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Q:
Rounding decimals to a user-specified number of places
I have a piece of code for my calculator.
And there is a stepper in the settings.
How can I make it so that when the user presses a stepper on 2 then the answer in the calculator would be rounded to 2 numbers after the decimal point?
Now there is a rounding up to 9 numbers after the decimal point.
displayResultLabel.text = String(format: "%.9f", newValue)
MainViewController.swift
var currentInput: Double {
get {
return Double (displayResultLabel.text!)!
}
set {
let value = "\(newValue)"
let ValueArray = (value.components(separatedBy:"."))
if ValueArray[1] == "0" {
displayResultLabel.text = "\(ValueArray[0])"
} else {
displayResultLabel.text = String(format: "%.9f", newValue)
//displayResultLabel.text = "\(newValue)"
}
stillTyping = false
}
}
SettingsViewController.swift
@IBOutlet weak var Stepr1: UIStepper!
@IBAction func stepperValueChanged(sender: UIStepper) {
//let am = NSNumber(value: sender.value)
let formatter = NumberFormatter()
formatter.numberStyle = .currency
UserDefaults.standard.set(sender.value, forKey: Savings)
//stepperValueChanged(sender: Stepr1)
MAXLabel.text = Int(sender.value).description
let userDefaults = UserDefaults.standard
userDefaults.setValue(MAXLabel.text, forKey: "data")
userDefaults.synchronize()
}
override func viewDidLoad() {
super.viewDidLoad()
// Save value
if let Savings = UserDefaults.standard.value(forKey: Savings) {
Stepr1.value = Savings as! Double
stepperValueChanged(sender: Stepr1)
}
}
A:
You can use String Interpolation in the format String:
let places = Int(Stepr1.value)
displayResultLabel.text = String(format: "%.\(places)f", newValue)
Note: This will always use . as the decimal separator even if the user's locale specifies ,. Use NumberFormatter to take locale into account as shown by this answer.
| |
Language of instruction:
EN
Continuation courses:
Specialisation courses in Molecular Life Sciences
Contents:
The use and availability of materials has shaped our society for centuries. From the bronze and iron ages of the past, to the silicon age of the present, material science has driven technological and societal changes. Materials of the present are increasingly formed from polymers as building block. This course will present an inspiring overview of the state-of-the-art in designer polymeric materials, ranging from the latest advances in DNA nanotechnology and protein engineering, the use of biobased building blocks to mechano-biology inspired mechano-chemistry and ultratough polymers and adhesives. For all of these topics, we will seek inspiration in Nature, to learn how Nature designs its functional (nano)materials and extract design principles to work towards synthetic materials with new and unique properties, designed from the bottom up. To do so, this interdisciplinary course, will encompass aspects from polymer chemistry, material physics, engineering, biotechnology and biology. In addition to the lectures by teachers working at the frontiers of this field, you will work in groups on designing your own material of the future. A special focus will be put on communicating your design to the world.
Learning outcomes:
After successful completion of this course students are expected to be able to:
- understand design strategies developed by Nature to build functional cellular structures;
- describe and apply basic material design concepts used in biological science and material science, such as structure-function relationships;
- describe and apply molecular design strategies, including genetic engineering, controlled polymerisations, biomass conversion and colloid synthesis approaches;
- identify how material science can contribute to the societal challenges of today, including sustainability issues, biobased economy and green energy;
- evaluate the challenges of the future at the interface between biological science and material science using the knowledge of bottom-up design strategies;
- create a design for new materials from the molecular level up using the knowledge of design concepts and societal challenges;
- communicate your scientific work to the world using new media;
-being receptive to influences and insights provided by group members.
Activities:
- lectures;
- guest lectures;
- material design study in groups;
- communicating work to the world using new media.
Examination:
- written exam 2x (total 30%);
- group report (60%).
- participation during group design study (10%)
Each component needs a minimum mark of 5.5 to pass. Marks for components will remain valid for 3 years.
Literature:
To be provided during the course. | https://ssc.wur.nl/Handbook/2020/Course/PCC-33808 |
A Crossword Puzzle is a word puzzle that is usually in a square shaped or rectangular grid of squares, usually black and white.The goal of playing the game is to form words by filling the white squares with words or phrases without spaces, you need to follow the crossword clues to correctly form the words. La Times Crossword Answers are displayed below for today.LaTimes Crossword Puzzle Answers Today 12/12/2019. Take a look at December 12 2019 La Times Puzzle Answer.
When you give up solving a certain clue, bookmark this website and come here often because we never forget to provide you all All the Daily LaTimes Crossword Answers, which we group here for you to check them out. For other LaCrossword Answers go to home. | https://lacrosswordanswers.com/ |
# Deming regression
In statistics, Deming regression, named after W. Edwards Deming, is an errors-in-variables model which tries to find the line of best fit for a two-dimensional dataset. It differs from the simple linear regression in that it accounts for errors in observations on both the x- and the y- axis. It is a special case of total least squares, which allows for any number of predictors and a more complicated error structure.
Deming regression is equivalent to the maximum likelihood estimation of an errors-in-variables model in which the errors for the two variables are assumed to be independent and normally distributed, and the ratio of their variances, denoted δ, is known. In practice, this ratio might be estimated from related data-sources; however the regression procedure takes no account for possible errors in estimating this ratio.
The Deming regression is only slightly more difficult to compute than the simple linear regression. Most statistical software packages used in clinical chemistry offer Deming regression.
The model was originally introduced by Adcock (1878) who considered the case δ = 1, and then more generally by Kummell (1879) with arbitrary δ. However their ideas remained largely unnoticed for more than 50 years, until they were revived by Koopmans (1936) and later propagated even more by Deming (1943). The latter book became so popular in clinical chemistry and related fields that the method was even dubbed Deming regression in those fields.
## Specification
Assume that the available data (yi, xi) are measured observations of the "true" values (yi*, xi*), which lie on the regression line:
where errors ε and η are independent and the ratio of their variances is assumed to be known:
In practice, the variances of the x {\displaystyle x} and y {\displaystyle y} parameters are often unknown, which complicates the estimate of δ {\displaystyle \delta } . Note that when the measurement method for x {\displaystyle x} and y {\displaystyle y} is the same, these variances are likely to be equal, so δ = 1 {\displaystyle \delta =1} for this case.
We seek to find the line of "best fit"
such that the weighted sum of squared residuals of the model is minimized:
See Jensen (2007) for a full derivation.
## Solution
The solution can be expressed in terms of the second-degree sample moments. That is, we first calculate the following quantities (all sums go from i = 1 to n):
Finally, the least-squares estimates of model's parameters will be
## Orthogonal regression
For the case of equal error variances, i.e., when δ = 1 {\displaystyle \delta =1} , Deming regression becomes orthogonal regression: it minimizes the sum of squared perpendicular distances from the data points to the regression line. In this case, denote each observation as a point zj in the complex plane (i.e., the point (xj, yj) is written as zj = xj + iyj where i is the imaginary unit). Denote as Z the sum of the squared differences of the data points from the centroid (also denoted in complex coordinates), which is the point whose horizontal and vertical locations are the averages of those of the data points. Then:
If Z = 0, then every line through the centroid is a line of best orthogonal fit. If Z ≠ 0, the orthogonal regression line goes through the centroid and is parallel to the vector from the origin to Z {\displaystyle {\sqrt {Z}}} .
A trigonometric representation of the orthogonal regression line was given by Coolidge in 1913.
### Application
In the case of three non-collinear points in the plane, the triangle with these points as its vertices has a unique Steiner inellipse that is tangent to the triangle's sides at their midpoints. The major axis of this ellipse falls on the orthogonal regression line for the three vertices. The quantification of a biological cell's intrinsic cellular noise can be quantified upon applying Deming regression to the observed behavior of a two reporter synthetic biological circuit. | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthogonal_regression |
New discoveries of potentially habitable environments elsewhere in our solar system, and at the extremes here on Earth, have reopened the imagination to possibilities for extraterrestrial life. Planetary field analog research enables us to study the impact of similar extreme environmental stressors and the bioactivity of an ecosystem. This thesis research was designed to better understand biosignature detection in extreme environments by exploring distributions and patterns of biosignatures in harsh planetary environments. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) was used as a proxy of bioactivity due to its ubiquitous role in terrestrial metabolism and can be quantified easily by a bioluminescence assay. Observing variations in concentrations of ATP can provide insight on where bioactivity becomes concentrated, or evenly distributed which is essential in the search for life outside of Earth. A variety of chemical and physical studies of samples from analog locations aids in understanding the limits of life terrestrially, and therefore can help make more informed predictions about the potential habitability on other planetary bodies. | https://smartech.gatech.edu/handle/1853/64697 |
Richard Devine and Josh Kay have recently launched a commercial sound design company.
Devinesound is a sound design and music production facility that focuses solely on creating utterly unique & uncompromisingly high resolution sound design, sound effect and sample libraries. We specialize in the creation of custom sound design environments & custom sound effects packages for projects of almost any nature. We provide audio content, sound design and conceptual realization for film, television, gaming systems, audio hardware/software, interactive web-based environments, and everything else in between. We are currently building a online sound library database & store from which free samples will be offered regularly.
Many of the samples on their first two sound libraries released on Sony Creatve Software - Sound Series, The Electronic Music Manuscript: A Richard Devine Collection and Pulse: Pure Analog Lifeforms, were recorded during visits to Dragonline Studio over the past two summers.
Keep up to date with Richard and Josh's activities at the DEVSND blog. | https://www.duncanlaurie.com/blogs-0?page=8 |
December 1, 2021
Please join the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering for our end-of-quarter course showcases. These events are your opportunity to preview different HCDE classes and hear from students about the variety of topics they are exploring. Find the showcase schedule and descriptions below.
HCDE 518
User Centered Design
In HCDE’s Intro to User Centered Design course, first-year graduate students completed a full design process including user research, ideation, prototyping, and evaluation. Join us for the final presentations consisting of a combination of Miro boards and small Zoom rooms. Presentations will be organized by topic: Health, Education & Work, Community, and Self-Care & Hobbies.
Instruction team: Sarah Coppola, Brian Kinnee, Julie Kientz, Dawn Sakaguchi-Tang, Daniella Kim, Mania Orand, Rebecca Destello, and Kathryn Brookshier
MONDAY, DEC. 6
5 p.m. Miro Boards open
7 - 8:50 p.m. Presentations in Zoom
https://tinyurl.com/518-aut21
HCDE 598 B
Service Design
Disaster planning, preparation for smoke events, clothing mending, entomophagy (eating bugs)...what might these have in common? These are all at the heart of services designed by intrepid HCDE master's students. Join us for a showcase where they will share their ideas for services in the age of climate catastrophe and how they got there!
Instructor: Tyler Fox
TUESDAY, DEC. 7
6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
233 Sieg Building
HCDE 451
UX Prototyping
Students in UX Prototyping quickly explored and iterated on a range of prototyping techniques from low to high fidelity and spanning physical, digital, narrative, and behavioral interactions. In this showcase, students will display their various prototypes from the quarter and a final project combining at least two techniques to materialize an interactive experience.
Instructors: Kristin Dew & Tyler Fox
THURSDAY, DEC. 9
10 - 11:30 a.m.
The MILL (McCarty Innovation & Learning Lab)
HCDE 539
Physical Computing and Prototyping
In this showcase students will show the prototypes of physical devices they've designed and built in class.Throughout the quarter students learned the fundamentals of physical prototyping and built a series of small projects to reinforce their technical skills. The showcase is the culmination of that work.
Instructor: Adi Azulay
THURSDAY, DEC. 9
6:30 - 8:30 p.m. | https://www.hcde.washington.edu/news/article/2021-12-03/autumn-2021-course-showcases |
Historically marine industries have been significantly male-dominated but on International Women’s Day we’re delighted to say that here at Martek Marine, we’re bucking the trend.
We boast a leadership team which is made up of 75% women!
The business, which launched in 1999 and employs more than 60 staff, serves 80 different countries and women currently make up 45% of their entire workforce. | https://www.martek-marine.com/blog/type/image/ |
NO GOVERNMENT RIGHTS
COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
No government funding, no government support or government contract or clause is related to this invention.
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrights whatsoever.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to space transportation. More specifically, the present invention relates to space transportation nodes including tether systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Resource recovery operations on Earth require an economic feasibility with a financial return on the invested capital. The cost of transporting payloads to and from the moon is a barrier to economic development of the moon.
Rocket propelled space vehicles transporting cargo outside the proximity of the Earth in airless space do not require the same vehicle hardware to push up through the atmosphere or land on the moon, but discarding the vehicle hardware on each mission like Apollo is still expensive. The space exploration initiative announced by President Bush and implemented by NASA has the opportunity to mature the transportation cycles beyond the Earth and the moon. The requirements and cost for each of these six lunar transportation cycles is different and the requirements for manned versus unmanned missions differs greatly.
If one breaks out these different cycle or leg transportation requirements for each portion of a lunar trip, then six distinct transportation cycles emerge. As each cycle matures, it becomes more effective and efficient. Commerce competitive forces help accelerate this maturing process and the evolution into a cost competitive transportation environment.
The transportation cycles emerging are Earth to low Earth orbit or LEO, LEO to Lunar orbit “LO,” LO to the lunar surface, the lunar surface back to LO, LO to LEO and the re-entry from LEO to the Earth's surface. Placing a transportation node between each of the separate cycles would accelerate the maturing of the transportation process and facilitate introducing commerce. In a mature transportation cycles on Earth, we find that changing the requirements for a portion of a trip, like from water to land results in the change of a vehicle and results in a harbor emerging.
Why not fly and eliminate the harbor? Well, people fly, eliminate the harbor and pay the extra cost, but most cargo goes a different less expensive route through the harbor. The airport becomes the transportation node for humans and the harbor is for cargo with very different costs related to transportation. Aircraft manufacturers want all humans and cargo to fly, but when paying for the transportation, the cost competitive aspects become important.
In a remote site like the moon, the ratio of humans to cargo is significantly skewed. In looking at similar remote locations on Earth the ratio is less than 1% human and 99% cargo. To combine the manned and unmanned portions as we did in Apollo makes space transportation expensive, in part, because the safety and reliability of manned space flight is expensive. Such manned vehicles may be similar to the Saturn vehicle of the Apollo project, which landed the first man on the moon more than 30 years ago. The next series of exploration trips to the moon might consider separating unmanned cargo from humans in some manner consistent with safety.
Rendezvousing, docking and transferring payloads between space vehicles was performed more than forty years ago in the Apollo program, and more recently between shuttles and the International Space Station. The Apollo program used a form of transportation node, for example, the astronauts had to transfer cargo from the lunar lander to the command module in lunar orbit. The command module in lunar orbit was a node in the transportation system and saved mass from being transported to and from the moon's surface.
Today these transportation node techniques and procedures can be refined and used, for example, between each of the six transportation cycles and two of the nodes already exist, the Spaceports on Earth and the International Space Station. Travel between them has become partly commercial and will become competitive. In such conventional systems, the actual transfer of cargo is performed by people after docking of the vehicles and opening of a hatch. However, the automatic transfer of cargo between two vehicles in space, such as unmanned space vehicles, is a more complex operation, but possible by combining innovation with conventional systems. The enhancement of the transportation process to be more effective and more affordable can also happen.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0079407 to Lounge et al. entitled, “Underway replenishment system for space vehicles” discloses a replenishment system used to deliver payloads and supplies to an orbiting receiving space vehicle using a tether. The 2002/0079407 application does not enhance the payload movement. The 2002/0079407 application discloses a method of transferring payloads between a delivering space vehicle and a receiving space vehicle, but falls short of a transportation node.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,499, to Taylor, et al., describes docking with an orbital object using a tether. Docking with an object at the end of a cable is less likely to damage the orbital facility because both objects can move in rendezvous and docking operation. The '499 patent discloses a passive operations with no mention of active “seeker” tether tip operations.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a system, method and an apparatus for more efficient and more affordable transport, storing, transferring and enhancement of payloads and their vehicles in space using an evolving transportation node system. The present invention operates with a reusable highway to the moon approach with special capabilities and innovation. This transportation node system uses an external tank salvaged from the space shuttle system to design and develop a series of mass heavy nodes capable of enhancing the movement of mass in space including the innovation related to active “seeker” tether tip operations, the enhancement of the payload or rocket or enhancement in tandem, forward versus reverse rotation, matching ground velocity, lunar surface delivery direct, seeker tip heads, orbital pumping, platform movement along the tether, center of mass changing, multiple payload tips, tip transfer to platform, and bulk cargo re-entry using rotation control air ram lift.
A primary object of the present invention is cost reduction over an extended period of time during the development of another celestial body by building a lunar highway capable of being applied to other celestial bodies in the universe. The transportation of cargo between locations in space can be separated into a series of transportation cycles, as has happened historically in transportation on Earth. A transportation cycle is defined as start, change location and stop. This means start and stop between the transport function is a node, which connects the various cycles. The node involves changing transport vehicle hardware, refueling, cargo transfer and commerce. In mature space transportation cycles this means each individual transport of mass can use the most effective and least cost method of transport.
This maturing also results in the most effective vehicle on each cycle on Earth. Imagine a cargo container originating overseas. It starts on a truck that transports the cargo to the seaport, where the cargo is loaded on a container ship, transported to another port, and then loaded on a train. The cargo eventually finds its destination on a truck with vehicle servicing occurring in the background.
In space, the node is a service station, cargo transfer and storage and the location where other commerce will evolve. Space transportation cycles existing now include movement of mass from Earth to orbit with the vehicle discarded and no return trip. Limited round trip capability is offered by the mostly reusable space shuttle. Fully reusable vehicles are anticipated in the future. Starting from Earth and accomplishing a round trip to the moon, for example can be done, but has been expensive. The “one shot” Apollo missions were expensive partly, because all the hardware was expended on each mission and the propellant was carried from Earth and most of the propellant mass required for the entire round trip was carried for most of the trip.
High costs create a barrier to the commercial transportation hardware development of space and the investment of private capital in technically viable space transportation ventures. Part of this cost is the expense caused by expending the hardware and part is the logistics operations required. Propellant is currently 9/10ths or more of the logistics mass beyond Earth orbit. This invention changes that fact in an attempt to lower costs.
A primary advantage of the present invention is a maturing of the Apollo “one shot” expendable vehicle to a reusable transportation system with a capability of affordably moving mass in both directions using nodes to enhance the transportation process and stimulate commerce beyond our planet.
A transportation node is inserted in Earth and lunar orbits to permit opportunities to lower cost, to establish commercial opportunities, to attract private investment and to stimulate international cooperation. The resulting “Lunar Highway” establishes a transportation system capable of growth, evolution, cooperation and commerce with other nations plus can be adapted for longer Space Exploration Initiative missions to Mars and beyond.
In the transportation of cargo to and from the moon, a payload carrier or pallet can be used to support and transfer cargo mass loads (or payloads) into a space transport vehicle. The payload carrier is designed to be transported from the Earth surface to low Earth orbit with a protective shroud, which is jettisoned as it exits the atmosphere. The payload carrier is attached to an Earth originating space launch vehicle, which is capable of rendezvous and docking in space with an Earth orbit transportation node to discharge cargo. The payload carrier is designed to be transferred easily from a first space launch vehicle to a second lunar transport vehicle in a vacuum and requires no shroud. The payload carrier may be transferred to a third vehicle with landing legs in orbit around another celestial body, such as the moon. The transfer can be automatic after the delivery vehicle aligns with the receiving vehicle, and can be accomplished without humans being involved in space. The payload carrier or pallet can be used for transport both to and from the moon, so that it can be a reusable hardware item. The payload carrier or pallet can also be used for an independent application on the lunar surface, as is sometimes the case in remote logistics situations.
The present invention further provides payload transfer, payload storage, vehicle enhancement, hardware for manned or unmanned transportation support for vehicles and can evolve to accommodate a variety of vehicles from all nations. Such node hardware permits delivery of payloads using transportation hardware in Earth orbit to locations beyond Earth orbit. The present invention provides affordable commercial payload transportation services for space vehicles at orbital transportation support nodes at the end of various transportation cycles within space transportation in general.
According to one aspect of the invention, the lunar transportation is divided into six transportation cycles with two proposed nodes. One of these nodes is configured to be positioned in orbit around Earth. The platform is configured to start with the storage of propellant and permit transfer to other vehicles. The other node is configured to be positioned in orbit around the moon. Both nodes are configured to be used in tandem in both directions in the pursuit of exploration of the moon and other celestial bodies in the universe. These early nodes are configured to accumulate propellant and other transportation support items and services in orbit.
According to a further aspect of the invention, these early nodes are configured to permit growth in mass, and capability to stimulate commerce. Commercial propellant sales should increase, as should sales of other transportation support items and services in each orbit.
According to a further aspect of the invention, these early nodes use the external tank, as salvaged from the space shuttle system, to design and provide the mass required to enhance (i.e., productively transport with less expense than when using propellant) the payloads and vehicles using them.
According to a further aspect of the invention, a series of mass heavy nodes capable of enhancing the movement of mass in space with additional innovation and evolution are developed.
According to a further aspect of the invention, these early nodes use active “seeker” tether tip devices. In other words, the devices have propulsive energy and a positioning system. Because they are attached to a tether, the have increased maneuverability and require lower cost for movement. The nodes also use techniques and operations in the enhancement of mass movement in two directions. For example, these early nodes use forward and reverse rotation in the enhancement of mass movement in two directions.
According to a still further aspect of the invention, lunar surface direct delivery is used, including such techniques as matching ground speed, orbital pumping, platform movement along the tether, and center of gravity (or mass) changing. In one aspect, multiple payload tips are used.
According to a further aspect of the invention, these early nodes use bulk cargo re-entry using rotation control air ram lift for bulk re-entry of mass resources back to the Earth's surface.
According to a further aspect of the invention, the node includes a truss provided for services. The truss is the beginning of a transportation node expansion. The truss increases the node length and takes advantage of the gravity gradient stability in orbit around a celestial mass. In other words, the longer the platform, the more different the orbit of the upper end of the platform is from the orbit of the bottom end.
According to a further aspect of the invention, the transfer mechanism is configured to be a tether tip with accommodations for coupling, storage and release at various locations within the control of the transportation node. The tip of the tether is an improvement of the tip disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,499 issued Dec. 13, 1988 to Thomas C. Taylor, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Some additional capabilities include the active capture of transportation vehicles and payloads, as well as receiving and providing various services.
According to a further aspect of the invention, the node further includes a docking/berthing mechanism configured to facilitate positioning and docking of the platform. The tether tip device can substitute one payload mass for another quickly and can accommodate multiple objects. The active commanded docking mechanism can include a commanded release. The attachment or docking mechanism can be provided at the end of the node. The node can be a substantial piece of real estate that can be developed by others.
According to another aspect of the invention, a system has multiple tether tips on the platform for use as coupling or attaching devices, thereby allowing multiple payloads and vehicles to be engaged and serviced at one time including using one mass to balance another in enhancing operations.
According to another aspect of the invention, a multiple tether tip system can be pulled near the node tip and mesh in such a manner as to allow multiple payloads and vehicles to be transferred to the node for storage, servicing and other operations, including the transfer of humans to and from the node.
According to another aspect of the invention, a node system with multiple tether tips can be propelled to rotate around its individual center of mass as it rotates in orbit around a celestial body. The rotation balances or cancels out the rotation around a body with the back spinning velocity of the rotating node, resulting in a near zero velocity as the payloads on the end of a tether are either placed on the surface of the moon or picked up from the surface of the moon. That is, end over end rotation of the platform around its center of mass can be neutralized by rotation of the platform around the celestial body being orbited. When the payloads on the end of a tether are both attached to the tether, a near simultaneous (i.e., gradual) transfer of the payload mass is accomplished to minimize the impact load on the tether.
According to another aspect of the invention, a node system includes multiple tether tips with seeker heads with the capacity to maneuver, move along the tether and swing on the tether, seeking and acquiring the location of an attachment location for purposes of using maneuvering abilities to close with, attach and release as required for effective operations. Attachment is assured before release, the impact on the tether is minimized, and a near simultaneous transfer of load occurs.
According to another aspect of the invention, a node system with multiple tether tips rotating to achieve near zero rotational velocity at the surface can further minimize the transfer impact on the tether system using a forward ground velocity and/or a short upward rocket sled boost and/or forward ground velocity created with an electrodynamic rail gun or mass driver, and/or a forward tower created velocity. The transfer impact can be further minimized by using a multiple capture with twin tether tips. In this case mass is near simultaneously transferred from one attached tether tip to another attached tether tip.
According to another aspect of the invention, a transportation node system with multiple tether tips can change its center of mass by moving mass from one location to another on the platform length thereby pumping the platform to change its location based on the diameter difference between the equator and the poles. Alternatively or in addition, the center of mass is changed based on irregular magnetic forces of the Earth or other orbited celestial body.
According to another aspect of the invention, a transportation node system with multiple tether tips can include a minor axis truss roughly parallel to the surface of the Earth and perpendicular to a major gravity gradient axis pointing toward the center of the celestial mass or body. The minor axis truss naturally rotates one revolution for each orbit and can be propelled to spin faster to produce the ability to release payloads to change their orbital inclination.
According to another aspect of the invention, a launched system deployable on orbit near a transportation node system has the ability to re-enter with large mass multiple resource payloads using a rotational lift provided from inflated lifting wings rotating and adjusting lift in relation to re-entry forces with a forward tether mass used for steering.
According to another aspect of the invention, a transportation node system with multiple tether tips can launch and recover sub nodes. The sub nodes are capable of managing, storing, recovering and repairing a tether when the tether become severed or damaged. One way to determine the tether is severed is by detecting tension change. The sub node has the ability to maneuver to and re-attach the two severed tether ends. The sub nodes can be capable of reverse winding, thereby increasing the speed of recovering or letting out the tether line. The sub nodes can be capable of inflatable deployment in orbit, thus increasing their diameters and effectiveness. In other words, the reel speed is controlled by the reel diameter. The sub nodes can include an external tether cone re-acquiring system enabling approach of a loose tether end in free space, activating a circular rotating belt device capable of grabbing the tether line or tape, pulling it inside the tether repair system and re-establishing the tether line functions.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a transportation node system orbits a celestial body. The system includes a truss having two ends, the truss rotating around its center of mass while orbiting the celestial body. The truss stores payloads. The system also has multiple tether tips, each attached to one end of the truss via a tether so that each tether tip can extend from the truss and retract to the truss for transfer of payloads. The tether runs through the length of the truss and connects to each tether tip, which is capable of engaging payloads. The system also includes at least one tether cable reel that reels in and reels out the tether so the tether tips can extend from and retract to the truss. In one embodiment the system has a mass at least fifteen times a sum of a mass of an average payload and a mass of a transportation craft.
The tether reel can be inflatable so that when the tether reel is inflated, a diameter of the tether reel increases enabling faster reeling. Each tether tip can include a tether tip frame attached to the truss via the tether, the tether tip frame having a storage section for storing payloads, and a secondary tether that engages payloads.
The transportation node system can change a center of mass by moving mass along the truss length. The transportation node system can also change a center of mass based upon irregular magnetic forces of the celestial body. Alternatively (or in addition), the system changes a center of mass based upon a diameter difference between the celestial body's poles and equator.
In one embodiment, the system also includes a payload elevator that transfers payloads within the system. The truss can also include an external tank (ET) truss that attaches to salvaged external tanks. The ET truss attaches to aft solid rocket booster hard points of each salvaged ET, attaches to aft orbiter hardware attachment points of each salvaged ET, and attaches to forward solid rocket booster hard points of each salvaged ET.
At least one of the payloads can be a moveable tank for storing cryogenic propellant. The propellant tank is enclosed by the ET and cooled by a cooling system. Thus, propellant is stored without breaking a seal on the propellant tank.
The system can also include a rail gun, tower accelerator, forward velocity cart, rocket sled, and/or mass driver to match velocities at tether tip transfers at a surface of the celestial body and to minimize impact when a payload is transferred from one of the tether tips to the surface of the celestial body.
The system can also include tether sub nodes distributed along the tether. Each sub node has detectors that detect severing of the tether. Each sub node includes propulsion and attitude control enabling a close sub node, which is nearest to the breaking point of the tether, to maneuver towards the breaking point of the tether. Each sub node includes a tether reel for reeling in and reeling out the tether.
In one embodiment, sub nodes on either side of the severed tether repair the severed tether by attaching to each other after the tether severs. In another embodiment, sub nodes on either side of the severed tether repair the severed tether by attaching to the tether at the severed end and restoring the severed tether to service.
The system can also include a cross truss that extends along a cross truss axis that intersects with a long axis of the truss. The cross truss rotates around the long axis and has a capability of engaging and disengaging payloads. Thus, a direction in which the payload travels is changed using the cross truss.
In another aspect, a transportation node system orbits a celestial body. The system includes a truss having two ends with at least two coupling cable tips. The truss, while orbiting the celestial body, rotates around its center of mass in a direction to control the coupling cable tips in relation to a surface of the celestial body and to cancel a relative velocity between the coupling cable tips and the surface for coupling cable tip transfers to and from the surface.
The system can also include a rail gun, tower accelerator, forward velocity cart, rocket sled, and/or mass driver to match velocities at tether tip transfers at a surface of the celestial body and to minimize impact when a payload is transferred from one of the tether tips to the surface of the celestial body.
Each tether tip further can include a tether tip frame attached to the truss via the tether. The tether tip frame has a storage section for storing payloads, and a secondary tether that engages payloads.
In yet another aspect, a re-entry system enables bulk cargo landing through an atmosphere. The system has a payload platform for supporting multiple payloads; a steering mass; and a spin control mass. The system also has at least one ram air stabilized lifting wing causing a rotational force to be balanced with at least re-entry atmospheric density forces to allow the steering mass and spin control mass to adjust at least a rate of descent for successful re-entry of the payloads. The system can also include payload shrouds salvaged from prior launches and re-used to absorb a portion of the heat of re-entry.
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/862,604, which was filed by the current inventors on Jun. 7, 2004, is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Such application discloses a space transportation system including small, unmanned vehicles that transfer fuel tanks and payloads in Earth orbit, to allow for further transport to a lunar orbit or to the surface of the moon. The application describes a method for greatly increasing the range of relatively small unmanned space vehicles by providing mobile refueling platforms or transportation nodes in space. These mobile platforms, also known as propellant transporters, can rendezvous and dock with space vehicles traveling to the moon, for example, and replenish their depleted propellant reserves. The present disclosure includes equipment to transfer payloads between two space platforms or vehicles, and describes a reliable procedure to effect such transfers.
The term platform as used herein refers to both stationary deployed platforms (without propulsion systems) after discard from an initial transportation system as well as transport platforms (or vehicles) which have their own propulsion systems (such as thrusters, engines and motors). Further, such platforms may be manned or unmanned.
The term payload as used herein refers to any of a cargo by itself, a pallet or payload carrier having cargo secured thereto, or a cargo or payload container having cargo therein. In other words, a payload can include any item that needs to be transported or stored in space, as well as any hardware such as supports or containers associated with such items.
FIG. 1
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depicts Earth in relation to the moon with orbits around each celestial body. Low Earth orbit is the destination of space transportation vehicle journeying from Earth to low Earth orbit on an Earth to low Earth orbit trajectory, where it interfaces with Earth transportation node , and replenishes and/or consolidates the components required for the trip to moon .
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Space transportation vehicle travels toward moon on Earth to moon trajectory in a direction so as to interface with lunar transportation node in lunar orbit . Space transportation vehicle is replenished at lunar transportation node and departs for the surface of the moon on a lunar orbit to moon's surface trajectory. Space transportation vehicle lands on the moon and delivers the payload , and may be abandoned on the moon surface or launch from the lunar surface to the lunar transportation node in lunar orbit . Space transportation vehicle is replenished at lunar transportation node and departs for Earth on a moon to Earth trajectory with a new payload . Space transportation vehicle interfaces with Earth transportation node , where it replenishes and/or consolidates the components required for the next trip to the moon . Space transportation vehicle interfaces with Earth transportation node , where it may transfer payloads, if required and acquire a new payload required for the next trip to moon .
FIG. 2
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shows an exemplary space transportation vehicle in a structural rack subsystem with replaceable fuel tank and replaceable oxidizer tank all launched and protected by disposable shroud . This combination payload is transported on Earth launch vehicle stage , which is designed to push up through the Earth atmosphere and is disposable. Earth launch vehicle stage first places the space transportation craft in low Earth orbit and detaches the space transportation craft for the trip to moon on Earth moon trajectory , from Earth . Later Earth launch vehicle stage finds and rendezvous with a returning space transportation craft . As disposable Earth launch vehicle stage and other components of the operation become available in low Earth orbit , a node is evolved and becomes a storage and replenishment location in low Earth orbit . As the mass increases in the orbital altitude and inclination of low Earth orbit , then a mass significant Earth transportation node can evolve with the increased transportation market.
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Earth transportation node can become a logistics location above Earth in low Earth orbit and a replenishment logistics location for trips to the moon . Reusable returning space transportation craft can drop off for reuse, the previously disposable fuel tanks and oxidizer tanks . Eventually new larger shrouds are saved and used in a bulk re-entry device discussed later. The mass of the Earth transportation node gradually increases to a significant amount and the length becomes longer to provide a gravity gradient stable node for tether and advanced payload operations Earth transportation node matures as a node just like a city or harbor does on Earth with humans, transportation services, enhancement of payloads using a tether , and propellant services for space transportation craft traffic.
FIG. 3
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depicts an advanced Earth transportation node in an early evolution before significant human accommodations are introduced. The node is advanced because it begins to offer commercial transportation services and it becomes a destination point for changing the mode of transportation, similar to a harbor or airport.
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A series of truss sections are added to discarded hardware, a tether and a tether cable reel to become an advanced transportation node in low Earth orbit . The transition to reusable cryogenic tankage is stimulated by the capacity to store cryogenic tanks on structural rack subsystems in a full sized space transportation craft . A large thermal protection insulation is mounted on a turntable with a structural brace with the capability of enclosing and cooling an entire space transportation craft with active cooling equipment.
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Payloads are transported and stored along the advanced transportation node length with the help of a payload elevator . Payloads are stored on the truss sections and payload , fuel tanks and oxidizer tanks are transferred at will robotically on advanced transportation node .
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In one embodiment, tether operations are introduced when the Earth transportation node and the lunar transportation node combined mass reach approximately 30 times the average mass of payload and space transportation craft combined. For example, if the average mass of payload and space transportation craft is 100,000 pounds or 50 tons, then the combined mass of Earth transportation node and the lunar transportation node should be 1,500 tons or 750 tons per node.
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For example, if the average mass of payload is only 10 tons and payload is the only item enhanced by tether related momentum exchange, then the combined mass of Earth transportation node and the lunar transportation node should be 150 tons or 75 tons per node. This is approximately 30 tons per one ton of payload enhanced at the two nodes combined. The conclusion is tether enhanced momentum exchange requires a gradually increasingly mass heavy node.
FIG. 4A
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depicts a side view and describes a more capable advanced transportation node that implements a tether system to enhance the weight of payload first and eventually to enhance the weight of payload and the space transportation craft combined. The mass required can come from lunar surface mass, water transported from Earth, the salvaged external tank of the space shuttle, and/or other metal hardware, such as hardware discarded from Earth .
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The transportation node can gain mass in a number of ways and can including propellant storage in thermal protection insulation enclosures with active cooling equipment , consistent with good storage practices of balancing the supply on hand with the cost and degrading of the propellants.
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Rather than moving liquid for storage, an aspect of the present invention contemplates storing moveable tanks. For example, the ET can store multiple space transportation crafts . Large hatch kit seals the volume and active cooling equipment removes heat from the enclosed volume. This system increases the duration for storing cryogenic propellants in space. An alternative cooling system includes a large thermal protection insulation mounted on a turntable with a structural brace having the capability of enclosing and cooling an entire space transportation craft with active cooling equipment. These systems do not require breaking a seal on the storage tanks, eliminating the introduction of extra heat into cryogenic systems. Large hatch kit provides large diameter access (e.g., at least 25′) to the interior of the ET .
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The advanced transportation node with tether capabilities adds additional truss sections and the salvaged external tank . The structural frame and subsystems with fuel tank and oxidizer tank are small enough to fit within the external tank's fuel tank providing a 53,000 cubic foot interior pressure volume tested to 43 psia.
FIG. 4B
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depicts a side view and describes a larger truss unit designed to exploit the strength and affordability of the ET . A salvaged 25-ton external tank of the space shuttle provides 58,000 pounds of mass to the increasingly capable advanced transportation node . To effectively use this mass, a larger truss section for the ET is used to structurally attach the ET mass within the more capable advanced transportation node to effectively enhance payloads and later entire vehicles at the Earth transportation node and the lunar transportation node .
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Salvaged external tanks of the space shuttle can, for example, provide mass for the momentum transfer operations. Four salvaged 25 ton external tanks of the space shuttle could provide 100 tons of ballast and gravity gradient stability in orbit. The extra mass of the truss section and truss unit for ET provides the rest of the mass required.
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Salvaged external tanks of the space shuttle are unique in several ways. First, the stiffness of the salvaged external tanks of the space shuttle is significant when compared to truss sections and the truss unit for ET
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Second, mass is critical and the external tank is 58,000 pounds of mass worth at least $580 million of invested transportation cost. This means transporting a similar mass from Earth would cost at least $580 million of transportation cost.
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Third, the structural length of 154′ and large size provide long sections of the node that do not require truss units for ET , and truss unit for ET is designed to be attached directly to the ET and derives more than enough strength to manage the massive weight related to the ET . The attach points are engineered to use the existing heavy points , on the ET to exploit its strength and length. The truss section for ET takes advantage of attaching to aft orbiter hardware (not shown) attachment points near the aft end of the ET and the aft solid rocket booster hard points . A forward solid rocket booster hard point also provides the truss for ET with attachment points for the advanced transportation node .
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Fourth, the mass is useful and when combined with the truss unit for ET . The combined weight is approximately 30-tons of mass. Hard points , provide strength on the ET . Five external tanks can enhance 10-ton payloads at each node. Twenty-five external tanks can enhance a 10-ton payload and a 100,000-pound vehicle capable of moving on to other celestial destinations.
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Fifth, each ET has a 27′ diameter hydrogen tank tested to 40 psia and capable of providing shelter for payloads , space transportation craft , and inflatable inserts for habitation using 25′ diameter hatch kit in combination with aft cargo carrier (ACC) . Aft Cargo Carrier (ACC) can be a 27′ diameter by 34′ long pod attached to the aft end of the ET . Aft Cargo Carrier (ACC) , doubles the cargo or payload volume of the space shuttle, and provides a key to the use of the ET in space for other purposes beyond its initial use as a 8.5 minute propellant container. External propellant lines can be reused for other purposes, discussed later.
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Sixth, salvaged external tanks of the space shuttle provide a concentration of mass and the ability to move that contained mass along the length of the advanced transportation node . The two tanks of the ET are approximately 72,000 cubic feet in volume and filled with water or lunar soil have a mass of approximately 2,200 tons. Applications of this potential advantage are discussed later.
FIG. 5
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depicts the tether tip frame including a secondary tether . The secondary tether supports space transportation craft and is supported by the frame above, which is attached to truss section of the transportation node . Each tether is capable of changing location and reeling in or out with a mass in operations designed for rendezvous, docking and berthing. The tether tip frame has storage and transfer capabilities for payloads , oxidizer tank and fuel tank . The tether tip frame has the ability to be drawn up to advanced transportation node for many reasons including the transfer and storage of payloads and cargo.
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The advanced transportation node has the ability to extend and retract the tether from each end, for example up to 30 KM. The secondary tether tip can extend and retract from the secondary tether tip , which can also extend and retract from the node . Once retracted, payloads can easily be transferred among the truss structures .
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Advanced transportation node has the ability to attach and detach payloads and other mass using a maneuvering tether tip. Advanced transportation node with tether also has the ability to propel and swing payloads and other mass. This ability to propel and swing payloads and other mass coupled with the ability to release and capture mass by maneuvering tether tip devices offers potential energy savings and other benefits.
FIG. 6
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Referring to , advanced transportation nodes work in tandem to transfer payloads among themselves. Forward rotating transportation node (which rotates end over end around its center of mass) allows for the capture and release of payloads and other heavier mass objects consistent with the mass of the platform. The transfer allows for the conversion of momentum in a straight line to angular momentum around a planet when releasing payloads and other heavier mass objects.
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More capable advanced transportation node at lunar transportation node can be further enhanced by the addition of International Space Station (ISS) components . This and other methods are used to introduce a manned aspect to the previous almost unmanned transportation nodes.
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In one embodiment, the node adjusts its center of mass to enhance the capability. Each node can control its individual transportation node center of mass with several methods, including moving mass or water along the tether platform length, as discussed earlier. Also, a forward rotating node can change to a backward rotating node.
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Backward rotating transportation node (backward rotation not shown if the Figure) allows for the capture and release of payloads and other heavier mass objects consistent with the mass of the platform. The capture and release in low Earth orbit and in lunar orbit could use either end on the backward rotating transportation node . The transfer allows for the conversion of momentum in a straight line to angular momentum around a planet and also the reduction of lunar surface velocity to near zero for a tether payload drop off on the lunar surface by matching and countering the relative velocity of the tether tip in relation to the moon surface.
FIG. 7A
FIG. 7A
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depicts the dropping of a payload using a technique of matching the forward surface velocity of the tether tip delivery system hooked to the tether platform to cancel the backward rotating transportation node velocity. Thus, the system is capable of setting down cargo at near zero relative surface velocity. The tether is attached in orbit to truss section and some type of transportation node in orbit capable of storing payloads . The tether has a tether multiple joint supporting secondary tethers with tether seeker attachments heads . Tether seeker attachments heads have the capability to seek, maneuver to and capture with structural attachment, payload carrier top for tether attachment , which is capable of attachment to most standard payload carrier tops. depicts tether seeker attachment head maneuvering to larger payload carrier top for tether attachment . In the background, smaller payload is preparing to set down almost vertically on the moon surface at near zero forward velocity.
FIG. 7B
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depicts the tether seeker attachment head attaching to the larger payload with the carrier top for tether attachment , while the smaller payload is set vertically down on the moon surface at near zero forward velocity.
FIG. 7C
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depicts the tether seeker attachment head detaching from the smaller payload with the carrier top for tether attachment , while the larger payload is raised upward from the moon surface at near zero forward velocity. The load is minimized by the careful transfer of the load from one attached mass to another so as to minimize the actual load difference on the tether cables.
FIGS. 8A-8E
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depict exemplary methods of reducing the impact loading on the tether cable from a dead lift from the moon surface . Tether technology is still limited by the material's strength and the ability of payload carrier top for tether attachments for the foreseeable future.
FIG. 8A
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depicts the tether connected to the tether seeker attachment head picking up a dead weight payload from the moon's surface , potentially breaking the tether with the impact loading of the rapid pickup operation. In this example, the impact is reduced by a forward velocity cart 100 timed to minimize impact loading on the tether .
FIG. 8B
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also depicts the tether connected to the tether seeker attachment head picking up a dead weight payload from the moon's surface . In this example, a rocket sled propels upward reducing impact loading on the tether .
FIG. 8C
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also depicts the tether connected to the tether seeker attachment head picking up a dead weight payload from the moon's surface . In this example, a mass driver sled propels upward reducing impact loading on the tether . The mass driver sled is particularly useful with small payloads.
FIG. 8D
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depicts the tether connected to the tether controller , which is connected through a secondary tether to the small payload . The system gently places the small payload on the moon surface . Before releasing the small payload , the tether seeker attachment head seeks, connects, attaches and takes up the slack on the large payload . The tether controller balances the load and transfers the load from the small payload to the large payload , so as to lesson the impact load and minimize the change in load the tether feels to a portion of the difference in the two payload masses. Quick coupling is facilitated by payload carrier top for the tether attachment hardware .
FIG. 8E
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depicts the tether connected to the tether seeker attachment head picking up a dead weight payload from the moon's surface . A tower accelerator propels the tower in a circular fashion to lessen the impact while the tether seeker attachment head seeks, connects, attaches and takes up the slack on the payload . The tether load transfer device times and transfers the load to lessen the impact load and minimize the load the tether feels.
FIG. 9
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depicts Earth with respect to a perfect sphere . As is well known, an approximately 21 km difference exists between the diameter of Earth at the equator and the diameter of Earth at the poles. The advanced transportation node with the salvaged external tank of the space shuttle can include piping to move mass along the advanced transportation node by moving fluids or mass to change the center of mass of the advanced transportation node . Changing the center of mass effectively uses the oblate spheroid shape of Earth and/or variations in magnetic properties of Earth or other celestial bodies like the moon to pump or push off the body for beneficial purposes. In one embodiment, the 17′ propellant lines of the ET are used to transfer liquids for changing the center of mass.
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The advanced transportation node can contain truss sections and truss units for ET to provide the structural rigidity and length required to support salvaged external tanks of the space shuttle, payloads , a cross truss and other mass to enhance the transportation cycle. The cross truss may be rigidly attached to the truss sections . The cross truss can rotate around the long axis of the node to create a cross truss rotating platform that can propel payloads into other orbital inclinations after commanded release from the tether tip . The cross truss can also include a tether and all of its associated functionality, as described throughout this specification. In one embodiment, the cross truss along with the rest of the node naturally spin one revolution once every orbit.
FIG. 10
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shows a unique re-entry configuration is provided to satisfy the requirements for bulk cargo landing of materials from the moon to the Earth. The platform can be expanded in orbit, loaded with cargo or payloads and de-orbited. As the package descends, a balance between the rotational aerodynamic lift and the re-entry forces is created to permit a safe and low re-entry heating landing of large bulk cargo on the surface of the Earth.
FIG. 10A
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depicts payloads combined and connected with a payload platform for re-entry and with a re-entry device transportation container in low Earth orbit above the atmosphere of Earth. The container has mass, and protects delicate components from a launch process, and is shown not deployed in . The platform is a compressed truss structure, acting as a pallet for the attachment of payloads .
FIG. 10B
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also depicts payloads combined and connected with the payload platform for re-entry . In , ram air stabilized lifting wings are shown inflated and rigidized. Originally, the deflated wings were compressed and stored in the container , and can be inflated as they move through the atmosphere. Also deployed is a rigid steering mass (such as the container ) and a spin control mass . The spin control mass creates a centrifugal force that adjusts the wings for optimum re-entry, minimizing re-entry heating. The spin control mass controls the amount the wings are inflated based upon a ram air parachute principle. One end of the wing can have mass to provide this feature. Alternatively, the spin control mass could extend from the edges of the wings with a cable. The rigid steering mass is located on a rigid steering boom that enables adjustment of the re-entry angle with respect to the atmosphere. Thus, at least two mechanisms for controlling re-entry are provided.
FIG. 10C
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depicts payloads combined and connected together with the payload platform for re-entry . The deployed ram air stabilized lifting wing causes a rotational force to be balanced with re-entry, atmospheric density and other forces to allow a tether steering mass and spin control tether mass to adjust a rate of descent and other factors for a successful re-entry of bulk mass and payloads . Payload shrouds can be salvaged from launches up from Earth and re-used to absorb some of the heat of re-entry from the leading edges of the wings . Preferably they are located at the points of maximum re-entry heating.
Breakage of the tether cable is a danger in orbital operations. Sub nodes can be provided to reconnect a broken tether. For example, sub nodes on either side of the break can propel themselves to close with and attach with each other. The sub nodes can re-connect and repair the broken tether.
The type of cable repair depends on the type of cable used. In one embodiment, a multiple cable or tape is used with interconnecting smaller stands to take up the load if one cable is severed. Repair of this type of cable includes a film applied over the entire break of the tether cable and allows the operation to continue quickly.
FIG. 11
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depicts the truss section with payloads in storage on the advanced transportation node with a tether reel . Attached by the tether are a series of tether sub nodes with the capability of movement along the tether by reeling in and out and by other propulsive means. At one end of the tether is a maneuvering tether tip and tether seeker attachment head , which is capable of seeking, moving to and attaching to the payload carrier top for tether attachments of the payload carrier .
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Payload carrier top for tether attachments is a top of a containerized system that consists of a structural tether attachment point and enough structure to attach to a variety of structural points on a payload . The payload could be a habitation volume, a tank, etc. The payload carrier top for tether attachments is compatible with a large variety of different payloads . A standard space container pallet can also be provided. The pallet is also compatible with a variety of different types of payloads . It operates as a standard lifting base provided under each payload . In one embodiment the pallet is incorporated into the payload . In another embodiment, the pallet is a separate structural attachment. An exemplary pallet is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/076,950, in the names of W. KISTLER et al, filed on Mar. 11, 2005.
FIG. 12
FIG. 11
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depicts a tether sub node with a tether running through it in such a manner that the tether sub node can move along the tether . The tether sub node is one of many tether sub node capable of working together and reattaching with one another in the event of a tether break (see ). The tether sub node uses an attitude control system with attitude control system thrusters using gas from attitude control system tanks to maneuver and re-attach one tether sub node with another tether sub node . Reattachment is further assisted by an automatic on the fly tether splicer capable of joining two separate ends of a broken tether . Preferably, the sub node has a conical shaped belt driven mouth designed to grab and pull in a broken cable.
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A tether take-up reel is synchronized within tether sub node to another tether take-up reel to reel in opposite directions to permit the effective acceleration of the take-up process and to facilitate tether cable replacement. In one embodiment, the reels , are inflatable to increase reeling speed due to the increased diameters.
Although the invention has been described with reference to several exemplary embodiments, it is understood that the words that have been used are words of description and illustration, rather than words of limitation. Changes may be made within the purview of the appended claims, as presently stated and as amended, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention in its aspects. Although the invention has been described with reference to particular means, materials and embodiments, the invention is not intended to be limited to the particulars disclosed; rather, the invention extends to all functionally equivalent structures, methods, and uses such as are within the scope of the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be made apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments, given as non-limiting examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1
illustrates a prior art system including two transportation node platforms used in tandem in orbits around celestial bodies, creating the momentum transfer enhancement of payloads and support of space transportation;
FIG. 2
is a view of an exemplary commercial transportation segment of a lunar transportation system with a vehicle loading propellant tanks in low Earth orbit, according to an aspect of the present invention;
FIG. 3
is a side view of the transportation node platform with tether systems having a substantially longer axis pointing toward the center of the mass of the celestial body it orbits, according to an aspect of the present invention;
FIG. 4A
is a side view of the transportation node platform with an external tank added for mass near the center of the mass of the platform, according to an aspect of the present invention;
FIG. 4B
is a side detail view of the transportation node platform with a special sized truss to exploit the strength and stiffness of the external tank added for mass near the center of the mass of the platform, according to an aspect of the present invention;
FIG. 5
is a side view of an end portion of a platform and a tether tip portion with multiple payloads in a transfer frame, according to an aspect of the present invention;
FIG. 6
illustrates a forward rotating embodiment of the lunar orbit transportation node platforms, according to an aspect of the present invention;
FIG. 7A
is a side view showing a start of a pickup operation embodiment on the lunar surface using a lunar platform tether, according to an aspect of the present invention;
FIG. 7B
is a side view showing a load transfer of the pickup operation embodiment on the lunar surface using a lunar platform tether, according to an aspect of the present invention;
FIG. 7C
is a side view showing a load pickup of the pickup operation embodiment on the lunar surface using a lunar platform tether, according to an aspect of the present invention;
FIG. 8A
is a side view showing a load pickup forward velocity enhancement option to reduce the tether impact for the lunar surface pickup using a lunar platform tether, according to an aspect of the present invention;
FIG. 8B
is a side view showing another load pickup forward velocity enhancement option to reduce the tether impact for the lunar surface pickup using a lunar platform tether, according to an aspect of the present invention;
FIG. 8C
is a side view showing another load pickup forward velocity enhancement option to reduce the tether impact for the lunar surface pickup using a lunar platform tether, according to an aspect of the present invention;
FIG. 8D
is a side view showing yet another load pickup forward velocity enhancement option to reduce the tether impact for the lunar surface pickup using a lunar platform tether, according to an aspect of the present invention;
FIG. 8E
is a side view showing still another load pickup forward velocity enhancement option to reduce the tether impact for the lunar surface pickup using a lunar platform tether, according to an aspect of the present invention;
FIG. 9
is an Earth view showing the transportation node with center of gravity location change and orbital inclination placement cross truss, according to an aspect of the present invention;
FIG. 10A
is a side view showing a bulk re-entry payload in orbit with an undeployed re-entry device, according to an aspect of the present invention;
FIG. 10B
is a side view showing the bulk re-entry payload in orbit with a deployed re-entry device with variable aerodynamic lift and tether steering mass, according to an aspect of the present invention;
FIG. 10C
is a top view showing the bulk re-entry payload in orbit with the deployed spinning re-entry device, according to an aspect of the present invention;
FIG. 11
is a side view showing a tether seeker tip load pickup with tether sub nodes in various positions, according to an aspect of the present invention; and
FIG. 12
is a section view showing an exemplary tether sub node with repair, reverse winding and broken tether cone capture enhancement options, according to an aspect of the present invention. | |
The Redevelopment Of Palazzo Tornabuoni B Case Analysis
We would be seriously evaluating The Redevelopment Of Palazzo Tornabuoni B's Case Solution effectiveness as a program supervisor at Health Devices and Laboratories Inc in the following analysis which will take a look at 3 elements of her function as a change management leader.
We would be highlighting areas where The Redevelopment Of Palazzo Tornabuoni B's Case Solution acted prudently and took decisions which were beneficial for the success of her recently assigned function as a project supervisor. Tactical steps that were taken by business in her present role would be critically analyzed on the basis of industry contrasts.
We would be analyzing the reasons why The Redevelopment Of Palazzo Tornabuoni B failed to get the project implemented. In this area we would be highlighting the mistakes which were made by business which could have contributed to her failure to get the execution done during her period as a project supervisor.
After a thorough analysis of the case we would be looking at an area suggesting alternative actions which might have been taken by The Redevelopment Of Palazzo Tornabuoni B's Case Solution that may have caused favorable repercussions. In this area we would be looking at examples from market practices which have provided options to problems which business encountered during her project management role.
Our analysis would attend to concerns associated with clash management, bullying and insubordination, interaction spaces within a company and qualities of an efficient leader.
Evaluation of The Redevelopment Of Palazzo Tornabuoni B Case Study Analysis Role as a Project Manager
Positive Efforts by The Redevelopment Of Palazzo Tornabuoni B
An analysis of The Redevelopment Of Palazzo Tornabuoni B's function as a project supervisor at Heal Inc. indicates that case study help had a major role in getting the project implemented. She was certainly making a considerable effort in the ideal instructions as evident by numerous examples in the event.
Project Requirement Gathering
Her initial efforts in terms of getting the project started definitely revealed that she was going in the best direction. The requirements collecting stage for her project demonstrated how she was not making haphazard moves randomly however was dealing with an organized method in terms of handing the application. This appears by the truth that not just did she start a study to comprehend what was needed for modifying Heal Inc.'s equipment, she likewise embraced a market orientated technique where she fulfilled various purchasers to understand what the market was searching for.
Additionally, her decision to present Taguchi approach, an extremely disciplined product design procedure she had actually discovered in japan alsosuggested that she wanted to bring in the best industry practices for the application. Taguchi methods have actually been utilized for improving the quality of Japanese products because 1960 and by 1980 it was recognized by many companies that the Japanese methods for ensuring quality were not as reliable as the Japanese approaches (Wysk, Niebel, Cohen, Simpson, 2000). Therefore we can easily say that The Redevelopment Of Palazzo Tornabuoni B case analysis initial efforts in regards to starting the project were based on an organized concept of following finest market practices.
Creation of The Redevelopment Of Palazzo Tornabuoni B Case Task Force
The truth that she did not utilize a standard method towards this application is even more evident by the creation of task force for the assignmentespecially as it was a complex project and a task force is often the best approach for handling jobs which include complexity and organizational modification (The Results Group. n.d) Given that the project included using more complex innovation and coordination and teamwork were needed in style and production, companny's choice to choose a job force and Taguchi offered just right ingredients for taking the project in the ideal direction.
Choice of external vendor
The Redevelopment Of Palazzo Tornabuoni B Case Study Solution had the ability to find an appropriate solution to the company's problem after an extensive analysis of facts that had been accumulated during her study. The fact that market leaders had formed strategic alliances and were going back to outside vendors for acquiring equipment recommended that the industry pattern was certainly altering and selecting an external vendor was an ideal solution. companny's recommendation to opt for an external supplier was a reliable option for the Project Hippocrates which was ultimately concurred upon by others in the team too although she was unable to encourage the executive members during her role as a project manager.
companny's persistence throughout the initiation days as a project supervisor can be seen by the reality that she did not alter her decision about going ahead with the alternative of an outdoors supplier even though the choice proposed by her went through numerous initial setbacks in the kind of approval and rejection before being lastly accepted as a plan that required to be taken forward. She worked hard during these times in collecting relevant realities and figures which were presented to the senior management where she had to deal with direct opposition from Parker who was providing discussions about a totally various option than the one which was being offered by companny.
Respecting chain of command
Even when Parker was trying to provoke business throughout the meetings, she kept her calm suggesting that she was intentionally making an effort in terms of keeping things under control despite her unwillingness to work with Parker. Basically we can state that business was attempting to do the ideal thing by not indulging in workplace politics which might have contributed towards the failure of the project.
Data and Facts accumulation
If we ignore the social skills that were being utilized by companny to handle the concerns at hand, we can see that she was certainly taking a look at the technical elements of the project and was working hard to collect data that could help in regards to backing up the reality that digital technology was needed for the brand-new design. For doing so she was starting research study as well and technical understanding of the present system. Although she was the project manager for this initiative, she was making certain that she comprehended the depth of the issue rather than simply suggesting an option which did not have adequate evidence to support it. Basically we can add that her approach was appropriate as far as the identification of the problem was worried.
Vendor Support in contract
It was generally The Redevelopment Of Palazzo Tornabuoni B case analysis efforts with the vendors which had led to the inclusion of continuing supplier assistance in the contact and later on her style of negotiation was utilized as a standard for acquiring elements from outdoors. companny not just handled to present the concept of going back to an outside supplier, she was able to highlight the significance of an outdoors contract by indicating to the team that their failure to adhere to the contact would cause difficulty for the company. Generally business was the push aspect that eventually led to the decision of efficiently deciding for an outdoors vendor with beneficial terms of contact for the company.
Case Solution for The Redevelopment Of Palazzo Tornabuoni B Case Study
This section looks at alternative courses of action that might have been taken by The Redevelopment Of Palazzo Tornabuoni B case study analysis which might have resulted in a positive result for her. The fact that she was unable to get the project carried out regardless of numerous efforts focused on getting the management to accept her findings and recommendations as the ultimate service to the organization's obstacle.
Although Parker might have been a rather hard colleague and companny had heard unfavorable features of him from others, the key to pacifying dispute was to form a bond with him rather than remain in a continuous protective relationship with him which had actually eventually ruined things for companny. This did not indicate that The Redevelopment Of Palazzo Tornabuoni B case study help needed to start liking him despite all the negativity that was coming from his side. She needed to treat him as a colleague and base the relationship on shared respect, favorable regard and cooperation. The fact was that there was a typical objective which needed to be accomplished and had actually that been the primary top priority rather than showing an indicate one another, the scenario might have been handled on a better way. companny required to separate the 'individual' from the 'problem' rather than thinking of Parker as the issue which would have assisted in avoiding acting defensive. (George, 2007).
While it was essential for companny to be focused on the typical goal that required to be accomplished, it was likewise crucial to communicate with her colleagues and managers in order to make them see how she was not challenging their authority however was working towards the achievement of similar aims. business was trying to deal and work out without initiating the initial dialogue which was the primary reason which had actually led to offending habits from her colleagues (George, 2007).
companny required to refrain from displaying hostility throughout her discussions. The fact that she was literally using information to slap the other celebration on the face was leading to aggression from the opposite too. Basically the crucial thing to keep in mind in this case was that companny needed to be direct and respectful while at the very same time she must have acknowledged the fact that at times one requires to be tactful in terms of helping the other person 'save face'. In addition, it was necessary to regard timing too. While she had been used to tough Dorr alone throughout their personal meetings, doing so publically throughout a formally meeting needs to have been prevented. (George, 2007).
The reality that business was looking at information which was making Parker's analog option appear like a worthless option was irritating him and his team. Instead of merely throwing information and facts at the team, business could have indulged in shared discussion where Parker might have been nicely consulted for offering his feedback on business's suggestions for resolving the current issue. It must be kept in mind that Parker was not revealing anger over the intro of a new innovation or the reality that companny was recommending utilizing an outside vendor for the project however was distressed over his authority being compromised since of a brand-new colleague's recommendations which were straight connecting the solution he had delivered in the past (George, 2007).
Most of the suggestions that have been put forward for business concentrate on development of social relationships and developing trust and interaction within the office. However, during an analysis of the case we have actually likewise seen how companny had the ability to acquire data and truths and yet she was unable to present them to the senior management in such a way which could get their attention focused on the details. The best approach would have been to show summed up details to Dorr and Stella beforehand instead of through data and facts at them which just increased the complexity of the presentations and led to extra criticism from Parker and Kane. While an action by step method was important for handling the real execution of the project, The Redevelopment Of Palazzo Tornabuoni B case study help needed to be succinct throughout her presentations focused on convincing Dorr and Dan that she was moving in the right instructions.
A last idea for companny would be to focus more on comprehending the organizational culture instead of remaining aloof and working solely on the project considering that it's not practically discovering the best service however also about getting the cooperation of personnels to get the option carried out. We have seen from a though analysis that the business was generally made up of people who had authoritative characters. Dorr and Parker were examples of such individuals. business required to comprehend the intricacies of this culture where challenging the authority of reliable executives might trigger protective behavior.
The Redevelopment Of Palazzo Tornabuoni B Case Study Conclusion
Our analysis has brought us to the conclusion that The Redevelopment Of Palazzo Tornabuoni B's failure to get the project carried out throughout her function as a project supervisor can be contributed to the truth that she was unskilled in dealing with authoritative figures and acted defensively to support her arguments. Because this was business's first role as a line supervisor, this did teach her several lessons which have actually made her see where she was going incorrect as a project manager. | https://casemire.com/case-solution/the-redevelopment-of-palazzo-tornabuoni-b.php |
Learn how to compare values with the relational operators.
- [Voiceover] The relational operators are used…to compare values in a logical context.…Here's a working copy of relational.pl…from chapter eight of the exercise files.…Relational operators return a value…of true or false.…Now in Perl, anything that is empty or zero…is considered false and anything else…is considered true.…In general, the relational operators will return…the number one for true…and an empty string for false.…These operators are typically used…in conditional context.…
For example, in this if statement here…on line 12, if $a is equal to $b.…Now this is the relational operator…that tests for numeric equality.…It works for numbers, and it does not work for strings.…So testing of $a equals $b, of course $a is 7…and $b is 42.…So if I run this, I will get the result that says false.…And if I change this to say if $a equals $c…which is also 7 like $a and I run it,…then it says true.…
Now some of these relational operators…include the not equal to.…So I can run that, and now it's false again.…Or the less than operator and I run that…
AuthorBill Weinman
Released6/11/2016
Watch to learn the details of the Perl syntax, from variables, conditionals, loops, and data structures to regular expressions, functions, and references. A quick-start guide is included for experienced developers who want to get up and running with Perl 5 fast, and the entire course is recommended for both new and experienced programmers alike. Later chapters cover file handling and reusing code with Perl modules, plus Perl best coding practices.
- Understanding Perl's general syntax and the anatomy of a Perl script
- Writing statements and expressions
- Creating assignments
- Working with variables and strings
- Using data types effectively
- Defining logical flow with conditionals and loops
- Using special variables
- Using Perl operators
- Performing simple Perl programming tasks with expressions
- Matching data
- Defining and calling functions
- Using references
- Handling files in the file I/O
- Using built-in functions
- Reusing code with modules
- Coding with Perl best practices
Skill Level Intermediate
Duration
Views
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Programming Foundations: Refactoring Codewith Simon Allardice1h 44m Intermediate
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Code Clinic: C++with Bill Weinman2h 4m Intermediate
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Code Clinic: R (2015)with Mark Niemann-Ross3h 24m Intermediate
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Introduction
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Welcome45s
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Exercise files1m 34s
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1. Setting Up
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About Perl3m 36s
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2. Quick Start
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Hello World5m 26s
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Counting lines in a file4m 11s
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Loops and conditionals3m 2s
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Functions5m 21s
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Using perldoc2m 6s
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3. Basic Syntax
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Anatomy of a Perl script6m 17s
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Statements and expressions2m 44s
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Assignments3m 57s
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Blocks and scope4m 39s
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4. Values and Variables
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Numeric variables2m 29s
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Character strings6m 23s
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Logical values2m 18s
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Lists and arrays7m 25s
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Slices of arrays2m 38s
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Hashes or associative arrays4m 35s
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Constants3m 57s
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5. Conditionals
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The if statement3m 44s
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Else and elsif2m 38s
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Switch with given and when4m 45s
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6. Loops
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Understanding loops2m 7s
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Loops with while and until2m 51s
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Iterating with for2m 21s
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Iterating with foreach3m 57s
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Loop control statements4m 36s
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7. Special Variables
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The default variable3m 24s
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Function arguments2m 14s
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The autoflush variable2m 55s
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The system error variable2m 12s
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Other special variables3m 31s
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8. Operators
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About Perl's operators2m 35s
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Basic arithmetic operators5m 30s
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Relational operators3m 27s
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Logical operators6m 1s
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File test operators3m 42s
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The range operator2m 54s
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9. Regular Expressions
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Matching text2m 9s
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Common modifiers4m 58s
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Extracting matches2m 5s
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Getting a list of matches1m 46s
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Simple matches2m 46s
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Matching wildcards4m 38s
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Matching metacharacters1m 37s
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Search and replace4m 32s
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Splitting strings2m 18s
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10. Functions
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Understanding functions1m 20s
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Locally scoped variables2m 58s
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Returning values1m 22s
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Static variables2m 7s
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Predeclared functions1m 58s
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11. References and Structures
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Array references4m 58s
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Hash references3m 2s
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Function references5m 28s
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Mixed data structures4m 3s
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12. File I/O
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Using file handles8m 29s
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Working with binary files5m 19s
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13. Built-In Functions
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The die() function3m 39s
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String functions5m 45s
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Numeric functions4m 49s
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List and array functions4m 12s
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Time functions6m 56s
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The undef function2m 16s
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14. Modules
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Perl's object model5m 49s
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An example module5m 9s
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15. Best Practices
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Be consistent2m 23s
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Use strict and warnings2m 39s
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Use constants2m 8s
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Conclusion
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Next steps55s
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Cell Biology
Proinsulin misfolding is an early event in the progression to type 2 diabetes
Anoop Arunagiri et al.
Proinsulin misfolding, an established cause of diabetes in patients with INS gene mutations, is now observed in normal human pancreatic islets, and rodents with genetic predisposition to type 2 diabetes.
Human Biology and Medicine
Inhibition of mTORC1 by ER stress impairs neonatal β-cell expansion and predisposes to diabetes in the
Akita
mouse
Yael Riahi et al.
mTORC1 inhibition by perinatal ER stress induces beta-cell growth arrest with subsequent development of diabetes.
Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine
Insulin mutations impair beta-cell development in a patient-derived iPSC model of neonatal diabetes
Diego Balboa et al.
Mutations causing proinsulin misfolding trigger unfolded protein response and lead to impaired proliferation and reduced mTORC1 signalling of developing beta-cells in a patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cell disease model.
Cell Biology
PDIA1/P4HB is required for efficient proinsulin maturation and ß cell health in response to diet induced obesity
Insook Jang et al.
The major protein disulfide isomerase family member, PDIA1, is essential in beta cells of mice fed a high-fat diet to maintain glucose homeostasis, proinsulin maturation and organelle integrity.
Biochemistry and Chemical Biology
Cell Biology
Mitochondria supply ATP to the ER through a mechanism antagonized by cytosolic Ca
2+
Jing Yong et al.
ATP enters the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) lumen through an SLC35B1/AXER-dependent
CaATiER
mechanism, and ATP usage in the ER renders 'anti-
Warburg
' effect by increasing ATP regeneration from OxPhos while decreasing glycolysis.
Developmental Biology
Inhibiting the integrated stress response pathway prevents aberrant chondrocyte differentiation thereby alleviating chondrodysplasia
Cheng Wang et al.
Integrated stress response-induced expression of ATF4 and its transactivation of SOX9 causes aberrant chondrocyte differentiation and skeletal defects which can be alleviated by modulating initiation-factor eIF2α phosphorylation translation control.
Biochemistry and Chemical Biology
Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics
An unfolded protein-induced conformational switch activates mammalian IRE1
G Elif Karagöz et al.
ER-stress sensing mechanism of the unfolded protein response sensor/transducer IRE1 is conserved from yeast to mammals, where in mammals, unfolded protein binding to IRE1's ER lumenal domain is coupled to its oligomerization and activation through an allosteric conformational change.
Cell Biology
The unfolded protein response in fission yeast modulates stability of select mRNAs to maintain protein homeostasis
Philipp Kimmig et al.
A unique form of regulation has been observed in the unfolded protein response of
S. pombe
, along with a novel mechanism of post-transcriptional mRNA processing.
Refine your results by: | https://elifesciences.org/search?for=proinsulin%20misfolding |
Pediatric physiotherapy focuses on the physical needs of infants, toddlers, children and adolescents with a variety of developmental, neuromuscular, skeletal or other physical disorders.
Early detection is key when children experience problems that inhibit movement and their natural state of being. Physiotherapy is used for children who are affected by diseases or injuries including:
- acute injuries from sport or otherwise pediatric physiotherapy
- genetic disorders like cerebral palsy
- birth defects
- developmental delays
- head trauma, muscle diseases and/or limb deficiencies
- orthopedic disabilities
Our physiotherapy treatments help children with: | https://www.wetakecare.in/blog/pediatric-physiotherapy/ |
The Government of Lao PDR (GoL) has policies which are directed towards economic growth and poverty alleviation, and has recognised the plantation sector as one of the sectors that can improve economic growth in rural areas. In the 2014 Agriculture Development Strategy to 2025 and Vision 2030, processed wood products are identified as one of the nine priority commodities to contribute to industrialisation and modernisation of the Lao economy. Over the past three decades, the GoL has implemented policies to encourage the development of plantations by smallholders and the private sector and as a result there are now significant areas of plantations in several regions some of which are approaching merchantable age. The plantation estate comprises 446,000 ha, of which 271,000 ha is rubber trees for rubber production (DoF 2015), largely corporately owned. The area of plantations for current timber production remains small, with 163,000 ha under different species, ownership and investment arrangements. Eucalypts comprise the largest area of these timber plantations with 67,000 ha largely owned and used by foreign companies. Teak, with 50,000 ha, is the other main timber plantation species with plantations predominantly owned by Laos smallholders and has been identified as the best opportunity for poverty alleviation and domestic industry development.
Laos already has a small wood-products industry, with plantation resources of teak, eucalypts and other species serving both international and domestic markets. However, the plantation resource is not expanding and the Lao wood-processing industries, which are in their infancy compared to neighbouring countries, have experienced difficulties competing against the advanced secondary and tertiary manufacturing centres in Vietnam and China. Complexities within the planted timber value chain may result in plantation management that is not optimal for wood supply, poor incentives for wood producers and inefficiency in timber resource use. The efficiency of the value chain and wood-products industries in Laos is particularly hindered by the numerous conflicting and confusing regulations imposed by the government (Smith 2014, Midgley et al 2012). Key issues are the need to fully understand the socio-economic dynamics of, and interactions between actors in the value chain, develop new wood processing capability for the production of a variety of wood products, build capacity to enable manufacture of these products from small diameter timbers and enhance the entire timber value chain from plantation to primary and secondary processing plants and markets.
The proposed research builds directly on two previous ACIAR projects: FST/2005/100 “Value-adding to Lao PDR plantation timber products” and FST/2010/012 “Enhancing Key Elements of Value Chains for Plantation-Grown Wood in Lao PDR”. It also links with work in related projects FST/2012/041 “Teak Agroforestry in Lao PDR”, and ADP/2014/047 “Policy Improvements to Balance Smallholder, Industry and Environmental Needs in Lao PDR and Vietnam”.
Farmer owned and community-based plantation enterprises, capable of harvesting and processing local plantation grown wood such as teak, have great potential to contribute to national policy objectives by generating rural employment, boosting farm income and suppling timber to the processing sector. However, they are currently uncompetitive due to policy barriers associated with perceived risk around processing of timber illegally harvested from natural forests, unnecessarily complex regulatory procedures and high transaction costs.
Plantation registration was hypothesised to be a barrier to smallholder participation in the legal value chain for plantation grown wood. Analysis found that processes for plantation registration have been complicated by multiple-perceptions of the purpose of registration; for some, plantation registration has become a substitute land titling process, for others it is needed merely to demonstrate source of origin for legal wood sales. For the former a consequence is that the cost and administrative procedures for registration have become prohibitive for farmers, for the latter procedures to register plantations may be seen as not strictly legal. Recommendations for policy review and clarification of the purpose of plantation registration were made. This matter is now even more relevant due to the strict enforcement of PM Order No. 15 currently restricting export of unfinished wood products and raw materials.
Systems mapping of the regulations along the entire teak value chain and analysis of the transaction costs revealed a complex operating environment. Research found that streamlining and simplifying regulations and reducing transaction costs would likely both increase smallholder returns and improve the competitiveness of plantation enterprises through increased value chain efficiency. These procedures also need to address national and provincial regulatory and revenue requirements.
Research into farmer attitudes to plantation registration and into the effectiveness of grower groups revealed that there is diversity in plantation ownership arrangements that were not recognised in FST/2010/012. As a result, the supply of this wood to industry is unpredictable. Better understanding of the ownership arrangements and the management intent of owners could facilitate resource availability and a consistent flow of wood to processors.
Approximately 15,000 ha of plantation teak was mapped in Luang Prabang province, with significant areas likely in adjoining provinces. The plantations were characterised to be dominantly immature, more that 75% in size classes less than 25 cm tree diameter; this has implications for investment in domestic wood processing technology. Plantations are in thousands of small parcels which are geographically dispersed across the province. Proximity to roads, infrastructure and processing facilities has implications for wood flow and costs for owners and industry which are not fully understood.
The role and legal status of timber traders and brokers (‘middlemen’), who play an important role in consolidating consignments of wood and connecting growers with markets, was not included within the project and are not well understood.
Improved linkages between growers, traders and processors can enhance the value chain, and innovative collaborative investment and funding approaches are needed to facilitate the supply of plantation grown teak to the market in a way that meets the needs and addresses the constraints of the plantation owners.
Market requirements for legal or certified wood could be met through simplified procedures that recognise the low-risk nature of farmer-owned plantations when compared to other sources of timber.
Improved efficiencies and capacity in domestic wood processing will enhance industry competitiveness and demand for the domestic plantation wood resource.
Opportunities exist in developing technologies for production of EWPs for the rapidly growing construction, furnishing and joinery activities in Laos, neighbouring countries and Australia.
Consistent product standards coupled with flexible arrangements for product design and simplified certification and legality processes will improve market access.
The proposal is also informed by the first stages of work under ADP/2014/047, which have focused on understanding the dynamic policy framework for plantations in, and export of wood from Lao PDR; characterisation of the value chains from other tree plantations in Lao PDR; and identifying and fostering pathways for policy dialogue about tree plantations and the related governance framework. While in its early stages, this research has highlighted the complex governance arrangements that exist around the plantation value chain.
Project FST/2010/012 focused on the utilisation of plantation timbers for high value-appearance wood products, such as furniture. As in Vietnam, opportunity exists to introduce new value-adding technologies for developing novel appearance and structural wood products based on veneer, sawn wood and composite products (combining wood and other materials) that would provide new markets for the existing plantation resources. These EWPs could be used in domestic and commercial buildings and there is a strong demand in Laos and in international markets, in particular in China for such products (FAO 2009 & 2012).
For such industries to be internationally competitive, the plantation wood resource and its availability and accessibility needs to be known and the enabling policy environment and value chain needs to be well understood and efficient. Therefore, a detailed value chain analysis and competitiveness mapping are required to assess opportunities for using plantation timber as a viable alternative to steel, concrete, bricks and other materials currently used in building, joinery and furniture industries. Specific skills and knowledge for wood processing and improved durability are lacking in Lao’s timber industry, resulting in the use of concrete and steel for construction. | http://laoplantation.org/valtip3/about-us/project-background/ |
Splendid Stone Front 3 Car Garage 4 Ensuite Home. 10' Ceiling On G/F, 9 Ceiling On 2nd/F & Bsmt. 2 Skylights, Majestic Iron Picket Stairs, H/W Floor Throughout, Modern Granite Kitchen, Amazed Sparkle Crystal Chandeliers, Numerous Pot Lights, Master Ensuite W/ Enormous Dressing Rm, 3Pc Bath W/ Sauna Rm & Skylight. Gorgeous Bsmt W/ Recrm, Open Theatre, Gym, 2 Ensuite & 3Pc Bath. Walk To Plaza, Park, Schl & Bus.
Extras
Fridge, Gas Stove, Dishwasher, B/I Wall Oven & Microwave, Washer, Dryer, Cac, Cvac, I/G Sprinklers W/Rain Sensor, Alarm System, 3 Gdo W/Remote.
Nearby Intersections
Leslie & 16th Avenue (23)
Property Features
Cul De Sac, Grnbelt/Conserv
Property Details
Property Type
Detached, 2-Storey
Lot Size
68' x 158'
Lot Irregularities
Front 64.78 +18 & Rear 78.9 + 22.967 Ft
Fronting
East
Taxes
$16,824 (2020)
Basement
Finished
Exterior
Brick, Stone
Heat Type
Forced Air
Heat Source
Gas
Air Conditioning
Central Air
Water
Municipal
Parking Spaces
13
Driveway
Private
Garage Type
Attached
Room Summary
|Room||Level||Size||Features|
|Living||Ground||11.98' x 18.93'||Hardwood Floor, Fireplace, Pot Lights|
|Dining||Ground||14.47' x 17.62'||Hardwood Floor, French Doors, Pot Lights|
|Family||Ground||14.96' x 22.51'||Hardwood Floor, Fireplace, Pot Lights|
|Kitchen||Ground||13.65' x 30.48'||Marble Floor, Breakfast Area, W/O To Yard|
|Library||Ground||12.53' x 13.45'||Hardwood Floor, California Shutters, Pot Lights|
|Master||2nd||18.47' x 26.57'||Hardwood Floor, 7 Pc Ensuite, W/I Closet|
|2nd Br||2nd||17.22' x 20.87'||Hardwood Floor, 5 Pc Ensuite, W/I Closet|
|3rd Br||2nd||16.14' x 17.68'||Hardwood Floor, 4 Pc Ensuite, Large Closet|
|4th Br||2nd||13.45' x 14.63'||Hardwood Floor, 4 Pc Ensuite, Large Closet|
|Rec||Bsmt||32.38' x 38.98'||Laminate, Fireplace, 3 Pc Bath|
|Br||Bsmt||12.76' x 12.99'||Laminate, W/I Closet, 4 Pc Bath|
|Exercise||Bsmt||14.11' x 17.55'||Mirrored Closet, Pot Lights|
Listing contracted with Living Realty Inc., Brokerage
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5+2
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Your Dream Home Is Here; Bayview Hills Community, Bright And Spacious Huge Skylight With 3 Car Garage Home; Best Functional Layout; Plenty Upgrades; Granite Kitchen W/ High Class Appliances; Open Concept; 5 Full Ensuite Bdr. 10' Ceiling On G/F, 9' Ceiling On 2/F, Hardwood Floor Throughout, 2 Storey High Hall ; Iron Picket Stairs, Numerous Pot Lights, 8'6' High Basement With Recrm & 2 Bdrms And Bath. Close To Plaza, Parks, Schools, And All Amenities.
4+2
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Executive 4+2 Br Residence Situated On Prem 150' Deep Lot Backing Onto Park In Prestigious South Richvale Enclave.Offering Apprx.7,000Sf. Of Liv.Space.Enjoy High Ceilings On Mn,Hwd Flrs.Massive Kitchen W/Flr-2-Ceiling Cabinets&Extra Wet Bar,Natural Stone Surface Island,Hi End Appl,W/I Pantry&W/O To Deck,Open Concept Fm Rm W/Gas F/Place.Mstr Retreat W/6Pc Ens,H/H Closet W/Skylight,C/Sitting Area& Pic Winds.W/Up Bsmt Heated Flr,In Law 3Pc Suite,Rec W/Wet Bar.
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Welcome To The One Of The Most Luxurious Custom Home Build By Established Builder Mahzad Homes Boasting A Gorgeous Floor Plan Stunning Home, Over 5000 Sqft Plus Finished Basement ,4 Bedroom +7 Bathroom ,3 Car Garage, Dream Kitchen Equipped With7 Pc B/I/S/S Appliances 8'Gas Pro Harmony Range With Griddle-And Double Ovens,48"Hood W/Custom Insert With Blower,B/I Steam /Convection Oven,24" Coffee Machine, Emerald 4-Program Dishwasher
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Luxurious Home On Large Pie Shape Lot, Widens To 103Ft At Rear, Marble & Exotic Locust Hardwood Floor, Soaring 10Ft On Main, 9Ft On 2nd And Bsmt, Breathtaking 20Ft In Family Rm W/2 Sets Of French Doors Lead To 40X15Ft Covered Deck, Layered Moldings & Waffle Ceilings, Large Kitchen W/9Ft Island, Heated Flrs In 2 Master Ensuites, High End Appliances, B/I Ceiling Speakers, Wall Sconces, 5 Fireplaces, Finished Bsmt W/Theatre Rm, Exercise Rm, Steam Sauna, Bdrm, | https://richmond-hill.btchome.ca/1-mandarin-crt.N5216635.htm |
We are very excited to announce the integration of Discord as a new data source inside Player XP. Recognising it is a constant feed of information that can be difficult to understand at first, it’s been one of our most anticipated new integrations. At Player XP we’re always trying to improve the value we provide you and the team and feel Player XP is the perfect place to gain better insights into your Discord community.
We believe this is a big step for us as we have wanted to implement this update for some time. However, our team was wary of the amount of data an update like this provides and wanted to ensure this update was executed perfectly. With the recent rise in the usage of Discord to build communities, we felt we could not effectively provide our community intelligence platform without including it.
To add Discord to your Player dashboard, authenticate Player XP when signed in as the Discord Admin. This allows us to use our bot to gather data from your Discord Server and provide you with insights into the sentiment of your server’s community. | https://playerxp.io/news/product-updates/page/2/ |
Pharmaceutical and medical device leaders strive constantly to formulate an effective communication strategy for achieving organizational success and efficiency. However, over the years due to continuous technological advances the communication process has evolved to the stage where it becomes complex for pharmaceutical companies to identify the most the preferred and effective channels for external communications.
Best Practices, LLC conducted this research study to explore the most effective and preferred B-2-B channels & tools of communication, optimum communication frequencies for B-2-Bcommunications. Specifically, this new report benchmarks the tools and usage frequency that pharmaceutical and medical executives are making use of for external communication.
PowerPoint Continues to Dominate: Respondents prefer that information be communicated through PowerPoint than other forms, followed closely by Word Documents. Press Releases are unfavored.
The Impact of Face-to-Face Communication: 9 in 10 of those surveyed stated that meeting someone in person has an impact on their purchasing decisions. Conversely, telemarketing and mobile marketing have the least impact on purchasing decisions. | https://www.best-in-class.com/bestp/domrep.nsf/products/how-pharmaceutical-and-medical-device-leaders-use-respond-to-external-communications?opendocument |
A Few Random Thoughts About Marital Conflict
There’s a New Yorker Cartoon in which a couple is arguing. One says to the other, “I can’t remember what we’re arguing about, either. Let’s keep yelling, and maybe it will come back to us.” I chuckled when I saw that cartoon. It’s true. Many couples do not remember what they are fighting about. They remember the emotion, the hurtful words, the dirty looks…but they don’t recall the reason for the argument. They might continue yelling, but they still don’t remember what started the argument. So why blow up over a topic that you may not even remember tomorrow? Avoid the hurtful words, the dirty looks, the angry comebacks…your spouse will remember them and the damage they have on your relationship is huge. Instead, listen, understand, and bless. That will give you something better to remember and will even change quite a few arguments!
Sincere apologies work miracles. It’s true. But, a sincere apology is more than mere words. A sincere apology reveals genuine remorse for what was done and how it impacted the other person. A sincere apology accepts responsibility for the actions that caused the hurt and a sincere apology reassures the other of your love for them. A sincere apology involves the “fruit of repentance” as well, actions that replace the hurtful action and assure it does not happen again. A sincere apology requires humility, responsibility, and change. It’s well worth it though. A sincere apology not only restores relationship, it strengthens relationship. Sincere apologies work miracles. (Read The Top 6 Components of an Effective Apology for more.)
Time out is not just for the kids. Sometimes, couples need a “time out” to cool down. They need to stop the argument for a short time (20 minutes at least), “go to their respective corners,” and calm down. Calming down will require each one to put their mind on a topic other than the one they were fighting about. You can go for a walk, play a game, read a good story, watch a comedy, skim through magazines…whatever it takes to help you put the topic of the argument out of your mind long enough to “calm down.” After emotions have cooled, come back together over a cup of hot cocoa and cookies (or some equivalent) to talk about the problem that caused the argument. You’ll likely find it isn’t really the big deal it had become prior to your “time out.” In a calm state, you will more easily resolve the differences or simply “agree to disagree.” It all begins with a “time out” to calm down. | https://www.honorgracecelebrate.com/2018/10/06/a-few-random-thoughts-about-marital-conflict/ |
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Note that we had to periodically measure μ and take its change into account in developing the dimensionless damping and stiffness curves quoted in this paper.
On leave from Politecnico di Torino, Turin, Italy.
This paper discusses an approach for characterizing the dynamic behavior of a friction damper. To accomplish this, the deflection of the damper is measured as a function of an applied force for a range of amplitudes, normal loads, and excitation frequencies. The resulting hysteresis curves are used to generate curves of nonlinear stiffness and damping as a function of the amplitude of motion. A method of presenting this information in a dimensionless format is demonstrated. This format allows direct comparisons of the nonlinear stiffness and damping of actual dampers with that often used in analytical models to compute the dynamic response of frictionally damped turbine blades. It is shown that for the case of a damper with a spherical head significant differences exist between the actual behavior of the damper and that often assumed in simple analytical models. In addition, Mindlin’s analysis of a sphere on a half space is used to estimate the damper’s stiffness as well as its theoretical hysteresis curves. The hysteresis curves are then used to determine dimensionless stiffness and damping curves. The results compare favorably with those found experimentally.
Hysteresis from Mindlin analysis
Hysteresis from spring damper element
Spring damper element
Comparison between experiments and Mindlin analysis
Dimensionless hysteresis loop from Mindlin theory
Design range in damper optimization curve
Design range in effective damping curve
Relative displacement between two bodies in contact (F<μN)
Friction contact of sphere on a flat surface
Experimentally generated curves compared with benchmark
Calculating damper stiffness from the hysteresis
Hysteresis curves from dynamic tests
Hysteresis curves from quasi-static tests
Experimental setup for dynamic test
Friction damper specimen for quasi-static test
Experimental setup for quasi-static test
Nondimensionalized effective damping
Nondimensional effective stiffness
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Sign in or create your free personal ASME account. This will give you the ability to save search results, receive TOC alerts, RSS feeds, and more. | http://gasturbinespower.asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/article.aspx?articleid=1423184 |
THE EFFECT OF SURFACE PREPARATION AND REPAINTING PROCEDURES ON THE FRICTIONAL RESISTANCE OF OLD SHIP BOTTOM PLATES AS PREDICTED FROM NSRDC FRICTION PLANE MODEL 4125
The Naval Ship Research and Development Center Utilized a friction plane (NSRDC Model 4125) to estimate the differences in frictional resistance of two types of antifouling paints and of old ship bottom plates in three surface conditions. Photographs and roughness measurements are included for each surface investigated together with experimental data expressed as values of roughness allowance coefficient versus Reynolds number.
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Corporate Authors:
Naval Ship Research and Development CenterShip Performance Department
Bethesda, MD United States 20034
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Authors:
- West, E E
- Publication Date: 1973-5
Media Info
- Features: References;
- Pagination: 29 p. | https://trid.trb.org/view/10451 |
Researching Early Paint Colors
As curator of the House of the Seven Gables, the 17th-century mansion made famous by Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, I am especially curious to know, as accurately as possible, the intent of early designers and craftspeople, so our curatorial staff can re-create these finishes for today's public. Just like many of OHJ's owner-restorers, I pace the rooms and also mutter, "If only the walls could talk!"
Happily, with patience, trained conservators, and proper equipment, we've learned the ways that walls can talk, and they are very eloquent, indeed. To explain what I mean, I'll describe a little about why we undertook a paint analysis project at the House of the Seven Gables, and what we learned about the specific paints used in the early 18th century. More important for folks living in historic houses of later eras, our experience will illustrate some of the logic and techniques that can allow homeowners to become their own forensic scientists and track down elusive clues for re-creating the original decorative look of their interiors.
A Deeper Look at an Early Mansion
Over the last few years our curatorial staff has been moving toward a more accurate historical interpretation of the House of the Seven Gables, one based on primary-source documentation and analysis of the actual materials in the building. The house, built in 1668, has been open for tours for 93 years, but the interpretation of the paint through the decades has been more Colonial Revival style than truly colonial. For example, all the rooms were painted in an off-white color that, while conforming to an early 20th-century palette, was neither readily available nor popular for 18th-century homeowners. Since the Georgian paneling added around 1710 was the most drastic change to the building, my goal is to restore some of the rooms to that period based on primary documentation and physical evidence. An inventory of our house from 1742 refers to our parlor as the "Best Room," so this seemed an excellent place to begin the process.
Because early preservationists made many changes to the house during the Colonial Revival restoration of 1910, we approached the room with a lot of questions. First, we was curious about the number of beams on the ceiling 350 years ago,one pair or two? In addition, we wanted to know if the small wood closet to the left of the hearth dated to the 18th century or the 1910 makeover. Above all, we wanted to understand the original Georgian paint scheme so that we could restore it and present a more historically accurate interpretation of the most formal space in the house.
As the investigation began, we gathered early photographs of the room and examined the existing space to see if there was any telling evidence of paint scraping or replaced paneling. One circa-1860 photo from SPNEA shows coffering in the parlor before Caroline Emmerton purchased the house in 1908. Another documents the coffering being there after the purchase. The cross-timbering was removed during the 1910 restoration, raising the question of whether it too should be restored. Was the cross-timbering some original finish from the mid-1600s? Paint analysis would help answer this question.
Examining the room closely, we determined that the decorative display closet bore very early paint that was potentially fugitive in nature. By fugitive, conservators simply mean that the paint is made with highly unstable pigments (common before the industrial era) that can interact with ultraviolet light and change drastically over time. Many fugitive pigments, such as Prussian blue or verdigris (a green pigment made from corroded copper), will eventually blacken in linseed oil. Since our closet was painted in a green hue that was almost black, with some areas articulated in brown, there was a good chance that we were looking at a fugitive pigment.
While other architectural elements in the room were softened by layers and layers of paint, the shell closet near the hearth had crisper features that suggested very little paint build-up. Upon close inspection with a field microscope, we discovered a worn band of gilding at the base of one of the shelves and, over some of the woodwork, details picked out in brown paint. Apparently, this brown "paint" was actually the sizing (bonding agent) for gold leaf that had long since worn away. We took samples of the brown articulation for microscopy analysis and, at 125x, saw that this was indeed gold. Since there was no other treatment beneath it, we assumed we were looking at an original finish. Could it be that the rest of the room once had details picked out in gold? In the excitement of discovery, I imagined the great coffered room, painted with the most expensive paints of the day and dancing with gilded highlights. We hurriedly started the physical analysis.
Scientific Decorative Sleuthing
To establish the chronology of changes in the room, and to determine if the pre-1900 coffering needed to be restored, we began our paint analysis with the casings of the summer beams,the main, central beams in the house. First we determined the spots where beams in the mid-1800s photograph would have intersected. Then we postulated that if we found original verdigris finish missing from these points, we would indeed be looking at a decorative treatment from a first-period house,that is, one from the mid- to late 17th century. No one would have painted under the crossbeams before they were added to create the boxes of the coffering.
The actual investigation to test our hypothesis was very simple, requiring only a scalpel and 20x loupe for magnified viewing. First we carefully excavated several craters or "bullseyes" in the paint at strategic places along the beams, opening a physical window into the paint scheme of the past, called the chromachronology. When we inspected the bullseyes we could see that the green verdigris was indeed visible as the first campaign of paint. To make sure the results of our first bullseyes were not aberrations, we inspected three other places and found the same glaze evidence. The conclusion is that the intersecting beams and coffering must have been a Gothic Revival addition installed by Hawthorne's cousin, Susannah Ingersoll, sometime before the Civil War. So much for my dreams of a singular example of coffered ceilings in an early colonial home.
Another Revealing Test
Next on our list of questions to be probed was the history of the small door covering the wood closet next to the firebox. This closet is a wonderful window into the remains of the monumental 1680s hearth box that still retains a blackened band at the base of the plaster. Since there is a strangely configured "hidden stair" in the house that was designed and built in 1910, I worried that the closet was a similar 1910 concoction. By excavating some quick bullseyes on the front and edge of the door, we learned the answer. We found the verdigris finish on the front, finished face of the door, pretty much as expected.
However, when the bullseyes on the edges also revealed the decorative verdigris treatment, they ruled out the possibility that Emmerton had cut the door out of the existing Georgian paneling. If she had cut the door out of the existing paneling, the edges would have shown only 1910 and later paint colors. This meant that the little closet was truly finished in verdigris during the Georgian period when the huge, post-medieval hearths typical of first-period houses were commonly boxed in to create a sleek paneled fireplace. The additional room left over from the old hearth served as a perfect storage area.
After solving this mystery, our challenge was to search for any gilding on the paneling. We proceeded by very carefully removing layers of paint in channels, using scalpels and magnifying loupes, so as to expose a section across the entire architectural element. This is a delicate and time-consuming process, since a heavy or unsteady hand can destroy the very evidence one seeks. Since our work revealed only verdigris, it proved that gilding had been confined to the cupboard.
Next we opened up a large window of the painted paneling to rule out the presence of any decorative painting, such as marbleizing, and to see the texture of the paint. Had it been stippled? Was it highly striated? We could clearly see thick brush strokes in the finish. Then, when we chose a small section to scrape, in the hopes of clearing away the top layer that had oxidized to black, we found a brilliant grass green was still there.
Re-creating the Verdigris Finish
To confirm our research, our conservator, Christine Thomson from Robert Mussey Associates, took samples of all layers of these first-campaign paints,a grey base coat topped with verdigris glaze,and sent them to a lab. When the reports returned from the lab at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, chemical analysis (including gas chromatography and mass spectrometry) showed that our samples were indeed an oil paint ground covered with a glaze of verdigris boiled in oil. The latter was important new information because boiling the verdigris in oil produces a yellower, mellower green than simply mixing the pigment in oil. The absence of any hiding pigments, such as white lead, or bulking agents, such as chalk, meant that we were looking at a finish with a high gloss,much glossier than the common paint of the day.
Christine then contacted Susan Buck, a conservator and paint analyst with extensive knowledge of this early decorative treatment. Susan has worked on several historic house museums, such as Monticello and Mount Vernon, with rooms similarly finished in verdigris paint, and her experience with replication became our guide. Because the historic recipes for verdigris finish vary widely, we had to base the color match solely on our extant samples of unoxidized paint, but Susan's work validated that we were on the right track. We also compared our findings with the verdigris found at the Hunter House at the Preservation Society of Newport County.
After applying a mixture of the traditional materials (verdigris pigment and oil) on a sample board as a standard for what we wanted to re-create, we worked with our decorative painter, Nigel Grace, to mimic the historic effect with modern materials. Because expense and difficulty made using true verdigris out of the question, Nigel matched our sample by first thickening the grey base coat with calcium carbonide so it would simulate the deep, brush-bristle striations we found in the original paint.
Next he formulated the glaze using conservation-grade powdered pigments mixed in oil-based glazing, a liquid used for decorative painting. Nigel applied all coats with the grain of the wood, which meant that he even had to miter the corners as he worked. This was typical practice historically for glaze, and it articulates the architectural elements clearly. After the glaze had dried, Nigel topped the glaze with two coats of oil varnish to approximate the extraordinary high gloss of the finish as well as to protect it. The results are striking and have been greeted with great enthusiasm by the public. In fact, I like it so much, I am thinking about having verdigris glaze in my own home.
Alexandria M. Mason is the curator at the House of the Seven Gables in Salem, Massachusetts. | https://www.oldhouseonline.com/interiors-and-decor/researching-early-paint-colors |
Electric rail wagons to make tunnel works cleaner
Channel Tunnel operator Eurotunnel is currently prototyping independent battery-operated works wagons that can move within the tunnel without producing diesel fumes.
Although regular cross-Channel passenger and freight trains use electric traction, the wagons carrying staff and equipment for maintenance operations are hauled by diesel locomotives. As these are the same Krupps-built locomotives that are used as 'Thunderbirds' to rescue trains that fail in service, they are oversized for their maintenance role and described by Eurotunnel as "highly polluting" in this task.
In consequence, the company has been looking at alternatives that would allow power consumption to be adapted to the workload, in the interests of energy efficiency and reduced emissions.
A project part-funded through the European Regional Development Fund has targeted the provision of 50kW electric motors for seven wagons, which can be formed into a train to travel from their base to the works site and then be uncoupled to move independently in the tunnel. | https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2010/05/electric-rail-wagons-to-make-tunnel-works-cleaner/ |
Proposed Massachusetts tax on college endowments could raise $1 billion, but what are the trade-offs?
The idea of taxing large college and university endowments has found favor with both the Trump administration and, perhaps suprisingly, Massachusetts Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Jay Gonzalez.
Colleges and universities adamantly disagree with these proposals, arguing that they provide large public services that should be tax exempt. Massachusetts provides a great case study for assessing both sides of the issue and illuminates the trade-off between raising funds for public goods and taking money away from institutions that provide services to students and the public.
What are college and university endowments?
Endowments are the financial assets that colleges and universities hold and invest. The returns (incomes on these investments) provide long-term funding for financial aid, facility operations and maintenance, and faculty salaries. Although both public and private nonprofit colleges and universities hold endowments, the most selective private nonprofit institutions tend to have significantly higher endowments.
In fact, 25 institutions hold half of all endowment assets in the United States. The median private nonprofit college had an endowment income (or return) of $2,400 per student in the 2013–14 school year.
In December 2017, Congress passed the Trump administration’s tax reform bill, including a 1.4 percent tax on the income of college and university endowments for schools with at least 500 students and an endowment greater than $500,000 per full-time student, moving away from a long-standing precedent of providing tax-exempt status to universities.
Gonzalez tax could increase K–12 budget by 8 percent
In September, Gonzalez proposed a 1.6 percent tax on all (Massachusetts) private nonprofit college endowments over $1 billion. Unlike the federal tax, which taxes only the income on the endowment, the Gonzalez tax applies to the endowment’s entire value.
This proposal would affect Amherst College, Boston College (BU), Boston University (BU), Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Smith College, Tufts University, Wellesley College, and Williams College.
Assuming institutions make no changes to their endowment structures, I estimate that the proposed tax would raise just under $1 billion in annual revenue (based on 2015–16 endowment values). Gonzalez has proposed using this money for K–12 education, public higher education, and public transit budgets. If the entire tax revenue were contributed to K–12 education, the state’s K–12 budget would increase 8 percent.
How does an endowment’s size affect students?
Total endowment funds subject to the tax range from less than $2.5 billion at Amherst, BC, BU, Smith, Tufts, Wellesley, and Williams, to $13.2 billion at MIT and $35.7 billion at Harvard. But endowment size alone does not determine the resources institutions have to spend on their students.
Assuming a 4 percent return on endowment investments (consistent with common university policies limiting endowment spending to between 4 and 5 percent of the endowment’s value), the institutions subject to tax under the Gonzalez proposal have estimated endowment incomes ranging from $2,051 per student at BU to $55,995 per student at Harvard. These restricted and unrestricted funds are spent directly on student aid and on college operations.
Low-income students pay less at schools that would be subject to tax
Colleges and universities argue that they provide critical public services that should be tax exempt. These services include providing large amounts of financial aid to low-income students, educating the public and future leaders, and providing research that contributes to medical discoveries.
One measure of how institutions are serving the public is the number of low-income students that enroll. A crude measure of the number of low-income students is the number of students who qualify for federal Pell grants. Approximately 1 in 10 students at Harvard qualify for federal Pell grants, compared with 1 in 5 at Smith and Amherst. Nationally, high-endowment institutions enroll relatively few low-income students, and the highest-endowment schools tend to be highly selective.
Although high-endowment schools tend to enroll relatively few low-income students, low-income students who enroll pay lower net prices than at low-endowment schools. Though we can’t know how much a university uses its endowment income to subsidize low-income students, we can see how much these students pay at high-endowment schools compared with low-endowment schools.
The average Harvard student from a family earning less than $48,000 a year pays less than $2,400 a year. Except for BU, all the schools that would be subject to tax under the proposal have an average net price of less than $10,000 a year for students from families that earn less than $48,000. The generous financial aid given to many low-income students is made possible in part by income from endowments.
There is a trade-off to the decision to tax college endowments. Colleges and universities with high endowments can use the income from these endowments for important services, including subsidizing cost of attendance for low-income students.
But Gonzalez’s proposed endowment tax could provide $1 billion in additional funding to Massachusetts for critical services, including public K–12 and higher education and transportation. Or maybe this trade-off is unnecessary and the state can find other ways to raise the funds without taxing colleges and universities—the 4 percent tax on individual income above $1 million (proposed as a Massachusetts ballot initiative) would raise twice as much.
People read atop the columns in front of Harvard University's Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library on July 3, 2017 in Boston, MA. Photo by Page Light Studios/Shutterstock. | https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/proposed-massachusetts-tax-college-endowments-could-raise-1-billion-what-are-trade-offs |
July 12, 2018
I grew up near Cincinnati and had been surprised to learn that it is one of the nation’s leaders in adopting whole-child practices. Schott has been examining the adoption of whole-child supports in schools and communities across the country as part of our newly launched Healthy Living and Learning Initiative. I was recently speaking about Schott’s vision and goals for this work with a small group of sector leaders, and was invited by Cincinnati philanthropist, Lee Carter, to come see the work unfolding in Cincinnati.
Over the last five to ten years, there has been a growing movement in local communities across the country to centralize a wide range of services that students and families need in their local public schools. In communities where these whole-child approaches have been adopted, students can receive physical and mental health services, healthy, nutritious meals, and family financial and legal support, among other things in their schools.
The Healthy Living and Learning Initiative aims to learn what is working and accelerate the adoption of those practices in a greater number of communities across the country so significantly more students receive the supports they need to graduate high school and attain a post-secondary degree. After all, it is Schott’s contention that if we had been supporting students and their families for the last 30 years rather than focusing solely on teaching standards and standardized testing, we would surpass countries like Finland for academic excellence. We see bright spots of communities that have taken this approach and as a result low income students and students of color are thriving, such as Great Neck, Scarsdale and suburban Chicago. We want to spread those learnings across the country so all students can thrive regardless of race or zip code.
Lee’s invitation to experience the great work and development in Cincinnati gave me the opportunity to see my childhood community in a whole new light. Lee arranged a two-day visit, giving me ample opportunity to learn about the vast amounts of inter-related work happening in the city to meet student’s needs. While there’s an incredible amount of public and private programs and initiatives taking shape in the city, there were three programs that really stood out to me as the epitome of healthy living and learning:
- Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Support for Child Literacy
Lee is on the board of the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, and from him I learned that the number one child healthcare need in the city is mental health services and early brain development. Dr. Robert Kahn, who co-directs the hospital’s community health efforts, explained that the hospital’s strategic plan includes target metrics around reducing disparities in health and education outcomes. This has led the hospital to adopt the goal of improving childhood literacy and has driven them to build partnerships in the neighborhood with primary care, school-based health centers, the health department and with Cincinnati public schools, among many others.
These partnerships have been made possible by local philanthropic support. Greg Landsman, a City Council member and former Executive Director of Strive, described that “local philanthropic leaders pulled together to form a new fund to invest in early literacy efforts that have real impact and can secure sustainable, public funding.”
This Every Child Capital fund has supported the hospital and community partners in adopting two national child literacy programs: Imagination Library and Reach Out and Read. These programs encourage pediatric healthcare providers to talk to parents about the importance of early brain development and engaging their children in reading and help families build a library of books. If the family agrees to participate in the program, they receive one book every month, so by the time the child is five they will have a 60 book library. This has been a pilot in Cincinnati, and if it proves successful there are plans for the Cincinnati Public Schools to partner and assume the expense of the program. The hospital supports data and quality improvement, and has enabled several pilot schools to make significantly greater progress on their reading proficiency goals than peer schools. Cheryl Broadnax, Assistant Superintendent, remarked that the collaboration has given the teachers the tools to continuously improve their teaching through data, reflective practice, teacher huddles and even student feedback.
While it might be surprising for a healthcare organization to be focused on literacy, the doctors at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital recognize the inextricable link between health, education and family stability, and are reaching across issue area to promote solutions in early childhood education that ultimately will help them better meet the community’s health needs. Dr. Kotagal, the Executive Lead for Community Health explained, “We know that the communities that children live in are a much bigger contributor to their health than the healthcare we can provide. And if a child is not on the right trajectory by age 9, the work to get them on the right trajectory is much harder.”
- City Wide, Community Learning Centers
My visit to Olyer Community Learning Center gave me a chance to see an example of a Cincinnati community school. Over the last ten years, Cincinnati Public School system has transitioned EVERY public school to be a Community Learning Center. These Community Learning Centers reimagine schools as an integral link between education and community. These centers serve as hubs for community services, providing a system of integrated partnerships that promote academic excellence and offer recreational, educational, social, health, civic and cultural opportunities for students, families and the community. Each center has a full-time Resource Coordinator who knows the specific needs of the school, its families and the community, and recruits partners to meet the individual needs of students, impact school success and reflect community interests.
The Community School model in Cincinnati and beyond have proven to be an effective model, especially in neighborhoods where poverty and racism erect barriers to learning, and where families have few resources to supplement what typical schools provide. Oyler is a premier site, serving as an example of what a full-service community center looks like. The school serves close to 700 kids and 4000 neighborhood residents, and offers clinical services for eye and dental care as well as physical and mental health services.
- City-wide Commitment to Pre-K
While the hospital’s literacy program focuses on birth – five years old, the city’s Preschool Promise program aims to fill the gap in access to pre-K to ensure more students are prepared for success in Kindergarten and beyond. Half of the 9,200 three and four-year-old children in Cincinnati live at or below the federal poverty level, and 40% are not prepared for Kindergarten. The funding for preschool tuition assistance has not sufficiently met the demand, so the Cincinnati Preschool Promise commits to increased funding to make quality preschool more affordable for families who need it most. (For more information go to: www.cincy-promise.org)
Ultimately, practitioners seeking education and health equity have long understood that moving the needle will require systemic changes to how our public and private sectors meet the needs of local community members. While there aren’t cities in our country that have completed the process of fully overhauling their systems to achieve healthy living and learning conditions, we see bright spots in communities like Cincinnati where public officials and private citizens are reshaping the structures for resourcing and supporting the needs of all community members in a way that is driven by and for Black, Hispanic and low-income community members. This type of systems change does take time, given that communities are essentially redesigning the racist, inequitable systems that we inherited from past decades of our history, all while continuing to serve the students and families needing support here and now. | http://schottfoundation.org/blog/2018/07/12/eye-buckeyes |
The Women Neurology Group (WNG) and Alliance for Advancement of Neuroscience, a nonprofit organization of over 3,500 female neurologists from around the world with 3,000 active members in the US, have issued a letter to policymakers advocating for the continued use of telemedicine and focusing on service and payment parity across all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
The WNG notes that despite national advocacy efforts for continued use of telemedicine during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, commercial insurers have reduced or stopped payment for telemedicine services as of June 1, 2020. The WNG asks that state government and insurance representatives continue the current policies established by the department of health CARES-Act waiver. This includes payment parity for evaluation and management (E/M) services for new and established patients via telemedicine, elimination of the originating site requirement, modification of direct supervision requirements to allow supervision via telehealth, and coverage of the remote physiologic monitoring codes and telephone services for E/M.
The WNG further advocates that reimbursement for subsequent inpatient and nursing facility visits be determined by medical necessity. They note a need for clear definitions of what is appropriate and reasonable rather use of an arbitrary number applied to all patients without regard for their individual circumstances.
In this letter, the WNG notes that there is much research to show that history taking, discussion, and development of plan of care can be accomplished via a telemedicine platform and reimbursement should reflect this. Research conducted by a survey the Alliance for Connected Care and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia found that 59% of the 500 participants were more likely to use telehealth services now than previously, and 36% would switch their physician in order to have access to virtual care.
The letter is signed not only by the WNG, but also 18 state neurologic societies, 3 academic institutions, 2 State osteopathic societies and 20 patient advocacy groups. | https://practicalneurology.com/news/the-women-neurologist-group-and-the-alliance-for-advancement-of-neuroscience-advocate-for-continued-use-of-telemedicine?c4src=topic:headache-pain:feed |
(In my grade 10 Math Honours class, we chose inquiry topics that interested us and then presented them in front of the class. My inquiry is about the impacts of single-use plastics in our environments and how mathematics can help us determine them. I have also posted a core competencies self-assessment.)
Quick Reflection:
Has your thinking changed about your topic?
Yes, my thinking has changed quite a bit. Before, I knew that single-use plastics gravely impacted our environment, however, I never could have imagined exactly how much. After researching and reading many sources I have come to the conclusion that single-use plastics harm our environment and the organisms living in them, such as humans too. The use of statistics can clearly show us how much and where single-use plastics end up in nature. Whether polluting our streets or changing the animal food chain. Going forward, I would want to research how statistics can change humans’ perspectives of single-plastic use and how much we use. | https://myriverside.sd43.bc.ca/didid2017/2019/01/14/math-inquiry-how-do-mathematics-help-us-determine-the-impacts-of-single-use-plastics-in-our-environment/ |
Note: Your progress in watching these videos WILL NOT be tracked. These training videos are the same videos you will experience when you take the full ProFirstAid program. You may begin the training for free at any time to start officially tracking your progress toward your certificate of completion.
The musculoskeletal system is actually the combination of two specific systems – the muscular system and the skeletal system, including each of your 206 bones. And let's not forget the ligaments, tendons, and joints that hold it all together.
Breaks, strains, sprains, and soft tissue injuries are some of the most common types of injuries that you'll likely encounter, in everyone from the elderly to youth sports participants.
As always, the first thing you want to do is make sure the scene is safe and that your gloves are on. Make sure you have your rescue mask with a one-way valve handy and begin calling out to the victim.
Are you OK? Can you hear me?
If the patient is conscious and responsive, ask yourself if there are other medical emergencies that would warrant calling 911 and activating EMS? If not, continue with your assessment.
Introduce yourself to the victim: "Hi, my name's _____. I'm a paramedic. I'm going to ask you some questions."
"Do you remember what just happened?"
"How much pain or discomfort are you in?"
So long as the patient is conscious, alert, and breathing normally, activating EMS can likely wait while you investigate further, as calling 911 is often not required with these types of injuries.
Pro Tip #1: The real question that needs answering is this: Does this injury require activating EMS, a visit to the ER, or is it something the patient can shake off?
So, how do we answer that question?
With musculoskeletal injuries, the patient will often times be self-splintering – instinctively holding the area in pain – when you find them. That injury will be obvious, so make sure you also look for those that aren't.
"Do you hurt anywhere else?"
Also begin to further assess the injured area. If clothing is in the way, cut around that area to expose the injury. Look for bruising, swelling, some kind of deformity or abnormal angulation, bone fragments, bleeding, etc.
Do you see any signs of a serious injury? Or a developing condition?
How is the victim's skin color? Are the nail beds bluish or pink and normal? Poor circulation can be serious and warrants an immediate 911 call.
Ask the patient how he or she feels. People, especially adults, have a sense of whether or not an injury is serious. With children, you may have to read between the lines a bit and pay more attention to body language and whether they're becoming more concerned about the injury or less concerned.
If the two of you are coming to the same conclusion – that maybe the injury isn't that bad, help them walk it off, so to speak. Assist them in whatever way they need – getting to their feet or by helping to support their body weight.
If it's not bad, as you suspected, they'll be fine. However, if the inverse is obvious, that the patient is in pain and the injury is now causing more discomfort, help them back into a comfortable position, call 911, and help protect and stabilize the injured area as best as you can until help arrives.
Pro Tip #2: If you can safely stabilize an injury, do so. But make sure stabilization won't cause secondary problems, increase the patient's discomfort, or aggravate the injury.
Continue to assess for signs of something more serious. How are the pupils? Is the patient breathing normally? Is the patient still responsive and seemingly alert? And continue to monitor the patient for signs of shock.
Remember, if you begin seeing signs of shock, cover the patient with a blanket or coat and try to keep them as warm as possible. Any signs of shock demand an immediate 911 call.
Injuries to muscles, bones, and joints can be difficult to detect. Knowing the specific mechanisms of the injury will provide important clues about which body parts are likely injured.
There are three basic mechanisms of injury:
There are four basic types of musculoskeletal injuries to keep in mind when assessing patients, each of which is caused by one of the mechanisms above.
Fractures are bones that are broken or damaged – chipped, cracked, etc. Fractures can either be closed, meaning the skin over the injury is intact. Or they can be open, in that the injury is exposed, making it much more serious.
Open fractures are more prone to infection. And they can include excessive bleeding that may be difficult to control.
Dislocations are the displacement of a bone. When a severe force causes a bone to move one joint away from its normal position, this is known as a dislocation.
Dislocations also typically result in ligaments and tendons that have been stretched, torn, or displaced. Shoulders and fingers dislocate more easily than other areas of the body.
Sprains occur when ligaments are torn or stretched. The greater the number of ligaments involved, the more severe the sprain.
Strains are similar to sprains but involve muscles and tendons instead of ligaments. And as tendons are stronger than muscles, making them more resistant to injury, when dealing with strains, they're more likely to involve a muscle than a tendon. | https://www.profirstaid.com/training_video/musculoskeletal-injuries |
The invention relates to a valve for controlling liquids as defined in further detail in the preamble to claim 1.
From European Patent.Disclosure EP 0 477 400 A1, a valve is already known which is actuatable via a piezoelectric actuator. This known valve has an arrangement for an adaptive mechanical tolerance compensation, effective in the stroke direction, for a travel transformer of the piezoelectric actuator, in which the deflection of the piezoelectric actuator is transmitted via a hydraulic chamber.
The hydraulic chamber, which functions as a so-called hydraulic step-up means, encloses a common compensation volume between two pistons defining this chamber, of which one piston is embodied with a smaller diameter and is connected to a valve member to be triggered, and the other piston is embodied with a larger diameter and is connected to the piezoelectric actuator. The hydraulic chamber is fastened between the two pistons in such a way that the actuating piston of the valve member, which piston is retained in its position of repose by means of one or more springs relative to a predetermined position, executes a stroke that is increased by the step-up ratio of the piston diameter when the larger piston is moved a certain travel distance by the piezoelectric actuator. The valve member, piston and piezoelectric actuator are located one after the other on a common axis.
Via the compensation volume of the hydraulic chamber, tolerances caused by temperature gradients in the component or different coefficients of thermal expansion of the materials used and possible settling effects can be compensated for without causing a change in position of the valve member to be triggered.
Compensating for changes in length of the piezoelectric actuator, the valve member or the valve housing by means of the hydraulic chamber disposed between two pistons requires a complicated construction, however, and is problematic in terms of the incident leakage losses and the refilling of the hydraulic chamber. Specifically, the hydraulic coupler requires a system pressure, which drops because of leakage if adequate refilling with hydraulic liquid is not done.
In the industry, in common rail injectors, versions are known in which the system pressure is expediently generated in the valve itself, and a constant system pressure is assured even upon system starting. To that end, hydraulic liquid is drawn from a high-pressure region of the fuel to be controlled and delivered to the low-pressure region at the system pressure. This is done with the aid of leakage gaps, which are defined by leakage or filling pins. However, the leakage losses are often undesirably high, which is a disadvantage.
In versions with a hydraulic step-up means, the highest possible system pressure in the low-pressure region is advantageous. However, then it is often a problem that sealing elements, which seal off the piezoelectric actuator, which as a rule is not fuel-resistant, from the low-pressure region, can withstand only slight pressure, and therefore rapid refilling at elevated pressure cannot be employed.
The object of the invention is to create a valve for controlling liquids which in particular allows slight leakage from the low-pressure region and enables filling of a hydraulic step-up means at elevated pressure.
The valve of the invention for controlling liquids and having the characteristics of claim 1 has the advantage that upon triggering of the piezoelectric unit, only an extremely slight volume is positively displaced out of the system pressure region, so that the continuous leakage of the system, with the valve of the invention, is reduced to a minimum, yet a continuous flow through the hydraulic chamber and thus flushing out of any air that may have entered it are always assured.
The refilling of the hydraulic chamber can advantageously take place at high pressure, so that the fastest possible refilling is achieved. Especially with a valve embodied as a fuel injection valve, the time interval between fuel injections can thus be kept very slight, and as a result high engine speeds can be achieved.
Furthermore, the volume having the system pressure in the low-pressure region can be made quite small. This shortens the required time for filling the system region upon system starting.
A significant advantage of the invention is also that because of the separate disposition of the system pressure chamber, pressure surges on a sealing element that is optionally provided between the low-pressure region and the piezoelectric unit are avoided. Thus in the valve of the invention, the service life of the sealing element is favorably affected, and the magnitude of the system pressure is not limited by the sealing element.
Since a pumping effect with the sealing element and resultant high leakage losses from the system pressure region upon triggering of the piezoelectric unit are averted, the piston diameter and the sealing element can be selected freely without having to take into consideration a possible effective pumping area of the sealing element.
Further advantages and advantageous features of the subject of the invention can be learned from the specification, drawing and claims.
| |
29 Cal.3d 46 (1981)
623 P.2d 268
171 Cal. Rptr. 707
JAMES E. KNIGHT et al., Plaintiffs and Respondents,
v.
MARIA HALLSTHAMMAR, Defendant and Appellant. JAMES E. KNIGHT et al., Plaintiffs and Respondents,
v.
CECELIA DECAPRIO, Defendant and Appellant. JAMES E. KNIGHT et al., Plaintiffs and Respondents,
v.
CLARA BREIT, Defendant and Appellant.
Docket No. L.A. 31235.
Supreme Court of California.
February 13, 1981.
*49 COUNSEL
Ronald L. Rouda, Robert M. Myers and Michael E. Wine for Defendants and Appellants.
Toby J. Rothschild, Marvin E. Krakow, Neil J. Roberts, David B. Harrison, Richard A. Elbrecht, A. Paul Griebel, Kathleen E. Doyle, Laura W. Kaplan, Dorothy Jones, Roger Dickinson, Myron Moskovitz, Richard E. Blumberg, Ronald S. Javor, Charles F. Palmer and Carol Kuntz Lysaght as Amici Curiae on behalf of Defendants and Appellants.
Robert E. Canny and David M. Glasser for Plaintiffs and Respondents.
OPINION
BIRD, C.J.
This court must decide whether a residential tenant may be held to have impliedly waived a landlord's breach of implied warranty of habitability by (1) continuing to live in premises despite knowledge of the defects or (2) failing to allow a landlord a reasonable time to repair before withholding rent. There is the additional question as to whether an unlawful detainer action may be defended based on a breach of implied warranty of habitability where defects in the premises predated the current ownership of the building.
I.
On May 18, 1977,[1] plaintiff landlords became owners of a 30-unit apartment building at 1305 Ocean Front Walk in Venice, California. They had bought the property from a Norman Baker and his parents.
*50 On May 19th, Western Investment Properties Inc. (hereinafter W.I.P.), which had been hired by plaintiffs to manage the property, sent a letter to the tenants indicating there would be a substantial increase in the rent. On May 26th Clara Breit, as representative of the "1305 Ocean Front Walk Tenants Association," sent a letter to W.I.P. stating that the tenants would withhold all future rent payments because of both the state of disrepair of the apartment building and the new rent increases. Neither W.I.P. nor plaintiffs responded to this letter.
When confronted in late May by tenants and the news media, an employee of W.I.P. allegedly indicated that the only repairs that would be made were to the vacant apartments and any common areas. No repairs were contemplated as to the occupied units until they became vacant. In early June, the tenants were served with three-day notices to pay the new rent or face eviction. These consolidated unlawful detainer actions by plaintiffs followed.
At the trial below, evidence was introduced by the tenants that plaintiffs had breached their implied warranty of habitability. The tenants complained of wall cracks, peeling paint, water leaks, heating and electrical fixture problems, broken or inoperable windows, rodents and cockroaches, and the lack of sufficient heat in the apartments. All of these conditions existed before plaintiffs acquired ownership. The defendants had personally complained to the manager about the conditions of their apartments before service of the three-day notices and before plaintiffs' ownership. Some complaints had also been lodged with Norman Baker. Only a portion of the complaints had resulted in corrections.
Plaintiff James E. Knight testified that he had first inspected some of the units during escrow in April, and, in August, had made a detailed itemization of needed improvements. Knight also testified that he had made plans for major renovation of the common areas and exterior, and in June W.I.P. had coordinated bids for renovation of the common areas. Since assuming ownership, Knight had made a few improvements to the common areas. Knight went on to testify that in early June he hired a pest control company to spray the apartments, and that he retained the company on a monthly service basis. When he received a complaint about the elevator shaft, he took care of it and hired an elevator maintenance service to make monthly checks.
*51 In August, Knight had heard some complaints about the lack of heating and about the fact that tenant Breit did not have a heater. He had had the manager install a steam radiator in Breit's apartment in September. The central heating was not turned on at all during the summer.
Knight testified that the tenants had not paid him any rent, and that the reasonable value of the premises was that which was stated in the 30-day notices for rent increases which had been served on the tenants in May.
Jillian Reusch, a property manager for W.I.P., testified that she had received complaints from one of the tenants regarding broken windows and plumbing problems and that she had received the May 26th letter from the tenants' association.
Lawrence Young, a health officer for Los Angeles County, testified that he had inspected a few of the apartments during five visits between June 2d and August 5th. During that period Young noted seven violations which were abated upon his orders. He testified that the violations did not render the building uninhabitable (condemnable) under health department standards. That definition refers to a lack of any water, hot or cold, and to extensive sewage leakage or structurally unsound conditions.
The jury was unable to reach a verdict with respect to three tenants but returned a verdict in favor of plaintiffs against four tenants. These appeals followed, based upon defendants' claim that the trial court erroneously gave certain instructions requested by plaintiffs while refusing to give other instructions requested by defendants.
II
First, this court must address the issue of a residential tenant who continues to live in uninhabitable premises after learning of the defects and whether this fact waives the landlord's breach of the implied warranty of habitability recognized by this court in Green v. Superior Court (1974) 10 Cal.3d 616 [111 Cal. Rptr. 704, 517 P.2d 1168].
In Green, a landlord commenced an unlawful detainer action seeking possession of leased premises and back rent. The tenant admitted non-payment *52 of rent but defended on the ground that the landlord had failed to maintain the premises in an habitable condition. This court held that there is in California a common law implied warranty of habitability in residential leases, and that under this warranty a landlord "covenants that premises he leases for living quarters will be maintained in a habitable state for the duration of the lease." (Id., at p. 637.) Further, a tenant may raise a landlord's breach of the implied warranty of habitability as a defense in an unlawful detainer proceeding. (Id., at pp. 622-629, 631-637.) Recognizing that at least one other court had held that such a warranty generally could not be waived by any provision in the lease or rental agreement, this court in Green stated that "public policy requires that landlords generally not be permitted to use their superior bargaining power to negate the warranty of habitability rule." (Id., at p. 625, fn. 9.)[2] "[T]he severe shortage of low and moderate cost housing has left tenants with little bargaining power.... [E]ven when defects are apparent the low income tenant frequently has no realistic alternative but to accept such housing with the expectation that the landlord will make the necessary repairs."[3] (Id., at p. 625.)
*53 The court also noted that "the increasing complexity of modern apartment buildings not only renders them much more difficult and expensive to repair ... but also makes adequate inspection of the premises by a prospective tenant a virtual impossibility; complex heating, electrical and plumbing systems are hidden from view, and the landlord, who has had experience with the building, is certainly in a much better position to discover and to cure dilapidations in the premises." (Id., at p. 624.)
The declaration in Green of an implied warranty of habitability and of a public policy which generally prohibits waiver of that warranty is consistent with California's statutory pattern of landlord-tenant relations. Provisions of the Civil Code "are to be liberally construed with a view to effect its objects and to promote justice." (Civ. Code, § 4.) Further, "[a]ll contracts which have for their object, directly or indirectly, to exempt anyone from responsibility for ... violation of law, whether willful or negligent, are against the policy of the law." (Id., § 1668.) The Legislature has declared that "[t]he lessor of a building intended for the occupation of human beings must, in the absence of an agreement to the contrary, put it into a condition fit for such occupation, and repair all subsequent dilapidations thereof, which render it untenantable...." (Id., § 1941.)[4]
Section 1942 of the same code provides a remedy by which a tenant may deduct rent payments needed to cure conditions which the landlord should have corrected. This statutory remedy is available only twice in any 12-month period and is not available unless the tenant has satisfied certain procedural prerequisites. However, the Legislature has recently made clear that "[t]he remedy provided by [section 1942] is in addition to any other remedy provided by this chapter, the rental agreement, or other applicable statutory or common law." (Id., § 1942, subd. (d), added by Stats. 1979, ch. 307, § 3; see also Secretary of Housing & Urban Dev. v. Layfield (1978) 88 Cal. App.3d Supp. 28, 30 [152 Cal. Rptr. 342].)
*54 The Legislature has further provided that "[a]ny agreement by a lessee of a dwelling waiving or modifying his rights under Section 1941 or 1942 shall be void as contrary to public policy with respect to any condition which renders the premises untenantable, except that the lessor and the lessee may agree that the lessee shall undertake to improve, repair or maintain all or stipulated portions of the dwelling as part of the consideration for rental." (Civ. Code, § 1942.1; see also Green v. Superior Court, supra, 10 Cal.3d at p. 625, fn. 9.) This last exception is not present here since there was no agreement by a tenant to repair the premises.
(1) In the present case, the trial court instructed the jury that a tenant may not defend an unlawful detainer action upon the basis of a landlord's breach of the implied warranty of habitability unless "[t]he defective condition was unknown to the tenant at the time of the occupancy of his or her apartment." However, the fact that a tenant was or was not aware of specific defects is not determinative of the duty of a landlord to maintain premises which are habitable. The same reasons which imply the existence of the warranty of habitability the inequality of bargaining power, the shortage of housing, and the impracticability of imposing upon tenants a duty of inspection also compel the conclusion that a tenant's lack of knowledge of defects is not a prerequisite to the landlord's breach of the warranty. (See Green v. Superior Court, supra, 10 Cal.3d at pp. 624-625.)[5] Therefore, the trial court erred in giving this instruction.
(2) Next, this court must decide whether the trial court erred when it instructed the jury that a breach of the implied warranty of habitability would be a defense to the unlawful detainer action only if plaintiff landlords had been allowed "a reasonable time to correct the defect while the tenant remained in possession." As pointed out by the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, "[t]he landlord's lack of fault and reasonable efforts to repair do not prolong the duty to pay full rent." (Berman & Sons, Inc. v. Jefferson (1979) Mass. [396 *55 N.E.2d 981, 983]; see also Jarrell v. Hartman (1977) 48 Ill. App.3d 985 [363 N.E.2d 626, 628, 6 Ill.Dec. 812].) Also, it is significant that section 1941 of the California Civil Code speaks of a lessor's duty to put a building into a condition fit for occupation and to repair all later defects which make the premises uninhabitable. At least in a situation where, as here, a landlord has notice of alleged uninhabitable conditions not caused by the tenants themselves,[6] a landlord's breach of the implied warranty of habitability exists whether or not he has had a "reasonable" time to repair. Otherwise, the mutual dependence of a landlord's obligation to maintain habitable premises, and of a tenant's duty to pay rent, would make no sense. (See Green v. Superior Court, supra, at pp. 634, 635.) Accordingly, the trial court erred in instructing that the tenants could not succeed in their defense unless the landlords had been allowed a "reasonable" time to repair.[7]
(3) Did the trial court also err when it instructed the jury in the language of Civil Code section 823? This raises the issue as to whether a residential tenant may defend an unlawful detainer action brought by a current landlord based on uninhabitable conditions which have existed since the tenant entered possession under a former owner.
The trial court instructed the jury as follows: "Civil Code Section 823 provides: Whatever remedies the lessee of any real property may have against his immediate lessor, for the breach of any agreement in the lease, he may have against the assigns of the lessor, and the assigns of the lessee may have against the lessor and his assigns, except upon covenants against encumbrances or relating to the title or possession of the premises."
The court refused the following instruction requested by defendants: "In the present case, the plaintiffs are the assignees of leases entered into between the former owners and defendants. The effect of the assignment *56 is to transfer the interest of the former owners in the leased property to plaintiffs. The plaintiffs stand in the shoes of the former owners, taking their rights and remedies, subject to any defenses which the defendants had prior to the notice of the assignment. The plaintiffs can gain no better position than the former owners had with respect to the subject matter of the assignment."
Defendants contend that the change in ownership from the Bakers to plaintiffs did not terminate the tenants' rights to assert the breach of warranty of habitability defense as to the continuing breaches on the part of plaintiffs. Therefore, instructing the jury on Civil Code section 823 was inappropriate and confusing. On the other hand, plaintiffs argue that Civil Code section 823 applies to the present case because a successor landlord should not be held liable for a previous owner's breach of the implied warranty of habitability.
All parties rely on Standard Livestock Co. v. Pentz (1928) 204 Cal. 618 [269 P. 645, 62 A.L.R. 1239], which dealt with an implied covenant of quiet enjoyment in a lease. There, the court stated that Civil Code section 823 "by its terms relates to `remedies' as distinguished from `rights' and when so considered its meaning is clear. The remedy which a lessee of premises has against the lessor, or his assigns, for an accrued or already created breach of any agreement in the lease passes to the lessee's assigns, and may be asserted by the latter against the lessor or his assigns. The two exceptions expressed in the section are that accrued remedies for already ripened breaches of covenants against encumbrances or relating to the title or possession of the premises do not so pass but remain with the original lessee. But neither of these exceptions nor in fact the section as a whole has any reference to breaches of the lease which have not occurred, nor to remedies therefor which have not arisen prior to the assignment of the lease. The assignment of a lease when legally accomplished transfers to the assignee thereof the right to the enforcement of every unbroken covenant which the lease contains, but does not transfer those ripened choses in action which come within the exceptions in the ... code...." (Id., at pp. 629-630.)
This language from Standard Livestock Co. is not helpful in this case and does not support plaintiffs' contention that the tenants were not entitled to assert as a defense in the present lawsuit a breach of the implied warranty of habitability by the current landlords. There is no cross-complaint by the tenants against a new landlord for damages caused by a previous owner. Nor is there any claim by the tenants for *57 retroactive rent reductions for any period before the change of ownership. Therefore, it is unnecessary to decide such questions as the applicability of Civil Code section 823 to a tenant's affirmative action against a new owner, or whether the implied warranty of habitability is an "agreement in the lease" or a covenant "relating to ... possession of the premises" within the meaning of that section. Similarly, this court need not decide the defendants' contention that the products liability exception to the general rule against imposing liabilities of a predecessor corporation upon its successor should apply in landlord-tenant cases. (See Ray v. Alad Corp. (1977) 19 Cal.3d 22 [136 Cal. Rptr. 574, 560 P.2d 3].)
The undisputed facts of the present case are that all of the defendant tenants had personally complained to the resident manager about various conditions before plaintiffs assumed ownership of the apartments. One day after plaintiffs became the owners, they announced that every tenant's rent would be raised. One week later, plaintiffs' agent was notified of the tenants' complaints and that the rent was going to be withheld. Any plans of the new owners to repair and improve the building did not negate the tenants' defense, since plaintiffs were already in breach of their implied warranty of habitability, if the premises were indeed uninhabitable. Moreover, the change of ownership was an event over which the tenants had no control. Therefore, a tenant may defend an unlawful detainer action against a current owner, at least with respect to rent currently being claimed due, despite the fact that the uninhabitable conditions first existed under a former owner.
The trial court's instruction in terms of Civil Code section 823 may well have confused the jury and caused them to think that the tenants had no defense against the owners if the premises had been uninhabitable before the change of ownership. Accordingly, the court erred when it gave this instruction.
(4) Finally, the tenants contend that the trial court's instructions failed to define adequately the term "habitability." The court's instructions spoke of a "materially defective condition affecting habitability."[8]*58 The trial court refused any instructions which purported to list the specific housing requirements "of state or local law" as contained in Civil Code section 1941.1,[9] the Los Angeles Municipal Code, or the California Administrative Code. Plaintiffs argue that the standards set forth in section 1941.1 of the Civil Code do not apply because the defendants used the breach of the implied warranty of habitability as a defense rather than using the statutory remedy of "repair and deduct" as set forth in section 1942.
Without evaluating the propriety of instructing the jury on each item included in the defendants' requested instruction, it is clear that, where appropriate under the facts of a given case, tenants are entitled to instructions based upon relevant standards set forth in Civil Code section 1941.1 whether or not the "repair and deduct" remedy has been used.
Section 1941.1 begins with the language, "A dwelling shall be deemed untenantable for purposes of Section 1941 if it substantially lacks any of the following affirmative standard characteristics...." The duty of a landlord to maintain fit premises is set forth in section *59 1941, and there is nothing in that section which demonstrates a legislative intent that the duty of a landlord varies based on whether a tenant relies on the statutory remedy of "repair and deduct" or the common law as set forth in Green v. Superior Court, supra. Indeed, the "repair and deduct" statute is explicitly independent of any other available remedy. (See Civ. Code, § 1942, subd. (d).)[10]
III.
Under Green v. Superior Court, supra, a residential tenant may not be deemed to have exempted a landlord from the implied warranty of habitability by continuing to live in uninhabitable premises, and breach of the warranty does not and should not depend upon a tenant's lack of knowledge of the conditions which make the premises uninhabitable. Further, in an unlawful detainer action, a tenant's defense that a landlord has breached an implied warranty of habitability should not depend on whether the landlord has had a "reasonable" time to repair, because the issue is whether the premises are in fact inhabitable. Nor should that defense depend on the fortuitous circumstance of a change in ownership of the premises.
The trial court's erroneous instructions to the jury and failure to set forth properly the standards of habitability were likely to mislead the jury, and therefore the judgment is reversed. (See Henderson v. *60 Harnischfeger Corp. (1974) 12 Cal.3d 663, 670 [117 Cal. Rptr. 1, 527 P.2d 353].)
Tobriner, J., Mosk, J., Richardson, J., and Newman, J., concurred.
CLARK, J.
I dissent.
In these consolidated unlawful detainer actions, the jury after a 15-day trial in September and October 1977 returned a verdict against appellants Maria Hallsthammar, Clara Breit, and Cecelia DeCaprio. The jury was unable to reach agreement as to three other tenants. Pursuant to the jury verdicts, the judgments awarded plaintiffs possession of appellants' apartments and $625 against Hallsthammar and Breit and $575 against DeCaprio. The sums represent five months rent. The appeal is based on a joint settled statement.
The following facts should be emphasized. Plaintiffs purchased a 30-unit apartment building on Ocean Front Walk in Venice, California, on 18 May 1977. They retained the resident manager who had been there 30 years. The following day a letter was sent to each tenant announcing substantial rent increases beginning 1 July.[1] The letter also stated the new owners would immediately undertake extensive refurbishment of the common areas in the buildings. Moreover, tenants were advised to inform the manager of problems and were provided with alternative phone numbers in case the manager was unavailable or emergencies arose.[2]
On 26 May, appellant Breit, as a representative of the tenants association, sent a letter notifying plaintiffs that further rental payments were being withheld because of the existing disrepairs and new rent increases. There was no response to the letter. Some tenants picketed the premises, seeking to dissuade prospective tenants from renting. Incidents of vandalism and harassment of owners were reported.
The evidence as to the apartments of the three appellants reveals an open space existed under the front door of Breit's apartment permitting air and dirt to blow in. The light in the bathroom burned out often necessitating replacement. The refrigerator-freezer door could come off its *61 hinges, and cracks were reported in a window. The living room electrical outlet voltage was insufficient to operate all of the household appliances. Although Breit had had problems with cockroaches, there was no evidence as to how often or how many. After she complained there was no heater, the resident manager installed a radiator for her.
DeCaprio did not testify as to the condition of her apartment. However, the record indicates she reported broken window and plumbing problems sometime in early June. They were repaired. There also had been cockroaches in her apartment but again the evidence did not disclose how often or how many.
The radiator in Hallsthammer's apartment never functioned properly during her rental period; only two of the seven spokes would heat up. And although the leak in her sink was fixed in late June, there were many cracks in the walls and ceilings, and paint peeling near a window. The kitchen light switch was defective. As a result, Hallsthammer had to unscrew the lightbulb to turn off the light. She told the resident manager about these problems many times but did not telephone the owners. Unlike the other two apartments, there were no cockroaches reported.
There was evidence the building's hallways were inadequately lighted and dirty, some carpeting was old and frayed, the lobby area was often dirty and the elevator sometimes failed to stop at floor level. The central heating was turned off in early summer before plaintiffs purchased the building and remained off through the summer and until trial of the instant case in mid-October.
The owners sought bids for renovation after taking possession. They painted the front entrance and some of the hallway French doors and windows. New carpeting was placed in the elevator, hallways and landings. Repairs were made to hallways and back stairway. The owners contracted with a pest control company in June for monthly and on-call service and on 19 June the company sprayed for cockroaches. They also employed an elevator maintenance firm for monthly servicing. They refurbished vacant apartments by repainting, recarpeting the living areas, placing new vinyls on kitchen and bathroom floors, and in about five apartments, converting the bathtub to shower-tub combination. During the rent strike, plaintiffs paid utilities and received from the prior owners a grace period on trust deed payments.
*62 A county health department officer inspected the building on 2 June and four times thereafter. He found seven violations and ordered plaintiffs to abate; plaintiffs complied. The health officer testified the offenses were minor in nature and did not render the premises uninhabitable under health department condemnation standards, to wit when a building or portion of it is totally unfit for human habitation with no fresh water, hot or cold, extensive sewage leakage, or structurally unsound conditions.
Appellants do not claim the evidence establishes the defense of uninhabitability as a matter of law or that the evidence is insufficient to support the verdict. Rather, they challenge certain instructions given and also assert the trial judge erroneously refused other instructions. Before discussing the specific instructions, we must examine the implied warranty of habitability.
The traditional common law doctrine, long followed in California, holds that a landlord, absent contrary agreement, is under no duty to maintain leased dwellings in habitable condition. Furthermore, landlord agreements to repair premises are independent of the tenant's covenant to pay rent. (Green v. Superior Court (1974) 10 Cal.3d 616, 619, 622-623, 634-635 [111 Cal. Rptr. 704, 517 P.2d 1168].)
Pointing out in Green that contemporary urban conditions differ greatly from earlier rural conditions, we approved Hinson v. Delis (1972) 26 Cal. App.3d 62 [102 Cal. Rptr. 661], recognizing a common law warranty of habitability. Green stated that while in earlier times the land itself was the most important element of a lease transaction the typical apartment house dweller could not realistically be viewed as acquiring a landed interest but rather as contracting for a place to live. (10 Cal.3d at pp. 622-623.) For this reason, contractual principles were increasingly applied to lease agreements, particularly those in modern apartment buildings where repairs may be difficult and expensive. Complex heating, electrical, and plumbing systems are often hidden from view and repairs require access to areas solely within the landlord's control. Moreover, tenants are often ill-equipped to make repairs given the short term of leases and inability to obtain financing for major repairs. (10 Cal.3d at pp. 624-625.)[3]
*63 Relying upon commercial law cases involving warranties of fitness and merchantability, modern legislation providing that landlords bear primary responsibility for maintaining safe and clean housing, and Hinson v. Delis, supra, 26 Cal. App.3d 62 [102 Cal. Rptr. 661] as well as decisions of other states, we concluded that warranty of habitability is implied by law in residential leases in this state. (10 Cal.3d at pp. 626-629, 637.)
We defined the implied warranty as a covenant that the premises will be maintained in a habitable state. "This implied warranty of habitability does not require that a landlord ensure that leased premises are in perfect, aesthetically pleasing condition, but it does mean that `bare living requirements' must be maintained. In most cases substantial compliance with those applicable building and housing code standards which materially affect health and safety will suffice to the landlord's obligations under the common law implied warranty of habitability we now recognize. As the Hinson court observed: `[m]inor housing code violations standing alone which do not affect habitability must be considered de minimis and will not entitle the tenant to reduction in rent....' (26 Cal. App.3d at p. 70.)" (10 Cal.3d at pp. 637-638, fns. omitted.)
Green also held that breach of the implied warranty, while a defense in an unlawful detainer action, does not relieve the tenant from paying rent. Pointing out that the trial court could require payment of contractual rent into court pending trial, we recognized that even if the tenant establishes a defense, he remains liable for fair rental value of the premises in the defective condition. (10 Cal.3d at pp. 636-637, 638-639.)
INSTRUCTIONS
A. WAIVER
Appellants claim that the implied warranty of habitability may not be waived and that the trial court erred in instructing the jury that in order to defend an unlawful detainer action on the ground of breach of *64 implied warranty, it must appear the tenant did not have knowledge of the condition at the time of occupancy.[4]
However, it is clear that a tenant aware of the apartment's defects at the time of rental, and aware the landlord has not expressly agreed to repair or improve, may not thereafter withhold rent while defending an unlawful detainer action on the basis of known defects. (Quevedo v. Braga (1977) 72 Cal. App.3d Supp. 1, 7 [140 Cal. Rptr. 143].)
In a free market community, the primary determinant of agreed rent is the physical condition of the premises. The lessor is ordinarily aware of rent charged for comparable properties in nearby locations. The tenant chooses his apartment in light of rent demanded for comparable premises, aware of other apartments offering more or fewer advantages. The relationship between physical condition of the premises and rentals is illustrated by the facts of this case. So long as the rents remained low, the tenants paid the rent notwithstanding the physical conditions assertedly rendering the premises uninhabitable.
Should the tenant be permitted to conclude his bargain aware of the shortcomings of the premises, then later require the lessor to provide improved property at the earlier agreed rental?
Only the most compelling circumstances should prevent the tenant and landlord from freely agreeing the premises shall be leased in whatever condition for commensurate rent, both aware that better premises would call for higher rent. For example, in some of the mild weather areas, tenants may be willing to forego heating facilities in view of the low rent charged. Similarly, willing parties should not be prevented *65 from agreeing the tenant will undertake improving the premises for commensurate rent.
Civil Code section 1941 setting forth landlord duty to place premises in habitable condition provides the duty is imposed "in the absence of an agreement to the contrary."
Green effectively recognized the implied warranty may be waived in appropriate situations. First, in defining the warranty we repeatedly spoke in terms of maintaining the leased premises, duty to maintain habitable premises or duty to repair rather than a duty to construct new improvements. (E.g., 10 Cal.3d at pp. 623, 625, 637.) Similarly, the court spoke of the legitimate expectation of the tenant that the premises will be fit for habitation during the duration of the lease term. (10 Cal.3d at p. 627.) No such expectation exists when the tenant is aware of a defective physical condition upon leasing and the landlord has not indicated he would repair or improve.
Second, much of the reasoning in Green reflects that in appropriate circumstances the implied warranty may be waived. Thus, in Green we analogized to the implied warranty of fitness and merchantability in the sale of goods. (10 Cal.3d at p. 626.) In such sale, the circumstances may negative or exclude the implied warranties. (Cal.U. Com. Code, § 2316; 2 Witkin, Summary of Cal. Law (8th ed. 1973) pp. 1146-1147.) Again, what are the expectations of the parties?
Third, the new common law rules adopted in Green may in some cases create waiver. We held in Green that breach of the implied warranty of habitability creates a defense in unlawful detainer actions on the theory that the breach was directly related to the rent due and thus to the right of possession the issue litigated in the summary unlawful detainer proceedings. (10 Cal.3d at p. 635.) We also recognized that when the tenant establishes breach of the implied warranty, the landlord remains entitled to the fair rental value of the defective premises and unless paid may reacquire possession. (10 Cal.3d at pp. 638-639.) When the contracted rent is equal to or less than fair rental value, the Green rule itself creates a waiver of the implied warranty.
It is true that in Green, footnote 9, we stated that public policy requires that the implied warranty "generally could not be waived by any provision in the lease or rental agreement." (10 Cal.3d at p. 625.) However, the statement refers to general contractual waivers and should not *66 be read to prohibit specific waivers of conditions existing at the time the lease is executed. Otherwise a tenant, fully aware of the defects and having no expectation of landlord repair, could enter a lease at low rent and later refuse payment. The implied covenant should not permit inequitable conduct.
Accordingly, when a tenant is aware of the defect at the time the lease is entered and it is apparent the landlord will not repair, the tenant may not defend an unlawful detainer action on the ground the defect is a breach of implied warranty of habitability. There was no error in instructing the jury that in order to defend on that ground a tenant must establish he was unaware of the defect at the time the lease was entered.
The trial court also instructed that in order to establish the defense of breach of implied warranty the tenant must notify the landlord of the alleged defect within a reasonable time after he discovered it, or should have discovered it. (See fn. 4.)
When a tenant, aware the premises are not habitable, continues to pay the agreed rent without complaint, he reflects that he did not contemplate repairs by the landlord, that in light of the rent charged he is willing to bear the defects, or that he does not consider the claimed defects sufficiently important to render the premises uninhabitable.
In any event, it would be inequitable to permit the tenant to continue occupying the premises for months or perhaps years paying rent without complaint and then seek to recover that rent on the basis of breach of the implied warranty. (Cal.U. Com. Code, § 2607, subd. (3); Greenman v. Yuba Power Products, Inc. (1963) 59 Cal.2d 57, 61 [27 Cal. Rptr. 697, 377 P.2d 897, 13 A.L.R.3d 1049].) In addition, in many cases the cost of repair would be minor whereas the impairment of use would be substantial. Clearly, it would be inequitable to permit the tenant to remain on the premises paying rent without complaint and then recover substantial rent on the basis of breach of implied warranty.
In Pollard v. Saxe & Yolles Dev. Co. (1974) 12 Cal.3d 374, 380 [115 Cal. Rptr. 648, 525 P.2d 88], concluding a warranty of quality exists for sales of new buildings, we imposed the notice requirement. "The requirement of notice of breach is based on a sound commercial rule designed to allow the defendant opportunity for repairing the defective item, reducing damages, avoiding defective products in the *67 future, and negotiating settlements. The notice requirement also protects against stale claims." By analogy and for the same reasons, we conclude there was no error in recognizing the duty in tenants to give notice of the asserted breach within a reasonable time.[5]
B. REPAIR
The trial court properly instructed the jury that in order to establish a defense based on breach of the implied warranty of habitability, the landlord must be given a reasonable time to correct the defect while the tenant remains in possession. (See fn. 4.)
To maintain a cause of action for damages based on breach of implied warranty of habitability the landlord must be given a reasonable time to repair when the tenant remains in possession. (Hinson v. Delis, supra, 26 Cal. App.3d 62, 70; Quevedo v. Braga, supra, 72 Cal. App.3d Supp. 1, 8; see Pollard v. Saxe & Yolles Dev. Co., supra, 12 Cal.3d 374, 380.) The same rule should be followed when the breach is urged as a defense in unlawful detainer actions. As we have seen, the basis for permitting defense of breach of implied warranty in unlawful detainer actions is that the breach affects rent. The tenant's statutory remedies to claim constructive eviction or use one month's rent for repair are similarly conditioned on the landlord's failure to repair within a reasonable time. (Civ. Code, § 1942.) There was no error in the instruction on reasonable time to repair.
C. WARRANTY
The trial court defined the implied warranty of habitability in the language used in Green, distinguishing between "`bare living requirements'" on the one hand and "`"amenities"'" and "aesthetically pleasing condition" on the other. The Green illustrations were also included.[6] (10 Cal.3d at p. 637.) Appellants complain of the court's rejection of lengthy instruction quoting the language of the eight subdivisions of Civil Code section 1941.1 and adding a number of other requirements to define habitable premises. The offered instruction among other *68 things would require the landlord to keep clean every room and bathroom in the apartment house. Obviously, the implied warranty of habitability does not require the landlord to provide maid service to every tenant to clean up his room and bathroom. The trial court was not required to correct the offered instruction. (Shaw v. Pacific Greyhound Lines (1958) 50 Cal.2d 153, 158 [323 P.2d 391].)
D. PRIOR CONDITION
The trial court instructed the jury at the request of appellants that the issue in the case "is whether the owner breached the warranty of habitability at the time defendants were served with a three-day notice in June." The court also read Civil Code section 823 to the jury which relates to remedies against assignees of landlord and tenant. It is claimed that the latter instruction conflicts with principles stated in Green and is confusing. However, Green did not declare the code section invalid and courts of course have no power to repeal or amend statutes. Because the instruction in its entirety was merely a quotation of the code section in its entirety, the instruction stated a valid principle of law, and it is not claimed that the statute was inapplicable. There was no error in the instruction. Had appellants wanted additional instructions explaining the applicability of the code section language to the issues of the instant case, they should have requested additional instructions. They did not request them.
The judgment should be affirmed.
NOTES
[1] All of the events herein took place in 1977 except as otherwise indicated.
[2] As stated by the Supreme Court of Washington, "[a] disadvantaged tenant should not be placed in a position of agreeing to live in an uninhabitable premises. [Uninhabitable] [h]ousing conditions ... are a health hazard, not only to the individual tenant, but to the community.... [S]uch housing conditions are at least a contributing cause of such problems as urban blight, juvenile delinquency and high property taxes for the conscientious landowners." (Foisy v. Wyman (1973) 83 Wn.2d 22 [515 P.2d 160, 164-165]; see also Javins v. First National Realty Corporation (D.C. Cir.1970) 428 F.2d 1071, 1080 at fn. 49, 1082 at fn. 58; Boston Housing Authority v. Hemingway (Mass. 1973) 363 Mass. 184 [293 N.E.2d 831, 843]; Fair v. Negley (1978) [257 Pa.Super. 50] [390 A.2d 240, 243-245]; Teller v. McCoy (W. Va. 1978) 253 S.E.2d 114, 130-131; but see Mease v. Fox (Iowa 1972) 200 N.W.2d 791, 797, 798; see also Moskovitz, The Implied Warranty of Habitability: A New Doctrine Raising New Issues (1974) 62 Cal.L.Rev. 1444, 1448.)
[3] The California Legislature has recognized the dearth of affordable housing in this state. "The Legislature finds and declares that, as a result of public actions involving highways, public facilities, and urban renewal projects, and as a result of poverty and the spread of slum conditions and blight to formerly sound neighborhoods, there exists within the urban and rural areas of the state a serious shortage of decent, safe, and sanitary housing which persons and families of low or moderate income, including the elderly and handicapped, can afford. This situation creates an absolute present and future shortage of supply in relation to demand, as expressed in terms of housing needs and aspirations, and also creates inflation in the cost of housing, by reason of its scarcity, which tends to decrease the relative affordability of the state's housing supply for all its residents. [¶] ... To provide a decent home and suitable living environment for every California family is the basic housing goal of state government...." (Health & Saf. Code, § 50003, subds. (a) and (b); see also Cal. Statewide Housing Plan 1979 Update, Dept. of Housing and Community Development.)
The Legislature has also declared "that the subject of housing is of vital statewide importance to the health, safety, and welfare of the residents of this state" (Health & Saf. Code, § 50001) and that "[u]nsanitary, unsafe, overcrowded, or congested dwelling accommodations constitute conditions which cause an increase in, and spread of, disease and crime." (Id., § 50001, subd. (b).)
[4] Section 1941 of the Civil Code is subject to the exception that "(t)he hirer of a thing must repair all deteriorations or injuries thereto occasioned by his want of ordinary care." (Id., § 1929; see also, § 1941.2.)
[5] It should be noted that the trial court's instructions also required that, in order for a defective condition to be a defense, "[t]he effect on habitability of the defective condition [must not have been] apparent to the tenant upon a reasonable inspection." This instruction suggests that a new tenant has a duty to inspect a residence for defects which may render the premises uninhabitable. If a tenant fails to discharge this duty reasonably, he is barred from using such defects as a defense to an action for unlawful detainer. This imposition of a duty of reasonable inspection on prospective tenants is inconsistent with Green v. Superior Court, supra, 10 Cal.3d at page 624, and the trial court's instruction in this regard was, therefore, erroneous.
[6] Berman & Sons, Inc. and Jarrell appear to reach opposite results as to whether the tenant's obligation to pay full rent continues until the landlord has notice that the premises are uninhabitable. (Compare Berman & Sons, Inc. v. Jefferson, supra, 396 N.E.2d at p. 983, with Jarrell v. Hartman, supra, 363 N.E.2d at p. 628.) In the present case, the trial court's instruction stated that notice to a landlord of breach of warranty was required. That portion of the instruction has not been challenged on appeal. Therefore, that issue is not considered here.
[7] The trial court based its instructions in part on Quevedo v. Braga (1977) 72 Cal. App.3d Supp. 1 [140 Cal. Rptr. 143]. To the extent that Quevedo and Hinson v. Delis (1972) 26 Cal. App.3d 62 [102 Cal. Rptr. 661] are inconsistent with the views expressed herein, they are disapproved.
[8] The trial court also instructed the jury that "[t]he implied warranty of habitability relates to conditions which affect the tenant's bare living requirements. It does not extend to what may be called amenities. Amenities as distinguished from living requirements in some situations include living with lack of or unsightly painting, water leaks, wall cracks or defective or malfunctioning venetian blinds.... Minor housing code violations which do not affect habitability will not entitle the tenant to a reduction in rent."
[9] Civil Code section 1941.1 provides: "A dwelling shall be deemed untenantable for purposes of Section 1941 if it substantially lacks any of the following affirmative standard characteristics:
"(a) Effective waterproofing and weather protection of roof and exterior walls, including unbroken windows and doors.
"(b) Plumbing or gas facilities which conformed to applicable law in effect at the time of installation, maintained in good working order.
"(c) A water supply approved under applicable law, which is under the control of the tenant, capable of producing hot and cold running water, or a system which is under the control of the landlord, which produces hot and cold running water, furnished to appropriate fixtures, and connected to a sewage disposal system approved under applicable law.
"(d) Heating facilities which conformed with applicable law at the time of installation, maintained in good working order.
"(e) Electrical lighting, with wiring and electrical equipment which conformed with applicable law at the time of installation, maintained in good working order.
"(f) Building, grounds and appurtenances at the time of the commencement of the lease or rental agreement in every part clean, sanitary, and free from all accumulations of debris, filth, rubbish, garbage, rodents and vermin, and all areas under control of the landlord kept in every part clean, sanitary, and free from all accumulations of debris, filth, rubbish, garbage, rodents, and vermin.
"(g) An adequate number of appropriate receptacles for garbage and rubbish, in clean condition and good repair at the time of the commencement of the lease or rental agreement, with the landlord providing appropriate serviceable receptacles thereafter, and being responsible for the clean condition and good repair of such receptacles under his control.
"(h) Floors, stairways, and railings maintained in good repair."
[10] However, this court does not attempt to set forth a complete definition of "uninhabitable" conditions or to delineate all instructional requirements for trial courts in particular cases. (See generally Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975) 13 Cal.3d 804, 826 [119 Cal. Rptr. 858, 532 P.2d 1226, 78 A.L.R.3d 393].) For example, the Green case stated that "[i]n most cases substantial compliance with those applicable building and housing code standards which materially affect health and safety will suffice to meet the landlord's obligations under the common law implied warranty of habitability...." (Green v. Superior Court, supra, 10 Cal.3d at p. 637.) On the other hand, "while certainly a factor in the measurement of the landlord's obligation, violation of a housing code or sanitary regulation is not the exclusive determinant of whether there has been a breach." (Park West Management Corp. v. Mitchell (1979) 47 N.Y.2d 316 [418 N.Y.S.2d 310, 316, 391 N.E.2d 1296].) Moreover, particular statutory or regulatory requirements, other than those set forth in California Civil Code section 1941.1, may or may not relate to habitability or be appropriate as jury instructions. A landlord's violation of particular statutory or regulatory provisions which do not by definition affect habitability may or may not result in uninhabitable premises according to particular facts.
In the present case, it is significant that the definition of "uninhabitable" used by Young, the health officer, was not the same standard set forth in Green v. Superior Court, supra, but rather was that used to condemn a building.
[1] Rents for ocean view apartments were apparently doubled.
[2] Only one call was received. Appellant DeCaprio notified the owners of a broken window and leaky pipe. They were repaired.
[3] It was also pointed out that the current shortage of low and moderate rental housing has left tenants with little bargaining power. Enforcement of the implied warranty does not increase the supply of rental housing. If anything, the result will be that some landlords faced with substantial costs in complying with the warranty will tear down their buildings.
[4] The contention is directed to subdivision 2 of the following instruction: "In order to establish a defense to an action for unlawful detainer based on the defense of breach of the warranty of habitability, the tenant must establish the following elements: [¶] 1. The existence of a materially defective condition affecting habitability and including common areas. [¶] 2. The defective condition was unknown to the tenant at the time of the occupancy of his or her apartment. [¶] 3. The effect on habitability of the defective condition was not apparent to the tenant upon a reasonable inspection. [¶] 4. Notice was given the landlord within a reasonable time after the tenant discovered or should have discovered the breach of warranty. [¶] 5. The landlord was given a reasonable time to correct the defect while the tenant remained in possession. [¶] 6. Damages for breach of the implied warranty is [sic] limited to the difference between the rent paid during the duration of the uninhabitable condition and the amount of rent which would have been reasonable taking into effect the amount the rental value was reduced because of the defects."
The instruction was given on the court's own motion.
[5] We are not here concerned with tenant's right to claim constructive eviction or the right to use one month's rent to repair. (Civ. Code, § 1942.)
[6] The jury could reasonably conclude that the complaints asserted by appellants did not meet the test of showing a denial of "bare living requirements" because the complaints were irrelevant to the test such as defective hinges on the refrigerator or were not of sufficient magnitude to meet the test such as the peeling paint.
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DETROIT -- General Motors plans to cut Chevrolet Sonic and Buick Verano production by more than 20 percent and lay off about 100 workers -- the latest result of slowing U.S. demand for small cars.
GM confirmed today that it will "adjust plant production to better align with market demand" at its Orion Assembly plant in suburban Detroit. It plans to lay off about 100 people in phases between July and year end.
Company officials told factory workers at a meeting this morning that production will be reduced to about 26 cars per hour, from 33 per hour today, a 21 percent decrease, according to a plant employee and another person with knowledge of the plan.
GM has cut production at the factory several times over the past year amid lower gasoline prices and a market shift from cars to crossovers and trucks.
The company took single weeks of downtime at Orion in January, March and April. GM said in November that it would lay off 160 workers from the plant, also to slow the line rate. It also plans an additional week of downtime around the July 4th holiday, resulting in a total of three off weeks, instead of the traditional two.
Sales down
Sonic sales fell 29 percent through the first five months of the year to 29,082 cars, amid a 7.2 percent drop in industrywide subcompact sales, according to the Automotive News Data Center.
Verano sales fell 16 percent to 15,279, while industrywide sales of compact cars rose 3.8 percent.
GM's car sales sank 15 percent through May. While hurt by consumers' migration to crossovers in particular, Chevy and Buick car lineups have gotten long in the tooth, making it tougher to compete against fresher models.
The current-generation Sonic has been on sale in the U.S. for nearly four years. The current Cruze compact, Chevy's top-selling car globally, was launched nearly five years ago.
Chevy is set to launch redesigns of several key nameplates in coming months, including the Malibu midsize sedan and the Camaro -- both slated to go on sale in the fourth quarter -- and the Cruze, which will hit showrooms early next year.
Reduced inventories
The previous production cuts at Orion helped to sharply reduce dealer inventories of the two cars, which had ballooned early this year. As of June 1, there were 23,300 Sonics on dealer lots or en route to stores, a 67-day supply -- down from a 216-day supply on Feb. 1. Verano stocks were 6,400, a 51-day supply.
“Both Chevy and Buick continue to use the right balance of sales incentives and production volumes to keep a healthy level of product in the market in an increasingly truck and crossover-focused sales environment," GM said in the statement.
Orion has 1,580 hourly employees and 180 salaried workers. GM is in the process of investing $160 million into the 4.3-million-square-foot factory to prepare for production of the Chevy Bolt starting in 2017, a new electric vehicle that GM says will travel about 200 miles on a single charge. | https://www.autonews.com/article/20150612/OEM01/150619945/gm-to-cut-chevy-sonic-buick-verano-production-amid-weak-sales |
The history of Judo is actually quite easy to document, probably due to Dr Jigoro Kano being born into quite a well off family where he was encouraged to progress with his martial arts. His life story is an interesting one, showing how someone who was only 5'2" tall and weighed just 90 lbs was to become the foremost exponent of his new martial art known as "the gentle way' which, when translated into English is what we now call Judo.
History of Judo
by TonfaGuy
Martial arts owes a lot to Dr Jigoro Kano, the founder of modern day Judo. The history of judo can be traced back to Dr Kano's early years during the the late 1800's.
Dr Jigoro Kano - founder of modern Judo
Dr Jigoro Kano wall poster
Are you a student of martial arts
Where did Judo begin.?
Although Judo is now a world wide sport and studied by 100's of thousands of people around the globe, the history of Judo as a martial art had very humble beginnings. It's founder, Jigoro Kano was born in a small island off Japan call Okinawa, but after the death of his mother Kano's father moved the family to Tokyo where, as a young man he was sent to boarding school.
It was during this time he searched for a martial arts teacher who would give him lessons in the 'martial art' of the day, which was primarily Jiu-Jitsu. His small size made him the perfect target for the bullies at the boarding school and thus he decided by learning a martial art he could at least protect himself. This was frowned upon by Kano's father who wanted him to pursue a more modern sport of the day and not the old fashion arts. Even though Kano's father was, himself, a high level martial artist in various other disciplines.
Kano ignored his fathers words and became a student where they mainly taught a Jiu-Jitsu style of fighting and also using the various other styles of known at that time. Although learning very fast and gaining a high standard, Kano was not satisfied with the methods and teachings of the day which consisted of mainly watching the masters and then practicing by actually fighting. A kind of 'keep trying until you know what you are doing' principle.
These methods of teaching students was not to Kano's liking and, being so small, found himself constantly being defeated by the bigger, heavier students.
This is where Kano found his own methods of martial arts by trying unusual and different techniques on these bigger opponents. Soon he developed many moves that were both unfamiliar and successful on these bigger opponents.
His methods would use the opponents body weight, position and momentum and when yielding to this, he found he would gain the advantage on these opponent's.
This led to Kano quickly defeating the masters in Randori.
*Randori is free practice, in the early days Randori was a close as you could get to actual competition. This form of practice enables student to compete against each other improve their skills.
The success of Kano's new techniques enabled him to quickly become a high ranking student, so much so, that he gained his licence to teach at the age of only 21.
In short "the student had become the master" - no mean feat for someone so young.
A bit of photographic History of Judo
photographic print of students practicing.
It was during this time that many of the old masters died and Kano took it upon himself to continue the art and develop what he had begun into a fully fledged martial art, taking all the good points of many martial arts and incorporate them in his, already large syllabus.
Kano had taken the 'grunt' out of the old methods and developed a more gentle, yet far more effective method of defeating an opponent.
He named his new martial art Judo, which when translated means "the Gentle Way". Exactly the principles and techniques that had led Kano to defeat his bigger opponents.
The new methods of martial art were soon recognised by other students and Kano's ranks of new students began to swell to the point where he officially opened his very first Kodakan Dojo in Tokyo 1882.
A translation of the Kodakan is "a place for the study of the way."
From here on it's just history really with Kano moving to bigger and bigger premisses around the early 1900's and finally to, what is recognised, as the official home of Judo in 1958 to a dojo with over 500 mats available for students.
Quite an achievement for a humble 5'2", 90lb man to develop such a formidable martial art and lead it to become the number one martial art in the world.
Dr Jigoro Kano's statue outside the Kodakan, Tokyo.
Essential Judo Reading
Very rare footage of Dr Kano
In this video Dr Kano demonstrates the principles of the 'the Gentle Way' of Judo
Interesting Judo related wbsites
Priniples of Judo
Judo 'kata' demonstration videos
the History of Judo
Fellow keyboard warriors - Now is the time to start your training - So if you have enjoyed reading this article then please show a little martial arts love and give it a "Thumbs Up" and add you comments.
Thanks, TonfaGuy
Comments
Fascinating! It explains why judo is so suitable for women - like Kano, we too are small and don't have much weight!
Looks good, I would add a few Amazon modules. Other than that the information is interesting making for a nice read. Welcome to Wizzley. :)K
Hi Steve,
I'm not an experienced Wizzler, but this all looks good to me, and very interesting.
Steve, I just joined wizzley myself so I am probably not considered "experienced" with it all quite yet! I can tell you that so far it has been a positive experience and I have enjoyed reading the works of others, yours included! I am not a participant in Martial Arts but but brother started with wrestling, Jiu-Jitsu....competing heavily in both. He is now involved in MMA. I guess in a round about way, I have been very involved in the sport. Keep writing! Sound good to me!
Hi Steve, and welcome to Wizzley! I enjoyed your article. :) I did some karate back in the day, and I used to watch martial arts movies at some point. If my back were in better shape, I'd do some martial arts these days too. But I'm mostly sticking to Pilates. Still, I think martial arts are a great way to work the body and sharpen reflexes.
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A person with intellectual disability is eligible for services. Pennsylvania recognizes the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities’ definition of intellectual disability, which is “a disability characterized by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior as expressed in conceptual, social, and practical adaptive skills.” Under the definition, this disability originates before age 22.
What services are available to support people with intellectual disability?
Most consumers of county ID services are adults, although some children receive services. A variety of community intellectual disability services are available to people with intellectual disability and to their families. Services range from out-of-home residential settings to those that support families who have a relative with an intellectual disability who resides in their home. There are also vocational programs that focus on work opportunities. These programs are designed to enable individuals with intellectual disability to live in their home communities, develop to their fullest potential and become contributing members of their communities.
Pennsylvania has two home and community based service options for individuals with intellectual disability who are eligible for Medical Assistance – the consolidated waiver and the person and family directed support (PFDS) waiver. These waivers are operated by the Department of Public Welfare’s Office of Developmental Programs (ODP). The state also allocates some “base” dollars which counties manage to offer services to individuals who are not enrolled in waivers, or to cover services that are not covered by Medicaid.
What does county government do to help people with intellectual disability?
County MH/ID offices verify eligibility for intellectual disability services which are overseen by the Office of Developmental Programs in the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare. ODP provides the funding allocations, licensing of providers, and regulatory and policy direction to the county MH/ID program. Counties and joinders have all agreed to serve as the administrative entity for the consolidated and person- and family-directed support waivers. This means the counties perform administrative functions defined in a contract between each county or joinder and the commonwealth. Compliance with these activities is required to assure Pennsylvania continues to receive federal Medicaid dollars to support waiver programs. Counties also allocate and manage “base” dollars allocated by the state.
Contact your county’s MH/ID office for more information about local services.
Financial eligibility determinations for Medical Assistance coverage through behavioral HealthChoices are made by the Department of Public Welfare’s County Assistance Offices.
Applications for financial eligibility can be done in person or online. | https://lsbhidei.org/index.php/programs/intellectual-disabilities/ |
The Legendary Moonlight Sculptor Volume 55 Chapter 4 part1
[NOTE ] Thanks to all proofreaders: Armada, Demonwar! & Idzuwan!
Oberon smiled faintly and spoke to Weed beside him.
“I will take care of the defense line. I will stall them until I die, so you have to carry on with the objective. Find the Brazier of Sacrifice and transport the treasure.”
He was only asking for them to take care of the dirty work. He was a great leader worthy of praise.
People like him are the ones who miss promotions because they die at the scene.
Weed did not miss this chance to turn around heart-free.
“I got it. I trust you with this situation. I will personally carve your name on your gravestone.”
He only showed his true colors in the midst of a crisis!
“Hoorah!”
Oberon pinned his shield down on the ground and drew the attention of the draconic warriors.
“All of you come at me at once!”
Weed slipped to the back while the draconic warriors were preoccupied with Oberon and assessed the surroundings.
A tremendous amount of treasure was still stacked inside the lair!
It dwindled down slightly as the dwarves carried some out, but there was still so much treasure left as only ten percent of what was in the lair was moved out.
But it was good that the categorization and organization were being done simultaneously which hastened the speed of transport.
Weed asked the dwarves.
“Did you grab the Brazier of Sacrifice.”
“We don’t have it.”
“We haven’t found it either.”
At first, he felt stuffed just looking at the treasures, but now it was a war against time.
At the lair entrance, dozens of dwarves were desperately pushing back Bademix and the other monsters from penetrating through the defense.
< Bademix surrounded itself with a cloak of special power. All physical damage is converted into mana for 30 seconds. >
The assault squad concentrated their attacks on Bademix, but it was having little effect.
Weed observed the situation and turned his head.
“That overpowered… Nide!”
“Yes, hyung.”
“I don’t know what might happen to us, so we have to find the Brazier of Sacrifice first.”
“Okay. I will help out.”
Weed and Nide began searching through the treasure for the large brazier.
Some treasures formed a peaking tower, and the inside was not clearly visible because they were covered in gold and silvers.
“Brazier… It should be in the form of a brazier. It should be big too.”
“Should we search the places where all the artwork and antiques are?”
“That’s an idea.”
He heard stories that the dragon used it as a heating stove, but even among the artwork and furniture, it didn’t stand out.
Kaybern was indeed on the opposite end of tidiness and organization.
It was like the residence of an independent student that hadn’t cleaned for three years!
Antiques, treasures and jewels were all jumbled.
“Damn, he’s thrown it everywhere like it’s a pile of garbage.”
Weed was troubled that he couldn’t properly examine the piles of treasures which had formed massive mountains.
The hands of adventurer Haruna dispelling the magic traps weren’t too quick either.
“Please hurry!”
“I am doing my best, but we don’t know what kind of dangerous magic traps may await us. I have to confirm each trap one at a time, so going any faster won’t work.”
Haruna had problems of her own to address.
The Cleansing Torch took time to dispel the magic traps, so she could not pick up speed.
“At this rate, we don’t know when we’ll find the Brazier of Sacrifice. We might need quite a long time.”
Weed looked back to the lair entrance, and the attack of the draconic warriors and monsters was brutal.
“Kill the intruders!”
“Eat them alive before Kaybern-nim gets upset!”
“Charge onwards!”
The swarm of draconic warriors and monsters rushed in roaring from the lair entrance.
*Crumble!*
This time, the earth shook.
“This is gravitational magic.”
“Jesus, this is six times stronger than normal!”
From somewhere, a magic spell that applied extreme gravity to the dwarves was activated.
“Fools that entered Kaybern-nim’s haven with no fear. I’m going to extract your hearts and see how big they are. Ku-ku.”
< Lich Smalling controlled the gravity in the area.
All living creatures…
You weaklings will be crushed flat!
Movement is slowed.
Stamina drains more quickly. >
The undead mage lich that defends the lair!
Following Bademix, even the lich Smalling arrived.
The scary thing about gravitational magic was that it was applied over the entire area and therefore could not be avoided.
With low strength, one would instantly fall into a state of incapacitation.
“Hold!”
“Keep your positions. Don’t step out!”
The dwarves were barely maintaining a close formation for defense.
The dwarves were usually like tanks given their exceptional armor and endurance in battles, but the penetration attacks they were facing were too formidable.
If the lair entrance wasn’t narrow, they would have taken gruesome damage by Bademix or the draconic warriors.
They were barely standing, fending off the attacks.
“Weed-nim! My name is Blowhand.”
One of the dwarves ran hurriedly towards him with a chest.
“I was about to move this… There is a magical scroll in it.”
It was a magic scroll crafted by the dragon!
It could be activated without a mage by ripping it apart and could cost a fortune depending on its power.
*Flap!*
Weed was calculating the cost of the scrolls piled up inside the chest.
“It would be a great help to deliver these to the ones in combat.”
His brain which was running at high speed stopped after hearing Blowhand.
“Use rare scrolls…?”
“Yes. The situation calls for it… Would it be unwise?”
Weed heard Blowhand and closed his eyes.
At this very moment, nearby dwarves were watching and listening to him.
Undoubtedly the millions of viewers were watching the live broadcast too.
‘If I turn down his advice now, they will think of me as a cheapskate and a coward.’
In all honesty, he considered himself a cheapskate and a coward.
But, there was a difference between himself being aware and everyone else knowing about it.
It was a small sense of pride that was still left inside him!
Weed swallowed his saliva to prevent his voice from cracking.
“Use it. It is a grave situation, so we have to.”
“Alright.”
The support of magic scrolls began to take effect, leading to a bombardment of magic spells at the lair entrance.
Dozens of monsters and draconic warriors were put away, giving the dwarves some grace time! But, the enemy began rushing in a few moments after.
“I don’t think we can hold any longer.”
Weed couldn’t help but think the same.
They could use the magic scroll at every dangerous moment and bought some time , but this was the dragon’s lair.
All kinds of monsters were pouncing at them.
***
“All houses which shelter humans must be destroyed.”
Kaybern stood on top of the earth and roared.
Castle Bawell was destroyed miserably and only its ashes remained, and the buildings in the city were also razed to the ground.
Bridges were disconnected, and the trees were on fire.
Total destruction! Kaybern inhaled deeply and as he breathed out , he blew down the buildings poorly constructed by the architects to the ground.
The Black Dragon let out a piercing cry as it laid waste to the city.
“Kuuuuuaaah!”
Kaybern roared and flew up into the sky.
Users observing from afar were waiting for Castle Bawell to be destroyed completely.
The dragon’s behavior up until now was a complete and thorough destruction of the target city. Not one building was left standing, typical for dragons.
“Humans… How dare you enter my territory. You have lost your minds.”
The alert magic around the dragon’s lair was activated, and Kaybern became aware of the intruders.
“Oh no.”
“He found out!”
The face of the architects that built Castle Bawell turned pale.
The plan was discovered!
If the dragon were to fly back to its nest this instant, the robbery would be in vain.
“Pathetic. My lair will become your grave.”
Kaybern did not cease to destroy the city.
***
– “Bajo: Weed-nim! We’ve been discovered by Kaybern.”
Architect Bajo at Castle Bawell whispered to Weed and explained the situation.
“This is great… It’s still going to be a while until we get all the treasure out.”
“You low lives, gather this instant and protect the lair of Kaybern-nim, the master of your body and soul!”
The commander of the draconic warriors, Bademix, blew a horn carved from bones.
<The horn’s bellow resounded.>
High and mighty echoes spread to the furthest parts of Ulta mountain pass.
“He’s gathering more of them!”
“It’s already tough as it is!”
Screams came out from the mouths of dwarves.
The group was made up of soldiers and warriors and could hold the entrance barely, but Bademix’s attack threatened the lives of these dwarves with one good hit.
“Push through at all costs.”
“Kill those pest-like dwarves! Flash Rupture!”
The charge of draconic warriors already posed a problem, and on top of that, the lich Smalling added his magic attacks to the dwarves.
Lights flashed, and the air blew up, damaging the dwarves each time.
The users of the assault squad were retaliating as well with ranged attacks.
“The enemy is powerful. But if we hold the narrow entrance, we can endure. Do not step back!”
Oberon let out his War Cry that reinvigorated the dwarves.
At that moment!
A priest in the rear who was preparing to cast a healing spell died and turned grey.
“What? Why did he die?”
The other priests alongside were confused, but a moment later two more lives disappeared.
“It’s an assassin!”
From the defense forces of the dragon lair, another commander-level being appeared.
“Hurry and protect the rear!”
“Everyone stay alert and light up the surroundings to keep away the darkness.”
Some of the assault soldiers sprinted to defend the priests and the mages. Then, they spotted a translucent figure in the darkness that blended into the ceiling and escaped.
“Just how many of these Bademix-like guys are there?”
“Just defend. Protect them!”
More casualties occurred from the dwarves and the assault squad.
Swift Coldwind: “Nearby monsters are all directed to the lair.”
Weed observed the situation anxiously.
“I know.”
– Swift Coldwind: “Ah, yes. I thought you would have noticed that already but what I mean to say is that all monsters within a 10 km radius are headed that way!”
“…”
Additional reinforcements.
From the dungeons and demon lairs, fearsome high-level monsters were spawning.
Shockingly, they were all headed for the dragon lair. | https://kisslightnovels.info/novel/the-legendary-moonlight-sculptor-novel/the-legendary-moonlight-sculptor-chapter-612/ |
The American Revolution was not only a European media event because it was discussed throughout the European media, but also due to the fact that news from North America flowed from one European country to another. Often courier networks emerged that covered numerous cities – from Amsterdam and London to Vienna and Moscow. Interpretations of the events in North America by the media in the individual countries primarily aimed to relate them to domestic lines of political conflict. Nevertheless, there were also common European aspects. In many places, the debate on the rights and wrongs of the Americans and British contributed to the development of a critically reasoning political public. In addition, Europeans projected their sympathies and antipathies onto America. The media strategies used by the rebels to canvass support in Europe were astonishingly modern.
In summer 1776, at a castle near Paris, the owner's birthday is being celebrated. The guests have begun to devote themselves to merry games in the castle's English garden. A young couple ensconced at the entrance to an artificial grotto talk about the ideas of the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778) that are currently being put into practice on the other side of the world, in distant America. At this moment, Pierre de Beaumarchais (1732–1799) a writer of comedies and jack-of-all-trades enters the scene. He is an ardent supporter of the cause of American freedom and devotes his entire energy to organising arms deliveries to the rebels.1 He excuses his lateness with the fact that he has been reading the latest post from the New World. He has one of the letters with him, and he requests permission to read it out to the gathered guests. Beaumarchais positions himself on a hillock under a maple tree, the symbol of North America. In his hands, he holds the Declaration of Independence with which the 13 American colonies founded an independent state a few weeks earlier on 4 July 1776. In an emotional delivery Beaumarchais translates the contents of the Declaration into French: America's justification to the world, the appeal to natural law, human rights and the right of revolution, the accusations against the British king. His audience, among whom the castle servants have also intermingled, listens spellbound. Every listener feels that this declaration is of great relevance for his or her personal life.
However, Feuchtwanger's depiction is realistic in another respect: the Declaration of Independence arrived in the hands of its French admirer by post. All channels of information in this period depended on the post and its speed.4 Information from the New World came to Europe by ship and in most cases the delivery took between three and four weeks. It first arrived in London, Paris and Amsterdam and reached the countries of central northern Europe one to two weeks later; the dissemination among the northern, eastern and southern peripheries of Europe took another two weeks.5 One can retrace this flow of information by the dates on which the Declaration of Independence was published in the European newspapers: it appeared in the beginning and middle of August 1776 in British, French and Dutch newspapers,6 on 24 August in the Hamburgische Unpartheyische Correspondent7 and, at the same time, in the Polish press,8 at the end of August in the Göteborgs Allehanda9 and, finally, in two parts on 31 August and 11 September in the Wienerisches Diarium,10 to name just a few.
The fact that the Declaration of Independence was composed so as to have a powerful media impact makes clear how much the American politicians valued the importance and significance of such an effect. They had reached this conclusion through their experience in their own country. The American patriots could never have come together as a political party if they had not built up a network of correspondence and if many of the recently founded newspapers had not ensured that like-minded people in the 13 colonies could learn of one another and come to an agreement on a common platform regarding their interpretation of the situation and political goals.11 The communication between the colonies and the home country was outstripped by the communication in the colonies themselves. As a result, the borders between the 13 colonies became increasingly less important. Both aspects became significant contributing factors to American nation building.12 Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790), one of the founding fathers of the USA, was directly involved in this process: as the postmaster general of the colonies he intensified and speeded up the post,13 and as a printer, publisher and newspaper editor, he brought publications onto the market that profited from the improved connections.
The skill with which the American patriots took advantage of public news coverage is demonstrated by the event that still today is seen as the opening of the struggle for independence: the Boston Tea Party. In order to express their opposition to British tax policy, the patriots organised a spectacular demonstration: dressed up as Mohawks, they stormed the trading ships of the East India Company and threw their cargo, several hundred crates of tea, overboard. This created an "unheard-of incident", about which the journalists of the Boston Gazette were well placed to report (they had been deeply involved in its preparation)14 and news of the event spread like wildfire. Other forms of resistance against the colonial power could have been more effective, but they would have generated less public commotion. In contrast, the Boston Tea Party as a performative act strikingly expressed the American interpretation of the conflict: the Indians as the contemporary symbol for America15 defended themselves against the indignities of British trade policy. The extension of the bone of contention from the specifics of tax policy to trade policy in general increased the potential for other states also suffering from the British trade monopoly in Northern America to identify with the patriots. The fact that the patriots were opposing this monopoly aroused the interest of third-party powers who caught whiff of an opportunity to increase their own share in the lucrative Atlantic trade.
As expected, the descriptions and pictures of the events in Boston circulated the media of the world, leaving behind deep impressions in the collective imagination. The idea of freedom, which is otherwise somewhat abstract and indefinite, acquired specificity, became tangible in this dramatic scenario. In America itself, the Boston Tea Party became a model for many similar demonstrations in other ports.16 On a global scale, it enjoyed over the following 250 years a career not only as a multimedia vehicle for the memorialisation of the American Revolution, but also as a pattern for numerous boycott movements against the goods of current or former colonial masters or domineering trading partners.
This was precisely the frame of reference within which the British viewed the escalation of the conflict with the American patriots after 1773: members of the opposition emphasised the justice of the American critique of virtual representation, the population's lack of a voice in tax policy and the arrogance of the monarch.20 The conservatives, however, asserted that the Americans were represented adequately in parliament, which demanded, in their eyes justifiably, that the Americans also contribute to reducing the mountain of debt that had developed during the Seven Years War (1756–1763), fought, amongst other reasons, to defend the political and religious freedoms of the colonialists against France and Spain. According to them, refusing to pay these taxes was a sign of ingratitude and weakened the authority of parliament, which more than any other institution embodied the political freedom of the British.21 In America itself, the patriots and the loyalists fought each other with the same arguments. Great Britain and the American colonies formed a common space of political communication, in which the antagonisms between the home country and the colonies were not the decisive line of conflict, but rather the positions in the debates on the reform or conservation of the political system created in 1689.
Military developments, in particular, attracted considerable interest among the public. Readers followed strategic plans and their practical implementation step for step. The depictions were so detailed that even individual desertions of Hessians (German soldiers hired out by their ruler) found mention.37 The conduct of the military leaders was closely observed and received praise and criticism. When, after the capitulation of Saratoga, the British general John Burgoyne (1722–1792) had to answer to the House of Commons, the press also took part in the debate on the supposed failure of the commander.38 The public repeatedly criticised the fact that unsuitable individuals whose misconduct inflicted considerable damage to the nation achieved the highest offices.
In addition to texts, images also played an important role in the mediatisation of the American Revolution. Copper engravings, woodcarvings and etchings, which had been distributed in Europe since the invention of printing as broadsheets, depicted individuals and events from the War of Independence. In the 18th century, they migrated to the new printing medium of the journal, where they were published in a more permanent form. An example was the monthly London Magazine, a journal of the opposition which, among other things, regularly printed political caricatures.46 In painting, which generally dignified events from the distance of many years, the most prominent artists were two Americans whose lives are linked to Britain: John Singleton Copley (1737–1815) and John Trumbull (1756–1843). Copley's large-scale painting The Death of Major Pierson47 from 1783, which takes as its subject the failed French invasion of the British Channel Island Jersey in January 1781, is still today one of the best-known contemporary pictures of the American War of Independence.48 Trumbull himself participated in the war on the side of the Americans; his pictures examine death in battle, but also the momentous capitulations of British forces at Saratoga and Yorktown. The war at sea was depicted by the naval painter Thomas Whitcombe (ca. 1760–ca. 1824), who later achieved fame with his portrayals of the Wars of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. From the context of the American War of Independence, he painted the Repulse of the Floating Batteries at Gibraltar in 1782 and the Battle of the Saintes in 1783.
Other than this, the question of the hired German soldiers, the "Hessians" as the Americans called them, did not cause great controversy in the German press. The trade with soldiers was so normal in the 18th century that only decidedly Enlightened thinkers and humanists were repelled by it. The political and legal questions that lay at the heart of the conflict between the Americans and British were discussed much more intensively. Here, most papers sought to capture the entire spectrum of viewpoints and arguments. Support for just one side was rare;78 indeed, even Schubart's Deutsche Chronik failed to maintain such a stance. It would be an exaggeration to talk of the division of the German public sphere into pro-British and pro-American camps that shaped the lines of conflict between conservatives and liberals.79 One of the few newspapers to adopt a clear side – in this case for London – was the Stats-Anzeigen of the Gottingen professor August Ludwig Schlözer (1735–1809), who, however, had to put up with the accusation that he did so out of Hanoverian-British reasons of state.
The research has established that the arguments and views on the American Revolution that circulated in the German media often did not depict a realistic picture of the political relations in the New World. The depiction and interpretation remained stuck at the level of the American-British debate in the 1760s, characterised by the colonists' desire for freedom and London's interest in having them contribute to financing the empire.83 The new discussions on the establishment of a republican system and its constitution and institutions that had been current in America since 1776 did not find an echo in Germany.84 Perhaps this is also explained by the missing link to domestic questions – the concrete formation of a republic was by no means on the German political agenda. It was only possible to get across a general, emotion-laden desire for freedom,85 a Rousseau-like enthusiasm,86 which fitted the mood of Sturm und Drang,87 and an Enlightened discourse on balancing the rights of the state and its subjects.
In Russia, too, the market for newspapers was poorly developed. The only newspapers were the Moskovskie Vedomosti ("Moscow Gazette") and the Sankt-Peterburgskie Vedomosti ("St. Petersburg Gazette"); the former was published by the University of Moscow, the latter by the Russian Academy of Sciences.102 Both newspapers provided regular and detailed reports of the American Revolution and contextualised them expertly within world politics. The Sankt-Peterburgskie Vedomosti took most of its information from the Hamburgische Unpartheyische Correspondent. The dependency on this link in the flow of news from North America meant that the Russian public only learned of the American events with a delay of more than two months. Thus, the capitulation of Burgoyne at Saratoga on 17 October 1777 was first reported in the Sankt-Peterburgskie Vedomosti in the two issues of 19 December 1777 and 9 January 1778.
Franklin was, therefore, an experienced media strategist and became a medium himself – perhaps the most successful medium that was working on America's behalf. At least, this is true of the first years of Franklin's stay in France before the rise of general Gilbert de Lafayette (1757–1834)[ ], who in summer 1777 joined the American army as a nobody and reached the peak (for the time being) of his popularity during his triumphal return to France in December 1781. Franklin's media impact was of preeminent importance for the rebellious colonies. Weaker than the British Empire with regard to all other instruments of power, the Americans' final success is partially explained by the skilful public relations campaign which ensured that they could win powerful allies, above all France.
The American Revolution was a European media event on a number of levels. Firstly, it achieved a loud echo throughout the European public. This is hardly surprising as there were numerous countries directly involved in the war, while others – through the League of Armed Neutrality – were at the least politically entangled in it. There was frequent, detailed reporting, including many articles providing analysis and background information. Much of the print media drew its information from foreign printed material, so that the flow of information literally criss-crossed all over Europe. The same was true of the network of correspondence between political figures and private individuals. Above all the political journals that had emerged in the 18th century provided commentary and opinion. This adoption of views, but also the readers' letters in the newspapers, marked a change in reporting on politics from pure depictions to critical reasoning. The clash of opinions, which had traditionally taken place in pamphlets, forced its way into the periodical press media. In this respect, the discourse on the American Revolution promoted and mirrored the implementation of the forms of communication of the Enlightenment in Europe.
In addition, the broad stream of news from North America meant a global extension of Europe's horizons. The visual media, which have to date not been sufficiently researched, made a contribution to this. The position that Europe adopted towards North America is characterised by a high level of ambivalence. On the one hand, the former colonies and Europe continued to grow towards each other to form a single cultural space;131 i.e. a politico-cultural extension of Europe took place. However, the conceptual polarity of "New" and "Old" World exposed that Europe as a whole also defined itself in contrast to America; indeed from the high ground of the Enlightened thinkers inspired by Rousseau, Europe was regarded as backward, even decadent.
On the whole, the perception of the United Colonies or States was shaped by interpretative interests and stylisations. The analysis of the media representation of the American Revolution shows how the events and ideas from North America were reinterpreted for the particular needs of each individual country. In this way a tradition developed that has continued to influence the present: for the last almost 250 years, Europeans have used America as a space onto which they project their own hopes and fears, be it in the form of Americanism or that of anti-Americanism, in order to construct their own identities.
[Anonymous]: Londen vom 16. Augusten, in: Wienerisches Diarium, No. 70 from 31/08/1776, p. 9 [Appendix], online: http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/anno?apm=0&aid=wrz&datum=1776&zoom=2 [28/07/2010].
[Anonymous]: Londen den 26. August, in: Wienerisches Diarium, No. 73 from 11/09/1776, pp. 10–11 [Appendix], online: http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/anno?apm=0&aid=wrz&datum=1776&zoom=2 [28/07/2010].
[Anonymous]: Untitled, in: Gazette de Leyde, No. 99 from 12/12/1777, p. 4, online: http://www.gazettes18e.fr/gazette-leyde/annee/1777/page/2457/zoom/0.5 [28/07/2010].
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^ For a biography of Beaumarchais and his support for the rebels, see Perkins, France in the American Revolution 1970, pp. 70–118.
^ Feuchtwanger, Die Füchse im Weinberg 1983, pp. 69–84.
^ Armitage, Declaration of Independence 2007, pp. 14, 25; Heideking, Geschichte der USA 1996, pp. 40ff.
^ Wilke, Nachrichtenauswahl und Medienrealität 1984, p. 35.
^ Dippel, Germany and the American Revolution 1978, p. 17; see also Depkat, Amerikabilder in politischen Diskursen 1998, pp. 66ff.
^ Lutnick, The American Revolution and the British Press 1967, p. 75.
^ Wilke, Die Berichterstattung über die Amerikanische Revolution 1992, p. 72.
^ Libiszowska, L'Opinion Polonaise 1970, p. 988.
^ Gerste, Schweden und die Amerikanische Revolution 1994, p. 102.
^ [Anonymous], Londen vom 16. Augusten 1776, p. 9 [Appendix]; [Anonymous], Londen den 26. August 1776, pp. 10–11 [Appendix].
^ Schlesinger, Prelude to Independence 1979, p. 4; Brown, Knowledge is Power 1989, p. 248f.; Heideking, Geschichte der USA 1996, p. 34; Elliott, Empires of the Atlantic World 2006, p. 331; Wellenreuther, The Revolution of the People 2006, passim.
^ Deutsch, Nationenbildung – Nationalstaat – Integration 1972, p. 44.
^ Franklin occupied this position from 1753 together with William Hunter (1754–1827). See Franklin, Autobiographie 2010, p. 181.
^ Colley, Britons 2003, p. 134; Duprat, De l'indienne à l'aigle 2005, pp. 112–116.
^ Wilke, Die Berichterstattung über die Amerikanische Revolution 1992, p. 86.
^ For example, see Hinkhouse, The Preliminaries of the American Revolution 1926, p. 199.
^ Plumb, The Impact of the American Revolution 1976, p. 70.
^ Clark, British Opinion 1966, p. 152; O'Gorman, The Parliamentary Opposition 1998, pp. 87ff.
^ Colley, Britons 2003, pp. 135, 137.
^ Lutnick, The American Revolution and the British Press 1967, p. 76.
^ ibidem, pp. 120ff., 154; Plumb, The Impact of the American Revolution 1976, p. 69; Bickham, Making Headlines 2009, p. 250. If one examines the all-European situation, one notices that confessional or politico-confessional arguments in the discussion on the American Revolution barely played a role – perhaps as a result of the develelopment towards secularisation driven by the Enlightenment.
^ Clark, British Opinion 1966, pp. 178f.
^ Bickham, Making Headlines 2009, p. 16.
^ Clark, British Opinion 1966, p. 280.
^ Lind, John: An answer to the Declaration of the American Congress, London 1776, online: http://www.archive.org/details/cihm_20519 [28/07/2010].
^ ibidem, p. 261; Armitage, Declaration of Independence 2007, pp. 75, 83.
^ Conway, The War of American Independence 1995; Conway, Britain and the Impact of the American War 1995, pp. 127–150.
^ [Anonymous:] Without Title, in: Gazette de Leyde, No. 99 from 12. Dezember 1777, p. 4, "The whole nation is in the greatest consternation" [transl. by C.G.].
^ Colley, Britons 2003, p. 145.
^ Bickham, Making Headlines 2009, p. 253.
^ Armstrong, War and Culture 1980, pp. 1–28.
^ Bickham, Making Headlines 2009, p. 227.
^ Wead, British Public Opinion 1929, p. 528.
^ Lutnick, The American Revolution and the British Press 1967, p. 42.
^ ibidem, p. 44; Bickham, Making Headlines 2009, p. 202.
^ Lutnick, The American Revolution and the British Press 1967, p. 150.
^ Renaut, Les Provinces-Unies et la Guerre d'Amérique 1924, pp. 252–282.
^ For more on this paragraph, see Heilman, America in English Fiction 1968, pp. 86–134.
^ Mischek, Die Konstruktion nationaler Identitäten 2008, pp. 81–146.
^ The name is spelled both as Pierson and Peirson.
^ Conway, American Independence, p. 201.
^ For more on the following paragraph, see Schulte Nordholt, The Impact of the American Revolution 1976, pp. 41–63; Schulte Nordholt, The Dutch Republic and American Independence 1982, passim; Schulte Nordholt / Wim Klooster, The Influence of the American Revolution 2000, pp. 545–549.
^ Edler, The Dutch Republic 1971, p. 169, note 4; Palmer, The Impact 1976, p. 9.
^ Schulte Nordholt, The Impact of the American Revolution 1976, p. 46; Wilke, Grundzüge 2008, pp. 92f.
^ Depkat, Amerikabilder in politischen Diskursen 1998, p. 70.
^ Ascoli, The French Press and the American Revolution 1978, p. 48.
^ Wead, British Public Opinion 1929, p. 529.
^ On the reliability of the news in general, see Mauelshagen, Netzwerke des Nachrichtenaustauschs 2005, pp. 423f.
^ Würgler, Medien in der Frühen Neuzeit 2009, p. 131. For a few examples of such "rumours" in the British press, see Lutnick, The American Revolution and the British Press 1967, pp. 22, 81f., 148, 187, 220.
^ Dippel, Germany and the American Revolution 1978, p. 18.
^ Wilke, Nachrichtenauswahl und Medienrealität 1984, p. 133.
^ Dippel, Germany and the American Revolution 1978, p. 14.
^ King, Echoes of the American Revolution in German Literature 1929, pp. 174, 179.
^ For example, see Walz, The American Revolution and German Literature 1901, pp. 225–231.
^ Wilke, Die Berichterstattung über die Amerikanische Revolution 1992, p. 103. One can estimate that the circulation of all German newspapers in this period added up to about 300,000, giving about three million newspaper readers in the Holy Roman Empire. See Wilke, Grundzüge der Medien- und Kommunikationsgeschichte 2008, p. 93.
^ Wilke, Die Berichterstattung über die Amerikanische Revolution 1992, pp. 70, 78f.; Wilke, Agenda Setting 1995, pp. 63ff.
^ Gallinger, Die Haltung der deutschen Publizistik 1900, p. 9; Dippel, Germany and the American Revolution 1978, p. 35.
^ Wilke, Die Berichterstattung über die Amerikanische Revolution 1992, p. 95.
^ ibidem, pp. 89, 104.
^ Lindemann, Deutsche Presse 1988, p. 196. An overview of the titles can be found in Böning, Periodische Presse 2002, pp. 382–455; see also Würgler, Medien in der Frühen Neuzeit 2009, p. 43.
^ Blome / Depkat, "Civilisirung" 2002, p. 8.
^ Warneken, Schubart 2009, pp. 120f., 140.
^ Gallinger, Die Haltung der deutschen Publizistik 1900, p. 13; Dippel, Germany and the American Revolution 1978, p. 230.
^ Warneken, Schubart 2009, p. 152.
^ Myers, "Für den Bürger" 1990, pp. 168–187.
^ Warneken, Schubart 2009, pp. 154–161.
^ ibidem, pp. 247f. On censorship in general, see Würgler, Medien in der Frühen Neuzeit 2009, pp. 122–126.
^ Dippel, Germany and the American Revolution 1978, p. 23.
^ Blome / Depkat, "Civilisirung" 2002, pp. 109, 113.
^ Gallinger, Die Haltung der deutschen Publizistik 1900, pp. 68f.; Palmer, Der Einfluss der amerikanischen Revolution 1960, p. 40. For more on this, see Brown, American Independence Through Prussian Eyes 1959.
^ Benna, Contemporary Austrian Views 1976, passim.
^ Dippel, Germany and the American Revolution 1978, p. 332.
^ Blome / Depkat, ''Civilisirung'' 2002, p. 96.
^ The movement of Sentimentalism had regarded Britain as the empire of freedom; as a result of the events in North America, this was only true with qualifications for Sturm und Drang. On this, see the already pointed views in King, Echoes of the American Revolution 1929, p. 186.
^ Dippel, Germany and the American Revolution 1978, p. 329; Blome / Depkat, ''Civilisirung'' 2002, p. 87; Wilke, Grundzüge der Medien- und Kommunikationsgeschichte 2008, p. 87.
^ Dippel, Germany and the American Revolution 1978, p. 50.
^ These engravings served as illustrations for a historiographical account: Sprengel, Matthias Christian: Allgemeines Historisches Taschenbuch oder Abriss der merkwürdigsten neuen Welt-Begebenheiten enthaltend für 1784 die Geschichte der Revolution von Nord-Amerika, Berlin 1783, online: http://www.archive.org/details/allgemeineshisto00spre [06/09/2011].
^ Dippel, Germany and the American Revolution 1978, p. 119.
^ Gerste, Schweden und die Amerikanische Revolution 1994, pp. 141, 146, 179ff.
^ King, Echoes of the American Revolution in German Literature 1929, p. 185.
^ Dippel, Germany and the American Revolution 1978, p. 29.
^ On this and the following discussion, see Sokol, The American Revolution and Poland 1967, pp. 7f.
^ The Declaration of Independence was, however, not published in the local language until 1783. See Libiszowska, L'Opinion Polonaise et la Révolution Américaine au XVIIIe Siècle 1970, p. 989.
^ Palmer, The Impact of the American Revolution Abroad 1976, p. 15.
^ Haiman, Poland and the American Revolutionary War 1932, pp. 8, 17–32; Haiman, Polish Past in America 1939, pp. 29–34; Haiman, Kosciuszko in the American Revolution 1975, passim.
^ On this and the following discussion, see Bolkhovitinov, Russia and the American Revolution 1976, pp. 120–151.
^ Boden, Das Amerikabild im russischen Schrifttum 1968, pp. 31f.
^ ibidem, pp. 35, 44.
^ Rogger, The Influence of the American Revolution in Russia 2000, p. 554.
^ Bolkhovitinov, Russia and the American Revolution 1976, pp. 1ff., 31ff.
^ Bolkhovitinov, The American Revolution and the Russian Empire 1976, p. 82.
^ On this paragraph, see Goggio, Italy and the American War of Independence 1929, pp. 25–34.
^ Bustos-Rodriguez, L'Espagne et la guerre d'Indépendance 2008, pp. 73ff.; see also Cummins, Spanish Observers and the American Revolution 1991, passim.
^ Rodríguez, The Impact of the American Revolution 1976, pp. 101–125; Mañe, The Impact of the American Revolution on Spain 1976, pp. 167f.
^ Rodríguez, The Impact of the American Revolution 1976, p. 106.
^ Palmer, Der Einfluss der amerikanischen Revolution auf Europa 1960, p. 39; Palmer, The Impact 1976, pp. 10f.
^ Perkins, France in the American Revolution 1970, pp. 209f.; Palmer, Der Einfluss der amerikanischen Revolution auf Europa 1960, p. 34.
^ Elliott, Empires of the Atlantic World 2006, p. 332.
^ Ascoli, The French Press and the American Revolution 1978, p. 50.
^ Lecercle, L'Amérique et la guerre d'Indépendance 1981, p. 21; Censer, The French Press 1994, p. 16.
^ Lecercle, L'Amérique et la guerre d'Indépendance 1981, p. 27; Censer, The French Press 1994, p. 27.
^ Fohlen, The Impact of the American Revolution on France 1976, pp. 29f.
^ Elliott, Empires of the Atlantic World 2006, p. 346.
^ Ascoli, The French Press and the American Revolution 1978, p. 47.
^ Morgan, Benjamin Franklin 2006, p. 227.
^ Lecercle, L'Amérique et la guerre d'Indépendance 1981, p. 30.
^ To this network belonged, for example, the Viennese court physician and native Dutchman Jan Ingenhousz (1730–1799), which meant that the Austrian Court often learned about the important events very quickly. See Dippel, Germany and the American Revolution 1978, p. 62.
^ Ascoli, The French Press and the American Revolution 1978, pp. 48f.
^ Morgan, Benjamin Franklin 2006, p. 230.
^ For more on this in general, see Aldridge, Franklin et ses contemporains français 1963.
^ For the example of Sweden, see Gerste, Schweden und die Amerikanische Revolution 1994, p. 67; for Germany, Wilke, Die Berichterstattung über die Amerikanische Revolution in der deutschen Presse 1992, p. 92.
^ Fohlen, The Impact of the American Revolution on France 1976, p. 33.
^ Lecercle, L'Amérique et la guerre d'Indépendance 1981, p. 26.
^ Armitage, The Declaration of Independence 2007, p. 13.
by Frank Becker Becker, Frank: The American Revolution as a European Media Event, in: Europäische Geschichte Online (EGO), hg. vom Leibniz-Institut für Europäische Geschichte (IEG), Mainz European History Online (EGO), published by the Leibniz Institute of European History (IEG), Mainz 2011-09-30. URL: http://www.ieg-ego.eu/beckerf-2010-en URN: urn:nbn:de:0159-2011081848 [JJJJ-MM-TT][YYYY-MM-DD]. | http://ieg-ego.eu/en/threads/european-media/european-media-events/american-revolution |
[Effect of light and heat on the stability of furacilin aqueous solution].
To study the effect of both light and heat on the stability of furacilin aqueous solution and the probability of substituting for isothermal accelerated tests by nonisothermal accelerated tests upon exposure to light at high temperatures. The isothermal and nonisothermal accelerated tests were employed. The accelerated tests were proceeded in the dark and exposed to light at high temperature. Tungsten, ultraviolet and fluorescent lamps were employed in exposure tests. The degradation of furacilin aqueous solution in isothermal heating experiments or the exposure experiments to light at high temperatures obeys zero-order kinetics. The total degradation rate constant k caused by both light and heat can be divided into two parts: k = kdark + klight, where kdark and klight are the degradation rate constant caused by heat and light, respectively. The klight can be expressed as klight = Alight.exp(-Ea,light/RT).E, where E is the illuminance of light; Alight and Ea,light are both experimental constants. The parameters obtained in nonisothermal accelerated tests were comparable to those obtained in classic isothermal accelerated tests. Nonisothermal accelerated tests may substitute for isothermal accelerated tests during the study of the effects of both light and heat on the stability of drugs, in order to save time, labor and drugs.
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Crowdsourcing is the consumers’ participation at the accomplishment of a task, traditionally performed by the internal employees (Howe 2006). Examples are proposing innovative ideas, contributing to product development or solving complex problems. Consumers may also engage in creative tasks (e.g., ad creation, logo design, packaging design), which constitutes the popular practice of creative crowdsourcing. The value and success of a creative crowdsourcing initiative require attracting sufficient numbers of participants (Hopkins 2011). This remains a persistent issue (Faullant et al. 2016): the majority of the crowd does not participate. If crowdsourcers are to be considered as workers (Cova and Dalli 2009; Rieder and Voß 2010), they must be managed and motivated. Traditional management principles, such as recruitment, hierarchy, and internal coordination, might not apply here. Therefore, this research addresses a pressing question: why may people be reluctant to participate in creative crowdsourcing and what might encourage them to participate? As the crowd is heterogenous, composed of professionals/experts in the creative tasks and others, rather ordinary/amateur consumers (Brabham 2008, 2012), this research examines the meaning that potential participants, both creative professionals and ordinary consumers, assign to their nonparticipation. To this aim, we mobilize the theoretical framework of the meaning of work (Rosso et al. 2010) borrowed from human resources literature.
Rosso et al. (2010, p. 94–95) define meaning as “the output of having made sense of something.” The meaning of work not only influences work motivation but also affects other critical organizational outcomes, such as engagement, empowerment, individual performance, and personal fulfilment (Steger et al. 2013).
The results of our qualitative study based on in-depth interviews with 19 ordinary consumers and 14 professionals from the creative sector, highlight different reasons for nonparticipation. Creative professionals express clear meanings underlying their nonparticipation decision. Their discourse highlights a resistance to current creative crowdsourcing practices, whether individually and/or collectively (Peñaloza and Price 1993), such that they “rant” and initiate expressive actions (Hirschman 1970), encouraging “general boycotts” of these practices.
Ordinary consumers’ nonparticipation can be better explained by an inability to meet their expectations or a perceived lack of competences. This absence of willingness to participate might signal a perceived lack of work/activity meaning or a perceived lack of value creation for themselves.
Current research limitations are delineated and implications for researchers and practitioners are further offered. These results should also encourage organizations to adapt their recruitment activities, based on the different crowd groups. | https://rd.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-030-39165-2_129 |
What is poetry? What is prose? If the medium is the message, and the primary medium for most written poetry and prose is the page, why don't we call all creative writing, creative writing?
Partly, so that we can exploit poetry and prose. However, the perception of the medium, how the creative mind looks at that blank sheet of writing paper differs.
Whether we realize it, or not, all writing takes into account three elements:
1/ Visual aesthetics – how text looks on the page
2/ Text – the words placed on the page
3/ Subtext – the meaning implied by the text
With most poetry, the importance of all three are heightened. However, the most paramount element to poetry is the visual aesthetic. I've met my fair share of academically trained writers who fail to get this. They believe that genres like prose-poetry exist and in turn, write failed poetry in a nonexistent form.
If visual aesthetics are at the forefront of poetry, then we recognize the importance of where each letter and each word is placed on the page. Furthermore, we can recognize the importance of the blank space of a page. The untouched, barren section of a page is just as important, if not more so than the segment of the page we write on.
Therefore, what is commonly called “prose-poetry” is not a combination of poetry and prose, but the act of subverting the blank segments of a page that most poetry creates. Covering the page with text is a cultural response to the idea that poetry must be pristine, and have space to breath on the page. Instead the page is covered, the reader is given little space to gasp for air.
For Bending the Continuum (my first book), I wanted to expand on this idea. The majority of the manuscript is tight, succinct poetry. Of the four visual poetic works that I wanted in the collection, only one made it through editing -- an edited version of the first A Dozen Roses poems.
Bending the Continuum was originally meant to have prose-poems beside these tight poems and visual poetics. I wanted to show the reader that I understood the academic framework of poetry and then throw it away. You could argue that I'm throwing away the academic framework of poetry in A Mingus Lullaby. I would argue that A Mingus Lullaby is merely a response to the draft of Bending the Continuum that ended up being published.
That said, one of the four poems that I didn't submit for Bending the Continuum, which I knew would get rejected, was a visual poem that I only had the concept for. I wanted to fill the page completely. I wanted the reader to drown. I wanted a limited amount of people to grasp the subtext of my poem. My plan was to write a poem in binary code.
The visual aesthetic of poetry is paramount. This is why I demanded that the typesetter redo the layout for A Mingus Lullaby. Why I can be a difficult writer to work with. The visual aesthetic is paramount. With a large amount of my poems, the text, and subtext are completely different. A friend of mine, Burlington Slam Project's Tomy Bewick and I used to discuss this. How negro spirituals sang on slave plantations sounded like they were exalting Jesus to slave masters and overseers, but in reality, were telling potential runaway slaves where to find the nearest underground railway conductor. That's what my poetry is doing. If you're attuned to the subtext of my writing, and can get something from it, wonderful. If you can only get my poetry at a surface level, that's fine too.
With prose, the visual aesthetic of a literature takes a backseat. I would argue that the text is paramount, the subtext secondary and the visual aesthetic tertiary. Yes, some prose takes its influences from poetry, but the visual aesthetics still play a tertiary role.
As for plot, both poetry and prose can have a plot. In theory, neither needs to have a traditional plot. When I started writing prose, the first thing I tried to do was throw away traditional linear story telling. There's no need for it. It's an idea that comes from the oral tradition of story-telling. As a spoken word artist, I don't bring every rule from performance to my poetry in print. It's on the page, the reader has something they can reference. Encourage the reader to use their imagination.
I'm not sure why visual aesthetics are paramount for poetry. I would argue that we first find poetry in print from early literate cultures (think Middle East, Asia, Africa). In particular, Iran and China are historic hotbeds of literary poetry. Both countries have written text that are beautiful. Chinese calligraphy is considered an art form, as is writing in Farsi. This is likely why as Western Europe became more literate and poetry in print gained popularity, care was taken to make the work as visually beautiful as the images poets attempted to paint with their words.
The views expressed in the Writer-in-Residence blogs are those held by the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Open Book.
Dane Swan is a Bermuda-raised, Toronto-based internationally published poet, writer and musician. His first collection, Bending the Continuum was launched by Guernica Editions in the Spring of 2011. The collection was a recommended mid-summer read by Open Book: Toronto. In 2013 Dane was short listed for the Monica Ladell Award (Scarborough Arts) for his poem "Stopwatch." | http://open-book.ca/Writer-in-Residence/Archives/Dane-Swan2/Poetry-vs-Prose-part-2-of-2 |
How to design good player choice in games?
When we first started designing our new game, Potato Pirates: Enter the Spudnet, a question often popped out every now and then: Are board games like Snakes and Ladders considered a game? Half of our team feels that a game that involves zero decision-making might as well be a storybook, yet the other half argues that what makes an activity a game is the fun it can provide. Undeniably, both sides have their merits but we will leave the definition of a game as a topic for another day. In this post, I would like to talk about the side involving decision-making in games and our thought process when it came to designing what a player can do.
In games that involve decision-making, there are choices that are given (by us, the designers) and decisions to be made (by players) at every stage of the game. Be it to move a ship left or right, to choose a special power, or to negotiate a deal— such choices are given in multiple stages of our game. But what exactly makes that part of the game fun? What makes a choice interesting or boring? How would we design such choices? My answer is to look at the triviality (or rather non-triviality) of the decisions. The crux is that for the decision-making to be interesting, decisions should not be trivial.
Here are my top 5 considerations when it comes to designing player choice in your game:
1. The impact of the choices
- Push the door
- Pull the door
Surprise surprise, the door is locked so pushing or pulling didn’t matter, you are still locked out of the building.
When it comes to designing your player choice, each decision your player makes needs to have some form of influence on the outcome of the game. It does not necessarily need to be immediate or in a physical form (like currency/powerup) but it should be apparent to the player in some form eventually. Otherwise, the player would feel that their decision didn’t matter and as a result, feel less invested and lose interest in the game.
2. The opportunity cost incurred choosing that choice
Choices matter to us only because we lose something choosing another. This is what we refer to as an opportunity cost. With opportunity costs attached to each choice, we can create dilemmas which engage the players by asking them to weigh the choices.
One classic example that is often used in other games is the Prisoner’s Dilemma. Bear with me if you saw this before but I will give a brief description to those who have yet to see this.
In this scenario, we have two prisoners, A and B. Both of them are taken into separate rooms with no means of communication between them, for interrogation. If one testifies and betrays the other, the testifier gets off free while the other suffers a heavier penalty. If both stay silent, they both only serve 1 year. If both testify, they both get a heavy sentence of 2 years
From our point of view, the best outcome would be for A and B to keep silent. Both prisoners will serve 1 year and only a total of 2 years will be lost. In reality, when personal gain outweighs the collective good, it’s not that simple. Say, A chooses to stay silent but deep in his mind, this doubt surfaces. What happens if B betrays me? Wouldn’t I have to spend an additional 2 years?! If A was rational, the more logical choice would be to betray because of the possible reward of getting off free or the less heavy punishment of only spending 2 years. But what if B was a loyal friend to A, and doing so will destroy their 10-year friendship? Would that change A’s decision?
3. The amount of information given to make that choice and the weight-risk ratio
In the previous point, we mentioned creating dilemmas but we forgot to mention one important detail. The prisoners’ dilemma will only happen if the prisoners were told about the years they would serve in each scenario. If the investigators simply demanded that they testify. Prisoner A probably wouldn’t testify since he does not know what he can potentially gain or lose. Without knowledge pertaining to the choices, those choices lose their consequences and impact. Another example would be if the player does not know what money does, spending it now or saving it for later doesn’t really matter, because to him, both choices are equally unclear.
At the same time, having too much information is not necessarily good. Back to the prisoners, if A had perfect knowledge of what B is going to do (maybe with a mind-reading device), there would be a clear and obvious choice to take no matter what B does. If B chooses to betray, the best outcome rationally for A is to betray too. If B chooses not to, the choice that gives the most benefits for A is to betray B.
The golden question…. how to get rid of all those apples afterwards...
4. The amount and diversity of choices given
Imagine that you are really hungry and there is only one restaurant nearby. There are only two dishes you can order. There isn’t much choice to make, is there? If you didn’t like the two the restaurant had to offer, it feels bad to fork out money for something you don’t really want but you are forced to have anyways (or you can starve, which is technically a valid option). Giving too little choice limits the fun a player can have.
Now, imagine that you made the (sad) choice of the two and the next thing that comes is not the food but a question of which sauce would you like out of their 108 homemade sauces. It’s not just that. What awaits you is not the food but a 1000-question survey, of what side dish would you like, what drink would you want, etc. Eventually, you (or the player) gives up and takes the most convenient choice, which trivializes the whole decision-making process.The above scenario is an example of placing too much cognitive load on the player. Cognitive load refers to the amount of information that working memory can hold at one time. In John Sweller’s paper on cognitive load theory, it is said that generally, humans have a limited capacity of working memory of 5 to 9 items of information at any point of time. Overloading that working memory will only cause undesirable results. And the last thing you would want in your game is players being overloaded and giving up that decision-making because it is too tough to make that decision.
5. The rationality of players
So what do we do now after all these points to consider? The next decision one should make is to use what to document your player choices. One of the most popular support tools out there would be a Decision Tree to help you visualize and map out those player choices/actions.
The above diagram shows a simplified overview of a basic RPG game, the player fights monsters, restocks in the shop and fights again.
Here’s a general guide on how to build a basic decision tree:
-
Start off with the scenarios in your game and put them in boxes
-
Colour the scenarios which require decision-making
-
For those decision-making scenarios, create outgoing arrows for each decision your player can make
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Link those arrows to their resulting scenario boxes.
-
If the decision indirectly impacts another scenario, link its direct result to the scenario it indirectly impacts with a dotted line
Like all things on the internet, there are many variations of decision trees out there and this is just one of the many. You can use this guide as it is but it is usually better if you adjust it accordingly to fit your game. The general idea of it all is for you to organize and visualize the entire structure of your game. It should display which outcome does each decision lead to or influence, which decisions are critical and which are repetitive (aka the game’s core gameplay loop and hence should be optimized).
In our upcoming game, Potato Pirates: Enter the Spudnet, we went through many iterations to improve the core gameplay loop. One of the initial ideas had the player choose between collecting money or cards every turn. Money and power cards help players advance their winning condition. So this is how it is like:
-
Either the player chooses to have fewer cards but more money to use their cards
-
Or the player chooses to have more money to use their cards but fewer cards to use
- The opportunity cost of each choice is somewhat clear and balanced. Choosing to get cards would mean having less money, vice versa
- The amount and diversity of choice may be little but the cards (and their various effects) adds onto the “Choose cards or money” to become “Choose to activate this or that effect or money”
- The impact, however, is not immediate. Taking cards doesn’t allow you to use them immediately. You need to have money. Taking money doesn’t allow you to do anything (since you don’t have cards)
- The amount of information given is sufficient but the deal-breaker lies in this area. There is always a clear optimal path. Take cards, then take money to fuel those cards. Having either one is pointless but having cards first to use (and deny others from having those cards) is logically better than having money but be unable to plan how to utilize it.
- We assumed that our playtesters will play logically. Most did but there were a few outliers who just kept taking money. God knows why.
Out of the 5 considerations listed above, we only achieved 2 so this iteration was scrapped and we repeated this design process until it led us to the final product today. If you like potatoes and board games, come take a look at our new board-game, Potato Pirates: Enter the Spudnet! | https://potatopirates.game/blogs/gamification |
Every time a cell divides all the DNA in our bodies must be copied and transmitted. The replication of DNA is imperfect and minor mistakes accumulate with repeated cell divisions over time. These mistakes, known as mutations, are generally unimportant and have no effect on health, but occasionally, some unlucky combination of genetic mutations can lead to cancer. All cancers, including brain tumours, have multiple mutations which act together to drive uncontrolled cell division. Teasing apart how these genetic mutations work alone, and in combination, is the most important part of developing and improving treatment strategies for cancer.
Our lab has a longstanding interest in a protein (called ATRX) which is frequently ‘turned off’ in brain cancers. In our latest study, we looked for other genes which were repeatedly mutated in combination with ATRX and tried to understand how these mutations act together to cause brain tumours. We investigated a structure called a histone, that stores DNA, and a specific change/mutation (known as H3.3 G34R) that is seen in paediatric glioblastomas, and a gene called IDH1 in adult low-grade gliomas. We found that changes in either the histone, ATRX or the IDH1 gene have the same result, they all act on the telomeres.
Telomeres are a long stretches of repetitive DNA found on the ends of chromosomes. Telomeres shorten with every round of DNA replication and act as natural biological clocks to limit the number of cell divisions, i.e. once the telomeres are gone the cell can’t divide anymore. We found that these combinations of genetic mutations (ATRX, H3.3 G34R and IDH1) create a unique environment at the telomeres which allows brain tumours to escape this biological clock, and keep growing.
Although these findings are not immediately applicable to therapy, these fundamental insights into brain cancer biology are critical for developing future treatments. If we know that certain mutations create environments which keep cancer cells alive, then it stands to reason that disrupting those conditions will trigger tumour death. We are currently experimenting with ways to disrupt the telomere environment and the telomeres themselves in human brain cancer cells, and we hope that this publication will encourage other researchers to do the same. We are indebted to The Brain Tumour Charity for supporting this work and we are excited to be able to continue our research into this area. | https://www.thebraintumourcharity.org/media-centre/news/research-news/telomeres-cancer-cells-fountain-youth/ |
Health Net, Inc. agreed to pay the Vermont government $55,000 to resolve charges that the healthcare insurer violated the HIPAA privacy rule, Vermont’s Security Breach Notice Act, and Consumer Fraud Act, according to a January 24 HealthLeaders Media article.
Health Net discovered that a portable hard drive containing protected health information, social security numbers, and financial information of approximately 1.5 million people, including 525 Vermonters was missing on May 14, 2009. However, the company did not notify affected Vermont residents until more than six months later. The settlement alleges that the six month delay violates the Security Breach Notice Act, which requires data collectors to notify affected individuals of security breaches “in the most expedient time possible and without unreasonable delay.”
The settlement further alleges that Health Net violated the HIPAA privacy rule by failing to secure protected health information and violated the Consumer Fraud Act by misrepresenting the risk posed to affected individuals in the company’s notice letters.
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- Immediate Jeopardy - Why this finding can be disastrous to your facility. | https://www.hcpro.com/CCP-261786-862/Health-Net-fined-55000-for-data-breach.html |
Degrees Awarded
Each of the undergraduate degree programs offered by Ithaca College requires a minimum of 120 credit hours and a certain number of liberal arts credits as specified by the New York State Education Department. Only courses specifically designated for this purpose may count as liberal arts credit. Those not so designated are marked "NLA" in this catalog and in the semester course lists, the Undergraduate Course Offerings, available on the registrar's website before the beginning of each semester. Courses listed without LA or NLA designations are under review. (For full details of graduation requirements, see "Graduation and Program Regulations.")
The bachelor of arts (B.A.) degree combines a major focus in one of the basic disciplines with breadth of study across the traditional liberal arts fields. Through planned study of representative subjects in the humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, and fine arts, students encounter the intellectual landmarks and become familiar with the basic methods of investigation, analysis, and expression of each area. Majoring in one of these fields affords the opportunity to develop greater sophistication and depth in an area of particular interest. As specified by the New York State Education Department, the B.A. degree requires a minimum of 75 percent liberal arts credits.
The bachelor of fine arts (B.F.A.) degree places particular emphasis on the media and techniques of creative expression. Courses in theory and aesthetic analysis encourage students to explore new modes of expression and to develop an ability to critique their own and others' work. Individual and small-group instruction in special techniques helps students perfect their individual talents and demonstrate them in scheduled exhibitions or performances. Liberal arts electives enable students to attain a breadth of knowledge in other disciplines. As specified by the New York State Education Department, the B.F.A. degree requires a minimum of 25 percent liberal arts credits.
The bachelor of music (B.M.) degree combines a variety of music courses to provide a solid base from which to pursue study of a specific area, such as music education, music performance, composition, jazz studies, or recording. As specified by the New York State Education Department, the B.M. degree requires a minimum of 25 percent liberal arts credits.
The bachelor of science (B.S.) degree integrates study in one of the professional areas, or one of the natural or social sciences with designated support courses from other areas. In this closely structured program, students combine analytical methods developed in the classroom with practical application of these methods in a laboratory or internship setting. The intent of this degree is to provide an intensive exploration of theory, method, and research within the student's chosen field. Electives in liberal arts disciplines complement the specialization and foster understanding and appreciation of the interrelation of the humanities and sciences. As specified by the New York State Education Department, the B.S. degree requires a minimum of 50 percent liberal arts credits.
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Ongoing and Current Updates from the Government of Alberta (GOA):
Resources for Equestrians:
- GOA General Guidance for COVID-19
- GOA Guidance for Activities with Children 11 and Under
- GOA Guidance for Camps
- GOA Guidance for Sport, Fitness and Recreation
Return to Business and Competition Guidelines:
- June 1st, 2021 – Government of Alberta – Guidance for Equestrian Events Updated Version
- July 29th, 2020 – COVID-19 Recommended Return to Business Operations
- July 20th, 2020 – CapriCMW Insurance Services COVID-19 Precautions for Equestrians – UPDATE
- July 2nd, 2020 – Alberta Equestrian Federation (AEF) Wild Rose Return to Competition Recommended Guidelines
- July 1st, 2020 – Equestrian Canada (EC) Resource Package for Competition Operations During COVID-19
- July 1st, 2020 – Equestrian Canada (EC) Policy for Enhanced Competition Safety During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Full list of AEF COVID-19 Historical Updates
COVID-19 Government Resources & Information
The Alberta Equine Community is strongly advised to follow recommendations from the Government of Alberta & Canada involving COVID-19.
The following links provide the most accurate and current information and resources:
Provincial Information & Resources:
- COVID-19 Info for Albertans
- Alberta Biz Connect – Information for Alberta Businesses – Businesses that have questions can also email [email protected]
- Information Posters and Fact Sheets
- Alberta Health Services
National Information & Resources:
COVID-19 and Equestrian Facilities
The Alberta Equestrian Federation (AEF) does not have the authority to regulate facility operations in Alberta – we have the responsibility to educate our community. We know the importance of maintaining the welfare of Alberta’s horses and are committed to speaking up for our four-legged friends. We thank our membership for their patience while we work to navigate and demand transparency for our industry.
March 2020: Equestrian Canada (EC) would like to provide an update regarding its ongoing advocacy on behalf of equine farms and equestrian facilities facing financial hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as offer resources for support during this unprecedented disruption of normal business operations. You may find the full update here: Support and Resources for Equine Farms and Equestrian Facilities.
CapriCMW Insurance Services COVID-19 FAQ’s & Updates
Insurance-related Inquiries about your current AEF membership coverage should be sent directly to CapriCMW Insurance at 1-800-670-1877 (ask for the equine department) or [email protected]
Horse Welfare
The ALERT Line is an anonymous, producer helping producer call line. If you have questions or concerns about animal welfare, visit: AFAC ALERT Line.
Biosecurity Resources for Equestrian Community in Alberta
Continued use of biosecurity best practices will help ensure the health and safety of humans and equines. Please visit AEF’s Biosecurity webpage for related resources and links including Biosecurity Best Practices.
To better serve our website visitors and members, we are continually updating our Business, Club, Instructor, Coach, Officials and Stable/Facility Listings. We can help you find what you’re looking for.
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Photo Release
Complete the online photo release form. | https://www.albertaequestrian.com/covid-19-updates-for-the-equestrian-community/ |
Exaggerated object affordance and absent automatic inhibition in alien hand syndrome.
McBride J., Sumner P., Jackson SR., Bajaj N., Husain M.
Patients with alien hand syndrome (AHS) experience making apparently deliberate and purposeful movements with their hand against their will. However, the mechanisms contributing to these involuntary actions remain poorly understood. Here, we describe two experimental investigations in a patient with corticobasal syndrome (CBS) with alien hand behaviour in her right hand. First, we show that responses with the alien hand are made significantly more quickly to images of objects which afford an action with that hand compared to objects which afford an action with the unaffected hand. This finding suggests that involuntary grasping behaviours in AHS might be due to exaggerated, automatic motor activation evoked by objects which afford actions with that limb. Second, using a backwards masked priming task, we found normal automatic inhibition of primed responses in the patient's unaffected hand, but importantly there was no evidence of such suppression in the alien limb. Taken together, these findings suggest that grasping behaviours in AHS may result from exaggerated object affordance effects, which might potentially arise from disrupted inhibition of automatically evoked responses. | https://www.psy.ox.ac.uk/publications/430470 |
Abstract—Intrusion Detection systems are increasingly a key part of system defense. Various approaches to Intrusion Detection are currently being used but they are relatively ineffective. Among the several soft computing paradigms, we investigated genetic algorithms and neural networks to model fast and efficient Intrusion Detection Systems. With the feature selection process proposed it is possible to reduce the number of input features significantly which is very important due to the fact that the RBF networks can effectively be prevented from over fitting. The Genetic algorithm employs only the eight most relevant features for each attack category for rule generation. The generated rules signal an attack as well as its category and it is end for training to RBF network. The optimal subset of features combined with the generated rules, can be used to analyze the attacks. Empirical results clearly show that soft computing approach could play a major role for intrusion detection. The model was verified on KDD99 demonstrating higher detection rates than those reported by the state of art while maintaining low false positive rate.
Index Terms—A Genetic algorithms, Information gain, Mutual Information, Radial Basis Function Networks.
S. Selvakani is with the Department of Computer Applications, Jaya Engineering College, Chennai, Tamilnadu, India. ( Phone: 91-95530956; e-mail:[email protected]).
Journal of Engineering and Technology vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 45-49, 2009. | http://www.ijetch.org/show-7-13-1.html |
Sodwalls Tarana Road is now open to traffic after a heavy vehicle collision late last week. Urgent, temporary works to ensure the safety of motorists and rail users is now complete. UGL (the rail asset manager) have inspected and confirmed the bridge is structurally sound for the vehicular traffic, with some restrictions.
The following restrictions apply to all traffic using the Sodwalls Tarana Road railway bridges:
- Single axle load limit: 6 tonnes
- Tandem axle: 11.5 tonnes
- Tri-axle: 14 tonnes
Due to the reduced width of the bridge, vehicles over 14 metres are prohibited from using both bridges of the Sodwalls Tarana Road.
Council will continue to work with UGL and relevant government agencies to advocate for the urgent and overdue replacement of these bridges. | https://council.lithgow.com/sodwalls-tarana-road-bridge-update/ |
This policy is intended to enhance employee awareness regarding bed bugs. The sharing of information with employees who may encounter bed bugs in their work activities will assist them in ensuring that bed bugs encountered during work activities are not carried to other locations.
Note: This policy was reviewed and revised in 2017 to reflect knowledge and experience acquired since the policy was first introduced.
Bed bugs can be seen with the naked eye and are similar to an apple seed in size and appearance (see attached Q&A as Appendix A for more details). There are currently no known or reported cases of disease transmission associated with the bite of a bed bug. Consequently, bed bugs are not considered to be a health hazard.
Levels of infestations of bed bugs can vary. Bed bugs are most likely to be found in seams, cracks and crevices around beds, sofas or chairs. They may also be found in other areas. Bed bugs prefer to feed on human blood and may bite anywhere on the human body. Bed bug bites, as other insect bites, can cause a range of reactions, from none to an allergic skin reaction. Also as with other insect bites, secondary infection can occur with scratching.
Bed bugs may lead to negative physical, social and mental health impacts for those who encounter them. These impacts are particularly severe for the most vulnerable members of society, many of whom need City services. City employees provide services to clients that may result in them encountering bed bugs. The presence of bed bugs should not lead to services being withheld. Rather, an environmental assessment to determine the level of the infestation and the development if an action plan to support the client to address the situation is needed. The City will provide information, education and protective measures to reduce or eliminate negative impacts on employees.
Information and protective measures provided to employees will enable them to:
This policy applies to all City divisions and all City employees. The level of action required by divisions in response to this policy is to be determined through classification of the likelihood of employees encountering bed bugs during the course of their work.
For the purpose of this policy, two classifications are identified:
Bed bugs may be encountered in public and community spaces. Any employee may encounter bed bugs in the course of activities of daily life, including work activities. Employees in this classification are at similar likelihood of encountering bed bugs as members of the general public.
Additional information is available on Toronto Public Health’s (TPH’s) website Bed Bugs.
Facilities Management Services Custodial and Maintenance Services work order process, to be used in requesting pest control services, can be accessed at FRED Services. | https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/accountability-operations-customer-service/city-administration/corporate-policies/people-equity-policies/bed-bugs/ |
ESA Releases Images Of Philae's Kilometer-High 'Bounce'
ESA believes it's found the landing spot for Philae on Comet 67P/C-G, a location hundreds of meters from its first impact with the comet.
If landing highly specialized scientific equipment on a comet wasn't already nerve-wracking enough, the European Space Agency had to wait to see if the Philae mission would succeed as the spacecraft bounced a kilometer up off the comet during landing.
Late Sunday, ESA posted this blog entry showing what the agency believes is Philae's landing spot on Comet 67P/C-G. The dust cloud had already been observed, but you can now see what scientists believe is Philae itself and its shadow.
Philae has since gone dark because scientists believe it landed in a shady area of the comet blocking its solar panels, and the spacecraft ran out of battery Friday evening.
The world has been fascinated by ESA's successful attempt to land a manmade device on a possibly billions-of-years-old space body. But while the space agency received data from Philae, it still didn't know where it landed. (Video via European Space Agency)
In fact, ESA released these images taken by the Rosetta mothership Friday with the note Philae had landed at "a still unconfirmed location likely outside of these images."
The BBC notes the 200-plus pound spacecraft bounced approximately a kilometer up off of 67P/C-G and landed hundreds of meters from that first dust cloud.
Philae did manage to drill into the comet and transfer some data back to Earth. BBC reports just before the spacecraft went to sleep, it was ordered to raise itself a few centimeters and rotate in hopes of putting itself in the best position to someday catch more sun and recharge.
This video includes an image from the European Space Agency / CC BY SA 2.0. | https://scrippsnews.com/stories/esa-releases-images-of-philae-s-kilometer-high-bounce/ |
At NaturalMotion, we make games that wow people. We innovate to create experiences that previously were impossible and that would not exist without us. We take pride in making titles that reach a large audience and in creating communities that last. In 2018 & 2019, NaturalMotion Studios were named one of the Best Places to Work in the UK games industry by gamesindustry.biz.
Job Purpose
We are looking for someone who is always passionate and driven to create the best possible experience for our players. You will support the QA Manager in providing leadership to the QA team, and be able to use a range of directive and non-directive leadership skills to get the best from the team.
You will balance delivering results with caring for the needs of your team. You will motivate and guide others to excellence, acting as a role model for organisational, technical, and creative skills, whilst showing others ‘what good looks like’. You will build, maintain and share a body of expertise concerning all aspects of the project, helping your colleagues towards a deeper understanding of the systems and concepts they are testing.
Key Roles & Responsibilities
- Responsibility for, alongside your assigned team, defining and execute the project test strategy throughout the entire project lifecycle, including functional and non-functional testing where required
- Key point of contact for quality between QA and production for the project; identifying and help mitigate risks to ensure high quality, timely delivery
- Mentor, empower and lead an internal team of QA Analysts and Engineers to ensure “best in class” quality at all times
- Define ongoing requirements and roadmap for test automation on the project, in order to ensure manual testing is as efficient and productive as possible; evangelising created (or obtained) tools and automation, defining and monitoring KPIs to ensure they have the desired benefit
- Working with the QA Manager, define external test requirements for partner teams when required on the project
- Be alternate point of contact for the QA department when required in absence of QA Manager (some travel may be required).
Required Experience & Skills
- Experience of managing cross-location cross discipline QA teams, as an organiser and a leader
- Test planning and execution using a variety of test approaches and techniques to ensure the right level of test coverage for each product balancing risk, cost and schedule
- Experience of the game development process and how QA integrates with this
- Establishing, assessing and continually improving QA processes
- Working with external partners, e.g. 3rd party test organisations, off-shore development teams
- Prior experience working with game development engines to help define test strategy e.g. Unity, Unreal, CryEngine
- Experience with source control systems, such as SVN, Perforce, GitHub
What do we offer?
- Competitive salary, discretionary annual bonus scheme and Zynga stock allowance
- Contributory pension scheme
- 25 days holiday, plus public holidays and Christmas shutdown
- Private medical care and healthcare cash plan
- Life insurance and critical illness insurance
- Flexible working hours
- Free fruit, snacks & soft drinks provided daily
- Annual season ticket loan and cycle to work scheme
- Summer and Christmas parties
NaturalMotion is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, religion, pregnancy, marital status or veteran status. | https://jobs.jobvite.com/zynga/job/ogxzbfwh |
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: Color varies from brown tones,to greenish or reddish depending on depth. Their body is scaleless and covered is in hard bony plates with long sharp spines on each bony plate that may be defensive. Leaf-like appendages protrude from the head, body, and tail and transparent dorsal and pectoral fins. Their long, thin pipe-like snout has no jaw.
Maximum length of the leafy seadragon is about 35 cm (14 in).
DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Endemic to southern Australia.
Found amongst brown algae (kelp) in shallow, temperate water, associated with seagrass beds and rocky reefs.
DIET IN THE WILD: Do not have a jaw, teeth or a stomach. They swallow their prey whole by creating a suction to suck mysid shrimp, zooplankton and fish larvae into their mouths.
REPRODUCTION: Like the seahorse, the male seadragon carries the eggs. He develops about 120 shallow depressions in a spongy section of the ventral surface of his tail. The female deposits her eggs in the depressions.
LONGEVITY: 7-10 yrs.
PREDATORS: Depend on camouflage and sway like plants in the water to hide from predators.
CONSERVATION:IUCN Red List (2006.) Near Threatened. Habitat destruction, pollution, excessive fertilizer runoff, and poaching by humans has lead to a decrease in numbers. They are fully protected with special licenses required to collect or export them.
REMARKS: Unlike its seahorse relative that swims vertically, the seadragon swims horizontally. It is a very slow swimmer, as might be expected from its tiny fins, but is protected not only by its camouflage but by sharp spines that deter predators.
The leafy seadragon has the honor of being the official emblem of Australia.
Color of Life
P. eques moves very slowly through the water and mimics seaweed, which makes it a master at camouflage. | https://brianeyes21comcast.net/tag/seadragons/ |
Honeywell's cockpit technologies were selected by Southwest Airlines for its future fleet of Boeing 737 MAX and existing fleet of Boeing 737NG aircraft.
As the world's largest operator of Boeing 737s, Southwest Airlines selected Honeywell's advanced cockpit technologies to ensure Southwest planes continue flying the safest and most efficient routes well into the future. Honeywell will provide Southwest Airlines with its Integrated Multi-Mode Receiver (IMMR), IntuVue RDR-4000 3-D Weather Radar, Aspire satellite communications systems, and other safety, communication and navigation technologies. Southwest will be the first airline to integrate Honeywell's IMMR into its fleet, providing the airline with enhanced landing and routing performance. | https://www.honeywell.com/en-us/newsroom/news/2015/05/honeywells-cockpit-technologies-selected-for-boeing-737-max-aircraft-by-southwest-airlines |
The Queen of Hill Stations
Dubbed by the Britishers as the "Queen of Hill Stations", Shimla occupies a special place in the heart of tourists visiting India. The charm of Shimla can be understood by the fact that British made this city as there summer capital, during there rule in India. Shimla was a favorite city of the Britishers, and this is proved by the monuments and buildings of the city. Shimla is said to have derived its name from 'Shyamala', another name for Goddess Kali, whose temple exists in the town. The city is a wonderful mix of traditions and modernity.
Shimla was founded by the Gurkhas, who built there forts around Shimla in early 19th century. The British soon liberated Shimla from Gurkhas and in 1864 Shimla was declared as the summer capital of India. After independence, Shimla became the capital of Punjab and was later named the capital of Himachal Pradesh. In 1903 a rail line was constructed between Kalka and Shimla, and a Toy-train was run between two cities. The train, despite being 100 years old, still runs on the same track and has been declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The city boasts of many tourists attractions, which include the scenic Mall Road, Jakhu Hills, Christ Church, State Museaum and Mashobra. Shimla is also the best market in Himachal Pradesh, where one can find the traditional as well as branded products.
By Air : The Jubbarhatti Airport, Shimla, is situated 23 Km from city centre and is connected by regular flights to Delhi, Chandigarh, Kangra and Kullu. From Delhi, the journey takes around 1 hour and from Kullu, it takes 30 minutes by means of air. The airport has capacity of one small (17-19 passengers) aircraft, and offers basic facilities only. From the airport, one can take taxi to reach Shimla, which takes about 1 hour.
By Train : Shimla does not have access to railway through standard gauge railway line. One has to visit Kalka, from where narrow gauge trains to Shimla can be boarded upon. The train takes around 6 hours to reach Shimla from Kalka. The distance between Kalka and Shimla is 96 kms. There is also a deluxe train from Kalka. One can also travel through rail-car (one of its kind, running on this route in India). The Kalka Shimla railway is ane major attraction of the region, which is declared as a World Heritage Site.
By Road : The roadways network of Himachal Pradesh and nearby state makes Shimla well connected to other cities. One can get taxis, buses and luxury coaches for Shimla from the major cities of Himachal Pradesh and nearby states. Some major distances from Shimla are: Chandigarh- 117 kms, Kullu- 220 kms, Manali- 260 kms, Delhi- 343 kms, Mandi- 150 kms, Pathankot- 380 kms, Chail- 43 kms, Dehradun- 240 kms, Agra- 568 kms, Lucknow- 867 kms, and Jaipur- 630 kms. The Kalka Shimla road is also an option, provided the precautions must be taken. The road has good surface, but has many curves.
Internal Transport
Tourists can get Taxis to roam in and around Shimla. Arranged tour for local sight seeing can be made by the agents and hotel staff. Buses and taxis, to move to other cities are also easily available in Shimla.
Accommodations
Shimla, being one of the most visited cities of India, have the best of stay options also. There are hotels in almost every corner of the town. One can find numerous star rated, economy, budget, and luxury hotels in Shimla. There are all types of cuisine served in the restaurants of the town.
The Mall
The Mall is the main road in Shimla. The road was set up by the Britishers, and is the main market and attraction of Shimla. Most of the colonial structures stand on this road. For the visitors, a walk down The Mall is a must do activity. At the top end of the Mall is Scandal Point, a large open square with a view of the town. Overlooking the point is the elegant Christ Church with its fine stained glass windows. The labyrinth of Shimla's bazaars spill over the edge of the Mall.
Chadwick Falls
The Chadwick Falls are 7 kms from Shimla, and are as high as 1586 mts. The falls look amazing after the monsoon and are among the top list of the visitors to Shimla. The Chadwick falls represent the true natural beauty of Himachal Pradesh.
State Museum
The State Museum in Shimla is situated 2.5 Km from Scandal point. The museum is known for its library, which houses many historical books and manuscripts. The museum has a vast collection of ancient historical sculptures, paintings, coins, photos and other items from all over the state.
Jakhu Temple
The Jakhu Temple in Jakhu Hills, is dedicated to lord Hanuman. Jakhu Hill is the highest peak in vicinity, touching 8000 ft. The temple is situated at the top of the hill. The temple is full of playful monkeys, which wait for pilgrims to feed them.
Christ Church
Christ Church is the second oldest church in North India. Christ Church is a huge building, which looks magnificent from outside as well as inside. The church has stained window glasses, and represents the original style of European church building techniques.
Kufri
Kufri is located 16 kms from Shimla and forms a perfect excursion from Shimla. The small town of Kufri is more famous for its winter sports activities, like Skiing and Trekking. A winter festival is organised every year during the month of February. Kufri is known for its winter sports, and forms the best Skiing resort in India.
Chail
Chail, at 43 kms from Shimla is a small beautiful town. Chail used to be the summer capital of the Maharaja of Patiala. The small town has some temples, an old palace and buildings. Chail is also known for the highest cricket pitch and a Polo ground. Chail is also a famous camping site.
Kasauli
Kasauli is a quaint little town, 77 kms from Shimla. Kasauli is well known for its colonial ambience. It is surrounded by mixed forests of pine, oak and chestnuts. An old fort at Sabathu is another attraction in Kasauli, apart from the colonial structures.
Barog
Situated at a height of 1560m above sea-level, Barog is a famous excursion site that lies on the Kalka - Shimla highway. The famous Choordhar peak in Barog attracts large number of tourists for its magnificent view on the full moon day.
Golf
Naldehra, at 23 kms from Shimla, has a nine hole golf course. The golf course is set amidst Deodar forests and is an absolute delight to the eyes of visitor. This is a 68 par, nine hole course which is regarded as one of the most challenging in the country. The Golf links are maintained by Himachal Tourism board.
Trekking
Trekking is an old favorite of the adventure lovers. Shimla offers numerous trekking options to the adventure lovers. Shimla is surrounded by thick covers of forests, hills, rivers, lakes, green meadows and snow covered mountain tops. Some of the most famous trek routes are Shimla to Sangla, Shimla to Hatu peak, Shimla to the Shali peak, Shimla to Churdhar, Shimla to Chail, Shimla to Junga and Shimla to Tattapani.
Skiing
Skiing has recently gained immense popularity amongst the adventure freaks in India. Narkanda, at 64 kms and Kufri, at 16 kms, provide with the best of skiing facilities in India. The Kufri skiing resort conduct skiing courses for the amateurs as well as for professionals. The equipments, lodging and guidance is provided at these resorts by Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC). Camping is another way of exploring natural beauty of Shimla and its surrounding places. One can also enjoy ice-skating during winter season.
Kalka Shimla Train
The Kalka Shimla Train, more than 100 years old, still runs between Kalka and Shimla, connecting Shimla to Kalka. The train has been declared as a World Heritage Site, by UNESCO. A journey on the train seems like a fairytale coming out of the story books. The train chugs through Himalayas, passing slowly through 103 tunnels, 20 railway stations and more than 900 curves.
Shopping in Shimla
One can go for shopping in Shimla. The town is known for carpets, rugs, shawls, leather artifacts and silver jewellary. The traditional crafts of Himachal Pradesh is the silver jewellary, which is widely available in Shimla. The main shopping area is the Mall and adjoining areas.
Manali is a beautiful little town in Kullu valley, which attracts a large number of tourists every year. Manali is at a height of 1,926 meters and is at a distance of 40 kms from Kullu. It offers many adventure sports, such as hiking, skiing and trekking and is a perfect holiday destination for those who seek adventure.
Once called the "end of the habitable world," Manali is an important hill station of northern India and is the destination of thousands of tourists every year. Its cool atmosphere provides a perfect haven for the ones afflicted by the hot Indian summers. Besides offering quite a few places for sightseeing, Manali is also famous for adventure sports like skiing, hiking, mountaineering, paragliding, rafting, trekking, kayaking, and mountain biking. In brief, Manali-the veritable "valley of the Gods"-is an ideal place for the ones in search of both adventure and comfort. The Kulluis in brightly patterned puttoos, Tibetan women wearing ankle-length rainbow-striped pinafores, Nepali porters, Buddhist monks, and even the odd party of Zanskaris, swathed in fusty woolen gonchas, muddled together with souvenir-hunting Indian and Western tourists-all add up to the welcoming hub of Manali.
By Air : The nearest airport to Manali is that of Bhuntar, which is 52-km from Manali. From Bhuntar one can take a taxi or a bus to Manali.
By Train : The nearest railhead is that of and this narrow gauze railway station is 95-km from Kullu. The scenic beauty of Kullu while going to Manali can best be enjoyed on a bus or a taxi. It is better to take a taxi, which one can stop and enjoy the nature at will.
By Road : The road to Manali passes through the picturesque valley of Kullu. The motorable roads to Manali connect the town with other major tourist places in Himachal as well as in the nearby states. At the Manali bus stand there are two booths, which do computerised reservation for buses. The reservations can be made one month in advance. Both private and state government buses are in service over here.
Places to See :
Hidimba Temple
Built in 1553 and with a superbly crafted four tiered pagoda roof, it is famous for its exquisitely carved doorway.
Manu Temple
This is dedicated to the sage Manu.
Vashisth
Well known for its hot springs. There are old temples dedicated to the sage Vashisth and to Lorde Rama. These are just beyond the Himachal Tourism baths.
Monasterires
There are three recently built Tibetan monasteries at Manali.
Jagatsukh
The one - time capital of Kullu. Here are old temples deidicated to Lord Shiva and to Sandhya Gayatri. The Arjun caves are just ahead.
Solang Valley
In a picturesque setting this has good ski slopes and picnic spots. SHPTDC organises ski packages during winter.
Chandigarh Travel Guide
The most striking thing about Chandigarh is the expanse of dazzling blue sky against the backdrop the mountains. As one approaches the city, the jagged skyline of the Shivalik Hills looms large over the city. The Chandigarh got its name from an old temple devoted to Goddess Chandi. Politically, Chandigarh is the capital of Haryana and Punjab besides being a union territory. At the time of partition between India and Pakistan, Lahore capital of Punjab went to Pakistan. So Chandigarh was designed by renowned French architect Edouard 'Le Corbusier' Jeanneret, who fashioned Chandigarh as a city of "Sun, Space and Verdure".
About Chandigarh
Rock Garden - Chandigarh Situated at the foothills of the Shivaliks (the first of three parallel chains of the Himalayas), Chandigarh is the India's first planned city. Chandigarh is best travel hub for travel northwards to the hill resorts of Chandigarh Kulu, Manali, Dharmashala and Dalhousie. Chandigarh is located 270 km north of Delhi. The name of the city is derived from the Goddess of power known as Shri Chandika whose temple is on Chandigarh-Kalka Road. The temple is known by the name of Chandi Mandir. The temple is believed to be an ancient site and has a major religious significance for Hindus. Chandigarh originated in 1953 and today serves as the capital of two states, i.e. Punjab and Haryana. It is administered by the Central Government and is hence classified as a Union Territory.
Major Tourist Attractions in Chandigarh
Rock Garden
Established by Nek Chand, this beautiful rock garden has thousands of sculptures set in large mosaic courtyards linked by walled paths and deep gorges and a combination of huge buildings with a series of interlinking waterfalls. The Rock Garden is now acknowledged as one of the modern wonders of the world.
Sukhna Lake
Occupying an area of 3 km, this is a favourite tourist spot in Chandigarh. The lake is thronged with the locals taking breezy walks along its banks which has provisions for boating and yachting on all days.
Bougainvillea Park
The garden, laid out in 1976, is dedicated to hundreds of bougainvillea varieties. The creepers cover a wide assortment of arches, bowers, pavilions and arcades. About 65 different varieties of bougainvillea shrubs are planted in this garden.
Rose Garden
The Zakir Hussain Rose Garden is Asia's largest Rose Garden and is spread over 30 acres of land having over 1600 different species of roses. The garden was planned by Dr. M.S. Randhawa as his interest in horticulture and fondness for flowers was immense. Every year, either at the end of February or beginning of March, a big festival known as Rose Festival, is celebrated at this garden. Over 20,000 people visit this festival. It's one of the greatest and must see event in the city.
Shanti Kunj
The name means "Abode of Peace". Trees, pools and streams crossed by curved bridges and a large number of meditation nooks define this garden.
Government Museum and Art Gallery
Palace of the Assembly by Le Corbusier - Chandigarh This museum has an enormous collection of miniature paintings of the Gandhara and Pahari schools of art. Erected on columns, the building is a work of art providing a natural canopy roof for the ground space. This is in fact the display area for large antique sculptures.
Mansa Devi and Chandi Mandir
Situated at a distance of about 15 kms from Chandigarh, this is the temple from where the city of Chandigarh derives its name. The temple is situated in the state of Haryana. Devotees from all over the country visit this temple for blessings of the goddess Mansa Devi / Chandi Devi.
How to Reach
Air : The airport is located 11 kms from the City Center and various airlines connect Chandigarh to various main cities.
Rail : The railway station is about 8 kms from the City Center in Sector 17. Various trains, like the Shatabdi Express, connect Chandigarh directly to Delhi, Amritsar and Kalka.
Road : It is 270 kms from Delhi and 264 kms from Amritsar. National highways 21 and 22 are the chief roads connecting Chandigarh to main cities and towns of neighboring states.
Accommodation
Chandigarh offers a broad range of hotels for tourists coming from all over. The accommodation includes all categories from luxury, star to deluxe and budget. Well appointed with all inclusive facilities, the hotels in Chandigarh will make you stay in Chandigarh completely satisfying. | https://www.travel-agentsindelhi.com/india-travel-guide/shimla-manali-chandigarh-travel-guide.html |
Received:
21
January
2006
Accepted: 14 March 2006
Context.Many astrophysical problems, ranging from structure formation in cosmology to dynamics of elliptical galaxies, refer to slow processes of evolution of essentially collisionless self-gravitating systems. In order to determine the relevant quasi-equilibrium configuration at time t from given initial conditions, it is often argued that such slow evolution may be approximated in terms of adiabatic evolution, for the calculation of which efficient semi–analytical techniques are available.
Aims.Here we focus on the slow process of evolution, induced by dynamical friction of a host stellar system on a minority component of “satellites”, that we have investigated in a previous paper, to determine to what extent an adiabatic description might be applied.
Methods.The study is realized by comparing directly N-body simulations of the stellar system evolution (in two significantly different models) from initial to final conditions in a controlled numerical environment.
Results.We demonstrate that for the examined process the adiabatic description is going to provide incorrect answers, not only quantitatively, but also qualitatively. The two classes of models considered exhibit generally similar trends in evolution, with one exception noted in relation to the evolution of the total density profile.
Conclusions.This simple conclusion should be taken as a warning against the indiscriminate use of adiabatic growth prescriptions in studies of structure of galaxies.
Key words: methods: N-body simulations / galaxies: elliptical and lenticular, cD / galaxies: evolution / galaxies: kinematics and dynamics
© ESO, 2006
Current usage metrics show cumulative count of Article Views (full-text article views including HTML views, PDF and ePub downloads, according to the available data) and Abstracts Views on Vision4Press platform.
Data correspond to usage on the plateform after 2015. The current usage metrics is available 48-96 hours after online publication and is updated daily on week days.
Initial download of the metrics may take a while. | https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/abs/2006/25/aa4890-06/aa4890-06.html |
Senior System Introduction Manager - a new permanent position has arisen working for a leading Telecommunications company based in central Reading. This is a key role within the organisation reporting directly into the Head of Health & Safety and Quality Management; this position is offering a highly competitive salary, 15% bonus, £5k car allowance and a generous pension scheme.
My client are looking for a Senior level SI Manager who can lead and manage the System Introduction (SI) and New Product Introduction (NPI), to ensure that all new solutions and products that are to be deployed on the network are verified, tested and accepted through a robust and cost effective process (test, trial, acceptance, documentation, operational readiness and handover).
Managing a direct team of 3 and a wider team of 30, you will be responsible for:
- Owning and continuous improvement of the systems, processes, controls and capabilities required to manage SI and NPI, including forums, comms and governance control points
- Drive awareness and understanding of the SI and NPI processes
- Responsible for ensuring new projects and programmes follow the systems, processes and controls put in place
- Proactive management of all SI interdependencies, risks & issues, initiating corrective actions, recovery plans and interventions required to achieve business outcomes and performance
This is a senior position working closely with the SMT and Business leadership team, my client is looking for someone with gravitas, able to hold people to account, can operate at a strategic level and with strong influencing skills.
Skills & Experience Required:
- Strong experience of design, test, trial and deployment processes for technology and infrastructure
- Experience of quality culture in a large cross functional organisation
- Strong knowledge of quality management systems, methodologies and principles
- Previous experience working with System Introduction / New Product Introduction within telecoms, rail, aviation or similar highly critical environment.
Salary and package disclosed upon application
If you are interested in this opportunity please submit your CV on line or email direct to [email protected]
Project People is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy. | https://www.projectpeople.com/jobs/senior-si-manager-system-introduction |
Aside from manually managing access using custom code, Odoo provides two main data-driven mechanisms to manage or restrict access to data.
Both mechanisms are linked to specific users through groups: a user belongs to any number of groups, and security mechanisms are associated to groups, thus applying security mechamisms to users.
Managed by the ir.model.access records, defines access to a whole model.
Each access control has a model to which it grants permissions, the permissions it grants and optionally a group.
Access controls are additive, for a given model a user has access all permissions granted to any of its groups: if the user belongs to one group which allows writing and another which allows deleting, they can both write and delete.
If no group is specified, the access control applies to all users, otherwise it only applies to the members of the given group.
Record rules are conditions that records must satisfy for an operation (create, read, update or delete) to be allowed. It is applied record-by-record after access control has been applied.
This means the first group rule restricts access, but any further group rule expands it, while global rules can only ever restrict access (or have no effect).
An ORM Field can have a groups attribute providing a list of groups (as a comma-separated string of external identifiers).
Workflow transitions can be restricted to a specific group. Users outside the group can not trigger the transition. | https://www.odoo.com/documentation/8.0/reference/security.html |
U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 722
In general the acquisition hardware for this survey included four components: a GPS base and GPS rover, a motion sensor (vessel heave, pitch, and roll), and an echosounder. On the RV Survey Cat, the single-beam transducers are sled mounted and ride on a rail that is attached between the catamaran hulls. During surveying the sled is pulled forward and secured into a position located directly below the GPS antenna (fig. 8). The motion sensor is located along the centerline of the boat in the forward cabin. All hardware component positions on the RV Survey Cat were surveyed using a static total station while the boat was on the trailer and leveled. The base of the transducers served as the reference point. This effort provided millimeter-level accuracy for numerical offsets for post-processing.
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Figure 8. Photographs of the hardware components on the RV Survey Cat. [larger version]
Depth soundings were recorded at 50-millisecond (ms) intervals using a Marimatech E-SEA-103 echosounder system with dual 208-kHz transducers. Boat motion was also recorded at 50-ms intervals using a TSS DMS-05 sensor. The bathymetry was acquired using HYPACK MAX version 4.3a.7.1 (HYPACK, Inc.), a marine surveying, positioning, and navigation software package. The data from the GPS receiver, motion sensor, and fathometer were streamed in real time to a laptop computer running HYPACK on a Windows operating system. HYPACK acquisition combines the data streams from the various components into a single raw data file, with each device string referenced by a device identification code and time stamped to the nearest millisecond. The software also manages the planned-transect information, providing real-time navigation, steering, correction, data quality, and instrumentation-status information to the boat operator.
A generalized workflow diagram of post-processing is shown in figure 9. The diagram outlines the sequence of the various inputs and processing components that result in finished map products and data archives. The software components are described in the following section.
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Figure 9. Diagram of the single-beam post-processing workflow indicating the progression and software components used to derive the bathymetric data and other products. [larger version]
Establishing the differentially corrected (DGPS) external navigation file began with processing the static GPS data from the primary base station. These data may be processed quickly and accurately through one of the three online submittal services commercially available: (1) Automated GPS-Inferred Positioning System (GIPSY), a service provided by National Aeronautic and Space Administration's (NASA) Jet Propulsion Laboratory, (2) On-Line Positioning User Service (OPUS), maintained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Geodetic Survey (NGS), and (3) Scripps Coordinate Update Tool (SCOUT). The results from these services are put in a spreadsheet for error analysis and averaging. Any sessions that differ from the averaged ellipsoid value by more than 0.05 m are removed. The type of online service used may depend upon the survey logistics, which are defined by the project. For the 2007 bathymetry, results from all three services were analyzed independently first. The final x,y,z position from each service was then reviewed and averaged together. The SCOUT values differed the greatest from the average of the three, with 1.175 m in the vertical, whereas GIPSY and OPUS were considerably less at 0.627 m and 0.549 m, respectively. For this reason SCOUT values were not included in the final position, only GIPSY and OPUS and produced +/- 3.9 cm accuracy in the vertical component. This base station position, once finalized, was used as the base location (x,y,z) for post-processing the base GPS to the rover GPS. Table 1 lists the position for FORT used in post-processing. The data from FORT were good for the entire survey, so BH08 was not needed for processing.
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Table 1. Final base station position value for FORT. This position is the weighted average of the GPS sessions that were processed with GIPSY and OPUS.
|Final Base Position (USGS)||Latitude (NAD83)||Longitude (NAD83)||Weighted Ellipsoid (WGS84)||
|
O=E-G Orthometric (m) (GEOID03/NAVD88)
|GEOID03 Utility||Error (cm)|
|FORT||30o 12' 43.68831||88o 58' 19.51691||-17.417||10.176||-27.593||+/- 3.9|
Each base station GPS file was processed to the roving vessel using GrafNav version 7.6, a product of Waypoint Product Group. During this process, steps were taken to ensure that the trajectory produced from the base to the rover was clean and produced fixed positions. This is done through the interpretation and use of graphs, maps, and logs that GrafNav produces for each file. Some simple controls to eliminate poor GPS data at this point included, but were not limited to, excluding data from a satellite flagged by the program as having poor health, eliminating satellite time segments that have had cycle slips, and adjusting the satellite elevation mask angle. From these processes, a single quality checked, differentially corrected, precise position file at 1-s intervals was created for each vessel GPS session.
The single-beam data were processed using SANDS version 3.7. SANDS uses the time stamp to correlate the external navigation file with the HYPACK line data and performs geometric corrections on the depth values using the pitch and roll motion of the boat as recorded by the TSS motion sensor. The heave component is not used in SANDS but is more accurately represented by the GPS component (DeWitt and others, 2007; Hansen, 2008; Mark Hansen, USGS, unpub. data, 2009). SANDS also has the option to apply a geoid model and GEOID03 was also applied to the data. The end result was an x,y,z file horizontally and vertically referenced to NAD83 Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) Zone 16 North (N) and NAVD88 orthometric height.
The processed x,y,z data were imported into ESRI's ArcMap version 9.2. The data were gridded with the 3D Analyst Interpolation to Raster tool using natural neighbors interpolation at 50-m grid cell size. From this grid, a 1-m contour surface was generated. A shapefile of the individual data points (x,y,z) was created, plotted as 1-m color coded intervals, and overlain atop the gridded and contoured surfaces. Using all three surfaces as guides helped the editor visually scan for any remaining discrepancies. For example, converging or crossing contour lines indicated problem areas, deep holes, or abnormally shallow zones that appeared in abnormal locations. All were indicators of potential false or bad x,y,z data values. Any areas identified as questionable were reviewed, and if found to be bad, values were either deleted or statically adjusted. This resulted in 102,412 x,y,z data points.
Once all data were reviewed, a final grid was generated in the same manner as above. A raster mask was created to clip the data to the extent of the survey lines (see fig. 11). The contour surface generated from the final grid was edited in ArcMap Editor, and the data points were used as a check that the contour lines passed through the correct values. If the lines did not, they were adjusted accordingly using the editing line tool. When the extent of contour editing was finalized, the contour surface was imported into Adobe MapPublisher version 5 for further smoothing and polishing of the contours. Once finished, the smoothed contour file was imported back into ArcMap and rechecked against the data points for a final verification that the lines were not improperly smoothed and were still accurately representing the 1-m contour intervals of data points.
The quality control measures for the navigation data are applied during acquisition as outlined in the
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Figure 10. Diagram of a bar check. The red arrow indicates the point at which the bar is attached. The distance from the base of the transducers to the top of the bar is a known distance. The values from the echosounder are recorded and then accounted for in post-processing. [larger version]
In theory, where two bathymetric lines cross, the data values at that point should be equal. If they are not, this could be an indication of inaccurate values or poor data. GPS cycle slips, poor weather conditions, and rough survey conditions may produce poor data. Water column sound velocities were not measured with the assumption that shallow water environments are well mixed; therefore, sound velocities would not be an issue. If discrepancies were found at the line crossings, the line in error was either statically adjusted or removed. A line in error was considered to have one or more of the following: (1) a segment where several crossings are incomparable, (2) a known equipment problem, (3) known bad GPS data evident in post-processing, which can negatively affect the final depth value. There were 251 crossing zones that yielded 298 crossing values. Some zones had more than one set of data points that could be considered. The crossing checks were considered successful and range from 0.00 - 0.10 m with an average of 0.04 m difference (table 2). The values were broken down further by interval showing that >90 percent of the crossing values are less than 0.06 meters (table 3).
Table 2. Crossing zone statistics, cruise 07CCT01.
|Item||Value|
|Crossing Zones||251|
|Crossing Values||298|
|Minimum (m)||0.00|
|Maximum (m)||0.10|
|Average (m)||0.04|
|Standard Deviation||0.01|
Table 3. The range of crossing zone differences displayed as percentages in relation to the total count, cruise 07CCT01. More than 90 percent of the values are <0.06 meters. | https://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/722/html/equipment_processing.html |
The Government Accountability Office on Monday announced the appointment of seven new members to the Board of Governors of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.
PCORI, an independent nonprofit organization established by Congress in 2010, funds research to provide patients, caregivers and clinicians with evidence-based information in order to make better-informed healthcare decisions.
PCORI’s new Board members, who are appointed for a six-year term and may be reappointed for one subsequent six-year term, include:
- Kara Ayers, Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati
- Jennifer DeVoe, MD, Professor and Chair, Department of Family Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University
- Christopher Friese, the Elizabeth Tone Hosmer Professor of Nursing, University of Michigan
- Trent Haywood, MD, Senior Vice President, Office of Clinical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association
- Michael Herndon, DO, Chief Medical Officer, Oklahoma Health Care Authority
- Michelle McMurry-Heath, MD, worldwide Vice President for Global Regulatory Affairs, International Clinical Evidence and Strategic Operations for Medical Device Companies, Johnson & Johnson
- Janet Woodcock, MD, Director, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration
“These highly regarded professionals will assist the PCORI Governing Board as it continues to fund and evaluate patient-centered research aimed at helping patients make better health-care decisions,” says Gene Dodaro, comptroller general of the United States and head of the GAO. “Their diversity of experiences and perspectives
should prove very helpful as PCORI moves forward with its mission.”
The Affordable Care Act, which authorized the creation of PCORI, gave the Comptroller General of the United States responsibility for appointing the members of PCORI’s Board, which is comprised of up of 19 representatives of the patient, general consumer, clinical, insurance, research, employer, industry, policy and other healthcare sectors—as well as the directors of the National Institutes of Health and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
To date, PCORI has invested $ 2.4 billion to fund more than 440 patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research studies and other projects.
Also See: PCORI funds 2 projects on reducing opioid prescribing
Earlier this month, PCORI’s Board of Governors approved a new policy calling for researchers using PCORI funds to share their data sets and documentation for reanalysis and reuse, with funding to be provided to research teams to prepare the data and other materials for sharing.
According to the organization, the new policy is among the most far-reaching adopted by publicly supported funders of health research.
“Through this data sharing policy, we’re taking a major step in advancing open science,” says Joe Selby, MD, executive director of PCORI. “By supporting how others may use information generated by the studies we’ve funded, we’re helping to enhance the quality and increase the quantity of evidence for healthcare decision making. We’re also reducing redundancy in collecting clinical data sets, which can speed research and the production of more useful evidence.”
As part of the policy, certain research teams that receive PCORI funding are expected to place the data generated during their studies—as well as the documentation for how the data were produced—into a repository designated by the organization. These data, including de-identified information collected from study participants, full protocols, meta-data and statistical analysis plans, will then be made available to other research teams for reanalysis and additional analyses.
In addition, the policy mandates that all personally-identifiable health information must be deidentified to comply with HIPAA regulations, while informed consent obtained from study participants must be sufficiently broad to permit future research by other researchers. | https://medicalcases.eu/gao-appoints-seven-new-members-to-pcori-board-of-governors/ |
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Peter has over 20 years of experience working with clients in a crisis management capacity, primarily around accountability, transparency and governance. Peter’s specialties include working with international organizations, national governments and the private sector in post disaster and post-crisis environments, having worked in over 30 countries. Additionally, as the global crisis management leader for DTTL, Peter is responsible for the development of crisis management services that are deployed across Deloitte’s global network of member firms. | https://www2.deloitte.com/ca/en/profiles/peter-dent.html |
China’s opium crop substitution programme has very little to do with providing mechanisms to decrease reliance on poppy cultivation or provide alternative livelihoods for ex-poppy growers. Financing dispossession is not development.
Download the report (PDF)
Three main and interconnected developments are simultaneously taking place in Shan State and Kachin State: (1) the increase in opium cultivation in Burma since 2006 after a decade of steady decline; (2) the increase at about the same time in Chinese agricultural investments in northern Burma under China’s opium substitution programme, especially in rubber; and (3) the related increase in dispossession of local communities’ land and livelihoods in Burma’s northern borderlands.
The vast majority of the opium and heroin on the Chinese market originates from northern Burma. Apart from attempting to address domestic consumption problems, the Chinese government also has created a poppy substitution development programme, and has been actively promoting Chinese companies to take part, offering subsidies, tax waivers, and import quotas for Chinese companies. The main benefits of these programmes do not go to (ex-)poppy growing communities, but to Chinese businessmen and local authorities, and have further marginalised these communities.
Land tenure and other related resource management issues are vital ingredients for local communities to build licit and sustainable livelihoods. Investment-induced land dispossession has wide implications for drug production and trade, as well as border stability. Investments related to opium substitution should be carried out in a more sustainable, transparent, accountable and equitable fashion. Customary land rights and institutions should be respected. Chinese investors should use a smallholder plantation model instead of confiscating farmers land as a concession. | https://druglawreform.info/en/issues/alternative-development/item/3555-financing-dispossession-chinas-opium-substitution-programme-in-northern-burma |
Life may seem chaotic on the surface, but there is a hidden meaning in it. This idea is not something we can find empirically — by intersubjectively verifiable observation of stable, repeatable phenomena —, nor can we deduct it inferentially from axiomatic principles or the totality of facts. It’s an idea that we arrive at psychologically: by experiencing it in a metaphorical way. The idea of a...
More on resolving the “journey to the underworld” metaphor
So when we talk about the journey to the underworld, the metaphor indicates not a literal change of place: the individual remains in the same life they have been living already. Rather, it means a transformation in the way that individual lives, in the sense that their perceptions, emotions, thoughts, and behavior change. And although the details can vary greatly, the general direction is one...
A cautionary note on resolving metaphorical talk
When we discuss the journey to the underworld, we’re on a metaphorical level of speaking. “Metaphorical”, of course, can mean different things to different people. At the very least, however, it means that we should not take metaphorical talk “literally”: in our case, the underworld is not “below” the world in the sense that it would be a place, located in spatiotemporal terms somewhere “below...
Sense perception and sensous language
In various places, Hillman traces a development through Jung’s work away from “conceptal rationalism” towards an imagistic and metaphorical style of thinking; the former is associated with Psychological Types, the latter with Jung’s later writings on alchemy. Hillman, of course, thinks that this development is for the better.
Enigmatic playfulness and its depths
The Old Man and the Self
Self-misunderstanding and the mirror of Narcissus
A while ago, I have posted some reflections on “the mirror of Narcissus”, a phrase that Tim Wu uses to characterize the Instagram culture of mass self-presentation in pictures. That phrase implies some kind of narcissism. But is that just a vague association with an old myth, or is there a deeper connection?
Understanding (Hillman’s notion of) pathologizing
Psyche: Spirit and Soul
Is there a difference between spirit and soul? In his survey of what the term "spirit" means, Jung notes in passing that it is “common opinion that spirit and soul are essentially the same and therefore only arbitrarily separable”. And it is true that, in Jung’s work, the use of notions such as “psyche”, “spirit”, and “soul” seems at times arbitrary or at least vague... | https://blog.leiffrenzel.de/tag/symbols |
Although the conditions entrepreneurship and design are often used alternately, they enjoy different roles inside the formation, development, and advancement new enterprises. By learning the difference, organizations can better develop and draw in talented persons in these fields. The publication also is exploring the position of entrepreneurship in the community. The publication is broken into four portions, which always check the part of entrepreneurship and design and style in culture.
The first section targets the similarities and differences between style and entrepreneurship. Both domains focus on creativity and progress. While they have distinct units of methods, they publish common desired outcomes. For example , both areas can enhance cross-pollination and new skills generation. Each disciplines are also becoming increasingly relevant available world.
Design-thinking is a procedure in which internet marketers understand the demands and would like of their target market and produce a product or service that caters to some of those needs. This approach has been used by many leading global brands. In http://www.devillers-forge.com/the-use-of-traditional-techniques-in-aquitaine-france various other words, business owners should more unorthadox methods of funding to come up with the perfect solution.
Very good design can increase the performance of products and expertise. It should strengthen the function with the product not having overshadowing that. Entrepreneurs ought to focus on these types of principles to produce their products more desirable to customers.
Our mission is to provide an unparalleled experience to our clients by informing them of the nature and treatment of risk in our society. | https://accent-sotelo.com/the-role-of-entrepreneurship-and-design-in-society/ |
Nothing on this site shall be considered legal advice and no attorney-client relationship is established.
Consignment Agreement Template
PandaTip: This Consignment Agreement Template is for a situation where one person (the “Consignor”) would like to authorize another (the “Consignee”) to store, sell, and/or use a certain item owned by the Consignor. Consignment can be agreed upon over any number of items from clothes to cars.
This Consignment Agreement (the “Agreement”) states the terms and conditions that govern the contractual agreement between [CONSIGNOR], located at [ADDRESS] (the “Consignor”) and [CONSIGNEE], located at [ADDRESS] (the “Consignee”) who agree to be bound by this Agreement.
WHEREAS, the Consignor owns right and title to the items described on Exhibit A attached hereto (the “Consigned Items”), and the Consignee desires to take possession of the Consigned Items with the intention of selling it to a third party.
PandaTip: You want to give an adequate description of each item so that the specific item can be readily distinguished from other similar items.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and promises made by the parties hereto, the Consignor and the Consignee (individually, each a “Party” and collectively, the “Parties”) covenant and agree as follows:
RIGHT TO SELL. The Consignor hereby grants to the Consignee the exclusive right to display and sell the Consigned Items according to the terms and conditions of this Agreement.
MINIMUM PRICE. The minimum price at which the Consignee may sell the Consigned Items shall be [AMOUNT] (the “Minimum Price”). In the event the Consignee sells the Consigned Items for less than the Minimum Price, the Consignor shall be entitled to the same payment the Consignor would receive as its share of the sale price under this Agreement had the Consigned Items been sold for the Minimum Amount.
PandaTip: You should set a minimum price in the Consignment Agreement at which the Consigned Items may be sold. This gives the Consignee a baseline with which to work. This also allows the Consignee to sell the Consigned Items for less than that stated minimum with the condition that the Consignor will still receive the minimum amount it expects in payment in setting that minimum price.
CONSIGNMENT FEE. The Consignee shall be entitled to [PERCENTAGE] of the full purchase price of the Consigned Items (the “Consignment Fee”).
Within [NUMBER] of days from the sale of the Consigned Items, the Consignee shall deliver to the Consignor the sale price of the Consigned Items less the Consignment Fee.
INSURANCE. The Consignee represents and warrants that the Consignee shall maintain insurance coverage sufficient to compensate the Consignor for the fair market value of the Consigned Items in the event of damage due to fire, theft, or otherwise.
PandaTip: It is standard practice that the Consignor have the peace of mind that if the items that it is agreeing to grant to the Consignee are damaged or lost, the Consignor will be protected.
LOCATION OF ITEMS. The Consignee agrees and acknowledges that the Consigned Items shall only be kept and stored at [ADDRESS] unless otherwise agreed upon by the Consignor in writing.
PandaTip: This is more peace of mind for the Consignor, who can be assured its items won’t be moved around from location to location.
TIMEFRAME. In the event that all the Consigned Items are not sold by [DATE] all unsold Consigned Items shall be returned to the Consignor with all delivery costs borne by the Consignee.
CONSIGNOR REPRESENTATION. The Consignor hereby represents and warrants that the Consignor holds full title (or has received, in writing, the authorization to sell the Consigned Items by any necessary parties) to the Consigned Items.
EXPENSES. The Consignee shall bear all expenses for shipping the Consigned Items.
PandaTip: It is generally standard that the Consignee bears the costs, but this is easily switched by simply substituting in “Consignor.”
NO MODIFICATION UNLESS IN WRITING. No modification of this Agreement shall be valid unless in writing and agreed upon by both Parties.
APPLICABLE LAW. This Agreement and the interpretation of its terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of [STATE] and subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the federal and state courts located in [COUNTY], [STATE]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the Parties has executed this Contract, both Parties by its duly authorized officer, as of the day and year set forth below.
| |
500 Days of Summer (stylized as (500) Days of Summer) is a 2009 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, and produced by Mark Waters. The film stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, and employs a nonlinear narrative structure, with the story based upon its male protagonist and his memories of a failed relationship.
500 Days of Summer Trailer
Cast – 500 Days of Summer
Summer - Zooey Deschanel
Tom Hansen - Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Rachel - Chloe Grace Movetz
Paul - Matthew Gray Gubler
Autumn - Minka Arend
Mckenzie - Geoffrey Arend
Vance - Clark Gregg
Alison - Rachel Boston
Production & Story Elements & Motifs employed in the narrative
• Motif - The colour Blue
• Time
• Setting
• Acting
• Characters
• Opening, Development & Resolution
• Sound - Music Score
• Lighting
• Mise-En-Scene
• Point Of View - Rotates between two leads
• Camera Angles
• Editing
Questions to get you thinking about the film text
1. Why and how was the colour BLUE used in this text?
2. How was TIME manipulated in this text to engage the audience?
3. Why was SETTING important to the narrative?
4. Discuss two characters in detail and reason for casting?
5. What important information was provided to the audience in the Opening / Development & Resolution?
6. Who was the main Artist for the Music – Score? Why were they selected?
7. Select a scene where Mise-En-Scene was effective?
8. Discuss two editing techniques employed and why? | http://www.mediaknite.org/500-days-of-summer/ |
The World Socialist Movement:
- claims that socialism will, and must, be a wageless, moneyless, worldwide society of common (not state) ownership and democratic control of the means of wealth production and distribution.
- claims that socialism will be a sharp break with capitalism with no “transition period” or gradual implementation of socialism (although socialism will be a dynamic, changing society once it is established).
- claims that there can be no state in a socialist society.
- claims that there can be no classes in a socialist society.
- promotes only socialism, and promotes it as an immediate goal.
- claims that only the vast majority, acting consciously in its own interests, for itself, by itself, can create socialism.
- opposes any vanguardist approach, minority-led movements, and leadership, as inherently undemocratic (among other negative things).
- promotes a peaceful democratic revolution, achieved through force of numbers and understanding.
- neither promotes, nor opposes, reforms to capitalism.
- claims that there is one working class, worldwide.
- lays out the fundamentals of what socialist society must be, but does not presume to tell the future socialist society how to go about its business.
- promotes an historical materialist approach—real understanding.
- claims that religion is a social, not personal, matter and that religion is incompatible with socialist understanding.
- seeks election to facilitate the elimination of capitalism by the vast majority of socialists, not to govern capitalism.
- claims that Leninism is a distortion of Marxian analysis.
- opposes all capitalist war and claims that socialism will inherently end war, including the “war” between the classes.
- noted, in 1918, that the Bolshevik Revolution was not socialist. Had earlier, long noted that Russia was not ready for a socialist revolution.
- the first to recognize that the former USSR, China, Cuba and other so-called “socialist countries” were not socialist, but instead, state capitalist.
- claims a very accurate, consistent analysis since 1904 when the first Companion Party was founded. | https://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/socialist-standard/1999/1990s/no-1134-february-1999/world-socialist-movement/ |
Latest COVID-19 impacts—Qld national parks, state forests and recreation areas. Check the latest information and updates.
About Pine Ridge
Park features
While dune vegetation on the Gold Coast has all but disappeared due to urban development, a remaining patch of wallum heath vegetation is protected in this small park.
Wildflowers such as banksia, boronia and the wallum wedge pea are plentiful in late winter and spring, especially after good autumn rains.
- Read more about the nature, culture and history of Pine Ridge Conservation Park.
Looking after the park
Pine Ridge Conservation Park is particularly vulnerable to damage from external influences.
You can help protect the park by observing these guidelines:
- Leaving all plants and animals undisturbed.
- Leaving pets at home—even their scent frightens native animals.
- Lighting of fires within the park is prohibited.
- Feeding native animals may cause poor health and sometimes death; please do not chase, scare or feed the wildlife.
- Taking your rubbish out of the park. This also includes disposing of garden clippings responsibly.
- Riding trail bikes within the park is prohibited.
- Keeping your bicycle on the bitumen border tracks.
See the guidelines on caring for parks for more information about protecting our environment and heritage in parks.
Park management
Pine Ridge is very significant to the Aboriginal Traditional Owners of this land. Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) manages this park in consultation with them, and under the Nature Conservation Act 1992, to preserve and present its natural and cultural values in perpetuity while still providing nature-based recreational opportunities.
Tourism information links
Surfers Paradise Visitor Information Centre
www.destinationgoldcoast.com
2 Cavill Avenue (Cavill Mall), Surfers Paradise, Qld 4217
Ph: 1300 309 440
Email: [email protected]
For tourism information for all regions in Queensland see Queensland Holidays.
-
The natural, cultural and historical significance of Pine Ridge
- There are currently no park alerts for this park. | https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/pine-ridge/about |
Westchester Desegregation Planning Rejected by HUD
December 22, 2010 – Westchester has failed to comply with yet another of its obligations under the consent decree.
The County was required to develop an “analysis of impediments” to fair housing choice that was acceptable to HUD. That meant it was supposed to identify, analyze, and take the actions necessary to overcome all barriers to fair housing.
The AI, which was patently inadequate, was submitted back in July, 2010, and, within days, ADC had posted an analysis of some of its major deficiencies.
HUD has now found that the AI is indeed “incomplete and unacceptable,” and has rejected the submission.
According to the full text of the letter from HUD to Westchester, HUD has found that the County “failed to set forth specific strategies…to combat exclusionary zoning practices.” These deficiencies included the failure to commit to actions “that will overcome problematic land use approval processes and zoning ordinances, difficulties faced by lower-income and minority residents as they seek to move to higher-income neighborhoods, and local opposition to affordable housing development.”
Westchester, HUD wrote, has not even conducted an analysis or provided a strategy in terms of the location of affordable housing. “To sufficiently address this deficiency in its AI, the County must set forth the strategies it will employ to ensure that as it develops affordable housing, it is reducing patterns of racial and ethnic segregation,” the agency wrote.
HUD reserved special criticism for Westchester’s false statement about its purported lack of authority in respect to municipalities:
Even more fundamentally, the County claims that it is unable to overcome municipal exclusionary zoning laws, stating “Westchester County is extremely limited in the action it can take to solve the [exclusionary zoning] problems.” AI at 131. This statement is inconsistent with both the County’s obligation under the Settlement to take appropriate actions to gain municipal cooperation and the County’s clear acknowledgement of a number of tools already at its disposal to overcome municipal resistance, including providing financial incentives, enforcing the terms and conditions of the Urban County Cooperative Agreements, and initiating legal action if necessary. See Settlement at 2, ¶¶7(i)&(j), 25.
After reviewing the HUD letter, Craig Gurian, ADC’s Executive Director, made the following statement:
As we said back in the summer, Westchester’s AI was nothing more than a recycled version of the arguments and evasions that characterized its unsuccessful defense during Phase I of ADC’s lawsuit. The AI was unacceptable by any standard, and we are pleased that HUD has now rejected it. Significantly, HUD has identified several central deficiencies of the submission (although it failed to mention that Westchester’s obligations are not unit-specific – the County is obliged to have as a goal in all its housing programs the ending of residential segregation).
It is essential, however, that the situation on the ground in Westchester be assessed realistically, resisting any urge to engage in wishful thinking.
HUD says in its letter that the County has “taken some steps” towards developing affordable housing that will “count” towards meeting its obligation.
In fact, the County has made no progress at all in developing housing that either confronts zoning barriers or provides desegregation opportunities within the midst of existing single family or other low-density ultra-white blocks.
Instead of focusing on development that would maximize desegregation opportunities, Westchester has focused on strategies that would minimize structural change. With the assistance of a Monitor that has thus far failed to stand up for the integrity of the consent decree, Westchester has been trying to utilize “less controversial” sites (or, to use the Monitor’s unfortunate phrase, to go for “low hanging fruit”).
What makes a site low hanging fruit?
Being really, really close to railroad tracks, or major highways, or to ground contamination.
Having already been approved for development and so not actually supposed to “count” towards consent decree units.
Being on a block with few or no African-Americans only because the block has no population of any race or ethnicity other than people who live in what the Census Bureau calls “group quarters.”
Taking a proposed age-restricted development (something not permitted for initial consent decree units), redubbing it as open to everyone, but not redesigning the units so that families with children could occupy them.
Here are the bottom lines:
Westchester has already been violating the consent decree in all essential respects for well over a year. These violations go well beyond its AI-related failures.
HUD needs to be going back to Judge Cote now to bring Westchester into compliance. The letter, unfortunately, does not state or suggest that it will be doing so. | http://www.antibiaslaw.com/article/westchester-desegregation-planning-rejected-hud |
Big data refers to the 21st-century phenomenon of exponential growth of business data, and the challenges that come with it, including holistic collection, storage, management, and analysis of all the data that a business owns or uses.
What do I need to know about big data?
The term implies data of an indeterminate—and steadily increasing—size as well as from an indeterminate number of sources, including data generated by employees, customers, partners, machines, logs, databases, security cameras, mobile devices, social media, and more.
Big data is characterized by at least one, but usually all, of the following characteristics: massive volume, high velocity (rate of change), and widely varied type.
Volume—As the name implies, big data is of a massive size, usually totaling terabytes or petabytes in total, but growing at such a rate that precise calculation is futile.
Velocity—The vast majority of modern data changes constantly. For example, stock market prices change many times per second. Big data addresses the challenges of capturing and analyzing data that is in constant flux.
Variety—The term data, in an IT context, once referred primarily to relational data stored in databases. By contrast, big data encompasses any and all types of data, regardless of how it was created. Non-relational data is often called “unstructured” data and includes things businesses once had no insight on, such as email, video, audio, social media, etc.
Why is big data such a problem?
The amount of data being generated keeps increasing, so the challenge to contain big data is a moving target. Additionally, big data is increasingly a competitive problem: As more companies invest in, and have success with, their big data, those companies that do not keep step will be at great disadvantage. Finally, the technologies and commercial products to contain and control big data are evolving rapidly so IT organizations must stay alert to new innovations and opportunities. | https://www.informatica.com/services-and-training/glossary-of-terms/big-data-definition.html |
Smartphones have revolutionized the way that we communicate with each other and increased productivity, but for some businesses, they are only making things worse. A perfect example of this is the restaurant business - in fact, one restaurant owner decided to take matters into his own hands, and has performed a study which examined their business before and after the mobile revolution.
CAI Managed IT blog
CAI Managed IT Services has been helping small and medium-size businesses since 1978, providing IT support such as technical helpdesk support, computer repair, and consulting services.
Mobile? Grab this Article! | https://www.caiservice.com/blog/tags/statistics |
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The present invention relates to the use of comb polymers which on a carbon backbone bear poly-C-Calkylene ether side-chains A and functional groups B, which are present in the form of anionic groups at pH>12, and the salts of such comb polymers as grinding aids for cement-containing preparations.
Cement is a hydraulic binding agent. When mixed with water, cement gives cement paste which solidifies and hardens by hydration and which even after hardening under water remains solid and dimensionally stable.
Cement consists of the main component Portland cement clinker, the secondary components granulated slag, pozzolan, fly ash, limestone and/or fillers and also a calcium sulfate-containing component and so-called cement additives. From the statistical viewpoint, the cement components must be homogeneous in composition. High uniformity of all cement properties must be attained by continuous production with large mass flows, in particular by effective grinding and homogenization processes.
In spite of many advances in grinding technology, the majority of cement is still ground in tube ball mills, wherein the effect of grinding aids is of particular importance.
During cement clinker or limestone grinding, grinding aids have in particular the task of enabling higher grinding fineness of the grinding stock.
Grinding aids work by coating the particles tending to agglomerate with monomolecular layers and thus result in neutralization of the surface charges. Physically speaking, the grinding aids rapidly provide charge carriers, which are available for saturation of the charges arising on the fracture surfaces during the crushing of the clinker particles and as a result reduce the tendency to agglomeration. Apart from this, grinding aids are absorbed on the fracture surfaces of the still unseparated grains and prevent their recombination under the action of temperature and pressure.
As a rule, the cement raw material is ground dry. During the dry preparation, the raw material components are fed through metering devices to a mill in a defined mixing ratio and ground to raw meal. During the grinding process, warming of the grinding stock occurs, as a result of which the temperature of the grinding stock taken out of the grinding unit can be 80 to 120° C. Typical grinding units are tube mills (ball mills), but also roller mills.
The efficacy of known grinding aids varies greatly. The known grinding aids include triethanolamine, various carboxylic acids and salts thereof, for example octadecanoic acid or the sodium salt thereof.
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EP-A 331 308 describes comb polymers for the dispersing of cement, which contain a monoethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid, a monoethylenically unsaturated sulfonic acid and an ester of a poly-C-Calkylene glycol mono-C-Calkyl ether polymerized together.
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Again, EP-A 560 602 describes the use of comb polymers which contain an alkylene ether of a poly-C-Calkylene glycol mono-C-Calkyl ether and maleic acid or maleic anhydride polymerized together, as additives for concrete.
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Again, from EP-A 753 488 the use of comb polymers which contain mono-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acids and esters of monoethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acids of polyoxy-C-Calkylene mono-C-Calkyl ethers polymerized together and which have a defined molecular weight distribution as dispersing agents for cement is known. Similar polymers are described for this purpose in EP-A 792 850.
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Again, EP-A 725 044 describes the use of comb polymers from monoethylenically unsaturated monocarboxylic acids and esters of monoethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acids with polyoxyethylene mono-C-Calkyl ethers in hydraulically setting mixtures based on a mixture of cement and anhydrous gypsum.
Again, EP-A 799 807 describes the use of comb polymers based on mono-ethylenically unsaturated monocarboxylic acids and alkylpolyalkylene glycol mono(meth)acrylic acid esters, wherein the latter are obtainable by a transesterification process, as dispersants for cement.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,728,207 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,840,114 describe the use of comb polymers which were obtained by polymer modification of polymers, which have cyclic anhydride groups, with alkylpolyalkylene ether amines, as additives for cement-containing preparations. From WO 98/28353, comb polymers with a carbon backbone which bears alkyl-polyalkylene ether groups and carboxylate groups are known. The comb polymers can be produced both by modification of carboxylate group-containing polymers with polyalkylene ethers and also by copolymerization of suitable monomers containing alkylpolyalkylene ether groups with ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acids.
EP 976 695 describes tin (II) sulfate as a grinding aid.
With the known grinding aids, the quantities added, based on the grinding stock, typically lie between 0.05 and 0.2 wt. % or markedly higher.
Grinding aids require optimization of the following characteristics: prevention of caking in the grinding unit, attainment of as high as possible a grinding fineness, or high specific area of the grinding stock (Blaine fineness), improvement of the flowability of the grinding stock, homogenization of the grinding stock, dispersion of agglomerates of the grinding stock and a reduction in the quantity of the grinding aid added.
The present invention is therefore based on the objective of providing grinding aids for cement-containing preparations, which fulfill the characteristics stated above.
It has surprisingly been found that this objective is achieved by means of comb polymers with a carbon backbone, which bear polyether groups of the formula A defined below and functional groups B, which are present in the form of anionic groups at pH>12 on the polymer backbone.
k
n
* indicates the binding site to the carbon backbone of the comb polymer,
U stands for a chemical bond or an alkylene group with 1 to 8 C atoms,
X means oxygen or an NR group,
k is 0 or 1,
n stands for a whole number, the mean value whereof, based on the comb polymer, lies in the range from 5 to 300,
2
4
n
Alk stands for C-Calkylene, where Alk within the group (Alk-O)can be the same or different,
1
6
W means a hydrogen, a C-Calkyl residue or an aryl residue or means the group Y—Z, wherein
Y stands for a linear or branched alkylene group with 2 to 8 C atoms, which may bear a phenyl ring,
Z stands for a 5- to 10-membered nitrogen heterocycle bound via nitrogen, which can have as ring members, as well as the nitrogen atom and as well as carbon atoms, 1, 2 or 3 additional hetero atoms, selected from oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur, wherein the nitrogen ring members may have a group R′, and wherein 1 or 2 carbon ring members can be present as carbonyl groups,
1
4
R stands for hydrogen, C-Calkyl or benzyl, and
1
4
R′ stands for hydrogen, C-Calkyl or benzyl;
and functional groups B, which are present in the form of anionic groups at pH>12,
and salts thereof as grinding aids in cement-containing preparations.
Accordingly, the present invention relates to the use of comb polymers which have a carbon backbone which bears polyether groups of the formula A
*—U—(C(O))—X-(Alk-O)—W A
wherein
The invention further relates to cement-containing preparations which contain such a comb polymer, in particular ready-to-use preparations and the objects produced therefrom.
n
2
2
Such comb polymers are novel when the mean value of n, based on the comb polymer, lines in the range from 10 to 300 and on average 90 mol. % of the Alk-O units in the group (Alk-O)stand for CH—CH—O.
n
2
2
Accordingly, the present invention further relates to comb polymers which have a carbon backbone which bears polyether groups of the general formula A and functional groups B which are present in the form of anionic groups at pH>12, wherein in the formula A the variables *, U, X, k, Alk, Y, Z, R and R′ have the aforesaid meanings and n stands for a whole number the mean value whereof, based on the comb polymer, lies in the range from 10 to 300 and wherein on average at least 90 mol. % of the Alk-O units in the group (Alk-O)stand for CH—CH—O.
The comb polymers according to the invention can also be used in combination with known grinding aids, for example triethanolamine or various carboxylic acids or salts thereof such as octadecanoic acid or salts thereof.
The comb polymers can be packed both in powdery form and in solution.
Cement-containing preparations in the sense of the present invention are inorganic, as a rule mineral substances, which, when mixed with water, are in particular understood to be hydraulic binding agents, such as lime and in particular cement, including latently hydraulic binding agents, such as blast furnace slags.
The comb polymers according to the invention are suitable in particular as grinding aids for preparations of hydraulic binding agents, and quite especially as grinding aids for cement-containing preparations.
2
4
Here and below, C-Calkylene stands for a linear or branched alkanediyl group which has 2 to 4 C atoms, in particular for a 1,2-ethanediyl group, which can bear one or two methyl groups or an ethyl group, i.e. for 1,2-ethanediyl, 1,2-propanediyl, 1,2-butanediyl, 1,1-dimethylethane-1,2-diyl or 1,2-dimethylethane-1,2-diyl.
1
8
2
C-Calkylene stands for a linear or branched alkanediyl group which has 1 to 8 and in particular 1 to 4 C atoms, e.g. for CH, 1,1-ethanediyl, 1,2-ethanediyl, 1,1-propanediyl, 1,3-propanediyl, 2,2-propanediyl, 1,2-propane-diyl, 1,1-butanediyl, 1,2-butanediyl, 1,3-butanediyl, 1,4-butanediyl, 2,2-butanediyl, 1,1-dimethylethane-1,2-diyl or 1,2-dimethylethane-1,2-diyl.
1
4
1
6
1
10
1
4
C-C- or C-Calkyl stands for a linear or branched alkyl group which has 1 to 4 C atoms, e.g. for methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, 2-butyl, 2-methylpropane-1-yl or tert.-butyl. C-Calkyl stands for a linear or branched alkyl group, which has 1 to 10 C atoms, e.g. for C-Calkyl, as previously stated, and for pentyl, hexyl, 1-methylpentyl, 2-methylpentyl, heptyl, octyl, 1-methylheptyl, 2-methylheptyl, 2,4,4-trimethylpentane-2-yl, 2-ethylhexyl, 1-ethylhexyl, nonyl, isononyl, decyl, 1-methylnonyl,
2-propylheptyl and the like.
1
4
1
10
1
4
C-Calkoxy stands for a linear or branched alkyl group which is bound via an oxygen atom and which has 1 to 4 C atoms, e.g. for methoxy, ethoxy, n-propyloxy, isopropyloxy, n-butyloxy, 2-butyloxy, 2-methylpropane-1-ylxoy or tert. butoxy. C-Calkoxy stands for a linear or branched alkyl group, which is bound via an oxygen atom and which has 1 to 10 C atoms, e.g. for C-Calkoxy, as previously stated, and for pentyloxy, hexyloxy, 1-methylpentyloxy, 2-methylpentylxoy, heptyloxy, octyloxy, 1-methylheptyloxy, 2-methylheptylxoy, 2,4,4-trimethylpentane-2-yloxy, 2-ethylhexyloxy, 1-ethylhexyloxy, nonyloxy, isononyloxy, decyloxy, 1-methylnonyloxy, 2-propylheptyloxy and the like.
n
With regard to the use according to the invention, it has been found advantageous when the mean number of repeating units Alk-O in the groups (Alk-O), i.e. the mean value of n in formula A, based on the comb polymer, is at least 10, in particular at least 20 and especially at least 50 and does not exceed a value of 250, in particular 200 and especially 150. Preferably the value lies in the range from 10 to 250, in particular in the range from 20 to 200 and especially in the range from 50 to 150. The mean value of n or the mean number of repeating units Alk-O is the numerical mean, based on the comb polymer.
n
n
2
2
In the group (Alk-O)the alkylene parts of the individual repeating units Alk-O can be the same or different. In particular, Alk-O preferably stands for 1,2-ethanediyl or mixtures of 1,2-ethanediyl with 1,2-propanediyl. If the groups (Alk-O)have different Alk-O units from one another, these can be arranged randomly or blockwise, a blockwise arrangement being preferred. In particular, the Alk-O group which is bound to X is a group of the formula CHCHO.
2
2
Further, it has been found advantageous when at least 50 mol. %, in particular at least 80 mol. %, particularly preferably 90 mol. % and in particular all Alk-O groups stand for CH—CH—O. These % statements are the numerical mean, based on the total quantity of comb polymer.
n
2
2
3
2
If the group (Alk-O)has different repeating units Alk-O, it has been found advantageous when on average at least 50 mol. %, e.g. 50 to 99 mol. %, in particular at least 80 mol. %, e.g. 80 to 99 mol. %, and especially at least 90 mol. %, e.g. 90 to 98 mol. % of the Alk-O groups stand for CH—CH—O. Among these, those mixtures are preferred wherein the remaining repeating units Alk-O stand for CH(CH)—CH—O.
The group Z in formula A preferably stands for a 5- or 6-membered nitrogen heterocycle, which as well as the nitrogen bound to Y and the carbon ring members has a ring member selected from O, S, N, an NR group and/or a carbonyl group as a ring member. In the group NR, R has the meanings stated previously and stands in particular for hydrogen or methyl. Among these, heterocycles are preferred which have a ring member selected from O, N or an NR group and/or a carbonyl group as a ring member. Examples of preferred residues Z are pyrrolidon-1-yl, morpholin-4-yl, piperazin-1-yl, piperidon-1-yl, morpholin-2-on-4-yl, morpholin-3-on-4-yl, piperazin-1-yl, 4-methylpiperazin-1-yl, imidazolin-2-on-1-yl, 3-methylimidazolin-2-on-1-yl and imidazol-1-yl. Among these, morpholin-1-yl and pyrrolidon-1-yl are particularly preferred.
2
4
Further it has been found advantageous if Y in formula A stands for C-Calkylene and in particular for 1,2-ethanediyl or 1,3-propanediyl.
2
3
U preferably stands for a chemical bond, CHor CH(CH). In a particularly preferred embodiment, U stands for a chemical bond.
In particular k stands for 1.
In formula A, X preferably stands for O or NH and in particular for O.
In particular, in formula A the variables U, k, X, Y and Z and the variable n jointly have the meanings stated to be preferred.
−
−
−
2−
3
3
3
2
3
3
The groups B present in the comb polymers used according to the invention are typically present in the form of anionic groups, i.e. in deprotonated form, at pH values above 12. Examples of such groups are carboxylate (COOH or COO), sulfonate (SOH or SO), phosphonate (POHor POH or PO). Preferably, at least 50 mol. %, in particular at least 80 mol. % of the groups B are carboxylate groups.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the group B consists essentially (i.e. at least 95 mol. %, especially at least 99 mol. %) or exclusively of carboxylate groups. In another embodiment of the invention, the comb polymers have at least two different functional groups B, wherein in this embodiment preferably 50 to 99 mol. %, in particular 80 to 99 mol. % of the functional groups B are carboxylate groups and the remaining 1 to 50 mol. %, in particular 1 to 20 mol. %, are sulfonate groups.
1
4
1
4
2
4
The functional groups B can be bound to the carbon backbone of the polymer chain directly or via a spacer. Typical spacers are C-Calkanediyl, phenylene and groups of the formula
*—C(O)—X′-Alk′-,
wherein X′ stands for O, NH or N(C-Calkyl), Alk′ for C-Calkylene, in particular for 1,2-ethanediyl, 1,3-propanediyl, 1,2-propanediyl or 1-methyl-1,2-propanediyl and * means the binding site of the spacer to the polymer backbone. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the group B is bound to the carbon backbone of the comb polymer directly, i.e. via a single bond.
p
q
1
10
1
10
1
4
a
a
a
Further, as well as the aforesaid groups of the formula A and the functional groups B, the comb polymer can also comprise groups of the formula C
*—U′—(C(O))—X″-(Alk″-O)—R C
wherein
U′ has the meanings stated for U, p stands for 0 or 1, X″ has the meanings stated for X, Alk″ has the meanings previously stated for Alk, q stands for a whole number the mean value whereof, based on the comb polymer lies (numerical mean) in the range from 2 to 300, in particular in the range from 10 to 250, particularly preferably in the range from 20 to 200 and especially in the range from 50 to 150 and Ris selected from hydrogen, C-Calkyl, C-Calkylcarbonyl, benzyl or benzoyl. In formula C, p stands in particular for 1. U′ stands in particular for a chemical bond. X″ stands in particular for oxygen. Rstands in particular for C-Calkyl and especially for methyl. Concerning the preferred meanings of Alk″, what was previously stated for Alk applies analogously.
n
q
n
q
In principle, the polyether groups A and also the polyether groups C within the comb polymer can be the same or different as regards the number of the repeating units n and q respectively in the (Alk-O)and (Alk″-O)groups, while it should be noted that the groups A and C and the groups (Alk-O)and (Alk″-O)have a molecular weight distribution and thus n and q represent mean values (numerical means) of these molecular weight distributions. The term “the same” therefore means that the molecular weight distribution of the groups A and C each has one maximum. The term “different” correspondingly means that the molecular weight distribution of the groups A and C corresponds to several superimposed distributions and accordingly has several maxima. Comb polymers wherein the molecular weight distributions of the groups A or, when present, the molecular weight distributions of the groups A are different from those of the groups C, are preferred. In particular, those comb polymers are preferred wherein the numerical means of the molecular weight each assigned to a maximum differ from one another by at least 130 Daltons and in particular at least 440 Daltons. Accordingly, comb polymers are preferred which have at least two, e.g. 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 types of different groups A (below: groups A1 and A2 or A1, A2 . . . Ai; i a whole number, e.g. 3, 4, 5 or 6), wherein the respective mean values n(A1) and n(A2) or n(Ai) differ by a value of at least 3 and in particular by at least 10. Accordingly, comb polymers with groups of the formula A and the formula C wherein the mean values of n and q differ by a value of at least 3 and in particular by at least 10 are also preferred.
In the comb polymers used according to the invention, the polyether groups of the formula A and the functional groups B typically lie in a mole ratio A:B in the range from 2:1 to 1:20, commonly in the range from 1.5:1 to 1:15, in particular in the range from 1:1 to 1:10 and especially in the range from 1:1.1 to 1:8 (averaged over the whole quantity of comb polymers). If the comb polymer has polyether groups of the formula C, the mole ratio of polyether groups of the formula A and C to the functional groups B, i.e. the mole ratio (A+C):B typically lies in the range from 2:1 to 1:20, commonly in the range from 1.5:1 to 1:15, in particular in the range from 1:1 to 1:10 and especially in the range from 1:1.1 to 1:1 (averaged over the whole quantity of comb polymers).
1
8
As well as the aforesaid groups of the formula A, the functional groups B and the optionally present groups C, the comb polymer can also to a lesser extent bear functional groups C′ on the carbon backbone. These include in particular C-Calkoxycarbonyl groups wherein the alkoxy residue can bear one or several hydroxy groups, nitrile groups and groups of the formula Z as defined above.
The content of the functional groups C′, based on the total quantity of the functional groups A, B, optionally C and C′ will preferably not exceed 30 mol. %, in particular 20 mol. % and, if present, typically lies in the range from 1 to 30 mol. % and in particular in the range from 2 to 20 mol. %. In a preferred embodiment, the comb polymers have no functional groups C′, or less than 2 mol. %, in particular less than 1 mol. %.
In a preferred embodiment the comb polymer has 5 to 80 mol. %, in particular 10 to 60 mol. %, groups of the formula C, each based on the total quantity of the functional groups A, B, C and optionally C′. In this embodiment, the mole ratio of the side chains A to the groups C, i.e. the mole ratio A:C preferably lies in the range from 1:10 to 20:1, in particular in the range from 1:2 to 10:1. In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the comb polymer has no groups of the formula C′, or less than 5 mol. %, in particular less than 1 mol. %, each based on the total quantity of the groups A, B, C and C′.
1
4
1
4
th
In addition, the comb polymer can also have hydrocarbon residues on the carbon backbone, e.g. C-Calkyl groups or phenyl groups. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the carbon backbone has C-Calkyl groups, in particular methyl groups on at least every 4C atom of the polymer chain.
th
rd
Further, it has been found advantageous when on average (numerical average) at least every 4C atom of the polymer backbone and in particular at least every 3C atom bears a group of the formulae A or optionally C or a functional group B. Further, it has been found advantageous when on average (numerical average) at least one carbon atom which is not substituted by a group A, B or optionally C is positioned between two carbon atoms of the polymer backbone substituted by A, B or optionally C.
N
N
The number averaged molecular weight (M) of the comb polymers as a rule lies in the range from 1000 to 200 000. With regard to the use of the comb polymers, those with a number averaged molecular weight of 5000 to 100 000 are preferred. The number averaged molecular weight Mcan be determined in the usual manner by gel permeation chromatography, as described in the examples. The K values of the copolymers obtainable according to the invention, determined by the method stated below, as a rule lie in the range from 10 to 100, preferably in the range from 15 to 80 and in particular in the range from 20 to 60.
+
+
++
++
+
b
c
d
e
+
b
c
d
e
+
+
4
1
4
2
4
1
4
2
4
The comb polymers can be used in the form of the free acid or in the form of their salts, wherein in the salt form the groups B can be present partially or completely neutralized. If the comb polymers are used in the form of the salts, for reasons of electrical neutrality they have cations as counter-ions. Suitable cations are alkali metal cations such as Na and K, alkaline earth metal cations such as Mg and Ca, and ammonium ions, such as NH and [NRRRR], wherein Rstands for C-Calkyl or hydroxy C-Calkyl and the residues R, Rand Rare mutually independently selected from hydrogen, C-Calkyl and hydroxy C-Calkyl. Preferred counter-ions are the alkali metal cations, in particular Na and K.
The production of the comb polymers according to the invention can be effected by analogy with known processes for the production of such comb polymers, e.g. by analogy with the processes described in the state of the technology cited at the outset and by analogy with the processes described in WO 01/40337, WO 01/40338, WO 01/72853 or WO 02/50160, to the disclosure whereof reference is hereby made.
a) neutral monoethylenically unsaturated monomers M1 which have one or two groups of the formula A, and
b) monoethylenically unsaturated monomers M2 which have one or two functional groups B,
i) Copolymerization of ethylenically unsaturated monomers M, including
a) monoethylenically unsaturated monomers M3, which have one group of the formula A and one functional group B, and optionally
b) monoethylenically unsaturated monomers M2, which have one or two functional groups B, and
ii) homo- or copolymerization of ethylenically unsaturated monomers M, including
n
n
iii) polymeranalogous reaction of homo- or copolymers with a carbon backbone, which have free carboxyl groups or ester-forming derivatives of carboxyl groups, with alcohols of the formula HO-(Alk-O)—Y—Z or amines of the formula HNR-(Alk-O)—Y—Z wherein n, Alk, R, Y and Z have the previously stated meanings.
Suitable production processes are in particular:
n
n
The three production processes i), ii) and iii) all lead to comb polymers according to the invention, while the structure of the comb polymers thereby obtainable naturally depends in a manner in itself known on the particular production method chosen and the quantity and nature of the starting materials used. Thus for example, with the comb polymers obtainable by the production methods i) and ii), the nature and quantity of the side-chains A and the functional groups B respectively depends in a manner in itself known on the nature and the relative quantity of the monomers M1 and M2 or M1 and optionally M3. Again, the molecular weight of the comb polymers in the production methods i) and ii) can be controlled in a manner in itself known through the reaction conditions selected in the polymerization, e.g. through the initiator used, regulators optionally used, the temperature, the reaction medium, concentration of the monomers, etc. With the comb polymers obtainable by the production method iii), the structure and the molecular weight will naturally be largely determined by the homo- or copolymers used and by the alcohols HO-(Alk-O)—Y—Z or amines of the formula HNR-(Alk-O)—Y—Z used for the modification.
Comb polymers obtainable by the method i) are preferable according to the invention, and thus constitute a particularly preferred object of the invention.
In the production process i), the nature and quantity of the monomers M determine the nature and number of the side-chains of the formula A.
3
8
4
8
n
3
8
n
Preferred monomers M1 are those wherein k in formula A stands for 1. Preferred monomers M1 are thus selected from the esters of monoethylenically unsaturated C-Cmonocarboxylic acids and diesters of monoethylenically unsaturated C-Cdicarboxylic acids with alcohols of the formula HO-(Alk-O)—Y—Z, wherein n, Alk, Y and Z have the previously stated meanings, and the amides of monoethylenically unsaturated C-Cmonocarboxylic acids with amines of the formula NHR-(Alk-O)—Y—Z, wherein n, Alk, R, Y and Z have the previously stated meanings.
3
8
Preferred esters of monoethylenically unsaturated C-Cmonocarboxylic acids are the esters of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid.
4
8
Examples of diesters of monoethylenically unsaturated C-Cdicarboxylic acids are the esters of fumaric acid, itaconic acid and maleic acid.
3
8
Preferred amides of monoethylenically unsaturated C-Cmonocarboxylic acids are the amides of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid.
n
Possible monomers M1 also include vinyl, allyl and methallyl ethers of alcohols of the formula HO-(Alk-O)—Y—Z, wherein n, Alk, Y and Z have the previously stated meanings.
3
8
3
8
Preferably the monomers M1 include at least 80 mol. %, in particular at least 90 mol. %, based on the total quantity of the monomers M1, of esters of monoethylenically unsaturated C-Cmonocarboxylic acids, in particular esters of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid. In particular the monomers M1 are selected from the aforesaid esters of monoethylenically unsaturated C-Cmonocarboxylic acids, and especially from the esters of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid.
M2a monoethylenically unsaturated mono- and dicarboxylic acids with 3 or 4 to 8 C atoms such as acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, crotonic acid, isocrotonic acid, maleic acid, fumaric acid and itaconic acid.
M2b monoethylenically unsaturated sulfonic acids with preferably 2 to 10 C atoms and salts thereof, in particular alkali metal salts thereof such as vinylsulfonic acid, allylsulfonic acid, methallylsulfonic acid, styrenesulfonic acid, 2-acryloxyethanesulfonic acid and 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid, and
M2b monoethylenically unsaturated phosphonic acids with preferably 2 to 10 C atoms such as vinylphosphonic acid, allylphosphonic acid, 2-acryloxy-ethanephosphonic acid and 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanephosphonic acid,
1
10
1
4
q
a
a
M2d half esters of monoethylenically unsaturated dicarboxylic acids with 4 to 8 C atoms, in particular half esters of maleic acid, fumaric acid and itaconic acid with C-Calkanols, in particular with C-Calkanols, e.g. the monomethyl, monoethyl or monobutyl esters of these acids and the monoesters of these acids with alcohols of the formula HO(Alk″-O)—R, wherein q, Alk″ and Rhave the previously stated meanings,
and the salts of these monomers, in particular alkali metal salts thereof.
The monomers M2 include:
Preferred monomers M2 contain at least 50 mol. %, in particular at least 70 mol. %, based on the total quantity of the monomers M2, of monoethylenically unsaturated mono- and dicarboxylic acids with 3 or 4 to 8 C atoms, and particularly preferably among these acrylic acid and methacrylic acid. In a preferred embodiment, the monomers M2 are selected from monoethylenically unsaturated mono- and dicarboxylic acids with 3 or 4 to 8 C atoms, in particular from acrylic acid and methacrylic acid. In another embodiment of the invention, the monomers M2 include M50 to 99 mol. %, in particular 70 to 95 mol. %, based on the total quantity of the monomers M2, of monoethylen-ically unsaturated mono- and dicarboxylic acids with 3 or 4 to 8 C atoms, and particularly preferably among these acrylic acid and methacrylic acid, and
1 to 50 mol. %, in particular 5 to 35 mol. %, based on the total quantity of the monomers M2, of monoethylenically unsaturated sulfonic acids with preferably 2 to 10 C atoms.
4
8
n
The monomers M3 include in particular half esters of monoethylenically unsaturated C-Cdicarboxylic acids with alcohols of the formula HO-(Alk-O)—Y—Z, wherein n, Alk, Y and Z have the previously stated meanings, especially the half esters of maleic acid, fumaric acid and itaconic acid.
In addition, the monomers M can include further monomers M4 and M5.
Monomers M4 are monoethylenically unsaturated monomers which contain one or two groups of the formula C and optionally a functional group B. These include vinyl, allyl and methallyl ethers of alcohols of the formula
q
3
8
4
8
3
8
q
4
8
q
3
8
a
a
a
a
a
HO(Alk″O)—R, wherein q, Alk″ and Rhave the previously stated meanings, and also the esters of these alcohols of monoethylenically unsaturated mono-C-Ccarboxylic acids and the half and diesters of these alcohols with monoethylenically unsaturated di-C-Ccarboxylic acids. Preferred monomers M4 are esters of monoethylenically unsaturated mono-C-Ccarboxylic acids, in particular of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid, with alcohols of the formula HO(Alk″-O)—R, wherein q, Alk″ and Rhave the previously stated meanings, and diesters of monoethylenically unsaturated di-C-C-carbonic acids, in particular maleic acid, fumaric acid, citraconic acid and itaconic acid, with alcohols of the formula HO(Alk″-O)—R. Particularly preferred monomers M4 are the esters of monoethylenically unsaturated mono-C-Ccarboxylic acids, in particular of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid.
Preferably the monomers M4 make up not more than 80 mol. %, in particular not more than 60 mol. %, based on the total quantity of the monomers M. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the quantity of the monomers M4 is 5 to 80 mol. %, in particular 10 to 60 mol. %, based on the total quantity of the monomers M in the production processes i) or ii). In another embodiment of the invention, its quantity of the monomers M is less than 5 mol. %, in particular less than 1 mol. %. Concerning the mole ratio of monomers M1 to M4 or of monomers M3 to M4, what was previously stated for the mole ratio of the functional groups A:C applies analogously.
1
10
5
10
3
8
1
10
3
10
1
10
5
10
4
8
M5a C-Calkyl esters and C-Ccycloalkyl esters of monoethylenically unsaturated mono-C-Ccarboxylic acids, in particular of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid, with C-Calkanols or C-Ccycloalkanols such as methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, n-propyl acrylate, iso-propyl acrylate, n-butyl acrylate, iso-butyl acrylate tert.-butyl acrylate, n-hexyl acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, cyclohexyl acrylate and the corresponding methacrylic acid esters and corresponding di-C-Calkyl esters and di-C-Ccycloalkyl esters of monoethylenically unsaturated di-C-Ccarboxylic acids;
2
10
3
8
M5b hydroxy-C-Calkyl esters of monoethylenically unsaturated mono- and di-C-Ccarboxylic acids, in particular of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid such as 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate, 3-hydroxypropyl acrylate, 4-hydroxybutyl acrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, 3-hydroxypropyl methacrylate and 4-hydroxybutyl methacrylate,
M5c monoethylenically unsaturated nitriles such as acrylonitrile,
M5d vinylaromatic monomers such as styrene and vinyltoluenes,
M5e olefins with preferably 2 to 12 C atoms such as ethylene, propene, 1-butene, isobutene, 1-hexene, diisobutene, 1-octene, 1-decene, 1-dodecene, etc.
The monomers M5 include the monomers M5a, M5b, M5c, M5d and M5e:
Preferred monomers M5 are the monomers M5b.
Preferably the monomers M5 make up not more than 30 mol. %, in particular not more than 20 mol. %, based on the total quantity of the monomers M. If desired, their content is as a rule 1 to 30 mol. %, in particular 5 to 20 mol. % of the monomers M in the production process i) or ii). In particular, their content on the monomers M is less than 5 mol. % in particular less than 1 mol. %.
In the process i) the mole ratio of side-chains A to functional groups B, and optionally C and C′ usually results directly from the mole ratio of the monomers M1 to the monomers M2 or from the mole ratio of the monomers M1:M2:M4:M5. Accordingly, the mole ratio M1:M2 or (M1+M4):M2 in the case of monobasic acids as a rule lies in the range from 2:1 to 1:20, in particular in the range from 1:1 to 1:10 us especially in the range from 1:1.1 to 1:8. If the monomers M in the production process i) include monomers M2 with more than one acid group or monomers M3 the mole ratio of the monomers follows correspondingly.
Accordingly, the quantity of the monomers M1 in the production process i) is typically 5 to 65 mol. %, in particular 10 to 50 mol. % and the quantity of the monomers M2 35 to 95 mol. %, in particular 50 to 90 mol. %, wherein the content of any further monomers M3 or M5, can be up to 30 mol. %, in particular up to 20 mol. % and the content of the monomers M4 up to 80 mol. %, in particular up to 60 mol. %, e.g. 5 to 80 mol. %, in particular 10 to 60 mol. %, each based on the total mole number of the monomers M, wherein of course the mole numbers of all monomers M add up to 100 mol. %, unless otherwise stated.
In the process ii) the mole ratio of side-chains A to functional groups B follows in a manner analogous to the process i) from the mole ratio of the monomers M3 to the optionally used monomers M2 or M1 or M4. This applies correspondingly for the relationship between the mole ratio of side-chains A to side-chains C or to functional groups B.
Accordingly, the quantity of the monomers M3 in the production process ii) is typically 40 to 100 mol. %, in particular 50 to 95 mol. % and the quantity of the monomers M2 0 to 60 mol. %, in particular 5 to 50 mol. %, wherein the mole number of any further monomers M2 or M5 can be up to 30 mol. %, in particular up to 20 mol. % and the content of the monomers M4 can be up to 80 mol. %, in particular up to 60 mol. %, e.g. 5 to 80 mol. %, in particular 10 to 60 mol. %, each based on the total mole number of the monomers M, wherein of course the mole numbers of all monomers M add up to 100 mol. %, unless otherwise stated.
In addition, for increasing the molecular weight of the polymer, it can be advantageous to perform the polymerization of the monomers M in the presence of small quantities of multiply ethylenically unsaturated monomers with e.g. 2, 3 or 4 polymerizable double bonds (cross-linkers). Examples of these are diesters and triesters of ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acids, in particular the bis- and trisacrylates of diols or polyols with 3 or more OH groups, e.g. the bisacrylates and the bismethacrylates of ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, neopentyl glycol or polyethylene glycols. Such cross-linkers are, if desired, as a rule used in a quantity of 0.01 to 5 wt.-% based on the total quantity of the monomers M to be polymerized. Preferably, less than 0.01 wt.-% and in particular no cross-linker monomers are used.
The polymerization of the monomers M usually takes place in the presence of radical-forming compounds, so-called initiators. Such compounds are usually used in quantities up to 30 wt.-%, preferably 0.05 to 15 wt.-%, in particular 0.2 to 8 wt.-%, based on the monomers to be polymerized. With initiators consisting of several components (for example, initiator systems with redox initiator systems) the above weight information relates to the sum of the components.
Suitable initiators are for example organic peroxides and hydroperoxides, and also peroxodisulfates, percarbonates, peroxide esters, hydrogen peroxide and azo compounds. Examples of initiators are hydrogen peroxide, dicyclohexyl peroxidicarbonate, diacetyl peroxide, di-tert.-butyl peroxide, diamyl peroxide, dioctanoyl peroxide, didecanoyl peroxide, dilauroyl peroxide, dibenzoyl peroxide, bis(o-toluoyl)peroxide, succinyl peroxide, methyl ethyl ketone peroxide, di-tert.-butyl hydroperoxide, acetylacetone peroxide, butyl peracetate, tert.-butyl permaleate, tert.-butyl perisobutyrate, tert.-butyl perpivalate, tert.-butyl peroctoate, tert.-butyl perneodecanoate, tert.-butyl perbenzoate, tert.-butyl hydroperoxide, cumene hydroperoxide, tert.-butyl perneodecanoate, tert.-amyl perpivalate, tert.-butyl perpivalate, tert.-butyl perbenzoate, tert.-butyl peroxi-2-ethylhexanoate and diisopropyl peroxi-dicarbamate; and also, lithium, sodium, potassium and ammonium peroxo-disulfate, azo initiators 2,2′-azobis-isobutyronitril, 2,2′-azobis(2-methylbutyronitrile), 2,2′-azobis[2-methyl-N-(-2-hydroxyethyl)propionamide, 1,1′-azobis(1-cyclohexanecarbonitrile), 2,2′-azobis(2,4-dimethylvalero-nitrile), 2,2′-azobis(N,N′-dimethylenisobutyroamidine) dihydrochloride, and 2,2′-azobis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride, and the redox initiator systems explained below.
Redox initiator systems contain at least one peroxide-containing compound in combination with a redox co-initiator, e.g. a sulfur compound with reducing action, e.g. bisulfites, sulfites, thiosulfates, dithionites and tetra-thionates of alkali metals or of ammonium compounds. Thus combinations of peroxodisulfates with alkali metal or ammonium hydrogen sulfites can be used, e.g. ammonium peroxodisulfate and ammonium disulfite. The proportion of the peroxide-containing compound to the redox co-initiator is 30:1 to 0.05:1.
The initiators can be used alone or mixed together, e.g. mixtures of hydrogen peroxide and sodium peroxodisulfate.
The initiators can be both water-soluble or also not or only slightly soluble in water. For polymerization in an aqueous medium, water-soluble initiators are preferably used, i.e. initiators which are soluble in the aqueous polymerization medium at the concentration normally used for the polymerization. These include peroxodisulfates, azo initiators with ionic groups, organic hydroperoxides with up to 6 C atoms, acetone hydroperoxide, methyl ethyl ketone hydroperoxide and hydrogen peroxide, and the aforesaid redox initiators. In a particularly preferred embodiment of the polymerization processes i) or ii) the initiator used includes at least one peroxodisulfate, e.g. sodium peroxodisulfate.
In combination with the initiators or the redox initiator systems, transition metal catalysts can also be used, e.g. salts of iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, vanadium and manganese. Suitable salts are e.g. iron(II) sulfate, cobalt(II) chloride, nickel(II) sulfate, or copper(I) chloride. Based on the monomers, the transition metal salt with reducing action is used at a concentration of 0.1 ppm to 1000 ppm. Thus combinations of hydrogen peroxide with iron(II) salts can be used, such as for example 0.5 to 30% hydrogen peroxide and 0.1 to 500 ppm of Mohr's salt.
Redox co-initiators and transition metal catalysts, e.g. benzoin, dimethyl-aniline, ascorbic acid and complexes of heavy metals such as copper, cobalt, iron, manganese, nickel and chromium which are soluble in organic solvents can also be used in combination with the aforesaid initiators in the polymerization of the monomers M in organic solvents. The quantities of redox co-initiators or transition metal catalysts normally used are about 0.1 to 1000 ppm, based on the quantities of monomers used.
In order to control the average molecular weight of the comb polymers obtainable according to the invention, it is often advantageous to perform the polymerization of the monomers M in the presence of regulators. For this, normal regulators can be used, in particular organic SH group-containing compounds, in particular water-soluble SH group-containing compounds such as 2-mercaptoethanol, 2-mercaptopropanol, 3-mercaptopropionic acid, cysteine and N-acetylcysteine, and also phosphorus(III) or phosphorus(I) compounds such as alkali metal or alkaline earth metal hypophosphites, e.g. sodium hypo-phosphite, and hydrogen sulfites such as sodium hydrogen sulfite. The polymerization regulators are generally used in quantities of 0.05 to 10 wt. %, in particular 0.1 to 2 wt. %, based on the monomers M. Preferred regulators are the aforesaid SH group-bearing compounds, in particular water-soluble SH group-bearing compounds such as 2-mercaptoethanol, 2-mercapto-propanol, 3-mercaptopropionic acid, cysteine and N-acetylcysteine. With these compounds it has been found particularly effective to use these in a quantity of 0.05 to 2 wt. %, in particular 0.1 to 1 wt. %, based on the monomers. The aforesaid phosphorus(III) and phosphorus(I) compounds and the hydrogen sulfites will normally be used in larger quantities, e.g. 0.5 to 10 wt. % and in particular 1 to 8 wt. %, based on the monomers to be polymerized. The average molecular weight can also be influenced through the selection of the suitable solvent. Thus polymerization in the presence of diluents with benzylic or allylic H atoms leads to a decrease in the average molecular weight owing to chain transfer.
The polymerization of the monomers can be effected by the usual polymerization processes, including solution, precipitation, suspension or solvent-free polymerization. The solution polymerization method, i.e. polymerization in solvents or diluents, is preferred.
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The suitable solvents or diluents include both aprotic solvents, e.g. the aforesaid aromatics such as toluene, o-xylene, p-xylene, cumene, chloro-benzene, ethylbenzene, industrial mixtures of alkylaromatics, aliphatics and cycloaliphatics such as cyclohexane and industrial aliphatics mixtures, ketones such as acetone, cyclohexanone and methyl ethyl ketone, ethers such as tetrahydrofuran, dioxan, diethyl ether, tert.-butyl methyl ether, and C-Calkyl esters of aliphatic C-Ccarboxylic acids such as methyl acetate and ethyl acetate, and also protic solvents such as glycols and glycol derivatives, polyalkylene glycols and derivatives thereof, C-Calkanols, e.g. n-propanol, n-butanol, isopropanol, ethanol or methanol, and water and mixtures of water with C-Calkanols such as e.g. isopropanol/water mixtures. Preferably the copolymerization process according to the invention takes place in water or a mixture of water with up to 60 wt. % of C-Calkanols or glycols as solvents or diluents. Particularly preferably, water is used as the only solvent.
The polymerization of the monomers M is preferably performed with substantial or complete exclusion of oxygen, preferably in an inert gas flow, e.g. a nitrogen flow.
The polymerization process of the monomers M can be performed in the plant usual for polymerization methods. These include stirred tank reactors, stirred tank reactor cascades, autoclaves, tube reactors and kneaders.
The polymerization of the monomers M is normally effected at temperatures in the range from 0 to 300° C., preferably in the range from 40 to 120° C. The polymerization time normally lies in the range from 0.5 hrs to 15 hrs and in particular in the range from 2 to 6 hrs. The pressure prevailing during the polymerization is of minor significance for the success of the polymerization and as a rule lies in the range from 800 mbar to 2 bar and commonly at ambient pressure. With the use of volatile solvents or volatile monomers, the pressure can also be higher.
For further details on the polymerization process, reference is made to EP-A 560 602, EP-A 734 359, EP-A 799 807, EP-A 994 290, WO 01/40337, WO 01/40338 and PCT/EP 2005/009466. The polymerization conditions described therein can be used analogously for the production of the comb polymers according to the invention.
The monomers M2, M4 and M5 are known compounds, which are mostly available commercially.
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Some of the monomers M1 and M3 have already been described in the state of the technology, wherein the monomers M1 of M3, wherein n in group A on average stands for a number in the range from 10 to 300, in particular in the range from 20 to 200, especially in the range from 50 to 200 and quite especially in the range from 50 to 150 and wherein at least 90 mol. % of the Alk-O repeating units in the group A stand for CHCHO, are novel and constitute a further object of the present invention. Their production can be effected by analogy with known processes of the state of the technology. Concerning the random and blockwise arrangement of different Alk-O units, what was stated previously for the groups A applies.
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Preferred monomers M1 wherein k in the formula A stands for 1 can be produced by esterification of monoethylenically unsaturated C-Cmonocarboxylic acids or monoethylenically unsaturated C-Cdicarboxylic acids with alcohols of the formula HO-(Alk-O)—Y—Z, wherein n, Alk, Y and Z have the previously stated meanings, or by amidation of monoethylenically unsaturated C-Cmono-carboxylic acids with amines of the formula NHR-(Alk-O)—Y—Z, wherein n, Alk, R, Y and Z have the previously stated meanings. Instead of the C-Cmono-carboxylic acids or C-Cdicarboxylic acids, ester- or amide-forming derivatives of these acids can also be used, in particular the anhydrides of the acids. Such processes are known from the state of the technology.
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a) acid-catalyzed esterification of monoethylenically unsaturated C-Cmonocarboxylic acids or C-Cdicarboxylic acids with alcohols of the formula HO-(Alk-O)—Y—Z, for example by analogy with the processes described in DE-A 2516933, EP-A 884 290, EP-A 989 108, EP-A 989 109, WO 01/40337, WO 01/40338 and WO 02/50160;
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b) transesterification of mono- or di-C-Calkyl esters of monoethylenically unsaturated C-Cmonocarboxylic acids or C-Cdicarboxylic acids with alcohols of the formula HO-(Alk-O)—Y—Z in the presence of basic or acidic transesterification catalysts by analogy with the process described in DE-A 19602035, U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,978 and EP-A 799 807 or by enzyme catalysis by the process described in EP-A 999 229,
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c) reaction of anhydrides of monoethylenically unsaturated C-Cmono-carboxylic acids or C-Cdicarboxylic acids with alcohols of the formula HO-(Alk-O)—Y—Z, for example by analogy with the process described in WO 01/74736 or in the earlier application PCT/EP 2005/009466, during which, departing from the methods described therein, the addition of a base can in some cases be omitted.
Thus for example the production of esters of monoethylenically unsaturated C-Cmonocarboxylic acids or C-Cdicarboxylic acids with alcohols of the formula HO-(Alk-O)—Y—Z can by
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The production of amides of monoethylenically unsaturated C-Cmonocarboxylic acids with amines of the formula HNR-(Alk-O)—Y—Z can be effected by analogy with known amidation reactions by amidation of monoethylenically unsaturated C-Cmonocarboxylic acids or of amide-forming derivatives thereof such as acid chlorides, anhydrides or C-Calkyl esters, with amines.
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The production of ethylenically unsaturated ethers or amines, i.e. monomers M1 with a group A, wherein k=0, can be effected by etherification or vinylation of alcohols of the formula HO-(Alk-O)—Y—Z or by alkenylation or enamine formation from amines of the formula HNR-(Alk-O)—Y—Z by analogy with standard methods of the state of the technology.
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The monomers M3 can be produced by analogy with the methods described here for the monomers M1. In particular the preferred monomers M3 are produced by reaction of anhydrides of monoethylenically unsaturated C-Cdicarboxylic acids with alcohols of the formula HO-(Alk-O)—Y—Z under conditions which result in monoester formation.
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According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the production of the particularly preferred monomers M1 is effected by reaction of anhydrides of monoethylenically unsaturated C-Cmonocarboxylic acids, in particular of acrylic anhydride or methacrylic anhydride, with alcohols of the formula HO-(Alk-O)—Y—Z. In contrast to the processes known from the state of the technology, with use of alcohols of the formula HO-(Alk-O)—Y—Z this process results in particularly good yields.
Here it has been found advantageous to use the anhydride equimolar or in a slight excess, which preferably will not exceed 10 mol. %, commonly 9.5 mol. %, preferably 9 mol. %, in particular 8.5 mol. %, and especially 8 mol. %, based on 1 mol of alcohol, i.e. the quantity of anhydride is typically a maximum of 1.095 mol, preferably not more than 1.09 mol, in particular not more than 1.085 mol and especially not more than 1.08 mol per mol of alcohol. Preferably at least 1.005 mol, in particular at least 1.01 mol and particularly preferably at least 1.02 mol of anhydride per mol of alcohol is used.
In one embodiment of the invention, the reaction of the anhydride with the alcohol is effected in the absence of a base, in particular, when the nitrogen heterocycle Z is a basic residue. In another embodiment of the invention, the reaction of the anhydride with the alcohol is effected in the presence of a base. Among these, bases which are not or only slightly soluble in alcohol at 90° C., i.e. the solubility of the base in the alcohol at 90° C. is not more than 10 g/l and in particular not more than 5 g/l, are preferred.
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Examples of such bases include hydroxides, oxides, carbonates and hydrogen carbonates of mono- or divalent metal cations, in particular of elements of the first and second main groups of the periodic system, i.e. of Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs, Be, Mg, Ca, Sr and Ba and of mono- or divalent transition metal cations such as Ag, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Sn, Pb and Ce. The hydroxides, oxides, carbonates and hydrogen carbonates of cations of the alkali and alkaline earth metals and of Zn and in particular of Mg or Ca and particularly preferably of Na or K are preferred. Among these, the hydroxides and carbonates of these metal ions, in particular the alkali metal carbonates and alkali metal hydroxides and especially sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, potassium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide, are preferred. In particular lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate is also suitable. The base is preferably used in a quantity of 0.05 to 0.5 base equivalents and in particular in a quantity of 0.1 to 0.4 base equivalents, based on the alcohol, while larger quantities of base e.g. up to 1 base equivalent are as a rule not disadvantageous. Here it should be noted that with hydroxides and hydrogen carbonates the base equivalents correspond to the mol equivalents used, whereas 1 mol equivalent of a carbonate or oxide in each case corresponds to 2 base equivalents.
The reaction of the anhydride with the alcohol is preferably effected at temperatures in the range from 0 and 150° C., in particular in the range from 20 to 130° C. and particularly preferably in the range from 50 and 100° C. The pressure prevailing during the reaction is of minor importance for the success of the reaction and as a rule lies in the range from 800 mbar to 2 bar and commonly at ambient pressure. Preferably the reaction is performed in an inert gas atmosphere. The reaction of the anhydride with the compound P can be performed in all plant usual for such reactions, e.g. in a stirred tank reactor, in stirred tank vessel cascades, autoclaves, tube reactors or kneaders.
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Preferably the reaction of the anhydride with the alcohol is performed until a conversion of the alcohol used of at least 80%, in particular at least 90% and particularly preferably at least 95% is reached. The reaction times necessary for this will as a rule not exceed 5 hrs and are often less than 4 hrs. The conversion can be monitored by H-NMR spectroscopy of the reaction mixture, preferably in the presence of a strong acid such as trifluoroacetic acid.
The reaction of the anhydride with the alcohol can be performed solvent-free, i.e. without the addition of solvents, or in inert solvents or diluents. As a rule, inert solvents are aprotic compounds. Inert solvents include optionally halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons such as toluene, o-xylene, p-xylene, cumene, chlorobenzene, ethylbenzene, industrial mixtures of alkylaromatics, aliphatic and cycloaliphatic hydrocarbons such as hexane, heptane, octane, isooctane, cyclohexane, cycloheptane, industrial aliphatics mixtures, and also ketones such as acetone, methyl ethyl ketone and cyclohexane, also ethers such as tetrahydrofuran, dioxan, diethyl ether and tert.-butyl methyl ether, and mixtures of the aforesaid solvents such as for example toluene/hexane. Preferably, it is performed without solvents or only with very small quantities of a solvent, as a rule less than 10 wt. %, based on the starting materials, i.e. solvent-free.
It has been found advantageous if the reaction of the anhydride with the alcohol is performed in a reaction medium which contains less than 0.2 wt. % and in particular less than 1000 ppm of water (determined by Karl Fischer titration). The term “reaction medium” relates to the mixture of the reactants with the base and with optionally used solvents and inhibitor. In the case of moisture-containing starting materials, it has been found advantageous to remove the water before the reaction, e.g. by distillation and particularly preferably by distillation with the addition of an organic solvent that forms a low-boiling azeotrope with water. Examples of such solvents are the previously named aromatic solvents such as toluene,
o-xylene, p-xylene, cumene, benzene, chlorobenzene, ethylbenzene and industrial aromatics mixtures, and also aliphatic and cycloaliphatic solvents such as hexane, heptane, cyclohexane and industrial aliphatics mixtures and mixtures of the aforesaid solvents.
The procedure used for the reaction will normally be that the reaction mixture, containing the alcohol, the anhydride and the base and optionally solvent and optionally inhibitor is made to react in a suitable reaction vessel at the temperatures stated above. Preferably, the alcohol and the base and optionally the solvent are first taken, and the anhydride added thereto. The addition of the anhydride is preferably effected at reaction temperature.
If the substances used contain water, the water will preferably be removed before the addition of the anhydride. For example, the alcohol and optionally the base and optionally the solvent are placed in a reaction vessel, then any moisture that may be present is removed in the manner described above, and then the anhydride is added, preferably at reaction temperature.
Furthermore, for the avoidance of an uncontrolled polymerization, it has been found advantageous to perform the reaction of the anhydride with the alcohol in the presence of a polymerization inhibitor. The polymerization inhibitors known for such reactions are suitable, in particular phenols such as hydro-quinone, hydroquinone monomethyl ether, especially sterically hindered phenols such as 2,6-di-tert.-butylphenol or 2,6-di-tert.-butyl-4-methyl-phenol, and also thiazines such as phenothiazine or methylene blue, cerium(III) salts such as cerium(III) acetate and nitroxides, in particular sterically hindered nitroxides, i.e. nitroxides of secondary amines, which bear 3 alkyl groups on each of the C atoms which are adjacent to the nitroxide group, wherein any 2 of these alkyl groups, in particular those which are not located on the same C atom, form a saturated 5- or 6-membered ring with the nitrogen atom of the nitroxide group or the carbon atom to which they are bound, such as for example in 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-oxyl (TEMPO) or 4-Hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-oxyl (OH-TEMPO), mixtures of the aforesaid inhibitors, mixtures of the aforesaid inhibitors with oxygen, e.g. in the form of air, and mixtures of mixtures of the aforesaid inhibitors with oxygen, e.g. in the form of air. Preferred inhibitors are the aforesaid sterically hindered nitroxides, cerium(III) compounds and sterically hindered phenols and mixtures thereof and mixtures of such inhibitors with oxygen and mixtures of mixtures of these inhibitors with oxygen, e.g. in the form of air. Particularly preferred are inhibitor systems which include at least one sterically hindered nitroxide and one further component, selected from a sterically hindered phenol and a cerium(III) compound, and mixtures thereof with oxygen, e.g. in the form of air. The quantity of inhibitor can be up to 2 wt. %, based on the total quantity of anhydride+alcohol. The inhibitors are advantageously used in quantities of 10 ppm to 1000 ppm, based on the total quantity of anhydride+alcohol. In the case of inhibitor mixtures, this information relates to the total quantity of the components, with the exception of oxygen.
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The reaction of the alcohol with the anhydride of a monoethylenically unsaturated C-Cmonocarboxylic acid naturally leads primarily to a mixture of the ester with the monoethylenically unsaturated C-Cmonocarboxylic acid used and occasionally residues of excess anhydride and unreacted alcohol.
However, the excess anhydride does not as a rule make up more than 10 wt. %, and in particular not more than 5 wt. % of the quantity of anhydride originally used. It has been found advantageous to destroy any anhydride that may be present by reaction with water. The content of unreacted alcohol is preferably not more than 10 wt. % and in particular not more than 5 wt. % of the quantity of alcohol used.
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For the separation of the alcohol from the monoethylenically unsaturated C-Cmonocarboxylic acid formed in the reaction, the latter can in principle be removed by distillation or in another manner, e.g. by extraction of the acid. Also, the ester can be isolated, e.g. by crystallization of the ester from an aqueous medium, whereby the acid and any anhydride present remains in the mother liquor. As a rule, however, no isolation or separation of the ester will be performed. Rather, the mixture of ester with monoethylenically unsaturated C-Cmonocarboxylic acid will preferably be subjected directly to radical copolymerization, optionally with the addition of further monomers M2 and optionally further ethylenically unsaturated monomers M3, M4 and/or M5.
Analogously, the monomers M1 or M3 produced by esterification by the method a) or by transesterification by the method b) M3 can also be used in the subsequent polymerization of the monomers M directly, i.e. without prior isolation or purification.
If the polymerization of the monomers M is performed as a solution polymerization in water, for many use purposes removal of the water is not necessary. Moreover, isolation of the polymer obtainable according to the invention can be performed in a manner in itself usual, e.g. by spray drying of the polymerization mixture. If the polymerization is performed in a steam-volatile solvent or solvent mixture, the solvent can be removed by introduction of steam, as a result of which an aqueous solution or dispersion of the comb polymer is obtained.
Preferably, the comb polymers are obtained in the form of an aqueous dispersion or solution. The solids content is preferably 10 to 80 wt. %, in particular 30 to 65 wt. %.
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A further embodiment of the invention relates to comb polymers which are obtainable by the production process iii). In this, a homo- or copolymer with a carbon backbone which has on the carbon backbone free carboxyl groups or ester-forming derivatives of carboxyl groups is reacted in the sense of a polymeranalogous reaction with alcohols of the formula HO-(Alk-O)—Y—Z or amines of the formula HNR-(Alk-O)—Y—Z. Processes for the polymeranalogous reaction of homo or copolymers which contain free carboxyl groups or ester-forming derivatives of carboxyl groups are known from the state of the technology, for example from U.S. Pat. No. 5,840,114, U.S. Pat. No. 5,728,207, WO 98/31643 and WO 01/72853. The processes there described can be used in analogous manner for the production of the comb polymers according to the invention.
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Possible polymers with free carboxyl groups or ester-forming derivatives of free carboxyl groups, in particular anhydride groups for example include homo- and copolymers of monoethylenically unsaturated C-Cmonocarboxylic acids and/or C-Cdicarboxylic acids or anhydrides thereof, for example homo- and copolymers of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, maleic acid and maleic anhydride. These polymers can contain further monomers M2, e.g. sulfonic acid group-bearing monomers such as vinylsulfonic acid, acrylamidomethylpropane-sulfonic acid, methallylsulfonic acid or alkali metal or ammonium salts thereof, but also monomers M4 and/or M5, for example vinyl-aromatic monomers or olefins, incorporated by polymerization.
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5 to 100 wt.-%, in particular 50 to 100 wt. % of at least one mono-ethylenically unsaturated C-Cmonocarboxylic acid and/or C-Cdicarboxylic acid or anhydrides thereof, in particular acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, maleic acid or maleic anhydride, or mixtures thereof;
0 to 95 wt. %, in particular 0 to 50 wt. % of monoethylenically unsaturated sulfonic acids, such as vinylsulfonic acid, acrylamido-methylpropanesulfonic acid, meth-allylsulfonic acid and/or alkali metal or ammonium salts thereof
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and 0 to 95 wt. %, in particular 0 to 50 wt. % of one or several esters of monoethylenically unsaturated C-Cmonocarboxylic acids or C-Cdicarboxylic acids, e.g. esters of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid or maleic acid esters of monohydric alcohols with 1 to 8 C atoms in the molecule.
Suitable carboxyl group-containing polymers are in particular copolymers which consist of
Particularly preferred carboxyl group-containing polymers are homopolymers of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid, copolymers of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid, copolymers of methacrylic acid and vinylsulfonic acid, copolymers of acrylic acid and maleic acid, copolymers of methacrylic acid and maleic acid, copolymers of acrylic acid and an ester of a monoethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid, copolymers of methacrylic acid and an ester of a mono-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid and the alkali metal or ammonium salts of the said copolymers.
In particular the carboxyl group-containing polymers which are obtainable by radical polymerization of the aforesaid monomers in the presence of one of the aforesaid molecular weight regulators are preferred, in particular those which are obtainable by radical polymerization in aqueous solution in the presence of at least 4 wt. %, based on the monomers used in the polymer-ization, of a water-soluble sulfur compound, wherein the sulfur has the oxidation number +4. Examples of such water-soluble sulfur compounds are sulfur dioxide, sulfurous acid, alkali metal, alkaline earth metal and ammonium salts of sulfurous acid or of disulfurous acid, sodium, potassium, calcium or ammonium formaldehyde sulfoxylate, dialkyl sulfites or mixtures thereof. Of these compounds, potassium, ammonium or calcium sulfite, sodium, potassium, calcium or ammonium disulfite, sodium, potassium, calcium or ammonium hydrogen sulfite or mixtures thereof are particularly preferred. For further details on the polymerization, reference is made to WO 01/72853.
The molecular mass (number averaged) of these polymers typically lies in the range from 500 to 100 000, preferably in the range from 1000 to 50 000. Homopolymers of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid or copolymers of methacrylic acid and acrylic acid are particularly preferred.
Specific examples of acid group-containing polymers (the percentages given refer to weight %) are:
Polyacrylic acid of molecular weight 2000,
Polyacrylic acid of molecular weight 4000,
Polyacrylic acid of molecular weight 8000,
Polyacrylic acid of molecular weight 20 000,
Copolymer of 70% acrylic acid and 30% maleic acid of molecular weight 70 000,
Copolymer of 50% acrylic acid and 50% maleic acid of molecular weight 5000,
Copolymer of 70% methacrylic acid and 30% maleic acid of molecular weight 5000,
Copolymer of 70% acrylic acid and 30% methacrylic acid of molecular weight 10 000,
Copolymer of 90% acrylic acid and 10% vinylsulfonic acid of molecular weight 10 000,
Copolymer of 50% acrylic acid and 50% methacrylic acid of molecular weight 6000,
Copolymer of 20% acrylic acid and 80% methacrylic acid of molecular weight 5000,
Copolymer of 80% acrylic acid and 20% methacrylic acid of molecular weight 4000,
Terpolymer of 40% acrylic acid, 40% methacrylic acid and 20% maleic acid of molecular weight 5000.
The molecular weights stated here are the number averaged molecular weights. The reaction of the carboxyl group-containing polymers with the alcohols or amines can take place in the presence or also in the absence of catalysts. As catalysts, for example strong oxo acids such as sulfuric acid, p-toluene-sulfonic acid, benzenesulfonic acid, methanesulfonic acid, phosphoric acid and phosphorous acid or hydrogen halide acids such as hydrochloric acid are used. If an acid acting as a catalyst is used in the reaction, the quantities are up to 10 wt. %, preferably up to 5 wt. %, based on the total quantity of carboxyl group-containing polymers and alcohols or amines.
The weight ratio in which the carboxyl group-containing polymer and the alcohols or amine are reacted can be between 99:1 to 1:99 and preferably lies in the range from 1:1 to 5:95 and particularly preferably in the range from 3:7 to 1:9 reacted.
The reaction is for example performed by reacting the aqueous solutions of the polymers optionally with an acid acting as catalyst and the alcohol or amine, and distilling off the water. The distillation of the water from the mixture normally takes place under atmospheric pressure, but can also be performed under vacuum. It is often advantageous if a gas flow is passed through the reaction mixture during the distillation, in order to remove the water and other volatile fractions more quickly. As the gas flow, air, nitrogen or steam can be used. The water can however also be removed under reduced pressure, and in addition a gas flow passed through the reaction mixture. In order to distil the water out of the reaction mixture, energy has to be fed into the mixture. Suitable devices for this are heatable stirred reactor tanks, stirred reactor tanks with external heat exchangers, stirred reactor tanks with internal heat exchangers, thin film evaporators, kneaders or extruders. The evaporating water is removed from the reaction medium via a vent pipe and condensed in a heat exchanger. It contains only small amounts of organic components and can be disposed of via a water treatment plant.
Following or simultaneously with the removal of water from the reaction mixture, a condensation reaction sets in between the polymer and the alcohol or amine. The water forming as a result is also removed from the reaction medium. The reaction is for example performed at temperatures in the range from 100 to 250° C. The temperature for this depends on the reaction plant and the residence time. If for example the condensation is performed in a continuously operated extruder or thin film evaporator, wherein the residence time is only a few seconds or minutes, temperatures between 150 C and 250° C. can advantageously be used. In discontinuously operated stirred reactor tanks or kneaders, for example 1 to 15 hours are needed, and the condensation is usually performed in the temperature range from 100 to 200° C.
In one version of the process, the carboxyl group-containing polymers can first be dewatered, and the powder or granulate thus obtained condensed with the alcohol and/or amine.
After the condensation, the reaction mixture is cooled and optionally dissolved in water. Aqueous solutions of the reaction mixture can for example be produced by adding water with stirring to the reaction mass which is still warm at 50 to 150° C. or by stirring the liquid reaction mass at temperatures of 50 to 150° C. into water. Usually, a quantity of water is used such that a 20 to 95 wt. %, preferably 30 to 50 wt. % aqueous solution of the comb polymer is obtained. Simultaneously with or following the dissolution of the condensation product, a neutralization of the remaining acid groups can optionally be effected. As neutralizing agents, alkali metal or alkaline earth metal oxides or hydroxides in solid form or in the form of 10 to 50 wt. % aqueous solutions or slurries in water are used. Examples of suitable bases are lithium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, calcium oxide, calcium hydroxide, magnesium oxide, magnesium hydroxide, aluminum oxide and aluminum hydroxide. Depending on the degree of neutralization, the aqueous solutions of the comb polymers can have pH values in the range from 1 to 12.
After the condensation, the reaction mass can also remain undiluted. As a rule on cooling it solidifies to a wax-like mass, which can easily be melted again. This gives rise to various transport options. For example, the reaction mass can be filled into barrels, from which the condensation can be melted out again. It can also be transported and stored in the melted state. It is however also possible to produce and work with aqueous solution.
The water-free melt can also be mixed with inert powders in order to obtain pourable compactates. As inert powders, for example diatomaceous earth, silica gel, amorphous silicic acid and/or amorphous silicon dioxide can be used.
Cement should be understood to mean for example Portland cement, aluminous cement or mixed cement, such as for example pozzolanic cement, slag cement or other types. The comb polymers according to the invention are particularly suitable for cement mixtures which as cement components predominantly contain Portland cement, in particular at least 80 wt. %, based on the cement component. The comb polymers according to the invention are as a rule used for this in a quantity of 0.001 to 0.1 wt. %, preferably 0.01 to 0.05 wt. %, based on the total weight of the grinding stock.
The comb polymers can be added to the cement-containing preparations in solid form or as aqueous solution. Preferably the comb polymer is added to the grinding stock in liquid, i.e. dissolved emulsified or suspended form, for example in the form of the polymerization solution.
The following examples are intended to explain the invention
Analysis:
The K values of the aqueous sodium salt solutions of the copolymers were determined after H. Fikentscher, Cellulose-Chemie, Vol. 13, 58-64 and 71-74 (1932) in aqueous solution at a pH value of 7, a temperature of 25° C. and a polymer concentration of the sodium salt of the copolymer of 1 wt. %.
a) Determination of the K Value:
The determination is made using the analytical instrument MA30 from the Sartorius company. For this, a defined quantity of the sample (ca 0.5 to 1 g) is weighed into an aluminum dish and dried to constant weight at 90° C. The percentage solids content (SC) is calculated as follows:
SC=final weight×100/quantity weighed out [wt. %].
b) Determination of the Solids Content:
The determination of the number averaged and weight averaged molecular weight was effected by Gel Permeation Chromatography (=GPC) with aqueous eluents.
The GPC was performed with an instrument combination from the Agilent company (Series 1100). This comprises:
c) Molecular Weight Determination:
Aerator
Model G 1322 A
Isocratic pump
Model G 1310 A
Autosampler
Model G 1313 A
Column oven
Model G 1316 A
Control module
Model G 1323 B
Differential refractometer
Model G 1362 A
In the case of polymers dissolved in water, an 0.08 mol/L TRIS buffer (pH=7.0) in distilled water+0.15 mol/L chloride ions from NaCl and HCl serves as the eluent.
The separation was effected in a separating column combination. The columns Nos. 787 and 788 (each 8×30 mm) from the PSS company with separating material GRAL BIO linear are used. The flow rate was 0.8 mL/min at a column temperature of 23° C.
The calibration is effected with polyethylene oxide standards from the PPS Co. with molecular weights of M=194-1 700 000 [mol/g].
478 g of methylpolyethylene glycol of molecular mass 1000, 167 g of meth-acrylic acid, 6.5 g of p-toluenesulfonic acid and 0.17 g of phenothiazine were placed in a reactor of 2 liter volume, which was equipped with a stirrer and a distillation head. The mixture was heated for 2 hours at 120° C. while passing a flow of nitrogen. Then a mixture of 3.3 g of water and 1.5 g of methacrylic acid was distilled off under vacuum at 120 mbar for 30 minutes. The vacuum was then broken with nitrogen. The mixture was stirred for a further 2 hours under nitrogen. Next the pressure was again reduced to 100 mbar for 30 minutes. During this, a mixture of 2.9 g of water and 1.5 g of methacrylic acid was distilled off. The vacuum was broken with nitrogen and the esterification continued with stirring for a further 2 hours. The pressure was again reduced to 100 mbar, and a mixture of 0.2 g of water and 0.2 g of methacrylic acid was distilled off. Then the vacuum was broken with nitrogen.
As Example 1, but used as spray-dried polymer powder.
Testing of the Grinding Aids
The effect of different additives on the energy input during the grinding of a cement clinker was analyzed.
For this, a normal commercial tube ball mill with two grinding chambers which worked in a closed circuit and produced a normal commercial Portland cement was studied. The technical information on such a tube ball mill is to be found in ZKG International (Volume 53), No. 10/2000, p. 572 Table 1.
The fill ratio of the grinding medium and the aeration of the mill were not varied.
2
In each case, 0.02 or 0.06 wt. % of the additive to be tested (relative to the grinding stock) was sprayed onto clinker material for the production of a normal commercial Portland cement, and ground for 4 to 8 hours. At various times, samples were withdrawn and the Blaine mass-related area in cm/g determined. In comparison with the unmodified sample, the measured quantities “area created at constant grinding time or constant energy input” and “grinding time or energy input for the creation of a defined area” are measured values proportional to the energy saving.
TABLE 1
Technical Parameters of the Test Mill
Mill type
Tube mill with two chambers
Mill size
Ø 4.0 m × length 13.0 m
Size of 1<sup>st </sup>mill chamber
Ø 3.7 m × length 4.0 m
Size of 2<sup>nd </sup>mill chamber
Ø 3.7 m × length 8.2 m
Nature of separator
Sturtevant, 1<sup>st </sup>generation
First mill chamber
Ball material
cast chromium alloy 550 HB
Ball volume
43.3 m<sup>3</sup>
Fill ratio
27.5%
Balls type 1
Ø 90 mm × 18.0 mm
Balls type 2
Ø 80 mm × 18.0 mm
Balls type 3
Ø 70 mm × 17.0 mm
Balls type 4
Ø 60 mm × 17.0 mm
Average ball diameter
75.3 mm
Density of balls
4.445 kg/dm<sup>3</sup>
Total mass of balls
70.0 t
Second mill chamber
Ball material
cast chromium alloy 600 HB
Ball volume
88.5 m<sup>3</sup>
Fill ratio
31.8%
Balls type 1
Ø 50 mm × 17.25 mm
Balls type 2
Ø 40 mm × 17.29 mm
Balls type 3
Ø 30 mm × 32.78 mm
Balls type 4
Ø 25 mm × 34.0 mm
Balls type 5
Ø 20 mm × 34.0 mm
Average ball diameter
32.9 mm
Density of balls
4.810 kg/dm<sup>3</sup>
Total mass of balls
135.32 t
TABLE 2
Test results
0.02%
0.06%
0.02%
0.06%
without
Example 1
Example 1
Example 2
Example 2
Grinding
grinding aid
[Blaine
[Blaine
[Blaine
[Blaine
time
[Blaine area
area
area
area
area
[mins]
in cm<sup>2</sup>/g]
in cm<sup>2</sup>/g];
in cm<sup>2</sup>/g]
in cm<sup>2</sup>/g]
in cm<sup>2</sup>/g]
30
1345
1510
1650
1490
1475
60
2015
2230
2445
2480
2305
90
2530
2525
3010
2730
2650
120
2740
2785
3250
2960
2965
150
3195
2950
3510
3160
3165
180
3450
3290
3700
3335
3380
210
3655
3320
4085
3680
3635
240
3850
3330
4180
3935
3785
270
3980
3700
4450
4050
4020
300
4165
3935
4625
4255
4320
330
4300
4050
4405
4680
390
4560
4210
4990
The results show that the energy expenditure is reduced through the addition of the grinding aids according to the invention. The determination of the water demand of all cements obtained as per DIN 196-3 showed that the cements obtained in the presence of Example 1 and 2 had a significantly lower water requirement and hence are outstandingly suitable for the production of mortars and concretes of low processing viscosity.
EXAMPLE 1
EXAMPLE 2 | |
Modeling is a way of understanding phenomena that occur in the real world which is applied when experimentation is difficult or impossible. There are analytical models which can be typically implemented in a simple spreadsheet by setting input variables and immediately obtaining a result. Simulation models require multiple iterations and are more relevant where the dynamics of the problem are important - how the solution develops over time.
Popular paradigms include System Dynamics (SD), Discrete Event Simulation, Probabilistic Graphical Models (PGM) or Agent Based Modeling (ABM). While SD and discrete event simulation have been taught at universities in various disciplines, ABM has only recently received increased interest. ABM is a decentralized approach which, compared to SD, has no central definition of the global system behavior (dynamics). Instead, the model defines the behavior of individual agents and the global behavior emerges from their interaction over time. PGMs leverage probabiity and graph theory to allow dealing with large amounts of evidence data and can dynamically adjust beliefs as new facts become available.
In the following model, adapted from World Energy-Economy Scenarios with System Dynamics Modeling by Carlos de Castro et al., you can see a basic SD model from the paper which shows the essence of peak oil theory. This simple example is further enhanced in the paper with additional effects including technology, population and GDP adding further feedback loops and dynamic effects to the overall system.
Below are further examples of models found on the web which help thinking of sustainability issues in interesting ways. | http://citizensensing.cc/models/ |
Ozon, Eugene R. (1973) Hockey Night in Canada: the impact of a television program on white-collar workers. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.
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Abstract
As media theorists neglect the temporal aspects of the effect of television and survey analysts probe this medium in generalized fashion, a fundamental consequence of television is overlooked - the effects of a specific program on particular segments of society. Searching for a suitable program from which to explore this problem, I selected Hockey Night in Canada, the twice-weekly telecast of National Hockey League games which has persisted as the top Canadian television program for more than twelve years. -- My initial hypothesis was that the effect of Hockey Night in Canada on the social and family lives of the white-collar workers in any city (especially St. John's) varied directly with their degree of interest in the program. The effects of the program influence their interpersonal relationships to such a degree that they are unaware of its total impact. -- The lack of sociological research in this area left me with few guidelines on how to gather data bearing on my hypothesis. The method of questionnaire survey was ultimately selected as the most workable approach. The enduring problems of a new major professional hockey league and a historic series between Canada and Russia which may have affected viewers' response, I believe, have been successfully controlled. | https://research.library.mun.ca/7234/ |
BALTIMORE, MD – Today, Transit Choices, a not-for-profit transit coalition who advocates for a strong multi-modal public transit system, announced it has received funding to support a BaltimoreLink Bus Rider Survey project. The survey project follows a December 2018 Transit Choices meeting at which MTA Administrator Kevin Quinn shared a presentation on data being collected by the MTA. This survey will complement the MTA’s efforts, but will particularly focus on gathering feedback specifically from Baltimore City bus riders. Once the survey is complete, Transit Choices will provide recommendations to the MTA based on the data collected.
“This scientific survey of MTA bus riders will allow us to see what commonalities of the bus riding experience they share and where system and rider experience improvements can be made,” said Jimmy Rouse, Co-Founder, Transit Choices. “We look forward to working closely with MTA to complement their data collection efforts and to improve the BaltimoreLink service in Baltimore City.”
Transit Choices has contracted with the Annapolis-based OpinionWorks to design and implement the survey. Transit Choices will also create an online questionnaire to gather feedback from the general public.
“We look forward to working with Transit Choices to collect feedback from bus riders,” said Steve Raabe, President, OpinionWorks. “Our team has vast experience in the Baltimore region and has previously worked with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority on similar projects. We know reliable transportation is vital for Baltimore residents, and we look forward to hearing how they feel about BaltimoreLink.”
Transit Choices and OpinionWorks are planning to survey transit riders throughout the month of May.
Take the survey: https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/5020120/TCSM
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Transit Choices is a coalition of business organizations, universities, cultural institutions, developers, environmental groups, community groups, transportation planners, young entrepreneurs, and concerned individuals joined together by the vision of creating a real public transit system in Baltimore. Our goal is to transform Baltimore into a more livable, walkable 21st century City. www.transitchoices.org
OpinionWorks conducts frequent opinion studies at the state and local level across the country. Since 2007 they have polled for The Baltimore Sun newspaper, and for numerous other media and advocates throughout the MidAtlantic region. They are engaged by state and local government agencies from Delaware to Oregon to assess public needs and preferences. In the transportation field, they have measured customer satisfaction for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, and have assessed the public’s transportation needs in Washington, Baltimore, Chicago, and smaller markets. | https://transitchoices.org/announcements/transit-choices-secures-funding-for-baltimorelink-rider-survey/ |
What are the Best Tips for Business Process Development?
Business process development is a term used to refer to analyzing a specific business activity and developing a standard process for executing that activity. The purpose is to ensure that frequently-occurring activities are handled correctly and in the most effective and efficient manner. Some tips to help manage business process development include beginning with clear goals, fully analyzing the current methods of an activity, and evaluating standard practices that are done a particular way simply because "that's the way they've always been done." It also is important to develop a clear communication system to keep employees informed and involved.
Benefits of business process development include increased customer satisfaction and increased employee job competency. More efficient business practices also can increase the ease of record-finding and consistency of employee performance. When improperly managed, however, business process development can lead to frustration among both employees and customers and will ultimately net the company no benefits.
When developing a new business process, it is critical to start with a goal. For example, a manager may decide to implement a business process for escalating customer service complaints because the company's customer satisfaction rating is low and he wants to improve it. He may need to create a business process for project documentation because no one can find information about a project when the project manager is ill or unavailable. He also may need to automate a traditionally time-consuming process to speed it up so that employees can manage a heavier workload.
A key step in business process development is to openly and actively analyze the existing methods of executing the activity under review. A lot of questions should be asked about why employees do the things they do. While this process will likely uncover practices that have come into use simply because they are "easy," a manager may also uncover important aspects of current methods that are not immediately apparent from analyzing statistical data.
Another important tip is to remember that the majority is not always right. The fact that 30 out of 40 representatives in a call center handle customer complaints in the same manner does not mean that their way is the best way. If the top performers, based on call times and customer satisfaction surveys, number among the "different" ten, it is a pretty good indicator that the standard process is wrong. Recommendations should be based on what the most successful employees do, rather than on what the majority does.
Practicality, clarity and communication are other critical factors of effective business process development. A process may look great on paper, and sound great in a meeting, but if it doesn't work in practice, it is useless. Even a practicable process will be ineffective if it is not communicated to those who will use it in a way that they can understand. Field testing each process and asking select employees to participate in the documentation can help eliminate these obstacles.
The best business process managers anticipate resistance. People, in general, simply do not like change. Presenting the new process in a way that highlights the benefits to both the company and the employees, while acknowledging that there will be some bumps along the way, is a proven method of reducing anxiety and creating buy-in. | https://www.wisegeek.net/what-are-the-best-tips-for-business-process-development.htm |
The combination of ledipasvir and sofosbuvir was effective and well-tolerated among patients with acute hepatitis C genotype 1, according to researchers in Germany.
Researchers wrote that short-duration HCV treatments could prevent the spread of the virus, and could be less expensive compared with the cost of treating chronic HCV.
“Interferon-free treatment of acute hepatitis C with direct-acting antiviral drugs against HCV is not well studied. Early treatment of acute hepatitis C could prevent the spread of HCV in high-risk populations and reduce overall costs of antiviral therapies because of shorter treatment durations,” Katja Deterding, MD, of the department of gastroenterology, hepatology and endocrinology at Hannover Medical School, Hannover Germany, and colleagues wrote. “However, a potential concern is the use of direct-acting antiviral regimens in patients with jaundice and severe hepatitis, and high concentrations of liver enzymes, because the safety of these therapies has not been established in this context.”
In the phase 2 study, researchers administered 90 mg ledipasvir plus 400 mg sofosbuvir once daily to 20 adults with acute HCV genotype 1 from 10 medical centers in Germany. Treatment duration was 6 weeks. The primary outcome was the number of patients who achieved SVR after 12 weeks of treatment. Secondary outcomes included safety and tolerability of therapy.
Mean age was 46 years, 60% of patients were men and 55% had HCV genotype 1a. Nineteen patients showed symptoms at the time of the study.
All patients achieved SVR by 12 weeks after treatment completion, Deterding and colleagues reported. Twenty-two possible drug-related adverse events were reported, including four (20%) instances of gastrointestinal symptoms, three (15%) instances of fatigue and three (15%) instances of hair loss. One patient underwent surgery for a ruptured cruciate ligament, which was determined to be unrelated to therapy. None of the patients had detectable levels of HCV-RNA by the end of week 6. Additionally, of the 19 patients for whom data were available after 24 weeks’ post-treatment, all had undetectable HCV-RNA levels.
“In conclusion, treatment for 6 weeks with ledipasvir plus sofosbuvir was well-tolerated and highly effective in patients with acute HCV genotype 1 monoinfection. Short duration treatment of acute hepatitis C could be cost saving compared with treatment of chronic hepatitis C and could prevent the spread of HCV in high-risk populations,” Deterding and colleagues wrote. “Antiviral treatment with an interferon-free regimen rapidly improves symptoms of acute hepatitis.”
“Such a study was eagerly awaited,” Audrey Coilly, MD, of the Centre Hépato-Biliaire, Hôpital Paul Brousse, Villejuif, France, and Didier Samuel, MD, PhD, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, wrote in an accompanying editorial.
“The most important effect of treating acute hepatitis C is the reduction of the spread of this disease, which is difficult to demonstrate,” Coilly and Samuel wrote. “This approach is crucial to preventing the appearance of new cases, and forms part of efforts to achieve eradication of the virus through the universal treatment of hepatitis C.” – by Andy Polhamus
Disclosure: Deterding reports receiving lecture fees from AbbVie, Gilead and Merck Sharp and Dohme. Coilly reports receiving consulting and lecture fees from Astellas, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Gilead, Janssen, Novartis, Merck Sharp and Dohme and Roche. Please see the full study for a complete list of all other researchers’ relevant financial disclosures. | https://www.healio.com/news/infectious-disease/20161111/ledipasvir-plus-sofosbuvir-shows-promise-in-acute-hcv |
Political scientist Jane Junn examines shifting views on racial categorization in the United States. Junn notes the increasingly common use of the "Multiracial" designation on the U.S. Census, and discusses what it may mean for American society.
Barack Obama's success so has fostered optimistic rhetoric in mainstream media about race relations in the United States. But does Obama 's Presidency transform Martin Luther King Jr.'s American dream into a reality?
A recent New York Times/CBS poll found that Americans are sharply divided by race on their views of Senator Obama and the state of race relations. In addition, with an increased presence of other minority groups, issues regarding race in political and social life are no longer black and white.
What role does race play in the 2008 election and beyond? Can America ever truly be a color-blind society? - The Century Foundation
Jane Junn is Associate Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University. She holds a joint appointment with the Eagleton Institute of Politics. She received her A.B. from the University of Michigan, and her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. Her primary interests are political participation and elections in the U.S., political behavior and attitudes among American minorities and immigrants, theories of democracy, survey research, and social science methodology. Her research has been supported by the Russell Sage Foundation, CIRCLE, the National Science Foundation, the Social Science Research Council, the Spencer Foundation, and the Educational Testing Service.
In 1998 she was a Fulbright Senior Scholar at Hanguk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, Korea. She has been a member of the 2004 Social Science Research Commission on National Elections following the contested 2000 election, and a member of a National Academies of Science panel evaluating the redesign of the U.S. Naturalization test. Her latest book is New Race Politics in America: Understanding Minority and Immigrant Politics. Her book, Education and Democratic Citizenship in America won the 1997 Woodrow Wilson Foundation Book Award from the American Political Science Association for the best book published in political science in 1996.
Comedian: Russel Peters On The Whole World Is Mixing.
Would you like to see a world without blacks or whites, where everyone is one color?
What do you think? | https://blackjesus.blogs.com/black_jesus/2009/05/index.html |
At the age of nine years old, young Hugo Gernsback slid into temporary madness after reading noted astronomer Professor Percival Lowell's book Mars as the Abode of Life (1893). An imaginative boy, the thought that there was life on another planet (the book's hypothesis, based on Italian astronomer Schiaparelli's observation that Mars had "canals" on it) was simply too much for him. The "madness" lasted for two days with 24-hour attendance by a perplexed doctor. This story set the scene for what would follow.
The father of science fiction, or as he called it "Scientification", Hugo Gernsback was born in Bivange, Luxembourg on 16 August 1885 and educated at the Ecole Industrielle (Industrial School in Luxembourg-Limpertsberg), and later at the Technikum in Bingen, Germany. He taught himself electrical communications whilst still at college, well enough indeed to be a teenage contractor. His invention of an improved battery, on which he was depending to make his fortune, was not economically practical, and so he left Luxembourg for New York, where he briefly took a job as Head of Research for a battery manufacturer. He arrived in New York in February 1904 - he was 19 years old. He found the job uninteresting and started his own part-time company dealing in electrical equipment.
The depression of 1907 found Gernsbach placing all his time and energy into his own company which imported European electrical and other scientific equipment not produced in the US. This Electro Importing Company led Gernsbach directly into specialised publishing. Starting with his own mail order catalogue in 1905, he then created Modern Electrics magazine in 1908. This became the vehicle through which he could not only sell his own goods, but also communicate his science orientated idea to everyone.
In 1905 he had designed and manufactured the first mass-produced home radio set. There was of course, no programmed broadcasting of radio, but the radio, called the Telimco Wireless, was a transmitter as well as a receiver - and a bargain at $7.50. His flair for dramatising science is demonstrated in his selling technique for the Telimco Wireless. He strapped a set on a man's back, and then had him parade up and down central New York demonstrating the archetypal walkie-talkie. He also advertised the event in his own magazine (Modern Electrics: January 1909 edition).
Creating as well as importing electrical equipment he soon had his name in some of America's largest department stores. An example of the Telimco Wireless can be seen today at the Henry Ford Museum at Deerborn, Michigan as part of a priceless collection of Americana on display.
Meanwhile, his pioneering continued with the world's first radio store opening on Broadway in New York in 1909. In the same year he told his readers about "television" or photo transmission in Germany. In 1925 he created radio station WRNY, and just three years later he began sending out his own television broadcasts. The screen image, roughly the size of a postage stamp, was received by crude scanners owned by 2,000 amateur enthusiasts in the New York area. Among Gernsback's other inventions (he held 80 patents by the time he died) were the Hypnobioscope, for "sleep-learning," and the Osophone, an early bone conductor hearing aid. A year later he organised, through Modern Electrics, the Wireless Association of America, claiming 10,000 wireless radio amateurs as members. He became the Association's business manager with Lee de Forest (inventor of the vacuum tube - the hi-tech component without which wireless would not have been possible) as president.
In early 1911, when he needed more material to fill his April edition of Modern Electrics, Gernsback wrote a story that blended science with fiction for intellectual stimulation. He created a hero called Ralph 124C41+ and put him into a rudimentary plot framework knowing only that the next installment would continue to advance his (Gernsback's) own vision of future technology. It ran for a dozen issues, and developed into a utopian novel of 2660 AD with its punning title 124C41 (One to foresee for one). In it, Gernsback quite un-deliberately established the form of the early 20th Century science fiction story: a concern with science, technology and material things, with stereo-typed characterisations used merely to visualise the ideas.
To his surprise, Gernsback's story was immediately emulated by other writers, who naturally then wanted publication in Gernsback's magazine. The excitement for Gernsback and his emulators were "things" not "people". Tomorrow's unusualness was preferred over today's commonplace. Despite his unexceptional literary talents, Gernsback eventually pieced together a novel from the original story, subtitled A Romance of the Year 2660, and it is so jam-packed with ideas, predictions, prophecies, inventions and interpretations that it has been called "the first science fiction story ever written".
While Gernsback was learning to express himself during the first decade of the new century, elsewhere in Britain and America the market for cheap paper-covered "romances", or magazines, was flourishing. Writers at that time wrote for the magazines first, often appearing in a number of installments, and only later (and usually after further editing) would the story appear in book form. These magazines were produced on cheap grade paper (hence they became known as "Pulps") and featured such writers as Rudyard Kipling, Richmal Crompton, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, A. Merritt, Edgar Allen Poe, Jules Verne, H.G. Wells and Edgar Rice Burroughs among many others. These writers were popular with the masses who quite simply could not afford these authors in hardback editions (even if they wanted to wait for them to appear). These were generalist magazines, in other words an Edgar Wallace murder mystery could appear in the same issue as a Haggard lost world story or a real-life romance.
Gernsback changed that. He created a series of titles, which not only contained futuristic fiction, but also true articles on the latest developments that science had to offer. They were an immediate success. The SF Pulp magazine had been born, and the genre defined.
In order to make a long story short, by the mid-1920s Gernsback was owner, editor and chief of his own publishing house - the Stellar Publishing Company - with a string of successful magazine titles including: Amazing Stories, Science Wonder Stories, Wonder Stories, and Air Wonder Stories and each bearing on the cover the inscription "Hugo Gernsback - Editor". Gernsback published stories from authors such as Poe, Wells, Verne and Burroughs - sometimes all of them appearing in the one issue (real value for money at just 25 cents). Each Christmas he would publish a miniature magazine called Forecast as a greetings card for friends (the 1935 edition of which forecast that by the year 2000, control of the weather would be possible by satellite) .
All this was to crumble in 1936 by which time sales of Gernsback's titles were gradually falling. Although the innovation was a success, the fiction was not. Many of the stories were 19th Century tales by Verne and Poe, but the public wanted more BEMs (Bug Eyed Monsters) and less science. So finally, rather than prostitute his beliefs in science within fiction, he simply quit. Gernsback was to surface a few times as editor of various magazines in the 1950s.
Gernsback died on 19 August 1967, aged 83, during his lifetime he had achieved several firsts, arguably the greatest of which was giving science fiction it's name, it's genre and a tradition that is being carried on today by writers such as Iain M. Banks. From 1960 onwards his name was used for the annual science fiction awards presented to new authors and for other achievements in the field. The list of Hugo Award winners includes: Poul Anderson, Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Harlon Ellison and many other luminaries of science fiction writing. Gernsback himself was presented with a special Hugo Award in 1960.
For anyone who would like to know more about this extraordinary man, I direct them to Gernsback's biographer Sam Moskowitz, or to the University Library of Syracuse (NY) where Gernsback's private papers form part of the Science Fiction Collections.
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Welcome to the NHS ePrescribing Toolkit
Designed to support NHS teams in the planning, implementation and the use of ePrescribing and Medicines Administration systems, this toolkit offers guidance and resources for every step of the journey. Created by the NIHR funded ePrescribing Research Programme, the toolkit is aimed at NHS managers, IT specialists, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and allied health professionals.
ePrescribing plannerExplore planner
A series of mini ‘how to’ guides, top tips and resources to support you at every stage of the implementation process.
Benefits RealisationExplore
Created from the insights of 70+ trusts from across the NHS and their experiences of the ePMA journey, the advice and information in this Benefits Realisation resource will support you use the experience of others to inform your own ePMA journey.
Featured
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eHealth – Benefits Management Toolkit
Ideally, the benefits approach will be built-in from the initiation stage of each new project. In this way the benefits you seek determine what process and role change must happen, which in turn determine what IT system capabilities are required. For projects that have already started, the benefits approach can still be used to help ...
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GDE Blueprint: Barcode Medication Administration (BCMA)
Cambridge University Hospital’s introduction of barcode medication administration (BCMA) has improved patient safety by reducing the overall rate of adverse drug events and decreasing transcription errors. Medication scanning is a vital component of HIMSS stage 6 and is live across all inpatient areas and ED. On average 168,000 medication administrations are scanned per month.
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How to Avoid Common Pitfalls – NHS England document to support your eP Procurement.
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Why we need ePrescribing? | https://www.eprescribingtoolkit.com/ |
SAE equity programs aim to make tertiary education accessible to all eligible students, regardless of their background.
Scholarships
SAE Creative Media Institute Scholarships
SAE offers a range of scholarships for high-achieving Year 12 students that have demonstrated outstanding scholarly ability as well as strong leadership skills and creative potential.
For more information, visit the SAE website.
Financial assistance
FEE-HELP
FEE-HELP is available for higher education courses offered at SAE. Australian or New Zealand citizens or holders of a humanitarian visa may be eligible to pay tuition fees via FEE-HELP.
For further information, visit the Study Assist website.
Youth and student allowances
For details on Australian Government financial support through Youth Allowance, Austudy and ABSTUDY, visit the Department of Human Services website. | https://www.uac.edu.au/future-applicants/institutions/sae-creative-media-institute/scholarships-and-financial-assistance |
Individual & Family Plans: Insights & Trends in the Post-COVID Marketplace
COVID-19 upended the health insurance sector, but the impact on enrollment in Individual & Family Plans (IFP) was particularly strong. When the economy slowed, millions of Americans lost their jobs and their employer-based insurance. Many turned to the individual insurance markets to find coverage. Carrot Health analyzed Open Enrollment Period (OEP) data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to understand the impact on IFP enrollment in 2021.
Improve Engagement, Adherence, and Outcomes: A Smart Way to Grow and Connect With Patients (eBook)
The healthcare industry is evolving to place people at the heart of operations. Organizations are broadening — and connecting disparate — data sources to understand individuals holistically, resulting in innovative strategies. Pharmaceutical companies, known to put patients first, are critical in this people-centric approach. Are you ready to dive deeper to tailor your patients’ experience using the power of data?
Pharmaceutical companies leveraging limited sets of clinical and prescription data are experiencing limited results, and missing critical opportunities. By failing to use real-time, data-informed strategy, they’re likely seeing lower engagement, adherence, and ultimately, less revenue over time.
The Unequal Impact of COVID-19 in Minority Communities [Infographic]
Minority communities are not all equal. In fact, they’re incredibly diverse—particularly when looking at population mix and rural vs. urban areas. These communities can have different household makeups, risk factors, and varying engagement preferences—all impacting health outcomes.
By understanding populations at a local level, you can help improve health outcomes, member engagement, costs, and public health.
2021 AEP Performance Summary
In 2020, we experienced an unprecedented year with a global pandemic with social and economic impacts, rising racial inequalities, and strong political division leading to a contentious presidential election. Many predicted this would lead to a distinctly different Annual Election Period (AEP) for Medicare plans with a high degree of consumer uncertainty. In this report, we discuss our post-AEP observations and highlight health plan trends, results, and key findings.
Who Should Get Vaccinated First for COVID-19?
Vaccines, considered one of the most important advances in modern medicine, have greatly improved our quality of life by reducing or eliminating many infectious diseases. Worldwide, immunization can prevent up to 3 million deaths per year. Vaccines are “one of the most successful and cost-effective public health interventions,” according to the World Health Organization.
As we navigate the next phase in the COVID-19 pandemic, with multiple promising vaccine options in sight, there is much debate on who should be first in line to get vaccinated. | https://carrothealth.com/resources/ebooks-infographics/ |
Bats are an important part of the ecosystem. All of Ontario’s bats eat insects, which in turn helps manage a healthy insect population. Ontario has eight species of bats that depend on mature forests, wetlands and a healthy insect population.
Bats face many threats, including human persecution, habitat loss and disease. Four out of eight species of Ontario bats are endangered due to white-nose syndrome (WNS). WNS is caused by a fungus, which grows on the bats’ faces and wings. It affects bats that use caves to hibernate and causes them to become more active — burning the fat they need to survive the winter.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is working to help protect native bat species through monitoring, public awareness and by directly protecting their habitat.
Hoary bat (Photo by Brock Fenton)
Facts
- Approximately one in four mammal species in the world is a bat, making them the second largest group of mammals, after rodents.
- Contrary to popular belief, bats are not blind and can see quite well. Some species have better vision than we do.
- For a relatively small mammal, they are very long-lived. Their life span can be measured in decades. Some bats have been known to survive past 40!
- The hoary bat is Ontario’s largest bat and weighs about 30 grams — a little more than an AA battery.
- The eastern red bat, hoary bat and silver-haired bat fly to the southern U.S. for the winter.
Bat myths busted
Bats get a lot of bad press, but they really are harmless. Here are the facts to bust a few common myths:
MYTH: Bats will invade your house.
FACT: Bats will NOT invade your house.
- Bats cannot create openings in buildings or chew your belongings. They only enter buildings through existing holes or cracks.
- If a bat has flown into your house, stay calm — it doesn’t want to be there. It is lost and scared.
- Open windows and doors to help it find its way out.
- Call a wildlife rescue centre (such as, Toronto Wildlife Centre).
- If the bat has landed somewhere and you can reach it, cover it with a box and then carefully slide something flat underneath the box to contain the bat. Release the bat outside.
MYTH: Bats droppings are poisonous.
FACT: Bat droppings are NOT poisonous.
- Bat (and bird) droppings (guano) generally pose a low risk to human health. If you encounter a large accumulation of droppings, it’s best to not disturb it as it could harbour fungi, which can be harmful.
MYTH: Bats carry disease.
FACT: Bats rarely transmit disease.
- Bats can carry rabies, though likely only a small proportion of individuals do.
- Rabies is a risk only if you come into direct contact with bats (and other wild mammals), which is why it is recommended that you not handle bats and other wild mammals without proper training and permits.
- Rabies is a very serious disease, but 100 per cent treatable when addressed quickly. If you have come into direct contact with a bat or another wild mammal, visit a medical clinic immediately to seek treatment.
MYTH: Bats will fly into your hair.
FACT: Bats will NOT fly into your hair.
- Bats are harmless. They avoid human contact at all times and are not aggressive.
Help us protect our furry fliers by learning more about the bats of Happy Valley Forest and Pottageville Swamp!
NCC has partnered with the Toronto Zoo’s Native Bat Conservation Program to monitor bats in Happy Valley Forest and Pottageville Swamp. Through this partnership, we are trying to learn more about Ontario’s bats to help us better protect their habitat. We invite you to report your sightings through iNaturalist.
Do more
- Become an advocate for bats and other species. Educate others on the importance of bats and help change negative public perceptions.
- If you come across an injured bat (or any animal), call the nearest wildlife rescue centre. Do not handle wildlife directly.
- Help protect bat habitat by volunteering for or supporting organizations like NCC. | https://www.natureconservancy.ca/en/where-we-work/ontario/stories/the-bats-of-happy-valley.html |
Today, at a distance of about 113 thousand kilometers from Earth, a small asteroid the size of a bus will fly by.
The scientists assigned the asteroid name 2018DV1, its diameter is about seven meters. For the first time this object was discovered by specialists using the Mount Lemmon telescope in American Arizona. In this state at the Tenagra Observatory, scientists plan to monitor the movement of the asteroid with a 41-cm space telescope.
March 2, approximately 12-30 am American time (this is 20-30 Moscow time) on the Internet will be broadcast the image of the telescope, which will allow scientists and amateurs to observe the motion of the cosmic body.
For the first time this asteroid was seen on Monday, February 26, also by specialists from the Center for Minor Planets at Cambridge in the US state of Massachusetts. NASA hastened to reassure citizens, saying that this type of asteroids is not dangerous for our planet. Although the agency noted that any object flying near the Earth, still can carry some potential danger for our planet.
It should be recalled that last Sunday at a distance of about 315 thousand kilometers from the Earth flew an asteroid, which scientists named the 2018DU. On March 7 this year, at a distance of about 1.4 million kilometers from Earth, a large asteroid with a diameter of up to 470 meters will fly by. It was called the 2017VR12.
NASA recalled that on February 5, asteroid 2002AJ129, the diameter of which reached 1.2 kilometers, flew at a distance from the Earth to 4.2 million kilometers. And in mid-December last year, approximately 10.3 million kilometers from Earth flew asteroid Phaethon in diameter of six kilometers.
Approximately at the same distance, the same asteroid flew near the Earth in 1974, the next time it will fly near our planet is oriented in mid-December 2093. However, NASA does not see any potential threats of collision of such asteroids with the Earth’s surface. But the department notes that the observation of such space bodies will continue in any case. | http://earth-chronicles.com/space/today-a-large-asteroid-will-fly-past-earth.html |
17 Larkview is a stunning home in the heart of West Bedford. From the moment you enter, you are struck by the style and class offered by the open living space, well-appointed rooms, and natural light through the abundance of windows. A fully-ducted heat pump provides year round comfort, and main floor electric fireplace offers the perfect ambience. This home features 3 bedrooms up, a luxurious ensuite bathroom, large back deck, walk-out basement, and attached garage. An all-around excellent opportunity to have the house of your dreams in one of Bedford’s most sought-after communities. | http://parachuterealty.ca/index.php/Listings/Listing/17-larkview-terrace |
The most important goals of post-harvest handling are keeping the product cool, to avoid moisture loss and slow down undesirable chemical changes, and avoiding physical damage such as bruising, to delay spoilage. Sanitation is also an important factor, to reduce the possibility of pathogens that could be carried by fresh produce, for example, as residue from contaminated washing water. After the field, post-harvest processing is usually continued in a packing house. This can be a simple shed, providing shade and running water, or a large-scale, sophisticated, mechanised facility, with conveyor belts, automated sorting and packing stations, walk-in coolers and the like. In mechanised harvesting, processing may also begin as part of the actual harvest process, with initial cleaning and sorting performed by the harvesting machinery. | https://www.colloquiumonline.com/track/postharvest-physiology-technology |
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Big Yellow licked his tongue, staring at the lotus heart. If it was in the past, he was afraid that he would go straight up and have a bite of it. But he knew the importance of the lotus heart to Han Yan. His brother's lost arm must be regrown as soon as possible, or else, it would have a bad effect on his cultivation.
Han Yan received the lotus heart and expressed his thanks to Jiang Chen. He knew that it might sound somewhat strange to say this to his brother, but there was no other way that he could express his grat.i.tude to Jiang Chen. There was nothing much needed to be said between brothers. He would never forget this precious friendship.
He understood that the lotus heart was also incomparably important to Jiang Chen. If Jiang Chen refined it, it would naturally bring Jiang Chen immeasurable benefits, but that didn't make Jiang Chen hesitate to give it to him. He knew from the very beginning that Jiang Chen had taken such a huge risk largely because of him.
"Brothers don't have to be so polite to each other. Take it and refine it. With your current cultivation, I'm afraid that you will need a longer time to completely refine the lotus heart and regrow your arm."
Jiang Chen patted Han Yan's shoulder. He understood his brother's present mood, so he didn't talk much about it, otherwise, it would make his brother feel pressured.
Han Yan smiled. Without saying another word, he took the lotus heart to another room. As he turned, the corner of his eyes seemed slightly moist. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
It's a great blessing to have a brother like Jiang Chen.
After Han Yan went off, Jiang Chen and Big Yellow also began refining the other parts of the lotus. Jiang Chen didn't have much demand from it. He would be contented as long as the remaining lotus parts could push his cultivation to the late Earth Immortal realm. The cultivation path had always been a gradual process. As such, a cultivator should never pay too much attention in advancing.
The Regenerative Lotus was a divine herb and a natural treasure. So there was no mental burden in refining it. Such an herb would only bring people benefits and no disadvantages. Even if the lotus could make one advance in a row, it wouldn't cause instability to one's foundation.
Before Jiang Chen and Big Yellow could start to refine the remaining lotus parts, they heard the burst of two powerful Qi.
"The two bulls have made their advancement so quickly."
Big Yellow shook his head. Such advancement was indeed too quick. Jiang Chen had just given them the lotus leaves moments ago. Now, the two bulls had already advanced to the half-step Divine Immortal realm. Fortunately, the burst of Qi that was unleashed by them was contained inside the formation of Big Yellow. Or else, it would certainly draw some unnecessary attention.
"It is only normal given that both Ah Da and Ah Er are already at the peak of Heaven Immortal realm, leaving them only a step away from the half-step Divine Immortal realm. With the help of the lotus leaf, it is only logical for them to instantly breakthrough the bottleneck. But this also indicates the scariness of the lotus."
Jiang Chen smiled and didn't seem very surprised. Ah Da and Ah Er were after all peak Heaven Immortal experts and the medicinal effect of the lotus leaf was beyond any ordinary herbs.
Now that both of them had made their advancement, it would undoubtedly be a good thing for Jiang Chen, his trump card had just grown stronger.
Casting Ah Da and Ah Er aside, Jiang Chen and Big Yellow took five leaves each and started their refinement.
As soon as the leaves entered Jiang Chen's body, he felt an extremely strong wave of energy rushing into his Qi Sea. That energy was combined with the medicinal power. It was pure and intense. He then quickly circulated the dragon transformation skill to convert them into new dragon marks. The medicinal energy on the other hand had been channelled to his four limbs and viscera. He could feel that it was quenching all the needs of his cells, a perfect nourishment to his body.
"Such powerful medicinal energy. It's worthy of being called the unparalleled divine herb. These five lotus leaves are enough to push my cultivation to the peak of late Earth Immortal realm. Additionally, my physical endurance will also be enhanced."
Jiang Chen was delighted. It sure was worthwhile to take such a risk. Obtaining such a divine herb had always been a dream for any cultivator.
On the other hand, a layer of golden light was formed on Big Yellow's body. Apparently, some changes began to take place inside of his body after consuming the leaves.
Inside the room where Han Yan was at, he was still sitting cross-legged on a ha.s.sock with the lotus heart drifting in front of his face. Then, he seemed somewhat emotional as he looked at this severed arm. The Regenerative Lotus had given him great hope and antic.i.p.ation.
But he was a man who had experienced numerous events, had resolute disposition and grown accustomed to life-and-death. He quickly readjusted his emotional condition and began the refinement.
Han Yan's way of refinement was very straightforward. It could also be described as savage. He opened his mouth wide and swallowed the lotus heart into his belly.
The moment a ma.s.sive amount of energy entered his body, it exploded like a tidal wave, rushing to every part of his body violently.
"d.a.m.n! How can the energy be this powerful!"
Han Yan couldn't help but swear after finding himself a little negligent, the energy of the lotus heart was beyond his imagination. He felt uncontrollable as the energy was raging inside his body.
Fortunately, he possessed the Ancient Divine Devil Bloodline. A powerful bloodline which couldn't be compared to any ordinary person. So very quickly, he was able to suppress the energy.
The bloodline of the Ancient Divine Devil was akin to a divine body. It could play a great role when it came to critical situation, just like now. If it was an ordinary expert, getting this much energy after swallowing the lotus heart directly, he was afraid that person's body would explode to death. Ultimately, the energy in the lotus heart was not only not beneficial but also harmful to ordinary people.
In the following time, the three brothers was wholly focused on cultivation and begun refining the lotus frantically, totally ignoring everything else. This was going to be a slow process that couldn't be rush. According to Jiang Chen's calculation, it would take at least three days' time to finish the whole refinement.
As for the grand ceremony on One-Line Mountain, it went on as Jiang Chen antic.i.p.ated. After the Regenerative Lotus was stolen, the Eight Immortal experts had lost their pa.s.sion to fight. The final result was inconclusive just like before, neither victory nor defeat was determined, but their performance was even worse than the previous matches. As such, many spectators were greatly disappointed by it.
You're Read Dragon-Marked War God Chapter 1145 online at NovelOnlineFull.com. You can use the follow function to bookmark your favorite novel ( Only for registered users ). If you find any errors ( can't read,broken links, can't load photos, etc.. ), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible. And when you start a conversation or debate about a certain topic with other people, please do not offend them just because you don't like their opinions.
You're reading Dragon-Marked War God. This manga has been translated by Updating. Author(s): Su Yue Xi. Already has 5193 views.
Current Time is 19-Apr-2019 16:23:49 PM. | https://novelonlinefull.com/chapter/dragonmarked_war_god/chapter_1487 |
By: Keaton Fletcher
Will your job be replaced by a robot? A report by McKinsey Global Institute suggests probably not.
Most people in the workforce today have, like those before them, wondered whether they will be replaced by new technology. The concern is so great, that Time Magazine released an article and an associated widget that tells you the odds of your job becoming automated. In a recent podcast, Peter Grumbel interviewed James Manyika, a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, about this very subject.
James Manyika suggests that previously, new technology, rather than replacing workers entirely often simply provided workers with additional support, or removed the need to complete mundane, routinized tasks. He suggests, however, that this may not necessarily be the case with the modern rise of machine learning and other methods of capitalizing on technology at work. Data suggest that computing power may have increased by roughly a 1 trillion-fold since 1956. The ability for modern computers, networks of computers, and cloud computing to rapidly complete complex calculations has added to the growing concern and excitement about what the next few years have in store for the modern workforce. Manyika suggests it is not just the computing power, but the accessibility of data. More than ever before, humans around the world are uploading unique data at unfathomable rates. For example, an estimate in 2012 suggested people upload about 250 million photos to Facebook per day. A similar report in 2014 estimated people upload about 1.8 billion photos per day across all social media platforms. The algorithms behind machine learning and artificial intelligence can use this surge in data points to help become more accurate.
Manyika argues that the unprecedented power and access to data will allow algorithms and AI to boost economic performance for companies and countries. But, what about workers? Based on their research, Manyika suggests that if your job consists primarily of data collection or processing, or if you are completing manual labor in a predictable and stable environment, your job will likely be automated. These three tasks prone to automation make up about 51% of economic activity. The good news, however, is that a mere 5% of occupations are primarily these tasks. A majority of jobs (60%) are a mixture of roughly 1/3 these tasks, 2/3 less easily automated tasks.
What does this mean for workers? Manyika suggests that most people will experience some major change in their jobs, but probably will not have to change occupations entirely. Future-oriented CEOs and organizations have already begun the process of training and developing their employees to be better able to adjust to the coming shifts in their workload and demands. Manyika also suggests that occupations in the care industry, or jobs that require empathy and judgment will be more common and more resistant to automation. By 2030, Manyika predicts about 16% of jobs, globally, will have been automated to some extent (this number rises in more industrialized countries), meaning that big change is coming for a large portion of the population.
So, are robots going to take your job? Probably not, but they will almost certainly change it. | https://work21.gatech.edu/2018/05/24/after-automation-will-there-be-enough-jobs/ |
Technical Account Specialist @ West Pharmaceuticals | Chemistry Candidates Apply Online
Pharmaceutical, biotechnology, generic and medical device companies trust West and our ability to deliver consistent high-quality and technologically advanced containment and delivery solutions. We share their commitment to improving health for patients worldwide.
Job Title: Technical account specialist.
No of Posts: 01
Company Order Number: 1173
Job Description:
Support West customers in technical matters relating to:
- Drug-closure compatibility
- Packaging recommendations
- Component processing
- Functionality
- Product/packaging development
- Extractable/leachables and other test requirements
- Complementary systems, such as devices, safety administration systems, etc.
- Other information as needed to help assure West products will meet requirements
Take a proactive role as technical interface between the customer and West’s functions:
- Be an active part of the market segmented sales teams
- Support development of commercial strategies for products / services and customers
- Represent the Voice of Customer to the West organization
- Update the Sales teams on technical issues/projects within customers:
- Interface with customers and account managers to obtain the background information and customer’s technical requirements on projects
- Advise on the status of and drive / follow up on technical aspects of internal and external customer-linked projects
Promote, present and actively participate in growing West business:
- Prepare technical presentations
- Conduct technical seminars / symposiums with customers
- Educate customers on product applications
- Share industry insights with customers
Participate in external thought leadership:
- Write blogs and journal articles for publication
- Attend and participate in tradeshows, conferences and seminars, with presentations to customers/industry as needed.
- Act as a liaison between customers, Sales and West Analytical Laboratories.
- Build expertise in key market knowledge areas over and above the internal trainings.
- Provide specific technical training to West employees as assigned.
- Provide inputs to define all customer and technical criteria needed for new product launches, new products and formula development or other development projects. This includes an understanding of requirements by market segment for all West products.
- Contribute inputs to the Scientific Communications team in defining, writing and completing internal studies of West technologies for generating and supporting West Technical Reports, West Technical Bulletins and commercial literature.
- Work with Scientific Insights Lab as needed on special customer projects.
- Work closely with QA and Operations on change control and assist customers with technical aspects of change and FAQ as needed.
- Work closely with all other members of Global Technical Customer Support team to assure open communication and a high level of effectiveness.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s Degree in a technical field (Chemistry/Biology/Engineering) or Master’s and 1-2 years of experience in related fields, eg. pharmaceutical or medical device industry.
- 3-5 years of experience in technical support, analytical laboratory, research & development or engineering role.
- Proactive, competitive, presentation, problem solving, communication, analytical, prioritization, detail oriented, technical, personal accountability.
- With a moderate level of guidance, works well in a fast-paced environment.
- Ability to comprehend technical information.
- Experience in technical support, analytical laboratory, research & development, or engineering role.
- Strong interpersonal skills; able to connect with others and manage relationships.
- Ability to utilize sound judgment and manage multiple priorities with a sense of urgency.
- Ability to identify internal and external client needs and make appropriate recommendations.
- Possess the fluidity to balance multiple priorities.
- Ability to work in a virtual environment in a global organization.
- Excellent English language skills (written/oral).
- Willingness to global travel. | https://www.rasayanika.com/2017/06/09/technical-account-specialist-west-pharmaceuticals-chemistry-candidates-apply-online/ |
You should also know how to accessorize and decorate your bedroom. To make the walls more interesting, you can hang paintings, posters, drawings, or framed photos. Some people even paint a mural on their wall, although others think that painting a mural is too permanent for their liking. You can...
It is also important to consider the size of the bedroom when thinking about bedroom ideas. The size will determine the kind of furniture pieces that you can buy. For example, if you have a small bedroom, choose double-function furniture pieces. You can buy a bed that has storage units...
One of the most important bedroom ideas that you should consider before you do anything is the theme. The theme depends on different factors. You can choose a theme that will complement the themes of the other rooms of your house or a theme that is based on your interests...
By Adalheid Schmidt. Furniture. Published at Thursday, July 02nd, 2020 16:45:55 PM. ...
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Any content, trademark’s, or other material that might be found on the Camdencharter website that is not Camdencharter’s property remains the copyright of its respective owner/s. In no way does Camdencharter claim ownership or responsibility for such items, and you should seek legal consent for any use of such materials from its owner. | http://camdencharter.com/tag/room-ideas-for-guys/ |
Public parking is possible on site (reservation is not needed) and costs USD 1 per day.
Internet
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Free! WiFi is available in public areas and is free of charge.
Kitchen
- Dining table
- Coffee machine
- Cleaning products
- Stovetop
- Kitchenware
- Electric kettle
- Kitchen
- Washing Machine
- Microwave
- Refrigerator
- Kitchenette
Bedroom
- Wardrobe/Closet
Bathroom
- Towels
- Bidet
- Slippers
- Free toiletries
- Hairdryer
- Toilet paper
- Linen
Living Area
- Dining area
- Seating Area
- Desk
Media & Technology
- Flat-screen TV
- Satellite Channels
- Telephone
- TV
- Video
Room Amenities
- Mosquito net
- Fan
- Iron
- Clothes rack
- Hardwood/Parquet floors
- Tile/Marble floor
- Ironing Facilities
Pets
-
Pets are not allowed.
Accessibility
- Upper floors accessible by lift
Outdoors
- Outdoor pool (all year)
- Outdoor pool
- Garden
Pool and wellness
- Indoor pool (all year)
- Indoor pool
Food & Drink
- Grocery deliveries
- Vending machine (snacks)
- Vending machine (drinks)
- Snack bar
- Restaurant (à la carte)
- Restaurant
Building characteristics
- Private flat in building
Outdoor & View
- City view
- Pool view
- View
Transport
- Airport shuttle (surcharge)
- Shuttle service (surcharge)
- Car hire
- Airport shuttle
Cleaning services
- Daily maid service
- Ironing service
- Dry cleaning
- Laundry
Miscellaneous
- Designated smoking area
- Air conditioning
- Non-smoking throughout
- Lift
- Family rooms
- Facilities for disabled guests
- Non-smoking rooms
Languages spoken
- Vietnamese
- English
Property surroundings – Show map
Closest landmarks
- National Archive Centre 0.1 miles
- Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam 0.2 miles
- Hanoi VIP International School 0.2 miles
- Foreign Trade University 0.3 miles
- National Cinema Center 0.5 miles
Most popular landmarks
- Giang Vo Exhibition Center 0.7 miles
- Vietnam Museum of Ethnology 1.5 miles
- Hanoi Temple of Literature 1.7 miles
- Vietnam Fine Arts Museum 1.9 miles
- Ha Noi Railway station 2 miles
Check-in
13:00 - 21:30 hours
Check-out
12:00 - 12:30 hours
Cancellation/
prepayment
Cancellation and prepayment policies vary according to apartment type. Please enter the dates of your stay and check the conditions of your required room.
Children and extra beds
All children are welcome.
All children under 6 years are charged USD 10 per night for extra beds.
All further older children or adults are charged USD 15 per night for extra beds.
The maximum number of extra beds in a room is 1.
Any type of extra bed or child's cot/crib is upon request and needs to be confirmed by management.
Supplements are not calculated automatically in the total costs and will have to be paid for separately during your stay.
Pets
Pets are not allowed.
Cards accepted at this property
Bankcard
Hover over the cards for more info.
Or, take a look at these appealing alternatives:
- Mayfair Hanoi has a location score of 8.3
No review score yet ...
We need at least 5 reviews before we can calculate a review score. If you book and review your stay, you can help LuxStay Apartment meet this goal. | http://www.booking.com/hotel/vn/luxstay-apartment.en-gb.html |
Questions tagged [composition]
For questions about the creation of new music and the techniques used to do so.
23 questions with no upvoted or accepted answers
2
votes
0answers
35 views
How to improve the harmonic cohesion of my canon?
So this canon is what ends the Presto section of my Springtime Springs piece. As it is now, I only get 2 parallel fifths and no parallel octaves in the entire canon, which I am fine with, since I am ...
2
votes
0answers
32 views
Dance of Nature Finale - Would Theme and Variations fit the best?
So I have been thinking about another piece lately, this one being a multi-movement work related to nature. I'm not sure if this will turn out to be a symphony or not. I certainly seem to be getting a ...
2
votes
2answers
48 views
Composing for mezzo-soprano
I'm composing for a competition that is for a string quartet but also has a requirement for a mezzo-soprano. I have very little experience with singers but I'm aware that the range is A3 - A5. Are ...
2
votes
0answers
60 views
How to figure out a tone center in an ambiguous/chromatic situations?
This question bugs me since I started writing music. I'm asking in general, but I'll show an example so it would be more clear. Keep in mind the notation is arbitrary, as I don't quite know what I'm ...
2
votes
1answer
100 views
Repeat-modify-mix technique for developing a musical theme
The level of my musical education leaves much to be desired, so I apologize in advance for maybe amateurish question. Several times I've encountered a situation when a composer repeats some piece in a ...
2
votes
0answers
171 views
Help with a cello cadenza (Boccherini Concerto No 3 in G Maj)
Here’s a cadenza my daughter came up with, by mixing parts of the original score and changing them a little bit, e.g changing the key. She is unsatisfied with two things here. Maybe you could give me ...
2
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Where Xenakis used intersection?
I understood intersection in Xenakis sieve theory, as he explained himself here. But can anyone provide me a musical example from its production where he effectively used this?
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How to do songwriting starting from the lyrics, if I don't play any instrument?
I usually write new songs starting with a free backtrack. Then I imagine which words and melodies can go with it and in that way it's pretty easy to write a new song. Finally I can sing them at open ...
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Should I have the time signature change from 4/4 to 2/4 or from 2/2 to 2/4?
So, I am composing another piece that involves time signature switching. I'm starting with the piano solo improvisation that I recorded and I'm thinking of expanding it from solo piano to orchestra. ...
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Can my lack of piano practice affect my creativity in song composing & arranging?
I would like to firstly apologize for this lengthy post. I just want to give a background to my question. I am not, by any means, a professional pianist. I do not have a Music Degree to boast of, ...
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What key to use for the Trio part of my Scherzo?
As you know from my previous question about tempo conservation and time signatures, I am writing a Scherzo in Eb major. Now, if I were writing this for solo piano, I would gladly do an Eb to Ebm key ...
1
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What authors have tried to compare a wide variety of styles, specifically with regards to orchestration?
I have never found a guide to orchestration which systematically discusses differences in the theory behind the orchestration/composition choices with regards to different typical stylistic genres, ...
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Were partimenti purely improvisational exercises?
Burney describes Neapolitan conservatory students "pounding out" accompaniment exercises that were full of "jargon and dissonance" in his history of music and Robert Gjerdingen suggests that these ...
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Did Beethoven write any modes other than the Ionian / Aeolian / Lydian modes?
The Ionian and the Aeolian modes are considered major and natural minor keys, and all composers used these modes all the time, including Beethoven, who also wrote Lydian mode in one of his string ...
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Kinetic Rhythm in Pop Music
This is something I've noticed that I don't hear anyone really talking about... Essentially it's the way that separate rhythmic elements of most pop songs interact in a kinetic way with one another. ...
1
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2answers
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What do you call a lightwheight version of chorus inside a verse or in between them?
If you have two different choruses, where one is a more mellow version of the "real" chorus. What do you call it? For instance on this form: Verse, X, Verse, Chorus. What do you call X? It's not a ...
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Why such a difference in balance adding 1 instrument?
I am writing a canon for piano quintet and I notice I'm getting a lot of balance issues. When it starts with 2 measures of piano solo, of course there are no such issues. I introduce new variations ...
0
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2answers
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Meter/ Rhythm/ Time signature
Can someone explain to me what meter is and how to change and control it? Im a beginner songwriting and im not sure if meter refers to feet per line or if it refers to duple, triple, quadruple, simple,...
0
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How to draw Metalcore in FL Studio using stock plugins only?
I have been looking for a way to make a piece of metalcore music like this in this video but he is selling the template and using external plugins
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Changing time signatures
As a songwriter im wanting to understand how to change the time signature/ meter of my lyrics to give them a more interesting affect? I've read many articles indicating that changing the rhythm/ meter ...
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Emulating the Beethoven's Fifth Finale without making it sound like it isn't original? Sounds hard
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Tanglewood BUTI
Having just recently been accepted to Tanglewood BUTI composition, I was curious how competitive it was. How many apply to composition, and what is the admissions rate?
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Playback Issue with Komp Create for iPad
After weeks of searching I finally found an app for iPad that I can write Music with and has a playback feature. But as my sheet got to like 5 measures the playback stopped working properly. Sometimes ... | https://music.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/composition?sort=unanswered |
West Liberty, W.Va., June 9, 2016 by International Dyslexia Association (IDA).— West Liberty University is one of nine universities in the country that received accreditation this year from the
“Our master’s of education reading track was recognized by the International Dyslexia Association (IDA) in May and is now an IDA accredited program. This represents the hard work of our reading specialist Theresa Kowcheck and the careful preparation of a self-study, followed by an accreditation visit by IDA. We have placed a special emphasis on the explicit teaching of multi-sensory instructional literacy practices in our curriculum,” said Dr. Keely Camden, Dean of the College of Education.
The reading track in the master’s of education also was submitted to the West Virginia State Department of Education Program Review Board for recommendation to the West Virginia State Board of Education for West Virginia state accreditation.
“We expect to hear back from the State Department of Education this month on the status of our state reading certification proposal,” Dr. Camden added.
The IDA and its affiliate, the Center for Effective Reading Instruction (CERI), certified WLU for having met the standards outlined in IDA’s Knowledge and Practice Standards for Teachers of Reading. This was the third round of university reviews by IDA, which conducts the process every two years.
An alumna of WLU, Kowcheck teaches in the master’s program as an instructor for the reading specialist track. She also is the director of the Center for Multisensory Learning at Wheeling Country Day School where WLU students fulfill their clinical hours for the master’s in reading track.
“I’m proud of the long time partnership between West Liberty University and Wheeling Country Day School. The partnership between these two strong, academic institutions has built a foundational education program for teachers who instruct students with language-based learning differences,” said Kowcheck, who has been a certified Orton-Gillingham reading practitioner since 2007.
The IDA Standards provide a framework for course content in university and other teacher preparation programs, offering thorough, research-supported documentation of what every teacher ought to know and be able to demonstrate, whether they are teaching dyslexic students, other struggling readers or the general student population.
“We are delighted to see this third group of teacher preparation programs meet the rigorous requirements for IDA accreditation, as well as to see increasing numbers of programs demonstrating an interest in seeking IDA accreditation,” said Louise Spear-Swerling, Ph.D., vice president of the CERI Board of Directors and Area Coordinator for the Graduate Program in Learning Disabilities at Southern Connecticut State University. “Effective teachers can make an enormous difference in children’s literacy outcomes.”
During the 2016 accreditation, three independent reviewers were assigned to each participating university to evaluate their programs. The WLU review included a thorough look at course syllabi and other course materials and requirements, interviews with program directors, and site visits to the university and the Center for Multisensory Learning.
“Our goal is to make sure teachers are better prepared to teach reading in our schools so that all students acquire the highest levels of literacy and thrive,” said Liz Liptak, executive director of CERI. “We believe that everyone can reach their full potential when they receive the right instruction and support.”
CERI also offers individual certification for teachers based on the IDA Knowledge and Practice Standards for Teachers of Reading. These include Structured Literacy Teacher and Structured Literacy Interventionist certifications.
An international, non-profit, scientific and educational organization dedicated to the study and treatment of dyslexia as well as related language-based learning differences, the IDA began reviewing university reading programs in 2012. A complete list of the 26 currently accredited programs can be found on IDA’s website at www.eida.org.
For more information on West Liberty University’s Master’s in Education’s reading track, please contact Dr. Leann Elkins at WLU’s Highlands Center, 304.217.2800 or [email protected]. Or visit westliberty.edu. | https://westliberty.edu/education/2016/06/10/college-education-receives-accreditation-international-dyslexia-association/ |
Colitis is inflammation of the large or small colon that can lead to diarrhea, proliferation of harmful bacteria, and even death in severe cases. This dangerous condition can stem from a variety of causes—many of which veterinarians can’t pinpoint until long after they’ve received and begun treating the equine patient, due to the length of time it takes to get test results. However, here are five of the most common culprits:
- Infectious agents. This includes pathogens such as Salmonella, Clostridium difficile, Clostridium perfringens, coronavirus, and Neorickettsia risticii (the causative agent of Potomac horse fever);
- Parasitism, particularly small strongyles, also called cyathostomins. As part of the normal life cycle of small strongyles, the third stage larvae (L3) migrate into the intestinal walls of the cecum and colon. Once they mature (which takes months to years), the fourth stage larvae (L4) migrate back into the intestinal lumen as luminal L4s before they reach the final and sexually mature stage (L5). Horses can harbor hundreds of thousands of encysted larvae. If the L4s emerge en masse, inflammation of the cecum and colon occurs, which can cause diarrhea.
- Antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Any medication, particularly antibiotics, has the potential to disturb the intestinal microbiome (the ecosystem of microbes living in the horse’s gut) and cause diarrhea. The antimicrobials ceftiofur sodium and trimethoprim sulfadiazine are among the most common culprits, but they are also the most commonly prescribed antibiotics in equine practice, so the association likely reflects the frequency of use. In one study researchers found that administering healthy horses these antibiotics for 25 days altered their fecal microbiota (Costa et al. MCV Vet Res 2015).
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)-associated diarrhea. Some horses develop diarrhea caused by ulceration (destruction) of the inner lining of the large colon following administration of NSAIDs such as phenylbutazone (Bute) and flunixin meglumine (Banamine). The right dorsal colon appears to be particularly prone to ulceration, though the reason remains unclear. Veterinarians also don’t know why certain horses have this response to NSAIDs while others do not. Dehydration, however, might increase the risk.
- Indiscriminate (random) causes. These include sand impactions, dietary imbalances, food allergies, neoplasia (cancer), inflammatory bowel disease, toxin ingestion, among others.
Some colitis cases are idiopathic, meaning the veterinarian never determines the inciting cause. Regardless the cause, if your horse has persistent or significant diarrhea, contact your vet right away so he or she can initiate potentially life-saving treatment. | https://thehorse.com/199948/5-causes-of-colitis-in-horses/ |
Event Link:
Join the event by using the passcode: 022421.
Launched in February 2018, the Diversity Speaker Series is designed to recognize and acknowledge the Special Emphasis Portfolios, as designed by the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI), and to place special emphasis on positive, equitable, and inclusive employment experiences for federally identified and underrepresented groups. Through this speaker series, we hope to provide educational and cultural/sensitivity awareness opportunities for NIEHS and surrounding communities.
Each group has a traditional month for recognition. Speakers are invited to present their work and/or their story with a focus on the identified portfolio during the associated month.
For Black History Month, NIEHS is introducing Dr. Samantha-Rae Dickenson:
Dr. Samantha-Rae Dickenson is a Principal Strategist for the Blacks Portfolio at the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion with professional and educational experience in varying industries including Biomedical Science & Research, Public Health, and Education. Dr. Dickenson was a Career Development Lead at the Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) before joining EDI. She has worked in the non-profit sector as a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Strategist to lead the development of Save the Children’s first DEI 3-year strategy. She has also worked as a Senior Accreditation Specialist to assess compliance of accreditation policies related to cultural competency, diversity and inclusion, and financial planning for public health graduate and undergraduate schools/programs. Dr. Dickenson has also been a guest on the Roland Martin show where she discussed systemic racism and the negative stereotypes and unconscious biases Black people face. As a Black, immigrant, woman with intersecting identities, she has first-hand experience in adapting to environments that are different from her own and enjoys actively creating spaces where people feel comfortable showing up as their authentic selves.
Dr. Dickenson has a diverse educational background which includes a liberal arts associate’s degree, a BS in Biology, and a MS in Public Health. Dr. Dickenson graduated from the University of New England as the youngest doctoral graduate from the Educational Leadership and Organizational Management Program. Her research focused on the effects of racial microaggressions on Black female government workers' work performance, and methods to reduce microaggressions in the workplace. She also talks about Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome, Intersectionality, and unconscious bias in her research.
Visit NIEHS for more information about the series and to watch previous speakers.
Do you have a story idea for us? Do you want to submit a guest blog? If it's about equity, diversity, or inclusion, please submit to [email protected].
For news, updates, and videos, follow or subscribe to EDI on: Twitter, Instagram, Blog, YouTube. | https://www.edi.nih.gov/blog/events/2021-niehs-diversity-speaker-series-nih-special-emphasis-portfolio-black-employees |
PromptWrite an analytical essay that synthesizes your TP2P1 findings and course materials. Be sure to review the TP instructions in LM 0 completely before starting TP2P2.Here is a suggested outline:In your introduction, construct a thesis (place in bold) that takes into consideration the human impact on the environment and the implications of meeting or missing the worldwide target. Make sure it reflects and somehow speaks to your findings from TP2P1.In your supporting paragraphs, use your data and integrate course materials (note: materials from LM 10-14 are most applicable). Integrate at least 3 concepts and/or citations from the required readings and/or videos.Construct a distinct and concise conclusion that includes your personal thoughts (from a sociological perspective) on the human impact on climate change.
At Solution Essays, we are determined to deliver high-quality papers to our clients at a fair price. To ensure this happens effectively, we have developed 5 beneficial guarantees. This guarantees will ensure you enjoy using our website which is secure and easy to use. | https://www.solutionessays.com/write-an-analytical-essay/ |
Introduction {#sec1-1}
============
Clingenstein \[[@R43]\] first reported Infratentorial arteriovenous malformations as a clinical entity in 1908, and, Olivecrona and Rives have reported the first successful resection of a posterior fossa AVM in 1932 \[[@R24]\].
Although relatively rare lesions, infratentorial AVMs caused a great interest within the neurosurgical community. Significant efforts have been made for a better understanding of anatomic and hemodynamic complexity of these lesions, to facilitate more effective treatment strategies.
Despite the marked emergence of microsurgical techniques, which have become more refined in the last half century, excision of posterior fossa AVMs is a formidable quest. The difficulty of treatment of these lesions, in terms of surgery, lies in the need for preservation of critical neurovascular structures within or around the brainstem and cerebrum, and the need for preservation of cranial nerve and deep brainstem nuclei, plus technical difficulties caused by the narrow surgical corridor, especially for deep lesions \[[@R28], [@R31],[@R35]\]. Accumulating experience with the treatment of posterior fossa AVMs and the incorporation of multimodality approaches, including radiosurgery, endovascular therapy, and improved microsurgical techniques, have significantly contributed to continuously improving outcomes \[[@R23],[@R34]\].
Success of treatment mainly depends on advanced medical technology, namely: digital subtraction angiography, MRI angiography, neuroradiologic interventional procedures, intraoperative monitoring, neuronavigation, neuroanesthesia, with controlled hypothermia, the use of neurosurgical microinstruments, and the existence of a radiosurgical department.
Diagnosis and clinical manifestations {#sec1-2}
=====================================
Natural History. Posterior fossa AVMs account for only 5--7% of all intracranial AVMs. With the advances of modern neuroimaging, the frequency rate of posterior fossa AVMs grew to 10--15% \[[@R1],[@R2],[@R6],[@R7]\]. The incidence of posterior fossa AVMs at autopsy is even higher, reaching 20% of all intracranial AVMs.
Infratentorial AVMs may be located within cerebellum, brainstem or both. McCormick \[[@R19]\] has published a study of 104 cases of infratentorial AVMs, in which 69 were located within the brainstem, most commonly in the ponts. Batjer and Samson \[[@R2]\] showed that two thirds of the posterior fossa AVMs are located within the cerebellum, 20% in the brainstem and 20% in both cerebellum and brainstem.
Bleeding is the most common form of presentation of posterior fossa AVMs \[[@R3],[@R10], [@R21],[@R38]\]. In most clinical series the incidence of subarachnoid or intraparenchimatal bleeding was reported to be between 75 and 92% \[[@R13],[@R25],[@R26]\]. Recent studies have suggested that brainstem AVMs presentation is less common with bleeding than cerebellum AVMs. Accumulating data have demonstrated an independent association of infratentorial AVM location and hemorrhagic presentation \[[@R13],[@R26], [@R41]\]. This is alarming in light of the considerably greater morbidity and mortality associated with posterior fossa AVM rupture \[[@R12]\]. Fortunately, with accumulating surgical experience and the cultivation of multimodality AVM therapy, therapeutic success continues to improve \[[@R25]\]. Posterior fossa AVMs were frequently associated with aneurysms (25%) on the feeding arterial pedicles of the nidus and were often the cause of hemorrhage \[[@R20],[@R22], [@R39]\].
Progressive neurological deficits (including those secondary to mass effect, ischemia, and hydrocephalus) were the second most common mode of presentation \[[@R37]\]. Cranial nerve palsies, often affecting the trigeminal nerve, have been associated with lesions of the cerebellopontine angle and brain stem \[[@R6]\]. Headache, a relatively non--specific symptom, can occur in as many as 10% of the patients diagnosed with unruptured AVMs \[[@R2]\]. At the time of detection, at least 15% of people affected by AVMs are asymptomatic \[[@R30]\]. The incidence of asymptomatic posterior fossa AVMs may rise in the future with the increasing use of advanced neuroimaging modalities for nonspecific symptomatology \[[@R25]\]
Complete **neuroradiological evaluation** of AVMs includes cerebral computer tomography (CT) with contrast administration, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and angio--MRI, cerebral angiography with substraction.
Because the posterior fossa AVMs present with acute symptoms, the initial diagnostic test is usually **computer tomography** (CT) scan. Brain CT--scan is a first diagnostic neuroimaging of either the AVM itself, of intraparenchimatal hematoma secondary to malformation rupture, or subarachnoid or intraventricular bleeding. Brain CT--scan, with or without contrast is the screening procedure of unruptured posterior fossa AVMs: grouped serpentine veins and dilated arteries, and, sometimes, large drainage veins may be revealed, elements that highly suggest the diagnosis of AVM. CT--scan may provide information regarding location, extent and size of the AVM, but the value of CT--scan is limited regarding diagnosis and anatomical evaluation of AVM, when compared to angiography and magnetic resonance imaging.
**Magnetic resonance imaging** (MRI) combined with angio--MRI allows specific diagnosis in most cases with AVMs. Information provided by MRI exam supplement those provided by angiography, improving the tridimensional definition of AVM.
Angio--MRI allows multiplanar evaluation of the AVM, but does not identify all feeding arteries and drainage veins of the complex AVMs \[[@R33]\]. In order to identify feeding arteries, selective arterial angio--MRI for a single arterial branch can be used to evaluate drainage veins MRI venography. Moreover, sensory 'phase contrast ' technique may be associated and can be used to reveal slow flow. Angio--IRM is useful (together with conventional MRI, which more accurately reveals the AVM topography) in planning surgical treatment, embolization or irradiation with gamma--knife of the AVM, however, it is insufficient.
Posterior fossa AVM functional MRI \[[@R15]\], helps to a more precise delineation of target volume for radiosurgery (although it is more useful in supratentorial lesions compared to subtentorial ones). Functional MRI also allows study of brain functions reorganization and postoperative recovery.
Gold--standard diagnosis is represented by angiography, and if necessary, stereo--angiography. It is the most useful and sensitive method to identify and evaluate the AVMs (provides the richest information regarding nidus characteristics, feeding and drainage vessels), and to highlight the operatory planning of the AVM. All patients must undergo formal six--vessel catheter angiography for accurate characterization of the anatomy and hemodynamics of the AVM. In particular, all feeding arteries and draining veins must be diligently identified preoperatively, in the preparation for a complete resection. High-- resolution magnification studies are required for both VAs, both internal carotid arteries, and both external carotid arteries, because approximately 10% of infratentorial AVMs are fed by one or both external carotid arteries \[[@R27], [@R31],[@R32]\]. No other investigation cannot replace conventional DSA angiography in therapeutic decision.
Optionally, exploration of cerebral hemodynamics can be done by: positron emission tomography (PET) or SPECT.
Intraoperative ultrasonography is useful to highlight any remaining portion of the AVM, but also to test the functionality of the remaining blood circulation after cliping.
Treatment options {#sec1-3}
=================
The main goal of treatment is complete cure of the lesion and prevents the risk of bleeding with restoring normal brain flow. It is considered that the complete absence of AVM on postoperative angiography eliminates the risk of secondary hemorrhage.
The choice of treatment for patients should consider risks attendant to each therapeutic option, as well as the natural history of the individual patient \[[@R18]\]. Current treatment methods include radiosurgery, open surgery, endovascular embolization and combination of them. Occasionally, patients with asymptomatic AVMs may not be treated but should be followed clinically on an annual or semiannual basis \[[@R34]\]. Treatment should be individualized for each patient and should be undergone by a multidisciplinary team.
Most neurosurgeons prefer to leave the small, unruptured malformations, located in eloquent areas or in elderly patients, for radiosurgery. AVMs under 3 cm in diameter, located in non-- eloquent areas are fit for surgery. Small, ruptured AVMs, located in eloquent areas, which have caused neurological deficits, are treated with open surgery.
Surgery for medium and large AVMs depends on a series of objective factors mentioned above but also on subjective factors (department\'s tradition, neurosurgeon\'s experience, family desire, etc.)
Ruptured AVMs with hematomas, prone to causing brain herniation, require emergent surgery, as a first step, in order to evacuate the hematoma, the angiography and the curative surgery are done later.
Patients with major deficits, which occurred after rupture of malformations, but without imminent herniation can be treated conservatively, until neurological stabilizing, followed by reevaluation and surgery.
Patients with large, unruptured, oligosymptomatic AVMs, located in eloquent areas, carrying particularly high--risk for surgery are treated conservatively and followed--up.
With the sole exception of very small AVMs, embolization is beneficial before surgical treatment of most AVMs in the posterior fossa.
Each of the above mentioned methods have several limitations:
1. surgery cannot resolve deep anatomical lesions or patients presenting with altered neurological status.
2. radiosurgery has a high rate of complications in AVMs larger than 3cm.
3. embolization is not a radical cure, except for 5--10% of cases, but it can proceed in an open surgery in giant AVMs, or radiosurgery; it can treat AVM--associated aneurysms and arteriovenous fistulae from plexiform malformations.
Analysis of late results of different treatment combinations is demanding and requires long--term angiography: embolization carries the risk of revascularization and radiosurgery has a delayed action.
Pre--therapeutic considerations
-------------------------------
The next three steps must be rigorously taken when evaluating each case:
1. Comparisons between treatment risks and risk required by the natural history of disease
2. Evaluation of the patients\' age, comorbidities, pregnancy in women, assessing the location of the lesion with extensive anatomical details including venous drainage, which are the guiding factors for therapy selection.
3. Comparison of risk factors between different procedures or combinations of procedures.
Therapeutic decision requires a thorough knowledge of the risks and benefits of different options, in such a way that the patient receives the best choice.
Choosing the optimal treatment depends on the clinical condition, size, location and angio--architecture of the AVM, patient\'s age, comorbidities, and treatment possibilities of the team. The treatment method chosen must have a lower risk than the natural history of the disease, involving a bleeding rate of 6--15% per year for posterior fossa AVMs \[[@R3],[@R8],[@R9],[@R11],[@R42]\].
Grading Systems and Risk of Therapy
-----------------------------------
Angiography allows assessment of AVM\'s angio--architecture and hemodynamic situation entirely. Even medium AVMs (3--6 cm) can have multiple compartments requiring supraselective angiography necessary to adopt optimal intraoperative strategy.
It is important to specify: the presence of high flow, plexiform components, multiple feeding arteries, presence of lenticulostriat feeding arteries, which must be preserved during surgery, presence of aneurysms located into the nidus or on feeding arteries, venous drainage, which can sometimes flow extensively through the skull, endangering the craniotomy.
Martin--Spetzler scale \[[@R36]\] was adopted in 1986 and it is a widely used therapeutical decision--making tool which gives information about the risk assessment of postoperative neurological deficit in AMVs. \[[Table 1](#T1){ref-type="table"}\]
######
Martin--Spetzler scale
------------------------- -----------------
Size of AVM Points assigned
\< 3 cm -- small AVM 1
3--6 cm -- medium AVM 2
\> 6 cm -- large AVM 3
Eloquent adjacent brain
Noneloquent 0
Eloquent 1
Venous drainage
Superficial 0
Profound 1
------------------------- -----------------
The grading of AVM is given by the sum of points assigned for size, eloquence and venous drainage.
The higher the malformation, the higher the intraoperative risks are, hyperperfusion syndromes occur more frequently and the risk of postoperative deterioration becomes more serious.
The risk of postoperative neurological deficits for small lesions is 5.1%, for medium AVMs is 21.5% and for large ones it reaches 40%. Deep venous drainage, adds a plus of 20% in permanent neurological deficits.
It is generally considered that patients with AVMs of grades Ⅰ, Ⅱ and Ⅲ benefit from surgical resection and those with grades Ⅳ and Ⅴ have major risk of permanent neurological deficits. Grade Ⅵ patients are considered inoperable.
Surgical Treatment
------------------
Arteriovenous malformations of the infratentorial space pose a unique technical challenge for neurovascular surgeons. Until recently, the surgical risk of resection of arteriovenous malformations in this location was considered unacceptable. However, despite the increasing experience and the refinements in surgical and anesthetic techniques, procedures once considered to court disaster can now be achieved with acceptable morbidity rates \[[@R4],[@R21]\]. Successful removal of posterior fossa AVMs requires an intimate knowledge of the architecture of the malformations, the surrounding anatomical structures, and their involved relationships \[[@R4]\].
Because most posterior fossa AVMs present with intraparenchymal hemorrhage, the initial surgical focus is directed to hematoma removal and treatment of any acute mass effect or hydrocephalus, if it is present. When feasible, however, definitive resection of the AVM should be deferred for 4 to 6 weeks. In this manner, delayed extirpation often ensures sufficient time for brain swelling to diminish and the hematoma to liquefy, features that greatly facilitate ultimate AVM excision. Late treatment is also beneficial in that associated cerebral aneurysms, which might initially have been obscured by intraparenchymal hemorrhage on the first angiogram, and could later be clearly visualized after a brief period of quiescent. On rare occasions, a patient who needs early hematoma evacuation may require complete AVM resection during the same operation because of intraoperative hemorrhage. In such a situation, every effort is made to preserve all viable cerebellar tissue as well as alleviate any undue mass effect on the brainstem.
Basic principles for surgical treatment of posterior fossa AVMs are similar to those for treatment of AVMs with any other intracranial location \[[@R27]\]. The principles of optimal patients positioning, adequate bony exposure, extensive dural opening, meticulous attention to sharp microdissection, and compulsive hemostasis are critically important during surgical resection of posterior fossa AVMs \[[@R4],[@R16]\].
There are neurosurgeons who prefer to operate all types of AVMs. Most neurosurgeons recommend surgery with resection of infratentorial AVMs, as the treatment of choice (excluding patients with comorbidities, that increased surgical risk of patients over 70 years old), due to the high morbidity associated with bleeding in the posterior fossa \[[@R34],[@R38]\]. With the help of modern microsurgical instruments, the modern means of neuroprotective neuroanesthesia (heart stopping and extracorporeal circulation, deep hypothermia with the central body temperature of 15 degrees Celsius for a maximum period of time of 50 minutes of work), MAV located in cerebellum, subarachnoid cisterns, and pial surfaces of the brainstem may be successfully treated surgically with excellent results in most cases.\[[@R27],[@R34]\].However, in certain situations, resection carries an unacceptable risk of injury to the patient. Contraindications of surgical removal include brainstem AVMs that do not present to the pial surface, cerebellar AVMs that involve the deep cerebellar nuclei, poor neurological or medical condition of the patient, and advanced age. \[[@R34]\]\[[Fig 1](#F1){ref-type="fig"}\]
{#F1}
Endovascular Treatment
----------------------
The goal of embolization is to permanently reduce the size of malformations and abnormal blood flow thereby, reducing the incidence of secondary bleeding, and favoring other curative procedures, surgical or radiosurgical, with minimum risks for the patient.
Current indications for embolization can be divided into presurgical embolization in large or giant cortical AVMs and embolization before radiosurgical intervention to reduce nidus size. In addition, palliative embolization may be used in large nonsurgical or nonradiosurgical AVMs in patients presenting with progressive neurological deficit secondary to high flow or venous hypertension.
Many posterior fossa AVMs can be treated with preoperative endovascular embolization to decrease the size and morphology of the AVM. Embolization is often completed in several stages to minimize the risk of breakthrough bleeding that can occur when a large volume of an AVM is embolized in a single session \[[@R34]\].
Except for very small AVMs, embolization before surgery is beneficial in the vast majority of posterior fossa AVMs. Technical progress in endovascular therapy allows relatively easy catheterization of feeding arteries, although the widespread use of aggressive embolization increased general mobidity \[[@R5],[@R29]\]. In a series of 150 patients with embolization of intracranial AVMs, Wikholm et al. reported a mortality rate of 1.3% and a rate of severe and moderate complication of 6.7% and 15.3%, respectively \[[@R40]\].
Because embolization is an adjunct to surgical resection of the lesion, embolization should be primary focused on various large feeding arteries or arteries difficult to be found early during surgery. In large cerebellar AVMs the feeding arteries come from PICA. Preoperative embolization of these arteries was shown to lower blood flow through the nidus. Because PICA is relatively quickly exposed during surgery, proximal embolization of PICA is not needed, because of the high risk of cerebellum or brainstem stoke.
Feeding arteries from ventricular branches of AICA are difficult to expose during surgery in any posterior fossa approach, therefore preoperative embolization of these arteries is helpful.
Embolization of feeding arteries from SCA may be indicated if SCA is dilated by increasing blood flow and it is the source of significant feeding arteries. If feeding arteries from SCA are small, it is difficult or impossible to selectively catheterize these vessels. In these conditions, proximal embolization of SCA should be avoided because of the risk of cerebellar stroke. Feeding arteries from distal SCA can be addressed surgically adjacent to the nidus during surgical resection of the AVM. Venous drainage of the AVM in this location usually goes to the galenic system through precentral cerebellar veins, and preoperative embolization of branches from SCA may facilitate surgical dissection of the tentorial part of the cerebellum.
Preoperative embolization has no significant utility in the treatment of brainstem AVMs due to the risk of brainstem stroke.
Radiosurgery
------------
Stereotactic radiosurgery has become an important treatment technique for the management of cerebral AVMs. The purpose of radiosurgery is to irradiate the blood vessels of the AVM to cause progressive luminal obliteration and thereby prevent hemorrhage.
Traditionally, radiosurgery is indicated for AVMs located in eloquent areas associated with high surgical morbidity, such as the basal nuclei and brainstem. The goal of radiosurgery obliteration of AVMs with nidus volume between 5 and 10 cubic cm. Complete obliteration is done in a latency of 1--3 years after radiosurgery in 80--85% of cases, while the patient is not protected from bleeding.
Massager et al \[[@R17]\] studied the results of 87 patients with brainstem AVMs treated with gamma knife and showed that 95% of patients have improved or remained neurologically stable, with an obliteration AVM rate of 63% in two years and 73% in three years. These results lead to the following guidelines: if the surgeon is experienced in AVM surgery, microsurgery is an excellent option for superficial, pial AVMs of the brainstem, while radiosurgery is the best treatment for deep brainstem malformations.\[[Fig 2](#F2){ref-type="fig"}, [Fig 3](#F3){ref-type="fig"}, [Fig 4](#F4){ref-type="fig"}\]
{#F2}
{#F3}
{#F4}
Multimodality Treatment of posterior fossa AVMs
-----------------------------------------------
AVMs are often treated by more than one treatment modality. This occurs in one of two fashions. It is done as either a planned maneuver, typically with embolization followed by surgical resection or radiosurgery, or as an unplanned maneuver where one treatment modality fails and a second treatment modality is necessary to obliterate the AVM. This can occur in situations such as residual AVM after subtotal surgical resection or resection of an AVM after incomplete radiosurgical treatment \[[@R14],[@R23]\].
Endovascular embolization can be performed before surgical excision to reduce the difficulty of surgery, or before radiosurgery to bring the size of the lesion to the limits of the machine.
Radiosurgery may be used to eradicate small residual disease left after craniotomy (due to technical difficulty or involvement of eloquent structures).
Multidisciplinary teams will probably become increasingly important for optimal management of each individual patient. Such teams may include neurosurgeons, interventional neuroradiologists, and stereotactic radiation specialists. Continuing advances in microsurgical, neurointerventional, and radiosurgical techniques will affect treatment approaches.
Conclusion {#sec1-4}
==========
Posterior fossa AVMs deserve multimodality intervention when feasible in most cases because of their higher risk of rupture and higher potential for morbidity and mortality. Surgical resection remains the gold standard of therapy for treating symptomatic posterior fossa AVMs because it has the advantage of immediately removing the risk of hemorrhage in comparison with other treatment modalities. Although modern surgical techniques allow removal of cerebellar and superficial brainstem AVMs with low rates of morbidity and mortality, AVMs located primarily in the brainstem parenchyma are currently best treated with radiosurgery. Except for very small AVMs, embolization before surgery is beneficial in the vast majority of posterior fossa AVMs.
| |
These are a selection of the projects being done under the Sustainable Power theme at the College.
The Farming the Environment into the Grid: Big data in Offshore Wind project (FENGBO) is an international collaboration using Big Data to create a new generation of computing tools that will support the design and operation of offshore wind farms.
The project received £812,415 of funding from EPSRC as part of the Joint UK-China Offshore Renewable Energy programme. It is led by Professor John Graham in the Department of Aeronautics and includes among its partners three Chinese agencies, three UK universities, two international universities and five companies. It will run from July 2015 to July 2020.
The High Temperature, High Efficiency PV-Thermal Solar System project is developing high efficiency hybrid PV/Solar Thermal panels. The team are focussing on higher fluid temperatures in the thermal sections and designing highly complex surface patterns to maximise light capture and reduce heat losses.
The solar cell architecture employed is the Heterojunction Interface (HIT) solar cell pioneered by Sanyo and will allow for the resultant product to be manufactured in bulk and at low cost.
The MAXimizing wind Farm Aerodynamic Resource via advanced Modelling project (MAXFARM) is building an integrated multi-scale approach to the computational modelling of wind farms. The team's ultimate goal is to reduce the cost of generating energy from offshore wind. This will be acheieved by creating better computer models to inform future operational decisions to maximize power output and the operational life of wind farms.
The project is a collaboration between three UK Universities, three Government agencies and six Companies. It is being led at Imperial College London by Dr Rafael Palacios of the Department of Aeronautics. The project received £1,476,695 of funding from EPSRC and will run from November 2015 to November 2018.
The tidal energy operational and spatial planning optimisation project is investigating the environmental and ecological impacts of new, larger tidal developments to support by stakeholders. The team are working on improving the computational methods of quantifying the environmental impacts of tidal projects.
The project is led by Dr Athanasios Angeloudis in the Department of Earth Science and Engineering and is funded through a NERC Industrial Innovation fellowship, which was supported by Energy Futures Lab.
The Pile Soil Analysis project (PISA) is a joint industry project led by Ørsted. The team are investigating and developing improved design methods for laterally loaded piles, specifically tailored to the offshore wind sector. The team are using of numerical finite element modelling to develop the new design method and these are validated through a campaign of large scale field tests.
Advanced, site specific, 3D FE analyses of laterally loaded monopiles.
The academic lead at the College is Professor Lidija Zdravkovic of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
The Control of flexible structures and fluid-structure interactions project (Conflex) is a training and research network aimed at Early Career Researchers working on wind turbine blades. The team are developing methods for the control of flexible structures and fluid-structure interactions.
Developing advanced modelling and analysis tools suitable for control of flexible structures, possibly subject to fluid-structure interactions, as well as structure and passivity preserving model reduction.
Applying the techniques developed on innovative engineering solutions.
The team at Imperial are providing expertise on passive and active control to suppress the vibrations of wind turbine blades.
The project received funding thorugh a Marie Curie Action and has ten Core partners in the UK, France, The Netherlands, Spain, Germany and Israel with four academic affiliates and 11 Industrial partners.
The Axial-Lateral Pile Analysis for Chalk Applying multi-scale field and laboratory testing project(ALPACA) is conducting research into piles for wind turbines, oil platforms, ports and bridges. The team's focus is on improving designs to overcome the issues around piles in chalk.
Led by Professor Richard Jardine of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the project recieved £1,121,309 of funding from EPSRC and the partners include Oxford University and 11 Companies working in the area. It runs from October 2017 to March 2020.
The Providing a Nuclear Fuel Cycle in the UK for Implementing Carbon Reductions project(PACIFIC) is a multi-discipline programme that supports a future nuclear fuel cycle in the UK. The team are researching the manufacture, performance, and recycle of current and advanced nuclear fuels.
The academic lead at Imperial is Professor Robin Grimes of the Department of Materials. The project received £3,053,898from EPSRC, includes 12 UK Universities and three Companies as partners and will run from June 2014 to June 2018.
SweetGen is a spinout company using a non-biological process to convert the waste water created by the food and biofuel industries into low cost electricity.
The company was founded by Dr Javier Rubio-Garcia, Dr Daniel Malko and Professor Anthony Kucernak of the Department of Chemistry.
The Dense energy carriers by electrochemical and photo-electrochemical reduction of CO2 project is a four year collaboration between the College and Shell.
The project's aim is to harvest and store solar energy in fuels, for subsequent conversion to electrical energy in solid oxide fuel cells, obviating solar intermittency and decarbonising electrical power. The initial work focusses on fabricating prototype photo-electrochemical reactors, in which absorbed solar energy drives useful chemical reactions.
The work at Imperial is led by Professor Geoff Kelsall, Professor Milo Shaffer and Professor Nilay Shah is funded by Shell’s Long Range Research Programme and runs from October 2017 to September 2021.
The Maximising the Carbon Impact of Wind Power projectis investigating the impact of wind farms on the UK’s carbon emissions. The team are examining the relationship between wind farms and national carbon emissions in order to maximise the savings they provide. They are trying to identify whether changes in policy or industry practice could make wind power more effective in displacing carbon emissions, and hence more cost-effective in decarbonising the UK.
Led by Professor Richard Green of Imperial College Business School, the project received £235,740 of funding from EPSRC, is working with partners in the Committee on Climate Change, the Energy Research Partnership and National Grid. It ran from November 2015 to April 2018.
The Bentonite Mechanical Evolution project (BEACON) is working on the development of engineered solutions for the management of high-level radioactive waste. The team are focussing on the implementation of first-of-their-kind geological repositories.
The work is investigating a buffer material in nuclear waste-filled canisters that is expected to mechanically evolve over time and seal the repository, thus preventing the long-term leakage of radioactive nucleoids into the surrounding ground.
The project is funded under the H2020 EURATOM programme. | http://www.imperial.ac.uk/energy-futures-lab/research/sustainable-power/projects/ |
In the wake of our June record breaking heat wave we see the damage: Air conditioning units stop. HVAC companies booked 24/7. Twelve heat related deaths.
The Las Vegas Review Journal reported that North Las Vegas is the only local government in Clark County that requires residences to have air conditioning to be deemed habitable. Seventy degrees Fahrenheit (70F) is their magic, habitable number (origin a mystery). This could quickly become an issue for older AC units, as they are lucky to maintain 80F when the outside temp is 117F, and the insulation in the house flat-out stinks.
Las Vegas, Clark County and Henderson currently do not have a code, but they are working on it. I think the sticking points, the most debated points, will be What is a habitable temperature? What is life threatening? What is simply disproportionate comfort?
Common breakdowns – Freon leak (refrigerant coolant), condenser fan motor, compressor. Sometimes a part must be special ordered with a delivery date of 24-48 hours.
The key to new units is to closely match the entire HVAC system specs. In other words, the new stuff must work well with the old stuff. This will ensure maximum overall system performance.
The higher the SEER rating (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio), the more energy efficient the unit. For the average residential property, older units are typically <13 SEER, while new units are 14 SEER.
I am sending out a global email to remind tenant’s that per their lease agreement they are to change the HVAC filters at least 1x per month. That simple task, at a cost of about $7/month, could prevent untimely system failure.
15.20.030 – Chapter 7, Section 701 amended.
SECTION 701. Heating, Air Conditioning and Ventilation.
701.1 Heating and Air Conditioning. Dwelling units, guest rooms and congregate residences shall be provided with heating and air conditioning facilities, capable of maintaining a room temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21.1 degrees Celsius) at a point three feet (914 mm) above the floor in all habitable rooms. Such facilities shall be installed and maintained in a safe condition and in accordance with Section 3102 of the Uniform Building Code, Mechanical Code, and all other applicable laws. Unvented, fuel burning heaters are not permitted. All heating and air cooling devices or appliances shall be of an approved type.
The human body has a normal core temperature between 97˚F and 99˚F, but on average, a normal body temperature is 98.6˚F (37˚C). To maintain this temperature without the help of warming or cooling devices, the surrounding environment needs to be at about 82˚F (28˚C).
and more from the same article …..
If the air temperature reads 85˚F (29˚C), but there’s zero humidity, the temperature will actually feel like it’s 78˚F (26 ˚C).
If the air temperature reads 85˚F (29˚C), with 80 percent humidity, it will actually feel like 97˚F (36˚C).
What In The World Is A 1031 Exchange? | http://metzandwebster.com/air-conditioning-in-las-vegas/ |
The Institute of Leadership & Management's mission is to inspire great leadership everywhere, not only in the geographical sense, but at every level, in every part of every organisation. Leadership may be exercised by those who have ‘leader’ or ‘manager’ in their title, but now also by those whose title has no suggestion of leadership.
The pandemic has meant that we are all leaders now; not gathered in C-suites anymore, but Zooming in from home offices, kitchen tables, dining rooms, sharing our workspaces with schoolchildren, undergraduates and partners. Leaders are more geographically dispersed yet ironically more connected to colleagues who used to be a train or plane ride away.
Undoubtedly leadership everywhere is challenging, but it is being redefined because it has been freed from the prison of geographical location. Does this mean that we need new sorts of leaders? Are there people who can only do face-to-face leadership or is this new digital leadership something we can learn?
During International Leadership Week this year, the institute has asked academics, thought leaders and practitioners from around the world for their new perspectives on the type of leadership that is needed now, bringing their own cultural insights and context for how leadership is understood and enacted.
The answer to whether we can learn to be a type of leader, depends on how well we build and sustain relationships. As Peter Drucker, management philosopher, said: “Organisations are no longer built on force but on trust. The existence of trust between people does not mean that they like one another. It means that they understand one another. Taking responsibility for relationships is therefore an absolute necessity.”
This responsibility for relationships exists whether people are sitting at the next desk or in their home office. Great leadership is being able to relate to your colleagues wherever they are.
If we recognise that relationships need work we must also recognise that we can learn to get better at them. Those of us trying to lead with emotional intelligence, with empathy and understanding, look for the cues that people give us in face-to-face meetings; are they saying too much, not saying enough, lacking in energy or late? Body language and behaviour tell us so much before a word has been uttered. As empathetic leaders, we look to respond to those unspoken messages – now we must look for them digitally.
How long do people normally take to reply to an email, to respond to a phone call? What appears to be their normal hours of work? Many people enjoy flexing their working day to accommodate the other responsibilities they have and enjoy not having to subcontract some of their personal responsibilities to others. Once we have identified what is normal for people in our teams we can start to look out for changes – learning a new digital body language and learning to read it.
AGMs are a great example of the democratising of leadership – the stage is gone, the exalted place where CEOs stood alongside big screens have mainly disappeared. We're all looking at, and from, small screens, and there's something much more connected about that. Perhaps this allows leaders to become closer to people than we were previously. That's not to say that the power dynamics are no longer at play, but different ways of communicating enable different levels of understanding, and a different way of experiencing each other.
Join The Institute of Leadership & Management at International Leadership Week from 16-19 November. | https://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/article/1746188/why-covid-means-we-are-all-leaders-now?utm_source=website&utm_medium=social |
The invention discloses an LDPC minimum sum decoding method based on normalization correction factor sequences. The LDPC minimum sum decoding method based on the normalization correction factor sequences comprises a method for setting the correction factor sequences. The LDPC minimum sum decoding method based on the normalization correction factor sequences comprises the following steps that (1) a signal to noise ratio threshold value is measured through a belief propagation algorithm in a first channel in a first modulation mode, (2) a plurality of testing reference values are set according to the signal to noise ratio threshold value, (3) each normalization correction factor sequence corresponding to the corresponding testing reference value is calculated by using each testing reference value as a signal to noise ratio condition and using a normalization minimum sum decoding algorithm, and (4) the normalization correction factor sequence with the best performance curve is set to be the optimal correction factor sequence. By the adoption of the technical scheme, compared with a traditional normalization minimum sum algorithm, performance is greatly improved, the performance of the LDPC minimum sum decoding method can be similar to performance of the optimal belief propagation algorithm, and meanwhile implementation complexity of the LDPC minimum sum decoding method is much lower than that of the optimal belief propagation algorithm. | |
Background {#Sec1}
==========
The well-being, defined as good mental and physical health, of general practitioners (GPs) is essential to maintaining an effective health care system as they are in the front line to guard and promote health, advocate and administer preventive care, diagnose new illnesses, and manage chronic ones.
However, research on the mental health of GPs in various countries has revealed high prevalence of distress, burnout, suicidal ideation, alcohol and substance misuse, anxiety, and depression \[[@CR1]--[@CR3]\], which have been associated with functional impairment and, subsequently, with poor quality of patient care \[[@CR4], [@CR5]\]. Furthermore, several studies demonstrated that the prevalence of burnout among residents ranges between 28.0 and 45.0% \[[@CR6]--[@CR8]\].
Burnout among GPs is of particular concern as there are many characteristics of contemporary general practice that increase the risk of burnout such as the high number of patient-doctor contacts, increased administrative burden, work stress due to high demands from patients and colleagues, reduced support from family and colleagues, as well as limited autonomy in decision-making \[[@CR9]--[@CR11]\]. Burnout is defined as a syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, and reduced personal accomplishment originally described by Maslach, Jackson, and Leiter \[[@CR12]\], which develops as a response to chronic emotional or interpersonal distress.
Research in various countries has identified individual (e.g., behavioural, demographic, and personality-related), organisational, as well as societal determinants of burnout among physicians. For example, physicians often go to work even when they are ill \[[@CR13]\] or make their own diagnoses and prescribe their own treatment \[[@CR14]\]. Physicians rarely seek help for their ailments from other medical professionals and when they do so it is often after a long delay when their health condition has worsened \[[@CR15]\]. Further individual risk factors are two personality types, neuroticism and perfectionism, which may play a significant role in the development of burnout through the deployment of maladaptive coping mechanisms for work stress \[[@CR16]\]. Amongst demographic factors, age, dependant care demands such as large numbers of children and elderly people in the family requiring care, as well as gender have been identified as important determinants of burnout \[[@CR17]\]. Whilst in the US burnout tends to occur most frequently among young employees \[[@CR12]\], in Europe burnout seems to be more prevalent among older employees \[[@CR18]\], which could be explained by limited workforce mobility in Europe. However, recent research in Europe has identified a trend of higher burnout levels among younger physicians compared to older ones \[[@CR19]\].
The role of gender in the development of burnout has been extensively studied. While the results are inconclusive, in general, women score higher on emotional exhaustion, and men score higher on depersonalisation and personal accomplishment. This trend has also been described among physicians \[[@CR20]\].
Amongst workplace characteristics, high job demands, role conflict, low job resources, and lack of workplace support have been identified as key risk factors of burnout among GPs and physicians \[[@CR21]--[@CR23]\]. Furthermore, our research among GPs in Hungary and studies in other European countries have shown that psychosocial stress affects the mental well-being of GPs and contributes to increased prevalence of burnout, anxiety, and depression \[[@CR24]--[@CR31]\].
In the Hungarian context, research consequently showed low personal accomplishment among nearly 100.0% of GPs and residents surveyed. Our previous study also revealed high level of depersonalisation and emotional exhaustion among 61.0 and 35.0% of the GPs, respectively. The proportion of Hungarian physicians with high levels of depersonalisation and low personal accomplishment is significantly higher than those obtained among Italian, Swiss, Spanish, and Canadian physicians \[[@CR32]\].
Our research group has shown that in the Hungarian context, physician burnout is closely associated with workplace stress, and stress-related somatic diseases such as gastrointestinal and cardiovascular disorders \[[@CR33]\]. Furthermore, in-depth interviews conducted among Hungarian physicians revealed that the causes of increased workplace stress were associated with reduced control over work (control over the amount of work and the number of patients), flaws of the organisational structure (poor communication, lack of cooperation, lack of support from more experienced physicians) and with stress resulting from unique work characteristics (e.g., high responsibility, failed attempts of treatment, long working hours). We also identified a further antecedent to workplace stress, namely work-family conflict, and found it as a strong correlate of burnout among female and male physicians in Hungary \[[@CR34], [@CR35]\]. Our findings showed that the relative importance of the work domain in the development of work-family conflict within the Hungarian medical profession is more significant than that of the family domain. Because in Hungary men and women tend to adhere to traditional gender roles, female physicians need to cope with the supremacy of their work domain as a professional and with the significance of the family domain as a woman. These findings suggest that work and family-related factors are critically important in the pathogenesis of stress and stress-related morbidities including burnout and other somatic diseases among physicians in Hungary \[[@CR36], [@CR37]\]. Whilst these relationships have been extensively studied among physicians, in general, little attention has been paid to identifying potential risk factors of burnout among GPs in particular. Given the pivotal role of GPs and residents in improving or maintaining public health, there is a strong rationale to explore psychosocial determinants and/or correlates of burnout among GPs and residents in Hungary. Based on transactional and interactional models of burnout as a theoretical framework \[[@CR38], [@CR39]\], the hypotheses of this research are as follows:The prevalence of burnout among Hungarian GPs and residents is high.Female GPs and residents experience significantly higher level of burnout compared to their male counterparts.Older age is associated with burnout among GPs and residents.High number of children (a surrogate of dependant care) is associated with burnout among female physicians.High number of registered patients in the practice (a surrogate of workload) is associated with burnout among GPs and residents.
Methods {#Sec2}
=======
Study design, setting, and participants {#Sec3}
---------------------------------------
We used a cross-sectional design and self-administered questionnaires, which we distributed to 346 general practitioners and 234 residents, who attended a Continued Medical Education (CME) course. Of the 580 participants, 350 general practitioners returned the appropriately completed questionnaire (196 general practitioners (56.0%) and 154 residents (44.0%)) and thus were selected for the study.
Measures {#Sec4}
========
We used the Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) \[[@CR12]\]. This 22-item instrument has three subscales and measures (1) emotional exhaustion with 9 items, (2) depersonalization (alienation) from work, patients, and colleagues with 5 items, and (3) personal accomplishment which indicates job-related competency and subsequent self-esteem with 8 items. Responses are marked on a seven-point Likert scale (0 meaning 'never' and 6 meaning 'every day') and then summed. A high degree of burnout among general practitioners was reflected by sum scores of ≥27 on the emotional exhaustion and ≥ 10 on the depersonalization subscales, and a score of ≤33 on the personal accomplishment subscale, which represent the cut-off scores at the upper tercile of the sample \[[@CR12]\]. The reliability coefficients (Cronbach's alpha) of the emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment scales for our total sample were 0.9, 0.8, and 0.8, respectively. Similar reliability coefficients on all subscales have been obtained for female and male physicians, and residents as well as GPs.
We collected sociodemographic data such as gender, age, number of children (as a surrogate of dependant care), and marital status. We also assessed workplace factors including type of practice (adult, paediatric, or mixed), number of patients in the practice (as a surrogate of workload) defined by the number of registered patients (social security cards) in the practice, years spent in the practice (as a surrogate of experience), and regular on-call duties over the week-end (at least once a month) as well as nightshift (defined as work hours between 7 PM and 7 AM the following day at least once a week).
Data analyses {#Sec5}
-------------
We calculated mean scores and standard deviation (SD) for each of the three scales of burnout for the whole sample, for GPs and residents, as well as for female and male GPs. To explore differences in the mean scores of each burnout dimension between female and male physicians as well as general practitioners and residents, we deployed the Mann-Whitney U test.
We classified physicians into three groups based on the perceived level of burnout (high, intermediate, low) based on cut-off values reported by Maslach et al. \[[@CR12]\]. To identify correlates of burnout among physicians, we assessed correlations among socio-demographic and work-related characteristics (i.e., age, marital status, number of children, job title (GP or resident), number of patients in the practice, average of years spent in the practice, specialty focus (e.g., paediatrics, adults, mixed), and on-call duties over the week-end or nightshifts) and the three dimensions of burnout experienced by male and female physicians as well as the total sample by determining Spearman's (r~S~) and Mann-Whitney U correlation coefficients for continuous and dichotomous dependent variables, respectively.
In order to explore the relationship between burnout and socio-demographic as well as work-related factors further, we conducted stepwise linear regression analyses and assessed the strength and direction of relationships between the continuous dependent variables (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, personal accomplishment) and explanatory variables (age, gender, marital status, number of children, number of patients in the practice, average years spent in the practice, specialty, on-call over week-ends, nightshifts, and job title (GP vs resident)) by determining regression coefficients (adjusted β), 95% confidence intervals (95% CI), and t-test statistics. We used F statistics to confirm the significance of models at each step. We controlled for gender and type of employment (inpatient/outpatient services, general practice, and other establishments) in the analyses. In addition, we calculated the proportion of the variance in the dependent variable explained by the explanatory variables (adjusted R^2^). One model for emotional exhaustion, two for depersonalization and one for personal accomplishment have been examined. The models were significant for each step as determined by F statistics (data not shown). A *p* value of \< 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. The statistical software used for all analyses was SPSS, version 20.0 (IBM-SPSS Inc., Armonk, NY, USA).
Results {#Sec6}
=======
Participant characteristics {#Sec7}
---------------------------
The overall response rate was 60.3%. Table [1](#Tab1){ref-type="table"} shows the demographic profile of the sample. The average age (SD) was 45.6 years (15.0) (age ranging from 25 to 79 years). Most of the physicians were partnered (78.2%) and had children (67.1%). The average number of patients in the practice was similar among male and female physicians. The average (SD) of years spent in the practice was 12.0 (12.7) years. Only around one fifth and one third of the female and male physicians, respectively, took on-call duty over the week-end and night-shift (Table [1](#Tab1){ref-type="table"}). GPs and residents in our sample represent 3.0% of the total number of GPs (6541) and 66.0% of residents (234) in Hungary, respectively. In the normative population, the proportion of female GPs is 68.0% and most GPs are in the 50--59-year-old cohort. The distribution of GPs among adult, paediatric, and mixed practices is 54.0, 23.0, and 23.0% in Hungary. Our study sample may be representative of the normative population in terms of gender, age distribution, residents, and GPs focusing on adult patients.Table 1Sociodemographic characteristics of the sampleVariableTotal sample^a^\
N (%)Female^a^\
N (%)Male^a^\
N (%)Total sample350 (100.0)209 (59.7)141 (40.3) General practitioners196 (56.0)108 (51.7)88 (32.4) Residents154 (44.0)101 (48.3)53 (37.6)Age group (years) \< 3088 (25.3)58 (28.0)30 (21.3) 30--3953 (15.2)34 (16.4)19 (13.4) 40--4950 (14.4)30 (14.5)20 (14.2) 50--5980 (23.0)42 (20.3)38 (27.0) ≥ 6077 (22.1)43 (20.8)34 (24.1)Partner Yes248 (78.2)134 (73.2)114 (85.1) No69 (21.8)49 (26.8)20 (14.9)Number of children None114 (32.9)71 (34.0)43 (31.2) Yes233 (67.1)138 (66.0)95 (68.8) 156 (24.0)36 (26.1)20 (21.1) 2105 (45.1)69 (50.0)36 (37.9) ≥ 372 (30.9)33 (23.9)39 (41.0)Number of registered patients in GP practice\
(Mean (SD))1813.9 (534.2)1738.9 (546.6)1900.9 (508.7)Type of GP practice Adult291 (72.9)155 (74.2)113 (80.1) Paediatric32 (8.0)28 (13.4)4 (2.8) Mixed43 (10.8)19 (9.1)139 (98.6) Missing data33 (8.3)7 (3.3)2 (1.4)Average years in GP practice\
(Mean (SD))12.0 (12.7)11.9 (12.5)14.1 (13.3)On-call over week-end, nightshift No143 (73.0)86 (81.1)57 (64.8) Yes51 (26.0)20 (18.9)31 (35.2) Missing data2 (1.0)^a^General practitioners and residents combined
High prevalence of burnout among general practitioners and residents {#Sec8}
--------------------------------------------------------------------
In line with our first hypothesis, a sizeable proportion of GPs and resident reported high level of burnout. Among GPs, 19.9, 18.0, and 45.9% reported high level of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and impaired personal accomplishment, respectively. The prevalence of high level of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and impaired personal accomplishment among residents was similar (18.5, 25.5, and 39.5%, respectively). Moderate to high levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization were reported by 34.7 and 33.5% as well as by 41.0 and 43.1% of GPs and residents, respectively. Moderate to high level impaired personal accomplishment was also prevalent among GPs and residents (67.8 and 71.1%, respectively) (Table [2](#Tab2){ref-type="table"}).Table 2Prevalence of burnout among general practitioners (*N* = 196) and residents (*N* = 154)VariableHigh levelModerate levelLow levelMann-Whitney U-testGPsResidentsGPsResidentsGPsResidentsBurnout N (%) Emotional exhaustion39 (19.9)28 (18.5)29 (14.8)34 (22.5)128 (65.3)89 (58.9)NS^a^ Depersonalization35 (18.0)39 (25.5)30 (15.5)27 (17.6)129 (65.5)87 (56.9)NS^a^ Impaired personal accomplishment90 (45.9)60 (39.5)43 (21.9)48 (31.6)63 (32.1)44 (28.9)U = 12,247.0\*\*^a^NS: Not significant\*\* *p* \< 0.01
Whilst we observed no significant differences in the level of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization between GPs and residents, residents reported significantly lower level of personal accomplishment compared to GPs (Mann-Whitney U = 12,247.0; *p* \< 0.01) (Table [2](#Tab2){ref-type="table"}).
Gender disparity in the level of depersonalization between female and male physicians {#Sec9}
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In contrary to our second hypothesis, our results demonstrated a significantly higher level of depersonalization among male physicians compared to female physicians (Mann-Whitney U = 12,221.0; *p* \< 0.01). We found no significant gender differences in the levels of emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment (Table [3](#Tab3){ref-type="table"}).Table 3Gender differences in the level of burnout among female (*N* = 209) and male (*N* = 141) physiciansBurnoutFemale physiciansMale physiciansMann-Whitney U-testEmotional exhaustion\
Mean Rank170.4179.4NS^a^Depersonalization\
Mean Rank163.0190.2U = 12,221.0\*\*Personal accomplishment\
Mean Rank177.7169.7NS^aa^*NS* Not significant\*\**p* \< 0.01
Socio-demographic and work-related correlates of burnout among GPs and residents {#Sec10}
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As demonstrated in Table [4](#Tab4){ref-type="table"}, we identified that age negatively correlated with both emotional exhaustion and depersonalization among female physicians (r~S~ = − 0.193, *p* \< 0.01; r~S~ = − 0.220, *p* \< 0.001), male physicians (r~S~ = − 0.206, *p* \< 0.01; r~S~ = − 0.191, *p* \< 0.05), and in the total sample (r~S~ = − 0.186, *p* \< 0.01; r~S~ = − 0.198, *p* \< 0.001), respectively. Age correlated positively with personal accomplishment among female physicians (r~S~ = 0.358, *p* \< 0.001) and the total sample (r~S~ = 0.234, *p* \< 0.001) but not among male physicians. These results are contrary to our third hypothesis, which stipulated that age was a potential positive correlate of burnout among GPs and residents.Table 4Potential socio-demographic and work-related correlates of burnout among female (*N* = 209) and male (*N* = 141) physiciansEmotional exhaustionDepersonalizationPersonal accomplishmentVariablesFemale physiciansMale physiciansTotal sampleFemale physiciansMale physiciansTotal sampleFemale physiciansMale physiciansTotal sampleAger~S~ = −0.193^\*\*^r~S~ = − 0.206^\*\*^r~S~ = − 0.186^\*\*^r~S~ = − 0.220^\*\*\*^r~S~ = − 0.191^\*^r~S~ = − 0.198 ^\*\*\*^r~S~ = 0.358^\*\*\*^NS^a^r~S~ = 0.234^\*\*\*^Marital statusNS^a^NS^a^NS^a^NS^a^NS^a^NS^a^NS^a^NS^a^NS^a^Number of childrenr~S~ = 0.159^\*^NS^a^r~S~ = 0.119^\*^r~S~ = 0.141^\*^NS^a^r~S~ = 0.117^\*^r~S~ = − 0.178^\*\*^NS^a^NS^a^Job title (GP vs resident)NS^a^NS^a^NS^a^U = 4461.5^\*^NS^a^NS^a^U = 3823.5^\*\*\*^NS^a^U = 12,247.0^\*\*^Number of patients in the practiceNS^a^NS^a^NS^a^r~S~ = 0.216^\*^NS^a^NS^a^NS^a^NS^a^NS^a^Average of years spent in the practiceNS^a^NS^a^NS^a^r~S~ = − 0.176^\*\*^NS^a^r~S~ = − 0.133^\*\*^r~S~ = 0.264^\*\*\*^NS^a^r~S~ = 0.168^\*\*^Specialty focus of GPs and residentsNS^a^NS^a^NS^a^NS^a^NS^a^NS^a^NS^a^NS^a^NS^a^On-call over week-end, nightshiftsNS^a^NS^a^NS^a^NS^a^NS^a^NS^a^NS^a^NS^a^NS^aa^*NS* Not significant\* *p* \< 0.05; \*\* *p* \< 0.01, \*\*\* *p* \< 0.001
In line with our fourth hypothesis, we found that the number of children (a surrogate of dependant care) was a significant positive correlate of emotional exhaustion (r~S~ = 0.159; *p* \< 0.05) and depersonalization (r~S~ = 0.141, *p* \< 0.05), and a negative correlate of personal accomplishment (r~S~ = − 0.178, *p* \< 0.01) among female physicians. In addition, the number of children had a positive association with emotional exhaustion (r~S~ = 0.119, *p* \< 0.05) and depersonalization (r~S~ = 0.117, *p* \> 0.05) in the total sample (Table [4](#Tab4){ref-type="table"}).
Our results showed that among female physicians, being a resident was significantly correlated with depersonalisation (mean ranks were 112.9 vs 95.7 among residents vs GPs, respectively, Mann-Whitney U = 4461.5, *p* \< 0.05) and being a general practitioner was significantly correlated with personal accomplishment (mean ranks were 118.1 vs 88.6 among GPs vs residents, respectively, Mann-Whitney U = 3823.5, *p* \< 0.001). In addition, being a GP was a significant positive correlate of personal accomplishment in the total population (mean ranks were 188.0 vs 157.0 among GPs vs residents, respectively, Mann-Whitney U = 12,247.0, *p* \< 0.01) (Table [4](#Tab4){ref-type="table"}).
We found that the number of registered patients in the practice (a surrogate of workload) was significantly associated with depersonalization (r~S~ = 0.216, *p* \< 0.05) among female physicians. These results confirm, at least in part, our final hypothesis, as we could demonstrate associations between the number of patients in the practice and burnout, albeit only for one burnout dimension (depersonalization) and among female physicians only. Furthermore, the average of years spent in the practice (a surrogate of experience) was a significant inverse correlate of depersonalization among female physicians (r~S~ = − 0.176, *p* \< 0.01) and the total sample (r~S~ = − 0.133, *p* \< 0.01) and a positive correlate of personal accomplishment among female physicians (r~S~ = 0.264, *p* \< 0.001) and in the total sample (r~S~ = 0.168, *p* \< 0.01). We did not find significant correlations between burnout and a few other sociodemographic and work-related variables such as marital status, specialty focus (i.e., paediatric or adult patients or a combination thereof), and on-call duties over the week-end or nightshifts (Table [4](#Tab4){ref-type="table"}).
The results of our regression analyses showed that of the variables examined (age, gender, marital status, number of children, number of patients in the practice, average years spent in the practice, specialty, on-call over week-ends, nightshifts, and job title (GP vs resident)), younger age (β = − 0.153, 95% CI -0.343 -- -0.01) predicted emotional exhaustion best. Male gender (β = − 0.211, 95% CI -3.974 -- -0.788) and fewer years spent in practices (β = − 0.156, 95% CI -0.156 -- -0.008) emerged as best predictors of depersonalization. Low personal accomplishment was best predicted by male gender (β = 0.177, 95% CI 0.541--5.139). These predictors explained 2.3, 2.4, and 3.1% of the variance in emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and low personal accomplishment, respectively (Table [5](#Tab5){ref-type="table"}).Table 5Potential predictors associated with burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment) among general practitioners and residents: stepwise linear regression analysesDependent variablesIndependent variablesStandardized β95% Confidence intervalstAdjusted R^2^Emotional exhaustionAge (younger)−0.153− 0.343 -- − 0.010−2.096\*0.023DepersonalizationGender (male)−0.211−3.974 -- − 0.788−2.949\*\*0.024Average years spent in practice (shorter)−0.156−0.156 -- − 0.008−2.174\*Personal accomplishmentGender (female)0.1770.541--5.1392.438\*0.031\* *p* \< 0.05, \*\* *p* \< 0.01
Discussion {#Sec11}
==========
In this study, we found high prevalence of burnout and significant gender disparity among Hungarian GPs and residents. Residents reported significantly higher level of burnout (low level of personal accomplishment) vs GPs. In addition, we determined various psychosocial correlates of burnout and identified younger age, male gender, and fewer years of experience as significant predictors of specific burnout dimensions among the physicians.
The primary goal of our study was to assess the prevalence of burnout in a sample of GPs and residents in Hungary. In line with our first hypothesis, our results suggest that burnout is relatively prevalent in this population, with 18.0--25.5% reporting a high level of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and 39.5--45.9% of the sample reporting a high level of impaired personal accomplishment. The comparison of our findings with the results from studies of burnout among Italian \[[@CR40]\], UK \[[@CR41]\], European \[[@CR42]\], Irish \[[@CR43]\], Canadian \[[@CR44]\], and Slovenian \[[@CR45]\] GPs revealed that Hungarian GPs reported comparatively lower levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, but significantly higher level of impaired personal accomplishment. Our findings about the high prevalence of impaired personal accomplishment among GPs and residents are in line with the results of our research among physicians in Hungary. We posit that low level of personal accomplishment could develop independently and in parallel with exhaustion \[[@CR46]\]. This may be observed in certain organisational environments characterised by role conflict or work overload that on the one hand intensify emotional exhaustion and on the other hand simultaneously reduce personal accomplishment through disabling participative decision making and social support, which serve as significant facilitators of personal accomplishment \[[@CR35]\]. Our results support the growing body of evidence which has found increasing prevalence of burnout among GPs all over the world.
Another objective of our study was to identify correlates (or potential predictors) of burnout among GPs and residents in Hungary focusing on socio-demographic and work-related factors. Based on a multitude of evidence, it is generally suggested that female employees may be more susceptible to experiencing burnout. In particular, data suggest that women may be more prone to experiencing a greater level of emotional exhaustion than men and that men more frequently report depersonalization than women. Our results confirm these findings. Whilst we found a significantly higher mean level of depersonalization among male GPs, we did not see a difference in emotional exhaustion. In addition, our results suggest that male GPs and residents might be more likely to report depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment than women. However, data in the literature appear to be inconclusive regarding the strength and direction of gender differences in burnout and only a handful of authors have explored this relationship directly. In a recent meta-analysis of the relationship between gender and burnout, results demonstrated that women were slightly more emotionally exhausted than men, while men are somewhat more depersonalized than women \[[@CR47]\]. In line with our hypothesis, our results confirm, at least in part, these findings. Our findings underpin the significance of gender research regarding burnout because they would contribute to making adequate and accurate organizational decisions to reduce occupational stress and consequent burnout.
Of all the demographic variables, age has been extensively studied and most consistently related to burnout \[[@CR48]\]. Several studies have suggested that younger employees experience higher level of burnout than older ones. Age is associated with work experience, and it has been postulated that younger employees have less work experience, which may lead to higher level of occupational stress and subsequent burnout. Indeed, research has shown a decrease in the burnout scores of all three dimensions as the subjects' age increased \[[@CR49]\]. However, others have found no significant differences in burnout among different age ranges \[[@CR50]\]. In contrary to our third hypothesis, our results showed that older age and time spent in the practice (a surrogate of experience) were inversely correlated with emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and positively correlated with personal accomplishment among GPs and residents. Furthermore, regression analyses suggested a predictive role for age and time spent in practice (a surrogate of experience) in reducing emotional exhaustion and depersonalization among GPs, respectively. Our findings therefore support the line of evidence that stipulates a significant association between age as well as age-related experience and burnout. However, our findings should be interpreted with caution because of the potential issue of survival bias, i.e. those who burn out early in their careers are likely to quit their jobs, leaving behind the survivors who consequently exhibit lower levels of burnout. A meta-analysis conducted by Brewer and Shapard \[[@CR51]\] showed a weak but significant negative correlation between employee age and emotional exhaustion. Based on these results and our findings, we suggest that age should be included in the risk profile for GPs.
In terms of our fourth hypothesis, we found evidence that a higher number of children (a surrogate of dependant care) was a significant correlate of burnout among female physicians. Our findings provide empirical support for the line of evidence, which suggests that dependant care (e.g., child rearing, looking after old parents) provided by working women is a source of chronic stress and ensuing burnout \[[@CR11]\]. A plausible explanation for our findings could be that Hungarian female GPs may experience work-family conflict, a type of distress, which arises from the inability to balance the demands at work and at home. This could be due to the lack of efficient family-friendly policies in the Hungarian medical profession and the typically long working hours, which make combining work and family roles difficult for female physicians and particularly to physician mothers. Thus, female physicians in Hungary often find themselves compelled to fulfil a number of roles (mother, spouse, doctor) to the highest standards concurrently. This leads to work-family conflict and subsequently to burnout \[[@CR35]\].
Our results confirm our fifth hypothesis, which stated that the number of patients in the practice (a surrogate of workload) positively correlated with of burnout. In particular, we identified this relationship for depersonalization among female physicians. There is a large body of evidence which shows that workload is a significant risk factor of burnout \[[@CR12]\]. Work overload or high work demands, especially when occurs with lack of control and support, has been shown to predict emotional exhaustion, a central component of burnout \[[@CR8]\]. On the other hand, lack of job resources has been theorized to account for depersonalization or disengagement \[[@CR39]\] dimension of burnout. There is evidence to suggest that both of these processes occur at the same time. Based on our results, we posit that emotional exhaustion caused by work overload may augment disengagement and depersonalization, which is further corroborated by the lack of job resources among female GPs such as organizational policies to help balance work and home domain activities in a traditional society where female physicians are expected to fulfil multiple roles. This hypothesis would fit Leiter's model of burnout, which states that emotional exhaustion leads to depersonalization and cynical attitudes toward work as employees attempt to remove themselves emotionally from their job as a way of coping with stress \[[@CR46]\].
Our study has some limitations such as its cross-sectional nature, which includes biases of self-reporting and the inability to confer causality. In addition, our study sample might only be representative of GPs working in adult practices but not of GPs in paediatric and mixed practices. Also, whilst the response rate was high, non-responders might have biased the results as they might not suffer from burnout, hence burnout levels in the study might have been overestimated. Furthermore, we used arbitrary cut-off scores to classify general practitioners into cohorts reporting high, intermediate and low levels of burnout on the three dimensions. Whilst this method is useful to explore the objectives of the study in the research setting, it cannot be directly extrapolated into the clinical setting to support diagnosis of burnout.
Despite the limitations, our study has important strengths and significance for the practice. First of all, it is one of the first studies to explore psychosocial correlates and/or predictors of burnout among GPs in Hungary, plagued with severe shortage of physicians in almost every large specialty, and a rapidly ageing GP population. Furthermore, our study is one of the few investigations that explore the prevalence and potential predictors of burnout among residents \[[@CR52]\]. In line with this line of research, our results confirm the multicausal nature of burnout among medical residents. In addition, our study provides a base for further explorations by virtue of generating hypotheses and developing research strategies for deploying effective interventions. In particular, recent research on the applicability of the MBI scales for supporting the diagnosis and management of burnout in the clinical setting based on a multi-dimensional model (a combination of the highest reported score on one of the three dimensions of burnout and various degrees of burnout reported on the remaining two scales) has suggested the development of five burnout profiles such as 'engaged', 'ineffective', 'overextended', 'disengaged', and 'burnout' \[[@CR53]\]. Our results, in combination with our previous research, suggest that Hungarian GPs may fall into the 'ineffective' profile, which is characterised by low scores on the personal accomplishment scale as the leading burnout dimension. One of the objectives of these burnout profiles is to aid the development of appropriate interventions. Based on our results and those of others about the specific predictors of various burnout dimensions, we suggest that GPs with an 'ineffective' profile would benefit more from interventions that address resources, social support, and job satisfaction than from interventions that focus on reducing work overload or strengthening values, which have been associated with the 'overextended' and 'disengaged' burnout profiles, respectively.
Conclusions {#Sec12}
===========
Our study provides insights into the potential gender-specific and psychosocial correlates of the different burnout dimensions among GPs and residents in Hungary and thus sets forth future directions not only for further gender, cross-cultural, and occupational research but also for specific interventions and preventive measures to reduce physician burnout and subsequent physician impairment and, thus, to improve retention and recruitment of GPs, and ultimately the quality of primary care.
CME
: Continued Medical Education
GP
: General Practitioner
MBI-HSS
: Maslach Burnout Inventory
Not Applicable
Ethcs approval and consent to participate {#FPar1}
=========================================
Semmelweis University Regional and Institutional Committee of Science and Research Ethics TUKEB number: 26/2012.
Address: Budapest, Üllői út 93., 1091.
Funding {#FPar2}
=======
The authors declare that they they did not have any funding for this research.
Availability of data and materials {#FPar3}
==================================
The questionnaires and data for this study is currently available at the Department of Family Medicine, Semmelweis University. We do not want to share our data because we are planning to write another paper from our database.
SZA analysed the data, wrote the manuscript, co-ordinated the study. AM analysed and collected the data, contributed to the manuscript (results). LK contributed to the whole study concept, the study design and to sections of the manuscript (discussion, methods). PT participated in the interpretation of the data, and the drafting of the manuscript.He gave the final approvel of the version to be published. All authors have read and approved the final version of this manuscript.
Consent for publication {#FPar4}
=======================
Not applicable
Competing interests {#FPar5}
===================
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Publisher's Note {#FPar6}
================
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
| |
The primary objective of the rentails project is to re-process an estimated 22.5 million tonnes of tailings at an average grade of 0.23% copper from the historical processing of tin ore at renison.The current tailings dams have a probable ore reserve containing approximately 99,000 tonnes of tin and 51,000 tonnes of copper.Get Quote
Aug 21, 2020· a view of the aftermath from a failed iron ore tailings dam owned by brazilian miner vale sa that burst, in brumadinho, brazil.Reuters/adriano machado aug.
Eurasian resources group (erg) is a leading diversified natural resources producer.It has a portfolio of production assets and development projects in 14 countries crossing four continents, and is represented by more than 75,000 people globally, being a major employer in the industry.
Mar 03, 2020· the heemskirk tin project scoping study completed in october 2019 is based on development of an underground mine, processing plant, tailings storage facility and surface infrastructure to mine ~ 350ktpa ore at a lom head grade of ~ 0.95% tin from the queen hill and severn tin deposits (2 of the 4 heemskirk deposits) over a 10 year mine-life.
The present invention relates to a process for recovering valuable metals from ore (50) and configured to significantly reduce or eliminate the need for a storage facility tailings.This object is achieved through a processing system integrated, designed to enhance the proportion of sand waste floating thick (62) with respect to the quantity of tailings arising from the floatation of fines (72.
Mine tailings disposal sites from either inactive or abandoned mine sites are prevalent in arid and semiarid regions throughout the world.Major areas include northern mexico and the western united states, the pacific coast of south america (chile and peru), southwestern spain, western india, south africa, and australia (munshower 1994; tordoff et al.
Metalliferous mill tailings, which consist of the finely crushed ore that remains after valuable metals are removed.Thus, water stress could limit plantation success in reclaimed mine lands.This study evaluates the effect of substrates varying in quality (topsoil, overburden, compost and tailings mixture, and tailings .
Table of contentsquantities of wastes generatedbases for estimateswastes from mining coalwastes from mining metal ores and non-metal mineralscharacter of mine tailings wastespurpose and scope of discussionwastes from mining coalwastes from mining metal ores and non-metal minerals any critical evaluation of the potential for contamination of groundwater by leachates from mining wastes .
Jun 28, 2016· yet the pyrite-rich tailings also contain up to 3% cobalt, which is worth well over us$23,000 per tonne.It may even be possible to retrieve almost all of .
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Tailings in impoundments or free-standing piles, backfilling underground mine workings and open-pits, subaqueous disposal, and the most common method, the disposal of tailings slurry in impoundments.Modern tailings impoundments are engineered structures for permanently disposing of the fine-grained waste from mining and milling operations.
May 22, 2018· the mining reclamation rates for the tailings ore will be at a rate of 190tph using remote controlled water cannons, an efficient and cost effective mining method.
Reprocessed pond tailings and ore tailings.19 3-3 acid base accounting procedure results.3-7 filtered tailings disposal site reclamation plan.32 3-8 proposed dam upgrade with 1008 ft crest elevation.34 3-9 water balance: mined ore with filtered tailings disposal.
Mining mineral gold beneficiation production line.2019815in the mining industry ore beneficiation is that process which extracts valuable substances from oreseneficiation methods include gravity separation flotation chemical separation magnetic separation and so onhe use of some specific beneficiation method depends on which kind of the ore is.
In addition to the risks that tailings can pose, a number of other factors such as easily accessible material, reduced risk, and more, are pushing the demand for improved management and reuse/reclamation of tailings.Tailings retreatment.Tailings have long been considered a waste, but they still contain a small amount of the targeted materials.
According to the company, thanks to advances in separating, sorting, and crushing equipment, very small diamonds can be recovered from the residue of the original diamond-bearing ore.De beers recovered 815,036 carats of diamonds from 6,133,799 tons of tailings in .
Jan 01, 1997· a rapid and precise method was used for the determination of tin in cassiterite ore and tailings from the tin province of jos plateau, nigeria using 241 am isotopic x-ray source.The application of the method is very attractive when compared to solution methods of analysis.Concentration of the ore samples vary from 60 to 78% while the tailings.
The machines will have a capacity of 20,000 t/h, making them the largest rail-mounted stackers and reclaimer in the world, according to the company.Torsten gerlach, ceo mining technologies at thyssenkrupp industrial solutions, said: south flank will be one of the largest iron-ore .
Tailings are the waste materials left over after separating the valuable metals or minerals from an ore.Types of mine tailings gravity process tailings flotation process tailings leach process tailings includes but not limited to tailings from copper, gold,.
Tailings from oil sands can have about 9% and from coal as much as 26% of clay (gorakhki and bareither, 2017).Tailings from leadzinc ores can contain dispersed clay minerals up to 10% (pierwoa, 2015) or a wide range between 3 and 12% (acosta et al.There are two basic differences between natural sediments and mining waste.
Nov 23, 2012· official police figures show that mining accidents such as suge's have quadrupled in the past two years, with the number of deaths increasing from 21 in 2010 to 44 in 2011.
Dec 29, 2019· tailings last updated december 29, 2019 a panorama of broken hill, new south wales, backed by the man-made tailings from the line of lode mine.The tailings heaps stretch across this image.Tailings are the materials left over after the process of separating the valuable fraction from the uneconomic fraction of an ore.Tailings are distinct from overburden, which is the waste rock or other.
The permanent magnetic tailings reclaimer device is the newest mechanical device used in the production and recycling of the tailings in the ore beneficiation in china.The tailing recycling machine adopts magnetic induction for unloading the minerals, which greatly saves the water consumption.
Application of tailings reclaimer: tailings reclaimer of permanent magnetism is a kind of mechanical equipment in wet separation of the materials of strong magnetism in the granular of powder situation.This machine is used for recovering tailings in iron ore process.It does not run off mineral powder to make full use of effective resources.
Apache mill tailings usa, inc.Is a precious metals mining company specializing in gold, silver, copper and high value, rare earth minerals reclamation recovery.To maximize profits, accelerate project success and reduce risk, we work with above ground mine and ore mill tailings deposits.Reclaiming rare earth riches.
The company projects that they will be able to recover around 5,400 tonnes of tin and 2,200 tonnes of copper annually.This project is located in australia.This project is located in australia.In conclusion, it is clear that it is possible to recover minerals from the tailings thanks to the new technological inventions.
Tin ore tailings are waste products left over from the treatment of mineral deposits.For the reasonable accumulation of tailings waste, tailings dams or tailings ponds are generally required.However, tin ore tailings generally contain a lot of sulfides.
The company portfolio consists of projects at every stage of development, including khinganolovo tailings reclamation project which was successfully launched in 2018 and produces 1600 tonnes of 60% tin concentrate per year, high grade berezovskoye and centralnoye hard-rock deposits and prospective exploration properties.
The various reject streams are sent to a tailings thickener.In this unit the solids are allowed to settle and are then pumped to a tailings pond for further settling and water reclamation.The overflow from the tailings thickener is sent to the water reclaim pond and then recycled back into the process.
The reclamation project was preceded by 80 years of environmental impacts from the milling operation and discharges from the tailings impoundment (fig.In 2015, nps and montana deq scientists initiated longitudinal studies of water quality in soda butte creek to document water quality downstream of the reclaimed tailings site and during the. | https://www.archem-wnetrza.pl/2019-jan-06/tin-ore-tailings-reclaimer.html |
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