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In the Maghrebi kingdom, both the secular and the Islam-based women’s rights movements are calling the country’s social and religious foundations into question. The monarchy has accepted some of their demands, but only insofar as they serve to reinforce its own stability.
Last update: 2022-04-22 10:03:04
The relationship between feminist demands, state policies and Islam offers a meaningful perspective for understanding the complex situation in the Maghrebi kingdom. Women’s rights movements, whether secular or Islam-based, are increasingly challenging the social and religious foundations of the country. The monarchy accepted some of their requests, generating, as a result, new forms of female religious authority which nonetheless served to reinforce its own stability.
Following the public protests led by the 20 February Movement in 2011, a new “top-down” Constitution was approved in Morocco, sanctioning a principle for which certain civil-society organizations (mostly feminist ones) have long fought: gender equality. A few years later, however, Morocco is still a long way off adapting its laws and social norms to this principle, which many progressive groups consider to be fundamental for the country’s “transition to democracy,” something as longed-for as it is unrealized.[i]
In the face of such a ferment, the relationship between feminist demands, gender politics and Islam or between the claims to a substantive equality between men and women, state reforms directed at guaranteeing a greater protection of the latters’ rights and the political exploitation of religion seems to be a significant field of observation for understanding the current complex situation. A situation in which “bottom-up” demands for both democratic changes to the state and socio-economic justice are clashing with an autocratic management of power by the elites close to the royal family, which uses Islam to guarantee the status quo.
A Deep-Rooted Tradition of Feminist Activism
Contrary to Orientalist visions and essentialist approaches influenced by the colonial notion that women in Muslim societies are eternal victims of patriarchy, the feminist movements in Morocco—as in the entire MENA region (the Middle East and North Africa)—have enjoyed a significant social and political role.
If, for example, we think to the wave of protest in 2011, a large part of the population demonstrated in Morocco, too. It demanded democratic changes to the state, the end of corruption in public administration and the honouring of human rights and citizenship, whilst denouncing the humiliation (hogra in Moroccan, from the Arabic word haqara, to humiliate) suffered by the more marginalized sections of the people.
It was precisely in this context of popular uprisings that female activism emerged as a new fundamental actor: women led marches, sit-ins and debates, resisting police charges and chanting the protests’ symbol slogans, including “karāma, hurriyya, ‘adāla ijtimā‘iyya” (“Dignity, freedom and social justice”), “al-shaʻb yurīd isqāt al-hukūma” (“The people wants the government to fall”) and “ʻāsh al-shaʻb” (“Long live the people!”), as opposed to the more classic “ʻāsh al-malik” (“Long live the king!”). Such a female participation cut across generations, classes and ideological and religious affiliations and should be observed in continuity with the history of the women’s movement in Morocco: a heterogeneous reality characterized by multiple discourses, strategies and political practices that are still today constantly being redefined.
Generally speaking, the international conventions on human rights, on the one hand, and Islam, on the other, constitute the two main sets of values around which women’s movements in Morocco have developed and continue to evolve today. Indeed, it is possible to distinguish the secular feminists from the female Islamists—i.e. activists from political Islam’s movements—and the Islamic feminists on the basis of adherence to these two macro-discourses.
During the first decades of the twentieth century, female mobilization began to manifest mainly in the struggles for independence and the battles for rights—to primary education, for example, expressing itself in a form of association-based activism that was mostly charitable and welfare-oriented. After independence from France was obtained in 1956, however, women’s sections sprang up in (mainly left-wing) political parties and militant trades-union and student groups. The female activists in these groups then created the feminist associations that Zakya Daoud has described as “combative,”[ii] including the Democratic Association of Moroccan Women (ADFM—Association Démocratique des Femmes Marocaines) and the Union of Women’s Action (UAF—Union d’Action Féminine).
The secular feminists are militants, intellectuals and academics who support the establishment of individual freedoms in the context of a rule of law in which women’s rights can be conceived and honoured as universal human rights and in which Islam remains pertinent only to the private sphere of religious worship and not—as occurs in Morocco—to the public sphere of political power and legal and social normativity. From a theoretical point of view, the feminist ideal generally goes hand in hand with secularism, the latter being seen as the ideological framework for the individual’s liberation from an authoritarian power that, in Morocco, has simultaneously patriarchal and theological connotations.[iii]
Indeed, the close relationship between Islam and political power in Morocco constitutes the main obstacle to the establishment of egalitarian ideals. And this not just from a gender point of view, if one considers that the king is at the same time both the temporal head of the kingdom and the supreme religious leader (Commander of the Faithful, Amīr al-mu’minīn in Arabic) and that the Personal Status Code (approved in 1956 and then reformed in 1993 and again in 2004) seals off the patriarchal family structure modelled on the principles of Islam as interpreted by the Maliki school of law. For example, such code includes the rules regarding marriage, divorce, filiation and inheritance. The latter area was recently challenged by the more progressive associations, including the feminists who are calling for its alignment with the equality principle recognized in the Constitution in 2011.
At an operational level, secular feminists have for decades been putting pressure on the institutions and fostering a new social awareness through projects, petitions, awareness campaigns, debates and study-days on the different dimensions of discrimination against women: gender violence, shotgun weddings and marriages involving minors, the pre-nuptial virginity requirement, inequality under the inheritance law, the lack of protection in reproductive health, employment insecurity and illiteracy, all of which hit women, first and foremost. Secular feminism was particularly strong during the 1980s when, at an international level, the discourse about women’s rights was re-launched during the UN’s decade for women’s rights (1975-1985).
At a national level, on the other hand, the discourse about democratization, human rights and citizenship began to gain consensus amongst the strata most hit by the structural adjustment plans (1983-1994) and the repression unleashed during the so-called “years of lead.”[iv] In addition, in the context of the “state feminism” set up in the 1990s, the incorporation of certain feminists previously considered to be the regime’s opponents into the institutions, where they were valued as “experts on the gender approach,” started off a timid spread of the discourse on gender equality within the state’s structures. This was also partly thanks to the interference of financial and international co-operation institutions such as the World Bank, the European Union and the United Nations (UNDP and UN Women, in particular) in the defining of certain policies.[v]
Of the numerous protagonists in Moroccan secular feminism, Khadija Riadi stands out not only as a prominent personality in the Moroccan Association for Human Rights but also as a committed trade-unionist fighting for women’s rights and democracy and the promoter of numerous campaigns to protect individual rights and freedoms.
Equality or Complementarity?
If the secular feminists support the establishment of gender equality (Musawah), those supporting the principle of complementarity (takāmul), on the other hand, conceive of a clear, gender-based division of labour in society. According to their vision, responsibility for the family and community is based on productive work and usually attributed to men, whereas modesty in behaviour, patience and fitness for the priority task of caring and reproduction is associated with women. Generally, discourse regarding gender complementarity is conveyed by Islamist associations and parties, as well as Islamic religious figures, brotherhoods or associations, all of whom consider Islam to be the first dimension of their identity as citizens and the principle inspiring the ideal collective order.
Over the last few years, however, certain Islamist women have gained public visibility. One such woman is Bassima Hakkawi, a minister in the recent governments formed by the Justice and Development Party (Hizb al-‘adāla wa-l-tanmiya). Of the figures enjoying greatest prominence, Nadia Yassin stands out. She is the leader of the semi-clandestine association Justice and Spirituality (Al-‘adl wa al-ihsān), and the daughter of its founder. She has for years been actively promoting women’s liberation through Islamic literacy courses and advocating a political system that is closer to a republic.
The heated confrontation between the secular feminists and the female Islamist activists has not prevented them exchanging practices and languages, however, although this has mainly occurred in a context of opposition.[vi] Such confrontation has sometimes proceeded in the direction of a convergence of the egalitarian ideal with the Islamic faith; a convergence that seems to be most constructively mediated through the Islamic feminism advanced by Asma Lamrabet.[vii]
A “third way” between secular feminism and the Islamist discourse, Islamic feminism is an only apparently oxymoronic expression referring to the perspective of critical female Muslim theologians, academics and intellectuals who maintain that the women’s rights recognised by the international conventions are fully compatible with Islam. Engaged in an egalitarian reading of Islam’s sacred texts and a re-appropriation of the interpretative processes of the law’s sacred sources, such women are convinced that a female participation in the formulation and transmission of Islam, combined with a multi-disciplinary interpretation based primarily on a detailed contextualization of the message contained in the Revelation and the prophetic tradition, can constitute a first step towards a reformist Islamic vision that is more sensitive to the principle of gender equality.
Of those pioneering such an approach in Morocco, Fatima Mernissi is without doubt the person who first challenged the patriarchal interpretation of certain hadith (accounts of the Prophet Muhammad’s sayings, deeds and silences). Following in the footsteps of the well-known sociologist from Fes, Asma Lamrabet has more recently continued the battle of gender-based critical Islamic thinking both inside and outside official Islamic institutions: indeed, she was director of the Centre for Studies and Research on Women’s Issues affiliated to the Muhammadan League of Ulama in Rabat, until her opinions became too progressive in the area of inheritance law, above all.
Despite her much-discussed resignation from this official Islamic body in 2018, this scholar remains the most important voice in the debate on gender and Islam at a national level and, thanks to her active participation in transnational networks (such as the Musawah movement and the Summer School in Islamic Critical Thought in Granada), she is one of the main figures of reference in the global-scale “gender jihad.”
Women’s Civil, Political and Religious Rights
In the face of such a dynamic social scene, the state has adopted gender policies that appear to have been inspired by the logic of reconciling conflicting interests. A logic directed at balancing the need to preserve the status quo with the demands for democracy and equality coming from a social fabric that is highly politically active, in a situation where the majority of the population is young and increasingly aware of its rights, partly thanks to higher levels of education, the support of international organizations and the use of the new technologies.
This logic of compromise has taken the form of a process of resignification of the rules guaranteeing the stability of political power. This has resulted in a mediation that is attentive to safeguarding the homogeneity of the official Islamic discourse serving to legitimate power, on the one hand, and to the imperatives of modernity, with all its implications (including in terms of protecting human rights and women), on the other. Amongst the most recent reforms, the one incorporating women into a body of female preachers and experts in sharia is a significant example of this trend.
The regime opened itself to gender politics in 1993, when King Hassan II first reformed the Personal Status Code after the main secular feminist associations had gathered one million signatures. Although it did not substantively alter the Code’s discriminatory framework, the reform had the merit of desacralizing the country’s family law by drawing a distinction that was key for any reform of Islamic law (often considered unchangeable because of its “divine” origin). Indeed, according to the theologian Aisha al-Ajjami from the Cadi Ayyad University in Marrakech, “that reform put an end to the confusion between sharia (law inspired by the Qur’an) and fiqh (Islamic law) which, insofar as it is the product of human jurisprudence, can be amended.”[viii]
Muhammad VI came to the throne in 1999. In 2002, women saw recognition of their right to be elected to Parliament and to the local councils, in a proportion equal to 10% of the seats. In 2004, Parliament unanimously passed the second reform of the Family Code, which had been devised by a commission appointed by the king. Amongst its various measures, the Code abolished a wife’s duty to obey her husband and placed the family under the responsibility of both spouses. It also raised the minimum age for contracting marriage to eighteen (without totally abolishing the marriage of minors, however) and it recognised the right of women to begin divorce proceedings.
Although Morocco is considered one of the most advanced countries in the region as far as women’s empowerment in social, political and economic fields is concerned, it should be noted that such reforms are not being properly applied. They still do not seem to have resolved the persisting gender discriminations rooted in the cultural substrate of a good part of the population, which is still marked by illiteracy and economic marginalization.
The important reform proposed by the Ministry of Awqāf (lit. mortmain property) and Islamic Affairs was also passed in 2004. This established the profession of female preacher (murshida, plur. murshidāt) in the official public space of the mosque and in other educational and welfare structures in the country. Such reform has also encouraged the presence of female theologians and Islamic-law experts (‘ālimāt, sing. ‘ālima) within the country’s religious institutions, the centres responsible for both training and the formulation of state Islamic knowledge and the councils of ulama.
From a symbolic point of view, this constitutes an innovative break with the traditional marginalization or exclusion of women from the places where the official Islam is formulated and transmitted. In his capacity as supreme leader of both the nation and the community of the faithful, the king of Morocco is also the head of the Supreme Council of Knowledge (the body composed of the most important ulama in the country). This has the task of watching over the laws, social behaviour and the observance of Maliki Islam. To this must be added an extensive network of local councils of ulama, the national training school for ulama in Rabat (the Dār al-hadīth al-Hasaniyya) and the study centres under the League of Ulama in Rabat: a whole system legitimising state Islam that is supervised by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, which manages the “Moroccan religious field.”[ix]
In the context of the wider policy of professionalizing the country’s female religious guides, women’s access to this complex bureaucratic apparatus has doubtlessly constituted an innovation from multiple points of view. Men and women can access a public competitive selection process for imams and female preachers. In order to prepare for this, men must learn the whole of the Qur’an by heart, whereas women (who cannot become imams) have to memorize at least half. Having got through the selection process (which gives access to one year of training in Islamic and social sciences), the murshidāt are called to exercise the profession of preacher just to the women in the mosques and in schools, hospitals and other welfare structures, as well.
The work is not simply a matter of educating women in Islam (which includes explaining family law and some of the Qur’an’s suras) but also one of acting as a socio-religious guide, with a role similar to that of a social worker: offering a point of reference for solving daily problems in the family, with one’s husband or neighbours, in the most “Islamically” correct manner.
The difference between ‘ālimāt and murshidāt lies in the fact that the former possess both the knowledge (‘ilm, in Arabic, hence ‘ālimāt) and the official religious authority to formulate interpretations of Islam’s sources, whereas the murshidāt have the sole task of carrying out irshād, i.e. preaching of the state Islamic message. It must be emphasised that, in Morocco, neither the female preachers nor the ‘ālimāt can become imams, as this qualification is bestowed solely upon their male colleagues. According to the Maliki School of law, the most a woman can do is lead private prayer and this only if the congregation is exclusively female and if she stands in the same line as her sisters.
Although they are part of a hierarchical bureaucratic structure in which their room for manoeuvre does not allow them to stray too far from the dominating discourse (which is, moreover, inspired by gender complementarity rather than gender equality), the official female preachers and theologians are vested with a significant religious authority which undoubtedly has a symbolic value. Such authority is linked both to social respect for their office and to the role of “good (female) Muslim citizens” that they epitomize. Their authority is further based on what the scholar Saba Mahmood has called “the pedagogy of persuasion”[x]—i.e. a power considered typically feminine and one that is important for penetrating a part of the social fabric that male imams and ulama have difficulty reaching. This is a fundamental resource for a regime that partly bases its stability on an internal religious homogeneity.
Consequences of the reform include the declared will to restructure the religious system through standardization of a national Islamic discourse characterized by tolerance, moderation and modernity. Two further considerations are no less important. One concerns domestic policy and the other foreign policy. As far as domestic policy is concerned, the professionalization of male and female preachers falls within a new policy of closeness regarding Moroccan Islam. One that is directed at controlling and containing discourses other than the official one existing on the national territory, particularly after the terrorist attacks in Casablanca in 2003.
On the foreign policy level, the monarchy is proposing itself as the leader of a new “religious diplomacy” that could make Morocco a special partner for many African countries looking to Rabat as their guide to a pan-African modernization. And the vast system of scholarships for African students coming to the country to become ulama and imams is linked to that.
Serving the Democratic Ideal
In Morocco, the expression “the personal is political” can be translated as “the theological is political,” since Islam permeates, on different levels, not just believers’ faith, rituals and forms of behaviour but also the vision that all citizens have of the world, both in public and in private.[xi] In such a context, recognition of gender equality challenges the real and imagined boundaries set by the patriarchy. Nevertheless, whilst the state Islamic structures are using religion as a truth serving to maintain the national patriarchal order, the secular feminist movement and Islamic feminist discourse are contributing to the formulation of a democratic ideal founded on individual rights and freedoms. This by declaring the impossibility of putting democracy into practice in the political spaces without a real, substantive equality that goes beyond mere statements of principles.
The multiple and diversified political proposals coming from activists in the secular feminist, Islamic feminist and female Islamist movements are a sign of the extraordinary dynamism in the discourses and practices being deployed in pursuit of emancipatory goals linked to separate values-based, ideological and religious camps. Marked by reciprocal influences and points of divergence, this diversity is reflected in the tension between the principles of gender equality and those of gender complementarity, around which the present and future of women’s rights are being defined. Recently, the social and cultural ferment following the protests in 2011 have led to certain significant changes, in legal terms.
These include the abolition of forced marriages following the suicide of the young Amina Filali, who was made to marry her rapist.[xii] The feminist egalitarian ideal has contributed to a process of political transformation that is seeing the new generations particularly at the forefront, intent as they are on putting an end to the power, gender and generational hierarchies and adapting the rules system to fit a project for society in which individual freedoms are recognized. The present does not hold out much hope but the processes of historic change have long timeframes.
This article constitutes a synopsis of the matters already tackled in the book Femminismi e Islam in Marocco: attiviste laiche, teologhe, predicatrici. Naples: Edizioni Scientifiche Italiane, 2017.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Oasis International Foundation
To cite this article
Printed version:
Sara Borrillo, “Between Gender Equality and Islam: Feminisms in Morocco”, Oasis, year XV, n. 30, December 2019, pp. 69-78.
Online version: | https://www.oasiscenter.eu/en/between-gender-equality-and-islam-feminisms-in-morocco |
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Example of a glider page
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Figure 1. EMODnet Physics HFR catalogue (left) and the product (right)
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Services
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Service
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Description
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Examples
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permaURL
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All platforms
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http://www.emodnet-physics.eu/map/platinfo/piradar.aspx?platformid=10273
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Service description @
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API REST/SOAP
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Latest 60 days of data
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www.emodnet-physics.eu/map/Service/WSEmodnet2.aspx
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OGC WMS, WFS,
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examples and service description @
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Latest 60 days + HFR data + Ice
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ERDDAP
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Latest 60 days
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widgets
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All plots
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www.emodnet-physics.eu/Map/Charts/PlotDataTimeSeries.aspx?paramcode=TEMP&platid=8427&timerange=7
Users and uses
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This beautiful book explains the how and why of camouflage. It looks at camouflage as colors, patterns, and textures that some animals have on their bodies to protect them from predators. It also shows how other animals use camouflage to hide as they hunt for prey. Camouflage is a difficult concept, but this book presents it in a way that is accessible to even the youngest readers. Camouflage: | https://goreadabook.org/book/941331881/camouflage-changing-to-hide |
Astronomers warn of ‘worrisome’ light pollution from satellite constellations
The International Astronomical Union has issued the preliminary results from a study on the potential effects of multi-thousand satellite constellations like that being built by StarLink. Finding that Earth-based astronomical observations may be “severely affected,” the body warned that mitigations and rules had better be formed sooner rather than later.
The group expressed its concerns last summer, but undertook a broader study and survey of possible effects, asking various observatories and organizations to chime in. The general feeling is one of “hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.”
According to the IAU’s estimates, once there are tens of thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit, somewhere around 1,500 will be above the horizon at any given time, though fewer (250-300) would be more than 30 degrees above it, in the area usually observed by astronomers.
“The vast majority” will be too faint to be seen by the naked eye except during specific periods when the sun’s light is more likely to reflect off their surfaces — in the early hours of darkness, generally. Measures are being taken to reduce the visibility and reflectivity of these supernumerous satellites, but we won’t be sure how effective they are until they’re up there, at which point of course it is too late to do anything about it.
More “worrisome,” as the IAU puts it, is the potential effect on wide-field observations like the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope’s (lately renamed the Rubin Observatory). Almost a third of 30-second exposures done by such telescopes could be affected by satellites overhead, which will be far more visible to their sensitive instruments.
There may be ways around this, but it’s hard not to read a sense of frustration into the IAU’s statement:
In theory, the effects of the new satellites could be mitigated by accurately predicting their orbits and interrupting observations, when necessary, during their passage. Data processing could then be used to further “clean” the resulting images. However, the large number of trails could create significant and complicated overheads to the scheduling and operation of astronomical observations.
In other words, if the operators of these constellations refuse to do anything about it, there are at least things we can do. But they won’t be without cost or drawbacks.
This is all strictly relating to visible light issues; possible interference with observations of radio-frequency and other invisible radiation due to the transmissions of these constellations is still something of an unknown.
Ultimately, though the IAU’s statement is careful to maintain a veneer of neutrality; it’s clear they’re all rather put out.
“A great deal of attention is also being given to the protection of the uncontaminated view of the night sky from dark places, which should be considered a non-renounceable world human heritage,” they write. “There are no internationally agreed rules or guidelines on the brightness of orbiting man-made objects. While until now this was not considered a priority topic, it is now becoming increasingly relevant. Therefore the IAU will regularly present its findings at the meetings of the UN Committee for Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, bringing the attention of the world government representatives to the threats posed by any new space initiative on astronomy and science in general.”
In other words, they’re not going to quietly sit in their observatories and let a handful of companies clutter up the night sky. | https://www.inventiva.co.in/trends/surbhi/astronomers-warn-of-worrisome-light-pollution-from-satellite-constellations/ |
The University of Arkansas Global Campus is a collection of specialized units at two locations that handle different phases of delivering education online and at a distance. What we do every day is based on our purpose and the university’s goals.
Fayetteville
Interim Vice Provost for Distance Education
Everything starts with Don Judges, interim vice provost for distance education and leader of the Global Campus facilities in Fayetteville and Rogers.
Don Judges
Interim Vice Provost for Distance Education
Deans and administrators from academic colleges on the Fayetteville campus work with the vice provost to facilitate the expansion and enhancement of online and distance education offerings. The Office of Financial Affairs team works closely with the vice provost to administer support for these projects. The Office of Compliance and Quality Assurance ensures the university is in compliance with federal and state laws regarding education delivered beyond the borders of Arkansas. Other teams within the Global Campus then take charge of specific aspects of the projects.
Instructional Design & Support Services
Faculty support for online courses begins here.
Instructional Design & Support Services
Instructional Design and Support Services partners with faculty to determine which types of technology are the best to deliver educational content and promote interaction. Then we make it happen. This includes everything from lecture captures to in-house demonstration videos to interactive team discussion boards. Together we ensure courses are accessible and meet the high academic standards set by faculty at the state’s flagship institution.
We also partner with other units across campus – like the Teaching and Faculty Support Center and the Faculty Technology Center – to provide to faculty workshops and training activities that embrace innovation and keep courses fresh.
Faculty gather and share with one another the lessons they’ve learned through the Quality Matters Program, the Online Learning Center and other membership resources provided by the university.
We also work with our staff in Rogers to deliver professional development and other continuing education and workforce development classes and activities online.
Communications and Recruitment
We spread the word.
The Communications and Recruitment teams combine online marketing and boots-on-the-ground tactics to bring word to prospective students about online options from the University of Arkansas, as well as other education options. This work complements the efforts done by academic colleges and schools on the Fayetteville campus.
The team also works with the Rogers facility to promote classes and workshops for computer training and professional development, as well as conference services.
Credit Studies
We work with faculty to facilitate Online Self-Paced Courses and help students throughout the process.
Academic departments work with our team to deliver Self-Paced Online (correspondence) Courses, giving students a high degree of flexibility in their academic plans. We facilitate these courses and help students stay on track. We also administer proctored exams in our building for Self-Paced Online Courses.
Office of Compliance & Quality Assurance
Our team ensures the university is in compliance with state authorization and regulations.
The Office of Compliance works with all University of Arkansas academic colleges and schools to maintain compliance with state and national laws while offering educational programs outside the state of Arkansas. Our office ensures that U of A departments are able to provide education and participate in educational activities legally outside our state. We work individually with coordinators, administrators, department chairs and professors to address legal and regulatory mandates.
Get help with:
- Paperwork needed to comply with state authorization requirements
- Steps to meet board and professional licensure requirements
- Process to secure authorization for internships and externships
- Steps to ensure that all credit-bearing field experiences are conducted in compliance with state and national laws
The Global Campus absorbs the cost of application fees.
Please contact Suson Wheeler at 479-575-6483 or email [email protected] for any compliance-related questions.
Information Technology Support
Technology has got to work. We can help.
The Global Campus team works with other information technology and faculty support groups across campus to ensure faculty have what they need to develop and deliver courses online. Sometimes that means enhancing infrastructure, and sometimes it’s building or renovating a space on campus for faculty to collaborate and work. The Global Campus is another resource for faculty.
Rogers
Rogers Facility
Our facility in Rogers provides educational opportunities to the Benton County area. Discover computer training and professional development opportunities developed here. Meeting space is also available for educational purposes.
Professional Development
Stay competitive in the workforce by refreshing your business skills and updating your knowledge through programs and workshops. Study for certification exams, or take classes that count toward recertification.
Computer Training
The Rogers facility is your source for computer training. Enroll in one-day Microsoft and Adobe software classes in Rogers and Fayetteville. Explore other specialty computer courses, or request custom training. | http://globalcampus.uark.edu/what-we-do/ |
PATH is a global nonprofit dedicated to achieving health equity. With more than 40 years of experience forging multisector partnerships, and with expertise in science, economics, technology, advocacy, and dozens of other specialties, PATH develops and scales up innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing health challenges.
PATH’s portfolio of projects supporting total market approaches for public health interventions within a public/private sector framework is expanding. A total market approach (TMA) emphasizes the need for the public sector, nongovernmental organization (NGO) sector, and commercial sector to coordinate to ensure that quality pharmaceuticals and health commodities are available and to increase access for all segments of the population. Benefits of a TMA are that:
- It leverages the comparative advantages of all market sectors to enhance equitable and sustainable access across market segments with government coordination and support;
- It facilitates purposeful and constructive working relationships among the public, NGO (including social marketing organizations), and commercial sectors (formal and informal);
- Within this context, there is growing appreciation for the value of strategic coordination across sectors. A TMA can play an important role in building sustainable public-private partnership models.
PATH currently seeks a Program Assistant, to be based in Antananarivo, under a $32M 5-year USAID-funded project. The project will improve health product availability and accessibility in Madagascar through robust supply chain management and total market approaches, with the goal to ensure that quality pharmaceuticals and health commodities and services are available and accessible to all Malagasy people on a sustainable basis through coordinated efforts of the public, private, and commercial sectors.
Responsibilities:
- Support the Senior Total Market Initiatives (TMI) Advisor and Program Coordinator to strengthen public-sector capacity to coordinate total market initiatives and develop operational plans for the delivery of public health commodities to targeted market segments and lead public-private planning for the TMA.
- Coordinate logistics for TMI technical working group, subcommittees, trainings/workshops and other project activities (e.g. market assessments)
- Provide project management assistance to track project timeline, key milestones, deliverables, and activity budgets
- Record minutes from meetings, circulate action items, and support follow up. | https://www.devj.org/program-assistant-reproductive-health/ |
TWI (The Welding Institute) is the leading professional engineering institution for the registration of people involved with welding and joining all over the world. It exists to support welding and joining personnel, to promote the profession and its importance in today’s world, and to secure its place in the future.
TWI’s research and development work covers a wide range of technologies for industry sectors including oil and gas, chemical, power and transport. Services include materials characterisation and modelling for safety critical applications on structures and welds, surface and coatings technologies, fitness-for service assessments and additive manufacturing simulation support.
Materials Processing Institute
The Materials Processing Institute is a not-for-profit research and innovation centre with a 75-year track record in developing new materials, processes and technologies.
The Institute is a globally recognised centre for the innovation, development and commercialisation of technology for advanced materials, low-carbon energy and the circular economy. This is delivered by scientists, engineers and project teams with expertise in materials science and advanced processing, utilising state-of-the-art equipment, laboratories, workshops, demonstration, scale-up and production facilities to develop technology, enhance materials and improve processes.
Centre for Process Innovation (CPI)
The Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) is an open-access, independent innovation centre that supports the development of the UK process industry and UK manufacturing. CPI provides state-of-the-art facilities and market knowledge to assist businesses of all sizes in efficiently delivering innovations as market-ready solutions. This reduces the risks that come with developing new concepts, giving businesses the best chance of success.
National Biologics Manufacturing Centre (CPI)
As part of the UK Government’s Strategy for Life Sciences, CPI was selected to be the home of the £38million National Biologics Manufacturing Centre, allowing UK companies to develop a competitive foothold in the biologics market.
At the National Biologics Manufacturing Centre, CPI combines state of the art facilities and technical expertise to support the growth and development of the UK biologics industry and supply chain.
Teesside University and DigitalCity
Based at Teesside University, DigitalCity is a partnership between the University and the Tees Valley Combined Authority and is designed to work with businesses to stimulate digital innovation, growth and investment.
DigitalCity is dedicated to the digital transformation of Tees Valley. It has an established track record of driving innovation and supporting digital growth in the region and has received national recognition for its contribution to economic growth in the area.
Teesside University is a driving force behind the digital transformation of the Tees Valley’s economy and plays a vital role in connecting the region to new opportunities and networks.
National Horizons Centre (Teesside University)
The National Horizons Centre is a £22million state-of-the-art bioscience education, training, research and innovation facility that directly addresses the growth potential in the life sciences sector. It will specialise in providing the full range of skills for the biosciences sector and in applying digital technologies to improve performance and productivity and foster breakthrough ideas.
Fuse
Fuse is a virtual centre operating across five universities in the North East, including Teesside. It is only one of five Public Health Research Centres of Excellence in the UK with the aim to deliver world-class public health research.
The focus of Fuse is about working with policy makers and practitioners, enabling research findings to be understood and applied to public health issues, for example diet and exercise and socio-economic inequalities.
Learning, Research and Innovation
Innovation is based at The James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, and forms part of South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The Institute brings together all of the Trust’s learning, research, training development functions into one.
It has established partnerships with a wide range of local, regional, national and international organisations including primary and secondary care strategic partners, universities and other academic partners, pharmaceutical companies, private industry, voluntary sector, charitable sector and awarding bodies. | https://www.teesinvest.com/why-tees-valley/innovation/ |
School and system leaders have a tremendous impact on student mental health. Sometimes this work is direct and visible, like when principals support students experiencing a mental health crisis or when superintendents respond to concerns from parents and families. But most of the time, mental health leadership is indirect. The primary role of leaders at the district and school level is to create a supportive environment for effective and sustainable practice.
Create a supportive environment
When planting a garden, you need to consider not only having the right seeds, and using the right methods and tools, but also ensuring that the soil is ready and that the conditions are right for planting.
Similar considerations apply for school mental health. Implementation Science suggests that:
Effective School Mental Health = Evidence-Based Techniques (the right seeds) X Strong Implementation (the right methods and tools) X Supportive Environments (fertile soil)
School and system leaders have a role in all of these areas, but your most significant contribution is to “ready the soil” so that effective approaches have a chance to take root and flourish.
All too often, good programs fail because they are introduced without adequate preparation and/or ongoing monitoring. Visible commitment, consistent alignment with the overall strategy, along with clarification of roles, set the foundations for positive mental health promotion.
You create the conditions for success so effective mental health programming can reach every student now and into the future.
Mental health leadership strategies
To create the sort of environment that leads to successful uptake, growth, and sustainability of evidence-based programming in this area requires specific mental health leadership strategies.
The following focus areas are based on research related to organizational readiness, the Ontario Leadership Framework, and Leading Mentally Healthy Schools.
Leading Mentally Healthy Schools is still available for review on our website, and is foundational to the thinking outlined below. We’re grateful for the insights of practicing school and system leaders who continue to help us to articulate and support the role of leadership in supporting student mental health. | https://smho-smso.ca/school-and-system-leaders/your-role/ |
This Special Issue is focused on breakthrough developments in the field of biosensors, as well as on the current scientific progress in biomedical signal processing. The papers address innovative solutions in assistance robotics based on bioelectrical signals, including the following: affordable biosensor technology, affordable assistive-robotics devices, new techniques in myoelectric control, and advances in brain–machine interfacing.
Choose an application
Microbial biofilms have been implicated in a large number of acute and chronic infections, as well as in the failure of antibiotic treatment, particularly in hospitalized patients. In fact, the well-known persistence in the nosocomial environment of multidrug resistant microorganisms is believed to be highly promoted by the ability of the great majority of the involved bacterial and fungal species to adhere on living or abiotic surfaces, and to grow in sessile mode, to form single- or multi-species biofilms. In these communities, microbes grow encased in a hydrated matrix of extracellular polymeric substances produced by themselves and are well protected from the host immune response and the attack of antimicrobial molecules. Thus, the establishment of microbial biofilm communities on the mucosal and soft tissues of hospitalized patients, as well as on the surfaces of indwelling devices and medical instruments, is expected to have a great influence on the success of the antibiotic therapies against most of the bugs involved in nosocomial infections, being biofilm-growing bacteria and fungi much less susceptible to antibiotics.
bacterial biofilms --- fungal biofilms --- nosocomial Infections --- antibiotic resistance --- healthcare-associated infections --- multidrug resistant microorganisms --- medical devices --- prostheses --- medical instruments --- general hospitals --- long-term care settings
Choose an application
Neural electrodes enable the recording and stimulation of bioelectrical activity in the nervous system. This technology provides neuroscientists with the means to probe the functionality of neural circuitry in both health and disease. In addition, neural electrodes can deliver therapeutic stimulation for the relief of debilitating symptoms associated with neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and may serve as the basis for the restoration of sensory perception through peripheral nerve and brain regions after disease or injury. Lastly, microscale neural electrodes recording signals associated with volitional movement in paralyzed individuals can be decoded for controlling external devices and prosthetic limbs or driving the stimulation of paralyzed muscles for functional movements. In spite of the promise of neural electrodes for a range of applications, chronic performance remains a goal for long-term basic science studies, as well as clinical applications. New perspectives and opportunities from fields including tissue biomechanics, materials science, and biological mechanisms of inflammation and neurodegeneration are critical to advances in neural electrode technology. This Special Issue will address the state-of-the-art knowledge and emerging opportunities for the development and demonstration of advanced neural electrodes. | https://doabooks.org/doab?func=search&uiLanguage=en&query=kw:%22prostheses%22 |
National Competitive Advantage -Shwetal Tayade Michael Porter's five Forces -Ruhi Rakhe LEVELS OF CULTURE - Chaitali Sawardekar
Chaitrali Walawalkar Areas Of Social Responsibilities Of Business -Amit Patil Social And Cultural Environment -Pranav Nanekar Competitive Strategies -Prashant Singh Michael Porter,Bishop William Lawrence University Professor at Harvard School Of Business. A leading authority on company strategy and competitiveness of country's and region.
He is the author of 18 books , one consisting of "Competitive Strategy:Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors".
Book describes the 3 strategies generally applied by firms to survive in competitive business environment:-
a. Cost Leadership Strategy
b. Differentiation Strategy
c. Focus strategy CONSTITUENTS OF BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT-2 Presented By:-
Pranav Nanekar 7203
Amit Patil 7213
Ruhi Rakhe 7223
Chaitali Sawardekar 7233
Prashant Singh 7243
Shwetal Tayade 7253
Chaitrali Walawalkar 7263 -FYBMS BATCH-B Cost Leadership Strategy An attempt of a company to gain an advantage by reducing its cost of production compared to its competitors is known as cost-leadership strategy.
Examples:-
a. Wal-Mart
b. Mc Donald's
c. Ikea
d. Southwest airlines Differentiation Strategy A strategy that calls for the development of a product or service that offers unique attributes which are not offered by the competitors. EXAMPLE :-
WATER SAVER JEANS BY (SHOW YOUR GREEN INSIDE) FOCUS STRATEGY The Focus strategy concentrates on a small segment and attempts to achieve either a cost advantage or differentiation. EXAMPLE:- CONCLUSION This is how the constituents of business environment works taking the phase of business from many ups and downs thus giving it either a strong "GOODWILL" to survive or showing the doors to "SHUTDOWN"
All this depends upon the business firm's capacity to survive and ability to take decisions and adapt to changing competitive environment thus giving rise to the above "Constituents".
"DREAM TO THE EDGE AND BEYOND" THANK YOU DeFiNiTiOn Of SoCiAl ReSpOnSiBiLiTiEs Of BuSiNeSs As per Keith Davis “ Social responsibilities of business is defined as the decisions taken by the managers to protect and improve the welfare of the society as a whole along with their own interest”. Definition Of Business culture Culture is defined as sum total of knowledge, belief , art, morals, law, customs, ethics,
capabilities and habits acquired by individuals and groups as element of society.Culture frames the attitude of individuals towards life and society. It also defines their consumption pattern and lifestyle. Indian Culture Western Culture Difference Of Culture In America people tend to work only 8 hours a day i.e from 8 AM to 4:30 PM or early.
When it comes to importance of work, people consider work as just work and not LIFE and even they do not worry about work after they go home or even working on weekends.
They work when supposed to work and get their job done on right time. American Culture Indian Culture In India mostly people work for 12 hrs i.e from 9am to 9pm .
People work late hours, they sometime work on weekends because Work is viewed as the thing in Life trying to succeed and get promotion .
There is nothing wrong with it is just the culture that shapes the environment Social Responsibilities of Business towards WORKERS Payment of wages
Providing best possible working condition
Follow all welfare labor measures recommended by law
Proper training and development programs for employees
Opportunities for promotion
Install proper grievance handling system SRB Towards Customers Produce and supply quality goods
Do research and improve product quality
Introduce new product
Remove interruption in distribution
Reveal truth in advertisement
Proper after sales service SRB Towards Shareholders Safeguard the
capital Good public image Appreciate capital invested by people Reasonable Dividend Maintain proper records Bonus shares Social responsibilities Of Business Towards
SOCIETY To prevent pollution Preserve ecological
balance Protect natural
resource Develop backward areas Improve efficiency of the product quality Create employment opportunities Michael Porter's Five Forces
Analysis are:- Supplier Power
Buyer Power
Competitive Rivalry
Threat Of Substitution
Threat Of New Entrant Low Bargaining Power
Commodities and easy
to purchase in market
Choose their suppliers
based on their needs
and cost
Low switching cost
of suppliers 1.Number Of Customers
2.Size Of each Order
3.Price sensitivity
4.Ability to Substitute
5.Cost of changing 1.Number of competitors
2.Quality differences
3.Other differences
4.Switching cost
5.Customers loyalty
6.Cost of leaving
market 1. Substitute
performance
2. Cost Of Change 1. Threat and cost of entry
2. Specialist knowledge
3. Economies of scale
4. Cost advantages
5. Barriers to entry Dr.Khushpat Jain,Business Environment,Himalaya Publishing House
ehow.com/list_7456440_competitive-strategies-wal_mart.html
smallbusiness.chron.com/examples-cost-leadership-strategy-marketing-12259.html
http://home.ubalt.edu/ntsbmilb/orientation/sld009.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motel_6
Google-For Images References THANK YOU Features Of Culture are:- 1. Learned.
2. Shared.
3. Trans-generational.
4. Symbolic.
5. Adaptive. The Levels Of Culture
National culture is the dominant culture that distinguishes people of one political boundary from the other. National culture exercises tremendous influence on every individual and institution in the country.
Business practices are the extension of national culture. In management, culture influences, and sometimes even determines policy, style and structure of the organization. BUSINESS CULTURE NATIONAL CULTURE ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE Organization culture refers to philosophies, ideologies, values, assumptions, beliefs, exceptions, attitudes and norms that knit an organization together and are shared by the employees. The cultural environment mean a environment which affect the basic values, behaviors, and preferences of the society-all of which have an effect on consumer marketing decisions.
Factors which effect social and cultural environment
Attitude of people. Social Responsibility.
Technological Factor. Taste & Preference
Taste & Preference. Income & Life Style.
Education Family Family
Religion
Natural Factor. CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT Microsoft have changed a small part of our culture that is connected to the computer.Earlier the Microsoft developed operating system that were windows-driven, computer user had to utilize some other program & type in each command, rather than clicking on windows.
Earlier the software name was command line interface. SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT Social environment of business means all factors which affects business socially .
Social environment includes customs, traditions, tastes & preferences ,buying and consumption habits of the people.
A business cannot ignore the social needs as it itself is an important constituent of the society.
”Acting with concern and sensitivity, aware of the impact of your actions on others, particularly the disadvantaged”
In a country like India the concept of social responsibilities of business plays a important role in the economic growth and industrialization of the nation. SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY OF BUSINESS SRB Towards Itself Achieving fundamental objectives
Ensuring long term success
Making optimum use of production capacity
Mass production
Building competitive strength NATION COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE Firms Strategy, Structure and Rivalry
Demand Conditions
Related Supporting Industries
Factor Conditions Example:-
The rising demand for iron and steel in India has put a pressure on iron and steel producing firms to find more and more new reserves for increasing production Mining Companies Government departments Utilities
(water and power) Financial
Institutions Unions Supply Chain R&D Organization Tertiary & vocational
Institutions
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How can you use “dealership” in a sentence? Here are some example sentences to help you improve your vocabulary:
That was exactly the reasoning endorsed by the Supreme Court in 1988, when it upheld the right of Sharp Electronics to terminate the dealership of a chronic discounter.
I visited a Chrysler dealership in Japan.
Clinton ( wearily ): I visited a Chrysler dealership in Tokyo.
I wish I could tell you the feeling I got when I first met with the AOL team in their less-than-impressive offices behind a car dealership in Vienna, Virginia.
And the whole phenomenon of the huge dealership, with acres of cars, each depreciating by the minute, seems like an archaic way of handling distribution (and, since someone has to make all those cars, production). | https://my.vocabularysize.com/example-sentence/dealership |
CHICO — Rainfall has been increasing since the severest part of the three-year drought, but the total was still slightly below normal in Chico as the 2009-10 rainfall year ended Wednesday.
The rainfall total this season, as gauged at the Enterprise-Record weather station, was 23.34 inches, which is nearly 2 inches shy of the average of 25.06 inches.* This is 93 percent of normal, and a 17 percent increase from last year”s 20 inches.
While Chico did receive some late season storms in May, it received 0.01 inches of rain in June, when the average is 0.91 inches.
Oroville E-R weather observer Ron Ullman reported the rainfall total there this year at 29.10 inches, an increase of 11 percent from last year”s 26.15 inches.
The increase in rainfall was more significant in Paradise. E-R weather observer Jay Castor reported 64.29 inches of rain this season. This is up from 52.88 inches last year, an improvement of 21.6 percent. The Paradise Irrigation District recorded 58.43 inches, which is 112 percent of its average of 51.81 inches.
Angus Barkhuff, forecaster at the National Weather Service”s Sacramento Office, said rain this year was well spread out over the year with most months getting at least the average amount of rain. The additional rain in May, which he said is “relatively unusual,” helped top off the season.
Sacramento”s rainfall was just about normal with 19.55 inches of rain, which is 98 percent of average, he said. The snowpack in the Sierras was above normal.
Lake Oroville is 7.5 percent higher this year at 843 feet from 784 feet last year. This is still more than 50 feet away from the crest at 900 feet, but is a significant improvement, especially since the lake levels continue to increase slightly.
Storage at Lake Oroville was 2.72 million acre-feet, which is 78 percent of its capacity of 3.5 million acre-feet.
Staff writer Katherine Jarvis can be reached at 896-7760 or [email protected]. | |
Gut bugs and mother tongues shed light on pacific map
This week, two studies published in the journal Science found evidence from bugs that live inside our guts and the words that come out of our mouths, that both shed light on how ancient human ancestors migrated out of Asia and spread across the far reaches of the Pacific Ocean, a subject that has kept archaeologists scratching their heads for decades.
Yoshan Moodley from the Max-Planck-Institut für Infektionsbiologie in Germany led a team of researchers who collected samples of gut bacteria called Helicobacter pylori from aboriginals living in Taiwan, Australia, Papua New Guinea, and New Caledonia.
These parasitic bacteria live inside the guts of around half the world's population who don't have access to modern medicines and can cause stomach ulcers. These bacteria are only found inside human beings, and so we think our ancestors carried them with them around the globe, the bacteria mutating and evolving into different strains along the way.
By sequencing the DNA of these gut bacteria, Moodley and his team discovered two new strains. The first one, called hp-sahul, they think split off from Asian ancestors around 30 thousand years ago probably when people migrated down through Indonesia, which back then when sea levels were lower and there was a land bridge to Australia and New Guinea, which together formed a single land mass known as Sahul.
A second strain of the bacteria, called hp-maori, was carried inside human hosts from Taiwan around 5 thousand years ago in a second wave of colonisation first to the Philippines then further south to Polynesia and New Zealand.
A Taiwanese origin of many Pacific tribes is also the conclusion reached by another group of researchers who studied languages. For a long time languages have been used to help unpick the past, because, rather like mutating bacteria, languages also change over time, and can be used to trace the relationships between groups of people in different parts of the world.
Russell Gray from the University of Auckland in New Zealand and his team analysed the relationships between 400 Austronesian languages spoken by tribes across the Pacific, focusing on patterns of similar words called cognates.
Cognates crop up in different languages where they sound similar and are thought to have a common origin. Take the word star in English, which is stella in Italian, sterna in German, ster in Dutch, estrella in Spanish, and so on suggesting a common link between these languages.
It took huge computing power to make thousands of comparisons between all the languages, and in doing so they found yet more evidence of a great southerly migration from Taiwan around 5 millennia ago that took place in fits and starts, probably as people developed better boats and colonised more and more distant clusters of islands.
It is amazing to think that there are messages from the past still hidden inside us - both in the words we speak and in the bugs that live in our stomachs. | https://www.thenakedscientists.com/articles/science-news/gut-bugs-and-mother-tongues-shed-light-pacific-map |
We are all mediators, translators.
Digital and Media Literacy: A Plan of Action
Why all Americans need a set of digital and media literacy competencies
This plan offers specific steps for policymakers, educators, and community advocates to develop a community education movement for digital and media literacy.
Whether it’s touch screen computers, smart phones, or user-generated news sites, access to information does not automatically translate into knowing how to use these tools in effective ways that help people in their everyday lives.
WHY IT MATTERS
All Americans can benefit from learning how to access, analyze, and create digital and media content with thoughtfulness and social responsibility. This was one of the key recommendations of the Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy in its landmark report, Informing Communities, issued last year. This blue ribbon commission of 17 luminaries recommended that digital and media literacy be viewed as a critical element in all levels of education, and with institutions such as libraries in local communities.
Ensuring that citizens are equipped with the analytical and communications skills they need to be successful in the 21st century will require a comprehensive plan that positions digital and media literacy as an essential life skill and integrates it into advocacy campaigns, education curricula, and community-based initiatives across the nation. To address this need, Renee Hobbs has outlined a plan with specific steps that policymakers, educators, and community advocates can take to help Americans thrive in the digital age.
See samples of press coverage here. | https://mediaeducationlab.com/digital-and-media-literacy-plan-action |
A recent update on the Court of Justice of the European Union’s (the “CJEU’s”) website has revealed that Digital Rights Ireland, an Irish privacy advocacy group, has filed an action for annulment against the European Commission’s adequacy decision on the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield (the “Privacy Shield”).
Digital Rights Ireland has yet to comment on its action, but media sources quote a spokesperson for the European Commission acknowledging the case and stressing the European Commission’s conviction that the Privacy Shield meets all legal requirements. At present, no documents have been published in relation to the case; the only information currently available on the CJEU’s website is that the action was filed on September 16, 2016.
The Privacy Shield was adopted on July 12, 2016, as the successor to the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework that was invalidated by the CJEU in October 2015. The Privacy Shield is designed to protect the fundamental rights of individuals whose personal data is transferred to the U.S. and ensure legal certainty for businesses with respect to transatlantic transfers of personal data. | https://www.huntonprivacyblog.com/2016/10/27/irish-privacy-advocacy-group-challenges-eu-u-s-privacy-shield/ |
Update: Park official says Blue Streak coaster was being demolished before fire broke out
CONNEAUT LAKE — The Blue Streak roller coaster, one of the most iconic rides at the Conneaut Lake Park amusement park, has been damaged by fire, but it was being dismantled before the blaze, a park official said in a Facebook post Tuesday night.
"As the GM I would like to make a statement explaining what happened today.
Damage to the Blue Streak was NOT caused by the fire. It was from the heavy equipment demolishing it as per permit this morning," says the post.
It is unclear who the "GM" is.
The post goes on to say: "A burn permit was also issued to have small controlled fires to burn the wood as demolition continued. A mechanical issue occurred to the heavy equipment used to assist in the control, causing the fire to spread to the front part of the loading dock.
"To ensure safety the Fire Department was called to assist. Thankfully no one was hurt.
The rest of the Blue Streak will come down in the next few days per permit."
A dispatcher at Crawford County 911 said the fire was reported at 4:23 p.m. on Tuesday. Crews cleared the scene by about 6:30 p.m.
The Summit Township Volunteer Fire Department was the first crew to arrive, according to Crawford 911. Crews from Vernon Central Volunteer Fire Department, Linesville and North Shenango fire departments also responded.
The call came in as a controlled burn that escalated to a working fire on the coaster, which first opened in 1938. From reports at the scene, it appears the coaster was in the process of being dismantled, and piles of debris were being burned.
"Three piles (of debris) were burning," said Dan O'Meara, chief of the Summit Township Volunteer Fire Department. "The main pile caught the Blue Streak on fire because the wind shifted."
Conneaut Lake Park owner Todd Joseph was on the scene at the time of the fire.
"He's the one who called it in because it got out of hand. He (came) right down and talked to me," O'Meara said.
Joseph could not be reached for comment.
O'Meara said there was heavy damage to the building that houses the passenger loading area for the Blue Streak, which was in pieces when crews got there.
"It's gone," said O'Meara, of the main coaster structures. "So, it must have been dismantled. The tracks and everything are gone.
"We were more worried about the carousel," O'Meara said. "We wanted to save the carousel," which was not damaged in the fire, O'Meara said. He said the coaster's loading area was heavily damaged and will be torn down on Wednesday.
The status of the 129-year-old park has been in question since Joseph, through his company, Keldon Holdings LLC, purchased the park in March out of bankruptcy.
Rides have been posted for sale on UsedRides.com, which features rides from amusement parks and carnivals from around the country, since the park closed for the season after the Labor Day weekend. And complaint from neighbors concerning park operations landed Joseph in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in November.
In a September interview with the Erie Times-News, Joseph would only say, "I want to talk about the events and the concerts," he said. "We don't want to do any press (on the amusement park) at this point. We will kick that can down the road." | https://www.goerie.com/story/news/local/crawford-county/2022/01/04/roller-coaster-fire-blue-streak-conneaut-lake-park-damaged/9095843002/ |
The next Shin Megami Tensei V demon digest video is here. It’s also a really recognizable character from past games. Rangda will once again be back in SMT V. One of her most notable characteristics over the years, for example in both SMT and Persona games, is the ability to reflect standard attacks from weapons or guns.
After the summoning segment in her video, we get to see Rangda in a snowy, mountainous environment. She even uses her talons to swipe at the Nahobino. When the battle portion begins, we see Rangda attacking some Slimes and a Tsuchigumo. As usual, these are demons that haven’t gotten their own official trailers yet, but are unofficially confirmed via another character’s.
Here’s the Rangda SMT V video.
As for the end of the trailer, there is a very distinctive silhouette. It looks like Arahabaki will show up again in SMT V. Its design is based on dogu figures.
We’re now up to 23 demons, with Rangda being confirmed for SMT V. Here are the last 20 most recent characters that had their time in the demon digest spotlight.
- 3. Fionn mac Cumhaill
- 4. Angel
- 5. Daimon
- 6. Mermaid
- 7. Mandrake
- 8. Arioch
- 9. Kumbhanda
- 10. Feng Huang
- 11. Inugami
- 12. Turdak
- 13. Fafnir
- 14. Mothman
- 15. Lilim
- 16. Futsunushi
- 17. Sraosha
- 18. Xuan Wu
- 19. Uriel
- 20. Orobas
- 21. Girimehkala
- 22. Horus
Shin Megami Tensei V will come to the Nintendo Switch in Japan on November 11, 2021 and worldwide on November 12, 2021. | https://www.siliconera.com/rangda-will-return-as-an-smt-v-demon/ |
Q:
Python: max & min functions
I really don't understand the max or min functions, the meaning of them. For instance, when i write these in the notepad++, in the output i see a letter of the word. And i can't understand it. Why only this letter, not another letters of this word?
Please, help me on this way. Thanks
In the Notepad++
x = max ("Hello Home")
print x
y = min ("World")
print y
In the Output
o
W
A:
As per the ASCII table
Capital letters points to decimal 65 to 90 (65-90 → A-Z )
Small letters points to decimal 97-122 (97-122 → a-z)
so, max value = o (decimal 111)
min value = W (decimal 87)
ASCII table for your reference
A:
To find out why, you can map ord over the strings:
>>> list(map(ord, "Hello Home"))
[72, 101, 108, 108, 111, 32, 72, 111, 109, 101]
The highest number in there is 111, which corresponds to "o" (the ASCII value of "o" is 111).
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“Iconoclasm” is defined as the action of attacking or assertively rejecting cherished beliefs and institutions of established values and practices through the destruction of religious images or icons, which are considered heretical (9). Icons (“images” in Greek) are small paintings of Christ, the Virgin Mary, the saints, or any combination of these Christian figures (5).
During the Byzantine era, idols were used as an aid to devotion allowing for direct communication with the sacred figure (6). After the reign of Emperor Justinian (527-565), there was a large increase in the use of icon images (5). The first period of Iconoclasm occurred under Emperor Leo III, between 814 and 842 (3). During his reign, the Eastern Roman Empire was under attack by the Arabs (an enemy that opposed any image of God or any living thing in holy places) and the Byzantine Empire lost almost two-thirds of its land, population and wealth (5). These events are thought to have driven Leo III into believing that God was punishing his people for its worship of idols. The use of icons in religious worship was hotly debated, as many believed it was prohibited under the Second Amendment: “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above…” (5). It is a...
... middle of paper ...
..., as well as the fact that “Islam faces no challenges [in those countries] except from its own variations” (7). In other words, destruction and vandalism of these historic artworks will not impact or increase their people’s current belief in Islam nor destroy the infidel’s faith in their religion.
Although the historic recurrence of Iconoclasm in the Byzantine era and the more current events in Afghanistan and Iraq have similarities, I believe that the destruction of artifacts by ISIS and the Taliban are truly heinous and should be considered crimes against humanity because they are targeting antiquities that can never truly be replaced to their original form. To quote Joseph Conrad: “History repeats itself, but the special call of an art which has passed away is never reproduced. It is as utterly gone out of the world as the song of a destroyed wild bird” (8).
Need Writing Help? | https://www.123helpme.com/loss-of-beautiful-historical-religious-artistry-that-can-never-really-be-replaced-preview.asp?id=735861 |
What are the most common root cause analysis (RCA) mistakes and how do I avoid them?
Some of the most common root cause analysis mistakes involve poor definitions or focusing too much on the wrong thing. Others simply ignore root causes entirely, rendering the process pointless.
Not quite defining the problem
One of the most important parts of root cause analysis is defining the problem well. When defining the problem at hand, just saying something is wrong isn’t enough. Rather, you want to dig into the specifics of when it occurs, how prevalent it is, and any domino effects it causes.
Often, businesses don’t get specific enough about the actual problem, and that leads their RCA down the wrong path.
Focusing on the wrong things
Another frequent issue is a tendency to go on odd tangents instead of focusing on the root processes.
For example, if you need to rework a corrective maintenance task performed last week, you might end up looking too much at your people and not enough at procedures. This might take you down a tangent where you find the work failed because Jerry wasn’t paying attention, which happened because he was tired from lack of sleep because the baby wouldn’t stop crying. It might be a root cause, but there’s nothing actionable there.
A better route would be to see how your maintenance processes might have failed to account for human error. The job failed because there were no quality control processes in place in case someone did something wrong. Unlike Jerry’s sleep schedule, that’s something you can change.
Going too narrow
Conversely, instead of branching out on weird tangents, another common mistake is taking your RCA too narrow. If you have a complex systemic issue, you’ll need to account for multiple contributing causes, not just one. Yet companies often focus on just one issue to the exclusion of all else.
To solve this problem, use a tool that will help you look at multiple factors, such as fault tree analysis or a fishbone diagram.
Ignoring the results
Once you get some potential root causes, you need to make plans based on your findings. Teams will sometimes revert to the more superficial “causes” in their analysis, ignoring the root causes entirely. In doing so, they end up treating symptoms rather than problems.
Ignoring data is actually pretty common. Oil rigs might ignore 99% of their sensor data. Management teams might ignore the true causes of their problems.
Basically, when you get to the end or your RCA, find solutions to the root problems you find first.
Want to keep reading?
Good choice. Here are some similar articles!
What's a function and what's functional failure?
A function describes the intention of a piece of equipment, while functional failures detail conditions that would prevent equipment from peak operation.
What is the best way to use failure codes for root cause analysis?
Use failure codes systematically: start with analyzing the reasons for failures, code this information in a consistent way, and make it accessible.
What are the five pillars of maintenance and reliability?
The SMRP identified five pillars of maintenance and reliability to help facility managers create a framework for their businesses. | https://www.upkeep.com/learning/rca-mistakes |
Mythic longings for a non-existent paradise.
Originally published by Defining Ideas.
Bruce Thornton is a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center.
This summer President Obama visited Alaska, where he stood in front of a shrinking glacier and said, “Climate change is no longer some far-off problem; it is happening here, it is happening now.” At a conference in Anchorage, he made the apocalyptic prediction that “submerged countries, abandoned cities … entire industries of people who can’t practice their livelihoods, desperate refugees seeking the sanctuary of nations not their own, and political disruptions that could trigger multiple conflicts around the globe” would be the wages of failing to act now to stop global warming.
Most environmentalists cheered the President’s statements, while some have been critical of him for betraying the cause by allowing Shell Oil to drill off Alaska’s Arctic coast. But all assume that their opinions are based on hard science. While science does play a huge role in modern environmentalism, old cultural myths influence much of what many people believe about humanity’s relationship to nature. For some, their belief system approaches a nature worship that has little value for solving the environmental problems troubling the world today.
Ancient myths about nature and our relationship to it are deeply embedded in our culture. Particularly influential has been the myth of the Golden Age, a time before civilization when humans lived in harmony with nature, “free from toil and grief,” as the Greek poet Hesiod wrote, and enjoying “all good things, for the fruitful earth unforced bore them fruit abundantly and without stint. [People] dwelt in ease and peace upon their lands and with many good things.” Hesiod establishes the key elements of the myth that have persisted until today: an imagined time without crime, sickness, war, and misery; and a maternal nature that provides sustenance without human labor.
This natural paradise, however, degenerates into the Iron Age, the world we now live in, a time of wickedness, depravity, hard work, and disease, when according to Hesiod “men never rest from labor and sorrow by day, and from dying by night, and the gods lay sore trouble upon them.” Later versions of this myth, most famously in the Roman poet Ovid’s Metamorphoses, explicitly link this dystopia to the institutions of civilization like cities, law, government, private property, seafaring, trade, mining, metallurgy, and agriculture. Moral corruption runs rampant, especially greed, the “wicked lust for possessing,” as Ovid calls it, which incites violence, crime, and war. Civilization, particularly the unnatural technologies that exploit nature, ruptures humanity’s harmonious bond with the natural world, and creates the evils that afflict us. Eventually the crimes of the human race will lead to apocalyptic destruction at the hands of the gods disgusted by our depravity.
The Golden Age myth has been one of the most long-lived and popular in Western history, for obvious reasons. It imagines a lost paradise that offers psychic refuge from the complexities and trade-offs of civilization, especially the impact of the technologies that mediate our existence. It speaks to our anxieties about the power of science and the dangers of its meddling with nature. All these attractive consolations help explain why certain strains of modern environmentalism, despite their patina of science, have echoed the motifs of this ancient myth.
Consider the case of “deep ecology,” a term popularized by environmental activists Bill Devall and George Sessions in their environmental classic Deep Ecology, which was published in 1985. Deep ecology goes beyond mere resource management, the common sense imperative to conserve resources both for the present and future, which most people assume is the core of environmentalism. Rather, deep ecology is concerned with the psychological trauma inflicted on humanity by modern technology and by a fast-paced, anxiety-ridden urban existence. It shares with the old Golden Age myth the idea of a harmony with nature, or as Devall and Sessions write in Deep Ecology, an “identification which goes beyond humanity to include the nonhuman world.”
And just as in the mythic Iron Age, the disruption of that harmony is caused by technology. “Technological society,” Devall and Sessions write, “not only alienates humans from the rest of Nature but also alienates humans from themselves and from each other. It necessarily promotes destructive values and goals which often destroy the basis for stable viable human communities interacting with the natural world.”
Once a fringe belief, the ideas of deep ecology were taken up in one of the most influential books on the environment, former Vice President Al Gore’s Earth in the Balance, published in 1992 at the moment climate change was taking off as an international crisis. Gore went on to become the most visible proponent of the need to battle climate change, and a passionate spokesman for the larger view that modernity as a whole is destroying nature and making itself miserable in the process. His book was a bestseller, and his 2006 documentary on climate change, An Inconvenient Truth, won an Academy Award.
Gore’s primary assumption is that Western culture is “dysfunctional,” because our civilization’s “rules” require “suppressing the emotions that might allow us to feel the absence of our connection to the earth”–– the “sense of awe and reverence that used to be present in our relationship to nature,” and the “natural harmony that entails the music of life.” The cause of the loss of the old Golden Age harmony with nature is the modern Iron Age’s “technological hubris” and “technological alchemy,” which have driven an “increasingly aggressive encroachment into the natural world” and created the “froth and frenzy of industrial civilization.”
For Gore modern science is the culprit, particularly its intellectual forefathers Francis Bacon and René Descartes, whom Gore misrepresent as ensuring “the gradual abandonment of the philosophy that humankind was one vibrant strand in an elaborate web of life, matter, and meaning.” And he singles out Bacon for initiating the idea that “new power derived from scientific knowledge could be used to dominate nature with moral impunity.” In fact, Bacon’s concern was to understand nature more thoroughly in order to fulfill the Christian moral imperative to improve human life and alleviate suffering.
Like deep ecology, Gore’s version of the old Golden Age myth characterizes much of modern environmentalism, which demonizes science and capitalism for rupturing a harmony between humans and nature that never existed. In reality, everything we know about hunter-gatherer bands, the mode of existence often touted as the lost, pre-agricultural paradise of human harmony with nature, tells us that such existence was, in the words of Thomas Hobbes, marked by “continual fear, and danger of violent death: and the life of man solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.”
That’s why humans across the globe independently invented agriculture: so that they could control their food supply and provide the adequate nutrition that a fickle and cruel nature frequently stinted. Indeed, the myth of a lost natural paradise is the luxury of civilization, one indulged by people who no longer have to fear nature’s brutal indifference to human existence and who take for granted an adequate food supply provided by modern technology.
The psychic solaces of myth, when limited to consoling those who need it, are not a problem. But they can be pernicious when applied to public policy. The solutions to the alleged apocalyptic consequences of global warming––such as the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan, which recently proposed draconian regulations for coal-fired electrical plants––comprise a war on carbon that will damage our economy and compromise our well-being, especially that of the poor on whom the higher costs for gasoline and electricity fall most heavily. And in the case of the Clean Power Plan, this economic cost would buy a negligible 0.019˚C reduction of global carbon dioxide emissions by 2100.
Worse yet, the policies based on attacking the most efficient energy available to humans, carbon-based fuels, if put into practice in the developing world, would be disastrous not only for those countries’ economies and people, but for the natural world as well. That’s because the degradation of the environment in the Third World is a consequence of poverty, underdevelopment, and autocratic governments, not the economic globalization many critics of technology and capitalism blame for global warming. As Jack Hollander, professor emeritus of energy and resources at UC Berkeley, has written, “Affluence and freedom are friends to the environment [and] the road to affluence and freedom provides the only practical pathway to achieving a sustainable future environment.”
Concern for the environment is a luxury for those who no longer have to worry about sheer survival, and who have the political freedom to put their desires for a cleaner, more pleasing environment into government policy, as we Americans did by passing the Clean Air Act in 1963 and the Clean Water Act in 1972. A peasant struggling to feed his family doesn’t have the luxury of worrying about whether his farming techniques damage the environment or not. He just wants to survive one more day.
As Danish environmentalist Bjørn Lomborg points out, the World Health Organization estimates 250,000 people will die from climate change by 2050; this year, 4.3 million will die from indoor air pollution, mostly due to poor people using dung and wood for cooking. Economic development that makes electricity affordable for these people could save millions of lives.
Policies that impact human well-being should be based on reliable science, not consolatory myths. Even if global warming is true, the attempts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by attacking carbon-based energy will not in the long run do much for slowing global emissions, even as they damage the world’s economies and retard the economic development that can improve the material well-being of billions of people. Those people should not suffer because comfortable, well-fed Westerners indulge their mythic longings for a lost paradise that never existed.
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I'm trying to debug some issues in an old (early-90's is old now, isn't it?) circuit, and noticed something in at least two different chip's truth-tables, and thought I'd ask here..
In the 74LS74 (Positive Edge-Triggered Flip-Flop) and the 74LS374 (Edge-Triggered Latch) datasheets, there are truth tables, showing in summary how data inputs are latched to output when the CLK input rises.
The truth-table then shows the status of the outputs when the CLK is driven low.
However, looking at this old design, it looks like the original designers are holding the CLK high; not low. There's nothing in the truth-table and no mention (that I've found) in the datasheets about what to expect when the CLK is held high. (Is it safe to assume, since it's NOT a rising edge, the outputs are already latched and will hold, just like if the CLK was low?
Edit to add, per comment: I was looking at copies of the TI sheets for both the chips above. ONE of the chips I got another vendor's sheet - and realized it was just a word-for-word copy of the Ti sheet I had, formatted differently. | https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/406957/rising-edge-triggered-truth-tables |
Coinciding with the Baroque period of art in the 17th century, movements toward classicism art revitalized the French and English artists and architects commissioned by aristocrats. This period reintroduced and reinforced the elements of classic art. Greek and Roman art in general tends to make use of straight lines rather than curved ones, and focuses on a sense of proportion and balance created through use of the space on the canvas or in the building’s structure. Classicism architecture tends to incorporate columns and sharp angles, and classicist sculpture is more likely to depict ancient stories, themes, or mythic figures.
Villa Rotonda, Palladio
Cupid and Psyche, Antonio Canova
While classic revivalist art continued to be the dominant technique in Italy after the Renaissance faded throughout the rest of Europe, France and England experienced a revival of focus on these principles after the experimental style of Baroque painters, who would elongate proportions and make the viewer’s perspective unclear.
The period of classic revival art of 17th century Europe incorporated new mathematics and complex geometric patterns and grids, such as the architecture of François Mansart. His design for the church and chapel at the Val-de-Grâce incorporates an elegant advancement of classical principles with a unique French flair.
Val-de-Grâce
His blending of Grecian columns with spiral and curvilinear ornaments blends the emphasis on proportion with an updated sense of movement.
At the same time, this period’s Neo-classical paintings reinforced the desirability of balance, proportion, simple color palettes, and portrayals that were more realistic than ideal. One of the most important painters of this time, Nicolas Poussin, attempted to revitalize and model his interpretations of the strength and importance of classical elements by imitating not only the classical masters themselves, but also by modeling his style like Raphael, the great Renaissance classicist painter. | https://gohighbrow.com/classicism/ |
List of 10 Interesting Things to Do in Kajiado County
This article will provide you with a list of the ten most exciting things to do in Kajiado County in no particular order.
Kajiado County is in southwestern Kenya. According to the 2019 Kenya, Population and Housing Census, Kajiado County has a population of 1,117,840 and covers an area of 21,871.1Km2.
Ten interesting things to do in Kajiado County
1. Amboseli National Park
Amboseli National Park is one of Kenya’s most visited attractions with its vast herds of elephants. There are 390.26 square kilometers of parkland to explore. Animals like leopards, wild dogs, cheetahs, elephants, buffalo, giraffes, zebras, lions, crocodiles, dik-diks, nocturnal porcupines, smaller kudus, and more than 100 bird species are among the park’s most notable attractions.
2. Take a trip to Ngong Hills
Ngong Hills is 25 km from Nairobi; some fun things include; nature trails, hiking, picnic, and camping. The place also has religious retreat sites and 30 wind energy power generation sites.
3. Explore Lake Magadi
Lake Magadi is a salty lake with various birds like flamingos and pelicans. It is a fantastic place for camping and nature walks. Animals, including antelopes, giraffes, ostriches, zebras, wildebeests, and hyenas, are often seen in the area surrounding the lake.
4. Nyiri Desert
Nyiri Desert, also known as Nyika Desert or Taru desert, is located east of Lake Magadi. The desert provides a glimpse of diverse wildlife like elephants, rhinos, leopards, lions, and impalas.
Read also, List of 10 Interesting Things to Do in Nyeri County
5. Olorgesailie
This pre-historic site is located along Magadi road. There is a large number of stone tools, which were used by pre-historic men, found at the site. With the largest migrating bird species in Kenya, it is also a haven for birdwatchers.
6. Maasai Ostrich Farm
The Maasai Ostrich Farm can be found just outside of Kitengela. There is no better site to see ostriches in their natural habitat and learn about the fascinating creatures and their lives. The farm also offers ostrich rides, which are a lot of fun.
7. Selenkay Conservancy
The Selenkay Conservancy was developed to serve as a refuge for local species and to promote wildlife conservation as an alternative to farming. The conservancy is home to a wide variety of wildlife, including lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, giraffes, gazelles, bat-eared foxes, porcupines, and yellow baboons.
8. Take a road trip to Olepolos for Nyama Choma.
Olepolos, in Kajiado County, is a little-known gem known for its Nyama Choma specialty 10 km from Kiserian town. You can visit this location to sample some delicious Nyama Choma, learn about the fascinating Maasai culture, and take in the breathtaking views of the Ngong ranges.
Read also, List of 10 Interesting Things to Do in Narok County
9. Shompole Conservancy
Shompole Conservancy is located between Lake Magadi and Lake Natron. There is a wide variety of animals and bird species in the conservancy, from giraffes and buffalo to elephants and desert antelopes like gerenuk and oryx.
10. Ol Doinyo Orok Mountain
Mount Ol Doinyo Orok may be found in the Namanga border region, 170 kilometers south of Nairobi. There are many different kinds of flora, fauna, and herbs here. It’s a great place to go hiking, exploring, birdwatching, and game-watching.
Read also, List of 10 Interesting Things to Do in Turkana County.
Read also, List of 10 Interesting Things to Do in Kisumu County.
Read also, List of 10 Interesting Things to Do in Kilifi County. | https://www.jambodaily.com/list-of-10-interesting-things-to-do-in-kajiado-county/ |
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The human anterior insula is anatomically and functionally heterogeneous, containing key nodes within distributed speech–language and viscero-autonomic/social–emotional networks. The frontotemporal dementias selectively target these large-scale systems, leading to at least three distinct clinical syndromes. Examining these disorders, researchers have begun to dissect functions which rely on specific insular nodes and networks. In the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia, early-stage frontoinsular degeneration begets progressive “Salience Network” breakdown that leaves patients unable to model the emotional impact of their own actions or inactions. Ongoing studies seek to clarify local microcircuit- and cellular-level factors that confer selective frontoinsular vulnerability. The search for frontotemporal dementia treatments will depend on a rich understanding of insular biology and could help clarify specialized human language, social, and emotional functions.
How critical is the anterior insula to our most valued social, emotional, and cognitive functions? Clinical neuroscience has begun to provide insights into this question, and no neurological disease has become more relevant than frontotemporal dementia (FTD). FTD refers to a family of clinical syndromes caused by underlying frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) pathology (reviewed in Seeley 2008). The major FTD clinical subtypes include a behavioral variant (bvFTD), semantic dementia, and progressive nonfluent aphasia (PNFA), which typically begin in the sixth decade of life. As detailed in subsequent sections and in Table 1, bvFTD is associated with dramatic changes in social–emotional processing which result from targeted medial frontal and frontoinsular degeneration. Semantic dementia presents with early disintegration of word, object, person-specific, and emotional meaning (Hodges et al. 1994; Seeley et al. 2005) followed by striking behavioral changes akin to bvFTD (Kertesz et al. 2005; Seeley et al. 2005; Snowden et al. 2001). The accompanying anatomical pattern begins in the temporal pole and amygdala before spreading to subgenual cingulate, frontoinsular, ventral striatal, and upstream posterior temporal regions (Brambati et al. 2007a). PNFA is associated with effortful, nonfluent, often agrammatic speech, at times accompanied by speech apraxia or dysarthria, and largely spares behavior. This symptom complex reflects dominant frontal operculum and dorsal anterior insula injury (Gorno-Tempini et al. 2004; Josephs et al. 2006; Nestor et al. 2003). Any of these syndromes, but most often bvFTD, may be accompanied by motor neuron disease, which truncates an already rapid and lethal disease course (Roberson et al. 2005).
At autopsy, FTLD features synaptic degeneration, gliosis, and neuronal loss (Brun et al. 1995), with subtypes defined by neuronal and glial disease protein aggregates that may contain either tau (FTLD-tau), the TAR DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa (TDP-43, FTLD-TDP), or the newly identified FTLD disease protein, fused in sarcoma (FUS, FTLD-FUS) (Mackenzie et al. 2010). In health, tau is localized to the axon and stabilizes microtubles, facilitating axonal transport (Ebneth et al. 1998). Although both TDP-43 and FUS are nuclear DNA/RNA binding proteins, TDP-43 regulates transcription within the nucleus through its impact on exon splicing (Ayala et al. 2005), whereas FUS appears to help target-specific mRNAs to dendritic spines where they participate in activity-dependent spine remodeling (Fujii et al. 2005). Although most FTD occurs in the absence of a known genetic mutation, each FTD clinical syndrome bears a different relationship to the FTLD genetic and molecular subtypes (Table 1). It should be noted, however, that these associations remain a topic of vigorous investigation and debate (Hodges et al. 2004; Mesulam et al. 2008).
Clarifying insular biology and function will accelerate FTD research, bringing patients closer to treatments and cures. At the same time, FTD-related focal degenerations provide unique lesion models for understanding the insula and carry the potential to delineate network-, layer-, and even cell type-specific contributions to insular function. These approaches could, in turn, elucidate key aspects of other common neuropsychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, anxiety states, autism, eating disorders, and substance abuse (to name a few) whose pathophysiologies seem embedded within the insula and its core network affiliates (Di Martino et al. 2009; Fornito et al. 2009; Naqvi and Bechara 2009; Rotge et al. 2008; Schienle et al. 2009; Uddin and Menon 2009).
Understanding FTD-related insula degeneration requires a modern functional–anatomical framework. Using cytoarchitectonic approaches, the anterior insula can be divided into no less than two but more likely several distinct subregions (Mesulam and Mufson 1982a; Rose 1928; von Economo and Kosinkas 1925) (Butti and Hof 2010; Kurth et al. 2010). The two major subdivisions prove most relevant to understanding FTD. First, at the basal transition from orbitofrontal cortex to insula stretches the frontoinsular cortex [Area Frontoinsulare, or “FI” of von Economo (von Economo and Kosinkas 1925)], a ventral agranular region distinguished in humans, apes, most cetaceans, and elephants by large, conspicuous, Layer 5 bipolar neurons called von Economo neurons (VENs) also found in anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) (Allman et al. 2010) (Hakeem et al. 2009; Hof and Van der Gucht 2007; Nimchinsky et al. 1999; von Economo 1926). Second, dorsal to the major lateral convexity of the anterior insula, a dorsal dysgranular region extends toward the frontal operculum. Here, VENs quickly transition from rare to absent. More posteriorly, but anterior to the central insular sulcus, the dorsal dysgranular insula continues beneath the frontal operculum (Mesulam and Mufson 1982a). These subregions feature distinct connectivity patterns in monkeys (An et al. 1998; Mesulam and Mufson 1982b) as well as in humans, as revealed by recent functional (Taylor et al. 2009) and structural (Nanetti et al. 2009) connectivity approaches to insular parcellation (Fig. 1a). In monkeys, the ventral agranular insula connections ally preferentially with temporal pole, limbic, and brainstem regions (An et al. 1998; Mesulam and Mufson 1982b), whereas the dorsal dysgranular anterior insula bears unique axonal connections to frontal opercular and ventrolateral frontal regions.
Not surprisingly, insular subregion functions reflect the distinctive connectional associations outlined above. In humans, the ventral agranular frontoinsula responds to diverse viscero–autonomic–nociceptive challenges and co-activates with the amygdala and pregenual ACC during scores of social–emotional paradigms (Fig. 1b) (Critchley 2005; Kurth et al. 2010; Mutschler et al. 2009; Singer et al. 2009). The dominant dorsal anterior insula, in contrast, activates in response to speech and language fluency tasks (Mutschler et al. 2009) and lesions in the nearby dorsal mid-insula produce speech apraxia (Ackermann and Riecker 2004; Dronkers 1996). Although functions of the non-dominant dorsal anterior insula–frontal opercular network remain uncertain, existing data suggest a possible role in response suppression and task switching and maintenance functions (Aron et al. 2004; Dosenbach et al. 2006). These cytoarchitectonic, connectional, and functional profiles provide a foundation for understanding FTD behavioral and language syndromes.
For decades, the insula lingered in obscurity to most FTD researchers, just as it evaded the attention of many studying social, emotional, and behavioral function. But the potential significance of the insula was noted by many of the pioneer functional anatomists (Mesulam and Mufson 1982a; Mesulam and Mufson 1982b; Nauta 1971; Penfield and Faulk 1955; Rose 1928; von Economo 1926), whose writings anticipated more recent models of the anterior insula as a central hub within human emotional awareness and behavioral guidance networks (Craig 2009; Damasio 1999). Likewise, groundbreaking FTLD pathological studies by Brun and coworkers noted significant, if topologically heterogeneous involvement of the anterior insula and its paralimbic counterpart, the ACC (Brun and Gustafson 1978).
Defining a comprehensive FTD topography in autopsy materials, however, proved laborious and few studies could capture early-stage disease. Based primarily on patients with bvFTD, Broe et al. (2003) clustered postmortem brains into very mild (Stage 1), mild (Stage 2), moderate (Stage 3), and severe (Stage 4) cases and found that Stage 1 showed atrophy limited to dorsomedial frontal cortex (including ACC) and posterior orbitofrontal cortex where it meets the frontoinsula. These seminal observations were reinforced by a transition from region-of-interest based volumetric neuroimaging to unbiased, whole-brain, statistical parametric mapping techniques. A host of studies came forth, using voxel-based morphometric (Boccardi et al. 2005; Rosen et al. 2002), cortical thickness (Richards et al. 2009), perfusion (Varrone et al. 2002), metabolic (Ibach et al. 2004), and neurochemical (Franceschi et al. 2005) imaging to identify anterior insula and ACC (both pre- and sub-genual parts), along with ventral striatum, medial thalamus, and frontopolar cortex, as the most consistent targets in bvFTD (Schroeter et al. 2006) and shared targets in bvFTD and SD (Rosen et al. 2002).
The diversity of FTD-related insula involvement has also been newly appreciated, as researchers now more rigorously separate patients according to clinical syndrome. These studies have revealed that bvFTD involves both ventral and dorsal anterior insula by the time of early clinical presentation (Seeley et al. 2008; Fig. 3), especially on the non-dominant side. The first-affected insular subregion in bvFTD has yet to be resolved. Semantic dementia begins as a left or right temporal pole disease but spreads preferentially to ventral anterior insula (Pereira et al. 2009; Rohrer et al. 2009), whereas in PNFA the dominant dorsal anterior insula receives the brunt of the injury (Gorno-Tempini et al. 2004; Nestor et al. 2003; Rohrer et al. 2009). Moreover, anterior insula involvement stands out whether the patient’s FTD syndrome is due to underlying FTLD-tau or FTLD-TDP (Pereira et al. 2009; Whitwell et al. 2005). Efforts to use antemortem imaging to differentiate pathological FTLD from Alzheimer’s disease have also emphasized the anterior insula, ACC, and ventral striatum as the sole regions to show significantly greater MR atrophy among those later diagnosed with FTLD at autopsy (Rabinovici et al. 2007).
More recently, disease-oriented neuroimaging research has moved toward more dynamic assessments of network connectivity, confirming an idea that has long been suspected: that each focal neurodegenerative syndrome targets a specific large-scale distributed network. Evidence supporting this hypothesis for FTD came from an experiment in which Seeley et al. (2009) profiled the atrophy patterns in five neurodegenerative syndromes and compared these patterns to normal networks defined in healthy controls with intrinsic connectivity network or “resting-state” fMRI and structural covariance analyses. Intrinsic connectivity networks reflect temporally coherent fMRI signal fluctuations within subjects, whereas structural covariance networks emerge from correlating regional gray matter volumes across large groups of healthy individuals. The results showed that bvFTD, semantic dementia, and PNFA each produce an atrophy pattern that mirrors a distinct healthy brain network, and these networks, in turn, feature contrasting links to the anterior insula, as described above and predicted by the known primate insular connectivity patterns.
The remaining sections focus primarily on bvFTD, whose investigation seems poised to provide an unprecedented window into the anatomical underpinnings of specialized human social–emotional capacities.
The full-blown bvFTD syndrome includes poor judgment, loss of initiative, deficient self-control (at times with overeating or substance abuse), compulsive rituals or stereotypies, and a profound loss of interpersonal warmth, caring, tact, and empathy (Miller et al. 1993; Snowden et al. 2001). The earliest symptoms, however, are subtle and may be mistaken for psychiatric illness or a “mid-life crisis”. One mother with preclinical bvFTD seemed unbothered when her adolescent son fled home for 3 days after an argument. A salesman could not anticipate that his client (a single mother at home with young children) would become afraid and then outraged by his repeated knocks on her door at 10:00 p.m. on a Tuesday. A third patient was hospitalized for severe dehydration after wearing a down parka outdoors on a hot summer day. Though anecdotal, these scenarios and countless others like them suggest that during incipient bvFTD the brain can no longer (1) represent the personal significance of ambient (internal or external) conditions or (2) use these representations to guide behavior. Often loved ones demand medical evaluation only after patients have been overlooked for expected promotions, lost or changed jobs, spent excessive sums on frivolities or solicitations, or have entered couples’ counseling for marital disinterest or infidelity. Encouragingly, a growing body of well-designed experiments, rooted in the modern methods of behavioral neuroscience (see below), has begun to isolate and characterize the specific social and emotional functions lost in early bvFTD, many of which remain spared in Alzheimer’s disease (Seeley et al. 2007a).
BvFTD was once viewed as a diffuse frontotemporal disorder, perhaps due to the impressive but misleading textbook images of late-stage, postmortem gross brain specimens, which too often taught researchers that bvFTD destroys the entire rostral forebrain. This misconception can now be discarded thanks to overwhelming evidence that bvFTD represents a specific neural system disease (Boccardi et al. 2005; Schroeter et al. 2006; Seeley et al. 2008, 2009). In the mildest clinical phases, atrophy can be seen within the anterior insula (dorsal and ventral, especially on the right), ACC, and a network of subcortical and thalamic regions (Fig. 2) (Seeley et al. 2008). As intimated above, the atrophy pattern features remarkable spatial similarity to a large-scale distributed human brain network anchored by the right frontal insula, which Seeley et al. described using intrinsic functional connectivity mapping in healthy controls and have referred to as the “Salience Network” for its role in processing diverse homeostatically relevant internal or external stimuli (Seeley et al. 2007b, 2009). With advancing clinical severity, bvFTD atrophy spreads throughout this Salience Network and into neighboring supervisory executive-control (Fig. 2) (Brambati et al. 2007b; Seeley et al. 2008) and possibly temporopolar emotional–semantic systems in some patients (Whitwell et al. 2009a). BvFTD anatomical heterogeneity (Whitwell et al. 2009b) may help to further dissociate subsystems within this Salience Network, but this possibility has yet to be explored with network-based imaging methods. Intriguingly, Salience Network regions show striking volume loss in schizophrenia (Fornito et al. 2009), in which patients exhibit abnormal right anterior insula/ventrolateral prefrontal cortex responses to stimulus salience (Walter et al. 2009).
How does the bvFTD Salience Network injury take hold? What factors “bring” the disease to this system, and where does the disease process exert its greatest effects on network connectivity? Recently, Zhou and colleagues charted Salience Network connectivity disruptions in bvFTD (Zhou et al. 2010), using the same intrinsic connectivity mapping techniques used to define this network in healthy individuals (Beckmann et al. 2005; Seeley et al. 2007b, 2009). The analysis revealed significant connectivity reductions between the overall network and its anterior insular, cingulate, striato–pallido–thalamic, limbic, and brainstem nodes (Fig. 3a), including the amygdala, periaqueductal gray, and parabrachial nucleus, a known autonomic relay between spinal cord and thalamus (Saper and Loewy 1980). Strikingly, bvFTD clinical severity correlated with connectivity disruption in only one Salience Network region: the right frontoinsula (Fig. 3b). This intimate link between right frontoinsular connectivity and disease severity may suggest that this region acts as a critical Salience Network “hub”, which, when injured, de-stabilizes network synchrony (Palop et al. 2006), disrupts network-based neurotrophic mechanisms (Salehi et al. 2003), or seeds the transneuronal spread of misfolded disease protein throughout the distributed neural system with which the right frontoinsula communicates (Frost and Diamond 2009).
But a specific molecular, cellular, or microcircuit signature must exist within the Salience Network that confers selective vulnerability to this system in bvFTD. Noting the unique presence of VENs in ACC and the frontoinsula, Seeley et al. hypothesized that these specialized neurons might confer selective vulnerability due to some as yet unknown but distinctive biological feature. To test this notion, these investigators quantified left ACC VENs, correcting for neighboring neuron loss, and found VENs 69% reduced in bvFTD compared with controls (Seeley et al. 2006). Patients with Alzheimer’s disease, in contrast, showed no selective VEN vulnerability. But scant published data exist on whether and how early bvFTD targets frontoinsular VENs (Seeley et al. 2007a) or whether loss of these neurons may correlate with core bvFTD symptoms. Future studies should seek to fill these gaps, build a detailed spatiotemporal model of VEN degeneration in the context of overall bvFTD anatomical progression, and quantify relationships between neuronal vulnerability and specific subcellular pathogenic events, such as disease protein misfolding, mislocalization, hyperphosphorylation, and aggregation (Fig. 4). Furthermore, molecular-genetic and physiological studies may provide insights into which distinctive VEN biological feature confers accentuated vulnerability in bvFTD.
Complex language-related functions lost in PNFA and semantic dementia have now been carefully disentangled using elegant language assessment tools, developed through decades of aphasia research on patients with vascular or other focal brain lesions. For example, consistent with a finding from the stroke literature (Dronkers 1996), patients with PNFA and apraxia of speech show focal dorsal anterior-to-middle insula/frontal opercular dysfunction (Nestor et al. 2003). Semantic dementia has provided the major disease model linking the temporal poles to domain-general semantic knowledge (Hodges et al. 2000) and has helped to reveal distinct temporal lobe subregion contributions to category-specific semantic processing (Brambati et al. 2006). Historically, the “social brain” assessment toolbox has remained much less well-developed, leaving researchers with limited means to define the functions lost in bvFTD. Exciting recent studies, however, have begun to implement controlled laboratory-based experiments and validated social neuroscientific instruments to outline the early bvFTD social–emotional deficit profile.
Considering the anatomical focality of early bvFTD, we should expect that early bvFTD functional deficits might exhibit commensurate selectivity within the broad social–emotional function spectrum. Recent work by Levenson and coworkers underscores this principle and has begun to create a list of candidate functions for which the frontoinsula and its unique cellular constituents might prove critical. Most interestingly, bvFTD does not take away all autonomic and emotional functions. For example, peripheral autonomic responses to asocial stressors, such as handgrip and startle, persist in early bvFTD (Sturm et al. 2006, 2008), perhaps because these responses rely on brainstem central pattern generators (Saper 2002). Even basic autonomic and facial affective responses to emotional film stimuli endure in controlled laboratory settings despite symptoms that might seem to suggest otherwise (Werner et al. 2007). Breakdowns in emotional processing become overt, however, when the stimulus-context milieu requires self-referential social processing. So not startle itself, but the embarrassment that results from the startle response, is abolished in bvFTD (Sturm et al. 2006). Not singing karaoke, but watching one’s self singing karaoke on videotape (before an audience) reveals patients’ blunted autonomic and behavioral responses (Sturm et al. 2008). Perhaps for analogous reasons, selected patients with bvFTD have been shown to keep eating, compulsively, despite reporting satiety (Woolley et al. 2007). In this experiment, the sandwich volume patients consumed (given unrestricted access) correlated inversely with right frontoinsular and striatal volume (Fig. 5). This finding may suggest that it is not the interoceptive satiety signals themselves [which may rely on posterior insular cortex (Wang et al. 2008)] but the emotional–behavioral impact (salience) of those signals that is disrupted by right frontoinsular damage. In this way, overeating patients with bvFTD may lack the unpleasantness of feeling overly full, which no longer prevents them from picking up the next sandwich. Whether this “evaluative interoception” deficit begins as domain-specific (social salience only, for example) or more domain-general (social, olfactory–gustatory, viscero-autonomic, and nociceptive salience) remains uncertain, but careful lesion–deficit correlations in bvFTD may help to clarify how the anterior insula organizes its role in monitoring all aspects of the internal milieu.
In related social neuroscience experiments from other groups, patients with bvFTD have shown profound deficits in empathy (Lough et al. 2006; Rankin et al. 2006) and interpersonal warmth (Sollberger et al. 2009), both specifically linked to right frontoinsular and temporopolar degeneration. Related capacities, including theory of mind (Eslinger et al. 2005) and social conceptual knowledge (Zahn et al. 2009) have further shown deficits in bvFTD. Mendez and colleagues have shown that bvFTD undermines emotional aspects of morality despite sparing cognitive moral reasoning (Mendez et al. 2005; Mendez and Shapira 2009), suggesting that a core unifying deficit in bvFTD may be capacity to feel or care about the social impact of one’s own behavior. Considering the unique phylogeny of the VENs (Allman et al. 2010), it is worth noting that some authors view the functions lost in bvFTD as the unique province of large-brained, highly social mammals (Dunbar and Shultz 2007; Gallup 1982). In light of this view, it seems reasonable to question whether and how VENs enhance the human Salience Network in a way that facilitates or augments social–emotional functioning in our highly social species (Seeley 2008).
This review has focused on bvFTD deficits with potential links to the anterior insula. This emphasis has not been intended to suggest, however, that the anterior insula provides the modular neural instantiation of all complex social–emotional functions disrupted in bvFTD. As emphasized in previous sections, bvFTD targets a distributed large-scale Salience Network before spreading into related dorsolateral prefrontal executive-control or temporopolar emotional–semantic networks. Within the Salience Network, dynamic interactions between the frontoinsula and medial cingulofrontal, frontopolar, orbitofrontal, striatal, and other subcortical sites no doubt prove critical for the functions lost in bvFTD, and damage to any of these extra-insular regions (whatever the cause) may give rise to a subset of the same behaviors associated with frontoinsular damage. For example, right frontoinsular injury may produce disadvantageous social behaviors by degrading interoceptive guidance cues, but similar disinhibited behaviors may result from lesions to medial or lateral orbitofrontal regions (or to their striatal projection targets) if these lesions disrupt critical reward or response suppression mechanisms (Kringelbach and Rolls 2004; Rosen et al. 2005). Furthermore, faulty network–network interactions could explain important facets of the bvFTD profile, especially since one function of the right frontoinsula may be to initiate organized switching between large-scale distributed networks (Sridharan et al. 2008).
The search for FTD treatments, and even the treatments themselves, could bring new insights into the anterior insula’s role in human social–emotional processing. Until a disease-arresting therapy is identified, increasingly sophisticated human neuroimaging and postmortem studies could begin to forge links between specific networks, regions, layers, and cell types, on the one hand, and well-defined clinical deficits on the other. But the pace of discovery in basic FTD research is hastening, and one can now begin to imagine a more uplifting set of experiments. Some day, we will learn spectacular new lessons about human speech, language, and social–emotional functions by documenting our patients’ treatment-related recoveries.
I thank my patients, their families, and my colleagues for their contributions to this work. Research reviewed here was supported by NIA grant numbers AG027086, AG19724, AG033017, and AG1657303; the James S. McDonnell Foundation; John Douglas French Foundation; and the Larry L. Hillblom Foundation. | https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00429-010-0263-z |
Black Organizations You Can Donate To:
Black Lives Matter Vancouver– Black Lives Matter has chapters across the globe, with one right here in Vancouver. It works to “draw attention to our largely invisibilized communities, celebrate people of colour and work in solidarity with other Black Lives Matter chapters across North America.”
Black Youth Helpline– The hotline focuses on community development and support for local black youth.
Federation of Black Canadians – The national non-profit works to advance political, cultural and economic interests of Black Canadians. It focuses on community building, higher education, health, economic security and criminal justice reform.
Harriet Tubman Community Organization – This organization provides Black youth with a sense of belonging and connection to their heritage. It offers culturally relevant programs in the form of summer camps, counselling, leadership programs, social events and more.
604 Now is dedicated to metro Vancouver, the southwest corner of British Columbia, and the province’s most urban division. Daily, we engage a diverse community and excite our readers to explore the best of their city within the metropolis. | |
A new Raphael painting discovery? Lost masterpiece ‘found’ in Aberdeenshire dining room
A painting believed to be a lost masterpiece by Italian renaissance artist Raphael has been discovered at a stately home in Aberdeenshire.
Art experts from the BBC4’s Britain’s Lost Masterpieces show discovered what is thought to be a painting by renowned Italian painter Raphael from Haddo House.
Nicknamed “the Haddo Madonna”, it was acquired in the 19th century by George Hamilton-Gordon, the 4th Earl of Aberdeen and Prime Minister between 1852 and 1855.
As part of the programme, the artwork was removed and professionally cleaned and conserved by Edinburgh-based conservator Owen Davison, enabling it to undergo detailed investigation.
Also discovered was A Pastoral River Landscape with Fishermen by French artist Claude Lorrain.
Jennifer Melville, head of collections, archives and libraries at the National Trust for Scotland said: “The National Trust for Scotland holds so many treasures all over the country. We always knew that the collection at Haddo was very special, and the discovery of these wonderful pieces confirms its importance in the Scottish art world.
“It is rare for visitors to see works of this quality outwith a gallery, so it is a real treat to come to Haddo House and enjoy them in this wonderful setting. | http://www.webtopnews.com/new-raphael-painting-discovery-lost-masterpiece-found-aberdeenshire-dining-room-2591-2016/ |
MA8491 NM Syllabus
Anna University Regulation 2017 EEE MA8491 NM Syllabus for all 5 units are provided below. Download link for EEE 4th SEM MA8491 NUMERICAL METHODS Engineering Syllabus is listed down for students to make perfect utilization and score maximum marks with our study materials.
Anna University Regulation 2017 Electrical and Electronics Engineering(EEE) 4th SEM MA8491 NM-NUMERICAL METHODS Engineering Syllabus
MA8491 NUMERICAL METHODS
OBJECTIVES :
To introduce the basic concepts of solving algebraic and transcendental equations. To introduce the numerical techniques of interpolation in various intervals in real ife
situations. To acquaint the student with understanding of numerical techniques of diferentiation and
integration which plays an important role in enginering and technology disciplines. To acquaint the knowledge of various techniques and methods of solving ordinary diferential
equations. To understand the knowledge of various techniques and methods of solving various types of
partial diferential equations.
UNIT I SOLUTION OF EQUATIONS AND EIGENVALUE PROBLEMS
Solution of algebraic and transcendental equations – Fixed point iteration method – Newton Raphson method – Solution of linear system of equations – Gaus elimination method – Pivoting – Gaus Jordan method – Iterative methods of Gaus Jacobi and Gaus Seidel – Eigenvalues of a matrix by Power method and Jacobi’s method for symmetric matrices.
UNIT II INTERPOLATION AND APPROXIMATION
Interpolation with unequal intervals – Lagrange’s interpolation – Newton’s divided diference interpolation – Cubic Splines – Diference operators and relations – Interpolation with equal intervals – Newton’s forward and backward diference formulae.
UNIT III NUMERICAL DIFFERENTIATION AND INTEGRATION
Aproximation of derivatives using interpolation polynomials – Numerical integration using Trapezoidal, Simpson’s 1/3 rule – Romberg’s Method – Two point and thre point Gausian quadrature formulae – Evaluation of double integrals by Trapezoidal and Simpson’s 1/3 rules.
UNIT IV INITIAL VALUE PROBLEMS FOR ORDINARY DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
Single step methods – Taylor’s series method – Euler’s method – Modifed Euler’s method – Fourth order Runge – Kuta method for solving first order equations – Multi step methods – Milne’s and Adams – Bash forth predictor corector methods for solving first order equations.
UNIT V BOUNDARY VALUE PROBLEMS IN ORDINARY AND PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
Finite diference methods for solving second order two – point linear boundary value problems – Finite diference techniques for the solution of two dimensional Laplace’s and Poison’s equations on rectangular domain – One dimensional heat flow equation by explicit and implicit (Crank Nicholson) methods – One dimensional wave equation by explicit method.
To Download Syllabus – Click here
If you require any other notes/study materials, you can comment in the below section. | https://studentsfocus.com/ma8491-nm-syllabus-numerical-methods-syllabus-eee-4th-sem/ |
The Circle of Eternal Life - Georgian Martial Tradition
Ever wondered what does a VINE symbolize on the backs of The Lelos’ wine-red jerseys?
In the homeland of GRAPE and WINE, Georgia, warriors since ancient times had a beautiful martial tradition, which represents the unbreakable soul and the spirituality of Georgian culture.
Historically Georgians often had to, protect the country, traditions, faith and ways in uneven and heroic wars. Since the ancient times, Georgians, when heading to another self-sacrificing defensive war, would carry in their back-sacks a grapevine. They knew that if they fell in a battle unburied by their brothers, then their bodies would reintegrate with motherland, and the mother soil, fertilized by them, would give birth to a beautiful vineyard, thanks to the grapevines carried into the battle on their backs.
The warriors believed, that on the horrific and orphan battlefield, the enemies, who survived their wrath, not due to their superior courage, but due to their sheer quantity, could never guess that behind their backs they were leaving not a valley of death, but a beautiful vineyard, which would give a sign in three years to the widows and orphans, whispering to them in warriors voices “we are still here, we have not gone anywhere, we are coming back to you.” And that in one more year the vineyard would give a full harvest to the widows and orphans. | https://rugby.ge/en/the-circle-of-eternal-life-georgian-warrior-tradition/ |
The opening chapter of Phytochemicals: Plant Sources and Potential Health Benefits discusses macronutrients and micronutrients from plants along with their benefits to human health.
An overview of the mechanisms of action underlying the potential roles of dietary soybean isoflavones including daidzein, genistein, and equol that may have benefits in dyslipidemia, ischemic heart disease, blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, and osteoporosis is discussed in the nextchapter.
In one study, the authors seek to scientifically validate the hypoglycaemic effects of crude aqueous extracts from Vitex payos fruits on both normal and alloxan-induced diabetic rats.
Additionally, the authors discuss the literature results obtained in the identification and quantification of rosmarinic acid and its derivatives in Lamiaceae family plants, as well as explore recent advances in the nanoencapsulation of rosmarinic acid.
This compilation goes on to report several aspects of the chemical composition and biological activity of species of Smilax found in Brazil.
Smilax fluminensis is a dioecious liana with a great capacity for shoot formation in soil and primary branch formation in subsoil. As such, phytochemical studies on this plant are reviewed.
Phytochemical aspects and biological activities of the species S. brasiliensis are also examined.
To continue the discussion, the authors investigate the allelopathic, cytotoxic, genotoxic and larvicidal potential of methanol and petroleum ether extracts from S. brasiliensis leaves, as well as the effects of their fatty acids and methyl esters.
Furthermore, the authors synthesize phytochemical aspects and biological activity of Tecoma stans (L.) species.
In the penultimate chapter, the authors discuss P. venusta, and the way in which compounds obtained from this plant can be used as functional foods, drugs or precursors for the semi-synthesis of drugs. | https://novapublishers.com/shop/phytochemicals-plant-sources-and-potential-health-benefits/ |
Best Master's Degrees in Georgia 2019
Applied arts are essential to making pleasing designs in all areas of life. Without them, the world would be incredibly boring. A Master in Applied Arts gives you a deeper understanding of the use of art in these practical fields.
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located on the coast of the Black Sea, it is bounded to the north and northeast by Russia, to the south by Turkey and Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan.
Master Programs in Georgia
Results Filter
Master in Water Supply, Water Discharge and Rational Use and Protection of Water Resources
Georgian Technical University
The Master’s Program in Water Supply, Water Discharge and Rational Use and Protection of Water Resources provides its graduates with the market-demanded knowledge and skills to independently and freely start development of construction of water supply and sewerage systems and properly manage the construction process in a sustainable and safe manner.
Master in Water Engineering
Georgian Technical University
This Master’s objective is to prepare the water resources engineer which will be modern requirement appropriate, competitive, performance-oriented, focused on the practical and operational activities. Which, will provide design and implementation of operational activities given into construction norms and rules, will be motivated to be a professional point of view, a worthy contribution to the social - economic development. Will be able to design, construction and exploitation of water resources management systems using modern computer programs and consideration of risk–factors in the regulatory processes. Will be able to natural water classification, monitoring of water quality and assessment they use the modern standards.
Master in Viticulture and Enology
Georgian Technical University
After graduation of this program, with the acquired knowledge and awarded qualification, person will be able to work in private sector, governmental and nongovernmental organizations such as wine companies, grape growing companies, sparkling wine and distilled beverages enterprises, laboratories, tasting commissions, associations working in the field of viticulture and enology, Ministry of Agriculture and its affiliated agencies.
Master in Management and Policy of Technology
Georgian Technical University
The Master’s Programme in Management and Policy of Technology will provide its graduates with the knowledge and skills to analyze complex sociotechnical problems, to structure and model their solutions, and to carry out the design and implementation of complex projects, programs and policies in the technological area.
Master in Design
Georgian Technical University
This program is intended to enhance the knowledge and skills of design professionals, and those of other disciplines, to enter or continue within diverse careers in the design disciplines, and other allied professional disciplines. The program extends the students' critical understanding of the historical and contemporary social, cultural, economic and political contexts of design, while providing advanced, state-of-the-art specialized training and experience —in design practice, processes and methods —necessary to undertake complex, multi-faceted design projects, and produce professional design outcomes and results to an international standard.
English Master's of Agronomy (EMPA)
Georgian Technical University
The English Master’s Program of Agronomy ("EMPA"), established in Fall 2017, provides a unique opportunity to prospective candidates aspiring to become future global leaders in the field of agronomy. All EMPA courses and lectures are offered in English to prepare students to face real-life challenges of the global economy. Our expert team of English-speaking professors and lecturers are trained to equip each student with the English skills necessary to compete in both the academic and professional fields. We are confident that EMPA is the leading international program in the field of agronomy.
Aircraft Maintenance Programme (B1.1)
Georgian Aviation University
Launched in October 2017, Georgian Aviation University initiates new vocational study programs in “Flight Exploitation of Aircraft (Commercial pilot of a helicopter)“; “Aircraft Maintenance (B1.1)” and “Aircraft Maintenance (B.2).
Master of Applied Genetics
Ilia State University
The Master of Applied Genetics at the faculty of Natural Sciences and Medicine will train students to an international standard, incorporating current biomolecular technology. Quite simply, use of biotechnology, in particular, molecular genetics applications, is now ubiquitous in commerce and research.
MA in Economics
International School Of Economics
ISET's MA program in Economics was launched in fall 2006 as a graduate program at Tbilisi State University. The program takes students through a challenging, two-year curriculum, comparable in content and quality to the first two years of study in reputable Ph.D. programs in North America and Western Europe. All courses are taught in English by highly-qualified international faculty. | https://www.masterstudies.co.uk/Masters-Degree/Georgia/amp/ |
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Neuroscience
A resource-rational theory of set size effects in human visual working memory
Ronald van den Berg, Wei Ji Ma
Set size effects in visual working memory are explained as a resource-rational trade-off between an error-based behavioral cost and a neural encoding cost.
Ecology
Parental effects alter the adaptive value of an adult behavioural trait
Rebecca M Kilner et al.
The adaptive value of social behaviour exhibited in adult life varies with conditions experienced in early life, and poorer conditions may promote conflict over cooperation.
Neuroscience
Value-based attentional capture affects multi-alternative decision making
Sebastian Gluth et al.
Speeded value-based decisions between two options can be affected by a third, high-value distractor that captures attention and slows down the choice process.
Ecology
Evolutionary Biology
Intergenerational effects of early adversity on survival in wild baboons
Matthew N Zipple et al.
In wild baboons, a female's adverse early experiences can influence her offspring's survival years after the original adversity was experienced.
Evolutionary Biology
Fitness effects of altering gene expression noise in
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Fabien Duveau et al.
The impact of changing gene expression noise on fitness reveals beneficial or deleterious effects in a stable environment depending how close the average expression level is to the fitness optimum.
Epidemiology and Global Health
Multivariable two-sample Mendelian randomization estimates of the effects of intelligence and education on health
Neil Martin Davies et al.
Many of the effects of intelligence on health and social outcomes later in life are mediated via education.
Chromosomes and Gene Expression
Computational and Systems Biology
Gene regulation gravitates toward either addition or multiplication when combining the effects of two signals
Eric M Sanford et al.
When two signals increase transcription of the same gene, their combined effect tends to reflect either the sum of the individual increases or the product of the individual fold-changes.
Ecology
Biodiversity mediates the effects of stressors but not nutrients on litter decomposition
Léa Beaumelle et al.
The consequences of real-world biodiversity change for ecosystem functioning depend on the type of global change driver and can be particularly significant when human activities decrease biodiversity.
Meta-Research: Questionable research practices may have little effect on replicability
Rolf Ulrich, Jeff Miller
Although questionable research practices inflate false positive rates, they have little effect on replicability because they also increase power.
Medicine
Microbiology and Infectious Disease
Mucosal effects of tenofovir 1% gel
Florian Hladik et al.
Mucosal application of the anti-retroviral drug tenofovir, which is intended to prevent HIV transmission, has many off-target effects on the mucosa itself.
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Refine your results by: | https://elifesciences.org/search?for=affect |
Abstract The Black Canyon of the Gunnison and Unaweep Canyon in western Colorado have long been viewed as classic examples of post-Laramide Plio-Pleistocene uplift, which in the case of Unaweep, is thought to have forced the Gunnison River to abandon the canyon. Ongoing field studies of the incision histories of these canyons and their surrounding regions, however, suggest that post-Laramide rock uplift has been regional, rather than local in nature. River incision rates calculated using ca. 10 Ma basaltic lava flows as a late Miocene datum suggest that long-term incision rates range from 61 to 142 m/m.y. with rates decreasing eastward towards the central Rocky Mountains. Incision rates calculated using the ca. 640 ka Lava Creek B ash range from 95 to 162 m/m.y., decrease eastward towards the mountains, and are broadly similar in magnitude to the longer-term incision rates. Locally, incision rates are as high as 500–600 m/m.y. along the lower reaches of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, and these anomalously high values reflect transient knickpoint migration upvalley. Knickpoint migration was controlled, in part, by downvalley base-level changes related to stream piracy. For example, abandonment of Unaweep Canyon by the Gunnison River could have led to rapid incision through erodible Mancos Shale as the Gunnison River joined the Colorado River on its course around the northern end of the Uncompahgre Plateau. Geophysical data show that abandonment of Unaweep Canyon was not caused by differential uplift of the crest of Unaweep Canyon relative to the surrounding basins. Instead, the ancestral (Plio-Pleistocene?) Gunnison River flowed through Cactus Park, a major paleovalley that feeds into Unaweep Canyon, and continued downvalley to its juncture with the Dolores River near present-day Gateway, Colorado. The average gradient of the ancestral Gunnison River through the canyon prior to abandonment was ~7.5–7.6 m/km. Lithological and mineralogical considerations suggest that the Colorado River also flowed through and helped to carve Unaweep Canyon, although the Colorado River probably exited Unaweep Canyon prior to abandonment by the Gunnison River. The ancestral Gunnison River remained in its course and incised through bedrock for a long enough period of time to produce terrace remnants in the Cactus Park region that range in elevation from 2000 to 1880 m. Abandonment of the canyon by the Gunnison River was followed by formation of a natural dam that probably led to deposition upvalley of ~50 m of lacustrine sediments in Cactus Park. Recent mapping in the lower reaches of Unaweep Canyon indicate that a landslide could have led to damming of Unaweep Canyon, perhaps while it was occupied by underfit streams. | https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/books/search-results?f_Authors=Rachel+Landman |
The department Sensors – TBU Radar Engineering is, a.o., responsible for the development of radar signal and data processing techniques for radar and EO sensors, including advanced tracking algorithms.
Tracking is an important element of radar processing and can be described as ‘the processing of sensor measurements obtained from objects in order to estimate the states of these objects’. For example, in case of a radar system, the object can be an aircraft with range and bearing as measurements and the position and the velocity as the states.
Particle filtering is a relative new, promising approach to optimally deal with non-linear, non-Gaussian estimation problems as found in radar processing. Other applications of particle filters can be found in, e.g., robotics, sonar and image recognition.
Assignment
Within the department Sensors – TBU Radar Engineering, there is a continuous interest in the development of advanced integrated radar processing based on particle filters. This processing comprises the simultaneous detection, tracking and classification of targets.
Research topics include: target tracking, classification, modeling of received radar measurements, dynamic modeling of objects and their environment, exploitation of external knowledge (e.g. digital charts) to improve the radar output, etc.
The exact topic of the project can be adapted according to the background, the interests of the student and the duration of the project. Students who are interested in an applied research project in the above fields, are encouraged to contact us to further discuss the possibilities.
Departmen
Sensors – TBU Radar Engineering
Supervisor
Martin Podt (and others)
If you want to apply for this assignment, please send us an email with your C.V. and motivation why you select Thales. Or find our assignments online: www.thalesgroup.com/nl
Thales Nederland B.V. | https://www.desda.org/carriere/vacatures/vacature-intership-graduation-assignment/ |
The Frederick National Laboratory is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and operated by Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc. The lab addresses some of the most urgent and intractable problems in the biomedical sciences in cancer and AIDS, drug development and first-in-human clinical trials, applications of nanotechnology in medicine, and rapid response to emerging threats of infectious diseases.
Our core values of accountability, compassion, collaboration, dedication, integrity, and versatility serve as a guidepost for how we do our work every day in serving the public's interest.
Position Overview:
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
The Human Resources Directorate, located in Frederick, MD, provides support to 2000+employees in the areas of recruitment and staffing, employee relations and counseling, learning and development, wage and salary administration, Affirmative Action and employee benefits. The Talent Acquisition staff partners with managers and their teams to attract and hire a highly qualified and diverse workforce in a timely and cost-efficient manner. This includes policy guidance, sourcing strategy development and administration of all steps in the hiring process. Our core services and competencies include recruitment and staffing (including internal transfer and employee referral program), relocation assistance, immigration and visa administration, guest researchers, temporary agency staffing and vendor management.
Do you desire to support and help create a strong, innovative learning culture and develop others in order to improve human health through discovery and innovation in the biomedical sciences, focusing on cancer, AIDS and emerging infectious diseases?
Do you value accountability, compassion, collaboration, dedication, integrity, and versatility as a guidepost for how you do your work every day in serving the public's interest?
The Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research Learning & Organizational Development Team is seeking an experienced, innovative and self-motivated Instructional Designer who is passionate about helping to develop others and support our HR/L&D strategy and growing learning and development offer. Someone proficient in major authoring tools in developing interactive e-learning and video, adaptive e-learning, simulations and learning materials.
As an Instructional Designer, you will work across the entire organization and will be a key L&D leader who must foster trust and build relationships effectively to embody the shared mission, vision and values of The Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research and Human Resources Directorate priorities.
KEY ROLES/RESPONSIBILITIES
- Design and develop effective and highly interactive eLearning and other learning solutions for adult learners in multiple modalities to enhance retention and transfer of learner knowledge and skills
- Collaborate and provide consultation and recommendations to stakeholders and subject matter experts on innovative learning solutions, as well as effective and relevant curriculum development and delivery to meet target audience's learning needs and any regulatory requirements
- Develop learning design documents, storyboards, scripts, e-learning prototypes, learner guides and facilitator resources
- Assist managing user accounts and provide account management support; create, deploy and manage on-line courses and assets, help train stakeholders and administrators, configure and deploy custom environments and user dashboards on Learning Management System (LMS)
- Stay abreast of developments in the field of eLearning and serve as an internal contributor, coach and instructor on best practices, add-on solutions and emerging innovations industry knowledge.
- Support and provide back up to New Employee Orientation program and facilitation
- Help prepare and present webinars and workshops on LMS tool and other instructional design-related pedagogy and technology topics as well as HR L&D topics as needed
- Position has potential for 50% remote working
- Potential candidates must be prepared to demonstrate and show portfolio of work if selected for an interview
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- Possession of Bachelor's degree from an accredited college/university according to the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) in graphic design, instructional design or four (4) years relevant experience in lieu of degree. Foreign degrees must be evaluated for U.S. equivalency
- In addition to the education requirement, a minimum of five (5) years of demonstrated on-the-job experience in instructional design, e-learning, and learning & development program curriculum design and facilitation
- Proficiency developing interactive courseware using Articulate 360 or Captivate and other authoring tools to develop interactive and engaging multimedia learning including gaming, graphics, animation, audio, video and other multimedia elements
- Experience defining and developing SCORM- and 508-compliant products
- Experience with Learning Management System administration
- On-the-job experience in instructional design using ADDIE in applying adult learning principles for designing complex specific learning solutions in a blended learning approach and content creation
- Experience leading learning initiatives independently and from cradle-to-grave by developing and utilizing a strong project management framework that have resulted in high-quality customer deliverables
- Working knowledge and proficiency of Microsoft Office Suite
- Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance
PREFFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
Candidates with these desired skills will be given preferential consideration: | https://frederick-national-laboratory.careerarc.com/job-listings/frederick-national-laboratory-jobs-instructional-designer-37908416?campaign_id=45625&career_site_id=45625&src=106 |
This position is responsible for aligning business objectives with team members and management. The HR Manager serves as the champion and role model of a positive people first culture and functions as a consultant to management. Interacting with employees, this role addresses and resolves employee matters, communicating themes to corporate HR and business leaders. They seek to develop integrated solutions and formulate partnerships across the HR function while delivering value-added service to leadership and teams.
Key Responsibilities:
o Understand business context, issues, and challenges to provide coaching to leaders.
o Use business knowledge to provide effective solutions that align with business goals.
o Ensures execution of the people strategy.
o Partner with the designated business unit to understand key performance issues, objectives, and drivers and converts those needs into people management solutions.
o Proactively engages with employees to build and reinforce positive culture.
o Champion new initiatives and act as a catalyst for change that drives continuous improvement in business performance.
o Drive organizational and cultural change.
o Coach leaders on leading change, engaging team members and effectively building capabilities.
o Support delivery of the people strategy within the business unit and drive business results through the identification and development of targeted HR/OD interventions to deliver performance.
o Implement proactive and innovative talent management solutions to deliver business results.
o Understand and analyze organizational capabilities to proactively develop and implement organizational design and structure improvements to support delivery of the business strategy.
o Coach, challenge, and support managers in their role on people development and organizational related processes.
o Assesses, builds and delivers training.
o Operational Support: Implementation of initiatives, understand common frameworks, share best practices, maintain flexibility to meet assigned business unit’s needs.
o Support the roll out of HR solutions to the business unit, acting as a champion, engaging stakeholders, challenging and coaching leaders to gain buy-in.
o Develop tools in collaboration with Communities of Excellence and Shared Service to maximize opportunities for economies of scale, company-wide consistency, and shared learning.
o Guide and support leaders on performance management, including interim coaching, counseling, career development, and disciplinary guidance.
o Manage and partner with direct leader and Legal to resolve complex employee relations issues by conducting effective, thorough, and objective investigations.
o Advise and coach Leaders of others on compensation program, including annual merit and compensation processes.
o Leads the hourly recruiting function for assigned location(s).
o Oversees payroll reconciliation, ensuring accuracy of employee pay.
Qualifications: | https://surfsearch.org/surf_jobs/plant-hr-manager-union-experience-preferred-milpitas-ca-b25221de/ |
Madame Speaker, there is a vexing problem facing the Territory with respect to the feral (wild and uncultured) animal population. Through the Department of Agriculture and the Ministry I have received numerous complaints from farmers and homeowners alike of the damage these animals cause. While the Department of Agriculture has always been engaged in efforts to reduce the numbers in the stray animal population, efforts are being ratcheted up to alleviate this problem through the implementation of a Strategic Feral Animal Control Management Plan. This plan provides the framework that involves actions to minimize the negative economic and environmental impacts. It also takes into consideration public health issues that can be caused by wild untamed diseased animals.
The Goals of this plan is four fold:
- To reduce the wild fowl (chicken) population in priority areas, using efficient and applicable methods of control, to limit the spread of infectious diseases and to reduce any negative impacts that they pose to the Territory;
- To reduce and eliminate the presence of roaming cattle;
- To eliminate the number of stray dogs, firstly with-in the priority area and then throughout the Territory; and
- To eliminate the wild cat population with-in the priority areas and then throughout the general Territory.
The estimated numbers of feral populations with-in the Territory are as follows:
- Dogs: 1500
- Cattle: 500 (owned but roaming)
- Fowls (Chickens): 5000 (approximately)
- Cats: 2000
Madame Speaker, there are a variety of methods, mechanical and chemical, that are available and that are currently being explored by the Department of Agriculture, as something needs to be done. Regarding chickens, they are looking at a custom made device in which the chickens are trapped. This consists of a trap made out of wire mesh with a swinging door, which closes down after the chickens enter. There is also the tried and true method that is more familiar to us which is to wait until the chickens are roosting for the night and then snatch them. Their diminished eye sight at night makes this a viable option. As it concerns the feral dog and cat populations, the Department continues to set baited traps in priority areas. These animals are properly disposed of when caught. As it relates to the cattle population, the Department continues to use casting techniques and corralling.
Madame Speaker, these strategies outlined above are complimented by surgical castration and spaying of dogs and cats targeting both owned and stray animals. These are already being done by Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in partnership with the Department of Agriculture and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour. Just in the past few weeks we have captured twenty five (25) cats and eight (8) dogs in the areas of Beef Island, Greenland and Road Town; chickens have been removed from these areas at a rate of thirty (30) per day. Supplemental efforts are being made by community partners such as PAW BVI (Protecting Animal Welfare), which operates spaying and neutering programmes.
Madame Speaker, realising the long term and open ended nature of the problems created by the feral populations, this plan seeks the most pragmatic approach which is physical trapping as a means of reducing populations to manageable levels within a reasonable time-frame. We believe that if these efforts are consistently maintained, incremental decreases will result over time. I am calling on the citizenry of this Territory to assist in this effort. While it is difficult and in most cases, if at all, to identify the owners of the smaller animals such as the dogs, cats, and chickens, we know in almost every cases who the owners of the cattle. Therefore, I am asking that these owners act responsibly and contain their animals as they are creating unnecessary problems for their neighbours and for the Territory as a whole. If the issue is fencing material, please visit the Department of Agriculture and discuss your particular situation with the Chief Agricultural Officer. This is currently a very serious problem but with a little effort from all concerned we can and will reduce the feral population.
I thank you Madame Speaker. | http://gov.vg/media-centre/strategic-feral-animal-control-management-plan |
Format of the Report:
You should at least have the following details:
a. Assignment Cover page clearly stating your name and student number
b. A table of contents, executive summary
c. A brief introduction or overview of what the report is about.
d. Body of the report with sections to answer the sections required and with
appropriate section headings
e. Conclusion
f. List of references.
Diagrams and tables clearly labelled and explained.
Ensure all materials are correctly referenced.
2
Instructions for Preparation of Assignment:
You are to choose one management accounting topic from the list below for this
assignment, and register your chosen topic with your lecturer in class or via email
before commencing the assignment.
Select one topic only:
? Activity-based costing (ABC)
? Budgeting
? Standard Costing
Select two research-based journal articles relating to your selected topic in (1).
The journal articles need to study a real-life organisation (in any country), and its
use of the management accounting tool related to your topic.
You are encouraged to choose the two journal articles from the following
Accounting and Management Accounting Journals:
? Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal
? Journal of Management Accounting Research
? Journal of Applied Management Accounting Research
You can access these journals in Proquest Database by clicking on the above
Links. Log in details for Proquest are – username: Holmes2004; password:
holmes. These journals can also be accessed via the Proquest Database link
available via the Student Login page in the Holmes website.
Assignment Requirements:
You are required to prepare a report about your findings from the literature research,
and discuss how it has helped your understanding of your chosen topic. The report
should cover the following:
a. An explanation of the selected management accounting topic.
b. An explanation of the purpose of the two studies and what research
question(s) they set out to explore about the topic.
c. A discussion about the similarities and differences in the findings of the two
studies.
d. Provide four (4) specific outcomes or lessons learned from the two studies’
research findings that will be useful for management accountants in Australian
companies to learn from, and justify your answer [i.e. provide 2 outcomes from
each study]. | https://acedessays.com/activity-based-costing-abc-managerial-accounting/ |
THE PATIENT IS REFERRED to my dental practice, which is next door to the medical center. He is fourth on the heart transplant list and has facial swelling with a large abscess around a tooth that has been in a diseased state for years. In his immunocompromised state, an infection could lead to a potentially fatal situation. Another patient, two months post-liver transplant, significantly immunosuppressed, is referred to me with a severe oral infection. Other patients are sent to me with varying conditions involving the oral cavity, including teeth, gums and bone surrounding the teeth, which could lead to a systemic bacteremia that could have negative consequences for the patient. The most common complaint from patients undergoing chemotherapy who are immunocompromised is that they have difficulty eating because they suffer from mucositis, which is an inflamed, red, raw, sore mucous membrane lining in the mouth and throat.
Chemotherapy attempts to kill the fast-growing cancer cells, but in addition to the desired therapeutic goal, it also affects other fast-growing cells such as hair, bone marrow and the tissue lining the mouth. The oral mucosa exists in a traumatic environment, with different temperatures, acidity, trauma of chewing, etc., and it turns over and is replaced every 10 to 14 days. When this replacement process is disturbed with chemotherapy, patients are extremely sensitive to acid, spicy, hot and gritty foods, and are often unable to eat. Nutrition is critical to these patients, and there are protocols to control this sensitivity that begin with frequent warm saline rinses and advance to topical anesthetics, coating with various solutions, to narcotics to facilitate eating. Then there are the infections mentioned above that may lead to very serious consequences, including organ rejection or death. But could this be controlled or even prevented proactively?
The oral cavity has between 400 to 500 potentially pathogenic bacteria in its normal flora. These are tolerated well in normal patients with normal quality and quantity saliva. (Saliva is an entire subject for another post, though). The anatomy of the oral cavity has teeth, the gums and bone. The tooth roots go deep into the bone for anchorage and contact the systemic blood vessels. Inflammation in the mouth must be controlled so that the bacteria don’t enter the bloodstream. This can be prevented through excellent oral hygiene — there is a collar a few cells in depth that seals the crown of the tooth so bacteria remain in the mouth, but if this breaks down, there is constant bacteremia throughout the body. When you have a dental exam, the hygienist probes around all the teeth to measure the depth of the small crevice, called a sulcus, around all teeth. If this is less than 4 mm deep, careful oral hygiene is able to control the inflammation. Greater than 4 mm is unmanageable, even in healthy patients. If patients brush or floss and notice even a slight amount of bleeding from the tissue surrounding the teeth, there is systemic bacteremia.
This is called the oral-systemic connection, and can contribute to a variety of conditions such as pre-term birth babies, low birth weight babies, Alzheimer’s disease, renal disease, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and aspiration pneumonia.
Oral hygiene is important for many reasons, but in transplant and all immunocompromised patients with cancer, it is critical. In most patients, there is a gray area in which a dentist may “watch” an area of minimal or potential pathology and attempt long term maintenance therapy that may succeed. But in an immunocompromised patient, there is no “watch” area, it is either meticulously clean and maintained, or not. Before chemotherapy, radiation or antiresorptive therapy is initiated, all pathology must be definitely eliminated, and an environment created that the patient is able to maintain — this depends on motivation; diet; dexterity and ability; caregivers and education; and close supervision by a dentist or hygienist who is familiar with these conditions. Once treatment starts, as with the two patients presented at the beginning of this post, there can be problems. Infections may progress unchecked and if extraction or surgery is required, patients often cannot tolerate the stress and are unable to heal properly. Hospitalization and the resultant “Who is going to pay?” situation can then arise.
In summary, it is absolutely essential that the oral cavity and its health are meticulously evaluated and treated prior to initiation of treatment for cancer. Physicians, nurses, dentists, oral hygienists and dieticians must create a team to prevent potentially devastating conditions. All problems cannot be prevented (but many can) and patient discomfort can be managed. The good news with chemotherapy is that, most of the time, it is a transient situation.
Charles W. Wakefield, DDS, MAGD, ABGD, FICD, FACD, attended the UCLA School of Dentistry and served in the U.S. Army Dental Corps. He has served as a consultant to the American Dental Association. Currently, he is in private practice with his son, Brian Wakefield, DDS, FAGD, in Lewisville, Texas.
Wakefield is also a multiple myeloma patient who had a transplant in 2004. He was told to minimize brushing and flossing when his platelets fell to 18,000. Using a technique with minimal trauma, Wakefield says he brushed, flossed and rinsed with 0.12 percent chlorhexidine twice daily to maintain oral hygiene without bleeding. | https://www.curetoday.com/printer?url=/share-your-story/maintaining-oral-health-and-cancer |
Krentz’s primer is a brief tome, hardly a book, more of an extended article, but it’s a really good overview of the questions surrounding historical criticism of biblical texts. The author is devout, thoughful, evenhanded, and perhaps most importantly, is knowledgeable and fluent in German scholarship (which is always a help to me as quite a bit of the best biblical studies texts are in German and not always available in translation – and I only have time right now for Greek).
Krentz makes me think that I should try to write down my mindset, my approach, to analyzing Christian documents. There is so much classification and posturing in the scholarly literature, with everyone bandying about terms that often have very subtle differences between them – historical criticism, form criticism, redaction criticism, literary criticism, textual criticism, the kitchen sink and other sundry appliances.
So I thought I might try to define my approach to the texts in more plain language, without any –isms in the way. Of course, I’ll have to shoehorn my thought into that morass of –isms eventually, but for now, I will enjoy an illusionary freedom.
I think there are three questions that matter more than any others when critically examining a religious text.
First one: does it matter if the text contains truth?
If it does matter, then all critics, secular or not, are practicing some form of theology, for it is impossible to separate personal belief from any pretense at historical objectivity.
The more I read, though, I feel that is a rather smug assertion. It’s very easy to take such a hands-off approach and duck the belief question. I’ve come to think lately that scholars and researchers should be much more open about what they believe. It’s not only honest, but a strong ethos-leading argument to boot. You can see this approach in the popular critical books by say Pagels and Erdman – they always with a discussion of the author’s faith (usually lost or redefined) before they go to work.
In other words, yes, it does matter if the text contains truth. That truth, however, varies from reader to reader, as we must construct our own truths, based on who we are, where we’re from, and what analytical tools that we can bring to bear.
Second question – do you have to be a Christian, or even a Christian with authority – priest, minister, bishop, etc, to understand scripture?
The answer there would have to be a resounding no. I would go even farther and I say that I wouldn’t restrict the understanding of any text by any person. Go to a library and pick any text from the shelf; if you can read it, summarize it, and understand it, then I say you’re an authority.
Frankly, if the text of the Bible is so powerful, God-transcribed, inerrant and bulletproof, it should be able to withstand the feeble attentions of a long-haired, scruffy PhD student. That’s the great trick of inerrancy – it sweeps aside any criticism of any kind. Rule 1. The Bible is inerrant. Rule 2: If the Bible ever seems written by humans that can’t get their citations and history together half the time, or by a God that exhibits multiple personality disorder, see Rule 1.
I used to worry about this kind of thing. I assumed that in order to have any gravitas or ethos as a scholar in this sort of area, you had to be Christian – or at least a lapsed one. I also assumed an agnostic would be summarily disqualified. A friend, upon hearing this worry, gave me an odd look and said (heavily paraphrased) “Why?†I figured it out after that.
This leads to the third question, and the most important – by espousing historical or historiographical criticism of the Bible, am I also espousing an agnostic/scientific humanist/secular worldview?
Well, there’s no way around it. I am.
This can be softened somewhat by saying that I am not looking to change anyone’s beliefs in the slightest. As I have said before, agnostics have no missionary branch.
However, such a claim doesn’t wholly separate me from responsibility. By exposing others to such ideas, I am necessarily challenging their worldview, however politely as I may try to do so. The conflict is inevitable and unavoidable.
Students that walk out of a Bible as Literature or Rhetoric of the New Testament class, claiming the professor is teaching that the Bible is not true, have a darn good point. They’re simplifying things, to be sure, but they’re justified in complaining a bit. Their belief system, religious and secular, has been questioned, has been challenged – a state that I’ve found most undergraduates (and many graduate students!) do not like to be in.
There are classes and camps, I’m told, where would-be college students that are devout are trained to withstand such secular questioning and challenging when they hit the ground at a 4-year residential. They probably pick up some good debating techniques – rhetorical training is no stranger to Christianity. But that quickly leads to a impossible question I’ve mused on here before – how does one use reason to defend faith? It becomes, in the end, the most popular of the fallacious tropes. | http://www.rhetoricalcritic.com/mikes-posts/krentzs-the-historical-critical-method/ |
Emma is a shimmering Hematite and Pyrite necklace hand-strung and finished with a sterling silver clasp. The metallic grey and gold beads in this necklace make it a must-have for eveningwear. It can be worn snug as a choker or as a 16-inch-length necklace..
Summary:
Metal: Sterling Silver (.925)
Gemstones: Hematite and Pyrite
Size: Length 14-16 inches. | https://www.rockroadjewelry.com/necklaces/emma |
RR140518/04.
We are looking for senior Verification Engineers to join our team in Rabat, Morocco.
You will be a hands-on technical contributor and leader on ASIC / SoC and IP development projects.
You will help architect, specify, and lead the implementation of verification projects using high level verification languages.
You will work very closely with ASIC/SoC project leaders to implement complete verification environments and methodologies.
Responsibilities:
- You will have first class management and team leadership skills;
- You will set standards for the technological development in the company and lead the staff towards its fulfillment;
- You will keep up to date with all the advances in the field and ensure the company is well at the forefront of the state of the art technology, methodologies and processes used in the industry;
- You will provide hands-on expertise in IP and/or SoC level functional verification;
- You will coordinate and communicate with cross functional teams to define and create verification plans;
- You will have a proven track record of delivering ground breaking optimised design solutions in a functional verification;
- You might represent the company at conferences and meetings and present technical papers;
- Analyzing customer technical requirements, proposing solutions, and working collaboratively in a multi-site development environment.
Leadership and Engagement:
- You will have a proven capability as a problem solver with an ability to work individually or as part of a team;
- You will be a subject matter expert within a technical discipline with latitude for decision making;
- You will have first class communication skills and be adept at guiding and developing other team members;
- You will have the ability to mentor and develop team members to create innovative new ideas and promote a highly creative environment;
- Listen to customer feedback, recognize opportunities and provide feedback for technical innovation
- Contribute to technical discussions with customers at all stages of sales interaction and take part in the development of technical documentation.
Skills:
- Metric driven verification, verification planning, functional coverage, code coverage, verilog, Unit level and Top-level verification, testbench architecture design;
- An excellent understanding of the following: SystemVerilog, UVM, ABV, constrained random verification VHDL, PSL, SVA, e VMM, OVM;
- Knowledge of Formal Verification: model checking, CDC;
- Knowledge of power aware verification – UPF and or CPF, RTL and gate-level simulation;
- Knowledge of SoC level verification – HW/SW co-verification, multi-mode simulation;
- Knowledge of Verification infrastructure automation – Perl, Python, Java, Tcl, IP-XACT, UCDB;
- Proven capability as a problem solver who can work as part of a team or an independent contributor to a project;
- Capable of evaluating issues, defining solutions and providing advice and guidance to team members.
A Bachelor, Masters or PhD in a relevant subject with 5 years' worth of experience is essential for this role. | https://www.sondrel.com/careers/vacancies/position/senior-engineering-consultant-verification |
... in orbit around the Moon. The main Apollo spacecraft (the Command and Service Module) and the spider-like Lunar Module were major developments, as were the rocket testing, assembly and launch facilities at Cape...
... beaks could crush seeds, while cactus finches with slender beaks became specialised in eating insects and spiders. The key factor that makes this process happen so readily on islands is isolation. Any changes that affect...
.... In 2006, the United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER) was established under the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA). This platform promotes...
... the extraterrestrial topic in 1972 with the release of “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars” (more commonly known as Ziggy Stardust), his fifth studio album. The album loosely tells...
... right that he should be given a place among the stars. The collection also includes the Black Widow Spider. Although normally associated with a small, dark-coloured but deadly arachnid, this particular version is named after...
... project is the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA); a low frequency radio array that looks like thousands of robotic spiders stuck on square mesh tiles (see below). It sits in a radio-quiet environment 800 kilometres north of Perth, Australia... | https://room.eu.com/tag/UN--SPIDER?page=2&per-page=6 |
Use of the product requires acceptance of the General Terms and Conditions.
Aras Innovator – PTC Creo Parametric integration must fulfill the following End User prerequisites: Due to PTC software license conditions, XPLM can only offer this connector as part of a specific customer project and delivered as a service. Prior to the installation, a PTC Creo Application Programming Toolkit License is required (per server or per site). This will be checked at installation.
Aras Innovator – CATIA V5 integration must fulfill the following End User prerequisites: Prior to the installation a PX1 - CATIA - PPR PDM Gateway 1 Product by Dassault Systemes is required (at least one shareable license per site).
Aras Innovator – Siemens NX integration must fulfill the following End User prerequisites: Due to Siemens PLM software license conditions, XPLM can offer this connector as part of a specific customer project and delivered as a service. Prior to the installation, a NX Open License for .NET Author (NX30104) or a NX Open Toolkits Author License (NX30106) by Siemens Industry Software is required. This will be checked at installation. | https://www.xplm.com/terms-and-conditions/xplm-product-services-for-aras-innovator/ |
The hard work of the Scottish Geodiversity Forum has resulted in Scotland’s first national geoheritage festival. Events are happening across Scotland during October, with the support and goodwill of many organizations and individuals, as part of the year-long 2017 Year of Heritage, History and Archaeology
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Heritage is one facet of the wider concept of geodiversity, defined thoroughly but succinctly by Murray Gray in the first edition of his book ‘Geodiverisity: Valuing and Conserving Abiotic Nature’ in 2004. Without the variation in abiotic (non-living) nature, there would be little scope for the rich tapestry of biodiversity and human cultural experience and expression that have developed in concert with the geosphere, atmosphere and hydrosphere.
A wide range of events suitable for all ages, levels of prior knowledge of geology and physical geography, and interests are featured in the programme. Hills of Hame is running some free urban geological walks in Edinburgh. If you’d like to book a place, use the enquiry form on the website. I will also be supporting the launch of the ‘51 Best Places to see Scotland’s Geology’ on 14/10/17 at Our Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh. | https://hillsofhame.com/2017/10/01/scottish-geoheritage-festival-october-2017/ |
Universal Compassion
Practical instructions showing how to transform even the most difficult daily life experiences into opportunities for spiritual growth through developing and enhancing minds of universal love and compassion.
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The heart of Buddha’s teachings is unconditional love and compassion. In this inspiring explanation of the popular Buddhist poem Training the Mind in Seven Points, Geshe Kelsang Gyatso reveals powerful and far-reaching methods for us to develop these altruistic states. Ancient meditative techniques that have been tried and tested for centuries are brought alive and made relevant to our everyday experiences. Also included is a practical explanation of how we can transform our day-to-day problems—even the most demanding and difficult conditions—into opportunities for personal and spiritual development. By pointing the way to an unchanging freedom and happiness, this immensely readable book challenges us to grow, and will have a remarkable impact on our life.
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The Equalizer 2 2018
Robert McCall returns to deliver his special brand of vigilante justice -- but how far will he go when it's someone he loves?
Robert McCall returns to deliver his special brand of vigilante justice -- but how far will he go when it's someone he loves?
Deadpool tells the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humor, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life.
To push the crime rate below one percent for the rest of the year, the New Founding Fathers of America test a sociological theory that vents aggression for one night in one isolated community. But when the violence of oppressors meets the rage of the others, the contagion will explode from the trial-city borders and spread across the nation.
When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure.
Fuelled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman's selfless act, Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince assemble a team of metahumans consisting of Barry Allen, Arthur Curry and Victor Stone to face the catastrophic threat of Steppenwolf and the Parademons who are on the hunt for three Mother Boxes on Earth.
Set in a post-apocalyptic world, young Thomas is deposited in a community of boys after his memory is erased, soon learning they're all trapped in a maze that will require him to join forces with fellow “runners” for a shot at escape.
In the near future, a weary Logan cares for an ailing Professor X in a hideout on the Mexican border. But Logan's attempts to hide from the world and his legacy are upended when a young mutant arrives, pursued by dark forces.
Through a series of daring escapades deep within a dark and dangerous criminal underworld, Han Solo meets his mighty future copilot Chewbacca and encounters the notorious gambler Lando Calrissian.
When Ethan Hunt, the leader of a crack espionage team whose perilous operation has gone awry with no explanation, discovers that a mole has penetrated the CIA, he's surprised to learn that he's the No. 1 suspect. To clear his name, Hunt now must ferret out the real double agent and, in the process, even the score.
Immediately after the events of The Desolation of Smaug, Bilbo and the dwarves try to defend Erebor's mountain of treasure from others who claim it: the men of the ruined Laketown and the elves of Mirkwood. Meanwhile an army of Orcs led by Azog the Defiler is marching on Erebor, fueled by the rise of the dark lord Sauron. Dwarves, elves and men must unite, and the hope for Middle-Earth falls into Bilbo's hands.
Lara Croft, the fiercely independent daughter of a missing adventurer, must push herself beyond her limits when she finds herself on the island where her father disappeared.
Ethan and team take on their most impossible mission yet, eradicating the Syndicate - an International rogue organization as highly skilled as they are, committed to destroying the IMF.
Cobb, a skilled thief who commits corporate espionage by infiltrating the subconscious of his targets is offered a chance to regain his old life as payment for a task considered to be impossible: "inception", the implantation of another person's idea into a target's subconscious.
Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos… but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.
Against his father Odin's will, The Mighty Thor - a powerful but arrogant warrior god - recklessly reignites an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans as punishment. Once here, Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth.
Following the events of Captain America: Civil War, Peter Parker, with the help of his mentor Tony Stark, tries to balance his life as an ordinary high school student in Queens, New York City, with fighting crime as his superhero alter ego Spider-Man as a new threat, the Vulture, emerges.
It has been ten years since The Battle of the Breach and the oceans are still, but restless. Vindicated by the victory at the Breach, the Jaeger program has evolved into the most powerful global defense force in human history. The PPDC now calls upon the best and brightest to rise up and become the next generation of heroes when the Kaiju threat returns.
Ex-hitman John Wick comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters that took everything from him.
Following the events of Age of Ultron, the collective governments of the world pass an act designed to regulate all superhuman activity. This polarizes opinion amongst the Avengers, causing two factions to side with Iron Man or Captain America, which causes an epic battle between former allies.
Princess Leia is captured and held hostage by the evil Imperial forces in their effort to take over the galactic Empire. Venturesome Luke Skywalker and dashing captain Han Solo team together with the loveable robot duo R2-D2 and C-3PO to rescue the beautiful princess and restore peace and justice in the Empire. | http://movieshype.com/genre-movie/28/action/page/2 |
Speech recognition has attracted attention as a user interface which allows anyone to easily input a command by speech. Recently, a speaker-independent speech recognition using a Hidden Markov Model (HMM) has been the mainstream.
Speech recognition in an embedded system, in particular, has a serious problem in terms of processing speed. Speech recognition processing is divided into acoustic analysis for obtaining a speech feature parameter and a process for calculating the likelihood of each recognition target word from the feature parameter by using a decoder. When the number of recognition target words increases or continuous speech recognition is to be performed to recognize a sentence comprising a plurality of words, in particular, a long processing time is required to perform likelihood calculation by using this decoder.
As a widely used method of increasing the recognition processing speed, a technique called beam search is available. In this technique, when likelihood calculation is to be performed time-synchronously, candidates with low likelihoods are excepted at each time of calculation to omit them from subsequent calculation. In general, any candidates that do not reach the value obtained by subtracting a predetermined value from the maximum likelihood within the same time range are excepted.
Other than this method, methods of decreasing the number of candidates have been studied. For example, V. Steinbiss, B. H. Tran, H. Ney, “Improvements in Beam Search”, Proceedings ICSLP, Yokohama, 1994, vol. 4, pp. 2143-2146 has proposed a method of decreasing the number of candidates by setting a imitation on the number of candidates at each time of calculation.
In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-215187 (corresponding to US2002/128836A1) discloses a technique of decreasing the calculation amount, while maintaining high precision, by performing this candidate count limitation only at a word end without performing it for calculation inside the word.
Furthermore, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-312293 discloses, as a method of decreasing the calculation amount by devising an acoustic model, a technique of generating a merged phoneme tree by merging similar phonemes, performing likelihood calculation based on this tee, and when a unique solution cannot be obtained, performing collation again with the original phoneme, thereby decreasing the calculation amount. The same reference also discloses a technique of roughly performing likelihood calculation from the word start of a vocabulary to the Nth phoneme by using a rough acoustic model, and accurately performing likelihood calculation for the remaining phonemes by using a precision acoustic model, thereby decreasing the calculation amount.
FIG. 15 shows an example of a tree formed from recognition target words. Referring to FIG. 15, “SIL−s+a” represents a triphone with SIL (silence), s, and a respectively representing a forward phoneme, a central phoneme, and a backward phoneme.
According to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-312293, calculation near a word start is performed by using a rough model to reduce tree branching, and a solution is determined later by re-collation.
In general, however, tree branching tends to occur many times near a word start. In this case, if a triphone is replaced with a rough model, e.g., a monophone independent of neighboring phonemes, at a position where forward branching often occurs, both SIL−s+u and SIL−s+a become s. As a result, there is no considerable likelihood difference at branches, and the precision of the model deteriorates.
Assume that each reference phoneme pattern of an acoustic model is expressed by a plurality of Gaussian distributions. In this case, if a rough model with a small number of Gaussian distributions is used at a word start, since the phoneme cannot be sufficiently expressed, the likelihood deteriorates, resulting in a deterioration in likelihood calculation precision.
It is therefore necessary to develop another technique of reducing the amount of likelihood calculation while avoiding the above problems and maintaining the precision of the calculation.
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Organisers of what has been dubbed ‘the world’s biggest wine festival’ assured neighbours there would not be traffic chaos during the event at a public meeting showing detailed plans of the extravaganza.
Residents near the site in Kings Meadow earmarked for the Big Wine Festival on June 7 to June 10, 2012, visited the consultation session at Reading Town Hall last Thursday and quizzed organisers.
The plan was presented to Reading Borough Council’s cabinet meeting on Monday. Councillors gave their backing to the festival and approval for officers to continue working with organisers and issue a licence for the event.
World's biggest wine festival coming to Reading
Organisers hope to attract an “ambitious” number of 120,000 people to the Thames-side festival which will offer a huge variety of wines, restaurants and musical entertainment in a 5,000 seat arena.
At the public meeting, a handful of residents who live in flats in Napier Road raised a number of concerns, including potential traffic problems caused by the event.
But they were told that due to the nature of the festival there would be emphasis on people using public transport rather than cars.
They heard organisers were also in talks with the Madjeski Stadium over using car park facilities there so a park and ride system could be used.
The main concern, however, was how long the park would be out of action in order for the building and removal of the festival to be carried out.
Organisers plan to begin work in Kings Meadow on May 25 and expect to remove everything from the park by June 22. They said work will be carried out from 8am until 8pm during the week and from 10am until 6pm at weekends in order to keep noise disruption to a minimum.
Chairwoman Olivia Ocana, who made the presentation, also reassured residents over a number of other concerns including security, underage drinking, restricted use of glassware and access to the towpath along the edge of the River Thames.
Everyone who lives in the flats will be given free tickets to the festival for one day.
When asked how he felt about the plans a resident, who did not want to be named, said: “It just depends if whatever you get in return is worth getting.
“It won’t be so bad getting out in the mornings but it’s coming home at night.”
Another resident, Brooke Johnson, said: “It sounds good but the main disruption will be being without the park for a long time. It’s nice to be able to go down there.”
Tickets are expected to go on sale at the end of October. Previously the organisers said an adult ticket would cost £50 but the price has been cut to £37, while there will be a limited number of free tickets for children. | https://www.getreading.co.uk/news/local-news/wine-festivals-grape-expectations-4209811 |
Since 2004, Wellspring has been on the forefront of quality educational change in East Africa, working to see transition and transformation in the education sector, with a particular focus on Rwanda. Our intention has been to go deep rather than wide and to create models that enhance systemic change at both the grassroots and national levels.
This principle has been widely recognized as the world has understood the need for transformed educational practices, alongside the need for universal education. For example, United Nations Sustainable Development Goal Four is focused on quality education1sustainabledevelopment.un.org. The World Bank’s Human Capital Index has also now recognized education as a prime driver of a country’s development potential2worldbank.org/en/publication/human-capital. As such, Wellspring has been proactive in developing innovative models that address the issues on the front line.
Both in the classroom and at the highest levels, Wellspring has sought to develop transferable programs that model and share what good quality education can look like in a majority world context. Working throughout the whole educational ecosystem, Wellspring has empowered parents, teachers, school and community leaders, government officials, and many other stakeholders, providing training and resources that have allowed hundreds of thousands of children to have access to a far higher quality of education that provides the support they need to thrive.
Now, in a time of global change and instability, it is more important than ever to focus on a child’s education and to equip them for the future. As well as ensuring that our programs allow children to have access to an education that will give them the capabilities to be economically and sustainably self-sufficient as adults, we know that education is fundamental to ensuring that societies remain peaceful and productive. As such, it is key that our programs are inclusive, gender equitable, and ensure that all participants treat children with the same dignity, justice, and worth that Jesus shows us all.
These principles have been our guide as we have developed our strategic plan, Vision 2024: For Every Child. We have ensured that the child is at the center of all that we do, and that our work enables each child to reach their full potential. Now as we move into the next four years, it is our intention for our work to widen and spread so that 2 million children will be impacted by our programs at both a grassroots and systemic level. This plan has been built to achieve that goal in a way that is incremental and sustainable in the long term.
Why Does Wellspring Exist?
We are passionate about seeking justice, worth, and dignity for all those we engage with, as we show the love of Christ by empowering new generations of leaders in Central and Eastern Africa and beyond. We believe we are well placed to be a catalyst for transforming education for hundreds of thousands of African children and fostering vibrant communities that address poverty in all its forms.
This leads to our vision and mission statements.
Vision: To be a catalyst for transforming education in Africa and to foster vibrant communities that address poverty in all its forms.
Mission: We will seek justice, worth, and dignity for all those we engage with, as we show the love of Christ by empowering new generations through the development of quality education
in Africa.
Core Values & Guiding Principles
Core Values
Our desire is to establish high quality Christian values-based education that will produce creative, principled, and capable leaders. We strive towards this end by empowering educators, developing schools, and enriching lives. We are motivated by our faith in Jesus Christ, who alone has the power to change people’s hearts. This faith is the foundation for our Core Values:
- Transformation: We strive to invest in positive change in people’s relationship with God, themselves, society, and their environment.
- Empowerment: We strive to empower people as they work together to create local solutions, and challenge them to empower others as they do so.
- Stewardship: We strive to treat all resources entrusted to us with the highest level of care and accountability.
- Partnership: We strive to build effective and fruitful partnerships with like-minded individuals and organizations.
- Excellence: We strive to empower and equip people to serve to the best of their ability and to develop high quality innovative models of practice that can be shared with others.
Guiding Principles
Over the next 4 years, we want to emphasize the following guiding principles in terms of who we are and who we hope to be, in order to implement our strategic plan:
- An organization of integrity: We will be true to who we are in every location in which Wellspring operates.
- An organization of humility: We will recognize that we cannot change anyone’s mind or heart, but we trust in the only One who can.
- An organization of learning: We will continually evaluate and learn new methodologies and ways to operate in order to be the best servants in our field that we can be.
- An organization of sharing: We will be openhearted, open-handed, and abundant in our own thinking.
- An organization of caring: We will strive to create a place where people are deeply and individually cared for as we serve together.
- An organization of depth: We will be more concerned about substantial change than substantial scope.
Our Core Approach
It Starts With Leadership
From our years of experience, we know that real and long-lasting change within schools and the wider school communities begins with positive values-based and professional change in leaders. All of our programs will prioritize working with those in positions of leadership within the educational ecosystem in order to promote long-term sustainable transformation.
Asset-Based Community Development
Wellspring believes that the deepest and most sustainable change within communities stems from empowering citizens to work together, creating local solutions as each person brings their own assets and strengths to the table. The asset-based community development approach will therefore remain at the core of our interventions.
Justice, Worth, and Dignity for All
We desire to reach the most vulnerable children by working together to address barriers to quality education that put many children at a disadvantage—whether as a result of gender inequality, economic poverty, special educational needs, physical disability, language, or other barriers. Our programs and interventions will therefore prioritize inclusion as we seek to bring a sense of justice, worth, and dignity to all those we engage with.
Safeguarding Those We Work With
We commit to safeguarding the children that we interact with and putting their rights, safety, and dignity at the heart of all of our decisions.
Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning, and Accountability
We will continue to grow our capacity in monitoring, evaluation, learning, and accountability (MELA) so that we can adapt our interventions appropriately, inform our future programming, and share our learning with peers in the sector.
From Grassroots to Policy
Wellspring believes that wider change is achievable when we learn from the evidence and realities we see in local schools and communities. We will therefore continue to be proactive in making the connection from our grassroots work to policy development and implementation in ways that will catalyze long-term systemic change.
Adaptive Programming
We desire to serve with excellence and relevance, and to respond to the real, evolving needs and contexts in which we work. We will be innovative and flexible in our approach as we work with our partners to focus on these strategic priorities.
Our Strategic Priorities
Over the next four years, we will seek to be a catalyst for transforming education for every child, by investing in the following strategic objectives:
For Every Child
We will widen and spread our work so that by 2024, 2 million children will be impacted by our programs as we work at both the grassroots and systemic levels.
Deepening Our School Development Program
We will expand the scope of our program and deepen our partnership to improve the quality of primary and pre-primary education for all girls and boys in Rubavu District through an extension of our School Development Program (SDP).
To achieve this, Wellspring will work towards:
- Improved understanding, knowledge, and skills among teachers and leaders for effective teaching of the competence-based curriculum both in primary and pre-primary schools.
- Deeper engagement of parents and expansion of their contribution to building vibrant school communities.
- Reduced levels of school dropout, particularly among vulnerable children.
- Greater awareness among teachers, leaders, and parents of the specific challenges faced by girls in accessing a quality education in a safe environment.
- Greater awareness among teachers, leaders, and parents of the barriers faced by children with disabilities and special educational needs.
Leading Learning for All
Building on the success of our Gasabo School Development Program, we will invest in educational leadership for a more sustainable, inclusive, and empowering learning environment for girls and boys in Gasabo District through our dynamic new program,
Leading Learning for All (LLFA)
To achieve this, Wellspring will work towards:
- Strengthened local coordination and greater ownership of effective teacher professional development, so that every child has the opportunity to learn well.
- More effective partnerships between parents and schools to develop more enabling and inclusive learning environments for children in schools and at home.
- Piloting innovative methodologies and resources for the educational ecosystem that can be scaled on a national basis.
- Better implementation of education policies and priorities that improve the quality of education in Gasabo primary schools.
- More effective evidence-based contributions to national education programming and policy development.
Nurturing Quality Christian Education
We will continue to help nurture a supportive environment for the community of Christian Schools in Rwanda to grow together professionally, as they seek to provide Christian values-based quality education through their schools.
We will continue to provide first class technical support to the Wellspring Academy in order to help the Academy to maintain its position as a leading Christian school in Rwanda.
Change for Good
We will develop high quality shareable tools and models in order to promote systemic change in the education sector.
As part of our desire to be a catalyst for systemic change, we will share our grassroots insights and experiences, alongside evidence from our programs, as we engage in advocacy in relation to Sustainable Development Goal Four for inclusive and equitable quality education. This will happen in the following ways:
- Staying current with and informing relevant stakeholders of the latest developments in our field.
- Ensuring that we are represented at relevant regional and national forums, and that we maintain our membership and voice in groups and associations that speak into the areas of international development and education.
- Identifying key issues we want to proactively advocate for in education, such as inclusive education, gender equity, and learner-centric outcomes.
- Identifying key issues in international development within the national contexts we operate in and ensuring that we use our voice wisely to advocate for those in all forms of poverty.
Moving Beyond Borders
For many years, Wellspring has focused on going deep in our programs within the country of Rwanda. The benefits have been many as we have seen dramatic results in the areas we work in. In turn, these key results have had influence on both grassroots practice and the national education system. This has been due to our deep engagement with both governmental and non-governmental partners.
In that time, we have also left our footprint throughout East and Central Africa, providing resources and training to many organizations in other countries.
At this point in our development, we believe it is time to respond to the various requests we have received and to contextualise and widen our activities, particularly our School Development Program, to other countries in the region. Currently, we are actively exploring partnerships with like-minded organizations of high capacity and plan to have operations underway in 2021.
Serving Our Partners and Supporters
Wellspring exists because of the generosity of our partners and supporters who continue to make our work possible. As such we will commit to the following:
- Excellence in our interactions with all stakeholders, ensuring that our communications are tailored to their individual needs.
- Professionalism in our reporting standards, ensuring that the results of our MELA [Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning, and Accountability] efforts are transparent, easily available, and integrated into our reporting.
- Transparency in our finances, ensuring that our audited accounts are available to all and that designated funds from grants and other sources are tracked and monitored effectively.
- Creating and curating resources that will allow our partners to utilize some of our development practices in their own local contexts.
- Organizing at least one Vision Trip per year to see our work in the field, ensuring well-structured preparation and follow-up to equip participants and keep them engaged.
Serving Our Team
Our staff team is our greatest and most treasured resource. As such, we will ensure that we care for and develop our team in order that they can attain the highest standards, both professionally and personally. This will include:
- The provision of adequate compensation and benefits.
- Access to all the resources they need to to fulfill their responsibilities well.
- Personal training and development plans to allow them to grow and develop in their areas
of expertise.
- Opportunities for advancement and growth within the organization.
- Ensuring they are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.
Conclusion
Everything we aim to achieve in Vision 2024: For Every Child builds on our nearly two decades of experience in the field of quality education in Rwanda and incorporates the many lessons we have learned along the way. It is built on a platform of partnership and collaboration with numerous participants across the sector and incorporates the latest developments in thinking around the provision of quality values-based inclusive education. As such, we believe that the strategic plan and priorities we have laid out are both achievable and essential to the future of not only Wellspring and the sector as a whole, but also to our aim of seeking justice, worth, and dignity for all those we engage with.
We are thankful to the many people who have stood with us and to the goodness of God and His faithfulness since the birth of Wellspring in 2004. We enter these next four years with a belief that every child our work impacts should have the opportunity to fulfil their God-given potential, and with excitement and anticipation at what we can all achieve together. | https://thewellspringfoundation.org/vision-2024/ |
The Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine at UC Irvine, ranked as one of the top 50 universities in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, recognizes the importance of education in integrative medicine. The Samueli Center is dedicated to educating medical students, healthcare professionals and the public about alternative and complementary practices while creating a model of evidence-based clinical care that heals the whole person and maintains the highest level of patient care.
The center offers professional education conferences for physicians and allied health providers, such as acupuncturists and naturopaths, that address the latest research and advances in integrative medicine treatments used by practitioners at the Samueli Center and other leading academic centers in the United States and overseas.
Ongoing programs and seminars hosted by the center address pervasive problems best treated with integrative therapy such as chronic pain management, women's health and weight-control disorders. | http://www.sscim.uci.edu/medical_education.asp |
Sensing technologies have improved steadily, but the ability of robots to make decisions in real time based on what they perceive still has a long way to go to equal or surpass human capabilities. Researchers from Microsoft Corp., Carnegie Mellon University, and Oregon State University have been collaborating to improve perception-action loops.
As members of Team Explorer, they are participating in the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Subterranean (DARPA SubT) Challenge. The competition is designed to develop technologies that could aid first responders in hazardous environments. Team Explorer won first place in the Tunnel Circuit in September 2019 and second place in the February 2020 Urban Circuit.
In a blog post, the research team explained how it has created machine learning systems to enable robots or drones to make decisions based on camera data. It includes Rogerio Bonatti, a Ph.D. student at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), and Sebastian Scherer, an associate research professor at CMU. The team also includes Ratnesh Madaan, research software development engineer for business AI; Vibhav Vineet, a senior researcher; and Ashish Kapoor, partner research manager at Microsoft.
“The [perception-action loop] system is trained via simulations and learns to independently navigate challenging environments and conditions in real world, including unseen situations,” the researchers wrote. “We wanted to push current technology to get closer to a human’s ability to interpret environmental cues, adapt to difficult conditions, and operate autonomously.”
Building a drone racing model
“In first-person view (FPV) drone racing, expert pilots can plan and control a quadrotor with high agility using a noisy monocular camera feed, without compromising safety,” said the researchers. “We attempted to mimic this ability with our framework, and tested it with an autonomous drone on a racing task.”
The team trained a neural network with data from an RGB camera and mapped visual information directly to control actions. It broke the task into two parts — building a simulation and taking control actions.
The models had to account for variances in between the simulation and the real world, such as differences in lighting. The researchers used Microsoft’s AirSim simulator and a Cross-Modal Variational Auto Encoder (CM-VAE) framework and combined raw unlabeled data with the relative poses of gates in the drone’s coordinate frame.
“The system naturally incorporated both labeled and unlabeled data modalities into the training process of the latent variable,” they said. “Imitation learning was then used to train a deep control policy that mapped latent variables into velocity commands for the quadrotor.”
By abstracting video frames to a lower-dimensional representation, the team was able to train a deep control policy with imitation learning while still providing enough information for the drone to navigate through obstacles.
Testing the perception-action loop
The researchers tested their perception-action loop system on a drone racing track with different courses. While they reported that the “performance of standard architectures dropped significantly,” their CM-VAE was able to approximate gate distances based purely on simulated data.
The control framework even worked indoors, with stripes painted on the floor matching the gate color, and in snow. “Despite the intense visual distractions from background conditions, the drone was still able to complete the courses by employing our cross-modal perception module,” the team wrote.
“By separating the perception-action loop into two modules and incorporating multiple data modalities into the perception training phase, we can avoid overfitting our networks to non-relevant characteristics of the incoming data,” it added. The combination of abstracted sensor data and simulation-trained models could lead to better performance.
However, the researchers found that “an unexpected result we came across during our experiments is that combining unlabeled real-world data with the labeled simulated data for training the representation models did not increase overall performance. Using simulation-only data worked better. We suspect that this drop in performance occurs because only simulated data was used in the control learning phase with imitation learning.”
Using unlabeled data
A recent trend in artificial intelligence and robotics development is to limit or tighten the data sets needed to train autonomous systems. Microsoft’s work with Team Explorer is an example of how separating the perception from control policies can lead to more robust perception-action loops.
The researchers at Microsoft, CMU, and Oregon State concluded that combining multiple data streams in the CM-VAE led to better generalization and recognition of objects, but more work remains to be done on using adversarial techniques to bring simulated data closer to real images.
The use of unlabeled data and simulation could have multiple applications for autonomous systems, noted the team. They include detecting people’s faces for search-and-rescue operations, drone inspections, and robotic piece picking. | https://www.therobotreport.com/perception-action-loops-develop-microsoft-drone-simulation/ |
Who was in the Eastern Conference playoffs?
Eastern Conference Finals
|Year||Champion||Runner-up|
|2018||Cleveland Cavaliers||Boston Celtics|
|2019||Toronto Raptors||Milwaukee Bucks†|
|2020||Miami Heat||Boston Celtics|
|2021||Milwaukee Bucks||Atlanta Hawks|
What year did the Magic sweep the Bulls?
Number 45, he revs up, but doesn’t really take off.” The comment motivated Jordan to return to number 23 and the Bulls evened the series. In Game 5, the Magic won the game 103–95….
|1994–95 Orlando Magic season|
|President||Bob Vander Weide|
|Owner(s)||Richard DeVos|
|Arena||Orlando Arena|
|Results|
Did the Lakers make the playoffs in 1996?
He was also named to the All-NBA Third Team….
|1996–97 Los Angeles Lakers season|
|Record||56–26 (.683)|
|Place||Division: 2nd (Pacific) Conference: 4th (Western)|
|Playoff finish||Conference Semifinals (Lost to Jazz 1–4)|
|Stats at Basketball-Reference.com|
What team did MJ beat in 1996?
Michael Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP, his fourth time winning the award….1996 NBA Finals.
|Team Coach Wins Chicago Bulls Phil Jackson 4 Seattle SuperSonics George Karl 2|
|Eastern Finals||Bulls defeated Magic, 4–0|
|Western Finals||SuperSonics defeated Jazz, 4–3|
|< 1995 NBA Finals 1997 >|
Who did Larry Bird coach?
the Indiana Pacers
He was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998. Bird retired in 1992 and moved to a front-office position with the Celtics. He became the head coach of the Indiana Pacers (despite having no previous coaching experience) in 1997 and was named Coach of the Year after his first season.
Who was the Western Conference Finals MVP?
NBA History – Finals MVP
|Finals MVP|
|YEAR||PLAYER||TEAM|
|2021||Giannis Antetokounmpo||Milwaukee Bucks|
|2020||LeBron James||Los Angeles Lakers|
|2019||Kawhi Leonard||Toronto Raptors|
How old was Shaq 95?
22
Shaquille O’Neal was 22 years old in 1994-95.
|NAME||SEASON||AGE|
|Shaquille O’Neal||1994-95||22|
Who did the Lakers draft in 1996?
Kobe Bryant
Antoine Walker was selected 6th overall by the Boston Celtics. Kobe Bryant was selected 13th overall by the Charlotte Hornets (traded to the Los Angeles Lakers)….Draft selections.
|Player||Derek Fisher|
|Pos.||G|
|Nationality||United States|
|NBA team||Los Angeles Lakers|
|School/Club team||Arkansas-Little Rock (Sr.)|
Who was the Lakers coach in 1996?
Jerry Buss
Lakers Owners, GMs, and Coaches
|YEAR||OWNER||HEAD COACH|
|1996-1997||Dr. Jerry Buss||Del Harris|
|1995-1996||Dr. Jerry Buss||Del Harris|
|1994-1995||Dr. Jerry Buss||Del Harris|
|1993-1994||Dr. Jerry Buss||Randy Pfund (27-37) Bill Bertka (1-1) Magic Johnson (5-11)|
Who won the finals in 1996? | https://bookriff.com/who-was-in-the-eastern-conference-playoffs/ |
The future of Chile's energy sector lies in the balanced development of renewable energy, said Enel CEO Francesco Starace during a panel discussion at the conference The Crossroads of Civilization 21st Century, which was held in Santiago between 14-17 January and promoted by the Chilean Senate's Comisión de Futuro (Future Development Commission).
The summit was attended by former Chilean President Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle, Energy Minister Máximo Pacheco, French economist Thomas Piketty and sociologist and economist Jeremy Rifkin, among others.
The Enel CEO was among the speakers at a session entitled, The Challenges of Energy Enterprises for the 21st Century. In his speech, Starace stressed the importance of adopting an energy strategy that optimises the country's abundant natural resources in a sustainable, environmentally friendly way that respects local communities. This is possible thanks to innovative technologies used both in power generation and distribution and the business' interaction with customers.
'The future is now. Certain things are happening and a country like Chile is very lucky not because it has oil or gas, but because it's very rich in natural resources such as sun, wind and water, and it has a government that understands the importance of focusing on these resources,' explained Starace.
'Chile could be one of the country's furthest along the process of technological change,' he added. 'This is the reason why the Enel Group is interested in following it closely. Its impact in terms of energy transition will be very significant.'
Starace focused on the energy challenges that the entire world, and Chile in particular, will have to face in the coming decades. According to the CEO of Enel, which controls Enersis (Chile's leading electricity producer), the country has great potential for renewable energy development, beginning with from hydropower. However he stressed that a change of perspective is necessary in order to develop projects that make the most of these resources while also take into account possible effects on the local environment. To do this there needs to be the involvement and communication with local communities.
Starace said that in order to ensure satisfactory energy production in Chile in the medium- to-long-term, it's not the development of large projects that will be necessary, but technologies that can balance different sustainable resources. This means not only hydropower, but also geothermal, solar power and wind power.
Frei offered analysis of the current energy situation in Chile, stressing that hydropower is one of the areas that should be focused on. Pacheco meanwhile expressed his conviction that everyone needs to play their part in the energy battle, be they from the world of politics, economics or institutions, because it's one of the cornerstones of the country's development, as a tool with which both to take on inequality and to aid a diversified and sustainable growth. | https://www.enel.com/media/explore/search-news/news/2015/01/chile-future-lies-sustainable-energy |
An asymmetrically wonky good time
Asymmetric multiplayer is not an easy feat to pull off efficiently. Sure, it’s relatively simple to create two gameplay styles within the same game, but to make them blend together to create a unique ebb and flow is something that’s not seen too often.
Clandestine attempts to hit that level of gameplay by utilizing third-person stealth mechanics and a separate “hacker” interface, neither of which can exist without the other. The idea isn’t flawless, but dang can it create a good time.
Clandestine (PC)
Developer: Logic Artists
Publisher: Logic Artists
MSRP: $24.99
Released: November 5, 2015
Clandestine takes place in 1996, with the Soviet Union still fresh on everyone’s mind. Players play as either Katya or Martin, field operatives who investigate bad guys who have done bad stuff. Honestly, a lot of the plot went over my head, generally because my friend and I were laughing so hard over voice chat that we missed just about everything.
Clandestine falls perfectly into the “so bad, it’s great” category with its cutscenes. Movements are rigid and imprecise, voice acting is god awful, and things clip through each other. In fact, the characters’ boss has a goatee that clips through his face when he talks. Sure, this could be seen as a terrible oversight from the developers, but it’s so in-line with the quality of the rest of the aesthetic that somehow it works.
The game’s structure has players walking around a headquarters between missions in order to get new information on what just happened, as well as what is coming next. It’s nice to have legitimate downtime before each mission, and roaming around the building with a friend can yield wonderful things. HQ is essentially a playground that becomes a game of “what goofy position can I get myself into next?” In a way, it reminded me of walking around the base in Perfect Dark.
Mission objectives often have Katya sneaking into specific areas to either interrogate someone for information, or set up a rootkit on a computer for Martin to hack into and download specific data. While boiling the objectives down to their core makes Clandestine
sound same-y, the variation of maps and context keep things fresh from mission to mission. There are even some choices the players can make that affect specific plot elements and mission objectives.
Gameplay entirely depends on which character players control. Katya’s gameplay is third-person stealth, while Martin’s is computer-terminal hacking. Katya’s controls will be familiar to anyone who has played a third-person game before. She can stick to walls, which is a bit janky at times (but never janky enough to ruin a mission). Her job is to avoid detection from guards and cameras by not being seen or making too much noise.
Katya players can approach a mission as they please; it’s possible to go in and out without trying to make a peep, or bring a slew of firepower and kill anyone they deem necessary. The game rewards players for a variety of playstyles, and doesn’t really encourage one over another.
Players controlling Martin have a completely different game in front of them. Martin’s screen is split into four sections: hacking network, camera feed, tactical map, and console. The console is there simply to display mission objectives. The hacking network is a grid of terminals that Martin can hack into. Some are PCs in the map, others are locked doors, and some are miscellaneous objects around the level. Martin controls a little avatar in the network and moves along the grid with the WASD movement keys. Hacking a computer will reveal its login credentials, hacking a door will tell Martin the code, etc. The network admin also has an avatar that chases the player down, disabling them for about five seconds if caught.
The tactical map is a blueprint of the level that Katya is currently in. If Katya comes up to a locked door, she can ask Martin to get the code. Martin can click on the door on the tactical map, it will highlight its node in the network, then Martin can make his way over to it and get the code, tell it to Katya, and Katya inputs it on her end. This is a simple, yet elegant asymmetric design that truly requires teamwork to pull off.
Katya has a camera on her at all times, which Martin can use to see what she sees. He can also hack into cameras around the map, taking over their vision on his camera feed. If Martin controls a camera, it will not “spot” Katya, so she’s safe to roam the area. This also allows Martin to scan a room before Katya enters, which is incredibly useful given the fact that Martin can also tag guards on the map, making them visible to Katya through walls.
Players flying solo as Katya can switch between characters at will. While it works, it’s missing the best element of Clandestine: working together with a buddy. When alone, the hilariously bad cutscenes are suddenly just…disappointing. The coordinated tactics aren’t there. It feels like a much more shallow game in its single-player mode.
Players can join random games online, but doing so will always make the joining player control Martin. This is especially frustrating if two friends want to switch roles. The best way we could figure was to send each other our save files when we wanted to switch roles, and then change who hosts the game.
Despite the serious tone set by the plot, it’s best to go into Clandestine with a light-hearted approach. The movement is a bit clunky, the animations and voice acting are stiff as a board, and there’s plenty of visual issues. However, the core gameplay and asymmetric ideas work well together. Grab a friend (this step is very important), jump on to a third-party voice chat program, and go play Clandestine. I have no doubt you’ll come away with a memorable gaming experience. | https://www.destructoid.com/reviews/review-clandestine/ |
Any type of content contributed to an academic conference, such as papers, presentations, lectures or proceedings.
The benefits of Offsite construction have been well documented. However, it is mainly the building sector that has been systematically employing such techniques, rather than civil engineering sector such as water and environmental engineering. The whole construction industry is under extreme pressure to reduce cost and deliver more sustainable infrastructure. This, coupled with increasing high flood risk problems, has increased the need for overall improvements. This increasing strain is reflected in the water authorities, who are considered as 'clients' for the construction industry supply chain. During the past year there has been a great interest from leading UK water and environmental management (W&EM) firms to develop and implement Offsite in their processes. The objectives for this initiative were to minimise cost, reduce disturbance to the public and manage the environmental impact in a more sustainable way. Recently, a number of new products have entered the water and wastewater market. Such solutions, in conjunction with the re-evaluation of decision making processes within the firms, create a fertile environment for Offsite implementation. The supply chain appears to reflect this need and is working collaboratively in order to provide competitive services to its clients. This paper reports and analyses the market inclination towards Offsite construction and standardisation. Through a critical literature review, an analysis of corporate research and development strategies and an examination of specific solutions, the reasons for increasing Offsite innovation are revealed. The findings indentify innovative procurement methods and strategic planning as the primary drivers for the uptake of Offsite construction and standardisation in the sector. | https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/articles/conference_contribution/Analyzing_the_need_for_offsite_construction_and_standardization_in_the_UK_water_and_environmental_management_sectors/9430799 |
Succession Planning: What is Your Business Worth?
Closely held and family businesses typically have a low percentage of survivorship for future generations, and inadequate or ineffective succession planning is the root of the problem. A business that wants to survive past the current generation will benefit from having a strong succession plan in place that tackles important issues such as leadership, ownership and the operational changes that businesses will face as they transition from one generation to the next. Join us on Thursday, April 8, as two of our succession planning experts dive into part of the succession planning process, business valuation and what your business is worth. | https://www.bswllc.com/events-succession-planning-april-8-2021 |
Direct multiplex sequencing (DMPS): A novel method for targeted high-throughput sequencing of ancient and highly degraded DNA.
Genome Research journal
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
Although the emergence of high-throughput sequencing technologies has enabled whole genome sequencing from extinct organisms, little progress has been made in accelerating targeted sequencing from highly degraded DNA. Here we present a novel and highly sensitive method for targeted sequencing of ancient and degraded DNA, which couples multiplex PCR directly with sample barcoding and high-throughput sequencing. Using this approach, we obtained a 96% complete mitochondrial genome dataset from 31 cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) samples using only two GS FLX runs. In contrast to previous studies relying only on short sequence fragments, the overlapping portion of our data comprises almost 10 kb of replicated mitochondrial genome sequence, allowing for the unambiguous differentiation of three major cave bear clades. Our method opens up the opportunity to simultaneously generate many kilobases of overlapping sequence data from large sets of difficult samples, such as museum specimens, medical collections or forensic samples. Embedded in our approach, we present a new protocol for the construction of barcoded sequencing libraries, which is compatible with all current high-throughput technologies and can be performed entirely in plate setup.
gr.095760.109Published in Advance July 27, 2009, | http://genomekorea.kr/A_new_multiplex_sequencing_method_published_by_MPI_group_for_highly_degraded_DNA_fragments._Cave_bear_mitochondria |
A brand new study (2013) found that the projected energy demand (2035) in developing countries, can be covered with energy crops in surplus agricultural lands, then not competing with food production. The study, from the Department of Energy Technology, at Aalto University School of Engineering (Finland) was accepted by the sound scienfitc journal Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews .
The authors did first an extensive literature review considering current status on land availability, land use pattern, crops and energy production and their present and projected demands. Historical trends in land use changes, crop yields, per capita land use were also reviewed from statistical database and literature sources. In the second part, a set of assumptions were made based on the information and insight gained from the reviewed literature to determine the extents of land availability for growing selected energy crops to meet the projected demands.
Perennial plants can occupy pastures and degraded lands The study focus all the assessment in perennial species and agricultural residues mostly. Regarding energy crop, this publication focused on scenario building with jatropha, willow, poplar, switchgrass and miscanthus.
The study considers different crops including miscanthus, switchgrass and willows in meadows, pastures and surplus lands
Land use changes may exist, but there is enough land available for perennials. | http://greenenergypark.co.za/item/638-energy-crops-could-cover-energy-demand-in-surplus-agricultural-lands |
The overall theme of this research is that transmural cellular and structural heterogeneities are important determinants of normal and pathologic cardiac function. We will investigate the significance of transmural heterogeneity with in-vivo experiments in the dog in conjunction with computational modeling approaches. We hypothesize that cellular and structural heterogeneities contribute to mechanical gradients in function across the wall of the heart. These mechanical gradients in function are known to be an important factor for proper cardiac function in the normal heart, and may play a role in mechanical dysfunction in the failing heart. In heart failure, techniques such as enhancing epicardial calcium dynamics and optimizing external pacing lead location will be used to enhance global ventricular performance by altering mechano-electric and cellular heterogeneities. The specific aims will address the following hypotheses: (1) Transmural cellular heterogeneity is a determinant of transmural mechanical function in the left ventricle. This will be tested in-vivo by altering cellular properties such as calcium handling and action potential duration differentially across the wall, and examining the changes in local mechanical function. We will also examine the role of altered activation sequence on regional synchrony of mechanics in the canine heart. (2) Transmural and regional variations of laminar sheet structure influence local shear strains and wall thickening. Novel findings suggest a different laminar structure near the endocardium, and a combination of model and experiment will elucidate the role of these heterogeneities, as well as the role of fiber dispersion, in local mechanical function. (3) Heterogeneities in structure and function affect transmural ventricular mechanics in chronic heart failure. In a dog model of heart failure we will alter local cellular function and examine improvements in regional and global mechanics. We will assess changes in tissue structure in the failing heart, and the significance of the changes. Ventricular pacing is used to increase cardiac output in the failing heart. We will test the hypothesis that minimizing the 'prestretch' tissue area can be used as an algorithm to select pacing sites which improve global and regional function in the failing heart.
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Many people possess the hard work, perseverance, and other skills necessary to become impactful leaders and leadership has been considered more of an art.
Leaders inspire people, motivate them to perform at their highest level, embody values, culture, steer organizations through times of change, and have the ability to move people forward toward common goals. Integral elements of great leadership will have essential, personal qualities’ that will also influence and inspire confidence, encourage a growth mindset, provide guidance, build trust, increase engagement, enable innovation, display emotional intelligence, value purpose, trust, and embrace and create a culture of transparency and honesty.
83% of organizations believe it is essential to develop leaders at all levels in a company as they have recognized that there are people at every level that inspire their peers to help achieve overall goals. Many people have the potential to be a great leader but just need an opportunity to cultivate and nurture their skills.
This scholarship aims to support students who are passionate and are pursuing professional leadership or management so they can lead the world to a better future.
Any high school senior, undergraduate, or graduate student with a 3.0 GPA pursuing a degree in professional leadership or management studies (business management, organizational leadership, etc.) may apply for this scholarship
To apply, tell us about yourself, how you plan on making a difference in the world through leadership, and why you’re so passionate about leadership. | https://bold.org/scholarships/olympians-academy-leadership-wings-scholarship/ |
Overview:
Established in 1962, UMCS has a deep commitment to and long-standing presence in Milwaukee’s Washington Park neighborhood, where it has provided a wide range of social service programs and assistance to low-income, marginalized families, including affordable housing, community health promotion, community organizing, emergency food pantry and family resource center, social work and childcare.
Under the supervisor and support of the Director of Housing and Social Services, the Supportive Housing Social Worker is responsible for the direct provision of social work services to individuals and families who are residents of the UMCS supportive housing program and to other program participants within the Washington Park neighborhood. The Supportive Housing Social Worker will serve as a liaison to community partners and service providers and will connect individuals and families with needed resources. They will be an advocate for the needs of families throughout the neighborhood, particularly for residents of UMCS’s supportive housing program who have been referred by our partners at Milwaukee County Housing Division, the Impact-led Coordinated Entry system, and Hope House.
Primary Responsibilities and Essential Job Functions:
- Assess needs and develop case plan with residents of UMCS’s supportive housing program as requested and appropriate
- Develop, implement and monitor each supportive housing resident’s goals, objectives, and case plan. Provide assessment, casework and group work services. Integrate and coordinate an array of community resources, i.e. social, recreational, educational, medical, mental health, advocacy, psychotherapy, consumer credit counseling, family life education, psychological testing, and AODA assessment/treatment.
- Maintain required documentation in the case record according to UMCS policies, donor rules and regulations and quality assurance standards
- Maintain appropriate productive working relationships with community and natural support systems
- Participate in team meetings, supervisory conferences, and other UMCS meetings as assigned; actively contribute to team process
- Provide for safety, security and confidential treatment of clients and client records
- Support the Director of Housing and Social Services and Property Manager with initial screening of UMCS supportive housing program applicants
- Develop and implement case plans when necessary to improve resident’s daily living and housekeeping skills
- Address and resolve supportive housing non-compliance with program rules and regulations
- Support residents’ efforts to engage with neighborhood initiatives, events and activities
- Develop supportive housing residents’ daily living skills, housekeeping, parenting education, and budgeting through the following methods: modeling, demonstration, working with the parent, providing written material, class instruction, and more
- Plan and implement educational classes, support groups, seminars, and daily living programs for supportive housing residents and other neighborhood families
- Provide comprehensive housing services to people referred to UMCS by Coordinated Entry, including locating housing resources, navigating housing systems in Milwaukee County and advocating for housing needs
- Complete and maintain written records, files, and reports associated with the areas of responsibility of the position
- Complete approved in-service training necessary to maintain Wisconsin social worker certification
- Contribute to growth, development, mission and vision of United Methodist Children’s Services
- Represents the Agency to community groups and partner organizations as assigned
- Complete additional assignments and tasks as assigned by UMCS administration
Qualifications:/Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- Knowledge and experience in child development, parenting education, and case management
- Knowledge of community resources and ability to collaborate with community resources
- Knowledge of Federal and State social service programs and resources
- Demonstrated awareness of boundary/safety and confidentiality issues inherent to case management
- Skill in using computers and Microsoft Office software; particularly Microsoft Excel, Outlook, Word and Publisher
- Ability to work weekday evenings and weekends on occasion
- Ability to write and speak clearly, must be comfortable with public speaking
- Ability and comfort to communicate effectively with diverse client populations and the broader community
- Ability to both work independently and function effectively as a team member
Education and Experience:
- Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work
- Previous experience working with community-based organizations and supporting individuals and families
Basic Requirements:
- Maintain State of Wisconsin Social Work Certification
- Must have a valid driver’s license, a vehicle and automobile insurance
- Requires City of Milwaukee residence at time of hire
Benefits:
Paid time off vacation/holidays; Employer-supported 403(b) retirement/savings plan; Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Allowance (ICHRA); Discounted onsite childcare available via the Growing Tree Children’s Center; Short-Term Disability.
To Apply: send cover letter and resume including three professional references with contact name/title/company/phone number to: [email protected]
or mail to:
Human Resources: CONFIDENTIAL
United Methodist Children's Services of WI, Inc.
3940 W. Lisbon Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53208
Incomplete submissions will be dismissed. | https://www.jobsthathelp.com/job/united-methodist-childrens-services-of-wi-milwaukee-wi-supportive-housing-social-worker-jul/ |
Geza Vermes’ approach to the story of Jesus Christ in his The Passion: The True Story of an Event that Changed Human History primarily incorporates a historical method to uncover the details of the last day of Christ’s life. Vermes is not interested in merely relying on faith to develop his account of this final week, but rather employs a disciplined reading of available historical sources in order to reconstruct the time period in question. Vermes can thus be said to attempt to provide a historically accurate Christ. As Vermes describes his method, he is a “historian-exegete, or if you like, [a] detective of the past.” With the term exegesis, Vermes thus dedicates himself to a close reading of relevant texts, in order to discover the relevant information; Vermes is at the same time a detective, attempting to put together the pieces of this narrative. Accordingly, Vermes makes the bold claim that this historical approach to “The Passion” differs from the version transmitted through the faith, the latter denounced by Vermes as follows: “this representation of the Passion, which will be shown to be biased and twisted, has influenced the Christian world over most of its history.” Accordingly, Vermes’ historical method can also be viewed as a critique of this particular tradition, through an appeal to what he believes to be irrevocable facts concerning the Passion: this critique intends to show the underlying political motivation in the Passion narrative. The following essay shall examine Vermes’ historical approach to the last day of Christ, and how this approach functions as an instrument of critique.
Vermes’ main point of contention that leads him to reject the faith-based interpretations of the last week of Christ relates to inconsistencies in the source material. Different versions of The Passion are present in this material, and as such, the unified narrative of faith must come under scrutiny. Vermes identifies these key sources for the construction of this narrative: “like everything else we know about Jesus, the account of his last day derives from the discrete narratives of the four Gospels. Unlike the traditional story produced by the Church, they are neither simple nor coherent.” Accordingly, the sources for information about Christ contain contradictions – the Church, through their own interpretation, has essentially, according to Vermes, eliminated such contradiction in order to present their own consistent account. Vermes therefore returns back to the original source texts in an attempt to subvert the traditional reading according to an emphasis on such inconsistencies.
The key texts Vermes identifies are as follows: “to penetrate this mystery, the reader must come to grip with the literary sources that are closest to the reality of the Passion and subject Mark, Matthew, Luke and John, our four principle witnesses, to a stringent critical scrutiny.” Vermes, thus makes again clear his detective-like method: he is to inquire the witnesses in order to develop a consistent narrative. Vermes notes that these witnesses present radically different accounts. Accordingly, Vermes crucial question is as follows: “what compelled the evangelists to present such an extraordinary contrast of pictures?” For Vermes, these differences cannot be traced back to an error, but rather possess a clear motivation. What is crucial in this regard is that Vermes does not hold to a notion that these gospels are merely subjective interpretations of Christ’s last day: these gospels, in Vermes’ view, differ in too radical a manner to be merely reduced to questions of individual perception. Rather, there is an underlying truth that is concealed in these very divergent interpretations, one that can be uncovered. In this regard, it can be said that Vermes presupposes that a consistent narrative lies underneath the surface and merely needs to be recovered through diligent historical work: arguably this is the crucial presupposition of his project of historical critique.
One of the crucial focal points of Vermes’ account is who is responsible for Christ’s death. This responsibility for death corresponds to Vermes’ overall motif of the historian as detective. Vermes hypothesizes that one of the key motives behind these narratives is an attempt to promote anti-Semitism, insofar as the Jews are made responsible for Christ’s death. This is because of political reasons, as Vermes makes clear – the guilt placed on the Jews takes the blame away from the Roman Pontius Pilate: “It was therefore politically doubly correct to blame the Jews for the murder of Christ and to absolve the Roman Pontius Pilate.” This interpretation essentially allows the composers of the Gospel to earn the favor of the mroe powerful Romans, while making a regional claim to power against the Jews. Thus, for Vermes, “the Roman governor of the Gospels is pictured as a man who believed Jesus to be innocent but allowed himself to be manipulated by the Jews and ended by sending their king to the cross.” Vermes opposes this interpretation by using other historical sources to create a character sketch of Pilate; he describes his conclusions as follows: “the Pilate of the New Testament has little in common with the Pilate of history.” Using the works of Philo and Flavius Josephus, Pilate is characterized as “notorious for venality and many acts of grievous cruelty as well as for numerous executions without trial.” By absolving Pilate, the composers of the Gospel essentially make an appeal to Roman authority: in Vermes’ view The Passion as it stands is a fundamentally political work, insofar as it possesses clear political objectives. By demonstrating these objectives, Vermes advances a politically centered critique. | https://bestessayhelp.com/examples/religion/jesus-christ-essay-sample |
A Few Strategies for Producing a Scientific Strategy Lab Report
A scientific strategy laboratory report is now an fundamental part of any scientific study. This specific sort of report usually summarizes the bodily benefits and treatment that comprise all specifics of this experimentation. A laboratory report comprises exactly what you might have heard, what it is you’re doing and also what you’re getting back from your search. As these reviews are sometimes a critical portion of any scientific evaluation, it is quite crucial that you keep up this document for precision and to accurately clarify the events that have occurred.
In fact, laboratory reports generally feature perhaps not only the experiments which were conducted, but but also debate of the research methods used, information gathered, analysis of benefits, and tips for additional analysis. https://assignmenthelponline.co.uk/ It’s completely essential that you make sure that each of the email address details are correct and factual.
Whether you employ computers or use paper to write your report, you will find a lot of things to consider when producing a lab report. Below are a few suggestions that will help you compose a lab report.
First action to accomplish is to write away from the point of view. No matter how good your mathematics is, even if it isn’t written from your viewpoint, you’re very likely to miss details that might show something is not quite perfect. This is the reason it’s so important to compose out of the point of view. It is very probable that the findings will undoubtedly soon be particular to whoever ran the experimentation.
From your perspective, what conclusions can you draw regarding the outcome and also the scientific processes involved? Write in the object perspective, but do not let’s get bogged down in specifics. Just outline what you’ve heard and what it is you’re thinking about. If you’re using a pc for the lab, you may possibly want to add how the info was stored and received by the laptop or which apps were used to acquire the exact information.
The next thing to do is always to tackle the main things to consider. You have to address how the experimentation has been conducted, exactly what the findings were, what the scientific procedures and procedures were employed, and also exactly what additional information is necessary. This consists of if the shredder is accurate but additionally is applicable to if you want more specimens, more data or more information. Many scientists often tend to take shortcuts after producing a laboratory record.
They generally simply adhere to exactly what will be determined by the very first accounts and bypass the information collecting, analyzing, and analysis actions. It’s critical to make sure that you receive the task finished correctly and finish all of actions to get the results that you need. Normally, you do not achieve the outcomes that you want to get and also you may possibly perhaps not come up with the most effective decisions.
Oftentimes, it’s vital to chance upon a draft of the laboratory report until you start to work on it. This is because it’s quite easy miss out on things during the course of the document and also to fall into errors and traps that cause poor and mistakes conclusions.
A draft report will be much better way to become going and because you’re likely to have the occasion to produce improvements or corrections, you won’t be as inclined to produce faults. In addition, it allows one to simply take notes on what you like and dislike about the very first draft to ensure that you can adjust it until the last report.
In the end, publish the lab record right. Any mistakes you make are more very likely to create queries and could not be in accordance using the outcome.
Laboratory stories are very real sciencefiction. Your document isn’t just a neat, tidy report that lets you move on to some other project. It is a list of the method that you might have heard and what you heard, and a listing of one’s time and effort to obtain the results that you prefer to possess. | http://qgcchakwal.edu.pk/some-strategies-for-writing-a-scientific-technique-lab-report/ |
This book offers a fresh perspective on the role of multinational enterprises (MNEs) in development. Alan M. Rugman and Jonathan P. Doh challenge traditional assumptions about economic development and address the controversies that surround MNEs. For example, how do foreign multinationals affect overall economic growth in emerging economies, and how does this process lead to the subsequent rise of new emerging-economy MNEs?
The authors focus on the mechanisms by which MNEs influence economic development. They evaluate the impact of MNEs on the processes and outcomes of development, as well as the influence of civil society, NGOs, and government policies on multinationals, especially in Asia. And they discuss the rise of emerging-economy MNEs from Asian economies, especially "yang" MNEs from China and Korea. Arriving at a far more nuanced understanding of MNEs today, the authors also offer observations about the role of multinationals in the future.
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The impact of multinational enterprises (MNEs) on host country development is an important but controversial topic. For more than half a century, this subject has generated considerable disagreement among researchers and practitioners—those directly engaged in international development policy, finance, and multinational management strategy. In its simplest form, one side in this debate has hailed the foreign direct investment (FDI) undertaken by MNEs for inducing economic growth by complementing domestic savings, transferring technology and management skills, and increasing competition. On the other side, some have argued that MNEs crowd out local firms, use technology that is inappropriate for local circumstances,...
In this chapter, we introduce our analytical framework for understanding the interactions between advantages and resources at the country level and those at the firm level. We term these advantages “country-specific advantages” (CSAs) and “firm-specific advantages” (FSAs), respectively. In its simplest form, the development impact of MNEs in developing countries has to be understood as the interaction of these two sets of factors. Next, we briefly review the literature on FDI and development, focusing on research related to spillovers, technology transfer, and linkages. Finally, we review key data on FDI and development to provide an empirical context for our subsequent...
In this chapter, we draw from literature in corporate strategy and international business across three dimensions. First, we review the competing perspectives on MNE strategies and operations in developing countries. Second, we introduce a framework for understanding the strategic choices of Western MNEs (from the triad) and the response to those strategies by firms in developing countries with small open economies. By small open economies, we mean all “non-coretriad” economies (where the core triad consists of the huge markets of the European Union, the United States, and Japan). Third, we discuss the ways in which MNE activities contribute to development....
Since the founding of the modern international economic system at the Bretton Woods conference in July 1944, the World Bank, the IMF, and the GATT (since 1995, the WTO) have played a pivotal role in advancing the process of development. The summary of agreements from July 22, 1944 , states, “The nations should consult and agree on international monetary changes which affect each other. They should outlaw practices which are agreed to be harmful to world prosperity, and they should assist each other to overcome short-term exchange difficulties” (U.N. Monetary and Financial Conference 1944, par. 3). The International Bank for...
The emergence of civil society and NGOs has had an important impact on how MNEs contribute to development. On the one hand, criticisms of globalization and MNEs by many NGOs have created friction and pressure on MNEs to be more responsive to the range of stakeholders they encounter in their global activities. On the other hand, many MNEs and NGOs are forging new partnerships in which they jointly advance initiatives designed to promote sustainable development.
In this chapter, we review the emergence of civil society and NGOs as important actors in international development. We introduce a classification of NGOs to...
The importance of institutions and governance to growth and development is widely accepted. North (1986, 1993b) argues that institutional stability, fairness, and predictability are critical for economic growth. Such institutional environments are demonstrated by a wellspecified legal system, a clearly defined and impartial third (judicial) branch of government to enforce property rights, and a set of attitudes toward contracting and trading that encourage people to engage in transactions at low costs.
Conversely, the absence of institutional structures that facilitate interactions, such as rule of law, a good quality bureaucracy, and low levels of corruption in government, results in significantly higher...
In this and the two succeeding chapters, we turn our attention to the process of FDI and MNE activity in the emerging economies of Asia. Here we use the term “emerging economies” (versus “developing economies”) to emphasize those countries that have broken out of a larger collection of developing economies and established impressive economic growth and substantially improved incomes. Much has been written about the Asian “economic miracle.” In these three chapters, we explore the dynamics of MNE investment, host-country policy, and the development of indigenous regionally based MNEs as the critical variables that have produced that miracle. An innovative...
In this chapter we continue our focus on FDI and MNE activities in the emerging economies of Asia. This chapter follows the logic of the previous chapter, in that outward FDI is shown to be a useful tool for economic development. Here we turn to a broader analysis of MNEs from all of Asia, in particular, adding the Japanese MNEs to the MNEs from China and Korea discussed in the previous chapter. We discuss certain MNEs in detail to understand their business strategies and impact on development. We build on prior empirical work that shows that the majority of the...
In this chapter, we discuss the potential of yang MNEs to contribute to the positive transformation of the development patterns of countries.Yangis a Chinese philosophical expression indicating a positive force, in contrast to the negativeyinforce. Byyang MNEs,we mean sunshine multinationals that bring happiness and joy through economic development and prosperity. More specifically, we refer to outward FDI by MNEs from China, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan (the major Asian-based emerging economy MNEs). We will discuss the role of yang MNEs as instruments for economic development in Asia.
Today public policy toward FDI...
In this book we have demonstrated that MNEs unambiguously contribute to the economic development of nations, although the distribution of those benefits may vary. MNEs bring foreign direct investment, transfer technology, increase national income, provide more skilled jobs, pay taxes, and otherwise contribute to the overall macroeconomic growth of host economies. In an interesting and novel twist to this, we also find that MNEs from emerging economies build on the improved macroeconomic infrastructure created by foreign MNEs. These new indigenous emerging economy MNEs grow and help improve the prosperity of their countries. We found evidence of these yang MNEs in...
Processing your request... | https://slave2.omega.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1njmmv |
Average EBRD growth now seen negative in 2015; oil price fall benefits nations less tied to Russia.
A sharp fall in the price of oil has piled pressure on an already fragile Russia, and is hitting growth in energy exporters and other emerging nations with close links to eastern Europe’s largest economy, according to the EBRD’s latest economic outlook, published today.
EBRD economists expect Russian GDP to shrink by close to five per cent in 2015, a major downward revision from September’s forecast of a contraction of 0.2 per cent.
Video
Piroska M Nagy, EBRD Director for Country Strategy and Policy, gives an overview of the EBRD's latest economic forecast.
However, the EBRD says lower commodity prices could benefit countries in Central and South-eastern Europe (CESEE) and the South and Eastern Mediterranean (SEMED), helping to offset the continuing negative effects of weak external demand from the eurozone.
On average, countries across the EBRD regions are now expected to see a contraction of 0.3 per cent in 2015, after a forecast of 1.7 percent growth in September
“Even this forecast is subject to considerable risks,” said Hans Peter Lankes, Acting EBRD Chief Economist. He referred specifically to the impact of any further large falls in the oil price, a further escalation in the Ukraine/Russia crisis and a possible increase in uncertainty in the eurozone.
On the positive side, the oil price decline - and resulting improvements in terms of trade - could help soften the impact on emerging economies of the expected normalisation of U.S. monetary policies.
The halving of oil prices has added to problems in Russia, whose economic growth was already slowing down amid uncertainty and weak investor confidence after the imposition of sanctions in 2014. Energy exporters Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan have also been negatively affected by the lower prices.
Even for energy importers in eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia, the oil price fall is a mixed blessing, as benefits are being outweighed by lower export demand and remittances from a weakened Russia.
The economies of Armenia and Moldova are now expected to stagnate in 2015, while in Belarus a contraction of 1.5 per cent is forecast.
The depreciation of the rouble has increased pressures on the currencies of economies with strong trade, investment and remittances ties to Russia, with the sharpest declines seen in Belarus, Turkmenistan and Armenia.
The Ukrainian economy remains in a particularly precarious state, the report said. In addition to the impact of the conflict in the east of the country, there is currently uncertainty about the volume and timing of international financial assistance. After a sharp contraction in 2014, a further fall of five percent is predicted for this year.
The EBRD report said future developments depended on both external and domestic factors, including the ability of the Kiev government to implement a number of key reforms, a reduction of the regional geopolitical risks, an end of fighting in the Donbas and adequately timed and scaled international support.
The report said domestic demand was supporting growth in Central Europe and the Baltics (CEB), where it was helping to offset weaker exports as growth in the eurozone remains anaemic.
Domestic demand was also a positive factor in some countries in south-eastern Europe (SEE). However, developments there have been mixed. Serbia entered a recession in 2014, with an already fragile economy weakened further by flooding in May. Its return to growth in 2015 (+0.5 per cent) will be less robust than expected in September.
The report said any uncertainty following elections in Greece on 25 January could weigh on the economies of central and south-eastern Europe.
“A scenario of renewed turbulence in the eurozone would have the strongest adverse impact on the economies of CEB and SEE, which have the closest trade and financial links with the single currency area,” the EBRD report said.
Turkey is expected to see growth of 3 per cent in 2015, supported by the lower oil import bill and potential monetary easing. However, continued weakness in external demand and lower spending by Russian tourists could be negative factors.
Lower oil prices will also be a positive factor in the southern and eastern Mediterranean region. However, significant benefits from oil prices may be partially offset by lower export demand, investment and remittances from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
Credit growth remained subdued in central and south-eastern Europe. A reduction by foreign banks of their exposure to this region has been largely offset by the growth of the domestic deposit base. Growth of credit to the corporate sector has remained particularly low and in many cases negative.
High non-performing loans (NPLs) are a key reason for weak credit growth. NPL ratios are close to 20 per cent in most countries in south-eastern Europe and Ukraine. In Kazakhstan they exceed 30 per cent while in Cyprus they are around 50 per cent, respectively.
Transcript of Press Conference: REP in EBRD Countries of Operations
|Actual||Current||Current||EBRD Forecast in September 2014||EBRD Forecast in September 2014|
|2013||2014||2015||2015||Change Sept.-Jan.|
|Central Europe and the Baltic states|
|Croatia||-0.9||-0.5||0.5||0.5||0.0|
|Estonia||1.6||1.7||2.2||2.5||-0.3|
|Hungary||1.5||3.2||2.4||2.2||0.2|
|Latvia||4.2||2.5||3.0||3.7||-0.7|
|Lithuania||3.3||2.9||3.2||3.4||-0.2|
|Poland||1.7||3.2||3.0||3.3||-0.3|
|Slovak Republic||1.4||2.4||2.6||3.0||-0.4|
|Slovenia||-1.0||2.7||1.6||1.0||0.6|
|Average*||1.5||2.8||2.6||2.8||-0.2|
|South-eastern Europe|
|Albania||1.4||1.5||2.5||2.5||0.0|
|Bosnia and Herzegovina||2.5||0.9||2.7||2.7||0.0|
|Bulgaria||1.1||1.5||0.8||2.0||-1.2|
|Cyprus||-5.4||-2.1||0.7||0.0||0.7|
|FYR Macedonia||2.7||3.8||3.5||3.0||0.5|
|Kosovo||3.4||2.5||3.5||3.5||0.0|
|Montenegro||3.3||1.3||3.0||2.5||0.5|
|Romania||3.5||2.6||2.8||2.8||0.0|
|Serbia||2.6||-2.0||0.5||2.0||-1.5|
|Average*||2.8||1.7||2.2||2.6||-0.4|
|Eastern Europe and the Caucasus|
|Armenia||3.5||3.0||0.0||3.5||-3.5|
|Azerbaijan||5.7||2.8||1.5||3.0||-1.5|
|Belarus||1.0||1.5||-1.5||0.5||-2.0|
|Georgia||3.3||5.0||4.2||4.0||0.2|
|Moldova||9.4||3.0||0.0||4.0||-4.0|
|Ukraine||0.0||-7.5||-5.0||-3.0||-2.0|
|Average*||1.8||-2.6||-2.3||-0.5||-1.8|
|Turkey||4.1||2.9||3.0||3.2||-0.2|
|Russia||1.3||0.4||-4.8||-0.2||-4.6|
|Central Asia|
|Kazakhstan||6.0||4.3||1.5||5.1||-3.6|
|Kyrgyz Republic||10.5||3.6||3.2||4.8||-1.6|
|Mongolia||11.7||6.0||3.5||5.5||-2.0|
|Tajikistan||7.4||6.7||4.4||4.4||0.0|
|Turkmenistan||10.2||10.2||9.7||10.0||-0.3|
|Uzbekistan||8.0||8.0||7.8||7.6||0.2|
|Average*||7.1||5.6||3.5||6.0||-2.5|
|Southern and Eastern Mediterranean|
|Egypt||2.1||2.2||3.8||3.2||0.6|
|Jordan||2.8||3.1||3.7||4.1||-0.4|
|Morocco||4.4||2.4||4.6||4.7||-0.1|
|Tunisia||2.4||2.3||3.0||4.2||-1.2|
|Average||2.7||2.3||3.9||3.7||0.2|
|Average EBRD region (incl Cyprus)*||2.3||1.6||-0.3||1.7||-2.0|
|Average_commodity exporters*||2.0||1.0||-3.8||0.5||-4.3|
|Average_commodity importers||2.6||2.1||2.4||2.7||-0.3|
*EBRD forecasts as of 16 January 2015; in per cent
* Weighted averages. The weights used for the growth rates are WEO estimates of nominal dolar-GDP for 2012.
**Weighted averages do not include Czech republic, for which EBRD no longer produces a forecast.
***EBRD figures and forecasts for Egypt's real GDP reflect the fiscal year, which runs from July to june. These are also used in the regional average.
****Commodity exporters include: Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Turkmenistan. | https://www.ebrd.com/news/2015/oildriven-russia-downturn-adds-to-weakness-in-ebrd-economies.html |
Summary: Essay describes how Banquo is a foil to Macbeth in the play "Macbeth" by William Shakespeare.
Macbeth and Banquo are two main characters in Shakespeare's great tragedy, Macbeth, who are good friends placed in the same situation but deal with it differently. This caused one friend to ultimately kill the other. Clearly it is evident Banquo is a foil to Macbeth by their different actions towards the witches prophesies.
In Act I, both Banquo and Macbeth encounter the witches prophesies at the same time and both received a positive prophesy for their future. "All hail Macbeth! Thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth that shalt be king hereafter.", cried the witches to Macbeth and then added, "Lesser than Macbeth, and greater. Not so happy, yet much happier." Right after Macbeth and Banquo heard this Ross and Angus came and told Macbeth the good news that Kind Duncan has declared him Thane of Cawdor. Both Macbeth and Banquo can no believe the prophesy actually came true... | http://www.bookrags.com/essay-2003/12/7/154510/592/ |
Putana is a stratovolcano in the central Andes volcanic zone in northern Chile on the border with Bolivia. Fumarolic activiy has been visible at its summit crater at 5890 m altitude from long distances since the early 1800s. However, due to its remote location neither detailed geological studies have been made nor gas fluxes have been monitored and therefore its evolution remains unknown. On November 28, 2012 an ultraviolet (UV) imaging camera was transported to Putana and for about 30 min images of the fumaroles were recorded at 12 Hz. These observations provide the first measurements of SO2 fluxes from the fumarolic field of Putana and demonstrate the applicability of the UV camera to detect such emissions. The measurement series was used to assess whether the sampling rate of the data influences the estimate of the gas flux. The results suggest that measurements made at 10 s and 1 min intervals capture the inherent (turbulent) variability in both the plume/wind speed and SO2 flux. Relatively high SO2 fluxes varying between 0.3 kg s− 1 and 1.4 kg s− 1, which translates to 26 t/day and 121 t/day assuming constant degassing throughout the day, were observed on November 28, 2012. Furthermore, we demonstrate how an optical flow algorithm can be integrated with the SO2 retrieval to calculate SO2 fluxes at pixel level. Average values of 0.64 kg s− 1 ± 0.20 kg s− 1 and 0.70 kg s− 1 ± 0.53 kg s− 1 were retrieved from a “classical” transect method and the “advanced” optical flow based retrieval, respectively. Assuming constant emissions throughout all times, these values would results in an average annual SO2 burden of 20–22 kT. | https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/publications/first-estimates-of-fumarolic-so-2-fluxes-from-putana-volcano-chil |
Agriculture, one of the largest contributors to India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and a driving force for country’s economic development, relies heavily on women employing the largest number of women in India. Women’s continued role in agriculture is well marked, well realised, however, it is often underestimated. Close to 75% of the full-time workers on Indian farms are women.
In rural India, the percentage of women who depend on agriculture for their livelihood is as high as 84%. India’s livestock sector, which is the world’s largest livestock production systems--over 70% livestock work is done by women. Women's participation rate in the agricultural sectors is about 47% in tea plantations; around 47% in cotton cultivation; 45% growing oil seeds, and 39% in vegetable production.
Despite their large presence and their contribution, women farmers, often, are not equipped with what they need to succeed in farming. Studies have shown that women have less access to inputs (seeds, fertiliser, labour, and finance), critical services (training, insurance) and organised markets when compared to their male counterparts.
This inequality comes with a social and economic cost. Research has consistently shown that inequity in access to resources impacts both the economic well-being of women farmers as well as overall agricultural output of the country. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations estimates that if women were to have the same access to productive resources as men, they would increase the yields on their farms by 20-30% and this would end up adding at least 2.5–4% to the total agricultural output in developing countries. Similar inequalities are evident in price realisation where in view of unequal access to formal markets, women often realise less price for their produce than their men counterparts.
One of the key areas for addressing inequality is land ownership. Land is a fundamental resource for farming. With less than 8% of women farmers owning land, they often end up farming without being categorised as farm owners or landowners. Access to land and access to good soil (women also often own land that have inferior soil than their men counterparts), therefore, would be a fundamental requirement towards addressing the inequalities. Limited ownership of land is not a problem associated just with India, it is in most agriculture dependent countries, where, unlike India, women often do not even qualify to own land.
The second factor is markets. If land is the first step in farming, markets are the ultimate reason for farming. The consistent disparity in price realisation has been well documented. One of the key reasons behind this is the disparity in access to catalytic technologies. Take the example of digital technologies that are increasingly becoming essential to connect farmers to markets. Mobile phones, for example, are becoming a very important tool in farming- to buy, sell, report, debate, transfer money, claim insurance. However, across low- and middle-income countries, women are 10% less likely to own a mobile phone than men, and 313 million fewer women than men use mobile internet. As such, social inequalities are often manifested into digital inequalities.
The recent thrust by the government on aggregation through Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) is an impactful mechanism for addressing some of these fundamental challenges of lack of agency, price inequalities and women’s participation in production and market systems. Legally registered as a collective of farmers, and often built around self-help groups (SHGs), FPOs are formed by collectivising a set of farmers with an objective of enhancing their incomes and providing better economies of scale. Over the years, FPOs have shown the potential to create value across different post-harvest phases, including harvesting, primary processing, storage, secondary processing, and market linkages. There has also been increasing evidence that FPOs have been effective in driving enhanced market access, bargaining power, collective agency and decreased transaction costs for women farmers. In Bihar, for example, the JEEViKA programme - has mobilised over 200,000 women small-farmers into commodity-based FPOs. These FPOs have achieved significantly higher turnover and successfully marketed grains, fruits and vegetables. Farmer level returns, in some cases, have gone up by 20-30%. The success of the FPO model per se, and the success stories of women owned and managed FPOs are beginning to emerge as a very positive trend.
An added consideration will have to be climate change and woman’s ability to adapt. Changes in climatic conditions and uncertainties due to it has begun to adversely impact agricultural production systems globally. India's agricultural sector is not immune to it and will be affected especially in view of the dependence on natural resources and weather conditions defined by monsoon season. Small holder agriculture producers in general and women producers in particular will especially have a shorter side of the stick in dealing with the volatilities. This calls for a more augmented approach for making women farmers better equipped to adapt and manage their livelihoods through agriculture. India’s commitments at COP 26 highlights it’s leadership role in exploring the potential held by agriculture and agriculturists- the farmers. As several of the country’s climate mitigation and adaptation strategies include women farmers as an important stakeholder, state level implementation and inclusion of all--land holder and landless--will be important.
A gender specific and gender sensitive approach in terms of adaptation of best practices in agriculture, addressing structural inequalities is essential to realise the immense potential of women farmers. The goal of doubling farmers' income can be achieved by a capable and skilled women workforce. Empowerment of women workforce in agriculture, by ensuring equal access and opportunity will lead to a foundational transformation in India’s rural economy, improving lives of millions. | https://widgets.hindustantimes.com/ht-insight/economy/empowering-india-s-women-farmers-bridge-the-gap-101647511783243.html |
Chinese citizens have mixed feelings as the country’s education industry has become the latest sector to face regulatory scrutiny, with authorities vowing to crack down on private training companies.
The State Council — China’s chief administrative authority — announced a new set of educational policies last Saturday to reduce students’ workloads and tighten rules on for-profit curriculum tutoring firms.
The regulations call for turning all existing curriculum-based tutoring companies into non-profit entities, banning new for-profit curriculum tutoring facilities, restricting market capitalization and foreign investment in this sector, and limiting tutoring sessions to only school days.
Though the document does not clarify when the new rules will go into effect, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu are among the first group of pilot cities to enact the new regulations.
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These regulatory changes are the latest steps in China’s years-long efforts in educational reform. They could be considered the toughest measures yet to tackle the country’s increasingly overheated after-school private tutoring sector.
The stock prices of major Chinese tutoring companies, such as New Oriental Education and Technology, TAL Education Group and Gaotu Techedu Inc., plunged nearly 54%, 70% and 63%, respectively, following the release of the new policy.
“Now, everyone is concerned about alleviating the academic burden on students, [but] it is also necessary to reduce the burden on teachers,” wrote the most upvoted comment under a related post on the Chinese microblogging platform Weibo. “That will help them to put more energy into teaching, which can help improve the quality of education as well.”
Another netizen believes the education sector has experienced involution, a popular Chinese internet buzzword that refers to an inactive status or lack of further progress, writing, “There is serious involution in education, I hope there will be effective regulations in this field.”
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“I don’t think the new policy has anything to do with education equality, unfortunately,” says Chenneyeane Chen, who previously worked at a large tutoring company in Hangzhou. “More VIP private tutoring programs on weekday evenings might emerge instead, which only affluent families can afford. Therefore, it will only affect those parents who are not that well-off.”
Chen is currently a teacher at a children’s tutoring firm and admits that as early as September, she will not be able to work on weekends and holidays due to the new policy.
An owner of English-language schools in Guangzhou, who requested anonymity, echoed Chen’s remarks, saying that parents still want this type of education and will resort to hiring private teachers. He added that its effect on reducing the academic burden on young students might be limited, telling RADII, “it might help reduce burdens on students to some extent, but most of the burden comes from the homework load provided by their primary schools.”
Nevertheless, the regulatory changes are a big shock to language training companies. This is particularly true for small-sized entities that must navigate the increasingly complicated legal framework with limited resources.
On the other hand, big companies are more likely to find alternative ways to adapt to the challenges.
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According to one senior manager at a Guangzhou-based education company who requested anonymity, how the industry reacts depends on how big players such as New Oriental Group respond to the changes.
Based on a recent article from Fortune, some analysts believe New Oriental Education is in a solid position to survive this round of reforms and that it could “transform its business model to focus on the education segments untouched by the new regulations, such as exam preparation and non-academic learning in arts, crafts, sports, and computers.”
The government’s new rules also come at a time when China is struggling to boost its birth rate. In late May, the introduction of the ‘three-child policy’ was met with backlash on social media, with some netizens lamenting the economic and societal barriers for raising children. The backlash resulted in state media emphasizing the fact that there will be relevant support measures together with the three-child policy.
This new policy shift, to some extent, might be the government’s latest attempt to reduce education-related costs and stress to encourage parents to make their families a little larger. | https://radii.co/article/china-bans-private-tutoring |
22nd June, 2011
The Lagos State contingent to the 17th National Sports Festival holding in Port-Harcourt are ready for action, the state government revealed yesterday.
The athletes will depart Lagos for Rivers State on Monday 27 June, 2011, after a special prayer session on Saturday 25 June at the Rowe Park, Yaba, Lagos.
Team Lagos, which comprises of 590 athletes and coaches, will compete in 23 sports at the festival. In the selection of the athletes, focus was on talents displayed by the various athletes at trial competitions held at Ibile Games (the acronym for the state sports festival) and other trials organised by the Lagos State Sports Council and its affiliate sport associations.
Speaking on the level of preparedness of Team Lagos, the Director of Sports, Lagos State Sports Council, Adewunmi Ogunsanya, said attention was placed on picking the best athletes that Lagos parades, adding that as usual with Team Lagos, attention was also placed on breeding discipline and committment.
According to him, most of the athletes are keen to give their all to excel in the colours of Lagos State and they have promised to return to Lagos with medals.
He declared that the vision of the administration of Governor Babatunde Fashola has always been to improve grassroots sports by investing in the discovery of talents, nurturing and exposing the discovered talents to competitions of this nature.
“This is to allow the athletes exhibit their talents in various fields of sports. We thank Governor Fashola for making it possible for the athletes to train for a longer period than they did for the previous games,†Ogunsanya said
The Lagos State Sports Council commenced camping of athletes on Tuesday 3, June 2011 for two weeks with 951 athletes before the selection of athletes for the closed camp that emerged as Team Lagos. | https://pmnewsnigeria.com/2011/06/22/team-lagos-ready-for-festival/ |
About the Talent Acquisition & Retention Specialist position
We are looking for an efficient Talent Acquisition & Retention Specialist to undertake a variety of talent-centric duties. You will facilitate daily HR functions like keeping track of employees records and supporting the interview process. Your role, also, involves performing tasks with a focus to grow our company’s talent pipeline and improve our sourcing tactics.
The ideal candidate will have a broad knowledge of talent acquisition, cultivation and nurturing as well as general administrative responsibilities. He/She will be able to work autonomously and efficiently to ensure the end-to-end running of HR projects and operations. To succeed in this role, you should be familiar using HR software and tools. Ultimately, you should be able to contribute to the attainment of specific goals and results of the Talent department and the organization.
Responsibilities include:
Workforce Planning and Talent Acquisition:
Implementing the organisation’s recruiting strategy by hiring against forecasts and staying on top of organisation developments relating to manpower requirements
Participating in job fairs, campus recruitment and other strategic recruitment events
Interviewing applicants
Administering pre-employment tests
Completing background investigations
Communicating offers, compiling requisite documentation and paperwork
Pre-boarding
Facilitating the transfers and promotions process
Talent Performance Management:
Implementing, managing and maintaining the end-to-end annual performance review process that focuses employee’s efforts on the achievement of business goals and attainment of requisite skills/ competencies to sustain growth.
Supporting Line Managers in creating customised personal development and performance improvement plans for employees and managing follow-ups and implementations.
Talent Retention:
Developing innovative opportunities for advancement and career paths
Gathering qualitative retention data by conducting and analysing talent retainment-specific interviews
Improving the employer brand within and outside the organisation
Establishing positive working relationships and credibility with all managers and leaders to drive engagement company-wide
The Right-Fit Candidate should:
Have 2+ years’ related work experience
Hold a Bachelor’s degree in Business Studies or related field
Be Proficient with MS Office
Be able to gather, organise and analyse data
Be able to plan, organise and manage competing priorities in a dynamic, fast-paced working environment
Posses excellent verbal and written communication skills
Be self-driven, motivated and results-oriented with positive, influential interpersonal skills
Have a strong business acumen
Be a team Player
This is a full-time position and the successful candidate must be available to work weekdays and weekends including rotational shifts.
If this is YOU, Yalelo wants to hear from you today!!! | https://thebestofzambia.com/job/ck1urg1ey0zy10134fv0lgdxe |
The Foundation for Edmonds School District has received a $5,000 Boeing Sponsorship Award from The Boeing Co.
Funds will be used for district’s Digital Access and Technology Support Project, which helps hundreds of children receive equipment for online learning during the pandemic.
The Foundation will provide more than 350 pairs of headphones to students, breaking down barriers due to cost and enabling children to learn in settings alongside other students or background noise, allowing children to learn and thrive.
“Our community faces significant obstacles to engaging in remote lear...
For access to this article please sign in or subscribe. | https://www.edmondsbeacon.com/story/2020/11/24/schools/school-district-foundation-gets-5k-for-headphones/24100.html |
Under the general heading "Analysis" occur the subheadings "Foundations of Analysis," with the topics theory of functions of real variables, series and other infinite processes, principles and elements of the differential and of the integral calculus, definite integrals, and calculus of variations; "Theory of Functions of Complex Variables," with the topics functions of one variable and of several variables; "Algebraic Functions and their Integrals," with the topics algebraic functions of one and of several variables, elliptic functions and single theta functions, Abelian integrals; "Other Special Functions," with the topics Euler's, Legendre's, Bessel's and automorphic functions; "Differential Equations," with the topics existence theorems, methods of solution, general theory; "Differential Forms and Differential Invariants," with the topics differential forms, including Pfaffians, transformation of differential forms, including tangential (or contact) transformations, differential invariants; "Analytical Methods connected with Physical Subjects," with the topics harmonic analysis, Fourier's series, the differential equations of applied mathematics, Dirichlet's problem; "Difference Equations and Functional Equations," with the topics recurring series, solution of equations of finite differences and functional equations.
Also such ideas as those of invariants, groups and of form, have modified the entire science.
The investigation of the properties of these functions, as well for a single form as for a simultaneous set of forms, and as well for one as for many series of variables, is included in the theory of invariants.
The partition method of treating symmetrical algebra is one which has been singularly successful in indicating new paths of advance in the theory of invariants; the important theorem of expressibility is, directly we exclude unity from the partitions, a theorem concerning the expressibility of covariants, and involves the theory of the reducible forms and of the syzygies.
The important result is that the theory of invariants is from a certain point of view coincident with the theory of non-unitary symmetric functions.
An important notion in the theory of linear operators in general is that of MacMahon's multilinear operator (" Theory of a Multilinear partial Differential Operator with Applications to the Theories of Invariants and Reciprocants," Proc. Lond.
x i, x 2) is said to be a covariant of the quantic. The expression " invariantive forms " includes both invariants and covariants, and frequently also other analogous forms which will be met with.
Occasionally the word " invariants " includes covariants; when this is so it will be implied by the text.
This notion is fundamental in the present theory because we will find that one of the most valuable artifices for finding invariants of a single quantic is first to find simultaneous invariants of several different quantics, and subsequently to make all the quantics identical.
For the quartic (ab) 4 = (aib2-a2b,) alb2 -4a7a2blb2+64a2 bib2 - 4a 1 a 2 b 7 b 2 + a a b i = a,a 4 - 4ca,a 3 +6a2 - 4a3a3+ aoa4 = 2(a 0 a 4 - 4a1a3 +e3a2), one of the well-known invariants of the quartic.
It will be shown later that all invariants, single or simultaneous, are expressible in terms of symbolic products.
All the forms obtained are invariants in regard to linear transformations, in accordance with the same scheme of substitutions, of the several sets of variables.
If the invariants and covariants of this composite quantic be formed we obtain functions of X such that the coefficients of the various powers of X are simultaneous invariants of f and 4).
An instantaneous deduction from the relation w= 2 n0 is that forms of uneven orders possess only invariants of even degree in the coefficients.
The invariants in question are invariants qud linear transformation of the forms themselves as well as qud linear transformation of the variables.
and Gordan, in fact, takes the satisfaction of these conditions as defining those invariants which Sylvester termed " combinants."
two invariants, two quartics and a sextic. They are connected by the relation 212 = 2 i f?0 - D3 -3 jf 3.
The vanishing of the invariants i and j is the necessary and sufficient condition to ensure the quartic having three equal roots.
There are four invariants (i, i')2; (13, H)6; (f2, 151c.; (f t, 17)14 four linear forms (f, i 2) 4; (f, i 3) 5; (i 4, T) 8; (2 5, T)9 three quadratic forms i; (H, i 2)4; (H, 23)5 three cubic forms (f, i)2; (f, i 2) 3; (13, T)6 two quartic forms (H, i) 2; (H, 12)3.
Further, in the case of invariants, we write A= (1, i') 2 and take three new forms B = (i, T) 2; C = (r, r`) 2; R = (/y).
Hermite expresses the quintic in a forme-type in which the constants are invariants and the variables linear covariants.
- (aa) and then expresses the coefficients, on the right, in terms of the fundamental invariants.
Hence, solving the cubic, R 2 j = (S -m i a) (S - m 2 a) (S - m3a) wherein m 1 m2, m 3 are invariants.
The discriminant is the resultant of ax and ax and of degree 8 in the coefficients; since it is a rational and integral function of the fundamental invariants it is expressible as a linear function of A 2 and B; it is independent of C, and is therefore unaltered when C vanishes; we may therefore take f in the canonical form 6R 4 f = BS5+5BS4p-4A2p5.
f= ai; the Hessian H = (ab) 2 azbx; the quartic i= (ab) 4 axb 2 x; the covariants 1= (ai) 4 ay; T = (ab)2(cb)aybyci; and the invariants A = (ab) 6; B = (ii') 4 .
Hesse's canonical form shows at once that there cannot be more than two independent invariants; for if there were three we could, by elimination of the modulus of transformation, obtain two functions of the coefficients equal to functions of m, and thus, by elimination of m, obtain a relation between the coefficients, showing them not to be independent, which is contrary to the hypothesis.
For an algebraic solution the invariants must fulfil certain conditions.
When a z and the invariants B and C all vanish, either A or j must vanish; in the former case j is a perfect cube, its Hessian vanishing, and further f contains j as a factor; in the latter case, if p x, ax be the linear factors of i, f can be expressed as (pa) 5 f =cip2+c2ay; if both A and j vanish i also vanishes identically, and so also does f.
As regards invariants.
Besides the invariants and covariants, hitherto studied, there are others which appertain to particular cases of the general linear substitution.
Thus what have been called seminvariants are not all of them invariants for the general substitution, but are invariants for the particular substitution xl = X11 + J-s12, X 2 = 112 Again, in plane geometry, the most general equations of substitution which change from old axes inclined at w to new axes inclined at w' =13 - a, and inclined at angles a, l3 to the old axis of x, without change of origin, are x-sin(wa)X+sin(w -/3)Y sin w sin ' _sin ax y sin w a transformation of modulus sin w' sin w' The theory of invariants originated in the discussion, by George Boole, of this system so important in geometry.
Of the quadratic axe+2bxy+cy2, he discovered the two invariants ac-b 2, a-2b cos w+c, and it may be verified that, if the transformed of the quadratic be AX2=2BXY+CY2, sin w 2 AC -B 2 =) (ac-b2), sin w A-2B cos w'+C = (sin w'1 2(a - 2bcosw+c).
2 cos w xy+y 2 = X 2 +2 cos w'XY+Y2, from which it appears that the Boolian invariants of axe+2bxy-y2 are nothing more than the full invariants of the simultaneous quadratics ax2+2bxy+y2, x 2 +2 cos coxy+y2, the word invariant including here covariant.
Since +xZ=x x we have six types of symbolic factors which may be used to form invariants and covariants, viz.
Young, The Algebra of Invariants (Cambridge, 1903).
For instance, there are the symbols A, D, E used in the calculus of finite differences; Aronhold's symbolical method in the calculus of invariants; and the like.
In the course of the ensuing ten years he published a large amount of original work, much of it dealing with the theory of invariants, which marked him as one of the foremost mathematicians of the time.
At Woolwich he remained until 1870, and although he was not a great success as an elementary teacher, that period of his life was very rich in mathematical work, which included remarkable advances in the theory of the partition of numbers and further contributions to that of invariants, together with an important research which yielded a proof, hitherto lacking, of Newton's rule for the discovery of imaginary roots for algebraical equations up to and including the fifth degree.
The Hessian A has just been spoken of as a covariant of the form u; the notion of invariants and covariants belongs rather to the form u than to the curve u=o represented by means of this form; and the theory may be very briefly referred to.
If, however, the geometrical property requires two or more relations between the coefficients, say A = o, B = o,&c., then we must have between the new coefficients the like relations, A' = o, B' = o, &c., and the two systems of equations must each of them imply the other; when this is so, the system of equations, A = o, B = o, &c., is said to be invariantive, but it does not follow that A, B, &c., are of necessity invariants of u.
The theory of the invariants and covariants of a ternary cubic function u has been studied in detail, and brought into connexion with the cubic curve u = o; but the theory of the invariants and covariants for the next succeeding case, the ternary quartic function, is still very incomplete.
algebraic invariants was successful far beyond the hopes of its originators.
formless invariants in the array from a picture could not be put into words anyway.
To distinguish groups we compute invariants of the given groups.
N has many abelian invariants 3. N is a direct product 3a.
The wonder of it all is the theory of algebraic invariants was successful far beyond the hopes of its originators.
Invariant Theory of Finite Groups This introductory lecture will be concerned with polynomial invariant Theory of Finite Groups This introductory lecture will be concerned with polynomial invariants of finite groups which come from a linear group action.
To be familiar with some geometric invariants of groups of transformations of the plane.
The set of atomic invariants contains the instances of static predicates which are always true.
invariants of a knot.
Defines knots invariants: group of a knots invariants: group of a knot, Alexander polynomial, Jones polynomial.
polynomial invariants of finite groups which come from a linear group action.
For example, the theory of invariants may be regarded as depending upon the consideration of the symmetric functions of the differences of the roots of the equation aox n - (i) a i x n - 1 + (z) a 2 x n 2 - ...
Of any form az there exists a finite number of invariants and covariants, in terms of which all other covariants are rational and integral functions (cf.
There are 5 invariants: (a, b) 6, (i, i) 4', (1, l'), (f, l 3) 6, ((f, i),14)8; 6 of order 2.: 1, (i,1) 2, (f, 12) 4, (1,1 2) 3, (.f,1 3) 5, ((f, i), 13)6; 5 of order 4: i, (f,1) 2, (1, 1), (f,12)3, ((f, i), 12)4; 5 of order 6 :f, p = (ai) 2 axi 2 x, (f, 1), ((f, i), 1) 2, (p, l); 3 of order 8: H, (f, i), (H, 1); 1 of order 10: (H, i); 1 of order 12: T.
It appears that X2+Y2+Z2 and LX+MY+NZ are absolute invariants (cf.
The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historial usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com. | https://sentence.yourdictionary.com/invariants |
One of the most important questions a job-seeking physician must ask is where he or she would like to live and practice. Some physicians choose particular places because of specific career goals or employment opportunities. Others locate based on personal connections, outside interests or the desire to return home.
When you are evaluating opportunities and communities, certain considerations will help you determine which one is the right fit for you. Ask these questions during interviews and compare the responses to your own ideals:
Additional considerations include competition in your specialty, work availability (particularly if you are a specialist), cost of living, partner’s preferences, proximity to family and friends, climate and local schools.
Taking the time to evaluate these points from the get-go will help you find the right place for yourself, your family and your future.
Ready to find your next practice? Search our Job Bank of more than 17,000 positions nationwide and apply to promising openings immediately. | https://magazine.practicelink.com/title=A-sense-of-place-Finding-the-opportunity-for-you/category=Physician%20Career%20move/publishedin=Winter%202015/ |
The continued explosive growth of health data has created great opportunities to improve the quality and delivery of patient care and a great need for professionals with the knowledge and skills to retrieve, interpret, and act on that data.
The Master of Science in Health Analytics combines the domain knowledge of the vast and complex health sector with the interdisciplinary skills of data science to prepare students for important roles at the forefront of efforts to improve healthcare delivery and outcomes.
Drawing on the strengths of partnerships with faculty and staff in Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Northwestern Memorial HealthCare, the curriculum offers students the opportunity to build their expertise in a hands-on, leading-edge program that is ideal for those with either a clinical background or for those with quantitative and technical experience.
Degrees Offered
Health Analytics Courses
MSHA 401-DL Programming for Health Analytics (1 Unit)
In this course students utilize data science software to practice R programming. Students will install and launch software and apply this industry relevant programming language to generate, manipulate, manage, and visualize health (or related) data. In this course students complete a variety of hands-on programming exercises to develop data science programming skills.
MSHA 403-DL Introduction to American Healthcare, Digital Health, and Analytics (1 Unit)
This course will provide an introduction to the current structure and emerging trends shaping the US Healthcare System. Students will learn what it means to navigate the confusing, bottom-up, and variously incentivized entities in the American health care system. Additionally, we will cover foundational healthcare data sources for the 3Ps (Providers, Patients, and Payers) and fundamentals of Health Information Technology including electronic health records, health information exchanges, clinical decision support, consumerism, and the impact of big data and predictive analytics. Topics center on how information technology and analytics enables patient care and fuels modern health care organizations.
MSHA 405-DL Data Literacy and Analytics in Healthcare (1 Unit)
Students will learn about current and future data trends, relational databases, healthcare data standards, and the basics of utilizing SQL for data and analytics. Becoming familiar with the fundamentals of relational databases and SQL, the most popular language used to query data from relational databases, is an essential part of this class. Students will leave this course with a strong understanding of standard healthcare terminologies (i.e., RxNorm, SNOMED), relational databases, and how to retrieve, analyze, and aggregate relational data for analytics purposes using SQL. Concepts learned in this class can be used to store, prepare, and analyze large data sets using SQL.
MSHA 407-DL Data Security, Ethics and Governance (1 Unit)
This course provides a working knowledge of the specific considerations for health data and the appropriate application of privacy laws to protect personal health information and maintain confidentiality. This will include oversight of technical, administrative, and physical safeguards needed to maintain a secure environment and minimize the risk of a data breach. Additionally, the course will address ethical concerns and dilemmas in the use and disclosure of health data, such as use in public safety and medical research. Topics include: ensuring system specifications and configurations meet regulatory requirements; ensuring cybersecurity risks are mitigated; addressing European Union Privacy Laws for international systems; and managing organizational & technical governance.
MSHA 409-DL Statistical Analysis (1 Unit)
This is an introductory course to general concepts and fundamentals in the practice of biostatistics as commonly used in health data. This will form the foundation for more advanced topics to come in later courses, such as intermediate biostatistics. On its own, the material covered here will be sufficient to perform basic descriptive statistical analyses on your own, and indicate when you should ask for assistance. The goal of this course is to teach students how to perform basic statistical analysis of health data sets in RStudio. The techniques you'll learn in this course are important in themselves, and will form the foundation for later courses in the MSHA program, as well as learning how to be productive in R Studio.
MSHA 410-DL Regression and Multivariate Analysis (1 Unit)
This course develops the foundations of predictive modeling by: introducing the conceptual foundations of regression and multivariate analysis; developing statistical modeling as a process that includes exploratory health data analysis, model identification, and model validation; and discussing the difference between the uses of statistical models for statistical inference versus predictive modeling. The high level topics covered in the course include: exploratory data analysis, statistical graphics, linear regression, automated variable selection, principal components analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and cluster analysis.
Prerequisite: MSHA 409-DL.
MSHA 411-DL Advanced Data Modeling for Health Analytics (1 Unit)
This course extends the health analytics conception of predictive modeling with ordinary least-squares regression to the situations of repeated measures, dichotomous responses, and survival times/outcomes. Learners will survey essential topics such as longitudinal data analysis, logistic regression, and survival analyses. Students will explore issues of data preparation, model fit and interpretation, model development strategies, and validation. Students will also model real world healthcare data containing missing values and outliers.
Prerequisite: MSHA 409-DL and MSHA 410-DL.
MSHA 412-DL Feature Engineering and Text Mining (1 Unit)
This course will provide students with the skills to develop analytical features from health datasets. Students will develop an understanding of healthcare data, particularly electronic health record (EHR) data, and use R & SQL to build features for analytical modeling. In addition to working with continuous and categorical health data, students will understand and develop skills for natural language processing to extract discrete data elements from free-text clinical documentation, such as physician notes, for the development of analytical features.
Prerequisite: MSHA 405-DL.
MSHA 422-DL Artificial Intelligence and Practical Machine Learning (1 Unit)
The course introduces machine learning and applications to problems in health care. It surveys machine learning techniques, including resampling techniques, model selection and regularization, tree-based methods, principal components analysis, cluster analysis, ensemble methods, and artificial neural networks. Students implement machine learning models with open-source software for data science. They explore data and learn from data, finding underlying patterns useful for data reduction, feature analysis, prediction, and classification.
Prerequisite: MSHA 409-DL and MSHA 410-DL.
MSHA 455-DL Data Visualization and Storytelling (1 Unit)
This course will build upon the analytical tools learned during the previous courses in the MSHA sequence to enable students to visually convey their findings to both technical and non-technical audiences. In this course, students will learn how to identify and explain the layers of the grammar of graphics, select effective static data visualizations, write R code to manipulate data visualizations, and construct their own compelling visualizations from scratch using health data. Course goals will be achieved using the ggplot2 package in R. By the end of the course, students should be effective visual communicators of their findings and will be proficient in producing impactful visualizations using ggplot2.
MSHA 480-DL Health Analytics Leadership (1 Unit)
This course is an introduction to health analytics leadership, high-level project management, customer engagement, and effective communication in health care organizations. Students will learn organizational strategies for developing and executing a robust BI vision and strategic plan. Students will also learn methods to effectively lead projects and engage both leadership and key stakeholders using change management principles, models, and project management tools. This course introduces best practices in leading change and project management. Students will develop effective communication and presentation skills to translate analytics to actionable recommendations to solve problems in their organizations.
MSHA 498-DL Capstone (1 Unit)
The Capstone is intended to be the culmination of coursework towards the MSHA degree. In the Capstone, students will apply tools learned during MSHA coursework to define a problem in health care Define the data needed to resolve the problem Perform the analysis, and Communicate the results and conclusion of the analysis in written form. | https://northwestern-preview.courseleaf.com/sps/graduate/health-analytics/ |
This study investigated the effectiveness of CBT and psychotropic medicines for depression and psychological wellbeing in patients with depression. It also examined the difference in the treatment outcomes of psychotropic medicine alone as compared to CBT in combination with psychotropic medicines. The sample comprised of 50 male and female patients with depressive disorders out of which 25 patients received psychotropic medicines & 25 patients received CBT in combination with psychotropic medicines. The age of the sample ranged between 20-50 years recruited through purposive sampling. The quasi-experimental (Pretest-Posttest) design was employed. The results indicated that there was significant effect of both treatments on the patients of depression but combine treatment of CBT with psychotropic medication has more significant effect than the psychotropic medication alone. The study have implications and pave path for future investigation.
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Copyright © Pakistan Journal of Psychology. All rights reserved. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. | http://www.pjpku.com/index.php/pjp/article/view/11 |
We are looking for a Business Strategy Associate to join our Finance & Strategy team based in our Hong Kong office. The Business Strategy Associate will help solve the most critical problems for the business using strategic financial analysis to shape our strategy to grow our market share whilst achieving our financial targets. They will take a company-wide perspective and work across all teams and functions to execute projects and initiatives, build frameworks and support the implementation of high impact projects. They must have excellent personal and communication skills and be able to build cross-functional relationships with key senior stakeholders and teams to achieve goals, while enforcing accountability.
This is a unique opportunity for a problem solver and strategic thinker, to get great exposure in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment. The role will see you lend support to all teams and playing the role of an internal strategy consultant. We are looking for a critical thinker to conduct quantitative and qualitative analysis to drive our commercial business decisions & lead key projects. You will be instrumental in identifying opportunities to improve our operating model and in designing pragmatic solutions to the challenges we face.
You will be working in the Finance & Strategy team with significant exposure to the Leadership Team and reporting to the F&S Director. You will work closely with the local functional teams (commercial, operations, marketing, etc.) as well as Central and Product teams.
Responsibilities
You will look after the medium-to-long term projects for the Hong Kong market and challenge the way we do things, driving innovation forward. Responsibilities include:
- Work on the planning of different elements of the business strategy, including quarterly and annual planning
- Conduct financial analysis to inform our strategy and investment decisions
- Draft and design board presentation materials for the Hong Kong market
- Own end-to-end projects from design all the way through to implementation and work towards our long-term success
- Manage cross-functional projects and initiatives with key stakeholders across teams
- Understanding and influencing the underlying drivers of performance to help drive the top and bottom line
- Drive both the qualitative and quantitative analysis to help design and execute the right strategies
- Build relationships with key stakeholders across Hong Kong as well as HQ teams
- Support the F&S Director with the quarterly and annual reforecasting / budgeting process as well as ongoing KPI tracking/pacing
- Track performance and produce analytical reports for management review
Requirements
- 3+ years of relative work experience.
- Excellent analytical and numerical skills
- Advanced excel and powerpoint skills; SQL would be a plus
- Experience working with profit and loss statements
- Ability to work to tight deadlines
- Excellent interpersonal, communication and presentation skills
- Experience of managing complex projects with multiple senior stakeholders
- Track record of execution capability
- Ability to sniff out, chase and proactively solve complex problems without much guidance
Benefits and Diversity
At Deliveroo we know that people are the heart of the business and we prioritise their welfare. We offer a wide range of competitive benefits in areas including health, family, finance, community, convenience, growth, time away and relocation.
We believe a great workplace is one that represents the world we live in and how beautifully diverse it can be. That means we have no judgement when it comes to any one of the things that make you who you are - your gender, race, sexuality, religion or a secret aversion to coriander. All you need is a passion for (most) food and a desire to be part of one of the fastest growing startups in an incredibly exciting space. | https://boards.greenhouse.io/deliveroo/jobs/4404016 |
FOR more than 10 years female leatherback turtles have failed to
return to their traditional nesting beaches in south-eastern
Queensland and northern NSW.
The giant, ancient creatures could once be seen waddling and
slapping their way across the same Pacific beaches to lay eggs
where they had once hatched.
Today, nesting is down more than 80 per cent at many sites and,
in some, once-abundant rookeries have almost disappeared.
The leatherback, the world's largest turtle, with an average
life span of 200 years, is threatened with extinction. Poachers
take eggs from nests, adult turtles are caught in fishing tackle -
often dying from cuts, rope burns or gangrenous muscles - or are
poisoned by plastic waste dumped in the ocean. The females are
often killed for oil.
The leatherback is just one of many species being pushed to
extinction by trade and development in Asia-Pacific Economic
Co-operation forum countries.
The decline of China's giant panda, Canada's polar bear and
Thailand's Asian elephant is the dark side of economic progress
within APEC, says the environment group WWF-Australia.
Today, as business leaders and policy-makers gather in Sydney
for APEC's business summit, National Threatened Species Day
commemorates the day in 1936 that the last Tasmanian tiger died in
captivity in a Hobart zoo.
"APEC provides an opportunity for leaders to move trade in a
more sustainable direction," said WWF's program leader for species,
Dr Tammie Matson.
"These leaders represent some of the world's most iconic species
that are threatened with extinction from unsustainable trade."
Illegal logging, destruction of animal habitat for plantations,
agriculture and residential development, over-fishing, poaching and
hunting are just some of the activities driving wild animals, such
as Vietnam's Javan rhinoceros, to the brink.
It is probably the rarest large mammal species, with fewer than
60 thought to survive in the wild and none in captivity. In
Vietnam, where it has been poached for traditional medicine, as few
as 10 are left.
| |
Knowing when to pull the plug on your old hardware isn’t always easy. As an IT manager, you probably want to get as good a return on your investment as possible. On the other hand, reduced employee productivity caused by increased downtime and elevated levels of frustration can adversely affect your bottom line. There’s also cybersecurity to think about. In fact, failure to properly manage technology lifecycles is one of the most common reasons for attacks to occur.
Employing outdated and deprecated technology that’s no longer supported by the original manufacturer is extremely risky, especially for systems that are connected to the internet. Recent attacks, such as this year’s WannaCry ransomware, are graphic examples of this fact – WannaCry infected only old computers running the now long-unsupported Windows XP.
Which Hardware Do You Need to Replace?
Every piece of technology your company uses has a lifecycle, which is largely defined by the manufacturer’s customer support system. Hardware and software manufacturers commit to supporting their products for a specific amount of time, after which they may offer extended support for a period of years to certain types of customers, such as business and enterprise users. Eventually, the support lifecycle will end and the products will no longer receive any updates; there will no longer be any customer support available for them.
Any hardware or software that is no longer supported by the manufacturer should be replaced as soon as possible. The only exception to this rule are complex proprietary systems designed to fulfil a very specific role, but only so long as they are not connected to the internet and therefore do not present any attack surface. These, however, are very rare cases. For the most part, you’ll want to replace all hardware devices, such as laptops, workstations, servers, mobile devices, storage devices, and networking hardware before they reach the end of their lifecycles.
What About Software?
Hardware tends to have a longer lifespan than software. Most software, particularly operating systems and web browsers, need to be patched regularly to address things like zero-day vulnerabilities and other potential threats. After a few years, it becomes undesirable for software developers to continue supporting their products and updating them to overcome things like compatibility issues with newer hardware. At this point, they’ll either release a completely new version of the program or abandon it altogether. Again, as is the case with hardware lifecycles, you’ll want to make sure you’re not running any software that is no longer supported by the developer.
Determining Your Technology Lifecycles
Every individual component of your company’s computing infrastructure, including both hardware and software, should have an expiry date. Pay close attention to networking devices such as routers and firewalls, since they’re tasked with protecting your entire infrastructure from would-be attackers. In terms of software, always make sure you’re running a supported operating system and a current web browser.
You can usually find out whether a device or program is still supported simply by visiting the manufacturer’s website. For example, Microsoft has committed to providing extended support for Windows 10 (2016 LTSB) until October 13, 2026. However, extended support for Windows XP ended on April 8, 2014, even though many organizations are still using it (which they emphatically shouldn’t be).
Ideally, you should replace your systems long before their expiry dates, since doing so will give you plenty of time to plan ahead and reduce the risk of pushing your technology lifecycles beyond their limits. When formulating your technology lifecycle document, be sure to consider the following factors:
- Purchase date
- Manufacturer support lifecycle
- Warranty expiration
- Last inspection date
Replacing on-premises infrastructure in keeping with technology lifecycles can get very expensive, but it’s also a necessary evil. Fortunately, cloud-based systems offer a far more viable and flexible alternative, and they’re always up-to-date. Call Truewater today to learn more about how our cloud solutions can help you. | https://www.truewater.com/keeping-business-running-understanding-hardware-lifecycles/ |
A PhD student in the School of Life Sciences aims to increase the visibility of role models in science for BAME (Black, Asian and minority ethnic) students by building a community that extends beyond the School.
In a project supported by the Sussex Researcher Development Programme, Kamillia Kasbi will build a network of BAME scientists in a variety of careers, including Sussex alumni, to highlight the range of career opportunities available from studying Life Sciences subjects.
By doing so, she aims to foster a community for BAME students in the School, and provide opportunities to share challenges and experiences, while providing support.
Kamillia, one of the two Life Sciences BAME Ambassadors, said: “Research demonstrates that structural inequalities lead to BAME PhD students lacking a sense of belonging at university. In particular, a lack of role models can result in BAME students not feeling part of their School, or in academia in general.
“By featuring BAME scientists in a range of roles, I will be building an extended scientific community for our students. I hope that by providing stories of career pathways and the opportunity to ask these scientists questions, our students will see that there are many opportunities for them after studying science, to help maintain their motivation and engagement with research.”
Kamillia plans to record interviews with the scientists, covering their careers, struggles in the sector and advice for current students. These interviews will then be shared online, as part of a series of online resources for students.
A Q&A will also take place, either online or in person, where BAME students can come together and put their questions to the scientists.
Kamillia will commission a BAME artist to collaborate on the project, by producing engaging artwork of each of the scientists, which will be used for promotional material.
Researcher Development Officer, Katy Stoddard, said: “Our panel thought Kamillia’s initiative would fill a much-needed gap in Life Sciences at Sussex with tangible, engaging outcomes, and that it has the potential to have a greater impact on the science sector beyond the University.”
The scientists involved in the project will be asked if they are happy to be contacted about future collaborations and Kamillia hopes to build from the project, with support from the School’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) group.
Co-lead of EDI for the School, Dr Katy Petherick, said: “This project is a welcome contribution to our work addressing inequities in the School. We recognise that the lack of diversity and representation in our staff has a profound effect on how students of colour see their place in science. We look forward to supporting Kamillia with highlighting the opportunities available to BAME scientists.”
Kamillia is looking to include people who are UK based and have studied a Life Sciences subject (Chemistry or Biology related) and are now working in any career (not just science-based). If you are interested in being featured as a BAME role model, email [email protected] for more information. | https://www.sussex.ac.uk/research/centres/sussex-neuroscience/news-and-events?id=52195 |
As far back as scientists can measure CO2 and temperature, it is clear that the two are related. A graph of CO2 and temperature over the past 450,000 years shows just how close this correlation is. Although the relationship between the two is complicated, the result is clear. When CO2 is high, temperatures are high; when CO2 is low, temperatures are low.
A close look at the graph shows that, in the past, rising CO2 has not usually triggered global warming. In fact, during interglacial periods, CO2 begins to rise between 600 and 1,000 years after temperatures rise. Therefore, because a warming period takes about 5,000 years to complete, CO2 may only be responsible for about 4,200 years of that warming. Other factors-a change in solar radiation intensity, Milankovitch cycles, or thermohaline circulation (which varies in different warming periods)-set off rising temperatures initially. Positive feedbacks then bring about a rise in CO2 between 600 and 1,000 years later. These higher CO2 levels cause temperatures to rise even higher. This leads to further positive feedbacks that result in the release of more CO2 and still greater temperatures. Climate models support the idea that greenhouse gases cause about half of the warming that takes place between a glacial and an interglacial period.
Another question is raised by looking at the same figure: Why is CO2 so much higher now than it has been in the past 450,000 years, and yet global temperatures have not climbed high enough to match CO2 levels? The answer to this question is thermal inertia, which is the resistance a substance has to a change in temperature. Thermal inertia explains why even though the Northern Hemisphere receives the most sunlight on the summer solstice, the warmest summertime temperatures don’t arrive until weeks later; or why, even though the Sun is directly overhead at noon, the hottest time of day comes several hours later. Simply put, greenhouse gas levels are rising so rapidly that the temperatures cannot keep up. The lag between increasing green-house gases and the rise of global temperatures appears to be a few decades. The thermal inertia in this case is primarily due to the high heat capacity of the oceans. The models show that global temperature will eventually catch up with greenhouse gas levels, and the full temperature response will be realized.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Country
Not all nations of the world are equally responsible for greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. The United States is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases, followed by the nations China and Russia.
Researchers have been predicting that China will overtake the United States in CO2 emissions by 2010. Some estimates suggest that this already took place in 2006. To calculate per capita emissions, a nation’s total of CO2 emissions is divided by the nation’s population. The top 10 highest per capita emitters in the world are not even in the top 20 nations for total emissions. The reason is that they are small countries with high production and/or low energy efficiency. (Efficiency is the ratio of usable energy output to energy input.) Several of the top 10 per capita emitters are oil-rich nations-including Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait-that do not need to use petroleum efficiently. The nations with high total emissions but low per capita emissions, such as India, have very low productivity for the size of the nation’s population.
The United States is an enormous emitter of CO2, in part because it is the world’s largest economy. But that does not tell the whole story, because the United States emits twice as much CO2 to produce one unit of Gross National Product (GNP) as the nations of Western Europe. This means that the United States is only half as efficient in its energy use as Western Europe. Australia has low total emissions because it has such a low population, but it is nearly as inefficient with energy use as the United States.
Ice core data from the past 600,000 years show that when CO2 is high, global temperatures are high. Although current CO2 levels are higher than they have ever been, temperatures have not caught up with green-house gas levels due to thermal inertia. Scientists say that it is only a matter of time before temperatures rise to match atmospheric CO2 levels. Even with thermal inertia, the hottest years of the last 1,000 years have been in the past two decades, and the numbers of temperature records that have recently been broken indicate that the trend is continuing. Nations vary greatly in the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that they add to the atmosphere, with the United States and China in the lead. Without a doubt, the Earth’s climate future will include the enormous impact that humans make on the atmosphere. Nearly all climate scientists agree that human influence will overshadow natural changes for at least a millennium, until Milankovitch and other natural cycles push the planet toward a new ice age. | https://environmentglobalwarming.org/index.php/climate/280-34-climate-science?tmpl=component&print=1&layout=default&page= |
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Events
Against Time
20 April 2018 until 7 May 2018
Civic Room
Against Time is a Group exhibition that explores and analyses the concept of anachronism in relation to contemporary art. The exhibition features commissioned site-specific artworks by leading Glasgow-based artists, Sarah Forrest, Geneva Sills, Sue Tompkins and Toby Paterson and consists of new video installation, photography, performance work, and public sculptural installation.
Co-curated by PhD candidate Paula Zambrano and Sarah Strang, Director of Civic Room, the project looks into the contingent modes by which art gives meaning to the past, imagines the future and creates chronological disconnections when perceiving and grasping the contemporary time. It aims to investigate the creative possibilities of anachronism and contingency and to challenge linear notions of history and time by looking at the temporal discontinuities of Glasgow’s urban context to then question the multiple, interwoven temporalities that exist within the Civic Room building as well as within the urban landscape.
Against time is part of the Supported Programme for Glasgow International 2018. | https://sca-net.org/events/view/against-time |
Be a Citizen Advocate
At Conservation Alabama, we work to make sound environmental policies and values a political reality. We also realize that we can't accomplish these goals without the help of informed and dedicated citizens like you. Whether you are a hunter, fisher, outdoor enthusiast, or concerned parent, you have a stake in a clean, safe and healthy environment. You can also have a tremendous impact by getting involved today.
Participation in the political process can range from voting to contributing financially to a campaign, writing to your representatives, or even meeting with elected officials to discuss policy issues important to you. After all, they are representatives, and as such, need information and feedback from their constituents in order to make effective, responsible policy decisions that reflect your values.
Below are some general guidelines for building effective communication with your representative. You can learn more about grassroots lobbying, the state legislature, and the legislative process in the links at the bottom of this page.
General Tips:
1. Be aware of who represents you at both state and local levels.
2. Stay in regular, respectful contact with your representative. Personal letters and phone calls are usually the most effective form of communication, but email is also a good way to get in touch.
3. Ask them questions about policy decisions and issues that are important to you.
4. Find ways to volunteer or get involved with a candidate's campaign if your conservation values are a part of their platform.
5. Write letters to the editor of your local paper on conservation issues important to you.
Additional Resources: | https://www.conservationalabama.org/become-a-citizen-advocate |
The formation of visual circuitry is a multistep process that involves cell-cell interactions based on a range of molecular mechanisms. The correct implementation of individual events, including axon outgrowth and guidance, the formation of the topographic map, or the synaptic targeting of specific cellular subtypes, are prerequisites for a fully functional visual system that is able to appropriately process the information captured by the eyes. Cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) with their adhesive properties and their high functional diversity have been identified as key actors in several of these fundamental processes. Because of their growth-promoting properties, CAMs play an important role in neuritogenesis. Furthermore, they are necessary to control additional neurite development, regulating dendritic spacing and axon pathfinding. Finally, trans-synaptic interactions of CAMs ensure cell type-specific connectivity as a basis for the establishment of circuits processing distinct visual features. Recent discoveries implicating CAMs in novel mechanisms have led to a better general understanding of neural circuit formation, but also revealed an increasing complexity of their function. This review aims at describing the different levels of action for CAMs to shape neural connectivity, with a special focus on the visual system. | https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/the-role-of-cell-adhesion-molecules-in-visual-circuit-formation(17217a42-df25-4405-8ec5-94ef4c853869).html |
Preparation is the key to responding to unexpected emergencies. Every team should have an Emergency Action Plan in writing. Emergencies include injuries, illnesses such as heart attack, seizure, or stroke and natural disasters. An Emergency Action Plan should include all relevant categories and emergencies. This plan should outline the responsibility of everyone that may be involved, and should cover the following areas:
Plan where EMS personnel will enter and exit the field. Have a designated place for all keys that open gates or doors to the playing service so that emergency services can come in or players may be evacuated. Decide on the location of rescue and first aid equipment and always have a working phone nearby with emergency telephone numbers posted.
Make sure that your first aid kits are fully stocked. Also, make sure to have physical forms and medical release forms for your athletes easily accessible.
An automated external defibrillator is used in cases of life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias which lead to cardiac arrest. They are at many fields and schools. Take the time for note their locations.Cell Phone to call (9-1-1)
Evaluate which support personnel will be with you at the practice or game. This could include coaches, athletic trainers, athletic officials, facility administrators, management personnel, teachers, school nurse/physician, athletic director, clerical personnel and maintenance personnel.
Provide posted telephone numbers for EMS personnel, police, fire, hazardous materials (Hazmat) team, Poison Control Center, hospitals, power and gas companies and health department. Staff Responsibilities Assign each staff member a duty. There should be a person(s) to provide care, a person(s) to control bystanders and supervise other athletes, a person(s) to meet EMS personnel, and a person(s) to transport the injured athlete when appropriate.
Make sure it is clear how and when to call 911 or the local emergency number. Create a chain of command within your facility support personnel. Make sure there is a person to contact the injured student’s family or guardian, and a person to deal with the media.
Decide who will be responsible for completing the appropriate documentation (accident and incident report, etc.) and refilling your first aid kits. Put together a team to evaluate the effectiveness of the Emergency Action Plan and conduct a staff debriefing.It is vital to have strategies and procedures in place prior to a crisis.
By developing an Emergency Action Plan, you will be prepared to handle emergency situations at your practices or games.
HB 1824, also called the Lystedt Law, addresses the nature and risks of concussions and head injuries in youth sports, with specific requirements for education and compliance by players, parents, coaches, and youth organizations, such as youth soccer clubs and associations. The bill was voted on by the Washington State House of Representatives unanimously and signed into law by Governor Christine Gregoire on May 14, 2009; it went into effect on July 26, 2009.
Washington Youth Soccer has developed guidelines, pertinent information, and documents to inform and educate coaches, youth athletes, and their parent(s)/guardian(s) about the nature and risk of concussions and head injuries in compliance with HB 1824 and the WIAA. Each member association and club will work in concert with Washington Youth Soccer to disseminate these materials and ensure compliance with the law and the WIAA.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
Washington State Legislature Washington Interscholastic Actives Association
SB 5083, also known as the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Act (SCA), was voted on by the Washington State House of Representatives and signed into law by Governor Christine Gregoire on April 17, 2015; it went into effect on July 24, 2015.
The bill outlines the requirements that nonprofit organizations like Washington Youth Soccer and our clubs/associations must comply with prior to using school facilities, with specific educational requirements developed by the WIAA and the University of Washington for players, parents, coaches, and youth sports organizations.
SB 5083 policies regarding Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA):
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
Washington State Legislature Washington Interscholastic Actives Association
We all want to keep our players safe. Use the info below to build a warm up program for your team. Below are links to several programs that you can use.
Developed by UW Sports Medicine for Seattle United teams. This program is a further developed version of the F-MARC 11+
Warm UP - Injury Prevention Manual
FIFA developed program for injury prevention and warmup. The “FIFA 11+ ” is a complete warm-up program to reduce injuries among male and female football players aged 14 years and older.
The program was developed by an international group of experts, and its effectiveness has been proven in a scientific study. Teams that performed the “FIFA 11+ ” at least twice a week had 30-50% fewer injured players. | http://ballardsoccer.org/health-and-safety/ |
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is the latest in a host of rules designed to protect privacy. It is significant because it affects companies that do business in Europe or collect data on Europeans. GDPR’s wide-ranging scope ranks it right at the top of significant regulations, sitting beside well-known requirements such as HIPAA and PCI.
Your business may be doing quite a few things required by GDPR already, because GDPR has similar goals to other regulations. While HIPAA is designed to protect patient information in covered entities and business associates and PCI to protect credit card information from card processing environments, GDPR aims to protect the personal information of Europeans. This overlap of objectives results in a considerable similarity in GDPR specifications to those of other regulations. However, GDPR does introduce some new requirements that companies need to understand.
Some fundamental aspects of GDPR that are distinct from other regulations include the consent requirement, rights to erasure and data portability, accelerated breach notification, and the requirement for a data protection officer.
Consent requirement
GDPR mandates that companies obtain consent from individuals before storing their information. Consent must be specifically for how the data will be used. Organizations must first spell out how they will use an individual’s data and then obtain the approval for that use. Data use is then limited to only what the person allowed, and the organization must keep records on how information is used and processed. This information must be produced upon request by supervisory authorities, a local governing body that the business has associated with for purposes of compliance and reporting.
Rights to erasure and data portability
Under GDPR, individuals have the right to erasure and the right to data portability. Companies must remove the data they have on a person if requested to by the individual, and they must facilitate the transfer of a person’s information from their systems to another system using an open standard electronic format that is in common use.
Accelerated breach notification
Breach notification timelines are greatly accelerated in GDPR. The supervisory authority must be notified within 72 hours of the breach. This notification must include the relevant details of the breach including the number of victims impacted, and personal records disclosed, likely consequences to victims due to the breach, how the company is handling the breach, and what the company will do to mitigate possible adverse effects of the breach. This accelerated schedule will require businesses to have a much more robust incident response and investigative procedures as well as effective coordination of incident response, legal, investigative, and executive teams.
Data protection officer
Much like HIPAA’s privacy officer requirement, GDPR requires public authorities and organizations to have a data protection officer when their core business involves large scale processing or monitoring of individuals. The data protection officer must be a senior person in the organization who reports to executive management. They must have the freedom to operate independently from the rest of the company and be provided with adequate resources to perform their role.
Next steps
We live in an incredibly globalized world, one where businesses of all sizes work with customers spread around the world. GDPR has a wide-ranging impact on these companies, so it is important to understand its requirements. Begin the process now to position your company to operate and thrive under GDPR. The deadline for companies to comply with this regulation is May 25, 2018. | https://www.tcdi.com/prepare-company-key-differences-between-gdpr-and-other-regulations/ |
Illinois Junior Chefs
Illinois Junior Chefs (IJC) is a direct education curriculum designed to improve dietary attitudes and behaviors in youth ages 8-13 through learning hands-on cooking skills and MyPlate food group education. IJC is a 10-hour cooking education program designed for five two-hour classes. Each class focuses on a food group and related cooking skills. Recipes provided let participants practice specific cooking skills for preparation of foods for the food group highlighted in each lesson. A variety of recipes are included in the curriculum as well as additional resource links for supplemental recipes. Recipe selection should be based on age-appropriate cooking tasks for the participants and culturally appropriate recipes for diverse audiences. Participants are recruited through eligible schools and community agencies. Eligible participants attend IJC classes at sites having access to running water and electricity for the purpose of hand washing, food safety, and preparing recipes that need cooking. | https://snapedtoolkit.org/intervention-type/direct-education/page/3/ |
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National Institutes of Health co-hosted a public workshop on July 22, 2015, for interested stakeholders to discuss implementation of the U.S. Government Policy for Institutional Oversight of Life Sciences Dual Use Research of Concern. The purpose of the meeting was to inform and engage stakeholders; to collect feedback about resources needed to effectively implement the policy; and to discuss stakeholder experiences, challenges, and innovative practices. The Policy was also released as Federal Register Document 2014-22770.
The workshop was well attended by both domestic and international stakeholders from all levels of institutional DURC oversight. Nearly 200 individuals participated in person and on the webcast. The diverse group of participants facilitated a broad and thorough discussion of the Institutional DURC policy. An open dialogue between institutional stakeholders and the USG will continue as the Policy is implemented. The USG will continue soliciting feedback on the experience of institutions in implementing the Policy; evaluating the impact of DURC oversight on the life sciences research enterprise; assessing the advantages and disadvantages of expanding the scope of the Policy to encompass additional agents and toxins and/or categories of experiments; and updating the Policy, as warranted.
The workshop included an interactive case study that illustrated factors investigators and institutions consider when determining whether research is subject to the Policy. A series of panels comprised of institutional representatives shared their respective approaches to identifying research subject to the Policy, developing risk mitigation plans, and raising awareness and education about DURC. Finally, facilitators opened the forum for participants to share their input on issues relating to interpretation and implementation of the Policy.
Meeting Agenda
Workshop Summary
Archived Webcast
Stakeholder Engagement Workshop Transcript
Case Study Materials
Case Study
Case Study Moderator tools
Case study teaching slide deck
Moderator guide
Case study teaching slide deck
Moderator guide
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Susan Monarez, Ph.D.
Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota. Trevor Ames, D.V.M.
Colorado State University. Robert Ellis, Ph.D., CBSP, SM (ASM), ACVM University Director of Biosafety.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Philip Potter, Ph.D. DURC Sub-Committee Chairman.
University of Wisconsin. Rebecca Moritz, M.S. Select Agent Program Manager.
Institutional Biosafety Officer and Institutional Official Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai. Philip Hauck, M.S., M.S.H.S., CIH, CBSP, SM (NRCM).
Kansas State University. Stephen Higgs, Ph.D. Associate Vice President for Research Director, Biosecurity Research Institute, – contact [email protected] for presentation.
NIAID Regional Biocontainment Laboratory at Duke Medicine.Richard Frothingham, M.D., CBSP Director.
Environmental Health and Safety Office Emory University. Patricia Olinger, RBP Assistant Vice President, Office of Research Administration Executive Director.
National Institutes of Health. Carrie D. Wolinetz, Ph.D., Associate Director for Science Policy.
Please contact the USG at [email protected] with any additional questions or input. | http://www.phe.gov/s3/dualuse/Pages/workshop.aspx |
Congratulations to Charlotte Westerhaus-Renfrow, clinical assistant professor of management and business law, who received the 2018 Samuel S. Dargan Award, presented by the Indiana University Maurer School of Law’s Black Law Student Association (BLSA).
Samuel S. Dargan was the first African-American graduate of the Indiana University School of Law. He was a law librarian and active community member, who worked to expand educational and professional opportunities for African-Americans.
The award, in his name, is given to a distinguished graduate for continued involvement with the BLSA and law school communities.
Westerhaus-Renfrow graduated from the IU Maurer School of Law in 1991.
“I am humbled to receive the Samuel S. Dargan Award,” said Westerhaus-Renfrow. “Mr. Dargan opened the door for others to follow in his footsteps. I am so proud to be part of this legacy that bears his name.”
“I started at the law school in 1989, and there were only about 15 African-American law students when I was there. This honor is especially significant for me because I was the first African-American woman to serve as an associate and, subsequently, assistant editor at the Indiana Law Journal. I was also the first African-American to graduate from the law school in just 2 1/2 years. I hope to be an inspiration to other women with similar dreams and aspirations.”
Before beginning her work as a professor at the Kelley School of Business, Westerhaus-Renfrow held senior leadership positions at the NCAA, University of Iowa, Purdue University and Rockwell Collins. She holds MEd and BS degrees from Ohio University. Westerhaus-Renfrow currently serves on the Indiana State Bar Association’s Board of Governors and the Indiana State Board of Law Examiners.
“I have been a law professor at Indiana University Maurer School of Law for over 30 years,” said Kevin Brown, the Richard S. Melvin Professor of Law. “I vividly remember Charlotte when she was a law student here. She may very well have been the single most impressive black law student in the history of the school. If there was a Hall of Fame for BLSA members, Charlotte would be in the initial class of inductees.”
“She was the first African-American woman to join the most prestigious student activity at our law school, the Indiana Law Journal,” Brown added. “After her second year at the law school, she clerked for the Honorable Justice Brent E. Dickson of the Indiana Supreme Court. This made her one of the first African-Americans to have a prestigious clerkship for one of the top justices in the State of Indiana. Charlotte was also the first African-American woman to graduate from our law school with a job offer from a major corporate law firm. And, last year, Charlotte did a diversity training session for the entire faculty. It was the first time in our law school’s history that a BLSA graduate was provided with the platform to ‘teach’ the faculty. This honor is very well earned.”
The Samuel S. Dargan Award was presented at the Rapheal M. Prevot Jr. Barristers’ Ball. | https://blog.kelley.iupui.edu/2018/02/19/kelley-professor-receives-prestigious-law-school-award/ |
Background: The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is an assessment tool characterized by the use of "lay" people trained to respond to questions in a standardized fashion. The learner's performance is observed and scored against a checklist of responses or behaviors. An OSCE station related to the communication and management of prescription errors was introduced in 2003 as part of a quality improvement (QI) curriculum at Mayo Medical School.
Methods: All 42 third-year medical students took part in this pilot study, which was designed to evaluate the usefulness of an OSCE station as an assessment and educational tool for managing prescription errors.
Results: Thirty-three (76.7%) students agreed that the OSCE station enhanced their awareness of medication errors. Thirty (71.4%) students felt that their comfort level with communicating prescription errors to patients increased. Specific feedback regarding root cause analysis, collaboration with the pharmacist for error analysis, interpersonal and communication skills feedback from the faculty, and use of the standardized patient and of an actual prescription that led to a medication error, were found especially valuable.
Discussion: This pilot study demonstrates the potential use of the OSCE as an assessment and educational tool in QI and patient safety. The OSCE approximates a "live clinical setting" and provides an opportunity for the assessment of situational awareness and response, as well as formative and summative feedback to students. | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17283941/?dopt=Abstract |
Catering based on local products, burger with tomme, fourme, saint nectaire or entrecote accompanied by a salad and chips, salad, cheese, aperitif platters.
On reservation only.
Cooking category
- Traditional cooking
Ranking of the guides
- Le petit futé
Catering specialty
- offers dishes "homemade"
Prices
A la carte: 4.50 to 17.90 €
Adult menu: 16 to 20 €
Child menu: 9 €.
Payment options
- Bank/credit card
- Check
- Cash
Capacity
Maximum number of diners : 25
Opening period
From 01/01 to 31/12 between 9 am and 8.30 pm.
Closed on Wednesday.
Closed exceptionally on January 1st, May 1st, May 8th and December 25th. | https://www.loireforez.com/en/restauration/authentique-chalmazel-jeansagniere/ |
In 1997-98, I conducted a series of interviews with percussionists to discuss their thoughts on rhythm. The following is an excerpt from my interview with Bob Becker that took place on February 6, 1998 while Nexus was on tour in Des Moines, IA.
Early Rhythmic Study
RH How did you develop an accurate sense of time when you were a kid?
BB The first thing I remember about that is when my grade school band director, Amy McConnell, made everyone in the band bring a sponge and a rubber band. You would fasten the sponge to the sole of your foot, and she would demand that everyone tap their foot to the time signature of every piece in the concert, all the way through. Since there were a hundred and some kids in the band, that would have been incredibly noisy, so that’s why she came up with the sponge technique. She was the band director and also the teacher for each individual instrument. She maintained that approach through everything she taught in all classes, so it was a big deal in her teaching. For a long time, that’s all I remember coming from a teacher who really addressed the issue of maintaining some kind of accurate time. When I got to college, my first couple of lessons with Bill Street got into triplet rhythms, for some reason. He had a collection of duets he had composed called “Dovetailing.” They were rhythmic duets for snare drum and were fairly complex with spaces or gaps in the rhythms. One part would fill in against the other. I had difficulty with those, at the time, and it made me interested in working on that. That doesn’t really address a steady accurate sense of time exactly, but I was aware that the technique or practice of subdividing the rhythm into smaller units was something I wasn’t too good at, so I tried to get all the books I could to work on it.
RH Snare drum books?
BB Yes, most of them were snare drum books. Bob Tilles had a good one on that topic [Practical Percussion Studies, Adler, 1962].
RH I associate him more with vibraphone.
BB This was a drum set book, an old-style drum set book where you were supposed to keep a steady high-hat and bass drum beat. There were some elaborate rhythms. They weren’t written out to be played in patterns on the set necessarily; you could just tap your foot and practice the rhythms. They were progressive and dealt with various types of subdivisions. There were other books like that – Goldenberg for example. I tried to find as much material as I could that involved syncopated patterns and triplet patterns that could be written in different ways. I was just trying to build up a vocabulary so I could understand them and sight read.
RH Did you work on these books on your own or with Mr. Street?
BB Mostly I did it on my own. What Street did was to bring things out in lessons that I couldn’t do. He never said, “Go study this or that book,” but he made it clear you should work on this or that, so I would.
RH Do you still have copies of the exercises he gave you?
BB He didn’t give them to me; he just brought things out in lessons and said, “Let’s try and play them.” They were hand manuscript.
RH I wonder if someone has them.
BB It turned out that John Beck had all of Street’s materials, or he had made copies. He and Harrison Powley recently edited and published the collection [The Complete Works of William G. Street, Fischer, 1990].
Metronome and Tempo
RH What about using a metronome? Did you use a metronome when you were young?
BB I didn’t have a metronome until I got to college, then I bought one.
RH Did you use it a lot then?
BB Not a heck of a lot. I really started working with a metronome when I started playing tabla, and it was as much for tempo as anything at that point. For me, tempo has been a big struggle in many ways. Tabla was a very intense thing to deal with in relation to tempo. When you play tabla, whether you are soloing or accompanying – especially if you are accompanying – you don’t set the tempo. Somebody starts a piece and you are playing the theka at some tempo. They finish their thing and they look at you and you’re supposed to solo in response, so you have to decide what you want to play. You have to make a decision without thinking. You wonder if what you play is going to fit at this speed, especially with the usual way of the exposition of a theme and variation. You’re supposed to play at a slow speed and double it. I would often find myself in the position where I would play the slow speed, and I thought, “Oh, this is going to be good.” Then I would try to double it and I would be screwed because I couldn’t, or I could but it was too slow. So I spent a lot of time practicing to a metronome to find those tempos. Ultimately what worked for me was…well, it’s tied in deeply with the tabla solo structure. In solo playing, one thing follows another and there are certain types of things that are supposed to happen at certain points. In general, you don’t want the tempo to slow down, you want it to keep building. I always had to figure out what the order was of the material I knew in terms of tempo, and whenever I learned something new, I had to fit it into that scheme. “Where does it sit?” Of course, it was always hard to keep that clear because I was practicing and getting better. A year would go by and the entire order would go through changes. That was a very interesting experience, and I don’t remember having it with anything else in music except for figuring out how to start the ragtime tunes in Nexus. That’s still kind of tricky for me. When I play these pieces with Nexus it’s not so much a problem because we all sort of know the tempos. Even if I don’t click them off at the right tempos everybody more or less goes at the right speed. When I play with other groups, though, it’s a big deal because they actually follow me.
RH How does one remember tempo?
BB For me it wound up being a physical sensation rather than trying to hear the piece in my head and then count it off based on that. That’s what I did at first. I would think of my part or some other part and try to hear it and then feel the time in relation to what I was hearing in my head, and then count it off based on that. I found that was pretty unreliable. Now what I find myself relating to is an internal physical feeling. Sometimes it has to do with how a basic conducting beat feels in relation to the speed for a particular piece. Sometimes it’s just that I am able to memorize the count. In fact, I try to avoid hearing the tune before I count it off because it tends to throw me off.
RH I remember Dan Hinger used to claim that he had perfect time.
BB I’ve heard about that, and I don’t doubt it.
RH I think what he meant by that is he memorized metronome markings.
BB Yeah, it’s like perfect pitch but on a different end of the continuum of frequency.
RH Do you think that is something that most people are able to develop?
BB In my opinion, people are gifted in certain ways and some people have that ability. I think it’s concerned with retention – memory. It depends on how good you are at that and I’m not good at it so it’s difficult for me. It is like other kinds of memory; you make a correspondence with something else. If you’re trying to memorize certain metronome markings and you can relate them to a physical movement that you’re familiar with – marching, walking, or if your particular gait sits certain ways for a slow walk or a fast walk – you could probably connect.
RH A mnemonic device through physical attachment.
BB I find that many people try to memorize certain metronome markings by pieces of music that they know really well.
RH Do you ever make that type of association?
BB If I don’t have a metronome and I need to find a setting, yes, sometimes I’ll do that. I might try to find mm = 120 by hearing a Sousa march, or something like that.
RH Do you advocate using a metronome for students or other musicians?
BB Yes. It’s like a feedback device. It’s a way for you to see or hear or feel where you are in relation to the time and see if you are rushing or dragging.
RH Do you think that is the best way to use a metronome – to monitor your own playing or progress?
BB Yes, I think that is the best use for it besides finding tempos. There are other devices you can work with now, like rhythm machines that play grooves. Probably computer programs do this now, too – ready-made ones. That’s a little different though. I haven’t done a lot of work that way, but that is like playing with another person.
Bodily Movement
RH You mentioned tapping your foot when you were first starting to play. Do you think it’s important to have some sort of bodily movement to instill accurate time?
BB I’ve thought about that, but I’m not sure. Some of the musicians I know who have the best time sense play tabla. They have the least bodily movement of any percussionists I have been involved with. They are very centered. They move their hands like crazy, but they are not moving much else.
RH So the great tabla players you know don’t seem to tap their feet or click their teeth or anything like that?
BB No, not that I know. I don’t know what they do internally.
RH Have you ever asked Sharda Sahai [1935-2011] what he does to keep steady time?
BB Yes, he says you develop a habit; it’s something that’s ingrained in you at a young age. I didn’t have that connection to someone with really good time when I was little. I didn’t encounter that until later in my life when I suddenly found myself playing next to somebody who had a kind of time sense that made me perk up and say, “Wait a minute, what is so beautiful about that that I don’t have?” I don’t remember that happening until later in high school, listening to some jazz records and beginning to play drum set, but it was still from a distance. When I got to Eastman and was around people like Steve Gadd and Bill Cahn, I had a different experience in relation to time feel than I had when I was little. I assume that when you are young, this sense can be transmitted to you without a lot of difficulty, but first you have to be around someone who has it, and then you can get it.
Teaching Time Feel
RH Do you think some people have it just naturally and others don’t have it?
BB I don’t know about that, but my suspicion is no. I think, however, that some people have more ability to get it or have a better aptitude for it than others. Maybe there are gifted people who just have it, but how can you tell? The question of the difference between “talented” and “gifted” is an interesting one. I believe that for certain kinds of things, time sense for example, there are certain ages, certain windows, where people can get it with very little effort. For teachers or mentors, it’s very rewarding when you can find that moment and transmit this kind of thing to a young person.
RH Do you know what these ages are?
BB Well, they’re pretty young, I assume. I began to play marimba when I was seven, and I think that was a gift. Not that I was “gifted,” but that I was given something. If you make someone start using their hands and wrists at a young age like that, they don’t have to practice a lot to get it. Suddenly you have something for the rest of your life. It’s similar to learning a language. A young person can be in a certain environment and you don’t have to teach them at all – they just learn the language. If you wait five or six years and try to do that it becomes far more difficult.
RH What about using language or speaking to play rhythms accurately? Do you think it is essential or important?
BB No, I don’t think so. I think using words with rhythms is a very useful, powerful device to help you memorize pieces, rhythms, or compositions. Maybe there is a power in that for understanding complex rhythms. I’m basing this on my experience with Indian music. The practice of clapping a beat with your hands, especially if you are clapping a beat with a pattern as opposed to just a steady clap, and speaking something relatively elaborate on top of that, for me was something that, with practice, brought a kind of confidence in how rhythmic structures work. I’m not sure it did anything to improve or change my time or rhythmic feel, but I found that it influenced my ability to remember things I was taught. To have the experience of both clapping an underlying rhythmic structure and speaking the composition was something powerful for me.
RH I know most of your teaching is with advanced students, but if you were teaching a young student, how would you introduce them to the concept of playing accurate time and rhythms?
BB I would play with them, whether it was a real duet, or even better, playing the same thing, even if it is just exercises.
RH Did your drum teacher, Jimmy Betz, do that with you?
BB No, I started doing that after Sharda [Sahai] did it with me. It is standard in North Indian teaching for the teacher or advanced students to sit and play with the younger students and not say a word about what they are supposed to learn through instruction. They just play and you do your best to keep up with them. So there is that part of it. It forces you into a state of incredible anxiety, but awareness, too. You’re really listening hard, and it makes you try to memorize as quickly as you can, otherwise you don’t get the material.
But it’s also entrainment – like that famous experiment where you put two pendulum clocks on the wall and you start them ticking out of sync, and after a few hours they will be going exactly together. It’s like a vibration gets transmitted even if it’s only by small amounts that cross the wall; somehow they get into synchronization. When you’re playing along with someone who is better than you, they somehow have a pull on you. It forces you, without you knowing or trying and as long as you are listening, to match their spacing and clarity and rhythmic accuracy. I had the experience many times where I would practice by myself and could play something at a certain speed. Then I would sit down to practice with Sharda the next day and found I could play half again as fast. I couldn’t have done that on my own, but Sharda was pulling me. It’s also a good way to learn “feel.” I don’t know if you learn it or just get it. So that is something I have done in my teaching. Even with marimba, I’ll set up two instruments face-to-face and play all the exercises with the student and have them play with me.
RH When I studied with Alan Abel as a youngster, he did that exact thing with me on snare drum and marimba for three years.
BB Did he? It makes total sense when you think about it.
RH When you are playing rhythms do you have a rhythmic grid going on in your head?
BB I don’t know; I haven’t analyzed that in myself. I’m aware of subdivision to place beats, if that’s what you mean.
RH That’s a kind of grid. I wonder if you, either consciously or subconsciously, are aware of that when you play?
BB Well, the slower I have to play in relation to a beat, the more aware I am of that. When I play faster, I’m playing at the subdivision or faster than I could divide in my head. Slow rhythms I think I divide pretty consciously.
Thinking and Playing Rhythms
RH Have you given any thought to what you think about when you play rhythms? For example, if you are playing tabla, or African drumming, or complex rhythms in Western music, do you know what your mental process is in order to play rhythms as accurately as possible?
BB In tabla, you develop a habit of hearing a melody. This comes through practicing with other musicians who, when you get to play a tabla composition, they keep a melody going. If it’s a solo tabla performance, even then, a melody is played on something. When Sharda has played solo concerts where there is just someone clapping the tal, he is often humming the melody. That creates a big structural framework, and I feel it helps with placing the rhythms as well as improvising in a big structure. It’s sort of how jazz improvisation works where you have a chord progression. This is an important thing, and I find myself trying to do it more with classical Western music or avant-garde music where the rhythm is spacious. I think of the line of the pattern or the notes, and I’m relating them to my voice and trying to hear them as a sung thing rather than trying to subdivide like crazy and place them in relation to a really fast pulse. So I’m depending on some internal clock that’s not audibly ticking, but it’s moving somehow. That’s something I’ve been getting into lately and it’s a matter of developing some trust. It’s like trusting yourself to wake up at a certain time without turning on an alarm clock.
RH What do you mean exactly when you say you’re relating the rhythms to your voice?
BB I sing them in my mind.
RH You sing the rhythms?
BB Yes.
RH Are you giving syllables to them like ta ka di mi?
BB I’m thinking of slower rhythms than that, so it would be da de dah.
RH Are you actually doing something with your mouth?
BB No, not intentionally, but I find I do sometimes if the rhythm is more precise. There are some kinds of rhythms in classical music and the kinds of rhythms we play in Nexus that are relatively defined or square and others that are more vocal or lyrical. When I’m playing rhythms that are more precise and they are fast enough that accuracy can be articulated clearly, I do sometimes click to myself.
RH Do you click your teeth or your tongue?
BB No, I click my palette. I don’t know how I do that. I do it with my nose or something; I don’t use my tongue to do it, it’s like a controlled snort. There is probably some physiological term for it. I don’t use my teeth, although I’ve been around some people who use their teeth or their tongue.
RH I don’t mean to put words in your mouth, but what I’m hearing is that you approach different rhythms in different ways to play them accurately. Maybe it depends on the style of music you are playing or a particular situation.
BB Yes. I haven’t really analyzed it, but I can see right away there are two ways, depending on the rhythmic feeling that is going on.
RH Which method do you use when you are playing African drumming?
BB Sometimes I use the click/nose thing, especially if I’m at the beginning stage of learning a pattern with which I’m not comfortable yet. A beautiful thing about learning Ghanaian music is the whole concept of conversation – getting familiar with the way any pattern I am playing fits against another pattern, including the steady beat. I try to conceptualize the pattern that way and hear and practice it, so I am really clear in my mind about the overall composite pattern that results in this drum conversation.
RH Along those lines, do you think it is necessary to fill in the gaps of a rhythm to keep accurate time – kind of like playing the ghost strokes of a rhythm?
BB I don’t know. I imagine that varies from person to person.
RH How about for you?
BB It varies for me, too. There are times when ghosting, either on the instrument or using my mouth sounds to fill up a space, works well for me, or when it just feels good to do it – but not always. When I feel really confident about a pattern, I don’t feel like I need to do that.
RH In developing that confidence might you have used that system?
BB Yes.
RH Can you remember or describe instances when you might or might not have used that system?
BB The concept of ghost strokes was something I knew nothing about until I started playing with John Wyre – he’s Mr. Ghost. What I liked about it from him is that he did it as an accompaniment device to give whomever he was playing with a hint. “Here’s where I am placing it, and this will help you place your sound or stroke.” Jazz drummers are good at that; they use the device a lot. It’s something I have started to incorporate into my playing, but it’s relatively new for me.
RH Have you ever tried to hear the spaces between attacks of a rhythm as a rhythm itself?
BB Wow! Yes, but when I have done that it has been pretty contrived; I’ve had to really work at it.
RH By contrived, do you mean it didn’t just pop out at you?
BB Yes. It was something I knew intellectually was a phenomenon, and I could pay attention to it.
RH Can you remember any rhythms with which you’ve heard the spaces as a rhythm?
BB The first time I remember doing that was playing paradiddles on two different surfaces – one stick on a semi-silent surface, but that was just an effect or a curiosity.
Tabla and North Indian music
RH How would you define tala?
BB Tala has two traditional meanings, at least in North Indian music. One is a big, general concept of all rhythmic activity in the music. That’s tal. It has a broad sense including all those terms we were just talking about. But it also has a more specific meaning which is the particular rhythmic cycle, and that is defined by a number of things. These specific tals have names, and they have a fixed number of beats called matra. There is some question about the exact definition of matra, too. In 4/4 time in Western music, the beat is a quarter note. In tal, if you have a sixteen beat tal you have sixteen matras, and each matra can be subdivided, of course. Then you have to organize those matras into some grouping. So, it’s a little like meter, but it’s not necessarily the same. It could be grouped 5, 4, 3, 2, 2 or it could be grouped 4, 4, 4, 4. Those are two things about tala, and then there is a third thing called theka. You need all three of those things, and you have to know all three to say this is such and such a tal.
RH Is one aspect of tal that it is a rhythmic cycle?
BB Yes.
RH What is theka?
BB Theka is specific drum sounds or strokes that define each matra in the tal. Each beat gets a stroke. Some beats get the same stroke, but there is a specific one for each beat and they don’t get changed around.
RH Taking into consideration what you said about rhythm, would you consider rhythm to be flow or an interruption of flow?
BB It’s organization of flow. Interruption is an extreme word, although that is an interesting concept. I would say that the time flows and rhythm organizes it. In that sense, rhythm is flowing, too, but rhythm is organizing something else that is already flowing.
RH That’s good!
BB Thanks, I finally got something good.
RH Do you think the terms we have in Western music for aspects of rhythmic theory are adequate to describe all aspects of North Indian rhythmic theory?
BB I think we have equivalent terms except maybe for theka. The closest thing I can think of in Western music would be the standard ways a jazz drummer would play 12-bar blues for example, but theka is more standardized than that.
RH There’s no term in Western rhythmic theory for that?
BB Well, maybe there is, but I’m not deeply enough into the jazz world. They might have a phrase for it, I’m just going by what I’ve heard. There are points in certain measures in the sequence of the chord progression of a 12-bar blues that usually have an accent somewhere off the beat in a certain way. This is unlike North Indian music where you emphasize the first moment of the first matra of the tal. In jazz, that’s exactly what you don’t want to do, although you are expected to elaborate on it, which is the same thing tabla players do with theka. Tabla players have specific points where they play a stroke, but they are expected to elaborate on that as it goes along. It’s a real art to do that beautifully.
Rhythmic Notation
RH Do you think Western notation is a help or a hindrance in playing accurate rhythms with good time?
BB I don’t think it matters; it’s not an issue. Playing good time is something you get from other people. It’s not a question of getting it from notation or having the notation get in the way.
RH In order to play rhythms accurately, is it better to learn them with or without notation?
BB Those are two different things. Good time is one thing and playing rhythms accurately is another. I can’t really give a universal response to that because I grew up my way and I learned the way I learned.
RH But you’ve learned both ways. You learned tabla without notation.
BB Yes, but I learned notation before learning tabla, so it was there lurking in the background.
RH How closely was it lurking? When you learned rhythms on tabla were you visualizing notation?
BB Yes, because the first teacher I had, Gnan Gosh, right from the very first lesson, wrote things on a blackboard using his own notation system. A notation system is something that has been part of North Indian music for close to a century now. It’s a system that a couple of Indian music theorists developed based to some extent on Western staff notation, although it’s a kind of strange version of that. Their system is similar to the way you and I used to notate our tabla lessons in which you make a bracket and everything within the bracket would be equal. We underlined within the bracket if we wanted to make rhythms, and it was all very clear. It works just like notes with stems and beams, etc. I started using that system right away and got into the visualization approach. I could relate to it because of the similarity to Western notation. I don’t think this is true of most tabla students in India.
RH Even now, do you visualize notation when you play tabla?
BB No, I don’t. But when I play The Downfall of Paris, I don’t visualize notation either. With tabla, in my mind I’m hearing the syllables I was taught to play. But that’s only up to a point because you can’t articulate all that when you are playing really fast, you have to slow down your thinking. Then, I’m probably thinking of numbers more than anything; trying to stay aware of how the phrases add up in larger groupings.
RH When I play The Downfall of Paris, I’m not sure if I’m thinking of notation.
BB What about Three Camps? I’m certainly not thinking about notation when I play that.
RH I might be thinking of notation on some level, especially since I learned it with notation. If I had learned it aurally, it would be different. A closer correlation for me is African drumming. I learned patterns aurally and played them for a long time before I even attempted to write them down, but it’s hard to know.
BB Yes, it is.
Rhythmic Grouping
RH Do you think there might be some physical or biological reason why our bodies react to 8-bar groupings rather than some other groupings?
BB That’s possible, although I wouldn’t assume that. I think what is much more potent is what we are brought up with and what we hear around us all the time.
RH Do you think it is possible if we were brought up with 5 as the base we would all feel comfortable with 5?
BB Sure.
RH Do you think all rhythms can be reduced to groupings of 2 and 3?
BB Not all rhythms. With the general rhythmic material that we encounter in most of our music and certainly in classical music up until fifty years ago, and most pop music and most rational rhythms, I would say yes.
RH Do you think it is possible to think of a group of 5 purely as a group of 5 and not as groupings of 2+3 or 3+2?
BB Yes, I can feel it purely as a group of 5, but it’s always reducible, one way or another.
RH Are you able to feel a grouping of 5 purely as a group of 5 because of your training in Indian music?
BB I don’t think so. Anyone who works with playing these groupings can get comfortable with them and feel them that way.
RH Bill Cahn says he was at a rehearsal at Eastman playing music of Edgar Varèse. Varèse was sitting right behind Bill, and at one point said to him, “No, it’s 5. Not 2+3, but 5: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.”
BB I can understand what that would mean. My experience with Indian music is that there is more of a tendency to group, and that’s because there is always syllable content which tends to create some sort of an effect. Even in tabla, if you had dha dha dha dha dha, you wouldn’t have anything to go on, but the phrases generally are not like that. Even if it as simple as te te te te it still implies an alternation, so you would feel a grouping. With Ionisation, or some other Varèse piece where you have those patterns, I can understand the desire for a flat feel.
Origins of Tabla
RH What is your understanding of the dates of the origins of tabla?
BB This is a subject of debate, especially when tabla players themselves are in on the conversation. It seems like it was in the mid-eighteenth century when the tradition really started to gel and players began creating their own repertoire and working intensely to develop style.
RH Jim Kippen has written extensively on this topic and is still researching it. [Note: James Kippen, in his book, Gurudev’s Drumming Legacy, published in 2006 by Ashgate Publishing, outlines a thorough history of tabla. In Kippen’s article “Rhythmic Thought and Practice in the Indian Subcontinent,” in The Cambridge Companion to Rhythm, Cambridge University Press, 2020, he summarizes the history of tabla and provides an overview of both North Indian (Hindustani) and South Indian (Karnatak) rhythm.]
BB Yes. Sharda’s chronology, based on his family’s background, seems to support that. The instrument could have been invented in the seventeenth century, maybe even earlier, but it is hard to know what really happened. It could have been more of a folk instrument for a while.
RH I was surprised to read that tabla is such a recent instrument.
BB Yes. It is amazing, given the amount of material that has been composed and the way the technique is so advanced and so elaborate. But then, when was the piano invented?
RH Around 1700, I think.
BB And it has an enormous repertoire and highly-developed technique. Of course, the piano has keyboard ancestors that are similar, and so does tabla. There are drums like the pakhavaj that have a similar playing technique.
Tabla Composition
RH How are tabla compositions composed?
BB If you ask Sharda that question, and maybe you already have, he will say they all come from God. [I asked Sharda that question and he said the compositions are God-gifted.] Yes, I asked him recently if he had been doing any composing, and he said he had been trying. So he composes. He has given me a few pieces that he composed for me.
The way I see it is you can create a composition based on a previous one that some famous tabla player perhaps composed, and you can make something similar to it – a variation on it. That’s one way. Then you can have this experience that he is talking about when he says they come from God. I’ve had this same experience – I don’t know if it is exactly what he is talking about – but I assume it is. When I was really practicing hard on tabla, spending several hours a day thinking about it, I would go to bed some nights thinking about tabla compositions. They would be going through my mind all the time. Musicians experience this often. Or I would wake up in the middle of the night and something would be going through my mind. At the height of that time in my life, it happened to me that I would wake up with a complete piece in my head. I would get up and write it down.
RH A complete new piece?
BB Yes, a couple of them. This happened maybe half a dozen times and it was remarkable in the way the structure worked. There would be unusual tihais, for example, that I may have known from other compositions with a similar structure, but they would be in triplets instead of sixteenths. So to compute it would be very difficult, let alone come up with phrases that worked. My subconscious mind invented these things and I thought that was pretty cool.
These experiences happened when Sharda was back in India and I hadn’t seen him for a while. On my second trip to India, I had a few of these compositions with me, or at least I knew them by heart. I played one of them and I said, “What is this composition?” because I didn’t know if it was a gat or a tukra or something else. Sharda said, “Where did you get this?” I said I woke up one night and it was in my dreams. He said this composition was by Ram Sahai [founder of the Benares gharana, or school, of tabla playing]. I don’t know if Sharda was saying that it was Ram Sahai bestowing something on me or if it was a composition that Sharda actually recognized, something that he knew. I don’t think it was something that he knew.
RH Do you think it was similar to a composition that Sharda knew?
BB Yes, I think it was like that, but Sharda took the composition seriously and he also took my experience seriously. I recited the other ones that had come to me that way, and he said, “Now you have this,” then he played another composition. As it happens, there is a certain kind of tabla composition that is traditionally written in pairs. The two pieces are similar with some use of phrases or rhythmic effects that are present in both compositions. However, they are varied in some interesting way. This style is called jori, and often the teacher won’t teach the student both compositions; they will give one to one student and one to another. If students learn both pieces, they feel like they are really in on something special. Sharda knows many of these jori, and he had taught me one of the two versions. When I woke up in the night, I had two pieces, and Sharda said, “Oh, very good!” In response to all this he taught me other compositions in the jori style, so it was a great feedback experience. I felt I had a taste of how the great tabla players compose. They don’t sit down to write a composition and try different phrases and say, “How am I going to make this work?”
RH Like Western composers do.
BB Yes. Instead, it’s on your mind. You are thinking about it so much that when your conscious mind shuts down, your subconscious keeps going. Another example of this is when you are trying to solve a problem and spend a lot of time thinking about it but can’t come up with a solution. Then one day you wake up and say, “Oh, yeah!” My guess is that process is similar to the way tabla players compose.
RH Have you learned any secret tabla compositions?
BB Yes.
RH Have you noticed any difference between the secret compositions and the non-secret?
BB A lot of times the secret compositions are longer; they tend to be bigger compositions. There are different levels of secrecy, too, as I understand it. Indian musicians talk about thread, milk, and blood. That describes three levels of relationship you can have, and it probably goes beyond music, too. Thread indicates a disciple – someone who has tied the thread in a ceremony where a guru accepts a student. That puts teachers in a position to make certain demands on their disciples, but disciples can expect certain things from their teachers too. These disciples can learn enough to make a living as a full-fledged musician. Blood is the next level, and that could be a family member. Maybe you marry your teacher’s second daughter; that puts you in a blood relationship with your teacher, and the chances are that you will get some secret material. By secret I mean that teachers wouldn’t give it to their normal disciples. Then the milk one is if it is your own son or daughter. If you are at that level, you are in a position to get almost everything. How they decide what is the most secret material, I’m not sure. I think it has to do with who composed the piece in the first place. For example, Sharda knows quite a few compositions that were composed by his ancestor Ram Sahai, the founder of the Benares gharana. Those compositions are closely guarded, in fact tabla players will rarely play them in public, even in a concert. They don’t want other people to learn them. It’s weird, but it’s like their form of copyright.
RH So there is nothing intrinsically different about the rhythms in these compositions?
BB Not that I’ve been able to perceive. The compositions I have learned that are supposed to be extra special tend to be more elaborate. They often have some kind of quirky thing in them, but they are not necessarily complicated.
RH Something that is just a little different than normal?
BB Yes, and really clever or beautiful.
Special Powers of Rhythm
RH Do you think there are tabla compositions that have special powers.
BB Yes, and I have been given a couple of those. Supposedly the story is that if you play them perfectly then something unusual will happen.
RH Like what?
BB An example is that if you play with a coconut in front of you, you can crack the coconut. Or you can blow out a candle flame across the room. Another one is supposed to influence animals. There are particular ones to certain gods, like Ganesh, the elephant god. Supposedly if you play a Ganesh composition perfectly, elephants will respond in some way.
RH Have you ever experienced one of these unusual occurrences when a tabla composition was played?
BB I have never experienced anything physical like that in tabla playing.
RH Anything non-physical?
BB Well, any kind of music can move you. I’ve had that kind of experience with almost every kind of music I have been involved with. The most out of the ordinary experience I can remember is some performances with Abraham [Adzenyah, our West African drumming teacher at Wesleyan University]. Sometimes when we played Akom, a spirit possession dance, I felt like I was losing it and had to catch myself.
We were playing in a dance club in New York City, and the place was packed with people. We played Akom and Abraham was really getting into it. I don’t know if he was pretending to be possessed or whether it was really starting to happen, but I felt it, too. I felt the energy and the entrainment effect was palpable. For better or worse, I resisted it, but it would have been interesting to go with it, but I didn’t know how, so I didn’t.
RH Do you think it was just feeding off Abraham’s energy?
BB I think so, and the energy of the whole vibe in the space. If he had done the same thing with another piece, like High Life, it could have been the same.
RH Do you think there are certain rhythms or rhythmic pieces that can invoke an altered state of consciousness?
BB I think it’s more how we relate to what is going on around us and how in tune you can be with the music. I can imagine other aspects of life that can produce an altered state of consciousness just because you were so involved in it emotionally, but I don’t think it is because of rhythm or melody per se.
RH So you don’t think there are rhythms that can create this effect?
BB Objectively, no I don’t think so. Even in the case of African music that is intended for spirit possession, I think it affects certain people more than others. The spirit mediums are the ones who can really be possessed. My take on it is that some people are more sensitive to it and can become involved more deeply. But the music, the rhythm, the preacher, or whoever is acting or creating the activity is important. A person must develop an affinity and a love for and sensitivity to the practice to be affected. Or maybe it is just a gift that they have.
RH Are there any rhythms in particular that fascinate you?
BB What I find the most moving and fascinating is the kind of feel that certain players can put into a rhythm, any rhythm. I went to a gospel church in Toronto a while back where there were half a dozen gospel choirs with great drummers and great singing. There was one drummer who didn’t play anything special – nothing that the other drummers weren’t playing – but as soon as he started to play, I was incredibly moved, and I think most people in the church felt it, too. It was the way he played time.
RH It’s the time feel that affects you more than the rhythms.
BB Yes, a lot more.
RH I had a similar experience in Ghana. Every morning I attended a rehearsal of the Ghana National Dance Ensemble at the University of Ghana in Legon. This was a troupe of drummers and dancers selected from the best musicians all over Ghana to promote the cultural heritage of the country. They learned and performed the dance music of all the different ethnic groups in Ghana. There was a very tall Dagomba drummer [I later found that he was probably Abubakari Lunna, the great lunna or hourglass-shaped talking drum of the Dagbon people of Northern Ghana] who occasionally played the bell part in some of the Ewe and Akan dances. In spite of the fact that all the drummers in the ensemble were fantastic players, each with a great time feel, when this man played the bell, the music reached a new level of excitement. It was the way he played time that made this happen.
BB Maybe that effect is quantifiable; maybe there is a way to objectify it with computer analysis and figure it out, I don’t know. Or maybe it is magic. I don’t have it, that’s for sure.
Bob Becker’s Compositions
RH I think you do. I want to ask you about your own compositions. How have you used rhythm in your own compositions?
BB My first interest was to try and incorporate the kinds of rhythmic formulas that are used in tabla in music that I write. I initially did that with Palta and with Lahara, the big snare drum solo. The idea with Palta was to take a tabla player and put them in a context where they would feel comfortable playing the traditional tabla repertoire but accompanied by Western instruments so there would be interaction between an Indian drummer and percussionists who were trained in Western music.
With Lahara I was interested in trying to take material I learned on tabla and realize it on a drum that I could play in a traditional way with which I was familiar – like you did with mrdangam in your PhD dissertation. That was a lot of fun to work with and see what things were translatable from one to the other and find a methodology for making that translation. It was finding rudiments that felt right for certain tabla phrases. It is an arrangement rather than a transcription. I tried to find my own feel with each kind of phrase, for example finding a phrase on tabla that had seven notes ending with an accent. When I played it on tabla it would feel a certain way, and when I played it with sticks on a drum, I would try to make it have a similar feel but without the same alternation of hands.
RH It’s an adaptation.
BB Yes. In Palta, I was interested in finding a way to use harmony to clarify the structure of a tal rather than necessarily a melody. In a way, that’s getting back to this harmonic rhythm idea we just discussed in which a change in harmony makes clear the structural points of a big rhythmic cycle. I could then, at that point, eliminate the need for drum syllables or anything like that and substitute melodies that were more typical of Western music or jazz. If there is anything rhythmically unusual about what I’ve written in the past eight years or so, it would be making the structural transition from a melody, a long melody that defines the structure, to a drum with admittedly quite a few tonal characteristics, but nevertheless something that could not play a melody or a harmony, and playing the drum against a long melody.
Another interesting thing I wanted to explore was to bring in harmony from Western music and let it establish a harmonic rhythm, then using a melody against it in a way that is more typical of Western music. I’m still interested in cycles of different lengths going against each other and fitting them into an overall large structure of some number of beats. Music I write is more concerned with harmonic evolution than with any particular rhythmic concept, although I do rely on the number five in the music a lot. This is because the material for melodies and harmonies comes from a five-tone raga.
RH I was going to ask you why many of your pieces are in five.
BB The reason they are in a rhythm of five is that five is a very ambiguous sound to me. Even more than seven or other relatively small prime numbers, five is the most mysterious. When the rhythms are very square and you organize them into long groups of five, or some multiples of five, they tend to surprise me, so I go with that.
RH Have you consciously tried to stay away from working with small rhythmic figures as part of the basic structure of your compositions or did it just happen?
BB It probably just happened. I’m interested in the small figures in terms of development because that’s something I’ve spent a lot of time with on tabla in relation to kaida and rela theme and variation forms. These forms are based on relatively small patterns that are developed into grandiose pieces as a result of expanding them. The piece I wrote for orchestra last year [Music On The Moon] is based on this kind of motivic development. It has a few relatively small motives that are significantly elaborated and form the basis for the whole piece. [Note: In Bob’s article, “Finding a Voice,” in The Cambridge Companion to Percussion, Cambridge University Press, 2016, he describes his compositional process in more detail.]
RH What are some composers whose music you find rhythmically interesting?
BB Steve Reich has been a source of intrigue and inspiration; I’ve learned a lot playing his music. I like Chopin and his concept of elasticity, phrasing, and the way he squeezes an irrational number of notes into a beat – it’s not irrational. I love Richard Strauss, and I think that has to do with his use of rhythm. Your question makes me think of composers I like in general.
RH What composers do you like?
BB I like Debussy a lot. It may sound strange, but I like Schoenberg’s music. I’m not attracted to Carter and Boulez, composers whose work is rhythmically complex. To serialize rhythm is an incredibly intellectual way to deal with rhythm and I have trouble keeping up with it. At those points where the rhythmic structure becomes incomprehensible, I lose interest. I enjoy elaborate complexity more if I can hear what it is doing. On the other hand, I think John Cage’s percussion music is great. It is rhythmically complex, but complex in a slightly naïve way. Maybe that relates to me in a way.
RH What about Stravinsky, you didn’t mention him.
BB Early Stravinsky, sure. I don’t find his later music as interesting rhythmically.
RH Do you think there is a rhythmic system that is applicable to all musical cultures?
BB I don’t think so. Maybe the question should be are the rhythmic systems in all musical cultures based on the same thing, and I don’t know the answer to that question. In Japanese music, for example, the rhythm is abstract to me, so it is difficult to see how it has the same underlying basis. It comes back to time. If time is at the heart of it, then at a very basic level there would have to be some system for the rhythm across all musical cultures that has the same base.
RH What questions about rhythm that we haven’t discussed interest you?
BB I would like to know more about the neurological basis for rhythm – what part of the brain is active when rhythmic perception is taking place. Taking it further, I would like to know how the perception of musical rhythm relates to how rhythm is processed in other ways. For example, how are you able to wake up when you need to without using an alarm clock. And then, what is the mechanism that makes it possible for some human beings to play with accurate time? What is that clock? There must be something physical happening at a chemical or cellular or electrical level somewhere in the body. There must be something there ticking that makes it possible to do it and hear it. | https://www.nexuspercussion.com/2020/11/bob-becker-thoughts-on-rhythm/ |
MONDAY, Sept. 7, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- If your favorite feline has ever deposited a dead bird or snake on the front porch, your reaction to this "gift" may be far different from your best friend's.
A survey in Britain found that cat owners have wide-ranging views about their pets' hunting habits.
Some -- the "conscientious caretakers" -- are concerned about cats' harm to wildlife and feel some responsibility for it. Meanwhile, "freedom defenders" oppose any restrictions on their cats' behavior.
There are concerns about the numbers of wild animals -- such as birds, small mammals and reptiles -- caught by domestic cats.
The survey of 56 cat owners found their attitudes fall into five categories.
Besides "conscientious caretakers" and "freedom defenders," there are "concerned protectors," whose emphasis is cat safety; "tolerant guardians," who don't like their cats' hunting but accept it; and "laissez-faire landlords," who are largely unaware of problems associated with cats roaming and preying on wildlife.
"Although we found a range of views, most U.K. cat owners valued outdoor access for their cats and opposed the idea of keeping them inside to prevent hunting," said lead author Sarah Crowley, an environmental social scientist at the University of Exeter. "Cat confinement policies are therefore unlikely to find support among owners in the U.K."
The survey of rural and urban cat owners was published Sept. 2 in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.
Crowley said only one of the owner types viewed hunting as a positive, suggesting others might be interested in taking some steps to reduce it.
"To be most effective, efforts to reduce hunting must be compatible with owners' diverse circumstances," she said in a university news release.
Measures to reduce cats' toll on wildlife may include fitting them with bells or brightly colored collar covers. They warn birds of approaching cats.
The researchers are now assessing the effectiveness of these and other measures, and how owners feel about them.
More information
The Wildlife Rescue League has more on cats and wildlife. | https://healthlibrary.wvumedicine.org/RelatedItems/6,760982 |
On 8 October 2008 the UK authorities announced a comprehensive plan to address the financial crisis facing the United Kingdom’s banking institutions. The plan comprises the following elements:
- Recapitalisation - The UK Treasury is making £25 billion available in permanent capital to raise the banks’ Tier One capital ratios, with a further £25 billion available on standby and for other eligible institutions. The banks who may participate in the scheme have agreed to conclude their recapitalisations by the end of the year. The Government will take stakes in participating banks through preference shares or permanent interest bearing shares, and may also underwrite issues of ordinary shares.
- Liquidity - An additional £100 billion is being made available to banks under the existing special liquidity scheme, which allows banks to swap illiquid assets for Treasury bills. The Bank of England will provide liquidity “in whatever way is necessary to ensure the stability of the system”.
- Funding - The Government will, for a fee, guarantee new short to medium-term debt issued by the banks to help them refinance wholesale funding obligations as they fall due. The expected total is approximately £250 billion. This facility means that banks will be able to issue unsecured debt instruments of up to 36 months backed by a government guarantee, and will allow banks to access medium-term wholesale funding in a way they have been unable to in recent months.
Shortly after this package was announced, the Bank of England also announced a cut in its base lending rate of 50 basis points in a coordinated move with the US Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank and others.
Banks accepting this offer of government capital will face constraints on their ability to increase dividends and on executive compensation structures. They will also be expected to make a commitment to continue lending to small businesses and homebuyers. It remains unclear, however, how these obligations will be enforced. It is also unclear what the precise terms of the government capital will be, and in particular what coupon the securities will carry. What does appear, however, is that the Government agreed to drop earlier requirements for equity stakes and/or warrants so as to avoid dilution of existing equity holders. Nor will the Government have rights to appoint directors of investee banks, and there will be no forced changes to existing management teams.
Some banks are unlikely to use the Government facility, while others have suggested that if they do so they would first offer existing shareholders the right to subscribe the required capital.
This is the first comprehensive plan announced by the UK Government in relation to the present crisis. Before this, the Government’s response has been more piecemeal, effectively nationalising first Northern Rock then Bradford & Bingley (two mortgage banks), and then raising the level of the bank deposit protection scheme from £35,000 to £50,000. It has declined to offer an unlimited guarantee to depositors as has been done in Ireland and Greece. It has also declined to approach a rescue on the basis of the US Treasury’s Troubled Asset Relief Program, preferring to provide assistance to banks by directly their addressing capital, funding and liquidity problems rather than simply relieving them of toxic and difficult to value assets.
The plan has been generally well received, putting in place as it does the pre-conditions for stabilisation of the banking system whilst at the same time recognising the longer term interests of bank shareholders—interests which have not been given such weight in the actions of the US authorities.
The cost to the UK taxpayer, however, is potentially enormous (much larger in relation to GDP than the equivalent figures in the United States), and will add materially to government borrowing requirements at a time when the economy (in common with most of the world) is entering into what may turn out to be a severe recession, which will add further to the negative impact on government finances. Whilst the plan will not itself save the economy from recession, the hope is that by bringing to an end the paralysis in the banking system it will avoid a recession turning into a long-term depression. However, the likelihood of serious recession and the rapidly deteriorating position of government finances have meant that the welcome to the plan is not (yet) reflected in equity prices.
European Response
Europe has not yet produced a coordinated response to the crisis. Not only is there no clear consensus of approach (for example, Ireland and Greece breaking ranks to offer unlimited government guarantees of bank deposits), but also there is no European Commission-wide regulatory structure under which such a response could be effected. The European Central Bank has rules for monetary policy and the ability to intervene in the markets to provide liquidity. But it cannot bail out bankrupt banks, which is a job for national governments acting unilaterally or multilaterally, the interests of more than one nation are involved. The same is true of prudential regulation. A number of European governments are now said to be examining the UK plan to see if it is appropriate to their circumstances, but as President Sarkozy said of the plan, it is “perfectly adapted to the situation his [Mr Brown’s] country is in”, but that he would not copy it for France.
Impacts on Financial World
Events continue to move extremely fast, and it is impossible to judge at this stage how they will ultimately affect the operation of the financial markets and corporate activity. However, the following issues (amongst others) are being discussed:
The future shape of regulation
How will the financial markets be regulated in the future? It seems that few would now support the proposition that, in the end, markets “get it right” and self-correct. We are likely to be facing a period of tighter regulation but will there be a coordinated international response to what are seen as regulatory failings, and if so will that be led from the United States or Brussels (likely to result in a tighter, rules-based approach), from London (suggesting a continuation of a principles-based approach) or from somewhere else, and would an international response include nations (including the newly wealthy) drawn wider than the G7? Or, as seems possible from the inability of European governments to coordinate a response, will individual countries develop their own solutions?
Sources of capital
Where will the capital be sourced to fund future economic growth? We have seen for some time now an increasingly flow of capital from newly wealthy countries in the Middle East and Asia into western economies, and indeed considerable sums have already been invested to strengthen the capital of a number of western financial institutions. As traditional sources of finance to fund growth and corporate activity remain under stress, the relative importance of the new sources is likely to grow, and with that the pace in the shift of political and cultural power is likely to increase. If there is to be a new international regulatory settlement for financial markets, those nations are likely to want to take part.
Investor appetite
Current events are likely to have a dramatic effect on appetite for investment products. Investors are likely to feel safer for a while with investment originating close to home. They will shun complexity and opacity. They will shift away from models in favour of human activity; and there will be an emphasis on experience rather than innovation.
Corporate transaction activity
Highly leveraged transactions are likely to be extremely difficult to execute for some time. Financial buyers are likely to be less influential in the market and transactions will be affected with corporates looking for transactions justified by strategic plans and sector consolidation. These transactions may increasingly be funded by equity. And it will be some time before a flow of these types of transactions start as profound uncertainty remains in current conditions over the underlying value and even the viability of assets and businesses. | https://www.mwe.com/en/thought-leadership/publications/2008/10/uk-and-european-response-to-the-banking-crisis |
Technical Field
Background Art
Disclosure of the Invention
Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention
Examples
(1) Hygroscopicity
(2) Reaction Ratio
(3) Comfort
(4) Shrinkage Ratio
Example 1
Comparative Example 1
Comparative Example 2
Comparative Example 3
Example 2
Example 3
Examples 4 to 7
Examples 8 to 11
Examples 12 to 15
Examples 16 to 19
Examples 20 to 23
Examples 24 to 27
Examples 28 to 31
Example 32
Example 33
Comparative Example 4
Comparative Example 5
Example 34
Example 35
Examples 36 to 38
Examples 39 to 42
Examples 43 to 46
Examples 47 to 50
Examples 51 to 54
Examples 55 to 58
Comparative Example 6
Comparative Example 7
Example 59
Example 60
Examples 61 to 63
Examples 64 to 67
Examples 68 to 71
Examples 72 to 75
Examples 76 to 79
Examples 80 to 83
Examples 84 to 87
Examples 88 to 91
Example 92
Example 93
Comparative Example 8
Comparative Example 9
Industrial Applicability
The present invention relates to a woven/knitted fabric having excellent hygroscopicity and exhibiting satisfactory wearing comfort, and to a production process therefor.
The present invention as well as relates to a woven/knitted fabric having excellent hygroscopicity and excellent shrink resistant and shape memory, and to a production process therefor.
Note that the "woven/knitted fabric" in the present invention is a generic term of woven fabrics and knitted fabrics.
Clothes, such as dress shirts, underwear and sports wear, which directly come in contact with the human body or for use in exercise, must attain comfort when it is worn. In particular, the hygroscopicity is an important factor that determines the comfort.
Although a dress shirt, underwear and sports wear made of, for example, cotton or hemp which is composed of cellulose fibers by 100 %, exhibit excellent hygroscopicity, there arises a desire for further improving the comfort. However, the conventional dress shirt or the like composed of cellulose fibers by 100 % cannot satisfy the foregoing requirement.
Moreover, the clothes composed of cellulose fibers by 100 % have problems that they can easily be wrinkled and shrinks easily after washed. Thus, a variety of improvements have been intended. There has been disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-346370 (1994), a method using a gas-phase formaldehyde to crosslink cellulose, and another method has been disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-207578 (1995) in which cellulose is resin-treated with fiber reactant type resin.
Although the shrink resistant can be improved due to the foregoing treatments, there however arises another problem in that the hygroscopicity deteriorates undesirably.
On the other hand, although polyester fiber suffers from poor hygroscopicity as compared with that of the cellulose fiber, it has shrink resistant and strength characteristics superior to those of the cellulose fiber. Accordingly, the problems of both of the polyester fiber and the cellulose fiber have been overcome by a method in which, for example, the two types of fibers are mix-spun or combined.
The woven/knitted fabric obtained by mix-spinning or mix-texturing has hygroscopicity deteriorated as compared with that of the woven/knitted fabric composed cellulose fibers by 100 % and as well as degraded shrink resistant as compared with that of the woven/knitted fabric composed of polyester fibers by 100 %.
4 < ΔMR ≤ 14
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a woven/knitted fabric comprising cellulose fibers, comprising hydrophilic vinyl monomers graft-polymerized with the cellulose fibers, wherein ΔMR expressed by a value obtained by subtracting hygroscopic coefficient MR1 (%) of the woven/knitted fabric at temperature of 20°C and humidity of 65 % from hygroscopic coefficient MR2 (%) of the woven/knitted fabric at 30°C and humidity of 90 % satisfies the following equation:
The foregoing woven/knitted fabric has hygroscopicity superior to that of the conventional woven/knitted fabric, composed of cellulose fibers, and exhibits satisfactory wearing comfort.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a process for producing a woven/knitted fabric, comprising the steps of subjecting a woven/knitted fabric comprising cellulose fibers to an impregnation process using water solution containing hydrophilic vinyl monomers and a polymerization initiator, subjecting the woven/knitted fabric to heat treatment, and washing the woven/knitted fabric.
According to a still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a woven/knitted fabric comprising cellulose fibers, comprising hydrophilic vinyl monomers graft-polymerized with the cellulose fibers, wherein percentage of laundry shrinkage is 2 % or lower.
The foregoing woven/knitted fabric has hygroscopicity superior to that of the conventional woven/knitted fabric composed of cellulose fibers and exhibits satisfactory shape memory.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a process of producing a woven/knitted fabric, comprising the step of crosslinking cellulose fibers before, after or simultaneously with performing a graft-polymerization process in which a woven/knitted fabric comprising the cellulose fibers is subjected to an impregnation process using water solution containing hydrophilic vinyl monomers and a polymerization initiator, the woven/knitted fabric is subjected to heat treatment and the woven/knitted fabric is washed.
0.04 × (100 - x) < ΔMR ≤ 0.14 × (100 - x)
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a woven/knitted fabric comprising polyester fibers and cellulose fibers, comprising hydrophilic vinyl monomers graft-polymerized with the cellulose fibers, wherein ΔMR expressed by a value obtained by subtracting hygroscopic coefficient MR1 (%) of the woven/knitted fabric at temperature of 20°C and humidity of 65 % from hygroscopic coefficient MR2 (%) of the woven/knitted fabric at 30°C and humidity of 90 % satisfies the following equation: where x is ratio (wt%) of the polyester fiber in the woven/knitted fabric.
The foregoing woven/knitted fabric has excellent hygroscopicity and exhibits satisfactory shrink resistant.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a process of producing a woven/knitted fabric, comprising the steps of subjecting a woven/knitted fabric including polyester fibers and cellulose fibers to an impregnation process using water solution containing hydrophilic vinyl monomers and a polymerization initiator, subjecting the woven/knitted fabric to heat treatment, and washing the woven/knitted fabric.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a woven/knitted fabric comprising polyester fibers and cellulose fibers, comprising hydrophilic vinyl monomers graft-polymerized with the cellulose fibers, wherein percentage of laundry shrinkage is 1 % or lower.
The foregoing woven/knitted fabric has excellent hygroscopicity and satisfactory shrink resistant and shape memory.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a process of producing a woven/knitted fabric, comprising the step of crosslinking cellulose fibers before, after or simultaneously with performing a graft-polymerization process in which a woven/knitted fabric comprising polyester fibers and the cellulose fibers is subjected to an impregnation process using water solution containing hydrophilic vinyl monomers and a polymerization initiator, the woven/knitted fabric is subjected to heat treatment and the woven/knitted fabric is washed.
As cellulose fibers according to the present invention, fibers mainly composed of cellulose, for example, cotton, hemp or rayon, are used.
4 < ΔMR ≤ 14
An aspect of the woven/knitted fabric according to the present invention lies in a woven/knitted fabric, such as a woven fabric or a knitted fabric each of which can be obtained by weaving or knitting yarns comprising cellulose fibers, and in which hydrophilic vinyl monomers are graft-polymerized with the cellulose fibers. ΔMR expressed by a value obtained by subtracting hygroscopic coefficient MR1 (%) of the woven/knitted fabric at temperature of 20°C and humidity of 65 % from hygroscopic coefficient MR2 (%) of the woven/knitted fabric at temperature of 30°C and humidity of 90% satisfies the following equation:
Although the woven/knitted fabric comprising the foregoing cellulose fibers may contain fibers except the cellulose fibers, it is preferable that it may substantially be composed of cellulose fibers to satisfactorily use the hygroscopicity and the heat retaining properties of the cellulose fibers.
The hydrophilic vinyl monomer according to the present invention is a monomer having a polymerizable vinyl group in the molecular structure thereof, and as well as containing an acid group of, for example, carboxylic acid or sulfonic acid and/or its salt and a hydrophilic group, such as a hydroxyl group or an amide group.
Specifically, an acrylate monomer, such as acrylic acid, sodium acrylate, aluminum acrylate, zinc acrylate, calcium acrylate or magnesium acrylate; 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid; methacrylic acid; allyl alcohol; sodium allyl sulfonate; acryl amide; sodium vinyl sulfonate; sodium metharylsulfonate; or sodium styrene sulfonate may be employed. Any of the foregoing materials may be used individually, or two or more materials may be used together.
Among the foregoing materials, it is preferable that a monomer, such as 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid and/or its sodium salt or sodium allylsulfonate, etc., having sulfonic acid and/or its salt in the molecular structure thereof be employed because of its excellent reactivity.
Since the woven/knitted fabric according to the present invention includes cellulose fibers in which the foregoing hydrophilic vinyl monomers are graft-polymerized, excellent hygroscopicity are attained. It is preferable that the hydrophilic vinyl monomers are graft-polymerized in a fiber which composes the cellulose fibers. The graft-polymerization in the fiber improves the durability of the hygroscopicity and does not prevent the handling touch of the woven/knitted fabric. Note that the graft-polymerization in the fiber which composes of the cellulose fibers can be confirmed by, for example, cross section dyeing. The cross section dyeing method is performed as follows: a fiber bundle imbedded with paraffin is cut in a direction perpendicular to the fiber axis so that a section is made. The imbedded section is removed from the paraffin by using an organic solvent or the like and then dyed with an appropriate dye (for example, basic dye), followed by being washed with water. By observing the section with an optical microscope, graft-polymerization to the inside of the fiber can be confirmed.
100 × [(absolute dry weight of the woven/knitted fabric after graft-polymerized)-(absolute dry weight of the woven/knitted
fabric before graft-polymerized)]/(absolute dry weight before graft-polymerized)
It is preferable that the reaction ratio of the hydrophilic vinyl monomer with respect to the woven/knitted fabric be 1 wt% or higher and 20 wt% or lower in view of maintaining the handling touch of the woven/knitted fabric and obtaining excellent hygroscopicity. It is further preferable that the ratio be 3 wt% or higher and 17 wt% or lower, and still further preferable that the ratio be 6 wt% or higher and 15 wt% or lower. Note that the reaction ratio used in this description is a ratio (wt%) of the weight of the woven/knitted fabric increased due to the graft-polymerization and it can be calculated such that .
In the present invention, hygroscopic coefficient MR1 of the woven/knitted fabric at temperature of 20°C and humidity of 65 % can be considered to be the hygroscopicity of clothes under a standard environment. The hygroscopic coefficient MR2 of the woven/knitted fabric at temperature of 30°C and humidity of 90 % can be considered to be the hygroscopicity of clothes realized after slight exercise.
Since the woven/knitted fabric including the cellulose fibers according to the present invention have excellent hygroscopicity, an equation 4 < ΔMR ≤ 14 need be satisfied.
Note that ΔMR of the woven/knitted fabric substantially composed of cellulose fibers in which the hydrophilic vinyl monomers are not graft-polymerized is from 3.6 to 4.
Since the woven/knitted fabric according to the present invention exhibits excellent hygroscopicity, it can preferably be used as clothes, such as dress shirt, underwear and sports wear, which directly come in contact with the human body or which is worn when the quantity of perspiration is large.
The dress shirt above includes, white shirt, semi-shirt, cutter shirt, school shirt, general working shirt, service shirt, shirt blouse, overblouse, T-shirt, knit shirt, open-necked shirt, aloha shirt, polo shirt and the like.
The underwear includes pants, undershirt, shorts, long pants, men's drawers, men's underpants, sanitary shorts, scanty, running shirt, under long pants, slip, chemise, petticoat, camisol, pannier, brassiere, girdle, waist nipper, garter belt, leotard, overall, rompers, woven/knitted fabric for a diaper cover, fabric which directly come in contact with the skin such as slacks and the like.
The sports wear includes track suit trousers, training shirt, athletic wear, jogging wear, warmup, running pants, tennis wear, baseball wear, softball wear, volleyball wear, basketball wear, golf jumper, golf blouson, anorak, snow wear, mountain wear, windbreaker, poncho, ski outer, ski pants, ski trousers, ski piste, woven/knitted fabric for swimsuit for a race, woven/knitted fabric for school swimsuit, woven/knitted fabric for leisure swimming, woven/knitted fabric for beach wear, woven/knitted fabric for marine wear, woven/knitted fabric for wet suit, woven/knitted fabric for fishing wear, woven/knitted fabric for rider wear and the like.
An aspect of a process of producing the woven/knitted fabric according to the present invention will now be described below.
A woven/knitted fabric, such as a woven fabric or a knitted fabric obtained by weaving or knitting yarns composed of cellulose fibers, is graft-polymerized in such a manner that the woven/knitted fabric is subjected to an impregnation process using water solution containing hydrophilic vinyl monomers and a polymerization initiator, and then the woven/knitted fabric is subjected to heat treatment, and then the woven/knitted fabric is washed. Thus, a woven/knitted fabric exhibiting excellent hygroscopicity can be obtained.
As a method of subjecting the woven/knitted fabric including cellulose fibers to the impregnation process using the water solution containing the hydrophilic vinyl monomers and the polymerization initiator, a method for impregnating the woven/knitted fabric for a predetermined time or a padding method may be employed, for example. The impregnation temperature is not limited particularly and therefore it may be performed at room temperature.
In the present invention, the polymerization initiator is preferably a polymerization initiator for use generally in radical polymerization. Specifically, it is preferable to use peroxide, such as ammonium persulfate or dibenzoyl peroxide, azo catalyser, or cerium catalyzer.
The concentration of the hydrophilic vinyl monomers in the water solution containing the hydrophilic vinyl monomers and the polymerization initiator is not limited particularly. In view of efficiently performing reactions, it is preferable that the concentration be 10 wt% or higher and 30 wt% or lower. It is further preferable that the concentration be 13 wt% or higher and 27 wt% or lower, and it is still further preferable that the same is 15 wt% or higher and 25 wt% or lower.
The concentration of the polymerization initiator in the water solution containing the hydrophilic vinyl monomers and the polymerization initiator is not limited particularly. In view of efficiently performing reactions, it is preferable that the concentration be 1 wt% or higher and 5 wt% or lower with respect to the hydrophilic vinyl monomers, more preferable that the same is 2 wt% or higher and 4 wt% or lower.
In view of preventing deterioration in the strength properties of the woven/knitted fabric including the cellulose fibers and to efficiently perform the reactions, it is preferable that the pH of the water solution containing the hydrophilic vinyl monomers and the polymerization initiator be 6 or more and 12 or less, more preferable that the pH be 7 or more and 11 or less.
In the process of producing the woven/knitted fabric according to the present invention, the heat treatment are performed after the impregnation process. The heat treatment is required to perform the graft-polymerization reaction. The heat treatment is not particularly limited and therefore a dry heat treatment or a wet heat treatment may be employed.
The temperature of the heat treatment for performing the graft-polymerized is not limited particularly. In view of efficiently performing reactions, it is preferable that the heat treatment be performed at temperature of 80°C or higher and 200°C or lower. The heat treatment is performed in one step or two or more steps. The time, for which the heat treatment is performed, is determined in consideration of the heat treatment temperature in relation to the graft reaction ratio. It is preferable that the time be 20 seconds or longer and 5 minutes or shorter.
After the heat treatment, washing needs to be performed to remove non-reacted monomers allowed to adhere to the woven/knitted fabric and polymers which are not graft-polymerized to the cellulose. The washing method is not limited particularly and therefore water washing or hot water washing may be employed. In view of improving the washing efficiency, it is preferable that hot water washing be employed.
The thus-obtained woven/knitted fabric has hygroscopicity superior to that of the conventional woven/knitted fabric including cellulose fibers.
Another aspect of the woven/knitted fabric according to the present invention lies in a woven/knitted fabric comprising cellulose fibers to provide a woven/knitted fabric having excellent hygroscopicity and exhibiting satisfactory shape memory, the woven/knitted fabric comprising cellulose fibers, comprising hydrophilic vinyl monomers graft-polymerized with the cellulose fibers, wherein a percentage of laundry shrinkage is 2 % or lower.
If the percentage of laundry shrinkage is higher than 2 %, the shape memory after washed becomes deteriorated. It is further preferable that the percentage of laundry shrinkage be 1 % or lower.
The percentage of laundry shrinkage is a value measured in accordance with JIS L1042 or a value measured by a method according to JIS L1042 but the washing testing machine or the processing conditions is changed to obtain similar value.
The woven/knitted fabric comprising cellulose fibers exhibiting excellent shape memory can be obtained by crosslinking cellulose fibers before, after or simultaneously with performing a graft polymerization process, in which a woven/knitted fabric, such as a woven fabric or a knitted fabric obtained by weaving, knitting, etc., using yarns composed of cellulose fibers, is subjected to the impregnation process using a water solution containing the hydrophilic vinyl monomers and polymerization initiator and it is subjected to the heat treatment before it is washed.
That is, it can be obtained by crosslinking the cellulose fibers before, after or simultaneously with the graft polymerization of the hydrophilic vinyl monomers.
The method of crosslinking the cellulose fibers is not limited particularly. Any one of a method for processing the woven/knitted fabric with fiber reactant type resin or a process of exposing the woven/knitted fabric to formaldehyde vapor and then subjecting to heat treatment in presence of a catalyzer may be used preferably.
The fiber reactant type resin above is any one of dimethylol ethylene urea, dimethylol uron, dimethylol triazone, dimethylol propane urea, dimethylol hydroxyethylene urea or the like.
As the method of processing the woven/knitted fabric with the fiber reactant type resin, water solution of the foregoing resin is supplied to the woven/knitted fabric by padding or the like together with a catalyzer, followed by being subjected to heat treatment. The temperature of the heat treatment is not limited particularly. In view of efficiently performing crosslinking reactions, it is preferable that the temperature be 80°C or higher and 200°C or lower. As the catalyzer, inorganic metal salt, such as magnesium chloride may be employed.
On the other hand, formaldehyde vapor can be obtained by evaporation realized by heating water solution, formaldehyde, paraformaldehyde or the like. It is preferable that the heat treatment, to be performed after the woven/knitted fabric has been exposed to formaldehyde vapor, be performed at 60°C or higher and 160°C or lower in view of efficiently performing crosslinking reactions and securing safety. As the catalyzer for use in this case, an acidic substance, such as sulfuric acid or sulfurous acid, may be employed.
0.04 × (100 - x) < ΔMR ≤ 0.14 × (100 - x)
A still further aspect of the woven/knitted fabric according to the present invention lies in a woven/knitted fabric, intended to provide a woven/knitted fabric having excellent hygroscopicity, exhibiting satisfactory shrink resistant, and comprising polyester fibers and cellulose fibers. In the woven/knitted fabric, hydrophilic vinyl monomers are graft-polymerized with the cellulose fibers. Moreover, the woven/knitted fabric has ΔMR expressed by a value obtained by subtracting hygroscopic coefficient MR1 (%) of the woven/knitted fabric at temperature of 20°C and humidity of 65 % from hygroscopic coefficient MR2 (%) of the woven/knitted fabric at temperature of 30°C and humidity of 90 % satisfying the following equation. where x is the ratio (wt%) of polyester fibers in the woven/knitted fabric.
In the present invention, the polyester fiber is fiber such as polyethylene terephthalate, composed of a polyester polymer having fiber forming characteristic. The polyester polymer above includes a copolymer as well as homopolymer.
The woven/knitted fabric of the foregoing aspect is a woven/knitted fabric, such as a woven fabric or a knitted fabric, obtained by weaving or knitting yarns formed by mix-spinning or combining polyester fibers and cellulose fibers. Moreover, hydrophilic vinyl monomers are graft-polymerized with the cellulose fibers.
Since the hydrophilic vinyl monomers are, in the woven/knitted fabric above, graft-polymerized with the cellulose fibers, excellent hygroscopicity can be obtained. On the other hand, the hydrophilic vinyl monomers are not graft-polymerized with the hydrophobic polyester fibers. Thus, the shrink resistant, which is the characteristic of the polyester fiber, can be maintained. It is preferable that the hydrophilic vinyl monomers are graft-polymerized in a fiber which composes the cellulose fibers. Such graft polymerization in the fiber significantly improves the durability of the excellent hygroscopicity, and the handling touch of the woven/knitted fabric cannot be-deteriorated.
The foregoing woven/knitted fabric can be obtained by subjecting a woven/knitted fabric, such as a woven fabric or a knitted fabric, obtained by weaving, knitting, etc., using yarns obtained by mix-spinning or mix-texturing the polyester fibers and cellulose fibers, to an impregnation process using water solution containing hydrophilic vinyl monomers and polymerization initiator; and then subjecting it to heat treatment; and then washing it.
Another aspect of the woven/knitted fabric according to the present invention lies in a woven/knitted fabric intended to provide a woven/knitted fabric having excellent hygroscopicity, exhibiting satisfactory shrink resistant and shape memory and comprising polyester fibers and cellulose fibers. In the woven/knitted fabric, the hydrophilic vinyl monomers are graft-polymerized with the cellulose fibers, and the woven/knitted fabric exhibits a percentage of laundry shrinkage or 1 % or lower.
The woven/knitted fabric above is a woven/knitted fabric, such as a woven fabric or a knitted fabric obtained by weaving or knitting yarns obtained by mix-spinning or mix-texturing the polyester fibers and cellulose fibers. Moreover, the hydrophilic vinyl monomers are graft-polymerized with the cellulose fibers, and the percentage of laundry shrinkage per JIS L1042 is 1 % or lower.
The foregoing woven/knitted fabric need have the percentage of laundry shrinkage in accordance with JIS L1042 of 1 % or lower. If the percentage of laundry shrinkage is higher than 1 %, the shape memory deteriorates. It is preferable that the percentage of laundry shrinkage be 0.5 % or lower.
The foregoing woven/knitted fabric can be obtained by crosslinking cellulose fibers before, after or simultaneously with a graft polymerization process having steps of subjecting a woven/knitted fabric, such as a woven fabric or knitted fabric obtained by weaving, knitting, etc., using yarns obtained by mix-spinning or mix-texturing polyester fibers and cellulose fibers, to an impregnation process using water solution containing the hydrophilic vinyl monomers and polymerization initiator, and then the woven/knitted fabric subjecting it to heat treatment and then the woven/knitted fabric is washed.
The present invention will now be described further specifically with embodiments. The characteristic values in the examples were obtained by the following methods.
Hygroscopic Coefficient (%) = [(weight of woven/knitted fabric after allowed to stand at constant temperature and humidity) - (absolute dry weight of woven/knitted fabric)] × 100
The hygroscopic coefficient was obtained from change in the weight from the absolute weight of the woven/knitted fabric to the weight of the woven/knitted fabric after it had been allowed to stand in an atmosphere that the temperature was 20°C and the humidity was 65 % or that the temperature was 30°C and the humidity was 90 % in thermohygrostat for 24 hours in accordance with the following equation:
ΔMR = MR2 - MR1
By using hygroscopic coefficient MR1 obtained from the foregoing equation and realized under conditions that the temperature was 20°C and humidity was 65 % and hygroscopic coefficient MR2 realized under conditions that the temperature was 30°C and the humidity was 90 %, ΔMR was calculated in accordance with the following equation.
Reaction Ratio (%) = 100 × [(absolute dry weight of woven/knitted fabric after graft-polymerized) - (absolute dry weight of woven/knitted fabric before graft-polymerized)]/ (absolute dry weight of woven/knitted fabric before graft-polymerized)
The reaction ratio was calculated from the absolute dry weight of the woven/knitted fabric before graft-polymerized and the absolute dry weight of the woven/knitted fabric after it had been graft-polymerized in accordance with the following equation:
A white shirt was worn in such a manner it directly comes in contact the skin and an organoleptic examination was performed.
The shrinkage ratio (%) after washed per JIS L1042 was measured to obtain it.
No. 45 count spun yarns composed of cotton by 100 % were used as the warp yarns and weft yarns so as to be woven into a plain weave fabric (warp density 115 yarns/inch and weft yarn density 76 yarns/inch).
One hundred grams of the foregoing woven fabric was subjected to an impregnation process using 1000 g of water solution (adjusted to pH 8) containing 200 g of 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid and 6 g of ammonium persulfate. Then, it was subjected to heat treatment at 160°C for 3 minutes. After the heat treatment had been completed, hot water, the temperature of which was 60°C, was used to wash the woven fabric. The reaction ratio of monomers with respect to the woven fabric was 15 %. The woven fabric was used to perform sewing so that a white shirt was obtained. The obtained white shirt had a ΔMR of 14 %. The foregoing white shirt had excellent comfort when worn.
The same process as that according to Example 1 was performed except methyl methacrylate being used in place of 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid. The obtained white shirt had a ΔMR of 1.7 %. The white shirt became musty when worn.
The same process as that according to Example 1 was performed except 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid and ammonium persulfate being not used.
The obtained white shirt had a ΔMR of 3.6%. The comfort of the white shirt was inferior to that according to Example 1 when worn.
The same process as that according to Example 1 was performed except No. 45 count spun yarns composed of polyester staple fiber (the fiber fineness of 0.17 tex and cut length 40 mm) by 100 % being used to form a plain weave fabric. The obtained white shirt had a ΔMR of 0 %. The obtained white shirt became musty when worn.
No. 45 count spun yarns composed of cotton by 100 % were used as warp yarns and weft yarn so as to be woven into a plain weave fabric (the warp density 115 yarns/inch and weft yarn density 76 yarns/inch) was woven.
Ten grams of the foregoing woven fabric was subjected to an impregnation process using 100 g of water solution (adjusted to pH 8) containing 20 g of 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid and 0.6 g of ammonium persulfate. Then, it was subjected to heat treatment at 160°C for 3 minutes. After the heat treatment had been completed, hot water, the temperature of which was 60°C, was used for performing washing. The reaction ratio of 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid was 14 %. After the graft-polymerization had been performed, water solution containing dimethylol hydroxyethylene urea by 6 % and 6-hydrate magnesium chloride by 2 % serving as a catalyzer was supplied by padding. Then, the woven fabric was subjected to heat treatment at 150°C for 3 minutes so that the cotton fibers were crosslinked.
The obtained woven fabric had a ΔMR of 12 % and a shrinkage ratio of 0.8 %. The foregoing woven fabric had excellent hygroscopicity, satisfactory shrink resistant and significant shape memory.
No. 45 count spun yarns composed of cotton fibers by 100 % were used so as to be knitted into a halftricot by a 36 gauge.
Ten grams of the foregoing knitted fabric was subjected to an impregnation process using 100 g of water solution (adjusted to pH 7) containing 20 g of sodium acrylate and 0.4 g of ammonium persulfate. Then, it was subjected to heat treatment at 180°C for 30 seconds. After the heat treatment had been completed, washing was performed by using 80°C hot water. The reaction ratio of the sodium acrylate was 10 %. After the graft-polymerization had been performed, it was, for 5 minutes, exposed to formaldehyde vapor generated from paraformaldehyde in a sealed reacting chamber. Then, sulfur dioxide was introduced into the reacting chamber to subject the cloth, and then it was treated at 140°C for 3 minutes so that crosslinking reactions of the cotton fibers were performed.
The obtained knitted fabric had a ΔMR of 10 % and a shrinkage ratio of 1.5 %. The foregoing woven fabric had excellent hygroscopicity, satisfactory shrink resistant and significant shape memory.
The same process as that according to Example 2 was performed except the type of the hydrophilic vinyl monomers being changed. The results are shown in Table 1. Each sample had excellent hygroscopicity and shrink resistant and satisfactory shape memory.
The same process as that according to Example 2 was performed except the pH of the water solution containing the hydrophilic vinyl monomers and the polymerization initiator being changed. The results are shown in Table 2. Each sample had excellent hygroscopicity and shrink resistant and satisfactory shape memory.
The same process as that according to Example 2 was performed except the concentration of the hydrophilic vinyl monomers in the water solution being changed. The results are shown in Table 3. Each sample had excellent hygroscopicity and shrink resistant and satisfactory shape memory.
The same process as that according to Example 2 was performed except the concentration of the polymerization initiator with respect to the hydrophilic vinyl monomers being changed. The results are shown in Table 4. Each sample had excellent hygroscopicity and shrink resistant and satisfactory shape memory.
The same process as that according to Example 2 was performed except the heat treatment temperature in the graft-polymerization process being changed. The results are shown in Table 5. Each sample had excellent hygroscopicity and shrink resistant and satisfactory shape memory.
The same process as that according to Example 2 was performed except the heat treatment temperature in the crosslinking reactions of the cotton fibers being changed. The results are shown in Table 6. Each sample had excellent hygroscopicity and shrink resistant and satisfactory shape memory.
The same process as that according to Example 3 was performed except the heat treatment temperature in the crosslinking reactions of the cotton fibers being changed. The results are shown in Table 7. Each sample had excellent hygroscopicity and shrink resistant and satisfactory shape memory.
No. 45 count spun yarns composed of cotton fibers by 100 % were used as the warp yarns and weft yarns so as to be woven into a plain weave fabric (warp density 115 yarns/inch and weft yarn density 76 yarns/inch).
Ten grams of the foregoing woven fabric was supplied with water solution containing dimethylol hydroxyethylene urea by 6 % and 6-hydrate magnesium chloride by 2 % by padding. Then, the foregoing woven fabric was subjected heat treatment at 150°C for 3 minutes so that the cotton fibers were crosslinked. After the crosslinking reactions had been completed, the sample was subjected to an impregnation process using 100 g of water solution (adjusted to pH 8) containing 20 g of 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid and 0.6 g of ammonium persulfate, followed by being subjected to heat treatment at 160°C for 3 minutes. After the heat treatment had been performed, washing with 60°C hot water was performed. The reaction ratio of the 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid was 15 %.
The ΔMR of the obtained woven fabric was 12 % and the shrinkage ratio was 0.9 %. The foregoing woven fabric had excellent hygroscopicity, satisfactory shrink resistant and significant shape memory.
No. 45 count spun yarns composed of cotton fibers by 100 % were used as the warp yarns and weft yarns so as to be woven into a plain weave fabric (warp density 115 yarns/inch and weft yarn density 76 yarns/inch).
Ten grams of the foregoing woven fabric was subjected to an impregnation process using 100 g of water solution (adjusted to pH 8) containing 6 g of dimethylol hydroxyethylene urea, 2 g of 6-hydrate magnesium chloride serving as a catalyzer, 15 of 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid and 0.6 g of ammonium persulfate. Then, the sample was subjected to heat treatment at 160°C for 3 minutes. After the heat treatment had been performed, washing with 60°C hot water was performed.
The ΔMR of the obtained woven fabric was 11 % and the shrinkage ratio was 1.2 %. The foregoing woven fabric had excellent hygroscopicity, satisfactory shrink resistant and significant shape memory.
The same process as that according to Example 2 was performed except the hydrophilic vinyl monomers and the polymerization initiator being not used. The ΔMR of the obtained woven fabric was 3.4 % and the shrinkage ratio was 0.9 %.
The same process as that according to Example 2 was performed except methyl methacrylate being used in place of the hydrophilic vinyl monomers. The ΔMR of the obtained woven fabric was 3 % and the shrinkage ratio was 1 %.
Polyester staple fibers (the fiber fineness of 0.17 tex and cut length 40 mm) and cotton were mix-spun by a usual method (the blending ratio: 50 wt% of polyester and 50 wt% of cotton) so that No.45 count spun yarns were obtained. Then, the foregoing spun yarns were used as the warp yarns and weft yarns so as to be woven into a plain weave fabric (warp density 115 yarns/inch and weft yarn density 76 yarns/inch).
Ten grams of the foregoing woven fabric was subjected to an impregnation process using 100 g of water solution (adjusted to pH 8) containing 20 g of 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid and 0.6 g of ammonium persulfate. Then, heat treatment at 160°C for 3 minutes was performed. After the heat treatment had been performed, washing with 60°C hot water was performed.
After the sample was dried, the obtained woven fabric had the reaction ratio of the 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid of 8 %, MR of 5 % and a shrinkage ratio of 2 %. The foregoing woven fabric had excellent hygroscopicity equivalent or superior to that of a woven fabric composed of cotton by 100 % and exhibited satisfactory shrink resistant.
Polyester staple fibers (the fiber fineness of 0.17 tex and cut length 40 mm) and cotton were mix-spun by a usual method (the blending ratio: 65 wt% of polyester and 35 wt% of cotton) so that No.45 count spun yarns were obtained. Then, the foregoing spun yarns were used so as to be knitted into halftricot by a 36 gauge.
Ten grams of the foregoing knitted fabric was subjected to an impregnation process using 100 g of water solution (adjusted to pH 7) containing 20 g of sodium acrylate and 0.4 g of ammonium persulfate. Then, heat treatment at 180°C for 20 seconds was performed. After the heat treatment had been performed, washing with 80°C hot water was performed. The reaction ratio of the sodium acrylate of the obtained knitted fabric was 4 %, the ΔMR was 3 % and the shrinkage ratio was 2 %. The foregoing woven fabric had excellent hygroscopicity and exhibited satisfactory shrink resistant.
The same process as that according to Example 34 was performed except the mixture ratio of the polyester staple fiber being changed. The results are shown in Table 8. Each sample had excellent hygroscopicity and shrink resistant.
The same process as that according to Example 34 except the type of the hydrophilic vinyl monomers being changed. The results are shown in Table 9. Each sample had excellent hygroscopicity and shrink resistant.
The same process as that according to Example 34 was performed except the pH of the water solution containing the hydrophilic vinyl monomers and the polymerization initiator being changed. The results are shown in Table 10. Each sample had excellent hygroscopicity and shrink resistant.
The same process as that according to Example 34 was performed except the concentration of the hydrophilic vinyl monomers in the water solution being changed. The results are shown in Table 11. Each sample had excellent hygroscopicity and shrink resistant.
The same process as that according to Example 34 was performed except the concentration of the polymerization initiator with respect to the hydrophilic vinyl monomers being changed. The results are shown in Table 12. Each sample had excellent hygroscopicity and shrink resistant.
The same process as that according to Example 34 was performed except the heat treatment temperature being changed. The results are shown in Table 13. Each sample had excellent hygroscopicity and shrink resistant.
The same process as that according to Example 34 was performed except methyl methacrylate being used in place of 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid. The obtained woven fabric had a reaction ratio of 6 %, ΔMR of 1.5 % and Shrinkage ratio of 2.5 %. The foregoing woven fabric had unsatisfactory hygroscopicity.
The same process as that according to Example 34 was performed except 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid and ammonium persulfate being not used. The ΔMR of the obtained woven fabric was 2 % and the shrinkage ratio was 3 %. The foregoing woven fabric had unsatisfactory hygroscopicity.
Polyester staple fibers (the fiber fineness of 0.17 tex and cut length 40 mm) and cotton were mix-spun by a usual method (the blending ratio: 50 wt% of polyester and 50 wt% of cotton) so that No.45 count spun yarns were obtained. Then, the foregoing spun yarns were used as the warp yarns and weft yarns so as to be woven into a plain weave fabric (warp density 115 yarns/inch and weft yarn density 76 yarns/inch).
Ten grams of the foregoing woven fabric was subjected to an impregnation process using 100 g of water solution (adjusted to pH 8) containing 20 g of 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid and 0.6 g of ammonium persulfate. Then, heat treatment at 160°C for 3 minutes was performed. After the heat treatment had been performed, washing with 60°C hot water was performed. The reaction ratio of the 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid was 8 %. After the graft-polymerization had been performed, water solution containing dimethylol hydroxyethylene urea by 6 % and 6-hydrate magnesium chloride serving as a catalyzer by 2 % was supplied by padding. Then, the foregoing woven fabric was subjected to heat treatment at 150°C for 3 minutes so that the cotton fibers were cross linked. The ΔMR of the obtained woven fabric was 4 % and the shrinkage ratio was 0.3 %. The woven fabric had excellent hygroscopicity, satisfactory shrink resistant and significant shape memory.
Polyester staple fibers (the fiber fineness of 0.17 tex and cut length 40 mm) and cotton were mix-spun by a usual method (the blending ratio: 65 wt% of polyester and 35 wt% of cotton) so that No.45 count spun yarns were obtained. Then, the foregoing spun yarns were used so as to be knitted into halftricot by a 36 gauge.
Ten grams of the foregoing knitted fabric was subjected to an impregnation process using 100 g of water solution (adjusted to pH 7) containing 20 g of sodium acrylate and 0.4 g of ammonium persulfate. Then, heat treatment at 180°C for 30 seconds was performed. After the heat treatment had been performed, washing with 80°C hot water was performed. The reaction ratio of the sodium acrylate was 4 %. After the graft-polymerization had been performed, it was, for 5 minutes, exposed to formaldehyde vapor generated from paraformaldehyde in a sealed reacting chamber. Then, sulfur dioxide was introduced into the reacting chamber to subject the cloth, and then the cloth was treated at 140°C for 3 minutes so that crosslinking reactions of the cotton fibers were performed.
The obtained knitted fabric had a ΔMR of 2.6 % and a shrinkage ratio of 0.5 %. The foregoing knitted fabric had excellent hygroscopicity, satisfactory shrink resistant and significant shape memory.
The same process as that according to Example 59 was performed except the blending ratio of the polyester staple fiber being changed. The results are shown in Table 14. Each sample had excellent hygroscopicity and shrink resistant and satisfactory shape memory.
The same process as that according to Example 59 was performed except the type of the hydrophilic vinyl monomers being changed. The results are shown in Table 15. Each sample had excellent hygroscopicity and shrink resistant and satisfactory shape memory.
The same process as that according to Example 59 was performed except the pH of the water solution containing the hydrophilic vinyl monomers and the polymerization initiator being changed. The results are shown in Table 16. Each sample had excellent hygroscopicity and shrink resistant and satisfactory shape memory.
The same process as that according to Example 59 was performed except the concentration of the hydrophilic vinyl monomers in the water solution being changed. The results are shown in Table 17. Each sample had excellent hygroscopicity and shrink resistant and satisfactory shape memory.
The same process as that according to Example 59 was performed except the concentration of the polymerization initiator with respect to the hydrophilic vinyl monomers being changed. The results are shown in Table 18. Each sample had excellent hygroscopicity and shrink resistant and satisfactory shape memory.
The same process as that according to Example 59 was performed except the heat treatment temperature in the graft-polymerization process being changed. The results are shown in Table 19. Each sample had excellent hygroscopicity and shrink resistant and satisfactory shape memory.
The same process as that according to Example 59 was performed except the heat treatment temperature at the crosslinking reactions of the cotton fibers being changed. The results are shown in Table 20. Each sample had excellent hygroscopicity and shrink resistant and satisfactory shape memory.
The same process as that according to Example 60 was performed except the heat treatment temperature at the crosslinking reactions of the cotton fibers being changed. The results are shown in Table 21. Each sample had excellent hygroscopicity and shrink resistant and satisfactory shape memory.
Polyester staple fibers (the fiber fineness of 0.17 tex and cut length 40 mm) and cotton were mix-spun by a usual method (the blending ratio: 50 wt% of polyester and 50 wt% of cotton) so that No.45 count spun yarns were obtained. Then, the foregoing spun yarns were used as the warp yarns and weft yarns so as to be woven into a plain weave fabric (warp density 115 yarns/inch and weft yarn density 76 yarns/inch).
Ten grams of the foregoing woven fabric was supplied with water solution containing dimethylol hydroxyethylene urea by 6 % and 6-hydrate of magnesium chloride serving as a catalyzer by 2 % by padding. Then, the woven fabric was subjected to heat treatment at 150°C for 3 minutes so that the cotton fibers were crosslinked. After the crosslinking reactions had been performed, the sample was subjected to an impregnation process using 100 g of water solution (adjusted to pH 8) containing 20 g of 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid and 0.6 g of ammonium persulfate. Then, the sample was subjected to heat treatment at 160°C for 3 minutes. After the heat treatment had been performed, washing with 60°C hot water was performed. The reaction ratio of the 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid was 8 %.
The ΔMR of the obtained woven fabric was 4 % and the shrinkage ratio was 0.3 %. The woven fabric had excellent hygroscopicity, satisfactory shrink resistant and significant shape memory.
Polyester staple fibers (the fiber fineness of 0.17 tex and cut length 40 mm) and cotton were mix-spun by a usual method (the blending ratio: 50 wt% of polyester and 50 wt% of cotton) so that No.45 count spun yarns were obtained. Then, the foregoing spun yarns were used as the warp yarns and weft yarns so as to be woven into a plain weave fabric (warp density 115 yarns/inch and weft yarn density 76 yarns/inch).
Ten grams of the foregoing woven fabric was subjected to an impregnation process using 100 g of water solution (adjusted to pH 8) containing 6 g of dimethylol hydroxyethylene urea, 2 g of 6-hydrate magnesium chloride serving as a catalyzer, 15 g of 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid and 0.6 g ammonium persulfate. Then, the sample was subjected to heat treatment at 160°C for 3 minutes. After the heat treatment had been performed, the sample was washed with 60°C hot water.
The ΔMR of the obtained woven fabric was 3.7 % and the shrinkage ratio was 0.3 %. The woven fabric had excellent hygroscopicity, satisfactory shrink resistant and significant shape memory.
The same process as that according to Example 59 was performed except the hydrophilic vinyl monomers and the polymerization initiator being not used. The ΔMR of the obtained woven fabric was 1.5 % and the shrinkage ratio was 0.4 %. The foregoing woven fabric had unsatisfactory hygroscopicity.
The same process as that according to Example 59 was performed except methyl methacrylate being used in place of the hydrophilic vinyl monomers. The ΔMR of the obtained woven fabric was 1.3 % and the shrinkage ratio was 0.4 %. The foregoing woven fabric had unsatisfactory hygroscopicity.
The woven/knitted fabric including the cellulose fibers according to the present invention can preferably be used in a dress shirt, underwear, sports wear or the like for attaining comfortable feeling when worn.
The woven/knitted fabric including the polyester fibers and cellulose fibers according to the present invention can be used widely in clothes.
Table 1
hydrophilic vinyl monomers
reaction ratio (%)
ΔMR (%)
shrinkage ratio (%)
Example 4
sodium acrylate
10
7
0.8
Example 5
sodium allyl sulfonate
12
9
0.8
Example 6
allyl alcohol
7
5
0.6
Example 7
acrylamide
6
4.8
0.7
Table 2
pH
reaction ratio (%)
ΔMR (%)
shrinkage ratio (%)
Example 8
5
10
10
0.8
Example 9
6
14
12
0.8
Example 10
12
14
12
0.8
Example 11
14
10
10
0.8
Table 3
concentration (wt%)
reaction ratio (%)
ΔMR (%)
shrinkage ratio (%)
Example 12
5
9
9
0.7
Example 13
10
13
11
0.8
Example 14
30
14
12
0.8
Example 15
35
10
10
0.8
Table 4
concentration (wt%)
reaction ratio (%)
ΔMR (%)
shrinkage ratio (%)
Example 16
0.5
8
9
0.7
Example 17
1
12
11
0.8
Example 18
5
14
12
0.8
Example 19
8
10
10
0.8
Table 5
temperature (°C)
reaction ratio (%)
ΔMR (%)
shrinkage ratio (%)
Example 20
70
7
8
0.6
Example 21
80
12
11
0.8
Example 22
200
14
12
0.8
Example 23
210
9
9
0.7
Table 6
temperature (°C)
reaction ratio (%)
ΔMR (%)
shrinkage ratio (%)
Example 24
70
14
13
1.4
Example 25
80
14
12
0.8
Example 26
200
14
12
0.8
Example 27
210
14
13
1.6
Table 7
temperature (°C)
reaction ratio (%)
ΔMR (%)
shrinkage ratio (%)
Example 28
50
10
11
1.9
Example 29
60
10
10
1.5
Example 30
160
10
10
1.5
Example 31
170
10
11
1.8
Table 8
blending ratio of polyester fibers (wt%)
reaction ratio (%)
ΔMR (%)
shrinkage ratio (%)
Example 36
10
14
12
3.5
Example 37
30
11
7
2.5
Example 38
85
2.5
2
1.2
Table 9
hydrophilic vinyl monomers
reaction ratio (%)
ΔMR (%)
shrinkage ratio (%)
Example 39
sodium acrylate
5
3.5
2
Example 40
sodium allyl sulfonate
6
4
2
Example 41
allyl alcohol
4
3
1.8
Example 42
acrylamide
3
2.4
1.7
Table 10
pH
reaction ratio (%)
ΔMR (%)
shrinkage ratio (%)
Example 43
5
6
4
2
Example 44
6
8
5
2
Example 45
12
8
5
2
Example 46
14
6
4
2
Table 11
concentration (wt%)
reaction ratio (%)
ΔMR (%)
shrinkage ratio (%)
Example 47
5
5
3.6
2
Example 48
10
8
5
2
Example 49
30
8
5
2
Example 50
35
6
4.2
2
Table 12
concentration (wt%)
reaction ratio (%)
ΔMR (%)
shrinkage ratio (%)
Example 51
0.5
4
3
2
Example 52
1
8
5
2
Example 53
5
8
5
2
Example 54
8
6
4
2
Table 13
temperature (°C)
reaction ratio (%)
ΔMR (%)
shrinkage ratio (%)
Example 55
70
3
2.5
1.8
Example 56
80
7
4.5
2
Example 57
200
8
5
2
Example 58
210
5
3.5
2.2
Table 14
blending ratio of polyester fibers (wt%)
reaction ratio (%)
ΔMR (%)
shrinkage ratio (%)
Example 61
10
14
11
0.5
Example 62
30
11
6
0.4
Example 63
85
2.5
1.6
0.2
Table 15
hydrophilic vinyl monomers
reaction ratio (%)
ΔMR (%)
shrinkage ratio (%)
Example 64
sodium acrylate
5
2.8
0.3
Example 65
sodium allyl sulfonate
6
3.6
0.3
Example 66
allyl alcohol
4
2.6
0.3
Example 67
acrylamide
3
2.2
0.4
Table 16
pH
reaction ratio (%)
ΔMR (%)
shrinkage ratio (%)
Example 68
5
6
3
0.3
Example 69
6
8
4
0.3
Example 70
12
8
4
0.3
Example 71
14
6
3
0.3
Table 17
concentration (wt%)
reaction ratio (%)
ΔMR (%)
shrinkage ratio (%)
Example 72
5
5
2.9
0.3
Example 73
10
8
4
0.3
Example 74
30
8
4
0.3
Example 75
35
6
3.5
0.3
Table 18
concentration (wt%)
reaction ratio (%)
ΔMR (%)
shrinkage ratio (%)
Example 76
0.5
3
2.4
0.2
Example 77
1
8
4
0.3
Example 78
5
8
4
0.3
Example 79
8
6
3
0.2
Table 19
temperature (°C)
reaction ratio (%)
ΔMR (%)
shrinkage ratio (%)
Example 80
70
3
2.1
0.2
Example 81
80
7
3.8
0.3
Example 82
200
8
4
0.3
Example 83
210
5
3
0.3
Table 20
temperature (°C)
reaction ratio (%)
ΔMR (%)
shrinkage ratio (%)
Example 84
70
8
4
0.8
Example 85
80
8
4
0.3
Example 86
200
8
4
0.3
Example 87
210
8
4
0.6
Table 21
temperature (°C)
reaction ratio (%)
ΔMR (%)
shrinkage ratio (%)
Example 88
50
4
2.6
1.0
Example 89
60
4
2.6
0.5
Example 90
160
4
2.6
0.5
Example 91
170
4
2.6
0.9
According to the process of producing the woven/knitted fabric according to the present invention, the woven/knitted fabric exhibiting excellent hygroscopicity, shrink resistant and shape memory can be provided. | |
The Nature of Bullying
“I was at the parent presentation you gave several weeks ago for our school system. I was inspired by your knowledge and passion for preventing and stopping bullying. Your son’s story broke my heart. I am so afraid for my son. Your son’s story sounded a lot like my son’s. I have talked several times with his teachers and principal. They don’t seem to understand the hurt caused by my son’s mistreatment. I wish they were at the parent presentation. When I explain what is happening to my son, they seem to minimize it as normal conflict and say that all children have to learn to deal with conflict. How can I change their thinking? How can I help them see that my son is being destroyed by bullying?”
It is important for you to know the difference between bullying and normal conflict. Some types of conflict are a normal part of life. Not all conflict is meant to be hurtful, and coping with such situations can help prepare your child for life in a positive way. Therefore, do not intervene too quickly when you observe conflict between your child and others. However, if you have verified that true bullying is occurring, you should intervene and teach your child skills to stop the bullying. Behavior has exceeded the bounds of normal conflict when
It is meant to hurt and harm your child.
It seems intense and has been occurring over a significant period of time.
The person hurting your child seeks to have power and control over your child.
No apologies are forthcoming.
The behavior has a negative impact on your child.
What Is Bullying?
Understanding bullying is an important step in helping your child. When we don’t fully understand a problem, we deal only with the symptoms of the problem and not the root causes. After reading this book, you may be more knowledgeable about bullying than the teachers at your child’s school. You may be able to provide leadership or at least encouragement to anti-bullying efforts in your child’s school. The next few pages are designed to equip you with facts about bullying.
The term bullying describes a wide range of behaviors that can have an impact on a person’s property, body, feelings, relationships, reputation, and social status. Bullying is a form of overt and aggressive behavior that is intentional, hurtful, and persistent (repeated). Bullied children are teased, harassed, socially rejected, threatened, belittled, and assaulted or attacked (verbally, physically, psychologically) by one or more individuals. There are unequal levels of affect (that is, the victim is upset and distressed while the bully is calm) and often an imbalance of strength (power and dominance).1 This imbalance of power can be physical or psychological, or your child may simply be outnumbered.
There are times that bullying can be considered violent. All bullying is serious, but when it is intense and lasts for a significant period, it is very serious—it is violent. In fact, bullying is the most common form of school violence. It is violence because it is so destructive to the well-being of children and can lead children to harm themselves and to harm others.
Some of the key words in our definition of bullying are intentional, hurtful, persistent, and imbalance of strength. Thus behavior such as teasing that is not intended to hurt and is not persistent is not considered bullying. However, even playful teasing can easily escalate into a bullying situation. Those who have power over the child may repeatedly use the teasing comments to hurt her.
What Does Bullying Look Like?
Bullying behaviors come in a variety of forms: physical, verbal, and social and relational. When it comes to cruelty, children can be incredibly creative. In fact, it would be very difficult to list every possible behavior that makes up a bullying situation. But let’s take a look at some of them.
Physical Bullying
Bullying behaviors that are more physical in nature include the following:
Hitting, slapping, elbowing, and shouldering (slamming)
Pushing, shoving, and tripping
Kicking
Taking or stealing, damaging, or defacing belongings
Restraining
Pinching
Flushing someone’s head in the toilet
Cramming someone into his locker
Attacking with spit wads, food, and so on
Threats and body language that are intimidating
It is important not to minimize any of these behaviors. They all can be hurtful, even things that may seem like “horseplay.” One nine-year-old boy said, “When they push you in front of your friends and you fall down, it is very embarrassing and humiliating.” Restraining someone against her will can also be very hurtful because it is often accompanied by some other inappropriate behavior. For example, one sixteen-year-old girl was held down on the floor by a group of girls who then marked all over her face with a permanent marker. You can imagine how hurt she was emotionally.
Pinching and many other forms of physical bullying are beneath the radar screen of teachers. One teacher told me about an eight-year-old girl who reported at the end of the year that the boy sitting behind her had pinched her back all year long. She had bruises all over her back. The teacher did not know this was happening because the little girl was afraid to tell her.
When I speak to a group of students, it is not unusual for a significant number of students to raise their hands when I ask, “How many of you have had your heads flushed in the toilet?” This is called “swirling.” In one school, where the principal told the newspaper that there was no bullying in his school, about one-fourth of the students said they had had their heads flushed. Being crammed into one’s locker almost every day is also not uncommon. I have met several students who no longer use their lockers because they know they will be mistreated there. They carry all their books in a backpack.
Verbal Bullying
Verbal bullying can sometimes be more hurtful than physical bullying. Unfortunately, some children learn very quickly that “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can hurt me more and for a longer time.” The following are some examples of verbal bullying behaviors:
Name-calling
Insulting remarks and put-downs
Repeated teasing
Racist remarks and harassment
Threats and intimidation
Whispering about someone behind her back
Verbal bullying can be very destructive to the well-being of children. When I speak to students, I try to illustrate this point by hitting an apple with my fist. Then I ask, “What is going to happen to this apple?” Of course, they respond, “It’s going to be bruised.” When you look at the outside of the apple, it doesn’t look bruised, but it is. When you call someone a name, it doesn’t appear to hurt him, but it bruises him on the inside.
Many times, physical bullying is accompanied by verbal bullying. The following e-mail message from a parent describes this combination.
“Dear Dr. Beane:
“I have been struggling with my seven-year-old son. He is in second grade at a wonderful school. We are making huge sacrifices for him to attend and hope that our other two children will also attend this school as they get older. In a nutshell, my son had his head slammed against a brick wall and his throat held while these two students were saying, ‘You had better not tell a lie again about my friend.’ There have been many instances of verbal bullying over the school year. They have said things such as, ‘Shut up, you stupid head’ and ‘You are going to get it on the playground!’”
Of course, racism is behind a lot of bullying. One seventh-grade boy told me that he had been made fun of ever since second grade, just because of the color of his skin. So when you help schools prevent bullying, you are also helping them combat racism.
Social and Relational Bullying
When most parents think about bullying, they think about mistreatment that is physical and verbal. They do not realize that bullying can also be social and relational. The following are some examples of this form of bullying:
These kinds of behaviors are prevalent among girls. I had a principal call me one day and tell me about two girls who were excluding others. The principal said she had several girls who went home crying and that their mothers called her because their daughters were so upset. After investigating the problem, the principal discovered that these two girls declared themselves so special that if any other girl wanted to have lunch with them in the cafeteria, she had to sign up and be selected. When I tell this story to groups of students, I am amazed at the number of times I have been told of girls who get a kick out of excluding others, even labeling themselves as the “Royal Five” or some other name.
Exclusion is even seen in preschool children. They often will not let others play with them and encourage others not to play with someone.
Much of girl bullying seems to stem from jealously, which leads to anger and then to efforts to destroy someone’s relationships or reputation. An example of such behavior is described in the following e-mail message.
“Dear Dr. Beane,
“I’m sure you get e-mails all the time, but I hope you have the time to help me with a problem. My daughter, Brook, is new student in a fairly small high school. She is very attractive and outgoing. In fact, I don’t think she has ever met a stranger. Brook seems to draw people to her. Of course, the boys at the new school got very interested in her, especially this one boy. He has a girl friend, but he always wants to hang around and talk to Brook. Of course, his girl friend is jealous and is now spreading rumors that my daughter is a whore and has had several nervous breakdowns. I hear my daughter crying in her bed at nights. My heart aches for her. I don’t know what to do. She won’t let me call the girl’s parents and she doesn’t want me to talk to the school about it.”
Why Do Children Bully?
Children bully others for a variety of reasons. Sometimes they are impulsive and mistreat others without thinking about their actions or the consequences. They often want to dominate others, exercising power and control over them in order to hurt them. They like feeling big in front of their peers. This power seems to net them some social status. However, they may continuously seek to prove their status. They may have more family problems than normal and take out their frustration and anger on others. To do this, they pick on students who they view as weaker than they, exhibiting little or no sympathy for victims.
Some bullies mistreat others because they are experiencing or observing abuse in the home or have not been disciplined appropriately at a young age. Their parents may have also failed to teach them the importance of respect, sensitivity, empathy, and kindness. There are a host of other possible causes of bullying, which I address in Chapter Three.
Are There Different Types of Bullies?
According to Olweus, there are three different types of bullies: the aggressive bully, the passive bully, and the bully-victim.2 Aggressive bullies tend to be physically strong, impulsive, hot tempered, belligerent, fearless, coercive, confident, and lacking in empathy. Passive bullies tend to be insecure, and they are much less popular than aggressive bullies. They sometimes have low self-esteem, have few likable qualities, and often have unhappy home lives. The bully-victims represent a small percentage of bullies. These are children who have experienced bullying themselves, whether at home or at school. They are typically physically weaker than the bullies at school, but stronger than those they bully.
Dieter Wolke of the University of Hertfordshire, England, identified a fourth group of bullies: pure bullies.3 They appear to be healthy individuals who enjoy school. They use bullying to obtain dominance. Pure bullies just seem to enjoy bullying others.
Are There Different Types of Victims?
According to Olweus,there are three types of victims: passive victims, provocative victims, and bully-victims, which we discussed earlier.4 Passive victims represent the largest group of victims. They do not directly provoke bullies; they appear to be physically weaker students and do not defend themselves. Passive victims also appear to have few, if any, friends. Sometimes they are children who have been overprotected by their parents. Some researchers have identified subgroups of this group of victims.5 For example, vicarious victims are students who are affected by the fear and anxiety created by a school culture that allows bullying. They are fearful they may become victims. False victims are a small group of students who complain frequently and without justification to teachers about being bullied. Perpetual victims are individuals who are bullied all their lives and may even develop a victim mentality.
Provocative victims represent a smaller group than the passive victims. They can actually be aggressive themselves, especially toward others who appear weaker than they are. Because they may have poor anger management skills, their peers may not like them. They often react negatively to conflict or losing.
How Are Girls and Boys Different in Their Bullying Behavior?
Both boys and girls engage in physical, verbal, and social bullying. Because the behavior of boys has been more observable, we have thought boys bully more than girls, but now most experts aren’t sure that this is true. We often underestimate girl bullying, as girls can be sneaky, and their bullying behavior is more frequently social and relational.
Typically, boys use more physical aggression than girls. However, it appears that girls are becoming more physical. Perhaps they are watching more television shows that teach them that it is okay to be physically violent and to attack males. The following are some typical characteristics of girl bullies and boy bullies.
Girl bullies
Are more likely to bully other girls—but may bully some boys
Engage in group bullying more than boys
Seek to inflict psychological pain on their victims
Can appear to be angels around adults while being cruel to peers
Frequently make comments regarding the sexual behavior of girls they don’t like
Attack within a tightly knit networks of friends
Boy bullies
Are more physical (tripping, spitting, quick blows, pushing, and so on)
Use verbal attacks regarding sexual orientation and family members
Tend to attack physically smaller and weaker individuals
Engage in sexual harassment
Engage in extortion
How Frequently Does Bullying Occur?
Because bullying occurs most often in secret, away from the eyes of adults, parents and school personnel often underestimate bullying. Therefore, they sometimes don’t understand the intensity of the problem or the need to implement a schoolwide anti-bullying program.
Worldwide prevalence rates of bullying of students range from 10 percent of secondary students to 27 percent of middle school students. According to the World Health Organization, the prevalence of bullying is quite consistent across countries. Bullying is so prevalent that it is a constant hum in our schools and in some neighborhoods. It is estimated that 30 percent of teens in the United States (over 5.7 million) are involved in bullying as a bully, a target of bullying, or both. A study of fifteen thousand U.S. students in grades 6–10 found that 17 percent of students reported having been bullied “sometimes or more often” during the school year. Approximately 19 percent said they bullied others “sometimes or more often,” and 6 percent reported both bullying and being a victim of bullying. Some researchers state that 20 to 25 percent of schoolchildren are bullied. Six out of ten American students witness bullying at least once a day.
Now that you understand that bullying is a frequent occurrence, it is important for you to know when and where it is most likely to happen to your child. Even though the majority of bullying is done in secret, there are some typical high-risk areas and high-risk times.
When and Where Does Bullying Occur?
Unfortunately, bullying happens almost everywhere. It happens in homes, in neighborhoods and communities, and in workplaces. We know that bullying often starts in the preschool years (around age three) and increases in frequency and becomes more physical toward the end of the elementary years. Bullying peaks during the middle school years and is often in its cruelest form during those years. It decreases in high school, but can still be very hurtful. The physical severity of bullying may decrease with the bully’s age.
At the beginning of each school year, bullies go “shopping” for easy targets, victims they can hurt and over whom they can have physical or psychological power. This is why it is important for your child to tell a trusted adult right away if he is being bullied. Also teach your child how to look confident and to hide the fact that what a bully does or says hurts him. There are several tips in this book to help your child communicate that he is not an easy target.
Bullying occurs while children travel to and from school, but it is more likely to happen on school property. Bullying seems to happen everywhere, but the typical high-risk areas are places where there is no adult supervision, inadequate adult supervision, or lack of structure—areas where children have nothing to do or are free to do as they wish. Some of the school-related high-risk areas are buses, bus stops, bathrooms, hallways, cafeterias, playgrounds, locker rooms, gyms, parking lots, stairwells, between buildings, and even classrooms. Therefore, you should encourage your child’s school to improve supervision, in terms not only of the number of adults but also of the quality of supervision they provide. They should be trained to supervise their areas, and schools should be encouraged to add structure to unstructured times.
When I work with schools, I suggest strategies that include the following:
Increase adult supervision by using trained volunteers.
Require and train school personnel to supervise high-risk areas.
Assign seats in the cafeteria and rotate the assignments so that children are always sitting with other children their own age.
Require students to engage in activities that include everyone prior to going to recess.
Require assigned seats on the bus (that is, high school students in the rear, elementary school students in the middle, and middle school students toward the front)
Require students to stand in designated areas by grade while waiting for school to start.
Enforce behavioral expectations and rules for all the high-risk areas.
Why Must Bullying Be Prevented and Stopped?
Your response to this question is, of course, “Because it hurts my child.” That is certainly reason enough, but there are more reasons. Bullied children are often so persistently mistreated that they do not have time to recover from the previous experiences. Bullying can thus have consequences that go well beyond individual incidents. It is not surprising to see children trying to “fly away” from the mistreatment, which can lead them to make destructive choices and sometimes creates more problems. Bullying is connected to many other problems that could touch the life of your child and others.
When a child is bullied, he may be afraid to go to school. He may get sick on Sunday night and nauseated on Monday morning just thinking about going to school and facing the bullies. Each day is a social mine field with several unknown, potentially dangerous events in the day’s path. The fear, anxiety, and stress may cause your child to pretend to be sick, skip school, or skip classes. According to the American Medical Association, about 160,000 students a day stay home because of bullying.12 In addition to causing students to fall behind in their schoolwork, these debilitating emotions can lead to a sense of helplessness and depression—even posttraumatic stress. For some children, bullying is very traumatic; it may be traumatic for your child.
Fear, anxiety, and stress are closely followed by anger and helplessness—perhaps even hopelessness. This is a toxic mix of emotions that may create toxic shame. This is poisonous shame that can cause your child to question his ability to cope with the bullying. He may also question whether he can trust the adults around him to help him. Your child may come to feel that he deserves to be bullied because he is defective in some way. He may feel additional shame because he cannot “stand up for himself” as you have taught him to do. If this shame and the accompanying misconceptions are not dealt with, your child could feel that he cannot trust life (especially school life) to be good to him anymore. This does not have to be the path your child takes. You can help him, and so can professional counseling.
Toxic Shame
Toxic shame can cause your child to harm himself (self-mutilate) and/or even to commit suicide. I have met several students who cut themselves. They tell me they cut themselves in order to release the hurt caused by bullying or to cause a physical pain that may minimize the pain in their hearts. If your child is being victimized, I encourage you to examine your child’s body each night as he steps out of the tub or shower. Sometimes children cut themselves where their clothes will hide the cuts, but sometimes you can see scars between their knuckles or on their wrists. Make sure if you do find evidence of self-mutilation that you get your child professional help.
Children who are persistently mistreated and experience depression for a significant amount of time may have suicidal thoughts. Any talk about suicide is serious and needs immediate attention. Watch for signs that your child is at risk of committing suicide. (If you have observed some of the warning signs of suicide risk, please refer to Chapter Six for a list of signs and a list of questions to ask your child.) If your child talks about committing suicide, do not assume he does not mean it. If you suspect your child is suicidal, seek professional help and do not leave him alone.
Bullying also can lead a child to join a gang, cult, hate group, or drug group. Every child feels an intense need to belong and to be accepted by some group. When this need cannot be satisfied through typical peer relationships, your child may seek to belong to a destructive and possibly dangerous group of individuals.
Bullying is also a common theme in the majority of school shootings. After years of mistreatment, some victims of bullying travel a very sad and dangerous path from hurt to revenge. (See Chapter Twelve for more on why some victims retaliate.)
Key Messages
Behavior that is meant to hurt and harm your child should not be considered normal conflict.
The term bullying describes a wide range of behaviors that can impact a person’s property, body, feelings, relationships, reputation, and social status.
All forms of bullying can be destructive to the well-being of children and can create unsafe homes, neighborhoods, and schools.
Both girls and boys can be physical, verbal, and social and relational in their bullying. Girls tend to do more social and relational bullying.
Bullying occurs to some degree in every school.
Adults often underestimate the prevalence of the problem.
Bullying happens everywhere, especially where there is a lack of supervision or lack of structure. Some of the high-risk areas are bathrooms, hallways, stairwells, cafeterias, locker rooms, parking lots, buses, common areas, bus stops, and classrooms.
Bullying can create toxic shame and cause children to be sick, to hurt themselves, and even to commit suicide.
Bullying can lead students to form or join gangs, hate groups, and cults.
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| |
It's common for doctors and dentists to prescribe antibiotics to ease toothache symptoms and prevent a more serious condition.
But a review that led to the new guideline concluded that antibiotics are not the best option for adults with a toothache. Instead, they should get dental treatment and, if needed, use over-the-counter pain relievers such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), according to the ADA.
"Antibiotics are, of course, tremendously important medications," said Dr. Peter Lockhart, chairman of the expert panel that developed the new guideline. "However, it's vital that we use them wisely so that they continue to be effective when absolutely needed."
Lockhart is chairman of the department of oral medicine at Carolinas Medical Center-Atrium Health in the Charlotte metro area.
Antibiotics are designed to combat bacterial infections, but they don't necessarily help with a toothache. They can cause serious side effects, and overuse has resulted in bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics.
The guideline does provide examples when antibiotics may be prescribed for a toothache.
"When dental treatment is not immediately available and the patient has signs and symptoms such as fever, swollen lymph nodes, or extreme tiredness, antibiotics may need to be prescribed," Lockhart said in an ADA news release. "But in most cases when adults have a toothache and access to dental treatment, antibiotics may actually do more harm than good."
The new guideline appears in the November issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association.
Source: American Dental Association, news release, Oct. 25, 2019. | https://blog.viviennebalonwu.com/2019/10/antibiotics-not-recommended-for-most.html |
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