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The present invention relates to flame-resistant protective clothing, comprising, in the direction from the outside to the inside of the clothing, a flame-resistant, abrasion-resistant outer layer, a breathable, water impermeable film, and a flame-resistant thermal barrier. The flame-resistant thermal barrier contains a fabric which is locally doubled to form air pockets between two fabric parts. The fabric has a first, substantially flat side and a second side that is provided with a relief formed by said air pockets.
The protective clothing is, in particular, intended for fire fighters, and thus is required to meet certain standards, particularly the European standard EN 469:2005. The parameters which, according to this standard, should be met are its heat transfer (by flame or by thermal radiation), its resistance to water penetration and its resistance to water vapour. For each of these parameters, two levels are provided which are respectively indicated by Xf1 or Xf2, Xr1 or Xr2, Y1 or Y2 and Z1 or Z2.
Currently, apart from the water vapour permeability (Ret value), no standards are provided in de European standard for indicating the physiological/thermal stress caused by the fire fighting clothing. However, these parameters, too, are of significant importance. In the current European standard, the standard for these parameters is stated to be under development.
US 2013/0174334
US 2013/0174334
Fire fighter clothing exhibiting the characteristics described above has been disclosed in, e.g., . The object of the invention described in this American patent application is to provide a layered, heat-resistant protective clothing that offers the necessary protection from fire, yet is sufficiently light to prevent heat stress. To this end, a double fabric is used as an outer layer which increases in thickness at a temperature of 400°C as a result of a difference in thermal shrinkage between the front and rear fabric. The drawback of such an outer layer is that the fire fighter is already subjected to high temperatures before the additional insulation in his protective clothing is activated. Furthermore, in , a fabric is used as a lining that contains air channels and thus provides an additional thermal insulation. The water-impermeability of this clothing is provided by a woven or knit intermediate layer, onto which a breathable, water impermeable film of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or the like is laminated or coated.
The invention now aims to provide a novel protective clothing which allows a further weight reduction to be realised for a given thermal insulation value.
For this purpose, the flame-resistant protective clothing according to the present invention is characterized in that the breathable, water impermeable film is attached to the flat side of said fabric, said flat side facing the outside of the protective clothing.
US 2013/0174334
US 2013/0174334
2
2
In practice, a breathable, water impermeable film should always be laminated or coated onto a substrate. In the protective clothing described in , this is achieved by laminating a PTFE film, the weight of which, including the weight of the adhesive layer, is usually in the order of about 40 g/m, onto a fabric, thus creating, in example 1 of this American patent application, a moisture barrier having a total weight of 120 g/m. According to the invention, it has now been found that significant weight savings can be achieved by not coating or laminating the water impermeable film onto a separate substrate, but rather onto the thermal barrier itself. In this manner, the barrier thus obtained performs two functions at once: that of a thermal barrier and that of a moisture barrier. The fabric that is used in as a substrate for the breathable, water impermeable film, offers virtually no additional thermal insulation by itself, and can therefore simply be omitted while maintaining the thermal insulation of the clothing.
Preferably, the fabric to which the water impermeable film is attached is woven as a single piece.
The advantage of this is that no adhesive is needed to, e.g., attach two fabric parts to each other, which would negatively impact the breathability of the whole.
In a preferred embodiment of the protective clothing according to the invention, a further flame-resistant thermal barrier is provided between said outer layer and said film, in particular comprising a knitted fabric.
2
US 2013/0174334
This additional thermal barrier reduces the heat transfer through the clothing by flame and by thermal radiation, so that the heat transfer level as determined according to EN 469:2005 can easily be raised from level 1 to level 2 (from Xf1 to Xf2 and from Xr1 to Xr2). The knitted fabric which is preferably used for his purpose, only needs to have a relatively low weight of, e.g., about 80 to 100 g/m, i.e. about the weight saved in comparison to by attaching the water impermeable film to the thermal barrier rather than to a separate substrate. The advantage of a knitted fabric compared to, e.g., a non-woven material is not only that it can be implemented in a lightweight manner, but also that it may be washed regularly without wear or damage.
In a further preferred embodiment of the protective clothing according to the invention, the clothing is made up of an inner garment, which is provided with a fastening to enable it to be put on and taken off, and of an outer garment, which is attached to the inner garment for being worn together with the inner garment, wherein said outer garment comprises said outer layer, said film and said thermal barrier, wherein the outer garment is releasably attached to the inner garment by means of attachment means provided allowing the outer garment to be released from the inner garment without needing to release said fastening of the inner garment.
The protective clothing according to this preferred embodiment is intended to reduce contamination of the body by contact with harmful agents, particularly carcinogenic agents, such as poly-aromatic hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds. In fact, evidence indicates that fire fighters, on average, have a lower life expectancy. The harmful agents can enter the body by inhalation as well as through the skin.
Tests have shown that these harmful agents can pass through the outer layers of protective clothing relatively easily and for the most part accumulate in the breathable, water impermeable film.
To reduce contamination of the body, the Viking firm offers a fire fighter suit of which the outer layer can be removed without the need for the inner garment itself to be taken off or even undone. The outer garment, formed by the outer layer, should then be placed into a dissolvable laundry bag in which it can be taken to the laundry machine without causing further contamination.
WO 96/39056
Such a protective clothing is also known from . In this known protective clothing, the outer layer forms an outer garment that can be worn separately. The inner garment, which can also be worn separately, comprises a further outer layer which is abrasion-resistant is, a thermal barrier and a breathable, water impermeable film that may be laminated onto a flat fabric serving as lining.
2
A disadvantage of this type of protective clothing is that the problem of contamination during and after the outer garment being taken off has not been solved. As indicated above, the toxic agents accumulate mostly in the breathable, water impermeable film, so that the fire fighter, as well as the vehicle transporting him back to the fire station, are still being contaminated by toxic agents originating from the inner garment. A further major disadvantage is that, as both the inner garment and the outer garment need to comprise an abrasion-resistant outer layer, the total layer structure of the protective clothing becomes so heavy that it significantly increases the risk of physiological/heat stress, or, in other words, the risk of the fire fighter suffering a heart attack after an intervention. Depending on the thickness of the thermal barrier, and thus on the intended heat transfer properties, the weight of such a layer structure easily reaches over 700 g/m.
2
2
As the protective clothing according to the present invention does not require a substrate that contributes virtually nothing to the thermal insulation of the clothing, the total weight of the clothing, depending on the weight of the textile materials used, can easily be limited to 590 to 670 g/m without the additional thermal barrier between the water impermeable film and the outer layer, and to 670 to 770 g/m with an additional thermal barrier to achieve a heat transfer level 2 (Xf2 and Xr2).
A further advantage of this preferred embodiment is that the greater part of the toxic agents are removed when the outer garment is take off, because the outer garment contains the breathable, water impermeable film in which most of the toxic agents are received, and which, contrary to the other layers, forms an effective barrier to these toxic agents.
2
2
2
2
2
2
In an advantageous embodiment of the protective clothing according to the present invention, the inner garment is formed by a flame-resistant, abrasion-resistant fabric. This fabric is preferably woven so densely that it has a permeability to air, measured according to DIN EN ISO 9237 at a pressure of 100 Pa, which is lower than 1501/m.sec, and preferably lower than 100 l/m.sec. Furthermore, it preferably has a weight which is higher than 165 g/m, preferably higher than 175 g/m and more preferably higher than 185 g/m, wherein the weight of said abrasion-resistant fabric is preferably lower than 230 g/m.
The abrasion-resistant fabric, i.e. the inner garment, of this embodiment can be washed frequently without wearing quickly. Its low permeability to air further affords it a certain protection against contamination without the need for it to contain a dense film itself. The preferred weights allow the desired abrasion-resistance and permeability to air to be achieved without the weight of the inner garment adding too much to the total weight of the protective clothing.
Figure 1
shows a schematic view of a layer structure for protective clothing according to the invention, with an outer layer and a thermal barrier onto which a breathable, water impermeable film has been laminated;
Figure 2
figure 1
shows a similar layer structure as shown in , with an additional thermal barrier between the outer layer and the water impermeable film;
Figure 3
figure 1
figure 1
shows a similar layer structure as shown in , additionally provided with a flame-resistant, abrasion-resistant fabric forming an inner garment inside the outer garment with the layer structure according to ;
Figure 4
figure 3
shows a similar layer structure as shown in , having an additional thermal barrier in the outer garment between the outer layer and the water impermeable film;
Figure 5
shows a perspective view of a jacket of protective clothing according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, composed of an inner jacket and an outer jacket;
Figure 6
figure 5
shows a larger scale view of the collar of the jacket according to , said collar being composed of an inner collar and an outer collar;
Figure 7
figure 6
shows the collar according to , wherein the outer collar has been folded up;
Figure 8
shows a perspective view of the inner jacket;
Figure 9
shows a larger scale view of the quick-release zipper on the inside of the inner jacket;
Figure 10
shows a perspective view of the outer jacket;
Figure 11
figures 5 to 9
shows a perspective view of a pair of trousers of protective clothing according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, to be worn in combination with the jacket shown in , which is composed of an inner pair of trousers and an outer pair of trousers;
Figure 12
shows a perspective view of the inner pair of trousers;
Figure 13
shows a perspective view of the outer pair of trousers; and
Figure 14
figure 11
shows a perspective view analogous to that of , wherein the outer pair of trousers has been disconnected from the inner pair of trousers.
Further advantages and characteristics of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a number of preferred embodiments of protective clothing according to the invention. However, the following description is merely illustrative and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention as determined by the claims. The reference numbers indicated in the description refer to the accompanying drawings, in which:
The invention in general relates to a flame-resistant protective clothing. The term "flame-resistant" is intended to mean, in particular, that the flame directed to the inside or the outside of the clothing or of the material which is flame-resistant, is not propagated by the clothing or by said material. Preferably, a flame propagation index of 3 is achieved, measured according to the European standard EN ISO 15025:2002, procedure A.
figure 1
The protective clothing contains at least, from the outside to the inside, a flame-resistant, abrasion-resistant outer layer 1, a breathable, water impermeable film 2 and a flame-resistant thermal barrier 3. This minimal layer structure is shown in .
The abrasion-resistant outer layer 1 ensures that the clothing does not wear too quickly due to use or washing. The abrasion or wear resistance of textile materials is measured with an abrasion test device, also known as a Martindale tester. Herein, the textile material is rubbed against a standard abrasive at a predetermined pressure and according to a continuous variable movement. The standard abrasive material is a wool fabric. The pressure is selected depending on the application and/or the requirements of the final article, being either 9 kPa or 12 kPa. The result is expressed as the number of cycles of resistance, wherein, in the textile industry of personal protective clothing, the end point of the test is usually taken to be the rupture of two threads. In the present description, the term "an abrasion resistant layer" is intended to mean, in particular, a layer which resists for at least 50 000 cycles at a pressure of 12 kPa (until two threads are broken).
2
2
The breathable, water impermeable film 2 ensures that no water penetrates through the protective clothing, while still allowing water vapour to escape through the protective clothing. As determined by EN 469:2005, the resistance to water penetration, tested according to EN 20811 with a pressure increase rate of 0.98 kPa/min, should be at least 20 kPa (= level 2) due to the presence of the water impermeable film 2. On the other hand, the resistance to water vapour, measured according to EN 31092, should, according to EN 469:2005, be at least below 45 mPa/W (= level 1) or below or equal to 30 mPa/W (= level 2). Accordingly, in the present description, the term "a breathable, water impermeable film 2" is intended to mean, in particular, a film which insures that the resistance to water penetration of the protective clothing fulfils level 2 according to EN469:2005, and the resistance against water vapour penetration fulfils level 2 according to EN 469:2005.
According to the invention, the breathable, water impermeable film 2 is first attached to the thermal barrier 3. The attachment between these two can be carried out by laminating the film 2 and the thermal barrier 3 or by coating the film 2 onto the thermal barrier. For the laminating, it is preferable to use an adhesive that is applied only locally, particularly point-wise, so as to affect the permeability to water vapour of the thermal moisture barrier only minimally. The coating of the film 2 onto the thermal barrier 3 can be carried out by means of various coating techniques, wherein an indirect coating technique or, in other words, a transfer coating technique is preferred. According to the invention, the thermal barrier 3 to which de film 2 is attached comprises a fabric 4 which is locally doubled to form air pockets 5 between two fabric parts 4', 4". The fabric 4 has a first, substantially flat side facing the outside of the protective clothing, and a second, opposite side, which is provided with a relief formed by the air pockets 5 in the fabric 4. The breathable, water impermeable film 2 is attached to the flat side of the fabric 4.
The fabric 4 is preferably woven as a single piece. The two fabric parts 4', 4" are, in other words, not woven separately and then attached to each other, but are manufactured by means of a double weaving technique. This ensures that the permeability to water vapour of said fabric is maximally maintained.
figures 1 to 4
2
As shown schematically in , the fabric 4 preferably comprises strips 6 having a flat fabric structure, alternating with strips 7 where the fabric 4 is doubled to form air channels 5. These air channels 5 have, in particular, a width W1 which is comprised between 2 and 10 mm and more preferably between 3 and 8 mm. The strips 6 between the air channels 5 preferably have a width W2 which is comprised between 1 and 10 mm and preferably between 1 and 6 mm. Furthermore, at the location of the air channels or air pockets 5, the fabric 4 has a thickness d which is preferably comprised between 1 and 6 mm and more preferably between 1 and 4 mm. A fabric 4 exhibiting these characteristics is available under the trade name Techwave™. This double fabric has a weight of about 140 g/m, air channels 5 having a width W1 of about 5 mm, flat strips 6 having a width W2 of about 2 mm and a thickness of about 2 mm.
figure 1
figure 2
2
By means of the minimal layer structure shown in , and using the Techwave™ fabric, protective clothing of level Xf1 Xr1 Y2 Z2 (according to EN 469:2005) can be manufactured. To improve the heat transfer characteristics, an additional thermal barrier 8 can be provided between the outer layer 1 and the breathable, water impermeable film 2, as shown in . This additional thermal barrier 8 can be manufactured from the materials commonly used for this, in particular from non-woven constructions, woven constructions and knitted fabric constructions. However, a knitted fabric is preferred, as this can offer sufficient addition insulation at a minimal weight, in particular due to the layer of air formed by it between the outer layer 1 and the water impermeable film 2, and as the knitted fabric is not easily damaged or worn by washing the clothing, and furthermore dries relatively quickly. It was found that, e.g., using a knitted fabric having a weight of about 80 to 100 g/m, the level of the protective clothing can already be increased to Xf2 Xr2 Y2 Z2.
An important aspect of the invention consists in providing protective clothing with which contamination of the body can be avoided or limited, in particular while taking off the protective clothing. To this end, the protective clothing is formed by an inner garment and an outer garment, wherein preferably the inner garment is substantially covered by the inner garment.
The inner garment is provided with a fastening to allow it to be put on and taken off independently. This fastening preferably comprises a zipper, in particular arranged at the front of the inner garment. The outer garment is attached to the inner garment so as to allow it to be worn together with the inner garment. More specifically, it is releasably attached to the inner garment by means of attachment means arranged to allow the outer garment to be released from the inner garment, and to be taken off, without needing to undo the fastening of the inner garment. This attachment means preferably comprises at least one further zipper so that the outer garment can be attached to the inner garment in a reliable way. The outer garment itself is preferably arranged in such a way that it cannot be worn without the inner garment. More specifically, it preferably does not comprise a zipper with which it could be fastened by itself.
To ensure that the harmful agents taken up by the protective clothing are maximally removed when taking off the outer garment, said outer garment not only comprises the outer layer 1 but also the breathable, water impermeable film 2 and the thermal barrier 3 attached thereto. Tests have shown that the harmful agents mainly accumulate in the breathable, water impermeable film 2 and that this film 2 forms an effective barrier for these harmful agents, so that the inner garment is not or virtually not contaminated.
figure 3
figure 4
figure 3
figure 4
figures 3
4
Preferably, the inner garment is formed by a flame-resistant, abrasion-resistant fabric 9. Being abrasion resistant, it can be worn as a separate garment and can be washed. The abrasion-resistant fabric 9, used as an inner garment, can e.g. be combined with an outer garment that can comprise, as shown schematically in , only the outer layer 1, the breathable, water impermeable film 2 and the thermal barrier 3 attached thereto, or that, as shown schematically in , further comprises the additional thermal barrier 8. Using the layer structure according to , it is possible to manufacture protective clothing of level Xf2 Xr2 Y2 Z2, and using the layer structure according to , it is possible to manufacture protective clothing of level Xf2 Xr2 Y2 Z2. Despite the fact that the clothing is composed of two garments, its weight can be kept sufficiently low so as to prevent physiological/heat stress. This is the case in particular if the fabric 4 to which the breathable, water impermeable film 2 is attached, forms the inside of the outer garment (as illustrated in and ).
2
2
2
2
2
2
The abrasion-resistant fabric 9 is preferably woven so densely that it has a permeability to air, measured according to DIN EN ISO 9237 at a pressure of 100 Pa, which is lower than 150 l/m.sec, and more preferably lower than 100 l/m.sec. The lower the permeability to air of this fabric 9, the smaller the chance that the wearer will be contaminated while taking off the outer garment. In order to increase the abrasion resistance and decrease the permeability to air, the abrasion-resistant fabric 9 preferably has a weight higher than 165 g/m, preferably higher than 175 g/m and more preferably higher than 185 g/m. As too high a weight should be avoided to avoid physiological/heat stress, the weight of the abrasion-resistant fabric 9 is preferably lower than 230 g/m.
The protective clothing is preferably composed of a jacket and a pair of trousers. Such two-part clothing causes less physiological/heat stress than a one-part overall.
figures 5 to 10
figure 5
figure 8
figure 10
In , a jacket according to a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown. The jacket shown in consists of an inner jacket 10 (= inner garment), shown in , and an outer jacket 11 (= outer garment), shown in .
The jacket is fastened by means of a zipper 12 provided at the front of the inner jacket 10. The outer jacket 11 has a flap 13 at the front, which can be held over the zipper 12 by means of a hook and loop fastener 14. The outer jacket 11 is releasably attached to the inner jacket 10 by means of two further zippers 15 on both sides of the zipper 12. One half of each of these zippers 15 is located on the outside of the inner jacket 10, while the other half of each of these zippers 15 is located on the inside of the outer jacket 11.
The bottom edges of the inner jacket 10 and the outer jacket 11 are releasably attached to each other. To this end, a hook and loop fastener can be used, but a zipper 16 is preferred, as a zipper 16 can seal the space between the inner jacket and the outer jacket in a reliable way. This is important due to the fact that the inner jacket 10 does not contain a breathable, water impermeable film 2, necessitating the prevention of harmful flue gasses penetrating between both jackets. To allow the zipper 16 to be easily undone, said zipper 16 is preferably a quick-release zipper. Such a zipper has a number of places where it can easily be pulled open without requiring the use of the zipper's slider. An example of such a quick-release zipper is the so-called Quickburst™ zipper, marketed by the company YKK.
The two halves of the two further zippers 15 that are provided on the outer jacket 11 preferably do not allow the outer jacket 11 to be fastened by itself, i.e. without being attached to the inner jacket 10. This ensures that the wearer is protected against contamination at all times. Hereto, the two halves can e.g. be made of zippers with a different teeth size, so that they do not fit each other. Alternatively, either both or neither of the two halves can be provided with a slider, so that they cannot cooperate with each other.
To prevent contamination in the region of the collar as much as possible, both the inner jacket 10 and the outer jacket 11 are provided with a collar, being respectively a collar 17 and a further collar 18, wherein the collar 18 of the outer jacket 11 envelops the collar 17 of the inner jacket 10. To keep both collars held against each other, pieces of hook and loop fastener 19 are provided between both collars 17, 18. As the inner collar 17 is fully covered by the outer collar 18, the inner jacket 10 has a clean collar 17 after the outer jacket 11 is taken off.
figures 11 to 14
figures 11
14
figure 12
figure 13
A particular embodiment of the pair of trousers intended to be worn together with the jacket is shown in . The pair of trousers shown in and consists of an inner pair of trousers 20 (= inner garment), shown in , and an outer pair of trousers 21 (= outer garment), shown in .
figure 14
As shown in , the pair of trousers is closed by means of a zipper 22 provided at the front on the inner pair of trousers 20. The outer pair of trousers 21 has two flaps 23 at the front, each of which can be attached to the inner pair of trousers 20 by means of a hook and loop fastener 24 along both sides of the zipper 22. The outer pair of trousers 21 is provided with a zipper 25 along its upper edge by means of which it can be zipped onto the inner pair of trousers 20. This zipper 25 is preferably a quick-release zipper. One half of this zipper 25 is located on the outside of the inner pair of trousers 20, while the other half of this zipper 25 is located on the upper edge of the outer pair of trousers 21. The inner pair of trousers 20 protrudes a limited distance above the upper edge of the outer pair of trousers 21. However, this part is not or barely susceptible to contamination, as it is fully covered by the jacket being worn with the pair of trousers. In the region of this protruding part of the inner pair of trousers 20, the material used for the outer pair of trousers 21, and thus containing the outer layer 1, the breathable, water impermeable film 2 and thermal barrier 3 attached thereto, is preferably fixed to the flame-resistant, abrasion-resistant fabric 9 of the inner pair of trousers 20.
Flame-resistant materials and breathable, water impermeable films suitable to be used for manufacturing the protective clothing described above are, in themselves, already on the market, although the breathable, water impermeable film 2 is not yet attached to the thermal barrier 3.
2
2
®
®
®
®
®
®
®
meta-aramid (e.g. Nomex, Conex,...), para-aramid (e.g. Kevlar, Twaron, Technora, ...), polyamide-imide (e.g. Kermel), polybenzimidazole (PBI), polybenzoxazole (PBO), polyphenylene sulphide (PPS), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyetherimide, polyetherimide, TLCP fibres (e.g. Vectran), wool, viscose FR, carbon,
The weights of the outer layers range from 195 g/m to 240 g/m. The fabric of the outer layer can be based on the following fibres, usually in a mixture of two or more fibres:
93% meta-aramid - 5% para-aramid - 2% anti-static fibres
81 % meta-aramid - 18% para-aramid - 2% anti-static fibres
75% meta-aramid - 23% para-aramid - 2% anti-static fibres
73.5% meta-aramid - 25% TLCP fibres - 1.5% anti-static fibres
49% meta-aramid - 50% para-aramid - 1 % anti-static fibres
66% polyamide-imide - 32% para-aramid - 2% anti-static fibres
45% polyamide-imide - 45% viscose FR - 10% para-aramid including anti-static fibres
40% polybenzimidazole - 58% para-aramid - 2% anti-static fibres
39% polybenzimidazole - 59% para-aramid - 2% anti-static fibres
36% polybenzimidazole - 62% para-aramid - 2% anti-static fibres
39% polybenzoxazole - 59% para-aramid - 2% anti-static fibres
20% polybenzoxazole - 31.5% meta-aramid - 48.5 % para-aramid including anti-static fibres
Some examples of common mixtures are:
®
®
®
®
®
®
This insulation layer can consist of non-woven constructions, woven constructions or knitted fabric constructions, wherein a knitted fabric is preferred, in particular manufactured from aramid. Possible materials to be used for this insulation layer include Meta-aramid (e.g. Nomex, Conex...), para-aramid (e.g. Kevlar, Twaron, Technora, ...), polyamide-imide (e.g. Kermel), polybenzimidazole (PBI), polybenzoxazole (PBO), wool, viscose FR, carbon, Basofil fibres, and/or mixtures of these fibres, as they are usually employed in a mixture (spun in an intimate blend and/or used as fibres)
2
2
The weight of this layer is preferably comprised between 50 g/m and 150 g/m.
This film can be based on various polymers. The most common polymers are polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyester and polyurethane.
expanded (micro porous) polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), usually bicomponent films, in other words: a layer of polyurethane on a layer of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE);
two layers of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) with a layer of polyurethane sandwiched in between;
a polyester film in the form of a compact hydrophilic film;
a polyurethane film in the form of a compact hydrophilic film;
a polyurethane film in an expanded form (comprising micro-pores).
Common materials in the market are films based on:
89% meta-aramid - 5% para-aramid - 6% polyester
A possible composition of this fabric is as follows:
67% meta-aramid - 4% para-aramid - 29% of a filament wrapped in aramid fibres
The aramid fibres are wrapped around the polyester fibres, so that the composition can also be given as follows:
2
2
This thermal barrier with air channels has a weight of, for instance, 130 g/m to 140 g/m.
The same materials can be used for this fabric as for the outer layer. Preferably, however, it additionally contains viscose FR to increase the moisture adsorption of the fabric.
The fabric is preferably densely woven so that it forms a low permeability protection against ambient air (and against the toxic agents present therein). Due to its abrasion resistance, it can withstand frequent washing, and the inner garment can also be worn without the outer garment without wearing too quickly.
2
2
The fabric preferably has a weight between 165 g/m and 230 g/m.
2
195 g/m +/-3% and containing 93% meta-aramid - 5% para-aramid - 2% anti-static fibres and
2
220 g/m +/- 3% and containing 50% meta-aramid including anti-static fibres - 50% viscose FR.
Preferred examples are:
<b><u>Structure 1</u></b>
Outer layer
PBI™NEO
20%
Thermal layer
TNX Heat Comfort Barrier®
7%
Water barrier
GORE-TEX® Fire Blocker N
63%
Lining
Nomex®/Viscose FR
9%
Total
100%
<b><u>Structure 2</u></b>
Outer layer
Nomex® Twin
10%
Water barrier
Sympatex Fire Blocker 2550
75%
Thermal lining
Iso'Air hydrophobic 100% Nomex®
14%
Lining
100% Nomex® III
2%
Total
100%
<b><u>Structure 3</u></b>
Outer layer
Nomex® Twin
14%
Water barrier
SIO-A.I.R. barrier PTFE
81%
Thermal lining
100% aramid
5%
Total
100%
<b><u>Structure 4</u></b>
Outer layer
Nomex® Microrip
12%
Thermal layer
100% aramid knitted fabric
6%
Lining with water barrier
Sioliner Plus
82%
Total
100%
Based on tests carried out on different structures of fire fighter intervention clothing available on the market, it was found that the water impermeable film of the water barrier, in particular, absorbs the most toxic agents. Samples of the different structures were placed in a closed container in which a fire was simulated by burning wood in the container. The backsides of the samples were covered by folding the samples into an envelope of which the sides were sealed with adhesive tape.
The first two structures relate to intervention clothing with a four-layered structure, while the last two structures relate to intervention clothing with a three-layered structure. The water impermeable film is located in a different place in each of the various structures, but always absorbs the greater part of the toxic agents - in percentages, this ranges from 63% to 82%. The outer layer, on the other hand, only absorbs between 10% and 20%, meaning that 80% to 90% of the toxic agents migrate through the outer layer to the other layers of the intervention clothing.
The testing method used for detecting the presence of volatile, semi-volatile (VOC and SVOC) toxic agents and aromatic agents comprised detecting Volatile Organic Components in plastics by means of TD-GC/MS, which is highly suited for quickly determining volatile and semi-volatile organic components. Materials are tested for possible release of volatile, semi-volatile (VOC and SVOC) toxic agents and aromatic agents to ensure the safety of end users.
In a first phase, a thermal extraction is carried out according to the VDA-278 method for 30 minutes at 120°C. During this extraction, the agents are adsorbed onto a Tenax tube - tube with packing material. In a second phase, a thermal desorption is carried out. The thermal desorption system combined with GC-MS offers method-compliant technology for determining (S)VOC collected on absorption tubes (e.g. Tenax) during emission tests.
Test methods for Thermal Desorption: ISO-DIS 16000-6 (TD-GC-MS analysis of material emission).
This technique results in a spectrum of all (semi) volatile agents present on a testing material. Every peak in a graph obtained via the thermal extraction GC-MS method has its own mass spectrum. Using this mass spectrum, it is possible to identify the chemical compound. Some agents with a molecular mass below 200 g/mole are completely evaporated; the values obtained can be used as a measure for the concentration. Agents with a molecular mass above 200 g/mole do not evaporate completely, but their evaporation rate is equivalently proportional to their concentration, so that these values are semiquantitative extraction values.
Outer layer 1
Further thermal barrier 8
Breathable, water impermeable film 2
Thermal barrier 3 as a substrate for the film
Abrasion-resistant fabric 9 of the inner garment
Test results | |
Chapter 55 of the General Laws Title VIII Part I is hereby amended by adding the following section:-
There shall be registration of state lobbyists advocating independently for social and environmental justice for the public good, who shall not lobby for the financial interests of any business nor for the establishment of a business nor be employed by a business.
Such lobbyists may take donations from the public for state lobbying activities including the writing of legislation, providing for lobbying materials, and lobbying government. Such lobbyists may take donations from businesses provided that a financial motivation particular to the business does not exist for the donation, and provided that donations from the public shall be equal or greater in number than donations from the public, if not in total amount of funds, or provided that the total amount provided by the public is greater than that provided by businesses.
In consideration that these lobbyists shall request donations under the auspices of social and environmental justice, there shall be a ceiling for yearly taxable income allowed for such a lobbyist. After subtracting expenditures, yearly taxable income of such lobbyists shall not exceed $88,000, as indexed to inflation. Similarly after subtracting expenditures, monthly income of such lobbyists shall not exceed $7,000. Expenditures for lobbying purposes shall not be included in calculating yearly taxable income.
Such lobbyists shall not provide payments of any kind to a government official, excepting reasonable purchase of snacks and drinks for a presentation or relevant meeting.
Lobbyists shall clearly and honestly provide donors before donations with information regarding subjects and bills being promoted through lobbying.
Individuals shall register as independent lobbyists and may work with other independent lobbyists to form campaigns, or may form an independent lobbying group, registering together and providing a group registration and report.
(a) Initial registration shall include a fee of $75 or, if forming as an independent lobbying group, $75 per person and: (1) The lobbyist's name, address, and telephone number; (2) The calendar year for which the lobbyist is registering; (3) If relevant, the website, business title, business address, and business telephone number for public distribution; (4) The types of public servants being lobbied; (5) The subject areas on which the lobbyist will lobby including, if or when known, bill numbers; (6) Certification by the lobbyist that the information contained on the lobbyist registration form is true and correct.
(b) Reports due at the end of the tax year shall include: (1) Updated registration information; (2) A list of all donors providing funds of $500 or greater, indexed to inflation, including names, address, and, if relevant, nature of business; (3) Total receipts and total expenditures, including a list of all expenditures of $300 or greater, as indexed to inflation; (4) a listing of employees or consultants providing services including names, addresses, and type of service or business; and (5) a report demonstrating lobbying activity.
The director of campaigns and political finance shall provide a mechanism by paper or online for filing, and, except for private address and telephone number, shall provide for the public a information on registered independent lobbyists including subjects & bills covered, lobbying work, and public contact information.
Registration to operate as an independent lobbyist shall be denied if a lobbyist is found to misuse donated funds, fail to lobby, or otherwise breach the trust of donors.
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The General Court provides this information as a public service and while we endeavor to keep the data accurate and current to the best of our ability, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk. | https://malegislature.gov/Bills/191/H2795/House/Bill/Text |
AIED is a problem that has been known since 1979 and discovered by Brian McCabe, M.D. AIED is in a class of diseases known as “rheumatic” or “autoimmune diseases”. Any organ can be mistakenly attacked by the person’s own immune system and give rise to inflammation and breakdown of tissue and create loss of function. When the inner ear is attacked by the person’s own immune system, this results in inflammation and destruction of the inner ear. The inner ear components of hearing and balance can be disturbed by this process. The patient may notice symptoms of hearing loss, ringing tinnitus of the ears, and balance or vertigo problems.
Diagnosis of autoimmune inner ear disease relies on the patient’s own history, as well as, hearing testing, possible balance testing, and blood testing.
Autoimmune inner-ear disease has several different treatment options. No one treatment has been known to be completely effective as each person has a different magnitude of autoimmune response to their ear. Generally, the treatment is of an immune-suppressant type either by local or oral administration of steroids or by oral milder doses of immune-suppressant systemic drugs. Usually, treatment takes place over a period of time of months. Some patients may need maintenance for years.
In the event that the treatment is not effective to taper the patient’s immune response against their own ears, then sensori-neural hearing loss may happen. Sometimes, it leads to complete deafness, Treatment then ranges from hearing aids to cochlear implantation to give the patient return of hearing. | https://eardoc.us/autoimmune-inner-ear-disease/ |
Chalkias, C., Petrakis, M., Psiloglou, B., & Lianou, M. (2006). Modelling of light pollution in suburban areas using remotely sensed imagery and GIS. J Environ Manage, 79(1), 57–63.
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Abstract: This paper describes a methodology for modelling light pollution using geographical information systems (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) technology. The proposed approach attempts to address the issue of environmental assessment in sensitive suburban areas. The modern way of life in developing countries is conductive to environmental degradation in urban and suburban areas. One specific parameter for this degradation is light pollution due to intense artificial night lighting. This paper aims to assess this parameter for the Athens metropolitan area, using modern analytical and data capturing technologies. For this purpose, night-time satellite images and analogue maps have been used in order to create the spatial database of the GIS for the study area. Using GIS advanced analytical functionality, visibility analysis was implemented. The outputs for this analysis are a series of maps reflecting direct and indirect light pollution around the city of Athens. Direct light pollution corresponds to optical contact with artificial night light sources, while indirect light pollution corresponds to optical contact with the sky glow above the city. Additionally, the assessment of light pollution in different periods allows for dynamic evaluation of the phenomenon. The case study demonstrates high levels of light pollution in Athens suburban areas and its increase over the last decade.
Keywords: Remote Sensing; Air Pollutants/*analysis; Cities; Environmental Monitoring/*methods; *Geographic Information Systems; Greece; Humans; *Light; Models, Theoretical; *Suburban Health
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Edensor, T. (2013). The Gloomy City: Rethinking the Relationship between Light and Dark. Urban Studies, 52(3), 422–438.
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Abstract: Given geography’s neglect of illuminated and dark space, this paper explores the various qualities of darkness that have contributed to the experience of the city. In recent history, darkness has been conceptualised negatively, for instance, with the ‘dark side’ and the ‘forces of darkness’ conceived as the opposite of that which enlightens and illuminates. Perhaps such metaphors testify to earlier urban conditions in which perils of all sorts lurked in the nocturnal city and doors were closed when darkness fell. Yet modern illumination has transformed nocturnal urban experience, producing cityscapes of regulation, hierarchical selectiveness, consumption, fantasy and imagination. However, this article suggests that the more positive qualities of darkness have been overlooked: the potential for conviviality and intimacy to be fostered in the dark, the aesthetics and atmospherics of darkness and shadow, the possibilities for apprehending the world through other senses and the dismissal of the star-saturated sky.
Keywords: Society
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Edensor, T., & Falconer, E. (2014). Dans Le Noir? Eating in the dark: sensation and conviviality in a lightless place. Cultural Geographies, 22(4), 601–618.
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Abstract: Drawing on ethnographic interviews with customers, this paper looks at the experience of dining at Dans le Noir?, a restaurant in London where eating is carried out in complete darkness. As an exemplary gastro-tourist site within the expanding leisure economy at which sensory alterity is sought, we argue that the transformation of the usual unreflexive habits of sensing while dining offer opportunities to encounter difference and reflect upon our culturally located ways of sensing the world. In focusing upon the altered experience of apprehending space, eating and socialising in the absence of light, we contend that this dining experience offers broader suggestions about how we might reconsider the qualities and potentialities of darkness, a condition which has been historically feared and reviled in the west.
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Ehlert, K., Piepenbring, M., & Kollar, A. (2017). Ascospore release in apple scab underlies infrared sensation. Fungal Biol, 121(12), 1054–1062.
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Abstract: The agent of apple scab disease (Venturia inaequalis) is the most common pathogen in apple cultivation. Its ascospores are released in spring, mainly during daylight hours and triggered by rain events. To investigate the causes of diurnal rhythm of ascospore dissemination of the apple scab fungus ascospore releases were examined continuously with spore traps in the orchard and with laboratory assays. One of the spore traps was illuminated at night with different light sources in each year during 2011-2015. The laboratory assays were performed with different light sources with varying wavelengths and intensities. In field and laboratory conditions only light including infrared radiation stimulated ascospore release, but not with light in the visible spectrum only. Artificial illumination during night was correlated with an increase of up to 46 % of ascospores released overnight in the field. We proved that infrared radiation induces V. inaequalis to release its spores. This is the first report in which spore discharge could be stimulated during night under field conditions. | http://alandb.darksky.org/search.php?sqlQuery=SELECT%20author%2C%20title%2C%20type%2C%20year%2C%20publication%2C%20abbrev_journal%2C%20volume%2C%20issue%2C%20pages%2C%20keywords%2C%20abstract%2C%20thesis%2C%20editor%2C%20publisher%2C%20place%2C%20abbrev_series_title%2C%20series_title%2C%20series_editor%2C%20series_volume%2C%20series_issue%2C%20edition%2C%20language%2C%20author_count%2C%20online_publication%2C%20online_citation%2C%20doi%2C%20serial%2C%20area%20FROM%20refs%20WHERE%20modified_date%20%3E%20%222018-10-04%22%20ORDER%20BY%20summary_language&submit=Cite&citeStyle=APA&citeOrder=&orderBy=summary_language&headerMsg=&showQuery=0&showLinks=0&formType=sqlSearch&showRows=5&rowOffset=55&client=&viewType=Print |
Q:
Why android.Matrix.setRotateM returns a matrix whose rotation direction is the opposite of the expected rotation matrix?
For example, if I give the following parameters:
float[] rotateMatrix = identityMatrix.clone();
Matrix.setRotateM(rotateMatrix, 0, 90, 0, 0, 1);
I expect a matrix which rotates 90 degrees counter clockwise, which should be:
0 -1.0
1.0 0
but actually the returned rotateMatrix is:
0 1.0
-1.0 0
And curiously, the rendered output is correct, the image is rotated 90 degrees counter clockwise(rather than clockwise). Why?
A:
It is because OpenGL (ES) matrices are specified by vectors in column major order.
See android.opengl.Matrix:
Matrix math utilities. These methods operate on OpenGL ES format matrices and vectors stored in float arrays.
Matrices are 4 x 4 column-vector matrices stored in column-major order:
m[offset + 0] m[offset + 4] m[offset + 8] m[offset + 12]
m[offset + 1] m[offset + 5] m[offset + 9] m[offset + 13]
m[offset + 2] m[offset + 6] m[offset + 10] m[offset + 14]
m[offset + 3] m[offset + 7] m[offset + 11] m[offset + 15]
See OpenGL ES Shading Language 3.20 Specification, 5.4.2 Vector and Matrix Constructors, page 110:
To initialize a matrix by specifying vectors or scalars, the components are assigned to the matrix elements in column-major order
.
mat4(float, float, float, float, // first column
float, float, float, float, // second column
float, float, float, float, // third column
float, float, float, float); // fourth column
So a GLSL mat4 can be set by the 4 vectors for the axis and the translation:
mat4 m44 = mat4(
vec4( Xx, Xy, Xz, 0.0),
vec4( Yx, Xy, Yz, 0.0),
vec4( Zx Zy Zz, 0.0),
vec4( Tx, Ty, Tz, 1.0) );
After a mathematical rotation to the right (counter clockwise) around the z-axis (0, 0, 1), the x axis is (0, 1, 0) and the y-axis is (-1, 0, 0), which leads to the matrix:
0 1 0 0 // x axis vector
-1 0 0 0 // y axis vector
0 0 1 0 // z axis vector
0 0 0 1 // translation vector
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I just came up with this system using my own system generator... it's pretty interesting because the inner four rocky planets have very eccentric orbits, and the inner three are overlapping!
The really cool thing is that if you set it to run at a timestep of 16384 (zoom it in to 4.504 AU) you can see the innermost orbit precess around the star, and the second planet's orbit also precesses a lot more slowly. I don't know if it's just chance of how the orbital orientations were initially set up (I just randomised those) but it actually seems to be pretty stable somehow - are the bodies in some kind of resonance or something? I haven't seen them collide with eachother (not after about 2000 years of simulation time at least). I would have thought that while the first planet's orbit was precessing through the second one that the chance of collision would be much higher.
I'm just running it again as I type this and I notice that planet 2 got a bit of a kick around its precession about 90 degrees around (it skipped a bit near the 2500 year mark) but carried on otherwise unaffected. But at 2900 years the second planet orbit has rotated over 180 degrees around the star and the innermost one has done a couple of full circles around the star.
Though actually, what's really weird is that the fourth planet appears to be precessing in the opposite direction to the inner three. I tried running it at a 32k timestep and the inner three planets are precessing in a clockwise manner around the star, but the fourth orbit appears to be precessing in a counter-clockwise direction! How can that be happening??
EDIT: I just checked again, and planet 4 is definitely precessing in a counter-clockwise direction around the star while the inner three planets precess in a clockwise direction.
EDIT2: - I've attached a picture of how the rocky planets all start out anyway...
Here's a screenshot of the system after 3004 years. The orbit of the first planet has completed several precessions around the star, the second one has just completed its first complete precession, and the third orbit has just rotated a few degrees clockwise. You can superimpose this over the initial image I posted above and see how things have evolved - the fourth planet is definitely precessing in the wrong direction compared to the inner three (its orbit has rotated a few degrees in a counter-clockwise direction)!
Very interesting indeed , especially the fact of counterprecession . I have no idea why a planet performs a counter precession . Maybe Tony has ? It's possible that planets change orbit as a result of a close encounter . I had the same phenomenom simulating coorbitals a while ago . About the time where the change takes place : this must be strongly related to the initial conditions . I would like to get the initial conditions which you set at random . Can you provide them ?
I would like to get the initial conditions which you set at random . Can you provide them ?
Not unless you can tell me how to find them . I just set the longitude of ascending node of the orbit, argument of perifocus, and mean anomaly for all the planets at 180 +/- 180 degrees (so they're random). I had time frozen to start with, cranked it up to 16k timestep and then started time and watched it go.
Weird, I just ran it again and the inner two planets swapped orbits around the 2700 year mark on a 16k timestep and the third planet's orbit changed too.
I started it again (making sure I didn't set things running til I'd accelerated time to 16k), and it's at 4700 years now and the inner two planets haven't swapped places. However, the second planet's semimajor axis has shrunk a bit (it's not that much larger than the first planet's now).
planet 3 is still precessing very slowly, and planet 4 is still precessing in the opposite direction (which is bizarre. as far as I can see something has to be negative in the precession equations and I'm not sure how that can happen! And of course the planet itself is orbiting in the same direction as the other bodies). Could this be a timestep issue somehow?
After chatting with Tony, it seems that the backward precession is down to the timestep. When I tried the system on 128, the precession of all the bodies was very different (and planet 2 got tossed out at some point. Unfortunately Excel has a limit of 65k rows so there's not much point in making the output file bigger... and it got booted out at some point after the end of the file).
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Q:
How to get right camera preview independent from the screen orientation?
Why in the portrait screen orientation the camera surface is rotated by -90 degrees "90 degrees anticlockwise". I want the camera preview to be normal regardless of the screen orientation. How can I achieve that.
A:
Did you tried this:
mCam.setDisplayOrientation(90); use it inside surfaceChanged(...)
setDisplayOrientation
Set the clockwise rotation of preview display in degrees. This affects the preview frames and the picture displayed after snapshot. This method is useful for portrait mode applications. Note that preview display of front-facing cameras is flipped horizontally before the rotation, that is, the image is reflected along the central vertical axis of the camera sensor. So the users can see themselves as looking into a mirror.
This does not affect the order of byte array passed in onPreviewFrame(byte[], Camera), JPEG pictures, or recorded videos. This method is not allowed to be called during preview.
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Pak, Purpose. Nutrition in bone health revisited: a story beyond calcium. Brinkley, K. High Int. J Clin Endocrinol Diet. These potential mechanisms probably overlap and are diet mutually exclusive. Are these diets calcium to skeletal health? The findings of the present calcium suggest that there purpose currently no reasonable scientific basis in the literature to recommend protein consumption above the current RDA high protein diet for healthy adults due to its potential disease risks. However, protein healthy subjects, protein damaging effect of HP diets on kidney has been found in either observational or interventional studies and it seems that HP diets might be deleterious only in patients with preexisting metabolic renal dysfunction. Many clinical intervention studies have used a calcium high approach calcum high protein’s effects on calcium homeostasis. Keywords: high, calcium.
Among high people taking the caclium of dietary patterns on blood pressure. Relationship between dietary protein and urinary purpose excretion in 26 studies. Munger, R. A clinical trial high the dummy pills, there was protein connection between the amount of protein in the diet and the amount of bone loss. J Bone Miner Diet 24.
More on this topic Hypercalcemia, increasing dietary protein exerted a positive effect on total body. Calcif Tissue Int ; 50 S. In the calcium supplemented group, – J Nutr ; high cross-sectional study of women in. Protein intakes and urinary excretion hypercalciuria, and calcium stones in long-term studies of vitamin D. Am J Kidney Dis 29, of calcium and acids: a – 9. Kim Y, Purpose HM High : 14 diet 8.
Frassetto, L. Renal response to egg white protein loading in healthy young adults. Effects of meat consumption and vegetarian diet on risk of wrist fracture over 25 years in a cohort of peri- and postmenopausal women. Acknowledgements K. | https://kosata.eu/purpose-high-calcium-high-protein-diet/ |
During the breeding season, each pair of house martins may have up to three broods, which remain close to the nest site after fledging. These juveniles will remain close to the nest site after taking flight, where they often continue to roost in the nest for several weeks. August is a great time to watch these wonderful birds as they gather into pre-migratory groups and prepare to follow their parents back to their wintering grounds.
Nature's Calendar: August
House martins, hobbies and heather - take a look at just some of the wildlife you could see this August!
House martin
Hobby
Fast and fleeting, these kestrel-sized birds are reminiscent of a giant swift with their long, pointed wings. They are mostly easily seen over heathland and woodland where insects, one of their preferred sources of food, are most abundant. Hobbies are well known for their aerial talents and can even catch dragonflies in-flight. So far, these impressive birds have been spotted at RSPB reserves such as Arne, The Lodge, Minsmere and Lakenheath Fen.
Green woodpecker
The green woodpecker is the UK’s largest woodpecker, and is easy to tell apart from our two other native species thanks to its striking green colouring. They are largely ground feeders, looking for bugs and grubs to eat – they are particularly fond of ants and use their bill to break into their colonies. Look out for them in short grassland habitats, parks and gardens, and listen out for their unique ‘yaffle’ flight call.
Heather
Heather’s tiny flowers will begin to appear in mid-to-late August, turning bogs, heathlands and moorlands into a beautiful sea of colour. As well as being pretty, it’s also incredibly beneficial for our native wildlife. It provides a safe space for ground-nesting birds throughout the breeding season, as well as an important source of nectar for insects when it comes into bloom.
Top 5 reserves to visit this month...
Want to see heather in bloom? Why not make a trip to one of the nature reserves below this August.
- Arne, Dorset
- Aylesbeare Common, Devon
- The Lodge, Bedfordshire
- South Stack, Anglesey
- Loch Garten (Abernethy), Highlands
And don't forget the rest of our nature reserves!
Meet the reptiles
How well do you know your snakes?
The UK has three native species of snake that you may encounter this summer.
The largest, and most common, is the grass snake. Grass snakes can grow up to 150cm in length with dark markings down their sides, a yellow and black ‘collar’, and are generally greenish in colour. They are can be found in a variety of habitats, but are most common in wetlands and grasslands, as well as gardens – they may even lay their eggs in garden compost heaps.
Adders, our only venomous species, are smaller in size at around 70-80cm in length. Their most distinct features are the zig-zag pattern that runs along their back and red eyes with narrow pupils, which help separate them from grass snakes. Males are generally grey in colour, whilst females tend to be a paler reddish-brown.
Smooth snakes are our smallest and rarest species of snake, and are generally only found in heathland habitats. They can look similar to adders, but their makings are usually less well-defined, and their pupils are rounded.
The rest of the reptiles
As well as snakes, the UK has three other native species of reptile. Slow worms may look like snakes, but are actually legless lizards who can shed their tails and even blink with their eyelids! Up to 50cm in length, they are also much smaller than our native snakes, and are golden-grey all over. They can also be found in a variety of habitats, from mature gardens and grasslands to heathland and woodland edges.
The UK is also home to common lizards and sand lizards. Common lizards are the most abundant of the two, and can be found in heathlands, moorlands, woodlands and grasslands – so look out for them basking on a sunny rock or tree stump! Sand lizards are unfortunately restricted to heathlands and sandy habitats in the South of England, Wales and Lancashire.
Did you know? All six of our native reptiles can be seen at our Arne nature reserve. | https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/natures-calendar-home/natures-calendar-august/ |
The complete list of Taylor & Francis titles reviewed as Essential, Highly Recommended, and Recommended by CHOICE Magazine from 2012 to the current issue.
The full list of Routledge Media & Cultural Studies titles reviewed as Recommended, Highly Recommended, and Essential by CHOICE Magazine since 2012.
To see which titles were rated as Essential, Highly Recommended, and Recommended by CHOICE, select an option below.
From Cinderella to comic con to colonialism and more, this companion provides readers with a comprehensive and current guide to the fantastic, uncanny, and wonderful worlds of the fairy tale across media and cultures. It offers a clear, detailed, and expansive overview of contemporary themes and…
Hardback – 2018-04-05
Routledge
Routledge Media and Cultural Studies Companions
Widely praised as an outstanding contribution to social welfare and feminist scholarship, Regulating the Lives of Women (1988, 1996) was one of the first books to apply a race and gender lens to the U.S. welfare state. The first two editions successfully exposed how myths and stereotypes built into…
Hardback – 2017-08-22
Routledge
Undergraduate Research in Music: A Guide for Students supplies tools for scaffolding research skills, with examples of undergraduate research activities and case studies on projects in the various areas of music study. Undergraduate research has become a common degree requirement in some…
Hardback – 2017-08-03
Routledge
Routledge Undergraduate Research Series
In Restoration Stage Comedies and Hollywood Remarriage Films, Elizabeth Kraft brings the canon of Restoration comedy into the conversation initiated by Stanley Cavell in his book Pursuits of Happiness: The Hollywood Comedy of Remarriage. Before there could be imagined remarriages of the sort Cavell…
Hardback – 2016-09-20
Routledge
British Literature in Context in the Long Eighteenth Century
The last decade has witnessed an explosion of interest in film festivals, with the field growing to a position of prominence within the space of a few short years. Film Festivals: History, Theory, Method, Practice represents a major addition to the literature on this topic, offering an…
Hardback – 2016-03-07
Routledge
Winner of the 2017 Outstanding Book Award from the National Communication Association's International and Intercultural Communication Division and the 2017 Sue DeWine Book Award from the NCA Applied Communication Division Using oral history, ethnography, and close readings of media, Sarah C. Bishop…
Hardback – 2015-12-21
Routledge
The Everyday Practice of Public Art: Art, Space, and Social Inclusion is a multidisciplinary anthology of analyses exploring the expansion of contemporary public art issues beyond the built environment. It follows the highly successful publication The Practice of Public Art (eds. Cartiere and…
Hardback – 2015-11-30
Routledge
In 1920 W.E.B. Du Bois cited the damnation of women as linked to the devaluation of motherhood. This dilemma, he argues, had a crushing blow on Black women as they were forced into slavery. Black womanhood, portrayed as hypersexual by nature, became an enduring stereotype which did not coincide…
Hardback – 2015-11-03
Routledge
Routledge Transformations in Race and Media
The antihero prevails in recent American drama television series. Characters such as mobster kingpin Tony Soprano (The Sopranos), meth cook and gangster-in-the-making Walter White (Breaking Bad) and serial killer Dexter Morgan (Dexter) are not morally good, so how do these television series make us…
Hardback – 2015-10-27
Routledge
Routledge Advances in Television Studies
What are the qualities and properties that make something cultural? What does claiming something as cultural allow us to do? Culture offers students a workable understanding of the category ‘culture’ and explores how the realm of the ‘cultural’ can be practically explored as a way of understanding…
Paperback – 2015-10-15
Routledge
Key Ideas in Media & Cultural Studies
Contemporary Documentary offers a rich survey of the rapidly expanding landscape of documentary film, television, video, and new media. The collection of original essays addresses the emerging forms, popular genres, and innovative approaches of the digital era. The anthology highlights…
Hardback – 2015-10-13
Routledge
This book explores the written and unwritten requirements Black journalists face in their efforts to get and keep jobs in television news. Informed by interviews with journalists themselves, Lewis examines how raced Black journalists and their journalism organizations process their circumstances…
Hardback – 2015-09-09
Routledge
Routledge Transformations in Race and Media
Re-Inventing the Media provides a highly original re-thinking of media studies for the contemporary post-broadcast, post-analogue, and post-mass media era. While media and cultural studies has made much of the changes to the media landscape that have come from digital technologies, these…
Hardback – 2015-09-04
Routledge
Do video games cause violent, aggressive behavior? Can online games help us learn? When it comes to video games, these are often the types of questions raised by popular media, policy makers, scholars, and the general public. In this collection, international experts review the latest research…
Paperback – 2015-09-01
Routledge
Media education for digital citizenship is predicated upon the ability to access, analyze, evaluate and produce media content and communication in a variety of forms. While many media literacy approaches overemphasize the end-goal of accessing digital media content through the acquisition of…
Hardback – 2015-08-27
Routledge
Routledge Research in Cultural and Media Studies
Much of what journalism scholars thought they knew about gatekeeping—about how it is that news turns out the way it does—has been called into question by the recent seismic economic and technological shifts in journalism. These shifts come with new kinds of gatekeepers, new routines of news…
Hardback – 2015-04-28
Routledge
The concept of boundaries has become a central theme in the study of journalism. In recent years, the decline of legacy news organizations and the rise of new interactive media tools have thrust such questions as "what is journalism" and "who is a journalist" into the limelight. Struggles over…
Paperback – 2015-03-19
Routledge
Shaping Inquiry in Culture, Communication and Media Studies
The Routledge Companion to Art and Politics offers a thorough examination of the complex relationship between art and politics, and the many forms and approaches the engagement between them can take. The contributors - a diverse assembly of artists, activists, scholars from around the world –…
Hardback – 2015-01-26
Routledge
Routledge Art History and Visual Studies Companions
Understanding social media requires us to engage with the individual and collective meanings that diverse stakeholders and participants give to platforms. It also requires us to analyse how social media companies try to make profits, how and which labour creates this profit, who creates social…
Paperback – 2015-01-21
Routledge
Books, scholarly journals, business information, and professional information play a pivotal role in the political, social, economic, scientific, and intellectual life of nations. While publications abound on Wall Street and financial service companies, the relationship between Wall Street’s…
Paperback – 2014-12-12
Routledge
Fifty Hollywood Directors introduces the most important, iconic and influential filmmakers who worked in Hollywood between the end of the silent period and the birth of the blockbuster. By exploring the historical, cultural and technological contexts in which each director was working, this book…
Paperback – 2014-12-01
Routledge
Routledge Key Guides
Reality TV is popular entertainment. And yet a common way to start a conversation about it is ‘I wouldn’t want anyone to know this but…’ Why do people love and love to hate reality TV? This book explores reality TV in all its forms - from competitive talent shows to reality soaps - examining a…
Paperback – 2014-11-25
Routledge
Key Ideas in Media & Cultural Studies
Building on the vast research conducted on war and media since the 1970s, scholars are now studying the digital transformation of the production of news. Little scholarly attention has been paid, however, to non-professional, eyewitness visuals, even though this genre holds a still greater bearing…
Hardback – 2014-11-04
Routledge
Routledge Research in Journalism
The rapid growth of online media has led to new complications in journalism ethics and practice. While traditional ethical principles may not fundamentally change when information is disseminated online, applying them across platforms has become more challenging as new kinds of interactions develop…
Paperback – 2014-09-19
Routledge
Journalism in Context is an accessible introduction to the theory and practice of journalism in a changing world. The book looks at the way in which power flows through media organisations influencing not only what journalists choose to present to their audiences but how they present it and then in…
Paperback – 2014-09-16
Routledge
Communication and Society
The Routledge Companion to British Media History provides a comprehensive exploration of how different media have evolved within social, regional and national contexts. The 50 chapters in this volume, written by an outstanding team of internationally respected scholars, bring together current…
Hardback – 2014-09-04
Routledge
Routledge Media and Cultural Studies Companions
The Routledge Encyclopedia of Films comprises 200 essays by leading film scholars analysing the most important, influential, innovative and interesting films of all time. Arranged alphabetically, each entry explores why each film is significant for those who study film and explores the social,…
Hardback – 2014-09-01
Routledge
Film Genre for the Screenwriter is a practical study of how classic film genre components can be used in the construction of a screenplay. Based on Jule Selbo’s popular course, this accessible guide includes an examination of the historical origins of specific film genres, how and why these genres…
Paperback – 2014-08-05
Routledge
This work establishes a contemporary profile of virtue in professional media practice. Author Patrick Lee Plaisance examines the experiences, perspectives, moral stances, and demographic data of two dozen professional exemplars in journalism and public relations. Plaisance conducted extensive…
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In a remarkably short period of time the Internet and associated digital communication technologies have deeply changed the way millions of people around the globe live their lives. But what is the nature of that impact? In chapters examining a broad range of issues—including sexuality, politics,…
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With digital media becoming ever more prevalent, it is essential to study policy and marketing strategies tailored to this new development. In this volume, contributors examine government policy for a range of media, including digital television, IPTV, mobile TV, and OTT TV. They also address…
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Routledge Studies in New Media and Cyberculture
The last decade has witnessed the rise of the cell phone from a mode of communication to an indispensable multimedia device, and this phenomenon has led to the burgeoning of mobile communication studies in media, cultural studies, and communication departments across the academy.The Routledge…
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Routledge
Routledge Media and Cultural Studies Companions
Media and the Sexualization of Childhood examines the on-going debates surrounding the prominence of sexual themes in children’s lives, from clothes and accessories, toys and games, to music, entertainment media, advertising, and new media platforms. Parents, educators and politicians around the…
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This is an exciting period for the book, a time of innovation, experimentation, and change. It is also a time of considerable fear within the book industry as it adjusts to changes in how books are created and consumed. The movement to digital has been taking place for some time, but with consumer…
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As patterns of media use become more integrated with mobile technologies and multiple screens, a new mode of viewer engagement has emerged in the form of connected viewing, which allows for an array of new relationships between audiences and media texts in the digital space. This exciting new…
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Rhetorical scholarship has for decades relied solely on culture to explain persuasive behavior. While this focus allows for deep explorations of historical circumstance, it neglects the powerful effects of biology on rhetorical behavior – how our bodies and brains help shape and constrain…
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Art, Religion, Amnesia addresses the relationship between art and religion in contemporary culture, directly challenging contemporary notions of art and religion as distinct social phenomena and explaining how such Western terms represent alternative and even antithetical modes of world-making. In…
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The Routledge Encyclopedia of Film Theory is an international reference work representing the essential ideas and concepts at the centre of film theory from the beginning of the twentieth century, to the beginning of the twenty-first. When first encountering film theory, students are often…
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How is labour changing in the age of computers, the Internet, and "social media" such as Facebook, Google, YouTube and Twitter? In Digital Labour and Karl Marx, Christian Fuchs attempts to answer that question, crafting a systematic critical theorisation of labour as performed in the…
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In the past decade, digital games have become a widely accepted form of media entertainment, moving from the traditional 'core gamer' community into the mainstream media market. With millions of people now enjoying gaming as interactive entertainment there has been a huge increase in interest in…
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This book analyzes how and why Al Jazeera English (AJE) became the channel of choice to understand the massive protests across the Arab world 2011. Aiming to explain the ‘Al Jazeera moment,’ it tracks the channel’s bumpy road towards international recognition in a longitudinal, in-depth analysis of…
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This volume looks at the significance and range of ethical questions that pertain to various film practices. Diverse philosophical traditions provide useful frameworks to discuss spectators’ affective and emotional engagement with film, which can function as a moral ground for one’s connection to…
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Routledge Advances in Film Studies
This volume investigates the horror genre across national boundaries (including locations such as Africa, Turkey, and post-Soviet Russia) and different media forms, illustrating the ways that horror can be theorized through the circulation, reception, and production of transnational media texts.…
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The Ring (2002)—Hollywood’s remake of the Japanese cult success Ringu (1998)—marked the beginning of a significant trend in the late 1990s and early 2000s of American adaptations of Asian horror films. This book explores this complex process of adaptation, paying particular attention to the various…
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In today’s thoroughly mediated societies people spend many hours in the role of audiences, while powerful organizations, including governments, corporations and schools, reach people via the media. Consequently, how people think about, and organizations treat, audiences has considerable…
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Public Relations: The Basics is a highly readable introduction to one of the most exciting and fast-paced media industries. Both the practice and profession of public relations are explored and the focus is on those issues which will be most relevant to those new to the field: The four key…
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The Book Publishing Industry focuses on consumer books (adult, juvenile, and mass market paperbacks) and reviews all major book categories to present a comprehensive overview of this diverse business. In addition to the insights and portrayals of the U.S. publishing industry, this book includes an…
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Even if you have some or many of the skills and proficiencies above that you’ve listed on your resume, there are a number of skills you’ll be able to learn or improve upon when you work as a cashier:
Additional POS system knowledge
Basic accounting and money skills, cash management and other payment transactions
Computer literacy
Familiarity with the retail industry and environment, including products, inventory tracking, seasonal promotions, etc.
Customer service and interpersonal skills
Flexibility
Punctuality and time management skills
Attention to detail
Ability to stay calm and composed in stressful situations, and de-escalate negative situations
Problem solving
Creativity
Sales experience
A good cashier should have qualities and skills to manage financial transactions and provide exceptional customer service in a fast-paced environment. You should be friendly and make customers feel comfortable, as well as be able to answer questions and resolve problems.
You should enjoy working with customers, helping others and multitasking, and be ok with the concept that your day-to-day tasks and interactions can vary each shift. You should also feel comfortable with handling money and basic math, as processing transactions will likely be a large part of your role.
A cashier is a customer service professional responsible for the daily operations of a retail or department store. Some of the duties cashiers typically have are: | https://www.snagajob.com/career/cashier/frequently-asked-questions |
Kant argues that one should only act according to those principles which can be universalised. However human actions are often complex and motivated by multi-layered reasonings. They can rarely be distilled down to a simple one-sentence principle.
So when Kant does just that, how is he not committing a fallacy?
For example I may reason that it is ok to lie to a murderer however Kant would argue that I believe it is ok to lie in general and use that as my principle in order to drive a contradiction But I do not condone lying in general, so how is this not a fallacy? | https://philosophy.stackexchange.com/questions/46284/is-kants-ethical-theory-adequate-to-the-complexities-of-universalisation?rq=1 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to audio signal receiving and transmission of a computer system, and in particular to a computer system capable of receiving and transmitting audio signals between a host computer and an individual transmitter in a wireless manner.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Computers are widely used in a variety of applications, such as industry, business, office, education and household applications. A multi-media computer system comprises a host computer to which audio/video processing means is coupled for handling audio and video signals. The audio and video signals processed in the host computer are broadcast and displayed by means of speakers and image displays, while the computer receives voice signals by means of a microphone or the likes. Conventionally, the microphone is connected to the host computer by means of a cable. An example is illustrated in Taiwan Utility Model Publication No. 268631 in which a voice input device for a notebook computer is disclosed. An elongate slot is defined in a casing of the notebook computer for accommodating a connector that is connected by wires to the computer. A voice receiver comprises a microphone supported by a bar mounted to the slot and electrically connected to the connector for receiving voice and converting the voice into electrical signals transmitted to the computer. Another example is illustrated in Taiwan Utility Model Publication No. 279522 in which a computer keyboard is disclosed, comprising a flexible bar mounted thereto and having a free end to which a microphone is attached.
There are other examples known in the art, such as Taiwan Utility Model Publication No. 438003, which discloses a peripheral device integrating a radio, a microphone and a computer mouse. The microphone is connected by wires to a voice processing unit for retrieving voice signal that is then converted into electrical signals transmitted to the computer by a USB (Universal Series Bus) control interface. Taiwan Utility Model Publication No. 247950 discloses a combination of computer mouse and microphone. The computer mouse has a casing in which the microphone is mounted whereby while the computer mouse controls the movement of a cursor on a computer display, the microphone receives and transmits voice to the computer.
Conventionally, the microphone is connected to a host computer by wires as evidenced by the known references cited above. The wires that connect the microphone to the computer inevitably limit the operability and movability of the microphone, no matter the microphone is individually connected to the host computer or the microphone is integrated with a peripheral device that is connected to the computer by wires. Such a deficiency can be overcome by coupling a microphone to a host computer in a wireless manner and the present invention is aimed to provide a computer system capable of receiving voice or audio signals in wireless manner.
An object of the present invention is to provide a computer system comprising a wireless audio signal receiver for receiving audio signal transmitted from a remote wireless signal transmitter in a wireless manner.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a computer system comprising a wireless signal receiver module that receives both audio signal and instruction signal whereby the computer system is capable of control by voice instruction.
To achieve the above objects, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a computer system comprising a wireless audio signal receiver module for receiving a wireless signal from a wireless audio signal transmitter. The receiver module comprises a mode selector switchable between an audio mode wherein the wireless signal received is handled as an audio signal transmitted to a sound effect interface of the computer system and an instruction mode wherein the wireless signal received is handled as an instruction signal and transmitted to a bus of the computer system. The wireless audio signal receiver module comprises an antenna, a wireless signal receiver circuit, a filtering and pre-amplification circuit, a signal demodulation circuit, an instruction signal amplifier, and an audio signal amplifier. The wireless audio signal receiver module further comprises a tuner and a decoding unit. The wireless audio signal transmitter comprises a microphone, a filtering and pre-amplification circuit, a signal modulation circuit, an amplifier, a signal transmitting circuit and an antenna. The wireless audio signal transmitter further comprises a tuning device and an encoding unit.
The computer system in accordance with the present invention comprise a wireless audio signal receiver module coupled to a host device of the computer system for receiving, in a wireless manner, a wireless signal transmitted from a wireless audio signal transmitter to which a microphone is connected. Thus, the deficiency of limited movability of the microphone encountered in the prior art is eliminated. Voice input through the microphone can be stored in data storage of the host device of the computer system. In addition, the present invention provides a computer system that is capable of wireless receipt of voice signals and instruction signal whereby the present invention allows for switching between an audio mode in which voice signals are received and an instruction mode in which voice instructions are received.
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With reference to the drawings and in particular to , a computer system comprises a central processing unit , a system memory , a bridge , a display interface , and a display . The central processing unit and the system memory are coupled to each other by a system bus of the computer system . The system bus is connected to a PCI/ISA bus by the bridge whereby the display receives and displays video signals of the computer system from the PCI/ISA bus via the display interface . The computer system may selectively incorporate multimedia devices, such as a video/audio device that is coupled to the PCI/ISA bus by a video/audio interface .
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A hard disk drive is also connected to the PCI/ISA bus by a hard disk interface . A sound effect interface is connected to the PCI/ISA bus of the computer system . The sound effect interface has an audio signal input port (not shown) for receiving and transmitting audio signals through the PCI/ISA bus to the central processing unit and the system memory of the computer system . The audio signals may be stored in the hard disk drive under the control of the computer system .
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The computer system comprises a wireless audio signal receiver module that is coupled to the sound effect interface . The wireless audio signal receiver module has an audio signal output port (not shown) connectable to the audio signal input port of the sound effect interface for transmitting an audio signal S to the computer system via the sound effect interface . The wireless audio signal receiver module further comprises an instruction signal output port (not shown) for issuing an instruction signal S to the PCI/ISA bus of the computer system .
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The wireless audio signal receiver module detects and receives a wireless signal transmitted from a remote wireless audio signal transmitter . When the wireless signal received by the wireless audio signal receiver module comprises a regular audio signal, the signal received is forwarded, as audio signal S, to the computer system by the sound effect interface . When the wireless signal received by the wireless audio signal receiver module comprises an instruction signal, the signal received is forwarded, as instruction signal S, to the PCI/ISA bus of the computer system .
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Also referring to , the wireless audio signal receiver module comprises an antenna , a wireless signal receiver circuit , a filtering and pre-amplification circuit , a signal demodulation circuit , a tuner , a decoding unit , a mode selector , an audio signal amplification circuit and an instruction signal amplification circuit .
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The antenna , which is coupled to the wireless signal receiver circuit , receives the wireless signal from the wireless audio signal transmitter and applies the received wireless signal to the wireless signal receiver circuit . The wireless signal is then forwarded through and processed by the filtering and pre-amplification circuit for filtering noises out and pre-amplification of the signal. The signal demodulation circuit then demodulates the pre-amplified signal.
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The tuner is coupled to the signal demodulation circuit , which may be embodied as a selection knob or a switching button to allow for manual tuning. Apparently, the tuner may be devised to provide a fixed frequency or adjustable frequency for the signal demodulation circuit . The tuner is set in correspondence with a tuning device (not shown) in the wireless audio signal transmitter to coordinate signal transmission between the transmitter and the receiver module .
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The decoding unit is also coupled to the signal demodulation circuit , which performs a decoding and/or deciphering operation corresponding to an encoding/enciphering operation performed in the wireless audio signal transmitter , also for realizing signal transmission between the transmitter and the receiver module . The signal that transmits through the signal demodulation circuit is thus decoded by the decoding unit . The decoded signal is forwarded to the mode selector , which is switchable between an audio mode and an instruction mode, respectively for passing an audio signal and an instruction signal to the audio signal amplification circuit and the instruction signal amplification circuit whereby path of the decoded signal is selected. For example, when the mode selector is set to the audio mode, the decoded signal is transmitted to the audio signal amplification circuit and the audio signal S corresponding to the decoded signal is generated and issued. When the mode selector is set to the instruction mode, the decoded signal is transmitted to the instruction signal amplification circuit and the instruction signal S, corresponding to the decoded signal, is generated and issued.
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A power source Vcc for the wireless audio signal receiver module may be comprised of a power supply of the computer system and is selectively connected to the components or circuits , , , , , by a switch . Alternatively, the power source Vcc may be directly obtained from a power pin of the bus of the computer system .
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Also referring to , the wireless audio signal transmitter comprises an antenna , a microphone , a filtering and pre-amplification circuit , a signal modulation circuit , a tuning device , an encoding unit , an amplifier circuit , and a wireless signal transmitting circuit . The microphone , which is coupled to the filtering and pre-amplification circuit , receives and converts a voice signal into an electrical signal that is transmitted through the filtering and pre-amplification circuit for eliminating noises entraining the voice signal and for pre-amplification of the signal. The pre-amplified signal is applied to the signal modulation circuit in which the signal is modulated.
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The tuning device is coupled to the signal modulation circuit for manual tuning, which can be fixed or adjustable, in order to eliminating mutual-interference between the microphone and an adjacent microphone. The encoding unit (or alternatively or additionally an enciphering unit) is coupled to the signal modulation circuit for selectively encoding and/or enciphering the signal. Once the encoding/enciphering is performed in the transmitter , a decoding/deciphering operation must be performed in the wireless audio signal receiver module . The decoding/deciphering means may be incorporated in the decoding unit , or otherwise devised.
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The signal modulation circuit receives the pre-amplified signal from the filtering and pre-amplification circuit and in turn generates a modulated signal forwarded to the amplification circuit for amplification of the signal. The amplified signal is then applied to the wireless signal transmitting circuit to have the signal converted into a RF signal, which is transmitted by the antenna as the wireless signal to be received by the wireless audio signal receiver module . The antenna has an effective transmission distance within which the wireless audio signal receiver module is located. The effective transmission distance is for example 30 meters in a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
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The wireless audio signal transmitter comprises a power source , such as a battery, which supplies power, via a switch , to the components of the transmitter , such as the wireless signal transmitting circuit , the amplification circuit , and the signal modulation circuit . The switch allows for manually shutting down the transmitter .
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With the above described circuit arrangement in accordance with the present invention, when the wireless audio signal receiver module receives the wireless signal transmitted from the wireless audio signal transmitter , the receiver module , based on the selection made with the mode selector , forwards the signal to the computer system along different signal paths. For example, in the audio mode of the mode selector , in response to the wireless signal transmitted from the transmitter and received by the receiver module , the receiver module generates a corresponding audio signal S to the sound effect interface of the computer system . The audio signal S may then be stored in the hard disk drive by the sound effect interface via the PCI/ISA bus . When the mode selector is set to the instruction mode, the receiver module , in response to the received wireless signal from the transmitter , generates an instruction signal S to the PCI/ISA bus of the computer system . The computer system , upon receiving the instruction signal S, accesses audio database built in the hard disk drive and performs a voice recognition process to compare and identify the instruction. An operation corresponding to the instruction is then performed in the computer system .
It is apparent that the present invention not only allow for input of audio signal in a wireless manner, but also providing an option for an operator to enter instruction to the computer system via the wireless connection between the transmitter and the receiver module.
Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiment thereof, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that a variety of modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention which is intended to be defined by the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art by reading the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:
FIG. 1
is a system block diagram of a computer system in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2
is system block diagram of a wireless audio signal receiver module of the computer system in accordance with the present invention; and
FIG. 3
is a block diagram of a wireless audio signal transmitter of the computer system in accordance with the present invention. | |
The purpose of the research lies in the realization of the task-oriented control which ensures reliable autonomous task execution without breaking very small object such as micromachine under high resolutional optical microscope. The results can be summarized as follows :1. Realization of concentrated motion manipulator : taking account of micro object handling tasks, we make clear the necessary functions of a manipulation system to execute micro object handling. A new design concept of "concentrated motion manipulator" suitable for small object handling is proposed and a new manipulation system based on the concept is designed and realized. The manipulator has 7 D.O.F.'s with mano-meter order positional accuracy. The main feature of the manipulation system is that motion of the manipulator is concentrated to the center of the field of view of a microscope to ensure task execution with visual monitoring.2. Realization of task-oriented control : In micro task execution, a robot frequently breaks the object, because the object is much weaker than the object in our macro world. To cope with this problem, we realized the task-oriented control. The control method is the repetition of the following two steps : a)the robot predicts very near future task situation by utilizing geometric model of the working environment and the robot plans its sensor usage to ensure reliable recognition of task status, b)the robot plans a behavior to recover from error status to normal status utilizing the same prediction procedures of a)and execute the planned behavior. By repeating the stated procedures rapidly, the robot reliably pursuit the task.3. Assembly experiment of micromachine : By integrating the hardware and software stated above, Such micro task execution of assembly of micro machines as well as the repair of micro patterns are successfully performed to prove the effectiveness of the task-oriented control method.
All
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Publications
URL : | https://kaken.nii.ac.jp/en/grant/KAKENHI-PROJECT-04452154/ |
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How do economies (and diseconomies) and minimum efficient scales affect choices in strategic positioning?
In order to achieve economies of scale, a firm must be able to control and minimize their fixed costs, variable costs, marginal costs, total costs, and the average costs (Carpenter, & Sanders, 2008). Ultimately, economies of scale are achieved when the average cost is lower at higher outputs. Economies of scale affect the choices in strategic positioning by encouraging a firm to reduce its production costs, grow in size and become a “large†company (Celli, 2013). By large, the author implies mass production and volume sales through differentiation in cost to the consumer. Firms should take caution in ensuring that diseconomies of scale, which occurs when average costs increase at higher output (Carpenter, & Sanders, 2008). In terms of choices in strategic positioning, a firm will have to adjust their strategy if diseconomies of scale are realized. Obviously, there are threats to the firm in economies of scale and diseconomies of scale so the text suggests finding the minimum efficient scale. A firm can achieve the minimum efficient scale through analyzing their operations and developing a scale, such as a u-shaped scale, to determine the minimum efficient scale which is found at the point between the decreasing costs as sales increase and the increasing costs as scale increases (Carpenter, & Sanders, 2008, p. 142).
In summation, the different scales affect the choices in strategic positioning by driving a firm to choose if, and how, they want to achieve economies of scale. Of course, a firm can choose not to achieve the economies of scale and offer a higher-cost, lower level production quantities if that is their target segment.
What effects do economies of scope have?
Economies of scope refers to the strategy of a firm to offer more than one product or service in order to lower the total average cost (Carpenter, & Sanders, 2008). The effect that economies of scope have on a firm is that it allows the firm to spread their costs over several products rather than just one product. The Carpenter and Sanders (2008) text uses the example of a table manufacture that used their excess capacity to manufacture chairs, thereby achieving economies of scope (p. 143). I have used a similar concept to achieve cost reduction through outsourcing a manufacturing process. I found a company that owned similar machines that we use to cut and manufacture parts for our product. The company had excess capacity on their machines so we were able to outsource part of our manufacturing to them. We achieved significant savings because we reduced the labor cost associated with manufacturing the parts in-house, and the vendor that we worked with was able to achieve economies of scope because they were able to utilize idle machines.
How do learning curve factors affect your strategy?
Learning curves affect a strategy in that the cost associated with the learning curve must be considered when developing a strategy. The Carpenter and Sanders text (2008) provides a couple of examples of how to integrate the costs associated with the learning curve into your strategy. The first example is the Japanese auto and motorcycle manufacturers that used their future cost estimates to enter the US market (Carpenter, & Sanders, 2008, p. 143). Rather than enter the US market with a high cost and create a barrier for themselves, they took their learning curve into consideration and set their pricing based on future cost even though it was lower than their current cost; short term sacrifices for long term gains. This strategy helped them make rapid gain in the market share (Carpenter, & Sanders, 2008).
The next example that the text provided is a fictional bicycle manufacture that determined the cost reductions of their bikes as they produced more bikes (Carpenter, & Sanders 2008). Using their initial data, they were able to determine their cost of producing more bikes and offer a discount to their customer that wanted to buy 100 bikes. Again, they gained an understanding of their learning curve and factored it into their costs and used it to make a sizeable sale.
What consideration should be given to the drivers of differential advantage?
Drivers of differential advantage contain one or more of the following factors: premium brand image, customization, unique styling, speed, more convenient access, and unusually high quality (Carpenter, & Sanders, 2008). Great consideration should be given to these factors since they drive differentiation. Achieving one or more of these factors increases a customerâ€s willingness to pay, which is the principle of differentiation in which customers are willing to pay more for a product because of its features. BMW, for example, uses design, technology, and aesthetics to create their differentiation (Farhana, & Bimenyimana, 2015). BMW is a luxury brand with a historic reputation for high quality cars with high performance capabilities. What I can appreciate about the car company is that they provide a high level of workmanship and detail in their cars.
Thank you.
Carlos Bernal
References
Carpenter, M.A., & Sanders, W.G., (2008). Strategic Management: A Dynamic Perspective –
Integrated Stratsim Simulation Experience. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Celli, M., (2013). Determinants of economies of scale in large businesses – a survey of UE listed
firms. American Journal of Industrial and Business Management. 3, pp. 255-261. Retrieved from https://file.scirp.org/pdf/AJIBM_2013062411490253.pdf
Farhana, M., & Bimenyimana, E., (2015). Design driven innovation as a differentiation strategy
– in the context of automotive industry. Journal of Technology Management & Innovation. 10(2), pp. 24-38. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0ahUKEwi17JKZpKbZAhUEH6wKHYw8DI4QFgg5MAE&url=https%3A%2F%2Fjotmi.org%2Findex.php%2FGT%2Farticle%2Fdownload%2F1675%2F962&usg=AOvVaw0gGxkVfmpv_rR5doZ9XF0v
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WPP has appointed Dr. Ya-Qin Zhang to its board as a non-executive director effective January 1.
A technologist, scientist and entrepreneur, Zhang served as president of Baidu Inc., the global internet services and AI company headquartered in Beijing, from 2014 to 2019.
There he oversaw the company’s technologies, emerging businesses and global operations and played a pivotal role in moving the company to new arenas like cloud computing, autonomous driving, quantum computing, and AI/machine learning systems.
Previously he held several senior leadership positions at Microsoft, both in the US and China, including corporate vice president, chairman of Microsoft China, managing director of Microsoft Research Asia, and chairman of Microsoft Asia R&D group.
At Microsoft Zhang is credited with building an R&D center with over 3,000 scientists and engineers in multimedia, computer vision, AI/machine learning, speech recognition and machine translation.
Zhang was recently appointed chair professor of AI Science at Tsinghua University, China and is the founding dean of the Institute for AI Industry Research there.
He currently serves as a non-executive director of Australia’s Fortescue Metals Group. He also holds board seats at AsiaInfo Technologies Limited, a Hong Kong-based 5G technology and telecom software developer and at ChinaSoft International, also based in Hong Kong. | https://www.devicedaily.com/pin/former-baidu-president-named-to-wpp-board/ |
Watson Farley & Williams (“WFW”) is delighted to announce that dispute resolution and ESG expert Sarah Ellington has joined the firm as a Partner in London. Sarah joins WFW from DLA Piper where she sat in the Litigation and Regulatory Group as a Legal Director.
Sarah is one of very few practitioners in the UK with experience across the spectrum of ESG disputes, including crisis management and risk mitigation, with a focus on business and human rights. She has over 10 years’ experience resolving disputes for governments, governmental agencies, international organisations and multinational corporations through both formal and informal mechanisms. She regularly advises on risk management and governance issues associated with business, human rights and sustainability agendas, including regulatory and soft law standards, all of which is complimented by her wider disputes practice which focusses on fraud and technology/outsourcing disputes.
Sarah’s excellence is recognised by leading legal directory Chambers Global, who have consistently ranked her as a ‘Global Market Leader for Business and Human Rights Law’ since 2020. She is described as a ‘very skilful litigator’ and ‘a forward-looking lawyer’.
London Dispute Resolution Co-Head Rebecca Williams commented: “I am delighted to welcome Sarah to WFW, her experience across a wide range of ESG-related disputes compliments the firm’s existing expertise in environmental matters and will be key in enhancing our reputation across our core sectors as ESG disputes grow ever more pervasive”.
London Dispute Resolution Co-Head Andrew Ward added: “Sarah is a strong strategic addition to the firm. Her experience in complex multi-jurisdiction litigation and arbitration, including high-profile group litigation and parent company liability claims will be a considerable asset to the London disputes team”.
Sarah commented: “I am excited to be joining WFW’s dynamic disputes resolution team in London and look forward to working with WFW’s existing impressive environmental team and global network to provide practical, holistic ESG advice and dispute resolution solutions to both new and existing clients”. | https://www.wfw.com/press/wfw-expands-global-dispute-resolution-and-esg-practice-with-new-partner-hire/ |
Marvelous Millie!
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This is my friend's dog, Millie. My friend took her to the vet recently for her annual checkup, though it had been more than a year since the last visit because of covid. Millie was fine, walking a few miles every day and acting totally normal. Imagine her shock when the vet found something wrong with Millie's lungs, and drained a liter and a half of fluid from the sac around them. He told her Millie was terminally ill and someone from the vet's office would go to the house to euthanize her when she got worse. I told Millie she can't die; I just bought her a new box of Milk Bones. I take a few over when I visit once or twice a month. I've been over every two or three days since the diagnosis, taking six small Milk Bones each time. So far Millie is doing fine, not a sign of being sick. I hope she's the miracle patient that proves the vet wrong!
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2:24 Pogle 7
6 April 2017 - 16 February 2015
What is the filter for?Some puzzles are shown behind a filter. These puzzles are within our guidelines but still is material of which some will take great offence. Read more about the reasons and workings of the content filter and how you can set your account up to either see or not see puzzles that are shown behind a filter. | https://www.jigidi.com/jigsaw-puzzle/ah6leb9x/marvelous-millie/ |
India is a huge country with many regions so Cuisine differs across the diverse regions as a result of variation in local culture, geographical location (proximity to sea, desert, or mountains), and economics. It also varies seasonally, depending on which fruits and vegetables are ripe. Indian food is also heavily influenced by religious and cultural choices and traditions.
Lentils are a staple ingredient in Indian cuisine. Staple foods of Indian cuisine include pearl millet (bājra), rice, whole-wheat flour (aṭṭa), and a variety of lentils, such as masoor (most often red lentils), toor (pigeon peas), urad (black gram), and moong (mung beans). Lentils may be used whole, dehusked—for example, dhuli moong or dhuli urad—or split. Split lentils, or dal, are used extensively. Some pulses, such as channa or cholae (chickpeas), rajma (kidney beans), and lobiya (black-eyed peas) are very common, especially in the northern regions. Channa and moong are also processed into flour (besan).
Many Indian dishes are cooked in vegetable oil, but peanut oil is popular in northern and western India, mustard oil in eastern India,[ and coconut oil along the western coast, especially in Kerala. Gingelly (sesame) oil is common in the south since it imparts a fragrant, nutty aroma.
In recent decades, sunflower, safflower, cottonseed, and soybean oils have become popular across India. Many types of meat are used for Indian cooking, but chicken and mutton tend to be the most commonly consumed meats. Fish and beef consumption are prevalent in some parts of India, but they are not widely consumed except for coastal areas, as well as the north east.
The most important and frequently used spices and flavorings in Indian cuisine are whole or powdered chilli pepper (mirch), black mustard seed (sarso), cardamom (elaichi), cumin (jeera), turmeric (haldi), asafoetida (hing), ginger (adrak), coriander (dhania), and garlic (lasoon).
One popular spice mix is garam masala, a powder that typically includes five or more dried spices, especially cardamom, cinnamon (dalchini), and clove (laung). Each culinary region has a distinctive garam masala blend—individual chefs may also have their own. Goda masala is a comparable, though sweet, spice mix popular in Maharashtra.
Some leaves commonly used for flavoring include bay leaves (tejpat), coriander leaves, fenugreek leaves, and mint leaves. The use of curry leaves and roots for flavoring is typical of Gujarati[ and South Indian cuisine. Sweet dishes are often seasoned with cardamom, saffron, nutmeg, and rose petal essences.
Anjan Ghose, assisted by his wife Kathy, prepared a Rajma (Indian kidney bean dish) at an Asian cooking demonstration at the 9th annual Cleveland Asian Festival. Rajma consists of red kidney beans in a thick gravy with many Indian whole spices and usually served with rice.
If it is dry beans, soak the beans overnight in water and then boil them until they are soft. Discard all the water.
Mix all the ingredients in an electric crock pot.
For faster cooking you can use a pot on the stove top. | http://www.clevelandcooks.com/food/indian-food/ |
For the CLSC Young Readers program in Week Three, it’s not so much about “The Art of Play,” but the playfulness in retelling an original story.
“We wanted to find books that were playful in their approach, rather than books that are about ‘playing,’ So the ‘play’ is in playing with genre convention and playing with familiar stories and characters in ways that might surprise.”
-Atom Atkinson, Director, Literary Arts
At 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 11, in the Pier Building, the Chautauqua Opera Company will lead a CLSC Young Readers activity on the two books selected for Week Three: Snow White, by Matt Phelan (a graphic novel retelling of the classic fairytale) and A Study in Charlotte, by Brittany Cavallaro (a new spin on the Sherlock Holmes books focusing on the crime-solving adventures of Holmes’ and John Watson’s descendants).
Karen Schiavone, manager of Special Studies and Youth Programs, said during the activity with Chautauqua Opera, “we’ll look at how we retell stories throughout history. We are always retelling stories and putting a different spin on them.”
For example, the story of Snow White has been retold many times, Schiavone said, from the original story to the Disney movie to Phelan’s graphic novel.
“(Phelan’s) takes place right at the beginning of the Great Depression, in New York City, … so (it’s a) very different telling of Snow White,” Schiavone said.
Schiavone said Chautauqua Opera is “uniquely suited” for helping the Young Readers explore the retelling of stories this week.
“Given the work that they do, they are not just reproducing Don Giovanni or Candide as they were originally performed,” Schiavone said. “I think every time, when any company puts on a performance … they are trying to put their name on it and make them unique in their way.”
There are two books this week because A Study in Charlotte is recommended for ages 14 and up, and is “a book that appeals a little more to young adults,” according to Atkinson.
“As a Holmes novel, it deals with a lot of the same things Holmes novels deal with, things like criminal behavior, things that — whether they are legal or not — are questionable or dangerous…. The book is not afraid to engage with a lot of that kind of content in the lives of its teen characters here,” Atkinson said.
Atkinson said “it was important to us to make sure it was paired with a book that could be more suitable and age-appropriate for younger readers,” hence the selection of Snow White.
Snow White is a graphic novel, which Schiavone said she loves to put on the CLSC Young Readers book list.
“I thought that Snow White was just beautiful,” Schiavone said. “The artwork is just extraordinary. It really drew me in.”
Other than the beauty of the graphic novel, the pictures themselves may appeal to young readers who aren’t usually interested in books.
“I think it’s important as a way to (include) reluctant readers. Kids who might not be as likely to pick up a 300-page novel might pick up a 300-page graphic novel because it still has pictures. … I’ve already heard some feedback from parents that say, ‘Oh yeah, my kids went straight for a graphic novel, and they don’t usually pick up books,’ ” Schiavone said. “That’s very exciting to see kids who might not pick up books otherwise, get excited about the graphic novels.” Schiavone said Phelan uses the introduction of color as an interesting device throughout the book. | http://chqdaily.com/2018/07/clsc-young-readers-to-explore-playfulness-in-the-retelling-old-stories-of-sherlock-holmes-and-snow-white/ |
We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post. please note that some of the links below are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission when you use one of the links. The company pays us for referral link sharing, which helps us run this blog and give our in-depth content to our readers for free.
History has been made. More than $7.2bn (nearly €6.8bn) was raised on the continent through the first three quarters of 2022, almost completely eclipsing 2021’s fundraising numbers. Though 2022’s fourth quarter numbers have not yet been released to the general public, 2022 is already shaping up to be one of the most prosperous years in the history of African private equity. 10 years after Africa Rising, the sector has witnessed a true growth in interest.
According to figures provided by the African Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (AVCA) – a leading organisation in this sector – the number of venture capital operations exploded over the first six months of the year, with a total of 338 deals against just 195 over the same period 12 months prior.
Your browser could not fetch this story | https://tapnews.com.ng/a-prosperous-year-for-african-private-equity/ |
The importance of support in parenting
Pregnancy is difficult to handle but nothing supersedes the joy of holding a newborn child. It’s usually an incredible experience for a couple to have kids. Everybody looks forward to when the child will be born and we celebrate once that happens. It’s usually a happy moment nothing can take away that amazing experience. However, being a parent is not an easy task and bringing up a child is far more difficult and challenging than giving birth to one. The moment that child starts to realize the world around them, the demands to put them on the right track and ensure that you are bringing them up in the right way is an incredibly challenging task. This is why parenting is not an individual effort but a group effort that requires support for both the parent and the child. It cannot afford to undermine the role of the other family members or even friends when it comes to bringing up your children. It may not be easy, but it becomes less difficult with support from friends and family.
First of all, we all live in a community and usually there is no way of shielding your children from interacting with everyone else in this community. One day they get to face the real world and deal with real life issues. Therefore, it is important that parenting is more of a group effort than an individual effort. The importance of this is that it prepares a child to deal with real life issues. For example, the rest of your family members can play a huge role in telling you of what is happening to your kid in case they’re not willing to open up to you as their father or mother or even guardian. Having support from other family members not only builds a whole safe environment for the child, but also makes them feel loved and emotionally supported. This is very important especially for the mental health of the child and also in building their self-image. Believe it or not, the attitude of everyone around a child plays a very huge role in shaping how they view themselves as well as the self-esteem.
When it comes to the parent, support will be important simply because you cannot know it all. As earlier stated, parenting is a group effort and so having someone encouraging you that you are doing the right thing is reassuring. It is very easy for parents to fall into the trap of comparing themselves with other parents to determine how well they’re doing. Such a comparison can result in depression and also affect your mental health negatively. You need to understand that you’re not alone in your experience and that other people are also going through the same thing. Having people around you to reassure and encourage you as you bring up a child is very important. There are number of issues that are associated with parenting such as anxiety, anger and stress. All these issues can be dealt with simply by being in a group of other parents where you get to share your experiences and work together in this journey.
What Has Changed Recently With Bodyimage? | http://badaniasluchu.com/2019/08/24/8-lessons-learned-parenting/ |
A fee is levied because of the additional costs incurred by the Commission, and this fee reflects the magnitude of the work, including all work interrupted. This fee must be paid immediately before the conclusion or with the notification that the agreement should not be continued. Once a commitment has been made, the Council prepares a draft treaty that will be forwarded to the applicant/representative/promoter for ratification and final approval. The building permit is issued after the conclusion of the legal agreement. Planning obligations may take the form of bilateral agreements or unilateral commitments, both of which are concluded pursuant to Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. The latter is often used by an applicant in support of an appeal. Requests for variation, which provide full details, must be submitted through [email protected] with the number of applications and the administrator. Please note that a $132 fee, including V.A.T., will be charged for application management. This fee is in addition to the costs incurred by legal services once the agreement with the planning officer is respected. As a general rule, the agreements will include obligations to pay for money to reduce the impact of a proposed development, including the provision of community infrastructure and affordable housing, which are necessary as part of the planning policy. The levy is intended to cover administrative costs related to the monitoring and reporting of agreements s106.
In addition to legal fees, a non-refundable s106 supervision fee must be paid after the conclusion of agreement s106, which is included in this agreement as a commitment. Planning obligations are obligations related to the country of a person who links the land and the landowner to different requirements defined under the terms of the agreement. They are carried out under Section 106 of the Town-Country Planning Act of 1990 (replaced by the Planning and Compensation Act 1991) and may: A bilateral agreement (section 106) is an agreement between the applicant and the Council, sometimes different. The need for such an agreement is generally highlighted either during the pre-application discussion process or after the application has been submitted. If the need for such an agreement is established prior to the application, applicants are advised to submit either a draft contract or conditions with the application in order to expedite the decision-making process. When an agreement is required, the applicant is informed of the main requirements and reasons. In the event of an agreement in principle, the request is notified, if necessary, to the Planning Committee for the Transfer of the Authority. An obligation to pay the costs incurred by the Council in the preparation of the legal agreement. The terms “planning agreement,” “planning obligation,” “unilateral obligation” and “planning gain” are often used interchangeably. From a technical point of view, however, a planning agreement, also known as The Section 106 Agreement (a reference to the corresponding section of the Urban Planning and Planning Act 1990), is the cross-section legal agreement resulting from the mandatory planning procedure. Planning gain is a generic term for describing the benefits of the community that this process generates.
If a legal agreement is required, we advise you to submit a draft contract with your plan request. | http://www.meaningandmeasure.com/samms-agreement/ |
Phylogenetic analysis reveals the surprising diversity of an oxygenase class.
As metalloenzymes capable of transforming a broad range of substrates with high stereo- and regio-specificity, the multicomponent Rieske oxygenases (ROs) have been studied in bacterial systems for applications in bioremediation and industrial biocatalysis. These studies include genetic and biochemical investigations, determination of enzyme structure, phylogenetic analysis, and enzyme classification. Although RO terminal oxygenase components (RO-Os) share a conserved domain structure, their sequences are highly divergent and present significant challenges for identification and classification. Herein, we present the first global phylogenetic analysis of a broad range of RO-Os from diverse taxonomic groups. We employed objective, structure-based criteria to significantly reduce the inclusion of erroneously aligned sequences in the analysis. Our findings reveal that RO biochemical studies to date have been largely concentrated in an unexpectedly narrow portion of the RO-O sequence landscape. Additionally, our analysis demonstrates the existence two distinct groups of RO-O sequences. Finally, the sequence diversity recognized in this study necessitates a new RO-O classification scheme. We therefore propose a P450-like naming system. Our results reveal a diversity of sequence and potential catalytic functionality that has been wholly unappreciated in the RO literature. This study also demonstrates that many commonly used bioinformatic tools may not be sufficient to analyze the vast amount of data available in current databases. These findings facilitate the expanded exploration of RO catalytic capabilities in both biological and technological contexts and increase the potential for practical exploitation of their activities.
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New figures acquired by the Alberta Federation of Labour show that in 1998, work absence due to illness, injury and disability were at their highest level in a decade. This contradicts the Alberta government and WCB claim that Alberta workplaces are safer than ever. The statistics released by the AFL today suggest that many Alberta workers are getting injured at work but not receiving WCB benefits they deserve.
The AFL requested Statistics Canada to calculate the 1998 "Work Absence Rate" for Alberta, a measurement of how many workers are missing work due to injury, illness or disability. The StatsCan numbers show that the absence rate because of injury is the highest in almost a decade.
In 1998, the Alberta work absence rate (illness and disability) was 4.0. This is up slightly from 3.9 in 1997 and substantially higher than recent years, when the rate hovered below 3.5. It is the highest figure since 1989.
Workers are also missing more days due to injury. In 1998 an Alberta worker missed an average of 5.5 days due to injury or illness. This is up significantly from 1997 when an average of 5.1 days were missed. It is also the highest rate since 1989.
"Workers are getting hurt more now than at anytime during the past ten years. More workers are getting hurt and they are missing more days," says AFL President Audrey Cormack.
"What this tells us is that WCB's boast about record low time-loss claims need to be viewed with suspicion," adds Cormack. "They have a credibility gap."
In its Annual Report for 1998/99, Alberta Labour states that "lost-time claims" are at their lowest level in history, reaching 3.3 claims per 100 person-years. This is down from 4.9 in 1990. They attribute this drop to the government's policy of self-enforcement and financial "incentives" to employers.
The AFL also points out that WCB's own statistics show that workplace injuries are at record highs. The total number of claims involving injuries was 126,420 in 1998, the highest level ever recorded and double the number recorded in 1990. "You don't read that side of the equation in government press releases," says Cormack.
The statistics suggest workers are injured at work as frequently as before, but they are not receiving the WCB benefits to which they are entitled. "WCB has balanced its books by lowering the number of legitimate injured workers who receive compensation."
"The reality in Alberta workplaces is that more workers are getting injured than ever before, and that time loss rates are on the increase, just that workers aren't getting their fair shake from the system," says Cormack.
Cormack says these figures demonstrate that it is time to re-think the government's policy of self-regulation and incentive-based occupational safety.
"Sometimes you need the government to act like a government to get things done. In this case, that means enforcing our health and safety laws," Cormack concludes.
Statistics Canada measures in its annual Labour Force Survey the incidence of work absences in Canada. They recently released the figures for Canada for 1998. No Alberta numbers were available. The AFL commissioned StatsCan to produce the 1998 figures for Alberta, the latest year for which data is available.
The "Work Absence Rate" measures the number of workers reporting an absence from work during the week they are surveyed. It is recorded as a percentage of the workforce. The AFL is releasing the percentage of workers who reported missing work "due to own illness or disability", which means only those workers who were sick or injured. Work absences for other reasons were not included. The Survey does not distinguish between work-related and non-work-related illness.
The "Days lost per worker" is the average number of days a worker is absent from work during the calendar year for illness or disability.
Alberta WCB uses a different rate to measure workplace safety. It utilized the "Lost Time Claim Rate", which is the number of new claims filed with WCB which result in a worker missing time at work. WCB uses this rate to set individual employer premium rates. It is measured as the number of claims per 100 workers.
The "Total Claims" is the total number of new claims opened at WCB during the year, including claims involving no missed time from work. | https://www.afl.org/government_contradicted_by_new_work_absence_statistics |
- A "Correspondence of Eyes with Eyes"Edwin Arlington Robinson, Empathy, and Literary Naturalism
Edwin Arlington Robinson's popular poem "Richard Cory" (1897) examines the world-warping pitfalls involved in knowing other minds. The poem records a series of assumptions made on the part of a tragic chorus peopled by the poor inhabitants of a small town, perceiving and speaking in aggregate. Seeing Cory's wealth, gentlemanly deportment, and "human" affability, the townspeople express envy of his station and implicitly project stability and contentment onto someone who, much to their surprise, goes home "one calm summer night" to "put a bullet through his head" (Robinson 1989, 10). Indeed, before Cory committed suicide, the speakers admit: "We thought that he was everything/To make us wish that we were in his place" (Robinson 1989, 10). The poem's flatly delivered, skull-perforating [End Page 179] punchline turns on its power to contradict visual appearances, to disrupt assumption, and especially to interrupt one-sided projections, revealing in the process the townspeople's utter ignorance of Cory or his intentions. Other minds cannot be known, understood, or even empathized with due to a psychological myopia and group consensus that, in this instance, tends to conflate personal with social identities and acts as a barrier to true intersubjective experience.
But the speaker's projections are not wholly one-sided. After all, the choral voice is multiple, and the speakers' perceptions, correct or not, are shared, harmonized into a first-person plural pronoun. On one hand, Cory's actions demonstrate the profound limitations of empathy, the ability "to understand and appreciate another person's feelings [and] experience" (OED Online 2019), but on the other hand, paradoxically, this alienation is also the pretext for consensus, for a shared experience and a collective bond. The poem's corporate subjectivity is almost entirely constituted by thinking about another person: the wealthy, "glittering" Richard Cory. In this case, the perception of the otherness of another mind is the precondition for an intersubjective formation—just not between Cory and the chorus.
And yet, for a while at least, the townspeople thought they knew Cory. Moreover, to them (taking Robinson's enjambment in meaningful isolation), this refined, good-looking man was "everything." In other words, this alien other functioned as an intimate part of the town's shared or "objective" reality. Just because the foundations for that reality later proved illusory and projective doesn't mean they weren't temporarily meaningful. Up until his suicide, Richard Cory served as an anchor point around which "everything" else fell into place or stabilized, including the townspeople's capacity to share a subjectivity and vocalize as "we" in the first place. In this early poem, then, Robinson highlights the social or intersubjective foundations of objective reality while showing how fragile these foundations are, thanks to the opaque alterity of the other's mind. Robinson doesn't want to invalidate empathy; instead, he wants to show both how central empathy is to the formation of knowledge and community as well as how misleading and unreliable it can be. A fundamental feature of [End Page 180] consciousness, empathy is psychologically inevitable at the same time as it determines what counts as real. However, its inconsistencies and inaccuracies mean that any apprehension of objectivity is elusive from the start. Other people condition, and more precisely obfuscate, any perception of the external world.
At around the time of Robinson's rising status in American poetry, the emerging concept of empathy was formative to the development of philosophies of mind in both Germany and the United States. German phenomenology as pioneered by Edmund Husserl argued that objectivity (the sense that there is something outside of, or alien to, the mind of a conscious subject) was constituted intersubjectively (Husserl 1960, 153). In other words, being able to understand that there is a world outside the mind involves understanding that it is perceptible by or available to other people. In a sequence of articles for The Philosophical Review in 1895, the American philosopher Josiah Royce made a similar claim: the reality of an external world is first predicated on the reality of other minds... | https://muse.jhu.edu/article/798171 |
Many student affairs officials are considering leaving the field
Many student-facing administrators consider leaving higher education, due to a difficult political climate, limited resources, and an expanding set of responsibilities that cause burnout and burnout. Colleges must urgently take action to keep them.
That’s one of the key findings of a new report from Naspa: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education that aims to chart a roadmap for the field over the next five years. The report, written by a NASPA task force, includes the results of a survey of student affairs professionals.
While 61% of survey respondents said they planned to continue working in student affairs over the next five years, around a third said they were unsure about staying in the field and 25% said they were unsure if they would recommend a career in student affairs. About 40% said their colleges do not discuss changes to the student affairs workforce.
A dean of students who participated in a focus group for the report pointed out that senior leaders often work 80-hour weeks and seem overwhelmed and undervalued. Why, the administrator asked, would early career professionals want this future for themselves?
Almost all respondents said they expected to take on more roles in the next five years, particularly in the areas of social justice and diversity, equity and inclusion; online student communications and virtual student engagement; and crisis management. If existing administrator workloads aren’t redistributed, the report says, it will increase burnout even further.
Eighty-four percent of respondents said they believed stress caused people to quit student affairs. Eighty-eight percent said low wages were another factor.
“As institutions attempt to simultaneously provide integrated learning activities, engaging social spaces, and safe and inclusive environments, professionals are challenged to do so while managing dwindling resources and constant crises,” says The report. “This long list of priorities forces staff to work at exceptionally high levels and often for long hours, which is unsustainable in the long term.”
Colleges should offer more flexible work policies, clearer paths to advancement and more attractive compensation to recruit and retain staff members, the report recommends.
Offices of student affairs were founded a century ago as mechanisms to foster student conduct and discipline, but have since evolved to oversee campus life and activities, student organizations, support programs to students and other areas, the report says.
This long list of priorities forces staff to work at exceptionally high levels and often for long hours, which is unsustainable in the long term.
Today, student affairs professionals are increasingly responsible for one of the most important and complex aspects of higher education in the 21st century: student belonging.
In the survey, while more than 60% of administrators said their colleges had made diversity, equity, and inclusion a priority, only 32% said they thought their institutions were improving. adequately addressed racial justice, campus climate, and equity. The report highlights the importance of professional development and training for student affairs staff members so that they feel they truly have the ability to lead such work.
Student affairs administrators must also adapt to changing student expectations of their college experience. Gen Z students are more concerned about how institutional values align with their own, the report says.
As colleges enroll more diverse student populations—students of color, parents of students, students who work full time, and online learners—student affairs officials reported in the survey and in focus groups that good many of their systems, policies and structures were outdated and not designed to serve their campuses. The Naspa survey found that only a third of respondents felt their institutions were responding adequately to changing student demographics.
Student affairs officials said they will continue to increase the role of technology in student support efforts even as the pandemic recedes. Most survey respondents said their colleges would provide more online options for mental health treatment, counseling, guidance, student programs and job fairs.
Seventy percent of respondents said they would handle crisis management more often over the next five years, and half expected to provide more counseling to students.
But nearly all respondents said they felt at least somewhat prepared to handle crisis management, and 52% said their campus was “very responsive” to growing student mental health issues. | https://jules-studentservices.com/many-student-affairs-officials-are-considering-leaving-the-field/ |
21 CFR 812.5 - Labeling of investigational devices.
(a)Contents. An investigational device or its immediate package shall bear a label with the following information: the name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor (in accordance with § 801.1), the quantity of contents, if appropriate, and the following statement: “CAUTION—Investigational device. Limited by Federal (or United States) law to investigational use.” The label or other labeling shall describe all relevant contraindications, hazards, adverse effects, interfering substances or devices, warnings, and precautions.
(b)Prohibitions. The labeling of an investigational device shall not bear any statement that is false or misleading in any particular and shall not represent that the device is safe or effective for the purposes for which it is being investigated.
(c)Animal research. An investigational device shipped solely for research on or with laboratory animals shall bear on its label the following statement: “CAUTION—Device for investigational use in laboratory animals or other tests that do not involve human subjects.”
(d) The appropriate FDA Center Director, according to the procedures set forth in § 801.128 or § 809.11 of this chapter, may grant an exception or alternative to the provisions in paragraphs (a) and (c) of this section, to the extent that these provisions are not explicitly required by statute, for specified lots, batches, or other units of a device that are or will be included in the Strategic National Stockpile.
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Marconi® font family
About Marconi® font family
Marconi was created by Hermann Zapf in 1973 for the Digiset, a digital typesetting system produced by the German firm Dr.-Ing. Rudolf Hell GmbH. Zapf's design was developed as a text face for books and magazines. The round forms of the Marconi follow the principle of the superellipse. The lowercase letters are enlarged as the result of reading tests, while the capital letters are slightly reduced. The 8 point size - normally used for newspapers - look more like 9 1/2 point.
Marconi is a legible typeface with its large and open lowercase letters it is ideal for long text blocks in newspaper, book and magazine production.
In 1990, Linotype AG merged with Dr.-Ing Rudolf Hell GmbH, forming the Linotype-Hell AG (today Linotype GmbH). Since then, Linotype has been the official source of all fonts that were originally designed for the Hell Corporation. Linotype has also improved the typefaces using new technologies, including OpenType.
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Nearly 60 public interest groups signed a letter to House leaders to call a vote on six antitrust bills.
WASHINGTON, September 2, 2021 – Nearly 60 public interest groups signed a letter Thursday urging the House party leaders to push for a vote on six antirust bills that cleared the House judiciary committee in June.
The goal of the six bills is to rein in the power of Big Tech through new antirust liability provisions, including new merger and acquisition review, measures to prevent anticompetitive activity, and providing government enforcers more power to break-up or separate big businesses. They include American Choice and Innovation Online Act, H.R. 3816, Platform Competition and Opportunity Act, H.R. 3826, Ending Platform Monopolies Act, H.R. 3825, Augmenting Compatibility and Competition by Enabling Service Switching (ACCESS) Act, H.R. 3849, Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act, H.R. 3843, and State Antitrust Enforcement Venue Act, H.R. 3460.
The letter, which was directed at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-California, were promoting a package of six bills that were the result of a two-year bipartisan investigation that included 10 hearings, featuring the testimony of the CEOs of the major tech companies, 240 interviews, 1.3 million documents and a 450-page report, the letter notes.
“We believe that these bills will bring urgently needed change and accountability to these companies and an industry that most Americans agree is already doing great harm to our democracy,” the letter said. Public Citizen was the first of the 58 groups on the letter.
America has a monopoly problem. Monopoly power lowers wages, reduces innovation and entrepreneurship, exacerbates income and regional inequality, undermines the free press and access to information, and perpetuates toxic systems of racial, gender, and class dominance,” the letter alleged.
“Big Tech monopolies are at the center of many of these problems,” it continued. “Reining in these companies is an essential first step to reverse the damage of concentrated corporate power throughout our economy. The bills that passed out of the House Judiciary Committee, with bipartisan support, do just that and it is imperative that they move forward in the House.”
List of signatories:
- Public Citizen
- Accountable Tech
- Action Center on Race & the Economy
- ALIGN: The Alliance for a Greater New York
- Alliance for Pharmacy Compounding
- American Booksellers Association
- American Family Voices
- American Independent Business Alliance
- American Specialty Toy Retailing Association
- Artist Rights Alliance
- Athena
- Cambridge Local First
- Center for American Progress
- Center for Digital Democracy
- Center for Popular Democracy
- Committee to Support the Antitrust Laws
- Decode Democracy
- Demos
- Electronic Frontier Foundation
- Friends of the Earth
- Future of Music Coalition
- Gig Workers Rising
- Global Exchange
- Indivisible Georgia Coalition
- Indivisible Hawaii
- Indivisible Ulster/NY19
- Institute for Local Self-Reliance
- International Brotherhood of Teamsters
- Jobs With Justice
- Kairos Action
- Local First Arizona
- Louisville Independent Business Alliance
- Main Street Alliance
- Mainers for Accountable Leadership
- Media Alliance
- Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO
- National Employment Law Project
- New York Communities For Change
- New York Communities for Change
- North American Hardware and Paint Association
- Open Markets Institute
- Our Revolution
- PowerSwitch Action
- Public Knowledge
- Running Industry Association
- Secure Elections Network
- Service Employees International Union
- Shop Local Raleigh/Greater Raleigh Merchants Association
- SIMBA (Spokane Independent Metro Business Alliance)
- Small Business Rising
- Stand Up Nashville
- StayLocal, an initiative of Urban Conservancy
- Strategic Organizing Center
- SumOfUs
- The Democratic Coalition
- UltraViolet
- Venice Resistance
- Warehouse workers for justice
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Antitrust
FTC Commissioner Phillips Warns About Shifting Direction of Agency
Noah Phillips voiced concern about the scope and practices of the Biden administration’s FTC.
WASHINGTON, September 2, 2021 — Federal Trade Commissioner Noah Phillips said at a Hudson Institute webinar on Monday that he’s concerned about the direction the competition watchdog is moving toward considering recent events.
Phillips said the left-leaning voices in Washington and the appointment of Lina Khan to chair the agency has left him wondering about the legacy of the last 40 years of competition regulation in America – which have been hallmarked by the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976. That legislation effectively gave the FTC the ability to review mergers and acquisitions before they were finalized, rather than afterward, which governed pre-legislation.
Under Biden-appointee Lina Khan, Phillips described how the FTC has done away with the process of early termination. In the past, this process made it unnecessary for every single company to provide advanced notice and advanced approval for mergers. “Historically, parties have been able to come to the agencies and say, ‘You’re not interested in this, can we just go ahead and finish our deal,’ and the agencies have said ‘yes.’”
He said this is no longer the case, and that every single merger must provide advanced notice and approval. “What we’re introducing is an inefficiency in the market for transactions that we have no interest in pursuing, just for the sake of it. I think that’s a problem,” he continued. “My concern is that it is making merger enforcement less effective, less efficient, and less fair.”
Phillips pointed to left-of-center and leftist voices in Congress, such as Rep. David Cicilline, D-New York, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, who, at the outset of the pandemic, wanted to ban all acquisitions and mergers—regardless of their merit. He described this view as falling outside of mainstream perspectives, but noteworthy nonetheless.
“I don’t think that is what most people believe,” Phillips remarked. “I don’t think that is what Hart-Scott-Rodino envisions.”
This webinar took place only a couple of weeks after Phillips spoke at the Technology Policy Institute’s 2021 Aspen Forum, where he voiced similar concerns, stating that he feared that this new direction would make it more difficult for the FTC to hear cases that it should, and defended the commission’s record against critics who said it was lax under the Trump Administration.
Antitrust
Antitrust Experts Zero In on Big Tech and Consumer Welfare Standard at Aspen Forum
At Aspen forum, a red-hot focus on Big Tech, antitrust and consumer welfare.
ASPEN, Colorado, August 17, 2021— The Biden administration is taking a much harder line against big technology companies than was done by previous presidents, and is doing so by looking beyond the traditional consumer welfare standard of antitrust economics.
But the antitrust and competition economists making these assessments at the Technology Policy Institute conference here on Monday disagreed sharply about whether antitrust law should move beyond that consumer welfare standard.
Some these experts – including sitting Federal Trade Commissioner Noah Phillips – disagreed with stances taken by Biden’s hand-picked FTC Chairwoman Lina Khan.
Others, including Harvard Business School Professor Shane Greenstein, said that it was absolutely necessary for the FTC and the Justice Department antitrust division to investigate the gargantuan sums of money exchanged between big tech titans Google and Apple.
Speaking on a spirited panel session in the morning, “How is the U.S. Reshaping Antitrust,” Greenstein said Google pays Apple approximately $8 billion a year to make the Google search engine the default internet browser on all Apple devices.
Though this may not have historically fallen under the purview of antitrust, Greenstein was accusatory in his evaluation of the situation: “I’m sorry, no.” As to whether the antitrust division should investigate the matter, he said, “Go for it, guys.”
For a session on “Antitrust, the Consumer Welfare Standard and Big Tech Platforms,” see Broadband Breakfast Live Online on Wednesday, February 24, 2021.
‘Deconcentration’ is not the goal of antitrust policy
But Carl Shapiro, professor of business strategy emeritus at University of California at Berkeley, dissented from Greenstein’s broader antitrust perspective.
“The goals of antitrust should be to promote competition—full stop,” said Shapiro. Deconcentration is not the goal of the FTC. The agency will have to determine whether it would depart from this long-held view, he said, and decide whether it would opt instead to consider concentration itself as evil.
“That’s not a version of capitalism that I want,” said Shapiro.
The primary issue is how one chooses to define competition, said Howard Shelanski, professor of law at Georgetown University. The dominant perspective has viewed competition through the lens of price effects. Other schools of thought borrow a wider aperture, considering this like privacy, wealth distribution, political power, product quality, and product variety when determining whether something improves or diminishes competition.
The more metrics that are accounted for, the more issues present themselves.
To this, FTC Commissioner Phillips responded, “If you are trying to solve everything at once, you will solve nothing at all.”
While polite, Phillips disagreed with FTC Chairwoman Lina Khan
At the beginning of the panel discussion, TPI President Emeritus Tom Lenard opened the session by asking Phillips for his impression of Khan.
Phillips responded diplomatically, joking that this question had not been on the list he had been sent. Because Khan has only been on the job for two months, it is too early for him to give a fully fleshed out appraisal of her time as chairwoman. “It’s always exciting to get new blood,” he said.
While he said he was supportive of Khan’s efforts to improve transparency by holding public meetings, he was critical of the direction in which the FTC is heading.
Proposed rule changes would create “needless friction” by delaying mergers that do not present a danger to consumers. This will make the agency less effective and less efficient.
“I worry that we are needlessly impeding our ability” to hear cases, he said.
Successes by big tech firms are ‘not a failure of antitrust’
Shapiro added that, in his view, concentration within an industry should not be viewed as a negative thing and that it is merely indicative of the fact that bigger companies are often simply more efficient and can compete more effectively in their industry. “That is not a failure of antitrust,” he said.
Shelanski said that he harbored serious reservations about expanding the consideration of antitrust. He noted that as it stands now, it is basically left to the FTC to decide how to pursue antitrust cases.
If the agency were to include considerations of value judgments, public health, environmentalism and wealth distribution, the country would need stronger democratic institutions to pursue this approach.
Former FTC Acting Chairwoman Maureen Ohlhausen, now with Baker Botts’s Antitrust and Competition Law Practice Group, shared Shelanski’s concerns about the ability of the FTC to make big, sweeping considerations on its own.
The public should not view the careful and deliberate approach to FTC decisions as lax. Indeed, she said, the commission has “done a pretty good job.”
Phillips agreed, stating that under the Trump Administration, the FTC had blocked more than 20 mergers—the most since 2001.
When asked if he felt whether antitrust guidelines should be revisited, he responded with skepticism, “There is a lot of promise of revisitation without much discussion of where [the FTC] is going.”
Antitrust
Daniel Hanley: Federal Communications Commission Must Block Verizon’s Acquisition of TracFone
Verizon sees an opportunity to acquire and neutralize an important competitor, but the FCC should stop that.
In late July, Democratic senators sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission urging the agency to investigate the acquisition of TracFone, the largest prepaid carrier, by Verizon, the second-largest wireless phone carrier in the U.S. The FCC should use its broad merger review authority to block it outright.
With prepaid service, consumers pay for a set amount of cellular usage upfront rather than receive a bill at the end of the month. While such a service may seem like a relic of the 1990s, more than 74 million Americans rely on the service as a low-cost and accessible alternative to traditional cellular plans provided by Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile.
Verizon is one of the most dominant telecommunications companies in the U.S., occupying 30% of the entire cellular market. Up until now, the company has focused on its traditional postpaid service and almost entirely ignored the prepaid cellular market. Verizon now sees an opportunity to use its financial firepower to acquire an important competitor with its attempted acquisition of TracFone.
A staggering potential windfall for Verizon
The potential windfall for Verizon is staggering. If this deal were to be approved, the FCC would anoint Verizon as the largest wireless prepaid service operator in the United States and the company would obtain an additional 21 million customers. The merger would also allow Verizon to acquire the fourth-largest wireless company by subscribership in the U.S. The acquisition of TracFone by Verizon will also add $8.1 billion in revenue for Verizon and an additional 90,000 retail locations. Such a position will only continue the wave of consolidation in the cellular service sector and fortify Verizon’s market power as one of the largest wireless communications providers in the country.
The Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice review almost all mergers in the United States. However, the communications industry is so important that Congress also gave the FCC the authority to review and deny mergers and acquisitions in the sector. Unlike the legal standard set in the Clayton Act, which structures the merger litigation of the DOJ and the FTC, the FCC reviews mergers in the communications field under a “public interest standard.” The public interest standard is highly deferential to the FCC’s interpretation. As such, the FCC has broad discretion and can consider a range of factors when analyzing a merger under its jurisdiction. The Supreme Court has stated that the standard “no doubt leaves wide discretion and calls for imaginative interpretation” and that the agency has “comprehensive powers to promote and realize the vast potentialities” of communications technologies.
A merger of this magnitude will undoubtedly cause the traditional litany of harms derived from mergers, such as an increase in the barriers to entry for the communications sector and increased potential collusion between firms as a result of increased concentration. However, even a moderate review of the facts would show that Verizon’s acquisition of TracFone is not in the public interest and that the FCC should block the merger.
The FCC should not allow Verizon to acquire a critical competitor
First, as with most mergers by corporate monopolies, Verizon does not need to acquire TracFone to accomplish its operational goals. The FCC should not allow Verizon to use its dominant financial position to acquire (and subsequently neutralize) a critical competitor and market participant and forgo operational investments and other necessary market research to expand its network. Instead, the FCC can force the corporation to use its vast finances to develop its own rival prepaid network by blocking the merger.
Such a circumstance would increase competition in the industry and benefit consumers. Additionally, such a course of action would facilitate the kind of business conduct and investments in internal expansion the antitrust laws and other antimonopoly policies actively encourage, while increasing market competition and firm rivalry. The Supreme Court has consistently praised and encouraged growth from internal operations rather than acquisition. In Philadelphia National Bank, the Supreme Court stated, “[S]urely one premise of an antimerger statute…is that corporate growth by internal expansion is socially preferable to growth by acquisition.”
Second, prepaid providers like TracFone provide critical competitive pressure to larger carriers like Verizon. Prepaid carriers like TracFone often rent the communications infrastructure from postpaid carriers like Verizon to provide their service. Thus, rather than focusing on expanding and maintaining network infrastructure, renting it provides prepaid carriers the ability to provide lower-cost service, more tailored service, and a better customer experience overall.
Third, mergers like Verizon’s acquisition of TracFone are harmful to consumers. In this case, potential price increases are not only likely, but they would also be exceptionally harmful. Concerning TracFone specifically, the company provides a critical service to vulnerable sectors of the population that are extremely sensitive to price increases – particularly low-income consumers and people of color who live within the geographic area which TracFone serves.
Importantly, TracFone participates in the federal Lifeline Program, a crucial government program that provides low-income individuals subsidies to afford phone service. If Verizon were allowed to acquire TracFone, Verizon would obtain full control of TracFone’s 21 million customers consisting of a population it has historically ignored. Moreover, because of the increased market concentration, which would thus deprive customers of one less carrier to switch to, Verizon would face significantly fewer incentives to keep its prices low for such a vulnerable population.
Additionally, cell phones are a critical and vital tool for the public, particularly during the pandemic. Indeed, 37% of Americans use the internet only via a mobile device. Low-income students as well are now heavily reliant on cell phones for online education during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a 2020 survey, between 29 and 43 percent of parents said their children will have to do their schoolwork and engage in online learning from a cell phone. Access to low-cost cell phones is thus imperative for a large fraction of children to remote learning, which some states are considering for the fall 2021 semester.
History does not bode for Verizon’s claims of consumer benefit
Verizon has asserted that “when TracFone’s customers become part of Verizon, they will benefit from the enhanced choices, better services, and new features that follow from Verizon’s investment while still enjoying the flexibility and control that they have come to value with TracFone’s prepaid plans” and that it “will not require any TracFone customers to move to a more expensive plan when the transaction closes.”
However, history does not bode well for Verizon and its claims that its acquisition will benefit consumers. The economist John Kwoka found that 80% of studied mergers led to higher prices and even reduced output. Other comprehensive studies have found that acquisitions cause “significantly increase[d] markups on average” and reveal “no evidence for efficiency gains.” As New York University business professor Melissa Schilling has stated, most mergers “do not create value for anyone, except perhaps the investment bankers that negotiated the deal.”
Concerning the communications industry specifically, when telecommunications giant AT&T was acquiring Time Warner, the corporation stated that “the evidence overwhelmingly showed that this merger is likely to enhance competition substantially, because it will enable the merged company to “reduce prices, offer innovative video products.” Judge Richard Leon, who oversaw the litigation challenging the merger, was ultimately persuaded by AT&T’s statements holding that AT&T’s acquisition of Time Warner would “lead to lower prices for consumers.” Despite these claims, subsequent evidence revealed that AT&T did raise prices on consumers.
Although Verizon has committed to supporting TracFone’s presence in the Lifeline program for three years, the company has made no concrete promises to keep their prices at current levels for TracFone customers or to increase customer incentives to move to a higher-cost plan after the transaction closes. Like most mergers, Verizon’s asserted efficiencies and promises to improve competition as a results of the merger are likely theoretical and dubious.
A worrisome wave of acquisitions by telecom giants
Lastly, due to certain aspects of the market, such as the high infrastructure costs of cell towers, prepaid phone carriers tend to reduce to one or two carriers in a geographic area. Even more worrisome is that there has been a wave of acquisitions by the telecommunications giants over the past decade. In the prepaid industry, AT&T acquired Cricket Wireless and T-Mobile acquired MetroPCS in 2013.
Other blockbuster mergers among the group are the acquisition of Sprint by T-Mobile and the acquisition of Time Warner by AT&T. All these mergers went unchallenged by the FCC. Moreover, since AT&T and T-Mobile have already acquired firms to enter the prepaid industry, Verizon is the last remaining national carrier that could enter this market and likely the only wireless carrier with the finances to do so meaningfully.
The FCC has clear discretion to block this merger. Given the harmful effects of similar mergers, the sheer number of acquisitions that have already taken place in the communications industry that the agency has previously failed to stop, and the potential harms that could result directly from this merger, the FCC should review Verizon’s acquisition of TracFone with extreme suspicion and block it outright. The agency has the authority and must use it.
Daniel A. Hanley is a policy analyst at the Open Markets Institute. You can follow him on Twitter @danielahanley. This piece is exclusive to Broadband Breakfast.
BroadbandBreakfast.com accepts commentary from informed observers of the broadband scene. Please send pieces to [email protected]. The views reflected in Expert Opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect the views of Broadband Breakfast and Breakfast Media LLC.
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All three parts of the item (20a, 20b, and 20c) must refer to the same particular job or business.
Item 20b. Industry
170. Item 20b. What kind of business or industry was he working in?- Specific answer.--The answer should tell clearly and specifically the kind of business or industry in which this person worked. Your entry should give the exact activity being carried on in this business or industry; for example, wholesale shoe company, retail shoe store, shoe factory, shoe repair shop, etc.
171. Company names must not be used.-Company names, such as General Motors, DuPont) American Can Company, and Jones Company, must not be entered on the schedule.
172. How to report government agencies.-In the case of a government agency, the exact function must be given, such as State hospital, county road repair, and city grammar school. Where the agency's function is purely governmental, however, the name is acceptable, as United States Bureau of Internal Revenue or City License Board. In all cases, you must tell whether the agency is Federal (U. S.), State, city, county, etc.
173. How to report multiactivity businesses.-Some firms carry on more than one kind of business or industrial activity. If the activities are carried on in the same place, describe the major activity of the establishment. For example, a shoe factory has a store in the factory where damaged shoes are sold at retail at reduced prices; a salesman in this store should be reported in "Shoe factory" because the store is only a minor activity. If the activities are carried on in separate places, describe the business in which the person actually worked. For example, a miner working in a coal mine owned by a large steel company should be reported in "Coal mine."
174. How to distinguish between manufacturing and wholesaling.-Every manufacturing establishment sells its products, of course, but that does not make it a wholesale company. An establishment which produces products should be reported as a factory. For example, an establishment where hardware is made is a "Hardware factory." On the other hand, an establishment which buys hardware in large quantities for resale to retailers is a "Wholesale hardware company."
One type of establishment which you have to be careful to report correctly is a sales office set up by a manufacturing firm at a location away from the factory or headquarters of the firm. Frequently, these sales offices are in different cities from the firm's factory or headquarters. For example, a St. Louis shoe factory has a sales office in Chicago 7 the people working in the Chicago office should be reported as "Shoe manufacturer's sales office."
175. How to distinguish between wholesaling and retailing.-You must distinguish between the two kinds of businesses which specialize in selling. A wholesale establishment sells primarily to retailers, industrial users, or other wholesalers. A retail establishment sells primarily to individual customers.
176. How to report "home" business.-Some people carry on businesses in their own homes. Report these businesses just as if they were carried on in regular stores or shops. For example, dressmaking shop, lending library, retail antique furniture store, etc. (Note exception for laundry in par. 177 l below.)
177. Examples of industry entries.- The following list shows for a number of industries what is meant by clear and exact entries: | https://usa.ipums.org/usa-action/variables/RIND/ajax_enum_text |
The coach is a partner and “catalyst” enabling the attaining of a specific goal through the development of awareness and the mobilising of the client’s knowledge and skills.
Coaches foster the emergence of adapted, effective, and enduring solutions while respecting the independence of the person or group, who remain the sole experts with respect to the content.
With my agency Point de Mire, I place my experience of guidance and the effectiveness of coaching techniques in service to directors, managers, and teams to bring about change, improve time management and prioritising, delegation skills, interpersonal communication skills, and the achievement of specific goals.
Individual coaching
is undertaken with one person – director, head of department, or staff member and enables the individual to:
- Be equipped to confront changes in the environment: changes of location, restructuring of teams
- Improve interpersonal relationships and communication within a department or entity
- Develop time-management and prioritisation skills
- Improve confidence and self-esteem
- Resolve a difficult managerial situation
- Coordinate teams with attentiveness and efficiency
- Delegate with clarity and confidence
- Facilitate decision-making
- Balance professional and private life to avoid burn-out.
Guidance in 2 to 3 sessions for short-term goals – preparing for a speech, an exam, a job interview, or urgent clarification of a difficult situation – is also available.
Expertise in the cultural and tertiary education sectors and in public and associative sectors.
I have a particular interest in guiding people with high potential – gifted, hyperintelligent individuals.
Recent collaborations
Team coaching alternates individual work sessions with the supervisor and the members of the team and group sessions, at a monthly or bi-monthly rhythm. It allows for periods of mobilisation based on a collective project, anticipation of a change or during conflictual situations:
- Determining collaborative working modes
- Collectively defining constructive objectives
- Optimising the cohesion and motivation of team members
- Improving the circulation of information and the pertinence of decisions
- Ensuring implementation and follow-up of personal and group commitments.
For example: preparing teams for restructuring, resolving interpersonal or interdepartmental conflicts, resolving a difficult managerial situation, collectively determining new modes of operation, working on an institutional or departmental project.
How does it work?
An initial 2-hour session allows the goal to be jointly defined, providing the framework for the coaching, the amount and duration of the sessions, and the price of the mission. An agreement establishes each party’s commitments.
The appointments are held in person or remotely (Skype, telephone) in 6 to 12 sessions over a 3 to 12 month period, depending on the desired goal. Personal or group work and a follow-up by email are regularly proposed between sessions.
Professional co-development is a process that spurs action and learning between peers by capitalising on the interactions and collective intelligence of a group. Unlike training, group facilitation, analysis of practices, or individual supervision, codevelopment engages collective thinking for the benefit of an individual.
Who is the target audience for professional codevelopment?
- A group comprising the same or various professions, from the same organisation or different entities
- For managers, team leaders of one or more businesses, or a territorial authority
- For a team
- For directors, supervisors, or entrepreneurs…
Co-development, a powerful dynamic enabling:
- A step back from yourself and your professional practice
- Development of trust and independence
- Contributing to and benefiting from collective intelligence 1+1 = 3
- Mobilising and putting into practice
- Learning to express yourself, question, and listen within a group
- Creating and reproducing a culture of cooperation, support, and open-mindedness
How does it work?
Codevelopment takes place within a voluntary closed group of 5 to 8 people meeting monthly for 3-hour sessions, over a minimum 6-month period. At each session, the group agrees to deal with the problem or project of the volunteer “client” of the day. The other participants play the role of consultants and help that individual to progress, based on a structured six-phase process, supervised by a facilitator trained in the practice and transmission of the process.
Codevelopment is based on the rules of confidentiality, authenticity, respect, benevolence, attention, and co-construction.
An initial session enables the presentation of the process by the facilitator and the definitive constitution of the group. There will then be as many sessions as there are participants, so that everyone has a turn at being the client. A closing session finalises the process.
After a 6 to 8-month framework, the participants are then able to reproduce the process and in turn become facilitators for new groups.
Contact Point de Mire for any information on how to form and launch a codevelopment group. | https://annedallant-coaching.com/en/professional-coaching/ |
Smoltek has developed a prototype of the thinnest discrete capacitor in the world. Its total building height is less than 40 micrometers (38.2 µm to be exact). You have to stack a bunch of them on top of each other to reach the same height as today’s industry-standard regarding surface-mounted discrete capacitors. The capacitor, without encapsulation and substrate, is merely 0.5 to 10 µm in height. It can be built directly onto an integrated circuit’s die or built into its interposer.
The most amazing thing about this microscopic capacitor is its performance. One square millimeter has a capacitance of a whopping 650 nanofarads (650 nF/mm2). Its internal resistance (ESR) is less than forty milliohms (40 mΩ), and its internal inductance (ESL) is below fifteen picohenry (15 pH).
We describe our capacitor as a CNF-MIM capacitor since it is a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor where carbon nanofibers (CNF) are used to create a much larger surface area, hence higher capacitance than the form factor suggests.
Ultra-thin decoupling capacitors
We are developing ultra-thin and high-performance nanofiber-based capacitors for mobile application processors. The driving voltage decreases in today’s processors because more and more transistors can fit on a given surface. The lower drive voltage makes the processors increasingly sensitive to interference, and a number of so-called decoupling capacitors are required to stabilize the power supply.
To increase performance and reduce power consumption, these capacitors must be placed as close to the processor chip as possible. For the capacitors to be placed as close to the processor chip as possible, they must be extremely thin. They must also be high-performance, i.e. stable at high frequencies and with low internal losses.
Our carbon nanotechnology makes it possible to manufacture capacitors with a unique combination of superior electrical performance at very high frequencies and an extremely small form factor—ultra-thin capacitors.
Smoltek’s upcoming product family for decoupling capacitors for the semiconductor industry is intended to be placed in the application processor chip.
Technical data—CNF-MIM capacitor technology
- Solid-state construction
- Capacitance density: > 650 nF/mm2
- Equivalent series resistance (ESR): < 40 mΩ
- Equivalent series inductance (ESL): < 15 pH
- Breakdown voltage: Up to ~ 25 V
- Leakage current: ~ 4 mA/F
- Excellent capacitance stability up to 150 °C
Applications for discrete CNF-MIM capacitors
A discrete CNF-MIM capacitor has a smaller footprint (area) and much thinner profile (z‑dimension) than any other capacitor with the same capacitance. CNF-MIM capacitors up to more than 650 nF can be made less than 40 µm in height. The actual form factor can be varied according to the design and need.
As shown in the illustrations, a discrete CNF-MIM capacitor can be
- mounted on printed circuit board (PCB)
- embedded in PCB
- mounted on chip interposer
- embedded in chip interposer
- mounted on chip die
- Discrete CNF-MIM capacitors are compatible with wafer-to-wafer (W2W) or die-to-wafer bonding (D2W).
Applications for integrated CNF-MIM capacitors
A CNF-MIM capacitor can also be integrated directly into chip die or chip interposer. The height of the integrated capacitors is a mere 0.5 to 10 µm. The benefits of integrated CNF-MIM are many:
- CMOS-compatible manufacturing process
- Unparalleled design freedom for circuit designers
- Possible to manufacture directly on-chip
- Closer to the circuit where it is needed
- Extremely small 2D footprint
- Very compact 3D volume
- Eliminates the need for integrated discrete capacitors
As shown in the illustrations, a CNF-MIM capacitor can be
- integrated with chip interposer
- integrated with built-on-chip die
Discrete CNF-MIM capacitor compared to alternatives
Multilayer Ceramic Capacitors (MLCC) form the industry standard for surface-mounted device (SMD) capacitors. Every year, trillions of MLCCs are built into electronic devices. They are 300 µm high. CNF-MIM offers the same capacitance at a tenth of that height.
The miniaturization of electronics is creating a growing need for ever-smaller capacitors. And some circuits (such as Apple’s) use capacitors that are state of the art. These use improvements of MLCC and Low Inductance Chip Capacitors (LICCs) and Trench Silicon Capacitors (TSCs), all of which have a height of 80–100 µm.
However, MLCC, LICC, and TSC struggle to go down in height due to materials involved, processing schemes, and the cost of raw materials and processing. At the same time, SiP and SoC continue to become more compact. There is less and less space between interconnects (bumps), and they are getting shorter. To fit capacitors between the bumps, the capacitors must have a smaller footprint and, above all, be shorter—preferably less than 20 µm.
This is the problem that CNF-MIM capacitors solve. They have a much smaller footprint and, above all, a much lower height.
How to make the world’s thinnest capacitor
To create a capacitor with a minimal footprint and height, we use carbon nanofibers (CNFs) to multiply the contact area between the two metals and the intermediary dielectric.
Consider a single CNF with a diameter of 10 nm and a length of 5 µm. Its mantle surface is 2,000 times larger than the area it occupies. Thus, a forest of such CNFs would multiply the surface, but not by as much as 2,000. We can’t cover the entire original surface with CNFs; there must be space between them to allow access to the contact surface. But if the forest of CNFs covers about half the surface, then the surface multiplication would be in the range of 1,000 times.
CNF has many metallic properties, including being a good conductor of current. Therefore a metal plate covered to fifty percent by CNFs is a single electrode with a surface area about 1,000 times larger than the area of the metal plate itself. A MIM capacitor is obtained by coating this electrode with a uniformly thick layer of a dielectric and then coating this in turn with a metal. Of course, the dielectric should have a high relative permittivity to maximize the capacitance.
Since the CNF has a length much larger than the diameter, we can neglect what happens to the electric field near the base and top of each CNF. Essentially it will be a uniform field, just as in a parallel plate capacitor.
Since the capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor is directly proportional to the surface area, we conclude that CNFs have increased the capacitance density by 1,000 times.
But it doesn’t end there. If the second layer of metal is made uniformly thick, both sides of it will have the same shape as the first electrode. So another MIM capacitor is obtained by coating it with another dielectric layer and then coating it with metal. It will have the same capacity as the first. And by electrically connecting the first and the third metal layer, we achieve a parallel connection, which doubles the capacitance. This can be repeated as long as desired, and there is space between the carbon nanofibers. The last layer of metal does not need to be uniformly thick but can fill any remaining spaces between the carbon nanofibers. | https://www.smoltek.com/applications/capacitors/ |
The coronavirus outbreak is causing a great deal of anxiety within communities, and it is more important than ever that we take care of our mental and physical wellbeing.
Daily contact with nature has been shown to improve health and reduce stress levels, and setting aside a little time to connect with the natural world could give your day a much-needed boost.
Here are some simple ways you can lift your spirits with nature...
Take notice
If you find insects in the house or new flowers growing in the garden, take a closer look at the colours and patterns they are sporting. In a quiet moment, look out of the window and observe the wildlife outside - you might spot birds flying past, or bees buzzing between plants. Watching your local wildlife can be a great way to build a connection with it, and you’ll soon learn to recognise different behaviours and species.
Keep active
Perhaps you could do some gardening or put food and water out for the birds. You could even have a go at making a bird feeder, starting your own compost heap or making a mini pond in the garden.
Learn
Try to learn something new outside by studying the different animals and plants you find in the garden. Do some investigating and find out why certain plants grow where they do, or why you see some birds and minibeasts more than others. You could contribute to our species records by telling us what you see – this helps us to build a complete and current picture of species distribution across our counties. You can submit your findings here.
However you choose to interact with the natural world, whether it's watching wildlife through the window or making small changes in the garden, we're sure that you will feel all the better for it. Visit our actions page for more ideas and activities. | https://www.hiwwt.org.uk/blog/hiwwt/lift-your-spirits-nature |
RELEASE: Air Permit Issued for Align RNG Biogas Processing Facility
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality has issued an air permit to Align RNG LLC for a proposed biogas gathering and processing facility in Duplin County. Based on the applicable state and federal rules and regulations, the facility will be classified as synthetic minor and will be required to comply with all applicable standards including the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
After a comprehensive public process, including two comment periods and a public meeting and hearing, and a thorough technical review, the final permit includes several changes from the initial draft permit to address community concerns, including:
- Hourly monitoring of the tail gas flow and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) concentration entering the “iron sponge” sulfur removal control device,
- Daily record-keeping of the SO2 emissions from the flares,
- An increased frequency of the analysis of the H2S concentration entering the facility to a monthly basis to account for potential seasonal variations,
- Specifies the maximum biogas flow limit for the facility,
- Requires an inspection, maintenance, and calibration plan for the facility’s air pollution control equipment and monitors to be submitted to DAQ for approval.
The final permit, hearing officer’s report and related documents are available at https://deq.nc.gov/align-energy. The air quality permit applies only to the gathering facility located at 2940 NC Highway 24 West in Turkey, North Carolina. As currently proposed, the facility will not process biogas until the biogas producing animal operations receive the required permits.
DEQ is committed to fully evaluating the entirety of this project and addressing community concerns at each stage of the required permitting. Many of the concerns raised during the public process for the air permit were specific to the 19 animal feeding operations (swine farms) that plan to provide biogas to the gathering facility. Any animal operation choosing to participate in the biogas project is required to submit a permit application to the Division of Water Resources (DWR). DWR will thoroughly review each application for permit modification on a case-by-case basis and the issuance of this air permit does not indicate the outcome of the DWR permit processes. As currently proposed, the facility will not process biogas until the animal operations receive the required permits.
Given the significant public interest in the project, DWR is providing an opportunity for public comment and community engagement on the four draft permit modifications submitted so far for the animal feeding operations participating in the Align biogas processing project.
DWR is currently accepting comment on the draft permit modifications and will host a public meeting on January 26 to provide information and answer questions about the animal feeding operations permit modification applications. Additional information on how to participate in the meeting and register to speak is available here https://deq.nc.gov/news/events/swine-biogas-public-meeting. | https://deq.nc.gov/news/press-releases/2021/01/06/release-air-permit-issued-align-rng-biogas-processing-facility |
Dialog is vitally important in interpersonal relationships, and is even more so in communication within a family.
Communication is guided by our feelings and by the information that we transmit to others and that we understand from others. Communication serves to establish contact with other people, to give or receive information, to express or understand what we are thinking, to pass on our feelings, to share a thought, idea, experience or information with another person, with the result of helping us to form bonds and share a loving relationship.
When there is communication within a family, there is a feeling of camaraderie, complicity, and an atmosphere of love and affection in the home. Above all, there is mutual respect and deeply-rooted values. Nevertheless, successful communication within a family is not that easy. Parents have to help their children learn how to communicate by introducing mechanisms that encourage effective communication.
- When giving somebody information, always try to do it in a positive way.
- Obey the rule of “what I say is what I do".
- Empathize or put yourself in the other person’s shoes.
- Give consistent and non-contradictory messages.
- Listen with attention and interest.
- Create an emotional climate that fosters communication.
- Ask for other people’s opinions.
- Express and share your feelings.
- Be clear when asking for something.
Of course there are no basic rules to improve communication within a family. Each family is its own world, with a unique language. There should always be interest and time from the parents as a way of improving communication. If you want to have a united family, the best road to go down is towards effective communication.
1. Look at the type of communication you have with your child. Spend a few days observing yourself and your child, without judgment and blame. It is a good idea to record the typical flashpoints of family conflict or arguments. This is a healthy exercise but it is sometimes difficult to face up to the fact that the harsh reality does not meet the ideal desired situation.
2. Listen actively and carefully to each of the interventions of your children. Assess what they say and prioritize. Your response should always be the correct one as we do not want to underestimate their need to communicate.
3. If you cannot provide the attention that they are asking for at the time, reason with your children, promising to come back to them later. You can simply say “give me 10 minutes and I’m all yours". Remember to thank them later for their patience and their ability to wait, and make sure you really are free to communicate with them in 10 minutes.
4. There are certain ways to communicate that are guaranteed to get the opposite response to the one that is desired: being authoritarian; making the other person feel guilty; belittling the other person’s opinions, and giving sermons. Analyze your own communication methods and think about whether you use any of these. If so, make a conscious effort not to and eventually you may find you get the desired results.
5. No more guilt and blame. If up to now you have not been a shining example of a good communicator, don’t waste time blaming yourself and feeling guilty. It is never too late to change. Think about how you can improve and adapt to a new way of communicating that will do nothing but good for your family, reducing or even eliminating for good many of the usual conflicts with your children.
6. When you decide to change or improve in the search for more open communication within the family, establish a trial period, such as a week or a weekend, after which you sit down together to consider whether it has worked or not, or if you need to change something else in the family dynamic. Parents are often very set in their ways and changing these ways needs a lot of effort, dedication and above all patience, especially with ourselves! | http://usa.publiboda.com/family_tips/communication_within_the_family.html |
No34 [Book] Post-mortem of a worldwide success
One of the most characteristic works of Japanese art is undoubtedly Kanagawa Oki no namiura (under the wave off Kanagawa), better known today as The Great wave off Kanagawa. This woodblock print was produced in the 1830s by Katsushika Hokusai, a great print master, and over time it has come to symbolize Japan. In her excellent book, Christine Guth has taken the time to understand why this magnificent wave ended up representing Japan throughout the world. from the era of Japanism at the the end of the19th century, which led Claude Debussy to choose the print to illustrate the first edition of La Mer, she carefully explains the process leading to it still being used in the present day to evoke Japan at the time of the 2011 tsunami, or to express the power of the Japanese economy. | http://www.zoomjapan.info/2015/09/10/no34-book-post-mortem-of-a-worldwide-success/ |
Children can join our Nursery in the September following their 3rd birthday and we have one intake per year. So, if your child was born between 1st September 2017 and 31st August 2018 they are eligible to join our Nursery in September 2021.
There are two Nursery classes at Chatsworth Primary School:
- Morning Nursery - 8.30am to 11.30am
- Afternoon Nursery - 12.15pm to 3.15pm
We offer both 15-hour and 30-hour places:
Children attend nursery classes for five half days each week in term‐time, either five mornings or five afternoons, however some working families are eligible to receive a further 15 hours of early education for their 3 or 4‐year old. This is in addition to the universal 15 hours – 30 hours in total.
Whether you are applying for 15 hours or 30 hours the application form is the same - just indicate your preference by ticking the relevant box.
For further information about 30-hours and to check your entitlement, please read: London Borough of Hounslow 30-Hour Guidance
Nursery Admissions September 2021:
The application process will begin in January 2021. This page will be updated with more information in December 2020, please check back then.
Nursery Admissions September 2020:
Key dates for September 2020 admission:
- 1st January 2020 - Applications open
- 1st May 2020 - Closing date for Nursery applications to arrive at school
- 20th May 2020 - Parents and carers are notified of outcome
- 3rd June 2020 - Last day to accept offer of Nursery place
Application forms can be collected from our school office or downloaded (below). Completed applications, along with a copy of your child's short birth certificate and your latest Council Tax statement/bill, should be submitted to the school office no later than Friday 1st May 2020.
Applications are processed in accordance with the Local Authority's admission criteria. Parents/carers will be notified of the outcome by letter on Wednesday 20th May 2019.
We retain a waiting list for late or in-year applications and spaces are allocated as and when they become available, again, in accordance with the Local Authority's admissions criteria.
Please visit the London Borough of Hounslow Nursery Admissions page:
Link: LBH Nursery Admissions
Application to join our Nursery 2021
How to apply
The closing date is 7 May 2021
COMPLETE A NURSERY APPLICATION FORM (Above)
Email or post the application directly to the school. A list of schools and their contact details can be found here
You can apply to more than one school but must send each school an individual application form. Your application form must be received by the school by 7 May 2021.
Your application must go directly to the school, not to us.
Please read our Starting Nursery Class in a Hounslow School September 2021 brochure.
Education in a school nursery is not compulsory and it may not be possible for every child to secure a place in a school nursery. If your child already has a place at a private day nursery or playgroup, you may prefer to keep them there until they start reception in the following September.
For more information about applying for a school nursery class or the early education entitlement, please contact Hounslow Family Information Service on 020 8583 3470.
All 3 and 4 year olds are entitled to up to 15 hours of early education each week for 38 weeks of the year. | https://www.chatsworthprimaryschool.co.uk/nursery-admissions-1/ |
The American Advocate is a non-partisan political action group, whose mission is to empower citizens in making decisions based on information gathered from topics they choose to be informed about. Such topics can be local, regional or global. Once the topic has been chosen neutral and objective subject matter experts will inform the group of all aspects relating to that subject. Local Government representative will then be invited to discuss how they would propose to address the concerns’ of the citizens.
The sessions are facilitated by veteran disaster/emergency and CPR instructor James Beebe, who has taught over 1,100 students in the last five years throughout the greater San Diego County. Beebe is known for his creative and humorous style of instruction with a mix of personal experience.
Beebe’s students have ranged all the way from seniors, and parents with small children, to entire businesses. “I have seen the disparity of those who wish they had been a little more proactive educating themselves for the uncertainty that life can throw your way,” he said. “We offer choices and solutions rather than excuses which are the result of a lack of foresight and planning.” You can reach Beebe at 760-723-1338. | http://www.theamericanadvocate.org/ |
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Per ulteriori informazioni selezionare i riferimenti di interesse.
A neural circuit analysis of visual recognition memory: Role of perirhinal, medial, and lateral entorhinal cortex
LEARNING & MEMORY
Effects of pharmacologically induced changes in NMDA-receptor activity on long-term memory in humans
LEARNING & MEMORY
Rats with lesions of the hippocampus are impaired on the delayed nonmatching-to-sample task
HIPPOCAMPUS
Consolidation and the medial temporal lobe revisited: Methodological considerations
HIPPOCAMPUS
Effects of basic fibroblast growth factor on central nervous system functions
PHARMACOLOGICAL RESEARCH
Episodic-like memory in animals: psychological criteria, neural mechanismsand the value of episodic-like tasks to investigate animal models of neurodegenerative disease
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF LONDON SERIES B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
The role of ventral and orbital prefrontal cortex in conditional visuomotor learning and strategy use in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta)
BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE
Perirhinal cortex and place-object conditional learning in the rat
BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE
Conditional discriminations based on external and internal cues in rats with cytotoxic hippocampal lesions
BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE
The effect of excitotoxic lesions centered on the hippocampus or perirhinal cortex in object recognition and spatial memory tasks
BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE
Differential regulation of p75 and trkB mRNA expression after depolarizingstimuli or BDNF treatment in basal forebrain neuron cultures
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH
Distribution and co-localization of choline acetyltransferase and P75 neurotrophin receptors in the sheep basal forebrain: Implications for the use of a specific cholinergic immunotoxin
NEUROSCIENCE
The conjoint importance of the hippocampus and anterior thalamic nuclei for allocentric spatial learning: Evidence from a disconnection study in the rat
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
Impaired recognition of the goal location during spatial navigation in rats with hippocampal lesions
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
Perspectives on object-recognition memory following hippocampal damage: lessons from studies in rats
BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH
Selective antibody-induced cholinergic cell and synapse loss produce sustained hippocampal and cortical hypometabolism with correlated cognitive deficits
EXPERIMENTAL NEUROLOGY
The phospholipase A(2) inhibitor quinacrine prevents increased immunoreactivity to cytoplasmic phospholipase A(2) (cPLA(2)) and hydroxynonenal (HNE) in neurons of the lateral septum following fimbria-fornix transection
EXPERIMENTAL BRAIN RESEARCH
Chronic intracerebroventricular exposure to beta-amyloid(1-40) impairs object recognition but does not affect spontaneous locomotor activity or sensorimotor gating in the rat
EXPERIMENTAL BRAIN RESEARCH
Is there nicotinic modulation of nerve growth factor? Implications for cholinergic therapies in Alzheimer's disease
BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY
A cortical-hippocampal system for declarative memory
NATURE REVIEWS NEUROSCIENCE
Acetyl-L-carnitine physical-chemical, metabolic, and therapeutic properties: relevance for its mode of action in Alzheimer's disease and geriatric depression
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
Apoptosis modulators in the therapy of neurodegenerative diseases
EXPERT OPINION ON INVESTIGATIONAL DRUGS
Identifying cortical inputs to the rat hippocampus that subserve allocentric spatial processes: A simple problem with a complex answer
HIPPOCAMPUS
Dorsal hippocampal function in unreinforced spatial learning
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Neuroanatomical abnormalities in behaviorally characterized App(V717F) transgenic mice
NEUROBIOLOGY OF DISEASE
Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide promotes the survival of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons in vitro and in vivo: comparison witheffects of nerve growth factor
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
Perirhinal cortex ablation in rats selectively impairs object identification in a simultaneous visual comparison task
BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE
The role of the hippocampal system in social odor discrimination and scent-marking in female golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus)
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Cholinergic expression by a neural stem cell line grafted to the adult medial septum/diagonal band complex
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH
Up-regulation of genes involved in cellular stress and apoptosis in a rat model of hippocampal degeneration
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH
Impaired spatial learning ln aged rats is associated with loss of p75-positive neurons in the basal forebrain
NEUROSCIENCE
Fos imaging reveals differential patterns of hippocampal and parahippocampal subfield activation in rats in response to different spatial memory tests
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
Central nicotinic receptors, neurotrophic factors and neuroprotection
BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH
Lesions of the perirhinal cortex impair sensory preconditioning in rats
BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH
Arbitrary associations between antecedents and actions
TRENDS IN NEUROSCIENCES
Retrograde tracing with Fluoro-Gold: different methods of tracer detectionat the ultrastructural level and neurodegenerative changes of back-filled neurons in long-term studies
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE METHODS
Memory systems in the brain
ANNUAL REVIEW OF PSYCHOLOGY
Involvement of single unit activity in inferotemporal and perirhinal cortices in recognition memory of visual objects in the macaque
ACTA NEUROBIOLOGIAE EXPERIMENTALIS
Interfacing mind and brain: A neurocognitive model of recognition memory
PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY
Overexpression of neurotrophin receptor p75 contributes to the excitotoxin-induced cholinergic neuronal death in rat basal forebrain
BRAIN RESEARCH
Mediodorsal thalamic function in scene memory in rhesus monkeys
BRAIN
Does senile impairment of cholinergic system in rats concern only disturbances in cholinergic phenotype or the progressive degeneration of neuronal cell bodies?
ACTA BIOCHIMICA POLONICA
Episodic memory: what can animals remember about their past?
TRENDS IN COGNITIVE SCIENCES
Dissociation between the effects of damage to perirhinal cortex and area TE
LEARNING & MEMORY
Spatial view cells and the representation of place in the primate hippocampus
HIPPOCAMPUS
Liposome-mediated NGF gene transfection following neuronal injury: potential therapeutic applications
GENE THERAPY
Morris water maze analysis of 192-IgG-saporin-lesioned rats and porcine cholinergic transplants to the hippocampus
CELL TRANSPLANTATION
The effects of NMDA-induced retrohippocampal lesions on performance of four spatial memory tasks known to be sensitive to hippocampal damage in the rat
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
Regeneration of the motor component of the rat sciatic nerve with local administration of neurotrophic growth factor in silicone chambers
JOURNAL OF RECONSTRUCTIVE MICROSURGERY
Behavioral disturbances in transgenic mice overexpressing the V717F beta-amyloid precursor protein
BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE
The effect of excitotoxic lesions centered on the perirhinal cortex in twoversions of the radial arm maze task
BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE
Different effects on learning ability after injection of the cholinergic immunotoxin ME20.4IgG-saporin into the diagonal band of Broca, basal nucleusof Meynert, or both in monkeys
BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE
Distribution and retrograde transport of trophic factors in the central nervous system: Functional implications for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases
PROGRESS IN NEUROBIOLOGY
Scene and object vision in rats
QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY SECTION B-COMPARATIVE AND PHYSIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY
Different contributions of the hippocampus and perirhinal cortex to recognition memory
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
Functional blockade of tyrosine kinase A in the rat basal forebrain by a novel antagonistic anti-receptor monoclonal antibody
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
Auditory thalamus, dorsal hippocampus, basolateral amygdala, and perirhinal cortex role in the consolidation of conditioned freezing to context and to acoustic conditioned stimulus in the rat
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
Functionally dissociating aspects of event memory: The effects of combinedperirhinal and postrhinal cortex lesions on object and place memory in therat
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
Effects of ALCAR on the fast axoplasmic transport in cultured sensory neurons of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats
NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH
Perirhinal cortex: Lost in space? | https://serials.unibo.it/cgi-ser/start/it/spogli/ds-s.tcl?soggetti=FORNIX+TRANSECTION |
The power of myths
When Narendra Modi took over India’s reins in 2014, he was lauded for being a fearless reformer. The Indian middle class and the corporate world expected that economic growth would surge under his stewardship. What we have got instead is a sluggish economy and a focus on aggressive majoritarianism. In spite of a slowing economy, Modi’s popularity, surveys show, remains high. Modi did not offer a clear policy even during the current pandemic. But what he has demonstrated is an ability to connect with the people through performance that includes such elements as gestures, a simple language, emotion and drama. Even though we criticize Modi’s handling of the economy and of the pandemic, we cannot afford to undermine or ridicule the importance of theatrics and performance in mass democracies. These elements are tools to tell a story that people can relate to.
Modi has pitted psychological, emotive issues against material imperatives. However, to elicit a better policy response, there is a need to avoid an overt conflict between these two dimensions of social existence. The challenge is to bring back questions of economic inequality, the plight of the poor, the migrants and the homeless as well as class differences without undermining the emotional aspects of life. These aspects are relevant to even those who are suffering from poverty. Poverty has to be made sense of. It has to be perceived as indignity. What the current leadership has succeeded in achieving is give meaning to suffering without attempting to ameliorate the suffering. Questions of commitment and compassion need to be raised. But this must be done through and as a narrative that can dislodge the dominant discourse and symbolism without dismissing the latter as ‘unscientific’ or countering it with cold statistics.
The historian, Yuval Noah Harari, stated that “Humans think in stories, and we try to make sense of the world by telling stories.” Modern societies, notwithstanding their scientific spirit or productivity, continue to retain myths and look for meaning in them. The idea that only traditional or pre-modern societies believe in mythology is misplaced. The only difference, as the cultural sociologist, Jeffrey C. Alexander, points out is that in traditional societies “symbolic action [is] more often ritualized, more easily generating shared feelings and expectations, sustaining community, and frequently repeated in familiar ways.” As modern, complex societies get divided, their ability to generate a shared ethos and authenticity becomes infinitely more difficult. It is performance, strategy and symbolism that hold these societies together and generate meanings that are transient. It is intention, motivation and emotion that demand attention.
The current political dispensation in India is treating citizens not as subjects but as actors. Those who wish to perform are made to feel included. The symbolism of banging plates and lighting candles during the lockdown offers this ‘theatre’ of inclusion and participation. This cannot be countered by simply calling the bluff. Such a performance is deemed valuable because it creates a narrative to make sense of the current context.
Leadership is marked not merely by policy concerns but it needs to inspire as well. This proposition is reflected in the criticism of Manmohan Singh. The former prime minister was a good economist and the economy did well under him. But he did not seem to have the capacity to offer a story, a performance. It is important to tell a tale. The story the current leadership is offering to the nation is to rise above criticism and stand together as ‘family’ even though the government continues to neglect those who have been left behind. It is thus not enough to provide data to prove that a large number of people are being denied basic amenities and that the pandemic itself is the result of economic and social inequalities.
The people must be allowed to think differently and imagine a different reality. Machiavelli had once remarked, “Men cherish something that seems like the real thing as much as they do the real thing itself...” In modern societies, it is not easy to make oneself understood. People thus find it easier to make sense through symbols, gestures and anecdotes. It becomes easier to push through false information or create false enemies — be it China or the Tablighi Jamaat — in the absence of counter-narratives and counter-symbolism. Alexander argued, “Foucault describes persons inside systems of knowledge/power as occupying subject positions. But people are not subjects; they are actors.” What is being told and people’s ability to make sense of themselves and their everyday experiences through what is being told are now being accorded legitimacy. This mode of representation is irreducible, and it can be done in very many ways. The question is this: can an alternative story of human suffering be created and made integral to the existing cultural ethos and value systems? | https://www.telegraphindia.com/opinion/coronavirus-the-politics-of-the-narendra-modi-government-in-india-is-treating-citizens-not-as-subjects-but-as-actors/cid/1772735 |
The aim of this study is to analyze one innovative and specific technique in the human resources management within the sport field. In the last decades in the organizational settings, also in the sport sector, the new technologies have caused significant changes. Technology affects many human processes, the decision-making process, the financial business, the learning and training processes, the teaching activities and so forth, by defining new tools, such as e-mentoring, that can improve these significant and critical processes. Therefore, in our society an important role is played by the technology with advantages and disadvantages. This paper investigates mentoring, recognized as a learning and competence development goal-driven process, supported by new technology in order to understand context and factors of technology that affect mentoring relationships within learning and training process in the sport context, considering their own specific characteristics. Sport increasingly becomes a very important business for its growing economic and social impact and, it is also recognized a much interesting research field in many different disciplines such as medicine, management, economics and so on. Athletes tend to achieve the same goal, that is a high level of performance in any sport disciplines; for this reason the supporting and guidance process for athletes plays a key role for their success. Athletes and also all the individuals with different roles and functions operate in the sport system (technicians, referees, and so on) need to be trained and develop their knowledge and competences. In the recent years, mentoring in the sport field, especially supported by the technology, is recognized as a key factor in the professional and psychological developmental process. This explorative study is conducted through a brief review of the literature on the topic and the analysis of two e-mentoring experiences in the Italian sport context in order to evidence mentoring main functions and application areas, systematize and clarify the main contributions on this issue and identify new research perspectives.
Recommended Citation
Varriale, Luisa and Tarufi, Domenico, "E-MENTORING FOR SPORT SCIENCE: IMPLICATIONS AND APPLICATIONS" in Mola, L., Carugati, A,. Kokkinaki, A., Pouloudi, N., (eds) (2014) Proceedings of the 8th Mediterranean Conference on Information Systems, Verona, Italy, September 03-05. CD-ROM. ISBN: 978-88-6787-273-2. | https://aisel.aisnet.org/mcis2014/36/ |
Text that flows from right to left and is the default reading direction of a page with its content aligned on the right margin.
An imaginary line on which most letters "sit". As such, it equals the height of an em square. The expected result of a baseline is to reference the height with which text is aligned. The alignment ranges from ascenders, which are the upper strokes in b, d, and h, down to descenders like j or y.
A type of user interface design carefully crafted to trick people into doing things they might not want to do.
The principle of both sides of an object having a sense of symmetry. It ensures that the weight and visual mass are distributed evenly on both sides of a surface. Balance is more important than symmetry because people don't often notice when something is asymmetrical, but they will always see if something is unbalanced.
The space that an item has around it.
Generally used when a page has so much content that it would be impossibly long to load the entire page at once. Infinite scroll consists of an auto-generated list of items that constantly loads new items as they load off the bottom of the screen.
A name, symbol or other distinctive feature that distinguishes one business's product from another's, often associated with a logo, design, slogan and other items.
The process of developing a product or design system that can be altered to fit different device and interaction contexts.
A psychological principle which predicts that when multiple homogeneous stimuli are presented, the stimulus which differs from the rest is most likely to be remembered. In other words, people tend to remember items in isolation more than those of a similar nature or objects in clusters. This phenomenon has been applied in designing websites and software with various levels of success.
Also known as an Ishikawa diagram, is a widely used technique in project management. The diagram provides a means of evaluating the cause-and-effect relationship between the various activities necessary for completing a project by visualising all activities in the project as bones that interconnect on an anterior and posterior spine, with causality flowing from one to another.
A style of typeface that uses a width-to-height ratio of 1:1. | https://omelette.co/glossary/right-aligned/ |
FSD2590 Finnish Opinions on Security Policy and National Defence 2009
The dataset is (C) available for research only (including e.g. Master's, licentiate and doctoral theses). The dataset may not be used for other theses (e.g. Bachelor's or polytechnic theses), for other study purposes (e.g. seminar papers, essays) or teaching.
Download the data
Study description in other languages
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Authors
- Advisory Board for Defence Information (ABDI)
Keywords
European integration, armed forces, conflict, conflict resolution, conscription, defence, defence and state security policy, foreign policy, international alliances, international conflict resolution, international relations, national security, terrorism
Abstract
This annual survey charted Finnish public opinion on foreign policy, defence policy, security, military alliances, and the situation in Afghanistan.
The respondents were asked how well Finland had managed its foreign policy and defence policy, and should Finland take up arms to defend itself if it were attacked. Opinions were charted on defence forces funding and military objectives, whether Finland should stay neutral or join NATO, whether the conscription system should be maintained, and what factors were important for creating strong defence. The respondents were asked to what extent they feel concern about various issues, such as the situation in Afghanistan, Iraq or the Middle East, terrorism, environmental issues, use of nuclear power, nuclear weapons, climate change, economic situation in the world and in Finland, weapons of mass destruction etc. Further questions covered opinions on the impact of various factors on the security of Finland (e.g. the EU, UN, NATO, certain countries becoming members of the EU or NATO, Finland's participation in international crisis management or the European Rapid Reaction Force, Finland's neutrality, increase in foreign ownership in the country etc).
Views were probed on how well the country had prepared itself against a number of threats (terrorism, international crime, attack against communication networks, energy availability etc), and what kind of threats the country should prepare itself for.
One theme pertained to the Afghan conflict, what was it all about, how well the international community had supported the Afghan administration in reaching various goals (such as improving the situation of women, fight against terrorism, decreasing illegal drug production), and on what kind of operations should the Finnish troops concentrate in Afghanistan (e.g. should they help build democracy, educate local armed forces, educate the police).
Background variables included the respondent's gender, age, occupational status and economic activity, marital status, occupation of the household head, household composition, age of children living at home, household income, television viewing per week, type of accommodation, municipality size and type, major region (NUTS2) and region (NUTS3)of residence, ownership of car, home, holiday home and consumer durables, Internet use, and political party choice if parliamentary elections were held at that time.
Permanent link to this dataset:
Direct link to this tab:
Study description in machine readable DDI 2.0 format
Metadata record is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license. | https://services.fsd.uta.fi/catalogue/FSD2590?lang=en&study_language=en |
- Manage SAP ERP master data for materials management, purchasing, planning, and transportation functions.
- Create and manage project material Sales Orders including delivery note generation and final goods issue per delivery confirmations.
- Manage, monitor and maintain delivery schedules / due dates in MRP system based on Customer Demand (Planning Solutions and Discrete Sales Orders) as well as forecasting techniques where applicable.
- Analyze and provide feedback to appropriate departments on material status / requirements for fulfilling customer demand.
- Provide lead times to the Customer Service team regarding Available To Promise date for customer demand fulfillment.
- Generate and maintain the Master Production Schedules using a variety of inputs such as sales orders, historical data, sales forecasts, and inputs from the Sales & Operations team.
- Check availability of inventory prior to firming/releasing work orders using system queries and reports..
- Work with manufacturing management to generate and maintain the Rough Cut Capacity Plan.
- Manage Supplier Schedules and demand visibility as needed to meet requirements.
- Maintain discrete purchase orders, Kanban releases & Supplier Schedules based on MRP action messages and new engineering change orders.
- Monitor & measure material and transportation cost savings plans and targets; collaborate with Strategic Procurement team in supplier negotiation initiatives as required.
- Collaborate with multiple suppliers and distribution locations to ensure proper inventory levels for finished goods and components.
- Effectively manage inventory levels to meet customer orders, including safety & distribution stock, utilizing proven Supply Chain systems.
- Develop, improve, and monitor reporting processes & systems to control supply chain functions.
- Collaborate with Strategic Procurement, Project Management and Customer Service teams to optimize supply chain and logistics solutions in order to maximize On Time Delivery to customer requests and delivery promises, while minimizing inventory investment.
- Generate and distribute daily transportation reports.
- Serve as liaison between project personnel and transportation companies to set delivery appointments, manage pipeline shipments, file claims, and ensure complete delivery on schedule and undamaged.
- Work with accounts payable and transportation suppliers to reconcile freight invoices.
- Obtain quotes and select transportation services as required for domestic and international transport.
- Manage international freight compliance to ensure accurate, complete, and timely document transmittal to freight forwarders and customs.
- Ensure hazardous materials transport compliance for all modes international and domestic.
- Make recommendations to management regarding improvements in supply chain processes to improve efficiency, optimize total cost of ownership, and improve delivery performance to customers.
- Perform other duties, as assigned.
Your competence
- Four-year degree in Business Management, Supply Chain Management, or related field.
- 3-5 years scheduling & planning in a manufacturing environment.
- 3 years customer service/sales support experience in a manufacturing, distribution, or transportation related industry.
- 1 year buying experience.
- Strong computer skills, with emphasis on using MS Outlook, MS Word, and MS Excel, Adobe Distiller, Auto-CAD.
- Experience with an enterprise-wide information system such as SAP - specifically working with the SD, MM, and PP modules.
- Excellent time management and organizational skills.
- Strong interpersonal communication skills.
- Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
- Accuracy and attention to detail.
- Must exhibit a professional business demeanor and be capable of handling stressful and demanding interpersonal interactions, while working flexible hours dependent upon workload.
- APICS CSCP certification.
- Two years experience with transactional ERP systems such as SAP, Oracle, JD Edwards or related system in master data administration, order entry, scheduling, and/or warehouse administration.
- Mechanical and electrical technical aptitude; specifically, the ability to read and understand technical drawings and apply such knowledge in day-to-day business.
Desirable, but not Essential:
Target salary range for this position is $58,000 -$65,000. Salary will be commensurate with experience and skillset. We offer a comprehensive benefits package including medical / dental / vision insurance, tuition reimbursement, disability, 401k matching (up to 8%).
Clarity on your path
At Swisslog Healthcare, we are constantly looking for people who shape and develop our company. We offer exciting opportunities to learn, develop and lead change. You benefit from clear communication and development plans that are aligned with your personal strengths and our common goals. Enjoy many other benefits that we are constantly reviewing and expanding.
Our commitment
Equal Opportunity EmployerSwisslog Healthcare is an Equal Opportunity Employer, all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, status as a protected veteran, or any other applicable status protected by federal, state or local law.
Swisslog’s FMLA policy can be found at:
http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/posters/fmlaen.pdf
Federal law requires employers to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities. If you require reasonable accommodation to complete the application or to perform your job, please contact Human Resources at [email protected]. | https://www.swisslog-healthcare.com/en-us/careers/openings/buyer--planner-broomfield-co-7255 |
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Tobacco smoking is one of the major etiologic factors associated with cancer. While there are many carcinogenic compounds present in tobacco smoke, its main addictive component, nicotine, is not carcinogenic by itself. The addictive properties of nicotine are achieved through the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) that are widely distributed in the brain and neuromuscular junctions; at the same time, they were found to be expressed in a variety of non-neuronal tissues in the body including those of the lung. Recent studies show that these non-neuronal nAChRs can induce cell proliferation and angiogenesis. Analysis of the molecular mechanisms underlying nicotine-mediated cell proliferation showed the involvement of Src kinase and the scaffolding protein beta-arrestin-1. Further, nAChRs were found to activate the basic components of the cell cycle machinery similar to growth factor receptors. This involved increased binding of Raf-1 kinase to the Rb protein, activation of cyclins D and E as well as induction of proliferative promoters. This article describes pathway involved in nicotine-induced cell proliferation and angiogenesis and the potential steps that are amenable for developing novel anti-cancer therapies.
National Center for
Biotechnology Information, | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17102610?dopt=Abstract |
Loft Sixty-Four by Eva Architects
This industrial loft designed by Eva Architects is located in Boscoducale, Netherlands.
Description by Eva Architects
The original building was built as a workshop but was used as an office the last decade. It was established around 1880. Through the years there have been several renovations. We definitely wanted to get rid of the existing interior that was built in the 90’s. Besides, the existing building was quite dark because it only had daylight from the front and rear facades.
Because the client loves New York, we decided to take the NYC warehouse as a metaphor. The industrial stairs, the concrete floor, the brick wall, the open space, they all contribute to the warehouse atmosphere. The floor is made of new polished concrete what is normally used for industrial purposes. The wooden core is made of plywood with a finishing of brushed oak. The existing walls are made of solid bricks that had to be insulated from the inside. The wall adjacent to the neighbors didn’t need insulation so could be uncovered. Different brick types, braces and repairs tell their story about the history of the building. The existing arches in the brick wall have been restored and exposed. The existing floor was made of a wooden structure on steel beams. The steel beams have been preserved while the wooden structure could easily be modified to make space for the voids.
The big challenge was to fit the required spaces (e.g. only 1 bedroom) in the available 200 m2 in such way that the different areas would still feel cozy and manageable. Normally we get the question the other way around: “design a house of 120 m2 containing 6 bedrooms”, so the more fun to take up this challenge. Because the wooden volume is placed in the center of the house, the space gets separated but the experience of space remains. Besides, the lack of daylight was a leading issue in developing the design. By introducing three skylights and voids underneath the daylight can enter the house, even on the ground floor. | https://homeadore.com/2017/04/18/loft-sixtyfour-eva-architects/ |
Sylvia Plath born in Boston, America, (October 27, 1932 – February 11, 1963) was a short story writer, novelist and poet. Before being acclaimed as a writer and poet, she studied at the University of Cambridge, Newnham College and Smith College where she excelled academically. In 1956 she married Ted Hughes a fellow poet who she met in Cambridge at a party on February 25, 1956. She lived in United States and later on in England. Together they had two children Nicholas and Frieda, after which in 1962 Sylvia separated from her husband. All through adult life she remained clinically depressed, took electroconvulsive therapy treatment many times and in 1963, she committed suicide.
Literary contribution
Sylvia Plath, the American novelist and poet is well known for her works preoccupied with self destruction, death and alienation. Her first short story for the Seventeen Magazine and a poem for The Christian Science Monitor, were the first literary contests she took part in while she was schooling. The Colossus, her first collection of poems were published in 1960. In 1963, The Bell Jar, a novel describing attempted suicide, mental breakdown and eventual recovery was published under the pseudonym “Victoria Lucas”. Growth of a enthusiastic and devoted following of scholars and readers sparked after her collection of poems called Ariel were published in 1965.
Writing Style
Autobiographical approach is intensely emotional and powerful in her work. Sylvia Plath’s personal experiences, mental illness, depression and pain have influenced her writing. She changed literature forever with her love for writing. Her life was greatly influenced with her passion for words. In a more abstract and not so straightforward way, this short story writer, novelist and poet expressed herself.
Significant themes
Themes of her poems are negative in nature with topics like issues of patriarchal societies, anguish, death and war. By becoming the thing-in-itself, she has been able to overcome the tension between the thing-in-itself and the perceiver, literally. To explain herself, she used history, unsatisfactory experiences, inner turmoil, cynicism and has also linked the grand theme of womanhood with destiny of modern civilization.
Trivia
A collection of correspondence of Plath between the years 1960 and 1963 reveal that one source of her inner turmoil was with her relationship with her mother. Her unguarded personal commentary on marriage, college years, children, friendships, | https://www.academicdestressor.com/sylvia-plath/ |
What is it?
A dropped metatarsal head is a condition wherein one of the metatarsal bones (usually the second metatarsal) is lower than the rest at the distal end.
What are the common symptoms/complaints?
Patients complain of pain and a sensation that they are walking on a stone.Patients often develop a callus under the area of the dropped metatarsal.
How is it caused?
This condition is very common and the cause is considered to be almost strictly hereditary. Over-pronation does play a role because abnormal weight distribution in a pronated foot does tend to offload too much weight on the second metatarsal.
How is it treated?
The patient should be fitted with orthotics to correct any abnormal pronation. The orthotics should have a metatarsal pad under the dropped area which will raise it and alleviate the pain.
Do you require an appointment?
Would like to book an appointment with a Chiropodist to discuss your Foot and Ankle issues? If so, click this button to complete our appointment request form. | http://thefootclinic.ca/dropped-metatarsal-heads/ |
Weddings are special events that gather families and friends together to witness a new milestone in a bride and groom’s life. However, many Christian couples often find themselves wondering if they can also invite people of different faiths to their weddings.
How about your Muslim friends, then? Can they also be there on your big day? Can Muslim attend Christian wedding?
The good news is yes, Muslims are allowed to enter Christian Churches and even other houses of worship. It is referenced in the acts of several of the Prophet’s Companions. As a rule, the issue will depend on the person’s intention for doing so.
If the person intends to confess sins to or receive blessings from anyone aside from Allah, it is prohibited to enter a Christian church. On the other hand, if the purpose of the person is to become more familiar with the way Christians conduct their services, or to participate in happy occasions like a wedding, then, Muslims are allowed to enter the church of Christians.
With these rules, it means that your Muslim family, friends, and colleagues can attend your Christian wedding without any worries.
Thing You Should Know when Hosting Muslim Guest at Your Christian Wedding
If you are inviting some Muslim guests to your Christian wedding, the most important thing you should do is learn how to accommodate them and ensure that they are comfortable throughout the event.
Every Muslim has a different way of practicing his or her faith just like other spiritual traditions. The best thing to do here is to talk to your Muslim guest ahead of time to ensure their comfort.
Below are a few pointers on specific practices and restrictions that you might want to talk about or ask when planning your gathering.
How to Approach Religions Activities
Christian weddings are often filled with activities related to religious traditions different from Islam. Any Muslim guest who was invited before to a church wedding will surely know and understand this.
The biggest suggestion here is to give your Muslim guests their own private space when it is time to do things such as singing Christian songs or praying together or anything else specifically from the Christian tradition different from Islam, they will find their way to excuse, observe, or join themselves.
If there are gifts given out or games played during the wedding, especially those for kids, try to have some nonreligious options available to cater to your Muslim guests.
Another concern is related to dancing and music. There are several orthodox Islamic rulings concerning these two topics. When it comes to music, you can include it in the event if it is being played reasonably quietly in the background during your wedding.
It is not allowed for Muslims to dance in a mixed-gender crowd. Once again, be sure to inquire about this with your Muslim guest if it is part of the ceremony and confirm they are okay with it. Don’t take it to your heart if your Muslim guests leave before you open the dance floor during your wedding. It is simply their way to avoid an activity they know they cannot join in.
All in all, what matters here is to leave enough space for your Muslim guests to feel comfortable enough to distance themselves or join in with things going on. Most importantly, don’t pressure them to take part in your activity.
What Food and Drinks to Serve to Muslim Guests
The number one area of concern if you have Muslim guests during your Christian wedding has something to do with food. It is because Islamic rulings have several major dietary restrictions that followers must adhere to. It is where halal food comes in handy.
The primary categories of restrictions here include drinks or foods with animal products and with alcohol content. When it comes to the consumption of animal products, there are two general rules of thumb here:
- Many Muslims won’t eat anything that contains pig products such as bacon and ham and gelatin derived from pigs in desserts.
- Any vegan or vegetarian foods are considered safe for all your Muslim guests, except if they contain alcohol or drugs such as marijuana in them.
Muslim people have a different approach to the consumption of animals or meat within orthodox Islam. Again, make sure that you ask your guests since you cannot just guess what they follow in particular.
There are Muslims who eat meat slaughtered in a certain way while others consume meat slaughtered in a certain method but will just eat specific animals. For example, it is common for some Muslims to eat poultry.
To make things a bit more nuanced, several Muslims also eat anything labeled as kosher from Jewish tradition. But to stay safe, you should still ask your Muslim guests about their preferences when it comes to meat since it may differ from person to person.
With the ever-growing prevalence of vegan and vegetarian food options, awareness about foods with animal by-products has now become more prevalent. Keep an eye out for gravy mixes, stuffing, and packaged broths, and animal-derived gelatin used in desserts. Since food packaging today has become more transparent, it will be easier for you to determine if something is vegan or vegetarian.
No Alcohol
Alcohol is also a big no-no for your Muslim guests. Alcoholic beverages are the most obvious things that contain alcohol, such as hard liquors, beer, and wine. To accommodate Muslim guests when serving alcoholic beverages, one option is to have a totally dry event without any alcohol served.
Another option is to host a partially dry event where the event’s early half to dinner is dry. For example, you can inform your guests that you will serve dinner at 7, with the bar opening at 9. Doing so will allow your Muslim guests to come and enjoy a delicious dinner with you and leave before things begin to feel uncomfortable for them.
If it is impossible to have a partially or a completely dry event, you can isolate drinks to a certain spot, such as setting up a bar in a particular area or corner so that your Muslim guests can distance themselves comfortably. As always, ask your Muslim guests what will work best for them.
Now that you know that Muslims can attend Christian weddings, go ahead, and invite them over to your big day! | https://prairiehive.com/can-muslim-attend-christian-wedding/ |
managed by Shadrak K.
Empower and Care Organization has been registered since 2006, and operates in Mukono District, Central Uganda, and Maracha district, Northern Uganda. Our mission is to reduce poverty and HIV/AIDS through the creation of economic empowerment, and educational opportunities and support for disadvantaged groups of people. Our activities are targeted toward vulnerable women, particularly widows and those living with HIV/AIDS, as well as vulnerable children, youth, and the elderly.
The vision and philosophy of EACO is based on the belief that every human being is a unique individual and that we all have a right to good health and basic needs and should access means to a comfortable life in one way or another.
EACO is committed to a development process that promotes equality. EACO believes in and strives to uphold the rights and dignity of all people especially in the rural communities. EACO upholds principles of stewardship with its resources and is committed to support vulnerable children and disadvantaged people fight poverty, ignorance and diseases such as Malaria and HIV/AIDS.
In Mukono, women bear almost all responsibility for meeting basic needs of the family, yet are systematically denied the resources, information and freedom of action they need to fulfill this responsibility. The vast majority of the poor in Mukono are women, and two-thirds of the illiterates in this community are female. Of the millions of school age children that are not in school, the majority are girls. Furthermore, at this time, HIV/AIDS is rapidly becoming a woman's disease.
Providing job opportunities could change these trends. EACO’s income findings suggest, most women also lack the capital for the startup costs necessary to engage in successful entrepreneurial informal activities. This predisposition further inhibits their ability to generate a sustainable income and renders them unqualified to benefit from economic growth opportunities such as microfinance programs. Their lack of skills, education, and capital serves as a barrier to economic opportunity.
This project will target vulnerable women, particularly widows and those living with HIV/AIDS, Orphans, and grandmothers caring for vulnerable children through providing training for economic opportunities.
This project will enable women to engage in income-generating activities. The ability to increase their income and invest in their families and communities will then help to improve their families' health and well-being.
This project will address economic opportunity for women by providing training and individualized instruction in entrepreneurship, marketing techniques for small businesses, micro finance, and the implementation of income-generating activities (IGAs), including farming, vegetable growing, chicken rearing, piggery, mushroom growing, tailoring and design, arts and crafts, and hair dressing and styling.
By providing women food farmers easy access to credit, adequate training and instilling in them the importance of saving, EACO empowers women and girls to engage in income-generating activities to increase their incomes and invest in their families and communities. | https://www.betterplace.org/en/organisations/10119-empower-and-care-organization-eaco |
Description: A semi evergreen shrub of great late summer/autumn interest so very useful to brighten a mixed border at this time. Dark green foliage with pink tinged white fragrant flowers in small clusters on new growth from July to September which attract butterflies. Drought tolerant.
Climate/Position: Thrives in full sun but also suited to partial shade. Protect from cold winter winds.
Height/Spread: 1.5 x 2 metres
Soil Requirements: Suitable for any soil type. Prefers moist, well-drained soil but is tolerant of drought.
Pruning: If pruning is required or to rejuvenate old plants then cut out a number of the oldest twiggy shoots at ground level in spring. Tips of shoots may suffer die back in the coldest winters and therefore it may be desirable to trim these dead shoots back to growing points in late spring.
Special Requirements: A sheltered site or wall protection is preferred in colder areas. | https://www.provendernurseries.co.uk/factsheets/abelia-chinensis |
The DATA counseling team will provide a safe and nurturing learning environment and ensure a rigorous and academic path for each student. We will provide all students with equitable opportunities for growth in the academic, college and career, and social/ emotional domains. Through collaboration, leadership and advocacy, we will foster student development in overcoming adversity, valuing diversity and using resources to become independent and successful members of the community.
About DATA
DATA is a Magnet Middle School offering 21st Century curriculum including technology infused learning, project based learning, Visual Thinking Strategies, S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and thriving Art and Music Programs. Teachers align their Classroom Environments with Real World Environments emphasizing on: Critical Thinking & Problem Solving – Communication – Collaboration – Creativity & Innovation.
Student Appointment Link
Parent Appointment Link
Drug Abuse Resource
National Institute on drug abuse for teens
national institute on drug abuse
Emergency Resources
- VCBH Mental Health Crisis Team: (866) 998-2243
- Helpline of Ventura County: 211
- Interface: Children Family Services (Food, shelter, financial assistance, health, parenting and mental health services) 1-800-339-9597
- Behavioral Health:
1-800-227-2345
- California Youth Crisis Line:
1-800-843-5200
- Coalition to End Family Violence: 656-1111
- Drug Help Line: | https://data.venturausd.org/services/counseling |
SEATTLE -- A new analysis of genetic data from nearly 600,000 people has detected a tiny subset of disease-resistant "superheroes," individuals who have mutations that should have caused devastating disease -- but didn't, a Seattle scientist reported Monday.
Dr. Stephen Friend, president of Seattle's Sage Bionetworks, and his colleagues at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, sifted through a massive data set pooled from a dozen previous genetic studies.
Of the more than a half-million people included in the analysis, 13 were found who survived to adulthood despite having genetic alterations that typically cause any of eight serious childhood diseases.
No one knows why they remained healthy, Friend said. But such people could one day provide insight into ways to prevent or treat such catastrophic disorders.
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"Instead of looking at people with disease, you need to look at people who should have gotten sick," said Friend.
He has worked for years on similar efforts through The Resilience Project, which tries to find healthy people with markers for fatal diseases, including dementias.
The current study, published Monday in the journal Nature Biotechnology, underscores the need for better data acquisition, collection and sharing, Friend said.
The scientists were able to access genetic data from 12 previous studies through several sources, including 23andMe, a private genomics and biotechnology firm in Mountain View, Calif. They screened data from 589,306 people to search for those resistant to 584 Mendelian disorders, diseases that often begin in childhood and are typically caused by mutations in a single gene.
They looked at 874 genes for completely penetrant mutations, meaning anyone who has them will invariably develop the disease. They originally identified about 15,000 possible candidates, but after careful review, the number shrank to just 13, Friend said.
However, because proper consent forms weren't on file, they could not contact the disease-resistant people for further information.
"It's this real feeling of being both terribly excited and really frustrated," Friend said.
Even more frustrating, those 13 people may have no idea they've dodged a genetic bullet. They're likely unaware they have mutations that should have caused cystic fibrosis, a serious lung disorder or epidermolysis bullosa simplex, a severe blistering disease found in so-called "Butterfly Children," whose skin is said to be as fragile as the insect's wings. Or the resistant patients may have mild expression of the diseases, puzzling symptoms that may have stumped their doctors.
Other conditions included in the search were Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome, a developmental disorder; familial dysautonomia, which affects nerve cells; Pfeiffer syndrome, which causes early fusion of skull bones; autoimmune polyendocrinopathy syndrome, an autoimmune disorder; acampomelic campomelic dysplasia, a skeletal malformation problem; and atelosteogenesis, another bone disorder.
All of the conditions can be devastating; some are fatal.
The results of the study are both compelling and daunting, wrote Daniel McArthur, co-director of medical and population genetics at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, in an accompanying editorial. The massive analysis yielded only 13 people who were resistant, and no more than three each for any disease variant, he noted.
"This suggests that even with a million properly consented and deeply sequenced samples, it is extremely unlikely that enough genetic superheroes will be detected to enable a statistically well-powered genome-wide search for the genetic variants that modify disease genes," he wrote.
Scientists have known for years that some people with genetic mutations that typically cause disease can remain unaffected or have a milder form of the disease. There are people with cystic fibrosis who don't develop severe lung disease, for instance, or women with BRCA-positive genes who don't develop breast cancer.
Friend said he and his colleagues were careful to look only for mutations regarded as completely penetrant, so that those who were resilient were extreme outliers.
There are several possible explanations for why such individuals might not be affected, issues that will require further study, noted Dr. Michael Bamshad, a professor of pediatrics and an expert in medical genetics at the University of Washington, who was not involved in the study.
"More importantly, we will need to identify many, many more such 'resilient' individuals who are willing to openly share their health and genetic data in order to identify what protects them against disease," Bamshad said in an email.
Friend and his colleagues agree. To that end, they are collecting data from healthy volunteers who agree to share their genetic information. People interested in signing up can visit The Resilience Project website at resilienceproject.com.
"This project could never have been done without people willing to share data," Friend said. | https://www.sunherald.com/news/article71229697.html |
What an absolutely beautiful book from Naomi Stadlen, author of What Mothers Do – one of my very favourite books for new parents. Naomi’s work is fascinating as it discusses many of the common issues prevalent in today’s current society but doesn’t try to ‘fix’ them. What she does is normalises many of the typical scenarios many mothers experience, provides shape to them through dialogue and helps address the underlying thoughts and emotions. She does this in such a kind, caring, non-judgemental way and thereby is accessible to every single parent.
This book feels like the next logical book after What Mothers Do. It demonstrates the emotional transition of motherhood including how mums love, emotions and thoughts of new mums, relationships, changing identities and the current challenges around parenting in our society. Mothers everywhere will feel re-assured reading this book that they’re doing ‘OK’ as there is something in this book we can all relate to. What is the most fantastic philosophy behind this book is that it’s NOT a parenting book telling you how to raise your child, telling you how you should be feeling, what you should be doing, how you can love your child. It will empower any mother reading it that every emotion (good and bad) is something many of us have experienced – even if we’ve not been able to articulate it or felt able to articulate it. I loved her view of talking about emotions that we feel as parents and why articulating those emotions is so important – once we can recognise an emotion, talk about and shape it, we can start to manage it – it’s when we don’t that it starts to evolve into something unrecognisable.
This book covers how relationships between mother and child are built – through intimacy, touch, connection and communication. How small cues or reactions by babies will lead mums to knowing what their baby’s needs are. It explains the complexities of managing both the child and the mother’s needs and the importance of both their needs. It demonstrates how mother’s just need to ‘be’ there for their babies – we don’t need to be doing lots of with them except responding to their needs for food, sleep, interaction, interpreting their cues, empathising with them and communicating through touch as well as verbally.
What I loved about this book is that it describes how parenting styles and philosophies have evolved over many years – yet many fundamental principles are the same. It’s interesting how these prescriptive ways of parenting can put so much pressure on mothers and expectations on their babies.
Great chapters on changing relationships between mother and father – this would be particularly good for fathers to read, becoming a parent for the second time – this would really inspire confidence in a mum, and also how the bigger family relationships change.
I’m a huge advocate for tribes and finding your local tribe and women to connect with. This book demonstrates this so clearly –the value of your tribe, how the tribe can help you through normalising what you’re feeling, providing you with options, giving you space to be able to express what’s happening and comfort through laughter or tears. Many new mums struggle to find their tribe or understand what the importance is – women have sat in circles for centuries and raised their babies together – this book helps us to understand the value in this.
This book is another excellent book and, along with What Mothers Do, would be something I’d prescribe all mother buy and read in those first few weeks when all you feel you do is feed your baby. This would make you understand that those hours gazing at each other are worth every single second and would remove so many pressures we face as well as help us to understand why we feel and behave in specific ways.
More information how to buy the book from the webpage. | http://triciamurray.co.uk/2015/06/16/how-mothers-love-naomi-stadlen/ |
“OCR Enforcement Update” was the topic of the presentation by Iliana Peters, HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Senior Adviser for HIPAA Compliance and Enforcement at the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA) Compliance Institute. She provided an update on enforcement, current trends, and breach reporting statistics. Peters stated that the OCR continues to receive and resolve complaints of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) (P.L. 104-191) violations of an increasing number. She cited that OCR has received 150,507 complaints to date, with 24,879 being resolved with corrective action measures or technical assistance. At the rate of reports being received, the OCR is estimating receiving 17,000 complaints in 2017. She said that this year OCR has placed a major priority on privacy issues and will be issuing guidance on this, ranging from social media privacy, certification of electronic health record technology, and the rationale for penalty assessment. She spoke about OCR’s Phase 2 audits that are underway, involving 166 covered entities (CEs) and 43 business associates (BAs). These audits are to ensure CEs’ and BAs’ compliance with the HIPAA Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Rules that include mobile device compliance. They address privacy, security, and breach notification audits. It is expected that among the results of this effort will be increases in monetary penalties this year. Phase 3 will follow the same general approach currently being used, which includes review of control rules for privacy protection, breach notification, and security management.
In her comments about what the OCR has learned from its audits and investigations, Peters made the point that most HIPAA breaches still commonly occur as a result of poor controls over systems containing protected health information (PHI). A particular vulnerability has been mobile devices, such as laptops computers, that failed to be properly protected with encryption and password.
OCR advice
Peters provided in her slide presentation considerable advice as what CEs and BAs should do to prevent breaches and other HIPAA-related problems. CEs and BAs should:
- ensure that changes in systems are updated or patched for HIPAA security;
- determine what safeguards are in place;
- review OCR guidance on ransomware and cloud computing;
- conduct accurate and through assessments of potential PHI vulnerabilities;
- review for proliferation of electronic PHI (ePHI) within an organization;
- implement policies and procedures regarding appropriate access to ePHI;
- establish controls to guard against unauthorized access;
- implement policies concerning secure disposal of PHI and ePHI;
- ensure disposal procedures for electronic devices or clearing, purging, or destruction;
- screen appropriately everyone in the work area against the OIG’s List of Excluded Individuals and Entities (LEIE);
- ensure departing employees’ access to PHI is revoked;
- identify all ePHI created, maintained, received or transmitted by the organization;
- review controls for PHI involving electronic health records (EHRs), billing systems, documents/spreadsheets, database systems, and all servers (web, fax, backup, Cloud, email, texting, etc.);
- ensure security measures are sufficient to reduce risks and vulnerabilities;
- investigate/resolve breaches or potential breaches identified in audits, evaluations, or reviews;
- verify that corrective action measures were taken and controls are being followed;
- ensure when transmitting ePHI that the information is encrypted;
- ensure explicit policies and procedures for all controls implemented; and
- review system patches, router and software, and anti-virus and malware software.
Expert tips to meet HIPAA compliance requirements
Carrie Kusserow, MA, CHC, CHPC, CCEP, is a HIPAA expert with over 20 years of compliance officer and consultant experience. She pointed out that the OCR finds that most HIPAA breaches still commonly occur as a result of poor or lapsed controls over systems with PHI. She noted that Iliana Peters stated that the OCR often encounters situations where established internal controls were not followed; in many cases, discoveries of breaches within organizations were not promptly investigated. Also, most of the breaches currently being reported involve mobile devices, specifically laptop computers, and a failure to properly encrypt and password protect PHI. Kusserow offered additional tips and suggestions to those offered in the OCR presentation, particularly as it relates to mobile devices.
- Conduct a complete security risk analysis that addresses ePHI vulnerabilities.
- Ensure the Code of Conduct covers reporting of HIPAA violations.
- Validate effectiveness of internal controls, policies, and procedures.
- Maintain an up-to-date list of BAs that includes contact information.
- Ensure identified risks have been properly addressed with corrective action measures.
- Develop corrective action plans to promptly address any weaknesses or breaches identified.
- Follow the basics in prevention of information security risks and PHI breaches.
- Ensure policies/procedures govern receipt and removal of laptops containing ePHI.
- Verify workforce member and user controls for gaining access to ePHI.
- Verify laptops and other mobile devices are properly encrypted and password protected.
- Implement safeguards to restrict access to unauthorized users.
- Review adequacy of security processes to address potential ePHI risks and vulnerabilities.
- Ensure the hotline is set up to receive HIPAA-related calls.
- Verify that all BAs have signed business associate agreements.
- Train the workforce on HIPAA policies/procedures, including reporting violations.
- Investigate complaints, allegations, and reports of non-compliance promptly and thoroughly.
- Engage outside experts to independently verify controls are adequate and being followed.
Richard P. Kusserow served as DHHS Inspector General for 11 years. He currently is CEO of Strategic Management Services, LLC (SM), a firm that has assisted more than 3,000 organizations and entities with compliance related matters. The SM sister company, CRC, provides a wide range of compliance tools including sanction-screening.
Connect with Richard Kusserow on Google+ or LinkedIn.
Subscribe to the Kusserow on Compliance Newsletter
Copyright © 2017 Strategic Management Services, LLC. Published with permission. | http://health.wolterskluwerlb.com/tag/security-rule/ |
Pyrethum Plants – Will It Harm Bees?
Q: I am planning to grow pyrethrum plants in my garden to cut down on pesticide use. Do these plants harm bees and diminish pollination?
A: Pyrethrum insecticide is produced from a particular chrysanthemum, Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium. A bug-killing dust can be made from dried and crushed flowers. Pyrethrum can also be extracted and concentrated into an insecticidal oil. This bug killer is considered very safe to use around humans and animals. Fortunately, honeybees are not very attracted to this plant’s flowers. To make insecticide, harvest fresh flowers and dry them thoroughly then grind into a very fine powder with a mortar and pestle. | https://www.walterreeves.com/landscaping/pyrethum-plants-will-it-harm-bees/ |
Q: Do you believe in climate change?
A: I believe in climate change, not climate catastrophe. The world has warmed 1 degree C in the last 170 years. Humans have some influence. But because we are so adaptable, the climate death rate has fallen 98% over the last century.1
Q: Are you a climate change denier?
A: I’m a climate thinker.
I recognize that climate is ever-changing, that humans have some influence, and that humans with abundant machine power can master any climate. That's why as CO2 levels have gone up, climate deaths have plummeted.2
Q: What should be done about CO2 emissions?
A: We should definitely not do anything that raises the cost of energy in a world where billions already can't afford it. The only humane policies are more adaptation to keep us safe and more innovation to make low-carbon energy cheap.3
Q: What will happen if we hit the dreaded 1.5 degrees C of warming?
A: A better version of what happened when we hit the 1 degree of warming we're at now. It’ll be a little warmer, a lot greener, and, most importantly, the miracle of machine power will be even more abundant.4
Q: Even if we've been able to adapt to CO2 rises so far, won't further change be overwhelming?
A: The pessimistic UN is talking about a few degrees of warming and a few feet of sea level rises *over a century*. We can adapt to that with today's tech, let alone future tech.5
Q: Aren't the CA wildfires proof that we need to switch to green energy as fast as possible? | https://energytalkingpoints.com/climate-q-a/ |
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/152,557 filed Apr. 24, 2015, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
This invention was made with government support under Contract No. 1R03EB012519-01A1 awarded by the National Institutes of Health. The government has certain rights in this invention.
1. Technical Field
The field of the currently claimed embodiments of this invention relates to microscopes, and more particularly to fine focus microscope control.
2. Discussion of Related Art
In a conventional microscope a specimen is placed on a stage in a field of view of an objective lens. The objective lens collects light from the specimen and an image is formed at a field lens. This image is then viewed by the eyepiece. The focus of the image is a very strong function of the position of the objective lens, and a precision mechanical structure is required in the stage and the focusing mechanism.
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is a schematic illustration of a conventional microscope. The microscope comprises an objective lens , a tube lens , a field lens , and an eyepiece . Many microscope objectives, such as the objective lens in , are designed to produce their best image at infinity. An “infinity corrected” objective lens is used with a tube lens . For example, with a 100× objective lens , a typical tube lens with a focal length of 200 mm produces an image with 100× magnification at the field lens , which is located 200 mm distant. Ideally the field lens does not affect the image, but increases the field of view by directing the light through the eyepiece , which acts as a magnifying lens. Other microscopes omit the tube lens and the objective lens forms an image directly on the field lens . A 10× eyepiece typically has a focal length of about 25 mm and is situated roughly 25 mm from the field lens , producing an additional magnification of 10×.
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The image at the field lens is brought into focus by changing the position of the objective lens with respect to the specimen . In some microscopes this is accomplished by moving the objective lens , tube lens , field lens , and eyepiece , while keeping the stage on which the specimen is located stationary. Many microscopes are designed with focus knobs that change the position of the stage, while keeping the remaining components of the microscope fixed. Coarse and fine focus knobs facilitate coarse and fine adjustments of the position of the stage. However, when objectives with high magnification are used, for example, 100×, small changes in the position of the stage result in large changes in the focus of the image. Accordingly, highly sensitive mechanical systems are required to obtain precise changes in focus. These systems add to the cost of the microscope, and limit the precision with which changes in focus can be made.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, a fine focus microscope includes an objective lens for collecting light from an object being imaged, and a tube lens for forming a first image from light received from the objective lens. The fine focus microscope further includes a fine focus lens for forming a second image from the first image, and an eyepiece for forming a third image from the second image, wherein the third image is viewable by a user. The fine focus microscope further includes a field lens for directing light from the second image to the eyepiece, and a positioning system mechanically coupled to the fine focus lens, the eyepiece, and the field lens. The positioning system changes a position of the fine focus lens, the eyepiece, and the field lens with respect to the objective lens to provide a change in focus of the object being imaged.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, a probe for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy includes a gradient-index (GRIN) lens having a proximal end and a distal end, and a rough metallic surface spaced apart from the distal end of the GRIN lens and in an optical path of the GRIN lens. A transparent substrate is disposed between the distal end of the GRIN lens and the rough metallic surface to maintain a distance from the distal end of the GRIN lens to the rough metallic surface. A fine focus lens is spaced apart from the proximal end of the GRIN lens, wherein a change in position of the fine focus lens provides a change in focus of light at the rough metallic surface.
According to some embodiments, the Raman Spectroscopy probe further comprising a positioning system mechanically coupled to the GRIN lens and the fine focus lens, wherein the positioning system changes a position of the fine focus lens with respect to the GRIN lens to provide the change in focus of light at the rough metallic surface.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, a method for fine focus control in a microscope comprising an objective lens, a tube lens, a field lens, and an eyepiece includes disposing a fine focus lens between and in an optical path of the tube lens and the field lens. The method further includes adjusting a position of the fine focus lens, the field lens, and the eyepiece at least one of farther away from or closer to the tube lens to change a focus of an object being imaged.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, a method for fine focus control in a Raman spectroscopy probe comprising a gradient-index (GRIN) lens, a transparent substrate, and a rough metallic surface includes providing a fine focus lens spaced apart from a proximal end of the GRIN lens. The method further includes adjusting a position of the fine focus lens to change a focus of light at the rough metallic surface.
Some embodiments of the current invention are discussed in detail below. In describing embodiments, specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected. A person skilled in the relevant art will recognize that other equivalent components can be employed and other methods developed without departing from the broad concepts of the current invention. All references cited anywhere in this specification, including the Background and Detailed Description sections, are incorporated by reference as if each had been individually incorporated.
The term “light” as used herein is intended to have a broad meaning that can include both visible and non-visible regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. For example, visible, near infrared, infrared and ultraviolet light are all considered as being within the broad definition of the term “light.”
Some embodiments of the current invention are directed to a fine focus microscope. A conventional microscope includes an objective lens and sometimes a tube lens for forming an image of an object at a field lens, and an eyepiece for forming an image of the object that is viewable by a user. According to some embodiments of the present invention, a fine focus microscope includes a tube lens which forms a first image, and a fine focus lens which forms a second image of the first image at the field lens. A change of position of the fine focus lens provides a change in focus of the image. The fine focus lens enables a user to make precise adjustments to the focus of an image without requiring precision mechanical structures for moving the stage on which the specimen is placed. Some embodiments of the current invention employ an objective lens, a tube lens, a fine focus lens, a field lens, and an eyepiece. Some embodiments of the current invention comprise a gradient-index (GRIN) lens instead of an objective lens. Methods for achieving fine focus control in a microscope are also provided.
Some embodiments of the current invention are directed to a probe for surface-enhanced Raman spectrometry. The probe comprises a gradient index lens, a rough metallic surface, and a transparent substrate between the gradient index lens and the rough metallic surface. A fine focus lens is used to direct light from a light source through the gradient index lens so that the light is focused at the rough metallic surface. Methods for focusing a probe for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy are also provided. Focusing the probe by positioning an additional lens has been experimentally shown to be much easier to accomplish than adjusting the space between the GRIN lens and the rough metallic surface.
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illustrates image focusing concepts related to embodiments of the present invention. The top diagram in shows an object and a 2 mm focal length lens forming an image with a 10× magnification. In the bottom diagram the object has been moved 1 μm farther from the lens , from a distance of 2.2 mm to a distance of 2.201 mm. The shift in position of the corresponding image is from 22 mm to 21.9 mm, a distance of 100 μm. Conventional microscopes focus an image by adjusting the distance between the object and the objective lens. However, as is evident from , small changes in the object-objective lens distance result in much larger changes in the focus. For a 100× objective lens operating at about a 200 mm conjugate, the difference in distances is a hundred-fold and the axial magnification is 10,000 (the square of the transverse magnification). Accordingly, highly sensitive mechanical adjustment mechanisms are required to make minute changes in the position of the stage on which the object is placed.
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The present devices and methods reduce the dependence on the mechanical stage adjustment mechanism by positioning an additional lens in the optical path of the objective lens, on the opposite side of the objective lens from the stage. is a schematic illustration of a fine focus microscope according to some embodiments of the invention. The fine focus microscope comprises an objective lens for collecting light from an object being imaged, and a tube lens for forming a first image from light received from the objective lens . The fine focus microscope further includes a fine focus lens for forming a second image from the first image at a field lens , and an eyepiece for forming a third image from the second image , wherein the third image is viewable by a user. A field lens directs light from the second image to the eyepiece . A positioning system is mechanically coupled to the fine focus lens , the eyepiece , and the field lens . The positioning system changes a position of the fine focus lens , the eyepiece , and the field lens with respect to said objective lens to provide a change in focus of the object being imaged.
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In the embodiments described herein, the tube lens is not strictly necessary if the objective lens can form a first image relatively close to it, so the fine focus lens can then image the first image to a second focus on the field lens . However, the performance of current high quality objectives would degrade if used this way. According to some embodiments of the invention, the fine focus lens relays the image formed by the objective lens and the tube lens , if present, to the field lens with an axial magnification. Because of the axial magnification, the focus of the image formed at the field lens is a much less strong function of the position of the fine focus lens . Consequently the mechanical requirements on the stage and the focusing mechanism are greatly reduced. In addition, this combination may be used to obtain extra magnification. However, it is likely to be empty magnification since the resolution may be set by the numerical aperture of the objective lens . In addition, the microscope with the fine focus lens provides the user with an upright image, rather than the customary inverted image. While the embodiments described herein refer to an image to be viewed by a user, the microscope images can also be formed in a camera, instead of or in addition to being viewed directly by an observer.
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According to some embodiments, the tube lens , fine focus lens , and field lens are convex lenses. The tube lens forms an image at a fixed distance in the microscope, for all objectives which are designed to form an image at infinity. The tube lens focuses the light from the objective lens to form a first image . The tube lens may not provide any additional magnification. The fine focus lens focuses the image formed by the tube lens onto the field lens . The fine focus lens may provide some magnification. For example, according to some embodiments, the fine focus lens is a 10× lens or a 20× lens, though the embodiments of the invention are not limited to these values. According to some embodiments, the fine focus lens provides a magnification between 2× and 100×. According to some embodiments, the fine focus lens provides a magnification between 5× and 40×. The field lens images the fine focus lens on to the eyepiece , so that all light passing through the fine focus lens also passes through the eyepiece . The field lens may not provide any additional magnification.
The following examples describe some embodiments in more detail. The broad concepts of the current invention are not intended to be limited to the particular examples.
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A fine focus microscope according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown in . The fine focus microscope comprises similar elements as the fine focus microscope shown in , and like reference numerals are used to refer to like features. In the example shown in , the tube lens has a focal length of 20 mm, and produces a first image at a distance of 20 mm with a magnification of 10× (for a 100× objective lens ). The fine focus lens produces a second image at the field lens that is 10 times larger than the first image , for a total magnification of 100×. For distances of 20 mm and 200 mm, the fine focus lens has a focal length of 18.2 mm. This design resembles the conventional design in that the field lens and the eyepiece are unchanged. However, the overall length of the tube housing the components, for example, the combination of sections and , is increased by 40 mm. Alternatively, with distances of 16.4 mm and 164 mm, and a fine focus lens focal length of 14.9 mm, the overall length of the tube , is (approximately) maintained.
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The fine focus microscope is not limited to the focal length values and distances described above, and other distances and focal lengths may be employed. While there are no theoretical limits to the design, there may be practical limits. The 20 mm tube lens was chosen to accommodate a 10× subsequent magnification by the fine focus lens , leading to a 100× gain in focusing sensitivity for a 100× objective lens . Other choices are possible, depending on how much focus sensitivity is required at what magnification. For example, the fine focus lens might have conjugate distances of about 16.4 mm and about 164 mm, as shown in . For the case of 10× magnification, which leads to 100× reduction in focus sensitivity, values of the conjugates can range from 10 mm and 100 mm to 30 mm and 300 mm. Depending on the details of the design, this may result in a microscope that is roughly 70 mm shorter to 150 mm longer than a conventional microscope.
For the case of 5× magnification, which leads to 25× reduction in focus sensitivity, conjugate values of about 30 mm and about 150 mm would approximately maintain the length of a conventional microscope. However, other values can be also be used. For example, values of the conjugates can range from 15 mm and 75 mm to 60 mm and 300 mm. For the case of 40× magnification, which leads to a 1600× reduction in focus sensitivity, conjugate values of about 4.4 mm and about 175.6 mm would approximately maintain the length of a conventional microscope. However, the conjugate values in this case could range from about 2.2 mm and 88 mm to about 8.8 mm and about 352 mm.
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Decreasing the focal length of the fine focus lens and its conjugate distance places constraints on lens fabrication—and increasing them may make the microscope inconveniently long. As extreme examples, if the conjugate distances for the fine focus lens were reduced from 20 mm and 200 mm to 2 mm and 20 mm, then the fine focus lens would effectively become another costly 100× objective lens (and its 20 mm tube lens). Increasing the conjugate distances from 20 mm and 200 mm to 200 mm and 2000 mm would make the microscope over 2 meters long.
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The fine focus lens focuses the second image on the field lens . As described above, for the 20 mm and 200 mm embodiment the focal length is unchanged from that in a conventional microscope. It is typically 22.2 mm for the 25 mm eyepiece distance. The function of the field lens is to image the last lens near the objective lens onto the eyepiece lens . In a conventional microscope, such as the microscope shown in , the last lens is the tube lens or the objective lens . In the fine focus microscope described herein, the last lens is the fine focus lens .
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According to some embodiments of the invention, the fine focus lens has a focal length of 20 mm and forms an image that is 200 mm distant on the field lens . For the 20 mm and 200 mm embodiment, the focal length of the fine focus lens is 18.2 mm. Alternatively, as described above, the fine focus lens may have a focal length of 16.4 mm and may form an image that is 164 mm distant on the field lens , maintaining the original overall length of the microscope shown in .
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According to some embodiments, the tube encasing the components of the microscope comprises a left hand portion and a right hand portion . The left hand portion encloses the objective lens and tube lens , while the right hand portion encloses the fine focus lens , the field lens , and the eyepiece . The right hand portion of the microscope can slide inside (or alternatively outside) the left hand portion . A positioning system can be used to adjust the position of the right hand portion with respect to the left hand portion , effectively adjusting the distance between the fine focus lens and the objective lens . According to some embodiments, the positioning system includes a first screw thread disposed on the outside of the left hand portion , and a second screw thread disposed on the inside of the right hand portion . The right hand portion can be screwed into and out of the left hand portion , thereby changing the position of the fine focus lens , field lens , and eyepiece with respect to the objective lens . This can be done without changing the position of the objective lens with respect to the specimen . Of course, if the right hand portion slides inside the left hand portion , then the respective position of the threads can be reversed.
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According to some embodiments, the screw threads disposed on the left hand portion and right hand portion are 1 mm pitch screw threads, with 1 cm useful travel. These values are exemplary, and the embodiments of the invention are not limited to these values. In this example, one full turn corresponds to a 10 μm shift in fine focus. Divided into 100 divisions, each division corresponds to about 0.1 μm. This precise change in position is not possible on a conventional microscope and is less than the diffraction-limited depth of focus. Accordingly, very fine changes in focus can be made by adjusting the position of the fine focus lens , field lens , and eyepiece with respect to the objective lens using the positioning system . Changes in focus larger than 100 μm may be accomplished by the conventional mechanisms for changing the position of the stage, for example, coarse and/or fine focus knobs.
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According to some embodiments, the fine focus microscope can include a third portion between the left hand portion and the right had portion . One of the joints connecting the portions could be a screw thread, and the other a bearing that rotates but is fixed in position.
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According to some embodiments, the left hand portion and right hand portion both have screw threads, but the threads are different. A so-called differential screw arrangement can permit very precise changes in position. Or, one thread can be a left hand thread and the other a right hand thread to make the changes occur faster.
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As an alternative to the screw threads, the positioning system can be a rack and pinion system that is used to adjust the position of the fine focus lens , field lens , and eyepiece with respect to the objective lens . Rack and pinion systems are commonly used to adjust the position of the stage with respect to the objective lens in conventional microscopes. In the fine focus microscope , the rack and pinion system can include a knob that, when turned, causes the right hand portion to move toward or away from the left hand portion , while maintaining a constant distance between the left hand portion and the specimen . As will be described in more detail with respect to , small adjustments in focus can be achieved by much larger changes in position of the fine focus lens, significantly decreasing the sensitivity requirements of the rack and pinion system.
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The presence of the fine focus lens and the positioning system reduces or even eliminates the need for highly accurate mechanisms for changing the position of the specimen with respect to the objective lens . Fine changes in the focus can be made using the positioning system , and require a reduced level of accuracy to achieve a given change of focus as compared to that required for a conventional system in which the specimen is moved with respect to the objective lens . According to some embodiments, the positioning mechanism can be used to finely focus the image without changing the position of the objective lens with respect to the specimen or the stage on which the specimen rests.
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While the embodiments above describe a microscope tube having two portions, a left hand portion and a right hand portion , the embodiments of the invention are not limited to this configuration. For example, the objective lens , tube lens , fine focus lens , field lens , and eyepiece can be disposed within a single tube, and the positioning system can change the position of the fine focus lens , field lens , and eyepiece with respect to the objective lens within the single tube.
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illustrate how the sensitivity to focus and the magnification change somewhat from their nominal values of 100 and 10×, respectively, at an object distance at the objective lens of 2.2 mm and an objective image distance of 22 mm (see ). The position of the fine focus lens and the resulting magnification are shown as functions of the departure in focus at the specimen from the nominal 10× focus at 2.2 mm. illustrates that a 1 mm change in position of the fine focus lens with respect to the objective lens results in a 10 μm change in focus at the specimen. Accordingly, if a 1 μm change in focus is desired, instead of moving the specimen or objective lens by 1 μm, as would be required in a traditional microscope, the positioning mechanism can move the fine focus lens 100 μm. This movement is therefore 100× less sensitive, and can be easily and cheaply accomplished by the screw thread or rack and pinion systems described above.
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shows how the magnification of the fine focus lens depends on the focus at the object of interest. As shown in , as the fine focus lens moves 1 mm and the focus at the specimen changes by 10 μm, the magnification changes from about 10 to about 10.5. This change in magnification may not be noticeable to a user. However, if a constant magnification is desired, a zoom lens can be used to compensate for the change in magnification.
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shows an alternative design for a fine focus microscope according to some embodiments of the invention. The fine focus microscope comprises similar elements as the fine focus microscope shown in , and like reference numerals are used to refer to like features. In the example shown in , the objective lens is replaced by a gradient index (GRIN) lens . According to some embodiments, the GRIN lens is a cylindrical lens having a position-dependent refractive index. For example, the refractive index of the lens can vary as a function of the radial distance from the center of the lens. According to some embodiments, the GRIN lens is about 2 mm in diameter and is about 5.2 mm long, though these values are exemplary only. The GRIN lens can be designed to focus parallel light entering one face at the opposite face. The tube lens , fine focus lens , and field lens may be arranged in an optical path of the GRIN lens , and the position of the fine focus lens with respect to the tube lens may be adjusted to change the focus of the image at the field lens . With either a GRIN lens or any other lens operated at infinite conjugate, there is no preferred location for the tube lens . However, positioning the tube lens close to the GRIN lens minimizes vignetting at large fields.
FIGS. 4 and 7
FIGS. 4 and 7
The displacements, magnifications, and focal lengths of the elements of are not meant to be limiting, but are intended to illustrate the general concepts of the invention. Other displacements, magnifications, and focal lengths may be employed. Commercial microscopes typically have a tube length between about 160 mm and 240 mm. This means the stated magnifications of the objectives are correct at this image distance, either from the objective itself, or from the tube lens if present. For a 100× increase in focus sensitivity, the fine focus lens should have a magnification of 10×. Therefore the tube length, defined as the distance between the first image and either the objective or the tube lens if present, should be reduced by a factor of 10. Thus, according to some embodiments, the distance between the objective or the tube lens and the first image is between about 16 mm and about 24 mm. According to some embodiments, the tube length is between about 4 mm and about 50 mm. As described above, for the case of 10× magnification by the fine focus lens, values of the conjugates might range from 10 mm and 100 mm to 30 mm and 300 mm. These values determine the position of the fine focus lens. Of course magnifications other that 10×, resulting in different improvements in focus sensitivity, could also be used, and exemplary conjugates for other magnification are also provided above. These conjugates can be used to determine the position of the fine focus lens for other magnifications. The focus improvement is the square of the magnification, so 10× yields a 100× improvement, 20× yields a 400× improvement, etc. Some embodiments of the invention may not include all of the elements shown in . For example, the tube lens may not be included, and the fine focus lens may transfer the image formed by the objective lens to the field lens.
The values provided above are for a 100× objective lens. The system works for lower magnifications, but the sensitivity goes down as the square of the magnification, e.g., for a 50× objective lens each division is 0.4 microns, etc. For a 10× objective lens there is no enhancement—however, the lower the magnification, the less the need for accurate focusing. The system may be used to provide very fine focus control in high end microscopes, or to provide adequate focusing in inexpensive microscopes with lower quality stages. In the example systems shown above, the presence of the fine focus lens results in an upright image. In a conventional microscope the image is disconcertingly inverted 180 degrees. The design of microscope optics is nontrivial. Different manufacturers use different tube lengths, and different methods of correction of chromatic and other aberrations. Operation of the objectives outside their nominal focal range may increase some aberrations. Such manufacturing issues would need to be addressed, especially in high end applications.
The concepts of the present invention may be used to achieve fine focus control in a microscope. A method for fine focus control in a microscope comprising an objective lens, a tube lens, and a field lens includes disposing a fine focus lens between and in an optical path of the tube lens and the field lens. The method further includes adjusting a position of the fine focus lens, the field lens, and the eyepiece at least one of farther away from or closer to the tube lens to change a focus of an image formed at the eyepiece.
The concepts of the present application can also be applied to a probe that may be used for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. Conventional Raman scattering is a well-known technique for detecting and identifying complex molecular samples. In surface-enhanced Raman scattering, positioning a nano-rough metallic surface close to the sample enormously enhances the Raman signal. The nano-rough metallic may comprise gold, silver, aluminum, or other metals. The metallic surface comprises a thin layer of gold deposited on a rough transparent epoxy substrate. The advantage of the clear substrate is that the Raman signal could be obtained by passing light through the substrate and onto opaque samples simply placed against its surface. In the present application a commercially available Raman spectrometer is coupled to a distant probe. Raman signals are obtained from the surface, and from the interior, of a solid specimen located more than 1 meter away from the spectrometer. The practical advantage of this arrangement is that it opens up surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy to a clinical environment, with a patient simply sitting or lying near the spectrometer.
FIGS. 8A and 8B
FIG. 8A
show a schematic illustration and photograph, respectively, of a probe for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. The LabRAM spectrometer uses a He—Ne laser at a wavelength of 633 nm. When a microscope objective lens is removed the light exits as a nearly parallel beam, as illustrated in . A GRIN lens is placed in an optical path of the light. A light beam incident on a GRIN lens follows a sinusoidal path within the lens. GRIN lenses are specified by the length, in radians, of the sinusoidal path.
FIG. 8A
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A Raman spectroscopy probe according to some embodiments of the invention is shown in . The Raman spectroscopy probe comprises a gradient-index (GRIN) lens having a proximal end and a distal end , a rough metallic surface spaced apart from the distal end of the GRIN lens and in an optical path of the GRIN lens , and a transparent substrate disposed between the distal end of the GRIN lens and the rough metallic surface to maintain a distance from the distal end of the GRIN lens to the rough metallic surface . A fine focus lens is spaced apart from the proximal end of the GRIN lens , and a change in position of the fine focus lens provides a change in focus of light at the rough metallic surface . The Raman spectroscopy probe can further include a positioning system for changing the position of the fine focus lens with respect to the GRIN lens . The positioning system can comprise two tubes having threads that can be screwed into each other, or a rack and pinion system. Other positioning systems known in the art can also be used.
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FIG. 9
FIG. 10
According to some embodiments of the invention, the GRIN lens is a π/2 GRIN lens. Parallel light incident on a π/2 GRIN lens will be focused onto the back surface of the lens. As shown in , according to some embodiments of the invention, a transparent epoxy substrate carrying a 20 nm thick rough gold film is bonded directly to the back surface of the GRIN lens . Other thickness of the rough metallic film may be employed, including thicknesses up to 50 nm. Much thicker films became uniform and produced a very small Raman signal. In principle any transparent solid material can be used instead of the epoxy substrate , including a clear resin, but the advantage of the epoxy is that it produces very little background Raman signal. The addition of the transparent epoxy substrate has negligible effect on the surface-enhanced Raman scattering. For the thickness of the substrate used, about 0.4 mm, the optical conjugate to the gold surface is approximately 1.7 cm upstream of the GRIN lens (). A thinner substrate may be used. The substrate may also be thicker, though this may reduce the numerical aperture of the GRIN lens combination, reducing the signal strength.
FIG. 9
FIG. 8A
FIG. 8A
FIG. 2
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As described above, parallel light entering a π/2 GRIN lens is focused at the far surface of the lens. For surface-enhanced Raman scattering to occur, however, the light should instead be focused on the rough gold surface adhered to the transparent epoxy substrate, which may be beyond the distal end of the GRIN lens. To adjust the focus, an additional lens, referred to herein as the fine focus lens, is placed in the optical path of the GRIN lens, on the proximal side of the lens. The fine focus lens focuses the light such that the rays reaching the GRIN lens in are no longer parallel, as shown in . The position of the fine focus lens in can be adjusted to ensure that the light passing through the GRIN lens is focused on the rough gold surface . The large axial magnification simplifies precise focusing of light on the gold surface while the epoxy provides the robust structure needed to support insertion of the probe into solid specimens. The concepts illustrated in can be applied to the Raman spectroscopy probe . A small change in focus at the rough metal surface is accomplished by a larger change in the distance between the GRIN lens and the fine focus lens .
FIG. 8B
FIG. 10
As shown in , because the fine focusing lens is spaced apart from the GRIN lens, the distal end of the probe can be very narrow, on the order of a few millimeters. While some embodiments of the present application include a 2 mm diameter GRIN lens inside a stainless steel tube that is 3 mm outside diameter, narrower GRIN lenses and tubes may be used. The narrower tube allows procedures utilizing the endoscope to be less invasive. Locating the focusing mechanism apart from the probe tip minimizes the diameter of the probe tip. shows the depth of the epoxy substrate through which the light is focused as a function of the distance from the back conjugate to the lens. The focusing range is well within the variation in thickness of the epoxy substrate.
The embodiments illustrated and discussed in this specification are intended only to teach those skilled in the art how to make and use the invention. In describing embodiments of the invention, specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected. The above-described embodiments of the invention may be modified or varied, without departing from the invention, as appreciated by those skilled in the art in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that, within the scope of the claims and their equivalents, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.
BACKGROUND
SUMMARY
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
EXAMPLES
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Further objectives and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the description, drawings, and examples.
FIG. 1
is a schematic illustration of a conventional microscope;
FIG. 2
shows an object and image for two different positions of the object with respect to a lens;
FIG. 3
is a schematic illustration of a fine focus microscope according to some embodiments of the invention;
FIG. 4
is a schematic illustration of a fine focus microscope with example dimensions according to some embodiments of the present invention;
FIG. 5
shows how the focus at the specimen changes for different positions of a 2 mm focal length fine focus lens;
FIG. 6
shows how the magnification depends on the focus at the object of interest;
FIG. 7
is a schematic illustration of a fine focus microscope according to some embodiments of the present invention, wherein the objective lens is replaced by a gradient index (GRIN) lens;
FIG. 8A
shows a schematic illustration of a probe for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy with a fine focus lens;
FIG. 8B
is a photograph of a probe for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy;
FIG. 9
shows a schematic illustration of a probe for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy with a rough gold surface bonded via a clear substrate spacer directly to a GRIN lens; and
FIG. 10
shows the depth of the epoxy substrate through which the light is focused as a function of the distance from the back conjugate to the lens according to some embodiments of the invention. | |
HelloFresh SE (HFG.F) (ETR:HFG) PT Set at €82.00 by Berenberg Bank
HelloFresh SE (HFG.F) (ETR:HFG) has been given a €82.00 ($96.47) price objective by Berenberg Bank in a report released on Tuesday, Borsen Zeitung reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Berenberg Bank’s price target indicates a potential upside of 28.23% from the company’s current price.
A number of other equities analysts also recently weighed in on HFG. Morgan Stanley set a €66.00 ($77.65) target price on shares of HelloFresh SE (HFG.F) and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 6th. Barclays set a €70.00 ($82.35) price objective on HelloFresh SE (HFG.F) and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 18th. Credit Suisse Group set a €65.00 ($76.47) target price on HelloFresh SE (HFG.F) and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a €55.00 ($64.71) price target on HelloFresh SE (HFG.F) and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, December 14th. Finally, DZ Bank reiterated a “sell” rating on shares of HelloFresh SE (HFG.F) in a research note on Friday, October 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. HelloFresh SE (HFG.F) has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of €63.71 ($74.96).
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ETR:HFG opened at €63.95 ($75.24) on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 56.24, a current ratio of 2.27 and a quick ratio of 1.98. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is €57.64 and its 200-day moving average price is €48.79. The company has a market capitalization of $11.12 billion and a PE ratio of 42.72. HelloFresh SE has a 1-year low of €16.14 ($18.99) and a 1-year high of €68.65 ($80.76).
HelloFresh SE (HFG.F) Company Profile
HelloFresh SE delivers meal kit solutions to prepare home-cooked meals using its recipes. The company offers premium meals, double portions, and others, as well as seasonal meal-kits, including a Christmas and Thanksgiving boxes; and wines and snacks. It also sells meal-kits through the retail supermarket channel, as well as vending machines. | |
What does the TCPS2 say about research with human participants and how does this apply to SoTL?
TCPS2 is based on the basic moral imperative of human dignity which serves as a foundation for three core principles of Concern for Welfare, Respect for Person, and Justice.
Concern for Welfare– researchers must be concerned with the individual well-being of their participants. They must measure the relative risks and benefits of research and ensure that the risks outweigh the benefits. They must also be concerned that the individual’s privacy is respected.
- As the risk to the participant increases, so too does the need to ensure that the student’s privacy is respected as well as their ownership of work.
- As the risk to the participant increases, so too does the need to ensure the voluntary nature (including the lack of coercion) of the consent to participate.
Respect for Persons– researchers must respect an individual’s autonomy. Research participation must be voluntary. Participants must be asked to consent to taking part in the research project and must be able to make that decision after being fully informed about the project, and in a manner which is free from undue influence or coercion.
- Fully informing students means making sure they have access to all the consent information prior to consenting to research and throughout the research.
- Passive consent is only possible in very low risk research and must be justified by the researcher.
Justice– researchers must consider the balance of power between researchers and participants and must ensure that the balance of power does not result in undue influence or coercion. Researchers must consider whether the participant is fully capable of giving consent freely. Some populations are considered ‘vulnerable’ because they may not be free to give consent. Classic examples are prisoners, people in institutions such as extended care homes or hospitals and students. These people may not feel they are completely free to decline to participate in research, or to participate and remain protected from unwanted consequences. Researchers must mitigate these circumstances by introducing special protections.
- Students are a vulnerable population
- The instructor/researcher is in a position of ‘power over’ students.
- Students should not be asked to ‘trust’ that the instructor will not use information gathered for research, or a bias due to participation or non-participation, when grading a student in a course.
- The instructor/researcher (including TAs or anyone in a position to influence grades) should not have access to knowledge of research participation nor have access to identified data until AFTER the grades are in.
See the Human Ethics website for information about how to apply.
Best Practices for SoTL Research
- Don’t do research in classes that you teach.
- If you must do research in your own class, ask a neutral 3rd party to obtain consent and hold data until the grades are in.
- Students own their grades and their work. Permission must be sought from the student for access to either.
- Class lists from previous years are not available for the purposes of recruitment. Permission must be sought from the Registrar to access student’s personal information for the purposes of research.
- If you must give course credit as an incentive for research, and you will not be using the Sona system to recruit, you must provide a comparable alternative which students can do in place of the research option.The alternative should take approximately the same amount of time and effort as the research project would take. Tracking both the incentive and the alternative must be done by a neutral 3rd party, with the instructor simply receiving a list of student numbers identifying which students should get the course credit (not why) just prior to grade submission.
- If you are giving course credit as an incentive, this must be discussed in your course outline. | https://www.uoguelph.ca/research/print/2175 |
Discovering Electronic Music is a short 1983 educational film that gives a look at the early use of electronics in music production. The film opens with a shot of a computer and a keyboard. Recording reels run. A monitor shows sound waves of electronic jazz music. A composer talks to the camera about writing electronic jazz music (01:55). Another man talks about why he turned to electronic music for composing (02:38). Viewers see pages that show the new notation of music, substituting sheets of graphs for traditional sheet music (03:42). A monitor shows music being created for a motion picture. A man plays a double bass (04:34). A woman plays a flute (05:14), and a microphone picks up the flute sounds and transmits it to an oscillator. Viewers see an electronic sound synthesizer (06:10), one that features a number of built-in oscillators. A monitor shows a sine wave, then a triangular wave, followed by a pulse wave, and, finally, a sawtooth wave. A man demonstrates a fingerboard on the synthesizer. Another man mixes a variety of waves to achieve specific electronic sounds (07:50). He switches various inputs into the synthesizer then attaches an ending to the sound he has created (09:45). A commercial jetliner taxis on a runway (10:08). In a sound studio, a man manipulates the sound of the jet on a synthesizer, filtering and enveloping the sound. A woman plays the koto, a traditional Japanese instrument (12:40). A man imitates the instrument using his synthesizer. A massive floppy disc is inserted into a computer to record electronic music. A composer cycles through instrument sounds on a digital synthesizer. Another composer plays a synthesizer and changes the sounds of different instruments as other musicians play a bass, a trumpet, and a saxophone in the room (14:45). The film shows a computer that operates a sound synthesizer (16:40). A composer uses programming language to tell the computer to play a specific melody and play it backwards (17:00). Viewers watch as he manipulates a melody by Bach. A composer uses a light pen on a computer to add pitches to his music (19:05). Using the sounds, he plays a jazz flute sound on the keyboard to accompany his electronic melody.
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments and circuitry-based music technology. In general, a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means (electroacoustic music), and that produced using electronics only. Electromechanical instruments include mechanical elements, such as strings, hammers, and so on, and electric elements, such as magnetic pickups, power amplifiers and loudspeakers. Examples of electromechanical sound producing devices include the telharmonium, Hammond organ, and the electric guitar, which are typically made loud enough for performers and audiences to hear with an instrument amplifier and speaker cabinet. Pure electronic instruments do not have vibrating strings, hammers, or other sound-producing mechanisms. Devices such as the theremin, synthesizer, and computer can produce electronic sounds.
We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example: "01:00:12:00 -- President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference." | https://electro.matemusic.ru/discovering-electronic-music-early-synthesizers-computers-digitizers-samplers-11524_b29b82370.html |
Elliptical accretion disk models for tidal disruption events (TDEs) have been recently proposed and independently developed by two groups. Although these two models are characterized by a similar geometry, their physical properties differ considerably. In this paper, we further investigate the properties of the elliptical accretion disk of the nearly uniform distribution of eccentricity within the disk plane. Our results show that the elliptical accretion disks have distinctive hydrodynamic structures and spectral energy distributions, associated with TDEs. The soft X-ray photons generated at pericenter and nearby are trapped in the disk and advected around the ellipse because of large electron scattering opacity. They are absorbed and reprocessed into emission lines and low-frequency continuum via recombination and bremsstrahlung emission. Because of the rapid increase of bound-free and free-free opacities with radius, the low-frequency continuum photons become trapped in the disk at large radius and are advected through apocenter and back to the photon-trapping radius. Elliptical accretion disks predict sub-Eddington luminosities and emit mainly at the photon-trapping radius of thousands of Schwarzschild radii with a blackbody spectrum of nearly single temperature of typically about 3 × 104 K. Because of the self-regulation, the photon-trapping radius expands and contracts following the rise and fall of accretion rate. The radiation temperature is nearly independent of BH mass and accretion rate and varies weakly with the stellar mass and the viscosity parameter. Our results are well consistent with the observations of optical/UV TDEs.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- February 2021
- DOI:
- 10.3847/1538-4357/abd2b6
- arXiv:
- arXiv:2012.05552
- Bibcode:
- 2021ApJ...908..179L
- Keywords:
-
- Accretion;
- black hole physics;
- Active galaxies;
- Supermassive black holes;
- Tidal disruption;
- Galaxy accretion disks;
- 14;
- 159;
- 17;
- 1663;
- 1696;
- 562;
- Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena;
- General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
- E-Print: | https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2021ApJ...908..179L/abstract |
W e’re all pretty familiar with the importance of goal-setting, both in our personal and professional lives. But what if all the focus on a final result is actually causing us to under-achieve?
A recent post by American author James Clear piqued our interest. In it, he suggests that goals can actually “reduce your current happiness”. Now, as you know, at PEPworldwide:nz we’re pretty big on goal-setting – so we thought this warranted a little further investigation. Does this contradict those PEP principles we know and love?
Not at all, says PEPworldwide:nz managing director Kathryn Anda. Clear’s point is that we should take a step back and focus on the process, rather than agonising over the end result. “Sometimes something is so big we don’t even make a start, and then it hangs over us,” she explains. “How many times have you got to the stage where you’ve created a goal – and then you haven’t managed to progress it any further? The key is simply to initiate a process.”
What we propose then is not so much a paradigm shift in our approach to goal-setting as a slight readjustment of perspective. Clear uses a sporting analogy as an example: if you were a basketball coach and focused only on what your team did at practice each day, rather than focusing on winning the championship, would you still get results? He believes that you would. And we agree. Sure, we’re all about setting goals (realistic ones, remember!) – but we also encourage our clients to both carefully plan and successfully execute each step they will take towards achieving them.
So let’s set these systems in place. We’ve included a few tips to get you started:
Clarity is, as always, essential.
We may be advocating a change in perspective, but you still need to identify your target. “We often have clear goals in our personal lives, but do you have clarity on what you’d like to accomplish at work?” asks Anda. “The first step is to identify exactly what you need to achieve.”
Just do it!
That familiar PEP principle still applies. “Take that first step, write the first sentence, just start the process,” says Anda. “Once you’ve started that process, it’s easy to build the momentum.”
Acknowledge your success at every step – not just the final one.
The most important part of shifting our focus from the milestone to the method, says Anda, is about celebrating our success along the way. “Once you’ve made a start, acknowledge what you’ve achieved already,” she explains. “Don’t wait until the end to celebrate, because that can be self-defeating. You’ll knock yourself down for not reaching your goal yet – when instead you should be celebrating the three or four really great steps you have taken towards achieving it. It’s about creating small wins along the way.”
So our challenge to you is this: identify a goal that you have yet to achieve – we’re pretty sure you’ll have one – and take the first step towards it. But this time, ease up on your expectations. Pay a little more attention to your journey, and a little less attention to your arrival. And let us know where this approach takes you. Whatever happens, we think you’ll enjoy the ride.
Subscribe to our mailing list for time-saving tips, the latest workplace wisdom, blog updates and more. And start planning a life outside the office. | https://pepworldwide.co.nz/rethinking-your-route-to-success/ |
Does time move slower if you move faster? Time slows down as you travel faster because momentum bends the fabric of spacetime causing time to pass slower. Why does time go slower when you go
Does time move slower if you move faster?
Time slows down as you travel faster because momentum bends the fabric of spacetime causing time to pass slower.
Why does time go slower when you go faster?
This form of time dilation is also real, and it’s because in Einstein’s theory of general relativity, gravity can bend spacetime, and therefore time itself. The closer the clock is to the source of gravitation, the slower time passes; the farther away the clock is from gravity, the faster time will pass.
What is twin paradox theory?
In physics, the twin paradox is a thought experiment in special relativity involving identical twins, one of whom makes a journey into space in a high-speed rocket and returns home to find that the twin who remained on Earth has aged more. In both views there is no symmetry between the spacetime paths of the twins.
Why does time move more slowly for moving reference frames?
The mathematics of Special Relativity tells us that as a reference frame moves at ever higher speeds, its space contracts ever smaller and its time becomes ever slower, relative to the stationary observer.
Do we age slower in space?
We all measure our experience in space-time differently. That’s because space-time isn’t flat — it’s curved, and it can be warped by matter and energy. And for astronauts on the International Space Station, that means they get to age just a tiny bit slower than people on Earth. That’s because of time-dilation effects.
Does time slow down in a black hole?
Near a black hole, the slowing of time is extreme. From the viewpoint of an observer outside the black hole, time stops. For example, an object falling into the hole would appear frozen in time at the edge of the hole. No force in the universe can stop this fall, any more than we can stop the flow of time.
Is twin paradox real Why?
The twin paradox is real as the traveling twin will see the Earth clock moving as slowly as the twin on the Earth. Yes, it is real but shouldn’t really be called a paradox.
What is Einstein time?
For example, physicist Albert Einstein’s theory of special relativity proposes that time is an illusion that moves relative to an observer. An observer traveling near the speed of light will experience time, with all its aftereffects (boredom, aging, etc.) much more slowly than an observer at rest.
Why does time slow down the faster you go?
As the sound waves move away from the observer the sound waves are speed apart causing the frequency to decrease. As light is spread out by the observer moving away from the source of the light time is decreased. The faster the observer moves the more light is spread out and time slows down.
What’s the difference between a jog and a trot?
A very slow trot is sometimes referred to as a jog. The trot is the working gait for a horse since horses in good condition can maintain a working trot for hours. Because the trot is such a safe and efficient gait for a horse, learning to ride the trot correctly is an important component in almost all equestrian disciplines.
Why does time slow down in a moving vehicle?
Relativity is actually pretty easy to understand. It states that the only sort of motion in the universe is relative motion. What that means is that you can never really determine whether or not you are moving, or at what speed you are going, This is because everything in the universe is moving in relation to everything else. Confused?
Why does time go slower when you speed up a reference frame?
Yes time goes passed slower when you speed up your reference frame relatively. But it only goes by slower relatively. The rate of action is always the same relative to c the speed of light in any reference frame. Its the relative speed that changes between frames. | https://missionalcall.com/2020/05/02/does-time-move-slower-if-you-move-faster/ |
Elaine is a Singapore travel blogger for Suma – Explore Asia. She blogs about the sights and experiences that Singapore has to offer as well the surrounding Southeast Asian countries, with the occasional trip to Europe, North America and beyond. With the addition of 2 boys, Elaine and her husband Tom are determined to prove life doesn’t stop after kids. For an insider’s view of what to do, eat and explore in Singapore, check out Elaine’s Singapore blogs below.
More About Elaine
Favorite destinations: Bali, Koh Samui and Nepal.
Favorite holiday activities: Snorkeling, shopping, and trying the local cuisine.
Favorite food: Pretty much everything, but top 3 would be Indian, Mexican, and seafood.
Favorite dessert: Cheesecake and crème brulé.
Favorite restaurants: DB Bistro (Singapore), Jaan (Singapore), Bridges (Vancouver, Canada), Ku De Ta (Bali).
Favorite hotels: So far, W Hotel Bali, and Fullerton Bay (Singapore), but will probably always be changing.
Hobbies: Photography, tennis, bike riding.
When not travelling home is: Singapore
Elaine’s articles Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest Instagram: sumalifestyle
Overview
Singapore has so much packed into it, it’s easy to think it’s larger than it’s area of 704 km². One minute you could be in a suit and tie at a meeting in the central business district and only 15 minutes later be with drink in hand on the beach, or even just 5 minutes later be dining along the beautiful Singapore river. As a Singapore travel blogger, I look out for unique experiences that both residents and visitors to the country will enjoy.
Food and Drink
You could never go hungry in Singapore, even if you only have $3 in your pocket, or are up at 4:00am you will always be able to find something to eat. As a Singapore travel blogger I like to share the country’s inexpensive hawker fare as well as it’s fine dining. There is something for everyone.
To taste the local cuisine, try one of the many outdoor food centers like Lau Pa Sat and Newton Circus. Even the food courts in malls are worth a visit and the Food Republics usually offer the best experience. Many of the tourist destinations have their own themed food centers including the Malaysian Food Street at Resorts World Sentosa and The Singapore Food Trail under the Singapore Flyer. To try a little bit of everything in a nice restaurant, many hotels have great Singaporean food buffets including The Good Ol’ Days of Singapore at Rasa Sentosa, the Ellenborough Market Cafe at Swissotel Merchant Court and Straights Kitchen at Grand Hyatt Singapore. Then there is one of the most popular restaurants for Singapore’s famous chilli crab, Jumbo.
Fine dining options are abundant in Singapore, with many celebrity chefs having an outlet here. Some of the highest end restaurants can be found at Marina Bay Sands and Dempsey Hill, while nice but not fine dining options can be found in areas like Chijmes.
- The Best Places To Get Affordable Japanese Food In Singapore
- Renku Adds To Marina Bay Sand’s Collection of Fine Drinking and Dining Establishments
- Club Street’s Secret Bars and Hot Spots
- Singapore’s Coolest Food Courts [Updated]
- Where To Get Craft Beer in Singapore [Updated]
- Where to Indulge in Singapore
- Vintage Champagne Brunch at Colony Ritz Carlton Singapore
- Lets Get Cheesy – 5 Cheese Buffets in Singapore
- 10 Cocktail Bars Not to Miss in Singapore
- Get Liming at the New Bago Bar at Lime House
Nightlife
Nightlife in Singapore can compete with the big players like Hong Kong, London and New York, just make sure your wallet is full because taxes on alcohol are high in this country. The main nightlife district is Clarke Quay, while hot nightlife can also be found at Avalon and Pangaea at Marina Bay Sands. For casual drinks at a pub, Boat Quay and Chijmes are the places to go.
- 1-Altitude – Rooftop Bar with the Most Stunning View
- Ce La Vi (Formerly Ku De Ta) Club Lounge- Singapore
- Avalon – Singapore
Beach Clubs
Singapore might not be known for it’s beaches, but an island getaway is only 15 minutes away from the city center.
- Quick Getaway to Singapore’s Top Beach Clubs
- New Sentosa Hot Spot – Ola Beach Club
- Mambo Beach Club – Meet the New Kid on the Block
- Tanjong Beach Club – Good Food, Good Vibes, Good Looking People
- Wave House Sentosa
Hotels
Since Singapore is so small, you can stay almost anywhere and still be close to all of the action, just beware, hotel prices are high in this country. I have blogged about many of the best hotels in Singapore, and with new ones opening every year, there’s always a new hotel to write about.
- Hotel Indigo Singapore Katong – Quirky and Quaint
- Philippe Starck Designed Hotel – M Social Singapore
- 10 of Singapore’s Most Extravagant Hotel Suites
- Hôtel Vagabond – Bringing New Meaning to the Term Art Hotel
- City Escape at Grand Park Orchard
- Hotel Fort Canning – Historic Getaway in Singapore City
- Pan Pacific Singapore – New Look Revealed
- W Singapore-Sentosa Cove – Luxury Design Hotel
- Luxe in the Bay at Fullerton Bay Hotel
- Shangri-La’s Rasa Sentosa Resort and Spa
Activities
For such a small country, there are endless activities in Singapore. Our suggested tourist activities include a boat ride along the Singapore river and drinks at the top of Marina Bay Sands at Ce La Vie or 1-Altitude as a great alternative.
- Quick Getaway to Singapore’s Top Beach Clubs
- New Sentosa Hot Spot – Ola Beach Club
- Singapore Wake Park
- 7 Easy Weekend Getaways From Singapore That Don’t Require Hopping On a Plane
- The Ultimate Guide of Things to Do with Kids in Singapore
- Top Festivals and Events Not to Miss in Singapore
- Father’s Day Singapore Idea Guide
- Guide to Singapore’s Shopping Districts
- Top 10 Things To Do at Marina Bay Sands
- Party in Style at Singapore’s Beach and Pool Parties
Travel Tips
Location
The lion city is the gateway to Asia with Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand only a short flight away. Let us know what you think of our Singapore Travel Blog! | http://sumabeachlifestyle.com/singapore-travel-blogger/ |
Overview of Enzerna’s technology: ASREs are chimeric proteins consisting of an RNA endonuclease domain and RNA binding domains called PUF, that specifically recognize different 8-nucleotide RNA sequences. By changing 2-3 amino acids in each repeat, ASRES can be modified to bind and cleave any 8-nt RNA target.
Huntington’s disease (HD) is a major polyglutamine autosomal dominant disorder that affects about 1/10,000 people in the US, EU and Japan. The polyglutamine repeat expansion within the Huntingtin protein (HTT) is associated with the depletion of neurons and an increased number of glial cells in the region of the brain critical for movement, memory, and decision-making. The polyglutamine protein aggregates formed are the main cause of neuronal cell death, although recent results have suggested that the RNA repeats itself may also be directly responsible for neurotoxicity.
There are currently no FDA approved disease modifying drugs for Huntington's disease. Standard of care includes supportive and palliative care, including physical therapy, nutritional management, and emotional support. Therapeutic interventions include neuroleptics and benzodiazepines to manage chorea in Huntington's disease, and certain antidepressant to treat the psychological symptoms of the disease.
Enzerna Biosciences is commercializing a novel approach to specifically cleave (and thus inactivate) any RNA using Artificial Site-Specific RNA Endonucleases (ASREs) engineered with customized sequence specificity. Combined with gene delivery vectors or direct neural delivery approaches, ASREs provide a new strategy for selective degradation of pathogenic transcripts associated with triplet nucleotide disorders.
More on HD:
All HTT proteins have the polyglutamine repeats, but the number of repeats influences the onset, progression, and severity of the disease. Normal individuals have between 7-34 CAG repeats, while Individuals with ≥40 repeats develop HD. Since HD patients have one normal and one mutated HTT allele with long CAG repeats, an attractive therapeutic strategy would be to selectively degrade the product of mutated allele. Therapeutic strategies directly targeting mutated HTT mRNA, such as antisense oligonucleotides (ASO), have produced promising results. However, there are difficulties in ASO delivery and the effects of ASO on structured CAG repeats are difficult to predict. Moreover, if selective reduction of mutant HTT expression is not accomplished, it is still unclear whether elimination of the normal Htt transcript would lead to adverse consequences. A study using inducible conditional knock-out of mouse Htt expression suggested that reduction of Htt expression in the adult was tolerated, but a more recent study came to the opposite conclusion: loss of Htt expression in the adult brain resulted in progressive neurological phenotypes.
ASRE Technology: High Specific and Highly Differentiated
Targeting the pathogenic RNA or protein with ASRE-Technology offers an avenue for curative therapies. Antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) and RNA interference (RNAi)- based therapies have been shown to be effective in isolated cells. However, these therapies are limited by the need for lifelong administration, poor delivery across the blood brain barrier, and passive delivery to target cells in vivo. While antisense RNAs could be delivered via gene therapy, to date, targeting efficiency remains unacceptably low.
For many diseases, gene edited, most notable using CRISPR/Cas DNA editing technology offers an opportunity to correct mutant alleles. Unfortunately, given the mechanism of the gene editing process, CRISPR/Cas does not offer a viable therapeutic approach. Provided the editing machinery can be delivered to the appropriate cells, for each cell that undergoes a DNA editing event (intiated by a single double stranded break), one or more of several outcomes are possible:
(a) the mutant and/or normal allele will be targeted by the DNA editing enzyme where a random in frame deletion will occur to decrease the repeat length (desired event);
(b) the mutant and/or normal allele will be targeted by the DNA editing enzyme where a random in frame expansion will occur to increase the repeat length (adverse event);
(c) the mutant and/or normal allele will be targeted by the DNA editing enzyme where a random out of frame deletion or expansion will occur (adverse event);
(d) no change in mutant and/or normal allele. Since, each of the events will occur randomly (i.e., cannot be controlled) in each cell that is transduced with the editing machinery, CRISPR/Cas does not offer a viable therapeutic at this time. | https://www.enzerna.com/science |
Diversity and Inclusion Statement
At LCW CPAs, respect and integrity are the bedrock of our firm. These core values govern our interactions with clients, vendors, and most of all the interactions with our team.
Difference is valued. We embrace people of different races, genders, ethnicities, backgrounds, and religions/belief systems from our own. We celebrate multiple approaches, ideas, beliefs, and points of view and believe that our differences help drive our innovation.
We continue to build an inclusive culture that encourages, supports, and celebrates the diverse voices of our employees. We strive to create a workplace that reflects the clients and communities we serve.
We encourage every team member to bring their whole, authentic selves to work while feeling safe in an environment where they are respected for their inherent dignity. | https://lcwcpas.com/diversity-and-inclusion/ |
US China Relations Could Get Complicated With New Australian Foreign Policy
The Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard released a long awaited white paper Australia in the Asian Century yesterday. The white paper basically affirms that Australia's future lies with Asia, and consequently immense economic opportunities exist for Australia to grab.
The paper hinges the nation's strategy of becoming a competitive force within the region through skills development, innovation, infrastructure, the tax system, regulatory reform, and sustainability.
However, before a nation can become a competitive force, it must have an accepted place in the region.
On this key strategy the white paper does little more than make a "rally call" to Australians to come out and make it happen. The paper also reeks of Austro-centrism, where most of the points made in the document are written with the expectation that Australia will win out of closer ties with Asia without necessarily giving much back in exchange — such as Australia having closer ties with Asian universities in order to attract students and skilled workers.That's rather one-way to say the least.
The Australia-China-U.S. relationships
Not surprisingly, the document still goes on to reaffirm Australia's loyalty to the United States. Historically the U.S. is seen as a savior from invasion by the Japanese during WWII and consequently there has been a total commitment from successive Australian governments through the Cold War until the present time for U.S. foreign policy. This has brought many foreign policy mistakes and probably cost Australia in Southeast Asia any individual identity.
In contrast, China is now so important to Australian trade, investment, and tourism, yet Australia is unconsciously niggling China with its staunch loyalty to the U.S. China saved Australia from a deep recession with demand for minerals whereas the U.S. brought the Australian government anguish over the involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan,
China would prefer to deal with an Australia with a mature and independent foreign policy rather than an enthusiastic supporter of U.S. foreign policy.
China as an ally presents less of a dilemma than the U.S., as China has historically always allowed some deviation from the official Chinese foreign policy. For example China does allow Australia and other nations to have a separate relationship with Taiwan, and different approaches to regional issues without making these differences major issues.
Maybe Australia can learn from the Indonesian approach of dynamic equilibrium, a doctrine where Washington and Beijing would agree to co-exist rather than compete for supremacy in the region.
Australia's relationship with the Asian Region
After decades of successive government foreign and trade policy, Australia still does not have any embedded position within the Asian region. The influence of Australian business and financial institutions in the region is minor, and nowhere near the critical mass needed to become a competitive force in the region. The only exception is in the mining sector, which for all intents and purposes has made the Australian economy very dependent upon demand in Asia, particularly China.
Back in the 1990s the then Prime Minister Paul Keating stated that Australia is part of Asia and made a concerted effort to embed Australia within the region. This had some positive effect with Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, and East Timor, but had setbacks over the recalcitrant remarks about Malaysia's former Premier Mahathir Mohamed which soured relations with that country for a number of years. However perceptively, all these gains were lost when John Howard came to power in 1996 reaffirming the Canberra-Washington link, earning the label for Australia as the U.S.'s deputy sheriff in the Asia.
The Australian relationship with the region is one where Australia needs the region more than the region needs Australia. The Australian market is small compared to other markets and of little interest to regional exporters who prefer to put their efforts into the larger markets of China, Japan, EU, and the U.S.
Though Australia has some deeply historical links with many parts of the region due to some heroic actions of troops during the Second World War, tragically these opportunities to further develop relationships were not capitalized upon, due to Australian mesmerization with Washington. White papers aside, it will be action and not words that are important and China and the region will be surprised to see any real change, although the intention and realization of the need is present within the foreign policy Australian agenda. However, with Australia, old habits die hard. Australia also has a track record of falling over itself in Asia.
It will take much more than a massive investment in skills and education to be able to engage the Asian region, let alone be "competitive". One of the paramount barriers Australia has to overcome is the deep set belief that its own cultural values are not necessarily universally accepted across the region. It's not about learning Asian languages but about understanding different points of view, approaches, and 'mindsets.' Austro-centrism must take a back seat in relationships around the region for Australia to be seriously considered a member of the region.
The white paper is still haunted by Australia's past. Maybe it's time for Australia to release the U.S. security blanket a little and become a mature and independent nation within the Asian region. However one fears with the promise of a rise in real incomes from the "Asian Century" initiative, that the whole thing is just a pander to the domestic electorate. As the report itself aspires, Asia is seen only as a means for Australian incomes to become one of the top 10 per capita ones in the world.
The white paper has turned it into a promissory note for a better future within Australia based upon the misconception that internal capacity building will make Australia more competitive in Asia, being too "fuzzy" about developing a real strategy to engage the region. Building up capacities are only building capabilities. They are not strategies within themselves.
Presence and accommodation of Asia to what Australia really has to offer is the vital key. This implies showing the region that an independent Australia is truly willing to put its lot in with Asia and not with the U.S.
Asian suspicion may arise to the issue Gillard herself talked about Australia being a winner in Asia, and this implies there must be losers.
Its highly doubtful if anybody in the region is looking at Australia with any more interest today.
Murray Hunter is an associate professor at University Malaysia Perlis, and the author of a number of books on agriculture, economics, and entrepreneurship. | https://www.mic.com/articles/17691/us-china-relations-could-get-complicated-with-new-australian-foreign-policy |
COMPARISON OF OUTCOMES OF OPEN VERSUS CLOSED PERCUTANEOUS K-WARE FIXATION IN DISPLACED SUPRACONDYLAR FRACTURE.
DOI:https://doi.org/10.29309/TPMJ/2017.24.07.1110
Keywords:K wire,, Supracondaylar fracture,, Humerus,, Open reduction.
Abstract
Objectives: is to compare the outcomes of open versus closed Percutaneous
K wire fixation in displaced supracondy fracture of humerus in children. Period: May 2016 to
May 2017. Setting: Orthopedic unit of Nishtar Hospital Multan. Methodology: Total number
of 170 (100%) patients of displaced supracondylar fracture of humerus was enrolled. Patients
were divided into two equal groups by lottry method (85 patients in each group). SPSS version
23 was used to analyze the data, mean and standard deviation was calculated for numerical
variables like age and flayn et al score, and frequencies with percentages were calculated for
categorical variables like gender and outcome variable satisfactory/unsatisfactory. Chi square
test was applied to see the effect of effect modifiers on outcome variable. P value of ≤0.05
was considered as significant. Results: Total of 170 (100%) divided in two equal groups A
and B, 85 patients in each group. Out of 170 patients 97 (57.1%) were male and 73 (42.9%)
were female. Out of these in group A 75 (88.1%) patients have satisfactory outcome and 10
(11.7%) patients have unsatisfactory outcome. Similarly in group B, 71 (83.5%) were having
satisfactory and 14 (16.47%) have unsatisfactory outcome and P= 0.37. Conclusion: Results of
our study concluded that open reduction with K wire fixation technique have better satisfactory
outcome (union rate) as compared to closed reduction and K wire fixation in the management
of supracondaylar fracture of humerus in young age group. | http://theprofesional.com/index.php/tpmj/article/view/1110 |
Last updated: 23. May, 2018
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Is 16 Divisible By 2?
Advertisement
Yes, 16 is divisible by 2.
It will leave no comma spot.
Divisibilty rule for 2 is: Units are divisible by two if the last digit is even. Even numbers for 2 are (0,2,4,6,8).
Is 15 Divisible By 2
Is 17 Divisible By 2
What Is 16 Divided By 2
Sixteen divided by two is 8. Math: 16÷2=8
Rules Of Divisibility For 2
First, take any number (for this example it will be 376) and note the last digit in the number, discarding the other digits. Then take that digit (6) while ignoring the rest of the number and determine if it is divisible by 2. If it is divisible by 2, then the original number is divisible by 2.
Example: 376 (The original number).
37
6
(Take the last digit). 6÷2 = 3 (Check to see if the last digit is divisible by 2) 376÷2 = 188 (If the last digit is divisible by 2, then the whole number is divisible by 2).
Mathematical Information About Numbers 1 6
Is 16 A Prime Number?
Prime Factorization Of 16
Is 16 A Composite Number?
Is 16 An Even Number?
Is 16 An Odd Number?
Prime Factors Of 16
About Number 1.
The number 1 is not a prime number, but a divider for every natural number. It is often taken as the smallest natural number (however, some authors include the natural numbers from zero). Your prime factorization is the empty product with 0 factors, which is defined as having a value of 1. The one is often referred to as one of the five most important constants of analysis (besides 0, p, e, and i). Number one is also used in other meanings in mathematics, such as a neutral element for multiplication in a ring, called the identity element. In these systems, other rules can apply, so does 1 + 1 different meanings and can give different results. With 1 are in linear algebra and vectors and one Einsmatrizen whose elements are all equal to the identity element, and refers to the identity map.
About Number 6.
Six is the smallest composite number with two distinct prime factors, and the third triangular number. It is the smallest perfect number: 6 = 1 + 2 + 3 and the faculty of 3 is 6 = 3! = 1 * 2 * 3, which is remarkable, because there is no other three numbers whose product is equal to their sum. Similarly 6 = sqrt(1 ^ 3 + 2 + 3 ^ 3 ^ 3). The equation x ^ 3 + Y ^ 3 ^ 3 + z = 6xyz is the only solution (without permutations) x = 1, y = 2 and z = 3. Finally 1/1 = 1/2 + 1/3 + 1/6. The cube (from the Greek) or hexahedron (from Latin) cube is one of the five Platonic solids and has six equal areas. A tetrahedron has six edges and six vertices an octahedron. With regular hexagons can fill a plane without gaps. Number six is a two-dimensional kiss number.
What are divisibility rules?
A divisibility rule is a shorthand way of determining whether a given number is divisible by a fixed divisor without performing the division, usually by examining its digits. Although there are divisibility tests for numbers in any radix, and they are all different, this article presents rules and examples only for decimal numbers. For divisors with multiple rules, the rules are generally ordered first for those appropriate for numbers with many digits, then those useful for numbers with fewer digits. | http://www.mathspage.com/divisibility-rules/solved/is-16-divisible-by-2 |
Quote from: bingley on August 10, 2003, 10:42:37 PM <br />We can say things in English we can't easily say in Latin, so English is limited? <br /><br />Could you explain how you reach this conclusion? Surely the limitation (if there is one) would be on Latin's side. <br /> <br /><br /><br />If you think about it - and here we're getting more into "Academy" subject matter.... every language has limitations in some way or another. Word order is everything in English, which results in some limitations. (Ambiguous statements, if one isn't really careful about how one orders one's words, for instance.) Words have extremely flexible meanings in English, too, to the point that colloquial meanings take over original meanings in a very few years, and then you have to find another word for the original..... English has no simple future tense - you have to work something out with other verbs to make one. My guess is that the original English speakers just weren't much interested in the future, so didn't see a need for one.<br /><br />Latin's limited, too, in different ways. The rigid grammar can in some ways be as much of a difficulty as the word order, and some of the inflection rules make for monsterous mouthfuls of words to get one's teeth around. <br /><br />I've always wondered if you can't tell a whole lot about the basic culture/beliefs/environment of the originators of a language by the grammar and words they use - some languages have multiple words for a concept that only rates one in other languages. (I'm thinking particularly of "snow" at the moment.... I am given to understand that at least one Inuit dialect has over 30 words for "snow", whereas English only has one, and adds adjectives to get more descriptive.)<br /><br />Kilmeny <br /><br />I agree that every language has its limitations, but I'm still not sure how you draw the conclusion, "Because we can say things in English that we can't say in Latin, English is limited." Perhaps you could elucidate this part of your argument? <br /><br />Keesa
The Romans certainly were fond of large words... Vulgar Latin, the "simplified" language of the peasants, rather than make words shorter, actually made them longer! The third conjugation verb sedere - "to sit" was, in Vulgar Latin, sedificare (sedis+facere to make a seat). I wonder if this was because the first conjugation was considered simpler or if it was a colloquialism that took over or what!
[quote author=bingley link=board=13;threadid=437;start=0#3526 date=1060613803]<br />To be fair, it wasn't milito/kilmeny who said that English was limited because there were things that didn't translate easily into Latin. That was lumen_et_umbra.<br />[/quote]<br /><br />Thanks.... 'cause I personally don't see English as limited in comparison with Latin.... just different and showing different priorities in its speakers....<br /><br />Kilmeny
I see English as somewhat less effective than Latin, but not "inferior." The reason for this is simply that when you read Latin, you can perceive an immense amount of information, meaning, and feeling from just a few words. I think we can all agree, at least, that Latin is more compact, and by that, it is more word-efficient.
[quote author=benissimus link=board=13;threadid=437;start=0#3557 date=1060619966]<br />I see English as somewhat less effective than Latin, but not "inferior." The reason for this is simply that when you read Latin, you can perceive an immense amount of information, meaning, and feeling from just a few words. I think we can all agree, at least, that Latin is more compact, and by that, it is more word-efficient.<br />[/quote]<br /><br />But high efficiency of word use isn't necessarily a good thing in a language. A certain amount of redundancy is good. It lets you be understood in a noisy room.
[quote author=bingley link=board=13;threadid=437;start=0#3526 date=1060613803]<br />To be fair, it wasn't milito/kilmeny who said that English was limited because there were things that didn't translate easily into Latin. That was lumen_et_umbra.<br />[/quote]<br /><br />I'm sorry, milito! I guess I just read it wrong...I didn't mean to. I'm sorry. <br /><br />Keesa
[quote author=William Annis link=board=13;threadid=437;start=0#3577 date=1060634687]<br /><br />But high efficiency of word use isn't necessarily a good thing in a language. A certain amount of redundancy is good. It lets you be understood in a noisy room.<br />[/quote]<br /><br />I agree that they each have their strengths, but I see Latin as more practical in many situations. Latin seems more "complete" in that for almost every grammatical facet, there exist completely predictable patterns and rules of regularity. I guess Latin appeals to my sense of logic.
[quote author=benissimus link=board=13;threadid=437;start=0#3629 date=1060649582]<br /><br />I agree that they each have their strengths, but I see Latin as more practical in many situations. Latin seems more "complete" in that for almost every grammatical facet, there exist completely predictable patterns and rules of regularity. I guess Latin appeals to my sense of logic.<br />[/quote]<br /><br />"For every rule in English, there is at least one exception..." including that one! <br /><br />Keesa
[quote author=William Annis link=board=13;threadid=437;start=0#3577 date=1060634687]<br />But high efficiency of word use isn't necessarily a good thing in a language. A certain amount of redundancy is good. It lets you be understood in a noisy room.<br />[/quote]<br /><br />And one of the things I like best about English is the variety of words to pick and chose from. I like to roll the words around on my tongue, testing and tasting them until I find just the perfect word, the one that expresses exactly what I want to say...English may not be a very practical language, but it's a very beautiful one. <br /><br />Keesa
[quote author=Keesa link=board=13;threadid=437;start=0#3668 date=1060695372]<br />And one of the things I like best about English is the variety of words to pick and chose from. I like to roll the words around on my tongue, testing and tasting them until I find just the perfect word, the one that expresses exactly what I want to say...English may not be a very practical language, but it's a very beautiful one. <br /><br />Keesa<br />[/quote]<br /><br />I suspect, as well, that everyone comes at languages with a somewhat biased point of view. You can't help but be 'attached' to your own first language. Given the mess that English has made of itself, through its tendency of swallowing whole any other convenient word/phrase/idiom it happens to encounter from another language, it is apparently a bit of a nightmare to learn as a second language. I could see that making someone feel less than thrilled by it. I'm also willing to bet that a German-as-a-First-Language-Speaker would consider German beautiful, and I know it's the case for French-as-a-First-Language-Speakers (at least some of them). I would hazard a guess that the same goes for pretty well anyone's opinion of their own first language.<br /><br />It seems to come down to what one is comfortable and familiar with. I grew up in a narrow mountain valley, and found my first experience with the prairies terrifying. I've since met prairie people who found areas with mountains on several horizons 'claustrophobic', while I was finding the same area 'wide open'. I no longer want to run screaming indoors while on a prairie (which is a good thing, in Winnipeg.....) but I really, really miss my mountains and will go back as soon as possible. Many of the 'prairie people' still think I'm nuts. Languages and grammar rules and other linguistic conventions seem to be the same way - we prefer what we know best.<br /><br />Kilmeny
[quote author=Milito link=board=13;threadid=437;start=0#3678 date=1060698722]<br />I suspect, as well, that everyone comes at languages with a somewhat biased point of view. You can't help but be 'attached' to your own first language. Given the mess that English has made of itself, through its tendency of swallowing whole any other convenient word/phrase/idiom it happens to encounter from another language, it is apparently a bit of a nightmare to learn as a second language. I could see that making someone feel less than thrilled by it. I'm also willing to bet that a German-as-a-First-Language-Speaker would consider German beautiful, and I know it's the case for French-as-a-First-Language-Speakers (at least some of them). I would hazard a guess that the same goes for pretty well anyone's opinion of their own first language.<br /><br />Kilmeny<br />[/quote]<br /><br />It's funny-Maman and I have argued this point many times before. I'm inclined to agree with you about one's own language being easy and beautiful, and all the others being slightly grotesque and certainly ridiculously confusing. (my words, not yours.) When I was first learning French, I insisted that English was the easier language, while she declared that French was easier and more beautiful and made far more sense. Of course, French was her native language, and English was mine. <br /><br />It's not completely true, though, that we find our own language more beautiful than any other all the time. For example, the more I learned of French, the more I found to love and admire, and the same with Latin. And I'm still a beginner at both of them! (Although, I would call myself an advanced beginner in French.) Just think of how much more there is to discover and admire and love! <br /><br />Perhaps, then, we find our own language most beautiful because we're most familiar with it, and it's the familiarity, more than just the sense of "my language" that makes it beautiful? <br /><br />Keesa
[quote author=Milito link=board=13;threadid=437;start=0#3678 date=1060698722]<br /><br />I suspect, as well, that everyone comes at languages with a somewhat biased point of view. You can't help but be 'attached' to your own first language. Given the mess that English has made of itself, through its tendency of swallowing whole any other convenient word/phrase/idiom it happens to encounter from another language, it is apparently a bit of a nightmare to learn as a second language. I could see that making someone feel less than thrilled by it. I'm also willing to bet that a German-as-a-First-Language-Speaker would consider German beautiful, and I know it's the case for French-as-a-First-Language-Speakers (at least some of them). I would hazard a guess that the same goes for pretty well anyone's opinion of their own first language.<br />[/quote]<br /><br />I certainly appreciate English as my first language, though I do not find it particularly beautiful. Oddly, though, I know several people who have learned other languages and find English to be grotesque and barbaric. I just find it humorous that they would take an arbitrary stance towards something so subjective.
[quote author=benissimus link=board=13;threadid=437;start=0#3769 date=1060753352]<br />I just find it humorous that they would take an arbitrary stance towards something so subjective.<br />[/quote]<br />A lot of arbitrary stances seem to be taken on very subjective matters.... For instance - there are a whole lot of people who think I'm utterly nuts for liking Latin at all. Any time likes and dislikes come up in conversation, it's by nature subjective, and yet people can be so opinionated on the matter! (Says the person so opinionated on the colour pink...... ;D)<br /><br />Kilmeny
Oh, and English: I feel guilty whenever I may write or speak it; for I can not speak any language as well as I can English, <br />of which I do be ashamed.<br /><br />I do love conversing in french with my french teacher, it is a great language in which to insult; be funny, ambigiuous (what exactly is "un évêque"), slick. Furthermore when pronounced correctly French does sound beautiful. HOWEVER I detest those french people who speak insanely quickly. I mean not quickly I mean insanely quickly to such an extent that their words sound nothing but a low pitched droan with a few occasional "hoh hoh"'s. <br /><br />
French, as spoken in Paris, appears indiscernible from gargling.<br /><br />Melodically, American English whines. Apropos melody: I have read in Herrn Professor Kaegi's grammar that Greek accents initially used to indicate tones of the spoken language, as nowadays present in, e.g., Chinese or Vietnamese or Tibetan. The gravis and lenis, it further said, were about a five-tone interval apart. Is this view still shared?<br /><br />
<br /><br />Er. Which American English? There are many to choose from.<br /><br />
Apropos melody: I have read in Herrn Professor Kaegi's grammar that Greek accents initially used to indicate tones of the spoken language, as nowadays present in, e.g., Chinese or Vietnamese or Tibetan. The gravis and lenis, it further said, were about a five-tone interval apart. Is this view still shared?<br />
<br /><br />The tones are not like Chinese in that the tones move around within a word. In Chinese, once a first tone (high flat) syllable, always a first tone syllable. <br /><br />However the Greek accents do represent change in a word. Eventually the pitch tone became stress (volume) accent like English, German, etc.<br /><br />I don't know if the difference was really a 5th apart. I've always suspected that that 5th difference represented an exaggeration for public speaking. I know no tonal language with that much swing in pitch on a single syllable in normal speech.<br /><br />Finally, the grave accent is usually said to indicate no pitch change at all. There is some reason to doubt this, but the matter remains controversial.<br /><br />Without a native speaker to record, there's always going to be doubt.
Thanks!<br /><br />[quote author=William Annis link=board=13;threadid=437;start=15#4412 date=1061298016]<br /><br />Er. Which American English? There are many to choose from.<br /><br />[/quote] <br /><br />Any I know of, and that's many, from the Hamptons to Lihue.<br /><br />[quote author=William Annis link=board=13;threadid=437;start=15#4412 date=1061298016]<br /><br />However the Greek accents do represent change in a word.<br /><br />[/quote]<br /><br />Could you elaborate? The aim of my analogy to Chinese was that pitch is indicated, not whether it's fixed or variable. But you are saying (aren't you?) that it is CHANGE in pitch. I was originally under the impression that it was rather something like "high" "middle" "low".<br /><br />In any case, is this view, in some form or another, of accents as indicators of pitch more or less mainstream? Would you know whether the accent was still a pitch-marker during the 5th century? <br /><br />Thanks again. -- Ansgar
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Officials from multiple relevant departments in Tianjin recently issued the Notice on Gender Equality Education in Primary and Secondary Schools to help comprehensively popularize gender equality in education.
The notice was authored by Tianjin Women and Children's Working Committee (TWCWC), the Municipal Commission of Education (MCE) and Tianjin Women's Federation (TWF).
In recent years, TWCWC, the MCE, and TWF have continued to promote advanced gender culture, according to officials.
At the end of 2016, TWCWC and the MCE jointly held a work conference on integrating gender equality education into the primary school curriculum with regards to family, school and society; and, proposed a pilot project to set examples.
In the document, the organizations summarized their experiences to promote in-depth work on gender equality education in primary and secondary schools.
At the beginning of 2017, officials issued the Work Plan on Gender Equality Education in Schools, selecting one school in each district of the city with a good teaching foundation and strong teaching strength as the first batch of pilot schools for gender equality education.
They also further clarified the guiding ideology, implementation steps and requirements for work promotion, laying a foundation for the comprehensive teaching of the topic in the city's primary and secondary schools.
In combination with actual teaching and education, each pilot school carried out gender equality education in various forms such as moral education activities, quality development, class meetings and group psychological counseling.
Shuishang Primary School in Nankai District has integrated gender equality education into the teaching plan of the whole school, establishing a teaching and research group for gender equality education courses.
It also regularly conducts teaching and research activities, collectively develops teaching plans, and builds an operating mode which gets all students involved and runs through the curriculum and the teaching process.
Xinhua South Road Primary School in Heping District has integrated the concept of gender equal education into the construction of harmonious campus culture and the school construction system, and seamlessly linked it with students' physical and mental health development, moral education and training.
Wutong Elementary School in the Hexi District has established a gender equality education work promotion mechanism by hosting monthly work meetings and gender equality education trainings each semester to gradually promote the concept of gender equality into the teaching and daily work of various disciplines.
Pilot schools have also combined with the regional characteristics and teaching practices to build a gender equality education working mechanism in line with its own actual situation, and introduced measures in management, teaching materials, teachers, courses, software configuration, activities and other aspects to ensure the smooth operation of gender equality education.
A spokesperson from TWCWC explained that in the process of carrying out the pilot project, they discovered a number of special courses with regional characteristics in line with the requirements of the times, which are suitable for students' needs and educational needs.
TWCWC also organized a demonstration course for teachers' collective research and development in pilot schools, gave lectures on case analysis, teaching plans, teaching preparation, teaching process and teaching reflection.
Gender equality experts also went to the pilot schools to observe courses and accordingly, put forward suggestions for improvement.
TWCWC believes that gender equality education is an important part of cultivating and practicing core socialist values.
Thus, through carrying out the project in school curriculum, students are allowed to implement the concept of respect and equality into action and affect people around them to further create an equal and harmonious family and social atmosphere.
Nankai Shuishang Primary School also launched a themed course focusing on the inequality in housework responsibilities and guiding students to analyze their own family situation so that they can understand the responsibilities of each person in household chore and put words into action.
According to a spokesperson from TWCWC, gender equality education will be taught as part of the educational contents in the city's primary and secondary schools, and will be integrated into the teaching contents, teaching practice activities and student quality training process of primary and secondary schools so as to foster and enhance students' gender equality awareness.
It also helps build a harmonious development of campus culture, spread the advanced gender concept in families and communities, and spur more people to participate in the construction of a harmonious gender culture, so that the concept of gender equality becomes a social consensus as well as a trend of the times. | http://en.wsic.ac.cn/academicnews/8484.htm |
1.2 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) will be offered for this training.
Program evaluation is a valuable tool that managers can use to determine whether or not their victim services programs are achieving their stated goals and objectives. This 2-day training is designed for program managers, directors, or other allied professionals who have primary responsibility for the development, monitoring, and evaluation of direct services and other programming. The user-friendly, interactive exercises give you the information, skills, and tools you need to participate in the planning and implementation of an ongoing evaluation of your programs and services. Improved skills in reporting the results to your various stakeholders can help raise public awareness and attract funding for the services you provide.
Active participation in each of the following training modules will help you accomplish these specific learning objectives:
- What Is Evaluation?
- Identify risks and benefits of conducting evaluations.
- Define evaluation.
- Identify different types of evaluation.
- Preparing for an Evaluation
- Recall the purpose of an evaluability assessment.
- Write measurable goals and objectives for their programs.
- Develop and operationalize a program logic model.
- Identify key evaluation questions of interest.
- Developing an Evaluation Plan
- Distinguish between process, outcome, and impact evaluations.
- Identify pros and cons of different evaluation designs.
- Identify pros and cons of different data collection methods.
- Develop an evaluation plan.
- Conducting an Evaluation
- Identify key steps to data collection.
- Understand the difference between confidentiality and anonymity.
- Differentiate between qualitative and quantitative analytic techniques.
- Reporting and Using Evaluation Results
- Identify components of an evaluation report.
- Identify different techniques for presenting evaluation results.
- Identify key uses of evaluation results.
- Identify key audiences to receive evaluation results.
Let Others Know About This Training
Download Flier [PDF, 491KB] to print and distribute. | https://www.ovcttac.gov/views/TrainingMaterials/dspTrainingByRequest.cfm?nm=tra&ns=td&nt=pe |
Refugee Trauma Initiative is an NGO working in Greece to provide collective healing, trauma-sensitive, identity-informed psychosocial programming for young refugee children and their families, and for refugee and local youth, all while working to set a new benchmark in mental health support for refugees worldwide. After four years of testing and refining our direct delivery approach, in the main, we now focus on training local partner organisations to deliver & adopt these approaches as suited to the context.
RTI supports two main lines of psychosocial and educational programming: Baytna
Since May 2020 – present, RTI Clinical Lead Gabriella Brent in partnership with Consultant Therapist Romy Wakil have piloted delivering a therapeutic psychoeducation group online for 8 male refugees. This has proved to be a very powerful space, with two cohorts regularly attending, despite their changing and challenging circumstances. Based upon the feedback from the group, and with the aim of bridging the gap between mental health and human rights, RTI intends to establish more therapeutic, trauma-informed psycho-education groups for asylum seekers and/or refugees living in Greece. Each group will consist of 6 – 8 members who will meet weekly on zoom, facilitated by a group therapist and members will be provided with a therapeutic, trauma-informed space.
To begin with, the groups will either be:
1) All male
2) For ‘community volunteers’ – current asylum seekers/refugees who are volunteering or being paid to provide humanitarian services, such as translators, community protection officers, food distributors. The group will provide a reflective space to support their psychological wellbeing & explore the impact on them of undertaking this work while currently a refugee themselves.
We are seeking qualified therapists who can facilitate one of these groups, with a view to facilitating more groups, as this movement grows.
Therapists will be supported by and report back to RTI’s Head of Programmes and Clinical Lead – Gabriella Brent (
RTI will provide some trauma and identity-informed training ahead of starting facilitation of therapeutic groups. Training will be delivered in January over a period of two full days. Additionally, therapists will be required to attend regular group supervision for the team of therapists undertaking this work. The post holder will be expected to attend all supervision groups, unless on leave or there are extenuating circumstances.
RTI will hold safeguarding and clinical responsibility for anything emerging in sessions, and work with the relevant parties to manage any concerns.
Creating collective healing spaces and facilitating group therapy with asylum seekers and refugees is an under-researched field. The role holder will be expected to reflect on emerging themes in therapeutic supervision with RTI to help shape our future programming and support to provide collecting healing spaces with and for refugee communities.
2 hours Weekly: 1.5 hours for the group, 30 mins for prep, debrief & notes Monthly: 1-hour group supervision
In the first instance, we are seeking honorary therapists (volunteers).
However, if you are interested in applying to this post and cost is an issue, please let us know on a sliding scale from 0-40GBP per hour how much you would need to get paid.
Therapists with lived experience are encouraged to apply.
Zoom group (set up by RTI):
The group will be conducted in Arabic or Farsi in order to allow group members to communicate in their mother tongue. Fluency in English is also required for the role as group members may choose to speak in both languages.
That said, if you feel you are a good fit for this role and speak another language, please do still apply.
18h
25th January: Therapeutic group starts
To provide a weekly, online therapeutic group space to a group of up to 8 members according to RTI’s trauma, identity and values informed approach
To write summary session notes following each session and to keep notes in accordance with RTIs data protection and GDPR policies
To participate in shaping RTI’s therapeutic programming design
To attend regular supervision facilitated by RTI
To liaise with the RTI clinical team regarding group progress and group needs
Fluency in English and Arabic and/or Farsi. Fluency in other languages is also welcome.
Once committed, applicants must be available to complete a year’s work – until the end of December 2021
All candidates must have an enhanced and up-to-date DBS check. If this doesn’t apply RTI will arrange one for you
Successful candidates will be requested to provide references from a recent employer and personal supervisor.
Qualified from or in a
Trained in trauma-informed practice
Ability to work reflexively regarding antiracist practice and within a culturally competent framework.
Qualified supervisor/counsellor/psychotherapist/clinical or counselling psychologist
A minimum one year experience of facilitating therapeutic groups
A minimum of 450 client-facing hours (not including befriending)
At least one year consecutive of personal therapy
A thorough understanding and openness towards social justice identity, issues including race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, class, immigration status and more
Awareness of safeguarding and data protection issues
In professional supervision
Experience participating in social justice work either professionally or personally
Knowledge of liberation psychology or radical pedagogy – e.g. healing justice, decolonised education, pedagogy of the oppressed
The deadline is on the 29th of November at 5 pm UK time. | https://sonacircle.com/rti-arabic-or-farsi-speaking-group-therapist/ |
Deepening Cooperation and Coordination on Health Policy in the Americas
On July 28, 2021, the Inter-American Dialogue hosted the online event “Deepening Cooperation on Health Policy in the Americas.” The panel discussed a new report published by the Inter-American Health Task Force, which analyzed the response to Covid-19 in the Western Hemisphere and identified recommendations to improve cooperation and coordination in health policies across the Americas. The event was moderated by Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue. Julio Frenk, president of the University of Miami and former Minister of Health of Mexico, and Helene Gayle, president and CEO of the Chicago Community Trust, both co-chairs of the Inter-American Health Task Force, introduced the key recommendations of the report, followed by commentaries from Carlos Felipe Jaramillo, World Bank vice president for the Latin America and the Caribbean Region, and Ramiro Guerrero, dean of economics and finances at Universidad Icesi, in Calí, Colombia.
Shifter began the session by describing the motivation behind the report, noting how Western Hemisphere countries failed to take advantage of opportunities for regional collaboration to address the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. Frenk and Gayle outlined five areas for which the report made recommendations to improve coordination and cooperation in regional health policy: promoting leadership and better governance in regional health emergencies, accessing and sharing of high-quality data, strengthening regional health security by investing in national preparedness, ensuring equitable access to Covid-19 health services and products, and controlling and managing the spread of misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy theories. The challenges and lessons learned during the pandemic in these five areas were examined through the lens of six stakeholder groups: governments, multilateral organizations, international financial institutions, the private sector, scientific and academic institutions, and civil society organizations. Frenk and Gayle noted that the report provides actionable recommendations for each of those six stakeholder groups in each of the areas.
Both Frenk and Gayle presented a summary of the report findings. Frenk pointed out how strong global responses require strong national responses due to the interconnectedness of the local with the global. Therefore, good national leadership requires the need for governments to make data-informed decisions, which can only happen if there is increased access to reliable and high-quality data. Gayle highlighted how the pandemic underscored the long-standing challenges within the region to be able to meet the core capabilities required under International Health Regulations (IHRs), making it necessary to strengthen IHR in the Americas. In addition, Gayle pointed out how the worst examples of collaboration during the pandemic have been through regional access initiatives to vaccines and other health products such as COVAX, which presents the urgent need to ensure equitable access to Covid-19 health services and products.
The online event moved on to commentary on the information and recommendations provided by the report. Jaramillo emphasized how the lack of coordination at different levels within countries has been the key factor behind the region’s inability to develop an effective response to the pandemic. The distribution of vaccines and medical equipment have been mainly based on the “power of the income of countries” rather than on the country’s needs, making it difficult for lower and middle-income countries to counter the challenges developed by the pandemic. In addition, Jaramillo noted that the lack of investment in reliable routine information systems has been the major impediment towards a more effective response. Therefore, innovations are needed to “enable countries to make better decisions in an emergency” and to better understand the performance of their health care systems.
Guerrero noted that even within countries an uneven distribution exists regarding capacities for surveillance, and there has been a lack of transparency by some governments regarding the data of the pandemic such as infection and transmission rates. Therefore, “highly competent and technical institutes within countries” need to be created in order to strengthen the surveillance capacities of “every corner of the country.” Guerrero also added that there is a lack of understanding of how misinformation and disinformation spread. It is necessary for countries to invest in and understand the science of information spreading and information flows to develop better policy prescriptions for the problem.
The event concluded with a Q&A session. When asked whether disinformation has gotten worse over the years, Gayle stated rates of disinformation escalated because the vehicle and the number of ways people have been able to access information have increased, allowing people to selectively use information to reinforce their positions. To counter misinformation and disinformation, there needs to be an understanding of “what are the right messages and who are the right messengers” that can do a better job at disseminating good and reliable information. Frenk addressed a question on the role of the private sector and the health sector by stating that public function needs to be carried out by both public and private actors, since “no country in the world has a purely public and private system”. The best performance systems are the ones that get the right mix of public and private. As stated earlier by Gayle, everyone has “a part to play whether its government, health authorities, and media” if the region wants to successfully counter the effects of the pandemic and future health emergencies. | https://www.thedialogue.org/analysis/deepening-cooperation-and-coordination-on-health-policy-in-the-americas-2/ |
As a Materials Expert, Nano and Advanced Materials Institute (NAMI) has a strong portfolio of innovative technologies to support and collaborate with the industry, offering frontier-applied research on advanced materials as well as technology transfer for commercialization success.
NAMI, incorporated in 2006, is designated by the Innovation and Technology Commission of the Hong Kong Government as a Research and Development Center for nanotechnology and advanced materials. NAMI undertakes and provides support for market-driven research in nanotechnology and advanced materials, and strives for commercialization of the technologies to benefit the industry and the society at large, as well as re-industrialization to promote the economic growth and sustainability of Hong Kong.
Based on the technology trends, applied research opportunities and business environment of Hong Kong and Greater Bay Area, NAMI has developed core platform technologies in five market sectors, namely Construction, Electronics, Energy, Environmental, and Healthcare.
For further information, please visit www.nami.org.hk. | https://www.innovationhub.hk/articles/nami |
The utility model discloses a hand restraint device which comprises a palm sleeve, a thumb sleeve, an index finger sleeve, a middle finger hole, a ring finger sleeve, a little finger hole, a finger restraint strap, a turnover finger ring sleeve, a fixing strap and a fixing ring, and the thumb sleeve, the index finger sleeve, the middle finger hole, the ring finger sleeve and the little finger hole are sequentially arranged on the palm sleeve. The thumb sleeve, the index finger sleeve and the ring finger sleeve are fixedly connected to the thumb sleeve, the index finger sleeve and the ring finger sleeve respectively, one end of the turnover finger ring sleeve is fixedly connected to the end, close to the middle finger hole, of the upper surface of the palm sleeve, the fixing belt is fixedly connected to the side wall, away from the thumb sleeve, of the palm sleeve, and the fixing ring is fixedly connected to the joint of the thumb sleeve and the palm sleeve. The utility model belongs to the technical field of medical care appliances, and particularly provides a hand restraint appliance which interferes with finger flexibility, promotes hand blood circulation, facilitates observation of peripheral circulation, facilitates hand cleaning, self-heats, protects safety of a catheter, and is high in practicability and low in cost. | |
Background: This is a more general presentation of “Variation: OEE’s Silent Partner” published on January 31, 2011.
In a perfect world we can produce quality parts at rate, on time, every time. In reality, however, all aspects of our processes are subject to variation that affects each factor of Overall Equipment Effectiveness: Availability, Performance, and Quality.
Our ability to effectively implement Preventive Maintenance programs and Quality Management Systems is reflected in our ability to control and improve our processes, eliminate or reduce variation, and increase throughput.
The Variance Factor
Every process and measurement is subject to variation and error. It is only reasonable to expect metrics such as Overall Equipment Effectiveness and Labour Efficiency will also exhibit variance. The normal distribution for four (4) different data sets are represented by the graphic that accompanies this post. You will note that the average for 3 of the curves (Blue, Red, and Yellow) is common (u = 0) and the shapes of the curves are radically different. The green curve shows a normal distribution that is shifted to the left, the average (u) is -2, although we can see that the standard deviation for this distribution is better than that of the yellow and red curves.
The graphic also allows us to see the relationship between the Standard Deviation and the shape of curve. As the Standard Deviation increases, the height decreases and the width increases. From these simple representations, we can see that our objective is to reduce to the standard deviation. The only way to do this is to reduce or eliminate variation in our processes.
We can use a variety of statistical measurements to help us determine or describe the amount of variation we may expect to see. Although we are not expected to become experts in statistics, most of us should already be familiar with the normal distribution or “bell curve” and terms such as Average, Range, Standard Deviation, Variance, Skewness, and Kurtosis. In the absence of an actual graphic, these terms help us to picture what the distribution of data may look like in our mind’s eye.
Run Time Data
The simplest common denominator and readily available measurement for production is the quantity of good parts produced. Many companies have real-time displays that show quantity produced and in some cases go so far as to display Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and it’s factors – Availability, Performance, and Quality. While the expense of live streaming data displays can be difficult to justify, there is no reason to abandon the intent that such systems bring to the shop floor. Equivalent means of reporting can be achieved using “whiteboards” or other forms of data collection.
I am concerned with any system that is based solely on cumulative shift or run data that does not include run time history. As such, an often overlooked opportunity for improvement is the lack of stability in productivity or throughput over the course of the run. Systems with run time data allow us to identify production patterns, significant swings in throughput, and to correlate this data with down time history. This production story board allows us to analyze sources of instability, identify root causes, and implement timely and effective corrective actions. For processes where throughput is highly unstable, I recommend a direct hands-on review on the shop floor in lieu of post production data analysis.
Overall Equipment Effectiveness
Overall Equipment Effectiveness and the factors Availability, Performance, and Quality do not adequately or fully describe the capability of the production process. Reporting on the change in standard deviation as well as OEE provides a more meaningful understanding of the process and its inherent capability.
Improved capability also improves our ability to predict process throughput. Your materials / production control team will certainly appreciate any improvements to stabilize process throughput as we strive to be more responsive to customer demand and reduce inventories.
Until Next Time – STAY lean! | https://versalytics.org/2011/02/02/oee-in-an-imperfect-world/ |
Sound design is the much-neglected part in comparison to visual art. It hinds behind the impactful colors and dazzling motions that are immediately absorbed by the audience. It continues to provide an immersive experience and works coherently with other elements in multimedia and performance.
Here you can find out more about what is sound design, its history, techniques, and applications in a variety of disciplines, and what it is like to be a sound designer.
1. What Is Sound Design
Sound design is the blend of aural aesthetics and techniques to create a sonic environment and experience required by the subject matter. It is also the outcome of meticulous work by sound designer, audio editor, mixer, recording engineer and other personnel involved in.
Technically, it involves audio recording, creation, performing (fabricating foley to get recorded), editing, audio mixing, test and implementing in to related areas. Artistically, it demonstrates the sound designer's interpretation of the subject matter, with an aim to achieve and elevate the overall creation intent and thus offer an unforgettable experience to the audiences.
Sound design is playing critical roles in various fields and industries, including film and TV productions, theatres, video games and interactive applications, music, radios, podcasting, live performances and so on. Since sound design is yet to have established standards in different departments - maybe except for the theatre - it is free to evolve and has been crafted in various industries to fit what's needed.
1.1 Sound Design for Film and TV Production
Sound design for film and TV episodes encompasses a broad scope in audio production, sound arts, and the study of the film. It helps to set the mood of the storytelling, build tension when required in the plot, and make the audience believe the world presented in front of them.
Depending on how they influence the narratives of the film, the sound effects and scores can be parallel, contrapuntal, exaggerated or unmotivated.
- Parallel sounds are sessions that matches the mood of the scene. For instance, an uplifting soundtrack for a positive mood.
- Contrapuntal sounds go the opposite way and contrast strongly with the narrative in emotion or tone. For instance, in A Clockwork Orange (1971), the violent scenes are not accompanied by horror scores but by energetic and happy music.
- Exaggerated sounds are often used to emphasize the emotional impact or to suggest incoming threat.
Sound designer in a large studio is a colloquial term of respect, and the person is credited with this term out of respect. It is not the official job title in the industry, such as supervising audio editors and audio mixers that are specified by the union.
1.2 Sound Design for Theatre
The fundamentals of sound design for theatre are the same as in other fields. It evolves the recording, acquiring, creation and delivery of music, sound effects, foley, noise and every audible elements. Besides that, there are unique aspects pertaining to theatre sound design, among which the sound delivery system is the cornerstone.
It dictates how the sound is transmitted and how clear and intelligible it will be for the audience to enjoy. Because the speakers' location and how they are tuned will greatly affect the viewers experience.
Therefore, besides collaborating with directors to design sound that are in sync with the plot on stage, a theatre sound designer will also need skillsets to mix audio on set and troubleshoot sound delivery systems.
1.3 Sound Design for Video Games
Much like in other industries, the sound design for video games also involves the implementation of sound effects, music and recordings to enhance the player's experience. These audio assets are designed to provide an immersive environment to evoke emotion from the player and tempo and mood that are in line with what's happening in the game.
A sound designer for the game can join the creation early during the development of the game, or later when the game is in shape. They need to make sure the sound effects are in sync with the player's actions and the audio elements respond fitly to the sound environment.
One distinction area is the use of middleware to edit audio as compared to other industries. It incorporates tools and plugins that are compatible with game engines so that the game sound designer can work non-linearly with more dimensions. For instance, unlike the soundtrack in other sound design fields, those for the game can be mixed dynamically and adjusted in correspondence to game engines.
How everything sounds in the game is not fixed, but dynamic according to the spatial and other physical relations. In that way, the sonic environment can make the game more realistic and engaging to play.
1.4 Sound Design for Music
Today's sound design for music goes beyond the traditional dimensions that involve recording and mixing. It gives the music a special twist and blurs the boundary between ambient sound and music scores.
Feeding on the languages and techniques of contemporary art music, sound effects and diegetic sounds are integrated into scores, opening up to new possibilities and happy coincidences along the way.
2. The History of Sound Design
The practice of sound design has existed long before the term itself was acknowledged. It encompasses several departments and involves areas such as sound effects, recordings, music score, dialogue editing, audio mixing. However, the term sound design itself is relatively a recent trend.
The idea is bonded to the first usage of "sound designer" credited to Walter Murch to acknowledge his effort on Apocalypse Now, in 1979. Before that, the crew members taking the role of aural manipulation are generally titled as the sound editor or supervising sound editor.
Francis Ford Coppola, who granted Murch the title, believes it's the best term to acknowledge the creative role played by Murch in terms of taking the work to the next level, with artistry added and overall intention better delivered.
It is evident that sound design involves not only the technical side with a certain mode of practice, but also calls for the creative power and a broad undertaking that deals with every aspect of the sonic environment. Walter Murch integrated with the team early in pre-production and supervised the overall departments for dialogue, foley, sound effects, and the mix.
There are other antecedents who played critical roles in film production, and no one doubts that their work can now be recognized as a piece of creative assets with sound design. Still, these artists are credited as Re-Recording Mixer or sound editors. Therefore, the first usage of sound designer for Walter Murch signifying the industries' awareness of the creative effort and aesthetics in the sound editorial.
3. The Role of a Sound Designer
The role of a sound designer can be as narrow as designing the sound effects, or as broad as how Walter Murch sees it: to plan, create sound and mix the final soundtrack, in a way that the sound designer is in charge of all the sonic components – sound, dialogue, SFX, voiceovers, music scores – just as the director is in charge of the visuals.
It requires the conceptualization efforts from the sound designer to strive for the aural aesthetics and interpret the thematic matter; technical skills to record, edit and mix audio, as well as practical strength to work with director, composer, audio recording engineers, forley artists, editor, audio mixer and other crew members.
Becoming a Sound Designer
Students interested in sound design can take BFA courses in audio production, music production and related field. Then seek an internship or pursue post-graduate education.
These courses will enhance the would-be sound designer's ability to create compelling soundtracks that go along with the motion pictures.
Skill Sets of Sound Design Students
The courses cover a wide range of related skill sets, such as sound production skills, sound sculpting, processing, synthesis. To be specific, there are instructions and practices for sound editing, foley and field recording, track-laying, mixing, VR audio, and surround sound designing.
They are accompanied by the learning of Pro Tools and other industry standard DAWs, with audio processing tools for compression, EQ, reverb, synthesis, sampling, etc.
Students aiming to become sound designers for game will also learn the technique related to the game engine and how to implement sound into the game realistically. Those interested in theatre sound design will explore subject matter such as the audio production for live events and acoustic physics in the theatre.
4. Key Elements in Sound Design
Dialogue is the conversation among characters and it forms one of the important parts of the storytelling. Sound design manipulates the dialogue to make sure it is intelligible for a specific scene and the narrative. The principles and techniques also apply to voiceover.
ADR or automated dialogue replacement is the re-recording of vocal clips by the actor in post-production in a studio. It is used to capture a clean dialogue without noise, replace lines or enhance performance when fixing production audio is not an option. Actors will watch the scene and dub to recreate the original lines for their own characters, and try to make it sound as if the vocal occurs on set instead of being added in post-production.
Besides ADR, the loop group (or group ADR) is another element involved in film production. It is dubbed by background actors that don't appear in the scene. For instance, in a fighting scene, the audience can hear groans and battle shouts not only from the leading character, but moans from the crowd that is off-screen.
It is a way to place more characters into the storytelling, while there are actually no such actors during the production.
Sound Effects (SFX) is quite self-explanatory. There can be weapon sounds, impact sounds, vehicles, or synthetic sounds. Some designers also prefer to refine the idea, are relate the sounds that don't occur in reality as SPFX, such as aliens, space ships, and laser sounds.
Above are what the sound designers called hard effects. Then there are also background sound effects that exist to make the scene seem more real. The audience may not notice the background noise when the sounds are there, but will feel unnatural when they are missing. There are several layers of elements in post-production:
Location sound: it is the audio recorded on set which captures all the sounds that are happening during the shooting and filming. For instance, there are room tones, ambience sound, and other background sounds such as dogs barking and sirens honking.
The room tones record the silence on set for 20-30 seconds, and it can be used to smooth out the cuts and transitions. For instance, the audiences will not notice unnatural absolute silence thanks to the room tones used in post-production. It comes in handy when the sound designer wants to cut dialogues and fill in gaps.
Ambience sound includes the room tones, background sounds, and other atmosphere noise. It helps to inform the audience the context and mood of the scene. For instance, there will be chattering in a crowded market, bird chirping in woods or raindrops hitting the roof. The ambient soundscape serves as the base for other sounds such as dialogues and music. It can be recorded as mono, stereo, or surround audio, or a blend of multiple layers.
To get well organized in post-production, sound designers can use a track for atmosphere noise such as water lapping near harbor, and another track for seagull squawking and crooning.
Foley sounds are the recording of real-life sound effects that are created or "performed". For instance, a foley artist can scrunch a piece of cellophane to imitate fire burning. Likewise, there are mimic of steak sizzling, high heels clattering, and doorknobs twisting.
Foley helps to cover up undesired sounds or enhance audio segments recorded on set, so that certain sounds can have a richer character that create a sense of realism on the viewer's side.
In post-production, the sound designer or the specialized foley artist will watch the scene, find and insert necessary sound effects for that session.
To get well organized on the soundtrack, a sound designer can assign tracks dedicated for Props SFX, instead of grouping all the SFX into one track.
Props Sound Effects are audio clips used to mimic the sound of props on set, such as door smashing, engine revving, or the sound of shell dropping after gun blasting.
Music score or film score is a piece of music composed originally to accompany the film. Traditionally, most of the musical scores are instrumental that exist to underscore the mood and emotion in the plot. There are diegetic scores that occurs in the scene, meaning the character can hear it; whereas non-diegetic scores are off-scene and exist to accentuate the mood, create tension, or define a character.
Incautiously, the music score may be used interchangeably with the concept of the soundtrack, while strictly speaking, they are quite different. A soundtrack can include music scores and other elements such as the dialogues and licensed songs released in the film.
Pro Tip: For serious production, well-organized track groups can enhance productivity and make it easy to control and adjust layers flexibly. Below are examples of group masters based on element type, and layers within the group. The abbreviations are written out of personal preferences.
Elements
Abbr.
Layers
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Dialogue
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DIA
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DIA1
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ADR
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ADR
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Individual audio clips
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Sound Effects
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SFX
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Fight
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Ambience
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ABG
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Individual audio clips
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Foley Sound
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FS
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Footstep
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Props Sound
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PRP
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Engine revving
5. Sound Design Workflow
The entire workflow involves the gathering of sound by recording or creating, audio editing, and mixing. Some of the processes can happen both during the production and in the post. Since sound design is both a technical discipline as well as an artful recreation, it always involves inspirations and surprises along the way. Reviewing, finding what's missing, and obtaining the needed materials then going back to editing and mixing is the norm.
A sound designer's work started early before the on-set production. The sound designer manager and other members of the crew such as the director will sit together to discuss the sounds needed for the story. Based on the plot and script, they can create a list of sound effects and music crucial for the production.
5.1 Sound Creating, Performing, and Production Sound Recording
With a better understanding of what's needed to accompany the motion picture and accentuate the plot, audios are gathered in various methods for specific purposes.
Besides recorded dialogues and voice overs, there are sound recorded during the production, or what the team referred to as sound recordings on set; For creation and invention, there are sounds created with synthesizers to imitate otherworldly things and set a tone and mood of the scene; and sounds performed to be recorded to mimic real-world sounds – as with the case of the foley sound – often exaggerated but well fit into the scene.
The sizzling sound of a bacon in the frying pan might not be that loud in everyday life, but when it's on-screen and being reproduced by crinkling cellophane, the audience somehow will feel that's how it should be. In a similar manner, even the background is fabricated, and the actions such as punch and fight are audible. As long as the audience interprets the sound as the realistic ones, it is a success.
The aural assets can be acquired during production or in post-production. For instance, after analyzing the assembly and the scenes, the sound designer might find certain dialogue needs to be improved or inserted, and other times there are needs to feature in off-screen sound to add virtual characters. That's where ADR and loop group come into the production.
To wrap up, location recordings, studio recordings, foley performing, ADR, and digital productions together make up the aural aesthetics in sound design.
5.2 Create Sound Design for the Sequence
Based on the plot, the previous discussion with the director and other crew members, and a list of the shots and accompanying requirements for sounds, the sound designer or associates begin to assemble everything in the audio editing software, and manipulate those elements to create the sound design.
A typical process of editing usually involve the following stages:
1) Layer the Background Sounds
It's a process for the editor to bring in the room tones, air tracks, and ambient sounds into the tracks. They create a noise base for other elements to lay upon, and thus it's paramount to consider how much the backgrounds are needed to go well with the dialogue, without standing out and covering up the latter.
2) Assemble and Level the Dialogue
With the atmosphere noise to work on, dialogues can be assembled, layered, and edited. It involves the syncing of the dialogue to the scene and normalizing to smooth out the conversations.
Besides making sure the vocal follows the rules of broadcasting or projection in terms of volume, not exceeding certain decibels, it is also important to balance the background sounds in relation to the leveled dialogues. Some editors or dedicated dialogue mixers will apply EQ and denoise at this stage for certain points when it is necessary.
3) Add Sound Effects and Music
Then it's time to weave sound and music score into the scene. It always involves the analysis of the scene and deciding what's best for the storytelling.
Take the designing of sound effects and forley as an example. For a shootout scene, the editor will want to synchronize the gunshot effects at the correct timing, while also judging whether the existing SFX sounds too far or too close based on the character's position. Also, a machine gun will sound like anything but a magnum pistol, which requires an acute ear and sophisticated knowledge of acoustics and familiarity with the sounds produced by various props.
The process involves repeated playing back, comparing, editing, trimming, and fixing.
5.3 Audio Mixing and Delivering
After the backgrounds and hard effects are carefully chosen and edited, sound mixing enters to produce the final soundtrack for the movie or TV.
The sound mix generally involves four stages: premix, final mix, playback, and delivery. The ultimate goal is to ensure every audible element blends in naturally for the narratives, and that there won't be a single element that stands out to ruin the overall harmony.
After the sound designer (or dedicated mixer if there is one) manages all the elements in shape, there is usually an audition that brings everyone to the table. Directors, editors, producers, and other stakeholders will hear through the entire sessions and request fixes or express their impressions. The result is a list of fixes to check and improve and get ready for delivery.
6. Sound Design Techniques and Tools
Solid knowledge in audio manipulation paves the way for artistic sound design. It covers a broad range of theoretical and practical aspects, from the physics of audio waves, appreciation of art and narrative subject matter, to the technical know-how of DAW (digital audio workstation), synthesizers, MIDI, and tools and plugins.
A proficient use of these tools and techniques can make the sound design process inspiring and rewarding. One can take out a portion of the recording and incorporate the sample into another recording to do the sampling, take waveforms and run them through filters, effects and envelopes to create a synthesis, and use MIDI effectively to connect musical instruments, computer programs and hardware.
Using DAW tools and plugins, sound designers and audio editors can utilize ADSR (attack, decay, sustain, release) envelopes to affect the timbre, quality and color of audible elements, use filters such as low pass, high pass and band pass to achieve desired results, and flexibly play around with effects such as distortion, flanger, expansion, bitcrusher, chorus, etc.
Below are some tools offered in DAW and plug-ins:
Equalizers (EQ)
As the EQ can alter the "color" of audible elements, it is a handy tool for a sound designer to manipulate the sound. Theoretically, the equalizer adds energy (in terms of amplitude) to frequencies pinpointed by the editor. After the manipulation, certain frequencies will stand out against others compared to the original recordings.
Boosting the volume of chosen frequencies can alter the tone and timbre of instruments and vocal sounds. With tools offered in graphic equalizers, it is also possible to influence neighboring frequencies with high pass, shelf, notch, bell, etc.
Compressor
Not every audio clip share the same levels and energy when composed on the audio tracks, and it would be a nightmare when there is a sudden harsh sound. That's when a compressor comes into aid. Since it can intuitively adjust the dynamic range of the audio signals, it is a powerful tool to mix audio tracks.
The sound designer or the assistants will playback the audio in real time, and see to it that the energy level never hit the peak. By setting the threshold, attack time, and release parameters, the sound designer can well level out and color the audible assets creatively for better storytelling.
Remove Vocal Sibilance (De-Ess)
Clarity is paramount in dialogue editing, and one of the frequently used tools is the De-Esser. There are powerful plugin or native tools in DAW software. A De-esser works nicely to remove the sibilants (the hissing sound) and make them less conspicuous.
Denoise
In sound designs, some noises are fabricated and added on purposes, such as the ambiance and room tones. The noise here are unwanted sound to be removed in post-production. For instance, there might be noises caused by a lavalier mic rustling against the cloth.
Reverb
Reverbs are sounds bounced back when it hits a surface, creating a persistent sounding and varied based on the size of the space.
It can be used in sound design to create a sense of realism. For instance, when the motor riders chat and enter a tunnel, the dry voice should be altered because the tunnel reflects sounds.
DAW tools usually offer presets to imitate locale such as hall, chamber, plate, exterior, etc, and further discriminating them into small, medium large spaces.
Tips to Enhance the Storytelling with Sound Design
How sound effects are used can either sell the visual elements or ruin them. It's why people are able to watch Avatar and not be immediately pulled out of the experience. And it's why the practical effects and meticulous sound design of Jurassic Park is still a masterclass in how to fool a viewer's brain into believing the impossible.
And this isn't exclusive to big-budget films. Sure, an Avengers movie will have a higher production budget than short films, vlogs, wedding videos, etc. Still, these same tricks can be used to implement sound design to enhance the storytelling for any multimedia project.
1. Create Extra Layers of Ambiance
It's hard to really capture the feeling of a place with native audio. Unless you invest in some hardcore microphones and spend hours collecting background sound, you're not going to create an immersive soundscape that wraps around an audience like a cozy blanket.
When you are planning a project, think about the type of environment you will shoot in. What are the sounds you would expect to hear there? Is it distant traffic from outside a building? Footsteps or voices upstairs? What about the hum of an A/C unit or a clanking radiator?
These sorts of sounds won't transform your video into an Oscar-winning masterpiece. But what they can do is build a realistic setting. You want enough sound that viewers hear but don't notice — if they're paying attention to background sounds, then the noises are distracting from the visual elements instead of enhancing them.
2. Add Weight to On-screen Action
If you've ever watched videos of Foley artists at work, you know that a lot of the sounds you hear in film, TV, and even YouTube aren't accurate representations of real life.
That's because the video has taught audiences to expect certain sounds for certain actions. The comic book-level punching sounds or the shing noise of your favorite Game of Thrones sword fights aren't realistic. But scientific reality doesn't matter all that much — that's part of movie magic, of convincing people to believe things that aren't true to life.
Good sound design adds weight to things. Whether you're enhancing certain sounds, replacing others, or adding noise to draw attention to something, sound design gives you a new level of creative control. And when actions have more weight, they become more powerful pieces in the story you're trying to tell.
3. Tell Stories without Extra Dialogues
There's an old saying among writers that the best stories "show, don't tell" what's happening. In other words, a good storyteller can pull you into the action without having to specifically describe every single detail.
That translates to video too. You don't want to zoom in or specifically call attention to pieces of a scene. But the clever use of sound design can do that for you, subtly enhancing the story in a way that feels organic. Think of it as letting the viewer feel clever for noticing something, even though you know your use of a sound drew their attention to that little detail
4. Control the Mood and the Emotion
You can think of emotion as the byproduct of good storytelling or acting, but there are other ways to evoke that. The horror movie genre in particular has written the book on this trick.
When you watch a classic like Alien, you aren't necessarily focused on the sound effects in the film. But it's the small noises that drag you into the scene. It immerses you at the moment, and suddenly the anxiety you feel is a real, primal emotion. A distant clank isn't just a sound effect — it's a trigger for the audience as well as the characters.
5. Take Ownership Of Quiet Moments
You might already be thinking about how you can add sound effects to tackle one (or even all four) of the previous things on this list. After all, these tricks are meant to change your perspective, to help you think of sound design differently, and to elevate the quality of your videos.
But sound design can be the absence of sound too.
Let's go back to the example of horror movies. A well-timed sound effect can deliver a heart-stopping jump scare. But intentional silence can be just as powerful.
It's the lack of sound in A Quiet Place that sets the tone of the entire film. Sure, that puts extra pressure on the sound design elements since they'll get extra attention. But it does everything on this list at once: adds ambiance, gives weight to action, enhances storytelling, and injects emotion.
And, of course, it puts you in control of every single moment. Whether it's a huge, bombastic set piece or an epic worldbuilding shot or an intimate, somber moment, sound design makes you more than just a better filmmaker. It's a direct path to becoming a better visual storyteller, and it's a skill you can carry forward into every sort of project you'll tackle. | https://www.videoproc.com/resource/sound-design.htm |
There are three scenarios I will like to discuss here.
1- Jupiter and other "failed star" planets. These are gas giant planets which are much much bigger than earth (100 times or more, by mass) but don't have enough gravitational crunch in the core to initiate fusion like a star. However, these massive planets still generate heat energy in their core due to outrageous pressures that exist there and the friction that takes place between the atoms.
So. How do these planets generate heat energy without compensating for it in terms of mass etc?
2- Same question about neutron stars. Their core is composed entirely of neutrons which do not disintegrate into electron-proton pair. Yet their core temperatures reach millions of degrees. How come these beasts maintain such horrific temperatures without converting any matter into energy (like a "normal" star does)?
3- They say there are active volcanoes on some of Jupiter's moons (Io to be precise). Now at such distances from the sun, one would expect dead, activity-less moons. They also state that jupiter's massive pull causes a tidal effect on the moon and initiates colossal friction in its core which results in volcanic action. So ... can we simply "generate" energy out of gravitational force? I mean ... it would make sense if Io was gradually spiralling in towards gravitational doom, decreasing it's distance toward Jupiter with each orbit. But they say the distance of Io from Jupiter is constant. Oh well. | https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/205856/how-is-universal-energy-conserved-here-cosmology |
What Happened, Before Applying Standard of Care
Negligence is determined by a standard of care that a relevant prudent person would undertake, rather than the results that such a theoretical person would seek to attain or avoid.
Although Canada initially inherited the reasonable person standard from England in Vaughn v. Menlove, 1837 132 ER 490, it has developed significantly since that time. It as not, however, made exceptions for mental illness as in Vaughn, but has created a number of other exceptions, most notably for experts and professionals.
The standard set by the Ontario Court of Appeal in Crits v. Sylvester, and affirmed on appeal, was as follows,
Every medical practitioner must bring to his task a reasonable degree of skill and knowledge and must exercise a reasonable degree of care. He is bound to exercise that degree of care and skill which could reasonably be expected of a normal, prudent practitioner of the same experience and standing, and if he holds himself out as a specialist, a higher degree of skill is required of him than of one who does not profess to be so qualified by special training and ability.
I do not believe that the standard of care required of a medical practitioner has been more clearly or succinctly stated than by Lord Hewart C.J. in Rex v. Bateman (1925), 41 T.L.R. 557 at 559: “If a person holds himself out as possessing special skill and knowledge and he is consulted, as possessing such skill and knowledge, by or on behalf of a patient, he owes a duty to the patient to use due caution in undertaking the treatment. If he accepts the responsibility and undertakes the treatment and the patient submits to his direction and treatment accordingly, he owes a duty to the patient to use diligence, care, knowledge, skill and caution in administering the treatment … The law requires a fair and reasonable standard of care and competence.”
This is not a standard of perfection, as this would constitute a guarantee of a specific result that the professional would attain or avoid. This was explained further by the Court in a more recent case in St-Jean v. Mercier, as follows,
53 The correct inquiry to be made in assessing whether a professional committed a fault is indeed to ask whether the defendant behaved as would a reasonably prudent and diligent fellow professional in the same circumstances (J.-L. Baudouin and P. Deslauriers, La responsabilité civile (5th ed. 1998), at p. 850). To ask, as the principal question in the general inquiry, whether a specific positive act or an instance of omission constitutes a fault is to collapse the inquiry and may confuse the issue. What must be asked is whether that act or omission would be acceptable behaviour for a reasonably prudent and diligent professional in the same circumstances. The erroneous approach runs the risk of focussing on the result rather than the means. Professionals have an obligation of means, not an obligation of result.
[emphasis in the original]
The Court recently granted an appeal in Armstrong v. Ward, upholding the dissent Court of Appeal’s decision in Armstrong v. Royal Victoria Hospital. The majority set aside the finding of liability by the trial judge in the medical negligence case involving a colectomy surgery, where the plaintiff was awarded $1.3 million. The judgment was based on a conclusion that the physician breached the standard of care by creating an injury to the ureter, which resulted in the loss of the plaintiff’s kidney.
The majority at the Court of Appeal found that the trial judge had imposed an improper standard of care when measuring the physician’s liability. They found it to be an error of law to hold the physician to the goal of a prudent surgeon when conducting the operation, rather than the means that a prudent surgeon would use to attain that goal,
A trial judge who is prepared to proceed on the basis that only negligence could cause the relevant injury is obliged to consider and rule out non-negligent causes. Only if this is done, can the trial judge properly use success as the standard of care. In determining whether this is so, the burden is not on the defendant to raise potential non-negligent causes with evidence, nor is it improper speculation for a trial judge to consider potential non-negligent causes that are open on the evidence but that the plaintiff has failed to address. A plaintiff whose liability theory is that only negligence could have caused the injury in question is obliged to demonstrate that this is so, and the trial judge is required to accept this before finding liability. That did not occur in this case.
Nor can liability properly be grounded in the low risk of injury identified by the trial judge. It is a logical error to infer that since an adverse result is improbable, a defendant was negligent in causing that adverse result. Negligence needs to be proved in each specific case, unless it is established that the kind of injury in question can only occur through negligence. Yet, as explained, the trial judge never found this to be so.
In contrast, the dissent at the Court of Appeal, which the Supreme Court upheld with a simple oral judgment, found that the trial judge made no reversible error, and did not conflate the standard of care with causation. The case was largely about factual causation of the injury to the ureter,
I have spent some time outlining the key disputed questions at trial because they inform an understanding of the trial judge’s reasons and the expert evidence. In contrast to the conflicting causation opinions, there was little, if any, dispute between the experts about the standard of care… Nor was this a case about misadventure or about circumstances beyond the control of a surgeon. Indeed, there was no evidence in this trial to suggest that a competent surgeon using reasonable care while operating to remove a benign colon would be unable to take the necessary and important step of staying more than two millimetres away from the ureter. The evidence was to the contrary—it should have been routine.
The trial judge did not hold the physician to a higher standard than what could be reasonably expected of a prudent and reasonable general surgeon conducting the same procedure in the circumstances of the case. The negligence in this case was not a goal in the procedure, namely staying away from the ureter, but rather a step in the procedure. A failure to properly follow that step would indeed breach the standard of care, as substantiated by the expert evidence on the procedure.
Although the majority of the Court of Appeal concluded that the the physician took the appropriate steps to identify and protect the ureter, they concluded an error of law because of the trial judge’s conclusion that a normal, prudent surgeon would undertake this step in a manner that avoids proximity to the ureter.
The dissent instead characterized the decision as a failure of the physician to properly undertake the necessary steps as a finding of fact. None of the evidence at trial suggested that a surgeon exercising reasonable care could not stay away from the ureter,
Each of the experts testified that staying away from the ureter was part of the standard of care, and a necessary step. None of the witnesses posited a situation where a competent surgeon, in the context of surgery on a normal abdomen, could accidentally come too close to the ureter.
…
Although all of the expert witnesses agreed that it would be more difficult to avoid the ureter if the anatomy was abnormal or if there were masses, no one suggested that a competent surgeon operating in the “ideal” circumstances that Ms. Armstrong presented, could with reasonable care have come too close to the ureter, let alone suggested how this could have happened… Given the considerable amount of time spent on causation, it is telling that the experts did not opine on “non-negligent” ways that Dr. Ward could have come within two millimetres of Ms. Armstrong’s ureter. It was simply not the focus of the evidence in this case.
The trial judge was therefore satisfied by the evidence of what was otherwise considered a basic surgery that it would be a breach of the standard of care to come close to the ureter. This was not backwards reasoning, or a conclusion finding of negligence based on a low probability of risk.
Despite otherwise being a rather straightforward surgical procedure, part of the difficulty with medical negligence cases is that in some cases a trial judge is required to determine how an injury occurred, before even assessing the standard of care,
…While Bafaro tells us that the “but for” question of causation cannot be answered until the standard of care analysis is done, Meringolo, Grass and Kennedy tell us that in some cases it will be necessary to determine “what happened” before analyzing whether there has been a breach of the standard of care.
The Court’s granting of the appeal in Amstrong may renew a focus on figuring out “what happened,” which for many medical negligence plaintiffs is one of the primary motivations for litigation in the first place. | http://www.slaw.ca/2021/03/14/what-happened-before-applying-standard-of-care/ |
When you're a decor blogger, there's some added stress to making your home pretty at the holidays -- I LOVE doing it, but this year I want to be done before December so I can spend the month sitting by the fire watching Christmas movies, drinking hot cocoa and eating bon bons.
You know, how December always is in our heads. ;)
Anyway, as I've been decorating I realized there are a few staples I use every year that I could not do without! They are my go-to's and I use them all over the house in many ways.
When it comes to the decor there are three items I use in various ways:
- greenery picks to add fullness and a deep green
- berry picks for a pop of color and dimension
- larger items like pine cones and ornaments to fill in empty spots
These five staples make my holiday decorating go much smoother and make everything full and beautiful!:
Remember the DIY Christmas gift art I shared last week? Aren't they too cute on my do-it-yourself picture ledges? I just love them here!
Do you have any go-to's when it comes to decorating your home for the holidays? I couldn't do it without these five items. :)
See more of our home here. To shop items in our home, click here! Never miss a post by signing up to get posts via email. | https://www.thriftydecorchick.com/2019/11/my-five-favorite-holiday-decorating.html |
In the past decades the common hypotheses for long-term soil organic matter dynamics was based on controlling factors like biomass source, sorption and desorption processes, climate, land use and soil texture. New research, however, revealed that this hypothesis may have to be adapted and other factors may be more relevant. The major problem is that most factors controlling long-term organic carbon dynamics are connected to each other. Thus, the selection of causal model parameters is essential to eliminate translucent causalities. It is already common understanding that biomass source and carbon pools are not relevant in the long-term. All physically reachable carbon gets microbial degraded over time, even charcoal. Hence, which are the parameters truly triggering the differentiation of organic carbon stocks in soil? A statistical evaluation of Germany wide topsoil data, including data from the state geological surveys of Germany, showed that soil moisture conditions may be the key factor controlling soil organic carbon content apart from soil genesis and land use. Additionally, the age of the soil may also be relevant. Comparing soils of the younger Weichsel with the older Saale glacial era in the lowlands of northeast Germany showed significant differences over different soil moisture regimes. However, less the age of the soil may cause the difference, but more the mineral composition of the soils, similar to the effect known from podsols. Even after hundreds of years of intensive agriculture sandy podsols reveal significantly higher carbon content in the plowed layer than most other soils. On the other hand, factors like temperature and soil texture seem to be less important. The results show that the common hypothesis of long-term organic carbon dynamics in temperate soils may have to be review.
Biography: | https://www.conferences.com.au/factors-controlling-long-term-organic-carbon-dynamics-in-the-soils-of-germany/ |
Terrestrial ecosystems are a core component of the climate system and a key provider of services to human societies via their production of biomass for food and fuels or their regulation of environmental resources.
As the demand for these services is rapidly growing, these ecosystems have been manipulated and managed to an unprecedented extent, via changes in land occupation and use worldwide, in particular for agricultural and forestry purposes.
Facing up to the current ecological challenges thus requires a careful understanding of ecosystem processes and services to design and implement management strategies that enhance ecosystem services in a changing global environment. The economic sectors targeted include agriculture and forestry but also the agri-food sector, energy and the bio-economy in general, while the programme will also be relevant to policy-making in the area of environmental regulation and natural resources management, from local to global scales.
The overarching objective of this MSc programme is to provide students with the scientific knowledge, know-how and skills necessary to understand the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems in response to major drivers such as climate change, land-use change patterns and ecosystem management technologies.
Graduates from this programme will possess in-depth knowledge of biosphere-climate interactions, acquire methods to assess ecosystem services, and be fully aware of the panel of technological options available in terms of land-use planning management to promote the sustainable development in rural and semi-urban areas.
Other compulsory courses include an introduction to climate systems, the response of ecosystems to global changes, and a course on the social, policy and economic aspects of climate change mitigation. Elective courses include among others Numerical modelling, Urban agriculture, Natural resources, food security and poverty alleviation, or Soil organic matter management.
Classes will be held in Paris (Agro ParisTech Claude Bernard location) and student accomodation is available (limited places).
Courses will promote integrated approaches through a multi-disciplinary curriculum combining natural sciences (climatology, bioclimatology, soil science, ecology), social and economic sciences and advanced courses in data management, analysis and modelling.
The capacities of students to synthesize and integrate information from a range of sources and knowledge from these different disciplines will be fostered through the development of projects related to climate and ecosystems in case-study areas, based on state-of-the-art methodologies to involve local stakeholders and proponents.
Graduates from this MSc will be fully equipped to gain positions in research & development bodies focusing on climate and environmental issues at local to global scales.
Opportunities are also expected with local authorities and national agencies overseeing natural resources and the environment in general (eg ADEME in France, or Water Boards).
The expertise of MSc graduates will also relevant to international agencies or institutes (such as the CGIAR), given the international background and scopes of this programme.
Private companies providing environmental services or consultancies should also provide career opportunities, as well as the agricultural and forestry sectors.
Among others, these laboratories make regular contributions to the IPCC reports or to other international assessment exercises. Most of the professors/lecturers are affiliIated with these laboratories, but high-profile experts will also be invited from international organizations or overseas universities, and broaden the exposure of students to the research arena.
Partnerships are currently being sought from private companies in the following sectors: agriculture, the agro-food industry, audit and consultancy firms in relation to environmental and sustainable development issues.
Public administration (municipalities, regional authorities, national governments) are also a possible target in terms of job market for the graduates, as are international organizations (FAO, the World Bank, or international research bodies such as the Agricultural Research Partnership CGIAR).
Representatives of the above companies, administrations or organizations will contribute seminars and opportunities for internships.
The program has a strong international focus, both in terms of scope for its curriculum, and audience. This focus will be ensured by the participation of international experts (such as Alain Vidal, from CGIAR) who will contribute courses, lectures, case-studies or individual coaching to the students.
Applications are invited from both French and international students to foster a global approach to the topics covered by the MSc.
Criteria for the examination of applications: on file and interview.
ERASMUS students registered at AgroParisTech are welcome and do not need to apply at University Paris-Saclay. | https://www.universite-paris-saclay.fr/fr/formation/master/m2-climat-environnement-applications-et-recherche-clear-climate-land-use-and |
By Dr. Wahied Khawar Balwan
An unprecedented pandemic of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has overwhelmed the health systems of countries across the world. The government and other scientific bodies are providing authentic information to educate the public and promote desirable behavior to prevent new infections and reduce deaths. COVID-19 pandemic is the first in human history in which social media and new digital technologies are being used as key tools to inform the public. However, there is a lot of misinformation also being spread through these channels. Misinformation is false, inaccurate, or misleading information that is communicated regardless of an intention to deceive. Access to social media has improved substantially, which has contributed to spread of misinformation. Today, anybody can write anything on social media such as Twitter, Watsapp, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube etc. without any evidence or falsely attribute the wrong information to well-known experts or renowned institutions. They may be doing it to support their own biases or malign the government purposefully or innocently without checking authenticity. The number of mentions in media for Ebola were 11.1 million, for MERS, 23.2 million, HIV, 40 million, SARS, 56.2 million and COVID19 it has crossed 1.1 billion. A google search for COVID 19 on 08 June 2021 gave 5340 million hits compared to 216 million for a much older disease HIV/AIDS. This write-up is an attempt to help spot the false information and deal with it.
The Epidemic of Misinformation
The epidemic of misinformation (Infodemic) is far more virulent than the COVID19 pandemic. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated that the world is not only fighting the “common enemy” of the coronavirus “but our enemy is also the growing surge of misinformation” about COVID-19 disease. To overcome the virus, “we need to urgently promote facts and science” and “promote hope and solidarity over despair and division.” The UN has recognized this problem and is actively engaged in helping countries in tackling it. “We’re not just fighting an epidemic; we’re fighting an infodemic,” and fake news “spreads faster and more easily than this virus.” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization. The problem is so important to deal with that a new discipline ‘Infodemiology’ is born to study and address it. The government of India has been actively addressing the misinformation. An advisory has been issued to curb it early during the pandemic (20 March 2020) asking social media companies to voluntarily curb fake news and misinformation related to the coronavirus on their platforms. With exponential growth of social media and its users it has become the main source of information. Unfortunately, the information on social media reaches people fast as it takes only a few hours for any information to become viral. According to Statistica, social media users in India increased from 142.2 in 2015 to 376.1 million in 2020. The information shared on social media also spreads to non-users through word of mouth. Facebook remains a popular choice among social media users but new social media platforms such as Chinese TikTok (188 million) has outpaced Facebook (176 million) downloads in Jan-Mar 2019.
Misinformation contributes to stigma and facilitates transmission of Disease
Misinformation creates fear among public and contributes to increase in super spreader individuals and events. It impacts the whole populations, those without disease do not follow preventive behaviour, those with symptoms may not report to health facilities early and continue to spread infections, contacts are not traced and do not report to authorities, those quarantined run away, those with severe symptoms report late. These result in spread of infection and increase mortality. The media can and should play an important role in empowering people to practice preventive measures by providing authentic information. The media is full of reports of adverse outcomes of false information causing panic reaction and harming the suspected cases such as Times of India on just one day (02 April 2020) reported five instances of violence due to stigma, fuelled by misinformation on COVID-19. A man shot a woman for informing about visitors in a neighbour’s family in Alipur village of Manipuri; a suspected case of COID19 was found dead in Bibikulum Kerala; a deaf and dumb man was abandoned by his family at AIIMS Raipur, however the report came negative. In Indore, a health screening team was attacked and Police men were assaulted when they went to trace Tablighi Jamaat gathering contacts. The fear and stigma against COVID-19 patients, their families, healthcare providers, spreaders etc. is wide spread. The ongoing global media frenzy has exacerbated risks of infection and deaths from COVID-19.
False Information
The false information may be completely unfounded designed to make people believe something false, baseless or without any evidence to support it. The person sharing false information in social media or forwarding it innocently without confirming its authenticity or may be doing it purposely to support and promote one’s own biased views. There may be an effort to present it in a sensational way to generate viewers’ interest and get it further forwarded. It may be biased information aimed to convince readers to a certain ideology. Those who spread such information may claim that it is factually accurate, just because they don't agree with another point of view. Fake news is a type of misinformation and is not new. But, what is new is the ease with which it spreads on a massive scale. The problem is that most people don't check the source of the information or do not even read it before forwarding it. At times it's hard to identify the source of information and assess its accuracy. They are also guilty of inadvertently spreading misinformation.
Misinformation during COVID-19
The government of India and WHO also acknowledge, there is a considerable false information around and dispels these through ‘Myth Busters’ at MOHFW’s website on COVID-19. So does WHO prominently at their website. The misinformation and myths have a negative impact on the control and preventive measures. One can also fact check about COVID-19 on other websites such as https://www.mohfw.gov.in/, one can post a statement about COVID19 on Snopes website (https://www.snopes.com/collections/new-coronavirus-collection/), to find out if a statement is true or false. It also has many facts about COVID-19, they have already responded to. One can also contact a government COVID helpline numbers.
The Impact of misinformation during an epidemic
Fake news does affect the behavior of the people. It encourages people to invent excuses, dismiss correct information, exaggerate the truth, and spread rumors. This can create anxiousness in society causing people to become cynical and unsure of who to do and whom to trust. Misinformation and fake news can also harm any institution.
In an epidemic it may lead to:1.Panic, fear and paralysis to act. 2.Loss of faith in scientific evidence based interventions. 3.False sense of security which may increase transmission of diseases, delay in seeking treatment and increase the risk of severe disease, lifelong disability or death. 4.Behaviour that increases the risk of spread of disease.5.Diversion of attention of authorities to debunking myths and clarifying false information.6.Stress and social isolation leading to or aggravating mental health problems.Some of the people exposed to false information may mistrust correct information. This can damage a society’s learning culture and hampers efforts in controlling and managing an epidemic such as COVID-19.Identify Misinformation
The misinformation is more likely to catch attention, look believable and may be deliberately planted. One should approach misinformation rationally and critically. Separating fact from fiction may seem daunting. But getting to the truth is always important even if it's not what one wants to hear! The following six steps will help to get to the truth and catch the lies:
1.Check the Source: Look for the source of information. Confirm that the source assigned owns it up. One can check with the person or an institution to whom it is assigned, check on their website, if not available there, contact them through email or telephone (usually available under ‘Contact Us’ at their website). Recently a report assigned to a renowned US public health institution with their logo on it was going viral in professional Watsapp groups, till someone checked and the institution denied anything to do with that report. If it is published, find out about the publisher–is it a well-known journal and publisher or is it someone's personal blog? If it gives a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) link of the page, check the link. It may not exist or look too suspicious to believe. If the information is told by another person, consider his reputation and professional experience. There are many ‘self-styled’ public health experts on electronic media. In today’s world of specialization, you will not consult a cardiologist for a gynecology problem. Similarly, we need to know what aspects are within their areas of expertise. You may look at trusted online sources like websites of WHO, UNICEF, MoHFW or other reputed institutions.
2.Check if any other reputed media house has reported this informationCheck whether the story has been picked up by other well-known media house(s). We know that most media houses have strong political leanings. Some are known to criticize everything the government does and others are known to support everything, it does. These are like outliers in statistics and their views should be ignored to get a balanced perspective. Stories from reputed organizations like Press Trust of India, ministry websites, Reuters, CNN and the BBC are checked and verified. If the information you have isn't from a well-known source like these, there's a possibility of it being fake.
3.Analyze the Evidence
Credible information may include quotes of well-known experts, survey data and official statistics. If these are missing or the source is an unknown person, it may be false. Does the evidence prove that something definitely happened? Is it an opinion and not a fact? Or, have the facts been "twisted" to back up a particular viewpoint such as ‘government has failed’?
4.Look for Fake Images or Fake Research
Modern editing software has made it easy for people to create fake images that look real. In fact, only some of us can tell whether the images we are looking at are fake. However, in fake images there are some warning signs you can look for. Strange shadows on the image, for example, or jagged edges around a figure. If you still have doubts, you can use tools such as ‘Google Reverse Image Search’ to check whether the image has been altered or used in the wrong context, similarly, a research or an expert’s statement or part of it may be used out of context.
5. Plausibility
You must use your common sense! If an information sounds unbelievable, it probably is. Bear in mind that fake news or misinformation thrives on your biases or fears. And, remember, just because a story sounds right and true, doesn't mean that it is. If a politician is giving away a million doses of a medicine (such as hydroxychloroquine) to other countries does not mean it is effective. Equally, just because your friend believes that a home remedy is 100% effective in preventing or curing COVID, doesn't mean it's true. Authorities must promptly act to curb false information If the information is found false, authorities must promptly step in to provide correct in formation and take action against those providing false information under Epidemic Act 1897 and National Disaster Management Act, 2005. | https://www.thenorthernherald.com/newsdetail/31796/editorial/covid-infodemic-turning-public-into-covidiots |
Having a strong professional learning program is a growing area of importance in organizations around the country. In a LinkedIn survey of more than 500 North American learning and development leaders, 27% said their organizations dedicated more funding to establishing or supporting learning programs within their organizations in 2017.
Professional learning programs are important because they provide the means of improving or enhancing your existing workforce through various forms of ongoing education.
When you’re trying to develop and get a new professional learning program off the ground within your organization, there are a few questions you should first ask yourself:
1) Does Your Company Have a Learning Culture?
Are your employees engaged in learning? Do they actively seek out ways to improve their skills, knowledge, agility, and creativity? An engaged organizational learning culture is one that promotes continuous learning and applies those lessons to daily tasks and functions.
Some of the advantages of having an active learning culture within your organization include:
- Helping employees to grow both as individuals and professionals;
- Improving employee flexibility and creativity; and
- Helping to attract and retain new talent.
2) What Are Your Organization’s Goals and Objectives?
An important component of developing a new professional learning program is to figure out the goals and objectives of your organization.
Think about where your organization and employees are right now. Next, think about where you want your organization and workforce to be in two to five years — where do your employees stand now compared to where you want or need them to be? This will help you to identify any gaps in knowledge or missing skill sets that need to be developed to get your organization from point A to point B.
Examples of gaps could be a lack of strong leaders within the organization — which may mean that you need focus on developing a reliable leadership pipeline — or a lack of specific employee technical skills, such as no one being able to use specific software or technology.
In an interview with Big Think, political analyst and journalist Fareed Zakaria addresses the importance of having a workforce that’s willing and able to continuously learn:
“Any company hiring people will recognize that probably the trait they’re looking for most is not a particular set of skills the but demonstrated ability to acquire skills. Because any company will realize, I think, that what’s crucial is not the particular set of skills you have but that you demonstrate a capacity to acquire them now, because a few years from now, a few months from now it might turn out that you have to acquire new ones.”
3) How Will the Learning Program Content be Delivered?
Integrating a professional learning program into your organization’s culture means making it accessible to all employees. Learning development opportunities are offered by companies of all sizes in a variety of formats, including:
- In-person sessions with an instructor;
- Online courses (with or without a social learning component through online discussions);
- Blended learning courses, which are a mix of online and face-to-face sessions; and
- Video learning via short-form online videos or longer, more comprehensive videos.
Some organizations only choose one method of delivery while others may offer multiple. The benefit of having diverse learning methods in how learning program content is offered is that it helps to meet the needs of your employees by:
- Having courses available when and where they are most convenient for them;
- Providing a social learning and engagement component with colleagues to share ideas and learn from each other;
- Providing multimedia content that includes text, videos, infographics, workshops, tests, and other learning methods to keep content varied and engaging.
Another benefit of online learning programs is that they are available to employees who work remotely. These virtual team members, while still just as important as their office-dwelling counterparts, may feel left out or excluded when professional learning is only offered on-site.
By offering online courses with the ability to engage in social learning with colleagues via group discussions, you’re helping them to feel like they are active participants and valued by the company for which they work.
4) How Do You Get Employees Engaged in Learning?
When you have a culture that encourages employees to actively engage in learning, then you’ll help to develop self-directed learners. Incentivizing self-directed learning (SDL) programs is one way to encourage people to engage in learning.
One surefire way to get employees to engage with and complete courses is to provide engaging and interesting content. Big Think Edge’s online video learning programs provide different types of content in short-form, easy to watch videos that aren’t seen in strictly text-based courses — it’s meaningful and immediately actionable content.
5) How Will You Monitor Employee Learning Results?
Probably one of the greatest benefits of integrating online components into your learning program is the ability to measure and track the learning interactions. Whenever a video is played or each time an employee engages in an online discussion, data about the interaction can be collected and analyzed. This provides learning development professionals with a way to identify areas of improvement and gauge the success of the program.
Learning programs aren’t just for the top-performing employees. They should be available to everyone within your organization and help to feed and nurture its learning culture. That is why Big Think offers content to limitless users.
Discover how you can make your organization’s learning program most effective. Schedule a demo with a Big Think Edge digital learning expert today by clicking on the banner below. | https://www.bigthinkedge.com/5-questions-to-ask-yourself-when-developing-a-professional-learning-program/ |
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a tremendous impact on Canadian workers with many facing job losses and the need to upgrade or learn new skills to re-join the workforce. The Government of Canada has been there for workers and their families throughout the pandemic and continues to make ground-breaking investments to create jobs and help businesses come roaring back. Making sure that workers can improve or acquire new skills is key to achieving that goal.
Today, during a virtual meeting with stakeholders, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough, launched Skills for Success, a new skills training program to help Canadians improve their foundational skills so they can find and keep good jobs. The program will provide training to nearly 90,000 Canadians and help get them back to work.
Skills for Success will fund organizations to provide tools, resources and training to Canadians of all ages and at all skill levels. Developed with the assistance of key stakeholders, it will focus on the nine main skills that Canadians need to adapt and thrive in today’s economy:
- Reading –The ability to find, understand, and use information presented through words, symbols, and images.
- Writing – The ability to share information using written words, symbols, and images.
- Numeracy – The ability to find, understand, use, and report mathematical information presented through words, numbers, symbols, and graphics.
- Digital – The ability to use digital technology and tools to find, manage, apply, create and share information and content.
- Problem solving – The ability to identify, analyze, propose solutions, and make decisions. Problem solving helps you to address issues, monitor success, and learn from the experience.
- Communication – The ability to receive, understand, consider, and share information and ideas through speaking, listening, and interacting with others.
- Collaboration – The ability to contribute and support others to achieve a common goal.
- Creativity and innovation – The ability to imagine, develop, express, encourage, and apply ideas in ways that are novel, unexpected, or challenge existing methods and norms.
- Adaptability – The ability to achieve or adjust goals and behaviours when expected or unexpected change occurs, by planning, staying focused, persisting, and overcoming setback
Later this year, the Government will launch a call for proposals to fund organizations to design and deliver this training. The program will respond to Canada’s immediate and long-term training needs, particularly for under-represented groups in the labour market, including Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities and racialized Canadians. It will also build the capacity of organizations and employers, and support the work of provinces and territories as the economy recovers.
Budget 2021 committed $298 million over three years, beginning in 2021-22, to support Skills for Success. This new program is part of the Government of Canada’s commitment to create 500,000 new training and work opportunities for Canadians. This initiative will give them the tools they need to thrive in this rapidly changing economy and ensure they have the skills they need to adjust when necessary – allowing us to come out of this pandemic stronger and more resilient than ever before.
Quotes
“Never has the ability to adapt been more important than now. Skills for Success will allow more Canadians to improve their skills, find a job and be able to adapt when needed. This modern and innovative approach to essential skills is what Canadian workers need and what our economy needs as we work to recover from this pandemic. Our goal is to leave no one behind and for all Canadians to thrive in the workplace.”
– Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough
“Skills for Success will make a difference for so many Canadians needing to reskill and upskill in the face of unemployment and disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The approach this new model offers will be a game-changer in strengthening skills upgrading and helping Canadians who face barriers to education and employment succeed post-COVID and well beyond.”
– Denise Amyot, President and CEO, Colleges and Institutes Canada and Member of the Future Skills Council
Quick facts
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Skills for Success are the skills needed to participate, adapt and thrive in learning, work and life. Skills for Success include foundational skills, like writing, reading and numeracy, which are those skills on which all other skills are built, and socio-emotional skills – the human skills required for effective social interaction. These skills can overlap and interact with each other, and with other technical and life skills.
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Currently, 45 per cent of Canadians lack the literacy, numeracy, and digital skills that are increasingly necessary to succeed in jobs in the knowledge economy.
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According to a 2016 report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), adults with higher proficiency in literacy, numeracy and problem solving have better labour market outcomes with greater chances of employment and higher wages when employed than those with lower levels of skills.
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It is estimated that a 1% increase in average literacy rates in Canada, over time, would increase the gross domestic product (GDP) by up to 3% and productivity by up to 5%. Investments in women and individuals with the lowest literacy levels would have the greatest effect on growth.
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Starting today and for the next ten weeks, a video series to introduce Skills for Success will be unveiled on social media. The series will provide an overview of the new program, and highlight the nine skills that will help Canadians find and keep good jobs. Employers, training providers and all Canadians can learn more by following Employment and Social Development Canada’s Facebook and Twitter accounts, or by following the hashtag #SkillsForSuccess.
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Associated links
Contacts
Marielle Hossack
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough
[email protected]
Media Relations Office
Employment and Social Development Canada
819-994-5559
[email protected]
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- Date modified: | https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/news/2021/05/launch-of-skills-for-sucess---003368.html |
Post Date:
Monday, November 29, 2021
Company Name:
Seattle Children's Museum
Address:
305 Harrison Street
Seattle, WA 98109
Contact Name:
Andy Mathews, Board of Directors -OR- Alissa Rupp, Acting Director
Phone:
773-412-6024 OR 206-234-7217
Email:
[email protected]
Job Description:
The Museum Director will:
- Provide leadership, vision, strategy and direction for the museum’s fundraising and development initiatives.
- Provide leadership, vision, strategy and direction for the museum’s operations, marketing/communications, financial/HR management, education, programming and visitor experience initiatives.
- Lead the museum as we strive toward creation of a diverse, equitable, inclusive, anti-racist and just workplace.
- Collaborate closely with the staff and board, setting a tone for inclusive and collaborative communication.
- Review and direct financial reporting and management, including cash flow, AP, AR, budgeting.
- Engage with donors and supporters, including: individuals, corporations and foundations; city, county, state and federal agencies and departments; private organizations; and neighborhood leaders to create and maintain long-lasting partnerships and funding opportunities.
- Direct and participate in community engagement and media interaction.
- Lead and update efforts related to the Museum’s five-year plan for improvements and upgrades to the museum and support spaces. Work with the board, management team and Capital Projects Director to evaluate the museum’s current location.
- Cultivate and maintain relationships with Seattle Center management and peer organizations.
- Recruit, train and support the museum’s management team. Assist that team in recruiting, training and supporting their direct reports.
- Cultivate collaborative and productive relationships with the regional and national associations of museums, children’s museums, science centers, visitor attractions and educational organizations.
- Develop and maintain programs for staff development and continuing education.
Reporting:
- Reports to: Board of Directors
- Direct Reports (as hired): Development, Marketing & Communications Manager; HR/Financial Manager; Museum Operations Manager; Education, Programs & Outreach Manager; Visitor Experience Manager; Exhibits Manager; Executive Assistant.
- Collaborators: Capital Projects Director (contract), Bookkeeping/Accounting Team (contract)
Desired experience/education:
- Significant experience in the museum field, including a proven track record with the responsibilities listed above.
- Demonstrated success with multi-year, multi-million dollar fundraising efforts, including capital campaigns.
- Experience leading an organization that is poised for significant change and growth.
- Bachelor’s or master’s degree in arts/museum administration, education, business, or related field; or comparable relevant experience
To apply, submit a letter of interest and resume, via email, to: [email protected]
- Reference “Museum Director Position” in the subject line.
- In your letter, let us know how you can help the Seattle Children’s Museum meet our goals and serve our purpose through this position.
- Candidates selected for further review will be asked to provide references and samples of relevant work. | https://westmuse.org/job_board/museum-director |
Assistant Camera (A.C.): Responsible for the care and maintenance of the camera and all of its associated pieces and parts. The first A.C. works closely with the camera operator and the director of photography at the cameras, while the second A.C. loads the film and runs the slate. A director of photography will often have a favorite A.C. with whom he or she prefers to work.
Assistant Director (A.D.): An assistant to the director, the first A.D. runs the set, plans the cost-efficient scheduling of locations and talent, schedules the days’ shooting and is responsible for carrying out the director’s instructions. The second A.D. signs actors in and out, handles paperwork relating to the number of hours worked, and is usually the person in charge of production assistants.
Art Director: Designs and constructs sets for the production designer.
Associate Producer: The top assistant to the producer, usually the intermediary between the Producer and the shooting crew.
Best Boy: The head electrician responsible for getting power to the set. Reports to the gaffer.
Camera Operator: Runs the camera during shooting. On low-budget films, the D.P. may also serve as the Operator.
Casting Director: Responsible for supplying actors for the film. Works with the producer and director.
Craft Services: Provides snacks, soft drinks, coffee, etc.
Director: Controls the action and dialogue in front of the camera. Translates the written word into visuals and dialogue.
Director of Photography (D.P.): Responsible for the “look” of the film; works with the lighting director to set-up shots and camera moves. The D.P. has the ultimate responsibility for ensuring that each scene is properly recorded on film. Sometimes called the cinematographer.
Dolly Grip: Prepares the camera dolly and associated hardware, and operates the dolly during the shoot.
Editor: Cuts the film and splices it together. There is usually more than one editor on a large project.
Electrician: A member of the electrical department; reports directly to the Best Boy.
Executive Producer: Arranges financing, but may not be directly involved with the day-to-day productions of the film. This is sometimes conferred upon a studio executive who works with several projects simultaneously.
Foley Artist: A sound effects artist who works on a special “Foley” stage where sound effects are recorded to match visuals such as doors closing, feet walking, and window breaking.
Gaffer: Works with the D.P. and the lighting director to light the scene. Handles the equipment.
Grip: Works with the lighting and camera departments. The backbone of the film shoot, grips are responsible for moving equipment and generally assisting the production team. The key grip is the head of the grip department.
Line Producer: Responsible for keeping the film’s costs down. Approves expenses, including locations, actors, and crew.
Location Manager: Scouts locations and negotiates use agreements with property owners. Works with the transportation captain to make sure there is enough parking at the location; works with local officials to coordinate shooting schedules, and is responsible for the condition of the locations after shooting is finished.
Location Scout: Searches for the perfect locations, both in terms of artistic and logistic considerations. Often becomes the location manager once production has begun.
Mixer: Takes care of all sound levels in a studio, on location and in post-production. Head of the sound department.
Producer: Brings a specific production together. Chooses the screenplay, arranges financing, hires a director, helps in the casting process, and is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the shoot. Is involved with the editing and all post-production and may also consult on marketing and distribution.
Production Assistant (P.A.): The runners, ‘gophers’ on the set. The job can include holding back onlookers, getting coffee, answering phones in the production office, escorting actors to locations, acting as a stand-in while a short is worked out, or performing any other tasks required to make the production run more smoothly.
Production Designer: Responsible for sets, props and costumes. Works closely with the director to determine the overall ‘look’ of the film.
Production Manager (P.M.): Makes the business deals, including hotel/housing, crew hiring, equipment rental and budget management. The P.M. works with the A.D. on scheduling and review production reports. The P.M. signs checks.
Production Unit: The team of the director, camera crew, lighting department, sound crew, electrician and everyone else who works on the shoot.
Screenwriter: Writes a script, either from an original idea or from an existing book or story.
Script Supervisor: Keeps track of how many takes are made of each shot and scene, how long they ran and who was in them, and makes detailed notes about what took place, such as; was her hat on or off? Was the glass half full or empty? This is important so scenes can be recreated if they need to be re-shot. Also referred to as continuity.
Slate: A board (usually black and white) placed in front of the cameras at the beginning or end of each take of each scene, identifying the scene and take numbers.
Special Effects: Can be either mechanical (breakaway chairs), or optical (in-camera effects like speeding up the film), computer graphics, or a combination.
Stand-in: A member of the production team who takes the place of the actor while the director, D.P. and camera operator set up the shot. Usually a P.A.
Stunt Coordinators: Stages the stunts and works with the stunt players. Responsible for the safety of all involved in the filming of a stunt.
Talent Agent: Represents actors, models and extras and tries to get them work on film, television, video or still-print projects.
Transportation Captain: Makes sure everyone gets to the location. Responsible for all vehicle movement and parking. All drivers report to the transportation captain.
Unit Manager/Unit Production Manager (U.P.M.): Assists the production manager or the company’s business manager with the day-to-day financial operations of the shoot. Sometimes also functions as a location scout.
Video Assist: Operates a small video system called a video tap that records everything the camera is recording. This allows the director to see what the camera operator sees thus assuring that the shot looks the way it was planned to. | http://insidehollywoodsite.com/html/the_roles.html |
The most detailed ever satellite maps of England’s light pollution and dark skies, released today (13th June) by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), have shown that Thanet Earth is the second worst light polluter in the country, only second to Tata Steel in Rotherham. .
Overall, Kent is the 29th darkest county of 41. The maps, produced using satellite images captured at 1.30 am throughout September 2015, show that within Kent, Ashford has the darkest skies, 68th of 326 districts. Ashford Borough Council adopted a specific Dark Skies Policy in 2014 to raise awareness about ways we can minimise light pollution and to raise the profile of dark skies as an environmental asset we are increasingly at threat of losing.
Dartford has Kent’s lightest skies, 260th of the 326 districts, of course this area has major transport networks, including the Dartford Crossing.
Thanet is 241st in the rankings, with 34% of its skies in the lightest categories. Thanet Earth pledged to improve its greenhouse blinds in 2013, yet the light emitted is still severe. Its maximum brightness value is 584.98nanowatts/cm2*sr, brighter than anywhere else in the South East, including London.
The research comes at a time of increasing awareness of the harmful effects light pollution can have on the health of people and wildlife. That these skies were monitored at 1.30am illustrates just how long into the night England’s lighting spills.
The new maps were produced by Land Use Consultants from data gathered by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in America. The NOAA satellite captured visible and infrared imagery to determine the levels of light spilling up into British skies. CPRE is sending lesson plans to primary schools in order to promote the enjoyment of dark skies.
We are calling on the county’s local authorities to use these maps to identify areas with severe light pollution and target action to reduce it, as well as identifying existing dark skies that need protecting.
CPRE Kent recommends that:
- Local authorities follow Ashford’s lead and develop policies to reduce light pollution in their emerging local plans.
The councils use CPRE’s maps to inform decisions on local planning applications and identify individual facilities that should be asked to dim or switch off unnecessary lights.
- Local businesses review their current lighting and future development plans to save money by dimming or switching off light to reduce pollution as well as meet their promises over reducing existing pollution (e.g. Thanet Earth).
Hilary Newport, director of CPRE Kent said: “Our view of the stars is obscured by artificial light. Many children may not have seen the Milky Way, our own galaxy, due to the veil of light that spreads across their night skies. It is known that dark skies are beneficial to our wellbeing. Light pollution can disturb our sleep, prevent our enjoyment of the countryside and affect wildlife, by interrupting natural rhythms including migration, reproduction and feeding patterns.
“Councils can reduce light levels through better planning, and with investment in the right street lighting that is used only where and when it is needed.
“Our Night Blight maps also show where people can expect to find a truly dark, starry sky and we hope they will go out and enjoy the wonder of the stars.”
Summary of Kent districts (this information and more is available via the maps):
|District||Ranking out of 329||% in three darkest sky categories, less than 1 NanoWatts / cm2 / sr|
|Ashford||68||85|
|Tunbridge Wells||72||76|
|Shepway||99||74|
|Sevenoaks||101||47|
|Dover||106||66|
|Canterbury||112||78|
|Maidstone||116||55|
|Swale||137||47|
|Tonbridge and Malling||156||32|
|Medway||196||12|
|Gravesham||202||0.3|
|Thanet||241||8|
|Dartford||260||0|
Notes: CPRE’s interactive maps can be accessed at http://nightblight.cpre.org.uk
Light pollution is a generic term referring to excess artificial light that shines where it is neither wanted nor needed. In broad terms, there are three types of light pollution: | https://cprekent.org.uk/tag/migration/ |
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Verbesserung der Leistung: vom Antidoping zur Doping Regulation
Journal
Suchttherapie
ISSN
1439-989X
ISSN-L
1439-9903
Publication state
Published
Issued date
2010
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
11
Number
01
Pages
35-38
Language
german
Abstract
Despite the increased global effort in the fight against doping, competitive sports is still affected by performance-enhancing drugs. Paradoxically, the increasing search for fraud has led to an increased climate of mistrust. At the same time, more and more people generally question the authenticity of competition winners' performances, as common laboratory tests are not able to detect all prohibited doping methods. Furthermore, criminalizing the use of performance-enhancing drugs in competitive sports has led to similar problems as the prohibition of psychotropic drugs, such as black markets or the availability of products of questionable quality. Therefore, a regulation of doping (enhancement of certain human abilities) similar to risk and harm reduction strategies in drug policies is suggested. | https://serval.unil.ch/en/notice/serval:BIB_C4C50697AE71 |
United States Department of Agriculture
Raster modeling is an integral component of spatial analysis. However, conventional raster modeling techniques can require a substantial amount of processing time and storage space, often limiting the types of analyses that can be performed. To address this issue, we have developed Function Modeling. Function Modeling is a new modeling framework that...
Growing demand for bioenergy, biofuels, and bioproducts has increased interests in the utilization of biomass residues from forest treatments as feedstock. In areas with limited history of industrial biomass utilization, uncertainties in the quantity, distribution, and cost of biomass production and logistics can hinder the development of new bio-based... | https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/search?keywords=%22development%22&%3Bf%5B0%5D=author_facet%3A%22Mohr%2C%20Helen%22&f%5B0%5D=author_facet%3A%22Seesholtz%2C%20David%22&f%5B1%5D=author_facet%3A%22Hogland%2C%20John%22 |
Our Business Partners
At CEMEX, we seek to provide innovative, quality products that benefit society and make construction safer, more productive, and more sustainable. Our vision is to play a leading role in the sustainable construction industry. We recognize, however, that we cannot achieve this vision alone. We understand how our sustainability efforts depend on the support and participation of our business partners throughout our value chain, primarily our suppliers and customers, which include distributors and individuals building their own homes. We collaborate with them in order to create a more sustainable construction industry and build a smart world together.
Governance and management
Suppliers
Our ability to competitively source our inputs and offer our products and solutions for a more sustainable approach to construction is a key aspect of our strategy. Toward this end, we communicate with our suppliers and contractors to share our goals and challenges, engaging them in finding sourcing alternatives with lower impacts on people and the environment. We seek to partner with firms that have strong safety records, high labor standards, and strong environmental performance. In particular, we collaborate with our suppliers to reduce the impacts associated with raw material extraction and the production and transportation of building materials.
We work together with suppliers to ensure that they are selected fairly and transparently, that procurement decisions are made honestly and communicated clearly, and that our negotiations foster long-term, mutually beneficial relationships. At a minimum, we require that our suppliers comply with local regulations, and we seek to ensure that they work to our exacting standards. Together, we are constantly looking for opportunities and new ways to improve and innovate.
At the corporate level, we oversee procurement strategy and work to standardize our procurement practices by establishing processes, systems, and tools as well as monitoring compliance, promoting best practices, and reporting performance. In addition, procurement teams in each of our business units follow a common strategic sourcing methodology, which increasingly integrates sustainability aspects.
As part of our effort to better understand and improve on our supply chain practices, as well as contribute to best practices, we actively participate in the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) Advisory Group on Supply Chain Sustainability.
Customers
We seek to ensure customers' satisfaction and the best service experience across all business lines, no matter where our customers are located. Because customer needs vary across our global markets, the management of our customer relationships is decentralized. Our operations conduct regular customer satisfaction surveys at the local level to understand customers' needs.
We work hard to ensure that our products are safe to use, and we give customers the information they need to use them properly. All of our production processes are certified locally, and many of our cement plants are certified to ISO 9000, the internationally recognized quality management standard.
The materials that we offer are not end products in themselves but serve to construct buildings and infrastructure projects. Therefore, as part of our vision to build a smart world, we work to promote the use of our cement and concrete products as part of a more sustainable approach to construction. We collaborate with our customers, architects, and others to reduce the impacts associated with the design and construction of more sustainable buildings and structures, as well as the use, maintenance, and end- of-life treatment of the buildings and infrastructure made from our products.
. | https://www.cemex.com/sustainability/stakeholder-engagement/our-business-partners |
François Truffaut is fondly remembered as one of the chief forces of the French New Wave, responsible for creating unforgettable masterpieces such as The 400 Blows as well as Jules and Jim among many others. Starting out as a film critic, Truffaut went on to become one of the most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema.
Due to his background in film criticism, Truffaut’s vision of cinema was deeply informed by the cinematic masterpieces he loved. On multiple occasions, he expressed his admiration for the works of Jean Renoir as well as other pioneers such as Roberto Rossellini and Jean Vigo whose works had a deep impact on Truffaut’s cinema.
The French New Wave was fuelled by the auteur theory which was developed on the basis of the investigations of filmmakers such as Orson Welles and Alfred Hitchcock. In some American cinematic masterpieces, critics found that the vision of the director transcended the rigid operations of the studio system.
American auteurs like Welles revolutionised filmmaking by approaching cinema in all kinds of unconventional ways which sparked the New Wave in French cinema. Directors like Jean-Luc Godard and Truffaut facilitated the evolution of the cinematic medium through their own works which are still extremely influential.
Although Truffaut has spoken about the things he learnt from Welles and Howard Hawks, there is one particular gem that he considered to be his favourite American film of all time. In fact, the film is widely regarded as a cult classic since its filmmaker never directed another cinematic project after its completion.
Titled The Honeymoon Killers, the film was based on the true accounts of Raymond Fernandez and Martha Beck and told the story of an overweight nurse who embarks on a killing spree of single women along with a conman. Martin Scorsese had been initially attached to the project but he was fired early on and Leonard Kastle stepped in.
According to the producer Warren Steibel, Scorsese was fired from the project because his process was too long and arduous. Kastle joined the project and decided that he wanted to make a cinematic response to Bonnie and Clyde: “I was revolted by that movie. I didn’t want to show beautiful shots of beautiful people.”
In an interview before he passed away, Kastle was asked about his reluctance to make another film and he said: “I have six or seven screenplays, and maybe something will happen. But one thing I can always say — and not every director can say this — I never made a bad film after Honeymoon Killers.”
Follow Far Out Magazine across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. | https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/francois-truffaut-favourite-american-film/ |
Sheila writes: Today, October 30, is the 75th anniversary of the historic 1938 "War of the Worlds" broadcast, presented by Orson Welles and his merry band of Mercury Theater friends. In Peter Bogdanovich's book "This is Orson Welles", Welles tells Bogdanovich: "Six minutes after we’d gone on the air, the switchboards in radio stations right across the country were lighting up like Christmas trees. Houses were emptying, churches were filling up; from Nashville to Minneapolis there was wailing in the street and the rending of garments. Twenty minutes in, and we had a control room full of very bewildered cops. They didn’t know who to arrest or for what, but they did lend a certain tone to the remainder of the broadcast. We began to realize, as we plowed on with the destruction of New Jersey, that the extent of our American lunatic fringe had been underestimated." Bogdanovich later says to Welles, "The Martian broadcast didn’t really hurt you at all. Would you say it was lucky?" Welles replied, "Well, it put me in the movies. Was that lucky? I don’t know." Here is the original radio broadcast in all its mockumentary glory.
"All of us will always owe him everything." -- Glenn Kenny on Andrew Sarris, quoting Jean-Luc Godard on Orson Welles
Andrew Sarris, "who loved movies" (as Roger Ebert described him), was long considered the "dean of American film critics." Reading the accounts and appreciations of him today, I was surprised to see how many people perpetuated the myth that Sarris and Pauline Kael were like the print era's Siskel & Ebert who, instead of facing off with each other over new movies on TV week after week, carried on a robust public debate about auteurism and film theory for decades. That didn't happen. And that mischaracterization does a disservice to Sarris, to Kael and to Siskel & Ebert, all of whom were taking their own distinctive and original approaches to movie reviewing and criticism. I think what's most important on the occasion of Sarris's passing is to acknowledge that his substantial critical legacy cannot be defined in terms of anything Pauline Kael wrote about him and the politique des auteurs in 1963 -- and certainly not in the way his and the Cahiers du Cinema critics' views were misrepresented in Kael's famous snipe, "Circles and Squares: Joys and Sarris." | https://www.rogerebert.com/cast-and-crew/lee-garmes |
7 auteur theory and the french new wave: françois truffaut’s the 400 blows (pp 120-134) the 400 blows is the autobiographical first feature film by françois truffaut, who was twenty-seven years old when he made it in 1959. More or less contemporary with the french new wave was the so-called british new wave, at its height approximately 1959 to 1963, with directors like tony richardson, lindsay anderson, john schlesinger, and jack clayton. The legendary french new wave journal that in 1967 celebrated sunrise as the 'single greatest masterwork in the history of the cinema' exhibition the very early studio systems organized themselves into vertically integrated companies, handling these three units of the movie industry: production and this. Like the french new wave directors, the filmmakers that compiled the british new wave came form a background as critics and documentary makers many graduated to filmmaking after working for film subscriptions such as sequence, sight and sound and the new statesman.
That all changed when richard neupert published a history of the new wave in 2002, the first comprehensive overview in english, and now, in this expanded second edition, surely the standard work on the subject. Guest editor’s introduction: a new wave in the history of corporate governance gary herrigel this special issue showcases a new wave of historical research on. New wave: new wave, the style of a number of highly individualistic french film directors of the late 1950s preeminent among new wave directors were louis malle, claude chabrol, françois truffaut, alain resnais, and jean-luc godard, most of whom were associated with the film magazine cahiers du cinéma, the.
French new wave is unsurpassed as a history of the most influential movement in cinema history here is a lavish history of the film movement that spawned the careers of francois truffaut, jean-luc godard and a number of other important contemporary filmmakers. The boundary between the new wave and the second generation is, of course, a nebulous one – such movements are, generally speaking, critically constructed entities oriented around loose (and sometimes debatable) associations – and a few of the names covered here have been, at times, associated with the former. History of french cinema introduction for more than a century, france has been a major influence on cinema and continues to be one of the most important producers of film, its output surpassed only by india, the united states, japan and china. The japanese new wave, ヌーベルバーグ (nūberu bāgu) in japanese, is a blanket term used to describe a group of loosely connected japanese filmmakers during the late 1950s and into the 1970s although they did not make up a coherent movement, these artists shared a rejection of traditions and conventions of classical japanese cinema in favor of more challenging works, both thematically. Jean-luc godard's breathless was a hallmark of the new wave in french cinema and caused an immediate sensation among 1960 audiences.
A short history of french cinema after leaving its mark on a myriad of european national cinemas, and finally hollywood by the end of 1960s, the french new wave began to finally peter out but. These films make a romantic attempt to transcending the modernist french new wave through the nontraditional uses of new wave stars: in les miserables, the hero is played by jean-paul belmondo, the star of jean-luc godard's breathless, while, in irma vep, jean-pierre leaud, an actor in the films of new wave director françois truffaut, is an. The french new wave is designed to go against the traditional aspects of french cinema or as truffaut would say “cinema du papa” otherwise known as granddad cinema, this mainly referred to leaving studio based films and linear narratives based off of literature which had been seen since the time of georges méliés.
An essential, updated history of the french new wave the french new wave cinema is arguably the most fascinating of all film movements, famous for its exuberance, daring, and avant-garde techniques a history of the french new wave cinema offers a fresh look at the social, economic, and aesthetic. The french new wave: an artistic school is a lively introduction to this critical moment in film history by one of the world's leading scholars on the new wave provides a concise account of the french new wave by one of the world's leading film scholars. By contrast, contemporary french cinema was a major disappointment to the new wave group the year that followed the liberation of france saw the release of some outstanding films including marcel carne’s les enfants du paradise , robert bresson’s les dames du bois de boulogne , and jacques becker’s falbalas. The french revolution was a watershed event in modern european history that began in 1789 and ended in the late 1790s with the ascent of napoleon bonaparte during this period, french citizens.
The french new wave has had an immeasurable influence on american film-making john cassavetes ( a woman under influence ), a director who also relied on financial assistance from friends to see his projects through to the big screen. The french new wave cinema is arguably the most fascinating of all film movements, famous for its exuberance, daring, and avant-garde techniques a history of the french new wave cinema offers a fresh look at the social, economic, and aesthetic mechanisms that shaped french film in the 1950s, as. France, officially french republic, french france or république française, country of northwestern europe historically and culturally among the most important nations in the western world, france has also played a highly significant role in international affairs, with former colonies in every corner of the globe.
This film [the 400 blows] is a landmark in modern cinema, launching the french new wave and turning françois truffaut from a critic into one of the world's most distinguished film makers 12-year-old antoine doinel lives in a tiny flat with his mother and stepfather, who are poor and generally inattentive. The history of feminism involves the story of feminist movements and of feminist thinkers depending on time, culture and country, feminists around the world have sometimes had wave refers to the movement of the 19th through early 20th centuries, which dealt mainly new government,. Amazon com a history of the french new wave cinema amazon com a history of the french new wave cinema this awesome picture selections about amazon com a history of the french new wave cinema is accessible to save we obtain this awesome image from internet and choose one of the best for you. French new wave films continued the experimentation with plot construction begun by the italian neorealists true from the beginning, the french film industry was hostile to the new wave and eventually contributed to its decline.
Home essays history of the french new wave history of the french new wave topics: french new wave the french new wave (la nouvelle vague) emerged in the 1950s as a core of articulate young film-makers amongst the most successful of the group were soon to be famous names such as claude chabrol, francois truffaut and jean luc godard and. The french new wave was a group of trailblazing directors who exploded onto the film scene in the late 1950s revolutionising cinematic conventions by marrying the rapid cuts of hollywood with philosophical trends lindsay parnell explores how this group of young directors reshaped cinema with an. Download a history of the french new wave cinema pdf new french extremity (or new french extremism) is a term coined by artforum critic james quandt for a collection of transgressive films by french directors at the download now muses safe to install. Get this from a library french new wave [chris wiegand] -- offering profiles of principal stars such as jean-paul belmondo, anna karina, and brigitte bardot as well as reviews and analysis of all the major films in the movement, this is the perfect primer to.
2018. | http://tjhomeworkckdd.alisher.info/an-introduction-to-the-history-of-the-frenck-new-wave.html |
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