crop growth by causing calcium, potassium, and magnesium deficiencies or by adversely affecting soil physical properties.
In addition to being a salinity component of irrigation water, sodium poses a more troublesome problem in soils containing more than 30% of a swelling type clay. On such soils, sodium changes soil physical properties, leading to poor drainage and crusting, which can affect crop growth and yield. Irrigation with sodic water on sandy soils does not cause crusting and poor drainage, as the sodium is more readily leached from the soil profile. However, if the water is saline-sodic, crop growth and yield may be compromised on sandy soils.
What are the guidelines for the suitability of irrigation water quality relative to soil dispersion, crusting, and swelling?
Table 2 illustrates guidelines for irrigation water quality relative to risk of soil dispersion, crusting, and swelling.
How to use this table: the three pieces of information you will need are: 1) the amount and type of clay in your soil; 2) the salinity (EC) or TDS (mg/L) of your irrigation water; and 3) the SAR of your irrigation water. If your soil has less than 30% clay or does not contain a swelling-type clay, risk of dispersion, crusting, and swelling caused by irrigation water is minimal. To determine risk, first select the SAR range which applies to your irrigation water, i.e., 0-3, 3-6, or 6-12. Within that range, select the EC or TDS that applies to your irrigation water. Then read across the row for the SAR x EC or TDS combination to the far right column, which indicates the risk of soil dispersion, crusting and/or swelling.
Table 2. Water quality guidelines for risk of dispersion, crusting and swelling of soils which are more than 30% swelling clay.
Values of EC in dS/m are numerically the same as mmhos/cm; multiply by 1000 to get equivalent values for umhos/cm. TDS = total dissolved solids, which is equal to EC x 640; values are parts per million (ppm) or mg/L.
Source: Western Fertilizer Handbook Table 2-5 and Figure 2-6.
1/Risk of dispersion, swelling, and crusting applies especially to soils with more than 30% clay: clay loam, silty clay loam, sandy clay loam, or silty clay textural classes.
What is the suggested range in EC and SAR of irrigation water for soils of varying textures?
Table 3 lists suggested ranges in irrigation water EC and SAR for different soil textures.
Table 3. Suggested ranges in irrigation water EC and SAR for different soil textures.
How often and when should one measure the EC and SAR of irrigation water?
The timing and frequency of measuring the EC and SAR of irrigation waterreally depend on the flow and cycle of the water source. If the water source is constant (such as a well, lake, pond, or large river), the water should be tested at a minimum during the lowest flow volume when water is to be used for irrigation and at the beginning of the irrigation season. If the source is a cyclic stream or river, the water should be tested any time flow has been low and stable for a long period of time. The best rule of thumb is to measure when flow is representative of irrigation water or when there has been a significant change in flow.
How often should one measure the EC and SAR of soil in a crop field?
previous years to determine the trend of EC and SAR over time. If proper management practices are being performed, the trend should be downward or constant. For more information on soil sampling and for a list of soil testing labs in your region, go to MSU Nutrient Management Information web site. Select "Module 1: Soil Sampling and Laboratory Selection" and refer to page 8.
Are there enforceable standards or thresholds for salinity and sodicity of water used for irrigation?
standards are being developed as part of the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) process under the Clean Water Act or because some other condition necessitates standards.
What is the best strategy for irrigating with water from rivers and streams in semi-arid areas that flow high in the spring and may even go dry in mid-summer?
Fill the profile as early as possible after the peak flow stage, or as soon after forage harvest as possible. During peak flow, salinity levels are low, but sediment is high. Sediment generally tends to decrease dramatically after peak flow.
If at all possible, delay irrigation until after the peak flow period. Begin irrigating as the flow level starts to drop. Salinity and sediment levels tend to be lower on the falling stage than the rising level of the stream cycle.
Some sediment in the water will help move the advancing wetting front across border-dike, graded border, basin, and furrow irrigated fine sandy loam soils.
Is there a threshold stream flow at which one should stop irrigating?
There is no minimum flow at which one should stop irrigating. A person should measure the EC of the water to determine irrigation suitability.
How can one safely use saline water for irrigation?
The soil being irrigated must be well-drained.
Salt tolerant crops (established alfalfa, barley, sorghum, sudan grass, sordan) should be grown.
Rotations should be planned to provide for a sequence of progressively more salt tolerant crops.
Salts should be leached out of the soil in the spring or winter.
As salinity of either the irrigation water or soil solution increases (with prolonged crop water use and through the irrigation season), the volume of irrigation water applied should be progressively increased.
Adoption of new crop and water management strategies can further facilitate use of saline water for irrigation. One strategy is to substitute more saline water (later in the irrigation season) for good quality water to irrigate certain crops in the rotation or well-drained soils. Salt buildup that occurs from irrigating with saline water can be reduced in the following winter or spring from rainfall or irrigation with low-salinity water.
Soils do not usually become excessively saline in a single irrigation season. It often takes several seasons to affect the salt level in the soil. The maximum soil salinity in the root zone that results from continuous irrigation with saline water does not occur when salty water is used only a fraction of the time.
How long does it take for the effects of irrigation with saline water to be evident in the soil?
Soils do not usually become excessively saline from use of saline water in a single irrigation season. It may even take several irrigation seasons to affect the level of salt in the soil solution. The maximum soil salinity in the root zone that results from continuous irrigation with saline water does not occur when salty water is used only a fraction of the time.
The only way to be certain of the impacts of saline irrigation water on the soil is to periodically sample and test the water and the soil. Although soil testing will provide a general guideline of the effect irrigation water might be having on soil quality, the chemistry of the soil will only reflect the chemical content of irrigation water after several cropping seasons. Irrigators should realize that groundwater quality can change with time and surface water quality changes seasonally; surface water tends to become more saline as stream flow declines. If an irrigator is going to sample water for testing, the sample should be collected after the well or supply has been pumped for some time and the sample should be placed in a clean container.
What can be done to manage or reclaim a saline or sodic soil?
Reclamation of saline or sodic soils can be done. It is first necessary to know whether the soil you want to reclaim is saline, sodic, or both, since reclamation procedures are different for each.
Saline soil reclamation requires as a minimum: 1) assessment of the problem, 2) enhanced drainage, and 3) a relatively salt free water supply. Without these components, reclamation cannot progress.
Saline soil reclamation requires leaching the soil with enough non-saline water that salts are moved below the root zone. Adequate drainage is absolutely necessary for this procedure to be successful. Research in the western United States has shown that substantial water volumes are needed to leach salt from the soil. Application of reclamation water by sprinkler irrigation or repeated pulsing of small applications of water (as opposed to flood irrigation) is the preferred method, as leaching is more thorough in an unsaturated soil. Whether leaching with a sprinkler or a flood irrigation system, testing the soil for EC following treatment will help assess the effectiveness of reclamation.
Sodic and saline-sodic soils often are or will become impermeable to water. Therefore, a soil amendment in addition to water is necessary to start the reclamation process. Following the soil amendment, one can apply water in the method described for saline soils (above). The amendment, either directly or indirectly, provides a mechanism to displace sodium from the soil. Adequate drainage is then necessary for the water to move the sodium and other salts out of the system. If a soil is sodic, an alternative reclamation option is irrigation with saline water with at least 30 percent of the salt being calcium and magnesium.
Can anything be added to saline and/or sodic water to "treat" (or clean) the water?
There are no amendments, chemicals, or additives available commercially that can be added to saline water to make the salt go away. Dilution with a non-saline water or salt precipitation with an evaporation process which leaves the salt behind and traps the evaporated water can be used. Dilution of saline irrigation water is only possible if there is a source of non-saline water with which to dilute the saline water. The evaporation and salt precipitation treatment process may not be economical or feasible with large quantities of saline irrigation water.
It is possible to alter the chemistry of sodic water by adding calcium and magnesium. This will not eliminate or reduce the sodium, but will change the ratio of sodium to other salts. The net result is more saline water; sodium salt cannot be "neutralized."
Will elemental sulfur or gypsum reclaim a saline and/or sodic soil?
Gypsum is generally added to provide a calcium source to displace sodium in the soil. (Gypsum is calcium sulfate, 22.5% calcium). For most soils in Montana east of the continental divide, the soil is already saturated with respect to calcium (as calcium carbonate or lime). Hence, adding gypsum to a soil already saturated with calcium simply elevates the concentration of calcium, favoring formation of calcium carbonate.
Elemental sulfur can be used as an amendment at high rates (500-1000 pounds per acre). On soils in Montana east of the continental divide, sulfur is added to stimulate microbial action and formation of sulfuric acid, which lowers pH. As pH decreases, lime is dissolved, and calcium and magnesium replace sodium in soils. However, without adequate drainage and good water to move the sodium out of the soil, little reclamation is gained by adding sulfur. | http://waterquality.montana.edu/energy/cbm/faq-watersoil.html |
STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA
SUPREME COURT OF APPEALS
FILED
In Re: A.S. February 9, 2015
RORY L. PERRY II, CLERK
SUPREME COURT OF APPEALS
No. 14-0999 (Nicholas County 14-JA-53) OF WEST VIRGINIA
MEMORANDUM DECISION
Petitioner, by counsel John Anderson II, appeals the Circuit Court of Nicholas County’s
September 5, 2014, order terminating her parental rights to her thirteen-month-old son, A.S. The
West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (“DHHR”), by counsel S.L. Evans,
filed its response in support of the circuit court’s order. The guardian ad litem (“guardian”),
Linda Garrett, filed a response on behalf of the child that also supports the circuit court’s order.
On appeal, petitioner argues that the circuit court erred in terminating her parental rights.1
This Court has considered the parties’ briefs and the record on appeal. The facts and legal
arguments are adequately presented, and the decisional process would not be significantly aided
by oral argument. Upon consideration of the standard of review, the briefs, and the record
presented, the Court finds no substantial question of law and no prejudicial error. For these
reasons, a memorandum decision affirming the circuit court’s order is appropriate under Rule 21
of the Rules of Appellate Procedure.
On April 11, 2014, the DHHR filed an abuse and neglect petition alleging that
petitioner’s boyfriend sexually abused his daughters and that petitioner failed to protect these
children from the sexual abuse.2 The circuit court held an adjudicatory hearing on June 19, 2014,
during which a Child Protective Services worker testified that petitioner witnessed her boyfriend
sexually abuse his daughters and failed to prevent the abuse. Based on this evidence, the circuit
court adjudicated petitioner as an abusive and neglectful parent and adjudicated A.S. as an
abused and neglected child.
1
We caution petitioner’s counsel that his brief does not comport with Rule 10(c)(7) of the
West Virginia Rules of Appellate Procedure as it contains no citations to either case or statutory
authority. We note also that Rule 10(j) provides for the imposition of sanctions where a party’s
brief does not comport with the rules, including “the Supreme Court refusing to consider the
case, denying oral argument to the derelict party, dismissing the case from the docket, or
imposing such other sanctions as the Court may deem appropriate.”
2
Petitioner’s boyfriend voluntarily relinquished his parental rights to his daughters.
Petitioner does not have any parental rights to her boyfriend’s daughters. Therefore, this
memorandum decision only concerns the termination of petitioner’s parental rights to A.S.
1
On July 23, 2014, the circuit court held a dispositional hearing and found aggravated
circumstances existed because petitioner knowingly allowed her boyfriend to sexually abuse his
daughters. As a result, the circuit court terminated petitioner’s parental rights to A.S. It is from
this order that petitioner now appeals.
This Court has established the following standard of review in such cases:
“Although conclusions of law reached by a circuit court are subject to de
novo review, when an action, such as an abuse and neglect case, is tried upon the
facts without a jury, the circuit court shall make a determination based upon the
evidence and shall make findings of fact and conclusions of law as to whether
such child is abused or neglected. These findings shall not be set aside by a
reviewing court unless clearly erroneous. A finding is clearly erroneous when,
although there is evidence to support the finding, the reviewing court on the entire
evidence is left with the definite and firm conviction that a mistake has been
committed. However, a reviewing court may not overturn a finding simply
because it would have decided the case differently, and it must affirm a finding if
the circuit court’s account of the evidence is plausible in light of the record
viewed in its entirety.” Syl. Pt. 1, In Interest of Tiffany Marie S., 196 W.Va. 223,
470 S.E.2d 177 (1996).
Syl. Pt. 1, In re Cecil T., 228 W.Va. 89, 717 S.E.2d 873 (2011). Petitioner first argues that the
circuit court erred in finding that the presumption of psychological harm outweighed the
necessity of the children’s testimony. Rule 8(a) of the West Virginia Rules of Child Abuse and
Neglect Proceedings provides that “there shall be a rebuttable presumption that the potential
psychological harm to the child outweighs the necessity of the child’s testimony and the court
shall exclude this testimony if the potential psychological harm to the child outweighs the
necessity of the child's testimony.” A psychologist testified that it would be “damaging” to
require the children to testify and should be avoided. Further, petitioner failed to offer any
evidence that the children’s testimony outweighed the potential psychological harm. Therefore,
the circuit court did not abuse its discretion by not allowing the children to testify.
Petitioner further argues that she did not allow her boyfriend to sexually abuse his
daughters. We have previously held that
“W.Va.Code, 49–6–2(c) [1980], requires the State Department of Welfare
[now the Department of Human Services], in a child abuse or neglect case, to
prove ‘conditions existing at the time of the filing of the petition . . . by clear and
convincing proof.’ The statute, however, does not specify any particular manner
or mode of testimony or evidence by which the State Department of Welfare is
obligated to meet this burden.” Syllabus Point 1, In Interest of S.C., 168 W.Va.
366, 284 S.E.2d 867 (1981).
Syl. Pt. 1, In re Joseph A., 199 W.Va. 438, 485 S.E.2d 176 (1997) (internal citations omitted).
Additionally, this Court has held that
2
[w]here there is clear and convincing evidence that a child has suffered
physical and/or sexual abuse while in the custody of his or her parent(s),
guardian, or custodian, another child residing in the home when the abuse took
place who is not a direct victim of the physical and/or sexual abuse but is at risk
of being abused is an abused child under W. Va. Code, [§] 49-1-3(a) (1994).
Syl. Pt. 2, In re Christina L., 194 W. Va. 446, 460 S.E.2d 692 (1995). Our review of the record
reflects that petitioner witnessed her boyfriend sexually abuse his daughters and that she failed to
prevent or stop the abuse. While there is no evidence that petitioner’s child, A.S., was sexually
abused, the circuit court adjudicated him as an abused child because A.S. was in petitioner’s
home during the sexual abuse and was at risk of being abused.
Despite her assertion of ignorance as to the sexual abuse of her boyfriend’s daughters,
petitioner failed to testify during the proceedings below. We have previously held that
“[b]ecause the purpose of an abuse and neglect proceeding is remedial,
where the parent or guardian fails to respond to probative evidence offered against
him/her during the course of an abuse and neglect proceeding, a lower court may
properly consider that individual’s silence as affirmative evidence of that
individual’s culpability.” Syl. pt. 2, West Virginia Dept. of Health and Human
Resources ex rel. Wright v. Doris S., 197 W.Va. 489, 475 S.E.2d 865 (1996).
Syl. Pt. 3, In re Marley M., 231 W.Va. 534, 745 S.E.2d 572 (2013). It is clear from our review of
the record, that the circuit court properly considered petitioner’s silence as evidence of her
culpability. As such, we find that the circuit court was presented with sufficient evidence that
petitioner allowed her boyfriend to sexually abuse his daughters and that she failed to prevent the
abuse.
Lastly, petitioner argues that the circuit court erred in terminating her parental rights.
West Virginia Code § 49-6-5(a)(7)(A) states, in relevant part, that “the [DHHR] is not required
to make reasonable efforts to preserve the family if the court determines . . . [t]he parent has
subjected the child, another child . . . to aggravated circumstances which include, but are not
limited to . . . sexual abuse.” This Court has held that “‘courts are not required to exhaust every
speculative possibility of parental improvement . . . where it appears that the welfare of the child
will be seriously threatened . . . .’ Syl. Pt. 1, in part, In re R.J.M., 164 W.Va. 496, 266 S.E.2d 114
(1980).” Syl. Pt. 4, in part, In re Cecil T., 228 W.Va. 89, 717 S.E.2d 873 (2011). Moreover, this
Court has stated:
“in order to remedy the abuse and/or neglect problem, the problem must first be
acknowledged. Failure to acknowledge the existence of the problem, i.e., the truth
of the basic allegation pertaining to the alleged abuse and neglect or the
perpetrator of said abuse and neglect, results in making the problem untreatable
and in making an improvement period an exercise in futility at the child's
expense.” West Virginia Dept. of Health and Human Resources v. Doris S., 197
W.Va. 489, 498, 475 S.E.2d 865, 874 (1996)
3
In re Kaitlyn P., 225 W.Va. 123, 126, 690 S.E.2d 131, 134 (2010). In the case at bar, we find that
the circuit court was presented with sufficient evidence upon which it could have found that
aggravated circumstances existed which called for the termination of petitioner’s parental rights.
For the foregoing reasons, we affirm.
Affirmed.
ISSUED: February 9, 2015
CONCURRED IN BY:
Chief Justice Margaret L. Workman
Justice Robin Jean Davis
Justice Brent D. Benjamin
Justice Menis E. Ketchum
Justice Allen H. Loughry II
4
| |
This site compiles articles from a variety of African newspapers. When citing sources from this site, track down the original publication for bibliographic information.
British Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Al Jazeera
U.S. Newspapers
Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/
Chicago Tribune
http://www.chicagotribune.com/
Christian Science Monitor (U.S.)
Los Angeles Times
Miami Herald (Good source of news on Latin America under the “Americas” tab, which is down the main page under “the grid”)
New York Times
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Oregon/Eugene Regional Newspapers
The Eugene Weekly
The Oregonian (Portland)
http://www.oregonlive.com/oregonian/
The Register Guard (Eugene)
The Statesman Journal (Salem)
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage
Magazines
(U.S. unless otherwise noted)
Atlantic Monthly
Foreign Policy
Harpers
Macleans (Canada)
Mother Jones
The Nation
National Review
http://www.nationalreview.com/
Newsweek
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032542/site/newsweek/
The Progressive
Reason
Time
U.S. News & World Report
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/home.htm
The Utne Reader
Business Press
(U.S. unless otherwise noted)
Business Week
Dollars and Sense
http://www.dollarsandsense.org/
The Economist (U.K.)
Ask your teacher for permission before using this source. Many articles already contain too much economic analysis and may make your job too easy!
http://www.economist.com/index.html
Financial Times (U.K.)
Forbes
Identifying and Evaluating the Perspective or Slant of a Source in Current Events Commentaries
A significant part of your grade on the current events commentaries comes from evaluation. Students often think evaluation is simply an explanation of the article’s contents, but it is much more than that. Evaluation means not just taking what you read at face value; it means questioning an author’s conclusions and arguing for your own interpretation.
In order to effectively evaluate the ideas in an article, you must first learn to identify the strengths and weaknesses of those ideas. The tips below will help get you started.
1. Consider the county in which the publication is located.
Is the source printed in a country with guaranteed protections of free speech and the press? Is it from a country with an authoritarian government? Undemocratic governments may be more likely to censor the press, pressure reporters to emphasize certain facts over others or even print outright lies. Check the CIA World Factbook at https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/ to find out what kind of government a country has. Keep in mind that the Factbook will present the views of the American government.
Don’t assume a source is correct just because it is published in a democracy, however. In 2004 the editors of the reputable New York Times admitted in a letter to readers that they had made mistakes in reporting Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction. These mistakes were based in part on false information that U.S. Vice President Richard Cheney supplied to reporter Judith Miller. This is just one example of how the government can distort news even in a democracy.
2. Read the publication’s self-description.
Some newspapers have an “about” link on their web page that gives insights into the publication’s perspective. The People’s Daily of China, for example, “brings you the latest news dispatches of policy information and resolutions of the Chinese Government,” according to the “About Us” link on the paper’s web site. While the paper is written to sound fair and balanced, it is in fact a “government organ,” or a government-run newspaper that gives only one real point of view. The paper may be a great resource for finding out what the Chinese government believes, but it’s a lousy way to learn the views of its critics.
3. Identify the source’s supporters.
Some “about” tabs will lead to a list of donors who support the publication. Foreign Policy magazine, for example, is published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The endowment’s web site shows that it takes money from a number of large oil companies (Look under “sources of funding.”) As a result, Foreign Policy may be careful not to print stories that offend these corporations for fear of losing funding. (Foreign Policy also counts several prestigious non-profit organizations among its donors, however.)
Most publications will not rely on donors so much as advertising to pay their bills. For this reason, many publications reflect a pro-business perspective. Publications that are very critical of business overall could lose advertising revenue.
4. Read several articles from the same publication.
One article may not tell you a great deal about the publication’s perspective, but if you read the same message over and over again in different articles you can start to make generalizations. Dollars and Sense magazine might contain several articles advocating an interventionist approach to economics, for example, but one article may advocate a free market approach. If you were to read only the free market article, you would get an inaccurate picture of the magazine’s overall perspective.
5. Compare the publication with other sources and your own knowledge.
Reading the top stories from multiple sources on the same day can provide a good sense of various publications’ perspectives. A plane crash that killed 170 people in Russia on August 22, 2006 was featured prominently on the Pravda web site, but received little attention in American newspapers. Based in Russia, Pravda demonstrated its Russian perspective that day (and U.S. papers showed a disinterest in Russian affairs).
As you read, make a “reality check” against what you already know and what appears in other sources. If a publication leaves out an important fact supporting laissez-faire economics that several other publications emphasize, you may have detected an interventionist bias. You could then speculate that other information that would support a laissez-faire approach might also have been left out.
6. Look for the use of propaganda techniques
Does the author of an article use vague language, trying to convince readers without providing evidence? Does she appeal to readers’ emotions without giving hard facts? Does she give all of the arguments for one side of a debate and leave out arguments for the other side? Does she attach a negative label to a viewpoint she disagrees with? Does she commit logical fallacies?
The following article from Wikipedia on “weasel words” does a good job of explaining how authors can manipulate language to persuade readers without offering compelling evidence: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weasel_words
7. Determine how perspective or slant could influence the article’s conclusions.
It is not good enough to identify an article as “biased” in your current events commentaries – it’s not even good enough to explain how you know the article is biased. For the purposes of this class, identifying a perspective or bias is only useful to the extent that it can help us take the next step and get closer to the truth.
Once you have figured out how a publication’s perspective might distort the real story, make an educated guess and explain just what the real story is. Go out on a limb and speculate a bit. How would additional information conveniently left out of the article change the overall picture? Would this hypothetical information support a free market or interventionist approach?
8. Don’t get stuck discussing the bias of the author
In most articles you will not notice an obvious bias or agenda on the part of the author. More important than discussing the reliability of the article itself is examining the economic concepts relevant to the article. Using information from the article, demonstrate your mastery of theory by arguing for a specific action that government, industry or consumers should take to improve economic outcomes. Or consider which people mentioned in the story benefit and which people lose out. Another option is to make a prediction about the future based on your own knowledge of economics.
The author’s bias or perspective won’t be the main topic of your evaluation. Rather, your own awareness of where the author is coming from will help you read between the lines and make insightful observations about the bigger picture. Most journalists lack a strong grasp of economic principles. That gives you an opportunity to show how much more you know than the average reporter. Good luck!
Post a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment. | http://blogs.4j.lane.edu/yamada/econ/sources-for-current-events-commentaries/ |
03/01/2018 - Main road bicycle races 2018 in our cycling area.
Trofeo Alfredo Binda, Trofeo Da Moreno, Gran Fondo World Championships, Gran Fondo World Series, Tre Valli Varesine, Giro di Lombardia.
It's a women's professional road bicycle racing event held annually in the municipality of Cittiglio and nearby comunes located within the Province of Varese.
Since 2008, the Trofeo Alfredo Binda serves as race of the UCI Women's Road World Cup.
In 2016 the Trofeo Alfredo Binda became part of the new UCI Women's World Tour.
The finish line is always at Cittiglio, while the starting point changes every year.
In the last part of the race the field of riders complete a short circuit several times at the foot of Monte Campo dei Fiori to determine the winner.
It's a women's junior road bicycle racing event which takes place in the morning on the same roads of Trofeo Binda and serves as race on the UCI Junior Nations’ Cup .
The starting point and the finish line are both in downtown Varese.
It's a semi classic European bicycle race held in Varesef for professionals . Since 2005, the Tre Valli Varesine has been organised as an event on the UCI Europe Tour.
It's a one-day-race. The finish line is always at Varese, while the starting point changes every year.
In the last part of the race the field of riders complete a short circuit several times in downtown Varese.
The race's most famous climb is the Madonna del Ghisallo between the two branches of Lake Como.
The location of the finish line and the starting point often change every year. | http://gpsvarese.it/i_news_dettaglio.asp?ID=141 |
While it’s often drilled into us that we should treat others in the same way that we want to be treated, this doesn’t always apply in management. Employees all have different personality styles. Understanding these and managing them appropriately will lead to the greatest success. Situational leadership training focuses on the different personality types and has been taught for over 35 years as a practical framework that works. Following on from this, we’re going to take a look at four personality types that you should know how to recognize in the workplace.
Analytical employees are thoughtful and deep. They tend to set very high standards for themselves and strive to perform well both professionally and personally. They’re organized and orderly and also tend to have perfectionist traits. While this means that they have high levels of self-discipline, analytical employees can also be negative, critical, and moody. Their perfectionism can manifest as a weakness, and this can lead to conflicts within a team when they believe others aren’t pulling their weight. It can also lead them to stall progress in order to ensure the job is completed correctly.
Drivers have an active and dynamic personality. While they exude confidence and are able to motivate those they work with, they’re not very detail orientated and this can lead to issues. Drivers are, however, great at seeing the big picture. They are able to imagine the end result and are able to encourage others to help them get there. With a vision in mind, they’re productive and able to get a lot done. Because of this, it can be a good idea to pair analytical employees with drivers. A driver will motivate an analytical worker while the analytical employee will ensure every stage of the project is completed properly.
Amiable employees are a pleasure to be around. They’re very well-balanced and patient individuals who have a lot of time and empathy for others. They can also have quiet traits, and be unwilling to cause conflict. While this can be positive, it can be negative in some situations, especially if they are unable to speak up when a problem is clear. Amiable employees are, however, good people to have on your team. Their diplomatic nature often helps to calm situations and helps everyone to think clearly.
Finally, we have the expressive personality type. Expressives are social butterflies who can bring humor to even the darkest situation. They’re generous people who like to be included and will do anything to help see a project to fruition. On the positive side, expressive employees can be charismatic and ambitious, however, on the negative, they can also be distracting, disorganized and loud. This can make them hard to deal with, and this is something that quieter personalities often struggle with.
Recognizing and being able to understand the four different personality types on your team will make leadership a lot easier. | https://bdjobstoday.org/4-personality-types/ |
Q-C Jaycees donate to the community
Jaycees of the Quad-Cities became Santa’s helpers while "Shopping for a Cause" on Giving on Dec. 2, donating $8,650 to the area community.
More than 30 members assisted local agencies, including Family Resources, Humility of Mary Housing, Center for Active Seniors and Winne's Place, chosen based on their mission to support at-risk populations including teens, seniors and youth.
The Jaycees’ goal is to build personal and professional relationships by working together on projects to strengthen and grow the Quad-City community. The Q-C chapter is one of the oldest in the state of Iowa and has grown to include young professionals from both sides of the Mississippi River. They blend social opportunities with service, such as planning the annual Bridal Expo and Brew Ha Ha, that raise funds for charitable initiatives.
Individuals and groups interested in volunteering with Jaycees of the Quad-Cities should contact [email protected] or call (563) 484-0041. | http://qctimes.com/lifestyles/announcements/salute/let-s-salute/article_7120838e-13b7-5f4f-92da-ee5eb1278f05.html |
DAY 1:
UNDERSTANDING SYSTEMIC RACISM
Welcome to the 21-Day Equity Challenge!
Our society has a long history of exploiting identity... a history we must all confront.
It is time for us to take a closer look at the inequities that are deeply rooted in our systems and institutions, and work together to create an America where every individual has the opportunity to succeed, regardless of race, gender, sexuality, religion, and identity.
Over the next 21 days, we will explore some difficult topics, like structural racism, segregation, and privilege, to open up dialogue on how we can be champions of equity in our personal and professional lives. To learn and to grow... together.
Before you get started, please fill out this pre-challenge survey.
We also encourage you to download your Day 1 Journal Page – a tool you are invited to use to take full advantage of what the challenge has to offer.
Today, we will define race as a concept. However, before sharing this definition, we ask that you reflect on your personal understanding of race by answering the following questions:
- What is race to you?
- Is race science based, or a social construct?
- How does your race impact you on a day to day basis?
- Are there any unique events that have occurred exclusively because of your race?
After considering these questions, feel free to use the resources below to learn more about racial equity and the role that it can play in the lives of not only yourself, but your peers and coworkers as well.
Remember, we have a large amount of content to provide multiple perspectives. We suggest keeping your learning to 10-15 minutes a day (unless of course you are REALLY intrigued by the day’s content.)
We hope everyone will digest this content slowly to avoid burn out and losing interest over the duration of the challenge. Please find the shared definition of race below.
Race: A socially constructed way of grouping people based on skin color and other apparent physical differences.
TODAY’S CHALLENGE: Do one or more of the following…
READ:
Read the article Race and Racial Identity Are Social Constructs by Angela Onwuachi-Willig on how race is not a proven concept, but instead a social construct.
WATCH:
Watch the TEDx Talk Unpacking My Baggage: Re-framing Racial Identity by Abbi Van Hook to see an alternative way of looking at racial identity based on varying cultures. (2:47)
WATCH:
Watch Growing Pains from TEDxYouth@Davenport — A collaboration of three lifelong friends, they recount their very different experiences growing up in very similar situations. Nia, Lily, and Nina express their unique and similar struggles, using their voice in this story-based speaking performance. (5:05)
CONVERSATION PIECE: Art Addressing Equity
Artist: Ai Weiwei • Title: Self Portrait in Legos • Date of piece: 2017
LEGO bricks, Image: 15 × 15 in. (38.1 × 38.1 cm.), Des Moines Art Center Permanent Collections; Gift of John and Mary Pappajohn, 2017.33 Photo Credit: Rich Sanders. Courtesy of Ai Wei Wei and the For-Site Foundation.
“Ai Wei Wei is an artist and social activist who has used his art to address the plight of refugees and political prisoners worldwide. Both a refugee and formerly a political prisoner in China, Ai’s self-portrait in Legos follows his large installation of Lego portraits of political prisoners from around the world at Alcatraz Prison in 2014.”
Jeff Fleming
Des Moines Art Center
Thank you to the members of BRAVO Greater Des Moines for curating the Equity Challenge Gallery, a collection of art in various media that speaks to the issues of equity in our society. | https://www.unitedwaydm.org/equity-challenge-day1 |
The open enrollment period to sign up for health insurance using the marketplace has been significantly reduced for 2018 and will only last from November 1, 2017 to December 15, 2017. If you don't sign up by December 15, 2017 and don't qualify for an exemption then you will have to wait until next years open enrollment to sign up for health insurance coverage.
Choosing Medicaid and CHIP Providers in Your State
Apr 11 2017
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Finding a provider who accepts Medicaid patients has the potential be a little confusing to the individuals who have never been on the program before, but it's not as difficult as it may sound. All you need is to be enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP coverage and have a connection to the internet.
Determining if you Qualify for Medicaid is as Easy as 1, 2, 3
Mar 11 2017
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1
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Have you ever checked to see if you and your family are eligible for Medicaid? It seems like a simple question, but there are many individuals and families in America who are unaware that they actually qualify for Medicaid either because their state expanded it under the Affordable Care Act or because they only make a certain amount of money each year in the states that did not.
Obamacare Subsidies: How They Work and Who Can Receive Them
Oct 02 2015
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cbs19news.com
The number of people now enrolled in Medicaid thanks to its expansion in Virginia has hit another milestone with more than 200,000 people now enrolled.
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Fri Dec 28, 2018
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kivitv.com
Despite legal challenges at the state and federal level, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is moving ahead with a citizen-directed Medicaid expansion effort.
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This is a series of screenprints based on photos that my sister took on various trips to Taiwan. As a response to my memories of eating street food and playing on my grandparent’s farm, my color palette includes fluesorent colors: hot pink, lime green, neon orange, and turquoise. These colors highlight the bright city lights that I always see in Taiwan, and are a symbolic of the happiness I always feel when visiting there. Muted colors made the fluesorent ones more readable, and, for the process, I used a paper stencil and computer photo transfer.
Response to “Around the Corner from Market Square”
Poster 30x12”
2020
Instruction on Desktop: Move the artwork to reveal the plaque and transcription of the rubbing.
The current plague hung up at RISD does not address Providence’s prominent slave trade history. To show the connection with plaque, I used the plaque’s metal type as a tool to write my message. I enjoyed creating this piece and the way it looks like nothing because it is representative of how the history of slavery is often overlooked.
Archive
A look into past and recent works.
Collages: | https://jessicafangyea.com/Fine-Arts |
A PhD, also known as a Doctor of Philosophy degree, is a doctorate awarded by a university to the academic who has met all necessary qualifications and can now be considered a doctor in his or her academic field.
Obtaining a PhD in philosophy enables you to engage in thoughtful experiments, reasoning about problems, and coming up with ways to solve problems in a more sophisticated way. This will enable you to solve a problem in the most accredited way within the shortest time possible.
Education in the United Kingdom is a devolved matter with each of the countries of the United Kingdom having separate systems under different governments: the UK Government is responsible for England, and the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive are responsible for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, respectively. | https://www.phdstudies.com/PhD/Philosophy/United-Kingdom/England/South-East-England/Kent/Kent/ |
The Japanese economy has experienced massive structural changes since the end of the 1990s, including a decline in the working-age population, along with a decade of deflation, an increase in the number of non-regular workers, which has almost doubled since the early 1990s, contributing to a large reduction in wage costs, and a rapid advance in globalization. What are the implications of such changes for the understanding of Japan’s business cycle dynamics? This paper analyses the stylized facts of Japanese business cycle fluctuations under structural change.
The empirical evidence, based on traditional frequency domain analysis using more than 60 quarterly macroeconomic time series, provides robust facts. Among the most interesting findings is that the role of scheduled hours worked as a buffer for labor input has become increasingly important, suggesting that Japanese firms tend to adjust their labor input through hours worked, owing, in part, to the increasing number of non-regular workers, which allows firms to adjust labor input in a relatively flexible manner while keeping the number of employees unchanged. The increased role of hours worked is confirmed by an analysis based on a time-varying parameter structural vector autoregression (TVP-VAR) model taking the time-varying nature of the underlying structure of the economy into account. Meanwhile, in other areas such as private consumption and investment, wages, deflators and prices, and financial market indicators, the basic nature of business cycle fluctuations has remained broadly unchanged, implying that structural change does not necessarily affect the cyclical regularities in all macroeconomic time series. | http://www.esri.go.jp/en/archive/e_dis/abstract/e_dis341-e.html |
The basic aim of the Toowoomba Buddhist Centre is to provide the opportunity for people in the Toowoomba region to explore the practices and tools available from the Buddha Dharma for personal growth and coping with modern living.
People at the Centre try to put the ideals of the Dharma into practice in their daily lives. The meditation techniques can be used by anyone regardless of their religion or background.
The Toowoomba Buddhist Centre draws upon the core Buddhist teachings to meet the spiritual needs for today’s men and women. This is achieved through the provision of a variety of activities including weekly Friends nights, women’s meditation sessions, a program of courses in Meditation and Buddhism, Dharma study groups, workshops, day and weekend retreats.
All our activities can be viewed online at http://www.toowoombabuddhistcentre.org
It was with great joy that we... | https://thebuddhistcentre.com/toowoomba |
I am a freelance ceramicist, based in Brisbane, Australia.
All of my pieces are created entirely by hand, many using techniques that I have devloped myself, over a period of 30 years.
I specialise in figurative ceramic sculpture, which has lead me to create my signature wayfarer range.
The wayfarers are eccentric figuritive sculptures, each one being completely hand made and one-off. They all have their own personalities, making them total individuals.
Drawing inspiration from the 1950s Wedgwood Cabbage Ware, my own range of cabbage tableware was conceived.
Mimicking the unpredictable shapes we see in nature, I wanted to create a more improvised line of work. In this range you'll find varying colours and contrasts, as well as playful and fluid forms - all charactaristics I've found to really graciously compliment handmade ceramics.
Learn how to create your own ceramic bust in my intimate, hands on workshop.
Workshops present a great opportunity to pick up or improve on hand building ceramic sculpture techniques in a low-pressue, welcoming atmosphere.
They run for 2 days, over a weekend, at the end of which you will have created and personalised your very own piece of ceramic art to take home.
Join my classes and let me work with you to bring your ceramic concepts into practice.
Focusing on a broader range of ceramic techniques, including both sculpture and wheel throwing, these classes will equip you with the kills needed to further explore ceramic art on your own.
Each class runs for 6 weeks, one lesson per week, with small numbers so that your experience is hands on and tailored to your own way of learning. | http://www.clairylaurence.com/ |
- Children typically speak their first word somewhere around 12 months. Some children, however, take up to 16 months to utter that long-awaited first word and this is still considered to be within the range of typical.
- At 18 months, children typically use around 50 (but we don't worry too much unless they have fewer than 10-20).
- At 24 months, children usually have an expressive vocabulary of 200-300 words (but we don't worry too much unless they have fewer than 50).
- At 3 years, children can have anywhere from 500-1,100 words in their vocabulary.
- By 5-7 years, children have an expressive vocabulary of 3000-5000 words.
And it's even more important to note that at least one study (Hart and Risley, 2006) found that the significant variability in children's vocabulary at the age of three was strongly related to the amount of talking parents did with their children. Specifically, they found that parents who used 'conversational' speech with their children (talking about what they did, what they saw and what they thought about what they did and what they saw-- basically just making conversation with their children on a regular and on-going basis) had children with significantly higher vocabularies and IQs at age three than children whose parents used mainly directive speech (get this, do that, come over here). The differences in language and IQ remained at age nine as well.
Looking for ways to keep your child's vocabulary growing? Here are a few.
- At the toddler age, use simple language to talk about what you and your child are seeing and doing. Narrate your day and engage your child in simple back and forth conversations about what is happening.
- Think about taking pictures and using them to extend and repeat the conversation about events that have happened, even with children as young as 24 months. Talking about things that have already happened helps your child learn to talk about decontextualized events (things that are not right in front of him)-- a task that requires a more precise and higher-level vocabulary.
- As your child develops language in the preschool and elementary years, continue to engage him in conversations about things that have happened in your lives. When you do so:
- Use active listening to show your child you are listening; create opportunities for your child to comment and add to your thoughts. Create pockets of time in which you really talk with your child.
- Restate what your child says, using slightly more advanced, new vocabulary. For example, if he says, "Did you see that house by the water? It was big!" respond by saying, "I did- the cabin next to the creek was gigantic!"
- As your child talks, ask "how" and "why" questions to help him extend and analyze his thoughts. Wonder out loud, for example, how the cabin was build or why the family chose to build it on the creek. Doing so allows your child to use new vocabulary to talk about abstract thoughts, rather than simply talking about the concrete objects that are right in front of him (Ruston & Schwanenflugel, 2010).
Paul, Rhea. (2007). Language Disorders from Infancy Through Adolescence. Mosby, Inc: Canada.
Risley, T. R & Hart, B. (2006). Promoting early language development. In N. F. Watt, C. Ayoub, R. H. Bradley, J. E. Puma & W. A. LeBoeuf (Eds.), The crisis in youth mental health: Critical issues and effective programs, Volume 4, Early intervention programs and policies (pp. 83-88). Westport, CT: Praeger.
Ruston, H.,& Schwanenflugel, P. (2010). Effects of a Conversation Intervention on the Expressive Vocabulary Development of Prekindergarten Children. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools (41): 303-313. | http://www.talkingkids.org/2011/07/how-many-words-should-my-child-be.html?showComment=1311338474637 |
SUMMARY OF RESPONSIBILITIES:
Perform clerical duties for the unit, function as a receptionist, transcribe physician’s orders, and register Emergency Center/First Care patients entering the facility for services.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
- Understand and live St. Vincent Hospital’s mission and values of Care, Joy, Respect, and Quality.
- Enter orders and patient charges, enter and/or retrieve data, and locate patient data on charts or on-line as needed.
- Answer telephone, screen calls, take messages, and provide information according to established policies.
- Greet and assist visitors demonstrating positive customer relations and communication skills.
- Assemble and maintain patient charts accurately.
- Maintains complete and accurate unit records.
- Facilitate patient transfers and discharges.
- Communicate pertinent information regarding patient, physician, personnel concerns, and unit activities to the director.
- Promote and maintain confidentiality
- Comply with the specific department standards established for personal/work-related responsibilities.
- Interview patient to obtain, verify, update and correct information necessary to complete the registration process. Enter patient information into the system.
- Review hospital admissions to ensure accurate financial, demographic data and to ensure documents have been obtained and properly entered into the hospital data system.
- Explain pertinent hospital policies, obtain signatures and answer questions about the hospital.
- Compile and distribute information regarding patient’s personal, insurance, and financial status. Provide appropriate forms to other departments.
- Practice regular and reliable attendance.
MARGINAL ACTIVITIES:
- Update Emergency Center manuals.
- Assist in care and maintenance of department equipment and supplies.
- Perform other job-related duties as assigned.
- Monitor supply level and order when needed.
QUALIFICATIONS:
A high school diploma and knowledge of medical terminology are required. Completion of the Health Unit Coordinator course is preferred. Candidate should possess the ability to work autonomously and deal with a variety of people; be able to read and follow a written/verbal protocol; and demonstrate effective communication and organizational skills.
ACCOUNTABILITIES FOR MISSION:
Support and maintain the Christian philosophy of the Hospital Sisters Health System and the mission of St. Vincent Hospital. Identify patient related ethical concerns. Promote patient rights and responsibilities. Demonstrate and promote positive customer relationships with visitors, patients, physicians, and unit, department and interdepartment staff in a friendly, caring, and timely manner.
Source: St. Vincent Hospital, Green Bay, WI. | https://www.reliasmedia.com/articles/110167-emergency-center-health-unit-coordinator-job-description |
While museums in France have indefinitely shut their doors during the Covid-19 pandemic, private art galleries remain open to visitors. But for how long? RFI’s Arnab Bérenger has this report.
Nearly a year after the Covid-19 pandemic, Paris’ trendy Marais district – normally teeming with life on a Saturday afternoon – has been reduced to a smattering of masked pedestrians and rows of shuttered shop windows.
Since November last year, the French government has allowed only ‘essential’ services to stay open. This includes supermarkets, take-away food and shops selling electronics and clothes.
Cultural spaces like museums, theatres and cinemas have been deemed ‘non-essential’ and remain shut, much to the disarray of France’s entertainment industry.
However art-lovers in Paris have not been left totally bereft. Private art galleries in the French capital are considered ‘essential’, and remain open to visitors.
A ‘hunger’ for art and new opportunities
Justine Durrett, director of the David Zwirner Gallery in Paris, thinks this is positive.
“Galleries are benefitting from larger audiences and more visibility”, she told RFI. “There is a need from the public to nourish their souls, a hunger for art”
Durrett foretells “lasting changes” for the “complex ecosystem of galleries, artists, institutions, collectors, auction houses” that constitute the art market.
“These are opportunities as well”, she says.
Even if travel restrictions have deprived the gallery of its mostly foreign buyers, Durrett feels that we should learn from this crisis and reevaluate the role of art in society.
“Seeing the central place that culture and art actually has for people in their lives…how much they long to return to it when they’re deprived of it — we can build on that as the world hopefully returns to normal, think about making some of these things priorities in our societies”, she says.
The show must go on
Next door, Tristan van der Stegen welcomes RFI to the Xippas gallery that is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.
“The show must go on. Museums and cultural centres are closed, and our gallery offers a space where you can discover historical artists as well as emerging ones”, the gallery’s director says enthusiastically.
“We’ve had two confinements and a curfew… This has not stopped people from wanting to discover art.”
Stegen feels that visits to an art gallery are of better quality than in a museum.
“People take more time to discover art than they used to. There’s less of a rush. So the quality of discussions are in a way more interesting”, he says.
Health restrictions also play an important part
“The public today feels more comfortable, feels safer visiting a gallery than a public space” he claims.
According to Stegen, the artist has an essential role during the pandemic.
“The artist provides a commentary on the society we live in, and the conditions we live in. We need to echo their voices as much as possible. They all have something to say about what we’re going through. Something which will help us as well, positive messages, warnings, another way of seeing things”.
The digital highway
Both Durrret and Stegen concur that art is going through a digital revolution.
“There is a digital highway, and we’re on it” says Stegen.
Indeed, most museums, indefinitely shut to the public, have been offering virtual visits and online guided tours.
Nevertheless, for the few who brave the Parisian winter for a stroll in the Marais quarter, dozens of small to medium-sized art galleries offer a rare ‘non-virtual’ art experience. But for how long?
With fears over a possible third lockdown in France, art galleries may have to shut their doors yet again, making all exhibitions and collections in France go 100% digital. | https://somebodyhelpme.info/paris-art-galleries-still-welcome-visitors-as-museums-remain-shut.html |
Darling Dwellers of The Haven,
(Watch, Read & Listen to Spellerella’s incredible story):
Meet the Esoteric Girl Behind the Spells…! 🧜♀️✨
What does it mean to live a divine, authentic, Spiritual life? How did you become Spellerella of the Haven?
“Voted in my highschool yearbook as “Most Likely To Start Her Own Religion”, I started to wear a Pentacle when I was just 15 years old. The grand epiphany that I could be a spiritual girl, free to marvel at every rock, tree, seashell, plant and creature on earthly or astral planes, not only liberated me from the confines, labels, and rules of a flawed cult Religion; it gave me a euphoric pride in displaying the ancient, neo-pagan, star-encircled symbol. Now, more than 25 years later, it is evident that the magick of the pentacle is manifested in me in every corner of my life, especially in the place I call “home”.
Why do you wear the circle and the star?
“A Pentacle is the most misunderstood magickal symbol of personal power. A pentacle is…
A five-pointed star with a circle around it.
A sign other Wiccans recognize.
A protection Sigil.
A symbol of the 5 Elements: Spirit, Earth, Air, Fire, and Water.“
Who or what inspires your craft?
“My father taught me everything I know about nature and how to see magic in every living thing. He made collecting rocks, acorns and seashells a hunt for earthly treasures. We collected maple, poplar, and oak leaves, and went on long walks to pick wildflowers – all of which we would press and delicately preserve between sheets of wax paper to create works of natural art. His lessons taught me there is life and energy in all things; and that energy while created, can never be destroyed; it simply moves, changes, or transfers to another place or thing.”
Which is your favourite element?
“From as early as two years old, I knew I would live a magical life beside the water. I have always been drawn to the water – perhaps because I am a Sagittarius, the fire sign of the zodiac. And perhaps it is my close proximity to a deep body of endless, rolling, waves of water that keeps the raging fire of passion and expression within me from blazing over in reckless abandon.”
Why is the moon so sacred to you?
“I have also always been drawn to the moon. Living on the water I am fascinated by the light and darkness of the lunar cycles, and mesmerized by the sound of the waves, as they lull me into deep retrospective speculations under a starry, cloudy. or empty night sky. The glow of the moon is both ethereal and enigmatic; the surface often casting random shadows upon itself leaving us haunted by the appearance of an unknown face; one which I believe to be the angel inside the moon… for she lights up the world whether she feels full or half empty, or even if she’s barely a sliver of herself. What incredible selflessness to give of your light, no matter how scarce the supply – and even in the blackest darkness, the moon angel does not despair; she remains calm and serene and embraces the darkness until her light is full again. She understands the need for all living things to pause, to rest, to restore their power.”
What will you share with us when we visit the Haven?
“I have always felt a deep connection to Nature, and the force which binds all things in the Universe. I invite you to follow me as I document my spiritual journey living life on the water, mindful of the sights, sounds, tastes, smells and touch of the stars, moon snd sun; the sky wind and waves; the rainstorms and rainbows -come, the magick awaits…”
–Spellerella 🧜♀️✨
spellerellashaven
Like, Share and Folliw Us for more magick and truths! 👑✨
The Buck Moon Will Rise Tonight! 🌕✨
TONIGHT we welcome the “Buck Moon.” 🌕✨!!!
As we approach Midsummer, the power of tonight’s full moon illuminates our sense of individuality, helping us to find and discover our divine true selves.
Tonight’s full moon is about bravely taking steps towards our hopes and dreams and releasing anything that is standing in the way of our unique spiritual development. It’s time to let things go that do not serve your highest good in order to make space for new growth. 🌿
Watch with us tonight as we share the rising of the Buck Moon over the waters of The Haven! 🧜♀️✨
Like, Share and Follow Us for more magick and
truths! 👑✨
spellerellashaven
@bellasbellehaven
Spellerella’s Word of the Day: Hangxiety
Summer Solstice ☀️
Flowers of the Haven 🌷🌿🌼🍃
“If you have gardens and a library, you have everything you need”. 👑✨- Marcus Tullius Cicero.
#spellerellashaven
Like, Share and Folliw Us for more magick and truths!
Freedom. ♥️ Beauty. Power. ♥️ Grace. ♥️
Photo credit: Olga Bazhutova
WOW ⭐️✨
We just had to share this amazing pic tonight as we dream about future travel to far away lands …👑✨
The perfect juxtaposition of freedom and beauty with an astounding measure of power, grace and elegance; what a gorgeous scene. ♥️
spellerellashaven
Like, Share and Folliw Us for more magick and truths! 👑✨
Spellerella’s “2 Words” of the Day: Old Soul
Spellerella’s Word of the Day: Exulansis
BELIEVE 🧚♀️✨
It’s coming! The second in our word lamp series… Introducing … B E L I E V E .
The colours of the wildflowers 🌸 with the seashells are an exquisite collage of earthy and elemental beauty. 🌊
Lessons learned during this production:
1. Epoxy resin and catalyst mix and heat react quickly; move faster and more carefully…💀✨
2. Mistakes on the second try are OK! and creating a magickal lamp is worth getting fingertips stuck to resin… 🌸 (rubbing alcohol is a magick miracle)…
3. I’m an artist and my life is my art! ♥️
I can’t wait to start making more words light up with natural beauty – and the time spent crafting this lovely piece was such a needed gift to myself; it was a permission to create, dream, and make mistakes with reckless abandon!
Let me know what you think in the comments below.
spellerellashaven 👑✨
Watch our Facebook page for the final unveil as we remove this “word of art” from the mold and light up its magick!
Watch our shop for new items as Spellerella adds her favourite tools of the craft! 🧜♀️⭐️✨
https://www.facebook.com/SpellerellasHaven/
Like, Share and Follow Us for more magick and truths! | https://spellerellashaven.com/category/spellerellas-thoughts/ |
Steven E. Milburn Jr.
Milburn 1
“THE GLASS MENAGERIE”:
Ingredients of a Tragic Drama and a Modern Tragic Heroine
Tennessee Williams wrote and created the play, “The Glass Menagerie,” with the
concept of tragedy in mind. Random House’s denotative meaning of the word tragedy is
as follows: a dramatic composition, often in verse, dealing with a serious or somber
theme, typically that of a great person destined through a flaw of character or conflict
with some overpowering force, as fate or society, to down fall or destruction. The play
takes place within a small dingy apartment in St. Louis during the late 1930’s, a time of
enjoying a waltz, listening to phonograph records, and experiencing social or economical
misfortune. The action of the play revolves around three characters that are all
Wingfields: Amanda (the mother,) Tom (the son,) and Laura (the daughter). Each
character endures some type of adversity throughout the play, which can possibly be
attributed to the fact that Mr. Wingfield (husband / father) abandoned them years earlier.
“The Glass Menagerie” contains several attributes relevant to a tragedy play such as the
serious struggle between Amanda (protagonist) and Tom (antagonist). In order for us to
justifiably label “The Glass Menagerie” as a tragic drama we must thoroughly examine
the play and prove that it contains the proper ingredients to make a tragic drama;
furthermore, we need to focus on how the character of Amanda fits the characteristics of
a modern tragic heroine.
“The Glass Menagerie” can be classified as a tragic drama by analyzing and revealing
the tragic events that happened in Amanda’s life. Tragedy is foreshadowed from the
beginning: | https://www.essaysforstudent.com/English/The-Glass-Menagerie/44302.html |
Mark Bellingham Painting is a painting business in the SF Bay area that’s been around for over 30 years.
The website redesign project for Mark Bellingham Painting was done by myself and Beth Cataldo, a UX instructor at City College of San Francisco. The key goal for this project was to update their website to make it more modern and appropriate for their clientele. With a professional-looking website, and organized imagery and information, Mark Bellingham Painting could more easily attract customers.
Their previous logo was neither scalable nor easy to work with in different mediums. They wanted a new logo that could be used across their digital presence online and in printed materials.
Mark Bellingham Painting liked the literal design/meaning of a paint brush among the many logo ideas. After many logo iterations they settled on a design that was both modern and practical.
WEB DESIGN PROCESS
Prior to the redesign, Beth and I discussed the pros and cons of the previous website design. We narrowed down what the major problems were with the design and how to fix them efficiently. | http://jichoi.com/mark-bellingham-painting/ |
It is no secret nor a provocative assertion that men’s voices, primarily white, European, have prevailed throughout history. These voices tend to represent the inventors, the geniuses, the colonizers, the conquerors, the artists, the poets, and other “winners” of history. They are voices so loud and so pervasive that they effectively drown out any evidence of an utterance made by a subordinate “other.” But just because these voices and their narratives have been suppressed by the persistent noise of dominant institutions of power and their associated discourses does not mean that these voices cease to exist and to matter. In fact, it has been the mission of many contemporary feminist literary critics, working in a variety of ways and drawing on a variety of discursive spheres, to identify, recover, and remember female and minority voices. Scholars who have made it their life’s work tread these texts within the context of a female literary tradition have found that women “have influenced one another and written for and against each other for centuries” (Marrone, 6).
Two such critics cited in this thesis are Adriana Cavarero and Leigh Gilmore; while Cavarero offers a feminist reading of classic philosophical texts and concepts, Gilmore explores the construction and perception of autobiography as a genre and the subsequent ways women have been both included and excluded from the literary discipline. Both scholars are chiefly concerned, in notably different and interesting ways, with the the concept of female voice. Extending the arguments of Gilmore and Cavarero to the world of Italian poetry, it is possible to recover strong, creative, and female voices that have been silenced for centuries.
Other texts and scholars referenced in this analysis will attempt to analyze the ways in which women have exercised agency, self expression, and political and social existence within genres that have traditionally disciplined forms of self-representation; in other words, this thesis will analyze not just what women are saying in their writing but also how they both work with and against conventional and disciplined forms in their attempt to offer life testimony. These texts, whether in the form of poetry or various types of autobiography, can and often have been for women a site of personal, social, and political resistance; in reading these texts with the objective of discovering a feminist voice, it is possible to identify and recognize moments in which Italian women, not merely and no longer passive recipients of oppression, actively reflect, anticipate, and create the various feminisms of their era. | https://repository.wellesley.edu/thesiscollection/505/ |
About Goddess Bhairavi | Tripura Bhairavi | Bhairavi Mantras List
Bhairavi is the fifth of the ten Mahavidya Goddesses. Bhairavi is a fierce and terrifying aspect of the Goddess and in nature hardly indistinguishable from Kali. Goddess Bhairavi is the consort of the Bhairava which is the fierce manifestation of Lord Shiva associated with the annihilation.
Bhairavi Origin:– Bhairavi is seen mainly as the Chandi in the Durga Saptashati who slays Chanda and Munda.
Bhairavi Iconography:- Goddess Bhairavi is portrait with two strikingly different iconographies. In one Goddess Bhairavi resembles with Goddess Kali. She is shown sitting in the cremation ground on top of a headless corpse. She has four arms in which she holds a sword, a Trishul and the demon’s severed head and her fourth arm is in the Abhaya Mudra, urging devotees to have no fear.
In the other iconography, Goddess Bhairavi resembles with Goddess Parvati. In this representation Goddess Bhairavi shines with the effulgence of ten thousand rising suns. Goddess Bhairavi has four arms and she holds a book and rosary in two arms. She makes fear-dispelling and boon-conferring gestures with remaining two arms and these gestures are known as Abhaya and Varada Mudra respectively. She sits over a lotus flower.
Bhairavi Sadhana:- Bhairavi Sadhana is done to get rid of bad spirits and physical weaknesses. She is also worshipped for getting a beautiful spouse, for a successful love marriage and early marriage.
Bhairavi Mantras List:
1) Bhairavi Mool Mantra:
ॐ ह्रीं भैरवी कलौं ह्रीं स्वाहा॥
Om Hreem Bhairavi Kalaum Hreem Svaha॥
2) Tryakshari Bhairavi Mantra (3 Syllables Mantra)
ह्स्त्रैं ह्स्क्ल्रीं ह्स्त्रौंः॥
Hstraim Hsklreem Hstraumh॥
3) Ashtakshari Tripura Bhairavi Mantra (8 Syllables Mantra)
हसैं हसकरीं हसैं॥
Hasaim Hasakarim Hasaim॥
4) Shmashan Bhairavi Mantra
श्मशान भैरवि नररुधिरास्थि – वसाभक्षिणि सिद्धिं मे देहि मम मनोरथान् पूरय हुं फट् स्वाहा॥
Shmashana Bhairavi Nararudhirasthi – Vasabhakshini Siddhim Me Dehi
Mama Manorathan Puraya Hum Phat Svaha॥
5) Bhairavi Gayatri Mantra
ॐ त्रिपुरायै विद्महे महाभैरव्यै धीमहि तन्नो देवी प्रचोदयात्॥
Om Tripurayai Vidmahe Mahabhairavyai Dhimahi Tanno Devi Prachodayat॥
Bhairavi Yantra:
Bhairavi Yantra along with its Mool Mantra is considered very effective medium to fulfil Bhairavi Sadhana. | https://templesinindiainfo.com/about-goddess-bhairavi-tripura-bhairavi-bhairavi-mantras-list/ |
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
BACKGROUND ART
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
0001 The present invention relates to a handheld electronic device which is adapted to carry out at least one operation. The invention also relates to a method for initiating an operation in a handheld electronic device, as well as a computer program.
0002 Handheld computers and other handheld electronic devices, such as mobile telephones, PDAs, reading pens, and scanners, are usually controlled by means of one or several buttons or keys, with the aid of which a user issues various commands to the device or inputs information which the device is to use. If there are only a few buttons, controlling the device is usually complicated and time-consuming. On the other hand, if there are many buttons/keys they are usually small in order to only require a small amount of space on the handheld device, which makes them inconvenient to use and increases the risk of pressing the wrong button/key.
0003 U.S. Pat. No. 5,852,434 discloses a device which enables a user to input hand-written and hand-drawn information to a computer while the information is being written/drawn on the writing surface. The device comprises a writing surface, on which a position code is arranged for coding X/Y coordinates of positions on the surface, and a special pen with a writing tip by means of which the user can write or draw on the writing surface. Furthermore, the pen has a light source for illuminating the position code and a CCD sensor for forming an image of the position code. The positional information received by the CCD sensor is transferred to a computer for processing.
0004 WO 99/48268 discloses a handheld device for writing a telephone number and sending the number to a mobile telephone for automatic dialing.
0005 An object of the present invention is to simplify the control and operation of a handheld device.
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0006 This object is completely or partly achieved by a device according to claim , a computer program according to claim , and a method according to claim or . Preferred embodiments are defined in the subclaims.
0007 According to a first aspect, the invention relates to a handheld electronic device adapted to carry out at least one operation, the device being controllable by a user using the device as a pen and writing a command for initiating said operation.
0008 An advantage of the invention is thus that the user is not required to press any keys or buttons on the device. Instead, he controls the device by writing a command for the operation he wishes to carry out. This makes the device more convenient to use for the user.
0009 The command written by the user can, for example, be a word indicating the operation which is to be carried out, for example Dial if the user wants the device to dial a certain number. It can also be a symbol, a character, a number, or a figure indicating the operation which is to be carried out.
0010 The device can record the command written by means of the device in different ways, for example by using one or more sensors which detect the movement of the device.
0011 However, in a preferred embodiment, the device is adapted to record the command by detecting a position code located on a writing surface upon which the command is written.
0012 This embodiment is advantageous since it makes it possible to determine the absolute position of the device on the writing surface, which enables an exact recording of the written command. More specifically, the position code can be detected continuously while the command is being written, a sequence of position indications being obtained which define how the device has been moved and thus which command has been written.
0013 The device can use different types of sensors depending on the technology used to implement the position code. In a preferred embodiment, the position code is designed in such a way that it can be detected by an optical sensor. In this case, the device advantageously comprises an optical sensor which is adapted to record images of the writing surface, and a signal processor which is adapted to use the position code in the images for providing a digital representation of the command.
0014 This embodiment is advantageous because it is based on image processing, which is a well-known and well-developed technology.
0015 The signal processor may comprise an interpretation function for recognizing a command symbol. Thus, the user may define an arbitrary symbol as a command symbol and when writing this symbol, the device interprets the symbol as a command.
0016 One example would be the character , which may be interpreted as a command that the following characters are to be interpreted as an e-mail address. By writing the command symbol once again, after the e-mail address (thus for the third time), it is interpreted as the end of the input of the e-mail address.
0017 Moreover, the signal processor may comprise a character interpretation function which is adapted to translate the digital representation of the command into character-coded format. This embodiment is advantageous because it makes it easier to determine which command the user has written and available software for character recognition may be used for interpretation of the command. The character interpretation operation can, for example, be carried out by ICR software.
0018 Furthermore, the device can be adapted to record a message information quantity which is used in the operation and recorded in essentially the same way as the command. In this way, the user will have the same interface for controlling the device and for inputting message information. The device will be less expensive to produce if the same means are used for inputting message information.
0019 The message information quantity can, for example, be a text which is to be transmitted in an e-mail message, a telephone number which is to be dialed, an entry which is to be made in a calendar program or some other similar information quantity. It can comprise text, numbers, various types of characters, symbols, figures, drawings, and other information which can be generated by means of hand-writing, which is defined as any manual movement of the device on a surface.
0020 In a preferred embodiment, the message information quantity is also recorded by detecting the position code on the writing surface.
0021 The device can have at least two modes, one being a command mode for recording the command and the other being an information mode for recording the information quantity. By virtue of the fact that it has different modes the device knows how the data that is written by means of the device should be processed and there is no doubt about whether the data is a command or a message information quantity.
0022 In one embodiment, the device assumes the command mode when a predetermined command symbol is written with the aid of the device. This command symbol can be a figure, one or several characters, a picture or the like.
0023 In another embodiment, the device assumes the command mode when it detects that the writing surface has a special design. The writing surface can, for example, have a special area for writing commands and another area for writing the information quantity, the device detecting on which area it is located with the aid of the position code.
0024 The principle according to the invention can be used for causing a handheld electronic device to carry out any operation which can be initiated by means of a command. Examples of operations that are carried out in handheld electronic devices include dialing, faxing, sending an electronic message, saving information, managing documents and files, and starting, controlling and closing programs. An operation may or may not be an operation which utilizes a message information quantity.
0025 In an advantageous embodiment the device is a mobile telephone, which can thus be controlled by a user using the telephone as a pen, for example writing dial 1234567, whereupon the telephone automatically dials that number.
0026 In an alternative embodiment the device comprises an accelerometer for recording the command. The accelerometer records the movement of the device when the command is being written. This embodiment has the advantage that the command can be written on any surface or even in the air, without contact with a surface. Accordingly, there is no need for a writing surface with a position code and, in fact, there is no need for a writing surface at all; rather, the command can be written on any arbitrary surface.
0027 In yet another alternative embodiment, the device comprises an optical sensor for recording images with partially overlapping content and a signal processor which is adapted to determine how the device has been moved in connection with the writing of the command by determining the relative position of the images.
0028 This embodiment also has the advantage that no position code is required; rather, the user can write the command with the aid of the device on any surface which is sufficiently patterned to enable the determination of the relative position of the images. The technology for determining what has been written is described in more detail in publication WO 99/60467, the contents of which is incorporated in the present specification by reference. This method for recording a command can advantageously be used for controlling a reading pen or a handheld scanner of the type described in the publication WO 98/20446, the contents of which is incorporated in the present specification by reference, and sold under the trademark C-Pen.
0029 The device need not be one integrated unit. In one embodiment, the device can have a first and a second part which are separable and which have transceivers for mutual wireless or wirebound communication, the device being controllable by the user using the first part as said pen, by means of which said command for initiating the operation is written.
0030 According to a second aspect of the present invention, it relates to a computer program, which is stored on a memory medium, which can be read by a computer, and which comprises instructions for causing the computer to detect a command written by means of a handheld electronic device which is being used as a pen and initiate a predetermined operation in response to the command. The advantages of this software are evident from the above discussion. The software is designed to be installed in the device by means of which the command is written.
0031 According to a third aspect of the present invention, it relates to a method for initiating an operation in a handheld electronic device comprising the steps of using the device itself as a pen and writing a command for carrying out said operation.
0032 The advantages of the method are evident from the above discussion.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
0033 The invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
0034FIG. 1 is a partial, schematic cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a handheld device according to the invention;
0035FIG. 2 is a plan view of a writing surface provided with a position code and which can be used for recording written commands; and
0036FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a second embodiment of a handheld device according to the invention.
0037FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a product provided with an alternative position coding pattern.
0038FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram disclosing how the markings may be designed and positioned in the position code pattern of FIG. 4.
0039FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a code pattern in which 4*4 symbols are used for coding a position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
0040FIG. 1 discloses a handheld device in the form of a digital pen, which can be used for writing text and drawing lines and pattern or symbols which are to be recorded in digital format. The device is controlled by the user by writing commands with the pen for the operations which are to be carried out.
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0041 The device comprises a casing having approximately the same shape as a pen. At one short side of the casing there is an opening or a window which is transparent for IR light. The short side is intended to abut against or be placed a short distance from a writing surface during operation of the device, see FIG. 2.
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0042 The casing essentially comprises an optics part, an electronic circuitry part, and a power supply. The optics part comprises at least one light-emitting diode for illuminating the surface which is to be imaged and a light-sensitive area sensor , such as a CCD or CMOS sensor, for recording a two-dimensional image. The user unit may also comprise a lens system (not shown).
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0043 The power supply to the device is obtained from a battery , which is mounted in a separate compartment in the casing . The battery may be a chargable battery.
0044 Alternatively, the power supply is obtained via a cable connection with a separate device, comprising a power source.
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0045 The electronic circuitry part comprises a signal processor . The signal processor is implemented with the aid of a microprocessor and a memory and contains software for analyzing images from the sensor for providing a digital representation of what is being written on the writing surface . Furthermore, it contains operation software for initiating and/or carrying out various operations in response to commands, as well as user software. Moreover, the signal processor advantageously contains ICR software which can be used for interpreting the recorded characters so that they can be stored, manipulated, and/or forwarded in character-coded format.
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0046 The casing of the device also comprises a pen point , with the aid of which the user can write ordinary pigment-based writing on the writing surface . The pen point is extendable and retractable so that the user can control whether or not it is to be used. The pigment is preferably non-absorbing for IR light.
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0047 Moreover, the device comprises buttons by means of which the device can be activated and controlled for operations which are not initiated by commands written by means of the device. The buttons can also be used for causing the device to assume different modes, as well as an on/off switch.
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0048 It may also comprises a transceiver for wireless transfer, for example by means of IR light, ultrasound or radio waves, of information over short distances. This wireless transfer can be utilized when the device cannot itself carry out the whole initiated operation and needs to forward the recorded information quantity and information about the operation to be carried out to an external unit.
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0049 Finally, the device may comprise a display for showing information.
0050 The above-mentioned publication WO 98/20446 discloses a device for scanning and recording text. If programmed in a suitable way, this device can be utilized for recording text and commands which are being written on a writing surface provided with a position code, and for initiating/carrying out operations in response to the written commands.
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0051FIG. 2 shows a sheet of paper defining a writing surface . On the writing surface there is printed a position code , which is composed of symbols of a first and a second type , and more specifically a dot having a larger radius and a dot having a smaller radius, corresponding to a one and a zero respectively. For the sake of clarity, the symbols have been enlarged and the position code is only shown on a small part of the writing surface . In a real embodiment the position code extends across the entire writing surface and the symbols are smaller to ensure better position resolution.
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0052 The position code can be created in a number of different ways. One way of creating a position code in which each position is coded with one symbol is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,852,434. However, in the present invention, each position is advantageously coded with the aid of a plurality of symbols and the coding is such that each symbol in the position code contributes to the coding of more than one position, so called floating coding. This means that two adjoining positions share some symbols , as indicated in FIG. 1 by the dashed areas , . In this way, a higher resolution is achieved and the detection becomes easier since the individual symbols can be less complex. This type of overlapping or floating position code can be created with the aid of a computer.
0053 A special way of generating such a floating position code is described in the publication WO 00/73983, the contents of which is incorporated in the present specification by reference, and patent applications Nos. PCT/SE00/001895, PCT/SE00/001897 and PCT/SE00/001898 all filed Oct. 2, 2000, the contents of which are incorporated in the present specification by reference.
0054 The operation of the device in FIG. 1 will now be described.
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0055 Suppose that a user wishes to make an entry in a calendar program in the device. In this case, he must first open the calendar program. In order to cause the device to carry out this task, the user first writes a special command symbol and subsequently the command letters calendar on the sheet of paper using the pen point . The command symbol may be any symbol that the user has defined to be a command symbol, for example a large circle like O inside which is written a small circle like o, more or less in one pen stroke, like the following:
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0056 While the user is writing, the optical sensor continuously captures images of the writing surface in the current position of the device. Each image contains a part of the position code . The signal processor localizes the position code in each image and, on the basis of this code, determines the coordinates of the absolute position on the writing surface in which each image was captured. In this way, a description, in the form of a large number of position indications, is obtained of how the pen has been moved across the sheet. This description constitutes a digital representation of the command symbol and the command. The position indications are fed as an input signal to the ICR software, which determines the characters to which the positions correspond, so that the command symbol and the command can be translated into character-coded format. The command may be ended by once again entering the command symbol.
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0057 When the processor detects the command symbol it knows that the characters that follow should be interpreted as a written command. The processor then compares the characters representing the recorded command with a number of predetermined commands to determine which command the user has written. When it has determined that the command is a command for opening the calendar program, it carries out the operation of opening the calendar program. The program can, for example, show a day in the calendar on the display in the usual way.
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0058 The user moves a cursor to the time where the entry should be made. Subsequently, the user writes the entry he wishes to make on the sheet of paper using the pen point . The device records the entry in the same way as the command. Since the processor does not detect the command symbol it knows that the written characters represent an information quantity. The characters are translated into character-coded format with the aid of the ICR software and are stored in the calendar program.
0059 Next, the user wishes to save and close the program. To this end, she writes the command symbol followed by the command save. The written command is processed in the same way as the command open and results in the execution of the operation of saving the written entry.
0060 After the execution of a command, the device reverts to its normal input mode, until the next command symbol is entered.
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0061 It should be noted that the pen point is only used in order to make it easier for the user to see what he is writing. It has no other function.
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0062FIG. 3 schematically shows another embodiment of a device according to the invention. In this example, the device is an ordinary mobile telephone supplemented with new software, a transceiver for wireless communication over short distances, and a pen for controlling the telephone. When the pen is not in use it is placed in a holder on the side of the telephone. The holder may comprise a contact for connecting the pen to the battery of the mobile telephone for charging the pen battery. Alternatively, the pen battery may be charged at the same time as the telephone battery is charged by a battery charger. The charging circuitry of the telephone may be used for controlling the battery charge of the pen as well.
0063 The holder may further comprise connectors for connecting the pen to the electronic circuitry of the telephone, so that the pen may download its memory contents to the telephone, or transmit its memory contents to a network using the telephone as a modem.
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0064 The structure of the pen is essentially the same as that of the device in FIG. 1. However, it has no display, no mobile telephone transceiver, and only part of the software in the device in FIG. 1.
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0065 When the user wishes to telephone, for example, she detaches the pen and writes dial using the pen on a sheet of paper with a position code. She circles the word dial to indicate that it is a command. Subsequently, she writes the telephone number that is to be dialed. The pen records images of the position code on the sheet and transfers these images by the intermediary of a transmitter for wireless communication over short distances to the transceiver in the mobile telephone. The images received are processed in the mobile telephone in the same way as described above with reference to FIG. 1, the result being that the mobile telephone carries out the operation of dialing the number indicated.
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0066 Alternatively, the optical sensor in the pen can be integrated with the mobile telephone and the whole mobile telephone can be used as a pen for writing commands.
0067 Another alternative is that the pen performs all actions and operations, and when the telephone number is recognised and decoded to ASCII, the pen sends the telephone number to the telephone for initiating the call, or transmits the telephone number to the telephone via the above-mentioned connectors.
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0068 As an alternative to the above embodiment in which the command is indicated by means of a special character or figure, the devices can be switched between a command mode and an information mode with the aid of the buttons .
0069 In cases where the number of possible commands is small, there is no need to specially indicate the commands.
0070 As mentioned above, the detection of the written command can be based on other techniques than the detection of a position code, such as an accelerometer or the recording of images with partially overlapping content for determining the movement of the device. These embodiments are not described in detail since the person skilled in the art will have no difficulty modifying the above device for the use of alternative techniques.
0071 Finally, the preferred embodiment of the absolute position-coding pattern will now be described. For the sake of simplicity it is described in connection with a sheet of paper. It corresponds to the absolute position-coding pattern described in PCT/SE00/01895. It is referred to as a position-coding pattern since a surface to which the position code is applied gives a slightly patterned impression.
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0072FIG. 4 shows an enlarged part of a sheet which on its surface is provided with the position-coding pattern . The sheet has an x coordinate axis and a y coordinate axis.
0073 The position-coding pattern comprises a virtual raster which neither is visible to the human eye nor can be detected directly by a device which is to determine positions on the surface, and a plurality of symbols which each can assume one of four values 1-4 as will be described below.
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0074 The position-coding pattern is arranged in such a manner that the symbols on a partial surface of the sheet of paper code absolute coordinates of a point on an imaginary surface, which will be described below. A first and a second partial surface , are indicated by dashed lines in FIG. 4. That part of the position-coding pattern (in this case 44 symbols) which is to be found on the first partial surface codes the coordinates of a first point, and that part of the position-coding pattern which is to be found on the second partial surface codes the coordinates of a second point on the imaginary surface. Thus the position-coding pattern is partially shared by the adjoining first and second points. Such a position-coding pattern is in this application referred to as floating.
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0075FIGS. 5-show an embodiment of a symbol which can be used in the position-coding pattern. The symbol comprises a virtual raster point which is represented by the intersection between the raster lines, and a marking which has the form of a dot. The value of the symbol depends on where the marking is located. In the Example in FIG. 5, there are four possible locations, one on each of the raster lines extending from the raster points. The displacement from the raster point is equal to all values. In the following, the symbol in FIG. 5has the value 1, in FIG. 5the value 2, in FIG. 5the value 3 and in FIG. 5the value 4. Expressed in other words, there are four different types of symbols.
0076 It should be pointed out that the dots can, of course, have a different shape.
Symbol value
x-code
y-code
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0077 Each symbol can thus represent four values 1-4. This means that the position-coding pattern can be divided into a first position code for the x coordinate, and a second position code for the y coordinate. The division is effected as follows:
0078 Thus, the value of each symbol is translated into a first digit, in this case bit, for the x-code and a second digit, in this case bit, for the y-code. In this manner, two completely independent bit patterns are obtained. The patterns can be combined to a joint pattern, which is coded graphically by means of a plurality of symbols according to FIG. 5.
0079 The coordinates for each point is coded by means of a plurality of symbols. In this example, use is made of 44 symbols to code a position in two dimensions, i.e. an x-coordinate and a y-coordinate.
0080 The position code is made up by means of a number series of ones and zeros which have the characteristic that no sequence of four bits appears more than once in the series. The number series is cyclic, which means that the characteristic also applies when one connects the end of the series to the beginning of the series. Thus a four-bit sequence always has an unambiguously determined position in the number series.
0081 The series can maximally be 16 bits long if it is to have the above-described characteristic for sequences of four bits. In this example, use is, however, made of a series having a length of seven bits only as follows:
Position in the series
Sequence
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0082 This series contains seven unique sequences of four bits which code a position in the series as follows:
0083 For coding the x-coordinate, the number series is written sequentially in columns across the entire surface that is to be coded. The coding is based on the difference or position displacement between numbers in adjoining columns. The size of the difference is determined by the position (i.e. with which sequence) in the number series, in which one lets the column begin. More specifically, if one takes the difference modulo seven between on the one hand a number which is coded by a four-bit sequence in a first column and which thus can have the value (position) 0-6, and, on the other hand, the corresponding number (i.e. the sequence on the same level) in an adjoining column, the result will be the same independently of where along the two columns one makes the comparison. By means of the difference between two columns, it is thus possible to code an x-coordinate which is constant for all y-coordinates.
0084 Since each position on the surface is coded with 44 symbols in this example, three differences (having the value 0-6) as stated above are available to code the x-coordinate. Then the coding is carried out in such manner that of the three differences, one will always have the value 1 or 2 and the other two will have values in the range 3-6. Consequently no differences are allowed to be zero in the x-code. In other words, the x-code is structured so that the differences will be as follows:
0085 (36) (36) (12) (36) (36) (12) (36) (36) (12) . . .
0086 Each x-coordinate thus is coded with two numbers between 3 and 6 and a subsequent number which is 1 or 2. If three is subtracted from the high numbers and one from the low, a number in mixed base will be obtained, which directly yields a position in the x-direction, from which the x-coordinate can then be determined directly, as shown in the example below.
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0087 By means of the above described principle, it is thus possible to code x-coordinates , , . . . , with the aid of numbers representing three differences. These differences are coded with a bit pattern which is based on the number series above. The bit pattern can finally be coded graphically by means of the symbols in FIG. 5.
0088 In many cases, when reading 44 symbols, it will not be possible to produce a complete number which codes the x-coordinate, but parts of two numbers. Since the least significant part of the numbers is always 1 or 2, a complete number, however, can easily be reconstructed.
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2
6
0089 The y-coordinates are coded according to the same principle as used for the x-coordinates. The cyclic number series is repeatedly written in horizontal rows across the surface which is to be position-coded. Just like in the case of the x-coordinates, the rows are allowed to begin in different positions, i.e. with different sequences, in the number series. However, for y-coordinates one does not use differences but codes the coordinates with numbers that are based on the starting position of the number series on each row. When the x-coordinate for 44 symbols has been determined, it is in fact possible to determine the starting positions in the number series for the rows that are included in the y-code in the 44 symbols. In the y-code the most significant digit is determined by letting this be the only one that has a value in a specific range. In this example, one lets one row of four begin in the position - in the number series to indicate that this row relates to the least significant digit in a y-coordinate, and the other three begin in the position -. In y-direction, there is thus a series of numbers as follows:
0090 (26) (26) (26) (01) (26) (26) (26) (01) (26) . . .
0091 Each y-coordinate thus is coded with three numbers between 2 and 6 and a subsequent number between 0 and 1.
0092 If 0 is subtracted from the low number and 2 from the high, one obtains in the same manner as for the x-direction a position in the y-direction in mixed base from which it is possible to directly determine the y-coordinate.
4
0093 With the above method it is possible to code 44232 positions in x-direction. Each such position corresponds to three differences, which gives 33296 positions. Moreover, it is possible to code 5552250 positions in y-direction. Each such position corresponds to rows, which gives 42501000 positions. Altogether it is thus possible to code 96000 positions. Since the x-coding is based on differences, it is, however, possible to select in which position the first number series begins. If one takes into consideration that this first number series can begin in seven different positions, it is possible to code 796000672000 positions. The starting position of the first number series in the first column can be calculated when the x-coordinate has been determined. The above-mentioned seven different starting positions for the first series may code different sheets of paper or writing surfaces on a product.
0094 With a view to further illustrating the function of the position-coding pattern, here follows a specific example which is based on the described embodiment of the position code.
0095FIG. 6 shows an example of an image with 44 symbols which are read by a device for position determination.
0096 These 44 symbols have the following values:
0097 4 4 4 2
0098 3 2 3 4
0099 4 4 2 4
0100 1 3 2 4
x-code:
y-code:
0 0 0 0
0 0 0 1
1 0 1 0
0 1 0 0
0 0 0 0
0 0 1 0
1 1 0 0
1 0 1 0
0101 These values represent the following binary x- and y-code:
7
1-2
0102 The vertical x-sequences code the following positions in the number series: 2 0 4 6. The differences between the columns will be 2 4 2, which modulo gives: 5 4 2, which in mixed base codes position (53)8(43)2(21)162119. Since the first coded x-position is position 0, the difference which is in the range and which is to be seen in the 44 symbols is the twentieth such difference. Since furthermore there are a total of three columns for each such difference and there is a starting column, the vertical sequence furthest to the right in the 44 x-code belongs to the 61st column in the x-code (320161) and the one furthest to the left belongs to the 58th.
7
0103 The horizontal y-sequences code the positions 0 4 1 3 in the number series. Since these series begin in the 58th column, the starting position of the rows are these numbers minus 57 modulo, which yields the starting position 6 3 0 2. Translated into digits in the mixed base, this will be 62, 32, 00, 224 1 0 0 where the third digit is the least significant digit in the number at issue. The fourth digit is then the most significant digit in the next number. In this case, it must be the same as in the number at issue. (An exceptional case is when the number at issue consists of the highest possible digits in all positions. Then one knows that the beginning of the next number is one greater than the beginning of the number at issue.)
0104 The position of the four-digit number will then in the mixed base be 050410120142.
0105 The third row in the y-code thus is the 43rd which has the starting position 0 or 1, and since there are four rows in all on each such row, the third row is number 434172.
0106 Thus, in this example, the position of the uppermost left corner for the 44 symbol group is (58, 170).
170
7
5
7
0107 Since the x-sequences in the 44 group begin on row , the x-columns of the entire pattern begin in the positions of the number series ((2 0 4 6)169) modulo 1 6 3 5. Between the last starting position () and the first starting position, the numbers 0-19 are coded in the mixed base, and by adding up the representations of the numbers 0-19 in the mixed base, one obtains the total difference between these columns. A naive algorithm to do so is to generate these twenty numbers and directly add up their digits. The resulting sum is called B. The sheet of paper or writing surface will then be given by (5B)modulo.
0108 In the example above, an embodiment has been described, in which each position is coded with 44 symbols and a number series with 7 bits is used. Of course, this is but an example. Positions can be coded with a larger or smaller number of symbols. The number of symbols need not be the same in both directions. The number series can be of different length and need not be binary, but may be based on another base. Different number series can be used for coding in x-direction and coding in y-direction. The symbols can have different numbers of values. As is evident from the above, a coding with 66 symbols is presently preferred, each symbol being capable of assuming four values. A person skilled in the art can readily generalise the above examples to concern such coding.
0109 In the example above, the marking is a dot but may, of course, have a different appearance. For example, it may consist of a dash or some other indication which begins in the virtual raster point and extends therefrom to a predetermined position. As one more alternative, the marking may consist of a rectangle, a square, a triangle or some other convenient, easily detected figure. The marking can be filled or open.
0110 In the example above, the symbols within a square partial surface are used for coding a position. The partial surface may have a different form, such as hexagonal. The symbols need not be arranged in rows and columns at an angle of 90 to each other but can also be arranged at other angles, e.g. 60, and/or in other arrangements. They could also code positions in polar coordinates or coordinates in other coordinate systems.
0111 For the position code to be detected, the virtual raster must be determined. This can be carried out by studying the distance between different markings. The shortest distance between two markings must derive from two neighbouring symbols having the value 1 and 3 (horizontally) or 2 and 4 (vertically) so that the markings are located on the same raster line between two raster points. When such a pair of markings has been detected, the associated raster points can be determined with knowledge of the distance between the raster points and the displacement of the markings from the raster points. When two raster points have once been located, additional raster points can be determined by means of measured distances to other markings and with knowledge of the relative distance of the raster points.
0112 The position-coding pattern described above can code a large number of unique positions and more specifically the absolute coordinates of these positions. All the positions or points that can be coded by means of the position-coding pattern can be said to jointly make up an imaginary surface. Different parts of the imaginary surface can be dedicated to different specific purposes. One area of the imaginary surface can, for instance, be dedicated to be used as a writing surface, another as a character recognition area and yet other areas as various activation icons. Other areas of the imaginary surface can be used in other applications. A corresponding subset of the position-coding pattern can then be used to create, for example, a certain activation icon which can be arranged in an optional location on a product. The coordinates coded by this subset of the position-coding pattern thus do not relate to a position on the product but to a position on the imaginary surface, which position is dedicated always to correspond to this activation icon.
72
2
0113 In the presently preferred embodiment, the nominal interspace between the dots is 0.3 mm. Any part whatever of the position-coding pattern which contains 66 dots defines the absolute coordinates of a point on the imaginary surface. Each point on the imaginary surface is thus defined by a 1.8 mm1.8 mm subset of the position-coding pattern. By determining the position of the 66 dots on a sensor in a device which is used to read the pattern, a position can be calculated by interpolation on the imaginary surface with a resolution of 0.03 mm. Since each point is coded with 66 dots which can each assume one of four values, 2points can be coded, which with the above-mentioned nominal interspace between the dots corresponds to a surface of 4.6 million km.
0114 The absolute position-coding pattern can be printed an any paper whatever or other material which enables a resolution of about 600 dpi. The paper can have any size and shape whatever depending on the intended application. The pattern can be printed by standard offset printing. Ordinary black carbon-based ink or some other ink which absorbs IR light can advantageously be used. This means in fact that other inks, including black ink which is not carbon-based, can be used to superimpose other printed text on the absolute position-coding pattern, without interfering with the reading thereof.
0115 A surface which is provided with the above-mentioned pattern printed with carbon-based black ink will be experienced by the human eye as only a slight grey shading of the surface (1-3% density), which is user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing.
0116 Of course, a smaller or large number of dots than described above can be used to define a point on the imaginary surface and a larger or smaller distance between the dots can be used in the pattern. The examples above are only given to demonstrate a presently preferred implementation of the pattern. | |
"Our scientists are conducting important research at the intersection of health and the environment, but the value of this research is not fully realized unless it is used to tackle pressing global issues like biodiversity loss, deforestation and poverty. EcoHealth Alliance is unique in that we have the expertise and ability to both conduct robust research and translate this science into program design and implementation to make the world a better place."
Scientists Bio
Tara Hoda is the senior program manager for EcoHealth Alliance’s Conservation Works (CW) activity. CW aims to improve protected and conserved area establishment and management, and to promote conservation-compatible economic growth in Liberia through a One Health approach.
With an academic background in neuroscience, Tara has conducted research in substance use and torture-induced trauma. During college, she became fascinated by the immense similarities between great apes and humans and worked at various primate sanctuaries in Africa and Asia. Since then, she has been working as a wildlife conservation practitioner, with a focus on combating the illegal bushmeat trade in West Africa. She uses her interdisciplinary experience in public health, conservation, program management, implementation, research and partnership development in her current role under CW. Tara is pursuing a Master of Environmental Science from Yale School of the Environment. | https://www.ecohealthalliance.org/personnel/tara-hoda |
Air siren sent Dutch FM into bomb shelter in Kyiv
During his visit to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Tuesday, Minister Wopke Hoekstra of Foreign Affairs had to take shelter in an air-raid shelter. An air raid siren went off in Kyiv, a spokesperson for his Ministry confirmed. It happened just before a meeting with the mayor of the city, Vitali Klitschko.
Hoekstra visited the Ukrainian capital together with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock. The Dutch Minister spoke with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Netherlands will continue to support Ukraine even after the war with Russia is over, Hoekstra said to Zelenskyy. "Ukraine can count on us when the time comes for reconstruction," he said.
Excellent conversation with president @ZelenskyyUa, together with @ABaerbock. I emphasised that the Netherlands continues to fully support #Ukraine. With military equipment & crushing sanctions against Russia. Ukraine can count on us when the time for reconstruction arrives. 🇺🇦🇳🇱 pic.twitter.com/v8kjzxWzua— Wopke Hoekstra (@WBHoekstra) May 10, 2022
Hoekstra also met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. He promised that the Netherlands would continue to support the country with weapons and financial and humanitarian.
Important to be in #Kyiv today, witnessing the enormous impact of the Russian aggression on the Ukrainian people. And, after many phone calls, good to shake hands again with @DmytroKuleba. We will continue to support #Ukraine with military, humanitarian and financial aid. pic.twitter.com/eCsMWXaFmD— Wopke Hoekstra (@WBHoekstra) May 10, 2022
The Dutch Foreign Minister visited Irpin, a suburb in Kyiv hit hard by the war with the Russians. "The bombed-out houses and buildings illustrate the impact the war has had on the lives of the men, women, and children who live here," he said. "These acts cannot go unpunished. The Netherlands is committed to establishing the truth and achieving justice."
In addition to meeting the Ukrainian Cabinet members, Hoekstra also officially reopened the Dutch embassy in Kyiv. The Dutch representation in the capital moved to the western city of Lviv after the outbreak of the war and also operated from Poland for a while.
Hoekstra also visited Ukraine shortly before the war broke out with Prime Minister Mark Rutte. The Netherlands supports the country in the fight against Russia by supplying weapons, among other things. The government also wants to help investigate possible war crimes.
Rutte will address the Ukrainian parliament later this week via a video link, as Zelenskyy did with the Dutch parliament at the end of March.
Reporting by ANP. | https://nltimes.nl/2022/05/11/air-siren-sent-dutch-fm-bomb-shelter-kyiv |
A professor, a comedian, and an artist break down their interpretation “race card."
Race Card
An author, a professor and a filmmaker discuss their unique takes on gentrification.
Gentrification
Cultural Appropriation vs. Appreciation
What does it mean to appreciate vs. appropriate culture? Explore unique perspectives.
Cultural Appropriation vs. Appreciation
Explore the assumptions and misgivings of pejorative phrases like “Welfare queen.”
Welfare
A filmmaker, a comedian and a musician explore the use of the term “white pride.”
White Pride
Explore the use of this term “Model Minority” to describe Asian American communities.
Model Minority
What’s the intent behind a simple question like, “What are you?”
What Are You?
Examine the current function and long history of American’s use of “code words”.
Code Words
What does it mean to be a “feminist” today? Explore from three unique perspectives.
I'm Not A Feminist
Examine the code words and phrases used to describe LGBTQA communities. | https://portal.knme.org/show/what-i-hear/episodes/season/1/ |
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Several diseases and disorders are caused by autoimmune mechanisms. Autoimmune diseases can generally be divided into those that are systemic and those that are localised and only affect a certain tissue or organ.
Systemic disorders involve autoantibodies that are not specific to antigens found on certain tissues. Examples include:
Examples of local disorders that are specific to a particular tissue or organ can be divided into the following groups:
This organ-specific and non-organ specific classification system means that chronic inflammatory diseases are often categorized as autoimmune even if they lack the associated pathology driven by T and B cells.
Over the last decade, there has been a growing recognition that the inflammation that occurs against self tissues is not necessarily dependent on abnormal T and B cell responses. It has now been suggested that the autoimmunity should be viewed in terms of a disease continuum, where the classic autoimmune disorders lie at one end of the scale and diseases driven by innate immune mechanisms lie at the other end. This classification system is hoped to improve understanding of disease mechanisms and the development of therapies. | https://www.thailandmedical.news/pages/health/autoimmunity-classification |
Cloning: right or wrong?
A recent book, In the beginning, there was Dolly, says:
‘The lamb has always been a symbol of innocence. This changed abruptly in the spring of 1997. “Dolly”, a barely three-month-old sheep, hit the headlines, displacing politicians and pop stars from the front pages of newspapers and magazines. Overnight, the fluffy white “lamb of innocence” had become a symbol of threat to human society through an eerie new technology—cloning.’1
Why all the fuss? Because ‘Dolly’ was a genetically identical copy of an adult sheep—a clone. She was the first such clone of a mammal (see section on Dolly).
But how do we judge cloning according to the Bible? In answering, we will first give some biological background.
The cells of a living being—whether in the skin, lungs, nose or elsewhere—have a complete set of genetic ‘instructions,’ known as the genome. From the very first division of the fertilized egg, the nucleus of each cell formed by successive cell divisions stores the complete genetic information.
At a very early stage of embryonic development, the cells specialize (or differentiate) so that some become nerve cells, some skin cells etc. Each performs different functions, based on different parts of the genetic code. That part of the genome which is not needed for the specialized function of a gland cell, for example, is not lost but is switched off or ‘asleep.’
In 1996, Ian Wilmut succeeded in awakening the hidden information of the nucleus of such a cell from its slumber.
Dolly is a copy, a clone of the sheep whose udder cell was used. A clone (from Greek klon) is an individual—plant, animal or human being—derived by asexual reproduction from another organism that has the identical hereditary components. Individuals could derive from the same cell (identical twins), or the clone could originate from the cell of another individual.
How Dolly was born
Wilmut’s experiment involved three adult female sheep. He first took an udder cell from sheep A, a six-year-old of the Finn-Dorset breed. He then fused the genetic information in its nucleus with an egg cell from sheep B, from which the nucleus had been removed. Tiny electric shocks were used to stimulate this new ‘combination’ egg cell to divide. Finally, the resultant embryo was implanted into the womb of sheep C, where it developed just like any other sheep embryo.
150 days later, Dolly became the first sheep to be born without a father. Mice have now also been cloned from an adult. This was using a cumulus cell, a type which surrounds the ovary, and a slightly different technique. These clones have also been cloned—and these again—three generations of healthy clones. Cattle have since been cloned as well.
Dolly was the first genetically identical copy of an adult. As a fertilized egg cell progressively splits, its millions of offspring cells specialize into muscle cells, skin cells or secretory cells, for example.
It was thought that a specialized cell could never revert to become a non-differentiated cell, with all the genetic instructions to form the entire creature ‘unmasked.’ However, we now know that even adult mammals can be cloned. Return to text.
But, in spite of the fact that clones have the same genotype, they are never absolutely identical. The way an individual develops depends to a high degree on the surroundings, too (see section on Lenin).
Cloning is not a human invention. The Creator Himself planned this way of reproduction. When we plant potato tubers of the previous year, the potatoes we later harvest are just as nutritious and tasty. This is because there was no new combination of hereditary information, with one plant being pollinated with the DNA of another. They are in fact clones of the previous year’s plant.
Strawberries are also propagated from runners which are actually clones of the parent plant, bearing fruit with the same colour and taste.
We also see cloning in the animal kingdom. Aphids can reproduce both sexually and by cloning. In spring the first aphid generation hatches out of fertilized eggs. Later, the aphid lays eggs that start to divide without being fertilized They are clones of the mother. Many other animals reproduce by cloning: certain bees, ants, crustaceans, and lizards.
Concerning people, we know that identical twins are real clones. The fertilized egg splits in two, and each of these two ‘daughter’ cells develops separately. They are individual people with an absolutely identical set of genes. Because of this they have the same innate gifts and talents, as well as the same predisposition to particular illnesses. They have the same colour hair and eyes, the same shoe size and the same features. But, in spite of this, they are two different people: each of them experiences the world in a unique way, and each is uniquely moulded by his or her individual experiences and choices. Both have their own personality, and their own soul.
So is humanity allowed to use the cloning technique? Humans are appointed rulers over ‘the fish of the sea and over the fowl [birds] of the air and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth’ (Genesis 1:28). So I see no reason why it should not be used in plants and animals. Especially where there is a benefit to mankind, such as less hunger or disease. Christ’s example indicates that things (such as healing, binding wounds, peace-making, and feeding the hungry) which oppose the effects of the Curse are ‘blessed.’
When humans breed wheat that can be cultivated in cold areas, or use artificial selection to get cows yielding more milk, we are also ‘manipulating nature.’
But of course, few would (or should) oppose such intervention. I think that God’s instruction to humans to subdue the earth (Genesis 1:28) also allows for cloning.
The world-wide fear of cloning derives from a vague and confused anxiety about a technology that seems out of control. Günther Stockinger wrote in the German news magazine Der Spiegel, chronicling the year 1997:
‘Biologists and doctors anywhere in the world could hit upon the idea of generating genetically identical copies of geniuses, top-class athletes, artists or movie stars. The person off the shelf, or “Homo xerox”, would no longer be mere fiction. Even Hitlers and Stalins could be produced in the labs of bio-modelers if only one usable cell of theirs could be found.’
A major reason for this fear is that in today’s ‘evolutionized’ world, there is no dividing line between the animal kingdom and humans, so the same ethical standards apply to dealings with both.
The Bible, however, draws a clear line between animals and humans, and gives us ethical guidelines:
Humans were created separately, in God’s image, unlike the animal kingdom (Genesis 1:27). Our existence extends beyond physical death (Luke 16:19-31, Philippians 1:23). This is nowhere indicated for animals.
God allowed humans to kill animals (Genesis 9:2–3). Concerning other humans, He gave the commandment: ‘Thou shalt not kill [the Hebrew רצח (ratsach) means ‘murder’]’ (Exodus 20:13).
God entrusted humans with dominion over the animal kingdom (Genesis 1:26). But humans were never told to have dominion over other humans, nor manipulate them, as would be the case if cloning humans.
Furthermore, humans are meant to have fathers and mothers, to be where possible the offspring of a sacred marriage relationship, the family ordained by God. While unfortunate circumstances in a fallen world mean that sometimes children have to be raised by only one parent, a clone could never have two parents. Thus the artificial cloning of a complete human being, because it deliberately sets out to cause such a situation, is opposed to biblical principles.
There are further reasons for rejecting the artificial cloning of humans. Each fertilized egg, including those from cloning, is a new human individual. Yet perfecting the cloning technique requires many experiments. Many individuals would be enabled to commence life, only to be deliberately destroyed. The research director of a biotechnology firm recently said,
‘My own view is that the research [on human cloning] is immoral at the present time and should always be immoral. To make the technique more efficient would require a great deal of experimentation. And to get this more refined would be at the expense of having deformed babies, etc. To get it into a situation where you could clone humans efficiently would have such a history of misery associated with it.’2
Thus, while it may be right under certain circumstances to clone animals to benefit people, I think it is absolutely wrong to try to clone humans.
Would a clone of Lenin be another Lenin?
While unlikely, the mummified body of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin just might still provide a complete genetic blueprint of his DNA. What if someone with sufficient technology were to use this to make a clone of the ‘father of the Russian Revolution’?
Many people are unaware that Lenin was one of the most bloodthirsty tyrants of this whole evolutionized century. As a recent Time article3 said, his total ruthlessness was the model for Stalin, Mao, Hitler and Pol Pot. It cites one of the key Soviet dissidents of the era as stating that from Lenin’s ‘neat pen flowed seas of blood.’ 4 The same writer gives us a clue as to how this scholarly intellectual could be responsible for the ruthless extermination of tens of millions: ‘[Lenin] was a rather kind person whose cruelty was stipulated by science … .’
Further insight comes from a speech by a self-professed admirer of Lenin, the late Australian historian, Manning Clark, while in Moscow to receive the Lenin Jubilee Medal.5 Lenin, said Clark, belonged to the ‘post-Darwinian world … [he] tried to tell people about life without God—there was no God.’ Consistent with Lenin’s being persuaded by ‘science’ that evolution was fact, he ‘completely rejected the Judeo-Christian view of the world and its conception of man’s place in the universe. He not only rejected the religious version of the creation of the universe and man, but, more importantly, of man’s creation in the image of God and man’s fall, or to use the words of Lenin’s opponents, human sin.’6
So Lenin was only being logical—if Genesis is myth, we must discard all notions of absolute standards of right and wrong. So why not kill as many people as necessary to help bring about the imagined future socialist utopia?
A clone of Lenin would not necessarily give rise to a similarly murderous individual. The interaction of his (identical) genetic blueprint with the countless differences in his environment and opportunity means that Lenin’s (hypothetical) offspring would likely be very different from his ‘parent.’
As a human being, he would have a unique soul. He could make his own choices in all manner of areas, including rejecting the evolutionism which turned Lenin into a mass killing machine. He might even become a born-again believer in the risen Lord Jesus. So, while not justifying human cloning, (see main text) common fears about ‘armies’ of identical, ruthless dictators lack a factual basis.7 Return to text.
References and notes
- Ingeborg and Josef Cernaj, Am Anfang war Dolly, Wilhelm Heyne Verlag, München, 207 pp, 1997. Return to text.
- Dr Alan Colman, of PPL Therapeutics in Edinburgh, quoted in a 1998 Reuters (New York) news release. Return to text.
- Time, pp. 48–50, 13 April 1998. Return to text.
- The myth that Stalin’s (undoubted) brutality was an aberration, a deviation from the positive policies of Lenin, has faded since the Soviet archives became public. Return to text.
- The text of Manning Clark’s speech was published in The Australian, p. 11, 6 June 1997. Return to text.
- Manning Clark, reference 5. Return to text.
- In any case, it is often overlooked that, while waiting for the ‘clone’ to grow from an embryo to adulthood (say 20 or so years), the ‘parent’ would hardly remain ‘identical’—he/she would be aging the whole time. Return to text. | https://creation.com/cloning-right-or-wrong |
Steam Reviews: Very Positive 97% Of 92 reviews, positive.
Version: v 7.02 | Early Access [New Version]
Card Survival: Tropical Island - Takes you to a tropical island atmosphere where the protagonist will have to survive and settle in. Players gain experience managing the time and resources available to build structures and tools needed for a secluded life among the wilderness. While on an area filled with a variety of materials and natural environment objects, you will have to search and collect useful elements that allow you to live in a hostile environment.
The protagonist of Card Survival: Tropical Island has basic human needs in the form of food, water, sleep and rest. It is necessary to monitor the state of the character to keep him in productive and efficient form, providing nutrition and opportunity to sleep in time after a hard day's work. In the absence of nutrients or normal sleep, the protagonist begins to lose energy points and this has a detrimental effect on his health and abilities, increasing the chances of dying or suffering critical problems with the body.
Traveling around the island, the player will stumble upon various points of interest, such as caves, shelters or shipwrecks, which can be explored for items and things that can simplify and help in these desolate places. The character can engage in building structures out of wood or clay bricks, originally crafted and ready to be used in the creation of structures. | https://hisgames.org/card-survival-tropical-island |
The invention discloses a speech enhancement optimizing method, speech enhancement optimizing system and a readable storage medium. The speech enhancement optimization method comprises the following steps: acquiring audio data information; performing audio separation processing on the audio data information to obtain background noise segment data; performing spectral characteristic estimation processing on the background noise segment data to obtain a noise spectrum; and performing noise reduction processing on the audio data information according to the noise spectrum to obtain a target audio. According to the speech enhancement optimization method provided by the invention, audio separation processing is performed on the audio data information, and spectrum feature estimation is performed on the obtained background noise segment data so as to obtain the noise spectrum used for representing the noise distribution features. | |
Key Words: Accessions, Phaseolus vulgaris, phenotypic, characterization.
J. Bio. Env. Sci. 8(6), 26-36, June 2016.[Generate Certificate]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to access variability in qualitative and quantitative traits among ten accessions that were obtained from Genetic Resources and Biotechnology Institute (GRBI) in Zimbabwe. The accessions were planted in a Randomized Complete Block Design, with three replicates. The qualitative and quantitative characteristics were recorded using the International Board for Plant Genetic Resources (IBPGR) common bean descriptor list. The quantitative data for the number of days to fifty percent flowering, plant height, days to maturity, seed size, grain yield and number of seeds per pod were analysed using hierarchical cluster analysis Minitab Release 12.22 version and GenStat Discovery versions 14 software. Cluster analysis divided genotypes in two main groups when the dendrogram was partitioned at the 26:22 % similarity levels. Cluster A comprised of 2 bean genotypes and cluster B comprised of 8 genotypes distributed in 2 sub-groups. Genetic similarity among the accessions varied significantly depending on the genotype pairs, groups and sub-groups. The genetic similarity was lower between accessions of different clusters (A and B) and higher between accessions within each cluster. Significant differences (P<0.01) were observed among the accessions for the number of pods per/plant, number of seeds per pod, length and seed size. Based on different morphological characters exhibited by different accessions, it could be concluded that morphological diversity exists among the ten accessions of common beans. It can also be concluded that there are no duplicate accession among the ten common bean accessions. | https://innspub.net/jbes/phenotypic-characterization-of-common-bean-phaseolus-vulgaris-l-accessions-conserved-at-the-genetic-resources-and-biotechnology-institute/ |
The Geography Department teaches a topical internally designed course throughout the lower school years. Pupils who choose the subject as an option then complete the CIE IGCSE in Geography and, in Sixth Form study, the AQA Geography A level Specification. Geography is a popular option at all levels: a high number of Sixth Form students carry on with Geography or related subjects at university.
Geography is a subject that seeks to explain the patterns, processes and landforms of the physical environment, exploring its dynamic relationship with human society. From the study of plate tectonics to sustainable development, such understanding is vital appreciating the challenges faced in the modern global world. Geography is a traditional academic subject, but constantly evolves to reflect the issues faced by the world around us. The bridge between the Arts subjects and the Sciences, Geography is a wonderful complement to a wide range of option choices. Regular visits to regional sites help consolidate case study knowledge and develop fundamental fieldwork skills, enabling independent pupil research. These visits include a study of the River Tees, a study of the geomorphology of the Holderness Coast and the impacts of tourism in Bridlington. We make use of a number of fieldwork centres in National Park settings and more adventurous trips to international locations, such as Iceland, are considered wonderful educational opportunities for our pupils.
Geography is compulsory in the lower years and, during this time, pupils are given a taste of both local and global geographical matters. Pupils start the First Year by considering what Geography means to them, reflecting upon their geographical experiences; a local fieldwork enquiry ensures that important geographical skills are introduced. In the Second Year, pupils study the Geography of the past, present and future. In Third Year pupils study tectonics, industry, water, energy and geographical skills.The focus is on case studies and skills, ensuring a confident understanding of the demands and expectations of IGCSE Geography. Senior School pupils – and in particular, those taking A Level Geography – have the opportunity to attend a range of Royal Geography Society enrichment lectures each year. | http://www.yarmschool.org/Geography |
Equality of opportunity and equity (fairness) of outcome are desirable. The SAT’s adversity score, however, is a misguided attempt at achieving this equality of opportunity and, in some cases, will work against equity of outcome. The use of this score calls into question the test’s purpose and undermines the importance of education more generally. Worse still, it discriminates against students by applying probabilistic, general population data to individuals. And, even worse, it only shows a student’s adversity score to colleges – students will never know the score on which they are judged.
Back to Its Roots
First administered in 1926, the SAT was created in order to measure innate IQ. Its intent was to evaluate intellectual potential. Throughout its history, however, it has continually moved away from its intent to measure IQ and instead moved towards evaluating academic achievement (on which the ACT, first administered in 1959, has focused). Most notably, the SAT underwent a radical redesign in 2016 and has since explicitly sought to measure academic achievement in order to better measure college readiness and better predict performance in college.¹
The introduction of an “adversity score,” however, undermines the SAT’s recent claims that achievement is important.
In April, Jeremy Singer, the new President of the College Board (the makers of the SAT), stated in a discussion about the introduction of adversity scores that “An SAT score of 1400 in East L.A. is not the same as a 1400 in Greenwhich, Connecticut.”² Really? Isn’t the whole point of a standardized test to provide an objective, meaningful score so that students can be compared regardless of context?³
Singer’s meaning, of course, was that a student should be given more credit for the same score if they have a disadvantaged background. Ignoring the fact that the new adversity score imperfectly and discriminatorily measures disadvantage, giving students more credit for a standardized test score depending on their perceived background either means that achievement (as measured by the SAT) is not predictive or relevant for assessing success in college or that colleges should not focus on what will lead to success in college.
Does Achievement Predict Success in College?
But achievement (as measured by the SAT) is moderately predictive of a student’s GPA in college – there is a .37 correlation between SAT scores and undergraduate GPA.4 Additionally, ACT scores are even more predictive, with a strong, positive correlation of .46. While the data from studies on the preceding is somewhat mixed, most studies have found a positive correlation between SAT and ACT test scores and success in college; this link directs to an article that has a great summary of studies and presents its own findings. The SAT cites its own research about the importance and predictive capacity of its scores.5
Thus, SAT and (probably even more so) ACT scores are decent measures, particularly when combined with high school GPA, of achievement in high school and are predictive of achievement in college. Yet, the SAT has provided no data at all that suggests that the addition of an adversity score improves a college’s ability to predict success in college. The only results-driven data that it has provided are that colleges using the new adversity scores see increases in the underrepresented groups of students that they are targeting.²
Should Colleges Care About Success in College?
That latter question seems ridiculous to ask. One would think the answer would be, “Yes. Of course. Obviously.” But an adversity score questions that assumption. Although I would disagree with the following, I am open to being wrong: maybe colleges should care more about providing equal access to higher education than their students’ success in higher education. Regardless of the value judgment we put on what colleges “should” care about, I think the SAT (and colleges) need to be transparent about what they value. And, I think they need to be honest about the dangers of setting a precedent that the fruits of achievement should be mitigated or even eliminated when balanced against other possible social conditions over which a student had no control.
If we are not careful, then the SAT, high schools, colleges, and society will give the message that education and knowledge are not important. Really. Because if academic achievement is devalued, then what students learn and the skills they develop is devalued. And then, what is the point of education? Is the educational system just a sequence of smaller and smaller hoops through which students have to jump? Personally, I reject that view as I have written about in this link. Education is necessary, valuable, transformative.
What the Adversity Score Measures
The SAT will provide colleges with an adversity score, ranging from 1-100, that is a composite of 3 broad categories and 12 subsections of a student’s possible adversity.6 A score of 1 will indicate a student is predicted to have experienced the lowest adversity relative to other students, a score of 50 will indicate a predicted experience of average adversity, and a score of 100 will indicate the highest predicted amount of adversity that a student could potentially face.
Here are the categories and subsections:
-
Neighborhood Environment:
- Crime Rate
- Poverty Rate
- Housing Values
- Vacancy Rate
-
Family Environment:
- Median Income of Families in the Surrounding Community
- Percentage of Single-Parent Households in the Surrounding Community
- Average Educational Level of Adults in the Surrounding Community
- Percentage of Surrounding Community that uses English as a Second Language
- Median Income of Families in the Surrounding Community
-
High School Environment
- Undermatching (whether a student is outperforming other students at their school but underperforming students on a larger scale and, thus, allegedly at risk to be “undermatched” to colleges that are below what they deserve)
- Curriculum Rigor at the Student’s School
- Free Lunch Rate at the Student’s School
- Advanced Placement (AP) Course Opportunity at the Student’s School
Immediately problematic is that the SAT does not disclose all of its sources of data, which it says are proprietary, that it uses to build a student’s adversity score. This secretiveness casts doubt on the validity of its data because there is no way to independently verify the accuracy of their information.
However, even if the data are accurate about a student’s high school and community, that data is still potentially not very relevant or even entirely irrelevant to the individual student. For example, whether a student is from a community with a higher than average percentage of single-parent households and where English is a second language is dramatically less relevant than if the individual student actually is from a single-parent household and if English actually is a second language in the student’s household.
A probability of experiencing adversity is wholly unacceptable when it is applied to individuals as a single composite score. In practice, the probability of experiencing adversity is being supplanted with an assessment that the student did or did not experience adversity. This substitution of the probability of having advantages/disadvantages with the assumption of actually having advantages/disadvantages is discrimination: “the treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction towards, a person based on the group, class, or category to which the person is perceived [emphasis added] to belong.”7 Notice that discrimination is based on what group a person is perceived to belong, meaning the generalizations (even if true about a group) are not necessarily true of an individual. If a student is perceived (based on assumptions from their probabilistic adversity score) to be privileged, they will be given less credit for their accomplishments. But judging individuals based on probability, not on themselves and their own accomplishments, is discriminatory.
For example, what would be the adversity score of the following student? Her parent is a single-mother who immigrated from Vietnam and speaks English as a second language. In the U.S., the student’s mom worked three jobs to provide for her children. She sacrifices everything for her children and recently moved her family to a one-bedroom apartment in a wealthy suburb to give her children access to a great school system and a safe neighborhood. Yet, what would the student’s adversity score be? Possibly 1 (even though it should be something near 100). The SAT would only be looking at the demographic data of the student’s current school and current neighborhood (income, crime, number of single-parent households, etc) and then making assumptions about her that were 100% inaccurate. Of course, the student might point out some of the adversity she overcame in her college essay, but, even if she did, would her essays about adversity outweigh the adversity score of 80 of a different student? Keep in mind, the student with an adversity score of 80 might live with both parents and have all of his needs met, but the SAT would still give him the highest adversity score if he lived in a neighborhood and went to a school where, on average, students experienced the highest amount of adversity.
Thus, even if a consideration for adversity is worthwhile, an adversity score from the SAT can be incomplete, misleading, or simply wrong. In order to measure adversity and assign student’s a single score, the score needs to be based on that student. If colleges believe they need this information, then they should require it from applicants and not judge individuals on the probability that they faced adversity. With the SAT’s adversity score, what is true becomes less important than what is possible. The individual becomes less important than the group or class to which they might belong.
Secret Judgment
To me, however, potentially the worst aspect of the adversity score is that it will be kept hidden from the student.6 Doing so is problematic for two reasons: 1) The adversity score might be wholly inaccurate, yet the student will have no idea that they need to address the inaccuracy if they have no way of knowing about it, and 2) The student needs to know their adversity score in order to make informed decisions. For example, if a student has grades and an SAT score above the average of a college to which they are applying, then they will likely feel good about their prospects for admittance. However, if, unbeknownst to them, their adversity score is much lower than the college’s average adversity score, then they might need even better grades and a higher SAT score than they currently have in order to gain admittance. Had they known this, whether it would be fair that they should have to do so or not, they could have worked harder for better grades and/or a higher SAT score. Yet, without knowing their adversity score, they are deprived of the opportunity to understand how they will be judged by the colleges to which they apply. In short, their entire application – not just their SAT score – might become devalued because the diversity score attached to their SAT score is low.
Outcome
We do not have to speculate whether students with low adversity scores are being devalued. Both the SAT and colleges have said that adversity scores increase the number of students admitted with high adversity scores.6
I hope that the SAT and colleges see the perils of assigning demographic generalizations to individuals. Yet, the temptation for colleges to use a free and simple adversity score, however imperfect, is likely too appealing to pass up. Sadly, the ACT (which usually caters less to the whims of college admission offices – it lets students delete ACT scores, etc) has also said that it is developing a similar tool that it will announce later this year.6 (Important update: After this post was published, the ACT’s CEO, Martin Roorda, rebutted prior reports that the ACT would be developing its own adversity score equivalent and instead confirmed that it disagreed with the SAT’s approach — using many of the same objections raised in this article — and would not be providing a similar score to colleges.8)
Through diversity scores, a college might (correctly or incorrectly) convince itself that it is opening access to higher education. Yet, doing so will force students in areas with low adversity scores to compete even more for higher SAT scores in order to differentiate their scores from those of students who likely have higher adversity scores. Or, those students with low adversity scores may flock to the safe harbor of the ACT so that their entire applications are not devalued by the SAT’s adversity score. Particularly when combined with the SAT’s recent mistakes that highlight its lack of commitment to creating a fair and accurate standardized test, the ACT keeps looking like the better test for students generally, and especially if the students have high SAT/ACT scores and potentially low adversity scores.
Works Cited: | https://summitprep.com/the-sats-new-adversity-score/ |
From August to November 2018, airports saw overall stable but moderating passenger traffic growth following a strong 2017, while air freight volumes were erratic but resilient as the trade wars continued, says Airports Council International (ACI) World in its latest report.
Despite small monthly fluctuations, general passenger traffic growth between August and November last year was quite stable, hovering between 5% and 5.5%.
Broken down by month, in August, passenger traffic grew by 5.4% year-over-year. Domestic and international segments expanded 5.2% and 5.6%, respectively. Despite regional heterogeneity, with figures ranging from 3.7% to 7%, most regions performed well, standing close to the global industry figure.
In September, international and domestic segments grew 5.5% and 4.8%, respectively, year-over-year. Asia-Pacific’s results were marked by moderation, its passenger traffic gaining 3.4% versus 6.5% in August.
In October the international market grew 6.6% year-over-year compared to 4.6% for the domestic segment. Total industry growth reached 5.5%. Europe performed well, posting 6.8% in total traffic growth, well above Asia-Pacific (4.8%) and North America (3.6%).
ACI recorded a 5.0% increase in global passenger traffic in November as the year drew towards its conclusion. The international market grew by 6.8% year-over-year compared to 3.9% for the domestic.
By the end of November, the year-to-date result for passenger traffic was recorded at 6%. The international market had grown 6.7% over the year, compared to 5.4% for the domestic market.
Nearly all regions had robust year-to-date growth rates, with only the Middle East (2.1%) hovering below 5%. Asia-Pacific, despite a moderation in growth rates in the last four months, stood at 6.8% (from 8% in August). Europe and North America’s year-to-date had been stable for the last months at 6.2% and 5.1%, respectively, by November’s end.
“Following the strong results in 2017 during which passenger growth was recorded at 7.5%, it looks as if the industry will record similarly robust but moderating results in 2018,” said Angela Gittens, director general of ACI World.
Unpredictable air freight growth
On the other hand, air freight volumes showed significant volatility during the period August to November with year-over-year figures ranging from 3.7% in October to -0.3% in November. The gains produced by the industry in the first half of 2018 had been moderating since, with year-to-date growth reaching 3.6% in November.
The volatility in the market showed that the trade war between the world’s two largest economies had tested the industry in 2018 and the final impact on global supply chains remains uncertain, Gittens said.
In August 2018, total freight gained 2.3%. The domestic segment grew 5% year-over-year compared to the international segment’s 1.2%. The divergent growth between Asia-Pacific and North American markets, which had started to show in June of 2018, continued, with the two regions growing by 1.9% and 5.1%, respectively, year-over-year. Europe posted a mere 0.1% growth for August.
September’s freight results moderated to 1.6% growth year-over-year. Asia-Pacific lost 1.1% during the month, with Europe gaining 0.8% and North America continuing its robust growth at 4%. Global domestic freight expanded by 3%, compensating for a 0.9% increase in the international segment.
The air freight market gained back some lost momentum in October, growing by 3.7% year-over-year. As with August and September, Asia-Pacific (2.6%) and Europe (1.9%) under-performed compared to North America (6.4%) during the month. The global industry’s domestic segment contributed 6.6% growth. The international segment reached 2.4%, an improvement over the four prior months.
In November 2018, the global air freight industry posted a decline for the first time since February 2016, losing 0.3% against a year prior. International freight lost 0.6% and the domestic segment gained 0.3%. North America posted a 0.9% increase in total freight, a significant shift from prior months for the region. Europe and Asia-Pacific declined year-over-year, posting -1% and -2.1%, respectively, in November.
Despite the volatility and moderation of the last months, year-to-date figures remained robust for the air freight industry. Total freight is set to grow by at least 3% by the end of 2018 (currently at 3.6%), with domestic freight hovering around 5%. International freight is standing at 3%, and could be around 2.7% by year’s end.
“Considering the events taking place in 2018, these figures do point to the industry’s impressive resilience to shocks,” said ACI. | https://www.portcalls.com/air-passenger-freight-markets-show-resilience-face-shocks-aci/ |
Estimating Health Risks from Coal-Fired Power Plants: Pakistan’s Port Qasim Power Plant
As world leaders, researchers and advocates gather in Glasgow, Scotland for the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), much attention will be focused on the global phase-out of coal-fired power. While the additional climate impacts of coal fired power plants (CFPPs) on the global atmosphere are well documented, the extent of pollution on local populations has been harder to pin down.
As many newly added CFPPs in the world have received Chinese finance or investment under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in recent years, investors, regulatory institutions and civil society need to understand the local impacts of CFPPs. In addition, following Xi Jinping’s recent announcement that China would not build new CFPPs overseas, it is important to understand the local pollution impacts of the plants that China has already supported, some of which will operate for decades to come.
Recent reviews have found that BRI host countries often have more lax regulation enforcement, and less Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) transparency than China. This often results in worse environmental and social impacts than promised, with regulatory information about CFPPs not publicly accessible and impacts on air quality and human health relying upon proprietary data that are impossible to thoroughly evaluate, due to the opaqueness of available data.
A new journal article published in Environmental Impact Assessment Review analyzes a CFPP in Pakistan and establishes a methodology for measuring local impacts to the communities dependent on CFPPs. Using open-source data, the methodology enables researchers to begin answering questions such as: how can social impacts be mitigated by environmental regulations, or rather, what are the dangers of lax host country regulation enforcement? Citing the Port Qasim Power Plant near Karachi, Pakistan as a case study, the article demonstrates the dangers of CFPPs close to populated areas.
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is emitted from CFPPs during the process of burning coal and is a leading cause of death worldwide. Electrostatic precipitator (ESP) technology can drastically reduce the amount of PM2.5 emitted by up to 99.5 percent, but ensuring usage and enforcement of ESPs is difficult. Pakistan, and many other BRI countries, have tightened or created more stringent air quality standards that match international norms at 15 micrograms per cubic meter. However, there remains a disconnect with these new regulations and observed air quality. The measured concentration in Karachi ranges from 20-90 micrograms, depending on the month and season, well exceeding this standard.
PM2.5 exposure has well-documented links to diseases like Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD), Stroke (STR) and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). In Southeast Asia, the increased construction of CFPPs is linked to a projected 70,000 additional deaths by 2030.
Air quality issues arising from CFPPs are not unique to the BRI, and the scope of this study is the modeled additional PM2.5 impact of a singular power plant in a dense industrial district. When taken as a whole though, the findings of this study provide important insights for the power generation sector. Additionally, examining the Port Qasim Power Plant in Karachi shows the potential of an open-source near-global methodology that combines plume dispersion and health risk modeling to estimate the social costs of exposure to PM 2.5.
Figure 1 shows the modeled additional PM2.5 concentrations in micrograms per cubic meter that Port Qasim Power Plant contributes to the local atmosphere with no ESP technology, projected above population densities for the greater Karachi region.
Weather patterns direct the majority of the plume away from the city center, shown in red. However, this plume still exposes over 400,000 people in the region to additional pollutants.
Figure 1: Modeled PM2.5 Concentration Plume (in micrograms) from Port Qasim Power Plant, No ESP scenario
Figure 2 shows a similar story, however there is one major difference – PM2.5 concentration levels. In this scenario, ESP technology is being used and maintained properly. There is a drastic reduction in PM2.5, to effectively negligible increases from the perspective of health risk modeling:
Figure 2: Modeled PM2.5 Concentration Plume (in micrograms), ESP Scenario
In the affected subpopulation, where people are exposed to at least one additional microgram per cubic meter of PM2.5, an additional 49 deaths per year can be attributed to this exposure. In Table 1 below, disability-adjusted life years lost are based on average life expectancy by age, and here represent modeled years of life lost across the population. This results in a staggering social cost, as shown below.
Table 1: Results: Additional Mortality Risks and Social Costs from Port Qasim Power Plant, Pakistan
This demonstrates two critical findings: Firstly, CFPPs built with modern technologies and functioning pollution control (ESP) impose little additional social costs from PM2.5 to the immediate surrounding community. Secondly, an open-source approach is feasible, comparable in quality to proprietary analysis and can be applied to CFPPs near-globally.Source: Population data from the Gridded Population of the World (GPW v4), DALY values from WHO Global Health Observatory.
Lax enforcement of environmental regulations and technology can cause additional harm to the communities CFPPs are located in, but if monitored and enforced closely, the additional benefits that access to energy provides cannot be overlooked. This is an important lesson for responsible investors and regulatory institutions and is particularly relevant for participants of CFPPs under the BRI.
To assess risk levels, interested parties, like local governmental organizations and civil society can require and oversee environmental impact assessments, which should include provisions for air pollution control technologies. Follow-up will also be needed to ensure that control technologies are being operated. | https://www.bu.edu/gdp/2021/11/08/estimating-health-risks-from-coal-fired-power-plants-pakistans-port-qasim-power-plant/ |
This research project primarily aims to describe the origins of toxicity in the Dead by Daylight (Behaviour Interactive, 2016) community. More specifically, it seeks to identify enabling factors for toxic relationships between individual players or factions within the community through an analysis of the interface, game mechanics, in-game behavior (big data sets analysis), out-game discussions on socialization platforms (textual data analysis), and declarative data (survey).
This research project investigates identity, communicational, and social dynamics within online gaming communities using hybrid methods at the intersection of qualitative analysis (semiotic analysis of online platforms, laboratory analysis of gaming sessions, semi-directed interviews, group interviews, etc.) and quantitative analysis (manual or automated analysis of in-game data and out-game, online communication data). This project also seeks to critically examine the way in which big data and artificial intelligence are applied to the study of gaming communities while formulating a semiotic analysis of key concepts and technologies in these fields.
This research project’s general objective is to document and analyze how Classcraft is implemented and used in primary and secondary level classrooms. More specifically, it seeks to describe how teachers, students, and parents use the platform, as well as evaluate their assessment of the platform while studying their Classcraft and social media habits in class and online. To this end, this project uses a range of research methods: semiotic analysis of the platform, non-participatory in-class observation, individual interviews, surveys, an analysis teachers’ social media usage, and an analysis of big data sets produced on the platform. | http://crcbigdata.homoludens.ca/en/recherches |
The stress and anxiety caused by the continued spread of COVID-19 can be overwhelming, especially for people with opioid use disorder. Stand Up Mississippi has gathered resources to help people take care of their mental health during these uncertain times. If you need immediate assistance, call the Mississippi Department of Mental Health Hotline at 1-877-210-8513 to receive referral and information to services and supports in Mississippi.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention offers the following tips for coping with stress.
You can find more guidance from the CDC on the COVID-19 coronavirus here.
You can find the latest information from the Mississippi State Department of Health here.
We have compiled several additional resources below. We encourage you to remain connected, support each other, and stay well.
Taking Care of Your Mental Health During Social Distancing
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) offers tips for caring for your mental health during social distancing, quarantine, and isolation. The resource includes information about feelings to expect, ways to support yourself, where to find reliable information, and links to other national resources.
Addiction Medication Treatment
Addiction medication providers and programs across the country or working to continue providing care safely during the pandemic. The American Society of Addiction Medicine convened a task force to establish guidelines serving patients. They have organized resources for health care providers, such as guidance on mitigating infection in outpatient and residential treatment facilities. The site also includes information for the public, such as telehealth addiction resources and support groups.
COVID-19 and Individuals with Substance Use Disorders
People recovering from a substance use disorder could have an especially difficult time recovering from COVID-19. Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), provides an overview of the risks and potential outcomes, and how researchers are working to find solutions.
Virtual Recovery Resources
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has a list of virtual recovery programs offered around the country. View SAMHSA’s virtual recovery tip sheet for a brief description and links to the program websites.
Daily Virtual Recovery Meetings
Social distancing guidelines may have put a temporary hold on face-to-face meetings. However, several organizations and treatment facilities have created online communities to continue support and recovery meetings. Visit the following sites to learn more about online meetings.
ARE YOU EXPERIENCING A CRISIS SITUATION?
Mobile Crisis Response Teams provide guidance and support to adults and children who are experiencing a mental health crisis. Response teams are available in all 82 counties. They can be accessed by calling the toll-free numbers that are answered around the clock by Licensed Therapists, Peer Support Specialists, and Community Support Specialists. Response teams respond wherever a person is experiencing a crisis or at a designated location, like a local hospital. Services are funded by the Department of Mental Health and provided by the 14 Community Mental Health Centers.
National crisis lifelines are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to help you. The Department of Mental Health Helpline will remain staffed at all times. Call 1-877-210-8513 for information about services or supports near you.
The Disaster Distress Helpline, 1-800-985-5990, is a 24/7, 365-day-a-year, national hotline dedicated to providing immediate crisis counseling for people who are experiencing emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster. This toll-free, multilingual, and confidential crisis support service is available to all residents in the United States and its territories. Stress, anxiety, and other depression-like symptoms are common reactions after a disaster. Call 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746 to connect with a trained crisis counselor. | https://standupms.org/covid-19-mental-health-resource-hub/ |
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The fastest human has a quick smile. CNN's Jeanne Moos reports Usain Bolt's smile cracks up the Internet.
Usain Bolt Laughing While Running!
This photo of Usain Bolt smiling at the camera during his 100m qualifier is amazing. The internet is reacting appropriately.
Full replay of the race where Jamaica's Usain Bolt wins gold for the third time in a row in the men's 100m, defeating 2004 Olympic champion Justin Gatlin from .
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Kevin Hart and Usain Bolt take to the Bahamas beach in preparation for their upcoming battle at the poker table. But who will come out on top: the fast man who
James challenges 9-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt, Owen Wilson and The Late Late Show staff to a 100-meter race in the CBS Television City parking ...
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Usain Bolt joked with competitor Andre De Grasse during the 200-meter semifinals.
The Fastest 100m Race of All Times !
Description.
Harry jumped the gun to leave the world's fastest man in a cloud of dust as he crossed the finishing line first in Jamaica, during his Caribbean tour. Report by
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During an interview with Swedish TV, the Canadian track star was embraced and complimented by the World's Fastest Man. »»» Subscribe to CBC News to ...
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Watch this training session with Usain Bolt! Enjoy! NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. Stay Tuned!
Usain Bolt is the fastest human being in history. The great Olympian can reach a top speed of 27 mph, which is faster than a lot of animals.
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A tribute video to the greatest sprinter of all time, Usain Bolt! Eleven time WC Champion and Eight time Olympics Champion, the man who could cheat the speed.
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Andre De Grasse is the most promising sprinting champion with 9 medals, a bright future awaits him... but will he replace Usain Bolt next year? Song: Epic ...
Here's a breakdown of Usain Bolt's running technique during his record breaking 100m run at the World Championships. Did you know he exhibits a near ideal ... | http://www.vidiohd.com/watch/usain-bolt-smile/ |
Copyright © 2017 Zhengxing Huang et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
1. Introduction
Artificial intelligence (AI), as a computational method, attempts to mimic, in a very simplistic way, the human cognition capability so as to solve problems that have defined solution using conventional computational techniques. Medicine is unquestionably the main area in which AI tools and techniques have been applied. Medicine plays an essential role in human life to assess and solve problems with guarantees of success. Medicine can be considered a multidisciplinary science by itself, laying on the advances and discoveries of other sciences (biology, physics, statistics, etc.) and using such results as tools to solve diagnosis or prognosis problems. For this reason, AI in medicine has become a great issue. In this regard, developing and applying novel AI techniques and tools, due to their particular strengths, to solve medical problems and provide valuable information might be of interest to healthcare professionals in their decision making [1, 2].
AI-based medical applications can be classified into either knowledge intensive or data driven. The knowledge intensive approaches intend to obtain computational models, extracted from the clinical literature and experts’ experience, to represent concepts, their relations, and the mechanisms to enable automatic reasoning to support medical decisions. Unlike knowledge intensive, data-driven approaches, at the center of the vision of learning health systems, extract such knowledge directly from the collected clinical data and this knowledge is traditionally used to explain a patient’s current symptoms/vital signs and to predict future disease progression of the patient.
While an increasing amount of data is being produced by various biomedical and healthcare systems, they have not yet fully capitalized on the transformative opportunities that these data provide. Applying data-driven techniques to big health data can be of great benefit in the biomedical and healthcare domain, allowing identification and extraction of relevant information and reducing the time spent by biomedical and healthcare professionals and researchers who are trying to find meaningful patterns and new threads of knowledge.
The major goal of this special issue is to bring together the researchers in healthcare and data mining to illustrate pressing needs, demonstrate challenging research issues, and showcase the state-of-the-art research and development. The selected papers underwent a rigorous extra refereeing and revision process. It is glad to see that the selected papers presented novel methods that were empirically evaluated on medical datasets. In addition, most of the papers in this special issue include healthcare experts as coauthors, which is beneficial to open new approaches to medical experts in this multidisciplinary field. Moreover, the relevance of this special issue is strengthened by the fact that data-driven medicine is also an object of research in different communities. These communities include AI, medicine, medical informatics, decision support, and healthcare management.
2. The Special Issue
Medical activities can be divided into six tasks: screening, diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, monitoring, and management. Among these, diagnosis is a particular important task that data-driven approaches have been widely applied to tackle with. Diagnosis is the process of determining which disease or condition explains the patient’s symptoms. The information required for diagnosis is typically collected from a patient’s medical records. The paper presented by F. Yang et al. studied a problem of esophageal cancer diagnosis. Esophageal cancer is one of the fastest rising types of cancers in China, and the Kazak nationality is the highest-risk group in Xinjiang, China. They propose an effective computer-aided diagnostic system to assist physicians in interpreting digital X-ray image features and improving the quality of diagnosis. The modules of the proposed system include image preprocessing, feature extraction and selection, and image classification for disease diagnosis. They evaluated their system using 300 original esophageal X-ray images, and the experimental results show that their system is promising for the diagnostics of esophageal cancer.
As an irremediable neurodegenerative disorder that causes dementia in elderly people around the globe, Alzheimer’s disease has been widely studied in medical informatics. Earlier, the majority of studies were accomplished manually or semimanually for measuring the a priori region of interest (ROI) of patient images, which are not practicable in hospital. To this end, D. Jha et al. presented an automated approach for Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis. Specifically, a dual-tree complex wavelet transform was first adopted for extracting features from magnetic resonance images. Then, the authors applied principal component analysis for feature dimensionality reduction. The reduced feature vector was sent to feed-forward neural network to distinguish Alzheimer’s disease and healthy control from the input MR images. The experimental results showed their approach achieved better performance than the state-of-the-art algorithms.
Reusing the data from healthcare information systems can effectively facilitate clinical trials; however, the selection of eligible patients for clinical trial recruitment criteria is still an open problem. In this issue, Y. Zhang et al. presented a computer-aided clinical trial recruitment methodology, based on syntax translation between different domain-specific languages. In their proposal, the clinical trial recruitment criteria are formally represented as general rule that are translated into intermediate query-oriented domain specific languages to map the native database queries. This approach directly uses the underlying database schema as a reference model. In consequence, the system complexity and data-mapping efforts are greatly reduced.
F. Gräßer et al. presented a recommender system for data-driven therapy decision support. They proposed two methods for therapy recommendation, namely, collaborative recommender and demographic-based recommender. Both algorithms aim to predict the individual response to different therapy options using patient data. The authors evaluated their methods using a clinical database incorporating patients suffering from the autoimmune skin disease psoriasis and showed that their methods profit from a combination into an overall therapy recommender system.
A major challenge in medical informatics is to build a regional health information exchange system. J. Lei et al. have faced this challenge in the context of health national reform in China. That is, they study the impact of the large-scale construction of hospitals and the rapid development of health information systems. Specifically, the authors used interviews, focus groups, a filed study, and a literature review to collect insights and analyze data. The case study was conducted in Xinjin region, which was able to build a complete, unified, and shared information system and many electronic health record components to integrate and manage health resources for 198 health institutions in its jurisdiction. Costs and benefits were carefully discussed, and the unique characteristics of the Xinjin case and a comparison with US cases were analyzed.
Acknowledgments
The guest editors of this special issue would like to thank all authors of the submitted papers, as well as all reviewers for their hard work and detailed reviews that led to eight accepted papers. | https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jhe/2017/7107629/ |
1. Light energy from the sun penetrates the atmosphere causing the Earth to heat.
2. The earth absorbs energy radiated from the sun
3. Some energy escapes to space
4. The rest of the energy is trapped as heat in the atmosphere by greenhouse gases
5. Greenhouse gases are produced by powers stations burning fossil fuels and industry burning fossil fuels
Human activity which impacts the green house effect?
- burning fossil fuels, such as coal oil or gas.
- using energy sources that are generated by burning fossil fuels
- some aspects of farming such as raising cattle and sheep, using fertilizers and growing some crops.
- clearing land, including logging
- breakdown of food, plant wastes and sewerage
- some industrial processes such as making cement and aluminium
Weather
all natural phenomena within the atmosphere at a given time
Climate
the average and variations of weather over a long period of time
greenhouse effect
Whereby solar energy is trapped in the atmosphere by water vapor and gases in the atmosphere, thereby heating the atmosphere and helping to retain this heat
Enhanced greenhouse effect
the observable trend of rising world atmospheric temperatures over the past century, particularly in the last couple of decades.
Factors that determine climate
Climate is determined by averaging out the temperature (measured by a thermometer) and precipitation (measured by a rain gauge)
Global warming
Gradual increase of the Earth's surface temperature due to greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
climate change
refers to long term changes in climate including average rainfall and temperature
Four factors that influence climate
Latitude, Distance from the sea, Land forms, Ocean currents
Latitude
lower latitudes are warmer than high latitudes because the suns rays are more concentrated near the equator. Temperatures change within the seasons.
Landforms
The height of the land can affect temperatures as the higher the area, the colder the climate
Ocean currents
The temperatures of ocean waters running along the coastline have a big effect on the climate of the coast. Warm ocean currents bring higher temperatures and more rain.
Distance from the sea
Since land masses gain and loose heat quicker than the ocean, land masses far from the sea tend to have hotter summers and colder winters than coastal areas.
Hard stabilisation
Helps increse the shorelines resistance to erosive forces. They do not reduce the energy of the water, but redirect the energy. Sea walls, groynes, boulder walls
Soft Stabilisation
These methods are much easier on the environment, imitate naturall systems and can interact naturaly with the ecosystem. Revegetation, beach nourishment
Tropical
- hottest regions of the world
-infulenced by tropical air masses
- located near the equator
-winters are warm
- constant light warmth and rain allow for continuous rapid plant growth
temperate
- influenced by both tropical and polar air masses
- great variations in temperature and rainfall
- warm humid summers, cold winters with snow
Polar
- coldest regions of the world
located in higher latitudes
influenced by polar air masses
summers are cold
long periods of darkness
Australians on the coast
85%
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE... | https://quizlet.com/90992361/geography-flash-cards/ |
Jonah (Harry McEntire) and Sophie (Rosie Wyatt) are both orphans of a sort. Rendered lonely by a combination of absent parents and introverted instincts they wind up as neighbours in Leytonstone where, following a surreal first encounter, they're eventually brought together by a near-fatal accident.
From the acoustic soundscape to the off-beat characterisations, Phil Porter's two-hander has the whimsical air of a Daniel Kitson story show and the idiosyncratic humour of a Jason Reitman film.
It doesn't always hit the mark. Longueurs creep in towards the end and there are some clunky plot twists, but nevertheless director Joe Murphy injects enough surprises to keep us guessing and Hannah Clark's compartmentalised design is extremely neat.
But the final word belongs to the performances of McEntire and Wyatt. The roles fit each like a glove - never has a stalker seemed so charming or a coma victim so engaging - and both consolidate their reputations as young actors to watch.
Recommended viewing for those who like their romance served with a twist.
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What is a horizon? A line where land meets sky? The end of the world or the beginning of perception? In this brilliant, engaging, and stimulating history, Didier Maleuvre journeys to the outer reaches of human experience and explores philosophy, religion, and art to understand our struggle and fascination with limits—of life, knowledge, existence, and death. Maleuvre sweeps us through a vast cultural landscape, enabling us to experience each stopping place as the cusp of a limitless journey, whether he is discussing the works of Picasso, Gothic architecture, Beethoven, or General Relativity. If, as Aristotle said, philosophy begins in wonder, then this remarkable book shows us how wonder—the urge to know beyond the conceivable—is itself the engine of culture.
Didier Maleuvre is Professor of Comparative Literature at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is the author of The Religion of Reality: Inquiry into the Self, Art, and Transcendence and Museum Memories: History, Technology, Art.
“Subtle, well-researched, and philosophically generous.”—Choice
“The Horizon is a work of great depth and richness . . . it is deeply untypical of contemporary academic publishing, and all the more welcome for that.”—Ralph Harrington Metapsychology Online Review
“With this book Maleuvre does not so much intervene in contemporary debates in the humanities as challenges us to reconsider our investment in some of the existential questions that have long motivated humanistic inquiry. Whatever one’s position with respect to the questions Maleuvre raises, the reader is sure to be wonderstruck, provoked, or stirred at some point along the way.”—Paul A. Kottman, author of Tragic Conditions in Shakespeare and A Politics of the Scene
“Maleuvre’s approach is innovative and intriguing. The questions raised in each chapter are absolutely critical to general discussions on the meaning and potentiality of the arts in cultural, political, and social history.”—Diane Apostolos-Cappadona, Religious Art & Cultural History, Georgetown University
"Maleuvre has a poetic touch. He offers new and surprising insights on artists, thinkers, and writers we have either read or heard of often, but now are invited to view from a new perspective. This work challenges readers to new dimensions of creative thought."—Clifford W. Edwards, author of Mystery of The Night Café: Hidden Key to the Spirituality of Vincent Van Gogh
"Written by an academic but not just for other academics, The Horizon is a rollicking romp through four millennia of humanity's ever-continuing attempt to confront—through art, philosophy, literature and science—death, the universe, and everything. Intellectual history on steroids, The Horizon, stalwartly grand in its sweep and studded with steely insights each cultural step of the way, aims to liberate the reader's mind from the confines of the here and now and enables it to be what it was always meant to be: truly human."—Vijay Mascarenhas, Metro State College Denver
Introduction
The sea-reach of the Thames stretched before us like the beginning of an interminable waterway. In the offing the sea and the sky were welded together without a joint.... A haze rested on the low shores that ran out to sea in vanishing flatness.
This image, the opening of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, is this book in a single image. A seafarer faces the open sea. Above is the sky, implacable; below is the fathomless deep. Nature appears in the primeval, geometric, naked fact of it: there is the earth and there is the sky. Nothing is hidden, nothing obfuscated. Yet the scene is profoundly mysterious. Its immensity awakens thoughts of ultimate concern. The human gaze spans the near and the far, the familiar and the remote. We become conscious of what Blaise Pascal might have called "the grandeur and misery" of human perception: we, voyagers, can dream of would-be places and faraway worlds; we intuit the infinite; yet all this infinity highlights is, in the end, the limit of human knowledge: in the end we see only as far as we can see. And the more we know how limitedly we see, the more our imagination ventures beyond the blurry boundary, and the more we realize how bound-in-a-nutshell we are.
This book offers a journey through the changing ideas and perceptions of the ultimate scope of human existence-where it goes, how much we can know, where to draw the line between experience and the unknowable. For this intellectual journey, the horizon provides the lodestar-a mirage, a destination. At once insubstantial and insuperable, the horizon symbolizes the shifting frontline between knowledge and reality. It is an image of the elusive, slippery, onward character of human finitude, of our limitedness in time, space, and understanding. Like the end of existence or the outer edge of knowledge, the horizon at the far end of earth and sky does not draw an objective limit; there, earth and sky do not come lip to lip. Drawing not the empirical boundary of the world but the soft edge where perception fades off, the "offing" is really a trick of vision. Where it glimmers, sight beholds its own vanishing. This vanishing-the trace of human vision seeing itself out-is indeed what we mean by horizon.
Both knowledge and human life are shaped like horizons: knowledge ends not where objective reality waves a stop sign, but where it runs out of ideas. It is an inwardly drawn limit, which moves in time with the knower. It is a historical limit-in the dual sense that it follows historical development and also marks its outer limit. All historical knowledge pushes against a horizon, and the march of history itself is both a conquest and a forced march toward the open unknown (what the future holds). What goes for historical knowledge obtains also at the individual level. No one knows (save for the death-row inmate and the meticulous suicide) the hour of one's death. And to know it would certainly not cast any light on its hither side. The limit of death is drawn by a purblind artist: I know my life is to end, but the ending paradoxically brings no closure. This paradoxical experience of a limit without an end, of a finishing line that does not materialize, of being bounded by something that is not there-these are the nuances that the word finitude brings to the stone-faced lexicon of end, boundary, borderline, or terminus.
Horizon highlights the subjective, makeshift nature of perceived reality. It makes the viewer intensely conscious of his perception, his position, his own self. A horizon reveals a perceiver who knows, if he knows he is looking at a horizon and not, say, the Pillars of Hercules or Jacob's Ladder, that the offing relates to the place he stands on. To perceive oneself perceiving is, inevitably, to look inward; it is to become conscious of the reach of human experience. Images of the horizon crystallize perennial preoccupations with the overlapping limits of knowledge and existence-and it is on this mixed zone of epistemology and eschatology that the present study finds its dubious hunting ground.
Like all human constructs and apprehensions, "the shape of the world" is born, submits to the tribulations of time, and dies. Whereas the contents of reality are largely objective features, the boundaries of reality are drawn by speculation-this is true whether we are loftily contemplating the cosmos, whose ultimate perimeter is unimaginable, or more domestically gauging our own surroundings. Whether cosmic or domestic, the limits of reality are mental projections that reflect changing mores and beliefs. Armed with Iron Age assumptions, the Mesopotamian traveler of four thousand years ago could not have seen the same horizon that Magellan glimpsed, even if both voyagers stood on the same spot. Ways of thinking and believing create their own circumstances. We imagine worlds and then end up living in them-often becoming strangers to each other's horizon. Better than one horizon, in sum, we had better speak of horizons. Any cultural history of the horizon, even within the same theological and philosophical tradition, should expect to sail, not under the canopy of a gloriously homogenous skyline, but across a foldout map of jumbled and jagged horizons. Such is the creative plasticity of our worldviews that we cannot, and must not, expect uniformity and continuity.
Together with the latter two, we should expect to part with finality. The horizon is the child of curiosity-it is the inquiring, expectant, far-looking mind that beholds a horizon. To this extent, the horizon is wedded to the concept of transcendence, a concept that is not inherently high-flown or mystical but underpins everyday human knowledge. Outside religion, transcendence designates the second-guessing nature of human consciousness, the fact that, self-limiting as it is, knowledge is moved to wonder about the space beyond its perimeter. An animal-so it seems-doesn't draw a distinction between its perception and reality: what it knows and what exists are the same. Not so with human beings. Aware of the distinction between mental representations and their objects, we are in touch with the borderline of consciousness. This going-to-the-limit is innate in human intelligence. To it we owe, among other things, the idea of truth, which endeavors to line our conceptions toe-to-toe with what they stand for. A quixotic venture though this matchup may be, we should be sorry to give up trying. A world without that kind of transcendence would be oppressively hidebound.
Transcendence is the mental experience that consists in regarding the plane of known reality as open-ended. Now, the horizon beckons toward transcendence but does not fulfill it. A gateway it isn't. It points to finality but leaves the momentum unfulfilled. In philosophical terms, we may say that the horizon is the creation of a diligently immanent observer possessed by an unrequited longing for the unseen. It is this love that keeps him gazing upward and outward; and it is perhaps the love of his own gazing, and the humble acknowledgment of his finiteness, that keeps him from claiming to know or possess the other side-if an other side even exists. Put otherwise, the horizon arises from a religious longing that chooses not to avail itself of the available answers-those by which the satisfied longing hardens into dogma. The horizon is the theological mirage-object of a contradiction on two legs-the nonreligious, unknowing believer.
The presence of this ambivalent beholder-protagonist of the horizons of the following chapters-helps explain why the book, though steeped in religious and theological thought, is not primarily concerned with religion; or why, when it addresses religious texts, it is interested less in their dogmatic and sociopolitical strictures than in their zones of wavering, their fragile, poetic self-construction, their self-doubt also. The social role of religion is curative and pastoral. Religion patrols the outlying areas of human knowledge and existence, with the ultimate aim of pacifying the region for its hopeful occupants.
On the whole, the mode of religion is declarative. The folk tales, myths, sayings, and parables of which it is made tell the believer what to know. Religion affirms that the basic existential questions are answerable even when, oddly, it declares the ordinary human mind unfit to comprehend them. Frequently, it urges us to adopt the revealed truths especially because they make no sense. However, absolutely believing a fact that the mind does not or cannot actually know plays loose with human finitude. As orthodox believers, we depart from the horizontal plane of human knowledge and commune with celestial entities, call them Brahma, Yahweh, or Allah, in whose viewpoint it all makes sense. We believe that they know; we believe that when or if we abandon our human horizon, we will know too. In other words, we believe there is an exit from human knowledge, and we begin to see ourselves from the thither side of this opening, through God's eyes.
This is where the horizon proves its creative intellectual role. Although undeniably aglow with religious feeling, the horizon disappoints this radiant promise. No one can logically or practically travel through the horizon. An optical dream of transcendence, it actually plants us deep in immanence. The horizon holds in tension the antinomy of transcendence and immanence and gives a spatial image of their exquisite union and separation. Let either transcendence or immanence tip the balance to its own camp and the horizon vanishes. The horizon is just the forever-suspended eventuality that one may dominate the other and create a synthesis.
As the substance of a book, so much thin air may be cause for intellectual unease. We are dealing with an unfinished and interminable balance between the known and the unknown. A tension rather than a synthesis, the infinite longing sits ill with certain ideas regarding historical progress and resolution. In fact, "a history of our infinite longing" is an oxymoron under a thin disguise-since by history we mean an onward narrative that knows where it is going and finds resolution, if not in actual social utopias, at least in the minds of those who verbally bundle history into learned volumes. We can write episodes in the changing history of horizon gazing and transcendence sighting; we cannot round up this history under a successful teleological theory. The horizon itself forces us to be piecemeal rather than mercurial, analytic and not synthetic. The following chapters are a history of irresolution, of baited knowledge-a reason why I have preferred the hesitant voice of poets or, when listening to the seers and theologians, to heed the poet in them. It is an open question whether religions go through a historic journey of progressive clarification; but it is quite clear art and poetry obey no such progress, and no critic would get very far on the thesis that, say, T. S. Eliot solves or resolves the formal and spiritual disquiet of Gilgamesh. Art, like religion, is moved by transcendence; it is human expression probing the limits of the utterable, but it is a form of expression passionately committed to the human immanent plane. To the convinced religionist, the horizon holds majesty but no mystery; to the materialist, it holds mystery (one can always travel farther and gain more) but no majesty. It is to the poet-philosopher, the hoping skeptic, that the horizon unveils its shimmer.
A word about philosophy, which, next to religion and art, lays down the third layer of our overlapping approach. On the face of it, the words transcendence and philosophy seem like natural-born strangers. The philosopher's job, ever since Socrates politely asked the gods to stay out of the human conversation, is to articulate sensible thoughts about what we can observe and verify. Philosophy does not fetch its answers from heaven. It plods on at ground level, framing reasonable questions about what we usefully know and perceive. Our knowledge never transcends space-time; neither, therefore, should our explanations, or the method we use to sort them out at any rate. In this respect, philosophy is faithful to the horizon of human knowledge.
Being faithful to this horizon, however, need not imply the absence of wonder. One can agree that philosophy's job is to discourage us from articulating worldviews from a standpoint no human being can occupy; but, consistent with this view, one can also sensibly argue that contemplating the bounded horizontality of human knowledge urges us to ponder our finitude, or, say, to suffer its exiguity. Only through great intellectual self-mutilation can we suppress wondering about what we cannot know. After all, it is knowledge itself that creates nonknowledge, and we would therefore have to give up knowledge to stop marveling at our finitude. To draw the limits of thought, as philosophy does, is to invite us to peek beyond. Let those realms beyond human intelligence be undiscoverable: still we don't just give up the intuition that their undiscoverableness is our business. "The supreme paradox of all thought," the nineteenth-century philosopher Søren Kierkegaard wrote, "is the attempt to discover something that thought cannot think." The human experience would be the poorer for not plying this contradiction-a contradiction to confirm that we not expect philosophy, any more than art or religion, to close or resolve the horizon. For philosophy too walks the tightrope between immanence and transcendence.
Given this irresolution and the corresponding lack of historical momentum, we need to explain why the following chapters nevertheless fall into a chronology of civilizational ages (the Archaic, the Philosophical, the Theological, the Scientific, the Subjective, and the Mathematical). These "ages" are too broad to carry real scientific authority, and no such claim is made here on their behalf. It would be fatuous to suppose that the people of one epoch thought "archaically" but not "philosophically" or "philosophically" but not "theologically," or that as soon as scientific materialism and humanism took over the zeitgeist, the old archaic theological questions simply went to pasture. In many ways, these ages live concurrently in the moral life of Western civilization. For instance there is no reason why, had I veered into one path rather than the other, the Theological Age section could not have come ahead of its contemporary, the Philosophical Age.
By way of clarification, archaic as used here means what comes first in the story (from the Greek arkhç, "beginning") rather than "antiquated." The Philosophical Age designates the awakening of a broad cosmic awareness of the oneness of nature, of a single universal horizon arching over all there is. The Theological Age derives certain monotheistic assumptions from the Philosophical Age, and it is through these assumptions that religion became, at least in the West, the main and sometimes jealously guarded way of imagining the boundaries of knowledge and experience. Continuous with this age, there arose a more rationalistic method of organizing the known world along mechanical templates, the Scientific Age, which captures a mindset that by and large lasts into our own age. The Subjective Age and the Mathematical Age should be therefore regarded as tributaries of this scientific current: the Subjective Age expresses the high-flown, enthusiastic affirmation of the center of scientific knowledge, the instrumental knower; the Mathematical Age recounts a manifold campaign to abolish this human center from knowledge, to establish an immanence without man that, in the ends, begets a transcendent discourse by the back way.
Here, then, are the main articulations of what is, and is not, a narrative: it is a narrative inasmuch as it contains definite, through overlayered, periods and episodes; and it is not a narrative because it stays put, because we at the end are no farther or closer to seeing our way through the questions that initiated its quest: Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going? To which questions we might also add the Kantian "How much can we know?" It is, I realize, no small contradiction, indeed it is a possible sign of a misconstrued vocation, to proffer a study on a topic about which, ultimately, we know nothing-let alone to construct the "history" of a striving that stays put.
To answer this paradox, I must doff the mantle of scholar, under which this book is ostensibly written, and claim the words whose spirit guided my endeavor. Thus speaks Socrates in the Theaetetus on the greatness and poverty of knowledge: "Like the midwives, I am barren, and the reproach which is often made against me, that I ask questions of others and have not the wit to answer them myself, is very just." I would be betraying my topic if the history of an insoluble tension claimed the certainty that is not found in philosophical inquiry. All we can expect of art and philosophy is to ask reasonable questions. A history of questions is therefore a journey through puzzlement. This is especially true of a history of sightings of the horizon, that is, of what by definition outruns the human gaze. A history of longing need not proclaim the futility of human knowledge. As Socrates saw it, wisdom consists less in what one knows than in the capacity to venture questions. Human intelligence is a going forth: whereto, it does not know. If this book succeeds in conveying the thrill and urgency and necessity of this adventure-if in its modest way it helps keep alive the zeal and venture of its protagonists-then it will, so I trust, prove a friend to its reader
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Foley’s Pub was very, very loud the weekend night I first heard bagpiper Michael Connell pipe. Muscular, with arrow-straight posture and a military-style haircut, the kilt-wearing piper broke out his pipes and began to play, walking slowly through the crowd. The dozens of people who had been laughing, talking and drinking instantly silenced themselves and turned to stare. The jukebox music could no longer be heard, even if you were standing by a speaker. The high, steady, breathtaking wail of the pipes enveloped the whole bar.
Connell told me later that bagpipes were banned in Britain in 1746 because of their mysterious ability to stir emotion, particularly during wartime.
“You’re enabling constant, steady music, whereas with any other wind instrument you have to stop and take a breath. With the droning, it just kind of stirs people. They were used to incite men to fight and to instill fear in the enemy [in Scotland until World War I]. And it did, too. Pipes were the only musical instruments to be outlawed in England.”
Connell tells the story of an Scot who was arrested in the 1700s because he played the pipes.
“He tried to use the excuse that it was just an instrument. The English courts charged him with treason and hanged him. No [Scottish] Highland Regiment has ever been raised [to battle] without the bagpipes, and no Highland Regiment has ever been marched to battle without the pipes. Therefore, it is an instrument of war. After I pipe, I’m always told how it stirs [troops] and motivates them.”
Today, the bagpipes are for Connell an instrument of war, but of peace, too. Connell, who comes from a long line of military men and distant Scottish heritage, is a training NCO—Non-Commissioned Officer—in the Army, as well as the state piper for the Nevada Army National Guard. He plays at a number of Army functions, including change of command ceremonies, funerals, retirements and weddings. He’s also in a local pipe band and gives piping lessons—he’s even teaching his 8-year-old daughter to play.
Connell has a varied musical history that spans about 27 years. He’s played the five-string banjo, the mandolin, the saxophone and the harmonica. On the bagpipes, he’ll play everything from jigs to military-style marches. He sometimes even pipes with local punk/ska band Sucka Punch.
Depending on the occasion, Connell might pipe on his actual bagpipes—which produce the overwhelming sound I heard at Foley’s that night—or his shuttle pipes, a smaller, more up close and personal version of the bagpipes that emits the same sort of sound, but at a lower register.
But no matter the occasion, Connell will probably be wearing his kilt.
“I’ve got everything from formal wear to fighting gear. I wear kilts more than [my wife] wears skirts. They’re very comfortable. I wish it were more socially acceptable. I’d wear one every day.”
In or out of his Scottish guise, Connell says he’s more than comfortable with his life right now. A husband, father of two and nine-year resident of Reno, Connell says he loves his family life, location, job and pastime.
“The Army and piping are my two favorite things. I love it. I couldn’t be happier—happier in my work, happier with my free time." | https://www.newsreview.com/reno/content/war-peace-pipes/17243/ |
I know that some famous problems in mathematics have bounties on their heads. (It seems that $1,000,000 is a popular sum.) I was reading about Goldbach's weak conjecture and started thinking whether this is such a great approach. It is known that Goldbach's weak conjecture is true for odd numbers greater than a certain large number. The number is too large to allow checking the remaining cases with a computer. I was thinking that it could be a good idea to set a prize for proving the conjecture and to divide it into portions in a manner of choice, in order to award any progress towards proving the conjecture.
It would be easy to define in this particular case. There is a finite number of numbers left to check and the portion of the prize could be an non-decreasing function of the number of numbers checked. It might be more difficult to find a satisfactory way of dividing a prize for problems like Goldbach's strong conjecture but some ways of doing it can surely be found. I think it could be beneficial, if setting prizes is at all beneficial, which I don't know.
My question is:
Has anything like this been ever done? | https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/107717/have-there-ever-been-any-prizes-set-for-dealing-with-a-part-of-an-important-or-f |
Ever since COVID 19 has sent the world into a lockdown, we've had a series of news reports about 'exciting new studies' hitting our screens everyday. And because any study that offers a way out seems worth reading about, almost everyone is glued to these news items.
But what does it all mean? Which study should you take seriously and which should you be cautious about?
Types of Studies:
Recently it was announced that the Indian Council of Medical Research or the ICMR is carrying out an observational study on the impact of anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) as a prophylactic drug for COVID-19 at AIIMS in New Delhi.
So, what is an observational study? It means that the ICMR is going to analyse the drug's effects on people who are already taking it.
An experimental study, by contrast, would be if HCQ was introduced to a random sample to study its effects as a prophylactic or treatment option.
Each study has its own strength and weakness and often depends on what question it;s trying to answer. Sometimes, it can be unethical to expose a population to a certain disease just to study the effects of a drug and so observation studies can help. However the problem with observational studies is that its harder to control the variables – for example, yes all the people in the above study to test for prophylactic were healthcare workers, but what other similarities are there?
“We are not doing a trial and we don’t have sufficient evidence base to do a trial. We are also trying to understand the side effects of HCQ.” Says Dr Raman R Gangakhedkar, head of epidemiology and communicable diseases division at ICMR.
Here, Dr Raman is referring to a clinical trial. Before this, however, comes a stage in between: preclinical trials where more data on safety, feasibility and efficiency is tested to ensure the drug is ready for clinical animal and human trials. Clinical trials often occur in phases, with a small sample size at first and then a larger one with escalating doses.
What Are Clinical Trials?
Let’s use another study to understand. World over, the antiviral medication, Remdesivir, is cropping up in headlines as the new ‘treatment’ to this devastating disease. While promising, lets see what the data says and if its too soon to be optimistic.
ICMR’s Dr Gangakhedkar said the drug which was used during the Ebola outbreak may inhibit the SARS-CoV-2 replication and research on its efficacy in the treatment of COVID-19 is a part of the WHO's 'solidarity trial.' This is the WHO's effort to find a treatment through an international clinical trial, the rationale is: The more countries participating, the faster results will be generated.
"Recently reported study on use of remdesivir for COVID-19 treatment is not a clinical trial, but an observational study which found that 68 per cent or two out of three patients after treatment with the drug did not require ventilator support or their need for oxygen support reduced, " he said.
The observational study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine and lead author Jonathan Grein said, “We cannot draw definitive conclusions from these data, but the observations from this group of hospitalised patients who received remdesivir are hopeful.”
The next stage would be to move on to clinical trials. These are trials or tests to try and find out the effectiveness and safety of the drugs by looking at their effects on large groups of people. Generally the subjects would be divided in at least 2 groups: one with the drug and one that doesn’t receive the treatment and acts as a control group.
Two studies are being conducted by Gilead Manufactorers in areas with a high prevalence of COVID-19 in the United States, Asia and Europe. A randomised global trial, enrolling around 800 people, has also been initiated by the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease on 21 February.
The more times data is tested, and the larger and more randomized the sample, the better we can know if the drug is truly effective.
Virologists called a randomised controlled trial a gold standard of testing drugs and medicine.
But these trials mentioned above are NOT controlled trials - Why?
In the current scenario where people are dying, it may be unethical to have a control group – that is one group that does not receive the treatment. But without effective data how can we prescribe the drug to a large number of people with varying health conditions, ages, and geographies that all factor in?
Steps to Check for a Robust Study
First, check what stage of research it is at: clinical studies on a wide population which provide consistent data.
Second, check if it is peer-reviewed and analysed by other scientists in the field.
Third, check if it is published in a verified journal.
Drug trials don’t always need to follow the same pattern, and in an unprecedented situation like a pandemic, it’s careful to keep misinformation, panic and early celebration at bay and wait for conclusive results. | |
Your Nutrition Practice: How to Evaluate and Create Change (Part 1)
Sometimes we need a break - with life flying by and our days packed to brim - it can be difficult to take a step back and look at your health and how your daily activities might be influencing your choices, both short and long term. Taking note of what you currently do and establishing where you “want to be” in terms of your individualized nutrition practice is important from time to time to ensure that you are recognizing change and striving to be the best you can be!
This blog will review how to do this in two parts. Part 1 will review steps you can take to review and look at your current practice as well as how to implement new structure and change along the way. Part 2 will be a separate blog and take you through an example of how to make this happen as well as provide prompts to guide you along the way and relate these concepts back to your own nutrition practice.
Let’s get started!
Step 1: Take note of your current practice and record (in truth!) what your “nutrition practice” looks like today.
This could be in the form of a diary, notes, pictures, dialogue - whatever form works best for you to ensure that you are capturing an accurate portrayal of what your nutrition practice looks like today.
Some questions to ask yourself could include:
What does your daily intake look like? What do you reach for the most? How is your hydration - does it complement your exercise routine? What emotions do you feel before/during/after mealtimes? How does your stress level impact your food decisions?
After establishing this ground-level analysis, keep this record for use in the future and to compare back to once you have made a change (it’s more exciting than you think and might just encourage you even more to continue on with this process as you make additional changes!).
Step 2: Highlight what you would like to change. Break this down into small and large goals, depending on where you are at in this process one goal might be sufficient or having one small and one larger goal could be within the scope of your practice (be realistic with change!).
Step 3: Create a plan. How will you make this change happen? How will you make this change “stick” long term? What barriers do you see getting in the way of this change? How will you overcome them? What support do you have to continue with making these changes and reaching your goals?
Step 4: Practice! It takes time to make a change and have it stick and as you determine what works for you your goals might change or evolve - and that’s ok! Changing your nutrition practice should be taken “one step at a time” and be a gradual modification, not an overhaul that will land you back where you started after a few weeks. Sustainability is key!
Now, after reading through this 4 step process, what do you think? Not too bad - right? Looking at smaller goals, or changing something one step at a time is much more reasonable than making a huge change or reworking your entire routine all at once (which in all honestly we all have probably tried to do) because we want to make sure that these changes last and are integrated into your long term goal of creating a sustainable nutrition practice that is individualized and relevant to your daily routine and lifestyle. That is what sticks and makes a difference!
Take note of these steps and start thinking about how you might implement this structure and evaluate your current practice and stay tuned for next week where we will review an example of how to make this happen and use a template to guide you through your own change process! | https://www.daniellegrayfit.com/meals-recipes/nutritionpracticemodification |
IMPHAL April 7: The health ministry has almost finalized drafting of a new schedule called HX under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act which will prevent misuse of drugs numbering about 70 including antibiotics. The drugs falling in schedule HX will require doctors and chemists retaining prescriptions which will check the abuse of drugs, especially antibiotics.
Doctors will have to give two prescriptions to every patient, one copy which will have to be kept for a period of two years by the chemists while the other one will be audited by the Drug Control General of India (DCGI) whose prime agenda is judicious and controlled use of antibiotics. Violations will be punished with a fine of Rs. 20000 or upto 2 years imprisonment.
Dr. Kh. Ratankumar Singh, General Secretary, Manipur Chemists and Druggists Association (MCDA) in a press release stated that antibiotics are the substances that kill or cease the growth of micro-organisms bacteria which cause harmful diseases. In the bacteria infections, antibiotics are normally prescribed by the doctors to kill the bacteria. In the UK and other developed countries, antibiotics are normally prescribed to patients after various anti-body screening tests based on sensitivity and resistance profile, which differs for every individual. In India including Manipur, doctors prescribe powerful antibiotics for common ailments and also patients do self medication without doctor`™s advice.
An over or wrong use can lead to lasting drug resistance in patients, which would in turn, make them more susceptible to infections. Antibiotics can cause serious side effects. Under allergic conditions a person can develop an anaphylactic reaction, go into shock and die. And since the antibiotic that was meant to be the last resort has already been prescribed as the first line of treatment, there are no other options of treatment left, he further stated.
The press release further stated that India`™s lack of an antibiotic policy came to light in August last year when the `LANCET INFECTIOUS DISEASE`™ journal published a report that linked a drug-resistant superbug to India. The time has now come to curb irrational use of antibiotics. | http://kanglaonline.com/2011/04/new-drug-policy-to-curb-misuse-of-antibiotic-drugs/?noamp=mobile |
According to the World Health Organization, the increasing life expectancy could possibly be put on hold by the increasing occurrence of obesity. The data, acquired in 2005, indicate that around 1.6 billion people are overweight globally, of which about half a billion are obese.
Most cases of obesity are found in the Western world, but it is no longer limited geographically, as obesity is on the rise in other countries as well.
BMI (Body Mass Index)
A general tool for diagnosing obesity, is the body mass index (BMI). This is calculated in the following manner:
Bodyweight (in kg) / (Height in m)²
So, for example, somebody who is 1.78 m (or 5 foot 10 inches) tall and weighs 75 kg (a little over 165 pounds), has a BMI of 76 / 1.78² = 24.
A ‘normal’ BMI is considered to lie between 18.5 and 24.9. below 18.5, a person is ‘underweight’; between 25 and 30, a person is overweight; and above 30, a person is obese.
Yet it should be kept in mind that these boundaries are arbitrary. If your BMI goes from 24.5 to 25, that doesn’t mean you suddenly got less healthy. Or if you eat healthy and exercises regularly, but have a BMI of 27, that doesn’t mean you have to lose weight. The BMI does not take in account the nature of the tissue, so if you’re very muscular, or have very dense bones, you will have a relatively high BMI, without being overweight or unhealthy.
This is a common heard remark about the BMI as indicator of health. Nevertheless, it can serve as a guideline and help people understand their situation.
BMI and Life Expectancy
The connection between BMI and life expectancy has been extensively studied in hundreds of thousands of Europeans, Americans and Asians. The results all show that the correlation between BMI and life expectancy follow a U-shaped curve, meaning that people with a very low and very high BMI have the lowest life expectancy.The lowest point on the curve lies around a BMI of about 25, but the valley stretches from about 21 to 28.
So, BMI is a good indicator of your ‘weight status’ and health, but it is by no means perfect, as it does not take into account individual differences in body structure.
References
- Olshansky, S.J.; Passaro, D.J.; Hershow, R.C.; Layden, J.; Carnes, B.A.; Brody, J.; Hayflick, L.; Butler, R.N.; Allison, D.B. & Ludwig, D.S. (2005). A Potential Decline in Life Expectancy in the United States in the 21st Century. New England Journal of Medicine. 235, pp. 1138 – 1145.
- Peeters, A.; Barendregt, J.J.; Willekens, F.; Mackenbach, J.P.; Al Mamun, A. & Bonneux, L. (2003). Annals of Internal Medicine. 138(1), pp. 24 – 32. | https://knoji.com/article/the-obesity-epidemic-and-the-body-mass-index-bmi/ |
5 most important archaeological finds made over the past decade
The history of humanity keeps many more secrets and mysteries. Its researchers make at least one unique and sometimes even sensational discovery almost every year. In some cases, the research of archaeologists forces scientists, if not to rewrite completely, then make significant adjustments to the textbook history of human civilization. This article will tell you about the 5 most important archaeological finds made over the past decade.
Thirty Egyptian mummies
In early fall 2019, the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities announced one of the most significant finds in over a century. During excavations carried out in and around Luxor by groups of archaeologists accredited by the Egyptian government, three dozen wooden coffins were discovered. All of them were brightly painted and perfectly preserved.
Egyptologists, who studied the find, found mummified bodies in coffins belonging to 23 adult men, 5 women, and 2 young children. Approximately 3 thousand years – this is, according to preliminary estimates of experts, the age of thirty mummies found in the Egyptian Luxor. Consequently, they all lived in the so-called “Early Kingdom” era, which was ruled by the pharaohs from the first, Thinis dynasties.
Currently, scientists continue to study the find. Especially Egyptologists were interested in the drawings on the coffins of scenes from the Egyptian “Book of the Dead” and images of the gods. Most researchers agree that some of the mummies found are the remains of ancient Egyptian priests and clergy.
Scientists hope that this archaeological find will shed light on several questions regarding the Egyptians’ ancient posthumous and burial rituals. Including the features of the tomb of people, depending on their status, age, or gender.
Abstract rock paintings from Indonesia
In the summer of 2017, in one of the karst caves on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia, scientists stumbled upon an unusual rock painting. It took researchers almost two years to fully decipher and understand the essence of this figurative “artistic canvas” of 4 and a half meters in size.
In early 2019, a group of scientists studying a drawing in an Indonesian cave, applied about 44 thousand years ago with a dark red pigment, published their report. According to him, the ancient people who lived here depicted a mystical scene – 8 strange creatures are hunting for six animals. And their strangeness lay in the following: in the appearance of the creatures, both the features of a man and wild animals are distinguishable.
The researchers, pointing to these images of “therianthropes,” which combine human and animal traits, came to an exciting conclusion. In their opinion, the rock paintings in the cave of the Sulawesi island are the oldest images of mystical beings in the history of humankind – werewolves. This proves the fact that ancient people already could imagine creatures that cannot exist in nature.
In addition, the Indonesian find thoroughly refuted the theory of the gradual evolution of Paleolithic art. According to which rock art with images of animals and people is a kind of graphic storytelling, began to appear after the so-called “35-thousand-year redistribution”. Indeed, before discovering Indonesian rock paintings, the oldest were considered such images of 21 thousand years old.
Medieval female warriors
Back in 1889, the grave of a noble medieval warrior was found near the Swedish town of Birka. A human skeleton rested next to 2 horses and a lot of expensive weapons. For more than a century, it was believed that the remains belong, if not to the king (leader), then to some nobleman. Until 2017, scientists did not conduct a DNA analysis of the “Viking from Birka.”
The study showed that the skeleton found more than a century ago is the remains of a woman. Thus, scientists have once again proved that women sometimes fought with men in the Middle Ages in the Scandinavian tribes.
However, after two years, in 2019, a group of Polish archaeologists who worked on excavations in Scandinavia made a loud discovery, proving that female warriors in the Middle Ages were not an exception but rather a simple pattern. And not only among the Viking tribes.
Researchers have discovered more than 30 burials of medieval “Amazons.” The most significant interest among scientists was aroused by one of them – on the island of Langeland in Denmark. Next to the woman’s remains in the grave, there was a battle-ax, which, after examination, was identified as a weapon of origin from the regions of the southern part of the Baltic.
This allowed the scientists to assume with a high degree of certainty that the female warrior they found was by no means a Scandinavian. Most likely, she belonged to one of the West Slavic tribes who lived at that time on the shores of the Baltic Sea – Lyutichi, Udrishi, or Pomeranians.
At the end of 2019, British scientists from Dandy University (Scotland) carried out a computer reconstruction of the face of one of the medieval women warriors, whose grave was discovered in the same year in the southern region of Norway. The head of the “Amazon” rested on a wooden shield, and there were many weapons next to the remains. In the frontal part of the skull, scientists have recorded an impressive scar. Experts consider it to be a trace of a wound in battle.
All these findings fully confirm the integrity of the medieval Scandinavian sagas, which tell about the numerous female warriors of that time.
The first homo sapiens in Europe
According to scientists’ most recent archaeological finds during excavations in Morocco, the modern human species, homo sapiens, has existed on the planet for at least 350 thousand years. People began to leave their “cradle” – Africa, and begin to conquer other continents about 70-55 millennia ago. This was considered until 2018 when scientists identified the find of archaeologists on the Israeli Mount Carmel – a human jaw.
It was dated at about 176-194 thousand years. But this discovery of the first attempt at the exit of homo sapiens from Africa lasted only a year. In 2019, using modern technologies, scientists were able to virtually reconstruct two skulls of ancient people, incomplete fragments discovered by archaeologists in the Greek cave of Apidima in the late 1970s. One of the skulls (called Apidima 2), whose age was 170 thousand years, belonged to the “indigenous inhabitant” of the European continent – the Neanderthal.
The reconstruction made the natural sensation of the skull of Apidima 1. Studies have shown that its age is no less than 210 thousand years. And most importantly, this skull belonged to “Homo sapiens.” From this, the first attempts of homo sapiens to settle on the planet began more than 200 thousand years ago.
And although they were not successful (later, only Neanderthals lived in the Apidima cave), after 150 thousand years, nothing could stop the world expansion of the ancestors of modern people.
Evidence for the biblical story of the destruction of Jerusalem
At the end of the summer of 2019, scientists managed to make one of the most significant discoveries in history in the field of biblical archeology. During excavations on Mount Zion in the southwestern part of the Israeli city of Jerusalem, scientists from the United States proved the Old Testament story of the complete devastation of the city, sacred for three world religions, by the army of Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II.
Archaeologists have discovered several prominent epicenters of conflagrations with relatively thick layers of ash, as well as arrowheads and spearheads. In addition, at the excavation site, scientists found broken lamps and other household items of that era. This fact indicates that any further explanation for such chaos, other than the storming and seizure of Jerusalem by enemy troops, can easily be discarded. After all, all the artifacts that the researchers discovered were within the walls of the city. Therefore, the battle took place inside Jerusalem.
In the Old Testament Book of Kings, this period is described as a somewhat “dark time” for the holy city – exactly 6 centuries BC, according to biblical stories, the troops of the Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar II, after the siege, took Jerusalem by storm, plundering and almost destroying it. The jewels found during archaeological excavations testify that a wealthy nobility already existed in the city. Which also wholly coincides with the biblical texts.
Sometimes even a seemingly insignificant archaeological find can become the beginning of a real scientific discovery or even a sensation. And who knows, maybe with the development of modern technologies, very shortly, researchers will be able not only to unravel all the secrets of history but also to rewrite it altogether. | https://afrinik.com/5-most-important-archaeological-finds-made-over-the-past-decade/ |
Maxillofacial Bone Injuries/Oro-Maxillo-Facial Trauma
Facial fractures or facial trauma are the broken bones of your face. Facial trauma is also termed as maxillofacial trauma. Facial trauma involves soft tissue injuries like burns, lacerations(a deep cut or tear in the skin) and bruises, or fractures of the facial bones like the nose (nasal), cheekbones, around the eyes (orbit) and upper and lower jaws.
Facial injuries can be significant and may lead to loss of function. For instance, a person may become blind or unable to move the jaws. Facial injuries are sometimes deadly and life-threatening because they can cause severe bleeding or obstruct the airway. Depending on the facial injury type and severity, treatment options also vary.
Types Of Facial Fractures or Maxilofacial Bone Injuries
Facial fractures classified into various types based on the location of the fracture on the face.
Frontal bone fractures – Usually, these fractures are caused due to a severe blow to the forehead.
Orbital floor fractures – Traumatic disfigurement of the orbital floor or medial wall. Injury around the eyes.
Nasal fractures – Commonly called a broken nose—these fractures of the nose account for nearly 40% of bone injuries.
Nasoethmoidal fractures – These fractures extend from the nose to involve the bone at the root of your nose(ethmoid bones). A forceful blow on to the central features of the midface results in this fracture.
Maxillary fractures – The two maxillae form the upper jaw including the hard palate in front of the mouth, a part of the nasal cavities, and a part of the orbital cavities. They also form the lower edge of the nasal aperture. Maxillary fractures are classified as:
- Le Fort I – it is a horizontal fracture that happens across the inferior part of the maxilla
- Le Fort II- it is a pyramidal-shaped fracture
- Le Fort III- it is a transverse fracture, also called craniofacial disjunction. It might occur due to a blow to the nasal bridge or upper maxilla.
Mandibular fracture – It is also known as jaw fracture, damage of the mandibular bone. In about 60% of cases, it results in a decreased ability to open the mouth fully.
Alveolar fractures – Alveolar fractures are fractures that happen at the tooth-bearing jaw part. These fractures are often associated with complete or partial displacement of the teeth and/or the jaw.
Pan facial bone fractures – These bone fractures are described as facial fractures involving the upper, middle, and lower part of your face. Fractures of the skull, maxilla, cheekbone, nasoethmoid-orbital region and mandible(lower jaw or jawbone) are the most common.
Causes Of Maxillofacial Injuries
- Maxillofacial fractures occur as a result of blunt or penetrating trauma.
- Blunt injuries are common and caused due to vehicular accidents, sports-related injuries, occupational injuries, and falls.
- Penetrating injuries might be caused due to gunshot injuries, stabbings, and explosions.
- Injuries due to Animal attacks and industrial accidents at work are some other causes.
- Nasal fractures are common facial fractures in children, and vehicular trauma is the leading cause of various facial injuries.
Symptoms Of Maxillofacial Injuries
Facial bone fractures are also associated with pain, bruising, and swelling around the tissues. Symptoms may occur even in the absence of fractures as well.
- Fractures to the nose and the skull, or maxilla might be associated with profuse nosebleeds.
- Nasal fractures might be connected with damage of the nose, swelling and bruising.
- Damage in the face, such as sunken cheekbone or teeth that are misaligned indicates the presence of fractures.
- Asymmetry of the facial fractures indicates the damage to nerves.
- If the bones in the eye socket are damaged, you may experience symptoms like a black eye, redness or bleeding from the eye, blurry, or decreased eyesight.
- People with mandibular fractures experience pain and difficulty to open their mouths and might also have numbness in their lips and chin.
- People with Le Fort fractures, the midface might move near to the rest of the face or alongside the skull.
Bruising and swelling is the most common symptom of a facial fracture.
Treatment For Maxillofacial Trauma
The treatment options offered for facial injuries depend on the type of fracture, the severity of the fracture or any other problems you may have at the time. The treatment for the injuries might include bandaging and suturing of open injuries, applying ice, antibiotics and pain medication, moving misaligned bones back into place, and surgery.
In general, surgeons treat in a way to bring back the broken bones to realign them (called ‘reducing’ the fracture) and fix them in place, preventing further complications. In some cases, surgeons use plates, screws or wires inside or hardly outside the fracture site to hold the fractured bone in place. Immediate surgery is required if the airway is open and in case of life-threatening conditions.
The main aim of treatment is to repair and restore the face’s natural bony structure and leave no traces of the injury as much as possible. Bone grafting is another surgical option to restore facial bone’s architecture. Grafting helps to fill the missing bone and provide structural support. Expert says that early treatment for facial injuries, within hours or days, gives better outcomes functionally and in appearance as well.
For more information about facial fracture and its treatment, consult our Oral and Maxillofacial surgeons. Our surgeons at Hyderabad Plastic Surgeons clinic are having decades of experience in treating oral and maxillofacial injuries. | https://hyderabadplasticsurgeon.com/maxillofacial-bone-injuries/ |
Nature of the Sound Stimulus “Sound”is the rhythmic compression and decompression of the air around us caused by a vibrating object.
Sound Wave:Amplitude and Frequency (Hz) Sound Pressure is measured in units called Pascals 1 Pascal (Pa) = 1 Newton of force/m2 1 atmosphere = 100,000 Pa Human absolute hearing threshold = 0.00002 Pa = 20 microPa (i.e., 2 ten billionths of an atmosphere) Frequency measured in cycles/sec = Hertz (Hz)Nominal range of sensitivity: 20 – 20,000 Hz
The “decibel” (dB) The decibelis a logarithmic unit used to describe a ratio (i.e., log (x/y)) In engineering analyses, it is used to normalize “power” measurements to a known reference and then compresses the resulting ratio using a log10 operation. This format is convenient for engineering analyses involving wide dynamic ranges (when very small and the very large magnitudes must be considered simultaneously). dB = 10 log(Observed Power / Reference)
dBSPL The transducers (microphones) on sound level meters measure sound pressure (i.e., N/m2 or Pascals). Pressure needs to be converted to power prior to calculation of the decibel equivalent….i.e., acoustic power = pressure2 Finally, we need to agree upon a Reference value. By convention, we use 20 microPa(i.e., the hearing threshold) Thus: dB = 10 log (Observed Pressure2 / 20 microPa2) However……..
dBSPL(continued) Prior to the advent of hand-held calculators and computers (circa 1970), performing a squaring operation was computationally expensive and prone to error. To reduce computational demands, hearing science adopted a somewhat confusing convention in the specification of the dBSPL unit: dBSPL= 20 log (Observed Sound Pressure / 20 microPa) +6 dBSPL = doubling sound pressure +20 dBSPL = 10x pressure +3 dBSIL = doubling acoustic power +10 dBSIL= 10x acoustic power
More about those pesky decibels • JND for sound intensity is about 1 dBSPLfor most of normal range of hearing • What does 0 dBSPL mean?Hint: 20 log (20 microPa/20 microPA) = 0 dBSPL • If one machine emits 80 dBSPL then how much sound amplitude would be expected from two machines side-by-side? 2 x 80 = 160 dBSPL ??? (That’s pretty intense) Convert from dBSPL back to raw pressure, sum the pressures, then convert sum to dBSPL 80 dBSPL antiLog(80/20) 10,000 20 log (10,000+10,000) = 86 dBSPL (approx.)
Inverse-Square Law Area of sphere = 4πr2
A “Better” Sound Amplitude Table? dBSPL Loud hand clapping at 1 m distance Siren at 10 m distance Hand (circular) power saw at 1 m Very loud expressway traffic at 25 m Lawn mower at 10 m Refrigerator at 1 m Talking; Talk radio level at 2 m Very quiet room fan at low speed at 1 m Normal breathing at 1 m 0 Absolute threshold
Complex Sound = Sum of Sines(Fourier Theorem Revisited) J.B.J. Fourier (1768-1830) Fourier Sound Applet
Speed of Sound Acoustic energy results from a traveling wave of rhythmic “compression” through a physical medium (e.g., air; water; steel). It is the “compression” that travels not the medium, per se. The characteristic speed of this travelling wave varies as a function of the medium (elasticity; density). The speed of acoustic energy through the air (aka “sound”) is 331 m/sec (or 742 MPH) at 0-deg C (Faster at higher temperatures).
The “Impedance Problem” 99.9% of sound energy in the air is reflected at the air:water boundary (10 log(0.1/100)) = -30 dB loss) (1/1000x) How does the ear compensate for this loss as sound energy is transmitted from the air to the fluid that filled the cochlea? 2 dB gain via ossicularleverage(1.6x) 25 dB gain via surface area condensation (eardrum stapes) (316x) ~5 dB gain at mid-frequencies (3x) due to pinna and auditory canal resonance
The Organ of Corti 3000-3500 Inner Hair Cells (IHC) 12,000 Outer Hair Cells (OHC)
Photomicrograph: Sensory Hair Cells Three rows of Outer Hair Cells One Row of Inner Hair Cells
Basilar Membrane ModulationEffects upon Sensory Hair Cells Note: K+ ion concentration gradient across sensory hair cells (see pink cavities)
IHC Stereocilia “Tip Links” “tip link” connects gate to adjacent cilia. Shearing motion forces gate to open. Mechanical open-and-close of gate modulates influx of potassium ions (much FASTER than slow chemical cascade in visual transduction). K+ depolarization of IHC triggers release of glutamate at cochlear nerve fiber synapse.
Innervation of 3000 IHCsversus 12,000 OHCs 30,000+ fibers in cochlear nerve. Nearly 10:1 fiber-to-IHC innervation ratio. Sparse number of fibers carry info from OHC to brain. Small number of fibers descend from brain to OHCs. Role of OHC’s? Mechanical gain otoacoustic emission
Sound Amplitude Coding(“Divide and Conquer”) Multiple nerve fibers for each IHC. Each nerve fiber tuned to a different 40 dB “range” of stimulus intensity. Intensity-level multiplexing
Tuning Specificity of Cochlear NerveFibers “Broadens” with Increased Intensity Q: Why the broadening and asymmetry? A: Look to the Basilar membrane’s response
Tonotopic Organizationof Primary Auditory Cortex (A1) Also note: Segregation of monaural versus binaural cells is maintained. Binaural cells loosely organized according to spatial location of stimulus source.
Auditory Frequency Coding(What is the neural code for “pitch”?)
Frequency Mechanism versusPlace Mechanism Frequency Theory Place Theory Ernest Rutherford (1871-1937) Georg von Békésy (1899-1972)
Frequency Theory (Rutherford) • Basilar membrane analogy to microphone diaphragm • Each oscillation yields nerve pulse • Problem: Max. neural response approx. 500 Hz • Solution: Time division multiplexing(aka “Volley Principle” )Supported by “cochlear microphonic” (Wever & Bray; but consider Botox results)
Von Békésy’s “Place Mechanism”as Biological Fourier Analyzer Basilar Membrane Dynamic Simulation (animation)
Minimum Audibility Curve Average detection threshold for 18-yr-olds for 1KHz tone at sea level is 20 microPa (μPa) Minimum occurs at approx. 3 KHz Binaural intensity thresholds are 3 dB lower than mono
Clinical Audiogram (dBHL) dB-HL (Hearing Level) uses a different reference level for each test frequency. That reference level represents the average threshold (18 yr-olds) demonstrated at that frequency. Hence, a value of 0 dB-HL means “average” hearing level at the frequency under test.
Normal vs. Noise-Induced Hearing Loss Note “notch” At 4 KHz. Source: http://mustelid.physiol.ox.ac.uk/drupal/?q=acoustics/clinical_audiograms
Age-related Hearing Loss(Presbycusis) Inevitable or preventable?
Stevens’ SONE SCALE of Loudness Perception Perceptual Anchor: 1 sone = loudness of 1 KHz at 40 dB (40 phons) Find the dB level that is twice as loud (2 sones) or half as loud (0.5 sones), etc. and construct a scale.[i.e., Magnitude Estimation] The psychological magnitude of sound (i.e., “Loudness”) grows at a slower rate than the physical magnitude of the sound stimulus. Loudness
Using magnitude estimation techniques, S.S. Stevens has quantified this nonlinear relationship as: L = k * P0.6 = k * I0.3 L=loudness; P=sound pressure (µPa)I=sound intensity (pW/m2) Stevens’ Power Law; Linear in log-log plot; slope ≈ exponent log(L)=log(k)+0.3 log(I) straight line log(L)≈0.3 log(I) Hence, a log unit increase (10dB) of intensity yields 0.3 log (100.3or 2-fold) increase in loudness. Note: Binaural presentation perceived as approx. 2x more loud than monaural equivalent. Loudness
Sone Scale Landmarks Normal conversation 1-4 Automobile @ 10m 4-16 Vacuum cleaner 16 Major roadway @ 10 m 16-32 Long-term hearing damage dosage 32+ Jackhammer @ 1m 64 Brief-exposure hearing damage 256 Pain threshold 676
Temporal Summation (< 200 msec)Complements Binaural (i.e., Spatial) Summation
Equal Loudness Contours Frequency differentiation is flattened at high amplitudes; Speech and music sounds “tinny” at high loudness levels; Remember change in cochlear nerve tuning at higher intensity levels. | https://www.slideserve.com/aldan/sound-and-hearing |
An interesting candidate for isolated massive-star formation in the Small Magellanic Cloud ††thanks: Based on observations obtained at the European Southern Observatory, La Silla, Chile, Program 69.C-0286(A) and 69.C-0286(B).
Key Words.:(ISM:) H ii regions – Stars: early-type – Stars: formation – Stars: fundamental parameters – ISM: individual objects: N33 – Galaxies: Magellanic Clouds
Abstract
Context:The region of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) with which this paper is concerned contains the highest concentration of IRAS/Spitzer sources, H i emission, and molecular clouds in this neighboring galaxy. However, it has been the target of very few studies, despite this evidence of star formation.
Aims:We present the first detailed study of the compact H ii region N33 in the SMC by placing it in a wider context of massive star formation. Moreover, we show that N33 is a particularly interesting candidate for isolated massive star formation.
Methods:This analysis is based mainly on optical ESO NTT observations, both imaging and spectroscopy, coupled with other archive data, notably Spitzer images (IRAC 3.6, 4.5, 5.8, and 8.0 m) and 2MASS observations.
Results:We derive a number of physical characteristics of the compact H ii region N33 for the first time. This gas and dust formation of 7.4 (2.2 pc) in diameter is powered by a massive star of spectral type O6.5-O7 V. The compact H ii region belongs to a rare class of H ii regions in the Magellanic Clouds, called high-excitation blobs (HEBs). We show that this H ii region is not related to any star cluster. Specifically, we do not find any traces of clustering around N33 on scales larger than 10 ( 3 pc). On smaller scales, there is a marginal stellar concentration, the low density of which, below the 3 level, does not classify it as a real cluster. We also verify that N33 is not a member of any large stellar association. Under these circumstances, N33 is also therefore attractive because it represents a remarkable case of isolated massive-star formation in the SMC. Various aspects of the relevance of N33 to the topic of massive-star formation in isolation are discussed.
Conclusions:
1 Introduction
The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) provides a unique opportunity for studying
star formation in low-metallicity environments. Although a neighboring galaxy,
the SMC is considered to be reminiscent of high-redshift galaxies. It has therefore been the
subject of numerous surveys and studies at various wavelengths. However, as far as massive
star formation is concerned, detailed study of its individual star-forming regions
has focused on a relatively small number of cases. Apart from the pre-eminent region
N66, to which a considerable amount of research work has been devoted
(Heydari-Malayeri & Selier, 2010, and references therein), only several star-forming regions
associated with the Shapley’s wing (Shapley, 1940), such as
N81 (Heydari-Malayeri et al., 1999a),
N88A (Heydari-Malayeri et al., 1999b),
N83/N84 (Lee et al., 2009), and
N90 (Cignoni et al., 2009)
have been studied in more detail.
In particular, the star-forming regions populating the lower portion of the SMC bar,
situated south-west of N66, have so far received little attention.
The southern end of the SMC has the particularity of containing the highest concentration
of molecular clouds, IRAS/Spitzer sources, and H i emission in this neighboring galaxy
(Fukui & Kawamura, 2010; Mizuno et al., 2001; Stanimirović et al., 2000, 1999; Blitz et al., 2007; Bolatto et al., 2007; Leroy et al., 2007; Bot et al., 2010).
However, higher spatial resolutions and more extended mappings,
especially in CO observations,
are required to precisely associate the molecular clouds of that part with
individual H ii regions and study the interaction with massive stars.
The H ii region LHA 115-N33, or in short N33 (Henize, 1956),
with J2000.0 equatorial coordinates = 00h 49m 29s and
= -73 26 34, belongs to this part of the SMC.
Very few studies have been devoted to it, despite its several interesting
characteristics, which the present paper aims to highlight. In particular,
as the present paper will show,
this object belongs to a small class of Magellanic compact H ii regions, called
high-excitation blobs (HEBs; for a review see Heydari-Malayeri et al., 2010).
N33 appears also under number 138 in the catalog of emission-line stars and
planetary nebulae compiled by Lindsay (1961). In contrast, it
is not identified in the optical survey of Davies et al. (1976).
Likewise, N33 bears number 297 in the catalog of Meyssonnier & Azzopardi (1993) among the list
of proven or probable SMC compact or small H ii regions.
N33 was detected as the IRAS source 00477-7343
(Helou & Walker, 1988), and in far-IR as the source #28 in the ISO 170 m catalog
(Wilke et al., 2003).
N33 was also included in several radio continuum surveys,
including the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) observations at
3 and 6 cm (Filipović et al., 1998; Indebetouw et al., 2004).
This region of the SMC also hosts a planetary nebula. This was first suspected by
Henize & Westerlund (1963), who nevertheless could not confirm its presence. Subsequently,
Jacoby & De Marco (2002) detected a planetary nebula candidate at the position (J2000.0)
= 00h 49m 35.0s and = -73 26 36.9
(their object number 7). This means that the candidate planetary nebula should lie
27 east of the H ii region. The reported diameter of the planetary nebula
is 7 (Jacoby & De Marco, 2002). Although this planetary nebula is probably
unrelated to the H ii region N33, it has created some confusion. In the
CDS Simbad database, N33 appears under the heading of planetary nebula.
It is also notable that among the 11 references given (covering the 1956-2008 period),
only two are directly concerned with the planetary nebula candidate.
As a notable point, this object does not belong to any known stellar association
of the SMC (Hodge, 1985). In the context of isolated massive star formation
studies, this makes N33 particularly interesting. We attempt to show that N33
is an isolated H ii region powered by
a massive star, which has probably formed in isolation. By isolation, we mean not
being traceable to an origin in any OB association.
Observational findings suggest that massive stars generally form in groups
(e.g., Zinnecker & Yorke, 2007; Schilbach & Röser, 2008; Gvaramadze & Bomans, 2008).
There is, however, a statistically small percentage of massive stars
( 5%) that form in isolation (de Wit et al., 2005; Parker & Goodwin, 2007).
It is not yet understood which physical conditions favor the formation
of isolated massive stars and how they form. It is
pertinent to know whether the same continuous process governs the formation of
clusters of massive stars in large molecular clouds and single stars in
smaller molecular clouds (see, e.g., Oey et al., 2004, and below Sect. 4).
Should the answer be negative, it would be necessary to know
the mechanisms responsible for the formation of
massive stars in isolation. We discuss several aspects
of this topic. The study of this family
of massive stars would provide new insights into a clearer
understanding of massive
stars in general, which is not entirely clear. Apart from studying global
aspects of isolated massive star formation, it is necessary to examine each
individual case in detail; and N33 provides a rare opportunity
for this research work.
This paper is organized as follows. Section 2 presents the observations, data reduction, and the archive data used (Spitzer data, 2MASS data). Section 3 describes our results (overall view, physical parameters, extinction, cluster search, stellar content and the field population, N33 as a HEB, and Spitzer SED fitting). Section 4 presents our discussion, and finally our conclusions are summarized in Sect. 5.
2 Observations and data reduction
2.1 NTT Imaging
N33 was observed on 26 and 27 September 2002 using the
ESO New Technology Telescope (NTT) equipped with the active optics and
the Superb Seeing Imager (SuSI2; D’Odorico et al., 1998).
The detector consisted of two CCD
chips, identified as ESO #45 and #46. The two resulting frames were
automatically combined to produce a single FITS file, whereas the space
between the two chips was “filled” with some overscan columns so that
the respective geometry of the two chips was approximately
preserved. The gap between the chips corresponds to 100 true CCD
pixels, or 8. The file format was 4288 4096
pixels, and the measured pixel size 0.085 on the sky. Each
chip of the mosaic covered a field of 5.5 2.7. We refer to the
ESO manual SuSI2 for more technical information.
Nebular imaging was carried out using the narrow-band filters centered
on the emission lines H (ESO #884), H (#881), and
[O iii] (#882) with basic exposures of 300 sec (two exposures each on 26 September,
six exposures for H, and four exposures for H and [O iii] respectively on 27 September).
The image quality was quite good during the night, being represented
by a seeing of 0.6.
We constructed the line-ratio maps H/H and [O iii]/H
from nebular imaging. We also took exposures using filters ESO
#811 (), #812 (), and #813 () with unit
exposure times of 15 sec for and and 10 sec for ,
respectively. The exposures for each filter were repeated twice
using ditherings of 5 –10 for bad pixel
rejection.
PSF-fitting photometry was obtained for all filters using the DAOPHOT package under
IRAF111http://iraf.noao.fr. The magnitudes were then calibrated using the photometric
calibration package photcal. To perform this calibration, seven standard stars,
belonging to two Landolt photometric groups SA 92 and T Phe
(Landolt, 1992) were observed at
four different airmasses. This led to the determination of the photometry coefficients
and zero-points. Those coefficients are in good agreement with the indicative
values displayed on the SuSI2 web page.
The aperture corrections were calculated as
follows. Starting from one of the frames, we subtracted
all stars except the ones used for determining the PSF
with the daophot.substar procedure, using our preliminary
DAOPHOT photometry and the corresponding PSF. This leads
to a frame with only a few bright, isolated stars plus residues
from the subtraction. We then performed both aperture and
PSF-fitting photometry on those stars, using the same aperture
we used for standard stars. The comparison led to aperture corrections
of 0.02, 0.04, and 0.03 mag in , , and , respectively.
During the photometry process, some slight discrepancies
between the intensity of the frames were found: this effect was
considered to be the consequence of episodic variations in the sky
transparency by 7 at most. In order not to introduce a systematic
underestimation of star magnitudes when averaging the frames, we decided to
perform photometry on each individual frame.
By cross-correlating the positions of the sources in the various photometry files, we obtained the mean magnitude (average of the 2 mag of each filter) and a decent estimator of the uncertainty in this magnitude (difference between maximum and minimum magnitudes). Finally, the process yielded the photometry of 2400 stars in all three filters. The results for the brightest stars towards N33 are presented in Table 1. The whole photometry is available in electronic form.
2.2 NTT spectroscopy
The EMMI spectrograph (Dekker et al., 1986)
attached to the ESO NTT telescope was used on 29
September 2002 to obtain several long-slit stellar spectra.
The grating was # 12 centered on 4350 Å (BLMRD mode)
and the detector was a Tektronix CCD TK1034 with 1024 pixels of
size 24 m. The covered wavelength range was 3810-4740 Å
and the dispersion 38 Å mm, giving fwhm
resolutions of pixels or Å for a 1.0 slit.
At each position, we took three 10 min exposure. The instrument response was derived
from observations of the calibration stars LTT 7379, LTT 6248, and LTT 7987.
The seeing condition was 0.8 (fwhm). The identifications of the stars
along the slits (see Fig. 2 for the orientations)
were based on monitor sketches drawn during the observations.
Furthermore, EMMI was used on 26 September 2002 to obtain nebular
spectra with gratings # 8 (4550-6650 Å) and # 13 4200-8000) in the REMD mode
and with grating # 4 (3650-5350 Å) in the BLMD mode. In the REMD mode,
the detector was CCD # 63,
MIT/LL, 2048 4096 pixels of 15m each.
Spectra were obtained with the slit set in
east-west and north-south orientations using a basic exposure time
of 300 sec repeated several times. The seeing conditions varied between
0.7.
Reduction and extraction of spectra were performed using the IRAF software
package. Fluxes were derived from the extracted spectra with the
IRAF task SPLOT. The line fluxes were measured by fitting
Gaussian profiles to the lines as well as by simple pixel integration in
some cases. The nebular line intensities were corrected for interstellar
reddening using the formulae given by Howarth (1983) for the LMC extinction,
which is very similar to that of the SMC in the visible.
The intensities of the main nebular lines
are presented in Table 3 where and represent
observed and dereddened line intensities. The uncertainties are
indicated by the capital letters : A 10%, B=10–20%, C=20–30%, and D
30%.
2.3 Archive Spitzer and 2MASS data
The Spitzer archive data used in this paper come from the SMC
project. This is a project to map the star-forming body of the SMC
with Spitzer in all seven Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)
and Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer (MIPS) bands.
We used the IRAC data, obtained in 2005 May, to build a composite image of
N33 and also obtain photometry. The typical PSF of the IRAC images in the
3.6, 4.5, 5.8, and 8.0 m bands is 1.66 to 1.98
(Bolatto et al., 2007). The derived photometry for N33 in the 3.6, 4.5, 5.8, and 8.0 m
bands are 11.64, 11.20, 9.61, and 7.91 mag, respectively, using an integration
aperture of 3 pixels, or 3.6 in radius
(Charmandaris et al., 2008). Measurements with either slightly larger
or smaller apertures do not affect the color results.
As for the MIPS fluxes (magnitudes) at the 24 and 70 m bands,
they are 0.13 Jy (4.37) and 1.28 Jy (-0.54) respectively.
To examine a large field around N33
( 400 400 pc), we used the SAGE-SMC observations.
SAGE-SMC is a Spitzer Legacy program that has mapped the
entire SMC with IRAC and MIPS. The full mosaics are available at the
Spitzer Science Center homepage, SAGE-SMC Data Deliveries.
We also used the JHK photometry provided by the 2MASS point source catalog (http://tdc-www.harvard.edu/catalogs/tmpsc.html), as presented in Table 1. Note that the embedded stars in the H ii region (#1, #2, and #3) are not resolved in 2MASS data so the JHK photometry of N33-1 corresponds to the whole N33 compact H ii region.
3 Results
3.1 Overall view
The images taken with the NTT telescope (Sect. 2.1) have a
whole area of 5 5 corresponding to
90 pc 90 pc for a distance of 60 kpc, or m - M =
18.94 mag (Laney & Stobie, 1994). They show a starry field marked by very faint diffuse
nebulosity running in the area.
A close-up is presented in Fig. 1,
which displays the compact H ii region N33 towards the center of the image. It has a
mean angular radius, (, of 3.7 corresponding
to a radius of 1.1 pc. Broad-band images in , , and (Fig. 2)
show the presence of three stars towards the H ii region (#1, #2, and #3),
whose positions and photometry are listed in Table 1.
The angular separations between these stars are 2.5 (#1 and #2), 2.5
(#1 and #3), and 3.5 (#2 and #3).
We show that the central star #1 is the exciting source of the H ii
region and therefore physically associated with the nebula. As for stars #2 and
#3, they may be linked to the H ii region or alternatively just random field stars.
We refer to Section 4 for a discussion. Table 1 also contains results for the brightest stars of
the field close to the H ii region. Star #6 (also known as SMC 013740 and
2MASS J00493037-7326501) is an SMC supergiant
K3 I (Levesque et al., 2006, and below Sect. 3.4).
As for star #4, i.e. the brightest in the vicinity of N33, it is a
Galactic dwarf G5 V (see Sect. 3.4).
The cross indicates the position of the candidate planetary
nebula (Jacoby & De Marco, 2002). Although these authors
measure a diameter of 7 for the planetary nebula, i.e. similar to N33’s,
this object does not appear in our image. The Spitzer image, a composition
of 4.5, 5.8, and 8.0 m bands (Fig. 3),
shows N33 as a red nebular object with an interesting diffuse
arc or plume hovering over its eastern and north-eastern side.
The nature of this feature is not yet clear.
An interesting aspect of the H ii region N33 is its isolated character, which we deal with amply in Sects. 3.4 and 4,. As a matter of fact, no star clusters and emission nebulae are visible in the whole 90 90 pc field of the NTT images. We note however that at the position of N33, Bica & Schmitt (1995) identify a compact object, which they classify as an emission nebula, situated in the nebula DEM44 (Davies et al., 1976). Nevertheless, a positional comparison of N33 with DEM44 (located at 0:48:58.53 73:25:39.76, J2000) shows that N33 lies about 130 pc away from the center of the nebula, and about 70 pc from its closest edge, considering its dimensions of 7′ 5′, as provided by Davies et al. (1976). As a consequence, there is no apparent association of N33 with DEM44. We also examined a larger field, 400 400 pc, around N33 using the Spitzer SAGE-SMC archive data. Similarly, no conspicuous emission source is present out to a projected distance of 200 pc north-west of N33. At that position, an extended emission object shows up, that should correspond to the SMC H ii regions N22/N23. Moreover, a minor source is seen south of N22/N23 at a projected distance of 160 pc from N33.
3.2 Physical parameters
The total H flux of the compact H ii region N33 was derived using the following
procedure. First we calculated the relative H flux in an
imaginary 1 slit passing through the H image with respect to
the total flux emitted by the whole H ii region. This value was then
compared with the absolute flux obtained from the spectra. The total H flux thus obtained was
(H) = 1.05 10 erg cm s.
Studies of the extinction in the LMC and the SMC reveal
reddening laws that are similar to the average Galactic law for the optical
and near-IR regions (Howarth, 1983; Prévot et al., 1984; Bouchet et al., 1985).
Considering the extinction law for the LMC (Howarth, 1983), we computed the
reddening corrected intensity (H) = 4.91 10 erg cm s.
We derived a luminosity of 2.2 10 erg s, or 550 , for
N33 at H().
This luminosity corresponds to a flux of 5.4 10 H photons s, or
a Lyman continuum flux of 4.7 10
photons s for the star, assuming that the H ii region is ionization bounded.
The exciting star needed to provide this flux should have an effective temperature of
36,000 K or be of spectral type about O6.5-O7 V,
for Galactic metallicity (Martins et al., 2005).
This may however be a lower limit because of photon loss in a density-bounded H ii region.
A number of the derived physical parameters of the compact H ii region are summarized in Table 2. The mean angular radius of the H ii region, corresponding to the FWHM of cross-cuts through the H image, is given in Col. 1. The corresponding physical radius, obtained using a distance modulus of m - M = 18.94 mag (Laney & Stobie, 1994) is presented in Col. 2. The dereddened H flux obtained from a reddening coefficient of c(H ) = 0.67 is given in Col. 3. This reddening coefficient, derived from the mean H / H ratio of 4.6, corresponds to the whole H ii region. It is different from the value found from the nebular spectrum (Table 3) because, in contrast, the spectrum belongs to a particular position and therefore does not cover the whole region. The electron temperature calculated from the forbidden-line ratio [O iii] 4363/(4959 + 5007), with an uncertainty of 4%, is given in Col. 4. The electron density, estimated from the ratio of the [S ii] doublet 6717/6731, is presented in Col. 5. It is accurate to 80%. It is well-known that the [S ii] lines characterize the low-density peripheral zones of H ii regions (see below for corroboration). Column 6 gives the rms electron density, n, calculated from the H flux, the radius, and the electron temperature, T, assuming that the H ii region is an ionization-bounded Strömgren sphere. Furthermore, the total mass of the ionized gas, calculated from the n with the previously noted Strömgren sphere assumption is presented in Col. 7. The ionization is produced by Lyman continuum photon flux given in Col. 8.
3.3 Extinction
The average value of the Balmer decrement towards the H ii region N33 is
about 4.6, corresponding to A = 1.5 mag, using the extinction law
for the LMC with = 3.1 (Howarth, 1983).
The most extincted part of the H ii region is its northeast
border, where the H / H ratio reaches a value of 6.5 (A = 2.5 mag).
Interestingly, the IR elongated structure (Sect. 3.1),
which runs from north
to south-east (i.e. from the area indicated by
the upper circle in Fig. 3), happens to be adjacent to
this higher extinction area. The extinction towards star #1 can be derived from a
second method. O-type stars have an intrinsic color of B – V = -0.28 mag
(Martins & Plez, 2006). This yields a color excess of E(B – V) = 0.64 mag
or a visual extinction of A = 2.0 mag for star
#1, in good agreement with the result from the Balmer decrement.
Moreover, the extinction towards N33 was estimated by a third method using radio continuum observations. N33 appears as the source B0047-7343 in the Parkes radio continuum survey at 3 and 6 cm, which had beam-sizes of 2.7 and 13.8, respectively (Filipović et al., 1998). Higher resolution observations of this object in the same wavelength range were obtained by Indebetouw et al. (2004), who in their search for ultracompact and buried H ii regions in the Magellanic Clouds, used the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) in radio continuum emission at 3 and 6 cm with synthesized beams of 1.5 and 2, respectively. Since the beam-widths are 1.5 and 2, respectively, the radio continuum observations do not sample the entire H ii region. To compare the radio continuum fluxes with that of H, we corrected the H flux. We computed these from the ratio of the measured H emission flux with different apertures (1.5 and 2 ) to the total N33 flux. The resulting extinction, A = 1.9 mag, although comparable with that obtained using the previously mentioned methods in the optical range, may be an underestimate if the flux is not uniformly distributed over the H ii region and the smaller radio lobes miss a part of it.
3.4 Cluster search
We perform a cluster analysis technique on the stellar
photometric catalog from our SuSI2 imaging, to identify any
potentially important stellar concentration at the surroundings of the
compact H ii region N33 that would suggest membership of its
central star to a stellar cluster. Our identification method is based
on star counts in quadrilateral grids for the construction of stellar
density maps in the area of interest (see e.g., Gouliermis et al., 2000).
We performed star counts on our complete photometric catalog
of 2400 sources. This was done by counting the stars in grids according to their
celestial positions, as they are defined by our astrometry. The method is
sensitive to three factors, namely 1) the stellar numbers, 2) the size
of each grid element, which defines the smallest possibly detectable
cluster (the resolution element in the density maps), and 3) the size
of the available field-of-view (FoV). This is due to the isopleths of the
stellar density maps whose steps are defined to be equal to the standard deviation, ,
of the total average stellar density (of stars per grid element) of the
considered field. We refer to the latter as the “background density”. We
consider any stellar concentration revealed by the isopleths, that
correspond to stellar density of 3 above the background and
higher, as statistically important, and therefore as
a candidate true cluster.
The application of star counts to the whole observed FoV
allows us to identify any possible membership of N33 to any large
stellar concentration of size on the order of 100 pc. It should be noted that the
gap between the chips of SuSI2 introduces a lack of stars along it in
every photometric catalog derived for each filter. As a consequence, the
final combined photometric catalog also contains a lack of stars along a
100 pixel thick line vertically crossing the middle of SuSI2 frame.
While this introduces a problem into the consistency of the detection, the gap is
fortunately away from the H ii region, and hence its effect
on the cluster detection at the immediate vicinity of N33 is not
important. We constructed the stellar density maps for the SuSI2 FoV
using a grid of 25 25 elements, corresponding to a physical
scale of about 3 pc per grid element, which defines the smallest
possible stellar concentration that can be revealed in the isodensity
maps. These maps are constructed for all the stars, as well as for
selected “blue stars” with mag, mostly
representing the main-sequence stellar population and ‘red stars’
selected to have colors (see color-magnitude diagram of Fig. 7),
which represent the evolved stellar population of the general SMC field. In
Fig. 4, the stellar isodensity maps at the vicinity of
N33, i.e. in the close-up field of Figs. 1 and 2,
are shown along with the corresponding stellar map.
As seen from the density maps of Fig. 4, all
the isopleths around N33 appear below the 3 density
threshold. This clearly implies that, considering the factors on which
the star counts method depends, there is no statistically
significant stellar cluster around N33, of size larger than 3 pc.
Our search for stellar clustering around N33 is based on the
complete stellar catalog constructed from our SuSI2 photometry. This catalog,
according to the evolutionary models, covers stars with masses
as low as about 2 corresponding to late A-type dwarfs.
It should be noted that the low completeness in faint stars
may not allow us to have a significant density peak around N33 simply
because we do not see these stars. Nevertheless, a small stellar clump
of projected size 18 26
(5 pc 7 pc) is revealed around N33 at the
density level and the isodensity maps of Fig. 4
suggest that it mainly consists of main-sequence stars. However, its
low density, reaching the 3 level only at its very central
peak, does not classify it as a real cluster. Moreover, from our
cluster analysis in the whole observed FoV we assess that N33
does not seem to belong to any larger stellar concentration on a
100 pc length-scale. A possible reason for not identifying any parent
stellar structure for N33 is that the H ii region may indeed be
part of a larger stellar aggregate, the size of which is much larger
than our observed FoV. In this case, our search for important density
enhancements would take place within the system itself, without
apprehending its existence, thus our average background density
would not represent the real background, but the high stellar
density levels of the large concentration. However, previous
searching-by-eye investigations by Hodge (1985) and Bica & Schmitt (1995),
on FoVs larger than ours do not detect any large stellar concentration
towards this region. The only indication of a large stellar concentration in this
region is found by Battinelli (1991), who identified a
candidate stellar association, that seems to coincide with
the larger nebula DEM44. This author applied a cluster analysis
technique, the path linkage criterion, to previous catalogs
of OB-type stars to identify candidate OB associations in the SMC.
However, this method is applied only to the OB stars, and therefore
is biased towards large-scale “connections” of these stars without
any supporting information about their physical relation or any
interaction to each other. Moreover, the identification of large OB
groups based solely on the positions of the stars can be challenged, because it
has been confirmed that young stellar systems may lose a significant
fraction of their massive stars at the very beginning of their evolution,
(e.g., Gvaramadze & Bomans, 2008), and therefore OB stars may be mistakenly
considered as members of a system, while being runaways from another.
Under these circumstances, and because DEM44 does not seem
to contain N33, the nebula coinciding with a candidate OB association
cannot be considered proof
that N33 does belong to this large stellar concentration.
To assess the clustering behavior of the observed stars in the region of N33, we construct the two-point correlation function (TPCF), which determines the distance between all possible pairs of stars. This method, as applied by e.g. Gomez et al. (1993) to study the distribution of young stars in a Galactic star-forming region, considers the excess number of pairs in the actual distribution over a random distribution. Here, we apply the method as extended by Larson (1995), who introduced the assessment of stellar clustering in terms of the average surface density of companions, , as a function of the projected angular separation, . We measured and correlated it to the corresponding angular separation for the blue stars in the whole observed FoV, as well as for the stars covered by the close-up field centered on N33. The constructed TPCFs are shown in Fig. 5 drawn with a red line for the close-up field and blue for the whole observed field. In both samples, a clear change in the correlation appears at 10″, which at the distance of the SMC corresponds to about 3 pc. We note that this limit is similar to that measured for the small stellar clump seen at the position of N33 in the density maps of Fig. 4. For larger separations (), the relation becomes almost flat, with . This almost-constant density of companions for larger separations indicates a random distribution of stars and therefore no clustering of stars at scales larger than 3 pc. On the other hand, for smaller scales the average density of companions correlates linearly with the separation as , providing clear evidence of self-similar clustering on scales as small as the smallest resolved separation, and eventually in the binary and multiple systems regime. This implies that stellar clustering in the observed FoV seems to occur only at scales smaller than about 3 pc, in agreement with the findings of our cluster analysis above. In conclusion, from our analysis we find that the H ii region N33 does not seem to belong to any large stellar concentration. On smaller scales, we identify a peak in the stellar density around N33, with a stellar mass of roughly 100 , which nevertheless is very loose and therefore should be considered as a random density fluctuation rather than a real cluster.
3.5 Stellar content and the field population
We obtained two spectra in our program of stellar spectroscopy (Sect. 2.2).
However in spite of the relatively good seeing conditions (0.7 fwhm),
extracting uncontaminated spectra is not straightforward. The compact
H ii region (mean size 7.4) has strong emission lines that fill in the
absorption lines of the embedded stars, in particular those of He i.
Nevertheless, He ii absorption lines at 4200, 4541, and 4686 are
certainly present, albeit with weak S/N ratio, in the spectra uncorrected for
nebular lines (Fig. 6). This agrees with the presence
of an O6.5-O7 V spectral type, as inferred from the H flux measurement
(see Sect. 3.2). The estimated spectroscopic mass of an O6.5 V star is
29 and its effective temperature = 36,800 K (Martins et al., 2005).
We also note that Indebetouw et al. (2004) derive a spectral type of O8.5 V for the exciting
source of N33 from their radio continuum observations at 3 and 6 cm. As underlined
above, these ATCA observations do not sample the entire H ii region.
Furthermore, the presence of the He ii absorption lines in the spectrum of the
exciting star rules out a confusion of N33 with a planetary nebula.
The spectrum of star #4, the brightest object close to the H ii region, is
presented in Fig. 6. Using classification criteria for late-type stars
(Jaschek & Jaschek, 1987; Gray & Corbally, 2009), star #4 can be assigned the subtype G5. This spectral type
is based on the strength of the Ca ii 4227 line and the ratios
Fe i 4046/H and Fe i 4325/H.
This result agrees with the measured colors: = 0.78, = 0.39,
= 1.76, = 0.07, and = 0.42 mag (Koornneef, 1983).
In terms of luminosity class, it is a dwarf, as suggested by the line ratios
Sr ii 4077/Fe i 4046 and
Y ii 4376/Fe i 4383. We also note that the Ca ii K and H lines
do not have extremely broad and damped wings as expected in supergiants.
This star should have an absolute magnitude = +5.1 (Jaschek & Jaschek, 1987).
However, this value is at odds with the observed absolute magnitude of = -7.31
assuming that it belongs to the SMC. This discrepancy indicates that star #4 is
a Galactic member. Additional evidence of the Galactic membership of this star is its
relatively low radial velocity. In contrast, star #6, the other bright field star,
has a radial velocity of 156.4 km s which confirms its SMC membership.
Figure 6 also displays the spectrogram of star #6,
which is much redder ( = 4.17 mag, see also Table 1).
We classify this star as an early-K type supergiant, in agreement with its previously
reported classification, K3 I (Levesque et al., 2006).
Figure 7 displays the color-magnitude diagram of the population
of stars in the entire NTT field of 304 316
(90 93 pc), for a cut-off magnitude of = 20.5.
We also overplotted four isochrones with ages 18 Myr, 56 Myr, 500 Myr,
and 1 Gyr for metallicity Z = 0.004 (Lejeune & Schaerer, 2001). A fifth isochrone of
14 Myr is calculated with a higher metallicity of Z = 0.008. The bulk of the stars
are concentrated into two groups: an apparent main sequence centered on
0 mag and an evolved population centered on 0.8 mag.
The presence of star #6, which is an SMC supergiant of type K3 I
(explained above), provides a practical constraint in choosing the suitable
isochrones. Star #6 is appropriately fitted by two isochrones, those of
18 Myr and 14 Myr. The latter is the best fit, but assumes a different
metallicity from the other isochrones, i.e. a factor of two higher than
the average value for the SMC. This higher metallicity may represent the effect of
heavy element enrichment as the K3 star evolves to higher luminosities.
These 14 Myr and 18 Myr isochrones also closely reproduce the properties of
the main sequence stars, which in their vast majority have an initial mass of
roughly 8 .
As far as the exciting star of the H ii region N33 is concerned, i.e. star #1,
it is indicated by a cross on the color-magnitude diagram.
This star is affected by an extinction of A = 2.0 mag, so it should not
belong to the above-mentioned low- and intermediate-mass population, which are mostly
spread around 0 mag. Star #1 appears to be
a young massive star occurring in a field of
old low-mass stars. We also note the color-magnitude diagram position
of star #2, which apparently lies across
the H ii region N33. If this star really belongs to the 56 Myr isochrone, as
suggested by the diagram, this rules out its association with the H ii region.
As for star #3, it seems to be consistent with the position of a reddened
B-type star, hence its association with the H ii region cannot be excluded
at this stage.
The second group of stars on the color-magnitude diagram,
whose most evolved members gather between colors
0.5 and 1.5 mag, have a possible age ranging from 500 Myr to 1 Gyr
and a turn-off of 2 . A large number of stars belonging to these
older isochrones apparently coincide with the lower part of the
18 Myr and 14 Myr main sequences. We suggest that these various
stellar populations may not be locally related to star #1.
The reason is that the SMC is known to have a complex structure with considerable line-of-sight depth, as shown by several works; we refer to Westerlund (1990) for a review, as well as McGee & Newton (1981, 1982), Staveley-Smith et al. (1997), and Hatzidimitriou et al. (2005). In particular, Mathewson et al. (1986, 1988) measured the distances of 161 Cepheids in the SMC, using the period-luminosity relation in the infrared. The Cepheids were found to extend from 43 to 75 kpc with a maximum concentration at 59 kpc. Since N33 is not part of an OB association (see above Sects. 1 and 4) and more importantly it is an isolated H ii region, the various stellar populations present in the color-magnitude diagram should not be physically related to it. They are probably distributed along the line of sight over 32 kpc. We suggest that the H ii region N33 may not be physically associated with this main sequence.
3.6 Chemical abundances
An example of the nebular spectra of N33 is shown in Fig. 8, whereas
Table 3 lists the corresponding main lines. The spectrum represents an H ii region,
with no He ii lines. The two faint lines redward of He i 5876 are
5888 and 5890 in emission. Both exist in the Orion H ii region, the first one
is unidentified and the second is a [C ii] line (Baldwin et al., 2000).
Similarly, these two lines are present in the spectrum of the SMC compact H ii region N66A.
The ionic abundances with respect to H were calculated from nebular lines
using the IRAF task ionic of the package NEBULAR (Shaw & Dufour, 1995). The abundance values are
listed in Table 4.
To derive the total abundances of a given element, it is necessary to estimate the amount of
the element in ionization states not observed in our spectra.
We therefore used a set of ionization correction factors (ICFs) to convert into
elemental abundances.
The absence of the He ii line indicates that He/H is negligible.
Moreover, we assume that neutral helium is not important. Thus we
assumed that the total He/H ratio is just equal to He/H.
The total abundance of oxygen was adopted to be the sum of O and O abundances.
The absence of He ii recombination lines in our spectra and the similarity between
the ionization potentials of He and O implies that the contribution of O
is not significant.
To obtain the total abundance of nitrogen, we used the usual ICF
based on the similarity between the ionization potential of
N and O (Peimbert & Costero, 1969). The N abundance does not depend strongly
on the electron temperature. The largest errors come from the uncertainty in the
6548 and 6584 line intensities. Our N result is accurate to within about
30%. As for Ne, the only measurable lines in the optical range are those of
Ne but the amount of Ne may be important in the region.
We adopted the usual expression of the ionization correction factor of Ne
that assumes that the ionization structure of Ne is similar to that of O (Peimbert & Costero, 1969).
The total chemical abundances for N33 are presented in Table 5.
The most accurately estimated abundances belong to He and O, which are accurate to within
15 and 20% respectively. Table 5 also presents the mean abundance
values derived for the SMC (Russell & Dopita, 1992). The N33 abundances agree with
the SMC mean values. In other words, N33 is, as expected, a low-metallicity ionized nebula.
3.7 N33 as a HEB
N33 should belong to the distinct and rare class of H ii
regions in the Magellanic Clouds called HEBs (see Heydari-Malayeri et al., 2010, for a review).
In contrast to the typical H ii regions of
the Magellanic Clouds, which are extended structures with sizes of several arc
minutes corresponding to physical scales of more than 50 pc and
powered by a large number of exciting stars, HEBs are relatively dense and small
regions of 5 to 10 in diameter in the optical,
corresponding to 1.5 to 3.0 pc and excited by a much smaller number
of massive stars. Their excitation, as derived from their
[O iii] ( 4959 + 5007) / H ratio, is generally
larger than that of ordinary Magellanic Cloud H ii regions.
For a fixed metallicity, the [O iii] / H ratio increases with the effective
temperature of the exciting star,
as well as with the gas density in homogeneous photoionization models.
N33 qualifies for membership of this category. It is compact, with a mean angular radius of 3.7, or 1.1 pc. The compactness implies a young age, since H ii regions disperse with time and become diffuse. It has a mean [O iii] / H ratio of 5.9, which is higher than the mean value for ordinary extended H ii regions in the Magellanic Clouds (Heydari-Malayeri et al., 2010, and references therein). The electron temperature amounts to 12,540 K, which corresponds to excitation by a massive star at least as hot as an O6.5-O7 type at SMC metallicity. The high-excitation auroral transition of doubly ionized oxygen, [O iii] 4363, is quite strong, as shown in Figs. 6 & 8. Moreover, the estimated mean extinction over the H ii region, as derived in the optical, is A = 1.5 mag. This extinction peaks at 2.5 mag towards the northeast border, where the nebula is probably in contact with a molecular cloud of unknown characteristics. This association with a molecular cloud is another characteristic of HEBs. Moreover, in the plot comparing Magellanic Clouds compact H ii regions among them, N33 appears to be one of the most excited and brightest members of this class in the SMC (Meynadier & Heydari-Malayeri, 2007).
3.8 Spitzer SED fitting
We used our Spitzer photometry to construct the mid-IR SED of N33 and assess the behavior of the circumstellar dust of the nebula. We fitted this SED with the library of YSO models by Robitaille et al. (2006) using the online SED fitting tool, provided by these authors (Robitaille et al., 2007)222 and available at http://caravan.astro.wisc.edu/protostars. Figure 9 shows the ten best-fit models to this SED. Only three of these models include both circumstellar envelopes and disks. The majority of the best-fit YSO models contain only one envelope around the central stellar source of N33 with an outer radius varying between 3 10 and 10 AU. The derived total luminosity of the nebula according to these models varies between 5 10 to 10 . This agrees with the luminosity of 5 10 , derived from IRAS fluxes considering that the IRAS SED peaks at 60 m. Unfortunately, the blue part of the complete SED of N33, which includes the stellar source, could not be properly fitted. There are four models available in the library of Robitaille et al. (2006) that include stellar sources with , corresponding to the spectral type of the central star of N33 and a mass of about 25 . However, their fit to the blue part of our SED was not successful because there were few available measurements in the optical. In all cases, although SED fitting is an interesting exercise, its results should not be over-interpreted for the simple reason that N33 is not a YSO.
4 Discussion
N33 is quite noteworthy in that it is a isolated H ii region in this area of the
SMC. In contrast to typical H ii regions in the Magellanic Clouds,
which have neighboring H ii regions, N33 differs from any
typical emission nebula.
Thus it constitutes an interesting case for studies regarding the
physical conditions in which massive stars form in isolation.
Observational findings suggest that massive star formation is a collective
process, i.e. that massive stars form in cluster environments
(e.g., Zinnecker & Yorke, 2007; Schilbach & Röser, 2008; Gvaramadze & Bomans, 2008)
and that the mass of the most massive star in a cluster is correlated with the
mass of the cluster itself (Elmegreen, 2000; Weidner & Kroupa, 2006).
Nevertheless, other observational results imply that
massive stars do not necessarily form in clusters but
can be formed either as isolated stars or in very small groups.
According to a statistical study by de Wit et al. (2005), nearly 95% of Galactic O population
is located in clusters or OB associations. This means that a small percentage, about 5%,
of high mass stars may form in isolation, in very good agreement with the
finding by Parker & Goodwin (2007).
Even in the Galactic center region, a number of Wolf-Rayet stars and O supergiants
might have formed in isolation (Mauerhan et al., 2010).
Lamb et al. (2010) observed eight apparently isolated O stars
in the SMC. Among the six non-runaway cases, there is no evidence of
clustering in three of them, which remain interesting candidates for
isolated massive-star formation. By isolation, we mean not clearly originating
in an OB association. This definition therefore excludes runaway massive stars,
which are thought to result from either dynamical interaction in massive dense clusters,
or via a kick from a supernova explosion in a binary system
(e.g., Gvaramadze et al., 2009; Pflamm-Altenburg & Kroupa, 2010, and references therein).
Parker & Goodwin (2007) give a different definition for an isolated massive star:
an O-type star belonging to a cluster whose total mass is 100 and
moreover is devoid of B-type stars (10 / 17.5).
In the LMC, several massive runaway candidates have been reported
(e.g. Heydari-Malayeri et al., 2000; Evans et al., 2010; Gvaramadze et al., 2010a). Similarly, in the SMC a dozen OB
runaway candidates were reported via detection of their bow shocks
using Spitzer data (Gvaramadze et al., 2010b).
In any case, the massive star(s) powering N33 cannot be runaway(s) for three main reasons:
1) N33 is not linked to any OB association; 2) it seems impossible that
a massive star carries its H ii region during the ejection,
although ejection into a molecular cloud cannot be a priori excluded; and
3) were N33 to contain more than one (probably exciting) stars,
this situation would make the ejection hypothesis still less probable.
On the other hand, the possibility that a massive star ejected into a molecular cloud
creates an H ii region around
itself has never been encountered.
To obtain a clear picture of how scattered the cold interstellar material
is in the general area of N33, we investigate the distribution of molecular clouds
and known young stellar objects (YSOs) in the vicinity ( 200 pc) of N33.
CO surveys of the SMC reveal a concentration of
molecular clouds in the southern end of this galaxy
(Fukui & Kawamura, 2010; Mizuno et al., 2001; Stanimirović et al., 2000, 1999; Blitz et al., 2007; Bolatto et al., 2007; Leroy et al., 2007; Bot et al., 2010). However, the available CO observations do not detect the
N33 H ii region, maybe because of a lack of sensitivity or resolution or for other
reasons. The nearest molecular cloud to N33 is centered at a projected distance of
230 pc (Fukui & Kawamura, 2010, and references therein). As for YSOs,
we used the catalog of candidates for these objects derived with
Spitzer from the SMC survey (Bolatto et al., 2007). In this area, we found
five candidate YSOs, three of them being quite remote from N33 at
distances of between about 48 and 80 pc, hence we do not consider
them to be related to N33. On the other hand, we note
that the two remaining candidate YSOs, named S3MC_J004930.12732623.42
and S3MC_J004929.07732658.56 (see Bolatto et al., 2007, Table 4), are
projected much closer to N33 at distances of about 5 and 7 pc,
respectively (Fig. 3). The nature of these red
sources as true YSOs still remains to be verified,
and the possibility of a connection between N33 and these objects certainly
requires further investigation, preferably with mid- and near-IR spectroscopy of these
sources. We also note that the SMC team did not identify N33 as a candidate YSO.
It has been suggested that isolated field OB stars originate in a different
mode of star formation from their counterparts in associations.
Massey (2002) and Kroupa & Weidner (2003) make the case that
the field star initial mass function (IMF) might differ from that in
OB associations/clusters. More explicitly, Galactic-field IMFs for early-type stars
cannot, under any circumstances, be
a Salpeter power-law, i.e. = 2.35, but must have a steeper exponent,
2.8 (Kroupa & Weidner, 2003)
Similarly, special physical conditions have been called up to account for
the formation of very high-mass isolated stars in the bulge of the
interacting Whirlpool galaxy, M51 (Lamers et al., 2002).
According to these authors, the formation of the bulge stars in M51 seems to be in line
with theoretical predictions that isolated massive-star formation might take place in clouds
where H, [O i] 63 m, and [C ii] 158 m are the dominant coolants
(Norman & Spaans, 1997; Mihos et al., 1999). These conditions are expected to occur in regions of
low CO and dust contents because of the low metallicity, where
the optical depth is 1 mag and the presence of a hot source can dissociate
the CO molecules (Lamers et al., 2002).
The isolated massive stars might therefore be the result of these physical conditions
and the luminous nucleus (situated at a distance between 90 and 270 pc).
For comparison, the metallicity of SMC N33 is about a factor of 10 lower than solar.
However, no major CO-dissociating hot source
is present. The pre-eminent massive star cluster N66/NGC 346
(Heydari-Malayeri & Selier, 2010, and references therein) lies some 1400 pc away. Could this source
have a similar effect as the M51 nucleus? Another similarity with M51 is
that the SMC is also an interacting galaxy.
We note that in contrast to the above-mentioned proposal for the
two different formation
modes for cluster and isolated stars, Oey et al. (2004)
find that the formation of field massive stars
is a continuous process in associations. More specifically,
the field stars do not originate from any different star-formation
mode. This conclusion is based on an empirical census of
uniformly-selected massive-star candidates distributed all-over the SMC
in more than 100 star clusters containing at least 3 to about 80 stars.
Moreover, according to their Monte Carlo simulations, single,
field OB stars are usually the most massive member of a group of smaller stars.
This result is consistent with the idea that there is
both a universal IMF and universal clustering law, which
extends to = 1. Jointly, these laws imply that the fraction of field OB stars
typically ranges from about 35% to 7% for most astrophysical
situations.
Kauffmann & Pillai (2010) suggest that massive stars might form only in
molecular clouds possessing a minimum mass depending on the cloud size:
M(r) 870 (r/pc). Thus, massive-star formation
requires a large mass being concentrated in a relatively small volume. Clouds below this threshold
might still form stars and clusters of up to intermediate mass (such as the Galactic Taurus,
Ophiuchus, and Perseus molecular clouds). One can infer from this finding that
molecular clouds with a mass slightly above this limit can form one or a couple of
massive stars. N33 may represent such a case, but the problem is not at all
solved, since it is then unclear why in this area of the SMC only one cloud
happens to be massive enough to give rise to massive stars. In other words, we have yet to
ascertain which physical conditions
inhibit the aggregation of smaller clumps into massive clouds.
In any case, the isolated massive star(s) powering N33 cannot be a result of
the competitive accretion process (Bonnell et al., 1997, 2001).
According to this scenario, developing protostars in their natal molecular clouds
compete with each other to gather mass. The protostars accrete mass with a rate
that depends on their location within the protocluster. They use the
same reservoir of gas to grow. Hence, the protostars nearest the
center, where the potential well is deep and gas densities are
higher, have the highest accretion rates. This model is synonymous with
collective massive-star formation.
There is no doubt that star #1, the exciting source of the H ii region, is a
massive star (of derived spectral type O6.5-O7 V). We also note that this star
constitutes the main object of the isolated massive-star formation debate presented in
this paper. In contrast, the nature of the two neighboring stars #2 ( = 16.39,
= 1.07 mag) and #3 ( = 17.50, = 0.28 mag) is unclear. The presence of
these stars raises several questions: Are they massive? Are they physically related to the
compact H ii region and in particular to the massive star #1? The present
study cannot provide firm responses to these questions.
We have found that if there is a clustering in the region this occurs at
a scale of about 3 pc and smaller, which actually covers the 1 pc separation between
stars #1, #2, and #3. We note, however, that
the color of star #2 ( = 1.07 mag) does not match that expected for a
massive star assuming that stars #1 and #2 are more or less equally affected
by reddening. As for star #3, its absolute magnitude and color are compatible
with a B-type star of mass about 15 . Further high-resolution observations, both
imaging and spectroscopy, are necessary to probe the exact nature of this star
and its relation to the H ii region.
HEBs are usually located adjacent to ordinary giant H ii regions or seen lying
across them. This implies that their formation is the consequence of triggering by
a previous generation of massive stars in the complex
(Elmegreen & Lada, 1977; Whitworth et al., 1994; Deharveng et al., 2009, and references therein).
However, this is not the case for N33 whose massive star(s) has(have) formed in isolation.
Another example of an SMC HEB that has formed in isolation is N81, which was studied using
HST imaging and spectroscopy (Heydari-Malayeri et al., 1999a, 2002; Martins et al., 2004).
It seems, however, that N33 is a comparatively more attractive
candidate for isolated massive-star formation. N81 is an
isolated H ii region in Shapley’s wing. Nevertheless, it is certainly
powered by at least two main O type stars, which are apparently part of
a small cluster of massive stars detected with the HST spatial
resolution (Heydari-Malayeri et al., 1999a).
The massive star at the origin of N33 has most certainly formed in an isolated, small
molecular cloud, the mass and physical characteristics of which are not known.
It will be interesting to derive the IMF for such small
massive star clusters formed in isolation, and compare it with that of massive stars
formed in OB associations. We emphasize that individual studies of a variety of
cases is essential in parallel with global, statistical investigations.
These small clusters provide relatively simpler situations for
studying the IMF because they involve a smaller number of physical factors
because of their isolation.
In the case of N33, it seems that the initial mass of the exciting star is 40 .
It is unsurprising that the highest masses in small clusters be
lower than those in OB associations. Indeed small clusters originate in molecular
clouds with smaller masses. To advance the study of the mass distribution in small
clusters, high resolution
techniques in the optical and IR, both imaging and spectroscopy, environmental as well as
stellar, are required.
5 Concluding remarks
This paper has presented the first detailed study of SMC N33 using imaging and spectroscopy in the optical obtained at the ESO NTT, as well as from the Spitzer and 2MASS data archives. We have derived a number of physical characteristics of N33 and ascertained its powering source. This compact H ii region of 7.4 (2.2 pc) in diameter belongs to a small class of HEBs in the MCs. In contrast to other members of this class, N33 is not associated with any OB association. This object is excited by a massive star of type O6.5-O7 V, and represents an interesting case of isolated massive-star formation in the SMC.
Acknowledgements.We would like to thank the people in charge of Spitzer data archives, and particularly the PIs of the SMC and SAGE-SMC projects, Dr. Alberto D. Bolatto, University of Maryland, and Dr. Karl D. Gordon, University of Arizona, respectively. Our special thanks go also to the 2MASS facility for the data used in this study. D.A.G. kindly acknowledges financial support from the German Aerospace Center (DLR) through grant 50 OR 0908. We are indebted to Prof. Vassilis Charmandaris, Crete University, for his advice and help in using the Spitzer data. We would like also to thank Dr. Nolan R. Walborn, Space Telescope Institute, Baltimore, and Dr. Fabrice Martins, GRAAL, Montpellier, for commenting on a preliminary version of this paper. Last but not least, we are grateful to an anonymous referee for his meticulous review of the manuscript and several important suggestions that led to a much improved presentation of this research. | https://www.arxiv-vanity.com/papers/1102.1257/ |
It’s believed that 35% of core skills will change between 2015 and 2020 (World Economic Forum, 2016).
The Australian education system must give students the skills they need to thrive in a rapidly-evolving, increasingly digital future—but at the moment, this isn’t the case.
The uncertainty surrounding our skills future has slowed action from governments, corporations, and community groups. There’s been a lot of focus on which job types are most susceptible to disruptive technology and automation, but an astounding lack of research into how skills demand will change, and the related consequences for job activities.
But there’s hope: a new NCVER study on disruptive technology outlines the steps we can take to rectify our stalling, and some innovative task forces from the government and AISC look like they might turn things around.
“...there is a growing consensus that Australia’s tertiary education system needs to change to meet the requirements of a future labour force focused on innovation and creativity."
- NCVER, 2018
Disruptive innovation is caused by large-scale transformations of the market (and life in general) by new technologies and standards. Some recent examples of disruptive technologies are robotics, automation, and virtualisation.
This disruption in the market transforms consumer expectations and values—but not all industries are affected equally. And since the entire market is never affected at once, industries can observe changes and prepare for the disruption.
NCVER’s recent publication on The Fourth Industrial Revolution outlines some of the implications of technological disruption on the Australian VET industry. The frequency of tech updates can occur within the timeframe of a course; students are at risk of graduating with irrelevant skills unless our industry can rapidly remodel.
They found the common VET barriers to adapting to disruptive tech to be:
We are living in a rapidly changing society. With VET and higher education as the core skill givers to tomorrow’s worker, they cannot afford to lag behind.
We’ve entered the fourth industrial revolution, and it’s been dubbed Industry 4.0 and i4.0.
Industry 4.0 has expedited digitalisation, and certainly the rising demand for digital skills is no surprise to anyone. But while no one knows exactly how AI and automation will blend into the future workforce, it’s believed that that some jobs will be more vulnerable to disruption than others.
And while there’s been plenty of research into which jobs are most susceptible to automation and disruptive tech, there’s been little investigation into how skills demand and job activities will change. And this is a big issue—unless we can be sure of what competencies will become increasingly necessary (and which will be overtaken by technology), then we’re not skilling students for their future workplace, but for the current one.
The lack of consensus on technology’s impact has slowed action from the government and community, despite the resounding warnings coming from research: like CEDA’s 2015 claim that 40% of Australian jobs face a high probability of being overtaken by computers.
It’s claims like these that stir up fear among the public, but fear is not the answer. By preparing for the unavoidable digitalisation of our world, we need to continually develop the soft skills which will remain important. NCVER cites traits like:
As the digital skills demand increases, bigger enterprises are using in-house training to upskill their workers. But small businesses are forced to hire candidates who already fit the bill—making the importance of vocational and higher education increasingly paramount.
Changing a VET course is a multi-year national consultation process, and this bureaucracy is hindering Australia from adapting fast enough to the changing workplace landscape. Studies have shown that our governments are too reactive and not proactive enough to deal with digital innovation. Australian productivity hasn’t grown as much as would be expected during this period of disruptive change—and this should be huge point of concern (in fact, there was a 2016 commission into just that).
In 2017 an agreement was signed between Australia and Germany, called the Prime Minister’s Industry 4.0 Taskforce, to develop a global Industry 4.0 standard. Bruce McKinnon (of SAP Australia and New Zealand) is leading the group focusing on work, education, and training:
The AISC (Australian Industry and Skills Committee) is working on its own Industry 4.0 Industry Reference Committee to ensure students are given skills with the future in mind. They’ll be working with industry representatives to establish the necessary competencies for the future.
"Australia stands to gain from new technological breakthroughs but only if we prepare people for the skills and knowledge to help them move between jobs and to transition to new and emerging ones."
- John Pollaers, Chair of AISC.
These initiatives are a start in getting us all ready for the workplace changes we need to prepare students for. Not all workplaces will be affected in the same way, making it imperative that we determine where the greatest change will be and focus on updating related training packages first.
In order to prepare for i4.0, NCVER recommends that the vocational education sector should:
As we move into this new era, it’s important to remember that the most important skill is the ability to acquire new skills. And not just for students—VET PD needs to keep our trainers up to date, too. Training for new industries is essential.
Automation will eliminate few entire roles, but will affect parts of virtually all jobs. The Australian education system should, and must, give students the skills they need to thrive in a rapidly-evolving, increasingly digital future.
VET moves fast. Stay informed, with blogs straight to your inbox. | https://www.axcelerate.com.au/post/skill-students-for-their-future-workplace-not-the-current-one |
Even in the best of circumstances, going through a divorce is a very painful and difficult process. One of the most difficult, and often confusing, parts of a divorce is dealing with the division of assets. The laws governing the division of marital property vary from state to state, so it is important to know what to expect in Maryland.
Maryland is an equitable division state, a term which can often be misleading. Many people hear equitable and think it means that everything will be split up equally. Rather than splitting everything up equally, however, this term means that the courts will work to split everything up fairly, with the goal of ensuring both parties emerge from the divorce in as good of a position as possible.
Property Brought Into the Marriage
In most cases, the courts will look at any property that one party brought into the marriage—meaning they owned the asset prior to the union—and grant that person the right to keep these assets. Even though they brought these assets into the marriage, however, these assets can be considered when calculating asset values with regard to how things should be split up. If one party brought a cottage into the marriage, for example, they may be able to keep that property but then the other party may get to keep the main home to offset that asset (assuming they were similar in value).
Consideration for Children
Another thing to keep in mind is that the courts will always look at what is in the best interest of any children involved. The parent who gets physical custody of the children will typically also be given the house where they live, and it may also impact which vehicle the custodial parent gets. Since children are seen as having no fault in the divorce, the courts attempt to minimize the impact the divorce has on them.
Balancing Assets
It is virtually impossible to split all the assets up in a way that will be completely fair to everyone. Judges can, however, use a variety of assets to help keep things equitable. For example, if one party gets the house, the other may get a larger portion of retirement accounts to help compensate. In most cases, neither party is going to be 100% happy with the results, but they will both be given a fair portion of the marital assets.
Working with an Attorney
The best way to ensure you and your ex are getting the things that are most important to you is to start by working outside of the courtroom. Using a mediator or other resource it is often possible to come to an agreement on some, or even most of the assets and how they should be split. This can help to reduce the amount of time you have to spend in court, save you money, and generally keep everyone happier. Contact The Tyra Law Firm today to discuss your options for mediation or other means of achieving a fair division of your property in your divorce. | http://tyralawfirm.com/introduction-maryland-marital-property-division/ |
,
R. Bandyopadhyaya
Published in American Chemical Society
2016
DOI:
10.1021/acs.jpcc.5b11285
Volume: 120
Issue: 8
Pages: 4612 - 4622
Abstract
Solution-based synthesis of nanoparticles does not yield monodisperse particles, but rather a well-defined particle size distribution (PSD). There is currently no simple means to anticipate or model these size distributions, which critically affect the properties of the resulting nanomaterials. We simulate the temporal evolution of the PSD in the framework of a nucleation and growth model, with the critical postulate that the coagulation efficiency between two nanoparticles is quantitatively determined by the known, interparticle potential energy. Our simulation based on this ansatz, not only a priori predicts experimentally obtained complete PSDs of uncoated or coated (with poly(acrylic acid)or dextran) iron oxide nanoparticles but also accurately captures the influence of surface coverage of a coating agent on the resulting PSD. © 2016 American Chemical Society.
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Journal of Physical Chemistry C
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American Chemical Society
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19327447
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Nirmalya Bachhar
Department of Chemical Engineering
IIT Jodhpur
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The thermodynamics and chemical kinetics of silicon carbide sublimation and lateral interaction reactions are two vital branches that aid in understanding silicon carbide crystal growth, in the Physical Vapor Transport process (PVT). Whilst the former determines the feasibility of the processes and gives an idea about end products and their stability, kinetics explains the dynamism of the reactions and the contribution of species to crystal growth. The potential energy surfaces of the reactions are first determined via Born Oppenheimer Molecular Dynamics observation of the reaction kinetics. By employing an atomic basis set of split-valence double-zeta coupled with Becke's three-parameter hybrid method with LYP correction function, the trajectory of different reactant configurations confirming minimum energy molecules, end products, and potential energy surface is established. Various structural possibilities for the reactant, intermediates, and product of each reaction are investigated by means of geometry optimization and utilization of second-order Moller-Plesset level of theory with electron correlation and a basis set of split-valence triple-zeta polarization. Reaction paths are ascertained via QST2 transition state calculation and their mechanism is confirmed by intrinsic reaction coordinate (IRC). Rate constants for forward and reverse processes are estimated using appropriate and applicable theories, adequate to capture the scenarios. Sublimation of silicon carbide source powder is solved thermodynamically at equilibrium using the equation of Gibbs free chemical reaction isotherm, and the equilibrium partial pressures of species in ideal conditions and Kinetic Monte Carlo evolution of the PVT reactions species, were used in determining the most dominant gaseous molecules around the substrate. | https://researchoutput.ncku.edu.tw/zh/publications/kinetics-and-thermodynamics-of-silicon-carbide-physical-vapor-tra |
A Fibonacci Sequence is a sequence of numbers in which the first and second numbers in the sequence are 0 and 1 respectively, and additional numbers in the sequence are calculated by adding the previous two.
The first few numbers in the Fibonacci Sequence look like this:
0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21...
Often in technical interviews a person will be asked to “create a function that returns the nth value in a Fibonacci Sequence“. A recursive algorithm can solve this problem in a few simple steps as described below.
1. The first and second numbers in the sequence will always be 0 and 1 respectively. In this example we are assuming that n=0 represents the first number in the series. If 0 or 1 is passed to our function, then no calculation is needed. Simply return the value of n.
2. If n is greater than 1, recursively call function(n-1) + function(n-2).
While this algorithm is clean and simple, it has a relatively expensive time complexity, which in the worst case is approximately exponential. There are a variety of other simple but more efficient algorithms that can be used to solve this problem as well. | https://phpfog.com/how-to-code-a-recursive-fibonacci-sequence/ |
In this tutorial, we will see how to convert String to float in python. You can simply use float function to convert String to float. Let’s understand with the help of a simple example. float with strings of numbers 5. float with invalid inputs. Let’s now go through each of the section one by one. Generate Float Range in Python. Python float with Examples. Float is a built-in Python function that converts a number or a string to a float value and returns the result.
17/11/2017 · The float method is used to return a floating point number from a number or a string. If an argument is passed, then the equivalent floating point number is returned. If no argument is passed then the method returns 0.0. If any string is passed that is not a decimal point number or does not match. So this is how you can convert Python string to a number. If the string does not have decimal places, you’ll most likely want to convert it to an integer by using the int method. The str function is used to convert the integer to String in Python. The ord function is used to convert the character to an integer.
Python Program to Get Input from User - here you will learn how to get integer, floating-point, string, character input from the user in python. Python CSV formatting with string and float and write How do you format a float to 2 decimal points with mixed data type? I'm fetching a table and writing rows to csv file. My data is string, string, float, float, float. sql = 'select from testTable' c.executesql columnNames = listmaplambda x.
Since none of these dealt with real world financial numbers in excel and word docs that I needed to find, here is my variation. It handles ints, floats, negative numbers, currency numbers because it doesn’t reply on split, and has the option to drop the decimal part and just return ints, or return everything. Reverse Sub-string Slicing in Python. Another example, using extended slicing, can get the sub-string in reverse order. This is just a "for fun" example, but if you ever need to reverse a string in Python, or get the reversed sub-string of a string, this could definitely help. Here we go. omstring¶ omstring string, dtype=float, count=-1, sep=''. If string contains unicode text, the binary mode of fromstring will first encode it into bytes using either utf-8 python 3 or the default encoding python 2, neither of which produce sane results. 12/12/2017 · How to extract numbers from a string in Python? Python Server Side Programming Programming If you only want positive integers, you can split and search for numbers as follows.
20/10/2016 · This Python 3 tutorial will guide you through converting data types including numbers, strings, tuples and lists, as well as provide examples to help familiarize yourself with different use cases. | http://antoniocasado.com/Python%20Get%20Float%20From%20String |
M3 Wave Energy Systems of Salem is developing technology to harvest energy from ocean waves.
M3 Wave Energy Systems of Salem is developing wave energy technology with grants from the federal government and a local nonprofit.
Their start-up company has won a $240,000 award from the U.S. Department of Energy and a $60,000 matching award from the Oregon Wave Energy Trust, a nonprofit group that receives funding from the state. The grants will help determine whether M3 Wave Energy can create a commercially viable product.
Unlike buoys that harness the energy of ocean waves on the surface, the system developed by M3 Wave Energy is completely submerged. The company's technology falls under a category of wave energy converters known as a "submerged pressure differential device." | https://www.oregonbusiness.com/article/item/1930-salem-startup-develops-wave-energy |
Using the case of Foodora, this paper aims to assess the impact of technological innovation of an emerging actor in the sharing economy through stakeholders’ perceptions in the market and non-market domains.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a methodological approach called social media analytics (SMA) to explore the case of Foodora, 3,250 user-generated contents in social media are systematically gathered, coded and analysed.
Findings
The findings indicate that, while Foodora appears to be a viable provider in the marketplace, there is mounting public concern about the working conditions of its employees. In the market domain, Foodora manages its status as an online delivery platform and provider well, but at the same time, it struggles with its position in the non-market sphere, suggesting that the firm is vulnerable to regulatory change. These insights highlight the importance of simultaneously exploring and balancing market and non-market perceptions when assessing the impact of disruptive innovation.
Originality/value
This study offers originality by providing an integrative approach to consider both the market and non-market domains. It is also novel in its use of SMA as a tool for knowledge acquisition and management to evaluate the impact of emerging technologies in the sharing economy.
Geissinger, A., Laurell, C., Öberg, C., Sandström, C., Sick, N. & Yuliano, S. (2021). Social media analytics for knowledge acquisition of market and non-market perceptions in the sharing economy. Journal of Knowledge Management, 25(2), 500-512. | https://ratio.se/publikationer/social-media-analytics-for-knowledge-acquisition-of-market-and-non-market-perceptions-in-the-sharing-economy/ |
Andrew Leith graduated from Loyola University Chicago in 2005 with a B.S. in Anthropology, with Honors. His foci within anthropology were museology and historical archaeology, and his minors included art history and studio art. During his time in the Anthropology Department at Loyola Andrew studied under Dr. Adams, Dr. Amick, Dr. Breidenbach, Dr. Calcagno, Dr. Fry, and Dr. Miller. Dr. Amick was his academic advisor. Andrew was also involved at the D'Arcy (now LUMA) museum, serving as a gallery assistant. He pursued independent studies in historical archaeology under Dr. Amick's supervision and served as an intern a the Field Museum during his senior year, excavating and processing artifacts from Chicago's Chinatown.
After graduating Andrew continued on at the Field Museum as a volunteer for several months and was hired as a Collections Management Assistant in the Field Museum's Anthropology Department in early 2006. There he worked on several large collections inventories and moves, assisted with research visits, NAGPRA related consultations, and archival collections housing. In 2011 he enrolled in the Masters of Arts Program in the Social Sciences at the University of Chicago focusing in historical archaeology. Between 2014 and 2016 he pursued a second masters degree in historic preservation from the University of Texas at Austin. After working for ICOMOS documenting heritage sites in Jamaica, he returned to Chicago in the fall of 2016.
Andrew currently serves as the Conservation and Collections Program Manager at the Chicago Cultural Alliance, where he works with staff at 36 local museums, historical societies, and cultural centers to develop sustainable programs in collections management and implement scaled best practices in collections care. | https://www.luc.edu/anthropology/studentsandalumni/alumnistories/archive/andrewleith05.shtml |
# Tourism in Malawi
Malawi, officially known as the Republic of Malawi, is a country located in southeastern Africa. The country is also referred to as "The Warm Heart of Africa", due to the friendliness of the people.
Malawi has a variety of tourist attraction sites including Lake Malawi (29,600 km²), several national parks, game reserves, and Mulanje Mountain. The tourism industry in Malawi has significantly grown since the mid-1970s, and the Malawian government is attempting to expand it further. The tourism industry was, however, significantly affected in the 1980s by an economic recession in South Africa—where most Malawian tourists come from. The sector was also greatly affected by the destabilisation of Zimbabwe but it has seen double-digit growth in recent years. Tourism contributed 4.5% to the national GDP in 2014 and provided 3.8% of all jobs.
## Main tourist attraction sites
Malawi has a range of popular tourist attractions, including Lake Malawi, Mulanje Mountain and Zomba Plateau. National parks are another common tourist destination. Notable sites include Nyika National Park, Kasungu National Park, and Liwonde National Park. Lake Malawi National Park is another significant destination, as it is listed as a UNESCO heritage site due to the unique species that inhabit the grounds.
In addition to these sites, the rock paintings at Chongoni are another commonly visited tourist destination. These sites provide an understanding of traditional culture in Malawi, depicting farmer rock art and BaTaw paintings, a group that inhabited the area from the Stone Age.
## Lake Malawi
Covering almost a fifth of the country, Lake Malawi is one of the defining natural features in the country. Lake Malawi spans from the Northern region of the country through the Southern region, with its northern part being the deepest. It is the world's eighth largest freshwater lake and Africa's third largest lake. Sometimes known as the Lake of Stars, Lake Malawi is the country's largest contributor to its tourism industry. Lake Malawi has a diverse ecology that includes native animals. The lake has clear water, allowing for the observation of cichlid fish. Some activities that take place on the lake are snorkeling, diving, kayaking and horse riding.
## Beaches
Malawi has a variety of beaches where tourists can visit. Some of the most notable beaches on the shores of Lake Malawi include Kande Beach and Chintheche Inn in Nkhata Bay. There are many lodges along the lake shore where tourists can also spend their time. Some of the accommodation facilities along the coasts of Lake Malawi include Makokola Retreat in Mangochi, Sunbird Livingstonia in Salima, and many more. While at the beaches along the coast of Lake Malawi, tourists can participate in various water sports including kayaking, parasailing, canoeing, snorkeling and water skiing or they could even go fishing.
## Lake of Stars Music Festival
The Lake of Star Music festival is an annual music concert that happens along the coasts of Lake Malawi. Lake of Stars is one of Africa's biggest music festivals that attracts at least 4000 local and international attendees as well as artists from countries within Africa and beyond. The annual event was founded by Will Jameson in 2004 and ever since, the event has gained recognition from CNN, The Mail & Guardian and The Independent. The live music event, which usually occurs in the fall, bridges the local and international tourists, and it is also a source of revenue in the tourism industry.
## National Parks
Malawi is home to several national parks with a lot of wildlife, such as the zebras at Nyika National Park and the elephants at Liwonde National Park. Lake Malawi National Park in the South is a UNESCO heritage site and it has over a thousand species of fish and birds that are just unique to the warm heart of Africa. Located at Cape Maclear, Lake Malawi National park is the only Malawian national park that was opened to protect the biodiversity of unique fish and other aquatic species that it inhabits. | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_Malawi |
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This post is the second in a three-part series.
This is the second in a series of three posts on the prominent perverse consequences argument that “Banning the Box” inadvertently exacerbates the racial inequality it purports to redress. The first post criticized this argument for positing an either/or choice between suppressing discriminatory record checking and suppressing discriminatory racial stereotyping, rather than embracing a frontal assault on both. This post criticizes the perverse consequences argument for using the wrong conception of racial equality.
Before continuing, here is a quick review (more details in the first post). The perverse consequences argument builds on empirical studies that find, counter-intuitively, that limiting employers’ ability to check criminal records may decrease overall hiring of people of color. This surprising result arises because record checking has opposite effects on two different sub-groups of people are color: those with records are screened out more systematically, but those without records are hired more often. The former effect arises from racial disparities in the criminal justice system. The latter effect arises from racial stereotypes about criminality that employers apply when they lack individualized information. Because the stereotyping effect is larger than the criminal justice disparities effect, in aggregate criminal record checks lead employers to hire more people of color. Vice versa, banning the box costs jobs on net. The perverse consequences argument concludes that banning the box undermines racial justice, contrary to its proponents’ aspirations.
My main point in this post focuses on how the perverse consequences argument uses aggregate racial employment levels as the ultimate measure of racial equality. This is not unreasonable. Indeed, progressive civil rights advocates often use this metric, especially in contrast to a focus on “discriminatory intent” and in particular to justify the “disparate impact” framework that motivates analyzing records exclusions as racially discriminatory. Nonetheless, although this metric is highly relevant to detecting racial discrimination, it does not ultimately define racial justice, as I argue at length in a forthcoming article. This Ban the Box controversy illustrates why.
The aggregate employment metric’s flaw is its insensitivity to the mechanisms that generate aggregate disparities. It is brutally consequentialist. All members of a racial group are treated as fungible: it doesn’t matter who gets a job or loses a job and why, all that matters is the total number. This is a powerful antidote to the prevailing obsession with discriminatory intent, which fetishizes process. But it also cuts the link between racial equality and fairness to the individuals whose jobs and lives ultimately are at stake. It implies, for instance, that discrimination against one person of color can be cured by randomly hiring another member of the same group – without regard to the injury suffered by the first. With regard to Ban the Box, it erases the employment discrimination people of color face by virtue of entanglement with a racially biased criminal justice system; these harms are simply “cancelled out” by the employment benefits Ban the Box confers on other people of color who have eluded such entanglement.
Employment discrimination doctrine rightly rejects such aggregate thinking. Consider an employer that wants its workforce dominated by women who are thin, young, attractive, unmarried, and childless. Among the few men it hires, however, no such restrictions apply. Such an employer violates the law by rejecting mothers when it will hire fathers. It is no defense to argue that women, in aggregate, have nothing to complain about. This bedrock principle was established in the 1970s by the Supreme Court and has been reiterated frequently since then.
The same point applies to disparate impact claims like those that motivate the racial justice case for banning the box. In Connecticut v. Teal, the employer screened promotion applicants using a standardized test that disproportionately excluded African Americans. But among those passing the test, it promoted Blacks at a higher rate. The latter effect offset the former, and so there was no racial disproportionality in aggregate promotions. The employer argued that this lack of any “bottom line” disparity precluded any attack on the test as discriminatory. The Supreme Court disagreed. Such bottom-line reasoning would countenance discrimination against some Black applicants (those unfairly excluded by the test) based on how the employer treated other Black applicants (those promoted after passing the test). That disrespects each individual’s right against discriminatory treatment.
Teal is a notoriously confusing case. The opinion fails to justify having disparate impact claims in the first place if they are not about equalizing aggregate employment levels. In my view, there is a good explanation.
The bedrock principle is that individuals should not lose employment (or promotion) for reasons traceable to their race. That injustice can arise even when the employer does not commit “disparate treatment” by taking an individual’s race into account. If a racially biased criminal justice system repeatedly convicts people of color who would have remained free had they been white, then those individuals acquire a criminal record because of their race. When they later lose a job because of that criminal record, they have lost that job because of their race. That doesn’t change just because the employer applies the criminal record screen evenhandedly; the applicant would have gotten the job had he been white because he wouldn’t have had a record had he been white.
This pattern of racial exclusion will aggregate into a disparate impact, but that aggregate is the smoke, not the fire. If the employer blows away the smoke by curtailing other forms of discrimination—racial stereotyping—, the fire still remains. The racial injury inflicted on those screened out because of their record cannot be cured by how the employer treats those who are screened in. The perverse consequences critique of Ban the Box is just a retread of the failed bottom-line defense in Teal.
And another thing! See the next post tomorrow. | https://onlabor.org/ban-the-box-and-perverse-consequences-part-ii/ |
My aim in this paper is to demonstrate that a very simple learning rule based on imitation can help to sustain altruism as a culturally transmitted pattern or behaviour among agents playing a standard prisoner’s dilemma game. The point of this demonstration is not to prove that imitation is single-handedly responsible for existing levels of altruism (a thesis that is false), nor is the point to show that imitation is an important factor in explanations for the evolution of altruism (a thesis already prominent in the existing literature). The point is to show that imitation contributes to the evolution of altruism in a particular way that is not always fairly represented by evolutionary game theory models. Specifically, the paper uses a simple model to illustrate that cultural transmission includes mechanisms that do not transmit phenotype vertically (i.e. from parent to related offspring) and that these mechanisms can promote altruism in the absence of any direct biological propensity favouring such behaviour. This is a noteworthy result because it shows that evolutionary models can be built to explicitly reflect the contribution of non-vertical transmission in our explanations for the evolution of altruism among humans and other social species.
KeywordsAltruism Cultural Evolution Cultural Inheritance Cultural Transmission Evolution Game Theory Imitation Prisoner’s Dilemma
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Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF. | https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10539-005-8241-1 |
The Unit brings science to much less advantaged areas of the world, while abolishing gender stereotypes. The regular decline of enrollment of young folks in science is cause for concern, and it is in this endeavor that UNESCO’s work in Science Education goals to make a difference. The IJRES is properly respected internationally and accepted by many indexes or databases like Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) and Elsevier Scopus.
When students who function with an understanding of the bodily world such as the one described as a framework principle of physics are first uncovered to an incompatible and counter-intuitive scientific theory, they aren’t capable of understanding it. Assuming that these college students use constructive studying mechanisms they may interpret the brand new scientific data in light of their prior knowledge. These misconceptions were hybrids that could possibly be distinguished into fragmented and/or synthetic conceptions. A synthetic conception additionally combines intuitive understandings with scientific information but does so in ways that show some concern for internal consistency and explanatory energy. Vosniadou and Skopeliti concluded that science studying just isn’t produced via sudden insights but it is a slow and gradual course of and that the generation of misconceptions is a natural outcome of this course of.
These beliefs aren’t isolated but organized in free and narrow however comparatively coherent framework theories. Scientific concepts and theories are very totally different in their concepts, group, ontological and epistemological presuppositions and in their representations from framework theories. They require main conceptual modifications to take place in order to be totally understood.
They ought to work at a pace that is healthy for them and in harmony with their family’s in-home every day schedule all through this era of social distancing due to the pandemic, unless there is work the instructor determines is essential to finish by a certain date. We proceed to be thoughtful in the amount of time we count on college students to spend in live periods and engaged in schoolwork. Departmental teachers (artwork, music, drama, bodily training) are presently sharing content with the Grade Heads to distribute to their college students (this process is evolving and will change in the future). Intermediate School Grade Heads and Spanish and science lecturers use Google Classroom to speak and assign work and Google Meet for stay synchronous instructing periods.
Mechatronics Education and International Stability: The Development of University-level Education Programmes in Advanced Engineering in Kosovo
Its many interrelated sets of information are nonetheless being used to reply a number of questions concerning training in mathematics and science. Already, nevertheless, it has taught us essential classes with profound implications for the conduct of schooling in our country. At the U.S. nationwide research heart for TIMSS, we are continuing the work that we hope will contribute to understanding these classes higher and to studying new ones. However, we now have proven that there’s much that the United States can study from education in other nations.
Contrasting the two might help develop an consciousness of the history, philosophy, and sociology of each. Since more students are interested in expertise than in science, together with technology within science training can present a car for getting students extra involved with primary science. Instead of authorities proclaiming science as necessary and helpful, students uncover that for themselves as they develop and use new technologies. Elementary college science is analogous the world over with the main focus being hands-on and minds-on activities that aren’t self-discipline-based mostly. In the United States some of the main science applications embody Event-Based Science and Science Education for Public Understanding Program. | https://www.23rdavebooks.com/ideas-for-improving-science-education-within-the-u-s.html |
Penguins are not hunted by the Eskimos, because Eskimos live in the North Pole region, while penguins live in the South Pole region. It’s too far to paddle so the energy gained by consuming the meat of a penguin would not be enough to paddle that far and back in the North Pole.
Eskimos live in the Arctic which is the North Pole region, and the penguins live in the Antarctic which is South Pole region, they stay on the opposite sides of the Earth. Eskimos live near or in the Arctic circle in the northern hemisphere. Penguins are found on Antarctica and nearest islands.
No, Penguins do not live in igloos. The people who traditionally made igloos are the Inuit, who live in far Greenland and north of North America, where there are no penguins. There are also no people native to Antarctica, where some penguins live but not all.
Igloos are made by slicing thick snow into bricks and then stacking them in a specific manner. Since penguins don’t have knives or hands or saws, a penguin would have a hard time building an igloo, even if it was intellectually capable of it.
Yes, Penguins can have twins as they’re also birds and lay eggs. The occasional or rare egg could be a double yolker in which case the egg can also contain two fertilized twins and are possible just as they are with chickens, but it is highly exceptional.
The emperor and king penguins lay one egg best and hatch them on their ft. below a brood pouch, however, the different 15 species nest at the ground or in burrows and put two or three eggs. Regularly they’ll enhance two chicks effectively.
Galapagos penguins are named after the islands they are found on, and they are the only penguins that live on the equator. When one thinks of penguins living so far away from their natural habitat, one is forced to wonder, what do Galapagos penguins eat? The diet of these penguins varies according to the availability of food in their vicinity.
These penguins mostly eat small fish and krill, but they will also include crustaceans like squid in their diet to get a varied range of nutrients from their foods. Galapagos penguins mostly look for food close to their rookeries, but if they have to swim farther from their nesting places, it can impact the health of their chicks.
Penguins are cuddly and cute, but watching them on TV, in magazines or even a zoo, you might have thought, do penguins have legs? As their bulk takes up most of their body, it can be difficult to look at a penguin and imagine them having legs. They just look like feathered creatures with claws at the end of their feet where their legs should be. Mostly because of the bulk of big penguins, it looks like they do not have legs.
Emperor penguins and king penguins are large in size, and they mostly cover up their feet with the bulk of their lower body. Their physical structure is such that their legs are set far back on the body which gives them their characteristic stunted look.
Penguins are adorable species of flightless birds. There are around 17 species of living penguins. Each of them is unique and differs in the appearance and character. Penguins are neither friendly nor harmful to humans. Many of the penguin species that are away from Antarctica may have less curiosity to see the human since they would have seen them in many instances.
Penguins of Antarctica may have the eagerness to see and observe the actions of humans if they are encountering for the first time. Since penguins have less of land predators, it is not likely for them to get afraid of humans.
Penguins live in some of the most inhospitable environments on the planet, and they mostly hunt for food in the sea. But have you ever thought what kind of fish do penguins eat? Well, the answer varies according to the species of penguin. There are around 18-19 species of penguins, and all of them are found in the southern hemisphere.
While some penguins live in the harsh Antarctic regions, other penguins live in the colder regions near the equator like the coasts of Africa and Galapagos islands. All of these penguins eat different kinds of fish that is available in their region. Also, penguins tend to eat more fish when they are tending to chicks as they are responsible for the feeding management of their offspring too.
When we speak about birds, they are commonly omnivores. But there are few exceptions like eagle and penguin. Eagles and penguins are carnivore birds. Carnivore birds eat only meat. Penguins’ diet includes a variety of fish, squid, and krill.
Omnivore birds eat both plants and meat. Fish, insects, dead animal stuff, algae and vegetation fall in the diet list of omnivore birds. Even though penguins live in the marine included by vegetation, they normally don’t eat the plants.
Penguins are also like other birds that eat, drink, sleep and poop too. But one strange thing that we notice about the penguins is that they usually poop on each other. Do you have any idea that why do penguins poop on each other?
Pooping is the nature call from which no animal, bird or human being can resist from doing. Penguins also poop when they have the urge to do it. The poop of the penguins is very useful for melting the frozen landscape of the ice.
Penguins can dive up to 500 m deep in the water, but how long can penguins stay underwater? The answer varies from different species and the weather conditions under which the penguins are making the dive. There are several other factors that come into play when you want to know about the diving duration of penguins. In this article, we are going to take a look at some factors that decide the diving duration of penguin and why penguins are such accomplish divers. | https://penguinsblog.com/category/penguins-faqs/ |
Power is torque×angular velocity. Say for same power, torque for big engine is more thus angular velocity is less , thus less RPM . Torque for small engine is less thus to get that same power they have to work Faster thus more RPM.
Why can’t v8s rev high?
Without extra valves, the engine can’t take in enough air at higher rpm and it becomes starved for air. Thus, it can’t rev as high. The number of camshafts and valve timing are the final reasons pushrod engines don’t rev very high. … That means valve lift and duration can’t be adjusted for higher rpm needs.
Is it better to have higher or lower rpm?
Racing RPMs
Running at lower RPMs equates to higher torque and thus lower horsepower, while making higher RPM power outputs less torque and higher top horsepower. In a straight line race, higher RPMs take precedence.
Is low rpm good for engine?
Low RPMs are fine if you’re just cruising or slowing down, but when you accelerate, low revs leave your engine with a gearing disadvantage. To get your car up to speed, the engine has to work a lot harder. Engine temperature will rise, and cylinder temperature will rise. This is where things can start to go screwy.
Do 4 cylinder engines rev higher?
4L/cyl) with a shorter stroke than the 3.8L V6 so it redlines slightly higher, at 7k. However, because of this shorter stroke, it puts out 115hp but only 110lb-ft of torque. The reason why Ferraris can rev so much higher than other large engines is because their engines are small for the number of cylinders they have.
Why do American engines rev so low?
1. American pushrod engines generally have lower redlines than overhead cam engines. … The limiting factor to how fast an engine can rev is usually the valvetrain. The valves are held in the closed position with springs, until they get a bump from the cams, causing them to open.
What limits an engine’s RPM?
The maximum RPM of an engine is limited to the airflow through the engine, the displacement of the engine, the mass and balance of the rotating parts, along with the bore and stroke of the pistons.
Does torque beat horsepower?
Horsepower equals torque multiplied by rpm, divided by a constant. Because there is generally a limit on how fast you can spin an engine, having higher torque allows for greater horsepower at lower rpms. This is also why people talk about “low-end torque” being important for better power at slower speeds.
What Does BHP stand for horsepower?
What is Brake Horsepower (bhp) However, Brake Horsepower (bhp) is often used as a more realistic measurement of power. This is because bhp considers the power left after other car parts are working such as the gearbox, alternator, and water pump as well as any loss of power due to friction.
Is horsepower better than torque?
The more horsepower a car has, the faster it’s going to burn fuel, both on acceleration and under normal driving conditions. Conversely, the more low-end torque a vehicle has, the slower it may burn fuel, depending on your typical driving and hauling habits.
Is it bad to drive 5000 RPM?
5000 is where the fun starts. It’s not staying there for extended periods. You’ll be fine. The reason it’s so sluggish is that the transmission is programmed to save fuel so it’s always in a higher gear.
Is bogging engine bad?
At the most basic level, lugging your engine doesn’t make much sense because it puts your engine at a disadvantage. That means it has to work harder to do the same amount of work. But that also means it runs less efficiently, increases engine temperature, and can even cause issues with the engine’s timing.
Is driving in 4th gear bad?
5 Answers. To answer your question, no it isn’t bad for your car to keep it in as high a gear as you can while still maintaining speed. As long as you are above idle in RPM and your engine isn’t lugging, you aren’t doing any damage.
Why do bigger engines make more power?
It’s a simple matter of being able to burn more fuel to raise cylinder pressure. More cylinder pressure pushes down on the piston harder, which in turn rotates the crank faster and harder and = more power. It’s that simple.
Why do F1 engines rev so high?
Lower piston speeds means less stress on the connecting rods and crankshaft as well as acceptable flame propagation speeds, allowing the engine to rev even higher. … Formula 1 engines and motorcycle engines often have very high bore/stroke ratios, allowing for higher engine speeds (and thus more power).
Why is 7000 rpm the limit?
Petrol engines usually redline at 7000-8000 RPM while diesel hits the peak at around 4500 RPM. This is because diesel engines are not made for high RPM in the first place. They are slow to combust than petrol and are mainly focused on more torque rather than RPM. | https://beneventichevy.com/auto-service/why-do-bigger-engines-have-lower-rpm.html |
This is a listening comprehension task with multiple choice questions. Although the recording contains some difficult vocabulary, the questions focus on A2 level language. This task helps elementary learners to understand that they can pick out key information from more challenging texts or recordings. The photos help the learners get a good sense of what the recording is about. In this example, the questions all focus on detail, but this task type can also be used to test whether a test taker can identify the speaker's purpose, their attitude or opinion, or the gist of what is said, among other things. For this sample task, we have given you the answers immediately after the question. In an actual exam, the answers would not be visible.
Listen to a tour guide talking about four buildings in Cambridge. Look at the photos and select the right information about each one.
https://lt123.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ROUND-CHURCH.mp3
Location: corner of
Built in about:
Number of round churches in England:
Age of tower:
Location: near to
Built in:
Originally:
Currently part of:
Built around:
Location:
Last leper admitted to hospital:
In this Listening task, a video is used to illustrate the recording script, which helps the test taker to understand the topic of what they are listening to. The true/false questions test listening comprehension, but they can also be used for testing reading comprehension of a text. As in the previous task, a variety of testing focuses can be assessed using true/false questions.
Look at the video about punting (going on a special type of boat) in Cambridge. Are the statements true or false?
In this sample task, the questions are used to test reading comprehension, but this task type also works well for testing listening comprehension. This question type can also be used for productive purposes by asking test takers questions about an image or by asking them vocabulary questions to which there is one clear answer. The correct answer options can be tailored to include various spellings.
Read the text and answer the questions about it. Answer with one word or a short phrase.
To what extent are the cultures of the two ancient English universities, Oxford and Cambridge, the same? It has often been pointed out that Oxford has a tradition of loyalty whereas Cambridge favours dissent. Oxford has produced five of the seven most recent Prime Ministers while Cambridge is better-known for turning out spies. Famous Cambridge graduates include Bertrand Russell, a philosopher who was put on trial in 1916 for producing a pamphlet advocating pacifism, Oliver Cromwell, the 17th-century politician who made England briefly into a Republic and Charles Darwin the natural scientist whose theory of evolution caused anger in the Church.
Time is Up! | https://lt123.co.uk/sample-test-materials/ |
Painter Preservation is accomplished in preparing a variety of studies, including historic resource surveys and evaluations, for compliance with state and Federal environmental regulations, including compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Painter Preservation collaborates with colleagues to prepare Environmental Impact Reports, Environmental Impact Statements, and Environmental Assessments, providing language that allows decision-makers and government agencies to move forward with clear, defensible decisions. If historic resources are present, impacts can often be made compliant through the application of the Secretary of Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. Painter Preservation has extensive experience working closely with project proponents to suggest design modifications to ensure that the project is compliant. We also prepare mitigation plans to mitigate for the loss or alteration of historic resources.
This Cultural Resources Inventory Report was prepared to establish a Determination of Effect with respect to the proposed street improvements planned for this neighborhood. Twenty-two buildings were surveyed and evaluated; additionally, the neighborhood was evaluated as a potential district. This was done to satisfy the requirements of Section 106 of the NHPA. The project found two buildings eligible for listing in the National Register, one of which was subsequently listed. An adverse effect resulting from the planned median improvements which obscured the views of eligible buildings was found. This was an indirect effect and the project went forward as planned.
This project involved preparing a Cultural Resources Report that identified archaeological and historic resources in Malmstrom AFB's Cold War-era WSA and on the site of the proposed Weapons Storage and Maintenance Facility (WSMF). Painter Preservation surveyed 32 potential historic resources at the WSA and prepared a historic context statement, evaluating the WSA as a district, and identifying potential impacts as the result of the planned demolition of 14 buildings. The proposed WSMF site was also surveyed for archaeological resources. Findings were incorporated into an Environmental Assessment, to be used to demonstrate compliance with Section 106 and NEPA. Painter Preservation also prepared a mitigation plan for the project. With Ruthann Knudson.
The Richmond Civic Center Auditorium was surveyed and evaluated by Painter Preservation to identify whether a historic resource would be affected by the installation of a cell tower. The Civic Center was envisioned as early as the 1930s by a group made up of such architectural luminaries as Richard Neutra and R. M. Schindler. Painter Preservation found the 1951 building, which was designed by San Francisco architect Milton T. Pflueger, eligible for listing in the National Register as a contributor to a district made up of the two other buildings and plaza that comprise the Civic Center. The entire Civic Center has since been rehabilitated and undergone a seismic retrofit.
This EIR was undertaken under the auspices of CEQA to assess the impacts of constructing a large, mixed-use project in downtown Santa Rosa on historic resources. Of the sixty-two properties in the survey area, ten were found to be historic and one was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Painter Preservation prepared an analysis of the project impacts and developed a mitigation plan that emphasized design modifications that would enable the project to be consistent with the Secretary of Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and provide for additional mitigation. The project did not go forward. With Carolyn Losee.
Painter Preservation prepared the Historic Resources Report for two historic properties in downtown San Rafael that were being proposed for demolition as part of a housing redevelopment project. Nine additional historic properties were identified in the project vicinity. Painter Preservation also participated in the development of the EIR, designed to meet the requirements of CEQA. As the impacts to the properties could not be mitigated to a less-than-significant level, an extensive alternatives analysis was undertaken. Painter Preservation participated in the alternatives analysis, analyzed aesthetic and historic impacts resulting from the project, and prepared a mitigation plan that was adopted by the City Council. The project, although approved, has not gone forward. With Lisa Newman. | https://preservationplans.com/environmental-compliance.html |
The aim of our science curriculum at Francis Askew is to give pupils the knowledge and skills they need to live healthy and fulfilled lives, as well as create citizens who make positive contributions to the future of our planet and society. We teach science in a way that fosters curiosity and a lifelong love for the subject. We intend to give children opportunities for practical, hands-on experiences and knowledge to make sense of and revel in the natural world. We strive to deliver a high-quality science curriculum which allows our pupils to recognise the significance of science in their everyday lives. We explicitly teach pupils the skills and knowledge they need to become methodical, analytical and inquisitive scientists.
Our aim is to provide inclusive and aspirational learning experiences where pupils thrive and build the cultural capital they need to make ambitious choices about their own futures, overcoming any barriers. In science, this is promoted through collaborative and experiential learning opportunities, for example, linking science to real life contexts, allowing children wherever possible to have concrete experiences of the concepts beings taught. This includes enrichment such as trips to the science museum, visiting local STEM projects and inviting in guest speakers (scientists/engineers). These links with real life experiences enable children to gain relevant, concrete experiences in areas they might not ordinarily have the opportunity to encounter.
At Francis Askew we use the Snap Science scheme. Alongside this our subject leaders have carefully worked to create a Subject Progression Document where objectives for each year group are progressively mapped out towards clearly defined curriculum end points. Within the Subject Progression Document, our progressive objectives identify what pupils should know by the end of each year group and link to prior learning. These enable teachers to identify and plug gaps in pupils’ knowledge and skills.
Pupils will develop a deep understanding of key concepts as they move through our science curriculum. These key concepts have been carefully considered and identified as the core knowledge and skills required to successfully progress in science. Opportunities to revisit and develop these key concepts are planned out carefully as the children move through the school to ensure that they are firmly embedded within their long-term memory. These key concepts compliment work carried out across the school reinforcing our 6 broad curriculum drivers (see overall Curriculum Intent). The expectation is that, by the end of primary School, pupils will know and understand these key concepts to continue to build on their scientific knowledge as they enter KS3.
Key concepts:
Biology
- Organisms require a supply of energy and materials: Living things are special collections of matter that reproduce, use energy and grow. Food provides materials and energy for life and growth. Plants and bacteria use energy from the sun to generate food. Animals break down food and are ultimately dependant on green plants for energy. In any ecosystem there is competition for the energy and materials needed to live and reproduce.
- Genetic information: Genetic information is passed down from one generation of organisms to another. Genes determine the development and structure of organisms
- Evolution: The diversity of organisms is the result of evolution. Different kinds of life, animals, plans and microorganisms, have evolved into different forms best suited to the environments in which they live. Organisms not able to respond sufficiently to changes in their environment become extinct
Chemistry
- All matter (stuff) in the universe is made of tiny building blocks.
- Materials (properties and changes): The arrangement, movement and types of building blocks of matter, and the forces that hold them together/push them apart, explain all the properties of matter (eg: hot/cold, soft/hard, light/heavy etc…)
- States of matter: Matter can change if the arrangement of these building blocks change (eg: chemical reactions)
Physics
- The universe follows unbreakable rules that are all about forces, matter and energy
- Forces are different kinds of pushes and pulls that act on all the matter in the universe. Changing the movement of an object requires a force to be acting on it. Gravity is a universal force of attraction between all objects, however large or small
- Energy: There are many different forms of energy eg: light, sound, electricity, heat and wind. Energy can be transferred from one object to another and can cause changes. The total amount of energy in the universe is always the same but energy can be transformed when things change or are made to happen
Earth Science
- The earth in relation to the universe: The Earth is one of 8 planets orbiting the sun. Our solar system is a very small part of one of millions of galaxies in the universe.
- The earth spins on its axis: The Earth is tilted and spins on its axis leading to day and night, the seasons and climate
Enquiry strategies
As part of working scientifically which is embedded throughout all units, pupils will also learn to use a variety of enquiry strategies to answer scientific questions. Different questions lead to different types of enquiry and are not limited to fair testing. By the end of primary school, children will be able to use these enquiry strategies confidently and know that different strategies may be needed at different times.
- Observing over time: (observing or measuring how one variable changes over time)
- Identifying and classifying: (identifying and naming materials/living things and making observations or carrying out tests to organise them into groups.)
- Looking for patterns: (making observations or carrying out surveys of variables that cannot be easily controlled and looking for relationships between two sets of data)
- Comparative and fair testing: (observing or measuring the effect of changing one variable when controlling others)
- Answering questions using secondary sources of evidence: (answering questions using data or information that they have not collected first hand)
As well as this, pupils will learn about:
- Using models: (Developing or evaluating a model or analogy that represents a scientific idea, phenomenon or process)
Children will also develop their understanding of identified second order concepts through the science curriculum. These concepts branch across subjects, creating horizontal links across our whole curriculum. They aim to develop flexible knowledge and skills that children can apply to multiple curriculum areas. In science children will be develop their understanding of the following second order concepts:-
- Responsibility: (working safely, how science can solve problems, climate change and sustainability)
- Similarity and difference: (making comparisons, finding patterns, noting differences and drawing conclusions)
- Cause and consequence: (models and laws, reactions between materials, observing processes)
- Continuity and change: (observing what changes and what stays the same)
- Significance: (significant scientists, discoveries, laws, models and theories)
- Written and oral expression: (Using scientific terminology, evaluation, drawing conclusions, objectivity, explaining processes, describing and explaining patterns, presenting and interpreting data)
End points:
By the end of EYFS children will:
- Have explored the natural world around them, making observations and drawing pictures of animals and plants.
- Know some similarities and differences between themselves and others, places, objects, materials and living things.
- Be able to make simple observations of animals and plants.
- Understand how to make things move.
- Understand some important processes and changes in the natural world around them, including the seasons and changing states of matter.
By the end of KS1 children will:
- Know the basic fundamentals of the biology strand.
- Have explored animals, humans and changes within environments and began to develop simple scientific vocabulary linked to this.
- Have used different types of scientific enquiry to answer a range of questions.
- Be able to ask questions, discuss their findings and present the ideas in a variety of ways.
By the end of KS2 children will:
- Have an understanding of the key domains of knowledge and can use key concepts to make links between the domains
- Be able to ask questions and make observations about the world around them using scientific knowledge
- Be able to analyse data and articulate evidenced conclusions
- Be able to follow and design scientific enquiries
- Have an understanding of some of the major issues facing our planet and an appreciation of the importance of science to wider society
Implementation
At Francis Askew, our science curriculum is carefully mapped out into a long-term plan. This outlines when key concepts will be taught and revisited (in each Snap Science unit) and shows how these concepts progressively lead towards children achieving our identified curriculum end points. The long-term plan also enables links between subjects to be identified and carefully planned for to support children’s retention of knowledge and skills.
Short term planning for science is informed by the subject’s long-term plan, the Snap Science Units and Subject Progression Document. Lesson objectives are clear and sequenced so that outcomes are secure and meaningful. Units are organised into a spiral curriculum to ensure key concepts are revisited regularly as pupils move through the school. This ensures each unit builds effectively on prior learning and ensures connections are made between different units to help children know more and remember more. Science is taught weekly and outcomes are demonstrated in a variety of ways through, written work as well as photographic evidence.
All children will have access to the science curriculum with work being tailored appropriately for children with SEND – modifying end points so that they are appropriate but remain aspirational. Any child working below their age-related expectation, will receive a tailored curriculum with personalised objectives. This will enable all children to build the skills and knowledge needed to bridge the gap between themselves and their peers enabling them to reach their full potential.
The development of children’s oracy is also given a high profile and is promoted through the use of subject specific terminology and vocabulary needed to work as scientists. When discussing, debating and presenting new knowledge learned within our curriculum, children will be directed to specific and progressive vocabulary.
At Francis Askew, all Science lessons will follow the same teaching sequence outlined below:
- Revisit prior learning and indicate key concepts being taught
- Teach new concept – pupils are introduced to the new concept and new vocabulary is shared
- Develop understanding of knowledge – pupils listen and respond to develop their understanding of the scientific substantive knowledge
- Apply the knowledge – pupils use their knowledge, understanding and working scientifically skills
- Opportunity to check retention and understanding of knowledge – pupils explain or describe their understanding
- Provide further teaching to address pupil misconceptions or errors.
Impact
A wide range of strategies are used to measure the impact of our science curriculum. Our teaching sequences allow for regular low stakes assessments of how well children are retaining key knowledge and how well they can apply the knowledge and skills learned.
Formative assessments are carried out regularly by teachers during and after each lesson, which inform future planning. Where learning is not secure, additional learning takes place to address this. Additionally, summative assessments are carried out each term by using an internal assessment tool. As a result of these assessment tools, children’s misconceptions or gaps in subject knowledge and skills are addressed and additional teaching and support is provided.
Our subject leaders also monitor the effectiveness of the science curriculum through carrying out regular monitoring evaluations. These evaluations are quality assured by the Curriculum Lead, Senior Leadership and Governors.
The effectiveness of science is also monitored through pupil and parental voice throughout the course of the year. | https://francisaskewprimary.org/science/ |
Welcome to Teaching Classical Languages (TCL). TCL is the peer-reviewed, online journal dedicated to exploring how we teach (and how we learn) Greek and Latin. TCL is sponsored by the Classical Association of the Middle West and South (CAMWS).
Social networking is not a new concept. People form groups (like CAMWS, ACL, and APA) to talk about things in common. With the Internet, these common-interest groups proliferate online, enabling people worldwide to converse on topics pertinent to their groups. The most recent online phenomenon, social networking, allows people to engage in dialogue while adding content like audio, video, digital images, and documents, and at the same time permits members of these online communities to comment and give feedback on this content. Latin teachers at any level can take advantage of blogging and file-sharing offered by social networking sites like Ning and Facebook to create dynamic, educational environments in which students can interact with each other, as well as the instructor, in pursuit of understanding the Latin discussed in class. Young people already feel that they have ownership of Web 2.0 platforms. Teachers can further empower their students to learn Latin via these platforms by creating classroom social networks. These platforms are both free and easy to use. This paper illustrates how to create a private social network for a sample AP Vergil class using the Ning social network creation tool.
This article describes an unconventional method of teaching Greek vocabulary, grammar, and syntax through the translation or adaptation of popular songs into Attic Greek. To reinforce vocabulary and introduce or review points of grammar of syntax in a memorable way, I have adapted and translated a number of modern songs into Attic Greek. Each song was focused around one or two significant concepts (e.g., adverbs, participles, the optative mood) and was presented with the appropriate textbook chapter to augment other available materials. The students themselves, who recommended many of the songs and themes, were consequently active participants in the development of their own ancillary and review materials. My students, furthermore, were inspired to create their own translations and adaptations which were then, once the author approved the instructor's corrections, presented to the class. Incorporating this challenging language into contemporary culture gives students a sense of intimacy and confidence with Greek. In this article, I outline the creative process, explain my Attic Greek song lyrics, and suggest further applications of this technique.
A mastery of Greek vocabulary can be a skill which alleviates the strain of learning Greek, so a structured and coherent presentation of vocabulary benefits both teachers and students. This paper examines vocabulary usage and frequency in two popular textbooks, Athenaze and From Alpha to Omega, and compares the vocabulary of each textbook with the 50% word list and 80% word list of core Greek vocabulary developed by Wilfred E. Major (CPL Online 4.1 1-24). The results of this study provide some preliminary work toward the broader goal of providing teachers with vocabulary aids for commonly used Greek textbooks. In particular, this paper provides a list of key vocabulary words that correspond to the two textbooks in the study (appendices 1-4). Some additional suggestions for teachers on how to help students with vocabulary acquisition are provided. | https://tcl.camws.org/fall2009.php |
Preparing for a hazardous material incident is crucial for ensuring the safety of individuals and the community. It involves a combination of planning, training, and equipment to effectively respond to and manage the situation.
First and foremost, it is important to have a comprehensive emergency response plan in place. This should include identifying potential hazards and risks, determining appropriate response strategies, and establishing clear roles and responsibilities for emergency responders. The plan should also include procedures for evacuating the area and providing medical treatment to affected individuals.
Training is also essential for preparing for a hazardous material incident. Emergency responders should be trained in the proper use of protective equipment, decontamination procedures, and emergency response protocols. This training should be ongoing and regularly updated to ensure that responders are prepared to handle any situation that may arise.
In addition to training, emergency responders also need access to the necessary equipment and supplies. This includes personal protective equipment, such as hazmat suits and respirators, as well as specialized equipment for detecting and measuring hazardous materials. Emergency response vehicles should also be equipped with the necessary supplies and equipment to effectively respond to the incident.
Furthermore, it is important to establish strong communication and coordination with other agencies and organizations that may be involved in the response. This includes local law enforcement, fire departments, and emergency medical services, as well as federal agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Coordination and communication are crucial for ensuring a coordinated and effective response to the incident.
Overall, preparing for a hazardous material incident requires a comprehensive approach that involves planning, training, and access to the necessary equipment and resources. By taking these steps, emergency responders can be better prepared to handle any situation that may arise and protect the safety of individuals and the community.
On September 9, 2020 in the city of Magnolia, Texas, a hazardous materials incident occurred. The incident involved a tanker truck that was carrying a load of hazardous chemicals. The truck was traveling on a highway when it suddenly crashed into a guardrail, causing the tanker to rupture and release its dangerous cargo onto the road.
The chemicals that were released were highly toxic and posed a serious threat to the public. Emergency responders quickly arrived on the scene and began evacuating the area to ensure the safety of those nearby.
The hazardous materials team worked quickly to contain the spill and prevent it from spreading further. They used specialized equipment to absorb the chemicals and prevent them from seeping into the ground or contaminating the air.
Despite their efforts, however, the chemicals had already caused significant damage to the surrounding environment. The air quality in the area was compromised, and there were reports of respiratory issues and other health problems among those who had been exposed to the toxic fumes.
The incident also caused major disruptions to traffic and local businesses. The highway was closed for several hours while the hazardous materials team worked to clean up the spill, causing major delays and congestion on the roads. Local businesses were forced to close their doors due to the danger posed by the chemicals, and many were unable to open for several days.
The incident serves as a reminder of the importance of proper handling and transportation of hazardous materials. It is crucial that these materials are handled with care and that safety measures are in place to prevent accidents like this from happening.
Furthermore, it is important for emergency responders to be properly trained and equipped to handle hazardous materials incidents in order to minimize the impact on the public and the environment. By taking these precautions, we can prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future and keep our communities safe. | https://www.prepare911.com/learn/hazardous-material-incident-preparations |
Schizophrenia is a complicated and often misrepresented mental illness that affects roughly 0.3% of the global population. The process of creating art can be therapeutic for those who suffer from both the positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Several famous artists have battled schizophrenia in their lifetimes and while the art that they produce can sometimes be harrowing for an outsider, there is a lot of beauty to be found in their ability to create from their pain.
Table of Content
- 1 An Introduction to Schizophrenia
- 2 The Benefits of Art Therapy for People with Schizophrenia
- 3 Famous Artists with Schizophrenia
An Introduction to Schizophrenia
Individuals with schizophrenia face not only their own inner demons but also demonization from the world around them. Of all psychological disorders, schizophrenia is probably top of the list. Film and other forms of popular media often paint people with schizophrenia as dangerous, mad, and delusional. Before we discuss schizophrenia as it relates to art, we must provide an accurate description of this mental illness.
Although hallucinations are the most spoken-about symptom of schizophrenia, it is certainly not the only one, nor the most destructive one. There are two classes of schizophrenic symptoms: positive and negative symptoms. Hallucinations, exaggerated perceptions, mania, and delusions are examples of positive symptoms. Positive symptoms are experiences that neurotypical people do not have. These symptoms are added to the typical experience and include, but are not limited to:
- Delusions or false beliefs about the world;
- Visual, auditory, or tactile hallucinations;
- Agitated movements of the body;
- Inappropriate emotions for the context;
- Strange plans and ideas;
- Psychosis or a break with reality.
Negative symptoms are exactly the opposite, an absence of something that neurotypical people take for granted. Negative symptoms can be both mental and physical, and these symptoms are typically the most destructive part of schizophrenia. Negative mental symptoms of schizophrenia include:
- Anhedonia or the inability to experience or express any pleasure;
- Avolition or an absolute lack of motivation;
- Lack of speech;
- Inability to act spontaneously;
- Lack of interest in the world;
- Social withdrawal;
- Alogia or difficulty with speaking as a result of disorganized thinking;
Some negative physical symptoms are:
- Flat affect or lack of emotional display on the face;
- Lack of gesturing with communication;
- Physical inactivity;
- Monosyllabic and monotone speech;
- Lack of eye contact.
Hopefully, you can see that schizophrenia is far more than simply experiencing hallucinations. Often, the most damaging symptoms are the negative symptoms that prevent normal functioning. Schizophrenia can also be worsened by other mental illnesses like anxiety, depression, and often, substance abuse as a means to cope.
Art and art therapy are effective tools for providing some relief from the positive symptoms and helping to facilitate healing from the negative symptoms.
The Benefits of Art Therapy for People with Schizophrenia
The difficulty with communicating that results from some of the negative symptoms of schizophrenia can make talk therapy difficult and ineffective on its own. Anti-psychotic medication is the standard form of treatment, but it is impossible to remove all symptoms. Schizophrenia art therapy is becoming increasingly popular alongside traditional anti-psychotic medical treatments.
How Does Art Therapy Work?
There are countless forms that art therapy can take, but it often happens in a group setting. A therapist will facilitate an environment in which people can express themselves artistically through drawing, painting, or sculpture. The therapeutic nature of this type of intervention is two-fold.
Firstly, the therapist can use the patient’s creation in future talk-therapy sessions to find out more about their internal experiences. Secondly, for schizophrenic patients, in particular, creating with their hands can be an effective soothing mechanism, and many use drawing or painting to transfer their positive symptoms (hallucinations) onto paper, which can make them seem less all-consuming.
People with very severe schizophrenia can often resist traditional treatment methods, and the negative symptoms of lack of motivation and affect (emotion) can cause them to isolate socially. Creating art is a non-confrontational way for schizophrenic patients to explore and express their feelings in a way they would not with a therapist. The group setting can help them overcome their difficulties with social interaction and increase their self-esteem.
People can even benefit from art therapy while amid active psychosis or a loss of touch with reality. The cognitive impairments and disordered thinking patterns that characterize psychotic attacks can make it incredibly difficult for people to verbalize their experiences, but schizophrenic art is a promising therapeutic avenue.
The Case of Kate Fenner
After finally receiving a diagnosis of schizophrenia at 17 years of age, Kate Fenner now uses illustrations to deal with her hallucinations. Kate says that drawing her hallucinations helps her confront the emotions behind them and makes them seem less real and intimidating.
The scary thing about hallucinations is that they do not feel any different from what a neurotypical person would experience when looking at a plant or hearing music. Hallucinations are absolutely indistinguishable from normal perceptions, so Kate uses her drawings to confirm that they are not real.
Kate experiences visual and auditory hallucinations, from hearing voices and random sounds to seeing faces and bugs. Many of her schizophrenia drawings feature cartoon-Esque flies accompanied by text that describe how her depressive symptoms impact her self-esteem. Other paintings and illustrations are direct expressions of what she sees during hallucinations, and they can be quite confronting.
Through her artistic process and sharing her schizophrenia drawings with the world, Kate hopes to break some of the negative stigma associated with schizophrenia diagnoses. There is a desperate need for less demonizing public representation of the more serious mental illnesses, like schizophrenia.
Famous Artists with Schizophrenia
Very often, a painful mental environment comes hand-in-hand with artistic creativity. Is it because artistic expression is one of the easiest avenues of communication, or does creativity naturally accompany disordered mental health?
We cannot make any assumptions, but we can appreciate artists who have fought through devastating and difficult mental situations and have produced some of the most interesting and thought-provoking works of schizophrenia art. We can learn a lot from drawings made by people with mental illness.
Camille Claudel: 1864-1943
Camille Claudel could have been an incredible artist in her own right, but she destroyed many of her original works during a period of intense schizophrenic distress. There is a significant amount of heritability with schizophrenia, and Claudel’s genetic traits sparked her spiral into mental illness after her scorching affair with Auguste Rodin ended badly.
For many years previously, Claudel contributed to the works of Rodin in a significant way, and following her psychotic break, she started to throw accusations of thievery at Rodin. These accusations may not have been too far off.
Claudel spent much of her life confined in an asylum, although many of her friends did not believe it was necessary. Although schizophrenia is certainly not a death sentence, Claudel’s care was not handled properly. Her family never visited her, and they even asked the staff not to send the letters she wrote to them. At the age of 78, Claudel passed away in the asylum. If the world around her had been more compassionate and understanding, we could have seen so much more from this talented artist.
Vassil, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Edvard Munch: 1863-1944
Like Claudel, Munch had both genetic and environmental predispositions to mental illness, schizophrenia in particular. One of Munch’s sisters had schizophrenia, his father suffered from depression, and his mother and other sister had died from tuberculosis when he was young. The painter once said, “I cannot get rid of my illnesses, for there is a lot in my art that exists only because of them.” We can really understand this sentiment when we look at some of his most famous works, including The Scream.
In 1908, following a psychotic break exacerbated by alcoholism, Munch was admitted to a mental health clinic. Later in his life, Munch was also diagnosed with a clinical condition that is closely associated with hypochondria and hysteria called neurasthenia. Not only did Munch have to fight his own internal demons, but he also faced persecution at the hands of the Nazi government. Hilter’s government labeled Munch’s work as “degenerate art” and confiscated many of his works in 1937.
Much of Munch’s schizophrenia paintings feature figures with evident feelings of anguish and despair. Frantic strokes and chaotic colors mirror the artist’s state of mind and give us an insight into what it must be like to live in this world with schizophrenia.
The Scream is definitely Munch’s most famous work, and probably the most famous work in schizophrenic art. We also believe that this painting really captures the way that Munch described his struggles with schizophrenia. In particular, this painting is a testament to his belief that his art would not be the same without his illnesses. There have been countless interpretations of this painting, with some believing the figure represents the angst of the modern human being.
Munch himself describes a walk with two friends in which the sky suddenly turned blood red, he trembled with pain and angst, and he felt that he heard his scream passing endlessly through the world. There is no doubt that this painting is one of the most famous expressions of schizophrenia.
Multiple Authors, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Richard Dadd: 1817-1886
Richard Dadd spent much of his life in psychiatric prisons. The first indicators of Dadd’s schizophrenia emerged during a ten-month expedition in his mid-twenties. At this time, Dadd became increasingly angry and aggressive with those around him, threatened to murder the pope, and began to have delusions. On his return, the delusions began to take over. Dadd’s diet became strange, his behavior changed, and many people struggled to understand him when he spoke.
Dadd was diagnosed with an “abberation of the intellect” and doctors told his father he would benefit from psychiatric care. His father declined the care, and sometime later, Dadd stabbed his father to death on a walk in the park. Following this, Dadd spent forty years in two of England’s most notorious psychiatric prisons. Dadd’s condition gradually declined, the delusions became worse, and he was diagnosed with homicidal monomania as a result of emotional trauma. Today, we know that Dadd suffered from paranoid schizophrenia.
Unfortunately, Dadd lived his life in a time when antipsychotic medication and humane treatments for schizophrenia were not available. Despite his illness, he devoted himself to art. Dadd worked on a particular schizophrenic artwork, Fairy Feller, for nine years, adding so much paint that the canvas is three-dimensional. As ill as Dadd became, and despite the lack of treatment or understanding, he created some beautiful schizophrenia paintings that he deserves to be remembered for.
Richard Dadd, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Louis Wain: 1860-1939
As we have seen with the artists above, schizophrenia emerges slowly later in life, typically after a person has reached adulthood. In the case of English illustrator Louis Wain, his mental health only began to decline following the death of his wife. Wain only received a diagnosis of schizophrenia when he was 57 years old. During his illness, Wain became aggressive, and he lived in psychiatric institutions for the last 15 years of his life.
Not only did Wain’s schizophrenia affect his personality and behavior, but his art began to deviate from his known style. Today, Wain is best known for his anthropomorphic cat illustrations. Following his descent into illness, Wain’s cats became more colorful and geometric.
It is possible to see the progression of Wain’s schizophrenic artwork through these cat paintings. His later cats have a frantic air about them with so many colors, patterns, and shapes that it becomes hard to see a cat at all. Wain spent some time in the Napsbury Hospital, where he created these psychedelic-looking cats and eventually died.
Louis Wain, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
August Natterer: 1868-1938
In his early life, Agust Natterer studied engineering, traveled a lot, was a successful electrician, and got married. He began to experience anxiety attacks and delusions, and in 1907 he experienced a pivotal hallucination. During this hallucination, Natterer says over 10,000 images flashed before his eyes in 30 minutes. Following this hallucination, Natterer attempted suicide and was admitted to an asylum. Natterer would spend the rest of his 26 years of life in and out of various asylums.
Natterer is also known as Neter, the name given to him by his psychiatrist to protect him and his family from the social stigma surrounding mental illness during his lifetime. One particularly haunting piece of schizophrenic artwork by Natterer is entitled My Eyes in the Time of Apparition, and it is two bloodshot and wide-open eyes staring at you from the page. The irises of the eyes do not match, which is unnerving.
August Natterer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Agnes Martin: 1912-2004
For almost all of her 92 years of life, Agnes Martin did not disclose her schizophrenia diagnosis to many people. She is described as an inward and silent person, and her art is very minimalist. Martin is said to have believed that her illness had little to do with the art she created. Others believe that perhaps her strictly ordered minimalist style may represent her attempts to create order from disorganized thoughts. We cannot know for certain, but we know she created beautiful art during her long lifetime.
Yayoi Kusama: 1929 –
Yayoi Kusama is one of the most famous international female artists, and she has been living in a psychiatric hospital for over 40 years. Her exact diagnosis is unclear. In the 1950s, Kusama was diagnosed with schizophrenic tendencies on the basis of her overwhelming hallucinations. Despite this diagnosis, Kusama says that her biggest mental struggle is with debilitating anxiety.
Before entering the psychiatric institution on her own volition, Kusama describes painting nets all over the place. These nets, as Kusama describes, came to life and began to trap her, causing a panic attack. Despite her struggles with mental illness, Kusama is known throughout the world as the most famous modern artist to come out of Japan. Kusama’s art often deals with psychological and autobiographical topics, and you can identify her work by her characteristic bright colors and extensive use of dots.
文部科学省ホームページ, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Some schizophrenic artists choose to paint their hallucinations as a way to confront them. Other artists create paintings that reflect their experiences of mental health struggles. For too long, the mainstream understanding of schizophrenia and other serious mental illnesses has been reductionist, damaging, and stigmatic.
We are fortunate that many artists with schizophrenia put so much of their experiences into their art. We must pay attention to drawings made by people with mental illness so that we may develop a deeper understanding, and hopefully, deeper compassion for all who live with mental illness. | https://artincontext.org/schizophrenia-art/ |
Report on the study of rhododendrons, azaleas and native plants on the east coast of the U.S.A.
This report has been written on the completion of a travel scholarship to the East Coast of the United States of America by Lance Ingram, Diploma student at The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The duration of the visit was for approximately four and a half weeks and throughout the time spent in the country the study of rhododendrons, azaleas and native plants was undertaken in both cultivated situations and in the wild.
The start of the visit was in Asheville (North Carolina), where the Appalachian chain of mountains are found just west of the city. These are the tallest on the east coast (Mt. Mitchel being 6,000 feet), in addition to being some of the oldest in the world (believed to be 600 million years). Parallel to the Appalachians range is the Blue Ridge Mountains with a parkway winding through scenic views and a botanical paradise and advantage was taken of these treasures whilst visiting the area. These factors, put together with half a million acres of America’s most popular park, the Great Smokie, provide a region where it is not surprising to see over 1,400 varieties of flowering plants, including 11 native Rhododendrons. The Great Smokie National Park is also a sanctuary for the world’s finest example of temperate forest.
The annual American Rhododendron Society convention was held in Asheville this year, which I attended. The aim of the convention was to group together enthusiasts from all over the world to cover all manner of topics from propagation to pest and diseases as well as visits to near by gardens of interest to see these plants growing.
The National Arboretum in Washington, D.C., was visited next. Here they hold a botanical collection which has educational and research uses, as well as considerable high horticultural value. A network of roads in the grounds enables the visitor to travel from place to place in comparatively short times.
Longwood, in Philadelphia, was the following stop over. This garden is not a botanical garden, but one for display and currently the construction of a native Azalea display is under way. This garden differed in their approach to the way plants are used as it was ornamental only, as opposed to a botanical collection. Both types of gardens are of importance to my study.
Long island, New York, was the last part of the States before returning to the U.K. and this area gave the opportunity to visit a nature reserve, thus giving an introduction to the flora and fauna of the island.
The information gained from discussions, observation and from reading literature on these plants has enabled the progression in a systematic project on rhododendrons and hopefully too in assisting Kew and Wakehurst Place in their work with rhododendrons.
To conclude. . . the time spent in the United States of America was of benefit to the work I am undertaking at Kew and to my future career. I hope that the information that was collected will be able to be of some use to both Kew and Wakehurst Place in the rhododendron and azalea collections that they hold. It is also hoped that valuable contacts have been made that will be of use to all parties in the future. I have thoroughly enjoyed this opportunity to visit the States, where people are friendly and welcoming and the country has so much to offer. No wonder I came away feeling impressed with not only the places visited, but also horticulture in general.
To end I wish to thank everybody who have supported me financially and who have helped me to organise the arrangements which enabled this travel scholarship to be possible. | https://kewguild.org.uk/1994/12/20/1994-lance-ingram-indigenous-flora-east-coast-usa/ |
For a company, Employee Performance is the key to success. It can be defined as how an employee fulfills their job duties and executes their required tasks. Michael Tristan Tolston, a human factor working professional explains that every individual employee must work toward the company’s vision and mission. Michael is responsible for validating and developing subjective measurement parameters, and for making the evaluations of complex data from past measures designs. He interprets, analyses, and disseminates research findings. He also possesses impressive skills in analyzing and developing advanced techniques. Which is Used for analyzing data for human factors.
There is no recipe for employee performance. But yes! It is all about business management, upskilling, and motivating their employees. Employee performance is scalable and can be measured from 3 sources:
Employees themselves: People are usually their own worst critics. And hence, asking an employee about their performance can be effective. Once employees complete a task they may be asked to fill out a form with questions like; how efficiently and how fast they completed a task. It will help them understand where they are falling behind and would help them over time.
People they work with: Getting feedback from the group an employee works with is crucial to understanding whether their collaborative efforts are successful. It may also include their co-workers and supervisors or members of other teams with whom they work occasionally.
Reporting to their managers: Managers can measure the performance of their employees using sequential number scales such as 1-5 or 1-10. In addition to measuring the quality and speed of tasks completed, measure how well an employee understands tasks and collaborates with them. Shows dedication to the work and other people.
Factors that affect work performance:
Development & Growth: Workplace productivity is affected by a list of variables, including the availability of training and opportunities for growth. Employees need to think that their employer cares about their professional development and provides them with adequate education and development.
Communication & Collaboration: These are the two ruling factors associated with employee productivity at the workplace. A constant flow of communication is essential to keeping teams updated, informed, and engaged. Lack of communication results in performance that reduces employee productivity. On the other hand, collaboration encourages employees to engage and innovate in the workplace. And engagement, along with motivation, can lead to greater productivity.
Empowerment & Motivation: Appreciation and support from managers and senior leaders can be impressive and motivating for employees, resulting in greater productivity. Motivation, on a basis, will empower employees to take more opportunities, which will not just increase productivity but also personal growth.
With years of experience, Michael Tristan Tolston gained expertise in advanced and simplified analytical techniques for summarizing and modeling physiological, linguistic, and behavioral data. Along with advanced statistical skills such as non-linear analysis and signal processing, Michael has also specialized in communication analysis and factor analysis. As a human factor professional, his programming experience in HTML, Python, R, C++, CSS, and OpenGL also made him a recognized name in his field. | https://www.theprbuzz.com/3-key-factors-for-employee-performance-that-can-improve-it-michael-tristan-tolston/ |
Accounting is actually concerned with getting involved in collecting, analyzing and communicating financial data. This data is helpful for those people who are required to make decisions as well as strategies regarding businesses, including people who require to manage those businesses.
As an example, the executives of businesses may require accounting information and facts in order to make a decision whether or not to:
- Build new products or services
- Decrease or increase the value or quantity of active services or products
- Borrow funds to assist finance the business
- Enhance or lower the operating total capacity of the business and
- Replace the approaches or methods of purchasing, development, production, or distribution
The information and facts provided ought to support in figuring out and assessing the financial implications of such judgements.
Though executives carrying out work within a business are most likely to be substantial users of accounting data in relation to that specific business, they are by no means the only users.
There are those outside of the business who may require information and facts to make the decision whether or not to:
- Lend funds to the business
- Invest in the ownership of the business
- Provide borrowing facilities and
- Get into deals for the purchase of services or products.
In some cases the perception is provided that the rationale of accounting is merely to organize financial statements on a regular time frame.
Even though it is the case that accountants perform this sort of function, the preparation of financial information does not characterize a conclusion in on its own.
The eventual purpose of the accountant’s job is to provide people more advantageous information on which often to put faith on their decisions.
Accounting reports are a significant source of information for financing in addition to investment decision makings.
Finance, like accounting, is accessible to assist decision makers for better investment decisions.
It is focused on the methods in which financial Resources for a business are brought up in addition to invested.
This is placed at the very center of what a business is focused on. In simple terms, a business happens to be to raise finances from investors and subsequently make use those Resources to execute investment strategies.
It is vital that financial resources are raised in a manner that meets your business needs, and knowledge of finance ought to assist in figuring out:
- The principle forms of finance accessible
- The costs in addition to advantages of each form of finance
- The potential risks involved with every single form of finance; and
- The role of monetary markets in offering finance for businesses
Right after the financial resources are raised, they ought to be invested in methods that will promote the business with a meaningful return.
A preliminary understanding of finance ought to assist in evaluating;
- The earnings from an investment; and
- The potential risks involved by using an investment.
Businesses frequently raise in addition to invest financial resources in large quantities for lengthy duration.
The level of excellence of the financing and investment decisions end up with an intense impact on the prospects of the business.
Concept & Definition of Accounting ?
Characteristics of Accounting ?
Key Differences Between Accounting & Finance ?
basis of accounting: Cash Basis & Accrual Basis ? | https://www.mbahelp24.com/accounting-finance/ |
Assist Head Strength and Conditioning Coach with all facets of strength and conditioning program, primarily by: instructing student-athletes on strength and conditioning skills and techniques, educating on strength and conditioning rules and NCAA requirements, assessing comprehension of skills, techniques and rules and providing additional instruction as appropriate, and preparing team for competition and practice. During period of appointment, this position will report to Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, and will be assigned to Men's Basketball and other Olympic Sports.
Assistant coach must perform duties in compliance with all College, Patriot League, and NCAA rules and regulations.
Primary Responsibilities 70%:
• Assist in designing, instructing and supervising student athletes in the following:
• Proper techniques of strength training movements
• Energy system development prescriptions
• Speed and power development
• Testing and evaluation protocols
• Mobility and flexibility methods
• Nutritional education
Secondary responsibilities (30%)
• Collaborating with strength and conditioning staff, sport coaches, athletic training staff and athletic administration:
• Work in conjunction with athletic training staff and team physicians in regard to effective rehabilitation and treatment programs for injured student athletes
• Take part in weekly strength and conditioning staff meetings.
• Educate and collaborate with individual sport coaches regarding appropriate training load, pre-competition meals, appropriate warm ups and team cultural alignments
• Assist sport coaches in educating potential student athlete's methods and practice in strength and conditioning
• Assist in the training and supervision of student interns and fellows
• Create and maintain proper records and databases
• Assist in all operations and maintenance of strength and conditioning equipment
• Assist in all facets of nutrition station maintenance
Requirements:
• Bachelor's degree in related field required
• Master's degree preferred
• Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist certification (CSCS) or Strength and Conditioning Coach Certified (SCCC)
• 2-3 Years prior experience in strength and conditioning, preferably at the collegiate level
• Basic computer skills with Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc.
• Knowledge of NCAA rules and regulations
• Strong communication, interpersonal and organizational skills required
• This role is expected to work during all Home, and some Away competitions.
Additional Information:
This is a full time, exempt level position.
College Description
The College of the Holy Cross is a private, Jesuit Catholic, undergraduate institution serving approximately 3,000 students. Founded in 1843, Holy Cross is the oldest Catholic college in New England and has a tradition of academic excellence. It is located atop Mount Saint James in Worcester, Massachusetts. The picturesque, 174-acre campus is an award-winning and registered arboretum.
Region Description
Worcester is a city of approximately 170,000 people centrally located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is approximately one hour from Boston, Hartford, and Providence, and three hours from New York City. Worcester is known as the Heart of the Commonwealth. Worcester offers many cultural and recreational opportunities.
The College is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and complies with all Federal and Massachusetts laws concerning Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action in the workplace.
A member of the Higher Education Consortium of Central Massachusetts (HECCMA).
To review our Employee Benefit Options, please go to: https://www.holycross.edu/human-resources/benefits
Application Instructions:
Please attach a cover letter addressing the position requirements along with your resume alongside links to your portfolio.
In your cover letter please address how your work supports the College's mission as a Jesuit, undergraduate liberal arts college (see http://www.holycross.edu/mission ) and its core commitment to diversity and inclusion. For more information, please visit http://holycross.edu/diversity . | https://strengthperformance.com/jobs/assistant-strength-and-conditioning-coach-2 |
The School Day
The school day begins at 8.55am and finishes at 3.20pm.
We have adopted a ‘soft-start’ to the school day, so the children can go straight into their classes from 8.45am. However, there is no adult supervision of pupils prior to 8.45am.
In the event of wet weather, children should go into the school hall, where adult supervision will be provided from 8.45am.
Please note that there is significant traffic congestion around our school. Wherever possible, parents/carers should aim to ‘park and stride’, parking a short distance away from the site and walking the rest of the way. Parents/carers should not use the school driveway to park or turn, as this creates a hazard for pedestrians and could prevent emergency vehicles from accessing the site. Thank you.
Breaks
All children have a 15 minute break in the morning.
We encourage healthy eating within the school, so your child may bring fresh fruit or vegetables to eat at break time. Crisps and sweets are not allowed.
Please note that we aim to be a nut-free school. We ask parents/carers not to send nuts or nut products into school. This includes tree nuts such as walnut, almond, hazelnut, cashew, pistachio and Brazil nuts, as well as peanuts.
We also recommend that your child brings a named sports bottle of water with them every day.
Lunch
|EYFS go into lunch at 11.45 am. Lunch break for all other classes is 12:00 – 13:00 pm.|
Afternoon Break
Children in Reception Class and KS1 – Year 1 & 2 have a 15 minute break in the afternoon.
Children in KS2 – Years 3, 4, 5 & 6 have a 10 minute break in the afternoon.
End of the Day
The school day ends at 15:20
Both Reception classes are to be collected by the wooden gate outside the Reception Classes outside area.
Year 1 will be dismissed from the prayer room door on the KS2 playground.
Year 2 are collected from the KS1 corridor door by the metal railings.
Years 3, 4, 5 & 6 will make their way out of the KS2 corridor doors onto the playground.
Absences
If your child is absent from school, please telephone the secretary and let her know the reason by 9.30am. On the day of return to school please write a note for the class teacher’s records.
The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013, which became law on 1st September 2013, state that head teachers may not grant any leave of absence during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. The head teacher is required to determine the number of school days a child can be away from school if leave is granted. The Headteacher/Governing Body will be responsible for deciding what they consider to be ‘exceptional circumstances. Parents/carers must put the request in writing at least one month in advance.
Requests for leave of absence are treated sympathetically, but only in exceptional circumstances can they be approved. The policy of Surrey County Council to which this school has agreed, states that parents who take their child out of school for five days or more during term time, without the authority of the Headteacher, will each be liable to receive a penalty notice. Penalty Notices will be issued by the Local Authority. | http://www.stpeters-leatherhead.co.uk/page/?title=The+School+Day&pid=18 |
Learning and effective teaching are both complicated acts. However, many administrators, teachers, parents, and policymakers appear not to recognize those complexities and their significance for practice. Fueling this perception, recommendations from isolated research findings often neglect the complexities in learning and teaching, and when implemented in classrooms often fall well short of the advertised effect. Consequently, education research is generally ignored, and the resulting research-practice gap raises concerns regarding the utility of university-based teacher education, and education research more generally. However, the strength of education research resides in the synergy resulting from its integration into a unifying system that guides, but does not determine, decision-making. Dewey (1929) argued for teacher decision-making guided by education research, but recently several writers have justly criticized education researchers for not providing comprehensible assistance to educators and policymakers (Good, 2007; Shymansky, 2006; Windschitl, 2005). This paper proposes a decision-making framework for teaching to help beginning and experienced teachers make sense of education research, come to understand crucial teacher decisions, and how those decisions interact to affect student learning. The proposed decision-making framework for teaching has significant utility in the design of science methods courses, science teacher education programs, effective student teacher supervision experiences, and professional development workshops.
Keywordsdecision-making framework research synthesis teacher decision-making teacher development teacher education
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF. | https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10763-008-9146-7 |
CLASSIC cars, art, livestock and races will be just be some of the events at the area’s largest country show.
The annual Countess of Warwick’s Country Show, which will take place over the August bank holiday weekend, is a celebration of country life and takes place over two days.
There will be a wide range of activities to take part in, without forgetting some of the classics such as tug-of-war and egg and spoon races.
Animal-lovers will be able to see everything from horses to bees, as well as the Longhorn Cow which was popular in 18th century England, while children will be kept entertained with water zorbs and face painting.
This year’s live music will come from 27Strings and The Downside but visitors can also be entertained with the car show and art exhibition.
Appetites will be kept at bay with plenty of refreshments including a hog roast, barbecue and home-made cakes. There’s also a bar and Pimms tent.
The show, which takes place on August 25-26, from noon to 5pm on both days, will be held at the church, rectory and manor in Little Easton. | https://www.saffronwaldenreporter.co.uk/news/plenty-on-offer-at-this-year-s-countess-of-warwick-5277514 |
TEHRAN, November 21 -The US, NATO-backed, Saudi-imposed blockade on Yemen, in the midst of a failed regime-change campaign that has gone on for over two years now, has left civilians without medicine, food, and clean water, exacerbating the famine and cholera epidemic that have developed there in recent months.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) -The US, NATO-backed, Saudi-imposed blockade on Yemen, in the midst of a failed regime-change campaign that has gone on for over two years now, has left civilians without medicine, food, and clean water, exacerbating the famine and cholera epidemic that have developed there in recent months.
For that reason, fourteen international aid agencies on Friday expressed that they are "appalled" by the global community's complacency regarding the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Yemen, and called for a resolution to the unjustified conflict that has gone on for over two years now - while in its own statement, Amnesty International called for an end to complicity in the conflict from the US and its NATO allies.
A statement signed by groups including the International Rescue Committee, Oxfam, and Relief International says, "The choice is between resolution, or complicity in the suffering; there is no third option. The US, UK, and France must immediately cease supplying arms to the Saudi Arabia-led coalition fighting in Yemen, which is impeding humanitarian assistance of data-x-items indispensable to the survival of civilians. The international community must break its shameful silence and use all possible means to lift the blockade on Yemen immediately."
- Indeed, the international community must break its shameful silence and use all possible means to lift the blockade on Yemen immediately. Every day the illegal blockade lasts means thousands of Yemenis will suffer from hunger and preventable diseases. Millions could die in a historic famine if the blockade continues indefinitely.
- As warned by the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and World Food Program, “the clock is ticking and stocks of medical, food, and other humanitarian supplies are already running low.” The cost of this blockade is being measured in the number of lives that are lost. The US is part of this coalition. The bombing campaign that has caused the cholera outbreak could not happen without the US.
- By sending arms to Saudi Arabia, knowing that they may be used to kill civilians, the US government and NATO allies are complicit in violations of international law, including war crimes. The US is the world's top arms exporter and Saudi Arabia is its top customer. Under President Donald Trump, rhetoric on the US side has turned bombastic in terms of support for Saudi Arabia. This past spring, he agreed a $110 billion arms package, meaning, his administration doesn't seem concerned about human rights violations or civilian casualties in Yemen. Trump is basically telling the Saudi-led coalition to continue what it is doing.
- Amnesty and other human rights organizations continue to push for the UN to take actions against arms sales, but there is really no response or appetite there. It is past time for the world body to move in the right direction. The long suffering people of Yemen would like to see increased involvement by the UN in Yemen, which also includes exerting pressure on the Saudi-led coalition to lift the blockade and end the war.
- As per international law and international humanitarian law, much less the UN Charter, there is a reasonable and legal basis to believe that war crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed in connection with the armed conflict in Yemen. It’s a historic moment for the International Criminal Court in The Hague to commence an investigation that will focus on US military and NATO leaders.
Lest we forget, the war crimes by the US and NATO allies are not the abuses and crimes of a few isolated cases, but rather are part of approved official policies in an attempt to force a sovereign nation into submission. There is irrefutable evidence to conclude that crimes have been committed in the furtherance of these colonial policies which would support US objectives in the ongoing war on Yemen - the poorest nation in the Arab world.
In conclusion, what judgment, what public reckoning, what accountability for the slaughter and moral depravity in Yemen can we expect? “Fakestream” news media in the West generally have not covered the conflict in depth, despite an overwhelming humanitarian crisis and flagrant war crimes conducted by the coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Oddly, there is more media interest in the humanitarian crisis than the illegal conflict itself, including the shameful participation by the US and NATO in this industrial-scale butchery of innocent lives.
Under the Rome Statute, the ICC can and must take jurisdiction over a national of even a non-party state like the US and NATO if he or she commits a crime in a state party's territory. The US and NATO vehemently object to this, but it's nothing new. Under well-established principles of international law, the crimes being prosecuted in the ICC - genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity - are crimes of universal jurisdiction.
The doctrine of universal jurisdiction permits any country to try foreign nationals for the most egregious crimes, even without any direct relationship to the prosecuting country. That means other nations can bring US and NATO leaders to justice in The Hague for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Yemen. | https://www.yjc.ir/en/news/16025/us-nato-leaders-must-be-investigated-for-war-crimes-in-yemen |
The Sri Lankan government won its long war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009, but the legacy of unlawful detention practices established during the conflict continues. Constitutional provisions and other legal and procedural guarantees meant to protect individuals from wrongful incarceration and ensure fair prosecution of suspects have been supplanted in Sri Lanka by provisions of antiterrorism laws and emergency measures geared to serve perceived military expediency rather than protect human rights and the rule of law.
The final report of Sri Lanka’s Lesson Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), released publicly today, acknowledges serious human rights problems in Sri Lanka but falls short of fully addressing the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the final phases of the conflict between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Amnesty International said today.
“A preliminary review of the report suggests that it acknowledges the very serious human rights problems in Sri Lanka. But where it appears to really falter is in ignoring the serious evidence of war crimes, crimes against humanity and other violations of the laws of war by government forces, even though the report highlights the serious and systematic violations committed by the LTTE,” said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific director. | http://srilankaarchive.org/?author=6 |
- A trade-off is any situation that involves losing one quality or aspect of something in return for gaining another (if I have an A or B choice, and I choose B, then I don’t choose A necessarily, that is the trade-off).
- Opportunity cost is an economic term that, when applied to all aspects of life, can be seen as a formal or informal calculation of the loss of potential gain from choosing one alternative over an other (if I choose A and not B, then the loss of the potential gains of B is my opportunity cost).
- Cost is a cost of any value of any sort, in the long or short term, implicit or explicit. Factors that impact value include scarcity, use value, and more. Learn more about the many different types of value.
In other words, when one makes a trade-off in any walk of life, they gain some things at the cost of other things. One cannot have their cake and eat it too.
Said plainly, whenever we make choices, we generally consider the implications of both choices, and have to consider not only what we get from our choice, but what we lose from “the road we didn’t take.”
TIP: The video below explains the economic concepts of trade-offs and opportunity costs. We then apply these economic concepts to all spheres of life, formal and informal, below.
Trade-Offs and Opportunity Costs.
TIP: Our bias factors heavily into informal reasoning (and often formal reasoning). This can cause us to make trades with higher opportunity costs than we realize at the time.
Tradeoffs and Opportunity Costs in Socioeconomics and Beyond
In our lives, trade-offs are a nearly constant rule.
We constantly find ourselves having to trade one thing for another, and thus the basic economic rule of opportunity cost, applied in an informal form, is nearly a constant as well. We constantly have to weigh the loss of one thing against the gains of another (even if only using informal logic and all the fallacies that can come with it).
In any situation, a choice needs to be made between several mutually exclusive alternatives. Generally, some choices will be better than others, but not always. Opportunity cost is the “cost” incurred by not enjoying the benefit that would have been had by taking the other choices.
In other words, whether we are writing up a business plan, deciding whether to get health plan A or B for our employees, deciding to go to school X or Y, deciding to invest in asset C or D, or deciding whether to have chocolate or vanilla ice cream “when one path is chosen, another one isn’t, and there are implications” and “when something is taken, that which is gained by one, is diminished from somewhere else.”
Trade-offs and Opportunity Cost Cake Metaphor
Let’s use a cake metaphor to better illustrate all the implications of the above.
There is a saying that says “we can’t have our cake and eat it too.” This is generally true. If you eat the cake, even if you take a bite, you diminish the cake. You trade delicious cake calories for less cake, your cost is less cake and more calories, your reward is delicious bites of cake. You decided to eat a cake using informal logic, you weighed your options, and the situation was rather economic.
Now, there are all sorts of ways around this:
We can replace the cake, trading money for more cakes. Or we can charge admission to our cake eating, thereby actually increasing our money supply and thus increasing the amount of money we have to buy cakes… but that will be a trade-off of time and likely weight gain..
You can be very clever, but at the core of anything physical (and most things logical, ethical, and moral) there is a trade-off.
It is simply impossible to literally eat a physical cake and expect it to be there afterwards. When you nibble at a cake, it is diminished around the edges.
Balance, moderation, and the laws of physics are the laws of the land, it is very hard to get anything for “free” (one must always expend energy to do work). Further, what we take, and how fast we take it, and what general choices we make all have impacts.
For every action there is a reaction, for every action there is a trade-off, for every trade-off the principles of opportunity cost apply.
There are countless ways to express this, but knowing the basics should be enough for you to take the cake and run with it (yes, this page will use food metaphors; get over it).
TIP: We can use a cake metaphor, or a pizza metaphor, or a pie. We can even not use metaphors. However, whatever choice we make means excluding other choices.
Tradeoffs and Opportunity Costs.
Trade-offs in the Physical, Logical, Ethical, and Moral Spheres
As noted above, a trade-off is any situation that involves losing one quality or aspect of something in return for gaining another.
That is true for any aspect of life.
In economics it is money traded for a service, labor traded for capital, or a product traded for a product. Whatever choice is made has an implication, whatever choice isn’t made as an opportunity cost.
Can the slaver cheat by forcing their slave to work for free? Not really. This unethical horror isn’t cheating, it is just an unfair trade (unfair trades are the closest we get to cheating, but a toll is always being paid).
When one cheats, a lot is being traded. For example, the slaver is trading their moral value for capital.
Thus, this brings us to a complex point. A pound of flesh can be traded for debt, we don’t always have to trade dollars-to-dollars or dollars-to-donuts. We can make all sorts of odd trades.
If I decide not to read a book today, the trade-off may be that down the road I don’t know the final question on jeopardy. If I cheat on a test, I trade ethics for a good grade.
The idea that the physical must always be traded for something physical isn’t exactly right. A bowl of food can be traded for an action, an action can be traded for an idea, etc.
I would express this as: While the rules of physics are constant, one can trade between the physical, logical, ethical, and moral.
The Art of the Trade, Cheating, and the Realted Metaphysic Morals and Ethics
We generally think of trades as economic, as trade-offs in business, or as political, as trade-offs between policy and politics for example (what we might call the economics of politics), but trades happen everywhere.
With this in mind, knowing how to make a good trade and informally consider opportunity cost between the physical, logical, ethical, and moral (between the different areas of life) is a key to managing your own life and to interacting with others.
Ideological absolutist solutions don’t tend to work, because if a person comes to the table offering nothing to trade, they are taking an absurd position which spits in the eye of the natural law.
Likewise, when a person comes to the table tactically offering to trade away something they never held (such as taking a position so extreme the middle ground is still toward your side), then the trade was simply unequal and the tactic rather unethical (even if the outcome is beneficial).
This isn’t a comment on morals and ethics though, it is a simple truth… people don’t like being cheated. If someone realizes they were cheated in a trade, even if the person got away with it, there is a sort of cost.
We can get clever, but the art of politics isn’t just the art of criminality and “the will of the stronger,” where “a good deal” is one that benefits the party making the trade. Deal making is, more a thing of ethical justice (a sort of metaphysical law of the universe). It is the aristocratic art of dealmaking, the art of the trade-off.
To be a master, requires one to master not only the physical laws, but the logic, ethics, and morals as well. It requires you to make a beneficial trade with a low opportunity cost, that doesn’t leave a karmic mark on your head after (but instead makes people on the other end of the trade feel like they got a good deal too.)
When we discuss global trade, we can say words like fair market or free market, but the proof is in action. Did we really consider ever factor? Is it that sometimes fair is found in a deal that benefits others more than yourself economically in the short term, but benefits all in moral and ethical ways in the long term by say “lifting all ships?”
When we trade glass beads for gold, we make an unequal physical trade. When we make an unequal physical trade, we also trade away some morals, for we have traded away some degree of ethical justice. It always works like this, this is how trade-offs work in conjunction with the human condition.
We can argue that trading away morals and ethics is just mumbo jumbo, that this won’t take a toll on the one who bartered away their morals for a fist full of silver… but on the other hand, its hard to argue that the average person can ever really wipe their conscious clean or not walk away a little changed and skeptical of others if they make it a habit to cheat.
The core virtue here is equity, no one respects a barter who doesn’t come to the table with some virtues. A barterer without principles is something lower than a gangster or caveman (as even they have morals and ethics).
The true art of dealmaking requires an uncommon mastery of things, a mind for mathematics, a just spirit…. and a little bit of cunning.
This being a true principle of economics applicable to nearly all areas of life. | http://factmyth.com/factoids/life-is-all-about-trade-offs/ |
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abstract: 'Consider $N$ points randomly distributed along a line segment of unitary length. A walker explores this disordered medium moving according to a partially self-avoiding deterministic walk. The walker, with memory $\mu$, leaves from the leftmost point and moves, at each discrete time step, to the nearest point, which has not been visited in the preceding $\mu$ steps. We have obtained analytically the probability $P_N(\mu) = (1 - 2^{-\mu})^{N - \mu - 1}$ that all $N$ points are visited in this open system, with $N \gg \mu \gg 1$. The expression for $P_N(\mu)$ evaluated in the mentioned limit is valid even for small $N$ and leads to a transition region centered at $\mu_1 = \ln N/\ln 2$ and with width $\varepsilon = e/\ln2$. For $\mu < \mu_1 - \varepsilon/2$, the walker gets trapped in cycles and does not fully explore the system. For $\mu > \mu_1 + \varepsilon/2$ the walker explores the whole system. In both cases the walker presents diffusive behavior. Nevertheless, in the intermediate regime $\mu \sim \mu_1 \pm \epsilon/2$, the walker presents anoumalous diffusion behavior. Since the intermediate region increases as $\ln N$ and its width is constant, a sharp transition is obtained for one-dimensional large systems. The walker does not need to have full memory of its trajectory to explore the whole system, it suffices to have memory of order $\mu_1$.'
author:
- Augusto Sangaletti
- Silva
- Souto
title: 'Optimum exploration memory and anomalous diffusion in deterministic partially self-avoiding walks in one-dimensional random media'
---
While random walks in regular or disordered media have been thouroughly explored [@fisher:1984], deterministic walks in regular [@grassberger:92] and disordered media [@bunimovich:2004; @boyer_2004; @boyer_2005; @boyer_2006] have been much less studied. Here we are concerned with the properties of deterministic walks in random media.
Given $N$ points (cities) distributed in a $d$-dimensional space, a possible question to ask is how efficiently these cities can be visited by a walker who follows a simple movimentation rule. In the *travelling salesman problem*, one searches for the shortest closed path, which passes once in each city. This problem has been extensively studied. In particular, if the coordinates of the cities are distributed following a uniform deviate, results concerning the statistics of the shortest paths have been obtained analytically [@percus:1996; @percus:1997; @percus:1999]. To tackle this problem, one imperatively needs to know the coordinates of all the cities in advance. Global system information must be at the walker’s disposal.
Nevertheless, other situations may be envisaged. For instance, suppose that only local information about the neighborhood ranking of the current city is at the walker’s disposal. In this case, one can think of several deterministic and stochastic strategies to maximize the number of visited cities, while trying to minimize the travelled distance.
Our aim is to study the way a walker explores the medium following the deterministic rule of going to the nearest point, which has not been visited in the previous $\mu$ discrete time steps. We call this partially self-avoiding walk of the *deterministic tourist walk* [@lima_prl2001; @stanley_2001; @kinouchi:1:2002]. Each trajectory, produced by this deterministic rule, has an initial transient of length $t$ and ends in a cycle of period $p$. Both transient time and cycle period can be combined in the joint distribution $S_{\mu, d}^{(N)}(t,p)$. The $\mu = 0$ deterministic tourist walk is trivial, the walker does not move at each time step. The transient and period joint distribution is simply $S^{(N)}_{0, d}(t, p) = \delta_{t,0} \delta_{p,1}$, where $\delta_{i,j}$ is the Kronecker delta. With memory $\mu = 1$, the walker must leave the current city at each time step and the transient time and period joint distribution has been obtained for $N \gg 1$ [@tercariol_2005]. The $\mu = 1$ walks do not lead to the random medium exploration. This is due to very short transient times and the tourist gets trapped in pairs of cities, which are mutually nearest neighbors. Interesting phenomena occur when $\mu \ge 1$ is considered. In this case, the cycle distribution is no longer peaked at $p_{min} = \mu + 1$, but presents a whole spectrum of cycles with period $p \in [\mu+1, N]$, with possible power-law decay [@lima_prl2001; @stanley_2001; @kinouchi:1:2002]. These cycles have been used as a clusterization method [@campiteli_2006], texture analysis in images [@backes_2006; @bruno_2006], primate foraging [@boyer_2006; @boyer_2004] and thesaurus analysis [@kinouchi:1:2002].
It is interesting to point out that, for 1D systems, determinism imposes serious restrictions. For any $\mu$ value, cycles with period $p \in [2\mu+1, 2\mu+3]$ are forbidden. Additionally, for $\mu = 2$ all odd periods, but $p_{min} = 3$, are forbidden. Also, the heavy tail of the period marginal distribuition $S_{\mu, 1}^{(N)}(p) = \sum_t S_{\mu, 1}^{(N)}(t,p)$ may lead to often-visited-large-period cycles [@lima_prl2001]. This allows system exploration even for small memory values ($\mu \ll N$).
In this letter, we consider the deterministic tourist walk along 1D random systems. Through a simple (though not trivial) derivation, we show the existence of a transition in the walker’s exploratory behavior at a critical memory $\mu_1 = \ln N / \ln 2$ in a narrow memory range of width $\varepsilon = e/\ln 2$. This transition splits the walker’s behavior in essentially three regimes. Also, we show numerically that the final step distribution of these walks is the estimator of the fractionary and non-linear diffusion equation solution [@metzler_2000; @anteneodo_2005]. For $\mu < \mu_1 - \varepsilon/2$, the walker gets trapped in cycles and for $\mu > \mu_1 + \varepsilon/2$, the walker visits all the cities. In both cases, the walker presents normal diffusion behavior. Nevertheless, for $\mu \sim \mu_1 \pm \varepsilon/2$ the walker superdiffuses indicating that $\mu_1$ is an optimum memory for maximum exploration and minimum movimentation.
A random static semi-infinite medium is constructed by uncountable points that are randomly and uniformly distributed along a line segment with a mean point density $r$. The distances $x$ between consecutive points follow an exponential probability density function (pdf): $f(x) = r e^{-r x}$, for $x \ge 0$ and $f(x) = 0$, otherwise.
Consider now the tourist dynamics with a walker who leaves from the city $s_1$, placed at the origin of the line segment. The probability $S_{\mu, si}^{(\infty)}(n)$ for the walker to explore $n$ distinct cities can be derived as follows. The first $\mu+1$ cities are indeed explored, because the memory $\mu$ prohibits the walker to turn back. Thus, the distances $x_1$, $x_2$, …, $x_\mu$ may assume any value in the interval $[0, \infty)$. The following steps are uncertain. The walker may move either forward to a new city or backward to an already visited city outside the memory window. In analogy to the geometric distribution, it is useful to define the exploration probability $\tilde{q}_j$ as the probability for the walker to explore a new city at the $j$-th uncertain step. Thus, $\tilde{q}_1$ can be obtained imposing that the distance $x_{\mu+1}$ must be less than the sum $y_1=\sum_{k=1}^\mu x_k$. Since the variables $x_1$, $x_2$, …, $x_\mu$ are independent and identically distributed with exponencial pdf, $y_1$ has a gamma pdf. Hence $\tilde{q}_1 = \int_0^\infty dy_1 r^\mu y_1^{\mu-1} e^{-ry_1} /\Gamma(\mu) \int_0^{y_1} dx_{\mu+1} re^{-rx_{\mu+1}} = 1-2^{-\mu}$.
The exploration probability $\tilde{q}_2$ for the second uncertain step is not exactly equal to $\tilde{q}_1$. Once the distance $x_{\mu+1}$ must vary in the interval $[0, y_1]$, the variables $x_2$, $x_3$, …, $x_{\mu+1}$ are not all independent, and consequently $y_2=\sum_{k=2}^{\mu+1} x_k$ has not exactly a gamma pdf. However, for $\mu \gg 1$, $x_{\mu+1}$ rarely exceeds $y_1$ \[this probability is just $P(x_{\mu+1}>y_1) = 1-\tilde{q}_1=2^{-\mu}$, meaning that a weak correlation is present\]. Therefore, one can make an approximation assuming that $y_2$ follows a gamma pdf and considering $\tilde{q}_2 \approx \tilde{q}_1$. The same argumentation can be used for the succeeding steps.
When the city $s_n$ is reached, the walker must turn back, finishing the medium exploration. Once $\tilde{q_1}$ is taken for all $\tilde{q}$, the return probability is $\tilde{p} = 1-\tilde{q} = 2^{-\mu}$ and one has: $S_{\mu, si}^{(\infty)}(n) = 2^{-\mu} (1-2^{-\mu})^{n-\mu-1}$. Notice that $r$ has been eliminated, indicating that the number of explored cities does not depend on the medium density.
We observe that once the memory $\mu$ assures the walker to visit at least $\mu+1$ cities, its convenient to define the number of extra explored cities as $n_e = n-\mu-1$. In this variable, $S_{\mu, si}^{(\infty)}$ begins at $n_e=0$ for all $\mu$ value and one has $\mbox{E}(n_e) = 2^\mu-1$, which may be interpreted as the characteristic reach of the walk, and $\mbox{Var}(n_e) = 2^{2\mu}-2^\mu$.
The finite disordered medium is constructed by $N$ points, whose coordinates are randomly (uniform deviate) generated in the interval $[0, 1]$. The exploration and return probabilities obtained for the semi-infinite medium may also be applied to this finite medium. The equivalence between these two media can be shown restricting the semi-infinite medium length to the first $N$ points and normalizing it to fit in the interval $[0, 1]$. For both media, the abscissas of the ranked points follow a beta pdf.
The probability $P_N(\mu)$ for the exploration of the whole $N$-point medium can be derived noticing that the walker must move forward $N-(\mu+1)$ uncertain steps and, when the last city $s_N$ is reached, there is no need to impose a return step. Therefore $$\begin{aligned}
\label{Eq:Percolacao}
P_N(\mu) = \tilde{q}^{\, n_e} = \left(1-2^{-\mu}\right)^{N-\mu-1} \; ,\end{aligned}$$ which is plotted in Fig. \[Fig:Percolacao\](a).
In Fig. \[Fig:Percolacao\](b) one sees that the probability of full medium exploration increases rapidly from 0 to 1, in a well defined transition region. Considering $N \gg \mu$, Eq. \[Eq:Percolacao\] may be approximated to $P_N(\mu) = (1-2^{-\mu})^N$. To obtain the critical memory $\mu_1$, one considers the inflexion point, leading to $$\begin{aligned}
\label{Eq:MemCritica}
\mu_1 & = & \log_2 N \; ,\end{aligned}$$ which is the number of bits to represent the system size. For all $N$, the curve slope at $\mu_1$ is $\ln 2/e$ \[Fig. \[Fig:Percolacao\](b)\], the transition region has a constant width $$\begin{aligned}
\label{Eq:RegTrans}
\varepsilon = \frac{e}{\ln 2} \approx 3.92 \; .\end{aligned}$$ This indicates that as $N$ increases, $\mu_1$ slowly increases, but its deviation is independent of $N$, so that a sharp transition is found for $N \gg 1$. The comparison between the analytical result and computer simulation is depicted in Fig. \[Fig:Percolacao\](b). Observe that the approximation employed leads to satisfactory results even for small $N$.
Up to now, we have studied the deterministic walks in 1D disordered media with open boundary condition. Now, let us focus on the diffusion process. This tells us about the medium exploration bulk characteristics. Using periodic boundary conditions for each map, the walkers start to move, following the tourist rule, from the most central point of the interval $[-1/2, 1/2]$. After $N$ steps, the walkers enter the periodic part, which can be interpreted as the steady state of the exploratory behavior (no new visited cities).
For a given reduced memory $\tilde{\mu} = \mu/ \mu_1$ and after $t=N$ steps, the final position pdf $\rho(x, t)$ has been estimated by $P_{\tilde{\mu}}(x) = n(x)/(M \Delta x)$, where $M$ is the number of maps and $n(x)$ is the number of travelers with final position between $x$ and $x+\Delta x$. The normalized distribution is shown in Fig. \[Fig:SupNormalizada\], where one sees the huge dispersion around $\tilde{\mu} = 1$.
We have shown numerically that $P_{\tilde{\mu}}(x) \sim \rho(x, t)$ is the solution of the fractionary and non-linear difusion equation [@metzler_2000; @anteneodo_2005]: $$\label{Eq:Difusao}
\partial_t \rho(x, t) = D \partial_x^{2+\xi} \rho^{2-q}(x, t) \; .$$ Here $\xi$ is the fractionality parameter, which is related to the step-length pdf second-moment divergence, $q$ is the non-linearity parameter, which expresses the influence of correlation between step lengths and $D$ is the diffusion coeficient.
For $|\mu-\mu_1| > \varepsilon/2$, $\rho(x, t)$ has gaussian ($\xi=0$, $q=1$) shapes indicating normal diffusion. Further, as $|\mu-\mu_1|$ increases, the variance $\sigma^2$ tends to zero and $\rho(x, t)$ becomes a Dirac delta function: $S_{\mu = 1, 1}^{(N)}(p) = \delta_{p,2}$ or $S_{\mu > \mu_1, 1}^{(N)}(p) \approx \delta_{p,N}$.
Anomalous diffusion occurs for $|\mu - \mu_1| < \varepsilon/2$. For $|\mu - \mu_1|$ smaller, but closer to $\varepsilon/2$, the walks have finite second moment. The $q$ parameter becomes important and the solutions of Eq. \[Eq:Difusao\], with $\xi=0$, are the generalized $q$-gaussians [@anteneodo_2005]: $G_{q}(x) = \gamma_q e_q(-x^2/a_q^2)/\sqrt{a_q^2 \pi}$, where $e_q(x) = [1+(1-q)x]^{1/(1-q)}$ is a generalization for the exponential function, $a_q^2(t) = [2Dt (2 - q)(3 - q) \gamma^{q-1}]^{2/(3 - q)}$ is related to the variance \[$\sigma_q^2 = a_q^2/(5-3q)$\] of $\rho$ and normalization is possible only for $q<3$: $\gamma_q = \sqrt{|q-1|} \{ \Gamma[ 1/(q-1) - \delta] / \Gamma \{ (3-q)/[2(q-1)] - \delta \} \}^{1-2\delta}$, where $\delta=1$ for $q<1$, which expresses subdiffusion and $\delta=0$ for $1 \le q < 3$ expressing superdiffusion. If $q \rightarrow 1^+$, then $\gamma \rightarrow 1$, and one has normal diffusion. The variance is finite only for $q < 5/3$, otherwise the $q$-gaussians give place to Lévy $\alpha$-stable pdf ($\xi \ne 0$), which are the solutions of Eq. \[Eq:Difusao\] around $|\mu-\mu_1| \sim 0$.
To fit $P_{\tilde{\mu}}(x)$ to the theoretical model $\rho(x, t)$, we have computed its variance for each $\tilde{\mu}$ and used the maximum likelihood estimation method to find $q$ (Inset of Fig. \[Fig:VarQ\]). One sees that $\sigma^2$ diverges in the transition region presenting a heavy tail if compared to a normal distribution (Fig. \[Fig:SupNormalizada\]). For $\tilde{\mu} \le \log 2$ and $\tilde{\mu} \ge 2.2577$, $P_{\tilde{\mu}}(x)$ shows a gaussian behavior ($q = 1$ and $\xi = 0$). This is like a random walk model with independent steps and finite variance. In one hand, for $\tilde{\mu} < 1$, this is due to the short transient length and cycle period. The walker excursion is limited to the region near the origin. On the other hand, for $\tilde{\mu} > 1$, this occurs since all cycles have a period of $N$. Thus, after $N$ steps, the walker returns to the starting point and the variance vanishes. This implies that the starting point coordinate follows a gaussian pdf. In the $q$-gaussian model, $\sigma^2$ diverges at $q = 5/3$. Despite this result being in accordance with the estimated $q$ values, the model does not fit the data for $ 2 \log 2 < \tilde{\mu} < 2.1072$. In the region $2 \log 2 < \tilde{\mu} < 3 \log 2 $ the distributions are Lévy $\alpha$-stable, because their tails are heavier than $q$-gaussian ones. For $3 \log 2 \le \tilde{\mu} < 2.1072$, the distributions are almost uniform, with a clear central peak. This behavior is probably due the periodic boundary conditions.
In short, for $0 \le\tilde{\mu} \le \log 2$ and $\tilde{\mu} > 2.2577$, the tourist follows a traditional diffusion process (gaussian solution). For $\log 2 < \tilde{\mu} \le 2 \log 2$, and $2.1072 \le \tilde{\mu} \le 2.2577$, it is a non-linear superdifusion process (anomalous diffusion with $q$-gaussian solution). In this region the anomalous behavior is obtained since the steps are not all independent. For $2 \log 2 < \tilde{\mu} < 2.1072$, the process presents another kind of superdiffusion, where the anomalous behavior is strongly due to the fact that the variance is not finite. In the region $2 \log 2 < \tilde{\mu} < 3 \log 2$ the distributions are Lévy $\alpha$-stable.
Finally, the tourist rule can be relaxed to a stochastic walk. Thus, the walker goes to nearer cities with greater probabilities. These probabilities are given by an one-parameter (inverse of the temperature) exponential distribution. This situation has been studied for $\mu = 0$ [@martinez:1:2004] and $\mu = 1$ [@risaugusman:1:2003] and we have detected the existence of a critical temperature separating the localized from the extended regimes. It would be interesting to combine both stochastic movimentation (driven by a temperature parameter) and memory ($\mu$) in the tourist walks to perform full compromise between medium exploration and distance travelled.
In conclusion, if the walker has critical memory $\mu_1$ the solutions of Eq. \[Eq:Difusao\] have infinite variance. This favors the walker to explore the whole system with minimum displacement, indicating that $\mu_1$ is an optimum memory for an exploratory strategy. It is intriguing that a simple deterministic system as this one can present a complex behavior given by the complete fractionary non-linear difusion equation and that a small memory value allows the global medium exploration.
The authors thank N. A. Alves and F. M. Ramos for fruitful discussions. ASM acknowledges CNPq (305527/2004-5) and FAPESP (2005/02408-0) for support.
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In January 2022 the number of employed people was substantially stable, a drop was recorded for unemployed persons while inactive people rose.
On a monthly basis, the stability of employment was the result of a rise among men and people aged under 25 or over 50 years, and a decrease for women and 25-49 years old persons. Overall, the employment rate remained unchanged at 59.2%.
In the last month, the decline of unemployed people (-2.3%, -51 thousand) concerned only men and all age groups except people aged 35-49. The unemployment rate fell to 8.8% (-0.2 p.p.), the youth rate to 25.3% (-1.3 p.p.).
In January the growth of inactive people aged 15-64 (+0.6%, +74 thousand) was recorded for women and people under the age of 50. The inactivity rate rose to 35.0% (+0.2 p.p.).
In the period November 2021-January 2022, with respect to the previous quarter (August-October), the employment rose (+0.5%, +120 thousand).
In the last three months, a drop was registered for both unemployed persons (-1.8%, -41 thousand) and inactive people aged 15-64 years (-1.4%, -188 thousand).
Compared with January 2021, the number of employed persons increased by 3.3% (+729 thousand), the growth concerning both genders and all age groups; the employment rate showed an increase of 2.4 p.p. .
On a yearly basis, the rise of employed people was accompanied by a decrease of both unemployed persons (-12.9%, -326 thousand) and inactive people aged 15-64 (-5.0%, -684 thousand). | https://www.istat.it/en/archivio/266916 |
Here are some reasons why:
Many Career Avenues
When it comes to the tourism industry, there are many opportunities one may look into such as
- Sightseeing
- Attractions
- Entertainment
- Accommodation
- Transportation
- Food & Hospitality
This list is not exhaustive, there is much more that can be done. The potential target market is also diverse including both holiday makers and businesspeople. Within that diversity one can determine their specific niche, deciding to operate on a local basis, a national one or on the international field.
Opportunities in Government
Tourism is one of the industries that continues to grow, even when South Africa is experiencing a challenging economic climate. As such, it is one of the industries that the government looks to for establishing economic growth opportunities for municipalities. Look out for career opportunities within the Department of Economic Development and Tourism, where you can apply for a post as a Tourism Officer amongst others. The Department of Local Economic Development (LED) and Planning deals with SMME’s and Tourism where the focus is building local economies through tourism. Within those departments there are various opportunities. Be on the lookout on their websites for positions. | https://www.careersportal.co.za/course-info/find-career-opportunities-in-sa-tourism |
Flashcards in Week 2 Deck (48)
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1
P wave characteristics
Location: precedes QRS complex
Amplitude: 2-3 mV
Duration: 1.5 - 3 boxes (0.6-0.12 seconds)
Configuration: upright and rounded - except aVR
2
PR interval characteristics
Location: beginning P wave to beginning of QRS complex
Amplitude: isoelectric
Duration: 3 - 5 boxes (0.12 - 0.2 seconds)
Represents: time when atria are contracting
3
What is the function of the AV node?
It delays conduction through by 0.04 seconds to allow optimal ventricular filling. It is also acts as a safety mechanisms (prevents rapid atrial impulses from spreading to the ventricles)
4
What is associated with shortened PR intervals?
Pre-excitation syndromes (WPW) and junctional rhythms
5
What is associated with prolonged PR intervals?
Bundle branch block or impaired conduction from atria to ventricles, e.g. digoxin toxicity
6
Which direction does electrical activity in the septum flow?
Between bundle branches from left to right
7
What does the Q wave represent?
Septal depolarisation/repolarisation of the atria
8
What direction is septal depolarisation
Depends whether the lead is looking at the heart from the left or right (left = downward, right = upward)
9
What is the first downward deflection called?
Q wave
10
What is the first upward deflection called?
R wave
11
Downward deflection after R wave?
S wave
12
QRS deflection depends on what?
Whether the R or S wave is bigger
13
What dominates the deflection of the QRS complex?
The left ventricle voltage as it contains more muscle mass
14
How does the QRS complex change across the chest leads?
Transition from predominately negative to positive wave
15
What do deep/wide Q wave represent?
Previous MI
16
What is the characteristics of a pathological Q wave?
(1) More than 1/4 height of R-wave (2) duration longer than 0.04 seconds
17
What is a Q-wave MI called and what does it signify?
Transmural myocardial infarction - damage of all layers of the heart.
18
Why does infarcted tissue result in a Q wave?
The lead 'looks' through the infarcted tissue as it is no longer conductive. Since electrical activity moves from the inside to the outside of the heart, it is seen as a downward deflection on the ECG.
19
What is a subendocardial MI?
MI when not all layers of the heart are damaged and pathological Q waves are not evident
20
Characteristics of a normal QRS?
1. Location: follows PR interval
2. Amplitude: 5 to 30 mm high (1 large to 6 large boxes)
3. Duration: 0.06 - 0.12 seconds (1.2 - 2.5 square)
21
What does the ST segment represent?
The end of ventricular depolarisation and the beginning of ventricular repolarisation
22
What does the J-point mark?
The end of the QRS and beginning of ST segment
23
During the ST segment, is the intracellular membrane potential positive or negative?
Positive
24
ST segment depression can be seen when?
During ischemia and angina (which is a symptom of CVD).
25
Characteristics of normal ST segment
Deflection: isoelectric - may vary from 0.5 (DEPRESSION) to 1.0mm (ELEVATION) in some precordial leads
26
T wave characteristics
Location: following ST segment
Amplitude: 0.5 in leads I, II and III and up to 10mm in precordial leads
Configuration: typically rounded and smooth
Deflection: usually upright in leads I, II and V3 to V6
27
Tall and peaked T waves may indicate what?
myocardial injury, hyperkalemia.
28
Notched or pointed T waves may indicate what?
Pericarditis
29
What can hyperkalaemia lead to? | https://www.brainscape.com/flashcards/week-2-5065914/packs/7478121 |
A symphony is a long composition for orchestra, usually with three or four movements or sections, which differ in style, mood and tempo or the speed or music pace. Symphonies became popular in Europe during the 17th century. Early symphonies were often in a three-movement form, which consisted of a fast first movement, a slow middle movement and a fast final movement. However, since the late 18th century, the four-movement symphony has became the typical form. Austrian composer Franz Joseph Haydn, who composed more than 100 symphonies, is considered the father of the four-movement symphony.
First Movement
The first movement of a symphony is often an allegro or opening sonata. An allegro, which is "merry" in Italian, is a quick, lively and bright piece of music. In music theory, an allegro can vary in style. For instance, an Allegro agitato and an Allegro con molto spirito sound completely different from an Allegro tranquillo, which is more restful. Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C minor starts with an Allegro con brio, which means "with vigor." This first movement is considered one of the most famous and performed pieces of classical music.
Second Movement
The second movement of a symphony is slower than the first movement. It is often an adagio, which is Italian for "slowly," or an andante, which literally means "moving along in a walking pace." The second movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 is an Andante con moto, which means "with movement and certain quickness." In Brahms Symphony No. 2, the second movement is an Adagio non troppo, which is performed in a more-moderate way than an Addagio molto, for instance.
Third Movement
In a symphony, the third movement often consists of a main allegro or scherzo, which is a swift-moving piece of music; a trio section, which is a composition for three instruments or voices; a return of the scherzo; and a coda, which is Italian for "tail" and simply represents the end of the the third movement. In Haydn's Symphony No. 94, also known as the Surprise Symphony, the third movement has an Allegro molto, which means "very quickly," while the third movement in Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 contains a scherzo.
Fourth Movement
THe finale or fourth movement of a symphony is generally an allegro. The finale is generally played in a triumphant and exhilarating way. In some cases, such as in Beethoven's Symphony No. 5, it begins immediately after the third movement, without interruption. Kettledrums, also called timpani, are percussion instruments very much present in the fourth movement of a symphony, including Haydn's famous Symphony No. 94, which has a rhythmic and energetic finale. | https://ourpastimes.com/typical-parts-of-a-symphony-12465587.html |
Fall 2019 Keynote:
The Transformative Power of Compassion featuring Dr. James Doty
Thursday, October 24
7-9pm
$25 members/$50 general public
Location: Grace Street Theater
Did you know the heart sends more signals to the brain than the brain to the heart? That there is expanding scientific evidence that by being more compassionate to others it benefits you - leading to a happier and healthy life?
Dr. James Doty, neurosurgeon, author of Into The Magic Shop, and Director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford University (CARE) will share his insights and the current science on compassion during this transformative talk. Learn about how the intersection of psychology and neuroscience are being studied to understand compassion. Dr. Doty suggests that the cultivation of compassion within society not only defines our humanity, but is ultimately necessary if our species is to survive. | https://innerworkcenter.org/fall-2019-keynote |
Abstract: Data augmentation (DA) has been widely utilized to improve generalization in training deep neural networks. Recently, human-designed data augmentation has been gradually replaced by automatically learned augmentation policy. Through finding the best policy in well-designed search space of data augmentation, AutoAugment can significantly improve validation accuracy on image classification tasks. However, this approach is not computationally practical for large-scale problems. In this paper, we develop an adversarial method to arrive at a computationally-affordable solution called Adversarial AutoAugment, which can simultaneously optimize target related object and augmentation policy search loss. The augmentation policy network attempts to increase the training loss of a target network through generating adversarial augmentation policies, while the target network can learn more robust features from harder examples to improve the generalization. In contrast to prior work, we reuse the computation in target network training for policy evaluation, and dispense with the retraining of the target network. Compared to AutoAugment, this leads to about 12x reduction in computing cost and 11x shortening in time overhead on ImageNet. We show experimental results of our approach on CIFAR-10/CIFAR-100, ImageNet, and demonstrate significant performance improvements over state-of-the-art. On CIFAR-10, we achieve a top-1 test error of 1.36%, which is the currently best performing single model. On ImageNet, we achieve a leading performance of top-1 accuracy 79.40% on ResNet-50 and 80.00% on ResNet-50-D without extra data.
Submission historyFrom: Zhao Zhong [view email]
[v1] Tue, 24 Dec 2019 03:17:17 UTC (4,941 KB)
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04 Feb January 31, 2011 – Beverly Hills Adult School Uncial Class #3
Beverly Hills Adult School Uncial Class #3: The warm-up was writing alphabet sentences with the Speedball B5 ½ or B6 nib at an x-height of ½-inch, using either black ink or watercolor. DeAnn discussed spacing for Uncial and also demonstrated writing with watercolor.
Nametags, assignment from last week:
Spacing: Uncial has “pearl necklace” spacing. Two curved letters, such as “OO”, can be very closely spaced. A straight and curved letter, such as “IO”, has more space between between them. Two straight letters, such as “IL”, are spaced apart the farthest. Think of the space between “T” and another letter, like “TH” – the area between the 2 vertical strokes is the amount of space that should be between 2 straight letters.
With Uncial, you have to think about the spacing of the word as a whole, not just focus on specific 2 letters. Because you have to look at the whole picture, you may end up writing out the word and then find the trouble spots.
For example, QUICKLY: because of the large counterspace (white space) of C and E, they can be very close to the next letter. L and Y can’t be too close together, but their combined whitespace will make the space between them look large.
Another example, GAVE: treat the space between A and V like the “TH” space.
Spacing between words: Put just enough space between words so that you can see that it’s a new word. If words are spaced too far apart, a sentence will look like a list of words rather than a real sentence.
Sequence of Practice:
B1 nib at x-height = 1-inch, on full sheet of grid paper
B6 nib at x-height = 1/2-inch, on half sheet (cut full sheet in half)
B6 nib at x-height = 1/4–inch, on quarter-sheet (cut half-sheet in half)
Demonstration of Writing with Watercolors: You can write letters where the colors blend into each other using the Prang watercolors to feed your pen. For feeding your nib with watercolor, DeAnn uses a bristle brush which can simultaneously clean the nib while loading it with ink.
First, set up your workspace for watercolors with 2 water containers, one for dirty, one for clean. Always rinse brush in the dirty container first, then rinse again in the clean container.
Soften the colors you’ll be using with a couple drops of water, then put the colors you want to use in a clean palette space and add drops of water to thin the watercolor to an ink consistency
Place the watercolors on your left if you’re writing with your right-hand. You’ll be holding the watercolor brush in your left hand and feeding your nib over the palette to avoid dripping or splattering the paper. Use the lids of the Prang watercolor set as your palette.
Load your pen nib by pulling the brush against the reservoir. For the first time only, brush across the inside of the nib and tip. Write as usual. Hold the brush upside-down and press the end against the paper to steady it.
Before you run out of color, rinse your brush and load it with another color to add to your nib. The colors will naturally blend in the reservoir and you should begin to see the color changing within the next couple letters.
Illuminated Manuscript project: Start thinking about what text you want to use for your project. It should be about 50 words, but can always be edited to be longer or shorter as necessary. DeAnn says “The look is more important than the words” so don’t worry too much about finding text that is the exact length. Possible text choices: poems, quotes, song lyrics, excerpt from a longer work.
For inspiration, see Judith’s projects from four previous semesters. Clockwise from top right: Fraktur, Copperplate, Carolingian, Gothic Textura.
HOMEWORK: Practice the sequence of sizes mentioned above and try to have a sampler in each size. You can create a sampler in either black ink or watercolor that includes all 3 sizes in one sheet. | https://deannsingh.com/january-31-2011-beverly-hills-adult-school-uncial-class-3/ |
Omar Dahbour interviewed by Richard Marshall.
Omar Dahbour is the philosopher whose thoughts turn all the time to how philosophical argument acquires structure from implicit narratives, to the debate between localists and nationalists, who broods on self-determination, on how Globalisation provides the basis for increasing ethnic conflict, on why nation-states are not good political communities, on liberal states and nationalism, on why there is no connection between self-autonomy and nation states, on ecosovereignty as a positive political structure, on problems of great-power hegemony, on responses to terrorism and what a non-humanist Marx might think about all this. Go get some.
3:AM: What made you become a philosopher?
Omar Dahbour: Actually, it was something of an accident. I have degrees in both history and philosophy, and have always viewed both disciplines as contributing essentially to an understanding of those subjects I’m interested in—political change, the nature of social life, the variability of peoples and places, intercultural relations, the interconnections between ideas and events. My particular trajectory through graduate study led me, by a series of accidents, to obtaining a teaching job in philosophy rather than history. But it might have gone the other way. More fundamentally, though, I have always, even in my historical studies, been interested in the development of ideas; and for this, use of philosophical argumentation is essential. Furthermore, I believe the two disciplines, though fundamentally different, nevertheless employ some aspects of the other. Historians are more aware of this than philosophers, when the former discuss the role of “theory” (meaning, really, philosophy) in structuring historical narratives. But I would argue (and will argue, in future work) that philosophical argumentation (at least the kind I’m familiar with, in political philosophy) acquires structure partly from implicit narratives. And this is something that would be news to a lot of philosophers (unfortunately).
3:AM: You’re concerned to think about how to solve some of the many contemporary political problems across the globe. The world does seem to be in a mess at the moment and sovereignty issues do loom large all over the place. Perhaps you could outline what you think are the new challenges to contemporary sovereignty that make a revision of current theories necessary? Is it largely the increasing presence of nationalism across the globe?
AD: For a generation now, global or international ethics has been divided between localists or nationalists, on the one hand, and globalists or cosmopolitans, on the other. The first argue for the legitimacy of nation-states (not sovereign states, necessarily, but states based on ethnic nationalities), while the second argue for the necessity of world government (now called “global governance”). But these aren’t, or shouldn’t be, the only options. I’m a localist ; a cosmopolitan—but I think nation-states abhorrent ; world government undesirable, not to say, impossible. In other words, we have to rethink this dichotomy; it’s getting in the way of creative solutions to social problems, at this point. That’s what my concepts of popular self-determination & ecosovereignty are designed to do—think “outside the box” of international ethics, as it were. To put it slightly differently, nationalists have usually been criticized for advocating self-determination (for national groups), while cosmopolitans have usually been criticized for attempting to solve problems by running over local peoples’ autonomy. But I think that self-determination is a great idea, just not for nationalities, which should be seen as cultural, not political, communities. Similarly, I think that cosmopolitan principles of human dignity, personal autonomy, and so on are moral bedrock; but we’re not going to realize them without iterating those principles one political community at a time—there’s no “global” quick fix.
3:AM: Doesn’t globalization make the issue about nationalism complex in that it might be understood as eroding the power of nationalism?
OD: Actually, no. Globalization, which is an economic process (i.e., what used to be called “free” trade), and one that requires powerful states (foremost the U.S. under the Clinton administration) to operate, actually provides the basis for increasing ethnic conflict. And where there’s ethnic conflict, there’s nationalism, which is just viewing cultural differences (in dress, custom, language, etc.) as political differences. Globalization exacerbates this by creating a world of winners and losers (economically speaking), and both are often characterized (rightly or wrongly) in ethnic terms. Sometimes, certain ethnic groups (e.g., overseas Chinese is a common contemporary example, as Jews were a common one in the 19th-century) really do benefit from increasing global trade & money flows—at least some parts of those communities. Sometimes, it’s just thought that they do. Whichever is the case, a reduction in commercial and financial globalization—something that is happening right now, by the way—will lead to a reduction in the scapegoating and persecution that results from targeting ethnic minorities as winners (as majority populations in “loser” countries endure the negative effects of global trade). The larger point is this: certain people will benefit from globalization and therefore will have a stake in viewing it as good, inevitable, or whatever. People such as executives of multinational corporations, officials of hegemonic states, or tourists (e.g., academics going to international conferences!). But most of the world does not; I wrote this book for them.
3:AM: Why do you think that political communities are ethically desirable? Surely we can at least envisage different kinds of communities that aren’t political – economic ones or religious ones or cultural or ethnic ones say? – and surely we can also suppose that not all political communities are good?
OD: Of course not all political communities are good ones—nation-states, for instance! Or hegemonic states; one purpose of my book is to get people thinking precisely in these terms—which are desirable, which undesirable. At the end, I advocate two methods of political change designed to deal with such undesirable cases—federation and devolution. Nation-states (to the extent that they exist—most are fictitious) should federate into ecoregional states—the Balkan peninsula is an excellent example. It is so divided that it will be mired in poverty for generations to come (of course, there is ample historical precedent for this in Balkan history). Hegemonic states should devolve—or decentralize, if you prefer. The U.S., the E.U. (if you count that as a state, which it isn’t yet and never will be), China, and so on: these are empires or empires in the making—there is no legitimate reason for their existence as centralized states. At least in the U.S., we have a discourse that can accommodate this viewpoint that I am arguing for—it’s called “states’ rights” (and is usually viewed askance by right-thinking academics). But if you regard what the “federal” government is really for (it hasn’t been truly federal for almost a hundred years now), it is an excellent warmaking machine and an exceptional handmaiden to large corporations (because of the creation of the largest internal market in the modern world).
But it’s also been exceptional in oppressing labor movements and exploiting the resources of various regions of North America for its transcontinental elites. This, of course, is no news to historians; but it should also change the way political philosophers view these entities. Geographical scale matters in philosophy, too—this is also a point I seek to make in this book. As for the general justification for political communities, that’s easy: if you want any public goods—harbors, bridges, mass transit, public schools—you need political communities that can tax and spend in order to get them. There have been “societies” that had simply “night watchman” states—police, armies, and nothing more. You wouldn’t want to live in these societies unless you had an awful lot of personal wealth, because you would have to supply yourself with everything other societies could more easily, economically, and aesthetically supply communally. That’s what political communities can do.
3:AM: You argue that the rival notions of liberal nationalism and political cosmopolitanism dominate existing ethics of international relations but they no longer suffice? In what ways are they defective?
OD: Well, I think I’ve already answered this to some extent. Liberal nationalism seeks to create nation-states that are liberal, i.e., tolerant of individual and group behaviors. But nation-states are largely fictions—most communities consist of different sorts of people with no necessary kinship relations—so making a state “national” can hardly accommodate liberal qualms about, say, ethnic cleansing and such things. Those that claim that nation-states don’t have to be intolerant like to forget the history of ethnonational conflict—it goes very far back historically and in all geographical locations. If nation-states were just “sitting there,” so to speak, ready to operate, that would be a different thing. They aren’t; you have to make them—and you make them by scaring or killing people that “don’t belong.” As for political cosmopolitanism, the kind that views cosmopolitan principles not as moral norms (I’m fine with that version), but as guides to creating coercive institutions that can realized them—well, they won’t and they can’t. If world government did really exist, it would be the most oppressive state ever known. Can you imagine a government that was effective enough to enforce its laws anywhere on the planet? But, thankfully, this has never happened, and never will—the world is still too big for that sort of thing, and it’s a good thing, too.
3:AM: Are there examples you can give that show their defectiveness?
OD: There have been no liberal nations, except those who have already killed, excluded, or otherwise coerced those who were undesirable, and therefore can be “liberal” to the survivors, the ethnically pure enough to warrant toleration. Some might say England, France, and other West European “liberal” states would fit this description. The exceptional horror of the Nazi program was the result of attempting to do this in the 20th century; the others had achieved similar results hundreds of years before. As for world government, we won’t have one; but we do have “global” institutions that masquerade as such. The “international community”—which means the community of bureaucrats and hangers-on in the U.N., World Court, and other “international” institutions—is the primary example. It’s pretty clear by now—because several excellent historians have done enough research to show us—that these institutions are agencies of victorious, hegemonic powers who like to lightly disguise what they want to achieve with an aura of legitimacy.
This has gotten increasingly difficult—witness the current worries of the Obama administration trying to find allies to go along with bombing Syria—but most philosophers will still give the U.N. a pass. Why, I don’t know—it is the community of the winners of World War II (why else would Britain and France have seats on the Security Council?). The chances of ever “democratizing” such a body (the Security Council, not the General Assembly) are nil. Every “global” institution works the same way—either it is partisan (just prosecuting “war criminals” on one side of a conflict, whether World War II or the Yugoslavian civil war), or ineffective (the World Court judging the U.S. “guilty” of mining or bombing Nicaragua, e.g.).
3:AM: What do you think is wrong with nationalism as the ground for self-determination?
OD: Well, as I’ve already said, nations are the wrong sort of community to be self-determining. Much of my work in the 1st part of this book and in my 1st book as a whole, was analyzing different sorts of reasons philosophers have come up with for the idea that nations should be self-determining—that is, having their own states. None of them are good reasons. Generally speaking, there have been three reasons given—a moral one, a cultural one, and a political one. There is no moral rationale because persons don’t necessarily need to live in nation-states to be who they want to be. If that were so, very few of us would have any chance of success at individuation, since there are so few real nation-states in the world, now or ever. What matters for individual self-development are other things than nation-states. Besides, once you accept this idea—that personal identity requires a national identity, then you quickly get busy denying others their national, and thereby supposedly personal, identity. Where’s the morality in that? There is no cultural rationale because, despite nationalists’ claims, most human cultures have existed, and many thrived, in the manifest absence of a nation-state.
So why it is supposedly necessary for cultural community to “truly” exist? Finally, the political argument is that, for a self-governing community to exist, it must be a national community. But there is no connection: self-government is always conditional on the prior establishment of a community at all. For a people to be self-governing, there 1st must be a people. Who is going to decide who that is? It can’t be done by the people itself—there is, in other words, an irreducible element of arbitrariness or contingency in the establishment of political communities. We simply have to accept that and go on from there. But no purpose is served by then trying to go back and “get it right” by getting rid of everyone that doesn’t fit into an ex post facto definition of who is in and who should be out. Frankly, I think the argument about this whole matter has been pretty much settled in the last ten years. Very few philosophers are still in the business of defending nationalism in this way. The real issue now is whether self-determination in any sense is still important. Obviously, I argue that it is—as long as it is rid of any association with nationalist ideas. The cosmopolitans have won at least that much of the battle. But it is the manifest absurdity of their positive beliefs (i.e., in world government) that now gives cause for concern.
3:AM: Ernest Gellner argued that nationalism is a product of modernity not a producer of it, that nationalism is not an expression of nations, classes or intelligentsias and its roots are not in nations, classes, capitalism or ideas. As you know he uses the anthropological distinction between structure and culture to say what nationalism is – are you saying that the current situation erodes conditions for nationalism where polity and culture no longer overlap and that we now have to tolerate different autonomous political communities rather like the Ottoman Empire tolerated many communities through its millet system?
OD: Gellner, along with Benedict Anderson, argued in the 1980s that nationalism was deeply rooted in the very nature of modern life—as Anderson put it, it was the modern equivalent of religious belief. Well, religious beliefs didn’t disappear in “modernity,” quite the contrary. I disagree with Gellner and Anderson on this point: I think of nationalism as a political strategy based on a fallacious understanding of political community. Historians that have studied when and where nationalist movements (not just ideas) arise, such as John Breuilly, Walker Connor, and Donald Horowitz, have shown that they are reactions to particular historical conjunctures in which other forms of political movements (based on geographical region, or social class, or religious belief) are foreclosed by underdevelopment, superexploitation, or political repression. Nationalism is what’s left. It’s a poor substitute; but at least this view is able to explain when nationalism arises, and when it does not. As Gellner himself pointed out, there are many more (potential) nation-states than nationalist movements (to establish them).
3:AM: You coin the term ‘ecosovereignty.’ What do you mean by this?
OD: Ecosovereignty is my term for the idea that ecological regions—those places that have a roughly similar way of producing and reproducing human life—have a legitimate claim to sovereignty (political autonomy). While such a claim may, under certain circumstances, eventuate in a claim for an independent state, it need not do so. It seems increasingly likely that, for instance, Tibet or Sinkiang, unless they achieve political independence, will be swallowed whole by China (just as Manchuria was). On the other hand, the northern U.S., though heavily exploited by the federal government to finance so-called development in the U.S. South and West, probably just needs a more decentralized political system (less federal, more state governance), so that it can fund mass transit, universal health care, and public housing and schools, legalize marijuana and criminalize gun ownership, and take other measures regarded as anathema by most of the rest of the U.S.
Globally, there are many other examples both of places that may require political independence and others that simply require decentralization (devolution, in the terms of my book)—this is a contingent matter. But the principle justifies whatever is necessary to ensure the autonomy, self-determination, of peoples with particular ways of life, as determined by their ecological relation to place and space. Obviously, this will justify what is called indigenous rights—usually of tribal peoples; but it will also justify measures taken, whether by European farmers or African fishermen, to protect their livelihoods from corporate agriculture, oil companies, and the like. The point is to espouse a principle that trumps—overrides—property law and state sovereignty where necessary to protect the integrity of ecosystems, including distinctive human ecologies.
3:AM: If we had ecosovereignty governing international relations now, what kinds of differences would we notice that would be obviously ethically better?
OD: The goal is to reduce the power of the large-scale economic and political institutions that are pushing globalization. I think the struggle against justifying the outdated notion of nation-states (really a 19th-century idea) has been largely won. The moral cosmopolitanism in the ascendancy in political philosophy served a good purpose in helping this struggle. But it does nothing in terms of fighting the other struggle—the one against a new neo-colonialism of hegemonic corporations and states. And the struggle is changing, too: the ascendancy of the U.S., so striking in the 1990s, is fading now. Increasingly, we live in a multi-polar world, with a number of regionally powerful super-states (great powers, as they used to be called) asserting their regional dominance (China in East Asia, India in the Indian Ocean world, and so on).
This will eventually lead to conflicts between these states—the late 21st century may look a lot like the late 19th century in this regard. The rest of us, the medium and small states and peoples of the world who strive simply to survive, will increasingly get squeezed between these hegemonic states. Add transnational corporations to the mix and the situation looks even more dire. Meanwhile, political philosophers, with their ideas of political cosmopolitanism and global governance are busy justifying the very situation that much of the world is suffering from. It’s fine, as some philosophers argue, to say that everyone globally should have similar incomes. But everyone also knows that’s not going to happen—unless we can somehow defuse the power and wealth of global institutions. After all, comparative incomes globally were much more equal in the mid-19th century—before the last great surge of “globalization”—than they are now. But philosophers go on thinking about globalizing this and that, actually legitimating the very institutions that are making the problems worse. We need ideas that can justify the opposite. There are some out there—indigenous rights, environmental security, food sovereignty, for instance. Ecosovereignty is a concept that attempts to generalize all these notions into an overarching idea of protecting local peoples and places through affirming their right to self-determination.
3:AM: Does the possibility of a new bipolar balance of power – China and the USA – or even a tripartite balance if India gets its infrastructure problems ironed out – make a difference to how we understand sovereignty in the near future? I’m thinking that if the eruption of nationalism was a reaction to the collapse of the original bipolarism the new situation might stop the nationalist resurgence.
3:AM: Well, as I suggested above, I think ethnic nationalism as a whole is on the wane. But great-power attempts at hegemony are the new problem. Actually, I think the U.S. is, long-term, the least of the problem (except, of course, for people who happen to live in the U.S.!). China has gone furthest in establishing a sustainable basis for regional, and potentially, global hegemony. But it, or other such powers, can be inhibited from further expansion given certain changes. As a theorist, I’m not in a position to recommend actual political actions. But I can at least give a theoretical justification for movements, groups, or communities to resist their own subsumption in a world where their habitats are plundered by states and corporations for the purposes of “global” consumption. In some ways, as environmentalists have often pointed out, that is the real culprit—the “global” consumer, that is, the consumer with enough income to afford goods produced globally. For most of history, and still to this day, most people have lived off food and fuel produced locally. This should not change—and probably cannot change without producing mass starvation, or at least further immiseration. But it can worsen, so that the affluent global consumers get their goods more cheaply. The right of local producers to limit, tax, or prohibit others from mining, selling, or purchasing locally is one very important part of the idea of ecosovereignty.
3:AM: There’s the so-called war on terror happening at the moment. You’ve written about responses to terrorism and raised the question as to whether such a response should be moral condemnation or ethical judgment. So what’s the distinction driving at and where do you land?
OD: Well, this is really another topic that I have written about elsewhere (and will write more on in the future). But the basic idea is that understanding violence (terrorism, for instance) ethically means understanding the “ethical world” out of which such violence erupts. By “understand” I mean make an evaluation of the values of that world—is it an ethically corrupt world, a fundamentally rational one, or what? Moral judgments are easy to make: “violence is wrong.” But the definition of wrongness itself depends on the violation of a norm of goodness that is determined prior to the act. An act of killing is not wrong in an ethical world that regards self-defense as a legitimate reason to kill, if that particular act was defensive.
An execution is only wrong if the idea of capital punishment is already regarded as bad. And what are the criteria for regarding it as such? Not simply “moral” ones—they have to do with evaluating the goodness or badness of a way of (ethical) life as rational or irrational. My particular point about terrorism was that, in a world in which hegemonic states routinely engage in campaigns of “strategic bombing” (which was itself regarded as terrorism when 1st invented by the British in the 1910s), terrorist acts may come to seem “rational”—that is, appropriate responses to those who bomb your country, for instance. To morally condemn such acts requires a “correlative” judgment be made about the ethical world in which the act takes place—that that world is itself irrational, in other words. Prime example: to condemn 9/11 as immoral requires that some judgment also be made about the world in which the U.S. has militarily intervened in the Near East for the last 50 years.
3:AM: The USA is the great ‘exceptional state’ at the moment and there’s a new imperialism in play. Do you think contemporary liberal philosophy actively promotes or justifies this new imperialism or is merely inert in the face of its peculiarity?
OD: I think I’ve already spoken to this to some extent. After 1989 (and especially after Clinton’s election in 1992), many philosophers, esp. in the Anglo-American world, regarded the U.S. as having the potential to “do good” in the world. The rhetoric of so-called human rights activists was key in this regard. I have written about this elsewhere, as well: my main point was that, unless carefully circumscribed, such rhetoric can justify hegemonic (i.e., quasi-imperialist) policies. We have seen this in Iraq, and later, in Afghanistan. But we have actually seen it in play for a long while before these instances. What may be different is that, without the Cold War in place, without an “enemy,” as it were, more hopes are raised (at least among philosophers!) that good can be done. But good cannot be done by either an ascendant (as then) or a descendant (as now) “superpower.” You don’t need to read Weber or Schmitt to realize that powers act primarily to increase their power, only secondarily, if at all, to do anything else. It’s amazing that philosophers have been so slow to recognize this (historians generally got there faster). Perhaps it was the lack of another venue in which to lodge such hopes for a better world.
3:AM: Would a non-humanist Marxist agree with your notion of ecosovereignty?
OD: Well,I don’t know. I think that, unfortunately, Marx (not to speak of Marxists) had no viable political theory, nor was he especially concerned to develop one. (He did invent social theory, after all, so he was busy!) “Marxist” political theory—in Marx and after—is either Leninist (as in Lukács, in many ways the best, perhaps only, “Marxist” philosopher), or it oscillates between a sort of liberalism and a kind of anarchism. But there is no distinctive Marxist politics that I have ever been able to discover. Most politically astute socialists long ago became “ecosocialists”—so I would hope that they would look on my idea of ecosovereignty with some favor.
3:AM: And finally can you recommend five books that would take us further into this crucial philosophical world?
OD: The ur-text for political philosophy right now is Hegel’s Philosophy of Right; all the issues Marx “forgot” about are touched on there, and more. An update of sorts is Axel Honneth’s Struggle for Recognition; with all its problems, still an important book. More specifically, John Rawls’ Law of Peoples repays reading; this is the book that political cosmopolitans love to hate—so it’s recommended for at least that reason! Two fairly recent books with the same title have much to commend them: Globalization and Sovereignty, both the one by John Agnew (a political geographer), and the one by Jean Cohen (a political theorist). And since they have the same title, I will also recommend anything by Vandana Shiva and by Walden Bello—to get a sense of the ongoing struggles that have inspired much of my own work.
ABOUT THE INTERVIEWER
Richard Marshall is still biding his time.
First published in 3:AM Magazine: Friday, November 8th, 2013. | http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/without-nationalism/ |
The modern world moves at a fast pace and brings with it many pressures. As a result, researchers and psychologists have started to revise their views of what makes us happy.
In her book, The How of Happiness, psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky suggests 50% of happiness is genetically predetermined, 40% is the result of your personal outlook, and 10% is due to life circumstances.1
In general, most psychologists would agree that there’s a lot we can do to determine our happiness.
But what is happiness? Sonja Lyubomirsky describes it as “the experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being, combined with a sense that one’s life is good, meaningful, and worthwhile.”
Make the best of what you have
According to the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, people who slow down to reflect on the good things in their lives report being more satisfied.
Yet how often are we guilty of dwelling on the negative aspects of our lives – or focusing on things that are going wrong instead of what’s going right?
By taking the time to acknowledge all that’s good in our lives, we promote a feeling of well-being and increased satisfaction.
Build strong relationships
In most studies on happiness, it’s clear that strong relationships play an essential part in achieving contentment.
The Harvard Study of Adult Development followed hundreds of men for more than 70 years and found the happiest and healthiest were those who cultivated strong relationships with people they trusted to support them. 3
Even interactions with casual friends can make people happier while close friendships, particularly with happy people, have a significant impact on your happiness, according to the Social Psychology Bulletin. 4
Don’t let social media bring you down
Although it’s been shown that personal friendships help to boost happiness, can the same be said for virtual relationships?
Data from clinical psychologists at Lancaster University found social media users were more likely to suffer from depression when they: 5
- Felt envy triggered by observing others’ social media posts.
- Accepted former partners as social media friends.
- Posted frequently on social media, and especially with negative status updates.
- Obsessed over their virtual identity.
Many criticisms are made of social media, but as a means to keep in touch with colleagues and friends, it can be a valuable tool.
However, social media posts generally show the positive aspects of someone’s life rather than the mundane and negative. This can lead to feelings of inadequacy when you view someone’s life as seemingly perfect, or better than yours.
If you find you’re making unhealthy comparisons, it’s best to avoid social media. But viewed in a realistic light, social media platforms can enhance your social network. Just remember, everyone tends to display a polished version of themselves rather than a genuine representation.
Keep fit and healthy
Recent studies have shown that higher levels of physical activity lead to higher levels of happiness – while exercise also helps to mitigate the symptoms of some mental illnesses. 6
This is backed up by a worldwide study that shows health is an important predictor of life satisfaction. Countries where people tend to live longer are also countries where people are more satisfied with their lives. 7
Could you be happier?
Are you where you want to be in terms of happiness? If not, then try to prioritise the factors outlined above:
- Focus on the positive aspects of your life – don’t dwell on the negative.
- Appreciate all the good relationships you have.
- Don’t compare yourself with others or try to emulate them.
- Take your health seriously and make fitness a priority.
By making these small adjustments, you can become happier, healthier and more content with your life.
How does your waistline measure up?
Waistchecker is a simple, colour-coded tape measure designed to help you keep track of your weight loss – letting you see your progress at a glance.
Make a start… Buy Yours Today
Sources: | https://www.waistchecker.co.uk/how-keeping-fit-boosts-happiness-wellbeing/ |
Damimola Olawuyi has served as a Geopolitical Analyst for SBM Intelligence. He now works for a leading airline in Nigeria. He can be found on Twitter @DAOlawuyi. Divergent Options’ content does not contain information of an official nature nor does the content represent the official position of any government, any organization or any group.
National Security Situation: The increased use of the Nigerian military to carry out constabulary duties has created an undue strain on the armed forces and left it unable to focus on its core functions. This strain has coincided with a continued diminishing of Nigeria’s internal security.
Date Originally Written: January 1, 2020.
Date Originally Published: March 8, 2021.
Author and / or Article Point of View: The author believes that the roles of the various armed services of the Nigerian state have become unnecessarily blurred by the willingness of political leaders to deploy force (too often deadly) for roles best served by other levers of governance.
Background: Over two decades after Nigeria returned to democratic rule, the military has continued to play an outsized role in governance at the highest levels. The election and appointment of former military and security personnel into political positions has stifled alternative voices and catalyzed despotic tendencies, even in politicians without regimented backgrounds. The continued deployment of the military in scenarios better served by other agencies has left it unable to deal with the insurgencies ravaging the North-West, North East, and Middle-Belt geopolitical zones of Nigeria.
Significance: There is a pressing need to reinvigorate other branches of law enforcement and security in Nigeria. Too often, political leaders authorize the deployment of military force as quick fixes to problems better solved by the long term application of legal, political, and social interventions, or other avenues of conflict resolution. These military deployments have lacked oversight and often resulted in human rights violations against Nigerians living in the crisis areas.
Option #1: The Nigerian Government bans the use of the military in Internal Security Operations.
Risk: This option risks forcing the government to rely on inappropriate or insufficient resources domiciled in law enforcement or other internal security organizations to deal with violent events. As was seen during the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre, unforeseen situations may require capabilities that only the military can provide. Considering Nigeria’s current internal security crises, there will be the need for a transition period for current security operations to be transferred from the military to the civilian side of government. Considering the length of some of these operations, the transfer may be messy and cause serious operational deficiencies that malign actors may exploit to wreak havoc. The resultant transfer of heavy weapons to civilian law enforcement and security agencies, with their continued lack of accountability and history of corruption and human rights violations, will only exacerbate the lack of trust from the larger society
Gain: The removal of the option of military force to resolve internal security challenges will force the political class to invest in the manning, training and equipping of those agencies who are primarily tasked with securing the nation from within. This option will also incentivize proactive confrontation of violent and fringe groups before they manifest as major challenges to the peace of the nation. This option will also encourage the deployment of other forces of persuasion in dealing with issues. By freeing the nation’s armed forces of their local constabulary obligations, they are freed to focus on external threats from the near abroad.
Option #2: The Nigerian Government imposes reporting requirements on the deployment of the military for internal security operations. Also, the military must answer to predefined civil authorities and agencies for the duration of their engagement.
Risk: In this option, politicians unwilling to meet additional requirements before deploying troops will simply refuse to call on military assistance when it is appropriate. This option may also exacerbate the inter-service rivalries between the various armed services that have often turned deadly. Also, the current lack of accountability that pervades governance in Nigeria means that these requirements will likely simply be ignored without repercussion.
Gain: Nigerian Government Officials will have to publicly justify their deployment of military force and may face potential repercussions for their choices in the national security sphere. This option also provides a framework for nongovernment security analysts and commentators to examine the decision-making processes of government in the civilian sphere.
Option #3: The Nigerian Government bans serving and retired personnel of the armed services from holding executive political positions over armed agencies.
Risk: This option will be very radical and risk alienating very powerful members of the political class. Political leaders without military or paramilitary experience lose a unique insight into the thinking and abilities of the military and how they can contribute in times of extreme national emergency. This blanket ban will rob former military officers with the requisite qualities from serving in these positions.
Gain: The military has, directly and indirectly, continued to exert a very powerful influence over the direction of Nigeria’s security. This option goes beyond the U.S. National Security Act of 1947, which requires a waiver for former military officers separated by less than seven years from service in certain positions. This option ensures that those who are appointed to oversee armed agencies can face political accountability for their actions. This option will make politicians less willing to deploy military might without justification.
Option #4: The Nigerian Government creates legislation setting out clear limits for when and how military force can deploy in internal security operations.
Risk: The ambiguity that will result from possibly poorly worded legislation will only intensify the friction between the military and various security agencies. A lack of institutional robustness means that career military personnel, law enforcement agents, and civil servants are unable to prevent political leaders who wish to simply ignore the provisions of such legislation. This option may also lead to a situation where unanswered jurisdictional questions will create cracks to be exploited by malevolent actors who wish to keep their activities below a level that will allow the authorization of more forceful response from the government.
Gain: This legislation will force the various nonmilitary agencies to scrutinize their capabilities and work towards shoring up any deficiencies. This option will provide another incentive for political leaders to expend the political capital required to pursue non-violent solutions to situations. Option #4 allows the military to begin to transfer the burden of continuous internal deployments and begin to rest and refit to tackle challenges more appropriate to its abilities.
Other Comments: None.
Recommendation: None.
Endnotes: | https://divergentoptions.org/2021/03/08/options-for-the-demilitarization-of-security-in-nigeria/ |
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