content
stringlengths 0
1.88M
| url
stringlengths 0
5.28k
|
|---|---|
This is one of the most common questions asked about Astral Projection. Is Astral Projection Dangerous? Without resorting to clickbait and dragging the reader on until the end of the paragraph, I am quite confident in stating that No, Astral Projection is not inherently dangerous, but there are some things to consider before jumping in. Check out the previous article on this topic for a catch-up!
You may have heard horror stories of peoples’ travels in to the Astral Realm, but be aware that humans as a whole like to tell a good story. Take others experiences with a grain of salt as Astral Projection can be quite subjective as well as personal, so I would ask you to try to experience it for yourself first before reading too many experiences from other people.
Can I get lost while Astral Projecting?
It didn’t take long for our friend, the Silver Cord to show up. Commonly reported, and often regurgitated online and in books, the Silver Cord is a mainstay of Astral Projection lore. Be aware that you might not ever see it. Until you have experience Astral Projection, you can’t be aware of how subjective it is. I would gamble that many people see a silver cord when they project simply because they expect to.
However the symbolism of the Silver Cord is present; it is there like a ball of thread unfurled through a maze. If you get lost, you can always follow it back. Regardless of whether you can see the silver cord or not, the effects of it will always be present. Is the experience getting too much for you? Think about returning to your body and you will. This is, in essence, the purpose of the silver cord; it links your mental, astral body to your mundane, physical one.
Can I be possessed by a demon while Astral Projecting?
While it is fun to get lost in the world of the Occult, it’s also important to be sceptical and rational about any practice you are attempting. How many cases of demonic possession have you seen or heard about? Likely none. As mentioned, Astral Projection is a subjective experience, and while you might meet characters and entities, none of them can ‘take over’ your body and force you to do anything.
While projecting, you retain mastery over your own self. And while yes, it is possible that you experience something scary or spooky, nothing lasting will occur, and nothing any worse than watching a scary movie will affect you.
Stories like possessions and hauntings and other adverse effects can negatively affect your attempts at Astral Projection. During any attempt, you may remember something you have read from another’s scary experience, and it could distract you enough to cause the attempt to fail. It has happened to me many times!
Does Astral Projection cause Sleep Paralysis?
Not exactly, but the other way around surely is possible. Sleep paralysis can lead to Astral Projection. Some have said that Sleep Paralysis is an early stage, or pre-Astral Projection. There certainly are some similarities; the projector needs to be essentially paralysed in order to attempt astral projection, and during this state, the projector can experience some weird and wonderful hallucinations.
So, are there any actual dangers to Astral Projection?
There are dangers, but they are largely mundane and physical in nature, and not inherently related to the experience itself, but the person experiencing it.
Taking care of your body
The biggest danger is that while projecting, your body is vulnerable, as you are when sleeping. You should be sure to attempt Astral Projection in a safe space, where you cannot be harmed, and where you will be safe when waking up.
Obsession
While the astral realm is a worthy experience, it can be easy to get caught up in it. Once you are successful, you might want to spend as much time as you can projecting. Remember that you’re alive in the physical world for a reason! Try not to go overboard, use Astral Projection to supplement your life, not take over it.
Personal fear
Finally, and with a point possibly contrary to that above, you should be mindful of your own mind before attempting Astral Projection. You may see scary images, meet terrifying entities and otherwise become unsettled. If you are not prepared to experience the worst, then you shouldn’t attempt Astral Projection just yet. If you scare easily, it is unlikely that you are yet mature enough to succeed in Astral Projection. Work on cultivating your mindset before you go any further.
—–
I hope this article has been helpful. As you can see, Astral Projection is not the scary mystic experience that many claim it to be. If you happen to have a good experience or have anything further to add to this list of ‘dangers’ (or not-dangers), then by all means leave a comment! | https://astralprojectionmastery.com/can-astral-projection-really-be-dangerous-part-2/ |
Carnival celebrations will be taking place throughout the region from today (Friday) until February 24, with many towns playing host to processions and masquerade balls.
The biggest and brightest celebrations in the Algarve can be found in Loulé.
Each year, the Câmara closes off part of the centre of the city to allow a cortege of fantasy floats and marching bands to parade through Avenida José da Costa Mealha.
Thousands of visitors flock to Loulé every year to marvel at the region’s miniature Rio de Janeiro parade. This year’s theme for the city, which is celebrating its 103rd parade, is joy and nature, so visitors can expect to see risqué costumes, Latin dancers and 17 ostentatiously decorated floats. The parade will run from Sunday until Tuesday from 3pm each day.
Portimão will also be hosting a parade to rival others across the region and putting the city firmly on the must see list of Carnival events this year. The first parade will take place on Sunday from 2pm in Mexilhoeira Grande, followed by a masquerade ball.
The main parade through the streets of Portimão will take place on Tuesday, February 24 from 3pm, with one in Alvor due to start at 2.30pm on the same day.
Renowned Portuguese actress and model, Rita Pereira will be drawing the crowds to the eastern Algarve as she takes on the role of Carnival queen in Vila Real de Santo’s (VRSA) parade this year.
The parade, which is dedicated to the theme of the Olympic Games, is due to take place from 3pm through the streets of VRSA on Sunday and again at the same time in Monte Gordo on February 24.
For full details of Carnival parades and other events across the region, please see our What’s On guide in the leisure section. | https://www.portugalresident.com/carnival-fever-hits-the-algarve-this-weekend/ |
The Scholar is an Irish police procedural. It follows The Ruin, which introduced the series protagonist, DS Cormac Reilly. The novels are set in Galway, where Cormac has been transferred from Dublin and assigned to cold cases as punishment for his justifiable shooting of another cop. In The Scholar, DS Carrie O’Halloran prevails upon her superior to move Cormac from cold cases to open investigations because her department is severely understaffed.
Cormac’s first major case seems destined to end with his return to the basement, if not fired. Cormac lives with Dr. Emma Sweeney, a fragile woman who is haunted by her past. Emma calls Cormac when she finds a dead woman in a road, the apparent victim of a hit-and-run. Cormac can see that the driver ran over the victim twice, likely wanting to make sure she was dead. The victim’s face is mangled but she is carrying a student ID with the name Carline Darcy.
Emma works as a research scientist for a pharmaceutical company that was founded by Carline Darcy’s wealthy grandfather. Carline wants to follow in her father’s footsteps and is widely seen in her college a having inherited her grandfather’s genius. Not everyone shares that assessment, including her grandfather, but she was given a chance to prove herself with an internship in her grandfather’s Galway lab.
Carline seems to have come to an unhappy end, leading Cormac to be surprised and a bit embarrassed when he discovers that Carline is alive and well. Carline has a story about how she lost her ID some months earlier. Cormac’s powerful grandfather, unhappy to be bothered by news of Carline’s death, makes clear that he wants the inquiry to end, as least as it involves his family. Cormac’s politically attuned superior is happy to oblige; Cormac, not so much.
Carline’s relationship with her family contributes one layer of intrigue to the story. Office politics relating to Cormac’s past adds another layer. Since Emma discovered the dead body, Cormac probably shouldn’t stay on the case, but nobody regards Emma as a suspect so he continues the investigation. That turns out to be a misjudgment that Cormac’s enemies in the garda use against him. Whether Emma is or isn’t involved in the murder is the key question the reader is asked to consider, while the impact that question has on her relationship with Cormac adds a bit of domestic drama to the plot.
The Scholar is a straightforward procedural as Cormac works with and against colleagues to solve the murder (as well as a second murder) while hoping that the murderer is not Emma. The plot moves quickly. The reader is given enough information to work out the motive for the murders, although perhaps not the killer’s identity.
Cormac is the kind of character who is a staple of police procedurals: the beleaguered cop who is haunted by his past, doggedly competent and driven by a desire for the truth. Unlike many American police procedurals that make detectives in that mold too sanctimonious to stomach, Cormac is humble and self-doubting, which makes him an appealing character. Minor characters, particularly the first murder victim’s family members, are developed in enough detail to make Cormac’s varying reactions to them seem authentic. The combination of sympathetic characters and an enjoyable story make The Scholar a good choice for fans of police procedurals. | http://www.tzerisland.com/bookblog/2019/6/19/the-scholar-by-dervla-mctiernan.html |
A concert is an occasion, an event, and as such has its own special etiquette and “rules of engagement”.
As the audience we have certain responsibilities, including arriving on time, sitting quietly during the performance, showing our appreciation for the performer and being courteous towards our fellow concert-goers and the performer, who has worked so hard to create this performance to share with us.
The age of the smartphone constantly threatens to disrupt these “rules” (coughing and the noises of living, breathing human beings are acceptable aspects of the live concert experience), and venues continually remind audiences to turn off their phones (and other electrical devices such as watches with alarms) prior to the start of the concert. It is, sadly, all too common for a phone or two to go off during a performance, but generally this is tolerated and met with a sigh or tut from audiences members (fortunately, I have never been party to the kind of reaction as described in this article).
But it’s not just a ringing phone which can disturb concert goers: I was forced to watch most of a concert by Yuja Wang at Queen Elizabeth Hall via the video function of an iPhone belonging to the person seated in front of me. Not only is it generally forbidden to film or photograph at concerts, it is also extremely distracting to have a phone screen glowing in the gloaming of the concert hall. And the other night at Wigmore Hall, where Igor Levit completed his Beethoven Sonatas odyssey, the young man seated on my right checked his phone every 10 minutes, presumably to check in with his Facebook chums. This was done silently but the lit up screen was an intrusion on my enjoyment of the concert. It does make me wonder why people bother going to concerts if they can’t do without their phone for a couple of hours. It is also discourteous to the performer: never mind that we were sitting in Row X – if you’re checking your phone, you’re clearly not concentrating on the performance.
In a programme of late Beethoven no less. Why would one even go if one isn’t prepared to put everything aside for those sonatas?
@Tmcguitars on Twitter
Of course performers have responsibilities to the audience as well. In creating a concert, the performer makes a virtual “contract” with the audience (and a formal one with the venue/promoter), and the audience are complicit in that by attending the concert and fulfilling their side of the arrangement, as noted above. In a recent blog post, music journalist and writer Jessica Duchen describes a concert where the performer seemed displeased that the hall was only half full and manifested his displeasure via his performance. Whatever was going on with the performer, it seems singularly unfair to the audience to treat them with antagonism. They have, after all, paid to hear you play (that “contract” again) and even if you’re tired or ill, you have made the commitment to perform.
Then there are the responsibilities of the venue towards performer and audience. The vast majority of venues are very well run, with friendly, helpful staff and pleasant areas and bars where people can meet and socialise. Performers are well-looked after with proper facilities to warm up and get changed, important aspects which help make the performer feel comfortable and at ease (as far as possible) ahead of the concert. But I have come across stories of performers being told to change the programme at short notice, because the promoter demands it, and a recent case where the performer arrived at the venue and was not permitted a proper warm up on the piano, nor was the tuner given an appropriate amount of time to prepare the instrument. There was no green room, and no refreshments for her. Of course she gave the recital, because she is a professional, but I suspect the experience left a sour taste in her mouth and it is unlikely she will hurry to perform at the same venue again.
A concert is a shared experience, with shared responsibilities. When these coalesce in a virtuous circle of good practice, courtesy and commitment, we should all be guaranteed an enjoyable and engaging experience. | https://crosseyedpianist.com/2017/07/24/responsibilities/ |
Description island Islands of St. PaulThe uninhabited very small island of Islands of St. Paul (local name Il-Gzejjer ta'San Pawl) is part of (the island group) Malta - country and is located in the country of Malta, Southern Europe. The distance to the mainland is about 247 km. The nearest (main) land is Italy and is not the country to which the island belongs. The surface-area of the island is 0.13 km2 and is therefore 0 x times greater than the island of Isle of Wight. The island lies in the Mediterranean Sea and the total coastal length is about 2.1 km and the dimensions of the island are approximately 0.86 km by 0.19 km (maximum width). The island is West-southwest - East-northeast oriented. The highest point is 23 meter. The coordinates (latitude, longitude) of the island (center) for GPS are 35.97 (35°57'58.3308), 14.4 (14°24'8.9712).
It is located in the administrative unit Local council Mellieha (local administrative level-name Kunsill Lokali), Direct neighboring islands of Islands of St. Paul are (distance from central part island to central part of the neighboring islands):
1) Comino Located 7.9 km NorthWest of the island.
2) Malta Located 8.1 km SouthSouthEast of the island.
3) Gozo Located 15.7 km WestNorthWest of the island.
4) Linosa Located 140.5 km West of the island.
5) Sicilië Located 169 km NorthNorthWest of the island.
To return to the overview page of this island click on the following link:
Overview island Islands of St. Paul
|
|
Topographic islandmap Islands of St. Paul
© OpenStreetMap-auteurs, CC-BY-SA. | http://www.islandseurope.com/description.php?island=islands_of_st_paul |
First, I have to admit it feels really good to think something (or at least: say it “in the digital public”) for the very first time. At least with regard to Google hits, I´ve created a new expression:
Return On Flourishing (ROFL – pun somewhat intended)
In my main occupation, I work as a human resources director. In most business organizations, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are of paramount importance. One of the most important KPIs in every organization is Return on Investment (ROI). In its simplest form, ROI is the return of some activity divided by the cost of that same activity. For instance, if a marketing campaign costs $10,000 and (identifiably) leads to $20,000 in additional sales in a certain period of time, the ROI of that project is 200%.
To this effect, it would also be possible to calculate a Return on Flourishing – which I propose to be the additional (financial) return that is generated by investing in measures designed to foster flourishing of the company´s workforce; minus the cost of those measures. By now, there´s an abundant body of research that is able to demonstrate that companies which invest in employee wellbeing do indeed fare better economically – which may ultimately even be detectable in stock prices (please check out the following paper: Does the stock market fully value intangibles? Employee satisfaction and equity prices).
By way of example, employee well-being could lead to a better quality of products or services; or a more engaged salesforce, leading to better sales figures. On the other hand, higher levels of flourishing may lead to cost reductions, e.g., by decreasing levels of absenteeism and healthcare costs; or lower levels of employee turnover which in turn helps to minimize recruiting costs. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that investing in employee flourishing will lead to an increase in financial returns. In order to make this effect visible and clearly identifiable from the inside perspective, first, we would have to establish a baseline of overall flourishing in the workforce. Based on Seligman´s PERMA framework, we could rather easily measure the following:
- P: self-reported happiness at work
- E: self-reported percentage of working time spent in state of flow
- R: self-reported level of positive energy or high-quality relations
- M: self-reported presence of meaning at work
- A: self-reported level goal achievement
Alternatively, there are existing “one-stop” questionnaires to measure flourishing, e.g., the PERMA Profiler (please check out my MAPP Capstone thesis for its items; this could be adapted so as to better fit to a working context).
Second, one or more activities to foster workforce flourishing would have to be implemented. For instance, there could be company-wide workshops on job crafting. Or rather, first we would have to implement that project with a part of the workforce (treatment group; e.g., a product line) in order to later compare those employees with another group that will receive the workshops at another point in time (control group; another product line). If, after implementation, the treatment group shows significantly higher levels of flourishing compared to the control group (manipulation check), we could move on to the final step.
Ultimately, the financial success of the different business units would have to be calculated for several ensuing periods. If the treatment group fares significantly better than the control group (e.g., a significant increase in sales), this difference could be attributed to the increase in employee flourishing. Of course, it is always tricky to make this kind of causal inference, but there are lots of steps one can take to rule out or control for other effects. Now, if the increase in financial returns surpasses the cost of the measures to increase flourishing (over time), we would assume a positive Return on Flourishing (ROFL).
Return on Flourishing (ROFL): the wider Perspective
Of course, this is still a rather limited point of view. Studies were able to show that an increase in well-being at work leads to higher levels of general well-being. To that effect, we can assume there could a be a wider ROFL – where higher employee well-being leads to an increased level of well-being with regard to the company´s community and stakeholder groups via a kind of ripple effect.
What are your thoughts on this? | https://mappalicious.com/tag/return-on-investment/ |
Existing home sales, as reported by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), increased 0.4% in January to the highest level since July, and are up 11.0% from last January. The first-time buyer share for 2015 averaged 30%, up from 29% in 2014 and 2013. Total existing home sales in January increased to a seasonally adjusted rate of 5.47 million units combined for single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, up from a downwardly revised 5.45 million units in December.
Existing sales increased 4.0% in the Midwest and 2.7% in the Northeast while remaining flat in the South and falling 4.1% in the West. Year-over-year, all regions increased, including 20.6% in the Northeast, 18.2% in the Midwest, 8.3% in the West and 5.7% in the South.
Total housing inventory increased by 3.4% in January, but remains 2.2% lower than its level a year ago. At the current sales rate, the January unsold inventory represents a 4.0-month supply, compared to a 3.9-month supply in December and a 5.1-month supply in November. Some 32% of homes sold in January were on the market for less than a month, the same share as in December.
The distressed sales share increased to 9% in January form 8% in December. Distressed sales are defined as foreclosures and short sales sold at deep discounts. The January all-cash sales share increased to 26% from 24% in December, but remains below the 27% share during the same month a year ago. Individual investors purchased a 17% share in January, up from a 15% share in December, and equal to the same month a year ago. The share of first-time buyers was 32% in January, the same as in December and an increase from 28% the previous January.
The January median sales price of $213,800 was 8.2% above last January, and represents the 47th consecutive month of year-over-year increases. The median condominium/co-op price of $203,900 in January was up 7.4% from last January.
The Pending Home Sales Index increased slightly in December, and the sharp volatility in November and December existing sales was a function of implementing a new regulation. Builder sentiment remains strong, and the tight inventory of existing homes bodes well for new single-family sales in 2016. | http://eyeonhousing.org/2016/02/existing-sales-advance/ |
Code 25 was one of the earliest linear barcode symbologies, originally introduced in the 1970s. The barcode is sometimes also referred to as Code 2-of-5 or Code 2/5. Several versions of Code 25 were developed over the years, the most important are Code 25 Standard (sometimes also called "Industrial") and Code 25 Interleaved. Only the latter ("Interleaved") is still in use; the "Standard"-version has fallen out of favor, mostly because it's not very efficient, see next paragraph. The term "two of five" originates from the fact that an individual symbol has five bars, two of which are wide.
The Interleaved version gets its name from the fact that each symbol encodes a pair of numbers; the first digit is encoded into the "bars" of a symbol, the second into the "spaces". This makes for a very compact code, even for larger amounts of data (the data density is comparable to Code 128 Type C which also features numeric compaction).
Here's an example of Code 25 Standard (module width 0.5mm):
Compare to Code 25 Interleaved with same settings and data:
Code 25 at a Glance
Note: Since only even amounts of digits can be encoded into an "Interleaved" barcode, it's common practice to either prepend a "0" or append a check digit if the data consists of an odd number of digits.
Code 25 maximum length
Code 25 is a variable length code, which in principle can encode an arbitrary length of data. The practical content limit with the "Interleaved" variant is at around 30 digits before the code gets too wide.
Code 25 Interleaved with 30 digits, module width 0.4mm, total length c. 115mm (click for full size):
Note that many barcode scanners or reader apps may have soft limits below those numbers. Also, a barcode must not be wider than the "reading window" or aperture of a scanner or it won't be scanned.
Code 25 Bit Pattern
Start / stop characters:
Check digit calculation for Code 25
Code 2-of-5 (that goes for both variations) uses a Modulo 10 check digit algorithm which is identical to the calculation used for UPC-A and EAN 13. All digits are multiplied by 1 and 3 (alternating), added up and then modulo divided by 10. The reminder is subtracted from 10, the result is the checkdigit.
The barcode software that generates the code will usually calculate the check digit automatically if needed. Depending on the application the check digit may or may not be part of the humand readable text line.
Decoding Code 25
Manually decoding Code 25 is possible, beginning with the start symbol and going forward one character or pair of digits at a time. Afterwards, the validity of the decoded data has to be verified against the Modulo 10 check digit if present.
Code 25 fonts for Excel or Google Sheets
Code 25 Interleaved is a good choice for embedding barcodes with purely numeric data in your spreadsheet. Applications include catalogs with article numbers, serial numbers, personnel IDs or similar data. The easiest and most straight forward way of creating Code 25 barcodes in Excel or Google Sheets is with a Code 25 barcode font. In order to convert the data into pairs, add the required start/stop symbols and calculate the check digit, such a barcode font can only be used in conjunction with an add-in, for example the Softmatic barcode add-in for Excel.
Note, that it is not sufficient to simply select the cell with your data and change the font to "Code 2/5" (a common misconception with 2-of-5 barcode fonts that are freely available on the net).
Create Code 25 in Illustrator, InDesign
The Softmatic Barcode Extensions for ILlustrator and InDesign support Code 25 Interleaved and 25 Standard/Industrial.
The barcode plug-ins are very to use and create stanard compliant codes directly in your AI or ID document. For more videos, see the Softmatic Youtube Channel
The Softmatic barcode plug-ins and extensions for InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop are available on the Adobe Exchange.
Code 25 GeneratorSoftmatic BarcodePlus V5 creates Code 25 Standard and Code 25 Interleaved will export the barcode as PDF / SVG (resolution-independent vector) oder raster image (PNG, TIFF):
Code 25 Bulk Barcode Generator
For creating Code 25 Standard and Code 25 Interleaved in bulk, use Softmatic BarcodeFactory V5. The software will create thousands of barcode symbols in seconds, with data coming from the built-in serial number generator, the clipboard or via import from Excel, Numbers or CSV text files: | https://www.softmatic.com/barcode-code-25.html |
Hokusai's The Great Wave off Kanagawa is one of the world's most celebrated works of art. A prime example of the ukiyo-e practice, this Japanese print has inspired artists and viewers for nearly 200 years. While The Great Wave is instantly recognizable, many may not know of its history, including its surprising evolution, role within a series, and even its lasting legacy.
What is The Great Wave off Kanagawa?
The Great Wave off Kanagawa is a yoko-e (landscape-oriented) woodblock print created by Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai during the Edo period. It is the first piece in Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, a series of ukiyo-e prints showing Japan's tallest peak from different perspectives.
In this piece, Mount Fuji is seen from the sea and framed by a large, cresting wave. This swell dominates the canvas, dwarfing both the mountain and a trio of boats and inspiring the title of The Great Wave.
Hokusai's Precursors
While this print is Hokusai's most famous depiction of a wave, it is not the only time he experimented with the motif. In fact, he created three other similarly themed works of art throughout this lifetime, allowing viewers to visually trace the evolution of The Great Wave.
Hokusai started employing waves as subject matter when he was 33 years old. In 1797, he created Springtime in Enoshima, a woodblock print from his The Threads of the Willow series.
While Mount Fuji and a stylized wave dominate the lefthand side of the composition, the scene also prominently features a family standing on the beach. The presence of these figures is unique to Hokusai's wave studies, as they typically focus on the sea and its surrounding landscape—not on people.
In 1803, Hokusai again experimented with the cresting wave motif. In View of Honmoku off Kanagawa, a large wave towers over a ship as it sails past its trough. Like the wave featured in Springtime in Enoshima, this subject is stylized. Unlike its predecessor, however, this second wave is much more simplified, larger in scale, and traveling from right to left.
Two years after he created View of Honmoku off Kanagawa, Hokusai completed Fast Cargo Boat Battling The Waves. Stylistically, this piece is very similar to the preceding piece. What sets is apart, however, is the composition, as Hokusai returned the cresting wave to the left side of the scene.
Unsurprisingly, this penultimate portrayal most closely resembles the famous and final Great Wave, though the former lacks the intricate white caps and vivid color present in the latter. On top of these stylistic differences, The Great Wave also features an important change in subject matter: the addition of Mount Fuji, its intended focal point.
Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji
Around 1830, 70-year-old Hokusai produced Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji. In this series, he offers glimpses of Mount Fuji from different vantage points and during various times of the year. The prints in this series are renowned for their rich hues—particularly, their blue tones—which Hokusai achieved through a complex, multi-block printmaking process.
Prints Around the World
“The sophisticated use of various hues of blue is a distinctive feature of several prints from the Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji series, to which The Great Wave belongs,” The Metropolitan Museum of Art explains. “At the time this print was produced, there was a demand for Berlin blue—popularly known as ‘Prussian blue‘—imported from Europe. Scientific analysis has since revealed that both Prussian blue and traditional indigo were used in ‘the Great Wave' to create subtle gradations in the coloring of this dramatic composition.”
This vivid blue is used in other pieces from the series, including the well-known South Wind, Clear Sky.
Created at the height of his career, Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji is considered one of Hokusai's most important endeavors—even according to the artist himself. “All I have produced before the age of seventy is not worth taking into account,” he famously said.
Legacy
Today, original prints of The Great Wave off Kanagawa exist in some of the world's top museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the British Museum. “Many hundreds of impressions of the print have survived,” The British Museum notes, “attesting to its original popularity.”
Additionally, Hokusai's Great Wave has inspired myriad works of contemporary art, including a monumental mural in Moscow, an environmental installation in Florida, and even the cat drawings of a Malaysian artist in Paris. Each of these pieces prove the enduring influence of the Japanese masterpiece.
Related Articles: | https://mymodernmet.com/the-great-wave-history/ |
It was Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021, when it all went wrong at the O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Plant. Dr. Charles Williams, public works director for the City of Jackson, could see the writing on the wall. “We started losing system pressure. Everything bottomed out. We had to figure out why,” he remembered in a long interview this week.
Plant operators scrambled to examine the mechanisms that take in and treat water to be released into the sprawling Jackson metro’s transmission system. But thick layers of ice and snow made physical examination of the outdoor plant’s machinery difficult or impossible.
That same bitter frost left many of the experts and vendors who could diagnose the situation stuck at home, subjected to a literal telephone game as they attempted to solve the spiraling catastrophe.
“It’s like a computer crashing. You’re trying to figure out exactly why it crashed,” Williams said. “It’s mechanical, it’s electrical. If the (system) isn’t operating, you can’t get water to the conventional side. And the conventional side was not responding.” The “conventional side” is the primary water treatment system, leading to a 10-million-gallon basin.
As the second frost blanketed the city of Jackson the same week, the crisis deepened. The basin that supplies the pumps leading to Jackson’s aging web of transmission pipes dwindled, revealing a thick layer of sludge from the reservoir. The pressure in the system declined catastrophically, underfilled water towers struggling to maintain pressure in the capital city’s most distant, elevated wards.
Even as the ice receded, and the entire team arrived at the water plant to assess the situation, the damage to the whole system had grown beyond the ability of the Public Works Department to immediately contain. “We met on site—we worked through different scenarios,” Williams said.
That Saturday meeting at O.B. Curtis was a revelatory one. “Everything started to unfold to us,” he explained. But it was too late, then. Across the city, chain reactions were erupting, the brittle system pushed beyond its limits, each point of failure compounding the next. The Jackson water crisis had begun.
‘Nobody Anticipated That’: Water Treatment Plants
The genesis of the crisis that left Jackson without drinkable water for an entire month is a living lesson in complex system collapse, siloed communication and the fog of war. “Put yourself in the moment,” Williams said. “We just got through one storm, and we had another storm coming in. Nobody anticipated that.”
He continued. “The way the plant works is that there are two 16-inch pipes that come in from an intake system at the reservoir. Water comes in from the conventional side, and water comes in from the membrane. If that goes down, you can’t bring water into the plant to treat it, or to discharge.”
The crisis as a whole was systemic, but the single greatest culprit was the raw water screen system, buried under ice and too clogged to process water at O.B. Curtis, the city’s primary water treatment plant, which was constructed in 1993 in Ridgeland, near the Ross Barnett Reservoir.
“The screens were replaced in the prior year, so the screens themselves were relatively new. We installed a spray wash system to keep mussels and other things that can accumulate on it off. But with the screens not operating, you can’t spray them,” Williams said.
With debris building up, liberating the entire system from swollen ice and then extracting the detritus that had poured in from the reservoir was no easy task.
The Mississippi Free Press asked Williams directly if raw water screen maintenance diverged from the norm prior to the winter storms. “To answer your question,” he replied, “the issue was not related to delayed maintenance.”
Unlike O.B. Curtis, the 107-year-old J.H. Fewell plant made it through the winter storm relatively unscathed, maintaining its current standard output of 15 million gallons per day (MGD).
Yet the continued operation of J.H. Fewell is itself evidence of a water distribution system in a continued state of arrested development. The plant, which is located near LeFleur’s Bluff park in Jackson, expanded to a max production of 58 MGD in the 1960s.
The tremendous decline in output is intentional. Both the 1997 and the 2013 plans call for a transition to O.B. Curtis providing all of the city’s water, a process that is dependent upon the eventual upgrading of O.B. Curtis to generate 100 MGD at maximum, more than the City of Jackson needs.
Former Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. explained to the Mississippi Free Press in an interview this month that part of his efforts to maintain the city’s struggling water system was to invest in the old water plant, in response to an EPA consent decree—a federal mandate to address over plant runoff into the Pearl River, one of the many environmental regulations that Jackson has fought to keep up with in decades past.
“J.H. Fewell was at the heart of the consent decree we struggled with,” Johnson said. “I opted to do the modifications to keep us from facing fines from (the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality). The modification worked, the discharge was discontinued.”
Currently, O.B. Curtis produces 50 MGD, though at the worst days of the crisis that plummeted to 20 MGD, the key factor in the system-wide depressurization.
Any real discussion of solutions to the freeze that crippled O.B. Curtis eventually arrives at a magical word: winterization. Winterization of municipal utilities is a constant concern in an era of radically shifting climate and renewed focus on crumbling infrastructure.
Williams promised an extensive investigation into winterization technologies was forthcoming, but cautioned that there are limitations on what the plant’s design would allow for. “Our plant was designed to be outside,” he said. “We’re not up north where a lot of those plants are enclosed.”
Modernizing the plant, making it more efficient and more responsive, includes winterization, Williams said. But it also helps limit the scope of danger that inevitable cold-weather malfunctions may cause in the future.
From the Iron Age: Water Distribution System
A plan exists for extricating the City of Jackson from its ever-worsening water crisis. Devised in 1997 and significantly updated in 2013, the Water Distribution System Rehabilitation Master Plan represents a collaborative effort between the city, Neel-Schaffer, a Jackson engineering firm, and a host of other civil engineering companies around the city.
The 2013 draft of the plan is extensive, covering every aspect of the city’s aging water system infrastructure, from the water plants themselves to the distribution system and the tanks that help maintain pressure in areas far from the pumps at O.B. Curtis and J.H. Fewell.
“The 2013 master plan is basically the playbook for us,” Williams said. “It’s really mapped out the system. The problem has been the implementation (of the plan) … We have not had the funding available to do some of those crucial improvements.”
The plan is unsparing in its depiction of Jackson’s ailing water system. “The distribution system has seen a continuing degradation since 1997,” it reads. “Unaccounted for water has increased from 19% in 1985 to 26% in 2012.”
The plan cites an American Water Works Association journal from 2012 that found Jackson’s pipeline repair needs are over nine times higher than the national average for similarly sized systems.
Williams reaffirmed the accuracy and continued usefulness of the 2013 plan, but said he couldn’t estimate how much those repair needs have changed since. “I will tell you this—we do have a high number of water main breaks that occur every year, and with that a high number of boil water notices. Any way you reduce that, we’re going to have to make investments in the distribution system,” Williams said.
The pipes that flow beneath the surface of Jackson are in dire shape because of their advanced age and utterly outmoded composition. “Discolored water complaints are prevalent, particularly in Downtown Jackson, where the oldest system piping is located,” the plan reads. “That piping is unlined cast iron that has exceeded its useful life.”
Unlined cast iron pipes have no place in a modern water distribution system. Their composition leads to tuberculation, a complex process of erosion that involves iron-oxidizing bacteria. An effective solution in the form of cement-lining has been available since 1922.
By 1939, standards for such linings had already been established, and yet the plan explains that pipelines installed before 1970 are “expected to be made primarily of cast iron … typically unlined, brittle, and a potential contributor to water quality problems to customers when system wide corrosion is present.”
As a result, the 2013 plans found that more than 112 miles of Jackson water pipes are still unlined cast iron—eroding pipe installed, in many cases, over a century ago. The Mississippi Free Press asked Williams if the 2013 map of Jackson’s pipes was still essentially accurate.
“Yes,” he confirmed, with one caveat. “They’ve just gotten older.”
Jackson’s water distribution map is a technicolor nightmare, with huge segments of the city’s core crisscrossed with pipes well over 100 years old. Generations of expansion pockmark the city streets, a roadmap of where Jackson’s urban core blossomed—and a record of where it now withers.
The plan is expectedly clinical in its assessment of these pipe segments, some of which have outlasted any human living during their installation. “Recent pipe coupons removed from the system have shown extensive build-up of rust by-products within the pipe exterior,” the plan reads.
Worse still, over 97 miles of water mains running beneath Jackson are less than 6 inches in diameter: the cause of over 40% of all water main breaks. These undersized pipes are simply not adequate for a modern utility system like Jackson’s. As days became weeks in the time since the February freeze, both unlined cast iron and undersized pipes alike shattered in the rapidly shifting pressure.
The danger posed by a hard freeze was well understood at the drafting of the 2013 plan. “The Ice Storm of 2010 highlighted the system’s vulnerability to widespread service disruptions,” it reads, in a warning rendered an artful understatement by last month’s outages. In the 2010 storm, hundreds of water mains burst, although service interruptions did not last for a full month.
If Jackson can acquire the funding needed for a full-scale renovation of its pipe system, the introduction of ductile iron piping, the current standard for water distribution, will eliminate the perennial bursting of water mains—estimated in the 2013 plan at up to five breaks per day—as well as the ruddy water many residents have grown accustomed to.
The total cost of the 20-year capital improvement plan, which includes upgrades to transmission, storage, water treatment, and most importantly pipe removal, was estimated to be $516,992,000 in 2012 dollars. Well over half of the entire cost is devoted solely to the removal of cast-iron pipes. Adjusted for 2021, that gives the 2013 plan in its entirety a price tag of just under $600 million.
Time, not just money, is a key concern for such a massive undertaking. “In order to spend $300 million on replacing pipes,” Mayor Johnson noted, “you’re talking (years and years) of scheduling to go about their installation in such a way that service would not be disrupted.”
Mississippi Rep. Ronnie Crudup Jr., D-Jackson, of South Jackson highlighted the importance of time in an earlier March interview. “It takes time to build these relationships between the city and the state. You build them, you finally get a plan together, and then all of a sudden, you get a new mayor, and it takes time to rebuild everything,” he said.
The 2013 capital improvement plan, as ambitious as it may seem, is only one significant step towards a modernized water system for the City of Jackson. “The overall CIP proposed in the Master Plan Update is extensive and expensive. However, it will still result in extensive portions of the distribution system with pipe lines over 50 years,” the plan reads.
Under Pressure: Elevated Storage Tanks
The City of Jackson has another pair of problems facing its water distribution system: elevation and distance. The hardest-hit areas of the city in South Jackson sit at some of the highest points the furthest away from the plants that provide them with water. These were the areas that spent weeks, not days, with barely a drop of running water.
In order to supply these areas and to provide additional pressure to the entire system, water towers dotting the city store millions of gallons of water, ostensibly to help in moments precisely like the February crisis.
But the water towers in the area were not full when the freeze hit. As Williams explained to Mississippi Today reporter Anna Wolfe, the towers are regularly drained as the system faces pressure loss.
This compounding burden on South Jackson led Ward 4 City Councilman De’Keither Stamps to push a $60-million request for the construction of four new water towers in the hardest hit areas through city council, which was later amended to $15 million.
“Byram needs a water tower, at least one. South Jackson needs at least two, and West Jackson needs at least one more water tower,” Stamps said to WJTV.
But with a staggering financial burden between the City of Jackson and a fully functioning water system, Dr. Williams acknowledged to the Mississippi Free Press that the construction of additional water towers was far down the list of realistic priorities for the city.
“Based on what we’ve seen, and from a historical perspective, we really need to put that money into improving our plants,” Williams said. “Second, we need to put that money in the distribution system. That is what would improve our reliability, as far as providing water,” he finished.
The folly in constructing additional water towers is relatively simple: something in the system is broken to begin with. “I don’t think (the towers) have ever been filled to capacity,” Williams said.
“That’s something we’ve been discussing for the past couple weeks. It’s been a big question mark. Why? It’s something in the distribution system.”
Addressing those greater systemic issues will be the focus of any money coming to Jackson from the federal or state level. “The science and the engineering tells me that we need to make improvements at our water treatment facilities and our distribution system,” Williams said.
Something that does appeal to Williams may help diagnose the larger problems with Jackson’s leaking, inefficient water system. “There is no current hydraulic model of the entire water system,” the 2013 plan reads. “Lack of a model prevents the City from determining adequacy of its water storage system to meet fire protection and peak flows. A model would provide an effective response on flushing when water quality complaints arise.”
In a statement to the Mississippi Free Press, Williams confirmed that the recommendation for a hydraulic model for the city has remained just that: a recommendation. “It has been discussed in the past,” Williams wrote. “No formal action or funding has been authorized to implement (it).” But it could help the city move forward. “It would help us understand the complexity of the water distribution system, and how to make it more efficient and reliable,” he finished.
A Draining System: Staffing
If the three major elements of Jackson’s water system—plants, pipes and towers—are its key organs, what remains to be understood is its connective tissue: the work force that keeps the system moving.
As physical access to O.B. Curtis itself was an instigating factor in the February crisis, the Mississippi Free Press asked Dr. Williams if part of the plant’s winterization improvements might be an investment in transportation for employees in severe weather conditions.
Williams’ response was telling. “We didn’t have an issue with getting our people there,” he said. “What I can’t tell you is how a particular vendor would make improvements in how they respond. The problem is not just public works department employees. The problem is also private vendors and contractors who help maintain the system.” The city has less direct control over the operating procedures of these vendors.
His answer intersects with another open question in any complete examination of Jackson’s water problems: a contraction in available professionals. “I think it’s something you see in the industry itself,” Williams said. “I mean, you don’t have a lot of people that have gone into the water industry that probably did 20 or 30 years ago.”
The trend, Williams says, is a national one, as stagnant pay lures workers out of public service and into private industry. Mississippi suffers from this problem in a dramatic and multilayered way.
Dr. Jim Hood, assistant commissioner for strategic research at Mississippi Public Universities, estimated in a March 24 presentation that Mississippi loses two out of every three engineering graduates to other states within five years of graduation. The compounding forces pulling fresh talent towards private industry and out of the state has left the city’s Public Works Department understaffed, on top of being underfunded.
“I’m hoping that as (the federal government) continues to enforce more regulatory requirements,” Williams said, “they will also put more of an emphasis on assisting municipalities with having trained personnel at their treatment facilities.”
“Dr. Williams is right,” Harvey Johnson said. “I think we saw that. I was in office for 12 years, and I saw young, promising engineers come and go.” The former Jackson mayor recalled numerous instances of fresh talent joining the city’s Public Works Department for mentorship and licensing purposes, only to depart for private industry—or other states entirely—once they’d achieved independence.
Johnson didn’t blame the young professionals. “There’s a corresponding opportunity for them to go and work in the private sector and make more money,” he said. And other states promised the opportunity to work on bold new projects. “There are limited opportunities for them to use their craft here, because we’re just not doing a lot of building,” he said.
Though he acknowledged the structural problems facing the city’s civil workforce, Williams was defensive of his team, insisting that mechanical failures from years of decay, not individual human error, was to blame for the crisis. “If we were fully staffed, would it have minimized the impact of the winter storm? No,” he said, resolutely.
Still, time marches on. And though the public works director believes his department did the best that they could given the circumstances of the system and the storms, the fact remains that staffing issues will only complicate the road ahead.
“Do we need additional staff—class A operators? Yes. Do we need additional maintenance staff? Yes. I’ve been vocal about that. That’s not anything that’s being pushed under the rug,” Williams said.
The February frost has abated. O.B. Curtis pumps out its expected 50 million gallons a day. If a sense of normalcy pervades, it is only a passing sensation, a surface-level calm. The water treatment plants are no more prepared for a deep freeze than they were on Feb. 14. Beneath the city, hundreds of miles of ancient pipes grow more ancient with every passing day.
The towers drain, the system leaks, and the people wait to see what comes first: a solution, or the next storm.
This is Part 2 in Nick Judin’s “Under the Surface” series on Jackson’s water infrastructure, historic causes for its decay and potential solutions. Part 1 can be found here. Nick’s full and growing Jackson water crisis archive since March 1, 2021, is here. | https://www.mississippifreepress.org/10682/under-the-surface-part-2-after-jackson-freeze-the-fog-of-war/ |
Q:
Javascript - Access elements of array using 2 select
I try this but it doesn't work. It gives me an array with the letter inside.
For example, when I select "B" and "1" , result is "B" and not "40".
I don't understand why ?
Thanks for your help
$(document).ready(function () {
var A = [10, 20, 30];
var B = [40, 50, 60];
var C = [70, 80, 90];
var letter = $('#letter option:selected').val();
var index = $('#index option:selected').val();
var result = letter[index];
$('#result').val(result);
$( "#letter,#index" ).change(function() {
var letter = $('#letter option:selected').val(); //For example : "B" selected
var index = $('#index option:selected').val(); //For example : "1" selected
var result = letter[index];
$('#result').val(result); // result is "B" and not "40"
});
});
<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/2.1.1/jquery.min.js"></script>
<table>
<tr>
<td>
<select name="letter" id="letter">
<option value="A" id="A">A</option>
<option value="B" id="B">B</option>
<option value="C" id="C">C</option>
</select>
</td>
<td>
<select name="index" id="index">
<option value=0 id="c1">1</option>
<option value=1 id="c2">2</option>
<option value=2 id="c3">3</option>
</select>
</td>
<td>
<input type="text" value="" id="result" disabled/>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
A:
I'd use an associated array to tie the letter select to the arrays. It is easier than defining seperate arrays for each one.
$(document).ready(function () {
var array = {A:[10, 20, 30],
B:[40, 50, 60],
C:[70, 80, 90]};
$( "#letter,#index" ).change(function() {
var letter = $('#letter option:selected').val();
var index = $('#index option:selected').val();
var result = array[letter][index];
$('#result').val(result);
}).trigger("change");
});
| |
Various types of missile and aerospace systems can successfully operate only with automatic control and stabilization systems (ACS). The characteristics of FV either rigid or as elasticbody in the air flow are critical for ACS correct operation while choosing its structure and parameter settings. Discrepancies and counting errors in this regard can affect flight missions and even cause accidents that frequently occurred at the early stages of aircraft development.
FV complete dynamic model includes rigid FV and elastic FV. Flight motion dynamics of elastic FV is described by the corresponding mathematical models — perturbation equations [1, 2]. Such models developed with certain assumptions and used at NPOM for computer statistical simulation of elastic FV motion in flow are also called elastic dynamic design(EDD) of winged FV.
EDD equations are generated based on specific design models — elastic & mass models and models of aerodynamic influence on FV . Great efforts are taken at NPOM to define, confirm and amend FV mass, rigid, elastic, dynamic and aerodynamic characteristics by calculations and experiments at all design stages in order to avoid significant counting errors during FV designing.
Due to importance of tasks solved based on EDD, a great scope of calculations and trials are conducted in the process of design to confirm EDD and correct it if required. EDD equations and calculation models are added during sketch design. It is now possible to amend EDD calculation models according to design documentation at the stage of detailed design and to correct it according to stiffness and modal tests at the stage of stand testing. EDD calculation models can be used to analyze emergency situations at the stage of flight trials.
This paper presents the main details of winged FV EDD generation and amendment. All forces acting on elastic FV in flow are taken into account while generating EDD motion equation. These are the elastic and inertial forces acting both on FV as a system with the distributed parameters and its control systems; structural damping and friction in fin control circuit; aerodynamic forces acting on FV and its control systems as well as all types of the external factors acting on FV in flight. The typical form of EDD equations is also given.
Typical EDD equations are given. It is explained how to calculate parameters of FV as a rigid body motion tones, i. e. “zero” tones. Ratios bringing the initial equation system of elastic FV motion to its accepted form (main normal coordinates) are presented. Matrix structure of EDD equation system is presented. Coordinate transformation ratios of FV motion are presented as to coordinates determined by sensitive elements of ACS.
Methods to calculate and amend the parameters of elastic FV EDD in flow are given:
These methods to define and amend parameters of elastic FV in flow are required for statistical computer simulation of FV motion and to improve the reliability of flight missions in the end. | https://korolev.bmstu.press/preprints/2334/ |
Kumukemai, the wolf, is being revered in all the Peyote rituals. Many Huichol believe that they are descend- ants of the Wolf people. The Huichol Shamans have the power to transform into this sacred wolf.
Inspired by peyote visions. | https://www.sensatonics.de/en/shop/shamanic-art-music/huichol-handicrafts/huichol-wolf |
At least four types of naturally occurring recombination have been identified in living organisms (Figure 8.1).
General or homologous recombination occurs between DNA molecules of very similar sequence, such as homologous chromosomes in diploid organisms. General recombination can occur throughout the genome of diploid organisms, using one or a small number of common enzymatic pathways. This chapter will be concerned almost entirely with general recombination.
Illegitimate or nonhomologous recombination occurs in regions where no large-scale sequence similarity is apparent, e.g. translocations between different chromosomes or deletions that remove several genes along a chromosome. However, when the DNA sequence at the breakpoints for these events is analyzed, short regions of sequence similarity are found in some cases. For instance, recombination between two similar genes that are several million bp apart can lead to deletion of the intervening genes in somatic cells.
Site-specific recombination occurs between particular short sequences (about 12 to 24 bp) present on otherwise dissimilar parental molecules. Site-specific recombination requires a special enzymatic machinery, basically one enzyme or enzyme system for each particular site. Good examples are the systems for integration of some bacteriophage, such as l, into a bacterial chromosome and the rearrangement of immunoglobulin genes in vertebrate animals.
The third type is replicative recombination, which generates a new copy of a segment of DNA. Many transposable elements use a process of replicative recombination to generate a new copy of the transposable element at a new location.
Figure 8.1. Types of natural recombination.Each line represents a chromosome or segment of a chromosome; thus a single line represents both strands of duplex DNA. For homologous or general recombination, each homologous chromosome is shown as a different shade of blue and a distinctive thickness, with different alleles for each of the three genes on each. Recombination between genes A and B leads to a reciprocal exchange of genetic information, changing the arrangement of alleles on the chromosomes. For nonhomologous (or illegitimate) recombination, two different chromosomes (denoted by the different colors and different genes) recombine, moving, e.g. gene C so that it is now on the same chromosome as genes D and E. Although the sequences of the two chromosomes differ for most of their lengths, the segments at the sites of recombination may be related, denoted by the yellow and orange rectangles. Site-specific recombination leads to the combination of two different DNA molecules, illustrated here for a bacteriophage l integrating into the E. colichromosome. This reaction is catalyzed by a specific enzyme that recognizes a short sequence present in both the phage DNA and the target site in the bacterial chromosome, called att. Replicative recombination is seen for some transposable elements, shown as red rectangles, again using a specific enzyme, in this case encoded by the transposable element.
Recombinant DNA technology uses two other types of recombination. The directed cutting and rejoining of different DNA molecules in vitro using restriction endonucleases and DNA ligases is well-known, as covered in Chapter 2. Once made, these recombinant DNA molecules are then introduced into a host organism, often a bacterium. If the recombinant DNA is a plasmid, phage or other molecule capable of replicating in the host, it will stay extrachromosomal. However, one can introduce the recombinant DNA molecule into a host in which it cannot replicate, such as a plant, an animal cell in culture, or a fertilized mouse egg. In order for the host to be stably transformed, the introduced DNA has to be taken up into a host chromosome. In bacteria and yeast, this can occur by homologous recombination at a reasonably high frequency. However, this does not occur in plant or animal cells. In contrast, at a low frequency, some of these introduced DNA molecules are incorporated into random locations in the chromosomes of the host cell. Thus random recombination into chromosomes can make stably transfected cells and transgenic plants and animals. The mechanism of this recombination during transformation or transfection is not well understood, although it is commonly used in the laboratory.
General recombination is an integral part of the complex process of meiosis in sexually reproducing organisms. It results in a crossing over between pairs of genes along a chromosome, which are revealed in appropriate matings (Chapter 1). The chiasmata that link homologous chromosomes during meiosis are the likely sites of the crossovers that result in recombination. General recombination also occurs in nonsexual organisms when two copies of a chromosome or chromosomal segment are present. We have encountered this as recombination during F-factor mediated conjugal transfer of parts of chromosomes in E. coli (Chapter 1). Recombination between two phage during a mixed infection of bacteria is another example. Also, the retrieval system for post-replicative repair (Chapter 7) involves general recombination.
The mechanism of recombination has been intensively studied in bacteria and fungi, and some of the enzymes involved have been well characterized. However, a full picture of the mechanism, or mechanisms, of recombination has yet to be achieved. We will discuss the general properties of recombination, cover two models of recombination, and discuss some of the properties of key enzymes in the pathways of recombination.
General recombination can appear to result in either an equal or an unequal exchange of genetic information. Equal exchange is referred to as reciprocal recombination, as illustrated in Figure 8.1. In this example, two homologous chromosomes are distinguished by having wild type alleles on one chromosome (A+, B+ and C+) and mutant alleles on the other (A-, B- and C-). Homologous recombination between genes A and B exchanges the segment of one chromosome containing the wild type alleles of genes B and C (B+ and C+) for the segment containing the mutant alleles (B- and C-) on the homologous chromosome. This could be explained by breaking and rejoining of the two homologous chromosomes during meiosis; however, we will see later that the enzymatic mechanism is more complex than simple cutting and ligation. The DNA that is removed from the top (thin dark blue) chromosome is joined with the bottom (thick light blue) chromosome, and the DNA removed from the bottom chromosome is added to the top chromosome. This process resulting in new DNA molecules that carry genetic information derived from both parental DNA molecules is called reciprocal recombination. The number of alleles for each gene remains the same in the products of this recombination, only their arrangement has changed.
General recombination can also result in a one-way transfer of genetic information, resulting in an allele of a gene on one chromosome being changed to the allele on the homologous chromosome. This is called gene conversion. As illustrated in Figure 8.2, recombination between two homologous chromosomes A+B+C+ and A-B-C- can result in a new arrangement, A-B+C-, without a change in the parental A+B+C+. In this case, the allele of gene B on the bottom chromosome has changed from B- to B+ without a reciprocal change on the other chromosome. Thus, in contrast to reciprocal recombination, the number of types of alleles for gene B has changed in the products of this recombination; now there is only one (B+). This is an example of interchromosomal gene conversion, i.e. between homologous chromosomes. Similar copies of genes can be on the same chromosome, and these can undergo gene conversion as well. Cases of intrachromosomal gene conversion have been documented for the gamma-globin genes of humans. The occurrence of gene conversion during general recombination is one indication that the enzymatic mechanism is not a simple cutting and pasting.
Figure 8.2.Gene conversion changing allele B- on the bottom (thick, light blue) chromosome to B+. Note that the arrangement of alleles on the top (thin, dark blue) chromosome has not changed.
Why would you not interpret the A-B+C- chromosome as resulting from two reciprocal crossovers, one on each side of gene B? | https://bio.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Genetics/Book%3A_Working_with_Molecular_Genetics_(Hardison)/Unit_II%3A_Replication%2C_Maintenance_and_Alteration_of_the_Genetic_Material/8%3A_Recombination_of_DNA/8.01%3A_Types_and_Examples_of_Recombination |
The type of computing system in which one powerful workstation serves the requests of other systems, is an example of client server technology. A computer network is an interconnection of computers which share various resources.
A computer server is the powerful computer, or the set of computers connected to each other, which provide services to other systems. They usually have database integrated in them, and are very powerful machines with very advanced configuration. They process the requests of client machines. Their role is to make management of network easy and uniform.
1) They have large storage capacity.
2) They are able to provide information to many computers simultaneously, therefore have large RAM.
3) Its processor speed is high, as it may have to execute multi-tasking too.
What are clients in client-server model?
Clients are the individual components which are connected in a network. They have a basic configuration. Client sends a request/query to server and server responds accordingly. Please note that the client doesn't share any of its resources. They are subordinates to servers, and their access rights are defined by servers only. They have localized databases.
3) Network Devices :- They connect the clients and servers, and at the same time ensure proper collision free routing of information.
4) Other components like scanner,printer, etc can also be connected to network architecture.
Advantages and Disadvantages of P2P network. | https://www.ianswer4u.com/2011/05/client-server-architectures.html |
The utility model discloses a slope toe angle and trend measuring device which comprises a vertical rod ruler, a support, a laser range finder, a circular level and a compass. A laser range finder isarranged on the vertical rod scale; the height of the laser range finder is adjustable; the support is used for adjusting the perpendicularity of the vertical rod ruler. The bracket is movably connected with the vertical rod scale; a horizontal support plate perpendicular to the vertical rod scale is mounted on the vertical rod scale; and a circular level for detecting the verticality of the vertical rod and a compass for measuring the trend of the side slope are arranged on the horizontal support plate. According to the utility model, the angle of the slope is calculated through the horizontal distance between the vertical rod and the slope measured by the laser range finder and the height of the laser range finder, and the measurement is convenient and accurate. The slope trend can be judged through the included angle between the laser direction perpendicular line and the compass. | |
What is involved in recombinant DNA technology?
ANSWER : In Recombinant DNA technology, recombinant DNA is made by combining DNA from two or more sources. DNA from a donor organism is first extracted from cells and then subjected to a cutting at specific sites by restriction enzyme. This generates fragments of DNA that contain the gene of interest. These fragments can then be cloned (or inserted) into recipient organism with help of vector such as plasmids, which are allowed to multiply gene of interest. The recombinant DNA is then recovered and verified. EXPLANATION : STEPS INVOLVED IN RECOMBINANT DNA TECHNOLOGY : 1) DNA ISOLATION : DNA must first be extracted and purified from cellular molecules, such as ribonucleic acids (RNAs), proteins, and structures such as cell membranes. For cloning purposes, DNA is obtained from the nucleus and is known as "genomic DNA." One common method for DNA extraction is by ultracentrifugation of cell components in a density gradient made up with ethidium bromide in cesium chloride. 2) RESTRICTION ENZYME DIGESTION OF DNA : Restriction enzymes are enzymes that cut up very specific DNA sequences; they are used to create unique DNA fragments. To generate the desired DNA fragments, a specific single (or combination of) enzyme(s) is used to cut up or digest the DNA. The fragments are then purified by gel electrophoresis, which separates them from the unwanted DNA. 3) DNA LIGATION : Ligation is the process of joining together the donor and recipient (or vector) DNA fragments to create a recombinant DNA molecule. As restriction enzymes produce "sticky ends" and ligase enzyme can be used to join the DNA segments with phosphodiester linkages. 4) RECOMBINANT DNA REPLICATION : The process of transformation or heat shock is used to put the recombinant DNA molecule into a host bacterial cell, which can then generate many copies of the synthetic DNA. These bacteria are grown on agar plates, cultured up in special bacterial broths, and then lysed in order to release the recombinant DNA. Finally, the DNA can be verified by DNA sequencing, functional experiments, and restriction enzyme digestion. | https://www.questionshouse.com/index.php/question-details/53/ |
SMART-1 makes lunar orbit
Europe has reached the moon
The SMART-1 probe has entered its lunar orbit, and the history books as the first European mission to have done so.
Professor David Southwood, director of science for the European Space Agency (ESA), said: "Europe has arrived at the Moon, we're in lunar orbit."
The craft arrived at its destination thirteen months after launching from Earth. Although the moon is only 380,000km away in a straight line, SMART-1 orbited the Earth more than 300 times, and travelled 84m km. In fact, its journey comparable in length to an interplanetary cruise: at its closest, Venus is just 40m km away from us, and Mars is 35m km.
SMART-1 slotted into orbit at an altitude of 5000km, and will settle into its final orbit over the next few months. Its ion-propulsion engine will fire continuously for the next four days to help it stabilise. By January, it should be in an elliptical orbit, passing the moon at a distance of 300km over the South pole, and 3000km over the North pole.
On its journey it carried deep-space communication tests including a study of feasibility of pointing a laser beam from Earth at a moving, distant, spacecraft. It is now the first electrically powered craft to complete gravity assist manoeuvres, the ESA says.
SMART-1 also tried out new techniques for allowing a spacecraft autonomous control of its flight. The OBAN experiment tested how well navigation software on ground computers could calculate the position and velocity of the spacecraft using images of celestial objects taken by the AMIE camera on SMART-1 as references.
Once its orbit is finalised, SMART-1 will scan the lunar surface for resources, particularly water, for future, manned, missions. Astronomers hope the data it sends back to Earth will shed light on the formation of Earth's only satellite. ®
Bootnote:
Some readers were upset by our whimsical suggestion that a mini could drive to the moon in less time, given a suitable motorway. For you, then, we offer the following statistical meanderings:
SMART-1 clocked up 332 orbits around Earth, so that the distance it travelled was rather further than the 380,000 linear km to the moon. It fired its engine 289 times during the cruise phase, operating for a total of about 3700 hours, and it actually only used 59 kilograms of its xenon propellant.
| |
---
abstract: 'We work out the phase-space structure for a system of $n$ qubits. We replace the field of real numbers that label the axes of the continuous phase space by the finite field ${\mathrm{GF}(2^n)}$ and investigate the geometrical structures compatible with the notion of unbiasedness. These consist of bundles of discrete curves intersecting only at the origin and satisfying certain additional properties. We provide a simple classification of such curves and study in detail the four- and eight-dimensional cases, analyzing also the effect of local transformations. In this way, we provide a comprehensive phase-space approach to the construction of mutually unbiased bases for $n$ qubits.'
address:
- 'Departamento de Física, Universidad de Guadalajara, 44420 Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico'
- 'Departamento de Física, Universidad de Guadalajara, 44420 Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico'
- 'School of Information and Communication Technology, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Electrum 229, SE-164 40 Kista, Sweden'
- 'Departamento de Óptica, Facultad de Física, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain'
author:
- 'A. B. Klimov'
- 'J. L. Romero'
- 'G. Björk'
- 'L. L. Sánchez-Soto'
title: 'Discrete phase-space structure of $n$-qubit mutually unbiased bases'
---
Mutually unbiased bases; discrete phase space; Galois fields
Introduction
============
Quantum mechanics describes physical systems through the density operator $\hat{\varrho}$. For continuous systems, this operator lives in an infinite-dimensional complex Hilbert space and its relations with the physical properties of the system are far from obvious. To overcome these conceptual difficulties, a number of phase-space methods have been devised, which result in a striking formal similarity with classical mechanics [@Schleich2001].
Textbook examples of this subject are usually presented in terms of continuous variables, typically position and momentum. However, there are many quantum systems that can be appropriately described in a finite-dimensional Hilbert space. These include, among other, spins, multilevel atoms, optical fields with a fixed number of photons, electrons or molecules with a finite number of sites, etc. An elegant way of approaching these systems was proposed by Weyl [@Weyl1950] in his description of quantum kinematics as an Abelian group of ray rotations. Similar results were also obtained by Schwinger [@Schwinger1960a; @Schwinger1960b; @Schwinger1960c], who showed that a set of unitary operators (defined through cyclic permutations of state vectors) can be constructed such that they are the generators of a complete operator basis, in terms of which all possible quantities related to the physical system can be built.
The structure of the phase space associated to a $d$-dimensional system (a qudit, in the modern parlance of quantum information) has been addressed by a number of authors. A possible approach was taken by Hannay and Berry [@Hannay1980], considering a grid constrained to admit only periodic probability distributions, which implies that it is effectively a $2d \times 2d$-dimensional torus. The same strategy was adopted by Leonhardt [@Leonhardt1995; @Leonhardt1996] and used to deal with different aspects of quantum information [@Miquel2002a; @Miquel2002b; @Paz2002]. This method offers a way for treating even-dimensional systems, since the grid has both integer and half-odd coordinates.
However, the mainstream of research has focused on a phase space pictured as a $d \times d$ lattice. This line was started by Buot [@Buot1973], who introduced a discrete Weyl transform that generates a Wigner function on the toroidal lattice $\mathbb{Z}_d$ (with $d$ odd). More recently, these ideas have been developed further by other authors [@Wootters1987; @Galetti1988; @Cohendet1988; @Galetti1992; @Kasperkovitz1994; @Opatrny1995; @Galetti1996; @Opatrny1996; @Rivas1999; @Gibbons2004; @Vourdas2005; @Vourdas2007]. In particular, when the dimension is a power of a prime, one can label the points in the $d\times d$ grid with elements of the finite Galois field ${\mathrm{GF}(d)}$. At first sight, the use of elements of ${\mathrm{GF}(d)}$ as coordinates could be seen as an unnecessary complication, but it turns out to be an essential step: only by doing this we can endow the phase space with similar geometrical properties as the ordinary plane. Note also that though the restriction to powers of primes rules out many quantum systems, this formulation is ideally suited for the outstanding case of $n$ qubits we deal in this paper.
In these finite descriptions, the Wigner function, being the Weyl representative of the density operator, naturally emerges as a function that takes values only at the points defining the discrete mesh of the phase space (while preserving some properties that make it a special object in quantum mechanics). A remarkable feature is that one can sum the Wigner function along different axes (including skew ones) to obtain correct probability distributions for observables associated with those axes. Although the axis observables cannot be complementary in the usual sense (their commutator cannot be proportional to the identity operator), they will have a closely related property: every eigenstate of either one of them is a state of maximum uncertainty with respect to the other.
This makes a deep connection with the notion of mutually unbiased bases (MUBs) [@Delsarte1975; @Wootters1986], which were introduced as a central tool for quantum state reconstruction [@Wootters1989]. They also play a relevant role in a proper understanding of complementarity [@Kraus1987; @Lawrence2002; @Chaturvedi2002; @Petz2007], in cryptographic protocols [@Bechmann-Pasquinucci2000; @Asplund2001], and in quantum error correction codes [@Gottesman1996; @Calderbank1997]. Recently, they have also found uses in quantum game theory, in particular to provide a convenient tool for solving the so-called mean king problem [@Aharonov2001; @Englert2001; @Aravind2003; @Hayashi2005; @Klappenecker2005; @Paz2005; @Durt2006; @Kimura2006].
It has been shown [@Ivanovic1981] that the maximum number of MUBs can be at most $d+1$. Actually, it is known that if $d$ is prime or power of a prime the maximal number of MUBs can be achieved [@Calderbank1997a]. Different explicit constructions of MUBs in prime power dimensions have been suggested in a number of recent papers [@Klappenecker2003; @Lawrence2004; @Parthasarathy2004; @Pittenger2005; @Durt2005; @Planat2005a; @Klimov2005; @Boykin2007]. Remarkably though, there is no known answer for any other values of $d$, although there are some attempts to find a solution in some simple cases, such as $d=6$ or when $d$ is a nonprime integer squared [@Grassl2004; @Archer2005; @Wocjan2005; @Butterley2007]. Recent work has suggested that the answer to this question may well be related with the nonexistence of finite projective planes of certain orders [@Saniga2004; @Bengtsson2004] or with the problem of mutually orthogonal Latin squares in combinatorics [@Zauner1999; @Wootters2006].
The construction of MUBs is closely related to the possibility of finding $d+1$ disjoint classes, each one having $d-1$ commuting operators \[which proves useful to arrange in a table with $(d-1)
\times (d+1)$ entries\], so the corresponding eigenstates form sets of MUBs [@Bandyopadhyay2002]. Nevertheless, these MUB operators can be organized in several different nontrivial tables, leading to different factorization properties of the MUB [@Romero2005]. It has been recently noticed [@Bjork2007] that such arrangements are related with special types of curves. We have previously analyzed [@Klimov2007] those curves in the four-dimensional case (corresponding to two qubits) and have shown that they can be obtained through local transformations from rays (straight lines passing though the origin), so that the six possible $3 \times 5$ tables of operators lead to the same (and unique) factorization of the MUBs.
In the present paper we go further and analyze the general situation of $n$ qubits. In particular, we classify the admissible curves in specific bundles and show how the properties of these curves can be used to determine nontrivial sets of MUBs.
Mutually unbiased bases and discrete phase space {#MUBs}
================================================
Constructing mutually unbiased bases in prime dimensions
--------------------------------------------------------
We start by considering a system living in a Hilbert space $\mathcal{H}_{d}$, whose dimension $d$ is assumed for now to be a prime number $p$. The different outcomes of a maximal test constitute an orthogonal basis of $\mathcal{H}_{d}$ [@Peres1993]. One can also look for orthogonal bases that, in addition, are “as different as possible”. This is the idea behind MUBs and can be formally stated as follows: two bases $\{ | u_i \rangle \}$ and $\{ | v_j \rangle \}$ are mutually unbiased when $$\label{eq:defMUBS}
| \langle u_i | v_j \rangle|^2 = \frac{1}{d} \, .$$ Unbiasedness also applies to measurements: two nondegenerate tests are mutually unbiased if the bases formed by their eigenstates are MUBs. Therefore, the measurements of the components of a spin 1/2 along $x$, $y$, and $z$ axes are all unbiased. It is also obvious that for these finite quantum systems unbiasedness is tantamount of complementarity.
It is useful to choose a computational basis $| n \rangle $ ($n = 0, \ldots ,
d-1$) in $\mathcal{H}_{d}$ and introduce the basic operators $$\label{CC}
X | n \rangle = |n + 1 \rangle \, ,
\qquad \qquad
Z | n \rangle = \omega^{n} | n \rangle ,$$ where $ \omega = \exp (2\pi i/d) $ is a $d$th root of the unity and addition and multiplication must be understood modulo $d$. These operators $X$ and $Z$, which are generalizations of the Pauli matrices, were studied long ago by Weyl [@Weyl1950] and have been used recently by many authors in a variety of applications [@Gottesman2001; @Bartlett2002]. They generate a group under multiplication known as the generalized Pauli group and obey $$Z X = \omega \, X Z ,$$ which is the finite-dimensional version of the Weyl form of the commutation relations.
As anticipated in the Introduction, one can construct MUBs by finding $d+1$ disjoint classes (each one having $d-1$ commuting operators), such that the corresponding eigenstates form sets of MUBs. We follow the explicit construction in reference [@Klimov2005], which starts with the following sets of operators: $$\label{SCop}
\{ X^{k} \} ,
\quad
\{ Z^{k} X^{mk} \} ,$$ with $k = 1, \ldots , d-1$ and $m = 0, \ldots , d-1$. One can easily check that $$\begin{aligned}
\label{pairwise}
{\mathop{\mathrm{Tr}}\nolimits}( X^k X^{k^\prime}{}^\dagger ) =
d \, \delta_{k, k^\prime} ,
\qquad
{\mathop{\mathrm{Tr}}\nolimits}( Z^k Z^{k^\prime} {}^\dagger ) =
d \, \delta_{k, k^\prime} , \nonumber \\
\\
{\mathop{\mathrm{Tr}}\nolimits}[ (Z^{k} X^{mk}) ( Z^{k^\prime} X^{m^\prime k^\prime})^\dagger ] =
d \, \delta_{k, k^\prime}
\delta_{m, m^\prime} .
\nonumber\end{aligned}$$ These pairwise orthogonality relations indicate that, for every value of $m$, we generate a maximal set of $d-1$ commuting operators and that all these classes are disjoint. In addition, the common eigenstates of each class $m$ form different sets of MUBs.
Mutually unbiased bases for $n$ qubits
--------------------------------------
When the space dimension $d=p^{n}$ is a power of a prime it is natural to view the system as composed of $n$ constituents (particles), each of dimension $p$. We adapt the previous construction to this case, although with an eye on the particular case of $n$ qubits (in the Appendix we summarize the basic notions of finite fields needed for our purposes in this paper).
The main idea consists in labeling the states with elements of the finite field ${\mathrm{GF}(2^n)}$, instead of natural numbers. We denote by $|\alpha \rangle$, with $\alpha \in {\mathrm{GF}(2^n)}$, an orthonormal basis in the Hilbert space of the system. Operationally, the elements of the basis can be labeled by powers of a primitive element, and the basis reads $$\{|0 \rangle, \, |{\sigma}\rangle, \ldots, \,|{\sigma}^{2^n-1} = 1 \rangle \} .$$ These vectors are eigenvectors of the operators $Z_{\beta}$ belonging to the generalized Pauli group, whose generators are now defined as $$Z_{\beta} = \sum_{\alpha \in {\mathrm{GF}(2^n)}} \chi ( \alpha \beta ) \,
| \alpha \rangle \langle \alpha |,
\qquad \qquad
X_{\beta} = \sum_{\alpha \in {\mathrm{GF}(2^n)}}
| \alpha + \beta \rangle \langle \alpha |, \label{XZgf} \\$$ so that $$Z_{\alpha} X_{\beta} = \chi ( \alpha \beta ) \, X_{\beta} Z_{\alpha},$$ where $\chi$ is an additive character defined in (\[Eq: addchardef\]).
The operators (\[XZgf\]) can be factorized into tensor products of powers of single-particle Pauli operators $\sigma_{z}$ and $\sigma_{x}$, whose expression in the standard basis of the two-dimensional Hilbert space is $$\sigma_{z} = | 1 \rangle \langle 1 | - |0 \rangle \langle 0 |,
\qquad \qquad
\sigma_{x} = | 0 \rangle \langle 1 | + | 1 \rangle \langle 0 | .
\label{sigmas}$$ This factorization can be carried out by mapping each element of ${\mathrm{GF}(2^n)}$ onto an ordered set of natural numbers as in equation (\[mapnum\]). A convenient choice for this is the selfdual basis, since the finite Fourier transform factorizes then into a product of single-particle Fourier operators, which leads to $$Z_{\alpha} = \sigma_{z}^{a_{1}} \otimes \ldots \otimes
\sigma_{z}^{a_{n}},
\qquad \qquad
X_{\beta} = \sigma_{x}^{b_{1}} \otimes \ldots \otimes
\sigma_{x}^{b_{n}}$$ where $(a_{1}, \ldots, a_{n})$ and $(b_{1}, \ldots, b_{n})$ are the corresponding coefficients.
The simplest geometrical structures in the discrete phase space are straight lines, i.e., collections of points $( \alpha , \beta )
\in {\mathrm{GF}(2^n)} \times {\mathrm{GF}(2^n)}$ satisfying the relation $$\zeta \alpha + \eta \beta = \vartheta ,
\label{line}$$ where $\zeta ,\eta$ and $\vartheta $ are fixed elements of ${\mathrm{GF}(2^n)}$. Two lines $$\zeta \alpha + \eta \beta = \vartheta ,
\qquad \qquad
\zeta^{\prime} \alpha + \eta^{\prime} \beta = \vartheta^{\prime},
\label{line1}$$ are parallel if they have no common points, which implies that $\eta
\zeta^{\prime} = \zeta \eta^{\prime}$. If the lines (\[line1\]) are not parallel they cross each other. A ray is a line passing through the origin, so its equation is $$\alpha = 0 ,
\qquad
\mathrm{or}
\qquad
\beta = \lambda \alpha ,
\label{rays}$$ or, in parametric form, $$\alpha (\kappa ) = \mu \kappa ,
\qquad \qquad
\beta (\kappa )= \nu \kappa ,
\label{ray_pf}$$ where $\kappa$ is the parameter running through the field. The rays are the simplest nonsingular (i.e., with no selfintersection) additive structures in phase space, in the sense that $$\begin{aligned}
\label{ac}
\alpha (\kappa + \kappa^{\prime}) = \alpha ( \kappa ) +
\alpha (\kappa^{\prime}),
\qquad \qquad
\beta (\kappa + \kappa^{\prime}) = \beta (\kappa ) +
\beta (\kappa^{\prime}) .\end{aligned}$$ This means that by summing the coordinates of the origin and of any point in a ray we obtain another point on the same ray. In particular, this opens the possibility of introducing operators that generate “translations” along these rays [@Gibbons2004].
The rays have a very remarkable property: the monomials $Z_{\alpha}X_{\beta}$ (labeled by phase-space points) belonging to the same ray commute $$Z_{\alpha_{1}} X_{\beta_{1} = \lambda \alpha_{1}} \,
Z_{\alpha_{2}} X_{\beta_{2} = \lambda \alpha_{2}}
=
Z_{\alpha_{2}} X_{\beta_{2} = \lambda \alpha_{2}} \,
Z_{\alpha_{1}} X_{\beta_{1} = \lambda \alpha_{1}},$$ and thus, have a common system of eigenvectors $\{|\psi_{\upsilon,\lambda} \rangle \}$, with $\lambda ,\upsilon \in
{\mathrm{GF}(2^n)}$: $$Z_{\alpha} X_{\lambda \alpha} | \psi_{\upsilon,\lambda} \rangle =
\exp(i \xi_{\upsilon, \lambda}) | \psi_{\upsilon, \lambda} \rangle ,
\label{ZXes}$$ where $\lambda $ is fixed and $\exp (i \xi_{\upsilon, \lambda})$ is the corresponding eigenvalue, so $| \psi_{\upsilon, 0} \rangle =
| \upsilon \rangle $ are eigenstates of $Z_{\alpha}$ (displacement operators labeled by the ray $\beta =0$, which we take as the horizontal axis). Indeed, we have that $$\label{eq:unbias}
|\langle \psi_{\upsilon, \lambda} |
\psi_{\upsilon^\prime, \lambda^\prime} \rangle |^2 =
\delta_{\lambda, \lambda^\prime} \delta_{\upsilon, \upsilon^\prime}
+ \frac{1}{d} (1 - \delta_{\lambda, \lambda^\prime}),$$ and, in consequence, they are MUBs [@Wootters1989]. Since each ray defines a set of $2^{n}-1$ commuting operators, if we introduce $2^{n}+1$ sets of commuting operators (which from now on will be called displacement operators) as $$\{X_{\beta}\}, \quad \{Z_{\alpha} X_{\beta =\lambda \alpha}\} \, ,
\label{set1}$$ then we have a whole bundle of $2^{n}+1$ rays (which is obtained by varying the “slope” $\lambda$) that allows us to construct a complete set of MUB operators arranged in a $(2^{n}-1) \times
(2^{n}+1)$ table.
We wish to emphasize that in our approach we do not assign a quantum state to each line in phase space (as in reference [@Gibbons2004]), but rather we use them to label Pauli displacement operators.
Curves in discrete phase space {#Sec: Curves}
==============================
Additive curves and the commutativity condition
-----------------------------------------------
The rays are not the only additive structures that exist in the discrete phase space. One can check that the parametric curves (passing through the origin) $$\alpha (\kappa ) = \sum_{m=0}^{n-1} \alpha_{m} \, \kappa^{2^m},
\qquad \qquad
\beta (\kappa ) = \sum_{m=0}^{n-1} \beta_{m} \, \kappa^{2^m},
\label{curve1}$$ satisfy the condition (\[ac\]) too. If we also require the displacement operators labeled with the points of (\[curve1\]) to commute with each other, we must impose $${\mathop{\mathrm{tr}}\nolimits}(\alpha \beta^{\prime} ) = {\mathop{\mathrm{tr}}\nolimits}(\alpha^{\prime} \beta ),
\label{Tr_cond}$$ where $\alpha^{\prime} = \alpha (\kappa^{\prime})$ and $\beta^{\prime}
= \beta ( \kappa^{\prime})$. Then, the coefficients $\alpha_{m}$ and $\beta_{m}$ fulfill the following restrictions (the indices must be understood modulus $n$) $$\sum_{m=0}^{n-1} \alpha_{n-m}^{2^{m}} \, \beta_{n-m+q}^{2^{m}} =
\sum_{m=0}^{n-1}\beta_{n-m}^{2^{m}} \, \alpha_{n-m+q}^{2^{m}},
\qquad q=1, \ldots ,n-1 .
\label{cc1}$$ This can be rewritten in an invariant form by summing up all Frobenius automorphisms of (\[cc1\]): $$\sum_{m \neq k} {\mathop{\mathrm{tr}}\nolimits}(\alpha_{m} \beta_{k}) = 0 .
\label{cc_g2}$$ Whenever the condition (\[cc\_g2\]) holds true, we can associate to each curve (\[curve1\]), with given coefficients $\vec{\alpha} =
(\alpha_0, \ldots, \alpha_{n-1})$ and $\vec{\beta} = (\beta_0, \ldots,
\beta_{n-1})$, a state $| \psi_{\vec{\alpha}, \vec{\beta}} \rangle$.
The curves fulfilling equation (\[cc\_g2\]) will be called additive commutative curves. When such a curve contains $2^{n}-1$ different points (apart from the origin), the monomials $Z_{\alpha} X_{\beta}$ form also a set of commuting operators (as happened for the rays).
In fact, consider a subset $Z_{\alpha (\kappa )} X_{\beta (\kappa )}$, such that $$\label{eq:cond}
[ Z_{\alpha (\kappa)} X_{\beta (\kappa)},
Z_{\alpha (\kappa^{\prime})} X_{\beta (\kappa^{\prime})} ] = 0,
\qquad \qquad
{\mathop{\mathrm{Tr}}\nolimits}( Z_{\alpha (\kappa)} X_{\beta (\kappa)}
Z_{\alpha (\kappa^{\prime})}^\dagger X_{\beta(\kappa^{\prime})}^\dagger ) = 0,$$ for any $\kappa ,\kappa^\prime \in {\mathrm{GF}(p^{n})}$, i.e. a disjoint set of $d$ mutually commuting monomials, including $Z_{\alpha(0)}
X_{\beta(0)} = {\leavevmode\hbox{\small1\normalsize\kern-.33em1}}$. Then, the eigenstates of any two disjoint sets of these mutually commuting monomials form MUBs.
To prove this important result, we first note that any set of commuting monomials can be obtained by applying Clifford operations $U_{\lambda}$ to the simplest set $\{ Z_{\kappa} \}$: $$U_{\lambda} Z_{\kappa} U_{\lambda}^{\dagger} =
\phi (\lambda ,\kappa) \, D_{\lambda, \kappa} ,
\label{U_d}$$ where $\phi (\lambda , \kappa )$ is an unessential phase factor \[$\phi(\lambda ,0) = \phi (0, \kappa ) = 1$\] and $D_{\lambda, \kappa} = Z_{\alpha(\lambda ,\kappa )} X_{\beta (\lambda ,\kappa )}$ fulfill $$[ D_{\lambda, \kappa}, D_{\lambda, \kappa^{\prime}} ] = 0 ,
\qquad \qquad
{\mathop{\mathrm{Tr}}\nolimits}( D_{\lambda, \kappa} D_{\lambda,\kappa^{\prime}}^{\dagger} ) =
d \, \delta_{\kappa, \kappa^{\prime}} ,$$ since the transformations $U_{\lambda }$ are nondegenerate. For two disjoint set of commuting monomials $\{ D_{\lambda, \kappa} \}$ and $\{D_{\lambda^\prime, \kappa^\prime} \}$ we have then $${\mathop{\mathrm{Tr}}\nolimits}( D_{\lambda, \kappa} D_{\lambda^\prime, \kappa^{\prime}}^\dagger ) =
\left \{
\begin{array}{cc}
d \, \delta_{\kappa, \kappa^{\prime}}, & \quad
\lambda =\lambda^{\prime} , \\
d \, \delta_{\kappa, 0} \delta_{\kappa^{\prime}, 0}, & \quad
\lambda \neq \lambda^{\prime}
\end{array}
\right . .
\label{disj_cond2}$$ Let $\{ | \upsilon \rangle \}$ be the basis of eigenstates of $Z_{\kappa }$. It is worth noting the following expansion $$\label{al}
|\upsilon \rangle \langle \upsilon | =
\frac{1}{d} \sum_{\kappa} \chi (- \upsilon \kappa ) Z_{\kappa} =
\frac{1}{d} \sum_{\kappa} \chi (\upsilon \kappa ) Z_{\kappa}^{\dagger}.$$ Now, if we define the states $ |\psi_{\upsilon, \lambda} \rangle = U_{\lambda}
| \upsilon \rangle$ and $|\psi_{\upsilon^{\prime},\lambda^{\prime}} \rangle =
U_{\lambda^{\prime}} |\upsilon^{\prime} \rangle$, where $U_{\lambda}$ is as in equation (\[U\_d\]), then a direct calculation using (\[al\]) shows that (\[eq:unbias\]) holds true for them and so they are indeed MUBs, as announced.
Finding sets of MUBs can be thus reduced to the problem of arranging additive curves in $2^{n}+1$ bundles of mutually nonintersecting curves.
Due to the condition (\[ac\]), points of a curve form a finitely generated Abelian group, which allows us to determine all the curve from any $n$ points and, in particular, from the “first” $n$ consecutive points. For instance, taking the parameter $\kappa $ polynomially ordered (that is, $\kappa = {\sigma},{\sigma}^{2}, \ldots,
{\sigma}^{2^{n}-1}$), we have that $\alpha ({\sigma}^{k}) + \alpha
({\sigma}^{k+1}) = \alpha ({\sigma}^{k} + {\sigma}^{k+1}) = \alpha [{\sigma}^{k}
(1 + {\sigma})] = \alpha [{\sigma}^{k+ L(1)}],$ where $L(\lambda )$ is the Jacobi logarithm [@Lidl1986]. Given a primitive polynomial, sometimes is possible to evaluate $L(1)$ in a simple form.
For ${\mathrm{GF}(2^2)}$ the only irreducible polynomial is $x^{2} + x + 1 =
0$, and this immediately leads to $L(1)= L({\sigma}^{3}) = 2$, in such a way that $\alpha ({\sigma}^{k}) + \alpha ({\sigma}^{k+1}) =\alpha
({\sigma}^{k+2})$ and two points are enough to determine any additive curve. In the case of ${\mathrm{GF}(2^3)}$, if we use the irreducible polynomial $x^{3} + x + 1 = 0$, we obtain that $L(1) =
L({\sigma}^{7})=3$, so that $\alpha ({\sigma}^{k}) + \alpha ({\sigma}^{k+1}) =
\alpha ({\sigma}^{k+3})$ and we need three points to generate the curve.
Nonsingularity condition {#Sec: Nonsingularity}
------------------------
To classify all the additive commutative curves, we first discuss the condition of nonsingularity (i.e., nonselfintersection), which means that there are no $\kappa ^{\prime }\neq \kappa $ such that $$\alpha (\kappa ) = \alpha ( \kappa^{\prime}),
\qquad \qquad
\beta (\kappa ) = \beta (\kappa^{\prime}).
\label{sc0}$$ If one of these equations would be fulfilled, then $\mathfrak{S}^{m} [
\varepsilon (\kappa ) ]=0$ (with $\varepsilon = \alpha$ or $\beta$) for $m=0, \ldots , n-1$.
Let us introduce the following matrix that will play a relevant role in our subsequent analysis: $$\label{W}
\mathsf{W}_{\vec{\varepsilon}} =
\left (
\begin{array}{cccc}
\varepsilon_{0} & \varepsilon_{1} & \varepsilon_{2} & \ldots \\
\varepsilon_{n-1}^{2} & \varepsilon_{0}^{2} & \varepsilon_{1}^{2} & \ldots \\
\varepsilon_{n-2}^{4} & \varepsilon_{n-1}^{4} & \varepsilon_{0}^{4} & \ldots \\
\vdots & \vdots & \vdots & \ddots
\end{array}
\right ) ,
\label{MN}$$ where the rows are determined by the coefficients in (\[curve1\]) and the corresponding expansions of $\mathfrak{S}^{m} [ \varepsilon (\kappa)]$ (with $\varepsilon = \alpha, \beta$ in our case). If $\det
\mathsf{W}_{\vec{\alpha}}$ and/or $\det \mathsf{W}_{\vec{\beta}}$ do not vanish simultaneously, the curve (\[curve1\]) has no selfintersection.
The condition $$\det \mathsf{W}_{\vec{\alpha}} = \det \mathsf{W}_{\vec{\beta}} = 0 ,
\label{sc1}$$ indicates that the ranks of the matrices $\mathsf{W}_{\vec{\alpha}}$ and $\mathsf{W}_{\vec{\beta}}$ are smaller than the dimension of the system, but it does not guarantee that there exist $\kappa^{\prime}
\neq \kappa$ satisfying (\[sc0\]), because the solutions of $\alpha
(\kappa ) = \alpha (\kappa^{\prime})$ and $\beta (\kappa^{\prime
\prime}) = \beta (\kappa^{\prime \prime \prime})$ can form disjoint sets. Consequently, (\[sc1\]) is necessary but not sufficient to determine if a curve is singular. Another necessary but not sufficient condition of singularity is $\det (\mathsf{W}_{\vec{\alpha}} +
\mathsf{W}_{\vec{\beta}} )= 0$.
A curve that fulfills $\det \mathsf{W}_{\vec{\alpha}} \neq 0$ and/or $\det \mathsf{W}_{\vec{\beta}} \neq 0$ will be called a regular curve. For such curves the coordinate $\alpha $ (when $\det
\mathsf{W}_{\vec{\alpha}} \neq 0$) or $\beta $ (when $\det
\mathsf{W}_{\vec{\beta}} \neq 0$) take all the values in the field.
Nonsingular curves satisfying (\[sc1\]) will be called exceptional curves. The conditions (\[sc1\]) mean that $\mathfrak{S}^{m}
(\alpha )$ and $\mathfrak{S}^{m} ( \beta )$ are not linearly independent (for $m=0, \ldots ,n-1$), so neither $\alpha $ or $\beta $ run through the whole field (in other words, the values of $\alpha $ and $\beta $ are degenerate). The number of linearly independent powers of $\alpha $ (respectively $\beta $) is equal to the rank of the matrix $\mathsf{W}_{\vec{\alpha}}$ (respectively $\mathsf{W}_{\vec{\beta}}$) and the quantities $n - {\mathop{\mathrm{rank}}\nolimits}\mathsf{W}_{\vec{\alpha}}$ (respectively $n -{\mathop{\mathrm{rank}}\nolimits}\mathsf{W}_{\vec{\beta}}$) determine the degree of degeneration of every allowed value of $\alpha$ (respectively $\beta$).
It is interesting to note that the determinant of the matrix (\[MN\]) takes only the values zero and one; i.e., $\det
\mathsf{W}_{\vec{\varepsilon}} \in \mathbb{Z}_{2}$, which can be easily seen by observing that $ ( \det \mathsf{W}_{\vec{\varepsilon}})^{2}
= \det \mathsf{W}_{\vec{\varepsilon}}$.
Regular curves {#Sec: Regular}
==============
Explicit forms
--------------
Given a regular curve, we can invert one of the relations (\[curve1\]) and, by substituting into the other one, we find an explicit equation of the curve. When $\det \mathsf{W}_{\vec{\alpha}}
\neq 0$ and $\det \mathsf{W}_{\vec{\beta}}\neq 0$, the coordinates $\alpha$ and $\beta$ are nondegenerate and the curve can be written either as $$\beta = \sum_{m=0}^{n-1} \phi_{m} \, \alpha^{2^{m}} ; \label{b}$$ or $$\alpha = \sum_{m=0}^{n-1} \psi_{m} \, \beta^{2^{m}}. \label{a}$$ However, when $\det \mathsf{W}_{\vec{\alpha}} \neq 0$ but $\det
\mathsf{W}_{\vec{\beta}}=0$, the coordinate $\beta$ is degenerate and the curve cannot be expressed in the form (\[a\]). We will refer to the corresponding curve as $\alpha$-curve. Similarly, if $\det
\mathsf{W}_{\vec{\beta}}\neq 0$ but $\det \mathsf{W}_{\vec{\alpha}}=0$, the coordinate $\alpha$ is degenerate and the curve cannot be expressed in the form (\[b\]): we will call it a $\beta$-curve.
Commutativity conditions
------------------------
The commutativity condition (\[cc\_g2\]) can be further simplified for regular curves. When $\det \mathsf{W}_{\vec{\alpha}} \neq 0$ (or $\det
\mathsf{W}_{\vec{\beta}} \neq 0)$ we obtain, by direct substitution of the explicit forms (\[b\]) or (\[a\]) into (\[Tr\_cond\]), the following restrictions on the coefficients $\phi_{m}$ (or $\psi_{m})$ $$\label{cc}
\phi_{j} = \phi_{n-j}^{2^{j}},
\qquad \qquad
\psi_{j} = \psi_{n-j}^{2^{j}},
\qquad j = 1, \ldots , [(n-1)/2 ],$$ where $[ \ ]$ denotes the integer part. For even values of $n$, the additional requirements $\phi_{n/2} = \phi_{n/2}^{2^{n/2}}$ ($\psi_{n/2} = \psi_{n/2}^{2^{n/2}}$) should be fulfilled, which basically implies that $\phi_{n/2}$ ($\psi_{n/2}$) belong to the subfield ${\mathrm{GF}(2^{n/2})}$.
Because the regular curves are nonsingular per definition, we do not have to carry out the whole analysis involving the parametric forms of curves and the properties of the corresponding $\mathsf{W}_{\vec{\alpha}}$ and $\mathsf{W}_{\vec{\beta}}$, but just to write down explicit expressions using directly (\[cc\]).
Two regular curves defined explicitly as $\beta =
f(\alpha,\vec{\phi})$ and $\beta = f (\alpha, \vec{\phi}^{\prime})$, with $\vec{\phi} = (\phi_{0}, \ldots , \phi_{n-1})$ \[or $\alpha =g
(\beta , \vec{\psi})$ and $\alpha =g (\beta , \vec{\psi}^{\prime})$, with $\vec{\psi} = (\psi_{0}, \ldots , \psi_{n-1})$\] are not mutually intersecting (except at the origin), if $$\det ( \mathsf{W}_{\vec{\phi}} + \mathsf{W}_{\vec{\phi}^{\prime}} ) \neq 0,
\qquad \qquad
\det ( \mathsf{W}_{\vec{\psi}} + \mathsf{W}_{\vec{\psi}^{\prime}} ) \neq 0 ,
\label{nir}$$ for $\alpha$- and $\beta$-curves, respectively, and the matrices $\mathsf{W}$ have been defined in (\[W\]).
An $\alpha$-curve $\beta = f (\alpha ,\vec{\phi})$ intersects with a $\beta$-curve $\alpha = g (\beta , \vec{\psi})$ when the polynomial $\beta =f [g (\beta , \vec{\psi}), \vec{\phi}]$ (or $\alpha = g [f
(\alpha , \vec{\phi}), \vec{\psi}]$) has at least one nonzero root.
It follows from (\[nir\]) that the regular curves $$\beta = \phi_{0} \alpha + \sum_{m=1}^{n-1} \phi_{m} \alpha^{2^{m}},
\label{b1}$$ where $\phi_{m}$ ($m=1, \ldots, n-1$) are fixed and fulfill (\[cc\]), and $\phi_{0}$ runs through the whole field, belong to a bundle of nonintersecting curves, since the matrices $\mathsf{W}_{\vec{\phi}} +
\mathsf{W}_{\vec{\phi}^{\prime}}$ take now the diagonal form $$\mathsf{W}_{\vec{\phi}} + \mathsf{W}_{\vec{\phi}^{\prime}} =
{\mathop{\mathrm{diag}}\nolimits}\left [ \phi_{0} + \phi_{0}^{\prime},
( \phi_{0} + \phi_{0}^{\prime} )^{2} , \ldots ,
( \phi_{0} + \phi_{0}^{\prime} )^{2^{n-1}} \right ] ,$$ so that $$\det ( \mathsf{W}_{\vec{\phi}} + \mathsf{W}_{\vec{\phi}^{\prime}}) =
( \phi_{0}+\phi_{0}^{\prime})^{2^{n}-1},$$ and thus, $\det ( \mathsf{W}_{\vec{\phi}} + \mathsf{W}_{\vec{\phi}^{\prime}})
= 1$ if $\phi_{0} \neq \phi_{0}^{\prime}$. To complete the bundle to $n+1$ curves we add the ray $\alpha =0$, which obviously has no common points with (\[b1\]).
Similarly, the curves $$\alpha = \psi_{0} \beta + \sum_{m=1}^{n-1} \psi_{m} \, \beta^{2^{m}}
\label{a1}$$ form bundles of nonintersecting curves, except that now we have to add the ray $\beta=0$ to complete the bundle.
Examples
--------
### Regular curve
Let us consider the following parametric curve in ${\mathrm{GF}(2^3)}$ $$\begin{aligned}
\alpha = {\sigma}^{2} \kappa + \kappa^{2} + {\sigma}^{4} \kappa^{4} ,
\qquad \qquad
\beta = {\sigma}^{3} \kappa + {\sigma}^{6} \kappa^{2} + {\sigma}^{6} \kappa^{4},\end{aligned}$$ where ${\sigma}$ is the primitive element. The associated matrices are $$\mathsf{W}_{\vec{\alpha}} = \left (
\begin{array}{ccc}
{\sigma}^{2} & 1 & {\sigma}^{4} \\
{\sigma}& {\sigma}^{4} & 1 \\
1 & {\sigma}^{2} & {\sigma}\end{array}
\right ) ,
\qquad \qquad
\mathsf{W}_{\vec{\beta}} = \left (
\begin{array}{ccc}
{\sigma}^{3} & {\sigma}^{6} & {\sigma}^{6} \\
{\sigma}^{5} & {\sigma}^{6} & {\sigma}^{5} \\
{\sigma}^{3} & {\sigma}^{3} & {\sigma}^{5}
\end{array}
\right ) .$$ One can check that $\det \mathsf{W}_{\vec{\alpha}}=\det
\mathsf{W}_{\vec{\beta}}=1$, and the explicit forms of the curve are $$\beta = {\sigma}^{6} \alpha + {\sigma}^{3} \alpha^{2}
+ {\sigma}^{5} \alpha^{4},
\quad
\mathrm{or}
\quad
\alpha ={\sigma}^{6} \beta + {\sigma}^{3} \beta^{2}
+ {\sigma}^{5}\beta^{4} ,$$ whose coefficients satisfy the condition (\[cc\]). The set of commuting operators corresponding to this curve is $$\{ Z_{{\sigma}^{6}} X_{{\sigma}^{5}},\, Z_{{\sigma}^{5}} X_{{\sigma}^{6}}, \,
Z_{{\sigma}^{4}} X_{{\sigma}^{2}}, \, Z_{{\sigma}} X_{{\sigma}}, \,
Z_{{\sigma}^{7}} X_{{\sigma}^{7}}, Z_{{\sigma}^{2}} X_{{\sigma}^{4}}, \,
Z_{{\sigma}^{3}}X_{{\sigma}^{3}} \} .$$ The curve belongs to a bundle of nonintersecting curves defined, for instance, by $\beta = \phi_{0}\alpha + {\sigma}^{3}
\alpha^{2} + {\sigma}^{5} \alpha^{4}$.
### $\alpha$-curve
To the parametric curve $$\alpha = {\sigma}^{2} \kappa^{4},
\qquad \qquad
\beta = {\sigma}^{2} \kappa + \kappa^{2} + {\sigma}\kappa^{4},$$ it corresponds the matrices $$\mathsf{W}_{\vec{\alpha}} = \left (
\begin{array}{ccc}
0 & 0 & {\sigma}^{2} \\
{\sigma}^{4} & 0 & 0 \\
0 & {\sigma}& 0
\end{array}
{\sigma}^{2} & 1 & {\sigma}\\
{\sigma}^{2} & {\sigma}^{4} & 1 \\
1 & {\sigma}^{4} & {\sigma}\end{array}
\right ) .$$ Now we have $\det \mathsf{W}_{\vec{\alpha}} = 1$ and $\det
\mathsf{W}_{\vec{\beta}}=0$, which leads to the following explicit form of the $\alpha$-curve $$\beta ={\sigma}^{6} \alpha + {\sigma}^{5} \alpha^{2} + {\sigma}^{6} \alpha^{4},$$ whose coefficients satisfy again the condition (\[cc\]). The corresponding $\mathsf{W}_{\vec{\phi}}$ matrix is degenerate in this case. The set of commuting operators is $$\{ Z_{{\sigma}^{6}}, \, Z_{{\sigma}^{3}} X_{{\sigma}^{2}}, \,
Z_{{\sigma}^{7}} X_{{\sigma}^{5}}, \, Z_{{\sigma}^{4}} X_{{\sigma}^{2}}, \,
Z_{{\sigma}} X_{{\sigma}^{3}}, \, Z_{{\sigma}^{5}} X_{{\sigma}^{3}}, \,
Z_{{\sigma}^{2}}X_{{\sigma}^{5}} \},$$ and the curve belongs to the bundle $\beta = \psi_{0}\alpha +
{\sigma}^{5}\alpha^{2}+{\sigma}^{6}\alpha^{4}$.
Exceptional curves {#Sec: Exceptional}
==================
The analysis of exceptional curves is considerably more involved. As we have stressed above, the points on the curve do not take all the values in the field and their admissible values are fixed by the structural equations $$\sum_{m=0}^{r_{\alpha}} \upsilon_{m} \, \alpha^{2^{m}} = 0,
\qquad \qquad
\sum_{m=0}^{r_{\beta}} \tau_{m} \, \beta^{2^{m}} = 0,
\label{sse}$$ where $r_{\alpha}= {\mathop{\mathrm{rank}}\nolimits}\mathsf{W}_{\vec{\alpha}} \leq n-1$ and $r_{\beta} = {\mathop{\mathrm{rank}}\nolimits}\mathsf{W}_{\vec{\beta}} \leq n-1$, which are a consequence of the linear dependence of $\alpha^{2^{m}}$ and $\beta^{2^{m}}$. The coordinates $\alpha $ and $\beta $ of an exceptional curve are $\deg \alpha = 2^{n-r_{\alpha}}$ and $\deg \beta =
2^{n-r_{\beta}}$ times degenerate, respectively. In other words, if $(\alpha_{j},\beta_{j})$ is a point of an exceptional curve, for each $\alpha_{j}$ there are $2^{n-r_{\beta}}$ values of $\beta$, such that the points $(\alpha_{j},\beta_{k})$ ($k=1, \ldots , 2^{n-r_{\beta}}$) belong to the same curve and, conversely, for each $\beta_{j}$ there are $2^{n-r_{\alpha}}$ values of $\alpha $, such that the points $(\alpha_{k},\beta_{j})$ also belong to the same curve.
Due to the nonsingularity condition, there are $2^{n}$ different pairs of points $(\alpha , \beta)$ belonging to the curve, so the condition $r_{\alpha} + r_{\beta} \geq n$ is satisfied. For instance, for ${\mathrm{GF}(2^2)}$ the only possibility is $r_{\alpha} = r_{\beta} = 1$, and the only type of degeneration is $\deg \alpha = \deg \beta =2$. For ${\mathrm{GF}(2^3)}$ there are three possibilities: $r_{\alpha} = r_{\beta}
= 2$ ($\deg \alpha = \deg \beta =2$), $r_{\alpha} = 1, r_{\beta} = 2$ ($\deg \alpha = 4$, $\deg \beta =2$), and $r_{\alpha} = 2, r_{\beta} =
1$ ($\deg \alpha = 2$, $\deg \beta = 4$).
When a curve equation can be found \[i.e., a relation of the type $F( \alpha ) = G (\beta )$, where $F ( \alpha )$ and $G ( \beta )$ are polynomials of degrees $2^{(r_{\alpha}-1)}$ and $2^{(r_{\beta}-1)}$\], it establishes a direct correspondence between the roots of (\[sse\]). To define uniquely the curve, the equation $F(\alpha) = G(\beta )$ should be supplemented with the structural equations. Nevertheless, such a relation exists only when the conditions $r_{\alpha, \beta} \geq
(n+1)/2$ hold.
There are two ways of approaching the classification of exceptional curves. The first is a direct analysis of the parametric form (\[curve1\]) \[whose coefficients satisfy the commutativity relation (\[cc\_g2\]) and the corresponding determinants vanish\]. We have to determine the rank of the matrices $\mathsf{W}_{\vec{\alpha}}$ and $\mathsf{W}_{\vec{\beta}}$, find the structural relations (\[sse\]), and check the nonsingularity condition. The main difficulty with this approach is the complicated form of (\[cc\_g2\]), which is related to that fact that there is no one-to-one correspondence between the parametric form of a curve and points in the discrete phase space, in the sense that the same curve can be defined by several different parametric equations.
We shall take an alternative route and construct all the possible exceptional curves by imposing *ab initio* the nonsingularity and commutativity conditions. An important ingredient in this construction is the existence of *a priori* information about the degree of degeneration in the $\alpha $ and $\beta $ directions. We shall outline the main idea and study in detail only the eight-dimensional case.
Constructing exceptional curves
-------------------------------
Let us consider a nonsingular curve with degenerations $2^{n-r_{\alpha}}$ and $2^{n-r_{\beta}}$ along the $\alpha$ and $\beta$ axes, respectively. The structural equations (\[sse\]) can be represented as $$\alpha \, \prod_{j=1}^{2^{r_{\alpha}}-1} ( \alpha + \alpha_{j} ) =0,
\qquad \qquad
\beta \, \prod_{j=1}^{2^{r_{\beta}}-1} ( \beta + \beta_{j} ) =0,
\label{se3}$$ with all the roots $\alpha_j$ and $\beta_j$ different. Since only the powers $\alpha^{2^{m}}$ and $\beta^{2^{m}}$ ($m=0, \ldots,
r_{\alpha, \beta}$) can appear in (\[se3\]), we obtain the following restriction on the roots $\alpha_{j}$ and $\beta_{j}$ $$\label{symfun}
S_{k} (\alpha_{j} ) = 0,
\qquad \qquad
S_{k} ( \beta_{j} ) = 0,
\qquad k \neq 2^{r_{\alpha, \beta}} - 2^m
\label{sf1}$$ where $$S_{k}( \xi ) = \sum_{i_{1} < i_{2} < \ldots < i_{k}}
\xi_{i_{1}} \xi_{i_{2}} \ldots \xi_{i_{k}},
\label{S1}$$ are symmetrical functions of the roots. This restriction implies that only $r_{\alpha}$ ($r_{\beta}$) roots $\alpha_{j}$ ($\beta_{j}$) are linearly independent.
Condition (\[Tr\_cond\]) implies that, given a degree of degeneration and once one of the structural equations is fixed, the other structural equation is not arbitrary. In other words, having determined the admissible points along one of the axis, all the admissible points of an additive commutative curve along the other axis are uniquely defined.
The simplest situation corresponds to the case when degeneration along both axes is the same: $\deg \alpha = \deg \beta = g
=2^{n-r}$ ($r \geq n/2$), i.e., the ranks of the corresponding matrices (\[MN\]) are $r = r_{\alpha} = r_{\beta}$. Suppose that the structural equation for $\alpha $ is fixed. Then, the commutativity condition is equivalent to the following set of equations $${\mathop{\mathrm{tr}}\nolimits}(\alpha_{k} \beta_{j}) = 0,
\qquad \qquad
\left \{
\begin{array}{ll}
j = 1, \ldots , n-r, & \quad k = 1, \ldots, r, \\
j = 1, \ldots, r, & \quad k=1, \ldots , n-r,
\end{array}
\right .
\label{com_exp_2_2}$$ where $(\alpha_{k}, \beta_{k})$ are linearly independent roots and the points $(\alpha_{j},0)$ and $(0,\beta_{j})$, with $j=1, \ldots ,2^{n-r}$, belong to the curve.
Equations (\[com\_exp\_2\_2\]) mean that (\[se3\]) can be always written as ${\mathop{\mathrm{tr}}\nolimits}(\alpha \, \xi )=0, {\mathop{\mathrm{tr}}\nolimits}(\beta \ \zeta )=0,$ with $\xi$ and $\zeta$ being fixed elements of ${\mathrm{GF}(2^n)}$.
In the doubly degenerate case, $g=2$, the value of $\beta_{1}$ is uniquely determined from the first condition in (\[com\_exp\_2\_2\]) and the curve can be represented as a disjoint union of two straight lines $$\beta^{(1)} = \frac{\beta_{1}}{\alpha_{1}} \, \alpha ,
\quad
\beta^{(2)} = \frac{\beta_{1}}{\alpha_{1}} \, \alpha + \beta_{1} ,
\label{ec_g_d2}$$ with $\alpha = \alpha_{1}, \ldots , \alpha_{2^{r}-1}$. It is worth noting that (\[com\_exp\_2\_2\]) in this case is just a structural equation, so that $$\label{Gun}
\beta_{1} = \frac{\upsilon_{1}}{\upsilon_{0}} =
\frac{S_{2^{r}-2}}{S_{2^{r}-1}},$$ where $\upsilon_{k}$ are the coefficients in (\[sse\]) and $S_{r}$ are the symmetrical functions (\[symfun\]) of arguments $\alpha_{k}$ ($k = 1, \ldots, 2^{r}-1$). Each different ordered set $\{\alpha_{1},
\ldots,\alpha_{r}\}$, with $\alpha _{j} \neq \alpha_{k} \neq 0$ determines thus an exceptional doubly degenerate curve.
For higher degenerations, the curve is a disjoint union of $g$ straight lines $$\beta^{(1)} = \lambda \alpha , \;
\beta^{(2)} = \lambda \alpha + \beta_{1} , \ldots, \;
\beta^{(g)} = \lambda \alpha + \beta_{g-1},
\label{ec_g_d}$$ where $\beta_{m}$ ($m = r + 1, \ldots , g-1$) are obtained as the possible different linear combinations of $\beta_{j}$ ($j=1,
\ldots, r$) and $$\lambda =\frac{\beta_{1}}{\alpha_{1}}= \ldots =
\frac{\beta_{r}}{\alpha_{r}} .$$ The above ordering indicates that the points $(\alpha_{j},\beta_{j})$ belong to the same straight line. Then, $\beta_{k} = \beta_{1}\alpha_{k}/\alpha_{1}$ ($k = 2, \ldots,r$) and $\beta_{1}$ are uniquely expressed in terms of admissible values of $\alpha_{j}$ from (\[com\_exp\_2\_2\]), which is convenient to rewrite in terms of the parameter $\lambda$: $ {\mathop{\mathrm{tr}}\nolimits}( \lambda
\alpha_{j} \, \alpha_{k}) = 0$, for $j, k= 1, \ldots ,r$. It is clear that the exceptional curves constructed using the equations (\[ec\_g\_d2\]) to (\[ec\_g\_d\]) are nonsingular.
If the degeneration along $\alpha $ and $\beta$ axes are different (say, $r_{\alpha}>r_{\beta}$), then the curves can be represented as a collection of nonintersecting “parallel” curves $$\beta^{(1)} = f(\alpha ), \;
\beta^{(2)} = f(\alpha ) + \delta_{1}, \ldots , \;
\beta^{(2^{n-r_{\alpha}})} = f(\alpha ) +\delta_{2^{n-r_{\alpha}}-1},
\label{b_exp}$$ where $f(\alpha )$ is the function $$f(\alpha )=\sum_{k=0}^{n-r_{\alpha}-1} f_{k} \, \alpha^{2^{k}},$$ and the commutativity condition leads to the restrictions ${\mathop{\mathrm{tr}}\nolimits}(\delta_{i}\alpha_{j})=0$, which fix the values of $\delta_{i}$.
The intersection problem can be studied using the same criterion as for the regular curves, taking into account that those conditions should be satisfied only at the admissible points of the curve.
Examples
--------
### Four-dimensional case
In the case of ${\mathrm{GF}(2^2)}$ the only exceptional curves are doubly degenerate, $r_{\alpha} = r_{\beta} = 1$. Besides, the structural equation is of second order: $\alpha ( \alpha +\alpha_{1} ) = 0$, so that any one of the three possible exceptional curves can be represented as a union of straight lines: $$\beta^{(1)} = \alpha_{1}^{-2} \alpha ,
\qquad \qquad
\beta^{(2)}=\alpha_{1}^{-2} \alpha + \alpha_{1}^{-1},
\label{ec_d_4_1}$$ with $\alpha = 0, \alpha_{1}$. More explicitly, for a given value of $\alpha_{1}$ we have the following curve: $$(0,0), (\alpha_{1}, \alpha_{1}^{-1}), (0, \alpha_{1}^{-1}),
(\alpha_{1}, 0).$$ In this case it is impossible to write down an equation that relates $\alpha $ and $\beta$.
As an example, consider the curve $$(0,0), ({\sigma}, {\sigma}^{2}), (0, {\sigma}^{2}), ( {\sigma},0),$$ where $\alpha_{1}= {\sigma}$. The structural equations are then $$\alpha^{2} = {\sigma}\alpha ,
\qquad \qquad
\beta^{2} = {\sigma}^{2}\beta .$$ The implication of the curve type on the factorization of the basis will be discussed in section \[Sec: Factorization\].
### Eight-dimensional case
Two types of exceptional curves exist in the case of ${\mathrm{GF}(2^3)}$: (i) doubly degenerate in both directions, which corresponds to $r_{\alpha}=r_{\beta}=2$; (ii) doubly degenerate in one direction and quadruply degenerate in the other, which corresponds to $r_{\alpha}=2,
r_{\beta}=1$ or $r_{\alpha}=1, r_{\beta}=2$.
In the case (i), any exceptional curve can be represented as a union of two lines $$\beta^{(1)} = \beta_{1}\alpha_{1}^{-1} \alpha ,
\quad \qquad
\beta^{(2)} = \beta_{1} ( \alpha_{1}^{-1} \alpha +1 ) ,$$ where, according to equation (\[Gun\]), $$\beta_{1} = \frac{1}{\alpha_{1} + \alpha_{2}} +
\frac{1}{\alpha_{1}}+\frac{1}{\alpha_{2}},
\label{beta_1}$$ and the admissible values of $\alpha $ are $0, \alpha_{1},
\alpha_{2}$, and $\alpha_{1} + \alpha_{2}$. For a fixed set $\{\alpha_{1},\alpha_{2}\}$ the following exceptional curve is defined $$\begin{aligned}
\label{e_c__8_dd}
& (0,0), (\alpha_{1},0), (\alpha_{1},\beta_{1}),
(\alpha_{2},\beta_{1} ( \alpha_{1}^{-1} \alpha_{2} + 1)),
(\alpha_{2}, \beta_{1}\alpha_{1}^{-1}\alpha_{2}), & \nonumber \\
& (\alpha_{1} + \alpha_{2},\beta_{1}\alpha_{1}^{-1} \alpha_{2}),
(\alpha_{1} + \alpha_{2}, \beta_{1}( \alpha_{1}^{-1}\alpha_{2}+1 )),
( 0,\beta_{1}) . &\end{aligned}$$ From the above equation we find that there are 21 exceptional curves due to the permutational symmetry between $\alpha_{2}$ and $\alpha_{1} + \alpha_{2}$.
As an example, consider $$(0,0), ({\sigma}^{4}, 0), ({\sigma}^{4}, {\sigma}^{5}),
({\sigma}^{3},{\sigma}^{7}), ({\sigma}^{3}, {\sigma}^{4}),
({\sigma}^{6},{\sigma}^{4}),({\sigma}^{6}, {\sigma}^{7}),
(0,{\sigma}^{5}),$$ where $\alpha_{1} = {\sigma}^{4}, \alpha_{2} = {\sigma}^{3}$. The structural equations are $${\sigma}^{6}\alpha + {\sigma}^{4}\alpha^{2} + \alpha^{4} = 0,
\qquad \qquad
{\sigma}^{2}\beta +{\sigma}^{6} \beta^{2}+\beta^{4}=0,$$ and the curve has the form $$\beta^{2} + {\sigma}^{5} \beta = {\sigma}^{6} \alpha +
{\sigma}^{2}\alpha^{2} .$$
In the case (ii), one of coordinates (say, for instance, $\alpha $) is still doubly degenerate, while the other one is quadruply degenerate. Then, the coordinate $\beta$ takes only two values: $0$ and $\delta$, while the allowed values of $\alpha$ are $0, \alpha_{1}, \alpha_{2}$, and $\alpha_{1} + \alpha_{2}$, so such a curve has the form $$\beta^{(1)} = f (\alpha ),
\qquad \qquad
\beta^{(2)} = f(\alpha ) + \delta ,$$ where $$f (\alpha )= \frac{\delta}{\alpha_{2}(\alpha_{1}+\alpha_{2})}
( \alpha_{1}\alpha + \alpha^{2} ) ,$$ and $\delta $ satisfies ${\mathop{\mathrm{tr}}\nolimits}(\delta \, \alpha_{1,2})=0$, which leads to $\delta = \beta_{1}$.
Explicitly, the points of such a curve are $$( 0,0), (\alpha_{1}, 0), (\alpha_{2}, 0),
(\alpha_{1} + \alpha_{2}, 0),(\alpha_{1}, \delta ),
(\alpha_{2}, \delta ),( \alpha_{1}+\alpha_{2},\delta ),
( 0,\delta ) ,
\label{sec_8}$$ so there are seven different curves of this type due to permutational symmetry between $\alpha_{1},\alpha_{2}$, and $\alpha_{1}+\alpha_{2}$.
As an example of such a degenerate curve, consider the points $$(0,0), ({\sigma}^{3}, 0), ( {\sigma}^{5}, 0),
( {\sigma}^{2}, 0), ({\sigma}^{3}, {\sigma}^{6}),
({\sigma}^{5},{\sigma}^{6}),({\sigma}^{2},{\sigma}^{6}),
(0,{\sigma}^{6}),$$ where $\alpha_{1}={\sigma}^{3},\alpha_{2}={\sigma}^{5}$. The corresponding structural equations are $${\sigma}^{3} \alpha + {\sigma}^{2} \alpha^{2}+ \alpha^{4} = 0,
\qquad \qquad
{\sigma}^{6} \beta +\beta^{2} = 0.$$
Local transformations
=====================
Local transformations induce nontrivial transformations in the curve, although they preserve the factorization properties (in a given basis). We recall that in any selfdual basis we can represent the monomial $Z_{\alpha} X_{\beta}$ in the following way $$\begin{aligned}
Z_{\alpha} X_{\beta} = \otimes \prod_{j=1}^{n}
\sigma_{z}^{a_{j}} \sigma_{x}^{b_{j}} \equiv
\otimes \prod_{j=1}^{n} ( a_{j},b_{j}) ,\end{aligned}$$ where $\otimes \prod_j$ denotes the tensor product over the index $j$. Under local transformations (rotations of angle $\pi/2$ around $z, x$, and $y$ axes, which we call $z$-, $x$- and $y$-rotations) applied to the $j$th particle, it transforms as $$\begin{aligned}
z &:& ( a_{j}, b_{j} ) \mapsto ( a_{j} + b_{j}, b_{j}) ,
\label{LT_z} \nonumber \\
x &:& ( a_{j}, b_{j} ) \mapsto ( a_{j}, b_{j} + a_{j}) ,
\label{LT_x} \\
y &:& ( a_{j}, b_{j} ) \mapsto (a_{j}+ a_{j}+ b_{j},
b_{j} + a_{j} + b_{j}) = ( b_{j},a_{j} ) .
\label{LT_y} \nonumber\end{aligned}$$ To give a concrete example, suppose we consider a $z$-rotation. The operator $\sigma_{z}$, corresponding to $(a_{j}=1,b_{j}=0)$, is transformed into $(a_{j} = 1 + 0 = 1, b_{j}=0)$; i.e., into itself, while the operator $\sigma_{x}$, corresponding to $(a_{j}=0,b_{j}=1)$, is mapped onto $(a_{j}=0+1=1,b_{j}=1)$, which coincides with $\sigma_{y}$. In the same way $\sigma_{y}$ is mapped onto $\sigma_{x}$, while the identity ($a_{j}=0, b_{j}=0$) is mapped onto itself.
In terms of the field elements it is equivalent to $$\begin{aligned}
z &:& \left \{
\begin{array}{l}
\displaystyle
\alpha \mapsto \alpha^{\prime} = \alpha +
\sum_{k} {\theta}_{k} {\mathop{\mathrm{tr}}\nolimits}( \beta {\theta}_{k}) , \\
\beta \mapsto \beta^{\prime} = \beta ,
\end{array}
\right . \nonumber \\
x &:& \left \{
\begin{array}{l}
\alpha \mapsto \alpha^{\prime} = \alpha , \\
\displaystyle
\beta \mapsto \beta^{\prime} = \beta +
\sum_{k}{\theta}_{k}{\mathop{\mathrm{tr}}\nolimits}( \alpha {\theta}_{k}) ,
\end{array}
\right . \\
y &:& \left \{
\begin{array}{l}
\displaystyle
\alpha \mapsto \alpha^{\prime} = \alpha +
\sum_{k}{\theta}_{k}{\mathop{\mathrm{tr}}\nolimits}[ (\alpha + \beta ) {\theta}_{k} ] , \\
\displaystyle
\beta \mapsto \beta^{\prime} = \beta +
\sum_{k}{\theta}_{k}{\mathop{\mathrm{tr}}\nolimits}[ ( \alpha +\beta ) {\theta}_{k} ] ,
\end{array}
\right . \nonumber\end{aligned}$$ where ${{\theta}}$ is the selfdual basis.
These transformations are nonlinear in the field elements: starting with a standard set of MUB operators related to rays, we obtain another set of MUB operators parametrized with points of curves, but leading to the same factorization structure. Indeed, consider a ray as in equation (\[ray\_pf\]). Then, under $z$-, $x$-, and $y$-rotations we have $$\begin{aligned}
z &:&
\left \{
\begin{array}{l}
\displaystyle
\alpha \mapsto \alpha^{\prime} = \mu \kappa +
\sum_{m=0}^{n-1} \kappa^{2^{m}} \nu^{2^{m}}
\sum_{k} {\theta}_{k}^{2^{m}+1}, \\
\displaystyle
\beta \mapsto \beta^{\prime} = \nu \kappa ,
\alpha \mapsto \alpha^{\prime} = \mu \kappa , \\
\displaystyle
\beta \mapsto \beta^{\prime} = \nu \kappa +
\sum_{m=0}^{n-1}\kappa^{2^{m}} \mu^{2^{m}}
\sum_{k} {\theta}_{k}^{2^{m}+1},
\end{array}
\right . \\
y &:& \left \{
\begin{array}{c}
\displaystyle
\alpha \mapsto \alpha^{\prime} = \mu \kappa +
\sum_{m=0}^{n-1} \kappa^{2^{m}} (\nu + \mu )^{2^{m}}
\sum_{k} {\theta}_{k}^{2^{m}+1} \\
\displaystyle
\beta \mapsto \beta^{\prime} = \nu \kappa +
\sum_{m=0}^{n-1}\kappa^{2^{m}} (\nu + \mu )^{2^{m}}
\sum_{k}{\theta}_{k}^{2^{m}+1}
\end{array}
\right . \nonumber\end{aligned}$$
Note that the $z$- and $x$-rotations produce regular curves $$\begin{aligned}
z &:&\alpha = \mu \nu^{-1} \beta \mapsto \alpha^{\prime}=
\mu \nu^{-1} \beta + \sum_{m=0}^{n-1}\beta^{2^{m}}
\sum_{k}{\theta}_{k}^{2^{m}+1}, \nonumber \\
& & \\
x &:&\beta = \mu^{-1}\nu \alpha \mapsto \beta^{\prime}=
\mu^{-1}\nu \alpha +\sum_{m=0}^{n-1}\alpha^{2^{m}}
\sum_{k}{\theta}_{k}^{2^{m}+1} . \nonumber\end{aligned}$$ Meanwhile, the $y$-rotation may lead to exceptional curves. In this case we always have $\kappa = ( \mu + \nu )^{-1} (\alpha +\beta ) $, and thus the explicit equation of that curve is either $$\alpha =\mu ( \nu + \mu )^{-1} ( \alpha +\beta ) +
\sum_{m=0}^{n-1} ( \alpha +\beta )^{2^{m}}
\sum_{k}{\theta}_{k}^{2^{m}+1},$$ or $$\beta = \nu ( \nu + \mu )^{-1} ( \alpha + \beta)
+ \sum_{m=0}^{n-1} ( \alpha +\beta )^{2^{m}}
\sum_{k} {\theta}_{k}^{2^{m}+1}.$$
For instance, in the two-qubit case, starting from the ray $\beta =0$, we can generate all the curves shown in table \[table1\]. In particular, it can be proven that in there are only two equivalence classes of curves[@Klimov2007].
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rotation Curves
----------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------
$ x \otimes {\leavevmode\hbox{\small1\normalsize\kern-.33em1}}$ $\beta ={\sigma}\alpha + \alpha^{2}, \,
\beta^{2} = {\sigma}^{2}\beta$
$ y \otimes {\leavevmode\hbox{\small1\normalsize\kern-.33em1}}$ ${\sigma}\beta + \beta^{2} = {\sigma}^{2} \alpha +\alpha ^{2}, \,
\alpha^{2} = {\sigma}^{2} \alpha , \,
\beta^{2} = {\sigma}\beta $
$ {\leavevmode\hbox{\small1\normalsize\kern-.33em1}}\otimes x$ $\beta = {\sigma}^{2} \alpha + \alpha^{2}, \,
\beta^{2} = {\sigma}\beta$
${\leavevmode\hbox{\small1\normalsize\kern-.33em1}}\otimes y $ ${\sigma}^{2} \beta + \beta^{2} = {\sigma}\alpha + \alpha^{2}, \,
\alpha^{2} = {\sigma}\alpha , \,
\beta^{2} = {\sigma}^{2}\beta $
$x \otimes x$ $\beta = \alpha$
$y \otimes y$ $\beta = {\sigma}^{2} \alpha + \alpha^{2}, \,
\beta ^{2}={\sigma}\beta$
$x\otimes y $ ${\sigma}\beta + {\sigma}^{2} \beta^{2} = \alpha +
{\sigma}^{2}\alpha^{2}, \,
\alpha^{2} = {\sigma}\alpha , \,
\beta^{2}={\sigma}\beta $
$y \otimes x$ $\alpha = {\sigma}\beta + \beta^{2},\,
\alpha^{2} = {\sigma}^{2} \alpha$
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: \[table1\] Curves generated by applying the rotations indicated in the left column to the ray $\beta = 0$ in the case of two qubits.
Factorization structure and curve bundles {#Sec: Factorization}
=========================================
In this section we discuss bundles leading to MUBs with different factorization structures. As we have stated before, given a basis in the field, any operator, labeled by a point of a curve, is factorized into a product of one-particle Pauli operators. For qubit systems the selfdual is the most appropriate, for the Fourier operator is factorized, and thus, the factorization of $Z_{\alpha}$ and $X_{\alpha}$ is straightforward. Now, let us divide each monomial $Z_{\alpha}X_{\beta}$, into two parts, so that the first part contains $k$ Pauli operators and the second part $n-k$ operators. If any first “block” of the set of $d-1$ commuting generalized Pauli operators commutes with all the other “blocks”, we will say that the corresponding curve is factorized into two sets. Obviously, the second blocks would then also commute between them. Moreover, inside the first or second blocks may exist some “sub-blocks” that commute with corresponding sub-blocks, etc. In the end, we can represent any curve $\Gamma \in {\mathrm{GF}(2^n)}$ in the following factorized form: $$\Gamma =\{ m_{1},m_{2}, \ldots ,m_{N}\},
\qquad \qquad
0 < m_{1}\leq m_{2}\leq \ldots
\leq m_{N},
\;
\sum_{i}m_{i}=n, \label{1_curve_part}$$ where $m_{i}\in \mathbb{N}$ is the number of particles in the $i$-th block that cannot be factorized anymore. It is clear that $\{m_{1},m_{2},\ldots, m_{N}\}$ is just a partition of the integer $n$, so the maximum number of terms is $n$, which corresponds to a completely factorized curve, $\Gamma =\underbrace{\{1,1, \ldots,1\}}_{n}$, and the minimum number of terms is one, corresponding to a completely nonfactorized curve, $\Gamma = \{ n \}$.
One can construct bundles that contain only regular curves, as it was shown in section \[Sec: Regular\]. A systematic construction of bundles containing both regular and exceptional curves is a more involved task, which can be carried out numerically for low dimensions.
As an example, consider the ray $\beta = 0$ over ${\mathrm{GF}(2^2)}$, so the corresponding set of operators is $\{Z_{{\sigma}},Z_{{\sigma}^{2}},
Z_{{\sigma}^{3}} \}$. In the selfdual basis $({\sigma},{\sigma}^{2})$ this set is factorized into $( \sigma_{z} {\leavevmode\hbox{\small1\normalsize\kern-.33em1}}, {\leavevmode\hbox{\small1\normalsize\kern-.33em1}}\sigma_{z},
\sigma_{z}\sigma_{z})$. Then, the curve $\beta =0$ is represented as $\Gamma = \{1, 1\}$, i.e., both particles are factorized. The ray $\beta = {\sigma}\alpha $, whose points label the set $\{ Z_{{\sigma}}
X_{{\sigma}^{2}}, Z_{{\sigma}^{2}} X_{{\sigma}^{3}}, Z_{{\sigma}^{3}} X_{{\sigma}}
\}$, has the following factorization $( \sigma_{z}\sigma_{x},
\sigma_{x}\sigma_{y}, \sigma_{y} \sigma_{z}) $, so that it can be represented as $\Gamma =\{ 2 \}$, which means that there are no factorized blocks. In the case of three qubits the possible partitions are $\{1, 1, 1\}$ (e.g., the ray $\beta =0$), $\{1, 2 \}$ (e.g., the regular curve $\beta ={\sigma}^{6} \alpha^{2} + {\sigma}^{3} \alpha^{4}$), and $\{ 3 \}$ (e.g., the ray $\beta ={\sigma}^{3} \alpha$).
The representation (\[1\_curve\_part\]) is invariant under local transformations. The corresponding basis preserves the factorization of the operator set, and local transformations preserve the factorization structure of the curve. This means that all the completely factorized curves can be obtained from a single factorized ray, say $\beta =0$. Nevertheless, the curves with the same factorization structure are not necessarily equivalent under local transformations (except in the trivial two-qubit case [@Klimov2007]).
A bundle may contain curves with different factorizations. We can characterize different bundles with a set of numbers that indicate the number of completely factorized curves ($\underbrace{\{1,1,
\ldots,1\}}_{n}$ structure), completely factorized except a single two-particle block (curve of the type $\{\underbrace{1,1,\ldots,
1}_{n-2},2\}$), etc., until completely nonfactorized curves $\{n\}$. In other words, we assign to the bundle the set of numbers $$(k_{1},k_{2}, \ldots ,k_{p(n)}),
\qquad \qquad
\sum_{j}k_{j}=2^{n}+1,$$ which indicate the number of curves factorized in $n$ one-dimensional blocks, $k_{1}$; the number of curves factorized in $n-2$ one-dimensional blocks and one two-dimensional block, $k_{2}$, etc, and $p(n)$ is the number of partitions of an integer $n$.
Curves over ${\mathrm{GF}(2^2)}$
--------------------------------
As we have discussed, an additive commutative curve over ${\mathrm{GF}(2^2)}$ can be expressed as $$\alpha (\kappa) = \alpha_{0} \kappa + \alpha_{1} \kappa^{2},
\qquad \qquad
\beta (\kappa) = \beta_{0} \kappa + \beta_{1}\kappa^{2},$$ where the commutativity condition (\[cc1\]) impose the following restrictions on the coefficients $\alpha_{j}$ and $\beta_{j}$ $$\alpha_{1} \beta _{0}+ ( \alpha_{1} \beta_{0})^{2} =
\alpha_{0} \beta_{1} + (\alpha_{0} \beta_{1})^{2}.
\label{Eq:condition}$$ In this simple case, the whole analysis can be carried out from the parametric form. Nevertheless, it is more convenient to separate types of curves on regular and exceptional, according to our discussion in sections \[Sec: Regular\] and \[Sec: Exceptional\].
All the possible additive commutative structures can be divided into two types:
a\) 12 regular curves, which can be constructed according to the general rule (\[cc\]), among which there are four rays $$\beta = \lambda \alpha ,
\qquad \qquad
\alpha =0, \label{rays_4}$$ and 8 curves $$\label{rc_4}
\alpha\mathrm{-curves}: \; \beta = \eta \alpha + \alpha^{2},
\qquad \qquad
\beta\mathrm{-curves}: \; \alpha =\eta \beta + \beta^{2}.$$
b\) 3 exceptional curves that can be represented as a union of two parallel lines (\[ec\_d\_4\_1\]) or in the parametric form $$\alpha = \mu (\kappa +\kappa^{2}) ,
\qquad
\beta =\mu^{2} ({\sigma}\kappa + {\sigma}^{2} \kappa^{2}) .
\label{exep_4}$$ Every point of these exceptional curves is doubly degenerate and the admissible values of $\alpha $ and $\beta $ are $\{0,\mu \}$ and $\{0,\mu^{2}\}$, respectively.
It is important to stress that it is possible to obtain all the curves of form (\[rays\_4\]), (\[rc\_4\]), and (\[exep\_4\]) from the rays after some (nonlinear) operations, corresponding to local transformations of operators [@Klimov2007]. The families of such transformations are the following: 8 curves (the rays $\beta
=\alpha $ and $\beta =0$ among them) can be obtained from the single ray $\alpha =0$ (corresponding to the vertical axis) and the other 5 curves (the ray $\beta ={\sigma}^{2}\alpha $ among them) from the ray $\beta = {\sigma}\alpha $.
The simplest curve bundle contains just rays. There are three rays ($\beta = \alpha $, $\beta = 0$, and $\alpha =0$) with completely factorizable structure $\{1, 1\}$ and two rays ($\beta = {\sigma}\alpha$ and $\beta = {\sigma}^{2}\alpha$ with nonfactorizable structure $\{ 2
\}$. Since any other bundle can be obtained from the ray bundle by applying some local transformations, the only bundle structure is $(3,2)$, i.e., in any bundle there are three factorizable curves and two nonfactorizable (having EPR-states as basis states).
Curves over ${\mathrm{GF}(2^3)}$
--------------------------------
A generic additive commutative curve over ${\mathrm{GF}(2^3)}$ is given by $$\alpha = \alpha_{0}\kappa + \alpha_{1}\kappa^{2} + \alpha_{2}\kappa^{4},
\qquad \qquad
\beta = \beta_{0}\kappa + \beta_{1} \kappa^{2} + \beta_{2} \kappa^{4}.
\label{8_curve_1}$$ The commutative condition in this case is much more complicated than for ${\mathrm{GF}(2^2)}$, so a full analysis of all the possible curves becomes cumbersome if we start with (\[8\_curve\_1\]). Instead, we can follow the procedure of sections \[Sec: Regular\] and \[Sec: Exceptional\].
A generic regular curves has always one of the following forms $$\begin{aligned}
\beta = \phi_{0} \alpha + \phi^{2} \alpha^{2} + \phi \alpha^{4},
\qquad \qquad
\alpha & = & \psi_{0} \beta + \psi^{2} \beta^{2}+ \psi \beta^{4} .
\label{8d_c} \end{aligned}$$ for $\alpha$- and $\beta$-curves, respectively. All in all, we get 100 different regular curves. There are 21 doubly degenerate exceptional curves of the form (\[e\_c\_\_8\_dd\]) and 14 exceptional curves (\[sec\_8\]), which are quadruply degenerate in one direction and doubly degenerate in the other.
The simplest way of forming bundles of commutative curves is given in (\[b1\]). Then, four bundles of nine curves each $$\beta = \phi_{0} \alpha + \phi^{2} \alpha^{2} + \phi \alpha^{4},
\qquad \qquad
\alpha = 0,$$ where $\phi_{0}\in {\mathrm{GF}(2^3)}$ and ${\mathop{\mathrm{tr}}\nolimits}(\phi) =0$, have the factorization structure $(3,0,6)$. The choice $\phi =0$ leads to the ray structure (\[rays\]). Among them, only three rays ($\beta =0, \alpha =0,\beta =\alpha$) have the structure $\{1,1,1\}$, while the other six rays have the structure $\{3\}$.
All the other bundles with ${\mathop{\mathrm{tr}}\nolimits}(\phi) =0$ (i.e., $\phi$ takes the values ${\sigma}$, ${\sigma}^{2}$, and ${\sigma}^{4}$) can be generated from the bundle with $\phi =0$ by applying local transformations. In particular, $\phi = {\sigma}$ is generated by an $x$-rotation of the first qubit, $\phi = {\sigma}^{2}$ by an $x$-rotation of the second qubit, and $\phi = {\sigma}^{4}$ by an $x$-rotation of the first and second qubits.
Another four bundles of nine curves $$\beta =\phi_{0}\alpha +\phi^{2}\alpha^{2}+\phi \alpha^{4},
\qquad \qquad
\alpha = 0,$$ where $\phi_{0}\in {\mathrm{GF}(2^3)}$ and ${\mathop{\mathrm{tr}}\nolimits}( \phi ) =1$ generate all the structures $(1,6,2)$. For instance, in the bundle with $\phi =1$ the curves with $\phi_{0}=0,{\sigma}^{7}=1$ have the factorization $\{3\}$ and all the other values of $\phi_{0}\in
{\mathrm{GF}(2^3)}$ generate the curves with the factorization $\{1,2\}$. The ray $\alpha =0$ has the factorization $\{1,1,1\}$.
As in the previous case, all the bundles with ${\mathop{\mathrm{tr}}\nolimits}(\phi) =1$ ($\phi =
{\sigma}^{3}, {\sigma}^{5}, {\sigma}^{6}$) can be obtained form the bundle with $\phi =1$ by some local transformations: $\phi ={\sigma}^{3}$ by an $x$-rotation of the first qubit, $\phi = {\sigma}^{6}$ by an $x$-rotation of the second qubit and $ \phi ={\sigma}^{5}$ by an $x$-rotation of the third qubits.
The aforementioned local rotations can be also viewed as a relabeling of the points of the curves $\beta =\phi_{0} \alpha
+\alpha^{2} + \alpha^{4}$ according to $\alpha \mapsto
{\sigma}^{k} \alpha$ and $\beta \mapsto {\sigma}^{-k}\beta $, with $k=2,4,1$, respectively. On the other hand, $k=3,5,6$ correspond to nonlocal transformations and lead to the bundles of curves corresponding to the $(3,0,6)$ structure.
It is possible to obtain one more type of bundles with different factorization structure and constituted only by regular curves. To this end we recall that the nonintersection condition between two regular curves has the form $$( \phi_{0} + \phi_{0}^{\prime})^{7} +
{\mathop{\mathrm{tr}}\nolimits}[ ( \phi_{0}+\phi_{0}^{\prime} ) ( \phi + \phi^{\prime}) ] =1 ,
\label{8d_ni}$$ so $\phi_{0}$ and $\phi_{0}^{\prime}$ never coincide. Now, let us take three nonintersecting regular curves satisfying (\[8d\_ni\]) $$\begin{aligned}
{\mathop{\mathrm{tr}}\nolimits}[ ( \phi_{0} + \phi_{0}^{\prime})
( \phi + \phi^{\prime} ) ] & = & 0, \nonumber \\
{\mathop{\mathrm{tr}}\nolimits}[ ( \phi_{0}^{\prime} + \phi_{0}^{\prime \prime})
( \phi^{\prime}+\phi^{\prime \prime} ) ] & = & 0, \\
{\mathop{\mathrm{tr}}\nolimits}[ ( \phi_{0} + \phi_{0}^{\prime \prime})
( \phi + \phi^{\prime \prime} ) ] & = & 0, \nonumber\end{aligned}$$ and construct a set of curves according to $$\beta = ( \phi_{0}^{a} + \phi_{0}^{b}) \alpha +
( \phi^{a} + \phi^{b} )^{2} \alpha^{2} +
( \phi^{a} + \phi^{b}) \alpha^{4},$$ where $\phi_{0}^{a}$ , $\phi_{0}^{b}$ and $\phi^{a}$, $\phi^{b}$ are coefficients of the previously defined curves. In this way we generate five additional new curves: $$\begin{aligned}
\label{8_3}
\beta & = & ( \phi_{0}+\phi_{0}^{\prime} ) \alpha +
( \phi + \phi^{\prime} )^{2}\alpha^{2} +
( \phi +\phi^{\prime}) \alpha^{4}, \nonumber \\
\beta & = & ( \phi_{0}+\phi_{0}^{\prime \prime} ) \alpha +
( \phi +\phi^{\prime \prime})^{2} \alpha^{2} +
( \phi +\phi^{\prime \prime}) \alpha^{4}, \nonumber \\
\beta &=& ( \phi_{0}^{\prime}+\phi_{0}^{\prime \prime}) \alpha +
( \phi^{\prime}+\phi^{\prime \prime} )^{2}\alpha^{2} +
( \phi^{\prime}+\phi^{\prime \prime}) \alpha^{4}, \\
\beta &=& ( \phi_{0}+\phi_{0}^{\prime} + \phi_{0}^{\prime \prime} ) \alpha +
( \phi +\phi^{\prime}+\phi^{\prime \prime})^{2}\alpha^{2} +
( \phi +\phi^{\prime}+\phi^{\prime \prime}) \alpha^{4}, \nonumber \\
\beta &=&0,\nonumber\end{aligned}$$ and one has to add the last curve $\alpha =0$ to complete the set of nine curves.
We observe that the three “initial” curves can be obtained in the same way using some of the curves in (\[8\_3\]). This implies that any curve constructed in this way should satisfy the condition $${\mathop{\mathrm{tr}}\nolimits}(\phi_{0} \, \phi ) =0.$$ All these sets of curves lead to the factorization structure $(2,3,4)$. One example of such type of bundle is $$\begin{array}{lcl}
\{ 1,1,1 \} & \mapsto & \alpha =0,\beta =0 \\
\{ 1,2 \} & \mapsto & \left\{
\begin{array}{l}
\beta ={\sigma}^{6}\alpha +{\sigma}^{3}\alpha^{2}+{\sigma}^{5}\alpha^{4}, \\
\beta ={\sigma}^{2}\alpha +{\sigma}^{5}\alpha^{2}+{\sigma}^{6}\alpha^{4}, \\
\beta ={\sigma}^{4}\alpha +{\sigma}^{3}\alpha^{2}+{\sigma}^{5}\alpha^{4}
\end{array}
\right . \\
\{ 3 \} & \mapsto & \left\{
\begin{array}{l}
\beta = {\sigma}^{3}\alpha ,\\
\beta = {\sigma}^{5}\alpha +{\sigma}^{5} \alpha^{2} + {\sigma}^{6}\alpha^{4}, \\
\beta = {\sigma}\alpha +{\sigma}^{2}\alpha^{2} + {\sigma}\alpha^{4}, \\
\beta = \alpha +{\sigma}^{2} \alpha^{2} + {\sigma}\alpha^{4}.
\end{array}
\right .
\end{array}$$
There is one more type of bundles with the structure $(0,9,0)$, i.e., which contains only curves with the factorization $\{1,2\}$. Such bundles always contain exceptional curves. One example of those bundles is
a\) Regular curves $$\begin{array}{ll}
\alpha = {\sigma}^{2}\beta +{\sigma}^{3}\beta^{2}+{\sigma}^{5}\beta^{4},
\qquad \qquad &
\alpha = {\sigma}^{6}\beta +{\sigma}^{3}\beta^{2}+{\sigma}^{5}\beta^{4}, \\
\beta ={\sigma}^{2}\alpha +{\sigma}^{3}\alpha^{2}+{\sigma}^{5}\alpha^{4},
\qquad \qquad &
\beta = {\sigma}^{6}\alpha^{2}+{\sigma}^{3}\alpha^{4}, \\
\alpha =\beta +{\sigma}^{6}\beta^{2}+{\sigma}^{3}\beta^{4},
\qquad \qquad &
\beta =\alpha +{\sigma}^{3}\alpha^{2}+{\sigma}^{5}\alpha^{4}, \\
\alpha ={\sigma}^{3}\beta^{2}+{\sigma}^{5}\beta^{4},
\qquad \qquad &
\end{array}$$ b) Exceptional curves $$\begin{aligned}
\beta^{2} + {\sigma}^{5} \beta &=& {\sigma}^{2} \alpha^{2} + {\sigma}^{6} \alpha ,
\qquad \qquad
{\mathop{\mathrm{tr}}\nolimits}( {\sigma}^{4}\beta ) =0, \quad {\mathop{\mathrm{tr}}\nolimits}( {\sigma}^{5}\alpha ) =0; \nonumber \\
& & \\
\beta^{2}+{\sigma}^{2}\beta &=&{\sigma}^{6}\alpha^{2}+{\sigma}^{5}\alpha ,
\qquad \qquad
{\mathop{\mathrm{tr}}\nolimits}( {\sigma}^{6}\beta ) =0,\quad {\mathop{\mathrm{tr}}\nolimits}({\sigma}^{2}\alpha ) =0, \nonumber\end{aligned}$$ where the structural equations are written in the trace form.
The rays with $\{1,2\}$ factorization structure cannot be obtained from rays by local transformations. Moreover, not all the curves with factorization $\{ 3 \}$ can be obtained from the rays of the same type.
All these structures can be obtained form each other by nonlocal transformations, which can be always reduced to a combination of CNOT gates and local transformations. To each bundle with a given factorization structure corresponds a set of nonlocal transformations preserving such structure. Such a symmetry can be used to determine the optimum tomographic procedure and will be discussed elsewhere.
The phase-space approach presented here also provides an alternative to the graph-state classification of all the possible stabilizers states for $n$-qubit systems. In fact, each additive curve represents a basis in the $2^{n}$ dimensional Hilbert space, so that the stabilizer state is one element of such basis. Not each curve can be directly associated with a graph state [@Raussendorf2003], but it can be reduced to an appropriate graph state through local Clifford transformations [@vandenNest2004]. While the classification of the graph states represents a formidable task for large numbers of qubits, the phase-space approach allows working with algebraic structures. Although the local equivalence is still an open problem, at least we can determine some elements of equivalence classes under local Clifford transformations in a relatively simple form. Besides, several nonlocal qubit operations as SWAP or CNOT gates can be nicely represented in terms of curves transformations curves. The above-mentioned problems will be analyzed in future work.
Conclusions
===========
It has relatively recently been realized that several different types of MUBs, with respect to their factorization properties, exist for a system of $n$ qubits. Such bases are related to different arrangements of generalized Pauli monomials into sets of commuting operators. The construction of a whole set of MUBs is an involved problem, especially for large number of qubits. The simplest MUB construction was discovered by Wootters and it is related to straight lines in the discrete phase space. We have shown that all the other MUBs are connected with a special type of discrete curves. Although, in principle, we can classify all the possible additive commutative curves and even determine which are related through local transformations, arranging them in bundles of nonintersecting curves is still an involved problem. Nevertheless, we can find some of such bundles according to a “recipe” \[specifically equations (\[b1\]) and (\[a1\])\], which represents an essential progress in this field.
The authors would like to acknowledge fruitful discussions with Dr. Iulia Ghiu, from University of Bucharest. This work was supported by the Grant No 45704 of Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACyT), the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education (STINT), the Swedish Research Council (VR), the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF), and the Spanish Research Directorate (Grant FIS2005-06714). A. B. K. was also supported by the Spanish Sabbatical Program (Grant SAB2006-0064).
Galois fields {#Sec: Galois}
=============
In this appendix we briefly recall the minimum background needed in this paper. The reader interested in more mathematical details is referred, e.g., to the excellent monograph by Lidl and Niederreiter [@Lidl1986].
A commutative ring is a set $R$ equipped with two binary operations, called addition and multiplication, such that it is an Abelian group with respect the addition, and the multiplication is associative. Perhaps, the motivating example is the ring of integers $\mathbb{Z}$ with the standard sum and multiplication. On the other hand, the simplest example of a finite ring is the set $\mathbb{Z}_n$ of integers modulo $n$, which has exactly $n$ elements.
A field $F$ is a commutative ring with division, that is, such that 0 does not equal 1 and all elements of $F$ except 0 have a multiplicative inverse (note that 0 and 1 here stand for the identity elements for the addition and multiplication, respectively, which may differ from the familiar real numbers 0 and 1). Elements of a field form Abelian groups with respect to addition and multiplication (in this latter case, the zero element is excluded).
The characteristic of a finite field is the smallest integer $p$ such that $$p \, 1= \underbrace{1 + 1 + \ldots + 1}_{\mbox{\scriptsize $p$ times}}=0$$ and it is always a prime number. Any finite field contains a prime subfield $\mathbb{Z}_p$ and has $d = p^n$ elements, where $n$ is a natural number. Moreover, the finite field containing $p^{n}$ elements is unique and is called the Galois field ${\mathrm{GF}(p^n)}$.
Let us denote as $\mathbb{Z}_p[x]$ the ring of polynomials with coefficients in $\mathbb{Z}_p$. Let $P(x)$ be an irreducible polynomial of degree $n$ (i.e., one that cannot be factorized over $\mathbb{Z}_p$). Then, the quotient space $\mathbb{Z}_p[X]/P(x)$ provides an adequate representation of ${\mathrm{GF}(p^n)}$. Its elements can be written as polynomials that are defined modulo the irreducible polynomial $P(x)$. The multiplicative group of ${\mathrm{GF}(p^n)}$ is cyclic and its generator is called a primitive element of the field.
As a simple example of a nonprime field, we consider the polynomial $x^{2}+x+1=0$, which is irreducible in $\mathbb{Z}_{2}$. If ${\sigma}$ is a root of this polynomial, the elements $\{ 0, 1, {\sigma},
{\sigma}^{2} = {\sigma}+ 1 = {\sigma}^{-1} \} $ form the finite field ${\mathrm{GF}(2^2)}$ and ${\sigma}$ is a primitive element.
The map $\alpha \mapsto \alpha^{p}$, where $\alpha \in {\mathrm{GF}(p^n)}$ is a linear automorphism of ${\mathrm{GF}(p^n)}$: $( \alpha + \beta)^{n} =
\alpha^{n} + \beta^{n},$ and $ ( \alpha \beta )^{n} = \alpha^{n}
\beta^{n}$. It is called the Frobenius automorphism and will be represented in the form $$\label{Frob}
\mathfrak{S}^{k} (\alpha ) = \alpha^{p^k} .$$ The elements of the prime field are invariant under action of the this automorphism.
Another basic map is the trace $$\label{deftr}
{\mathop{\mathrm{tr}}\nolimits}(\alpha ) = \alpha + \alpha^{2} + \ldots +
\alpha^{p^{n-1}} = \sum_{k=0}^{n-1} \mathfrak{S}^{k} ( \alpha ),$$ which satisfies $$\label{tracesum}
{\mathop{\mathrm{tr}}\nolimits}( \alpha + \beta ) =
{\mathop{\mathrm{tr}}\nolimits}( \alpha ) + {\mathop{\mathrm{tr}}\nolimits}( \beta ) ,$$ and also leaves the prime field invariant. In terms of it we define the additive characters as $$\label{Eq: addchardef}
\chi (\alpha ) = \exp \left [ \frac{2 \pi i}{p}
{\mathop{\mathrm{tr}}\nolimits}( \alpha ) \right] ,$$ and posses two important properties: $$\chi (\alpha + \beta ) =
\chi (\alpha ) \chi ( \beta ) ,
\qquad \qquad
\sum_{\alpha \in
{\mathrm{GF}(p^n)}} \chi ( \alpha \beta ) = p^n
\delta_{0,\beta} .
\label{eq:addcharprop}$$
Any finite field ${\mathrm{GF}(p^n)}$ can be also considered as an $n$-dimensional linear vector space. Given a basis $\{ {\theta}_{k} \}$, ($k = 1,\ldots, n$) in this vector space, any field element can be represented as $$\label{mapnum}
\alpha = \sum_{k=1}^{n} a_{k} \, {\theta}_{k} ,$$ with $a_{k}\in \mathbb{Z}_{p}$. In this way, we map each element of ${\mathrm{GF}(p^n)}$ onto an ordered set of natural numbers $\alpha
\Leftrightarrow (a_{1}, \ldots ,a_{n})$.
Two bases $\{ {\theta}_{1}, \ldots, {\theta}_{n} \} $ and $\{
{\theta}_{1}^\prime, \ldots , {\theta}_{n}^\prime \} $ are dual when $${\mathop{\mathrm{tr}}\nolimits}( {\theta}_{k} {\theta}_{l}^\prime ) =\delta_{k,l}.$$ A basis that is dual to itself is called selfdual.
There are several natural bases in ${\mathrm{GF}(p^n)}$. One is the polynomial basis, defined as $$\label{polynomial}
\{1, {\sigma}, {\sigma}^{2}, \ldots, {\sigma}^{n-1} \} ,$$ where ${\sigma}$ is a primitive element. An alternative is the normal basis, constituted of $$\label{normal}
\{{\sigma}, {\sigma}^{p}, \ldots, {\sigma}^{p^{n-1}} \}.$$ The choice of the appropriate basis depends on the specific problem at hand. For example, in ${\mathrm{GF}(2^2)}$ the elements $\{ {\sigma}, {\sigma}^{2}\}$ are both roots of the irreducible polynomial. The polynomial basis is $\{ 1, {\sigma}\} $ and its dual is $\{ {\sigma}^{2}, 1 \}$, while the normal basis $\{ {\sigma}, {\sigma}^{2} \} $ is selfdual.
[10]{} url \#1[`#1`]{}urlprefix
W. P. Schleich, Quantum Optics in Phase Space, Wiley-VCH, Berlin, 2001.
H. Weyl, The Theory of Groups and Quantum Mechanics, Dover, New York, 1950.
J. Schwinger, Unitary operator basis, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 46 (1960) 570–576.
J. Schwinger, Unitary transformations and the action principle, Prod. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 46 (1960) 883–897.
J. Schwinger, The special canonical group, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 46 (1960) 1401–1415.
J. H. Hannay, M. V. Berry, Quantization of linear maps on a torus-[F]{}resnel diffraction by aperiodic grating, Physica D 1 (1980) 267–290.
U. Leonhardt, Quantum-state tomography and discrete [W]{}igner function, Phys. Rev. Lett. 74 (1995) 4101–4105.
U. Leonhardt, Discrete wigner function and quantum-state tomography, Phys. Rev. A 53 (1996) 2998–3013.
C. Miquel, J. P. Paz, M. Saraceno, E. Knill, R. Laflamme, C. Negrevergne, Interpretation of tomography and spectroscopy as dual forms of quantum computation, Nature (London) 418 (2002) 59–62.
C. Miquel, J. P. Paz, Quantum computers in phase space, Phys. Rev. A 65 (2002) 062309.
J. P. Paz, Discrete [W]{}igner functions and the phase-space representation of quantum teleportation, Phys. Rev. A 65 (2002) 062311.
F. A. Buot, Method for calculating $\mathrm{Tr} \mathcal{H}^n$ in solid-state theory, Phys. Rev. B 10 (1973) 3700–3705.
W. K. Wootters, A [W]{}igner-function formulation of finite-state quantum mechanics, Ann. Phys. (NY) 176 (1987) 1–21.
D. Galetti, A. F. R. de Toledo Piza, An extended [W]{}eyl-[W]{}igner transformation for special finite spaces, Physica A 149 (1988) 267–282.
O. Cohendet, P. Combe, M. Sirugue, M. Sirugue-Collin, A stochastic treatment of the dynamics of an integer spin, J. Phys. A 21 (1988) 2875–2884.
D. Galetti, A. F. R. de Toledo Piza, Discrete quantum phase spaces and the mod $n$ invariance, Physica A 186 (1992) 513–523.
P. Kasperkovitz, M. Peev, [W]{}igner-[W]{}eyl formalism for toroidal geometries, Ann. Phys. (NY) 230 (1994) 21–51.
T. Opatrn[ý]{}, V. Bu[ž]{}ek, J. Bajer, G. Drobn[ý]{}, Propensities in discrete phase spaces: $q$-function of a state in a finite-dimensional [H]{}ilbert space, Phys. Rev. A 52 (1995) 2419–2427.
D. Galetti, M. A. Marchiolli, Discrete coherent states and probability distributions in finite-dimensional spaces, Ann. Phys. (NY) 249 (1996) 454–480.
T. Opatrn[ý]{}, D.-G. Welsch, V. Bu[ž]{}ek, Parametrized discrete phase-space functions, Phys. Rev. A 53 (1996) 3822–3835.
A. M. F. Rivas, A. M. O. de Almeida, The [W]{}eyl representation on the torus, Ann. Phys. (NY) 276 (1999) 223–256.
K. S. Gibbons, M. J. Hoffman, W. K. Wootters, Discrete phase space based on finite fields, Phys. Rev. A 70 (2004) 062101.
A. Vourdas, Galois quantum systems, J. Phys. A 38 (2005) 8453–8472.
A. Vourdas, Quantum systems with finite [H]{}ilbert space: [G]{}alois fields in quantum mechanics, J. Phys. A 40 (2007) R285–R331.
P. Delsarte, J. M. Goethals, J. J. Seidel, Bounds for systems of lines and [J]{}acobi polynomials, Philips Res. Rep. 30 (1975) 91–105.
W. K. Wootters, Quantum mechanics without probability amplitudes, Found. Phys. 16 (1986) 391–405.
W. K. Wootters, B. D. Fields, Optimal state-determination by mutually unbiased measurements, Ann. Phys. (NY) 191 (1989) 363–381.
K. Kraus, Complementary observables and uncertainty relations, Phys. Rev. D 35 (1987) 3070–3075.
J. Lawrence, Č. Brukner, A. Zeilinger, Mutually unbiased binary observable sets on $n$ qubits, Phys. Rev. A 65 (2002) 032320.
S. Chaturvedi, Aspects of mutually unbiased bases in odd-prime-power dimensions, Phys. Rev. A 65 (2002) 032320.
D. Petz, Complementarity in quantum systems, Rep. Math. Phys. 59 (2007) 209–224.
H. Bechmann-Pasquinucci, A. Peres, Quantum cryptography with 3-state systems, Phys. Rev. Lett. 85 (2000) 3313–3316.
R. Asplund, G. Bj[ö]{}rk, Reconstructing the discrete [W]{}igner function and some properties of the measurement bases, Phys. Rev. A 64 (2001) 012106.
D. Gottesman, Class of quantum error-correcting codes saturating the quantum [H]{}amming bound, Phys. Rev. A 54 (1996) 1862–1868.
A. R. Calderbank, E. M. Rains, P. W. Shor, N. J. A. Sloane, Quantum error correction and orthogonal geometry, Phys. Rev. Lett. 78 (1997) 405–408.
Y. Aharonov, B.-G. Englert, The mean king’s problem: spin 1, Z. Naturforsch. 56a (2001) 16–19.
B.-G. Englert, Y. Aharonov, The mean king’s problem: Prime degrees of freedom, Phys. Lett. A 284 (2001) 1–5.
P. K. Aravind, Solution to the king’s problem in prime power dimensions, Z. Naturforsch. 58a (2003) 85–92.
A. Hayashi, M. Horibe, T. Hashimoto, Mean king’s problem with mutually unbiased bases and orthogonal latin squares, Phys. Rev. A 71 (2005) 052331.
A. Klappenecker, M. R[ö]{}tteler, New tales of the mean king, arXiv:quant-ph/0502138.
J. P. Paz, A. J. Roncaglia, M. Saraceno, Qubits in phase space: [W]{}igner-function approach to quantum-error correction and the mean-king problem, Phys. Rev. A 72 (2005) 012309.
T. Durt, About [W]{}eyl and [W]{}igner tomography in finite-dimensional [H]{}ilbert spaces, Open Sys. Inf. Dyn. 13 (2006) 403–413.
G. Kimura, H. Tanaka, M. Ozawa, Solution to the mean king’s problem with mutually unbiased bases for arbitrary levels, Phys. Rev. A 73 (2006) 050301(R).
I. D. Ivanovic, Geometrical description of quantal state determination, J. Phys. A 14 (1981) 3241–3245.
A. R. Calderbank, P. J. Cameron, W. M. Kantor, J. Seidel, $\mathbb{Z}_4$-kerdock codes, orthogonal spreads, and extremal [E]{}uclidean line-sets, Proc. London Math. Soc. 75 (1997) 436–480.
A. Klappenecker, M. R[ö]{}tteler, Constructions of mutually unbiased bases, in: G. Mullen, A. Poli, H. Stichtenoth (Eds.), Finite Fields and Applications, Vol. 2948 of Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Springer, Berlin, 2003, pp. 137–144.
J. Lawrence, Mutually unbiased bases and trinary operator sets for n qutrits, Phys. Rev. A 70 (2004) 012302.
K. R. Parthasarathy, On estimating the state of a finite level quantum system, Infin. Dimens. Anal. Quantum Probab. Relat. Top. 7 (2004) 607–617.
A. O. Pittenger, M. H. Rubin, Wigner functions and separability for finite systems, J. Phys. A 38 (2005) 6005–6036.
T. Durt, About mutually unbiased bases in even and odd prime power dimensions, J. Phys. A 38 (2005) 5267–5284.
M. Planat, H. Rosu, Mutually unbiased phase states, phase uncertainties and [G]{}auss sums, Eur. Phys. J. D 36 (2005) 133–139.
A. B. Klimov, L. L. S[[á]{}]{}nchez-Soto, H. de Guise, Multicomplementary operators via finite [F]{}ourier transform, J. Phys. A 38 (2005) 2747–2760.
O. P. Boykin, M. Sitharam, P. H. Tiep, P. Wocjan, Mutually unbiased bases and orthogonal decompositions of [L]{}ie algebras, Quantum Info. Comp. 7 (2007) 371–382.
M. Grassl, On SIC-POVMs and MUBs in dimension 6, arXiv:quant-ph/0406175 (2004).
C. Archer, There is no generalization of known formulas for mutually unbiased bases, J. Math. Phys. 46 (2005) 022106.
P. Wocjan, On the maximal number of real mutually unbiased bases, arXiv.org quant-ph/0502024.
P. Butterley, W. Hall, Numerical evidence for the maximum number of mutually unbiased bases in dimension six, Phys. Lett. 369 (2007) 5–8. M. Saniga, M. Planat, H. Rosu, Mutually unbiased bases and finite projective planes, J. Opt. B 6 (2004) L19–L20.
I. Bengtsson, MUBs, polytopes and finite geometries, AIP Conf. Proc. 750 (2005)
G. Zauner, [Q]{}uantendesigns: [G]{}rundz[ü]{}ge einer nichtkommutativen [D]{}esigntheorie, Ph.D. thesis, University of Vienna (1999).
W. K. Wootters, Quantum measurements and finite geometry, Found. Phys. 36 (2006) 112–126.
S. Bandyopadhyay, P. O. Boykin, V. Roychowdhury, F. Vatan, A new proof for the existence of mutually unbiased bases, Algorithmica 34 (2002) 512–528.
J. L. Romero, G. Bj[ö]{}rk, A. B. Klimov, L. L. S[[á]{}]{}nchez-Soto, Structure of the sets of mutually unbiased bases for $n$ qubits, Phys. Rev. A 72 (2005) 062310.
G. Bj[ö]{}rk, J. L. Romero, A. B. Klimov, L. L. S[[á]{}]{}nchez-Soto, Mutually unbiased bases and discrete [W]{}igner functions, J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 24 (2007) 371–378.
A. B. Klimov, J. L. Romero, G. Bj[ö]{}rk, L. L. S[á]{}nchez-Soto, Geometrical approach to mutually unbiased bases, J. Phys. A 40 (2007) 3987–3998.
A. Peres, Quantum Theory: Concepts and Methods, Kluwer, Dordrecht, 1993.
D. Gottesman, A. Kitaev, J. Preskill, Encoding a qubit in an oscillator, Physical Review A 64 (2001) 012310.
S. Bartlett, H. de Guise, B. C. Sanders, Quantum encodings in spin systems and harmonic oscillators, Phys. Rev. A 65 (5) (2002) 052316.
R. Lidl, H. Niederreiter, Introduction to finite fields and their applications, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1986.
R. Raussendorf, D. E. Brown, H. J. Briegel, Measurement-based quantum computation on cluster states, Phys. Rev. A 68 (2003) 022312.
M. Van den Nest, J. Dehaene, B. de Moor, Graphical description of the action of local Clifford transformations on graph states, Phys. Rev. A 69 (2004) 022316.
| |
General view of company factory
Hexiang Precision Machine Limited was founded in July 2009, located in Shijie Town, Dongguan City, with a total area of about 2400 square meters.
Customers distributes to Europe and the United States, Japan, Hong Kong and the mainland international well-known enterprises, the company has been focusing on human resources development and training, provide the broad development space for over 100 employees.
Products covered the defense, aerospace, electronics, medical, semi-conductor, automation and other industries. With parts variety, high precision, large, medium batch processing parts, product precision reached 0.002 mm, in compliance with ISO, ASME, DIN, JIS quality systems.
Please contact us. Your final choice is the best answer to our factory. Welcome you to visit us at any time. | http://www.hexiang-machining.com/factory/office-environment-and-factory-scale |
Assume that the demand curve for apples is given by Qd = 140 - 5P, where Qd is number of pounds demanded per year and p is price per pound. The supply of apples can be stated by Qs = 40 + 3P, where Qs is the number of pounds provided.
A. What is the equilibrium price?
B. What is the equilibrium quantity supplied and demanded?
C. find out the consumer surplus at the equilibrium price.
D. find out the producer surplus at the equilibrium price.
E. find out the total surplus at the equilibrium price.
F. Now suppose that the government imposes a tax of $8 per pound sold, paid by the consumers. In this case, what are the price and the consumer surplus?
Microeconomics, Economics
Assignment--Risk Management Choose one of the following topics and write a critical essay, with the word limit of 800±100, excluding references. Academic integrity: In order to ensure the academic integrity of your submi ...
Demonstrate how metrics such as valuation, economic profit, and related terms are measured and evaluated. Explain the significance and implications of various economic theories pertaining to profit, consumer choice, dema ...
From the scenario for Katrina's Candies,suggest one(1)method in which Herb could use a cost-benefit analysis to argue for or against an expansion. Create three optimal decision rules for Katrina's Candies(e.g.,whether to ...
Microeconomics - Price Floor Assignment In a perfectly competitive market, the equilibrium price and quantity represent the most efficient operation of that market. Optimum efficiency means that sellers cannot be made be ...
Answer all the questions: Q1. Assume that the home (H) and foreign (F) countries produce two goods apples (A) and bananas (B) by using labor. The unit labor requirements in A and B are given in two countries as follows: ...
Hospitality Economic Report Format: individual report, limited to 1500 words - use them wisely! The task is to produce a concise yet critical report, provide recommendations and recognise limitations of what you are reco ...
Acts of Possession Carefully read "Acts of Possession," which covers European modes of possessing land and justifying colonization in the Americas. Write a short essay Addressing the following: What common features or as ...
Short-Run Economic Fluctuations Create a 3 -slide Microsoft PowerPoint presentation that will be presented to the organization's Executive Committee. The presentation should cover the following items: • Identify the thre ...
Question 1 Given the following chart answer the questions below, assuming that all resources and technology are fixed for this farm. Corn(bu) Soybeans(bu) 20,000 0 16,000 5000 12,000 9000 8,000 12,000 4,000 14,000 0 15, ...
Discussion "Long-Term Investment and Cost-Benefit Analysis" Please respond to the following: • From the scenario for Katrina's Candies, suggest one method in which Herb could use a cost-benefit analysis to argue for or a ...
Start excelling in your Courses,
Get help with Assignment
Write us your full requirement for evaluation and you will receive response within 20 minutes turnaround time. | http://www.mywordsolution.com/question/assume-that-the-demand-curve-for-apples-is-given/937743 |
The utility model discloses a simple english book placing frame, it contains base (1), and mid -mounting that top surface was gone up in this base (1) has bookshelf (2), the baffle of english books (3) can be placed in the both sides of bookshelf (2) the do not symmetrical several that is provided with, the tip of baffle (3) rotates with bookshelf (2) is connected the cooperation, drive groove (4) have been seted up at the middle part of bookshelf (2), and electric telescopic handle (5) are installed to the bottom that should drive groove (4), locating plate (6) are installed to the piston axle head of electric telescopic handle (5), the both sides of locating plate (6) symmetry respectively are provided with several connecting rods (7). The utility model has the advantages of reasonable design, convenient to use, the baffle of placing books can be accomodate when no for a long time, and holistic liberalization degree is higher, decorative better. | |
Why don’t we have warp drive yet? Well, because, according to “Star Trek” lore, inventor Zefram Cochrane hasn’t been born yet.
Baby Zefram is due in about 20 years, but in the meantime NASA and the Department of Energy are working on something somewhat tantalizing if you’re planning a deep-space probe.
Researchers including engineers from Los Alamos National Laboratory have demonstrated a nuclear reactor that could power spaceflight. It’s nowhere near as powerful as NASA’s conceptual antimatter engine–the Demonstration Using Flattop Fissions (DUFF) experiment produces just 24 watts of electricity.
The researchers used a heat pipe to cool a small nuclear reactor and power a Stirling engine, according to the lab, yielding “a simple, reliable space power system.” It was the first space nuclear reactor experiment in the U.S. since 1965.
Related stories
- NASA sheds light on tech needed for space travel
- … [Read more]
Related Links:
Two space veterans named to yearlong station flight
Titan supercomputer debuts for open scientific research
NASA to announce new manned moon missions? | http://www.e-anchor.biz/2012/11/27/doe-nasa-testing-fission-reactor-for-spaceflight/ |
This blog will take you through the introduction to the graphical data analysis with R in detail. Moreover, in this blog, we will discuss the various types of plots drawn in R, types of plots available in R i.e. Histograms, Index Plots, Time Series Plots, Pie Charts. Also, we will look at saving graphics to file in R and the selection of the appropriate blog in R are also present in this R tutorial.
So, let’s start Graphical Data Analysis with R.
2. What is Graphical Data Analysis With R?
Much of the statistical analysis is based on numerical techniques, such as confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, regression analysis, and so on. In many cases, these techniques are based on assumptions about the data being used. One way to determine if data conform to these assumptions is the Graphical Data Analysis with R, as a graph can provide many insights into the properties of the plotted dataset.
Graphs are useful for non-numerical data, such as colors, flavors, brand names, and more. When numerical measures are difficult or impossible to compute, graphs play an important role.
Statistical computing is done with the aim to produce high-quality graphics.
Plots with single variables – You can plot a graph for a single variable.
Special plots – R has low and high-level graphics facilities.
You may need to plot for a single variable in Graphical Data Analysis With R. For example, a plot showing daily sales values of a particular product over a period of time. You can also plot the time series for month by month sales.
Histograms – Used to display the mode, spread, and symmetry of a set of data.
Index Plots – Here, the plot takes a single argument. This kind of plot is especially useful for error checking.
Time Series Plots – When a period of time is complete, the time series plot can be used to join the dots in an ordered set of y values.
Pie Charts – Useful to illustrate the proportional makeup of a sample in presentations.
A common mistake among beginners is to confuse histograms and bar charts. Histograms have the response variable on the x-axis, and the y-axis shows the frequency of different values of the response. In contrast, a bar chart has the response variable on the y-axis and a categorical explanatory variable on the x-axis. Let us now study Histograms for performing Graphical analysis with R.
Histograms display the mode, the spread, and the symmetry of a set of data. The R function hist() is used to plot histograms.
X-axis is divided into which the values of the response variable are distributed and then counted. This is called bins. Histograms are tricky because it depends on the subjective judgments of where exactly to put the bin margins that what graph you will be looking at. Wide bins produce one picture, narrow bins produce a different picture, and unequal bins produce confusion.
Small bins produce multimodality (combination of audio, textual, and visual modes), whereas broad bins produce unimodality (contains a single mode). When there are different bin widths, the default in R is for this to convert the counts into densities.
You need to take care that the bins can accommodate both your minimum and maximum values.
The cut() function takes a continuous vector and cuts it up into bins that can then be used for counting.
The hist() function in R does not take your advice about the number of bars or the width of bars. It helps simultaneous viewing of multiple histograms with similar range. For small integer data, you can have one bin for each value.
In R, the parameter k of the negative binomial distribution is known as size and the mean is known as mu.
Drawing histograms of continuous variables is a more challenging task than explanatory variables. This problem depends on the density estimation that is an important issue for statisticians. To deal this problem, you can approximately transform continuous model to a discrete model using a linear approximation to evaluate the density at the specified points.
For plotting single samples, index plots can be used. The plot function takes a single argument. This is a continuous variable and plots values on the y-axis, with the x coordinate determined by the position of the number in the vector. Index plots are especially useful for error checking.
The time series plot can be used to join the dots in an ordered set of y values when a period of time is complete. The issues arise when there are missing values in the time series (e.g., if sales values for two months are missing during the last five years), particularly groups of missing values (e.g., if sales values for two quarters are missing during the last five years) for which periods we typically know nothing about the behavior of the time series.
ts.plot and plot.ts are the two functions for plotting time series data in R.
You can use pie charts to illustrate the proportional makeup of a sample in presentations. Here the function pie takes a vector of numbers and turns them into proportions. It then divides the circle on the basis of those proportions.
To indicate each segment of the pie, it is essential to use a label. The label is provided as a vector of character strings, here called data$names.
Note: The color for the segments can also be changed in R.
The response variable is represented on the y-axis and the explanatory variable is represented on the x-axis. Nature of the explanatory variable determines the kind of plot produced. When the explanatory variable is a continuous variable, such as length or weight or altitude, the appropriate plot to use is a scatterplot.
When an explanatory variable is categorical, like genotype or color or gender, the appropriate plot is either a box-and-whisker plot or a barplot.
A box-and-whisker plot is a graphical means of representing sets of numeric data using quartiles and it depends on the minimum and maximum values, and upper and lower quartiles.
A barplot provides a graphical representation of data in the form of bar charts.
Scatterplots – When the explanatory variable is a continuous variable.
Stepped Lines – Used to plot data distinctly and provide a clear view.
Boxplots – Boxplots show the location, spread of data and indicate skewness.
Barplots – It shows the heights of the mean values from the different treatments.
Scatterplots shows a graphical representation of the relationship between two numbered sets. The plot function draws axis and adds a scatterplot of points. You can also add extra points or lines to an existing plot by using the functions, point, and lines.
Cartesian plot (x, y) – A Cartesian coordinate specifies the location of a point in a two-dimensional plan with the help of two perpendicular vectors that are known as an axis. The origin of the Cartesian coordinate system is the point where two axes cut each other and the location of this point is the (0,0).
Formula plot (y, x) – The formula based plot refers to representing the relationship between variables in the graphical form. For example, the equation, y=mx+c, shows straight line in the Cartesian coordinate system.
The advantage of the formula-based plot is that the plot function and the model fit look and feel the same. The Cartesian plots build plots using “x than y” while the model fit uses “y than x”.
Unless you specify with explicit labels, the random variable names label the axis. You could use below command to change the label x1 into the longer label called as ‘Explanatory variable’ and the label on ty-axisxis from y1 to ‘Response variable’.
The argument pch refers to plotting character or plotting symbol. The plotting symbol, pch adds the variations to the scatterplots.
The formula based plot refers to representing the relationship between variables in graphical form. For example, the equation, y=mx+c, shows the straight line in Cartesian coordinate system.
beneath. The default value, pch= 1, is a small open circle in black. Note that values from 26 to 32 are not implemented at present. Values for pch between 33 and 127 represent the ASCII character set, while values between 128 and 255 are the symbols from the Windows character set.
The symbols for pch=19 and pch=20 are solid circles of different sizes. The difference between pch=16 and pch=19 is that because the latter uses a border, it is larger when the line width Iwd is large relative to character expansion cex. The symbol for pch=46 is the /dot/.
The plotting symbols (pch) numbered 21–25 allow you to specify the background color and the border color separately. Sometimes you might need to add labels to the data; for example, you can add labels to represent country wise savings data on a graph where each point displays the country name.
You can also add text to scatterplots in R. It is easy to add text to graphics. For example, to add the text ‘(b)’ to a plot at the location x = 80 and y = 65; just type text (80, 65, “ (b)”).
The best way to identify multiple individuals in scatterplots is to use a combination of colors and symbols. A useful tip is to use as.numeric to convert a grouping factor into a color and/or a symbol.
Stepped lines can be plotted as graphical displays in R. These plots, plot data distinctly and they also provide a clear view of the differences in the figures.
A box-and-whisker plot is a graphical means of representing sets of numeric data using quartiles. It is based on the minimum and maximum values, and upper and lower quartiles.
Boxplots summarizes the information available. The vertical dash lines are called the ‘whiskers’. Boxplots are also excellent for spotting errors in data. The extreme outliers represents these errors.
Any doubt yet in the Graphical Analysis with R? Please Comment.
Barplot is an alternative to boxplot to show the heights of the mean values from the different treatments. Function tapply computes the heights of the bars. Thus it works out the mean values for each level of the categorical explanatory variable.
The pairs function – For a matrix of scatterplots of every variable against every other.
The coplot function – For conditioning plots where y is plotted against x for different values of z.
It is better to use more specialized commands when dealing with the rows and columns of data frames.
For two or more continuous explanatory variables, it is valuable to check for subtle dependencies between the explanatory variables. Rows represent the response variables and columns represent the explanatory variables.
Every variable in the data frame is on the y-axis against every other variable on the x-axis using the pairs function plots. The pairs function needs only the name of the whole data frame as its first argument.
The relationship between two variables may be obscured by the effects of other processes in multivariate data. When you draw a two-dimensional plot of y against x, then all the effects of other explanatory variables are shown onto the plane of the paper. In the simplest case, we have one response variable and just two explanatory variables.
The coplot panels are ordered from lower left to upper right, associated with the values of the conditioning variable in the upper panel from left to right.
Coplot involves the ‘shingles’ shown in the upper margin which is its biggest disadvantage. The overlap between the shingles shows the extent of overlap between one panel and the next with respect to the number of common data points between them.
R has extensive facilities for producing graphs. It also has low and high-level graphics facilities as per the requirement.
The low-level graphics are the basic building blocks that can build up graphs step by step, while a high-level facility provides the variety of pre-assembled graphical display.
Bubble plots – useful for illustrating the variation in the third variable across different locations in the x–y.
Plots with many identical values – Sometimes, two or more points with count data fall in exactly the same location in a scatterplot. As a result, the repeated values of y are hidden, one beneath the other.
Using the locater function we can obtain the coordinates of the corners of the rectangle. But the rect function does not accept locator as its argument.
arrows – For plotting arrows and headed bars – The syntax for the arrows function is to draw a line from the point (xO, yO) to the point (x1, y1) with the arrowhead, by default, at the “second” end (x1, y1).
polygon – For plotting more complicated filled shapes, including objects with curved sides.
You are likely to want to save each of your plots as a PDF or PostScript file for publication-quality graphics. This is done by specifying the ‘device’ before plotting, then turning the device off once finished.
There are numerous options for the pdf and postscript functions, but width and height are the ones you are likely to want to change most often. The sizes are in inches. You can specify any nondefault arguments that you want to change using the functions pdf.options and ps.options before you invoke either pdf or postscript.
You have learned about different types of graphs. As a result, you can draw these graphs in R. It is also important to select an appropriate type of graph according to the requirements.
Line Graph – It displays, the over the time period. It generally keeps the track of records for both, long time period and short time period according to requirements. In the case of small change, the line graph is more common than the bar graph. In some cases, the line graphs also compare the changes among different groups in the same time period.
Pie Chart – It displays comparison within a group. For example, you can compare students in a college on the basis of their streams, such as arts, science, and commerce using a pie chart. One can not use a pie chart to show changes over the time period.
Bar Graph – Similar to a line graph, the bar graph generally compares different groups or tracking changes over a defined period of time. Thus the difference between two graphs is that the line graph tracks small changes while bar graph tracks large changes.
Area Graph – The area graph tracks the changes over the specific time period for one or more groups related to a similar category.
X-Y Plot – The X-Y plot displays a certain relationship between two variables. In this type of variable, the X-axis measures one variable and Y-axis measures another variable. On the one hand, if the values of both variable increase at the same time, a positive relationship exists between variables. On the other hand, if the value of one variable decreases at the time of increasing value of another variable, a negative relationship exists between variables. It, it could be also possible that two variables don’t have any relationship. In this case, plotting graph has no meaning.
So, this was all in Graphical Data Analysis with R. Hope you like our explanation.
Hence, in this tutorial of Graphical Data Analysis with R, we discussed the meaning of Graphical Data Analysis. Moreover, we looked at plots and saving graphics to file in R. Also, we learned how to select an appropriate graph. Still, if you have any query related to Graphical Data Analysis with R, so feel free to share with us. We will be happy to solve them. | https://data-flair.training/blogs/graphical-data-analysis-with-r/ |
Keene State College Field Hockey is battling rivals UMass-Dartmouth and Bridgewater State for the number one seed in LEC playoffs starting next week.
The field hockey team is tied for second place with Bridgewater State. UMass-Dartmouth is undefeated so far this season, with a 9-0 record. The Owls fell to UMass-Dartmouth, 3-1 on Saturday, Oct. 20.
They now hope to win their games on Oct. 25 against non-conference Smith College and their final game of the regular season against Framingham State, on Saturday, Oct. 27. After coming off a record-breaking season last year, winning the LEC and continuing onto Nationals, the Owls hope to repeat this again this season.
[singlepic id=1377 w=320 h=240 float=right]
“We had won five Little East Conference championships in a row up until 2010, we lost to them [UMass-Dartmouth] in the conference finals and ence and they moved on, and that was the first time we hadn’t won it in five years, and last year we went back and won it so it’s definitely been a rival back and forth, competition between the two of us. We don’t really go up against something we’re not ready for,” Assistant Coach Carole Kinsella said.
Watson said all the remaining games are important games. “All of those teams are in tournament contention so we really need to take care of all of them,” Watson said. Watson explained they don’t know who they’ll be facing in the playoffs, but they are ready for anything. “Our number one
priority obviously is to win the rest of our games, but then after that, we won’t know who we will be paired up against.” Kinsella said.
“If we are at home we’re on that fast astro-turf, and if we’re on the road, all the schools I believe in the conference, one team plays on grass, and everybody else play on a turf field,” Kinsella continued. Kinsella said the girls know what’s at stake.
“We just need to take each opponent one game at a time, and play our best, and just keep getting better. We can’t peak right now,” Coach Watson said.
The Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) joins the LEC in field hockey, every year. Usually the LEC consists of eight teams, but a few of the normal Little East schools don’t have field hockey and so the MASCAC schools joined in, bringing the total number of contesting schools to 12.
“We have 12 teams in our conference and eight of those teams will compete in the conference tournament. It makes for a big tournament,” Watson said.
“A lot of the other sports have like four teams or six teams that go into their conference tournament and we take eight, so at that time of year anything can happen, and the first and second place teams don’t get a bye, whereas for some of the other teams, like soccer, and basketball, the top teams get a bye,” Watson continued.
Hannah Gage, a junior on the team, is trying to stay focused for the tournament, but said she can’t get caught up in past or future games.
In the tournament, Gage said not having a bye week because of the MASCAC conference, “might even help us, just because if we wind up being first or even second, you tend to play some of the weaker teams that make playoffs.”
Aimee Donaruma, another junior player, said the team is going to continue to practice hard giving 100 percent even in in practices so they are ready for the games ahead.
“The worst thing we could do is look ahead to future game. We have to concentrate on whatever game we have next and just try to beat that team and then think about the next team after that,” Donaruma said.
Meaghan Dwyer, a freshman on the team, said there’s a lot more to college field hockey than in high school. “It’s kind of tough but as soon as you adjust to it, it’s a lot of adjusting and a lot of change over a short amount of time,” Dwyer said.
Dwyer said the team is going to practice hard for the rest of the regular season and in the playoffs. “Tough practicing, and continuing what we are doing. And being well prepared for who we are about to play,” Dwyer said. “Take it day by day.”
“If we win the conference, we get an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, the national tournament, which is 32 teams in the country out of I think 160 schools. Last year we won the conference, went to the national tournament, won the first round, lost in the second round to Bowdoin, who the year before I think had won the national championship,” Kinsella said.
“If we win the LEC playoffs, we go onto NCAAs, like we did last year which is the national tournament, and from there’s first round, second round, third round, and then semifinals and then the national champions,” Donaruma said.
The KSC field hockey team takes on Framingham State on Oct. 27, 2012 at 1:30 p.m. | https://kscequinox.com/2012/10/let-the-games-being-field-hockey/ |
The present invention relates generally to a combustor dome assembly for a gas turbine engine and, in particular, to a combustor dome assembly including swirlers which are contoured to limit stress imposed thereon and so as to allow exposure to cooling holes in an adjacent radial section of a dome plate.
It is well known within the combustor art of gas turbine engines that a dome portion, in conjunction with inner and outer liners, serves to form the boundary of a combustion chamber. A mixture of fuel and air is ignited and burned in such combustion chamber so that the products thereof are able to interface with the blades of turbines and produce work through one or more shafts. The annular combustor dome also serves to position a plurality of mixers in a circumferential manner so that a fuel/air mixture is provided to the combustion chamber in a desired manner.
Gas turbine combustors typically require a floating ferrule or primary swirler to prevent air leakage into the combustor and still allow for thermal growths of the combustor, combustion casing and fuel nozzles. This requirement has oftentimes been accomplished by brazing a secondary swirler or pad into the dome and using a welded retainer to hold the floating ferrule or primary swirler in place. It will be appreciated that the location of such components is critical to the combustor performance and functionality. Examples of such an arrangement are disclosed in U.S. Patent 6,427,435 to Patterson et al. and U.S. Patent 6,314,739 to Howell et al.
While the typical combustor arrangement has adequate space between swirler cups to incorporate features to enhance the spectacle plate structure (e.g., the addition of ribs, cooling holes and the like), certain geometric restrictions have been introduced by current combustor designs which run lean so as to minimize emissions. As disclosed in U.S. Patent 6,381,964 to Pritchard, Jr. et al., one particular fuel/air mixer configuration includes a fuel nozzle containing a pilot mixer therein. The fuel nozzle is then located within a main mixer. Accordingly, the size of the fuel nozzle and the corresponding swirler assembly associated therewith has increased significantly from those previously utilized and thereby reduced the distance between adjacent swirler cups. Utilization of an annular dome having a greater diameter would serve to increase the weight of the engine and require modification of components interfacing therewith. Thus, the openings in the dome plate have been enlarged and thereby lessened the circumferential distance between adjacent openings.
It will be appreciated that a plurality of deflector plates are generally provided in the combustor dome assembly. Such deflector plates are connected to the dome plate adjacent each opening therein in circumferentially spaced relation and protects the dome plate from the extreme effects of the combustion chamber. Cooling for the side edges of the deflector plates is accomplished by means of cooling holes positioned in a radial section of the dome plate between adjacent openings. It will be understood that the swirlers in the combustor dome assembly must be able to prevent leakage of hot gases and allow for thermal growth of the combustor dome assembly.
Thus, in light of the foregoing, it would be desirable for a combustor dome assembly to be developed which accommodates minimum spacing between adjacent swirler cups. It would also be desirable for a swirler to be developed which is configured to perform its intended functions without obstructing cooling flow within the swirler cup.
In a first exemplary embodiment of the invention, a combustor dome assembly for a gas turbine engine is disclosed as having a longitudinal centerline axis extending therethrough. The combustor dome assembly includes: an annular dome plate having an inner portion, an outer portion, a forward surface, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings formed therein, wherein a radial section defined between each of the openings includes a cooling trough formed therein; and, a free floating swirler located upstream of the dome plate in substantial alignment with each of the openings in the dome plate, the swirler including a forward portion and an aft portion. The aft portion of each swirler is configured so as to permit air flow to the cooling trough during operation of the gas turbine engine. In particular, the swirler aft portion includes a substantially annular flange extending adjacent to the forward surface of the dome plate, wherein opposing portions of a circumference for the flange adjacent the radial sections of the dome plate are substantially linear.
In a second exemplary embodiment of the invention, a free floating swirler for a gas turbine engine combustor is disclosed as having a longitudinal centerline axis therethrough. The swirler includes: a forward portion for receiving a fuel nozzle; an aft portion in sliding relation with a forward surface of a dome plate, the aft portion including a substantially annular flange having a circumference which includes at least one substantially linear portion; and, a middle portion located between the forward and aft portions including a plurality of vanes disposed therein.
Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a gas turbine engine combustor including a combustor dome assembly of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is an enlarged, partial cross-sectional view of the combustor dome assembly depicted in Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is an enlarged, partial forward view of a dome plate for the combustor dome assembly depicted in Figs. 1 and 2;
Fig. 4 is an enlarged, partial forward view of the dome plate depicted in Fig. 3 with a swirler being positioned within an opening thereof;
Fig. 5 is an aft perspective view of the swirler depicted in Figs. 1, 2 and 4; and,
Fig. 6 is an aft view of the swirler depicted in Fig. 5.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein identical numerals indicate the same elements throughout the figures, Fig. 1 depicts an exemplary gas turbine engine combustor 10 having a longitudinal centerline axis 12 extending therethrough. Combustor 10 includes a combustion chamber 14 defined by an outer liner 16, an inner liner 18, and a dome plate 20 located at an upstream end thereof. It will be understood that a plurality of fuel/air mixers 22 are circumferentially spaced within dome plate 20 so as to introduce a mixture of fuel and air into combustion chamber 14, where it is ignited by an igniter (not shown) and combustion gases are formed which are utilized to drive one or more turbines downstream thereof. More specifically, each air/fuel mixer 22 preferably includes a fuel nozzle 24, a swirler 26, and a deflector plate 28.
More specifically, it will be understood that dome plate 20 is annular in configuration and includes an inner portion 30, an outer portion 32, a forward surface 34 and a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings 36 formed therein (see Fig. 3). Accordingly, a radial section 37 is defined between each adjacent openings 36 in dome plate 20. It will be seen in Fig. 3 that each radial section 37 preferably includes a cooling area or trough 35 having a plurality of cooling holes 41 formed therein. An annular outer cowl 38 is affixed to outer portion 32 of dome plate 20 at a downstream end 39, as well as to outer liner 16, by means of a plurality of connections 40 (e.g., bolts and nuts). Similarly, an annular inner cowl 44 is affixed to inner portion 30 of dome plate 20 at a downstream end 45, as well as inner liner 18, by means of a plurality of connections 46 (bolts and nuts).
Deflector plates 28 are associated with each opening 36 in dome plate 20 and therefore are spaced in circumferential manner therearound. Each deflector plate 28 is preferably attached to dome plate 20 by means of brazing or the like. More specifically, deflector plates 28 each include a generally annular section 27 which is sized to be positioned within an inner surface 42 of dome plate openings 36. A generally planar flange extends from an aft end of annular section 27 and has angled flanges 31 and 33, respectively, extending from a radial outer and radially inner portion thereof. A thermal barrier coating is preferably applied to at least a portion of angled flanges 31 and 33, as identified by reference numerals 43 and 51.
Fuel nozzle 24 is preferably of the type disclosed in U.S. Patent 6,381,964 to Pritchard, Jr. et al., which is hereby incorporated by reference. It will be appreciated that fuel nozzle 24 is larger than typical fuel nozzles and therefore requires larger openings 36 in dome plate 20. Accordingly, each opening 36 in dome plate 20 has at least a predetermined diameter (approximately at least three times larger than prior dome plate openings), where a circumferential distance 64 between openings 36 (i.e., that of radial sections 37) is no greater than a predetermined amount (approximately one-third or less than that in prior dome plates).
Each swirler 26 is located between forward surface 34 of dome plate 20 and upstream ends 47 and 49 of outer and inner cowls 38 and 44, respectively, so as to be in substantial alignment with an opening 36 in dome plate 20. Further, each swirler 26 includes a forward portion 50 and an aft portion 52. It will be appreciated that swirlers 26 are not fixed or attached to any other component of air/fuel mixer 22, but are permitted to float freely in both a radial and axial direction with respect to a centerline axis 53 through each opening 36. Each swirler 26 preferably includes vanes 48 therein which are oriented to provide swirl in a substantially radial direction with respect to centerline axis 53.
It will be seen that swirler forward portion 50 preferably includes a radial flange 70 which moves between first and second tab members 54 and 56 associated with outer and inner cowls 38 and 44, respectively, as disclosed in a patent application entitled "Combustor Dome Assembly Of A Gas Turbine Engine Having A Free Floating Swirler." Such patent application, having Serial No. --/---,---, if filed concurrently herewith, is also owned by the assignee of the present invention, and hereby incorporated by reference. Swirler forward portion also includes an axial section 72 for receiving fuel nozzle 24. Anti-rotation members 58 and 60 are provided on a forward surface 62 of axial section 72 to engage with those of adjacent swirlers and thereby prevent swirlers 26 from spinning (see Fig. 4).
Swirler aft portion 52 preferably includes a flange 74 which is able to slide radially along a boss portion 75 of dome plate forward surface 34. A lip 76 is connected to flange 74 and is preferably oriented substantially perpendicular to flange 74 so that it is substantially parallel to centerline axis 53. It will be noted that lip 76 extends aft of dome plate forward surface 34 so that it interfaces with annular section 27 of deflector plate 28 and thereby limits radial movement of swirler 26.
1
2
1
2
With respect to swirler flange 74, it will be noted from Fig. 6 that it is preferably configured to have a substantially arcuate circumference 77 at a radially outer portion 78 and a substantially arcuate circumference 79 at a radially inner portion 80. Such flange portions 78 and 80 are able to prevent leakage of hot gases axially forward thereof. It will further be understood from Fig. 6 that radially outer portion 78 and radially inner portion 80 have a complex or variable radius R and R. In other words, radius R is greatest at approximately the twelve o'clock position and becomes less as it moves both clockwise and counterclockwise to a predetermined point identified by reference numerals 82 and 84, respectively (approximately 60-80% of the maximum radius). Similarly, radius R is greatest at approximately the six o'clock position and becomes less as it moves both clockwise and counterclockwise to a predetermined point identified by reference numerals 86 and 88, respectively (approximately 60-80% of the maximum radius). It will be appreciated that swirler flange is preferably symmetrical about a radial plane 90 therethrough, but is not symmetrical about a circumferential plane 92 therethrough due to their differing radial positions.
Swirler flange 74 also preferably includes a first side portion 94 so that a portion 95 of the circumference is substantially linear between predetermined points 82 and 86 and a second side portion 96 located opposite of side portion 94 where a portion 97 of the circumference of swirler flange 74 is substantially linear between predetermined points 84 and 88. It will be appreciated that the length of linear portions 95 and 97 are approximately one-third that of cooling troughs 35. Such lengths of linear portions 95 and 97 correspond to an area where a thickness 81 of boss section 75 of dome plate forward surface 34 is the least (i.e., approximately one-half or less of the maximum thickness thereof). Substantially linear circumference portions 95 and 97 are oriented to be substantially aligned with and adjacent to a cooling trough 35 in dome plate 20 so that cooling flow is not obstructed from entering cooling holes 41 during operation of the gas turbine engine. In addition, substantially linear circumference portions 95 and 97 serve to limit the stress on swirler flange 74 to within a predetermined amount (preferably within the yield strength for the material used therefor).
In order to assure cooling air within a cavity 55 formed between an inner surface 57 of deflector plate 28 and swirler aft portion 52, an aft surface 98 thereof is subject to an undercut so that a recessed area 100 is formed therealong. The thickness of swirler aft portion 52 at such recessed area 100 is preferably approximately 20-50% less and is provided with a layer of thermal barrier coating. Further, a plurality of circumferentially spaced purge holes 102 are provided through swirler flange 74 which are preferably in flow communication with recessed area 100. In this way, cooling air is provided through purge holes 102 into cavity 55. It will be appreciated that at least a portion of purge holes 102 are angled in a first direction to provide cooling air to inner surface 57 of deflector plate annular section 27. At least a portion of purge holes 102 are also preferably angled in a second direction to provide cooling air to inner surface 57 of deflector plate annular section 27. Finally, at least a portion of purge holes 102 are oriented straight through swirler flange 74 to cavity 55. Purge holes 102 may be of substantially the same size or may have a varying diameter depending upon local hot spots and other areas evidencing distress. | |
Introduction {#s1}
============
The advent of molecular methods, such as DNA sequencing, has facilitated a rapid development of hypotheses for phylogenetic relationships among biological groups. The amount of DNA sequences that can be used in phylogenetic inference is growing at an increasingly fast pace. There are, as of now, more than 135 million sequences in GenBank [@pone.0039071-Benson1] and 1.5 million DNA barcodes in BOLD [@pone.0039071-Ratnasingham1]. Thanks to the development of new techniques and the possibility to outsource the processes involved, DNA sequencing is becoming cheaper and quicker. Thus, research groups might need the use of an efficient system in order to keep track of, manage and annotate their DNA sequences. In addition to adequate storage of DNA sequences, it would be advantageous if this system facilitates further processing of the data such as easy creation of datasets for phylogenetic analysis, quick creation of tables ready for publication and submission of sequences to public repositories (e.g. GenBank).
Relational databases permit organized storage of information that can be searched and retrieved quickly, depending on (and flexible to) the needs of users. However, relational databases such as MySQL need to be coupled with a software interface designed to act as a bridge between users and relational database for uploading, managing and retrieving e.g. DNA sequence and voucher specimen data.
Although there are several database systems available that handle biological and molecular data, they are conceived to be multipurpose systems [@pone.0039071-Smith1]. Current biological databases handle a variety of information such as scientific names, current taxonomic classification, voucher images, geographic distribution maps, bibliographic references and so on. The Scratchpads project [@pone.0039071-Scratchpads1] is a social network portal for managing, sharing and publishing taxonomic information and voucher data online, but includes very limited capabilities for handling DNA sequence data (e.g. The Holometabola Insects Phylogenetic Database is based on Scratchpads [@pone.0039071-The1]). The Lifedesks platform [@pone.0039071-Lifedesks1] hold taxonomic information and specimen data connected to voucher specimens in EOL, but there are no capabilities for storing and processing DNA sequences. The Mantis biological database manager allows storage of taxonomic and specimen data for museum collections [@pone.0039071-Mantis1]. These systems allow being configured so that they can used as private working platforms restricted to members of a research group.
The Barcode of Life Database (BOLD [@pone.0039071-Barcode1]) is both a public repository of DNA barcodes (and voucher data) and an online workbench module to collect and analyze DNA barcode sequences (a segment of the COI gene), but offers limited functionality for other gene markers as well as for dataset creation. Another commonly used database to store DNA sequences is GenBank, which is an excellent repository of data. However, GenBank is mainly used as a repository of sequences after they have been managed and analyzed during the research process. After the analysis of sequences is finished, the sequences are submitted to GenBank during the preparation of manuscripts. In this way, GenBank becomes a repository of end-products (sequences) of the research process.
Thus, there is a need for a database system that can be used to store and manage DNA sequences during the research process. This system should facilitate the aggregation of sequences into dataset files ready-to-run in common phylogenetic software. It should be able to handle the amount of data normally used during phylogenetic research: such as biological data from hundreds of voucher specimens and thousands of DNA sequences for a number of gene markers.
Here we present VoSeq, a user friendly database system designed for day to day use by researchers in phylogenetic inference to store and organize DNA sequences. VoSeq also stores complementary data such as voucher photos, collection data, taxonomic classification and collection locality maps. VoSeq can be downloaded and installed by on-screen instructions on a private computer, or installed on a shared server so that it can be used as a web application restricted to a research group or a network of collaborators. The main functionality lies in retrieving ready-to-run datasets for phylogenetic analyses for various software, complete with partition tables and analysis specifications, as well as MS Excel tables for work overview or publications. The platform of this database is taxon independent and can be used for all organisms. The source code is freely available under the GNU General Public License v2. Additionally, VoSeq has been designed to be cooperative with other biological web-based databases. For this, we included features of the so-called Web 2.0 [@pone.0039071-Web1] such as the Ajax protocol for user-friendliness, and exchange of information over the Internet based on SOAP and REST calls using the XML and JSON formats.
Materials and Methods {#s2}
=====================
VoSeq is written in the PHP scripting language to dynamically generate HTML and JavaScript code. All the information is stored in a MySQL relational database within several table trees. The database is designed to be used as a standalone application and accessed by using a standard web browser (e.g. Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome) provided that it is run on top of web server software (e.g. Apache [@pone.0039071-Apache1]). If VoSeq is installed on a public server, it becomes a web server application, facilitating simultaneous collaboration between users from different geographic locations.
Results and Discussion {#s3}
======================
Design and implementation {#s3a}
-------------------------
After download, VoSeq is installed by following the on-screen instructions to complete the configuration process. VoSeq is platform independent and has been tested in Windows, Mac and Linux systems.
VoSeq consists of two interfaces, an Administrative interface for uploading and updating data, creation of user accounts, taxon sets and gene descriptions, and a User interface for data query and retrieval.
In the User interface, all available data for each voucher sample is summarized in its voucher page. When available, this page ([Figure 1](#pone-0039071-g001){ref-type="fig"}) shows taxonomic data, collection information along with an interactive map, a voucher picture and the list of DNA sequences including gene region, number of base pairs, accession numbers and a link to a "sequence page" where users can access the actual sequence and other information such as primers used in PCR amplification. Vouchers can be searched through an advanced search tool. Queries are made by searching either single or combinations of fields. Most of the search fields, as well as other entry fields within the database, are fitted with auto-complete drop-boxes for user-friendliness (based on Ajax).
{#pone-0039071-g001}
The Administrative interface allows users to create new entries, upload and update all data and post voucher pictures that are hosted in the web service Flickr [@pone.0039071-Flickr1]. When users upload a picture in VoSeq, an algorithm will post the picture to Flickr and register the web addresses in MySQL. This facilitates showing the picture in the corresponding voucher page. This Flickr plug-in is enabled by following the instructions that will appear in VoSeq the first time a user tries to upload a picture. Once the user obtains an account in Flickr, VoSeq will instruct how to get a private key and how to register it in VoSeq\'s configuration file (this process needs to be done only once). New voucher and sequence records can be created in VoSeq by using the Administrative interface for single entries. Voucher codes in VoSeq are unique and cannot be overwritten, but can be changed. Moreover, VoSeq also includes a tool for uploading batches of voucher data and sequences. Data from a MS Excel sheet or other tab-delimited table can be copied and pasted into VoSeq and all the data will be processed and stored ready to be queried and retrieved. Records that are being used in phylogenetic projects can be included into "taxon-sets", either manually by marking the voucher in an overview table or added as a list, in the Administrative interface. Taxon-sets allow easy querying of voucher and sequence information or creation of datasets to be analyzed in phylogenetic software.
VoSeq is password protected and at installation open only to the installer, but additional user accounts are easily created, with or without administrative rights.
Data retrieval {#s3b}
--------------
One key feature of VoSeq is the possibility to harvest batches of DNA sequences for phylogenetic analysis. Users can create datasets consisting of selected DNA (or amino acid) sequences including flexible choices of outgroup and ingroup taxa, gene markers, codon positions and taxon-sets as well as different partitioning schemes. The chosen data are retrieved in ready-to-run datasets in NEXUS [@pone.0039071-Maddison1], TNT [@pone.0039071-Goloboff1] and PHYLIP [@pone.0039071-Felsenstein1] file formats to be used, as-is or modified, as input to phylogenetic software such as MrBayes [@pone.0039071-Ronquist1], TNT, RAxML [@pone.0039071-Stamatakis1] and others.
VoSeq also includes BLAST capabilities [@pone.0039071-BLAST1]. By following on-screen instructions, users can install NCBI BLAST software used for finding matching homologous sequences, for a new sequence or an already stored sequence, among those hosted in VoSeq. It is also possible to BLAST users\' sequences against those hosted in GenBank.
VoSeq also includes a tool to create MS Excel tables with information on voucher specimens and available sequences, as well as accession numbers for sequences used for preparing a manuscript for publication. These tables are practically ready to be included in submission to journals. FASTA files appropriate for submission of chosen taxa and sequences to GenBank are also readily made with a few mouse-clicks. These fields include information such as organism name and lineage, gene codes and specimen voucher codes and can be imported into software such as Sequin [@pone.0039071-Sequin1].
Relation to other databases {#s3c}
---------------------------
In addition to BLAST capabilities against sequences in GenBank, VoSeq facilitates integration with other biological databases and public services available on the web. VoSeq is able to create a mash-up using Yahoo! Maps to plot the collection locality of vouchers. If the database has geographic coordinates for the particular voucher, its page will show the map with a tag pinpointing the specific locality for the voucher. This map can be zoomed in and out and dragged around by using the mouse. This is accomplished by implementing the Yahoo! Maps web service [@pone.0039071-Yahoo1].
When users upload a voucher photo to VoSeq, it is automatically hosted in the user\'s Flickr account. From the voucher pages in VoSeq, by clicking the "Share with EOL" button, VoSeq will automatically submit voucher photos to the photo pool of the Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) [@pone.0039071-EOL1] that is also hosted in Flickr.
VoSeq makes automated calls to EOL\'s web services [@pone.0039071-EOL2] in order to pull information on authors and year of description for species. VoSeq sends genus and species names and waits for a response. If EOL response is positive, the full species name will be included in voucher pages.
VoSeq also facilitates sharing data with GBIF [@pone.0039071-GBIF1] by creating single-click data dumps that can be processed with their Integrated Publishing Toolkit (IPT), which is the method preferred by GBIF.
A very detailed error reporting system is used for minimizing downtime and making VoSeq as user-friendly as possible.
Availability and future directions {#s3d}
----------------------------------
The software is open source with a GPL v2 license: <https://github.com/carlosp420/VoSeq>. A test installation with sample data can be found at <http://www.nymphalidae.net/VoSeq>. The full documentation and how-to help can be accessed here: <http://nymphalidae.utu.fi/cpena/VoSeq_docu.html>.
VoSeq is a useful web-based database application aimed for molecular systematics. VoSeq\'s simple and intuitive interfaces allow users to organize molecular sequences and related biological data. Its tools for retrieving batches of sequences in FASTA format allows them to be easily exported to specialized software, while the tool for creating PHYLIP, NEXUS and TNT ready-to-use datasets prove very time-saving.
VoSeq is entirely open source (available on Github at [@pone.0039071-VoSeq1]) and savvy users can tweak the code to produce variants for subsets of data, as well as adding specific extra functions. Github is a convenient platform for sharing VoSeq\'s source code because it can be easily branched into new projects. For example, the source code could be made to call external programs for automatic analysis runs in wanted applications, or users can add extra fields to the database suitable to their organism group and research project, such as additional environmental variables or behavioral information. We are also planning to incorporate a fast Neighbor-Joining algorithm to the dataset section for a quick and easy look at hypothesized relationships among chosen taxa/taxon set. We do like to keep the software focused on the main functions, e.g. voucher and sequence data storage and retrieval, but users are free and welcome to suggest additions to or modification of the application.
As the Internet is currently the most important medium for delivery of data, biodiversity informatics needs tools that automate the exchange of data over the Internet in order to integrate biological information available from a disparate array of sources [@pone.0039071-Parr1]. One way of solving this problem is by having loosely interconnected databases over the Internet so that all relevant data regarding species of interest can be aggregated on-the-fly and be presented to users in only one website (e.g. [@pone.0039071-Page1]). Thus, all digitized biological information will be readily available to people. All that is needed is (1) tweaking existent and new databases to provide data in format that computers understand (i.e. XML, JSON and variants) and (2) use of unique identifiers [@pone.0039071-Page2].
We extend our thanks to Niklas Wahlberg, Tommi Nyman, Marko Mutanen (University of Oulu, Finland), Marianne Espeland (Harvard University, USA) and Sanna Leppänen (University of Eastern Finland, Finland) for thoroughly testing as well as requesting features to be added to VoSeq. We acknowledge anonymous reviewers for comments on the manuscript.
**Competing Interests:**The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
**Funding:**This work was supported by a grant from the Kone Foundation, Finland to Niklas Wahlberg and Tommi Nyman. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
[^1]: Conceived and designed the experiments: CP TM. Performed the experiments: CP TM. Analyzed the data: CP TM. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: CP TM. Wrote the paper: CP TM. Developed the structure of VoSeq and basic functions: CP. Developed additional functions and tools: TM.
| |
With these considerations in mind, all divers should have an understanding of the problems posed by the environment and a basic knowledge of standard navigation techniques using both natural aids and instruments.
Environmental Considerations
Inspired by gravity and the two-dimensional comfort of land, most of us have no difficulty in navigating around our neighbourhood, especially on a clear, sunny day. In the denser, three-dimensional environment of the ocean accurate natural navigation over even short distances often becomes fraught with difficulties.
Because water is a denser medium than air, one that readily holds organic and inorganic particles in suspension, the divers range of vision is limited. Even in the clearest of waters it’s difficult to clearly distinguish objects little further than a hundred metres or so away. (Sadly, it’s rare to find a location where the underwater visibility is constantly that good. More often than not the visibility is measured in single digits.) Coupled with this is the angle at which the objects are viewed.
On land, with our feet firmly anchored to the ground, we tend to view our surroundings from the same perspective. If we know the area well then it’s relatively easy to distinguish one landmark from another. At a pinch we can even – depending on the extent of any cloud cover – orient ourselves according to the position of the sun or stars and the time of day.
Beneath the surface things change: near weightless and now able to move up and down, as well as forward, backward or from side to side, the diver is subject to the influences of an aquatic environment. Currents and tidal flows – even those with no more force than a gentle surface breeze – impact on the diver; apparently familiar features like rock and reef formations assume different and sometimes unrecognisable characteristics when viewed from the angle of a different depth; turbid water affects vision and the diver’s ability to gauge direction by focussing on distant objects. Even determining direction by the position of the sun becomes a poor guide in all but clear, calm and shallow waters. That light which is not reflected back from the sea’s surface is diffused by the denser medium, while ripples and waves cause light refraction and constantly shifting shadows.
Research
Regardless of the complexity of the dive and the required navigational skills, begin building a mental picture of the dive site by studying marine charts and noting the depth contours of the seafloor as well as its composition. Water movement or a careless fin kick can easily disturb ooze and fine silt deposits, making navigation by visual reference difficult or obsolete.
Consult tide tables and, where possible, determine in advance of a dive the strength of the tidal flow and the times of high and low tide. Pay similar attention to local water circulation patterns, the types of current common to the area, their strength and direction. These are often determined by the shape and nature of a nearby shore as well as the prevailing wind and weather patterns, forces that can combine to produce local variations in water movement.
Talk with other divers familiar with the area and check out the mud maps that many dive stores compile on popular dive sites in their locality. Although lacking the precision, scale and accuracy of a chart, mud maps will usually contain a lot of detail on features and physical characteristics of the site to help verify the diver’s approximate position.
Navigating without a compass
Although an imprecise art and one that’s really only appropriate to shallow waters, (as from a shore dive) having an overall appreciation of the dive site is an important first step when using natural aids to navigation.
The more familiar a diver becomes with the dive site, the easier it becomes to navigate around it without reference to a compass. Apart from the ability to recognise certain prominent features of their surroundings, they become more attuned to the tidal flow and its direction.
On a featureless seafloor a small handful of ooze or fine silt will, when released, form a small cloud that tends to follow the direction of an incoming and outgoing tide or prevailing current. A coarser sandy bottom will, especially in shallower waters, take on a ripple pattern that always runs parallel to the shoreline. Formed by water deflected back from the land, the tops of these sand ripples have a tendency to curve over towards the shore.
Water movements and the actions of the tides have a similar affect on seaweeds and grasses. Swaying towards and away from the shore, the length of time that they will point in any one direction is governed by the water flow; longer towards the shore on an incoming tide and longer away from it on an outgoing one.
Depth is another indication of position. Broadly speaking, the deeper the water the further the diver is away from land. Ledges, drop-offs and steeper slopes provide an obvious visual reference, but where increasing depth occurs more gradually – and again, especially in shallower waters – the diver can gauge the extent of their descent without reference to instruments, (but why bother?) by whether or not they have to clear their ears – and how frequently.
Sunlight, while an often-quoted aid to natural navigation, is a poor reference source unless the waters are exceptionally clear and calm, especially where heavy cloud cover exists. Even in those situations when the sun is shining brightly, the amount of light penetrating the surface will be governed by the time of the day, the sun’s angle to the horizon and surface ripple and wave patterns.
Having knowledge of their underwater swim speed, or the number of fin kicks it takes to cover a measured distance, can also be used as a rough guide in determining the diver’s position in relation to the surface.
Navigating with a compass
When diving in areas of poor visibility, new and unknown locations, or where strict accuracy is required, a compass becomes an essential item – as does the ability to use it properly.
A good underwater compass for use by divers differs slightly from those used on land and may consist of either a magnetised needle or a free swinging magnetised dial. Etched into the surface window of both is a straight line, known as the ‘lubber line’ that effectively bisects the compass in two. To be of use to the diver, both types have a rotating outer bezel to which is attached two parallel line markers that sit over the window.
Although there are variations in the manner in which the degrees appear on the compass, they tend to be shown in increments of 5°. In the case of a popular magnetised dial brand, the dial itself shows the four cardinal points with bolder lines used to mark north and south. Painted clockwise onto the dial in 30° gradations with 10° line indicators, the way in which the degrees are displayed has been reversed from the normal; north is shown as 180° while the 360°/home position is in the south, a feature that allows the diver to read his true heading through a small, side-mounted window in the casing. On the rotating outer bezel, the degrees, marked clockwise in increments of 5°, appear in the normal fashion.
A simple illustration of the use of a compass is to point the lubber line in the direction in which the diver wishes to travel. The bezel is then rotated until the north arrow rests between the parallel line markers. Maintaining the position of the north-pointing arrow between the two parallel markers and following the direction indicated by the lubber line allows the diver to move forward in a constant direction.
To return back to their starting point on a reciprocal course, the diver turns around until the south-pointing arrow on the compass dial rests between the parallel markers and north lines up with the opposing pointer.
Using a compass in the weightless water environment sounds easier than is actually the case and preserving a desired direction is only possible when the diver holds and reads the instrument correctly. This is first accomplished by the diver positioning him or herself properly in relation to the lubber line and visualising that line extending down the entire length of their body, neatly dividing it in to two equal halves. Something that is best achieved by holding the compass as far away from the head as possible and by looking across it, rather than down on to it.
For this reason a compass worn on the left wrist and brought into position by extending the right arm straight out in front and bending the left elbow until the diver is able to grasp the right arm on and above the elbow, provides better accuracy in holding a heading than attempting to read a console-mounted compass.
Swimming more complex patterns can be as simple a matter as stopping at a pre-determined point and, while still facing the direction of travel, rotating the bezel clockwise by the required number of degrees if the turn is to the left – counter-clockwise if it’s to the right – and moving the body in that direction until the north-pointing arrow is again aligned between the parallel markers.
Subject to other influences, however, the diver’s use of a compass alone is no guarantee of navigational accuracy. Swimming headlong into a current, or travelling with its flow, will affect the distance covered while the subtle effects of a crosscurrent will carry an unprepared diver holding a constant compass heading easily off course. In those instances, the diver must ascertain the direction and strength of any current in advance of the dive and be able to factor those variables into the planned route using a chart, a protractor and – if necessary – a calculator.
In that regard – and when navigational accuracy is paramount – the use of an easily made swim-board becomes invaluable. A two-handled board constructed of marine ply or plastic and small enough to avoid unnecessary drag but large enough to accommodate a centrally mounted compass, depth gauge, timing device and slate, the swim-board offers many advantages over a wrist-mounted compass. When held out in front of the diver, it effectively extends the lubber line, a characteristic that permits even greater accuracy in maintaining a heading.
Previously armed with knowledge of his or her surface air consumption rate and swimming speed underwater, information on the details of depths to be maintained, compass headings to be followed, distances to be travelled, times and at what point changes to the course direction are to be affected, can be translated to the slate and seen by the diver at a glance.
Something that is best learned through constant practice, proficiency in underwater navigation is a confidence building skill that adds immeasurably to the safe enjoyment of every dive. | https://nektonix.com/2014/05/13/knowing-where-youre-going-underwater-navigation/ |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
2. Description of Related Art
The disclosure relates to a wire bonding apparatus, a method for measuring an opening amount of a clamp apparatus, and a method for calibrating a clamp apparatus.
A wire bonding apparatus for electrically connecting an electrode formed on a semiconductor chip and an electrode formed on a circuit substrate by using a metallic wire is known. For example, a wire bonding apparatus described in Patent Document 1 indicated in the following includes a capillary in which a bonding wire is inserted, a first clamp linked with the capillary to move, a second clamp holding the wire above the first clamp, and a control part controlling opening or closing of the first clamp and the second clamp.
The apparatus bonds the wire in the state where the first clamp is closed and the second clamp is open, and then raises the capillary and the first clamp to cut off the wire. Then, the apparatus raises the capillary and the first clamp in the state where the first clamp is open and the second clamp is closed to extend the wire from the capillary.
PRIOR ART DOCUMENT
Patent Document(s)
Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-open No. 2010-161176
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
Means for Solving Problems
Inventive Effects
In the wire bonding apparatus, in order to perform desired bonding, it is favorable to control the opening amount of the clamp apparatus holding the wire at high accuracy. However, the opening amount of the clamp apparatus is affected by the environment in which the wire bonding apparatus is used. Therefore, there may be a difference in the opening amount of the clamp apparatus mounted in multiple wire bonding apparatuses used in different environments. When there is a difference in the opening amount of the clamp apparatus, the loop shapes or the tail lengths of wires may vary, which reduces the reliability of the wire bonding apparatus. Therefore, it is favorable to measure the opening amount of the clamp apparatus at high accuracy.
In a state where the clamp apparatus is removed from the bonding apparatus, the opening amount of the clamp apparatus can be measured by using a laser displacement meter, etc. However, the opening amount of the clamp apparatus is also affected by the temperature condition when the wire bonding apparatus is used. Therefore, it is required that the opening amount of the clamp apparatus be measured in the state where the clamp apparatus is installed to the bonding apparatus.
A wire bonding apparatus according to an aspect includes: a clamp apparatus, having a pair of arms; a stage, moving the clamp apparatus in a horizontal direction; a rod member; a contact detection part, detecting contact between the rod member and the clamp apparatus; and a control apparatus, controlling opening and closing of the pair of arms and an operation of the stage and, acquiring position information of the clamp apparatus. The control apparatus executes a first control to make an outer side surface of a first arm of the pair of arms contact the rod member in a state where the pair of arms are closed by moving the clamp apparatus, and acquires the position information of the clamp apparatus at a time of contacting the rod member, executes a second control to make the outer side surface of the first arm contact the rod member in a state where the pair of arms are open by moving the clamp apparatus, and acquires the position information of the clamp apparatus at the time of contacting the rod member, and executes a third control to obtain an opening amount of the pair of arms based on the position information of the clamp apparatus acquired in the first control and the second control.
In the wire bonding apparatus of the above aspect, the opening amount of the clamp apparatus is obtained based on the position information at the time when the outer side surface of the first arm contacts the rod member in the state where the pair of arms are closed and the position information at the time when the outer side surface of the first arm contacts the rod member in the state where the pair of arms are open. Therefore, the opening amount of the clamp apparatus can be measured in the state where the clamp apparatus is installed to the wire bonding apparatus.
In an embodiment, the control apparatus may further execute a fourth control to make an outer side surface of a second arm of the pair of arms contact the rod member in the state where the pair of arms are closed by moving the clamp apparatus, and acquires the position information of the clamp apparatus at the time of contacting the rod member, and a fifth control to make the outer side surface of the second arm contact the rod member in the state where the pair of arms are open by moving the clamp apparatus, and acquires the position information of the clamp apparatus at the time of contacting the rod member, and may execute a third control to obtain an opening amount of the pair of arms based on the position information of the clamp apparatus acquired in the first control and the second control.
In the embodiment, the opening amount of the clamp apparatus is obtained by further using the position information at the time when the outer side surface of the second arm contacts the rod member in the state where the pair of arms are closed and the position information at the time when the outer side surface of the second arm contacts the rod member in the state where the pair of arms are open, thereby obtaining the opening amount of the clamp apparatus at a higher accuracy.
In an embodiment, the control apparatus may further execute a sixth control, which is executed prior to the first control, to make a tip part of the first arm or the second arm contact a tip part of the rod member by moving the clamp apparatus, and acquire the position information of the clamp apparatus at the time of contacting the rod member.
In the embodiment, since the position information of the clamp apparatus at the time when the tip part of the first arm or the second arm contacts the tip part of the rod member is acquired, the position information of the tip part of the rod member can be obtained.
In an embodiment, the rod member may further include a lifting mechanism moving the rod member in an up-down direction.
In the embodiment, by moving the rod in the up-down direction, the contact or interference between the clamp apparatus and the rod member at the time of wire bonding can be prevented.
In another aspect, a method for measuring an opening amount of a clamp apparatus having a pair of arms able to open or close. The method includes: a first process of making an outer side surface of a first arm of the pair of arms contact a rod member in a state where the pair of arms are closed by moving the clamp apparatus, and acquiring position information of the clamp apparatus at a time of contacting the rod member, a second process of making the outer side surface of the first arm contact the rod member in a state where the pair of arms are open by moving the clamp apparatus, and acquiring the position information of the clamp apparatus at the time of contacting the rod member, and a third process of obtaining an opening amount of the pair of arms based on the position information of the clamp apparatus acquired in the first process and the second process.
Therefore, in the method for measuring the opening amount of the clamp apparatus in the aspect, the opening amount of the clamp apparatus can be measured in the state where the clamp apparatus is installed to the wire bonding apparatus.
The method for measuring the opening amount of the clamp apparatus of an embodiment may further include: a fourth process of making an outer side surface of a second arm of the pair of arms contact the rod member in the state where the pair of arms are closed by moving the clamp apparatus, and acquiring the position information of the clamp apparatus at the time of contacting the rod member, and a fifth process of making the outer side surface of the second arm contact the rod member in the state where the pair of arms are open by moving the clamp apparatus, and acquiring the position information of the clamp apparatus at the time of contacting the rod member. In the third process, the opening amount of the pair of arms is obtained by further using the position information of the clamp apparatus acquired in the fourth process and the fifth process.
In the method for measuring the opening amount of the clamp apparatus of the embodiment, the opening amount of the clamp apparatus can be measured at a higher accuracy.
In an embodiment, the method for measuring the opening amount of the clamp apparatus may further include a sixth process, which is executed prior to the first process, of making a tip part of the first arm or the second arm contact a tip part of the rod member by moving the clamp apparatus, and acquiring the position information of the clamp apparatus at the time of contacting the rod member.
In the method for measuring the opening amount of the clamp apparatus of the embodiment, the position information of the tip part of the rod member can be obtained.
A method for calibrating a clamp apparatus according to an aspect includes a process of obtaining an opening amount of a clamp apparatus according to the method for measuring the opening amount of the clamp apparatus and a process of calibrating the clamp apparatus based on the opening amount of the clamp apparatus.
In the calibration method, by calibrating the clamp apparatus, an error between the opening amount of the clamp apparatus designated by the control signal and the actual opening amount of the clamp apparatus can be reduced.
According to an aspect and various embodiments of the present invention, the opening amount of the clamp apparatus can be measured in the state where the clamp apparatus is installed to the bonding apparatus.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a perspective view illustrating a wire bonding apparatus according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2
is a side view illustrating a wire bonding apparatus according to an embodiment.
FIG. 3
is a schematic top view illustrating a clamp apparatus.
FIG. 4
is a flowchart illustrating a method for calibrating a clamp apparatus according to an embodiment.
FIG. 5
is a flowchart illustrating a method for measuring an opening amount of a clamp apparatus according to an embodiment.
FIG. 6
is a schematic top view illustrating a movement of a clamp apparatus.
FIG. 7
is a schematic top view illustrating a movement of a clamp apparatus.
FIG. 8
is a schematic top view illustrating a movement of a clamp apparatus.
FIG. 9
is a schematic top view illustrating a movement of a clamp apparatus.
FIG. 10
is a schematic top view illustrating a movement of a clamp apparatus.
DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
Hereinafter, embodiments of the disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same or equivalent elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description will not be repeated. The dimensional ratios in the drawings do not always match those described.
FIG. 1
FIG. 2
FIGS. 1 and 2
FIGS. 1 and 2
FIG. 1
1
1
20
is a perspective view of a wire bonding apparatus according to an embodiment. is a side view of a wire bonding apparatus. A wire bonding apparatus shown in bonds a wire W to a semiconductor chip D disposed on a circuit substrate. In , three directions orthogonal to each other, i.e., X direction (first direction), Y direction (second direction) and Z direction (third direction), are shown. X direction indicates a direction in which the semiconductor chip D, which is a bonding target, is conveyed, Y direction indicates a horizontal direction perpendicular to X direction, and Z direction indicates a direction of the height of the wire bonding apparatus . In , for the ease of description, a rod member to be described afterwards is omitted.
FIGS. 1 and 2
1
2
10
20
30
2
10
2
2
10
2
2
2
As shown in , the wire bonding apparatus includes an XY stage , a bonding unit , the rod member , and a control apparatus . The XY stage supports the bonding unit on the XY stage . The XY stage moves the bonding unit supported on the XY stage along a horizontal direction in the XY plane which is a two-dimensional plane including X direction and Y direction by a stepping motor, for example. The XY stage outputs information indicating coordinate positions in the XY plane of the XY stage as an encoder output.
10
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
3
2
4
3
4
6
7
The bonding unit has a bonding head , a Z direction driving mechanism , an ultrasonic horn , a clamp apparatus , a capillary , a spool , and a camera . The bonding head is supported on the XY stage . The Z direction driving mechanism is installed to the bonding head . The Z direction driving mechanism moves the clamp apparatus and the capillary in Z direction by rotating about a rotation axis extending in X direction by a driving force of a motor, for example.
5
4
5
2
5
4
7
5
8
7
7
The ultrasonic horn is installed to the Z direction driving mechanism . Therefore, the ultrasonic horn is moved to X direction and Y direction through driving of the XY stage . The ultrasonic horn extends in Y direction from the Z direction driving mechanism , and the capillary is installed to the tip of the ultrasonic horn . The wire W supplied from the spool is inserted into the capillary . The capillary bonds the wire W to the semiconductor chip D.
6
4
7
6
5
2
The clamp apparatus is installed to the Z direction driving mechanism above the capillary . Therefore, the clamp apparatus moves together with the ultrasonic horn in X direction and Y direction through driving of the XY stage .
FIG. 3
FIG. 3
6
6
12
13
14
12
6
7
12
(a) of is an exemplary top view schematically illustrating the clamp apparatus . As shown in (a) of , the clamp apparatus has a pair of arms , a deformation part , and a driving part . The pair of arms are open or closed by approaching or moving away from each other in X direction. The clamp apparatus holds the wire W above the capillary by opening or closing the pair of arms .
12
15
16
15
15
15
15
15
12
15
12
16
16
16
16
16
12
16
12
a
b
c
d
a
b
c
d
The pair of arms includes a first arm and a second arm . The first arm extends in Y direction between a base part and a tip part . The first arm includes an inner side surface located on the inner side of the opening/closing direction (X direction) of the pair of arms and an outer side surface located on the outer side of the opening/closing direction of the pair of arms . Similarly, the second arm extends in Y direction between a base part and a tip part . The second arm includes an inner side surface located on the inner side of the opening/closing direction (X direction) of the pair of arms and an outer side surface located on the outer side of the opening/closing direction of the pair of arms .
17
15
15
16
16
17
15
15
16
16
15
16
c
c
c
c
b
b.
A pair of clamp sheets sandwiching the wire W are provided on the inner side surface of the first arm and the inner side surface of the second arm . The pair of clamp sheets are fixed to the inner side surface of the first arm and the inner side surface of the second arm at positions close to the tip part and the tip part
15
16
12
13
13
12
14
13
14
a
a
The base parts and of the pair of arms are connected to the deformation part . The deformation part is provided between the pair of arms and the driving part . The deformation part has a “⊐-like planar shape, for example, and is deformed as the driving part extends/contracts.
14
14
14
13
13
14
12
14
14
13
12
14
30
6
12
30
FIG. 13
The driving part is, for example, a piezoelectric element that converts electrical energy into kinetic energy in correspondence with an applied voltage. When a predetermined voltage is applied to the driving part , the driving part extends in Y direction to press the deformation part . The deformation part pressed by the driving part , as shown in (b) of , elastically deforms to open the pair of arms in X direction. On the contrary, when the voltage applied to the driving part stops, the driving part contracts in Y direction, and the deformation part elastically deforms so as to close the pair of arms . The voltage applied to the driving part is controlled by a control signal transmitted from the control apparatus . That is, the clamp apparatus opens and closes the pair of arms to match an opening amount designated by the control apparatus .
FIG. 1
9
6
9
3
6
7
2
9
7
30
Referring to again, the camera is disposed at a position deviated with respect to the clamp apparatus in X direction. The camera , for example, is installed to the bonding head and moves with the clamp apparatus and the capillary in X direction and Y direction through driving of the XY stage . The camera , for example, captures an image of a region including the semiconductor chip D and the capillary , and outputs captured image data to the control apparatus .
11
3
11
11
11
a
a
In addition, a bonding stage supporting the semiconductor chip D which is the bonding target is disposed in front of the bonding head in Y direction. On the bonding stage , a conveyance apparatus is disposed. The conveyance apparatus conveys the semiconductor chip D mounted on the circuit substrate in X direction.
FIG. 2
20
10
20
20
20
20
20
20
a
b
a
b.
As shown in , the rod member is disposed in front of the bonding unit in Y direction. The rod member is an elongated member formed by a conductive material, such as metal. The rod member has a base part and a tip part , and extends in Y direction between the base part and the tip part
26
20
26
6
20
20
26
20
20
6
20
26
6
20
30
A contact detection part is connected to the rod member . The contact detection part detects a contact state between the clamp apparatus and the rod member . For example, a voltage is applied to the rod member , and the contact detection part detects a current flowing to the rod member . When detecting that a current flows to the rod member through the clamp apparatus and the rod member contacting each other, for example, the contact detection part outputs contact information indicating that the clamp apparatus and the rod member contact each other to the control apparatus .
1
22
22
20
22
23
24
23
20
20
24
24
20
23
22
22
22
FIG. 2
FIG. 2
a
In addition, the wire bonding apparatus further includes a lifting mechanism . The lifting mechanism moves the rod member in the up-down direction (Z direction). In the embodiment shown in , the lifting mechanism includes a frame and a driving apparatus . The frame extends in Z direction. The base part of the rod member is connected to the driving apparatus . The driving apparatus , for example, includes a rotary solenoid, and moves the rod member in Z direction along the frame . The lifting mechanism is not limited to the configuration shown in . Any configuration can be adopted for the lifting mechanism as long as the rod member is movable in Z direction.
30
1
30
1
1
30
1
30
The control apparatus is a computer includes a processor, a memory, an input apparatus, a display apparatus, etc., and controls the operation of the entire wire bonding apparatus . In the control apparatus , a command input operation, etc., for an operator to manage the wire bonding apparatus by using the input apparatus can be performed, and the operation condition of the wire bonding apparatus can be visualized and displayed through the display apparatus. In addition, in the memory of the control apparatus , a control program for controlling, by the processor, various processes executed by the wire bonding apparatus is stored. The control apparatus realizes various functions to be described afterwards through executing the control program by the processor.
30
2
4
6
9
22
26
30
2
4
6
9
22
2
4
6
9
22
30
6
6
6
20
6
FIG. 3
The control apparatus is communicably connected with the XY stage , the Z direction driving mechanism , the clamp apparatus , the camera , the lifting mechanism , and the contact detection part . The control apparatus transmits the control signal to the XY stage , the Z direction driving mechanism , the clamp apparatus , the camera , and the lifting mechanism , and controls the operation of the XY stage , the operation of the Z direction driving mechanism , the opening/closing operation of the clamp apparatus , the operation of the camera , the operation of the lifting mechanism , etc. In addition, the control apparatus has a function of measuring an opening amount d (see (b) of ) of the clamp apparatus based on the position information of the clamp apparatus at the time when the clamp apparatus and the rod member contact each other and calibrating the clamp apparatus based on the measured opening amount d.
FIG. 1
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
31
9
32
2
4
22
20
6
7
As shown in , the control apparatus includes, as a functional configuration, an image acquisition part , a driving control part , a contact information acquisition part , a position information acquisition part , an opening amount measuring part , and a calibration part . The image acquisition part acquires the image captured by the camera . The driving control part transmits the control signal to the XY stage , the Z direction driving mechanism , and the lifting mechanism , and moves the rod member in Z direction together with moving the clamp apparatus and the capillary in X direction, Y direction and Z direction.
33
6
20
26
34
6
2
4
35
12
6
6
36
6
12
35
The contact information acquisition part acquires the contact information indicating that the clamp apparatus and the rod member contact each other from the contact detection part . The position information acquisition part acquires position information of the clamp apparatus in X direction, Y direction, and Z direction based on the encoder output of the XY stage and the Z direction driving mechanism , for example. The opening amount measuring part measures the opening amount of the pair of arms of the clamp apparatus based on the position information of the clamp apparatus . The calibration part calibrates the clamp apparatus based on the opening amount of the pair of arms measured by the opening amount measuring part .
FIG. 4
30
6
1
Then, with reference to , the function of the control apparatus will be described in detail, and a method for calibrating the clamp apparatus using the wire bonding apparatus according to an embodiment is described.
FIG. 4
FIG. 4
FIG. 4
6
30
1
6
30
1
is a flowchart illustrating a method for calibrating the clamp apparatus according to an embodiment. The calibration method shown in is executed by the control apparatus of the wire bonding apparatus . As shown in , in the calibration method, firstly, the opening amount of the clamp apparatus is measured by the control apparatus (Step ST).
FIG. 5
FIG. 5
FIG. 5
6
6
34
22
20
20
6
11
With reference to , a method for measuring the opening amount of the clamp apparatus is described. is a flowchart illustrating a method for measuring an opening amount of the clamp apparatus . As shown in , in the measurement method, firstly, the driving control part controls the lifting mechanism to lift the rod member so that the rod member and the clamp apparatus are at the same height position in Z direction (Step ST).
FIG. 6
FIG. 6
32
2
6
20
6
20
32
15
15
20
20
12
12
16
16
20
20
11
12
15
15
16
16
20
20
30
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
Then, as shown in (a) of , the driving control part controls the XY stage to dispose the clamp apparatus behind the rod member in Y direction and then move the clamp apparatus toward the side of the rod member along Y direction. Then, as shown in (b) of , the driving control part makes the tip part of the first arm contact the tip part of the rod member (Step ST). In Step ST, the tip part of the second arm may also contact the tip part of the rod member . Here, in Step ST and ST, the tip part of the first arm or the tip part of the second arm may also contact the tip part of the rod member through the operator manually operating the input apparatus of the control apparatus .
15
16
20
26
26
30
33
34
6
2
13
20
20
6
30
b
When the contact of the first arm or the second arm with the rod member is detected by the contact detection part , the contact information is transmitted from the contact detection part to the control apparatus . When the contact information acquisition part acquires the contact information, the position information acquisition part acquires the position information of the clamp apparatus on the XY plane based on the encoder output of the XY stage (Step ST) (sixth control, sixth process). With the position information, the position of the tip part of the rod member on the XY plane is grasped. The acquired position information of the clamp apparatus is, for example, stored in the memory of the control apparatus .
32
2
6
14
15
20
16
15
15
20
15
20
FIG. 7
d
Then, the driving control part controls the XY stage to move the clamp apparatus to a first standby position (Step ST). As shown in (a) of , the first standby position is a position at which the first arm is disposed to be closer to the rod member than the second arm in X direction. For example, the first standby position is a position at which the outer side surface of the first arm and the rod member are only separated by a distance Gx in X direction and the first arm and the rod member are only overlapped in a distance Gy in Y direction. While the disclosure is not limited thereto, the distance Gx is, for example, 500 μm, and the distance Gy is, for example, 300 μm.
FIG. 7
FIG. 7
32
2
6
20
12
15
15
20
15
15
15
15
20
d
d
b
Then, as shown in (b) of , the driving control part controls the XY stage to move the clamp apparatus to the side of the rod member along X direction in the state where the pair of arms are closed. Then, as shown in (c) of , the outer side surface of the first arm contacts the rod member (Step ST). At this time, the outer side surface near the tip part of the first arm contacts the rod member .
15
15
20
26
26
33
34
6
16
2
6
30
d
When the contact of the outer side surface of the first arm with the rod member is detected by the contact detection part , the contact information is transmitted from the contact detection part to the control apparatus. When the contact information acquisition part acquires the contact information, the position information acquisition part acquires at least the position information of the clamp apparatus in X direction (Step ST) (first control, first process) based on the encoder output of the XY stage . The acquired position information of the clamp apparatus is, for example, stored in the memory of the control apparatus .
FIG. 8
32
2
6
20
6
17
32
6
20
Then, as shown in (a) of , the driving control part controls the XY stage to move the clamp apparatus along X direction in a direction away from the rod member and dispose the clamp apparatus at the first standby position (Step ST). That is, the driving control part separates the clamp apparatus from the rod member .
32
6
6
12
18
32
14
6
32
6
20
12
15
15
20
19
15
15
15
20
FIG. 8
FIG. 8
d
d
b
Then, the driving control part transmits a control signal designating the opening amount of the clamp apparatus to be the designated opening amount to the clamp apparatus , thereby opening the pair of arms (Step ST). For example, the driving control part applies a voltage corresponding to the designated opening amount to the driving part of the clamp apparatus . Then, as shown in (b) of , the driving control part moves the clamp apparatus to the side of the rod member along X direction in the state where the pair of arms are open. Then, as shown in (c) of , the outer side surface of the first arm contacts the rod member (Step ST). At this time, the outer side surface near the tip part of the first arm contacts the rod member .
15
15
20
26
26
33
34
6
20
2
6
30
d
When the contact of the outer side surface of the first arm with the rod member is detected by the contact detection part , the contact information is transmitted from the contact detection part to the control apparatus. When the contact information acquisition part acquires the contact information, the position information acquisition part acquires at least the position information of the clamp apparatus in X direction (Step ST) (second control, second process) based on the encoder output of the XY stage . The acquired position information of the clamp apparatus is, for example, stored in the memory of the control apparatus .
32
6
20
6
12
21
32
2
6
22
20
16
20
15
16
16
20
16
16
20
20
FIG. 9
d
b
b
Then, the driving control part separates the clamp apparatus from the rod member and controls the clamp apparatus to close the pair of arms (Step ST). Then, the driving control part controls the XY stage to move the clamp apparatus to a second standby position (Step ST). As shown in (a) of , the second standby position is a position separate from the first standby position via the rod member in X direction, and is a position at which the second arm is disposed to be closer to the rod member than the first arm in X direction. For example, the second standby position is a position at which the outer side surface of the second arm and the rod member are only separated by the distance Gx in X direction and the tip part of the second arm is only overlapped with the tip part of the rod member in the distance Gy in Y direction. While the disclosure is not limited thereto, the distance Gx is, for example, 500 μm, and the distance Gy is, for example, 300 μm.
FIG. 9
FIG. 9
32
6
20
16
16
20
23
d
Then, as shown in (b) of , the driving control part moves the clamp apparatus from the second standby position toward the rod member along X direction. Then, as shown in (c) of , the outer side surface of the second arm contacts the rod member (Step ST).
16
16
20
26
26
33
34
6
24
2
6
30
d
When the contact of the outer side surface of the second arm with the rod member is detected by the contact detection part , the contact information is transmitted from the contact detection part to the control apparatus. When the contact information acquisition part acquires the contact information, the position information acquisition part acquires at least the position information of the clamp apparatus in X direction (Step ST) (fourth control, fourth process) based on the encoder output of the XY stage . The acquired position information of the clamp apparatus is, for example, stored in the memory of the control apparatus .
FIG. 10
32
2
6
20
6
25
32
6
20
Then, as shown in (a) of , the driving control part controls the XY stage to move the clamp apparatus along X direction in a direction away from the rod member and dispose the clamp apparatus at the second standby position (Step ST). That is, the driving control part separates the clamp apparatus from the rod member .
32
6
6
12
26
32
6
20
12
16
16
20
27
16
16
16
20
FIG. 10
FIG. 10
d
d
b
Then, the driving control part transmits a control signal designating the opening amount of the clamp apparatus to the designated opening amount to the clamp apparatus to open the pair of arms (Step ST). Then, as shown in (b) of , the driving control part moves the clamp apparatus to the side of the rod member along X direction in the state where the pair of arms are open. Then, as shown in (c) of , the outer side surface of the second arm contacts the rod member (Step ST). At this time, the outer side surface near the tip part of the second arm contacts the rod member .
16
16
20
26
26
33
34
6
28
2
6
30
d
When the contact of the outer side surface of the second arm with the rod member is detected by the contact detection part , the contact information is transmitted from the contact detection part to the control apparatus. When the contact information acquisition part acquires the contact information, the position information acquisition part acquires at least the position information of the clamp apparatus in X direction (Step ST) (fifth control, fifth process) based on the encoder output of the XY stage . The acquired position information of the clamp apparatus is, for example, stored in the memory of the control apparatus .
35
6
29
16
20
24
28
6
20
6
16
15
6
6
28
6
24
16
6
Then, the opening amount measuring part measures the opening amount of the clamp apparatus (Step ST) (third control, third process) based on the position information respectively acquired in Step ST, Step ST, Step ST, and Step ST. For example, a difference value between the position information of the clamp apparatus in X direction acquired in Step ST and the position information of the clamp apparatus in X direction acquired in Step ST represents the movement amount of the first arm in X direction when the clamp apparatus is changed from the closed state to the open state. In addition, a difference value between the position information of the clamp apparatus in X direction acquired in Step ST and the position information of the clamp apparatus in X direction acquired in Step ST represents the movement amount of the second arm in X direction when the clamp apparatus is changed from the closed state to the open state.
6
16
20
24
28
35
6
For example, in the case where the position information of the clamp apparatus in X direction acquired in Step ST, Step ST, Step ST, and Step ST are respectively set as x1, x2, x3, and x4, the opening amount measuring part can obtain the opening amount d of the clamp apparatus in accordance with Formula (1) as follows.
d=|x
x
x
x
2−1|+|4−3| (1)
6
32
22
6
30
6
20
After the opening amount of the clamp apparatus is measured, the driving control part controls the lifting mechanism to lower the clamp apparatus (Step ST). By lowering the clamp apparatus , the clamp apparatus can be prevented from contacting or interfering with the rod member .
FIG. 4
FIG. 4
6
36
6
2
6
14
6
18
26
30
29
Referring to again, as shown in , after the opening amount of the clamp apparatus is measured, the calibration part calibrates the clamp apparatus (Step ST) based on the measured opening amount of the clamp apparatus . The calibration is performed by correcting the voltage applied to the driving part of the clamp apparatus so that in Step ST and Step ST, the opening amount designated by the control apparatus is consistent with the opening amount measured in Step .
1
12
15
15
20
12
15
15
20
12
16
16
20
16
16
20
12
6
6
1
d
d
d
d
In the wire bonding apparatus , the opening amount of the pair of arms is obtained based on the position information at the time when the outer side surface of the first arm contacts the rod member in the state where the pair of arms are closed, the position information at the time when the outer side surface of the first arm contacts the rod member in the state where the pair of arms are open, the position information at the time when the outer side surface of the second arm contacts the rod member in the state where the pair of arms are closed, and the position information at the time when the outer side surface of the second arm contacts the rod member in the state where the pair of arms are open. Therefore, the opening amount of the clamp apparatus can be measured in the state where the clamp apparatus is installed to the wire bonding apparatus .
1
6
6
30
In addition, in the wire bonding apparatus , since the clamp apparatus is calibrated based on the measured opening amount of the clamp apparatus , the error between the opening amount of the clamp apparatus designated by the control apparatus and the actual opening amount of the clamp apparatus can be small.
1
20
20
20
6
In addition, in the wire bonding apparatus , since the rod member can be moved in Z direction, at the time of bonding the semiconductor chip D, the rod member can retreat in Z direction. As a result, the rod member can be prevented from contacting or interfering with the clamp apparatus .
1
6
1
6
While various embodiments relating to the wire bonding apparatus , the method for measuring the opening amount of the clamp apparatus using the wire bonding apparatus , and the method for calibrating the clamp apparatus have been described above, the disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments. Various modifications can be configured within the scope of not changing the gist of the present invention.
1
22
20
23
1
20
26
6
20
20
26
6
20
FIG. 2
For example, while the wire bonding apparatus shown in includes the lifting mechanism for moving the rod member along the frame in Z direction, the wire bonding apparatus can include any configuration as long as the rod member is movable along Z direction. In addition, while the contact detection part detects the contact between the clamp apparatus and the rod member based on the current flowing to the rod member , the contact detection part may also detect the contact between the clamp apparatus and the rod member in a different way.
12
15
15
20
16
16
20
12
12
20
d
d
In the above embodiment, the opening amount of the pair of arms is obtained based on the position information when the outer side surface of the first arm contacts the rod member and the position information when the outer side surface of the second arm contacts the rod member . However, in another embodiment, the opening amount of the pair of arms may also be obtained based on only the position information when one of the pair of arms contacts the rod member .
30
15
15
20
12
6
20
15
15
20
12
6
20
6
15
15
20
12
15
15
20
12
15
30
15
12
d
d
d
d
For example, the control apparatus may make the outer side surface of the first arm contact the rod member in the state where the pair of arms are closed and acquires the position information of the clamp apparatus at the time of contacting the rod member , make the outer side surface of the first arm contact the rod member in the state where the pair of arms are open and acquires the position information of the clamp apparatus at the time of contacting the rod member , and obtain the opening amount of the pair of arms based on the two acquired position information of the clamp apparatus . For example, in the case where the position information in X direction at the time when the outer side surface of the first arm contacts the rod member in the state where the pair of arms are closed is set as position information x1 and the position information at the time when the outer side surface of the first arm contacts the rod member in the state where the pair of arms are open is set as position information x2, the movement amount of the first arm in X direction is represented as |x2−x1|. The control apparatus may, for example, double the movement amount of the first arm to obtain the opening amount of the pair of arms .
REFERENCE SIGN LIST
1
2
6
12
15
15
15
16
16
16
20
20
22
30
b
d
b
d
b
: wire bonding apparatus; : XY stage; : clamp apparatus; : pair of arms; : first arm; : tip part of first arm; : outer side surface of first arm; : second arm; : tip part of second arm; : outer side surface of second arm; : rod member; : tip part of rod member; : lifting mechanism; : control apparatus. | |
Location and Size.
Location and size are subject to redevelopment agency review and approval.
(1)
Signs should be mounted on parapets, towers, turrets, recessed wall areas, and other architectural features specifically designed for them. Flush-mounted and painted wall signs should align with major architectural elements, such as doors and windows. Ornamental elements, such as moldings, pilasters, arches, clerestory windows, roof eaves, or cornice lines should be used as a frame.
(2)
Signs should not span cornice or eave lines. However, signs designed as an extension of the architectural form of the building may be appropriate. For example, projecting signs, signboards or neon signs may be designed to look like a marquee, parapet, or accent to a parapet or sloped roof.
(3)
Signs should be in proportion to the size of building they identify. The sum total of building-mounted signs (excluding window signs) used to identify an individual use should not exceed one square foot of area for each linear foot of the building frontage occupied by that use.
(b)
Architectural Design.
(1)
Sign shapes, type styles, and color combinations should complement building styles. In the Riverfront District it is recommended that buildings have a formal character and signs project a complementary look; the large-scale neon and flashing lights associated with signs in the gaming core would detract from the character desired for the Riverfront District.
(2)
Structural supports should complement the overall design of the sign and/or building. Ornamental metal is strongly recommended. Guy wires shall be avoided.
(3)
Awning signs should appear and function primarily as awnings, however. Awnings should reflect the buildings module and should not extend for more than 25 linear feet without a break. Signs on canopies should be integrated with the canopy fascia, or be in the form of freestanding letters mounted on top and extending above the fascia.
(4)
Projecting signs are recommended if designed as architectural features (see above) and/or located primarily for pedestrian visibility; minimum sidewalk clearance should be seven feet.
(5)
Internally illuminated "canned" signs should not be used. Canned signs look and often are mass-produced, making businesses look generic.
(6)
Materials should be long-lasting. Recommended materials are:
a.
Signboards should be dimensional in nature and of wood or metal, with painted, engraved or routed letters, or mounted letters of wood or metal.
b.
Silhouette or figurative signs three-dimensional letters, symbols, and/or ornamental figures made of wood or metal.
c.
Custom neon exterior-mounted on a signboard or metal support frame or enclosure, or interior-mounted behind clerestory or display windows.
d.
Fabric awnings such as canvas or nylon, with painted or applied lettering; plastic awnings that have high gloss or a reflective appearance shall not be used. Undersides of awnings should have a finished appearance with no exposed lighting or framework visible from the underside.
(7)
Lighting.
Lighting should be used to enhance both signs and buildings. When possible, sign illumination should be coordinated with an overall building lighting scheme. Recommended lighting approaches are:
a.
Backlit - with lighting inside and behind projecting lettering and/or awnings.
b.
Floodlit - with single or multiple spotlights, provided light sources are shielded to protect motorists, pedestrians, and adjacent properties.
c.
Color and lamp type - Light sources providing the most pleasing and accurate color rendering are metal halide, incandescent, and color-corrected fluorescent. Other lamp types, such as cool white fluorescent, mercury vapor, and high and low pressure sodium may distort sign colors and should be used according to advice from a lighting professional; these lamp types are not appropriate for area lighting. | http://reno-nv.elaws.us/code/ladeco_apxid18259_apxa_sec8 |
Q:
Minimum number of iterations in matrix where cell value replaced by maximum of neighbour cell value in single iteration
I have an matrix with values in each cell (minimum value=1), where the maximum value is 'max'.
At a time, I modify each cell value by the highest value of its neighboring cells i.e. all 8 neighbors, and this occurs for the whole matrix, simultaneously. I want to find after what minimum number of iterations after which value of all cells will be max.
One brute force method of doing this is by padding the matrix by zeros, and
for i in range (1,x_max+1):
for j in range(1,y_max+1):
maximum = 0
for k in range(-1,2):
for l in range(-1,2):
if matrix[i+k][j+l]>maximum:
maximum = matrix[i+k][j+l]
matrix[i][j] = maximum
But is there an intelligent and faster way of doing this?
Thanks in advance.
A:
I think this can be solved by BFS(Breadth first Search).
Start BFS simulatneously with all the matrix cells with 'max' value.
dis[][] == infinite // min. distance of cell from nearest cell with 'max' value, initially infinite for all
Q // Queue
M[][] // matrix
for all i,j // travers the matrix, enqueue all cells with 'max'
if M[i][j] == 'max'
dis[i][j] = 0 , Q.push( cell(i,j) )
while !Q.empty:
cell Current = Q.front
for all neighbours Cell(p,q) of Current:
if dis[p][q] == infinite
dis[p][q] = dis[Current.row][Current.column] + 1
Q.push( cell(p,q))
Q.pop()
The cell with max(dis[i][j]) for all i,j will be the no. of iterations needed.
| |
Protect Your Children’s Free Time
Research by the Population Association of America reports that children’s free time has decreased by 12 hours per week, and time spent doing unstructured outdoor activities decreased by 50 percent over the past three decades. Conversely, the amount of time children spent on homework increased by 50 percent, and time spent in structured sports activities doubled. These statistics suggest children’s and adolescents’ lives are more structured and increasingly performance-focused. Of course most parents do not maliciously enroll their children in piano lessons or sports, or press for “doing your best” in the classroom. However, an unanticipated consequence of a performance-focused and highly scheduled daily life is that time spent talking with family, time for sleep, meal times and playtime can all get pushed off to a “tomorrow” that never comes. Ironically, it is these activities that are invaluable for helping children and adolescents manage the demands of school and the stresses that frequently accompany performance expectations of parents and teachers.
Elevated pressure on children to perform, academically or athletically, can lead to anxiety and depression. In a study published in The High School Journal, researchers looked at adolescents and their amount of involvement in extra-curricular activities. They compared the amount of time spent in extra-curricular activities to self-reported symptoms of anxiety. 118 students from a suburban high school participated in the study, and of those students, the average amount of time spent in extracurricular activities was 31 hours per week, which included 11 hours of homework. The researchers found that greater time spent in extracurricular activities was related to increased levels of anxiety, especially in girls.
Parents need to help children and adolescents determine the right balance of “pushing for more”, with downtime. Here are some tips you can try with your children (or even yourself):
Make sleep a priority
Treat bedtime the same way you treat soccer practice: put it on your calendar and stick to it. It is difficult for most children to get the recommended 10-12 hours of sleep, but cutting back on your child’s activities is in order if s/he consistently gets less than nine hours per night.
Commit to family dinner
Family dinners provide children the opportunity to talk about things that are going on in their lives, problems they may be having, or simply to enjoy each other’s company. Schedule at least three dinners per week where you and your kids have the chance to connect over a meal. If you can’t sit down for dinner, consider family breakfast, or spending time together during the evening without a television or computer.
Stand your ground
The marketplace recognizes that many parents want to provide enriching experiences for their kids and it is eager to provide many options. Avoid the temptation to enroll in every fun or cool new activity that comes along. This is especially the case for young children; time spent playing at home is just as important for healthy development as playing soccer or participating in art class.
Involve your child in the decision
Allow your child or teen to choose their activities. If your kids want to participate in everything, remind them of their personal time constraints and the family’s time constraints, and then limit their choices to one or two activities that fit. Once the decision is made, remember the reason you enrolled the child in the activity. Very rarely will an extracurricular turn into a life’s work. Keep the focus on having fun or learning something, not earning a blue ribbon or the gold medal.
Take a break
If your child seems excessively tired, irritable or “burnt-out,” it’s OK to let him or her take a break. Kids need downtime just as much, if not more, than adults.
Listen to your gut
Every child is different. With differing personalities, activity levels and interests, what works well with one child may not work well for another. You know your children and family best, so listen to your gut if you get the feeling your children are pushed too hard or overscheduled.
* This Evidence-Based Parenting article was supported by funds from the George Kaiser Family Foundation awarded to the Oklahoma State University Center for Family Resilience. Joseph G. Grzywacz is the Kaiser Family Endowed Professor of Family Resilience and Director of the Center for Family Resilience. He can be reached at [email protected] or 918-594-8440. | https://www.tulsakids.com/protect-your-childrens-free-time/ |
San Juan River: The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation decreased releases from Navajo Dam from 500 cubic feet per second to 300 cubic feet per second on Oct. 29. The releases will be increased back to 500 cubic feet per second on Nov. 14. Trout fishing in the quality waters below the dam has been good using nymphs, dry flies, streamers, red and cream midge larva fly patterns, ant patterns, Baetis patterns, Blue Winged Olives, pupa patterns and crystal flash midge emergers. Downstream on the lower river and into the bait waters, trout fishing has been good using Baetis nymphs, Parachute Adams, Blue Wing Olives worms and spinners.
Navajo Lake: The only species reported from Navajo Lake this week were kokanee salmon. Salmon snagging has been good near the dam and snagging season is open through the end of the year.
Float'N Fish salesman Matt Van Sickle talks about reels used for fly fishing in March 2016 at the store located in the Community of Navajo Dam.(Photo: The Daily Times file photo)
Rio Grande: Questa resident Seth Hardy caught a 20-inch rainbow trout, a 20-inch brown trout and a 13-inch Rio Grande cutthroat trout while fly fishing on Oct. 23 near Bear Crossing using a large, tan bead head nymph. The river was flowing at 316 cubic feet per second on Oct. 28 at the Taos Junction Bridge. Trout fishing was good using large, tan bead head nymph flies, Panther Martin spinners, streamers, crane fly larva flies and Pheasant Tails. Catfish fishing was slow to fair near Albuquerque.
Jemez Waters: Los Alamos resident Eric Battle caught and released a dozen trout using a Prince Nymph dropper below a terrestrial fly. The Jemez River was flowing at 13.8 cubic feet per second on Oct. 28 near the town of Jemez. Trout fishing was good using salmon eggs and nymph flies.
Laguna del Campo: Trout fishing was fair to good using nightcrawlers and PowerBait. | |
- This event has passed.
Country Dancing at Piper’s
July 18, 2020 @ 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Line dancing was made for social distancing!
We’re open again for country dancing and we’re excited to welcome everyone back! Hosted by Carson Lanes Dancing and Piper’s Opera House. All ages and skill levels welcome!
We’ve got a new dance to learn and DJ Jeremy McGuigan will be teaching it! You’re not going to want to miss learning “Bambalam”! | https://pipersoperahouse.com/event/country-dancing-at-pipers-2/ |
When I saw that there is a "hiding places contest" on the instructable website my first associations were all about magic tricks, because that’s what magicians do: They want us to believe that they make something disappear while in reality it’s only hidden.
Inspired by the movie "Now you see me", I decided to make a simple box where a mirror is placed at an angle of 45° to make the box look empty.
The idea is to present the reflexion of the mirror as the back of the box. In order to avoid distortions the mirror has to be placed at an angle of 45° (as shown in the picture). So when we assume to see the end of the box we actually see a reflexion of the bottom, while the hidden place is behind the mirror and remains unseen.
Regarding the measures, feel free to dimension your box as you want.
Tip: If the box is deeper than its length and width, the mirror is even less recognizable.
The wood I used was 18 mm thick which leads to an internal space of 12,3cm x 12,3cm x 28,2cm and according to the theorem of Pythagoras, the size of the mirrors have to be 12,3cm x 17,4cm.
I had the wood cut in the store. Afterwards I used sandpaper to make the surface smooth.
Cutting the mirror however was a little bit more complicating, I used a glass cutter. Before I worked on the mirror I tried out the glass cutter several times on tiles and pieces of glass.
Tip: Put a drop of oil on the edge of the glass cutter in order to improve the cutting result.
Let’s leave a message for those who couldn’t be deceived. On the inner side of the back of the box I engraved a quote by using a hammer and a screwdriver.
This step is basically to make the box look better. I personally prefer using wood stain because it keeps the natural look of the wood.
Afterwards I used a transparent spraying varnish which made it a little bit glossy.
Tip: Using a very fine sandpaper before and after the staining and varnishing improves the result.
Although the mirror reflects the bottom of the box thus creating a nearly perfect illusion, the edge of the mirror is clearly visible. My idea was to distract the viewer by painting the edge of the mirror brown and drawing brown lines on all inner sides in such a way that it creates in combination with the edge of the mirror a pattern. This would avoid any suspicions on the viewer’s side.
In order to reach the hiding place I had to find a way to make the mirror movable. Therefore I used magnets. Unfortunately, my magnets were very weak, which forced me to put magnets on both sides.
Additionally, I put a plastic strip to get hold of the mirror when moving it.
Finally all parts of the box are ready to be glued together. I started with the ground and the left side. The pictures show every single stage.
Tip: While you glue the middle side of the box, put the mirror on its place and make sure that it has enough space to be moved smoothly.
Now the box can be tested. I stained and varnished the outside of the box once again. For now, I placed it on my dresser, but I am probably going to extend it to a little nightstand.
Excellent! And very nicely executed too.
This is really neat. Voted.
These are really fun. My son has a coin bank that has one of these hidden compartments. | https://www.instructables.com/id/OUT-OF-SIGHT/ |
How Much Does It Cost to Make a Pair of Sneakers?
Last Updated Apr 9, 2020 5:20:07 AM ET
The cost of making a pair of shoes varies from brand to brand. For instance, it costs Nike around $16 to make a pair of Air Jordans. This includes materials, labor, overhead and factory profit.
In 2001 in the United States, it cost $4 to produce a pair of New Balance shoes, while it cost $1.30 in China. Although the majority of New Balance production is in China, there are a few factories left in the United States due to certain productivity gains. Most U.S. employees work in small teams and are able to produce three shoes an hour, while in China it take three hours to make one shoe.
More From Reference
Here’s How the COVID-19 Pandemic Changed In-Person Retail Shopping in Lasting Ways
A Brief History of Insults: How Different Cultures Use Spoken and Written Verse to Mock and Mediate
Monkeydactyl and the Little Foot Fossil: Major Evolutionary Breakthroughs of 2021 (So Far)
Fact Check: How Accurate Are Farmers Almanac Weather Forecasts in Comparison to Weather Apps?
What Annual Income Is Considered Poverty Level & How Was the Federal Poverty Level Established? | https://www.reference.com/business-finance/much-cost-make-pair-sneakers-6591c94f28da901d |
The Salvia Bordeau™ series from Syngenta has a strong upright habit with spikes of flowers from spring through the summer. Deer resistant. Fragrant foliage and makes great cut flowers. Attracts butterflies, hummingbirds and pollinator bees to the garden. 'Compact Sky Blue' has light blue spikes of flowers all summer long.
common name:
meadow sage
plug size:
72
hardiness zone:
4 – 9
color:
blue
height:
18:-24"
light:
full sun
bloom time:
spring to summer
patent status: | https://www.jamesgreenhouses.com/plants/32603/ |
Over the last few weeks, M. Dawuda's Grade 2/3 class recorded the song "What a Wonderful World", planned and created a music video. We shared it with the school at our S.O.A.R. assembly on Tuesday, May 1, 2018!
Comet Choir Practice Video
10/30/2017
Sneak Peak...
8/17/2017
Today we had the opportunity to check out the progress in our new building. I am so excited to share more pictures of our awesome "Hip Hop Hall" room as the unpacking takes place! Until then, enjoy this sneak peak of our amazing graffiti wall by local Regina artist, Josh Goff.
It is hard to believe that there is only about one month left of school! Here is what we have been working on in the music room at ÉCCS.
Maternelle - The students are busy planting seeds and growing veggies. Our focus has been on cute songs like "Watch the Garden Grow", which go through all the steps to make a beautiful garden!
Grade 1/2 - After a few weeks with the classic, 'Peter and the Wolf' (or Pierre et le loup"), we are moving into 'Carnival of the Animals'. This has been an excellent study of different instrument families and understanding the qualities that make each instrument unique. In addition, we are reading different stories about each animal in 'Carnival' to help us make predictions about the elements of the songs (high/low; fast/slow; long/short; loud/soft)
Grade 3/4 - Students learned about each instrument family (Strings, Percussion, Woodwinds and Brass) and demonstrated their ability to categorize each instrument.
Grade 5/6 - Earlier in the month, we started with a music and movement study. In groups, students were required to create a class warm up. We are currently heading into our final project: creating a product and commercial to advertise the product. This project pulls all the arts education strands together: Music, Dance, Drama and Visual Art.
Grade 7/8 - The past month has been a very exciting (at least in my opinion!) study of the jazz and more specifically, the 12-Bar Blues. First, students completed a web quest that had students research different types of blues songs from all decades. Next, students learned the call and response form of the blues and made their own lyrics. Finally, we went through the 12-Bar Blues form on the barred instruments with some jazz backing tracks. Students demonstrated their ability to hear the chord changes while playing! It was a really awesome class that brought all their knowledge together!
Looking forward to a fun and exciting June. We will be getting outside in the sunshine with some folk dancing and more!
Je peux, I can...
5/5/2017
Funga Alafia Orff Arrangement
4/7/2017
Today was an awesome day in Arts Ed with M. Ingola's Grade 5/6 students! We put together a six-part Orff arrangement for one of our West African folk songs, "Funga Alafia". It was wonderful to see how the step-by-step model of learning different instruments and rhythms worked when we put everything together. Students took turns playing different parts: Soprano Xylophones, Alto Xylophones, Bass Xylophones/Metallophones, drums, shakers and singing! Here is a clip of when we really started to get into the groove:
Je peux, I can...
4/2/2017
During the month of March, we studied music from around the world in all grade levels. In particular, we looked at music from Western Africa.
This month, we are using one of our folk songs and creating different arrangements using Orff and non-pitched percussion instruments. Each grade level will experiment with improvising using set melodies and learning to read to sheet music. We hope to put everything together for the "Farewell to Connaught on 4th" potluck at the end of the month! | http://readyforartsed.weebly.com/eacuteccs |
While much of your overall taxation – including the credits and deductions for which you're eligible – depends on your adjusted gross income or modified adjusted gross income, knowing your capital gains is crucial for understanding how much long-term capital gains tax or taxes on sales of property and investments you owe.
Capital gains actually factor into your AGI, so it's best to figure out that total first. If you've been keeping even basic records of income, both capital gains and AGI are fairly straightforward sums to calculate.
Calculate Your Capital Gains and AGI
Capital gains represent the sum of your profits from the sale of property or investments; your earned capital and gross tax go hand in hand. To obtain this figure, you'll need to subtract your basis (your purchase price on real estate and investments plus commissions or fees paid, including reinvested dividends on stocks) from your realized amount (the sale price minus any commissions or fees on property and investments you sold) during the tax year. If the sale of assets resulted in profits, you have a capital gain.
Adjusted gross income is your total taxable income after adjustments. You'll first need to calculate your total income, which includes wages from Form W-2 and self-employment income, taxable interest and dividends, alimony payments received, capital gains, rental income and any other payments you received that aren't tax exempt. After you take all available deductions from that sum, including tax credits and write-offs, you're left with your adjusted gross income. Your modified adjusted gross income is your AGI plus or minus specific deductions, such as student loan interest payments or deductions claimed for residency outside of the U.S.
File Your Forms
File your capital gains and losses on Schedule D via Form 8949. Your AGI also appears on most common tax forms, including the Schedule D Form 1040, 1040-A and 1040-EZ.
These forms are due on April 15th along with your tax filing and can be filed by mail, online or through your accountant. Use a Form 1040-X to amend your return if you make any mistakes on your capital gains or AGI.
Changes by Tax Year
For tax years 2017 and 2018, you must reduce the total expense of itemized deductions you claim by 7.5 percent of your AGI. In 2019, you'll only be able to deduct total unreimbursed allowable medical care expenses that exceed 10 percent of your AGI. Your AGI, of course, determines your overall tax bracket, which saw big changes due to the tax laws passed in 2017. You can view a full breakdown of income tax brackets and rates on the Tax Foundation website.
Likewise, long-term capital gains tax rates changed in 2018. In 2017, singles owed zero percent on income below $37,950, 15 percent on income between $37,951 and $418,400 and 20 percent on income over that. In 2018, you'll owe nothing on income below $38,700, 15 percent on $38,701 to $500,000 and 20 percent on income over $500,000.
References
- H&R Block: Can You Tell Me How to Calculate Capital Gains Tax?
- TurboTax: How to Figure Out Adjusted Gross Income (AGI)
- TurboTax: What Is Adjusted Gross Income (AGI)?
- Forbes: New: IRS Announces 2018 Tax Rates, Standard Deductions, Exemption Amounts and More
- USA.gov: How to File Your Federal Taxes
- IRS: Make a Mistake? Amend Your Tax Return
Resources
Writer Bio
Dan's decade-long experience as a freelance writer and small business owner has seen him contribute to financial publications including Chron.com, Zacks.com, MSN Money, Fortune, Motley Fool and others. | https://budgeting.thenest.com/calculate-adjusted-gross-income-capital-gains-30568.html |
Honeywell recently has demonstrated that their new holographic quantum dynamics (holoQUADS) algorithm has accurately simulated a quantum dynamics model, this simulation was completed with fewer qubits than the traditional methods. This new algorithm had used nine qubits in order to simulate 32 spins – or localized electrons. For comparison, the traditional methods required one qubit per spin.
This demonstration that was led by Eli Chertkov is very important for the future of quantum computing because simulating quantum dynamics is a feasible application for quantum computers. Although many scientists are predicting that quantum computers will need thousands of qubits in order to perform calculations for practical purposes, the holoQUADS algorithm is trying to change that.
A technology borrowed from classical computing
Scientists since a long time ago have always questioned how atoms and subatomic particles move and interact with each other(quantum mechanics) and react when they are disturbed(quantum dynamics). This knowledge is crucial to the development of new vaccines, medicines, and the discovery of new materials that are stronger and more durable, or materials that conduct heat and electricity better than the existing ones. At the present moment, it is not possible to simulate quantum dynamics of systems that are bigger than a few atoms, and many scientists believe that this wouldn’t change. Classical computers work with data by manipulating ones and zeroes, Atoms and subatomic particles move and behave in different ways and they can have numerous states. The American physicist Richard Feynman the father of quantum computing has laid the postulates in the 1980’’s and famously said that only quantum computers could simulate quantum dynamics. But that doesn’t mean that computer scientists don’t have some tricks in their sleeves to simulate some aspects of quantum dynamics on classical computers. Scientists have developed extremely powerful algorithms such as tensor networks in order to approximate quantum states.
The holoQUADS is based on one of these tensor networks. These mathematical tools are compressing data and scientists are using them to study the quantum nature of many different materials.
Last May the Honeywell team has published a paper detailing the necessary steps to adapt these tensor networks for quantum computers and how to extend them in order to simulate dynamics. They also have published a second paper that explained how quantum tensor networks can measure the degree to which some parts of a system are entangled or entangled entropy. That is used in the studies of topological properties of materials.
This recent demonstration has shown that the quantum dynamics algorithm presented in the first paper is not only efficient but it can also return quantitatively accurate results when paired with trapped-ion hardware that is available at the moment.
Tested and approved
Honeywell has tested the new algorithm by simulating the chaotic dynamics of the kicked Ising model, which is a mathematical framework that is used to study chaos and thermalization in some strongly interacting quantum systems. The end results have mirrored the results generated by the classical computers.
This demonstration has served as an important milestone that will aid the team in the verification of performance and accuracy in the process of scaling the algorithm for quantum hardware.
Foss-Feig, Chertkov, and other authors are excited by the performance of the algorithm and also by the performance of the System Model H1. We wrote about this system recently, and also we wrote about Honeywell’s milestone with the System Model H1. | https://quantumzeitgeist.com/honeywell-expects-its-new-quantum-algorithm-to-solve-real-world-problems-sooner-than-previously-expected/ |
Smoked Mexican corn is easy to prepare with just a few simple ingredients. For this recipe, we decided to add even more delicious smoke flavor by cooking the corn inside of an Alder grilling wrap. Alder wood has a delicate, earth smoke flavor that pairs especially well with vegetables.
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 (or 8 corn lollipops)
Ingredients:
- 4 Alder Grilling Wraps
- 4 ears of corn, shucked
- 1/4 cup Mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup Sour Cream
- 1/2 cup Feta or Cotija Cheese
- 2 Tbsp. Cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 Lime
- Salt & Pepper
Chef's Tip
For easier serving and eating,
cut the corn into shorter pieces
and pierce with a flat Cedar skewer
to make corn-lollipops!
Directions:
- Soak the Alder Wraps in water for 5 minutes.
- Preheat grill to 400°F.
- Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, cilantro, feta (or cotija) cheese, salt and pepper and juice from half of the lime. Brush on shucked corn.
- Place seasoned corn on Alder wraps, parallel to the grain of the wood, and secure with natural twine.
- Add wrapped food to grill and close the grill lid, cooking for 15 minutes (or until corn is soft).
- When done, remove from grill and serve with more crumbled feta cheese, cilantro and lime juice.
- Enjoy! | https://www.wildwoodgrilling.com/smoked-mexican-corn-elote-alder/ |
IRA Rollover and Divorce
The IRS imposes penalties if you have any unqualified early IRA withdrawals. During a divorce, the money in an IRA is divided between the spouses if it is considered community property in your state. This division could result in early distributions and tax penalties, so the IRS has taken divorce into consideration and made allowances for it. A rollover is not one of these allowances. A rollover occurs when one spouse withdraws money from his IRA account and gives it to his ex-spouse to redeposit into another IRA account. This type of transaction is not allowed as part of a divorce proceeding without incurring penalties.
Considerations
The divorce court determines how much each spouse receives from the IRA. This calculation includes all monies contributed to the account as of the date of the marriage. Any amount put in the account before this date or after the marriage has officially ended is not included in the divided total. A spouse cannot take money from his IRA and give it to his ex-spouse. Jones v. Commissioner determined that this is not a valid way to transfer IRA proceeds as part of a divorce. Any money withdrawn this way is penalized as a taxable distribution.
Court Order
As part of the divorce proceedings, the court issues a qualified domestic relations order that lists all assets, asset totals and how the assets will be divided between the spouses; it should include a dollar amount of the percentage of the IRA that each spouse receives. The Internal Revenue Code requires that this order be in writing in order to transfer the ex-spouse's portion. The divorce decree must also specify that any IRA transfers are as a result of the divorce and are intended to be tax-free under the Internal Revenue Code.
Penalties
If the transfer of funds is not done according to the qualified domestic relations order, the Internal Revenue Service will place a 10 percent penalty, including income taxes, on the portion that is withdrawn from the account. The qualified domestic relations order essentially determines that both spouses own the IRA account; therefore, any transfer amount between spouses should not be considered a taxable distribution.
Transfers
To avoid tax penalties, the IRS allows two methods of transferring IRA funds to an ex-spouse. If one ex-spouse is receiving the entire amount of the IRA, simply change the name on the IRA account from the spouse that owns the IRA to the ex-spouse's name. If the ex-spouse is receiving only a portion of the IRA account, conduct a direct transfer -- move the money from the IRA of one spouse directly into the IRA of the other spouse. Neither spouse will receive any cash as part of the transaction.
References
Writer Bio
Based in New York City, Ben David has been a writer since 2006. His expertise extends into the fields of business administration, new media technologies, consumer electronics and mobile device technology and design. David studied Communications at Howard University. | https://finance.zacks.com/ira-rollover-divorce-4035.html |
Basics: What Are the Key Process Variables of Winding?
- Published: May 03, 2013, By Timothy J. Walker
Have you ever heard of the TNTs of winding: Tension, Nip, and Torque? I'm not necessarily a big fan of this cute and catchy acronym, but it does help to describe what variables are important to a winding roll. I think the advocates of TNT come mainly from the paper industry based on their experience with two drum surface winders. Tension is the web tension upstream of the winder. Nip is the normal force between the winding roll and the surface drums.
But what is torque? Torque is the ft-lbs (or N-m) applied to the second drum. In two drum surface winders, this torque is important to cinch up the initial layers of a winding roll.
Let's back up a little. What does the winding roll care about? Stress and strain. One of the easiest ways to understanding winding is to imagine creating a roll as a series of tensioned hoops. You start with a core, add one tensioned hoop of material (like stretching a rubber band around a tube), then add another on top of the first hoop, then add another, and another, etc. Each of the hoops will add to the stresses and pressures within the building roll. Each layer has an initial length, tension, and radial position.
Where do the TNTs come in? The tensions, nip forces, and torques of winding determine the initial condition of each layer (or hoops, if you will) as they are added to the winding roll.
Imagine starting with a 3.5-in. OD tube. Take a 3.0-in. diameter rubber band and stretch it onto the tube. Now take four more 3.0-in. diameter rubber bands, stretch them, and add each on top of the earlier bands. You can imagine that the pressure exerted on the core could be five times the pressure from one band.
Now repeat this experiment, but do it with smaller rubber bands, say of 2.0 in. diameter. You will have to exert more stress to get the first rubber band out to 3.5 in. diameter, resulting in more pressure on the core. As you add four more 2.0-in. diameter bands to the others, you will again create a core pressure around five times the pressure of the first band and quite a bit higher than the pressure in your first experiment with 3.0-in. diameter bands.
So, what are the critical variables in the tightness of these rubber band rolls?
- Tensile stress required to stretch the hoop onto the core.
- Number of layers added to the core.
*In this experiment there was no nip or torque, just tension. | https://pffc-online.com/web-lines/11148-basics-what-are-the-key-process-variable-of-winding |
Five brand new £1million luxury mansions will be torn down because plots were '33 per cent too big' after homeowners desperately fought to save them in a bitter, five-year-long planning row.
The six-bed detached properties in the West Pennine moors are up to a third bigger and in different locations than they were allowed, a planning inquiry heard.
Bolton Council issued an enforcement notice for demolition in 2018 and a planning inspector has now given the householders 12 months to demolish the structures and return the site to its previous state.
That period has been extended from a six-months due to the 'hardship' the decision will impose on the appellants, whose buildings are at Grundy Fold Farm.
At a previous hearing homeowner Elan Raja said he paid £1,057,000 for the plot in 2016 and claimed he has had since spent more than £215,000 on the rental of an alternative property and other costs.
He said he had suffered from severe stress and anxiety coping with the immense demands of the matter and had suffered cardiac problems as a result of the 'nightmare'.
‹Slide me›
MailOnline graphic shows where the homes were built in a red outline along with blue shading to point out where two of the mansions should have been erected (pictured in 2019)
An aerial shot shows the site where five £1million luxury mansions will be demolished after being built in the wrong place
The six-bedroom, stone-built exclusive houses were built on a stunning plot in the West Pennine moors near Bolton, Lancashire, but finishing works were put on hold after a complaint was filed in October 2016 (pictured still unfinished in 2019)
The development began in 2014 when planning permission was granted for the conversion of a former farmhouse and four new homes around a central courtyard.
The stone-built exclusive homes were erected on a sprawling plot near Bolton, Greater Manchester.
But finishing works were put on hold after a complaint was filed in October 2016, and Bolton Council found the houses were not being built in accordance with the planning permission.
Share this article
The inquiry heard how plot one on the site had a 31 percent bigger footprint than allowed, plot two was 19 percent bigger, plot three 32 percent bigger and plot four 33 percent bigger.
The local authority first issued an enforcement notice to flatten the entire development in 2018 following an impasse with the developers, Sparkle Developments.
The appeal claims the enforcement notice issued by the council to demolish the homes was excessive and too harsh to remedy any breach in planning regulations.
Planning permission was originally granted in August 2014 for five houses at the site, but the mansions were built bigger, in different places and facing in different directions to the initially agreed scheme (pictured in 2019)
‹Slide me›
The floor plan for plot 4 (above) which has been built in the other direction and several feet away from where the council gave permission
The buildings, known as Grundy Fold, had been put in different positions on the development than those agreed and some were bigger than permitted (pictured in 2019)
This overhead aerial view shows how the site is littered with building supplies in 2019 after the construction was suddenly halted
The owners now face the prospect of a 'fall back position', which is to demolish the existing buildings and rebuild in the correct areas to the correct size.
That planning permission, which is still in place, is for just four dwellings and conversion of the former farmhouse, which was demolished and stands partially rebuilt.
A four-day planning inquiry in March heard from plot holders and their lawyer as well as from Bolton Council.
Developers Sparkle demolished the farmhouse and began building afresh and partially constructed four new homes in the wrong locations and with different dimensions than agreed, it was heard.
The inquiry considered two appeals from the house owners, one against the demolition enforcement and another to try and overturn a decision on a subsequent amended planning application.
Both appeals were dismissed yesterday.
The local authority first issued an enforcement notice to flatten the entire development last year following an impasse with the developers Sparkle Developments (pictured in 2019)
An aerial photograph shows how the houses remain partially finished after construction was halted by Bolton planning officers (pictured in 2019)
A planning document shows the proposed elevation for plot 3 which planning officers deemed had been built away from its permitted site
At the inquiry, Bolton Council argued harm had been caused to the green belt.
'The character of the area is scattered farms, individual rural houses and groups of houses clustered into small villages located below the uplands.
'The original plans were expressly designed to be compatible with that settlement pattern.
'They were sensitively sited in a hamlet form of development.'
The above graphic shows how the plots have been built. The black lines show how they should have been built and the dotted light blue lines show the current building dimensions. The dotted dark blue lines show the locations of the previous buildings on the site with the red line showing previously approved locations for the homes
He said that the current location of the houses represents a 'significant departure away from the clear design intentions of the 2014 scheme'.
He also argued that the enforcement action to order demolition was not proportionate to the breaches of planning.
In the decision notice, planning inspector Jason Whitfield said: 'Both appeal A and appeal B would result in a greater presence of built development in the green belt than the fall back position.
'I find that this greater increase in built form would be harmful, both spatially and visually, when located in an area characterised by openness and on a site which, when considered at its baseline, is largely free of built form.
'As a consequence, considering all the evidence before me, I find the harm resulting to green belt openness from the appeals would be greater than any such harm resulting from the fall back position.'
Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline?
Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual
We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook.
You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy. | |
What do I think about the Michigan Senate approving laws that will increase the speed limits for cars, trucks and school buses?
I think it’s a horrible idea … as I have for years.
That’s 100% consistent with what I’ve been saying since Michigan lawmakers first started making noises about ignoring the safety risks and allowing drivers to go faster: Speed kills.
The research backs me up.
Raising the speed limit from 70 mph to 75 mph on freeways is estimated to increase motor vehicle accident-related fatalities by 17%.
Raising the speed limit from 55 mph to 65 mph on non-freeways, i.e., highways, is estimated to increase in car accident traffic fatalities by 28%.
Faster trucks and school buses?
Of course, my safety concerns with the proposed speed limit increases in the Senate-approved versions of HB 4423 and 4425 don’t end with what I’ve discussed above.
Not only do I think letting school buses go faster (from 60 to 65 mph) is a bad idea standing alone. But when coupled with the lack of seat belts to protect students and the issues that occurring with inadequate training and supervision of bus drivers, I’m certain it’s a potentially – and quite likely – deadly idea.
Also, increasing truck speed limits from 60 to 65 mph is just a disaster waiting to happen.
Increase the freeway maximum speed limit from 70 mph to 75 mph on “limited access freeway[s].” Exisiting law: MCL 257.628(8). HB 4423 (page 10). HB 4425 (page 6).
Increase the highway maximum speed limit from 55 mph to 65 mph on “trunk line highway[s].” Existing law: MCL 257.628(1). HB 4423 (pages 10-11). HB 4425 (page 2).
Increase the freeway maximum speed limit for trucks from 60 mph to 65 mph on “limited access freeway[s]” where “the posted speed limit is greater than 65 miles per hour …” Exisiting law: MCL 257.627(6). HB 4423 (page 4).
Increase the freeway maximum speed limit for school buses from 60 mph to 65 mph on “limited access freeway[s]” where “the posted speed limit is greater than 65 miles per hour …” Exisiting law: MCL 257.627(6). HB 4423 (page 4). | https://www.michiganautolaw.com/blog/2016/12/08/senate-approves-speed-limit-law/ |
About Kelly | Kelly B. Cartwright, Ph.D.
Kelly B. Cartwright, Ph.D., is Professor of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Teacher Preparation at Christopher Newport University (CNU) where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in cognitive, language, and literacy processes; and directs the Cognition, Language, and Literacy lab. Kelly's research focuses on the development of skilled reading comprehension and the neurocognitive and affective factors that underlie comprehension processes and difficulties from preschool through adulthood. Her research has been supported by grants from the Virginia State Reading Association and the United States Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. Kelly regularly works with teachers in public and private schools throughout the US to better understand and improve comprehension instruction for struggling readers, and these experiences inform her research. Kelly's publications support both practitioner and researcher audiences. Her articles have appeared in a variety of journals, such as Contemporary Educational Psychology, Early Education and Development, Journal of Educational Psychology, Journal of Literacy Research, Journal of Research in Reading, and the Reading Teacher. Her most recent books were designed to support practitioners: Executive Skills and Reading Comprehension: A Guide for Educators (2015, Guilford) and Word Callers: Small-Group and One-to-One Interventions for Children who "Read" but Don't Comprehend (2010, Heinemann); and her 2008 researcher-focused book, Literacy Processes: Cognitive Flexibility in Learning and Teaching (Guilford), was nominated for the Ed Fry book award in 2008.
Cartwright, K. B. (2017). Executive-level thinking: Teaching 21st century skills for effective reading comprehension. Literacy Today, 34 (6), 38-39.
Cartwright, K. B., Marshall, T. R., & Wray, E. (2016). A longitudinal study of the role of reading motivation in primary students' reading comprehension. Reading Psychology, 37, 55-91.
Bock, A., Cartwright, K. B., Gonzalez, C., O'Brien, S., Robinson, M. F., Schmerold, K., Shriver, A., & Pasnak, R. (2015). The role of cognitive flexibility in pattern understanding. Journal of Education and Human Development, 4, 19-25.
Cartwright, K. B. (2015). Executive skills and reading comprehension: A guide for educators. NY: Guilford Press.
Cartwright, K. B. (2015). Executive function and reading comprehension: The critical role of cognitive flexibility. In S. R. Parris & K. Headley (Eds.), Comprehension instruction: Research-based best practices (3rd ed., pp. 56-71). NY: Guilford Press.
Cartwright, K. B. & Guajardo, N. R. (2015). The role of hot and cool executive functions in pre-resider comprehension. In A. DeBruin-Parecki, A. van Kleeck, & S. Gear (Eds.), Developing early comprehension: Laying the foundation for reading success. Baltimore, MD: Brookes Publishing.
Duke, N. K., Cartwright, K. B., & Hilden, K. (2014). Difficulties with reading comprehension. In C. A. Stone, E. R. Silliman, B. J. Ehren, & G. P. Wallach (Eds.), Handbook of language and literacy: Development and disorders. NY: Guilford Press.
Cartwright, K. B. (2012). Insights from cognitive neuroscience: The importance of executive function for early reading development and education. Early Education and Development, 23, 24-36.
Cartwright, K. B. (2010). Word callers: Small group and one-to-one interventions for children who "read" but don't comprehend. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Copyright © 2019 Kelly B. Cartwright, Ph.D. - All Rights Reserved. | https://kellycartwright.com/about-kelly |
Who is there like little me!
Who is like me!
I can touch the sky,
I touch the sky indeed.
—Winnebago folktale
The task could be avoided no longer. It had been time for too long now; soon they would all be too big to be useful, and then what would I do? Perhaps, I thought, if I went quickly enough, the burden of what I was about to do wouldn’t bother me. Or if I moved slowly and silently enough, the mother wouldn’t notice at all. Quiet as a mouse. I would reach my arm gently into the glass terrarium, separate the mounds of soft cotton fluff, shredded paper towels, and pine shavings she’d arranged so deliberately, and pluck them all out. One by one.
But no matter how many times I told myself that it didn’t matter anyway, that she really didn’t matter all that much, I couldn’t make myself believe this. In that second, she saw me only for exactly what I was, what we both knew I was. A baby stealer. A baby killer. Interesting that some etymologies claim that the word mouse is derived from the Sanskrit musha: meaning “the thief” or “to steal.” Somehow, I had become a predator.
I had always thought of myself as a protector of animals, both wild and domesticated. In Sequoia National Park where I worked for many seasons, I often educated—sometimes lectured—tourists about the park’s black bears. I had a penchant for adopting special-needs pets. In the coming years, I would work at an animal shelter and with dog rescue organizations. I could hardly squash the errant spider or insect I found in my house. The new role of predator was uncomfortable and unwanted.
I thought of the word itself, predator, with its origins in the Latin praeda. This single root has a rich history and has yielded a number of English words, some of which filled my head: prison, depredation, plunder, comprehend. I thought, too, of the French verb prendre, “to take.” Another one came to mind: reprehensible. Yes, that was me.
#
I was caring for my husband Jake’s Chinese water dragons while he did archeological fieldwork in the Middle East. And here was the problem: they were carnivorous lizards. Unlike some water dragons, Dante and Faust would only accept a diet of hairless, blind, deaf, still-alive-and-helplessly-squirming baby mice, called “pinkies.” By as soon as two weeks, the mice would be hair-covered, able to see and hear; by then, they’d be too large for the lizards to consider them food. We had no choice but to either raise our own feeder mice, or regularly drive over an hour round-trip to Des Moines. So now, four mice resided in our living room. And I quickly learned that they are fiercely individualistic with distinct personalities and quirks.
There were The Fat Girls, two friendly, sweet tan females named Wanda and Baby Mouse; both had had one litter of babies each and then inexplicably stopped breeding. While the other mice would run miles each day on their shiny metal wheel, the Fat Girls appeared lazy, sleeping more than it seemed mice should, and they both became morbidly obese. The Fat Girls also had an occasional and disturbing habit of attacking and eating newborn mice.
The other tan mouse was a male, feisty and skinny. We named him Brigham, hoping to foreshadow his astonishing procreative abilities; if unimpeded, a single pair of mice is capable of producing thousands of offspring in a single year. Brigham did not disappoint.
And then there was Jetta, a petite mouse with fur the color of smooth, wet slate. Jetta produced a litter of pups, usually a dozen or more, exactly every three weeks.
Years later, I would be upset to learn that we’d gone about the business of mouse breeding all wrong. Because female mice, does, can come into estrus every five days, they must be separated from the males, bucks, at all times. If not separated, a male will mate with the female immediately, even if she’s just given birth, causing her to simultaneously have to care for the newborn mice and deal with the demands of pregnancy again. By keeping Jetta and Brigham housed together constantly, we had unwittingly subjected her to an endless, exhausting—and probably harmful—cycle of motherhood.
For about a year and a half, the unsettling same scene repeated itself. The sight was truly wrenching: a hand would appear in the terrarium, and Jetta would grab the nearest pup in her mouth and run back and forth, positively frantic, until she found a safe place to hide it beneath a mound of bedding. Then she would grab another one and another, trying to hide them all.
Obviously she couldn’t know the exact fate of her offspring. But in those moments when her babies were being taken, the always-docile, sweet Jetta was replaced by a panicked, protective mother. During the days after Jetta had had a litter, Brigham, too, was transformed. He would fling his tiny body at Jake’s hand in what seemed like a crazed rage. More than once he succeeded in delivering a nasty warning bite.
As I took over the lizard-care duties for my husband that summer, I made a split-second decision: This will be the first and only time. It wouldn’t hurt Dante and Faust to eat mealworms all summer. And if we ever again had lizards, I would only tolerate vegetarian lizards.
#
What is it about mice that makes us so uneasy? My friend Beth, who is one of the most empathetic people I know, who has, in fact, been a professional animal communicator, cannot abide wild mice. She tells me that this species and humans lack “a shared understanding, a consensual relationship.” For several months one summer, Beth played an annoying and futile game of hide-and-seek in her home with one particular mouse. When I ask her to explain why the experience was so upsetting, she says, “It’s the lack of negotiation and feeling as if my space is invaded.” Understandable yes—who would like feeling besieged? But I still have to wonder why do we humans find mice so offensive to our sensibilities?
Folklore holds mice in no greater esteem. They are bad omens, portents of catastrophe. Their sudden appearance or disappearance foretells a family member’s demise; a mouse crossing one’s path signals an untimely death; a squeaking mouse near a sickbed forecasts a dubious recovery; travelers encountering mice will have misfortunate journeys. The exception to the mice-as-bad-luck image is seen in Bavaria, where white mice are considered especially good luck and to kill any mouse invites certain disaster.
Mice also have numerous “evil” connotations. They are long believed to represent the Devil and his work, falling from the sky to cause plagues, disrupting Noah’s ark journey. They have long-held witchcraft associations as well. Witches are reputed to turn clothing scraps into mice, keep them as familiars, and use them as ingredients in brews and potions. Mice have been believed to hold the reincarnated souls of murder victims, or are regarded as thieves capable of stealing the souls of sleeping people.
In stark comparison to folklore is my nine-year old niece’s teacher, who keeps pet mice in her classroom. Originally believed to have originated in Asia, Mus musculus, the common house mouse, is a species that’s opportunistic, flexible, and highly adaptable.
“We each get to take them home for a week,” she told me.
I pictured a terrarium like the one which used to house our own mice. How unsettling it must be for them, all that shuffling back and forth, strange places week after week. And knowing the often-short life expectancy of a mouse, I wondered what the teacher did if one happened to expire while with a student.
“And what do you guys do with them once you get them home?” I had to ask. Was there some important educational lesson that went along with the responsibility of caring for the mice?
“Oh,” she said, “They just run around and we watch them and then we give them back.” As an afterthought she added, “Mice don’t really do anything anyway.”
I considered her comment. In ecological terms, humans and mice (among other rodents, particularly rats) share a commensal relationship: a close interaction between organisms in which one animal, presumably mice, benefits, while the other animal gains or loses nothing. I can’t really believe in the neutrality this definition suggests. If we interact this closely, share an often intimate relationship, certainly mice do have an impact, ecologically, intellectually, emotionally. In many instances, it is this very interaction with humans that engenders conflict.
Mice are second only to humans in their vast and complete planetary colonization, existing in an astonishing diversity of habitats. They are everywhere. And yet, as my niece has illustrated, they are nothing. They are physically diminutive, usually taken for granted, and pilfer from humans without harming or helping us—in theory anyway. But surely, I thought, mice must matter.
#
The conflicted, adversarial relationships between mice and other animals are well-known in many cultures and provide the context for a number of stories. David Pickering, in his Dictionary of World Folklore explains that “Mice appear as characters…tricking much more powerful animals or alternatively coming to a sticky end themselves after forgetting their own vulnerability.” Greek fabulist Aesop shares the parable of the mouse and the lion, a story in which the mouse doesn’t try to trick the trapped lion, but instead “saves” his life after having had his own life spared.
What is interesting about the mouse as a literary figure is that it directly contradicts the stereotype of the mouse as meek, feeble, and unimportant. E.B. White’s 1945 children’s story, Stuart Little, gives readers such a mouse. Stuart is portrayed as a kind, considerate mouse who would, and does, do anything for his human family and for his bird-friend Margalo. In Robert C. O’Brien’s 1971 children’s book, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh, the lead character is a single field mouse mother who must succeed against numerous seemingly insurmountable challenges to finally defeat a most-powerful foe: human beings. As protagonists, it is precisely this smallness, the ability to overcome the limitations of size, which makes the mouse a compelling underdog.
The mouse as a literary character also becomes a creature worthy of our sympathies and respect. One notable example appears in Robert Burns’s 1785 poem, “To a Mouse.” Inspired by a real-life event during which Burns accidentally destroyed a mouse’s nest while plowing his farm’s fields, the poem is an almost-reverent commentary on human frailty and the loss of connection to the natural world; the poem is also the source of Burns’s well-known epigram, “The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men / Gang aft agley.” Burns addresses the poem’s fictional mouse, the “tim’rous beastie,” and apologizes repeatedly for his destructiveness as well as for several of nature’s wrongs.
These works all elevate the mouse’s status from a humble, passive creature to one that’s sympathetic and admirable, able to evoke a positive response that many people are unable to conjure for the real thing. But taken out of this context, empathy for the mouse seems quite hard to find.
#
“Well, I have some bad news,” Jake said as I walked in the door. I dropped my backpack and flopped onto the couch. Spring semester had just started, and I was already feeling the stress of classes, teaching, and the long winter.
I sighed. “What’s up?”
“Jetta died today, probably sometime this morning.”
The news wasn’t a surprise. Jetta was nearly two-years old, positively geriatric by mouse standards. Her wild relatives, in contrast, had a much shorter life expectancy, somewhere around six months. We had been expecting this demise for a few weeks, recognizing subtle signs of Jetta’s steadily declining health.
“Where is she? I want to see her,” I said, nearly in tears.
Jake wrinkled his forehead and hesitated. “I threw her out.”
“You mean you threw her away? Like in the trash?” I pictured Jetta’s body surrounded by coffee grounds, vegetable peelings, ordinary household garbage.
“Well yeah,” he said. “She was just a mouse.”
“That’s not right. We should have buried her, or something.”
His bemused expression told me that he still didn’t quite understand why I was so bothered. And why was I, really?
Jetta was my first pet that had passed away since I was a young child; my losses then I hardly remembered. And though I would go through this very ritual over and over during the next few years, as our mice each inevitably died out—some even outliving the lizards—I realized that I was upset because I hadn’t had a chance to say goodbye. Somewhere, in our mostly one-sided relationship, Jetta had become important to me.
“I’ll go out and get her if you want,” Jake offered. “We can bury her.”
I pictured him rummaging through the garbage outside, trying to dig a mouse-sized hole in the long-frozen ground.
“No, it’s okay.” I shook my head. “But next time,” I added, “when the next one goes, please let’s just bury it, okay? That’s the least they deserve.”
#
If my niece believes that mice may not do anything remarkable, their role in science and medicine is evidence enough to prove her wrong. Today, the mouse is one of the most genetically significant animals on the planet, quite possibly the “Rosetta stone that will help us interpret the human genome,” according to Princeton University president, Shirley Tilghman. Few people in the world haven’t, at some point, used a product or medication that was tested on mice.
In 1979, the discovery that field mice in southern California were genetically resistant to the leukemia virus helped outline the theoretical framework for much modern-day AIDS research and led to the development of antibody-based medications. Studies of proteins in mouse brains may provide a model to one day combat human memory loss and may even yield new treatments for Parkinson’s disease, ADD, and schizophrenia. The discovery as to why certain mice become fat—they are genetically unable to produce the protein which signals the brain to recognize when the mouse is “full”—has potentially significant implications for understanding our own health.
And if their importance to the medical field isn’t convincing enough, mice also play a key ecological role. One ecologist likened them to “tiny Atlases holding up the world,” insisting that their role “goes far beyond being a Big Mac for predators.” As mice eat their way across the world, they provide a number of valuable services for both plant and animal life: they cull the landscape for predators, keep weeds at bay, enhance and fertilize soil by burrowing, disperse seed, and help foster tree and plant germination. And most importantly, they themselves are a common and plentiful food source. As environmentalist Aldo Leopold once wrote, “If the land mechanism as a whole is good, then every part is good.” For the critical part they play, mice act theirs amazingly well.
Despite their reputation as thieves, mice instead have the potential to actually give more than they take. They have the potential to shape the futures of our medical, scientific, and physical landscapes. It is hard not to be impressed, to be touched in some fundamental way, by the sacrifices that mice make for humans, for our continued health, or for our ever-expanding knowledge.
#
I watched Brigham closely, as I’d been doing for the last few weeks. Waiting. He’d always been a lean, athletic mouse, but now at almost three years old, he was bony, his fur matted and dull. Every movement was cautious and obviously painful, every breath labored. I couldn’t believe that he was still there, somehow holding on. Sometimes he even still plodded along on the exercise wheel.
Jake saw me watching, as if he knew what I was thinking. “It seems like,” he said, “it might be time to do something. To, uh, intervene.”
The word neither of us wanted to say, euthanasia, hung unspoken in the air between us. I knew he was right. It was time. Brigham was clearly in pain. He was suffering. And as a result, so were we.
When I returned home later that evening, Brigham was gone. Jake’s solemn mood, his silence as we stood in the backyard and together buried Brigham with the other mice, out back among the waiting, dormant hostas, did not go unnoticed.
#
My work in Sequoia National Park began with the same ritual each summer. I would stand in my newly-assigned cabin armed with a stiff-bristled broom, paper towels, spray cleaner, and an industrial-strength face mask. Kept tightly closed-up and locked, the cabins had only one inhabitant during the long Sierra winter: deer mice. In 1993, the mysterious and often deadly Hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HPS) had emerged in the Four Corners region of the United States, and had scared us all. Related viruses have been isolated in China, Russia, Panama, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, and in western and northern Europe. You can’t be too careful, the rangers told us.
In their interactions with humans, mice also cause economic damage because of their voracious appetites and their urgent need to chew in order to manage their always-growing teeth. They eat through crops and stored food supplies, and some estimate they annually consume fully a quarter of all globally-grown grain intended for humans. They disrupt livestock farms, can damage machinery, and can even destroy buildings.
The moniker pest comes from the Latin pestis, meaning “deadly contagious disease,” a term justifiably earned by some mice, as my experience in Sequoia attests. Mice can be harmful, causing substantial environmental and economic damage, albeit indirectly; fortunately, most large-scale destruction is short lived. This is the downside to our commensalism with mice, suggesting that our relationship may not always be so neutral. Interaction, and then conflict, is inevitable. That we live so closely with mice means that we are just bound to get in each other’s way, from time to time. It’s the specific degree to which we bother one another that varies.
Ultimately though, it remains incredible that a single animal that has managed to so thoroughly settle the entire planet does not cause a more negative impact. Considering their vast numbers and the commonness of human and mouse interaction, it’s a wonder that our conflicts cause so little real or lasting damage.
#
These reflections are marked now by the distance of many years and miles. In Pittsburgh, the dreary mid-Atlantic winter had finally surrendered to the lengthening days. The skies were gray, exactly like the soft fur of a still-not-forgotten mouse. Strands of sunlight filtered through the bedroom window and cast shadows on my infant daughter’s sleeping face. In an instant, a fierce protectiveness shuddered through me. I marveled at how this tiny being could hold an almost-palpable sense of power over me.
What would I tell my daughter in a few years when she asks whether dogs and butterflies and mice think and feel and act, just like us? We like to believe we can really know other creatures. Mice are hidden, furtive, secretive. But is it possible to truly understand or know any non-human animal? I am not sure we can ever come close. All we can do is try.
I believe that mice offend our sensibilities because they are remnants of a wildness we have forgotten and don’t want to admit is lost. Mice seem in some sense symbolic of the more significant connections we’ve lost to the natural world. We humans work tirelessly to keep mice—and “nature” in so many other incarnations—out, outside, away. Where it belongs. We barricade ourselves in our homes and our businesses. We protect our beings and our belongings from mice. We devise new and better ways to eradicate them. And yet, our efforts often don’t matter. Mice are still there. Still everywhere. Pests working tirelessly against us to get in. We are unable to truly control them. Perhaps that is what is so unsettling: mice make us feel powerless.
More than ten years had passed since that awful summer afternoon with Jetta, when I first found myself taking away her still-helpless babies. Amazing how it could still feel so difficult, just in the remembering. And now that I am myself a mother, I realized I finally did understand. Only a little, but that’s all any of us can hope for, isn’t it? Understanding seems to me a bit like mice themselves, small, seemingly insignificant, until they are thoughtfully considered. My own insights are small, too, coming in a scurry of brief instants, individual moments, fond memories.
Had I forgiven myself?
I was reminded of an old Winnebago Indian folk story, about a family of mice whose universe consisted of a single log, beneath which generations had always lived. Naturally they believed themselves to be the only animals in their whole, self-contained world. In some ways, this is close to truth. A 1950s study revealed that the average distance a wild mouse regularly travels from its “home” is only about twelve feet. I was jealous, momentarily, of the mouse’s innate ability to contently exist in such a trivial word. There really is something greater, I realized, something infinitely powerful, in such smallness.
Mice may not be the only animals in the universe, but certainly they must be among the most important. Far from being simply insignificant creatures relegated to lurking in the nighttime shadows, mice have some surprisingly larger lessons for the human world. By learning to live with mice, by actually paying attention to and considering them, even the smallest creatures have the ability to illuminate our own lives and selves.
Melanie Dylan Fox is a certified Master Naturalist and teaches literature and creative writing in Chatham University’s low-residency MFA program. In addition to receiving a notable mention in Best American Essays, an AWP Intro Award for nonfiction, and a Pearl Hogrefe creative writing grant, her work has appeared in literary journals such as Bayou Magazine, Fourth Genre, and Flyway. Her essays have also been included in the anthologies American Nature Writing; Figuring Animals: Essays on Animal Images in Art, Literature, Philosophy, & Popular Culture; Between Song and Story: Essays for the Twenty-First Century; and Permanent Vacation: Twenty Writers on Work and Life in Our National Parks. She currently makes her home at the confluence of the Blue Ridge and Appalachian Mountains in the New River Valley of southwestern Virginia. Read more at her blog: melaniedylanfox.wordpress.com. | https://aboutplacejournal.org/issues/animals/section-4/melanie-dylan-fox/ |
DISTRIBUTION in the WILD :
The Ring- Parakeet species includes the Indian Ringneck and the African Ringneck
subspecies.
They can be found throughout Asia and parts of Africa, including
India, China, Ceylon, Tibet, Nepal and many adjacent islands.
The
Indian Ringneck
Parakeet originated in Ceylon.
The
African Ringneck
Parakeet, it's close cousin, is found in regions between West Africa to the Southern Sudan.
DESCRIPTION of the SPECIES
:
The normal coloration of the male Indian
Ringneck Parakeet is a general green with it's lower abdomen area being
lighter and the back of the head has a bluish tint.
A black ring runs through
the chin and along the cheek.
There it blends into a pink collar with some blue
on the nape.
The central tail feathers are bluish, tipped with a yellow green.
The outer tail feathers are green.
The beak is plum-red to an almost black
on the tip.
Through domestic breeding, there is a large variety of
colour variations, or mutations available.
Have a look at the photos at the top of the page to see some of the
colours available.
The female and immature male has no black ring, pink
collar, or blue tint on the back of the head.
The young can be sexed better after reaching their adult plumage after their second
full moult, around 3 years old.
If you want to sex them earlier then you need to DNA
test them.
You can either pluck a fresh feather from the birds' chest
or send off for a DNA Kit to take a blood sample.
(You just prick the knuckle on one of the birds' toe and send the blood
sample off).
Have a look at this link
www.avianbiotech.com
The
African Ringneck
Parakeet is very similar in colouration to the Indian Ringneck,
however it's collar markings are less prominent and it has a smaller beak.
Also,
it's tail is two or three inches shorter, making it's overall length shorter.
African Ringnecks grow to a length of 16" (40
cm)
Indian Ringnecks grow to approx. 14"
They can live up to approx. 25 - 30 years.
CARE & FEEDING :
In the wild, they eat a variety of seeds, berries, fruits, nuts, blossoms, and
nectar.
In addition to these foods, you can offer them
fruit and veg.
They also enjoy the same nutritional foods humans
eat, including cooked chicken.
An occasional millet spray is a nice treat.
Cuttlefish bone, iodine nibbles block and mineral +
oystershell Grit should always be freely available, esp. important in the
time leading up to Breeding.
Some Indian Ringnecks do not enjoy bathing.
If
your Ringneck does not like to bathe it should be misted weekly.
Some do love to
bathe, however, and individuals that do enjoy water should be provided with
baths frequently.
It's good for their plumage quality.
HOUSING:
A spacious Aviary is recommended, as these are large parakeets and need
plenty of flying space and fresh air.
SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR :
BREEDING : | http://lakelandbirdkeepers.co.uk/Lakealnd%20breeds_needs_ringnecks.htm |
In this video, learn how to perform a mail merge in Word using a form letter you create to be merged with contact information stored in your Outlook contacts. Also, learn how to pick and choose which Outlook contacts will be used in the merge.
- [Instructor] Many Microsoft Word users…also use Microsoft Outlook.…And if you use Outlook to store contact information,…you can use that contact information here in Microsoft Word…when performing what we call a mail merge.…That's what we're going to explore in this week's Word Tip.…And we're going to start…with a new blank document here in Microsoft Word.…If you're going to use Outlook Contacts…to create form letters, labels, envelopes for example,…you'll wanna make sure that in the contacts in Outlook…you're storing the appropriate information…like names, addresses, even telephone numbers perhaps…if you wanna be able to use that in your mail merge.…
If you are storing that information,…it's easily accessible right from within Word.…We don't even have to open up Outlook.…So let's say we wanted to send out a form letter to some…of our contacts that are stored in Outlook.…Well the first thing you might wanna do, before…you even start creating the letter you're going to write…to them, is to choose the recipients from Outlook.…
AuthorDavid Rivers
Updated6/24/2019
Released4/3/2017
Note: Because this course an ongoing series, viewers will not receive a certificate of completion.
Skill Level Intermediate
Duration
Views
Q: Why can't I earn a Certificate of Completion for this course?
A: We publish a new tutorial or tutorials for this course on a regular basis. We are unable to offer a Certificate of Completion because it is an ever-evolving course that is not designed to be completed. Check back often for new movies.
Related Courses
-
Excel Tips Weeklywith Dennis Taylor27h 5m Intermediate
-
PowerPoint Tips Weeklywith Garrick Chow8h 1m Intermediate
-
-
Word Essential Training (Office 365)with David Rivers2h 36m Beginner
-
New This Week
-
Create your own fractions2m 33s
-
-
Introduction
-
Welcome48s
-
-
1. Word Tips Weekly
-
Work with sections10m 34s
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Use page breaks effectively8m 28s
-
-
Control content with margins9m 53s
-
-
Convert text to a table8m 29s
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Use tables to align content8m 24s
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Save time with AutoText5m 41s
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Start Word in safe mode2m 21s
-
-
Create hyperlinks quickly2m 51s
-
-
Work with hidden text5m 9s
-
-
-
-
-
-
Add and edit citations5m 50s
-
Customize Track Changes5m 12s
-
Take control of white space2m 36s
-
-
Draw a table from scratch13m 10s
-
-
-
-
-
-
Create return address labels5m 40s
-
-
-
Correct images in a document6m 26s
-
-
Select arbitrary text2m 29s
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Get fancy with drop caps3m 37s
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Strip formatting from text2m 15s
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- Mark as unwatched
- Mark all as unwatched
Are you sure you want to mark all the videos in this course as unwatched?
This will not affect your course history, your reports, or your certificates of completion for this course.Cancel
Take notes with your new membership!
Type in the entry box, then click Enter to save your note.
1:30Press on any video thumbnail to jump immediately to the timecode shown.
Notes are saved with you account but can also be exported as plain text, MS Word, PDF, Google Doc, or Evernote. | https://www.lynda.com/Word-tutorials/Perform-mail-merge-Outlook-contacts/571619/766958-4.html |
Q: I looked for a book in the stacks and it wasn’t there. What should I do?
Answered by: Ro Ross
Search for a book using either Orbis or Quicksearch. There are various searches that you can do, i.e, title, author, subject, keyword.
When you have found the book you are looking for, open up the record and:
- Check the call number of the book and make sure it is the same call number that you searched for.
- Check the location of the book and make sure you were searching in the proper library.
- Check the status of the item to make sure that the book is not checked out, in transit, or Missing/Lost.
- Check how the book is classified. Is it supposed to be in the Stacks or is it part of a special collection?
- Check to see if it the book is regular sized or oversized as these books may be shelved in different areas.
If you searched for the book in the proper location and still didn’t find it, try these steps:
- Check the entire shelf where the book should have been. It is possible it was slightly misshelved.
- Check the book trucks at the end of the aisles on the floor where the book should be shelved. These books are waiting to be shelved and are in order by call number.
- Visit the service desk in the library and ask for help. The staff there are happy to further assist you.
- Request for Staff Search and Delivery for the book. If possible, you may also request the book through Borrow Direct in case library staff determine that the book is missing.
In the example below, the book is in Sterling Memorial Library (SML) in the Stacks (the main collection), and the item is not checked out. This book should be on the shelf in SML. | https://ask.library.yale.edu/faq/175189 |
As a low-cost environmentally-friendly travel mode, public bicycles have been widely applied in many large cities and have greatly facilitated people’s daily lives. However, it is hard to find bicycles to rent or places to return at some stations in peak hours due to the unbalanced distribution of public bicycles. And the traditional scheduling methods have hysteresis, in general, the demands might have changed when the dispatch vehicle arrives the station. To better solve such problems, we propose a dynamic scheduling (DBS) model based on short-term demand prediction. In this paper, we first adopt K-means to cluster the stations and adopt random forest (RF) to predict the check-out number of bikes in each clustering. In addition, the multi-similarity inference model is applied to calculate the check-out probability of each station for check-out prediction, and a probabilistic model is proposed for check-in prediction in the cluster. Based on the prediction results, an enhanced genetic algorithm (E-GA) is applied to optimize the bicycle scheduling route. Finally, we evaluated the performance of the models through a one-year dataset from Chicago’s public bike-sharing system (BSS) with more than 500 stations and over 3.8 million travel records. Compared with other prediction methods and scheduling approaches, the proposed approach has better performance.
KeywordsDynamic bicycle scheduling problem K-means Random forest Multi-similarity inference Genetic algorithm
Notes
Acknowledgements
This work was financially supported by Chinese National Science Foundation (61572165) and Projects of Zhejiang Province (LGF18F030006). | https://rd.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10489-018-1360-6 |
I was involved in an accident. What must I furnish to the department?
How do I show financial responsibility after an accident?
I have changed my name, what do I need to bring with me?
I have lost my Arkansas driver's license/identification card. What do I need to get a replacement?
What do I have to do to renew my driver's license?
Where can I obtain a driver's license or identification card?
What documentation does Arkansas accept as proof-of-identity for the issuance of a driver's license or identification card?
What is the cost for a driver's license, a renewal, a duplicate, etc.?
How do I report a change of address for my driver's license?
I am moving to Arkansas from another state. How can I exchange my out-of-state license for an Arkansas license?
I am over the age of 18 and have never had a driver's license. What do I do?
What type of license do I need to drive?
What are the minimum requirements for passing the vision exam?
How do I get a license verification letter or a clearance letter from Arkansas?
I am 14-18 years old and want to get my license for the first time. What do I do?
During periods when school is out, where can a person get a letter of enrollment and proof of grade point average?
I home school my children. Where can I get the letters needed in order for them to get a driver's license?
What is the graduated license program for young drivers?
How do I obtain a hardship (Age Waiver) for my 14-16 year old?
Why was my vehicle indicated as being uninsured when I renewed my automobile registration even though I have an insurance policy?
I am currently in the military; or going to school out of state; or working out of state and have lost my license or need to renew. How do I do it?
I have heard of a new law that requires selective service registration in order to obtain, replace or renew a driver's license. Is this true?
How do I report a change of address for my CDL?
What can happen to my driving privilege if I get a DWI?
My driving privilege is showing suspended in another state. How can I get that suspension taken care of?
How many points do I have to have on my driving record before my license is suspended?
Can I get information on another person's license?
Where can I see/talk to a Hearing Officer about my driving record?
How may I obtain an Arkansas driving record?
Safety Responsibility SR-1 accident report must be submitted within thirty (30) days when damage to the property of any one person is in excess of $1,000.00 or results in the injury or death of any person regardless of who is at fault. Contact Safety Responsibility at 501-682-7098.
Even if you are not ticketed in the accident you must provide Safety Responsibility with an SR-1. Although a ticket may not be issued, the possibility of a judgment being entered against you can still exist, requiring that you show financial responsibility.
The cost of a duplicate license with a name change is $10.00. You will need to bring your current driver's license along with either a marriage license, divorce decree, specifically stating you may change your name, or court order for a name change. If you are over 18, the Arkansas State Police requires proof of age and identification before any portion of the exam is given.
Any person applying for a driver's license is required to show proof of legal presence and ONE Primary Document and ONE Secondary Document or TWO Primary Documents from the list. A primary document must contain the full name and date of birth and must be verifiable, i.e., you must be able to contact the issuing agency to determine authenticity of the document.
To obtain a duplicate driver's license or identification card, you may go to any State Revenue Office and present one (1) Primary Document or two (2) Secondary Documents from the approved list. There is a $10.00 fee for replacement of a driver's license/$5.00 for identification card.
Click here to access the approved list of primary and secondary documents.
Click here to find your local Revenue Office.
If you are in the State of Arkansas you may go to any Revenue Office within Arkansas. If you are temporarily outside the State of Arkansas, you will need to call Driver’s License Issuance 501-682-7059 to see if you qualify for a By Mail renewal.
Arkansas driver's licenses or ID Cards can be obtained from your local revenue office.
All applicants for an Arkansas driver’s license or identification card must provide a verifiable Social Security Number (SSN) when making application. Applicants who are not eligible for a SSN must sign an affidavit stating they do not have a SSN. The name you request for the driver’s license or ID card must match your name with the Social Security Administration.
All new applicants for an Arkansas Driver's license or Identification card are required to provide proof of legal presence in the United States as well as proof of identity. One (1) Primary Document and one (1) Secondary Document or two (2) Primary Documents are required.
If you are requesting a "Valid Without Photo" driver's license, that may only be obtained from the Driver's License Issuance office in Little Rock, Ragland Building, Room 2120. For additional information call 501-682-7059.
If you need a Clearance Letter or a Record of License Status it provides the following: Your Driver’s License/ Identification number, your expiration date and the date of issue from the initial date of issue of your Arkansas DL/ID.
Ark. Code Ann. 27-16-704 requires applicants for a non-commercial driver’s license to have a minimal uncorrected visual acuity of 20/40 for an unrestricted license, and a minimal corrected visual acuity of 20/70 for a restricted license. In addition, the applicant’s field of vision must be at least 140° with two functional eyes, or at least 105° with one functional eye.
Act 696 of 2015 changes the visual acuity required to be verified by the eye doctor from the 20/50 correctable vision requiring the restricted license to a less stringent standard of 20/70. There is no change in the field of vision standard.
Federal Commercial Driver License rules have a visual acuity requirement of at least 20/40 in both eyes for an unrestricted lens or visual acuity separately corrected to 20/40 or better with corrective lenses. Commercial drivers will not be allowed the less stringent standard.
49 CFR 391.41 (10) requires CDL applicants to have a distant visual acuity of at least 20/40 (Snellen) in each eye without corrective lenses or visual acuity separately corrected to 20/40 (Snellen) or better with corrective lenses, distant binocular acuity of at least 20/40 (Snellen) in both eyes with or without corrective lenses, field of vision of at least 70 degrees in the horizontal Meridian in each eye, and the ability to recognize the colors of traffic signals and devices showing standard red, green and amber.
The "not insured" status is indicated only if the insurance carrier has not reported your insurance policy or has sent a cancellation of that vehicle policy. There may also be an error in the information provided, which must be corrected before reporting. Contact your insurance carrier for clarification.
Any combination of vehicles with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of 26,001 pounds or more, provided that the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of the vehicles being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds. Minimum age of 18.
Any single vehicle with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of 26,001 pounds or more and any vehicle towing a vehicle not in excess of 10,000 pounds. Minimum age of 18.
Any single vehicle with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of less than 26,001 or any such vehicles towing a vehicle with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating, not in excess of 10,000 pounds comprising: (1) vehicles designed to transport 16 passengers or more, including driver; (2) vehicles used in the transport of hazardous materials which are placarded. Minimum age of 18.
Any vehicle which is not a commercial vehicle, as described above. Minimum age 14 restricted/16 unrestricted.
Any motorcycle with displaces more than 250 cc's. Minimum age 16.
Any motor driven cycle, excluding motorized bicycles, which displaces 250 cc's or less. Minimum age 14. Expires on 16th birthday.
If you are currently in the military, are going to school out of state, or areworking out of state and have lost your license or need to renew, you may need to renew or obtain a replacement license via mail. Driver's License Issuance will take your request for the license over the phone. Upon receiving your application with instructions detailing your fee and any necessary documents, the license will be processed.
Noncommercial drivers license test ACT 1289 of 2015: This law allows the Arkansas State Police to charge $5 for each written driver’s license examination given.
All first-time Arkansas licenses are issued for 8 years, to expire on date of birth. This applicable fee is prorated for the first license to birth date. A noncommercial driver's license is $2.00 plus $.37 per month for the proration. A commercial driver's license is $2.00 plus $.83 per month for the proration. If a licensee is transferring from another state with a valid license, there is a $5.00 transfer fee in addition to the first-time license cost.
All persons 14 to 18 years of age must hold an A restriction (adult in car) for a minimum of 6 months before driving unrestricted. The six month time period begins on the date the person passes the written exam (the date the learner's permit is issued by the state police examiner).
Any person applying for a driver's license is required to show proof of legal presence and submit ONE Primary Document and ONE Secondary Document or TWO Primary Documents from the list. A primary document must contain the full name and date of birth and must be verifiable, i.e., you must be able to contact the issuing agency to determine authenticity of the document.
Contact your school, your school district office or the state Education Department.
Contact the Department of Education at 501-682-1874.
If you are over 18, the Arkansas State Police requires proof-of-age and identification before any portion of the exam is given.
Any person applying for a driver's license is required to show proof of legal presence and to submit ONE Primary Document and ONE Secondary Document or TWO Primary Documents from the list. A primary document must contain the full name and date of birth and must be verifiable, i.e., you must be able to contact the issuing agency to determine authenticity of the document.
Any person between the ages of 14 and 18 who has not been issued an Arkansas Driver's License will be issued a drivers license under the Arkansas Graduated Licensing Law (Act 1694 of 2001). The law mandates a progressive driver's licensing program for young drivers. Drivers are required to adhere to the restrictions at each level before they can move on to the next level. For more information call 501-682-7059.
The three levels of licensing are learners (must be at least 14 years of age), intermediate (must be at least 16 years of age) and regular licenses (must be at least 18 years of age).
The learner's license is the beginning drivers' license issued to a person at least 14 years of age, and expires on the licensee's 16th birth date. Applicants may qualify for a learner's license by passing the written and road tests given by the Arkansas State Police, passing the vision exam and having no serious accidents or traffic convictions in the most recent six months.
The intermediate license is issued to persons ages 16 to 18, and expires on the person's 18th birthday. Applicants who have a learner's license may move up to the intermediate license only if they have no serious accidents or serious traffic convictions within the most recent six months.
Passengers in a vehicle driven by a person with an intermediate license must have seat belts attached at all times. If the applicant for an intermediate license has an accident or serious traffic conviction within the most recent six months, he/she must retain the learner's license until such time that their record is clear of such accidents or traffic convictions for a six-month period. In this case, the re-issued learner's license will have an expiration date equal to the end of six months from the conviction or accident date. If, on that expiration date, no further accidents or serious violations have occurred, an intermediate license will be issued.
Any person under age 18 requires adult presence in the car for a minimum of six months. Therefore, if a person obtains his/her first license at age 17, (intermediate license) the license must have the adult restriction for a six-month period or until age 18. If the licensee has satisfied the six-month adult restriction, the intermediate license allows the licensee to drive alone. A driver with an intermediate driver's license shall not use a cellular telephone or other interactive wireless communication device while driving, except for emergency purposes.
A regular license is issued to a person at age 18 when the intermediate license expires. Applicants for a regular license must have a record without any serious accidents or serious traffic convictions within the most recent 12 months. If the applicant has such accident or conviction within the most recent 12 months, he/she must retain the Intermediate license until such time that the record is free of these accidents/convictions for a period of 12 months.
The age restrictions in this program do not apply to a person 16 years of age or older if such person is (A) married, (B) possesses a high school diploma, (C) has successfully completed a General Education Development test, or (D) is enlisted in the United States Military.
Please contact your local Driver Control Office for an application for an Age Waiver. Applications will only be given to a parent or guardian. Applications will not be given to a minor.
Age waivers, (hardships), are issued for minors between the ages of 14-16 for the specific purposes of getting to and from school or school activities, to and from work, or for medical reasons. Prior to application, the minor must be licensed and must have 6 months' experience beginning at the time the instruction permit was issued. An application must be completed and can be obtained from your local Driver Control office. Along with the completed application, this department must receive a letter from the parent/guardian explaining the hardship and specifying when and where the minor needs to drive without an adult. If the age waiver is requested for school or school activities, a letter from the school, on school letterhead, is required. The letter should verify that bus service is not provided or that the child is involved in extracurricular activities for which transportation is not provided. If the age waiver is needed for medical reasons, a letter from a physician explaining the illness or verifying the need for regularly scheduled appointments is required. If the age waiver is for work, a letter from the employer verifying employment is required. A letter from an adult outside the family who knows of the hardship and will state that the minor is mature enough to accept the responsibility of driving without an adult, is also required.
For additional information, contact your local Driver Control office, or Little Rock Driver Control at 501-682-1631.
Drivers who are at least 18 years of age, but less than 21 years of age may only use hands-free wireless telephones while operating a motor vehicle.
A serious accident means a reportable accident in which the driver is found at fault and the accident is placed on the driver's record by the Office of Driver Services.
Act 78 of 2001 requires that any United States male citizen or immigrant who is at least 18 years of age, but less than 26 years of age, shall be registered for the United States Selective Service when applying for a regular drivers license, a commercial drivers license or an Identification Card. This registration is in compliance with section 3 of the Military Selective Service Act, 50 U.S.C. et seq.
To obtain a duplicate driver's license or identification card, visit any State Revenue Office and present one (1) Primary Document or two (2) Secondary Documents from the approved list. There is a $10.00 fee for replacement of a driver's license/$5.00 for identification card.
Arkansas residents that temporarily reside out-of-state and that need to renew or replace their driver's license should contact Driver's License Issuance at 501-682-7059.
The requirements for obtaining an Arkansas drivers license will depend on the type of license you are bringing with you from the other state. At any local revenue office, an out-of-state license (not expired over 31 days, suspended, or revoked) may be surrendered in exchange for an Arkansas drivers license. If the out-of-state license is expired over 31 days or you do not have the license to surrender, you will be required to take the written and vision examination. However, you will not be required to take the road examination. If the out-of-state license is expired over one year, you will be required to take the written, vision, and road examination.
Also, Arkansas law requires persons obtaining a license for the first time or moving to Arkansas to show proof of legal presence in the United States. Acceptable documents are: a U.S. birth certificate, Naturalization certificate, a U.S. passport / U.S. passport card or Visa, an Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) photo document. (Border Crosser documents are not acceptable.) You must also show two forms of identification. Please see list above for acceptable documentation.
If name is different from what is on the Birth Certificate, applicant will bring document which changes name, Marriage License, or Divorce decree, specifically stating that you may change your name, or court order for name change.
All applicants for an Arkansas driver’s license or identification card must provide a verifiable Social Security Number (SSN) when making application. Applicants who are not eligible for a SSN must sign an affidavit stating they do not have a SSN. The name requested for the driver’s license or ID card must match the name registered with the Social Security Administration.
You are not required by law to obtain a new Noncommercial Class D license upon an address change. However, if you do want to change the address on your driver’s license or ID card, you may purchase a duplicate card with the new address. The word "duplicate" will be included on this new card.
It will be necessary to visit the local Revenue Office to purchase a duplicate license with the new address.
Upon arrest, a law enforcement officer will give the person an Official Driver’s License Receipt and Notice of Suspension/Revocation of Driving Privilege. The law enforcement officer will take the driver’s license. The Notice will also allow the person to drive for the next thirty days (if they have a valid license). The Notice will inform the person that they have seven days to request an administrative hearing to determine if they were driving while intoxicated, or registered a .08% BAC, or refused the BAC test. The Notice also gives instructions to the licensee to contact Driver Control, or request a hearing to determine their eligibility for an interlock restricted license, or a restricted permit. If, at the hearing, the person is found guilty of driving while intoxicated, or registered a BAC .08%, or refused the BAC test, the driver’s license will be suspended for 6 months for 1st offense DWI, and/or 180 days for 1st offense Refuse Test. Suspension for 2 years for a 2nd offense within 5 years, suspension for 30 months for 3rd offense within 5 years, and revoked for 4 years for 4th offense DWI within 5 years. Licenses are permanently revoked for the fourth offense Refuse Test within 5 years. Prior to reinstatement, a person must have completed an approved drug and alcohol education or treatment program, and must attend a Victim Impact Panel for each DWI/Refusal offense on the person’s record. A reinstatement fee of $150.00 per offenseis also required. A person will be required to have an interlock device installed in their vehicle for a period of time equal to the driver license suspension time for any alcohol related DWI offense.
Contact the state where the license is suspended and ask them what is needed to resolve the situation.
Arkansas' Administrative Point System is used to identify problem drivers. A point range of 3 – 14 points is assessed to all moving violations, depending on the severity of the violation. A speeding ticket for speed less than 15mph over the limit is assessed 3 points, but a reckless driving violation is assessed 8 points. When a ticket is added to a driver’s record that puts the driver at the threshold of 10-13 points, a warning letter is generated and mailed to the driver so that the driver knows that he/she could suffer driver license sanctions if additional violations continue to accumulate on the record. 14 or more points, a notice is sent to the licensee, advising them of a proposed suspension action, and advising them that they may have a hearing to discuss the proposed action. Persons with 14 to 17 points may be suspended for three months; those with 18 to 23 points may be suspended for six months; and those with 24 or more points may be suspended for one year. A hearing is automatically scheduled, and licenses are subject to the Hearing officer's discretion, which ranges from no action, probation, restriction or suspension. If the licensee fails to attend the hearing, the license is automatically suspended.
No information can be released to anyone apart from the licensee, a person with written permission from a licensee, or a traffic court, law enforcement, or a governmental agency with a business need for such information.
Hearing Officers are available to discuss driving record information at the following cities. Call to arrange an appointment.
Arkansas driving records are governed by Arkansas code section 27-50-901 et. Seq. The statutes are more restricted in the release of information than the Federal Privacy Protection Act. Driving records have been and continue to be confidential. They can only be released under certain exceptions, including a release is given by others. The Driving Record Release Form must be signed and dated and must include your name, driver's license number, date of birth and the name of the person whom the information is to be released to. This release will remain in effect for 5 years, unless a written withdrawal is filed. | https://www.dfa.arkansas.gov/driver-services/frequently-asked-questions/ |
A study by Standard & Poor (S&P) in 2014 showed that only 25% of Filipino adults are financially literate. The global score is 31%, which means our country is below average and needs to improve.
Fortunately, the Philippine government is already working on several financial literacy programs to help address this. This news was announced last April 2016 by Undersecretary Gil Beltran during the 10th Financial Literacy Summit.
But what does it mean to be financially literate?
The US National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) defines it as having an understanding of basic financial concepts such as interest, inflation, risk, and investments.
It also includes numeracy skills, or the ability to work with numbers. Particularly, having the ability to solve mathematical problems that involve the financial concepts mentioned above.
And that’s what we’ll try to do today.
Below are six multiple-choice questions. They’re from the US National Financial Capability Study, and among the many problems they use to measure financial literacy.
Note down your choice for each question, then check your answers in the key provided after. Add up your score and discover your level of financial literacy.
You’ll have more than $102 at the end of five years because your interest will compound over time. In other words, you earn interest on the money you save and on the interest your savings earned in prior years.
Here’s how the math works. A savings account with $100 and a 2 percent annual interest rate would earn $2 in interest for an ending balance of $102 by the end of the first year.
Applying the same 2 percent interest rate, the $102 would earn $2.04 in the second year for an ending balance of $104.04 at the end of that year. Continuing in this same pattern, the savings account would grow to $110.41 by the end of the fifth year.
The reason you have less is inflation. Inflation is the rate at which the price of goods and services rises.
If the annual inflation rate is 2 percent but the savings account only earns 1 percent, the cost of goods and services has outpaced the buying power of the money in the savings account that year.
Put another way, your buying power has not kept up with inflation.
When interest rates rise, bond prices fall. And when interest rates fall, bond prices rise.
This is because as interest rates go up, newer bonds come to market paying higher interest yields than older bonds already in the hands of investors, making the older bonds worth less.
Assuming the same interest rate for both loans, you will pay less in interest over the life of a 15-year loan than you would with a 30-year loan because you repay the principal at a faster rate.
This also explains why the monthly payment for a 15-year loan is higher. Let’s say you get a 30-year mortgage at 6 percent on a $150,000 home. You will pay $899 a month in principal and interest charges. Over 30 years, you will pay $173,757 in interest alone.
But a 15-year mortgage at the same rate will cost you less. You will pay $1,266 each month but only $77,841 in total interest—nearly $100,000 less.
In general, investing in a stock mutual fund is less risky than investing in a single stock because mutual funds offer a way to diversify.
Diversification means spreading your risk by spreading your investments. With a single stock, all your eggs are in one basket.
If the price falls when you sell, you lose money. With a mutual fund that invests in the stocks of dozens (or even hundreds) of companies, you lower the chances that a price decline for any single stock will impact your return.
Diversification generally may result in a more consistent performance in different market conditions.
Ignoring interest compounding, borrowing at 20 percent per year would lead to doubling in five years; someone who knew about interest on interest might have selected a number less than five.
In finance, the Rule of 72 is a method for estimating an investment’s doubling time. The rule number (i.e., 72) is divided by the interest percentage per period to obtain the approximate number of periods (usually years) required for doubling.
You’re above average. Congratulations and keep up the good work. I’m proud of you.
Your financial literacy is on the average level. Stay on track and continue learning.
You need to give more effort in learning, so you can eventually increase your financial literacy. It’s never too late to start learning!
So how did you do? Please share your score in the comments section. Thank you.
2 – I Need to learn more!
It’s because we are reading your blog that we are financially literate aside of course from the knowledge i got from my accounting course but practically learned more from you fritz than from the classroom setting maybe beacause m more interested to get rich now than 3 decades back. Thank you. | https://fitzvillafuerte.com/take-simple-financial-literacy-test.html |
Margaret has studied Thai Bodywork, Massage and Yoga for the past fourteen years and has studied with teachers in the United States and Thailand, with over 500 hours in training in Thai Massage, 1000 hours in Table Massage and 300 in Hatha Yoga and Principle Based Partner Yoga. Margaret's training has been with Touchstone Healing Arts School of...
Emily Ostos Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Yoga Teacher
Emily is a Licensed Massage Therapist and Certified Yoga Instructor. She has completed 600 hours of study in Massage Therapy at Lake Superior College, and is looking forward to continuing her education in Ashiatsu and Thai Bodywork in the future. She has developed an adaptive touch, specific to each individual's needs, while integrating Myofascial ... | http://www.lattiss.com/u/staff.jsf?realmId=acbb06c0-bfff-11e2-c328-9e7b45590581 |
The deep pop-culture penetration of this short experimental film from the ‘60s is a remarkable achievement. At a mere 28 minutes in length and featuring only still photos, it creates remarkably strong and poignant high-concept science fiction with a strong humanist/existential drama. The piece was surely a vital influence on Terry Gilliam’s '12 Monkeys', as well as James Cameron’s time-bending love story in 'The Terminator' and, by association, any time travel film after that. Even Christopher Nolan’s 'Inception' is born from the perplexing notions of manipulating dreams and time paradoxes. Hell, even 'Groundhog Day' owes something to 'La Jetee'.
Le Jetee (1962) dir. Chris Marker
Starring: Hélène Chatelain, Davos Hanich, Jacques Ledoux
By Alan Bacchus
It’s the aftermath of WWIII in Paris, where most of the survivors have retreated to the underground to avoid the nuclear fallout. A team of scientists experiment with time travel in the hopes of finding resources for the present. The unnamed hero of the story (Hanich), who narrates his childhood memory of waiting outside an airport gate with his mother and seeing a desperate man shot to death, is chosen as the subject because of his deranged mental state, which has the ability to withstand the pressures of the experiment.
Several attempts at going back into the past result in the man meeting an alluring woman from the past. Each journey brings him closer to her, eventually forming a genuine relationship. After completing his mission his doctors turn on him and track him down in the past to assassinate him, but not before he comes face-to-face with a remarkable existential revelation.
As powerful as the moving image has proven to be since the birth of cinema, Chris Marker has not forgotten that the still image can be even more powerful. Each of the 800 or so still images presented in this piece has as much emotional weight and beguiling mystery as anything a motion camera could capture. Marker could have used a motion camera, as the picture cut together has some of the same rules and language as traditional cinema – wide shots, close-ups, traditional coverage, etc. – which makes his choice of stills so inspired. It acts like a scrapbook of the events.
But La Jetee is experimental through and through, and although it resembles the general arc of its feature remake, 12 Monkeys, the film is consciously aloof and mysterious. It’s constructed more like a series of dream experiments than time travel – I don’t know if the term time travel is ever used. But in the end Marker is clear to make his point about the hero's journey, a spiritual love story across space and time, which connects with astonishingly profound satisfaction.
****
La Jetee, packaged with Chris Marker’s 1983 essay doc, Sans Soleil, is available on Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection. | http://www.dailyfilmdose.com/2012/07/la-jetee.html |
The following individuals were entered into the docket at the Scott County Detention Center March 7- March 13. All individuals are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Lettie W Beemon, 70, 29 Seven St, Forest, MS, Drugs-Possession of Marijuana 1st Offense, Drugs-Possession Schedule I.
The fourth annual “Women in Rotary” celebration and awards luncheon was recently held at the Country Club of Jackson. The event coincided with the traditional March 8 International Women’s Day and showcased the 30-year worldwide history of Women in Rotary.
Ms. Joyce Harrison was born on March 18, 1920 in Jasper county Mississippi. She attended school in Jasper county until she graduated and moved on to attend the University of Southern Mississippi where she got her degree in Home Economics. She taught Home Economics in Ringold and Sebastopol for over 32 years until she retired in 1982. | https://www.sctonline.net/news |
I have previously complained that some scholars overestimate the average IQ of black Africa by using samples that have access to a lot more schooling than many people in the region. A commenter suggested I do my own estimate of the average IQ of sub-Saharan Africa by correcting for this problem.
One of the best studies of black African IQ was done by the late J.P. Rushton who decided to test university students under the best testing conditions imaginable. Why university students? Because if he could show that even the best and brightest black Africans, tested under superb testing conditions, still scored very low, then he could be certain the average IQ in Africa was every bit as low as scholar Richard Lynn had claimed. Rushton describes the study here:
Rushton found that on the Raven IQ test, the average black university student in South Africa has an IQ of 84 (U.S. norms), though this might be reduced to 83 since the test norms may have been inflated by the Flynn effect (the students were tested about seven years after the Raven’s 1993 norming).
An IQ of 83 on U.S. norms is equivalent to about 79 on U.S. white norms. The reason the IQ is so much lower using white norms is that the white American mean is not only higher the American mean, but the white American SD is narrower than the American SD (see here for the math and rationale).
Estimating the average IQ score of sub-Saharans
Now if the average South African black University student has an IQ of 79, what does that tell us about the average IQ of black South Africans as a whole? Assuming the average first year university student has about 13 years of schooling (and given the high dropout rate in South Africa, the average first year university student never gets much beyond the first year) and the average South African had about 8.2 years of schooling at the time of this study, then the students Rushton tested were 4.8 years more educated that the mean of their country.
Now in the U.S., for whatever reason, educated people score higher on IQ tests, by about 3.54 points (3.66 points using white norms) per each year of schooling. Assuming the same pattern applies in South Africa, black South Africans who are 4.8 years more schooled than the average South African, should have IQs that are 4.8(3.66) = 18 points higher than the average South African. So if the black South African first year university students average IQ 79, the average black South African should average IQ 79 – 18 = 61.
Estimating the real intelligence of sub-Saharans
Now, just because I estimate the average IQ of black Africa to be 61 does not mean I believe this is an accurate reflection of their intelligence. The average South African adult (circa 2000) hardly attended high school let alone uinversity (largely for structural reasons, independent of his ability) and it is known that each year of missed schooling shaves 1.8 points off one’s IQ score (though probably not one’s real intelligence), so if South Africans stayed in school as long as Westerners, they would probably average 70 instead of 61.
Some readers might be confused as to why I’m arguing each year of missed schooling shaves 1.8 points off IQ, when above I said people with more schooling average 3.66 IQ points higher for each year more schooled. The 1.8 figure is the independent effect of more schooling on IQ, while the 3.66 figure is just the difference in IQ between people with different schooling (including both the effect of schooling on IQ and the effect of IQ on schooling)
Estimating the genetic IQ of sub-Saharans
So IQ 70 probably reflects the actual level of real intelligence of black South Africans. Of course their real intelligence could probably be higher if they had received First World nutrition, particularly during the prenatal stage when the brain is most growing. I’ve previously documented that black Africans are probably about 0.8 SD below their genetic potential for height. Assuming they are also 0.8 SD below their genetic potential for intelligence would raise their IQs by an addition 12 points, bringing them to about 82.
Comparison with white Victorians
It is interesting to compare the adult Raven IQ of 61 for black Africans with the adult Raven IQ of 70 for white Victorians. Like black Africans, lack of schooling made the Raven unfair to Victorians and correcting for the schooling effect, raises their IQs to about 78, which might be a good estimate of their real intelligence.
Also like modern Africans, even real intelligence was stunted. Victorians appear to be even much more malnourished than modern Africans, being about 1.5 SD shorter than whites today. If we assume malnutrition also stunted their real intelligence by 1.5 SD (23 IQ points), that fully explains why their real intelligence was nearly 23 points lower than whites today who score 100.
Of course if the dysgenics theory is true, it would imply that Victorians should be genetically much smarter than modern whites and thus be much higher than modern whites after correcting for nutrition. Of course if dysgenics is true, then people have probably also become genetically shorter despite becoming phenotypically taller, which means I under-corrected IQ for nutrition and doing the full correction would make white Victorians much smarter than modern Whites.
While I’m open-minded to the dysgenics theory, I think that dysgenics should have caused a major decline in a test called Digit Span given the insensitivity of this test to both nutrition and schooling, and that apparently hasn’t happened. | https://pumpkinperson.com/2015/07/05/estimating-the-average-iq-of-sub-saharan-africa/ |
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that Florida continues to make economic progress with more job growth, labor force increases, and a decline in the unemployment rate. The steady economic growth that Florida is witnessing is thanks to successful policies that put Floridians and businesses first. Florida’s economy continued to thrive in October 2021, with 18 consecutive months of private-sector job growth, adding 44,300 jobs over the month and increasing by 5.7% over the year. Florida has also experienced 12 consecutive months of labor force increases with a growth of 29,000 over the month. Florida’s labor force growth represents a 5.8% increase over the year, which is significantly higher than the national rate of 0.5%. Florida’s unemployment rate, currently at 4.6%, also decreased by 0.2 percentage points from the revised September 2021 rate of 4.8%.
In total, Florida has gained 1,111,000 private sector jobs since April 2020, which represents 89% of jobs lost during the pandemic that have been recovered. Florida continues to see significant increases in labor force, growing 579,000 over the year as Floridians gain confidence in returning to work. Florida’s unemployment rate has lowered over the year, decreasing by 1.2 percentage points. Data in the month of October indicates that there continue to be many job opportunities available for Floridians throughout the state, with more than 518,000 jobs posted online.
"Florida's economy continues to grow faster than the nation because we put the needs of Floridians and businesses first and make smart policy decisions that push back against heavy-handed mandates," said Governor Ron DeSantis. "With 18 consecutive months of job growth and 12 consecutive months of labor force increases, we will continue to make investments that move our economy forward."
"Florida continues to see job growth, increases in labor force, and a decline in unemployment rate thanks to Governor DeSantis' policy decisions to protect Floridians and their jobs," said Secretary Dane Eagle of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. "Floridians and businesses remain confident in the state's economy, and as evidence of that confidence, Florida’s current participation in the labor force of 10,590,000 is actually larger than Florida’s February 2020 labor force of 10,461,000.”
Florida Economic Indicators for October 2021 include:
To view the October 2021 jobs reports by region, please see below:
Floridians in search of work and new job opportunities are encouraged to turn to the CareerSource Florida network for help. Floridians can find guidance to register with Employ Florida and search listings of available local job openings. Career seekers also can improve employability assistance, perfecting resume writing, interviewing skills, establishing career goals, and pursuing customized career training. These services are provided at no cost to job seekers.
To view the data release call click here
To view the October 2021 employment data visit: www.floridajobs.org/labor-market-information/labor-market-information-press-releases/monthly-press-releases.
Visit Florida Insight, for more information on labor market and economic data. Additionally, the Department has provided a video to assist users in explaining the data provided through Florida Insight and the new platform. | https://floridajobs.org/news-center/DEO-Press/2021/11/19/governor-desantis-announces-florida-s-october-2021-economic-data-demonstrates-continued-economic-growth-thanks-to-successful-policies-that-put-floridians-and-businesses-first |
The South Australian economy is at a 23 year low, a key economic report says.
Releasing its latest review of the local economy, the South Australian Centre for Economic Studies finds that the state economy experienced its largest downturn since the 1990 recession, prompting the need for further government stimulus.
The centre’s biannual Economic Briefing Report, is released today.
“Demand in South Australia contracted significantly over the past year,” it said.
“Real state final demand (SFD) in the March quarter was down 2.6 per cent from the corresponding period a year earlier.
“This outcome represents the largest annual fall in SFD for the historical period covered by the modern National Accounts data.”
The State Government has previously rejected the technical definition of a recession, adding that while unemployment remains steady then the economy should be regarded as stable.
The report makes a similar observation.
“While the sustained decline in demand indicates that the South Australian economy is in recession, the report’s authors note that making such a firm conclusion is complicated by the lack of quarterly data on gross state product, the welcome resumption in employment growth since late spring (which is at odds with the trend in final demand) and differing views on how to technically define a ‘recession’.
“The contraction in final demand over the past year was wholly due to a reduction in investment activity, with household consumption growing at a modest pace and government consumption expenditure essentially flat.
“The decline in investment activity was largely a consequence of lower public sector capital expenditure.
“This fall would in part reflect the withdrawal of stimulus measures introduced in the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis.”
The report said the decision by governments to stop stimulus spending was misguided.
Get InDaily in your inbox. Daily. The best local news every workday at lunch time.
Thanks for signing up to the InDaily newsletter.
“There is an unhealthy preoccupation by politicians on both sides of parliament with returning the budget to surplus,” the centre’s executive director Michael O’Neil said.
“These views often demonstrate a poor understanding of the relationship between government deficits, debt and monetary policy, and there is currently a risk of government getting the timing wrong in respect of fiscal policy.”
In its outlook, the report sees little movement in economic trends.
“As a consequence of the large contraction in state final demand, lack of growth in exports and slowdown in the national economy, SACES expects that the South Australian economy will contract in the current financial year.
“Our current forecast is for GSP to fall by 0.75 per cent in 2012/13.
“Prospects for the coming financial year are somewhat brighter. The recent improvement in labour market conditions, signs of imminent recovery in residential building and generally favourable expectations for non-manufacturing business investment point to a resumption in economic growth in the short term.
“The recent depreciation of the exchange rate combined with earlier interest rate cuts will also provide a much more supportive base for economic growth going forward. Our current expectation is that Gross State Product will rise by approximately 1 per cent in 2013/14.”
Unemployment, meanwhile remains an area of concern for the State with recent monthly figures showing a slow uptick towards 6.0 per cent, the May figure at 5.9 per cent.
ABS data released yesterday show that the number of job vacancies in South Australia has declined by 42 per cent in the last 12 months, the worst decline of all states.
Local News Matters
Media diversity is under threat in Australia – nowhere more so than in South Australia. The state needs more than one voice to guide it forward and you can help with a donation of any size to InDaily. Your contribution goes directly to helping our journalists uncover the facts. Please click below to help InDaily continue to uncover the facts. | https://indaily.com.au/news/business/2013/06/28/sa-economy-worst-since-1990-recession/ |
Human motor adaptation is crucial to adapt to new environments, such as altered gravity. Dexterous manipulation and fine movements in space require learning new coordinated motor actions. Traditionally, adaptation mechanisms have been tested in laboratories with robotic devices that perturb specific task parameters unbeknownst to the participant. Over repetition, participants build a more accurate representation of the task dynamics and, eventually, improve performance. These perturbations are applied locally on the hand or limb while the dynamics of the rest of the body remains unaltered. These approaches are therefore limitative since they do not reflect ecological adaptation to globally changed dynamics, such as new gravitational environments. Parabolic flights, centrifuges and water immersion allow circumventing these limitations. Previous investigations in these contexts have highlighted the role of the global context in motor adaptation. However, it is unknown if global learning could benefit from exploiting known local dynamics. Here, we design an original task that will capture both the learning of arm movement kinematics as well as grasping forces for object manipulation in an ecologically valid design. We test whether executing this task in hypogravity with rendering of Earth gravity locally at the hand is beneficial or detrimental to task performance. By adopting the "negative picture" of conventional robotic approaches, these results will further our understanding of basic motor adaptation and provide insightful information on the optimal design and control of human-machine interfaces and wearable robots in space environments and other immersive dynamics. | https://www.centerwatch.com/clinical-trials/listings/222742/healthy-rendering-local-1g-environment/?%E2%89%A5o_lat=49.182863%E2%89%A5o_lng=-0.370679&radius=10 |
A: Organic molecules are composed of carbon atoms present in rings/chains where other atoms such as hyd...
Q: i need the answer
A: Biomolecules have a wide range of sizes and structures and perform a vast array of functions. The fo...
Q: Biochemistry Question
A: Enzymes are catalysts which catalyze the biological reactions. Enzymes are protein molecule having a...
Q: Calculate these masses.(a) What is the mass of 8.00 cm 3 of mercury, density = 13.5939 g/cm 3 ?(b) W...
A: A large amount of unspecified size is known as mass. It is denoted as m. The amount of space an obj...
Q: What's the simple rule to predict ligand binding sites for Rossmann Fold
A: Proteins are polypeptides consisting of unbranched polymers constructed from 22 standard α-amino aci...
Q: Suppose we have 2 proteins A and B with the following kcat and Km values. kcat (s) Km (uM) Prot. A 5...
A: The ratio kcatkM defines the catalytic efficiency of an enzyme.
Q: Is it true that carbohydrate foods make us fat?
A: Carbohydrates are the sugars, starches, and fibers found in fruits, grains, vegetables, and milk pro...
Q: Chymotrypsin, trypsin, and elastase all share the same catalytic mechanism, but have different speci...
A: a Chymotrypsin, trypsin and elastase are the proteolytic enzyme of class serine proteases. In class ...
Q: I am unsure how to answer question number 2: What volume of 0.100 M HCl would have to be added to th...
A: The pH of the acidic buffer of blood is given as:pH=pKa+log[bicarbonate][carbonic acid]
Salivary amylase is an enzyme in the human body that digests carbohydrates from food. When food mixed with saliva enters the stomach, the action of salivary amylase slows dramatically. Which causes salivary amylase enzyme to stop digesting food? | https://www.bartleby.com/questions-and-answers/salivary-amylase-is-an-enzyme-in-the-human-body-that-digests-carbohydrates-from-food.-when-food-mixe/1bb2498c-1ea4-4e04-be38-1f8c63b87f27 |
نویسندگان:
آرزو حاجی مقصودی
مینا سقای بلغاری
منبع:
Research in English Education Volume 4, Issue 4 (2019)
کلید واژه ها:
Activity theory
autonomy
E-Learning
Sociocultural theory
حوزه های تخصصی:
دریافت مقاله
تعداد دانلود :
۱۳
دریافت فایل ارجاع:
RIS (پژوهیار، EndNote ، ProCite ، Reference Manager)
|
BibTex
چکیده
Autonomous learning and social activity have excessively been the focus of interest in second language acquisition over the past decades. The present study aimed to explore how activity theory-as a branch of sociocultural theory focusing on social context-can promote Iranian EFL learners’ autonomy. To this end, fifty-six EFL students studying English translation at the Islamic Azad University, Tehran Central Branch, participated in the study. The participants were assigned to two groups, one experimental group and one control group. At the beginning of the semester, both groups took a language proficiency test to ensure their homogeneity. They also completed an autonomy questionnaire as the pre-test and post-test. The instruction in both groups was based on a five-step process of developing the academic writing skill, including prewriting, organizing, writing the first draft, revising and editing, and writing a new draft. However, only the experimental group received the instruction through an e-learning platform designed based on the six elements of activity theory-subjects, objects, mediating artifacts, rules, community, and division of labor-suitable for EFL writing classrooms. The results revealed that integrating activity theory to e-learning had a decisive role in enhancing the students’ learner autonomy. It is hoped that the findings raise both teachers and students’ awareness of implementing activity theory as a social learning framework to foster autonomous learning in EFL contexts.
تبلیغات
آرشیو
آرشیو شماره ها: | http://ensani.ir/fa/article/415307/from-collective-activity-to-autonomous-learning-fostering-learner-autonomy-in-light-of-activity-theory |
Back in October 2019, when things were still pretty “normal”, I stumbled by chance onto Karkara’s first album, Crystal Gazer, and fell instantaneously in love. The suave melange between kraut rhythmics, eastern sonorities, and the overall psych-induced garage fuzz resonated with my soul, and it became one of my favorite albums of the year. Now the French trio is back with their second album, Nowhere Land, out November 13th on Stolen Body Records, and they’ve agreed to share with us a bit of their magic. Time for an interview with Karim, guitarist, and singer.
Interview
-The band was formed in 2017, can you tell us a bit more about you, how you met, how you defined your sound?
It all started on the college lawn here in Toulouse where I (Karim) met Hugo. I had my acoustic guitar and him, his acoustic bass. We jammed for a bit and we made it a weekly RDV every Thursday on that same spot on the lawn. At some point, we started thinking about forming a band with some other musician friends. It was a bluesy/funky band called Halazoun. It was a really fun experience and we made a few gigs in town. At some point, members left town so the band split but Hugo and I decided to continue the journey. The funk/blues experience was really cool but we wanted to explore something more visceral, raw, and psychedelic as we always liked that kind of music. We made a post on a music forum saying that we’re looking for a drummer and after a few weeks we found Maxime. The principle was the same: Let’s jam and see what happens. That’s how KARKARA started.
-Two albums in 2 years, was this already planned when you released Crystal Gazer? If not, did you use the time given by the confinement and most shows being canceled to record faster than anticipated?
When we write new songs we always have that euphoria and excitement doing it. That joy of creation when we play something new and we look at each other saying that it was fucking cool and intense. So we are constantly chasing that feeling song after song and when Crystal Gazer was released we had already started writing songs for the next album. We didn’t know it was going to take only a few months before finishing it, but it was obvious for us that a second album would be out soon. Crystal Gazer was released in October and in February we were already in the studio recording Nowhere Land so everything was ready even before the Covid storm came.
-How did you record this new album? Was the process different from Crystal Gazer?
The two albums were recorded the same way on analog tapes here in Toulouse. We have an amazing studio called Swamp Land and it is a great opportunity for bands to try recording the old school way. Tape recording gives a very specific organic raw sound and as you cannot edit tracks, it fixes a « moment in time». We like the idea that a song was played that way at that moment and your mood will affect the record much more than if it was digital. It makes it unique. Actually, some of them were played a bit faster or slower than intended but that’s how it works and we like that experience.
-Linked to that previous question, the unavoidable one: Covid 19 has had a tremendous impact, often for the worse, on the music industry as a whole and musicians in particular. How are you coping with its consequences? Were you able to play live in 2020? Anything planned for 2021?
When the pandemic arrived, we felt it like a front kick in the face really…we had a whole year of shows planned all over Europe and everything just collapsed. We are still trying to reschedule our shows but as promoters didn’t know how long the pandemic will last, it is really difficult to plan anything. At the beginning, we had hope for the end of 2020 but seeing how the situation has evolved we think shows will only start again in 2021. The consequences are tremendous for all the music scene and especially for bands like us who need to tour for a living.
Despite all this we try to stay positive and active, it is hard, but we are convinced that the Covid will not last forever. We knew that the second album would be released in the middle of that storm but we were ok with that. It’s our way to give our fans some comfort by showing them that we’re still here and the world hasn’t stopped either, even if it would have been more strategic for us to wait for the end of the pandemic for that release but we don’t care.
-I feel Nowhere Land is somewhat less “festive” than Crystal Gazer was. Is it just me? Is it a reflection of the times we live through? What would you say has changed between the two albums?
We wanted to focus the album towards something both oriental, brutal, and trippy at the same time. Using that middle-eastern sound to dig more into that “Oriental Fuzz” sound that we like to call it. It’s true that the album can be quite dark but that’s what came out during the writing sessions and we liked it that way. Maybe that is what has changed between the two albums, increasing the fuzz volume!
-What are your influences when composing?
It is kind of cliché to say that but the influences come from pretty everything we are sensitive to. From the discovery of new bands/songs we really dig, to a new effect pedal added. Even a movie, a conversation we had with the band, or our mood can influence what we write.
-I think there are not enough bands including the didgeridoo as an instrument. What is the story behind you using one in your music? Is it difficult to include?
I (Karim) discovered that instrument 6 – 7 years ago by seeing a street musician playing it in Montpellier and I instantly fell in love with that drone sound, it was dark and mystical. I bought a bamboo didgeridoo from him for a few euros just for the fun of trying a new instrument. Afterward, the didgeridoo turned out to be a very good one and I started playing it regularly for a year or two. I never really considered integrating it into a band as I don’t listen to didgeridoo music but one day, I tried to play both acoustic guitar and digeridoo at the same time. It turned out to be amazing and it gives me the idea to electrify and “rock” the whole thing up. Placing a microphone below, adding some reverb, overdrive, compressor, and picking my electric guitar instead of the acoustic. A new world opened. I proposed the idea to the band, and they liked it. I’m quite surprised to see that very few psych bands use it in their records. It has a really trippy/spacy sound, and a lot of effects can be added to it. I think it comes a lot from the lack of knowledge of this instrument. People may think that’s just for “tribal-like” music or whatever but it really has its place on the psych-rock scene. It’s tricky to use on stage because it takes up space and can cause a lot of feedback with the amps sound going through but we get used to it and we know how to shift its placement to avoid that.
-Can you tell us a bit more about how you ended up with your label, Stolen Body Records, from the first album on? Since you’re releasing Nowhere Land with them, I guess it’s a fruitful collaboration?
When we wrote our first album, we wanted it to be heard and spread as much as possible so going to a label was the best thing to do for us. We already knew Stolen Body Records as we listened to many bands from it and we really liked its spirit and the way they seemed to work with their bands. Their catalog is mainly focused on psych-rock/fuzz sound but it’s really diversified among the genre, so it seemed perfect for us. When the album was finished, we wrote an email to the manager to introduce ourselves and our music and he immediately liked the album. It is really collaborative, and every decision is discussed together. We have a good relationship going on and it was obvious for us that the second album will also be released on that label too.
-Anything you would like to add?
Maybe we can add a message to all music enthusiasts: spread the love and continue supporting your favorite bands. Support your local music scene and if there is none, you can always create your own.
How is the sound?
No revolution, Nowhere Land is in the direct lineage of Crystal Gazer, a unique mix of krautrock rhythmic, space psychedelia, and garage fuzz, with an oriental influence to crown it all. And a didgeridoo, which is definitely very nice for psychedelic music – more bands should get into it. This album is literally a trip, an odyssey to distant and desert landscapes populated by strange people. Strange to us, at least.
The overall tone and sound of the album are a bit darker than Crystal Gazer, sometimes provoking a tingling sensation of uneasiness. I’m going to go with the easy reference here, but it has a Lovecraftian feeling, like in At The Mountains of Madness: it conjures both wonder and anxiety. The lo-fi, entirely analog recording can probably explain a part of that. The voice too, often high-pitched when it does not erupt in primitive screams like on Falling Gods. The album has a lot of trippy/spacey jams, but it also has a lot to do with garage fuzz à la Oh Sees & co, moments of violent eruption of fuzzed-out guitar, still associated with motorik rhythmic, that make you make you want to get up and break something.
One song stands out a bit more than the others, and it’s Witch, the last one on the album, with a gloomier, doomish sound and feeling, but the album as a whole is coherent, and if songs differ in their composing or structure, they all share a similar feeling. Some may see in it a lack of originality, of risk-taking, I see continuity and consistency.
With Nowhere Land, Karkara confirms the test made with Crystal Gazer of an original band with a distinctive sound and, I hope, a bright future.
Why is this album worth listening?
- An original take on psychedelic rock that you will not hear elsewhere
- A full blow journey full of both wonders and dangers
- Didgeridoo is the new saxophone
In what situation you should listen to this album?
- Nowhere Land is a story best told in one piece, at night. It is strange and marvelous, soothing and disturbing, like any good nighttime story.
Something Particular to note?
The band has released three videos for this new album, Falling Gods featuring the band themselves, Setting Sun, and Witch using old footage videos.
Favorite Track
Space Caravan
For Fans Of
Minami Deutsch, Hills, Slift
Atmosphere Levels
If you don't know what those "Levels" mean, please visit this page. | https://morefuzz.net/reviews/karkara-nowhere-land-interview/ |
We have answered some questions that are frequently asked. If you have any questions, please e-mail them to [email protected] and we will post them here.
Is Imhoff Waldorf based on a specific religion?
The school is non-denominational. We believe that all young children are naturally reverent, and this quality is nurtured rather than neglected or distorted by dogmatism. Waldorf education fosters an attitude of wonder and reverence for life and an attention to the beauty in all things, which we believe provides a firm basis for confidence in later life.
The curriculum embraces all major religions, and through the studies of mythology and history, children explore and penetrate different religions without bias. The school respects all creeds and provides a supportive base for children of every faith.
Why is so much emphasis put on festivals and ceremonies? What are Michaelmas and St. John's Festival?
Seasonal festivals serve to connect humanity with the rhythms of nature and of the cosmos. The festivals originated in ancient cultures and have been adapted over time. To join the seasonal moods of the year, in a festive way, benefits the inner life of the soul. Celebrating is an art. There is joy in the anticipation, the preparation, the celebration itself, and the memories thereof.
The four seasonal festivals in the Southern hemisphere are Easter (autumn), St. John (winter), Michaelmas (spring) and Christmas (summer).
Easter is celebrated as a time of rebirth and harvesting.
St. John – June 24 – An ancient festival; celebrated when the sun sends the least power to the earth, as a festival which awakens in the human being an inkling of the very wellsprings of existence, of an eternal reality. It is a time when the soul withdraws into the innermost depths to experience within itself the inner spiritual light.
Michaelmas, September 29: St. Michael is known as the conqueror of the dragon, the heavenly hero with his starry sword (cosmic iron) who gives strength to people.
Christmas – It is a time when the cosmos brings the spiritual to man – a time when the spiritual, which animates and weaves through everything in nature, is revealed. It is a time for compassion, love and gratitude.
As time passes and the world evolves is Waldorf education not outdated?
Rudolph Steiner developed Waldorf education almost a century ago in 1919. It is a deeply insightful application of learning based on the study of humanity that helps develop consciousness of self and of the surrounding world. It was Steiner’s perception that although external conditions in our time constantly change, the essential nature of humanity remains; in particular, the stages of human development through childhood follow a natural pattern unaffected by social change.
The task of educators remains to prepare children for an unpredictable future by nurturing healthy development from the inside, to provide the right nourishment at each stage of physical, emotional and spiritual growth. Steiner developed a flexible curriculum that has evolved with time and has been adapted to local conditions in the various countries where Waldorf schools are found.
Although Waldorf education has already stood the test of time, many believe it will show its full promise in the 21st century. The significance of its rapid growth around the world indicates that it may well be an education coming into its own because it fosters a thinking appropriate for our age.
What happens if there are difficulties between the class teacher and the student?
How does the Waldorf approach challenge the children who enter first grade already knowing how to read? What will such children learn, won’t they be bored?
Children within the Waldorf system balance intellectual achievements with emotional and social skills. A child who can read in class one may still need to develop their emotional and social skills or become more comfortable and co-ordinated within their bodies. The Waldorf curriculum is rich and nourishes the imagination. The approach to writing and reading involves the child’s mind, body and feelings and maintains the interest, involvement and delight of even the most intellectual of children.
In the case that a child’s intellect has been awakened too early, the holistic Waldorf curriculum can have a healing influence on a child’s life forces. Images from fairytales are deeply nurturing to the unconscious elements of the young child.
How does a play-oriented approach to the early years of schooling prepare children for the high-tech world in which we live? What about computer literacy? I want my child to have a competitive edge, not be behind the times?
Computers are vehicles for logical thinking and are best suited to the realm of the adolescent and therefore technology is introduced as a subject in high school. The job of the intellect is to analyse and exercise critical judgement, but if this is awakened too early then a child can be disadvantaged. In the first seven years the internal system uses a lot of its energy in growing and developing itself. A demand for intellectual development at too young an age can result in a weakening of the child’s vital forces, manifesting in frequent colds or other illnesses. In Waldorf education free play is highly valued as a powerful instrument in developing creative thinking and problem solving, a reverence for nature and a love of learning. These skills are necessary pre-requisites for later intellectual development and they help Waldorf learners integrate very well into the adult world.
The fantasy and play of the young child transforms into the artistic imagination of the primary school child, the questioning of the teenager and the rational thinking of the young adult. We have confidence that fantasy and imagination, which are natural to the young child, form a better foundation for later creative thinking than early learning.
How do children fare when transferring from a Waldorf class to a mainstream class?
Generally, transitions are not difficult. Waldorf education develops creative and imaginative capacities and awakens life interests. Learners take these qualities with them and it often distinguishes them as good students.
Transitions in the lower grades, particularly between the first and third grade, are not advised due to the differences in the timing and approach to the curriculum and specifically with respect to reading and writing. If transition to a mainstream school is being considered it should be before Class 1 or after Class 3.
Why should I send my child to a Waldorf school?
Waldorf education is child-centered. The uniqueness of each child and their potential and gift to the world is constantly considered. The developmental age of the child underlies the entire curriculum. Everything in a Waldorf school is there with consciousness and purpose and has the child at heart.
Waldorf schools honour and protect the wonder of childhood. Every effort is expended to make Waldorf schools safe, secure and nurturing environments that protect childhood from harmful influences of the broader society.
Waldorf schools are full of rich, holsitic, imaginative and creative activities, which are specifically designed to develop a love of learning in each child. Children are internally motivated to come to school because it is interesting and they enjoy it, rather than out of a sense of obligation.
Waldorf schools produce graduates who are academically advantaged and who consistently gain admission to top universities. | http://www.imhoffwaldorf.org/imhoff-school/imhoff-school-principles/faqs/ |
Head and neck cancer is the cancers that develop in the tissues and organs present in the head and neck. The head and neck cancer include the larynx, salivary glands, lips, mouth, throat and nose. Most of the head and neck cancers develop in the squamous cells, which are the cells lining the moist surfaces like the mouth, throat, nose, in the head and neck region.
The areas where head and neck cancer occurs are pharynx which includes nasopharynx, oropharynx, and hypopharynx, larynx, tongue, salivary glands, oral and nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses.
The annual incidence of head and neck cancer, worldwide, is more than 50,000 cases. The men to women ratio range from 2:1 to 4:1. Among all the head and neck cancers, squamous cell carcinoma is the most common cancer which constitutes 90% of all the cancers. The annual incidence makes it the sixth leading cancer in the world. Men are 2 to 3 times at a higher risk of developing head and neck cancers when compared to women.
People suffering from head and neck cancers experience the following signs and symptoms.
Exposure to radiations such as x-rays and CT scan may increase the risk of developing head and neck cancer.
A family history of cancer can increase the risk of developing head and neck cancers. The person may have an inherited gene in the body that causes the cancer to develop in the regions of the head and neck.
Age is one of the most significant causes of developing the disease. As a person ages, the body and the immune cells become weak and so the body may be affected with various diseases.
Use of tobacco, cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption increases the risk of developing cancers from the head and neck. Smokers are at a higher risk of developing various cancers, salivary gland cancer, tongue cancer, pharynx and larynx cancer when compared to non-smokers.
A poor nutrition, a diet low in vitamins and nutrients increases the risk for a person to develop the head and neck cancer.
A person with a weak immune system is also at a risk of developing the disease.
Exposure to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) may increase the risk of developing nasopharyngeal cancer.
Poor oral and dental hygiene also increase the risk for head and neck cancer.
The following are the diagnostic tests performed in people suffering from head and neck cancers.
Physical examination is performed by the doctor to check for any changes in the neck. The doctor feels the patient’s jaws, neck and throat for the presence of lumps.
Blood and urine tests are performed to check the levels of hormones in the blood. It also helps in detecting the levels of protein in the blood.
HPV testing is performed to determine the presence of any type of HPV virus which is most likely to cause head and neck cancers.
Endoscopy uses a flexible, thin, long tube with a camera at one end called the endoscope to check for changes inside the body. The tube is inserted through the mouth.
X-ray barium swallow is done to identify the changes or abnormalities in the passage while swallowing the liquid. In this test, the patient is asked to swallow barium which is a liquid. As it travels through the passage, the condition of the larynx and salivary glands are known. It is reported in the form of an X-ray.
Bone scan is performed to check the spread of cancer in the bones. A radioactive tracer is injected into the patient’s vein. The picture of the inside of the bone is detected with the help of a camera. The part of the bone that is healthy appears grey and the part that is injured appears dark.
PET scan or Positron emission tomography is usually combined with a CT scan. It is performed to get an image of the tissues and organs present inside the body. A small amount of radioactive sugar substance is injected into the body. This substance is taken by the cells that utilize more energy and cancer cells consume a lot of energy. Therefore, a scanner detects the cells that consume more amount of energy and an image of the inside of the body is produced.
Ultrasound imaging uses sound waves to produce pictures of the organs and structures inside the body. It is a safe, painless and a noninvasive procedure.
Magnetic Imaging Resonance (MRI) is a test that uses magnetic field and pulses of radio wave energy to create pictures of organs inside the body. MRI also helps in identifying various other problems that cannot be detected in other imaging techniques.
CT scan is performed to get a 3D picture of the inside of the salivary gland using x-rays. A CT scan is also used to measure the size of the tumor.
Biopsy is another method performed to confirm the test results. It is a sample of the tissue taken from the body to examine it more closely. A doctor usually recommends for biopsy when a part of the body tissue seems abnormal. The abnormality in a particular area may be noticed in the imaging techniques or during a physical examination.
The following are the treatments offered to people suffering from head and neck cancers.
Surgeryis performed to either remove a part of the infected organ or the entire organ.
Laser technology is used to treat cancer at an early stage, especially cancer found in larynx.
Chemotherapyis a drug used to kill the cancer causing cells. It is either given orally or intravenously. It is usually used after a surgery to remove the presence of any left-over cancerous cells in the body. Chemotherapy can also be given to treat the cancers that spread to various other parts of the body.
Targeted therapy therapy is the use of targeted drugs to kill or destroy the cancer cells in a particular part of the head and neck region. It works by acting on the particular gene or cancer cell.
Following a healthy diet, being physically active and regular screening will help in preventing the development of any cancer associated with head and neck. | https://halairportroad.manipalhospitals.com/our-specialities/cancer-care/head-and-neck-cancer |
Cold showers were considered beneficial as early as 1600 B.C. However, thanks in part to Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop Lab on Netflix, The Wim Hof Method brought the benefits of cold showers into mainstream American media.
Wim Hof, also known as The Iceman, is known for his ability to tolerate extreme temperatures. He credits this ability to a series of breathing exercises, meditation, and exposure to cold temperatures. One study suggests that the Wim Hof Method leads to a release of brain chemicals, which result in decreased sensitivity to cold and increased feelings of euphoria.
However, the benefits of mindfulness and breathing exercises are already widely known while less is known about the benefits of cold exposure. So, is there any merit to this particular facet of the Wim Hof Method?
This article will focus on cold exposure—the history, benefits, and how to take a cold shower to maximize its benefits.
Table of Contents
Cultural Practices Related to Cold Exposure
In ancient Rome, individuals walked through multiple heated rooms that culminated in a dip into a cold pool. This practice is called “frigidarium.” It is still practiced today in spas and saunas.
In Finland and Norway, it is also a common practice for individuals to intermittently expose themselves to cold temperatures while sauna bathing. Individuals may do so by stepping outside during cold weather, sitting in the snow, or taking a cold shower. In warmer weather, individuals may step into ice-water between sunbathing. For instance, during five to fifteen minutes of sunbathing, they may step into ice-water three to five times for five seconds or longer.
In Russia, individuals celebrate an event called “Epiphany” by swimming in the cold. In the Orthodox Calendar, Jesus was baptized on January 19th. Therefore, to recognize this date’s significance, individuals will plunge themselves into ice-holes three times. To prepare for this, they take cold showers every day for a week leading up to the event.
Moreover, winter swimming is commonly practiced in countries such as Lithuania, Finland, Poland, Denmark, Russia, Norway, Sweden, Estonia, the Czech Republic, and Latvia. How is that for an extreme sport?
The Dark History of Cold Showers
Conversely, in the early 1700s, cold showers were reserved for individuals with mental disorders. At that time, mania was believed to be a condition that could boil the blood and the brain, and a cool shower appeared to be the natural cure.
By the 1800s, mental illness was believed to be caused by inflammation, but cold showers remained a treatment of choice in mental asylums. Unfortunately, this resulted in treatments designed to shock individuals with intense water pressure and prolonged cold exposure.
Fortunately, by the 1900s, these practices were abandoned, but the rising concern of hygiene led to the development of the showers utilized today. Nearly 150 years after they were developed for use in asylums, showers become a mainstay of modern hygiene practices.
The Benefits of Cold Exposure
Here are three main benefits of cold exposure or taking cold showers to your overall health.
1. Fewer Sick Days
A study found that individuals who take cold showers take 29% fewer sick days than those who do not. This shocking statistic can be achieved in as little as 30 seconds of cold water exposure for 30 days. Nevertheless, the individuals were not sick any less, they just tolerated it better.
2. Improved Appearance of Skin and Hair
Cold showers may also help to improve the appearance of your skin and hair. How does it work? Exposure to cold constricts blood flow, leading to a glow. Furthermore, cold water helps keep the skin hydrated, giving it a better appearance.
3. Increased Well-Being
Exposure to cold water may also have an impact on your mental health. In a case study on cold swimming, one woman was able to decrease her use of anti-depressants and eventually replace them entirely with cold swimming. However, this is just one example. Further research is needed to support the use of cold therapy for the treatment of depression.
Regular winter swimming is associated with decreases in fatigue, tension, and negative mood states. It has also been linked with decreased pain for individuals diagnosed with rheumatism, fibromyalgia, or asthma. In the general population, winter swimming is linked with increased well-being.
How to Take a Cold Shower for the Best Health Benefits
Cold showers have been around for centuries, both as a cultural and medical practice. However, there is limited research that suggests the right way to shower to obtain the most health benefits. Therefore, this is not a prescribed approach. This is simply a suggestion as you begin to experiment with cold showers, and the effects may vary from individual to individual.
While the evidence is limited, there are many cultural practices in place for individuals curious about cold showers, bathing, and swimming. Many spas may offer hot and cold water therapies as a form of relaxation. Furthermore, many individuals around the world enjoy sitting in hot and cold springs. Yet, one does not need to travel to experience this for themselves. Try it for yourself: simply turn down the dial during your next shower and see how you react to cold exposure.
Taking a Cold Shower for Fewer Sick Days
Here’s a very simple three-step guide to taking a cold shower.
- Take a shower at your usual temperature.
- At the end of the shower, turn the faucet to cold and remain under the cold water for at least 30 seconds.
- Repeat this practice daily for at least 30 days.
That is it. This method may help decrease your sick days by 29%. To further increase the odds to 54%, you could also try adding regular exercise into your routine.
Contraindications
Cold showers are not an adequate replacement for mental health or medical treatment. Furthermore, individuals with underlying medical or mental health conditions should consult their medical professionals before engaging in cold showering.
Conclusion
Ultimately, there is no prescribed empirically-based method for the benefits of cold showers. Research is still inconclusive when it comes to most of the major benefits of cold showers. Nevertheless, many individuals who practice this technique swear by the benefits.
The Wim Hof Method is just one example of cold exposure gaining momentum in the health and wellness industry. In fact, this practice has been around for centuries, and it is clearly here to stay.
While research still needs time to catch up, there is only way one to find out what works best for you. Give it a try, turn down the dial, and turn your shower into a day at the spa. You have as little as 30 seconds to lose and potentially a lot more to gain! | https://www.lifehack.org/908464/how-to-take-a-cold-shower |
The PhD programme at IISER Pune is a blend of classroom curriculum and mentoring undergraduate students along with a major research component. IISER Pune admits students to doctoral programmes in Biology, Chemistry, Data Science, Earth and Climate Science, Humanities and Social Sciences, Mathematics, and Physics.
Students with a master’s degree in Science / Mathematics or a four-year bachelor degree with at least 60% marks (aggregate) are encouraged to apply to our PhD programme. In addition to the qualifying degree, we expect the students to have qualified a national examination such as CSIR-UGC NET/GATE/JEST/NBHM/JGEEBILS, etc., depending on their area of research interest. Students will be selected to the PhD programme based on performance in the interviews.
Candidates who hold non-Indian passports, but are Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) and have obtained their qualifying degree ( 10+2 or equivalent, Bachelors, and Masters) while living (or domiciled) in India can apply through the departmental portals available below.
Please note that the precise eligibility criterion for each year may vary from department to department and will be announced at the time of intake.
Prime Minister's Research Fellowship (PMRF)
IISER Pune is one of the PMRF granting institutes offering PMRF Fellowship to meritorious PhD candidates. To apply for PMRF through direct entry, the candidate needs to get selected in our regular PhD programme, and the Institute will recommend a selected few candidates for PMRF. The final decision will be taken by the National Level Discipline-Specific Selection Committee. Detailed eligibility criteria are mentioned on the PMRF website and the same will be applicable.
Link to details on PMRF Scholars hosted at IISER Pune
Candidates are advised to visit the PMRF website to know more.
Admissions to the PhD Programme (Batch starting in August 2022)
NOTE: In view of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, PhD interviews may be held online. Clear guidelines or any changes in procedure will be provided to candidates shortlisted for the interviews.
Application Process
- Only online applications will be accepted.
- The candidates must carefully fill out and submit the online application form on or before the specified date.
- After the last date, all applications will be screened and candidates selected for interviews will be intimated by email.
Please Note / Important Points / Application Criteria
- All communication with candidates will be by email only.
- Kindly check this website for periodic updates.
- In case of any application-related queries, please contact [email protected] with your application number mentioned in the subject line.
- Candidates who are appearing or are about to appear for final examinations of the qualifying degree programme are eligible to apply for the PhD programme. However, upon selection, the admission to the PhD programme would be provisional until the candidate fulfills all the eligibility related criteria.
- Selection will be based on interviews of the short-listed candidates.
- Relaxation of eligibility criteria for SC, ST and PD applicants will be as per Government of India norms. Candidates belonging to the reserved category will have to submit relevant certificates, if selected.
- For all the national eligibility examinations which provide a common rank/score, the cut-off rank/score for shortlisting for the Interviews for the reserved categories shall be lowered to 1.25 times the General category rank/score.
- Applying does not automatically guarantee that a candidate will be shortlisted for interview. The respective departments may use additional criteria (based on academic performance and/or performance in the national level tests) in order to shortlist candidates for interviews depending on the number of applications received.
- Selection of students shall be done as per the provisions of The Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006 and amendments made thereto.
- All OCI candidates, irrespective of their domicile status and education history, will be treated as international Candidates (as per the Gazette of Government of India, 4th March 2021).
The admission procedure for the August 2022 batch has been completed.
Eligibility criteria and application details for the January 2023 batch are given further below on this page, separately for each of the following departments:
Biology
Eligibility criteria and application details for the January 2023 batch for the following departments (if applicable) will be updated on the website in due course of time: | https://www.iiserpune.ac.in/education/admissions/phd-programme |
The prestigious Cuban producer, composer and arranger Rudy Pérez told us about the immense pleasure that Whitney felt to return to the international circuit with that new song.
He also revealed to us, during the video interview, the qualities of notable performers he has worked with, such as Beyonce, Marc Anthony, Julio Iglesias, Cristina Aguilera, and many other music stars.
Rudy Pérez has won several Billboard, Grammy, and more than 400 gold and platinum records.
He confessed that he has a book in preparation with thousands of anecdotes with the great figures he has worked with, so he only entrusted us with some small details about Beyonce and Julio Iglesias.
A very special moment of the conversation was when Rudy remembered the song “After you, what? dedicated to Elsa, her beloved and unforgettable mother.
At the moment Rudy Pérez, along with the also famous composer Desmond Child, are working for the first presentation of the Hall of Fame of Latin Composers.
Next week we will present the other part of the interview, where we will address all the details about the Hall of Fame of Latin Composers scheduled for next April 23 in Miami Beach.
Here is the conversation with Rudy Pérez, about his artistic life, and his great friends with whom he has won several Grammy Awards and recognized in 2010 as the composer of the decade, by Billboard Magazine. | http://www.universoincreible.com/la-cancion-del-compositor-rudy-perez-que-whitney-houston-no-llego-a-cantar-video-interview/ |
Help Us Collect Backpacks and Supplies for Local Students and Youth in Need/
Outreach is collecting backpacks for Miller School students again this year. You may donate a backpack filled with supplies or bring in some school supplies and we'll divide them among the various packs. Packs are for children kindergarten - 6th grade. Suggested school supplies: paper, pencils, pens, crayons, colored pencils, glue sticks, folders, binders, etc. Now is a good time to shop; the deadline is Sunday, August 21st.
Outreach also wishes to receive donations for one Safety Pack for the Midcoast Queer Collective. Quinn Gormley has provided a "Safety Pack Item List" which you can check out at the back of the church sanctuary. Please select specific item(s) to bring and sign your name.
Other News This Week
Worship Service
Sunday, July 31 at 10 am Broad Bay welcomes Rev. Ralph Moore, who will lead worship. Music will be provided by Carroll Smith and the Mike Whitehead Jazz Trio, featuring Mike Whitehead, Tom Luther, and Jason Dean.
Language of America Film Showing
Wednesday, August 17 at 7 pm Language of America - a film and discussion presented by Ben Levine that explores native American language, philosophy and community and how Indian words reveal an inherent connectedness between people, nature and spirit. | https://www.broadbaychurch.org/blog/2016/7/29/help-us-collect-backpacks-and-supplies-for-local-students-and-youth-in-need |
ACopyrights and Licensing
This appendix provides a comprehensive overview of all copyright and licensing information for Outside In Content Access.
A.1 Outside In Content Access Licensing
The Programs (which include both the software and documentation) contain proprietary information; they are provided under a license agreement containing restrictions on use and disclosure and are also protected by copyright, patent, and other intellectual and industrial property laws. Reverse engineering, disassembly, or decompilation of the Programs, except to the extent required to obtain interoperability with other independently created software or as specified by law, is prohibited.The information contained in this document is subject to change without notice. If you find any problems in the documentation, please report them to us in writing. This document is not warranted to be error-free. Except as may be expressly permitted in your license agreement for these Programs, no part of these Programs may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose.If the Programs are delivered to the United States Government or anyone licensing or using the Programs on behalf of the United States Government, the following notice is applicable:U.S. GOVERNMENT RIGHTS Programs, software, databases, and related documentation and technical data delivered to U.S. Government customers are "commercial computer software" or "commercial technical data" pursuant to the applicable Federal Acquisition Regulation and agency-specific supplemental regulations. As such, use, duplication, disclosure, modification, and adaptation of the Programs, including documentation and technical data, shall be subject to the licensing restrictions set forth in the applicable Oracle license agreement, and, to the extent applicable, the additional rights set forth in FAR 52.227-19, Commercial Computer Software--Restricted Rights (June 1987). Oracle USA, Inc., 500 Oracle Parkway, Redwood City, CA 94065.The Programs are not intended for use in any nuclear, aviation, mass transit, medical, or other inherently dangerous applications. It shall be the licensee's responsibility to take all appropriate fail-safe, backup, redundancy and other measures to ensure the safe use of such applications if the Programs are used for such purposes, and we disclaim liability for any damages caused by such use of the Programs.Oracle, JD Edwards, PeopleSoft, and Siebel are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.The Programs may provide links to web sites and access to content, products, and services from third parties. Oracle is not responsible for the availability of, or any content provided on, third-party web sites. You bear all risks associated with the use of such content. If you choose to purchase any products or services from a third party, the relationship is directly between you and the third party. Oracle is not responsible for: (a) the quality of third-party products or services; or (b) fulfilling any of the terms of the agreement with the third party, including delivery of products or services and warranty obligations related to purchased products or services. Oracle is not responsible for any loss or damage of any sort that you may incur from dealing with any third party.
UnRAR - free utility for RAR archivesLicense for use and distribution of FREE portable versionThe source code of UnRAR utility is freeware. This means:1. All copyrights to RAR and the utility UnRAR are exclusively owned by the author - Alexander Roshal.2. The UnRAR sources may be used in any software to handle RAR archives without limitations free of charge, but cannot be used to re-create the RAR compression algorithm, which is proprietary. Distribution of modified UnRAR sources in separate form or as a part of other software is permitted, provided that it is clearly stated in the documentation and source comments that the code may not be used to develop a RAR (WinRAR) compatible archiver.3. The UnRAR utility may be freely distributed. No person or company may charge a fee for the distribution of UnRAR without written permission from the copyright holder.4. THE RAR ARCHIVER AND THE UNRAR UTILITY ARE DISTRIBUTED "AS IS". NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND IS EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED. YOU USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. THE AUTHOR WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR DATA LOSS, DAMAGES, LOSS OF PROFITS OR ANY OTHER KIND OF LOSS WHILE USING OR MISUSING THIS SOFTWARE.5. Installing and using the UnRAR utility signifies acceptance of these terms and conditions of the license.6. If you don't agree with terms of the license you must remove UnRAR files from your storage devices and cease to use the utility.
JasPer License Version 2.0Copyright (c) 2001-2006 Michael David AdamsCopyright (c) 1999-2000 Image Power, Inc.Copyright (c) 1999-2000 The University of British ColumbiaAll rights reserved.Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person (the"User") obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:1. The above copyright notices and this permission notice (which includes the disclaimer below) shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.2. The name of a copyright holder shall not be used to endorse or promote products derived from the Software without specific prior written permission.THIS DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY CONSTITUTES AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THIS LICENSE. NO USE OF THE SOFTWARE IS AUTHORIZED HEREUNDER EXCEPT UNDER THIS DISCLAIMER. THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY RIGHTS. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, OR ANY SPECIAL INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE. NO ASSURANCES ARE PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS THAT THE SOFTWARE DOES NOT INFRINGE THE PATENT OR OTHER INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS OF ANY OTHER ENTITY. EACH COPYRIGHT HOLDER DISCLAIMS ANY LIABILITY TO THE USER FOR CLAIMS BROUGHT BY ANY OTHER ENTITY BASED ON INFRINGEMENT OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS OR OTHERWISE. AS A CONDITION TO EXERCISING THE RIGHTS GRANTED HEREUNDER, EACH USER HEREBY ASSUMES SOLE RESPONSIBILITY TO SECURE ANY OTHER INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS NEEDED, IF ANY. THE SOFTWARE IS NOT FAULT-TOLERANT AND IS NOT INTENDED FOR USE IN MISSION-CRITICAL SYSTEMS, SUCH AS THOSE USED IN THE OPERATION OF NUCLEAR FACILITIES, AIRCRAFT NAVIGATION OR COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS, DIRECT LIFE SUPPORT MACHINES, OR WEAPONS SYSTEMS, IN WHICH THE FAILURE OF THE SOFTWARE OR SYSTEM COULD LEAD DIRECTLY TO DEATH, PERSONAL INJURY, OR SEVERE PHYSICAL OR ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE ("HIGH RISK ACTIVITIES"). THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR HIGH RISK ACTIVITIES.
| |
Recent studies have demonstrated that blockade of P2X3 ATP receptors can profoundly inhibit chronic cough. We have considered whether inhaled ATP produces a tussive response and whether chronic cough patients are hypersensitive to inhaled ATP compared to healthy volunteers.
A standardised inhalational cough challenge was performed with ATP and AMP. We randomised 20 healthy volunteers and 20 chronic cough patients as to the order of challenges. The concentration of challenge solution causing at least five coughs (C5) was compared for ATP and AMP.
The study population consisted of six male and 14 female volunteers in each group. Two out of 19 healthy volunteers coughed with AMP (one volunteer could not take part in this challenge) and none reached C5. Eight out of 20 chronic cough patients coughed with AMP and two reached C5. Of the 20 healthy volunteers, 18 coughed with ATP, with 15 reaching C5. All 19 chronic cough patients completing the ATP challenge coughed with ATP and 18 reached C5. The chronic cough patients had a greater cough response at lower concentrations of ATP.
The greater potency of ATP versus AMP in the inhalational challenge suggests that tussive responses are mediated through members of the P2X purinergic receptor family. This acute effect was, however, not sufficient to explain cough hypersensitivity syndrome.
Abstract
Chronic coughers have a heightened response to ATP but not sufficient to implicate ATP in cough hypersensitivity http://ow.ly/h15730699GA
Introduction
Chronic cough (arbitrarily defined as a cough lasting more than 8 weeks) is a common presentation to general practitioners and respiratory outpatient clinics. A recent systematic review of 90 studies found the overall global prevalence of chronic cough to be 9.6% in the general population .
It is now widely accepted that, with rare exceptions, in chronic cough there is hypersensitivity of the vagal afferent nerves or an alteration of the central processing of their input, regardless of the underlying aetiology of the cough. In hypersensitivity, even trivial stimulation of these sensory nerves leads to the urge to cough. The cause of this hypersensitivity is not fully understood but the concept of cough hypersensitivity syndrome (CHS) is widely agreed upon in the respiratory community [2–4].
The nerves of the vagal afferent limb of the cough reflex are myelinated a-delta fibres and un-myelinated C-fibres . The involvement of the terminals of these nerves in generating cough is better evidenced in animals than in humans, although recent studies suggest that similar structures can be visualised in humans .
The sensory receptors involved in activating these nerve endings are of great interest as potential therapeutic targets in chronic cough. Objective demonstration of hypersensitivity could lead to the development of diagnostic tests for CHS. Chronic cough patients have been found to be hypersensitive to established cough challenges such as capsaicin [7, 8] and citric acid . However, the wide normal range of cough sensitivity to these agents makes them unsuitable as a diagnostic tool. The recent demonstration that the blockade of ATP that prefer purinergic receptors leads to a markedly reduced cough frequency in chronic cough suggests that ATP could be a key mediator of cough hypersensitivity; thus, ATP challenge could differentiate between a normal cough reflex and cough hypersensitivity. Two classes of purinergic receptors have been characterised: P1 and P2. The P1 receptors are activated by adenosine and AMP whereas P2 receptors respond to ATP.
To explore the hypothesis that P2 receptor activation underlies cough hypersensitivity, we have compared cough challenge in two groups: healthy volunteers and patients with CHS. We also quantified the cough response to AMP (P1) and ATP (P2).
Methods
This was a randomised, controlled crossover trial of cough challenge with ATP and AMP. Twenty patients with CHS were recruited from the Hull Cough Clinic and the Hull Respiratory Clinical Trials Unit (CTU) database of chronic cough patients. Twenty gender-matched healthy volunteers were recruited from departmental staff and the CTU database of volunteers. We recruited the first participant in January 2015 and the last cough challenge was completed in May 2015.
Healthy volunteers had no evidence of cough hypersensitivity, as demonstrated by a Hull Airways Reflex Questionnaire (HARQ) score of less than 13. Chronic cough patients had cough hypersensitivity, as demonstrated by a HARQ score of 20 and above.
All participants were current non-smokers who had been stable on medication for at least a month. Excluded were volunteers who had a recent upper respiratory tract infection or cough/asthma exacerbation within the last 3 weeks.
Participants received two cumulative cough challenges in the CTU, one with ATP and one with AMP (Sigma-Aldrich Company Ltd, Dorset, UK). We used 0.9% saline as the solvent for the ATP and AMP. We chose to use AMP because of the insolubility of adenosine in saline. ATP was readily soluble in saline at a maximum concentration of just over 0.3 M. As a result, this concentration was chosen as the maximum concentration for both challenge solutions.
The stability of ATP and AMP in solution was confirmed using high-performance liquid chromatography analysis at the Department of Chemistry, University of Hull. Both challenge solutions were found to be stable in solution for at least 72 h. They were made up by a laboratory technician in single aliquots and when not used on the same day were stored in a refrigerator at 4°C.
The two challenges were administered on different days, at least 48 h apart. The order in which the challenges were administered was randomised using a computer-generated randomisation system (Sealed Envelope; Sealed Envelope Ltd, London, UK). The order of administration was double-blind and the two challenge substances looked identical once made up.
The cough challenge was adapted from European Respiratory Society standardised cough challenge methodology . A single inhalation of each dose of challenge solution was delivered using a Ko-Ko digidoser (Sigma-Aldrich) with flow limiter, after maximal exhalation. All challenges started with a saline inhalation. ATP or AMP was then delivered in increasing concentrations on a half-log scale from 0.1 to 300 mM. Coughs were counted by the cough challenge administrator in the first 15 s after each inhalation. There was at least 1 min between each inhalation. Participants were asked to avoid caffeine and menthol for 1 h prior to each cough challenge.
The challenge was terminated once the participant coughed at least five times following an inhalation or reached the maximal concentration available. Comments about sensation evoked during the challenge were not actively sought, but were noted if the participants volunteered them.
Participants received their second challenge at a similar time of day. If the patient experienced changes in health between the challenges these were noted, and if this was an upper respiratory tract infection, the second challenge was delayed.
Because the effects of these challenge solutions were previously unknown it was impossible to create an accurate power calculation. However, multiple previous studies done in the Hull CTU in both normal volunteers and chronic cough patients have demonstrated a significant change in the concentration of substance which elicited at least two coughs (C2) and five coughs (5C) using 20 subjects.
The primary outcome measures were the difference in C2 and C5 between ATP and AMP, and between healthy volunteers and chronic cough patients. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Differences in the number of patients reaching C2 and C5 in the ATP and AMP challenges within each group were assessed using McNemar's test for related data. For purposes of statistical analysis during a comparison between the two groups of participants, if C2 or C5 was not reached the maximum concentration was set at 1000 mM. Comparisons of C2 and C5 between the healthy volunteers and the chronic cough patients were made using a t-test.
Ethical approval to complete this study was obtained from the National Research Ethics Committee (REC reference: 14/SS/1071). The study is registered on ClinicalTrials.Gov (NCT02039999).
Results
Demographics
The healthy volunteer group and chronic cough patient groups were matched for gender with 14 women in each. The majority of the participants were Caucasian, with two non-Caucasians in the healthy group and one in the patient group. The chronic cough patients were older, at 27–83 years versus 23–74 years. The forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) as a percentage of predicted was also lower in the chronic cough group, with a median of 88% versus 101%.
All patients in the healthy volunteer group had a HARQ score of between 0 and 8. The chronic cough patient group's HARQ scores varied between 21 and 52. Full details are shown in table 1.
Comorbidities
Nine of the healthy volunteers self-reported comorbidities. All the chronic cough patients had comorbidities. Gastrointestinal disturbances (both upper and lower), inflammatory disorders such as arthritis and vasculitis, hypertension, and other respiratory conditions were more common in the patient group.
Medications
The patient group were taking more medications. One participant in each group was taking angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. One healthy volunteer was taking anti-reflux medication, compared to 11 in the cough group.
Healthy volunteers cough challenge
Two out of 19 healthy volunteers coughed with AMP (one healthy volunteer was not challenged with AMP owing to an adverse event with the previous challenge). One of these reached C2, and none reached C5. In total there were only four coughs throughout the AMP challenges.
Two healthy volunteers did not cough at all in response to the ATP challenge. The remaining 18 all reached C2, with 15 reaching C5. The differences in the number of patients reaching C2 or C5 between the ATP and AMP challenges was statistically significant (p<0.01 for both). The results of the individual healthy volunteers cough challenges to ATP are shown in supplementary figure S1.
Chronic cough patients
Ten of the chronic cough patients coughed at least once in response to AMP. Of these, eight reached C2 and two reached C5. Within-individual cough responses were erratic. Having coughed at least twice, patients often did not cough at higher concentrations. These findings are shown in supplementary figure S2.
In total, 19 patients completed the ATP challenge; one patient withdrew prior to administration. All of these patients coughed in response to ATP and all reached C2. One patient did not reach C5, coughing four times at the two highest concentrations (supplementary figure S3). All patients who reached C5 did so by a concentration of 100 mM. The C5 in chronic cough patients was mainly distributed between 1 mM and 100 mM.
Two patients who reached C5 for both the AMP and ATP challenges achieved C5 for ATP at half a log below the C5 concentration of AMP.
The difference between C2 and C5 for ATP and AMP was statistically significant (p<0.01 for both).
Whereas none of the healthy volunteers coughed in response to the initial inhalation of saline, six of the chronic cough patients did. They all only coughed in response to saline prior to one of their challenges. This was not consistently on their first exposure to a cough challenge.
Comparing healthy volunteers and chronic cough patients
The distribution of the C2 and C5 for ATP in healthy volunteers and chronic cough patients is outlined in figure 1. The C2 for ATP was statistically significantly different between the healthy volunteers and the patients (p=0.047). This was also the case for C5 (p<0.01). The average number of coughs at each concentration of ATP for healthy volunteers and chronic cough patients is compared in figure 2.
Adverse events
One healthy volunteer had an episode of urticaria in the 24 h following inhalation of the ATP challenge and was withdrawn from the study. There was one episode of wheeze following AMP in a chronic cough patient, which resolved following administration of inhaled salbutamol. One patient withdrew after their first challenge because they felt that their cough had increased in the days after the challenge.
Participants in both groups informally reported that they had throat irritation which lasted for up to several hours after the ATP challenge.
Discussion
When comparing healthy volunteers with chronic cough patients, the patient group coughed significantly more, and at lower concentrations of ATP. However, the degree of hypersensitivity demonstrated by our patient group to ATP does not appear to be any more than previously seen in other cough inhalational challenges [9, 11, 12]. This suggests that chronic cough patients do not have an intrinsically heightened sensitivity to ATP and, thus, it is not the acute, peripheral response to ATP that underlies cough hypersensitivity in these patients.
The use of citric acid as a tussive challenge in humans was first described by Bickerman and Barach in 1954 . Since then, the technique has been used in a number of different settings with different tussive agents. The most commonly used are citric acid, capsaicin and fog challenge. These challenges stimulate cough by acting on different peripheral nerve receptors in the airways. Capsaicin is known to stimulate TRPV1 receptors on sensory afferent C-fibres ; citric acid shows some cross-reactivity with a number of receptors on C-fibres and also a-delta fibres ; whereas the specific receptors stimulated by the low chlorine solution of a fog challenge are poorly defined . Other receptors implicated in the cough response are more difficult to stimulate with an inhalational challenge given the nature of the ligands involved; however, cinnamaldehyde has been shown to cause cough in humans and supports the involvement of the TRPA1 receptor in the cough reflex .
One hypothesis for the cause of hypersensitivity in chronic cough patients is that there is an up-regulation in one or more of the peripheral receptors of the afferent limb of the cough reflex . The blockade of receptors stimulated by cough challenges are therefore of interest as therapeutic targets. In animal studies, there has been some success in reducing cough by antagonising these receptors [19, 20]. However, this success has not been replicated in human trials of TRPA1 (personal communication) and TRPV1 receptors , suggesting that these afferent sensory receptors, which are undoubtedly important in the sensation of irritation stimulating cough, are not the root cause of cough hypersensitivity.
A number of different lines of evidence now point to the purinergic system as being the most likely mechanism for inducing afferent hypersensitivity. ATP, acting through a class of purinergic receptors, was first postulated as an extracellular signalling molecule by Burnstock in 1972 . It took a number of years for this mechanism to become established, and the role of ATP as an extracellular signal was not widely accepted until the 1990s when the first purinergic receptors were cloned [23, 24].
A number of findings support the presence of ATP-responsive P2 receptors within mammalian lungs. P2X3 receptors are thought to be mainly responsible for the effects of ATP in the lung, which have been demonstrated using immunohistochemistry on sensory nerve endings . These receptors are found as either homotrimeric P2X3 receptors or heterotrimeric P2X2/3 receptors . Vagal C-fibres can be stimulated by ATP via heteromeric P2X2/3 receptors .
The responses of peripheral neurons to ATP vary within the same ganglia, between different types of ganglia and within species. The response appears to be consistently due to the effect of ATP on P2X2 and P2X3, but there is probably a difference in the proportion of homo/hetero types of receptor expressed . Of relevance to cough hypersensitivity is the observation that activation of P2X2/3 heterodimers produces a prolonged current, whereas stimulation of P2X3 receptors produces a rapidly inactivating current . A recent study has, however, suggested that prolonged activation of the P2X3 receptor can be achieved by TRPV4 activation of pannexin, causing the continuous stimulation of P2X3 and thus leading to prolonged hypersensitivity .
Animal studies considering the role of ATP and P2X receptors in cough have been limited to guinea pigs, in which inhaled ATP accentuated the subsequent citric acid challenge response. ATP alone failed to stimulate cough and antagonist studies implicated the P2X4 receptor in this species .
In humans, intravenous ATP administered to palliative care patients caused breathlessness as its most common side effect . Inhaling ATP has previously been noted to cause cough, although this response has not been systematically characterised. Prolonged inhalation of ATP causes bronchoconstriction in both healthy and asthmatic volunteers, with a greater response in the asthmatic individuals [32, 33]. Inhalation challenges using ATP and AMP in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, in smokers and in healthy volunteers found that ATP appeared to cause increased breathlessness and cough compared to AMP .
The lack of a significant cough response to inhaled AMP in our healthy participants seems to be in contrast with previous studies. This could be due to methodological differences given the brief exposure of our participants, a consequence of the use of the single-breath inhalation method. While the majority of our healthy volunteers coughed with ATP, two did not. This is in keeping with experiences with other cough challenges, such as citric acid and capsaicin, in which a proportion of healthy volunteers do not cough within the range of the challenge. ATP challenge does not appear, therefore, to be exceptional in its sensitivity or persistence. Thus, while our findings support the importance of purinergic receptors in the normal cough reflex pathway, it is not possible to differentiate between P2X3 and P2X2/3 receptors as the main modulators of this tussive response to ATP.
AF-219 (a P2X3 receptor antagonist) (Afferent Pharmaceuticals, San Mateo, CA, USA) has been trialled in a phase 2 study and has been found to dramatically reduce 24 h cough counts after 2 weeks of administration in patients with chronic cough . Our data would tend to support the hypothesis that, while P2X3 receptor activation could be the final common pathway producing hypersensitivity, acute activation of the receptor does not infer this state on afferent nerves, and that other mechanisms such as activation of TRPV4/pannexin are required.
Our study has several limitations. Our two study populations were gender matched because of the known influence of gender on cough reflex sensitivity. They were, however, not age matched and our patient group was older than our healthy volunteer group. Although chronic cough is more prevalent in older patients , this does not seem to influence the cough reflex but rather the increased prevalence of the underlying cough-provoking conditions in older patients. Previous studies have shown no influence of age on the cough reflex, as opposed to a comorbidity such as dementia .
Comorbidities were also more prevalent in the patient group. The majority of these were conditions that are often associated with cough, such as gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, asthma and post-nasal drip as well as irritable bowel syndrome and lymphoedema. These comorbidities were self-reported by patients. One participant in each group was taking ACE inhibitors, and while this could have influenced the cough threshold, these individuals did not appear as outliers.
Within the population of 40 participants, we only had one adverse effect to ATP. This urticarial rash appears to have been a hypersensitivity reaction.
Given that some of our participants commented on ongoing throat irritation after the challenge was completed, ATP could potentially be involved in cough hypersensitivity via mechanisms other than a direct pro-tussive effect.
Conclusion
We believe that this is the first study to compare an objective cough response to inhaled ATP and AMP in healthy volunteers and chronic cough patients. The response to ATP in chronic cough appears to be heightened, but not to such a degree as to implicate an acute response to inhalation of ATP in the pathophysiology of cough hypersensitivity syndrome.
Supplementary material
Supplementary Material
Please note: supplementary material is not edited by the Editorial Office, and is uploaded as it has been supplied by the author.
Figure S1. Number of coughs at each concentration of adenosine triphosphate in 20 individual healthy volunteers. N/S: normal saline; ATP: adenosine triphosphate. ERJ-01452-2016_Supplementary_Fig_S1
Figure S2. Number of coughs at each concentration of adenosine monophosphate in 20 chronic cough patients. N/S: normal saline; AMP: adenosine monophosphate. ERJ-01452-2016_Supplementary_Fig_S2
Figure S3. Number of coughs at each concentration of adenosine triphosphate in 19 chronic cough patients. N/S: normal saline; ATP: adenosine triphosphate. ERJ-01452-2016_Supplementary_Fig_S3
Disclosures
Supplementary Material
H.E. Fowles ERJ-01452-2016_Fowles
A. Morice ERJ-01452-2016_Morice
Acknowledgements
Authors are indebted to all volunteers and patients who participated in the study. Special thanks to all staff in the Respiratory Clinical Trials Unit, Castle Hill Hospital, particularly Joseph Howard, Zainab Rai, Chris Crow and Juozas Domarkas, for assistance with cough challenge administration and laboratory support.
Footnotes
This article has supplementary material available from erj.ersjournals.com
Clinical trial: This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov with identifier number NCT02039999.
Conflict of interest: Disclosures can be found alongside this article at erj.ersjournals.com
- Received July 21, 2016.
- Accepted November 2, 2016. | https://erj.ersjournals.com/content/49/2/1601452 |
Distribute student drawings from lesson 2, red, yellow, blue, black and white tempera paint, brushes, water cans. Instruct students to paint in the major areas first and to leave the details for last. Emphasize that they will be mixing their colors and should use a wide variety of tints and shades to create visual interest and contrast between lights and darks.
Select one table of students to post their work in front of the room. Ask the class to identify the secondary colors used.
- Why do the greens (or violets or oranges) look different in each painting?
- Should everyone's greens look alike? Why or why not?
- Which painting shows the most contrast between colors? How was that achieved?
- What is the advantage of mixing your own secondary colors?
Interview an older person from your neighborhood who remembers the block you are painting from when they were a child. Write a composition explaining how this block was different when this person was growing up. | http://artblueprint.org/lesson/mixing-secondary-colors?from_filter=1&filter_nid=4680 |
[Sometimes We Should Maintain a Mental Distance from a Patient--Relevance to Caring for Cancer Patients in Denial].
In Japan, cancer has been the leading cause of death since 1981 and is the most common and representative life-threatening disease. Cancer treatment has markedly progressed, and so the development of cancer is now not necessarily a death sentence. Nevertheless, approximately half of cancer patients actually die as a result of the disease even today. Cancer causes marked suffering of patients. Patients with advanced and/or terminal cancer suffer from various physical symptoms and are forced to face a continuous decline in their physical function, and previous studies reported that psychological distress is frequently observed in cancer patients, especially in advanced and/or terminally ill patients. Several types of psychological defense mechanism, especially denial, are frequently observed in these patients. There are multiple levels of denial For example, a patient with true denial denies the presence of cancer itself, although true denial is quite rare. A patient with moderate denial is likely to deny an association between distressing symptoms and disease, while one with mild denial denies the life-threatening nature of disease. Denial is a psychological defense mechanism that often helps advanced cancer patients to manage their anxiety and depression. It allows such patients to continue living while facing the painfulness of their situation. In this situation, it is important for therapists to note the patient's denial. Simply being aware of the denial can, in itself, be supportive for the patient. However, when denial does not work adaptively, such as it prohibiting adherence to necessary treatment and not being useful for ameliorating psychological distress and improving the quality of life, medical staff may consider confronting a patient with the reality of the situation carefully. This paper discusses the relevance of acknowledging denial and caring for patients with denial from the point of view of psycho-oncology.
| |
I never thought that I would be using The Tonight Show as an example of innovation. My impression of Jimmy Fallon was that of a gifted, but relatively lightweight entertainer. He has surprised me by embracing the changes brought about by the measures put in place to mitigate the effects of the COVID 19 pandemic. In contrast, other late night hosts – e.g., Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers – initially were unabashed in their aversion to the new format, which eliminated the studio audience, and made excuses that (and I paraphrase) their style didn’t translate to a world that largely depends on video conferencing. And it really didn’t!
What has Jimmy Fallon done that his peers have not? He adapted:
- Even though he is doing his show, necessarily, in isolation, he decided to invite us into his home and his life. He made his home the set and his family a (mostly) charming part of the show. In some sense they are an alternative (not a substitute) for a studio audience.
- I do not know if this was conscious or the result of the dynamics of video conference-based interviews, but my perception is that the quality of his interviews has improved measurably. Mr. Fallon is not playing to the studio audience; he is paying attention to the conversation which is necessarily more focused.
- He is observing others and is leveraging video conferencing technology in ways that allow him to replicate (and in some ways make it significantly more personal) the pre-COVID interaction he had with his band and guests.
- He did something I have rarely heard a big-name star do, he asked his audience to provide feedback and let him know what they do and do not like. That is amazing. And, I do not know how (or if) he is processing the feedback, but I see ongoing experiments which indicate that he is interested in improving his product.
The bottom line is that he, more than the other late-night hosts that I watch regularly, has adapted to his new reality and is much better for it. On the other hand, shows which I would have ranked better prior to the need to exit the studio and move home do not hold up as well, and are diminished because the hosts are less open to modifying their shtick to accommodate the changes that have been imposed upon them by the COVID crisis.
How does this apply to the business world? Well, I spent most of my career helping companies adapt as the world changed around them. And, the late-night show example demonstrates:
- That the most difficult step is understanding that the world has changed and that your well-being depends upon your adapting to the change. For example, in the 1980s it became increasingly clear that the accounting function in large corporations, while essential, was not a competitive differentiator. Companies (initially McCormick and Dodge) offered “packaged” software that could lower the cost of doing the accounting function while improving its overall quality. It took a decade or more for this idea to become pervasive and it: 1) changed the way companies did accounting by providing greatly improved effectiveness and efficiency; and 2) laid the groundwork for later innovations like order to cash and supply chain management.
- Having an intellectual appreciation of the change and mustering the courage to take a risk is the next step. And make no mistake about it, significant changes to a time-tested way of doing things is a risk. Sometimes it takes a visionary chief executive, sometimes it is a convincing salesman, but as Lao Tzu said, and I paraphrase: The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.
- You must continually reassess your progress. This means understanding what your goals and objectives are and measuring the outcomes to ensure that you are gaining the benefits you expected. At Textura our sales team used a tool that captured the steps (prior to implementing our software) necessary to pay their sub-contractors. We also used the same process mapping technique to show how many steps (how much labor) would be eliminated by using our tool. This gave our clients a clear understanding of what they were buying and a method (comparing before to after) of determining whether we had met our objectives.
I note that when we founded Textura, none of our potential clients appreciated how inefficient the construction payment process was. The “before and after” process mapping technique provided a quantitative method for assessing the effectiveness of the changes that Textura’s electronic payment process delivered. And, referring back to the first bullet point above, it took some time (and a couple of courageous initial clients) for the understanding to become pervasive within the industry.
- It is essential to communicate clearly and get buy-in from the many stakeholders who are both involved the areas affected by the change and necessary to make the improved processes work. Communication involves three things:
- Making sure that everyone involved knows what is going on, how it is going to affect them and why the change is happening. That is done by giving people the time and opportunity to internalize the coming change. Getting people involved is the best way to do this.
- Training is a big piece of communications and is essential to getting people involved. This means understanding both the theory and the practice. It seemed obvious to me that the accounting function could be standardized based on best practices and that there is not much reason to customize the process or the software to accommodate a specific installation. But, then again, I had seen dozens of examples (which is one of the reasons to hire a consultant) which our client had not.
So, taking the time to explain the logic behind standardized processing and working that through with the client was imperative to delivering the best outcomes. The process mapping discussed previous major bullet point is one step in the process of getting buy-in by explaining the logic behind the change.
- Getting people involved. Early in my career, I did not take the time to explain what I knew, I just got to work. And, I did not involve the client in the early stages of the implementation. I figured that my team could do the heavy lifting and then hand it off to the client. But by not involving the client early, I didn’t give them an appreciation of what was possible. And, without understanding what we were doing or why, our clients just wanted things to work the way they always had. They wanted to pave the cow path. We were looking to put in a superhighway.
Paving the cow path involved making major changes to the software (very costly) we were installing and would require major ongoing maintenance to the software as upgrades came from the vendor and it had to be adapted to the changes our client invariably wanted to implement. Most of all, it did not take advantage of improvements to the processes that implementing best practices would bring.
The world changes. Those that do not understand that get left behind. Jimmy Fallon is not getting left behind. He is seeing the future and embracing it. Business (and political) leaders need to do the same. I summarize:
- Recognize the change;
- Understand the change;
- Communicate what you are going to do about the change and get your stakeholders on board;
- Adapt to the change; and
- Go back to point 1 (rinse, repeat) above.
It is that simple. Actually, no it is not at all simple and that is what makes dealing with change both challenging and fun!
Copyright 2020 Howard Niden
— you can find this (days earlier) and other posts at www.niden.com.
And, if you like this post: 1) please let me know; and 2) pass on your “find” to others. | https://niden.com/innovation-during-the-crisis/ |
* Individual store prices may vary.
Description
The book traces the rise of the Fatimid dynasty in the 4th century AH/10th century CE, from its origins in Islamic messianism to power in North Africa and Egypt, and a central position of influence throughout the Muslim world. The first part deals with the problem of Fatimid origins, the second with the establishment of the dynasty and its religious and political programme in North Africa, the third with the success of that programme in Egypt. Using the history of the Fatimids and their doctrine to survey the world of the Mediterranean and the Middle East in the 4th/10th century, the book offers a new interpretation of the role of the dynasty in the history of Islam down to the period of the Crusades.
Brill Academic Publishers, 9789004117419, 480pp.
Publication Date: December 18, 2000
About the Author
Michael Brett, Ph.D. (1970) in History, University of London, is Reader in the History of North Africa, School of Oriental and African Studies, London. His most recent publication is "Ibn Khaldun and the Medieval Maghrib" (Ashgate, 1999). | https://www.indiebound.org/book/9789004117419 |
In today’s ever-evolving world, the only constant is change. Transformation Leadership helps to shape, manage and deliver programmes that result in game-changing transformations for our largest clients. We work collaboratively to find solutions to the most challenging issues faced by our clients and wider society today.
Our purpose
Deloitte’s Transformation Leadership practice helps clients succeed with their largest, most complex business and digital transformations. Our foremost goal is to support our clients' transformation agenda by delivering top-of-the class quality in every endeavour, combined with a well-structured approach and the strong ability to execute. We bring together multidisciplinary teams of consultants with diverse perspectives, skills and expertise to serve clients across sectors. We anticipate, intervene and respond to challenges in our clients’ transformations with our industry-leading capabilities in project, programme and portfolio management.
Our services
Closely aligned to our clients’ needs, we bridge the gaps between strategy, execution and final implementation. We help solve the most complex challenges with a solution mindset and take pride in our reputation of having a ’go-do’ attitude.
We often collaborate with a wide range of Deloitte’s transformation capabilities in other areas. We shape, manage and execute large, technology-enabled, business driven programmes and digital transformations through cutting edge implementation frameworks, leveraging our strong capabilities within:
- Portfolio, programme and project management
- Programme Management Offices
- Programme architecture and initiation
- Programme assurance and recovery.
Our Strategic Portfolio Management practice recognises the need for a solid portfolio management approach. It ensures effective delivery of strategic ambitions and improves the overall performance of our clients’ portfolio of strategic programmes and projects. Our programme delivery team supports our clients in several dimensions from shaping and leading a programme to recovering a programme that has gone off track as well as embedding and anchoring the transformation in our clients’ organisation in a sustainable manner.
Together with our award-winning SAP practice and other specialist teams within Deloitte, we shape, lead and execute ERP and digital transformations. We focus on the intersection between technology and business from a delivery perspective to ensure the success of the transformation. We are experts in setting up and leading projects and programmes within for example SAP and digital transformation and focus increasingly on transformations related to M&A/post-merger integration.
Our consultants leverage knowledge and experience for a project or programme to succeed by designing the execution structure, prioritising activities and leading the implementation effort.
Our team
Transformation Leadership consists of dedicated high calibre project, programme and portfolio leadership specialists with diverse and international backgrounds, both from the private and public sector. Our consultants have extensive knowledge and experience of delivering complex transformation initiatives and strategy execution. We monitor our clients’ entire transformation lifecycle and take pride in our reputation for combining domain knowledge and capability with leading industry insights.
We are accustomed to bringing our skills to work for a wide spectrum of clients spanning large private organisations, public-private partnerships, publicly traded companies, public institutions and political organisations. Our consultants are trained to bring value to all industries enabled by their extensive sector-specific experience, which is kept up to date by our continuous training and upskilling efforts. | https://www2.deloitte.com/dk/da/pages/human-capital/articles/Deloitte-transformation-leadership.html |
An electrical control system is a physical interconnection of devices that influences the behaviour of other devices or systems. A simple electronic system is made up of an input, a process, and an output. Both input and output variables to the system are signals. Examples of such systems include circulation pumps, compressors, manufacturing systems, refrigeration plant and motor control panels.
Input devices such as sensors gather and respond to information and control a physical process by using electrical energy in the form of an output action. Electronic systems can be classed as ‘causal’ in nature. The input signal is the ‘cause’ of the change in the process or system operation, while the output signal is the ‘effect’, the consequence of the cause. An example is a microphone (input device) causing sound waves to be converted into electrical signals and being amplified by a speaker (output device) producing sound waves.
Electronic systems are commonly represented as a series of interconnected blocks and signals. Each block is shown with its own set of inputs and outputs. This is known as block-diagram representation.
Electrical systems operate either on continuous-time (CT) signals or discrete-time (DT) signals.
A CT system is where the input signals are continuous over time. These tend to be analogue systems producing a linear operation with input and output signals referenced over a set time period, such as between 13:00 and 14:00.
A DT system is where the input signals are a sequence or series of signal values defined in specific time intervals, such as 13:00 and 14:00 separately.
Control systems are one of two different types, either an open loop system or a closed loop system.
Open loop control system
An open loop control system is one in which the output does not feedback to the input to correct variations. Instead, the output is varied by varying the input. This means that external conditions will not impact on the system output. An example is a timer-controlled central heating boiler which is switched on between certain preset times regardless of the thermal comfort level of the building.
The benefits of open loop systems are that they are simple, easy to construct and generally remain stable. However, they can be inaccurate and unreliable due to the output not being corrected automatically.
Closed loop control system
A closed loop control system is one in which the output has an effect upon the input to maintain a desired output value. It achieves this by providing a feedback loop. For example, a boiler may have a temperature thermostat which monitors the thermal comfort level of a building and sends a feedback signal to ensure the controller maintains the set temperature.
Closed loop systems have the advantage of being accurate, and can be made more or less sensitive depending on the required stability of the system. However, they are more complex in terms of designing a stable system.
Types of control
There are a number of different types of control:
Manual control
This system uses no automatic controls, the link is provided by the human operator.
Semi-automatic control
A sequence of operations is carried out automatically after being started by a human operator. An example is starting an electric motor.
Automatic control
The human operator is replaced by a controller which monitors the system in comparison with a desired value, using feedback loops to take corrective action if necessary.
Local control
A level, hand wheel or other attachment fixed on the unit ‘locally’ is used as a means of alteration and control.
Remote control
The regulating unit is connected to an actuating device mounted some distance away by means of power transmission through electrical linkages. For example, a remote control to turn on an air-conditioning unit.
On/off control
The regulating unit can occupy only one of the two available positions of ‘on’ or ‘off’. An example is the on-off switch for lights.
Step-by-step control
More than two positions can be occupied by the regulating unit but the action occurs in steps rather than being continuous.
Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- Air conditioning.
- Building management systems.
- Building services.
- Consumer electronics.
- Consumer units.
- Electric motor.
- Electrical appliance.
- Electrical drawing.
- Electrical engineer.
- Electrician.
- Energy management and building controls.
- Fan coil unit.
- Humidistat.
- HVAC.
- Mechanical and electrical.
- Mechanical, electrical and plumbing MEP.
- Mechanical ventilation.
- Plant room.
- Protected circuit.
- Schematic.
- Thermostat.
- US recommits to clean energy.
- Utilities.
External resources
- Electrical Engineering Info - What is control systems engineering?
- Electronics Tutorials - Electronic system
Comments
Featured articles and news
A review of achievements and disappointments.
IHBC responds to PDR and defence infrastructure development.
Final report proposes improvements for UK-wide transport infrastructure.
The decarbonisation transition has begun.
Can smart homes take care of their occupants?
Traditional dwellings of Dajun
A showcase of She ethnic culture.
Diversity and inclusion in construction
CIOB creates charter and publishes special report.
Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011 review
Response submitted by IHBC.
Designed to accommodate flooding or waterway traffic. | https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Electrical_control_systems |
PETALING JAYA: Only those with first-hand information should lodge police reports over any alleged electoral offence, says Election Commission (EC) chairman Azhar Azizan Harun (pic).
"Nobody should lodge a report if he or she does not have a first-hand factual information on any incident.
"If anyone with a second-hand story lodges a report, his or her statement to the authorities would be merely hearsay," he told The Star on Friday (Jan 11).
Azhar, who is popularly known as Art Harun, was commenting on news portal Malaysiakini's report, which stated that PKR's Bob Manolan Mohamad had allegedly warned Orang Asli village chiefs (Tok
Batin) in the Cameron Highlands constituency that they could lose their salaries and positions if they did not vote for Pakatan Harapan in the coming Jan 26 by-election.
Azhar said that the EC, which did not have any investigative or prosecutorial powers, could only implore candidates and campaigners to comply with the Election Offences Act.
"Pasukan pemantau (observation team) can advise campaigners or candidates on the spot if it witnesses incidents that breach the law," he added.
Meanwhile, Bob Manolan, in a statement on Jan 11, said that his remarks to the Tok Batin were misquoted.
According to him, he said that Tok Batin should not hold the position of village chiefs if they also held positions in Umno.
He said that it would be a conflict of interest if Tok Batin remained as Umno members while drawing allowances from the federal government.
"In my statement, I did not issue a warning that says 'no vote, no pay'," he said.
Bob Manolan said that those who were appointed by the Orang Asli Development Department (Jakoa) have the responsibility to carry the voices of the Orang Asli from their respective areas.
"It is logical and rational for them to be in line with the aspirations and policies of the Pakatan government, which wants to bring the best service and attention through the relevant agencies, especially Jakoa," he added.
Nomination for the Cameron Highlands elections will be on Jan 12 (Saturday), early voting on Jan 22 and polling day on Jan 26.
We're sorry, this article is unavailable at the moment. If you wish to read this article, kindly contact our Customer Service team at 1-300-88-7827. Thank you for your patience - we're bringing you a new and improved experience soon! | https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2019/01/11/ec-chief-only-those-with-first-hand-info-should-lodge-police-reports/ |
Taffy’s ashes were sprinkled, in part, in the garden at Susan and John’s. For all those thinking ‘But she didn’t eat vegetables’ don’t worry, we put her by tomatoes so she could have Bloody Marys forever.
On the far right are the old plants.
The following story comes from Taffy’s neighbor, Gloria, who lives in Gigi’s old apartment.
Taffy always had plants, ferns, in the corner of the apartment. At least until I was older. Finally she accepted the fact that she was a serial fern killer, and stopped. But she ended up with new plants. A couple in the building had these plants, but not enough room to keep them, and certainly not outside, so they asked Taffy if they could put them on her patio. Taffy said “Of course.” But come fall, when the cold bit, she knew it was time for the plants to go home. She called and called and the couple never came back for the plants, so Taffy just moved them in to the old plant place and there they lived.
In the old days, she’d probably have had someone drop the plants off on their doorstep with a bill for services. | https://taffys.org/category/taffy/page/2/ |
With the news and social media available everywhere from TV screens to the phones at our fingertips, it seems like politics makes a regular appearance in our lives. In this current political climate, it’s not uncommon to hear about the numerous issues our country is facing. And with so many opposing opinions bombarding our Facebook pages, television screens, and face-to-face conversations, the topic of politics may start to feel overwhelming. Learning how to manage political stress is an important step in maintaining your wellness.
Fortunately, there are ways to navigate political stress without sacrificing technology or completely deleting our social media. Here are a few tips to help reduce political-related stress:
It’s easy to get caught up in political issues and debates and feel overwhelmed. But sometimes, political differences can lead to more than just debates. If you ever feel that the political climate is threatening your well-being or safety, do not hesitate to get help. Our MFTs at Counseling California are trained to help you in whatever situation you find yourself in. Visit our directory to find a therapist who can help.
Find a Therapist
Back
Bekke Abe
Associate Marriage and Family Therapist
Los Angeles, CA 90071
I believe that people are in search of a safe space where they can tell their narrative and feel genuinely heard and understood. It is my desire to create that safe space where one could share their story and explore, within a safe and non-judgmental space, those hurts, confusion, troubles, anxiety, alienation, doubts of self-worth, and/or uncertainty of identity. . | https://www.counselingcalifornia.com/mental-health-matters/Mood-Stress/Dealing-with-Political-Stress |
8212 INTERFACING CHIP PDF
Description: The NTE input/output port is an integrated circuit in a 24–Lead DIP type package and consists of an 8–bit latch with three–state output buffers. Computer interfacing has traditionally been an art, the art to design and implement the Microprocessor interface-chips have not reached their maturity yet. They are still “dumb” chips. System Controller Using and ‘s. Control or. After a delay, call it to/-, chip 1 data outputs again enter the float state. Example In Example , we developed a decoding circuit for interfacing EPROM within the memory chips, we have used the latch in Fig to latch this byte.
|Author:||Kelabar Zukinos|
|Country:||Namibia|
|Language:||English (Spanish)|
|Genre:||Art|
|Published (Last):||5 June 2008|
|Pages:||167|
|PDF File Size:||10.64 Mb|
|ePub File Size:||10.13 Mb|
|ISBN:||578-8-39819-664-6|
|Downloads:||60443|
|Price:||Free* [*Free Regsitration Required]|
|Uploader:||Arashizuru|
Keyboard Interface of The keyboard matrix can be any size from 2×2 to 8×8. To determine if a character has been typed, the FIFO status register is checked. MMM sets keyboard mode.
Z selects auto-increment for the address. Interface of WWBB The display write inhibit control word inhibits writing to either the leftmost 4 bits of the display left W or rightmost 4 bits. Each counter has a program control word used to select the way the counter operates. Strobed keyboard, decoded display scan.
Microprocessor – I/O Interfacing Overview
Selects type of write and the address of the write. The previous example illustrates an encoded keyboard, external decoder used to drive matrix.
Shift connects to Shift key on keyboard. Encoded keyboard with N-key rollover.
Microprocessor I/O Interfacing Overview
Selects type of FIFO read and address of the read. Usually decoded at port address 40HH and has following functions: The scans RL pins synchronously with the scan. The output becomes a logic 0 when the control word is written and remains there until N plus the number of programmed counts. Selects 8122 number of display positions, type of key scan Generates a continuous square-wave with G set to 1.
An events counter enabled with G. If two bytes are programmed, then the first byte LSB stops the count, and the second byte MSB starts the counter with the new count.
Encoded keyboard with 2-key lockout. Minimum count is 1 all modes except 2 and 3 with minimum count of 2. DD Function Encoded keyboard with 2-key lockout Decoded keyboard with 2-key lockout Encoded keyboard with N-key rollover Decoded keyboard with N-key rollover Encoded sensor matrix Decoded sensor matrix Strobed keyboard, encoded display scan Strobed keyboard, decoded display scan Encoded: Controls up to a digit numerical display.
There are 6 modes of operation for each counter: Interface of Code given in text for reading keyboard. Scans and encodes up to a key keyboard. The display is controlled from an 82122 16×8 RAM that stores the coded display information. Generates a basic timer interrupt that occurs at approximately Causes DRAM memory system to be refreshed. Programs internal clk, sets scan and debounce times.
The 74LS drives 0’s on one line at a time. Chip select that enables programming, reading the keyboard, etc.
Programmable Keyboard/Display Interface –
Clears the IRQ signal to the microprocessor. Used for controlling real-time events such as real-time clock, events counter, and motor speed and direction control. Consists of bidirectional pins that connect to data bus on micro. Pinout Definition A0: DD Function 00 8-digit display with left entry 01 digit display with left entry 10 8-digit display with right entry intrefacing digit display with right entry.
Once done, a procedure is needed to read data from the keyboard.
Scan line outputs scan both the keyboard and displays. Allows half-bytes to be blanked. Unlike the 82C55, the must be programmed first. Keyboard Interface of MMM field: Six Digit Display Interface of DD field selects either: Pins SL2-SL0 sequentially scan each column through a counting operation.
Counter reloaded if Intertacing is pulsed again. Keyboard Interface of Interrupt request, becomes 1 when a key is pressed, data is available.
Sl outputs are active-high, follow binary bit pattern or Provides a timing source to the internal speaker and other devices. Used internally for timing. | http://obatpenyuburkandunganagarcepathamil.xyz/8212-interfacing-chip-12/ |
DK Pocket Book reports
"During the French Administration (1881-1957) it became a
sea flag, with the French tricolor in the canton; this was removed when
independence was achieved in 1956." Did this flag ever exist or are they getting
mixed-up with Morocco?Martin Grieve, 13 April 2003
This seems consistent with French custom in their overseas possessions,
though it seems also that all these flags are very seldom well documented and
that sometimes at least they are "wishful thinking" or are patterns very rarely
used. I guess we should look forward to someone demystifying these "French
ensigns".Željko Heimer, 13 April 2003
This seems to be consistent with French administrative thinking: don't
publicise it because it's nobody else's business. Books on railways are able to
tell you when a particular class of locomotive was in use on a particular line -
provided the colonial territory was British. But if the territory was French,
you can discover that a particular class was in use in a certain territory in a
given period, but they never say on what line, and if the territory covered more
than one colony (like French West Africa) they don't even indicate which colony
the locomotives were used in.Mike Oettle, 15 April 2003
I have the Moroccan legislation, and I, too, would be interested if there is
anything on Tunisia. As far as I was aware, there was never a tricolor on the
Tunisian flag but this, of course, does not mean that there wasn't one.Christopher Southworth, 14 April 2003
On this occasion, DK Pocket Book is not fully
mistaken. The Flag Bulletin, no. 195, Sep.-Oct. 2000, is more or less devoted to
Tunisian flags, and includes references in two articles to an *unofficial* and
*short-lived* Tunisian flag with French canton. It also shows the flag on its
cover.
Firstly, Smith (2000j), p. 187, says: "An
unofficial modification of the Tunisian national flag, used for a few years,
added the French Tricolor to the design as a canton (...) (37).
Secondly, Smith (2000l), p. 197, says:
"Tunisia, a French protectorate, retained its national flag on land and at sea.
Nevertheless, in the late 19th Century or early 20th Century an unofficial
version of the flag was used with the tricolor canton. In 1925 a formal proposal
was made to adopt that flag as official, but no action was taken. That flag,
featured on the cover of this issue, does not appear to have been illustrated in
any vexillological source."
However, the first article mentions Tunisian ensigns repeatedly, and only
refers to this unofficial variant as a flag -- so I would understand that such
a variant was never used as an ensign. Thus DK Pocket Book's statement regarding the
Tunisian flag saying "during the French Administration
(1881-1957) it became a sea flag, with the French tricolore in the canton" is
most probably wrong, and a mix-up with Morocco, as I guessed in the first place.Santiago Dotor, 16 April 2003
The newspaper here is the daily "Le Petit Journal", founded by Moïse Polydore
Millaud (1813-1871) in 1863. This daily leaflet (40 x 30 cm) was 50% cheaper
than the other ones and was not sold by subscription but in booths and by
hawkers. "Le Petit Journal" was the first French high-circulation daily. Millaud
said "I have the courage to be stupid" and founded a new kind of journalism,
mostly apolitical (which avoided paying a tax), and based on good sense and
conformist moral. The daily included long cultural and scientific popular
chronicles, long and vivid descriptions of news items and trivial events and
serials, such as the famous "Rocambole" series written by Ponson du Terrail
(incredible events or news are still commonly called "rocambolesque" in French).
In 1890, the circulation of "Petit Journal" reached 1,000,000. Its new director,
Girardin, created supplements, the most famous of them being the colour
"Supplement illustré", whose pictures are one of the best examples of the
popular iconography of the end of the 19th Century in France. In the early
years of the 20th Century, the importance of "Petit Journal" decreased and it
was superseded by the "Petit Parisien" as the main popular daily. [Encyclopaedia
Universalis]
The "Petit Journal" iconography seems today very naive, but remember that
information and, above all, images were very rare at that time - photography was
still uncommon and there was of course no TV. The "Petit Journal" was a main
source of information on what happened in France and in the world, and it
probably contributed to the development of the very specific French colonial
iconography and (kind of) mythology.
Therefore, it is not easy to assess the reliability of the representations shown
by "Petit Journal". The scene of interest for us took place in the City Hall of
Paris, which does not necessarily prove that the designer of the picture
actually attended the scene. Once again, we shall forget the camera flashes and
the press conferences, which did not exist in the 1900's. Concerning the Tunisian
flag, several hypotheses are possible:
the flag is represented as it was used during the ceremony.
the designer was told there were Tunisian flags (or was requested to
represent them), but had no idea of how they could look; he consulted another
source, maybe correct, maybe erroneous, or was told by someone, maybe
reliable, maybe not.
the designer was "inspired" by another flag of the same kind. We can think
of Morocco, but the civil ensign of Morocco with the French national flag in
canton was created only in 1919.
A bad corollary is that the picture in the "Petit Journal" might have
been the source, maybe correct, maybe wrong, for further reports of
that particular flag of Tunisia.
My conclusion is that we have a source showing a Tunisian flag with the
French national flag in the canton, dated 1904, but I cannot be sure
of the reliability of that source.
| |
This article was also published in the Financial Times.
Restaurants obviously run in the blood of the Mascarenhas siblings. While Rebecca has overseen Sonny's in Barnes, south-west London, for the past 24 years, Vernon, her younger brother, had his own restaurant in north London for 14 years before becoming managing director of Secretts farm outside Godalming, Surrey.
Having supervised the picking that starts at 5am, Mascarenhas now spends his mornings talking to some of the 300 chefs he supplies with vegetables, fruits and herbs. He also occasionally lets me know what is going on.
After a recent holiday eating and wine tasting around the south island of New Zealand, he phoned with a mixture of good and bad news. Even before the current snows, the very cold snap at the beginning of the year had killed off a lot of parasites that would mean that farmers would need to use fewer pesticides later in the season. And to defend themselves against the cold, certain crops - such as the Yorkshire forced rhubarb, Savoy cabbage and spring greens - had had to produce more sugar, a development that would make them taste even better.
But sales last month were 15% down on last year, he reported, reflecting lower demand from the restaurants. And certain customers were unilaterally extending their payment terms. Mascarenhas remains optimistic, partly, he explained, because he enjoys talking to chefs so much, telling them what to buy and what to avoid, and helping them to plan their menus by letting them know what will soon be in season.
He cited Mark Blatchford at Racine, London SW3, Paul Merrett at The Victoria in SW14 and Sanjay Dwivedi at Zaika in W8 as his three most enthusiastic listeners. 'They're the kind of chefs who will even change the soup on their daily set price menu if I tell them that there's an even more suitable, fresher vegetable available', he added.
This conversation reinforced a long-held belief of mine that while there are many ways by which to judge a restaurant, how its chefs prepare and serve the vegetables is probably the acid test. And as I scrutinised menus everywhere I had come to the conclusion that the prices being charged for side orders of vegetables and potatoes were rising. Vegetables present any kitchen with a challenge in that they are bulky to store; awkward, tedious and time consuming to prepare; and definitely the unsung heroes of any meal.
Vegetables are also synonymous with a certain style of cooking and that is why, early one morning, I was sitting opposite Dwivedi in the bar at Zaika, as he complained how little sleep he now gets as a chef and the father of 18-month-old twin boys.
I had chosen to come here not just because I enjoy Dwivedi's cooking and the Indian approach to cooking vegetables in general but also because he had spent two years cooking under Mark Hix at Le Caprice restaurant, where a strict respect for seasonality had been drummed into him.
In fact, Dwivedi began by being critical of the Indian approach to cooking vegetables in general. 'I think that there is a widespread tendency to overcook vegetables as our cooking incorporates so many spices. Because the spices have to be cooked through, then the entire dish tends to get overcooked. I want my customers to taste the vegetable and then the spice so it's a rule here that there are never more than five spices in any one dish. And when we prepare a dish like the baby aubergine masala, I will cook the aubergines and masala mix separately, then slice the aubergines and lay the mix on top."
Born in Delhi, Dwivedi grew up in his family's hotel on the southern coast of India before moving to London. But it was the book Charlie Trotter's Vegetables written by the American chef which opened his eyes to how vegetables should be treated, prepared and cooked. Pointing to the table where Trotter had eaten only a couple of months ago, he added,'My ambition is to provide my customers with the best experience of Indian cooking and I know now it's the vegetables that can make the difference', before leading me into the kitchen.
Along one counter were the dozen boxes that made up that day's delivery from three different suppliers. From a major wholesaler at New Covent Garden Market, Dwivedi buys the bulk vegetables that no kitchen can survive without; from an Indian wholesaler he buys what no Indian kitchen could exist without - pungent ginger, packets of curry leaves and bags of green chilis which smelt hot even though they had just come off a cold van; and ten various items picked that morning from Secretts farm.
But before Dwivedi could continue in his highly enthusiastic manner, my eye was caught by something I had never seen before in a kitchen. Two Indian chefs had just walked in and after shouting hello in Hindi to Dwivedi and shaking hands with us both, one of them went over to the main stove and the two tandoori ovens next to it, bent down, blessed them and then lit them. He did this, I was told, every time he started and finished a shift in the kitchen as a way of showing his respect for the element that allows him to make a living.
One of the other chefs had now pulled out a large tray of whole, peeled onions and at the sight of these Dwivedi explained how even at the most basic level a greater respect for vegetables can make a significant difference.
'Indian cooking requires an awful lot of onions and I'm buying Chilean ones at the moment because although they are about three times more expensive, the others have so much water in them that you end up using three times as many.
'And these are the unwashed English potatoes we use and I think make the best mashed potatoes because you have to start by boiling them in their skins, then peeling and preparing them. This method takes longer, and I had some difficulty in convincing the rest of my brigade, but they get it now.'
Over at the stoves, a breakfast of a thin, spring onion omelette eaten between slices of toast, and small cups of sweet masala tea, was being enjoyed and offered to the men delivering that day's fish and meat. Dwivedi returned to the boxes delivered by Secretts and sniffed the plump, purple cabbage he serves with halibut and the cauliflower to be cooked in salted turmeric water and then seasoned with sesame and ginger for a lunchtime thali.
But then he had found the rhubarb, golden beetroot and what are called white carrots, although they are in fact closer to pale yellow. 'I've ordered these so that I can start to put together our menus for Valentine's Day. The rhubarb will make a deep red chutney. The white carrots I will probably make into a soup with a quenelle of red carrots and yoghurt on the top. And the golden beetroot I am going to cook with cinnamon and ginger and then use as a base for a salad with slices of goats cheese that have been coated with breadcrumbs and then gently fried. I hope these will make my customers very happy on the night', he added with a smile. | https://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/more-than-vegetables |
Muscle contractions during exercise can be divided into three categories; isotonic (meaning same tension throughout the contraction), isometric (meaning same tension), also known as a static contraction and isokinetic muscle contractions which are performed with a constant speed throughout the movement. Here we explain these in more detail including in which types of exercise they occur.
Isotonic Contractions
Isotonic contractions are those which cause the muscle to change length as it contracts and causes movement of a body part. There are two types of Isotonic contraction:
Concentric
Concentric contractions are those which cause the muscle to shorten as it contracts. An example is bending the elbow from straight to fully flexed, causing a concentric contraction of the Biceps Brachii muscle. Concentric contractions are the most common type of muscle contraction and occur frequently in daily and sporting activities.
Eccentric
Eccentric contractions are the opposite of concentric and occur when the muscle lengthens as it contracts. This occurs when lowering the dumbbell down in a bicep curl exercise. The muscle is still contracting to hold the weight all the way down but the bicep muscle is lengthening.
Another very common example is the quadriceps muscles at the front of the thigh when landing from a jump. As you land the thigh muscles and in particular the quad muscles at the front of the leg are strongly contracting but also lengthening at the same time. This type of contraction puts a lot of strain through the muscle and is commonly involved in muscle injuries. Plyometric training exercises (hopping and bounding) involve a lot of eccentric muscle contractions and can lead to severe muscles soreness (DOMS) if you overdo it too soon.
Isometric Contractions
Isometric contractions occur when there is no change in the length of the contracting muscle. This occurs when carrying an object in front of you as the weight of the object is pulling your arms down but your muscles are contracting to hold the object at the same level. Another example is when you grip something, such as a tennis racket. There is no movement in the joints of the hand, but the muscles are contracting to provide a force sufficient enough to keep a steady hold on the racket.
The amount of force a muscle is able to produce during an isometric contraction depends on the length of the muscle at the point of contraction. Each muscle has an optimum length at which the maximum isometric force can be produced.
Isokinetic Contractions
Isokinetic contractions are similar to Isotonic in that the muscle changes length during the contraction, where they differ is that Isokinetic contractions produce movements of a constant speed. To measure this a special piece of equipment known as an Isokinetic dynamometer is required. Examples of using Isokinetic contractions in day-to-day and sporting activities are rare. The best is breaststroke in swimming, where the water provides a constant, even resistance to the movement of adduction. | https://www.teachpe.com/anatomy-physiology/muscles/muscles-theory/types-of-muscle-contraction |
The Alex Fisher Residence is a one and one-half storey wood-frame Frontier-style farmhouse with a saltbox roof and a wraparound verandah. Prominent from the street, it is part of an agricultural compound, located in a compatible rural context.
Status: Still Standing
Built circa 1890, the Alex Fisher Residence is a rare surviving vernacular Frontier-style farmhouse, distinguished by its generous wraparound verandah and high level of integrity. Without decoration or stylistic pretension, this house represents the pragmatic spirit and austere circumstances of many of Delta's early pioneer farmers. This is a significant example of an historic Delta farmstead and a reminder of Delta's important agricultural past. Located on a major north-south road (originally known as Benson Road), this also represents the growth of population with concurrent improvements in access. By the time this house was constructed, Delta's present day road pattern was essentially complete, facilitating the transport of goods and allowing these inland farms to prosper. This was also a time when Delta's agricultural and fishing industries were reaching the peak of their early evolution.
Additionally, the heritage value of this residence lies in its association with Henry Dean Benson and the Fisher family, early Delta pioneers. It sits on land originally granted to Benson (whose own house still stands at 3610 72 Street), and appears to have been built as a rental property prior to the early subdivision of his land. Alex Fisher acquired the land in 1907; the house was later occupied by his son, Victor Fisher.
Key elements that define the heritage character of the Alex Fisher Residence include its: | http://deltasheritage.com/homes/fisher-a.html |
The eastern coastal plains of the Indian peninsula are studied meagerly based on its tectonic aspects.In the previous ventures, the author reported the paleochronological existence of a large estuary, on the basis of fossils of Crassostrea Sp. Dating back to the mio-pliocene Epoch. The author suggests that the paleo-estuary ceased in existence due to a marine regression caused by a regional uplift in between the present day trajectories of the rivers Thamirabharani and Nambiar. The natures of structural characteristics seen in the regional outcrops of the basin indicate a dominant neotectonic feature . Brittle slip faults are abundant in these rocky outcrops containing Khondalite beds. Shearing is visible almost anywhere. This may be caused by the near proximity of the study area with the Achankovil Shear Zone (AKSZ).
A second look at the trajectories of the rivers and drainage mentioned above and the structural features on the outcrops indicate that the uplift is neotectonically induced rather than shear induced.During site exploration, the author found rocks of volcanic origin distributed randomly over the study area. Till this date, the geological community had approached volcanic/ neo tectonic activities in this area only through speculations without any physical, visible evidence. The presences of chunks of volcanic rocks are an acute visual evidence of an event of volcanic nature. Through this study, the author aims to analyze the extent of uplift and its impact on the drainage systems of the rivers on its either side and their divide migration possibilities. The neotectonic aspects of the region are analyzed and any solid evidence of active volcanism is collected and studied. The study is primarily aimed to report the existence of neotectonic activity in the south eastern coast of India. | http://worldfossilsociety.org/2017/09/evidence-neotectonic-activity-along-east-coast-indian-peninsula/ |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to laser range finding systems and more particularly to the detection of return pulses utilizing properties inherent to a laser cavity undergoing relaxation oscillations.
2. Description of the Related Art
Laser range finders operate on the principle of measuring the time of flight of an intense, short duration pulse of energy from the time it is produced by a transmitter assembly to the time the reflected pulse from the downrange target is detected by a receiver assembly. Since the speed of light is a known constant, the time of flight of the pulse can be used to calculate the distance to the downrange target. Laser range finders typically consist of a collection of the following subassemblies: transmitter assembly, receiver assembly and controller assembly.
Presently, many implementations exist for a transmitter assembly to produce the desired high Intensity, short duration pulse of energy such as flashlamp pumping or Q-switching of the laser cavity. Beam forming and directing optics are used to focus the pulse on the downrange target. Characteristics of the transmitted pulse, such as temporal profile, spatial profile and wavelength, are preserved in the reflected pulse and may therefore be used to differentiate the reflected pulse from background or other interfering sources. The components of the transmitter assembly are often expensive, bulky and sensitive to misalignment. It would be desireable to eliminate many of these components while still retaining the functionality of the transmitter assembly.
The function of the receiver assembly is to collect the energy from the reflected pulse and detect its time of arrival. This is typically implemented using beam collecting optics to focus the incoming pulse on a photodetector such as a photomuluplier tube or a semiconductor photodiode. The reflected pulse from the downrange target is greatly attenuated due to such effects as atmospheric absorption and scatter, range to the target, diffuse scattering of the reflected pulse from the target and low reflectivity of the target. The peak intensity of the transmitted pulse must be great enough to insure detection of the attenuated return pulse by the receiver assembly under the most stressing conditions. The receiver assembly must also accommodate a wide dynamic range of reflected pulse intensities due to the fact that the intensity of the short time-of-flight return pulse from nearby targets is greater than the long time-of-flight pulses from distant targets. A desirable feature of the receiver assembly is the ability to increase the sensitivity of the receiver detector as a function of time-of-flight synchronized to the timing of the transmitted pulses.
The receiving assembly must also discriminate the return pulse from background interfering sources. The beam collection optics limits the field of view of the detector to the region illuminated by the transmitting assembly. This requires careful alignment of the receiver optics to the transmitter optics. It is more desirable to use the same optical system for both functions, however, the backscattering and retroreflections of the transmitted pulse from the optics may appear with great intensity at the receiver detector, which may result in saturation of the detector.
To further aid the receiver assembly in discriminating the return pulse, narrow band optical filters are used to reject signals that do not match the wavelength of the transmitted pulse. These filters can be costly and may require precise alignment. It would be desirable if the detector were inherently sensitive to only the same wavelength as the transmitted pulse.
The generation of short optical pulses with long repetition rates using electronic regeneration techniques in laser diodes is disclosed by Hung-Tser Lin and Yao-Huang Kao in their article entitled xe2x80x9cA Possible Way for Low-power Short Distance Optical Range Detector Using Regenerative Gain-Switched Laser Diodexe2x80x9d from the IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society 1996 Annual Meeting Conference Proceedings. However, the pulse regeneration method described uses electronic means to sense the output pulse and modulate the power to the laser diode to induce oscillations. No direct optical feedback is employed in this method.
U.S. Pat No. 4,928,152, issued to Jean-Pierre Gerardin, discloses an apparatus in which the optical signal issued from a laser cavity is reflected by a target and re-injected Into the same laser cavity using the same collimating and focusing optics. The purpose of this configuration is to produce heterodyne beat signals as the CW laser diode is frequency modulated. This apparatus uses interferometery to determine distance, rather than measurement of the time-of-flight of an optical pulse.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,404, issued to Jeremy G. Dunne, discloses a laser rangefinder which determines the time-of-flight of an infrared laser pulse reflected from a downrange target. This apparatus is inherently sensitive to interfering signal sources and therefore requires additional means for the detection and discrimination of the return pulse. A digital logic-operated gate for the xe2x80x9copeningxe2x80x9dand xe2x80x9cclosingxe2x80x9d of a time window is required in the optical receiver for the purpose of rejecting interfering optical signal sources, such as internal reflections and atmospheric backscatter. Further filtering is provided by a narrow band interference filter tuned to the wavelength of the emitted laser pulse. Additionally, separate collimating and focusing optics are used in the transmitting and receiving portions of the apparatus.
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide the necessary functionality for a laser range finding apparatus while significantly reducing the number of components and subsequent cost and complexity by utilizing Inherent properties of a laser cavity.
It is another object of the invention to generate optical pulses, suitable for the purposes of range finding, by utilizing a laser cavity in a perturbed mode to induce relaxation oscillations.
It is another object of the invention to minimize the number of optical components by utilizing the same beam conditioning and directing optical assembly for both the transmission of the optical pulse and the collection of the return pulse from the downrange target
It is another object of the Invention to eliminate the high-gain photodetector amplifier electronics in the receiver assembly by optically amplifying the collected return pulse utilizing the gain medium of the same laser cavity used to produce the outgoing pulse.
The present invention is a laser range finding apparatus. In a broad aspect it includes an optical relaxation oscillator assembly, outcoupling optics, a photodetector and a controller. The optical relaxation oscillator assembly produces relaxation oscillations. The relaxation oscillations are a series of optical pulses having a controllable repetition rate. The outcoupling optics receives the series of optical pulses and redirects a minor portion of the energy of the series of optical pulses. A major portion of the energy of the series of optical pulses is adjusted in accordance with first desired beam propagation parameters. A photodetector receives the minor portion and converts the minor portion to an electrical signal representative of the series of optical pulses. A controller receives the electrical signal and determines the repetition period between the optical pulses. The controller provides a controller output to the optical relaxation oscillator assembly for adjusting the controllable repetition rate of the series of optical pulses produced by the optical relaxation oscillator assembly. During operation, the major portion of the energy of the series of optical pulses is directed to a reflecting target, reflected therefrom, collected by the outcoupling optics, and directed back to the optical relaxation oscillator assembly to stimulate subsequent relaxation oscillations, thus locking the period of the relaxations oscillations to the time of flight of the roundtrip path between the laser finding apparatus and the reflecting target.
The present invention eliminates the need for variable gain control of the receiving assembly detector by utilizing the Inherent time varying gain property of the relaxation oscillator. The relaxation oscillator provides variable optical amplification as a function of time, synchronized to the time of transmission of the outgoing optical pulse. The amplification is at a minimum after the generation and transmission of the outgoing pulse, thereby preventing amplification and detection of backscatter and retro reflections from the optical assembly. The optical amplification monotonically increases, thereby providing higher gain for typically less Intense, longer time-off-light return pulses from more distant targets.
The present invention eliminates the need for optical filters by utilizing the inherent narrow bandwidth amplification of the laser cavity to amplify only return pulses with a wavelength that is mode matched with the laser cavity. Since the same laser cavity is used for generation of the outgoing pulse, the return pulse is inherently mode matched with the laser cavity. This extremely narrow band amplification effectively filters out all out-of-band background noise and interference sources.
The present invention eliminates the requirement for a large dynamic range of the photodetector amplifier used to detect the return pulses. The return optical pulses are use to seed the subsequent relaxation oscillation in the laser cavity. The intensity of the optical pulse produced by the relaxation oscillation is independent of the intensity of the seed pulse. The photodetector detects the seeded pulses which are of uniform intensity.
Other objects, advantages and novel features will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
| |
Homemade Steak Pie loaded with roast potatoes, peas and gravy. A delicious home cooked meal where everything is cooked from scratch including the best ever shortcrust pastry.
When I decided to dedicate 2018 on the blog to a majority Mrs Beeton theme, I asked around and asked any pensioner I knew what their favourite foods was growing up.
These were all people that were raised on the Mrs Beeton Book Of Household Management. The one thing they all had in common was homemade steak pie.
Some preferred their homemade steak pie with lamb, some with beef, some with kidney added, but the main opinion was that homemade steak pie always ruled!
Homemade Steak Pie
My way to have a homemade steak pie is with delicious air fryer roast potatoes, garden peas and lots of thick beef gravy.
I absolutely hate kidneys and it reminds me of when my mum used to make my dad steak and kidney pie.
I am sure it was delicious, and I am sure at the time my mums’ steak and kidney pie was my dad’s favourite food (and probably still is).
But I hated it and still the thought of kidneys makes me want to throw up. It always filled the kitchen with its kidney smell when I came home from school and as a vegetarian at the time, you couldn’t get any worse even if you tried.
As you know I am obsessed with my kitchen gadgets and in this homemade steak pie recipe I will be pairing up my two favourite kitchen gadgets:
- The Air Fryer = It will be used to make perfect roast potatoes
- The Instant Pot = It will be used to make perfectly tender pie filling
While the air fryer and the instant pot are working hard, I can be making my homemade shortcrust pastry for the topping.
Then when the homemade steak pie is cooking in the oven I can be warming up the peas and making sure we have some gravy ready.
It makes it so much easier to make homemade steak pie, without it feeling like it is a real effort to put together.
But best of all we have leftovers. I am all for spare food that you can make from the same batch and then freeze for later. Not only did we feed the four of us for Sunday dinner but it also did:
- A full container of homemade steak pie filling
- A full homemade steak pie ready for the oven for another day
Homemade Steak Pie With Roast Potatoes & Peas
Ingredients
- Instant Pot
- Air Fryer
- 325 g Beef Stewing Steak
- 1 Small Swede
- 1 Large Onion
- 3 Large Carrots
- 2 Medium White Potatoes
- 4 Large White Potatoes
- Shortcrust Pastry
- Garden Peas
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Tsp Olive Oil
- Egg Beaten
- Gravy Granules
- 1 Tbsp Thyme
- 1 Tbsp Sage
- Salt & Pepper
Instructions
- If not already diced, dice your beef stewing steak and place it into the Instant Pot. Peel and dice your vegetables and add it to the Instant Pot too.
- Place the Instant Pot on the sauté setting and with a tablespoon of olive oil sauté it for a minute or two.
- Cancel the sauté, and place 500ml of beef stock into the Instant Pot. Place the lid on the Instant Pot, set the valve to sealing and cook for 50 minutes.
- Whilst the beef is cooking make your shortcrust pastry. Then peel and dice your potatoes into roast potato shapes.
- When the Instant Pot beeps, drain the liquid from the Instant Pot and then add some gravy granules to the Instant Pot among the beef and vegetables. Add a little liquid at a time until you have a medium to thick beef gravy.
- Add the seasoning and give it one last stir.
- Fill a pie dish with homemade steak pie filling. Then layer your shortcrust pastry on top. Add some egg wash and create a couple of slits so that the pie can breathe while cooking.
- Bake your pie in the oven for 40 minutes at 180c/360f or until the pastry is golden.
- While your pie is cooking make the sides. Place the roast potatoes in the air fryer with 1tsp of olive oil and cook for 10 minutes at 180c/360f. Boil your peas in warm water in a small pan.
- 10. Finally, add a little extra of your stock from earlier with a little bit more of your gravy granules to make a thick gravy to go with your homemade pie.
- 11. Serve together warm. | https://recipethis.com/homemade-steak-pie-with-roast-potatoes-peas/ |
The Nuclear Annihilation Threat Index Needs Recalibration
In a 2012 article from Foreign Policy magazine entitled "Are We Focusing on the Wrong Nuclear Threat?," Victor Asal and Bryan Early from the University at Albany - SUNY utilize a Nuclear Annihilation Threat (NAT) Index to determine the countries that pose the highest risks of nuclear annihilation to another country.
The results of the NAT Index indicate that China and Russia pose the highest -- and equivalent -- risks of nuclear annihilation to the USA. This is a reasonable result. However, the NAT Index suggests that France, the United Kingdom (UK), and Pakistan are tied for third place in terms of the nuclear annihilation risk they each pose to the USA. Tied for sixth place on the NAT Index against the USA are India and Israel, and tied for eighth place are Iran and North Korea.
There are clearly some problems with the validity and utility of this index. A major problem is the inherent premise in the index -- nuclear annihilation risk. Yes, very few countries possess a sufficient number of nuclear weapons with near-simultaneous delivery capacity to annihilate the USA, but that is not the major fear at present. Rather, a smaller number of nuclear weapons detonated in the USA and sourced from rogue nations (e.g., Iran, North Korea, etc.) and/or their terrorist group proxies pose a far greater concern (at present) than a nuclear exchange between major nation states. Thus, the following premise by Asal and Early is incorrect: "Americans are wringing their hands about the grave threat that a nuclear Iran would pose to the United States. But the numbers tell a different story."
We are comparing apples and oranges, and separate nuclear-weapons-based foreign policies need to be developed for major -- and generally more stable -- nuclear powers versus their smaller nuclear capacity rogue-nation counterparts.
Built into Asal's and Early's NAT Index is something called "Foreign Policy's 2011 Failed States Index." There are many types of indices available that attempt to quantify various qualitative variables. Some have utility, and some do not. Clearly, if one develops a democracy index, and the index tells you China, Iran, and/or Venezuela are democratic, there is a problem. Thus, we need to look more closely at this failed state index, which was produced by The Fund for Peace. The USA was ranked 158th on the 2011 failed state index, apparently posing more of a risk of state failure than Portugal (163rd), Iceland (165th), and Ireland (171st). At the time this index was produced in 2011, Iceland was effectively bankrupt and was looking at adopting the currency of another country (Canada was on the prospective currency list for Iceland) -- which could meet the definition of an already failed state. Portugal and Ireland had already been in massive financial distress for several years (i.e., part of the PIIIGS [Portugal-Italy-Ireland-Iceland-Greece-Spain] suite of countries), and Ireland also has had recent and culturally embedded issues with partition during the 20th century. Overall, this rank order seems nonsensical, and it does not improve when previous years (the index apparently dates back to 2005) are factored in. Thus, just because an index has been developed does not mean it has any real and broad utility.
According to the NAT Index, Israel faces an equal threat of nuclear annihilation from the USA, the UK, France, China, and Russia (all collectively tied for third place in the nuclear annihilation risk they pose to Israel). Meanwhile, India and North Korea are tied for eighth place in the NAT Index against Israel. Given that Israel can be annihilated with only a few nuclear weapons, how does India get ranked as less of a threat than the USA, UK, and France? Furthermore, the close ties between North Korea (a nuclear state) and Iran, and the correspondingly poor relations between Iran and Israel, lead to the reasonable concern that in the event of a significant conventional conflict between Iran and Israel where the battle is not going well for Iran, will North Korea rapidly intervene to provide Iran with nuclear weapons (or defend Iran directly)? This alone should merit the ranking of North Korea as a far greater direct or indirect nuclear annihilation threat to Israel than the USA, UK, and France.
The politics behind such ranking systems may be evident in the following statement made by the authors: "So what do these findings tell us about the current strategic environment and the potential fallout from Iran obtaining nuclear weapons? First, they indicate that the primary existential threat to the United States emanates from China and Russia -- not rogue states such as Iran and North Korea. This supports the notion that nuclear arms reduction agreements like New START offer the United States significant national security benefits." Is the NAT Index a deeply problematic attempt to provide a pseudo-scientific quantitative rationale for support of the controversial New START treaty?
Overall, the results of the NAT Index appear to justify questions regarding its accuracy/reliability and objectivity. There are multiple types of nuclear threats that the USA and other nations face, and a NAT Index approach oversimplifies a very complex geopolitical issue, thereby moving us farther from coherent policymaking -- rather than closer to this objective. | https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2013/06/the_nuclear_annihilation_threat_index_needs_recalibration.html |
MICHAEL CHEKHOV TECHNIQUE:
The Fundamentals
Michael Chekhov, Stanislavski’s “most brilliant student”, developed his own psychophysical approach to acting. Chekhov’s work unifies the psychology of the character with the body via movement, gesture and imagination to create an active inner life.
2- cLasses - Spring 2018
8-Week Intensive
Michael Chekhov Fundamentals:
Weekly - Begins, April 2nd
Time: Mondays 7 PM - 10 PM
Location: The Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Ave, Venice, CA 90291
Dates: April 2-May 21
Price: $500
$250 due by April 2nd
Final $250 due on April 30th
The focus of this 8-week class will be on the core fundamentals of Michael Chekhov’s psychophysical appraoch to acting: The Four Borthers, Image, Incorporation, archetype, qualities of movement, atmostphere, imaginary body, imaginary centers, higher-lower ego, and exploration of Chekhov's Psychological Gesture as means to provoke the actor’s body, spirit and imagination into action and transformation.
RSVP immediately via email if you want to hold a spot and which class you want to attend! [email protected]
Admission is by Audition or Referral only
4-Day Psychological Gesture Workshop
At Berg Studios
We are very excited to have Hugh O’Gorman, a master teacher in the Michael Chekhov Acting Technique, return to Berg Studios to conduct a four-week workshop in The Psychological Gesture. Unlike Hugh's previous workshops, there are no prerequisites for this workshop. All are welcome to participate.
Hugh studied under Earle Gister (Yale School of Drama), and is one of the foremost acting teachers in America, with a unique and valuable perspective on psychological gestures, the psychophysical, and the psychology of the “working actor.”
The complete workshop details are below. If you would like to sign up, please reply to this email or call the office. There are limited spots available.
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:
The psychophysical approach to acting is most fully exemplified and realized in the work of Michael Chekhov, Stanislavski's “most brilliant student,” who was widely recognized as one of the greatest actors of the 20th century. Chekhov developed an approach to acting that affords the actor access to resources within himself – feelings, will impulses, character choices – that are based not merely in personal experience but on the actor’s imagination and physical life.
During this four week workshop, the actor will be introduced to the essential elements of the psychophysical approach to acting, what Michael Chekhov called the “Psychological Gesture” and its relationship to Image. Day 1 will include a thorough exploration of “incorporating” images as well as the power of image as applied to the Psychological Gesture.
Over the course of the four weeks the participant will also be introduced to the four guiding cornerstone “Qualities of Movement”, as well as a number of others, through a variety of highly physical exercises, and corresponding imagination work. We will also engage in the exploration of Archetypes and the application of Qualities of Movement to Chekhov’s Psychological Gesture. Finally, the work will be applied to dramatic text. The student will need a memorized monologue with which to apply all elements of the workshop.
WORKSHOP DETAILS:
Dates: Saturday, March 24, 2018 Saturday, March 31, 2018 Saturday, April 7, 2018 Saturday, April 21, 2018
Time: 1:00-5:00PM
Location: This workshop will not be held at studio. It will be held at an offsite location in Glendale.
Price: $325 students, $375 non-students
**Please note: to qualify for the student discount, you must be enrolled in a Scene Study class for both March and April.
Best, | http://hughogorman.com/classes.html |
Ruling party reaffirms S. Korea-U.S. military exercises should go ahead
SEOUL, Aug. 3 (Yonhap) -- The chief policymaker of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) reaffirmed Tuesday that South Korea and the United States should conduct joint military exercises this month as planned.
Rep. Park Wan-joo acknowledged in a meeting with reporters that there is a "minority opinion" within the party against the annual drills, but he said the issue does not warrant a plenary session of DP lawmakers.
"The party chairman stated the principle that it is correct to hold the South Korea-U.S. combined exercises within a broad framework, and that is the party's position," Park said in response to a question asking if it is the party's official position that the exercises should proceed.
A day earlier, five-term DP Rep. Sul Hoon called for postponing the drills in light of last week's restoration of inter-Korean communication lines.
The suggestion came a day after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister, Yo-jong, warned that the allied exercises could hurt inter-Korean ties.
Speaking at a party meeting Monday, DP Chairman Rep. Song Young-gil responded that the drills are not "hostile," as believed by Kim Yo-jong, but defensive in nature and meant to maintain peace.
He said they "have to proceed as planned."
North Korea has long condemned the drills as an invasion rehearsal despite repeated assurances from Seoul and Washington that their purpose is defensive. | |
The novel The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, attempts to show the power of the wealthy elite and the misery of the poor working class. It uses elements of setting, characterization, and mood to reveal capitalist domination at its worst.
Fitzgerald set the book in two very distinct locations. The valley of ashes is where the working class lives. It's the location of the industrial city, filled with factories and thick, black smoke. All its descriptions are grim, calling it a place "where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens." The only images we get are those of darkness; "grey cars" and "powdery air." On the other hand, a glimpse into the homes of the wealthy elite on West and East Egg will show you extravagant mansions, beautiful gardens, and clean air. This stark contrast to the valley of ashes is Fitzgerald's way of showing the true evil of capitalist domination.
Only the rich can indulge in parties and drive around in fancy cars, while the poor are stuck in factories and at gas stations performing long hours of manual labor. The only sign of hope to resist such structures of capitalism is T.J. Eckleberg, the eyes that watch over the valley of ashes. These God-like eyes watch over the land, showing that even though the working class may not have the same comforts that the elite enjoy, they will always have the comfort of God.
The novel also uses a sharp contrast of characterization to show the oppression of capitalism. A particularly obvious example of this is the difference between George Wilson and Tom Buchanan. Both men are in a struggle for the same woman, and the novel shows us that money always has the power to win out in the end. | http://www.writework.com/essay/great-gatsby-and-capitalism |
Reprinted with permission from the May 13, 2022 edition of The Legal Intelligencer © 2022 ALM Media Properties, LLC. Further duplication without permission is prohibited. All rights reserved.
By Courtney Wentzel, Lauren Anthony and Casey Hunt
Considering Guardianship
A situation may arise where someone is unable to make medical or financial decisions for himself or herself and has no legally designated decision-maker. Perhaps that person never appointed a power of attorney, never had the capacity to appoint a power of attorney, or has a power of attorney who is no longer appropriate or has acted improperly. Under such circumstances, pursuit of a guardian to oversee that person and his finances may be an appropriate and effective course of action. A guardian can be appointed by the court to make decisions for another.
The law allows “any person interested in the alleged incapacitated person’s welfare” to petition for guardianship. That petitioner bears the burden of proving the guardianship is necessary. The standard of proof for establishing a guardianship is “clear and convincing evidence,” which has been called the second highest standard of proof next to “beyond a reasonable doubt” used in criminal proceedings. Thus, before pursuing guardianship, one should make sure they are able to show the following by clear and convincing evidence: incapacity; need for guardianship; and that there are not available, adequate, less restrictive alternatives to the guardianship. The petitioner should also consider who is the best person or persons to serve as guardian.
Preparing, Pleading and Filing the Petition
When filing a petition in the Pennsylvania Orphans’ Court, it is important to pay close attention to the Orphans’ Court rules and the guardianship statute, discussed above. The Orphans’ Court has a particular set of rules that, if not strictly followed, can result in the court rejecting a petition or a delay in hearing the petition. In addition, each county in Pennsylvania has their own set of local rules that must be followed. This section gives a brief overview of the Pennsylvania Orphans’ Court rules requirements for a guardianship petition.
First, all guardianship cases are filed “under seal.” This means that the documents are not of public record and that personal information contained in the guardianship petition is protected from disclosure. The petition must describe all facts that show why guardianship is appropriate, all other facts discussed in the first section of this article and identify the proposed guardian. The petition must also provide other specific information, for example, names and addresses of the petitioner, the alleged incapacitated person, and any heirs of the alleged incapacitated person. The rules provide fourteen points of what must be included, so it is important to pay close attention to each requirement.
The petition must also include specific information about the proposed guardian. This includes things like the relationship of the guardian to the incapacitated person, whether the guardian has any training as a guardian, and whether the guardian is a guardian over any other person.
The petition must also have any important documents related to the incapacitated person attached to it. Some documents that should be included are any documents that support the facts described in the petition and a criminal background check of the proposed guardian. The background check of the guardian must have been completed within the six months before the filing of the petition for guardianship. The guardian should also sign a guardian consent form and attach it to the petition.
A petition for guardianship must include a “citation with notice” (citation), which is provided in Orphan’s Court Rule 14.2, a preliminary decree, and a proposed order for the judge to sign, granting the guardianship. The citation provides the alleged incapacitated person with notice, in plain language, that someone has filed a petition for guardianship over them. The citation will include the date, time, and place of the hearing on the petition for guardianship, which is discussed in more detail in the next section.
Finally, a petition for guardianship, as with all petitions filed with a Pennsylvania court, must also include a signature page, or “verification,” from an individual who has personal knowledge of the facts that are described in the petition. This verification states that all the facts in the petition are true, subject to the penalties of perjury in Pennsylvania. It is important that the person who signs the verification carefully reviews the facts described in the petition before signing the verification. This section is only a high-level overview of the requirements of a petition for guardianship. If you have further questions about the Pennsylvania Orphans’ Court rules or how to file a guardianship petition, you should contact an attorney.
What to Expect After Filing the Petition for Guardianship
After filing the petition for guardianship, the case will be assigned to a specific judge who will review the petition and schedule it for a hearing. That hearing must be scheduled at least 20 days out, because the law requires that the alleged incapacitated person, his sui juris heirs, and the person or institution providing residential services to the alleged incapacitated person be given at least twenty days’ notice of the hearing. Any interested party is entitled to respond to the petition for guardianship or appear at the hearing to state their objections on the record.
The law requires the alleged incapacitated person to be present at the hearing unless the court is satisfied, upon the deposition or testimony of or sworn statement by a physician or licensed psychologist, that the person’s physical or mental condition would be harmed by his presence; or it is impossible for him to be present because of his absence from the commonwealth. The court can also consider permitting the alleged incapacitated person to participate in the hearing by video.
It is within the court’s discretion to appoint an attorney to represent the alleged incapacitated person at the hearing. If the alleged incapacitated person is unable to pay for counsel, then the court may order counsel fees and costs to be paid by the county.
While a hearing on a petition for guardianship is not bifurcated (meaning split into two separate stages), as a preliminary matter petitioner must show by clear and convincing evidence that the alleged incapacitated person is totally incapacitated for a plenary guardianship to be considered. A totally incapacitated person is “an adult whose ability to receive and evaluate information effectively and communicate decisions in any way is impaired to such a significant extent that he is partially or totally unable to manage his financial resources or to meet essential requirements for his physical health and safety.” Total incapacity must be established at the hearing by a “person qualified by training and experience in evaluating individuals with incapacities of the type alleged by the petitioner.”.
Once incapacity is established, petitioner must show that a guardianship is needed, and that there is no available, adequate, less restrictive alternative. A judge must consider the availability of friends, family, and other supports that can assist an individual without the need for a guardian. Only after the court makes those findings will it consider whom to appoint as guardian of the person and estate. The courts will first consider those previously nominated by the alleged incapacitated person, family members, and friends, before appointing a professional guardianship agency, so long as such persons are available and suitable to serve.
Duties, Powers and Reporting Requirements of the Guardian
After being appointed as guardian, the guardian has certain powers vis-à-vis the incapacitated person, corresponding limitations on those powers, and various duties and obligations. It is important to note that the guardian’s powers have limitations. For example, a guardian of a person’s estate may discharge the incapacitated person’s estate only for reasons necessary to the incapacitated person. See In re Damario’s Estate, 412 A.2d 842, 845 (Pa. 1980). The guardian is prohibited from disposing of principal from the incapacitated person’s estate without a court order. As a result, a guardian’s sale of a person’s real property requires specific court approval.
The guardian’s duties are primarily set forth in the relevant portion of Pennsylvania’s statutory framework that governs decedents, estates, and fiduciaries. In general, the guardian’s ultimate duty is to act in furtherance of the best interests of the incapacitated person where possible, and this duty has a statutory basis. Pennsylvania’s relevant statutory provision also explicitly provides that a guardian has an obligation to promote the autonomy of the person who is the subject of a guardianship.
One of a guardian’s primary responsibilities is complying with the reporting requirements pertaining to Pennsylvania’s guardianship tracking system (GTS), which is available online through the website for the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. Specifically, 20 Pa. C.S. Section 5521(c) sets forth annual reporting requirements, with specific requirements depending on whether a given guardianship pertains to the person or the estate. The guardian of the estate must also file a complete inventory within ninety days of being appointed. Delinquency in complying with the applicable reporting requirements is ultimately reported to the court and may result in action taken against the guardian involved. This is not an exhaustive list of guardian reporting requirements and if you have questions or need assistance serving as a guardian you should contact an attorney.
Petitioning for guardianship of your loved one or serving in a guardianship role can have many challenges. If assistance is needed in navigating the legal facets of Pennsylvania’s guardianship law or making critical guardianship decisions, an attorney can assist. Another great resource is “The Guardianship Bench Book” published by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
—Salvatore Sciacca, an associate in the firm’s litigation practice group, contributed to the preparation of the article.
Courtney Wentzel, Lauren Anthony and Casey Hunt are associates in McNees Wallace & Nurick’s litigation practice group. | https://www.mcneeslaw.com/pennsylvania-guardianship-system/ |
Webinar series: Digital Citizenship Breakfast Bytes – 11th-20th May
From 11th-20th May, enjoy a cup of tea/coffee accompanied by a Breakfast Byte of digital citizenship. Each “byte” is a short 90-minute online session (from 9.30-11.00 Brussels time) aiming to increase critical thinking and understanding of the digital world.
Families want a healthy environment for their children to thrive and develop their own wings, this includes a healthy digital environment. Our approach is to promote education and empowerment of families to harness the full potential of technology, and our vision is set out in our 13 Digitalisation Principles. This is why COFACE Families Europe, for the International Day of Families 2020, organised a series of eight short webinars highlighting multiple layers of digital citizenship. These took place between 11th and 20th May 2020 every week day from 9.30-11.00 (Brussels time).
The onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic has plunged all of us, families, children, workers, consumers, into the digital age with imposed and recommended lockdowns meaning that digital tools are slowly but surely becoming the norm for schooling, working, socialising, gaming, staying connected with family members. This makes digital citizenship and critical thinking ever more urgent. Our original plans for an offline meet-up in Zagreb through a one-day study session on 12th May have now been shifted online in the form of 8 short webinars which will allow you to listen in to speakers talking about different layers of digital citizenship, connecting the dots between different stakeholders, sectors and policy fields. The speakers come from different horizons, and will cover topics such as child safety online, cyberbullying, digitalisation in schools, gaming, digital marketing and more.
At a European level, many different actors are contributing to creating a better digital environment for children. The European Commission’s Strategy for a Better Internet for Children is currently under revision, and will contribute to set new ambitious goals, covering emerging digital technologies. In this regard, civil society, among which COFACE Families Europe, has a major role to play to operationalize the general objectives and priorities set by European Institutions. In recent years, the concept of “digital citizenship” has been used more and more in order to capture the growing complexity and importance of the digital space. Digital citizenship extends beyond the traditional “safety online”, and encompasses many different aspects such as human rights (online and offline), security, privacy, participation, and many more. The webinar series provided opportunities to explore the concept of digital citizenship and how useful it can be to contribute to creating a positive digital environment for all families without discrimination.
We kicked-off with a video address to digital citizens by Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Margrethe Vestager.
_________________________________
View the full webinar series on our youtube channel and
check out the presentations here below
Breakfast Byte 1
Monday, 11th May from 9:30 – 11:00:
Digital citizenship – myth or reality?
By COFACE Families Europe and the ICT Industry coalition
Breakfast Byte 2
Tuesday, 12th May from 9:30 – 11:00:
Video games and civic engagement – state of play
By FOr’J (+links) – Fédération de maisons de jeunes et organisation de jeunesse, Belgium
Breakfast Byte 3
Wednesday, 13th May from 9:30 – 11:00:
European Safer Internet Strategy post-2020: key trends and priorities
By the European Commission (DG CNECT) & Better Internet for Kids
Breakfast Byte 4
Thursday, 14th May from 9:30 – 11:00:
Using ICT skills to transfer human values in schools
By eTwinning
Breakfast Byte 5
Friday, 15th May from 9:30 – 11:00:
SELMA Hacking Hate toolkit: Games to empower young people online
By European schoolnet
Breakfast Byte 6
Monday, 18th May from 9:30 – 11:00:
Key steps to creating a bully-free zone offline and online.
By Parents Association Step by Step, Croatia
Breakfast Byte 7
Tuesday, 19th May from 9:30 – 11:00:
Critical thinking about the predominant online business model: advertising
By COFACE Families Europe
Breakfast Byte 8
Wednesday, 20th May from 9:30 – 11:00
Are youth all natural digital citizens? | http://www.coface-eu.org/digitalisation/save-the-date-coface-study-sessions-on-digital-citizenship-myth-or-reality-in-zagreb-12-may-2020/ |
The Patrol Unit is responsible for handling almost 100,000 assignments resulting in over 65,000 case numbers each year. The calls range from administrative matters and minor offenses to homicides.
The patrol force makes over 3,400 criminal arrests in addition to issuing numerous violations and infractions for breaches of the motor vehicle codes.
The Patrol Unit encompasses three platoons, which operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The 1st platoon operates from 11:00 pm to 7:00 am; the second platoon operates 7:00 am to 3:00 pm; and the third platoon operates from 3:00 pm to 11:00 pm. Each platoon is divided into three squads, each supervised by a sergeant.
The total number of officers on duty varies by shift and day of week, with the busiest hours receiving the highest number of assigned officers. | https://norwalkct.org/436/Patrol-Unit |
The EU and China both have an interest in promoting greater connectivity and stability in Eurasia. In China’s case, this is largely achieved through its visionary Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). So far, the EU has given the initiative a lukewarm welcome and is still pondering how to engage it strategically. This is partly because the BRI remains operationally uncoordinated, and the EU remains concerned about commercial feasibility, transparency, sustainability and environmental issues.
But differences in need, interest and strategic planning among EU member states in relation to China also hamper a common response. While the EU’s cautious approach could certainly lead to a more well-informed and gauged response, an overly long delay may come at the risk of the EU being left behind as China takes a stronger lead in shaping the Eurasian landscape.
The BRI is China’s vision for comprehensive connectivity and economic cooperation, mostly focused on, but not limited to, the whole of Eurasia. The initiative has generated diverse degrees of interest throughout the EU. Member states in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as Greece, Portugal and Spain have mostly reacted enthusiastically to it. Given their own poor economies, these states have welcomed Chinese investment in large infrastructure projects, and they see Chinese investment as a way to boost their local economies and employment.
In Italy, commercial prospects have led local business communities to take active steps towards engaging with the BRI, and at the national level the Italian Government itself is seemingly becoming more interested. Ahead of the Belt and Road Forum held in Beijing on 14–15 May, Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni said that Italy is ‘enormously interested’ in the BRI.
France’s policy community interest in the BRI seems to have peaked already, although the incoming Macron administration could revisit the initiative. Many regional and municipal governments in Germany have indicated a strong desire to engage with China on the BRI, but at the national level the response has been more restrained. The German and Dutch Governments do not want to engage too closely without a better understanding of the BRI’s long-term strategic implications, and do not want to sideline the EU in the process. Nordic governments have so far not indicated much interest in the BRI, although interest in Denmark is starting to pick up.
At the supranational level, the EU has established together with China, the EU-China Connectivity Platform, through which the two have agreed to cooperate on a number of investment projects within the EU and China. This has been the EU’s most progressive response to the initiative.
But beyond this limited economic cooperation, the EU has not so far not engaged with China’s BRI on a more strategic level, despite it having strategic implications for the EU’s political, economic and security interests abroad.
‘A Global Strategy for the European Union’s Foreign and Security Policy’, the EU’s policy document of June 2016, obliquely references the BRI, positing the need for a ‘coherent approach to China’s connectivity drives westward’ and improved connectivity between the EU and Asia.
The Global Strategy also refers to the need for improving the ‘resilience’—the ability of states and societies to withstand and recover from internal and external crises—of EU neighbouring states, including those stretching into Central Asia. This is a core BRI region, and improving the resilience of these ‘fragile’ states is in fact explicitly pursued by China through the BRI.
Both China and the EU see economic development as a pillar of stability, but their development support approaches differ. China has tended to emphasize physical infrastructure and no-strings-attached investment, while the EU has tended to promote institutional reform, good governance and rule of law as pre-conditions for inclusive economic growth. Both approaches are necessary but neither are alone sufficient achieve sustainable development. And while these different approaches in theory are complementary, the EU emphasizes normative values such as human rights, democracy and civil society in a way that makes it more difficult for the two sides to engage in cooperation.
Indeed, that divergent approaches and standards are a major sticking point for cooperation was made apparent at the recent Belt and Road Forum. The EU rejected a key trade statement because it did not include commitments to free trade, social and environmental sustainability and transparency on tendering processes.
Nevertheless, to foster the kind of developmental outcomes sought, the EU needs to engage not only with states in Eurasia, but also with other larger powers, in order to build a common and coordinated agenda. This includes not only China, but also major actors such as India, Japan, and the USA, as well as multilateral organizations such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Of these actors, however, it is China that has the most ambitious vision for Eurasian connectivity and development, along with the financial and political clout to back much of it.
As the BRI unfolds over the next few years and decades, the EU needs to be aware that China’s BRI efforts and stepped-up presence in Eurasia will probably be a significant shaper of future regional governance in economic, financial, political and even security terms. As China’s overseas investments and economic footprint grows, so will its political and security presence. The Chinese naval base in Djibouti is one such example of how China’s overseas interests have evolved in recent years.
Leaving China so much space to pursue the BRI alone may eventually impinge on the EU’s long-term strategic interests. Thus, it is even more pertinent for the EU and other Eurasian stakeholders to engage strategically with China in order to jointly shape the vision of the BRI and its practical implementation. China has actually welcomed such involvement: Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated the aim and need for inclusiveness at the recent Belt and Road Forum.
There are several ways in which this engagement might be achieved, some more feasible than others. In the medium-term, EU-based companies and investment banks, such as the European Investment Bank or European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, could pursue joint investment projects in third countries outside of the EU and China. This kind of concrete economic cooperation could help align Chinese and local investment standards with EU and global regulatory, environmental and labour standards, and increase transparency and reduce corruption.
Beyond engaging with China bilaterally, the EU could also work multilaterally to participate in joint consultations with relevant stakeholders. A consultation and coordination mechanism with BRI stakeholders, including China, could allow for more information sharing, joint planning and monitoring, and also mitigate some of the more political and geopolitical tensions related to the BRI. Such consultations could take place within existing mechanisms, such as the biennial Asia–Europe Meeting (ASEM).
The BRI also represents an opportunity for the EU to work towards more formal development cooperation with China and other stakeholders. One such cooperation platform could, for instance, be through the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). China has already partnered with the UN in the context of the BRI, and the SDGs—being universal in scope and in acceptance—are a relatively apolitical development framework worth much further exploration.
Of course, there remain concerns: namely, that the BRI ultimately serves China’s geostrategic aims, and is unilateral (or at best bilateral) rather than multilateral in nature—at least so far. Moreover, many EU policy advisors and policymakers are still not quite sure of the BRI’s political longevity, or the BRI’s financial and commercial feasibility.
Furthermore, several (sub)regions in which BRI projects will be implemented are politically and economically fragile, conflict-affected, or marked by poor governance. This puts into doubt the degree to which these investment projects will be successful.
At the same time, however, the public goods that the BRI intends to provide could certainly catalyse socioeconomic development and a spirit of cooperation throughout Eurasia and further many of the EU’s own strategic aims. Admittedly, EU–China cooperation, and that of other stakeholders, on improving third states’ resilience might take place only gradually given geopolitical realities and varying values and norms.
That said, the EU should recognize that influencing an initiative such as the BRI is easier done from the inside than from the outside.
This topical backgrounder is based on the report ‘The Silk Road Economic Belt: Considering Security Implications and EU–China Cooperation Prospects’ published by SIPRI and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES). The report concludes a year-long project that analysed Chinese, Russian and English sources and interviewed 156 experts, including academics, journalists, policy advisors and policymakers in 7 countries throughout Eurasia. | https://www.sipri.org/commentary/topical-backgrounder/2017/eu-pondering-strategic-engagement-chinas-belt-and-road-initiative |
(Hartford, CT) – Connecticut’s Office of Health Strategy Executive Director Victoria Veltri and the Department of Public Health Commissioner Manisha Juthani, MD, announced Connecticut, among ten states in total, has been selected to participate in the Strategies to Repair Equity and Transform Community Health (STRETCH) Initiative, a cohort learning opportunity to advance the state’s existing Health Enhancement Community (HEC) model.
The Health Enhancement Community (HEC) Initiative developed by OHS and DPH with input from a diverse set of stakeholders across Connecticut, including more than 225 community members and more than 50 groups, organizations, agencies, and/or individuals, is focused on supporting the health and well-being of individuals and families across the state by improving community health, health equity, and preventing poor health. HECs utilize community resident consultants and multi-sector organizations to identify and put forth upstream interventions to address social determinants of health (SDOH) and health inequities.
With the collaborative support from the Centers for Disease and Control Foundation (CDCF), Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), and the Michigan Public Health Institute (MPHI), the STRETCH Initiative will focus on building collaborative partnerships through virtual learning sessions, provide networking opportunities, on-site CDCF funded staff training, sharing and dissemination of federal, national, and state/territorial resources, as well as robust and tailored technical assistance to OHS and DPH participants.
The OHS and DPH team will include three senior leaders, a consultant, and an HEC representative to collaborate on the 12-month long project to “focus on capacity building, establish a learning community combining virtual engagements to strengthen their partnerships and planning with communities, develop connections and strategies to work leverage new federal funding opportunities in ways that advance equity, and enable public health and other systems to work together,” as described in the STRETCH Cohort Application.
“This is an incredible opportunity, and our team is excited to have been selected as participants in this cohort,” OHS Executive Director Vicki Veltri said. “Our team values the support from the CDC Foundation, ASTHO and MPHI on opportunities to identify and engage in networking opportunities to focus on building healthier communities, address health inequities, and overall supporting our state’s public health mission.”
“There is always going to be a need to improve community health and equity,” said DPH Commissioner Manisha Juthani, MD. “The work that comes from the Health Enhancement Communities will serve as a blueprint for issues that top the list of every hospital and provider in our region. Only 10 states have been selected to take part in the STRETCH initiative and that alone shows the difference a successful collaboration between all these stakeholders can make in the lives of our residents.”
The STRETCH initiative will run from December 2021 through January 2023. | https://portal.ct.gov/OHS/Press-Room/Press-Releases/2021-Press-Releases/STRETCH |
2010 - Fellow, The World Academy of Sciences
Ovid J. L. Tzeng spends much of his time researching Reading, Neuroscience, Cognitive psychology, Writing system and Natural language processing. The study incorporates disciplines such as Frontal lobe and Cognition, Sentence processing in addition to Reading. His biological study spans a wide range of topics, including Inferior frontal gyrus, Speech perception, Perception, Supplementary motor area and Chinese characters.
His research in Perception focuses on subjects like Social psychology, which are connected to Event-related potential. His Writing system research focuses on Speech recognition and how it connects with Consistency, Superior parietal lobule, Insula, Supramarginal gyrus and Repetition priming. The various areas that Ovid J. L. Tzeng examines in his Natural language processing study include Variation and Categorization, Artificial intelligence.
His main research concerns Cognitive psychology, Reading, Cognition, Neuroscience and Communication. His research in Cognitive psychology intersects with topics in Stimulus, N400, Event-related potential and Eye movement. As part of the same scientific family, Ovid J. L. Tzeng usually focuses on Stimulus, concentrating on Speech recognition and intersecting with Functional magnetic resonance imaging.
His studies examine the connections between Reading and genetics, as well as such issues in Phonology, with regards to Orthography, Natural language processing and Artificial intelligence. The concepts of his Cognition study are interwoven with issues in Developmental psychology, Visual perception and Information processing. His Communication research includes themes of Semantics and Perception.
His primary scientific interests are in Speech recognition, Natural language processing, Artificial intelligence, Cognitive psychology and Cognition. His Speech recognition research integrates issues from Auditory attention, Spatial discrimination, Visual attention, Audiology and Stimulus. The Natural language processing study combines topics in areas such as Variation, Categorization and Hebrew.
His Artificial intelligence research includes elements of Constraint, Writing system and Reading. His work carried out in the field of Cognitive psychology brings together such families of science as Affect, Facial expression, Superior temporal sulcus, Eye movement and Transcranial direct-current stimulation. He focuses mostly in the field of Cognition, narrowing it down to matters related to Visual search and, in some cases, Communication, Transcranial magnetic stimulation and Human brain.
This overview was generated by a machine learning system which analysed the scientist’s body of work. If you have any feedback, you can contact us here.
Timed picture naming in seven languages
Elizabeth Bates;Simona D’Amico;Simona D’Amico;Thomas Jacobsen;Anna Székely.
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review (2003)
A new on-line resource for psycholinguistic studies
Anna Szekely;Thomas Jacobsen;Simona D'Amico;Simona D'Amico;Antonella Devescovi.
Journal of Memory and Language (2004)
Speech Recoding in Reading Chinese Characters.
Ovid J. Tzeng;Daisy L. Hung;William S-Y. Wang.
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Learning & Memory (1977)
The noun-verb problem in Chinese aphasia.
Elizabeth Bates;Sylvia Chen;Ovid Tzeng;Ping Li.
Brain and Language (1991)
Visual lateralisation effect in reading Chinese characters
Ovid J. L. Tzeng;Daisy L. Hung;Bill Cotton;William S-Y. Wang.
Nature (1979)
Modulating inhibitory control with direct current stimulation of the superior medial frontal cortex.
Tzu Yu Hsu;Lin Yuan Tseng;Lin Yuan Tseng;Jia Xin Yu;Jia Xin Yu;Wen Jui Kuo;Wen Jui Kuo.
NeuroImage (2011)
Unleashing potential: transcranial direct current stimulation over the right posterior parietal cortex improves change detection in low-performing individuals.
Philip Tseng;Tzu Yu Hsu;Chi Fu Chang;Ovid J L Tzeng.
The Journal of Neuroscience (2012)
Action co-representation is tuned to other humans
Chia-Chin Tsai;Wen-Jui Kuo;Daisy L. Hung;Ovid J. L. Tzeng.
Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience (2008)
Control of prepotent responses by the superior medial frontal cortex.
Chiao-Yun Chen;Neil G Muggleton;Ovid J L Tzeng;Daisy L Hung;Daisy L Hung.
NeuroImage (2009)
Open vs. Closed Skill Sports and the Modulation of Inhibitory Control
Chun Hao Wang;Chun Hao Wang;Che Chien Chang;Yen Ming Liang;Chun Ming Shih.
PLOS ONE (2013)
If you think any of the details on this page are incorrect, let us know.
We appreciate your kind effort to assist us to improve this page, it would be helpful providing us with as much detail as possible in the text box below: | https://research.com/u/ovid-j-l-tzeng |
E&E Solutions (E&ES), in collaboration with the Royal Danish Embassy and Ramboll, held two webinars on November 2nd and 4th, 2021, on “Sustainable Development of Offshore Wind Power in Japan – Environmental and Social Considerations for Project Financing”.
The theme on November 2nd was “Overview of Consenting System for Offshore Wind Farm in Japan”. From the E&ES side, Ayako Ogisu of Global Environmental Department presented “Overview of the Government Regulatory Process for Offshore Wind Energy Development in Japan”, while Maki Takahashi of GHG Energy Solution Department gave a presentation on “Process and Considerations of the Environmental Impact Assessment “.
The theme on November 4th was “Overview of Technical, Environmental and Social Impacts of Offshore Wind Farms”. Ramboll presented “Overview of the Environmental and Social Impact Assessments and Mitigations of Offshore Wind Developments”, and Daiji Naito from E&ES Global Environmental Department presented “The Application of Environmental and Social Standards for International Financing of Offshore Wind Farm Projects”.
Ramboll (HQ: Denmark) is one of the world’s leading environmental and technical consulting companies with about 300 offices worldwide and more than 30 years of experience in offshore wind power in Europe. E&ES formed a technical partnership with Ramboll in 2015 and has worked with them on a variety of domestic and international projects.
In recent years, legislation for the introduction of offshore wind power in Japan has been progressing, and it is expected that the development of offshore wind power will become more active in the future. More than 100 people attended each webinar, including business companies, government agencies, and financial institutions, demonstrating the high level of interest in offshore wind power in Japan.
E&ES will continue to make further efforts to support offshore wind power development from both environmental and technical sides. | https://www.eesol.co.jp/en/news/2086/ |
Local adults unable to care for themselves or make decisions on their own face a precarious situation.
County residents afflicted with conditions such as dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and mental illnesses are at high risk for exploitation, without a trustworthy guardian to ensure they receive the care and support they need.
To protect the community’s most vulnerable people is the mission of Volunteer Advocates for Seniors and Incapacitated Adults, or VASIA.
“To know that their wishes are going to be expressed in a way they want them to is a wonderful feeling — to know we fulfilled their life in a way they wanted to when no one else was around,” said Lauren Rynerson, executive director for Johnson and Shelby County VASIA.
Those guardians are high demand. Johnson and Shelby County VASIA is in need of volunteers to help protect the most vulnerable residents. The public guardianship program provides assistance for those in need of advocacy, helping them make decisions in order to be as independent as possible while still maintaining their health, comfort and safety.
Appointed by the local courts, VASIA advocates are paired with clients deemed unable to care for themselves, spending considerable time with them helping make decisions on everything from finances to medical needs to what they want to happen when they die.
Currently, 12 volunteers are signed up with VASIA. As the organization is serving about 40 clients in the two counties, officials hope to bring in an additional 20 people, Rynerson said.
“Our program depends on volunteers. Not enough volunteers means not accepting additional people in need. Like every other volunteer-based program and business, we are struggling to find people to fill an essential role,” Rynerson said. “We need additional eyes and ears on our most vulnerable citizens. They deserve to be honored, develop healthy friendships and receive care in a dignified manner.”
The VASIA program was created in 2016 at the behest of Superior Court 1 Judge Kevin Barton. The state Supreme Court requested grant money from the legislature to create a program, and that request was granted.
Oversight of the VASIA program is done locally by the courts, and the guardianship process entails much thorough research and evidence that this in needed. The adults in need of advocacy are referred to the court and to Rynerson, usually by nursing homes or other care institutions.
The people in need of a guardian may include, people with dementia, Alzheimer’s, mental illness, substance abuse issues, traumatic brain injury, developmental disabilities, autism, and any other incapacity that limits their ability to make decisions about their financial and medical care.
A majority of their clients are elderly, but the program is open to anyone older than 18.
“The people we serve will be without a willing, able or suitable relative or significant person to serve as guardian,” said the Rev. Peter Jessen, board chair for Johnson and Shelby County VASIA. “A county judge must rule that the person needs guardianship and will then assign VASIA to the case.”
VASIA leadership and paid staff are the main overseers of their clients — investigating referrals, presenting cases before the judge for guardianship ruling, applying for benefits and coordinating services with other agencies. But a key component of the system is volunteers, who meet with the clients on a regular basis to determine their needs.
“We don’t need them to make the financial or medical decisions — we handle those in-office. We just need them to focus on the interaction between the client and the volunteer to have that relationship,” Rynerson said.
Joe Erickson, who was the VASIA director prior to Rynerson, has maintained his involvement in the organization through volunteering.
To him, it was important to give assistance to those who needed help.
“There is a segment of our population who get lost in the cracks. Those are the individuals who are seniors with dementia or some other kind of illness, or just an adult who is incapacitated due to disability,” he said. “They get placed in nursing homes and residential facilities, and people think that once they’re in there, everything goes 100%. That doesn’t necessarily occur.”
Sitting with the clients he volunteers with is incredibly rewarding, getting to know about their lives and who they are as people.
”We try to search out who that person was before their incapacity, so we get an idea of how they would want to decide on different things,” Erickson said.
Applications to volunteer can be found on VASIA’s website. Volunteers should be over the age of 21, and expect to put in an average of eight to 10 hours each month in meeting with clients, though people can set their own hours.
Activities include monthly visits, personal shopping, recreational activities, service monitoring, and advocacy.
“Most of our clients have had some type of neglect or exploitation have to them. They don’t trust a lot of people. There is definitely a lot of trauma. you have to work for a while to have them fully open up to you and trust you,” Rynerson said.
While volunteers top the list of needs VASIA is facing, Rynerson is also working to secure supplemental funding to support the program. Johnson County funds the director’s salary and benefits along with providing office space in the courthouse, while a state VASIA grant of $75,000 covers the assistant director’s salary and benefits, as well as operating expenses. In addition, the organization receives $10,000 from Shelby County.
A huge cost for VASIA is attorney fees, Rynerson said.
“That is our main fee besides the salary of our assistant director. We do get a reduced rate because our attorney knows what our program is and we are limited on funding,” she said. “Different cases can have several court hearings that take several hours. There’s preparation time, there’s attorney time after court hearings.”
Donations to VASIA can be made at the Johnson County Community Foundation or the Blue River Community Foundation.
Those funds do end up making a big difference, Rynerson said.
“It’s really rewarding. You are making very big decisions in someone’s life, and that’s why it’s imperative to have those relationships and try to figure out what they’d want you to do in that situation, and try to fulfill that as best as you can, as long as its safe and healthy for that person,” she said.
How to help
Johnson County Volunteer Advocates for Seniors and Incapacitated Adults is in need of volunteers to be public guardians for its program.
Anyone 21 and older can volunteer.
A volunteer should expect to put in an average of 8 to 10 hours monthly. The time commitment will vary depending on the need of the protected person and their issues.
What do they do:
- Identify and advocate for the person’s needs and preferences
- Promote and monitor the well-being of the person
- Maximize independence in the least restrictive setting
- Communicate with family members and health care providers
- Consent to and monitor medical treatment
- Consent to and monitor non-medical services, such as education and counseling
- Inventory assets and personal belongings
- Sell homes, land, vehicles, coin collections, stocks and bonds
- Submit an annual report to the court
- Prearrange funeral services
- Make end-of-life decisions
- VASIA staff on call 24/7
Learning luncheons: If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please join VASIA for lunch at Greeks Pizzeria, 18 E. Jefferson St., Franklin from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. on Sept. 7 or Oct. 5.
Anyone interested can contact Johnson County VASIA executive director Lauren Rynerson at [email protected] or 317-346-4414. | https://dailyjournal.net/2022/08/19/its-really-rewarding-johnson-shelby-county-vasia-needs-volunteers/ |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.