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I Welcome Your Comments
Is driving over 80 MPH still considered Reckless Driving by Speed in Virginia?
Driving Over 80 MPH
Posted by Mark Matney of Matney Law PLLC Newport News, VA
www.matneylawpllc.com
__________________________________
Yes and No. On July 1, 2020, Virginia changed the Reckless Driving statute to raise the presumptive speed for reckless driving from 80 mph to 85 mph regardless of the speed limit. However, the legislature kept the language that speeding 20 mph over the limit is considered Reckless Driving (e.g., driving 55 mph or more in a 35 mph zone). The result is that if you are driving at 85 mph or more, you can be charged with reckless driving even in a 70 mph zone. However, you can also be charged with reckless driving if your speed is more than 20 mph over the limit no matter what the speed limit is.
Reckless Driving is a serious criminal charge. It is a class 1 misdemeanor which means that there is the possibility of a jail sentence, a significant fine and even a license suspension. We would gladly help you achieve the best possible result for your situation.
The Code section for Reckless Driving by Speed is: § 46.2-862. Exceeding speed limit.
A person is guilty of reckless driving who drives a motor vehicle on the highways in the Commonwealth (i) at a speed of 20 miles per hour or more in excess of the applicable maximum speed limit or (ii) in excess of 85 miles per hour regardless of the applicable maximum speed limit.
Submitted by attorney Abigail Hockett. | https://www.matneylawpllc.com/is-driving-over-80-mph-still-considered-reckless-driving-by-speed-in-virginia/ |
100%74°60°Night - Partly cloudy with a 80% chance of precipitation. Winds variable at 4 to 14 mph (6.4 to 22.5 kph). The overnight low will be 53 °F (11.7 °C).Showers with a high of 57 °F (13.9 °C) and a 50% chance of precipitation. Winds variable at 10 to 12 mph (16.1 to 19.3 kph).
20%78°56°Partly cloudy today with a high of 78 °F (25.6 °C) and a low of 56 °F (13.3 °C).
Tonight - Partly cloudy with a 80% chance of precipitation. Winds variable at 4 to 14 mph (6.4 to 22.5 kph). The overnight low will be 53 °F (11.7 °C).
Today - Showers with a high of 57 °F (13.9 °C) and a 50% chance of precipitation. Winds variable at 10 to 12 mph (16.1 to 19.3 kph). | https://www.yahoo.com/news/weather/united-states/west-virginia/yawkey-2524627 |
When one wants to use citizen input to inform policy, what should the standards of informedness on the part of the citizens be? While there are moral reasons to allow every citizen to participate and have a voice on every issue, regardless of education and involvement, designers of participatory assessments have to make decisions about how to structure deliberations as well as how much background information and deliberation time to provide to participants. After assessing different frameworks for the relationship between science and society, we use Philip Kitcher's framework of Well-Ordered Science to propose an epistemic standard on how citizen deliberations should be structured. We explore what potential standards follow from this epistemic framework focusing on significance versus scientific and engineering expertise. We argue that citizens should be tutored on the historical context of why scientific questions became significant and deemed scientifically and socially valuable, and if citizens report that they are capable of weighing in on an issue then they should be able to do so. We explore what this standard can mean by looking at actual citizen deliberations tied to the 2014 NASA ECAST Asteroid Initiative Citizen forums. We code different vignettes of citizens debating alternative approaches for Mars exploration based upon what level of information seemed to be sufficient for them to feel comfortable in making a policy position. The analysis provides recommendations on how to design and assess future citizen assessments grounded in properly conveying the historical value context surrounding a scientific issue and trusting citizens to seek out sufficient information to deliberate. | https://research.tudelft.nl/en/publications/epistemic-standards-for-participatory-technology-assessment-sugge |
The utility model relates to a shearing machine, in particular to an electricity-storage shearing machine which can make use of direct current, generate electricity and store electric energy. The shearing machine is a solar shearing machine, and the solar shearing machine consists of a shearing machine, a switch, a solar panel and a storage battery, wherein the solar panel is connected with the storage battery; the storage battery is connected with the switch; and the switch is connected with the shearing machine. The solar shearing machine can convert solar energy into electric energy, and store the electric energy by using the storage battery, and when the switch is turned on by a user, a circuit of the shearing machine is electrified. When the solar shearing machine is used, reproducible solar energy is fully used, and the aim of low-carbon energy saving is achieved, so that the solar shearing machine facilitates outdoor operation. | |
With a rising population around the world leading to increasing energy demands, experts gave an outlook of energy and its transformation in the near future.
Speaking at the first day of EmTech MENA in Dubai on Sunday, they discussed innovative and creative ways to generate, store and use energy to help solve the critical challenge facing future societies.
“Technology is predicated on the availability of electricity,” said Donald Sadoway, John F. Elliott Professor of Materials Chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States. “Where you see light, you see the modern world. Ideally, it should be sustainable electricity for sustainable modernity.”
The United Nations focuses on 17 Sustainable Development Goals, of which one tackles affordable and clean energy. A sub-group includes access to electricity for all on the planet. Prof. Sadoway believes storage is the key enabler. “It will allow us to address the intermittency of renewables, such as wind and solar,” he said. “With storage, we could draw electricity from the sun even when it doesn’t shine, which will allow us to integrate fully into the base load. Supply must be in perfect balance with demand at all times – if we have free electricity from the sun in excess of demand, it does us no good, | https://emtechmena.com/technological-innovation-needed-for-the-future-of-energy/ |
Energy performance for windows and doors (U-values and Energy Ratings)
What are U-values and energy ratings for windows and doors?
A U-value (thermal transmittance) is a measure of how well an element of a building, such as a window or door, will transfer heat. The lower the U value the better the thermal performance of the product. Many such external elements will have to comply with thermal standards that are expressed as a maximum U value (W/m²K).
A Window Energy Rating is a method of assessing the total energy performance of a window. A window energy rating will not only measure the total energy loss, as a U-value does, but also the energy gain and the air leakage through the window.
Why do I need to give a U-value?
From 1 October 2010, window manufacturers in England and Wales have been obliged to demonstrate that their windows comply with the energy efficiency requirements in the 2010 revision of Part L of the Building Regulations and the Approved Documents L1A (new dwellings) and L1B (existing dwellings). This is usually done by declaring the windows’ U-value.
The current requirements are:
– Window, roof window of roof-lights are required to meet Window Energy Rating (WER) Band C or better, or U-value 1.6W/m2K
– Doors with greater than 60% of internal face glazed are required to meet Door Set Energy Rating (DSER) Band E or better, or U-value 1.8W/m2K
– Other doors are required to meet DSER Band E or better, or U-value 1.8W/m2K
U-Values are considered ‘essential characteristics’ for the sake of CE Marking, and will need to be included as part of your Declaration of Performance (DoP).
If you are a micro-enterprise (fewer than 10 employees) this can be calculated using any available calculation tool that follows ISO 10077-1 or -2. In the case of all other windows and doors manufacturers a certificate will need to be accredited via a notified body.
Architects and specifiers need the thermal transmittance values of windows, in order to calculate the SAP or SBEM ratings of the buildings into which the windows are to be fitted, and in order to establish thermal efficiency through BIM. If you cannot provide U-values, then they may opt to use the windows of a competitor who does have the information to hand. SAP ratings are also an important part of Green Deal requirements, so if companies wish to use their windows and doors as Green Deal products, then they will need to provide U-values to satisfy this aspect of the initiative.
Understanding the U-values of your windows is important to you, and your customer knowing how energy efficient your windows are. With the high cost of gas and electricity, consumers are demanding more energy efficient products.
As a Window Energy Rating takes into account solar gain, thermal transmittance values and air leakage, it can be a good marketing tool, bringing in energy conscious homeowners, contractors and local authorities that may have gone to your competitors in the past.
Is a Centre Pane U-value enough to comply?
It is only possible to comply with the Regulations by declaring the centre pane U-value in very limited circumstances. In the case of a window or a door, a centre pane U-value of 1.2 W/m2K can be only used when the window can’t meet the required u-value due to a requirement to maintain the external appearance or character of the building. For the most part, the U-value must relate to the whole window of doorset as manufactured.
How can BWF help me get U-values or Energy Ratings?
We offer 3 different services to help joinery manufacturers obtain their U-values and energy ratings for their windows and doors. Through our experience within the window industry, and in carrying out thermal simulations, the BWF, and its service providers, have built up an understanding of the combination of glass and framing configurations that are likely to give the most favourable U-values.
If you require, the simulator can then go on to calculate the U-values over a range of sizes for the agreed configurations, following which a matrix can be issued reflecting the results for each size. | https://www.bwf.org.uk/toolkit/product-energy-performance/ |
Understanding Food Systems: Agriculture, Food Science, and Nutrition in the United States explores the complex and evolving system from which the United States gets its food. From farm, to home, and everything in-between, the authors use a scientific perspective that explains the fundamentals of agricultural production, food science, and human nutrition that will guide readers through the issues that shape our food system, including political, societal, environmental, economic, and ethical concerns. Presenting the role and impact of technology, from production to processing and safety, to cultural and consumer behavior perspectives, the book also explores the link between food systems and the history of nutrients and diet patterns, and how these influence disease occurrence. Current topics of concern and debate, including the correlations between food systems and diet-related diseases, such as obesity and diabetes are explored, as are the history and current status of food insecurity and accessibility. Throughout the text, readers are exposed to current topics that play important roles in personal food choices and how they influence components of the food system. | https://www.waterstones.com/book/understanding-food-systems/ruth-macdonald/cheryll-reitmeier/9780128044452 |
To create a center of excellence, one must understand the unique challenges of each domain. With a wide range of medical specialties, the challenges in each can be different. But one commonality is that they all require their practitioners to be able to quickly absorb large amounts of information and make clinical decisions based on it.
What is the Centre of Clinical Excellence?
The Centre of Clinical Excellence (CCE) is a new approach to online clinical education that was created by the National Health Service (NHS) in England. The CCE is a centralized clearinghouse for all quality improvement initiatives within the NHS and offers an online platform for physicians to access quality patient data from across the country, as well as learn from experts in various disciplines.
The Centre of Clinical Excellence was designed to improve patient care by providing physicians with up-to-date information about the quality of patient care delivered in their area. The CCE also allows clinicians to collaborate and share best practices, which can lead to improved patient outcomes.
The CCE has been successful in improving the quality of patient care across the country and has revolutionized how physicians learn about best practices. By using the CCE, clinicians are able to access quality patient data from across the country, while also learning from experts in various disciplines.
How did the center start its online clinical education?
The Centre of Clinical Excellence (CCE) was created in 2006 as a joint initiative between the University of Nottingham and the Nottingham Health NHS Foundation Trust. The CCE offers online clinical education to healthcare professionals from throughout the UK and overseas.
The CCE’s vision is to be the leading provider of online clinical education, providing high-quality, standards-based learning for healthcare professionals. The CCE’s unique approach combines open learning with expert faculty, creating an environment that encourages students to learn from their mistakes.
The CCE has a range of courses available, including modules on primary care, mental health, surgical procedures and paediatrics. Each course is designed to provide healthcare professionals with the knowledge and skills they need to practise safely and effectively in their field.
The CCE is committed to quality assurance and ensures that all its courses are rigorously evaluated before they are made available online. This ensures that students can be confident that the content is up-to-date and relevant.
The CCE has been widely praised for its innovative approach to online clinical education. It has won numerous awards, including the Queen Elizabeth II Award for Innovation in Teaching in 2006, the Royal College of Physicians’ Teaching Award in 2007 and the Academy of Medical Education’s Learning Award in 2008.
Why online clinical education?
There are plenty of benefits to taking your clinical education online, not the least of which is convenience. Whether you’re a student looking for an affordable way to gain the necessary skills or a clinician seeking more flexibility in your training schedule, online courses offer a variety of options that can fit any need.
But online clinical education isn’t just about saving time. Many clinicians feel like they benefit from online courses in ways that traditional classroom settings don’t. For example, many students find that they retain information better when it’s delivered in an interactive format. Additionally, online courses often allow professors to respond quickly to questions and offer corrections and feedback as needed – something that can be difficult if the course material is being covered in a live setting.
When you choose an online clinical education program, there are a few things you should keep in mind. First, make sure the program offers high-quality content. Second, ensure that the program provides enough support so that you don’t feel overwhelmed or lost. And finally, be sure to research different programs carefully before making a decision – there are many excellent options out there!
The benefits of online clinical education
Online clinical education (OCE) has become an increasingly popular way to provide health care professionals with the necessary training to competently provide patient care. OCE can be delivered through a variety of platforms, including self-paced learning modules, face-to-face seminars, and interactive software.
There are many benefits to online OCE, including:
1. Increased Efficiency and Productivity: OCE can be completed in a shorter time frame than traditional classroom courses. This can lead to increased efficiency in the learning process and improved patient care as professionals are able to more quickly adapt their skills to current trends and practices.
2. Greater Flexibility: OCE can be accessed anytime, anywhere, which allows professionals to take the course when they have the time and flexibility in their schedule. This is beneficial for those who may not have access to traditional classroom settings or those who would like to complete the course at their own pace.
3. Cost Savings: OCE can be more affordable than traditional classroom courses due to the absence of costs associated with travel and accommodation. Additionally, some OCE platforms offer discounts for bulk purchases or continuous enrollment. This can save money on individual courses as well as overall program costs.
Conclusion
As the world becomes more and more connected, it is important that we have access to quality medical education that can be delivered in a flexible, convenient way. The Centre of Clinical Excellence (CCE) was created with this goal in mind, and their innovative approach to on-line clinical education is changing how healthcare professionals learn. CCE provides an interactive learning environment where students can complete coursework at their own pace, and receive immediate feedback on their work. Whether you’re looking for an affordable way to increase your skillset or you want to expand your knowledge so that you can provide high-quality care to your patients, CCE’s online courses are worth considering. | https://styleoflady.com/centre-of-clinical-excellence/ |
The family is a social system with its own structure and communication patterns. Each family has a unique personality, which is a powerful influence on all of its members. As a result, all members are affected when one member has a problem. We work to help families support individuals within the unit, as well as the family as a whole.
Family therapists can also act as a marriage and couples counselor. Finding the right licensed family counselor can help a family to identify emotional triggers and sources of conflict, while teaching effective approaches to finding resolutions. In turn, families learn how to better communicate, support one another, and work through some difficult situations together and come out stronger than ever.
Positive Directions' Approach to Families:
Our approach in working with families is collaborative and client-driven, and we work to meet the family where they are at by tailoring treatment to their individual circumstances. When a family first calls our offices, we gather some initial information to gain a preliminary idea of the challenges faced by the family and their needs for treatment. We may recommend a combination of individual and family therapy in order to best suit the needs of the family and its members.
Upon admission, a comprehensive intake evaluation is completed to gather a family history and learn more about the challenges they have been experiencing. This helps us to gather a comprehensive picture of the impact these challenges have had on the family and allows us to tailor our approach to the family’s needs.
Starting with this information, we then develop an individualized treatment plan that is tailored to their needs and goals. The treatment plan is the guide-post for the work we do in session, and progress toward treatment goals is evaluated and measured during each counseling session. Additionally, we periodically review this plan with the family to ensure that we are consistently working toward and updating goals and objectives as appropriate.
Based upon the treatment plan, services are provided to address individual needs and teach family the skills and tools necessary to gain insight and understanding, work to decrease negative or undesirable patterns of relating, and improve their communication and overall quality of life. When providing these services, a variety of clinical techniques are utilized such as family systems, narrative, cognitive behavioral, solution-focused and dialectical behavioral tools.
Additionally, we provide psychoeducation and work on communication skills to facilitate healthy communication between family members. Our clinicians are trained in a variety of effective treatment modalities, and treatment is tailored to specific individual and family needs. Furthermore, our clinicians connect with outside providers as necessary, and are able to make appropriate referrals to additional providers should the need arise in order to collaborate and provide comprehensive treatment. Our approach is designed to assist families in improving the quality of their lives. | https://www.positivedirections.org/families |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the art of automatic control systems. It finds particular application in conjunction with the control of building maintenance functions, particularly coordinated and combined control of water treatment and energy usage facilities and will be described with reference thereto. It is to be appreciated, however, that the invention also finds other applications including automatic maintenance of boiler, cooling tower water chemistry, control of water treatment chemistry, control of chemical processing chemistry, control of chemical manufacturing, and the like.
Heretofore, various computer based controllers have been developed for monitoring and managing the electrical energy usage of office buildings and the like. However, the treatment of water in the cooling tower was left substantially to human control. Inept and unskilled human management of the cooling tower or boiler water has frequently resulted in unnecessary expense and a loss of efficiency.
Cooling tower water and boiler water need periodic chemical adjustment to provide efficient cooling and heat transfer. For example, biocides are added to kill algae and other organisms that breed in the warm water. As the warm water evaporates, the concentration of calcium, magnesium, and other water dissolved chemicals which tend to coat and insulate heat transfer apparatus increases reducing heat transfer efficiency. The deposition of calcium and magnesium is fought by the periodic bleeding and replacement of the high dissolved chemical concentration water and by the addition of deposition inhibiting chemicals. Other chemicals are commonly added to inhibit corrosion, adjust pH, complex suspended particulates, and the like.
Equipment has been developed for monitoring these and other chemical properties. However, the addition of appropriate amounts of chemicals is commonly left to human operators and human error. In many instances, the human operators are general building maintenance personnel that are untrained in water treatment chemistry and procedures. Money was wasted by adding too much of some water treatment chemicals, while cooling or heating efficiency were cut by adding too little of others.
To reduce the required human maintenance and accompanying human error, others have suggested apparatus for the automatic addition of chemicals and the automatic bleeding of a percentage of the cooling water. However, this equipment too was subject to failure. When chemical additive pumps or valves stuck in a feed state, large amounts of treatment chemicals were wastefully added until the supply drum went dry. Thereafter, the treatment chemical was unavailable for addition until the next scheduled supply drum replacement. The addition of unnecessary chemicals is financially wasteful, not only in the cost of excess chemicals but also in the loss of heat transfer efficiency. When the treatment chemical addition pumps or valves failed in a flow blocking state, the supply drums ran dry, or bleed valves stuck closed, heat transfer efficiency was reduced. When bleed valves are stuck open, excessive water removal could irrepairably damage the entire system.
The present invention contemplates a new and improved control system which automatically monitors water quality, such as conductivity, pH, temperature, chemical quantity on hand, impurities, and the like. Appropriate provision is made for adjusting the chemical composition of the water to maintain the water quality within selected ranges and to guard against system malfunction.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, water treatment and energy usage are telemetrically monitored. At each of a plurality of remote locations, a physical property indicative of water quality is monitored. Concurrently, energy usage at the remote location is monitored. Periodically, e.g. once an hour the monitored physical property level and the amount of used energy are stored. The physical property levels and energy usage stored at the remote locations are polled periodically, e.g. once a day, from a polling location.
In accordance with a more specific application of the present invention, the monitored physical property is compared with a preselected physical property range or set points to determine whether an adjustment to the water is indicated. Adjustments to the chemical properties of the water are automatically made in response to the monitored physical property level being outside the preselected physical property range. The chemical property adjustment may include bleeding water from the system and replacing it with fresh water, adding treatment chemicals, and the like.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method of maintaining water treatment quality is provided. At each of a plurality of remote locations, at least one physical property indicative of water quality is monitored. Each monitored physical property is compared with a corresponding physical property set point range. In response to one of the monitored physical properties falling outside the corresponding range, a corresponding chemical is added to adjust the water quality. The amount of each chemical on hand at the remote location is monitored and stored. From a polling location, the quantity of each stored chemical in each of the plurality of remote locations is periodically polled and compared with corresponding chemical quantity specifications. In response to the polled chemical quantity being outside the chemical quantity specification, shipment of additional chemical to the appropriate remote location is automatically invoiced.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, a telemetry system is provided for monitoring water treatment chemical energy usage. The system includes a plurality of remote monitoring stations and at least one polling station. Each remote monitoring station includes a water monitor for monitoring a physical property indicative of water quality and means for comparing the monitored physical property level with a preselected range or set point to determine whether or not an adjustment to the water is indicated. Each remote station also includes an energy monitoring means for monitoring energy usage and a storage means for storing the monitoring physical property level and the monitored energy usage. At the polling station, a computer periodically polls and stores the physical property levels and the energy usage stored at each of the plurality of remote locations. Optionally, the polling computer may generate various reports of chemical and energy usage, excessive or insufficient chemical usage, other malfunctions and emergencies, invoices for shipping additional treatment chemicals, and the like.
One advantage of the present invention is that it reduces cost and improves efficiency.
Another advantage of the present invention is that it optimizes water treatment chemical usage and reduces the discharge of cooling tower water into public water disposal systems.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is that it monitors for system malfunctions, enables skilled water treatment engineers to maintain a plurality of remote treatment systems from a common location, and maintains a history of chemical usage while reducing man power requirements.
Still further advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention may take form in various steps and arrangements of steps or in various parts and arrangements of parts. The drawings are only for purposes of illustrating a preferred method and apparatus for carrying out the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the invention.
FIGS. 1A and 1B taken together constitute a block diagram of a telemetry system in accordance with the present invention;
FIGS. 2A and 2B are a two-part programming flow chart for the microcomputer control of the water quality monitor of FIGS. 1A and 1B;
FIGS. 3A and 3B together form a programming flow chart of the energy and water management processor of FIGS. 1A and 1B; and,
FIG. 4 is an operating flow chart for the polling computer of FIGS. 1A and 1B.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
With reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B, a plurality of remote stations A are interconnected by telephone lines with one or more central polling stations B. Each remote station monitors a cooling tower, boiler, scrubber, dust collector, or other water system for physical properties which are indicative of water quality. These physical properties include conductivity, pH, temperature, levels of various chemicals within the water, impurities, and the like. In response to the monitored physical property levels, water is bled off or chemicals are added, as may be appropriate. Further, each remote station monitors and manages electrical and other energy usage. The monitored physical property levels of the water, bleed times, amounts and periodicity of the addition of chemicals, the amount of chemicals on hand, energy usage, and the like are monitored and stored at each remote station.
The stored water treatment, chemical, and energy data are periodically polled, e. g. every 24 hours, by the central polling station B. The polling station generates various reports including periodic reports of chemical and energy usage, emergency reports indicating system malfunctions, and the like. The central polling computer further generates invoices to ship replacement chemicals as a supply at each remote station becomes low. In this manner, each remote station is remotely checked for proper operation and for proper inventories of chemical supplies.
Moreover, each remote station A can be selectively accessed from any telephone and selected portions of the stored data retrieved. This enables salesmen, engineers or other personnel to monitor chemical inventories, to monitor system malfunctions, reprogram a remote station with appropriate corrections, and the like.
With continuing reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B, each of the remote stations is of similar construction. Accordingly, an exemplary remote station is illustrated in detail and it is to be understood that the description applies by analogy to the other remote stations. Each remote station includes a water quality monitor computer 10 which monitors one or more physical properties of water in a cooling tower or other water system. A plurality of physical property sensors 12 sense the levels of the selected physical properties of the water to provide an input for the water quality monitor computer 10. A conductivity sensor 12a measures for total dissolved solids, a pH sensor 12b measures pH, and a water meter 12c measures the receipt of fresh water. The physical properties are indicative of water quality and may include conductivity, pH, temperature, chemical concentration, the level of impurities, and the like. A plurality of recorders 14 record the monitored physical properties to provide a record and display thereof. An alarm 16, such as a horn, provides an audio or visual warning of a detected malfunction, such as an inability of the system to hold a monitored physical property in the preselected range.
The water quality monitor computer 10 compares each monitored physical property level with a corresponding preselected range to determine whether an adjustment to the monitored water is called for. If an adjustment is indicated, the water quality monitor computer provides the appropriate output signals to cause appropriate amounts of appropriate chemicals to be added. The monitored physical properties and the water management control signals for bleeding water or adding selected chemicals are conveyed by a computer interface 18 to an energy and water management computer 20. Optionally, the water quality monitor computer and the management computer may be combined in a common computer and the interface eliminated.
The management computer 20 is interconnected with a plurality of water quality control valves, pumps, or other means 22. The water quality is controlled by a bleed valve 22a for bleeding water from the system, an acid pump 22b and a caustic pump 22c for adjusting the pH, water treatment chemical pumps 22d, biocide pumps 22e for adding chemicals to kill organisms in the water, and the like. A flow switch 22f monitors whether fresh water is being added.
An electrical energy control system 26 selectively actuates and de- actuates various electrical switches to control the use of electrical energy. An electrical energy usage monitor, such as a kilowatt sensor 28, monitors the amount of electrical energy consumed and environmental condition monitors 30 monitors temperature, pressure, and other environmental conditions. The energy and water management computer implements a preselected energy management program to select among various electrical usage demands in accordance with electrical energy drawn, the time of day, the day of the week, and the sensed outside temperature, inside temperature gradients, and other environmental conditions.
More specifically, the energy and water management controller 20 includes a water quality subsystem 34 for monitoring the water quality computer 10 and controlling the water quality control pumps and valves 22. A chemical inventory subsystem 36 tracks the inventory of additives on hand at each remote station in conjunction with the inventory switches 24. An energy usage manager 38 implements an appropriate energy management program to operate electrical equipment and other energy usage in accordance with a preprogrammed power usage routine and environmental conditions. A pollable memory 40 stores monitored physical property levels, energy usage amounts, chemical addition and water bleed data, chemical inventories, system parameters, and the like.
A modem 42 selectively receives data from the pollable memory 40 for conveyance over communication lines, such as telephone lines, direct or dedicated lines or other data transmission lines, to the polling station B. The modem 42 further receives updated system parameters, manual override commands, control signals, program revisions, and the like from the polling station.
With reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B, the water quality monitor computer 10 includes a start means or step 50 for initializing the computer. A read step or means 52 reads preselected ranges or set points from memory for each monitored physical property. The set points are entered by an operator on keyboard 54 or entered remotely from one of the polling stations B. A display step or means 56 causes the selected physical property ranges or set points to be displayed on a video monitor 58.
A first physical property monitoring step or means 60 monitors a first physical property of the water, e.g. the electrical conductivity which varies as a function of the total dissolved solids. In particular, the computer program monitors the conductivity sensed by the conductivity or total dissolved solids sensor 12a. A first physical property level comparing means or step 62 compares the monitored first physical property level with a selected high set point as read at the set point read means or step 52. If the monitored conductivity shows a level of conductivity which exceeds the preselected high set point, a bleed routine 64 is initiated. The bleed routine signals the management computer 20 to open the bleed valve 22a and bleed a preselected volume of water from the water system. Thereafter, fresh water is added to replace the bled water. An alarm level comparing means or step 66 compares the monitored level of dissolved solids indicated by the monitored conductivity with a total dissolved solids alarm set point. If the total dissolved solids are higher, not only than the high set point but also higher than the high alarm set point, a high dissolved solids alarm subroutine 68 causes the alarm 16 to be activated.
A low total dissolved solids comparing means or step 70 compares the monitored total dissolved solids level with a low total dissolved solids set point. If the monitored conductivity shows that the level of total dissolved solids is below the low alarm set point, a low total dissolved solids alarm routine 72 is initiated to warn of the low total dissolved solids level.
A second physical property monitoring means or step 80 monitors the pH level as sensed by the pH sensor 12b. A second physical property or pH comparing means or step 82 compares the monitored pH level with a high pH set point as read by the set point read means or step 52. If the monitored pH level exceeds the high pH set point, an acid feed routine 84 causes the maintenance computer 20 to activate acid pump 22b to adjust the pH of the water. A high pH alarm comparing means or step 86 compares the pH with a high alarm set point which is greater than the high set point. If the pH exceeds the high alarm set point, a high pH alarm routine 88 is initiated to provide a warning of the unusually high pH level.
A low pH comparing means or step 90 compares the monitored pH level with a low pH set point. If the pH is below the low pH set point, a caustic feed means or step 92 causes a strong base, caustic or other alkalinity additive to be added to the water system. A low pH alarm comparing means or step 94 compares the monitored pH with a low alarm set point. If the pH is below the low alarm set point, a low pH alarm means or step 96 alerts the operator of the abnormally low pH condition. Further, a bleed means or step 98 calls upon the maintenance computer 20 to open bleed valve 22a and drain a preselected volume of water from the water system. In this manner, the high pH set point comparing means or step 82 and the low pH set point comparing means or step 90 function as a means for comparing the monitored pH or other physical property level with a preselected physical property range to determine whether an adjustment to the water is called for. Similarly, the acid feed means or step 84 and the caustic feed means or step 92 together function as a means or step for adjusting a chemical property of the water in response to the monitored physical property or pH level being outside of the preselected pH range. Optionally, a feed timer may limit the duration of the alkalinity additive or acid feed to preselected maximum duration.
A new water meter monitoring step or means 100 monitors the water meter 12c to see whether additional or replacement water is being added to the water system to replace the water drained during the bleed step. A new water comparing means or step 102 determines whether new water is being received. If new water is being received, a decrement means or step 104 decrements a water meter counter. A water meter decrement monitoring step or means 106 monitors whether the water meter has been decremented to zero. If the water meter has not been decremented to zero, the program returns to the new water comparing means or step 102. If the water meter has been decremented to zero, a reset means or step 108 resets the water meter. In this manner, the water meter monitoring system determines whether or not a preselected amount of replacement water has been added. A first chemical feed means or step 110 causes a preselected amount of a first water treatment chemical to be added to the water system. The amount of first chemical is selected in coordination with the preselected volume of received water. A second water treatment chemical feed means or step 112 feeds a preselected volume of a second water treatment chemical to the water feed system. Analogously, additional chemical and biocide feed means or steps may be provided.
A time and date update means or step 120 updates a time and date counter. A third or biocide comparing means or step 122 compares the data and time from the time and date means or step 120 with preselected times at which biocide chemicals are to be added. If biocide is called for, a bleed lock-out checking means or step 124 blocks the bleed valve 22a against draining fluid and checks that the bleed valve is so locked. If the bleed valves fail to lock, a bleed checking means or step 126 determines whether the bleed valve is currently open. When the bleed valve is locked out and closed, a biocide feed means or step 128 feeds a preselected dose of biocide into the feed system. Optionally, a variety of biocides may be individually fed at the same or different times. Thereafter, the program returns to the start step or means 50 and repeatedly cycles therethrough. In this manner, various physical properties of water in the water system are repeatedly monitored and appropriate corrections to the water quality are made.
With particular reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B, the energy and water management computer 20 runs through a continuous loop. At a read step or means 150, the management computer reads the current date and time. At a bleed valve status step or means 152, the status of the bleed valve is determined. If the bleed valve is closed, i.e. the system is not bleeding, a chemical quantity on hand monitoring step or means 154 reads the chemical quantity level switches 24 to determine the quantity of each treatment chemical on hand. A memory control means or step 156 causes the pollable memory 40 to store the current quality of the water treatment chemicals.
At a read step or means 158, the management computer 20 polls the water quality monitor computer 10. A feed determined step or means 160 determines whether the feed of water treatment chemicals has been called for. If the feed of water treatment chemicals is called for, a pump control step or means 162 causes the appropriate chemical pump 22 to add a preselected volume of water treatment chemical. The volume of chemical actually pumped into the treatment water is monitored by a means or step 164 and stored in the pollable memory 40.
In the preferred embodiment, each of the available water treatment chemicals is monitored and fed individually. To this end, a comparing means or step 166 determines whether the program has cycled through all of the available water treatment chemicals. If not, a water treatment chemical index means or step 168 indexes the routine to the next chemical and repeats the monitoring and feeding operations for each chemical individually.
A bleed means or step 170 determines whether a bleed signal has been polled from the water quality computer 10. If a bleed signal is read, a bleed valve operating means or step 172 opens the bleed valve for the preselected duration. A bleed volume monitor means or step 174 determines the actual volume of water bled and causes the pollable memory 40 to store the determined volume.
An energy read step or means 180 reads the kilowatt transducer 28 or other energy usage sensors to determine energy usage. A kilowatt memory incrementing means or step 182 indexes the kilowatt memory to update the total energy consumption, which energy consumption is stored in the pollable memory 40. A physical property read step or means 184 polls the water quality computer 10 to retrieve the total dissolved solids and pH levels read thereby. A temperature and pressure read means or step 186 reads the temperature and pressure read by the environmental condition transducers 30. A memory update means or step 188 updates the pollable memory 40 with the current total dissolved solids, pH, temperature and pressure readings.
A time determining means or step 190 determines whether a first recording interval, in the preferred embodiment an hour, has passed. At the end of an hour, a memory control means or step 192 causes only the peak total dissolved solids, pH, temperature, and pressure recorded in the preceeding hour to be retained by the pollable memory 40 along with an indication of the corresponding hour. A second recording interval determining means or step 194 determines whether a longer recording interval, in the preferred embodiment a 24 hour day, has elapsed. If the longer recording interval has elapsed, a memory control means or step 196 determines the peak value read during the preceeding 24 hours and causes each peak to be stored in conjunction with an indication of the 24 hour recording period.
An energy management step or means 200 implements a conventional energy management program. The conventional energy management program turns preselected loads on and off at selected times during the day. Moreover, the timing at which the loads are turned on and off is adjusted in accordance with the monitored outside temperature and pressure. For example, the energy management means or step 200 may operate hot water heaters starting at 6:00 a.m. to bring the building's hot water supply up to temperature. Only after the hot water supply is up to temperature are the room air circulating fans actuated. Depending on the monitored outside temperature, outside air may be drawn into the building or an air conditioning or heating units may be operated. At various times during the day, air conditioning compressors may be stopped and the hot water heaters actuated to bring the hot water supply back up to temperature. Moreover, the duty cycle of various air conditioning compressors is varied to maintain the greatest cooling on the sunny side of the building with lesser or no cooling on the shady side. Near the end of the normal working day, power to the hot water heaters is terminated. Closer to the end of the working day, at a time determined from the outside temperature, the air conditioner compressors are de-activated. At a selected time, the air circulating fans are also de-activated. Optionally, other electrical and energy loads may be controlled and managed as may be appropriate.
A means or step 210 determines whether or not the information in the pollable memory 40 is being polled by one of the polling stations B. If a polling station is requesting information, a memory control means or step 212 retrieves the polled information from the pollable memory 40 and supplies it to the modem 42 to be conveyed to the polling station. A program modification means or step 214 determines whether the energy management program, the water quality program, other programs or parameters therefor are to be adjusted from the polling station. If so, a program and parameter updating means 216 implements the called for program and parameter changes.
In this manner, the management computer continuously cycles through various read and update routines. Specifically, it cyclically reads the water quality physical properties monitored by the water quality computer and monitors the water quality computer to determine when the addition of water treatment chemicals or the bleeding of water from the water system are required. The management computer causes the appropriate chemical addition or bleeding to be undertaken and records the exact amounts of chemicals actually added or water actually bled. Moreover, the management computer 20 maintains a cyclically updated indication of the quantity of each treatment chemical remaining in storage for later addition to the water treatment system. The management computer further controls electrical and other energy usage and maintains an hourly record of such controlled energy usage.
With reference again to FIGS. 1A and 1B, the central polling station B includes a computer means 250 which retrieves information through a modem 252 from each of the remote stations and prepars appropriate reports and shipping requests. In the preferred embodiment, the computer generates daily reports of abnormal conditions and monthly summary reports. A printer 254 generates man-readable reports and invoices.
With reference to FIG. 4, the central polling computer 250 includes a read means or step 300 for reading the current date and time. An end of the month determining means or step 302 determines whether or not an end- of-the-month report is due. If an end-of-the-month report is due, a memory access means 304 accesses a main computer memory 306 to withdraw the daily and monthly data for each remote station. An energy saving means or step 308 calculates the energy savings using the present invention relative to historical data of energy consumption before the present invention was installed. A report generator 310 generates an appropriate report of energy saving and water treatment chemical consumption for the preceeding month. A bill generator 312 generates a monthly bill. In the preferred embodiment, the monthly bill includes equipment lease charges which are calculated as a percentage of energy savings. An index means or step 314 indexes the memory access means or step 304 until monthly reports and bills have been generated for each remote station.
A daily timer means or step 320 determines the end of the day or other recording period. At the end of the recording period, each of the remote stations is serially addressed by a remote station addressing means or step 322. A data retrieval means or step 324 retrieves the daily data from the pollable memory 40 of the addressed remote station. A memory control means or step 326 files the daily data from each remote station in the central polling station memory 306. This provides an ongoing record of the energy and water treatment chemical consumption.
A computing means or step 330 accesses the polling station memory 306 to retrieve prior consumption data and recomputes a normal consumption range for each monitored physical property, energy usage, or consumed chemical based on historic data. If a comparing means or step 332 determines that the received data is not within the computed normal ranges, a report generating means or step 334 generates an abnormal condition or system failure report.
An alarm polling means or step 340 polls the remote station pollable memory 40 to determine whether any alarm conditions occurred during the preceeding reporting period. If a comparing means or step 342 determines that alarms have been triggered, a report generator 344 generates an appropriate report of the alarm conditions. In this manner, reports are automatically generated reporting any abnormal conditions at each remote station. In the preferred embodiment, the daily reports are forwarded automatically to both the remote station and a centrally located engineer responsible for the remote station.
An inventory polling means or step 350 polls the remote station for low chemical inventory data. A comparing means or step 352 determines whether any chemical drums are low or have changed in volume from nearly empty to nearly full indicating that the drum has been replaced since the last polling. If a drum has been replaced, a report generator means or step 354 generates a drum replacement report. A memory control means or step 356 causes the polling computer memory 306 to record the chemical consumption. An inventory control means or step 358 decrements the number of drums in inventory at the polled station. If a drum inventory comparing means or step 360 determines that the number of drums of the chemical in inventory are below a preselected low leve, a shipping order generator 362 generates a shipping order to ship additional drums of the chemical to the polled station. An invoice step or means 364 causes an invoice for the shipped chemicals to be generated.
A remote station indexing means 370 causes the next remote station to be addressed and the data retrieval and report generation process to be repeated until each of the remote stations has been accessed. In this manner, each of the remote stations is accessed daily to determine water quality data, water treatment chemical consumption, energy consumption, and the like. Responsive to the daily information, daily reports of abnormal conditions and shipping orders for replacement chemicals are generated. Each month a summary report is generated.
Referring again to FIGS. 1A and 1B, the remote stations may be polled from most any telephone. With a portable modem 400 and an acoustic coupler 402, minicomputer terminal, or other portable access device, an engineer can selectively address a selected remote station to monitor its operation or correct a malfunction.
The invention has been described with referenced to the preferred embodiment. Obviously, modifications and alterations will occur to others upon reading and understanding the preceeding detailed description of the preferred embodiment. It is intended that the invention be construed as including all such modifications and alterations in so far as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof. | |
Westside Children’s Therapy is expanding and we are growing our diagnostic’s team to meet the needs of our clients and the communities we serve. As a Licensed Clinical Psychologist you will transform client lives through the assessment, diagnosis, and referrals for treatment of pediatric mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders.
Who You Are:
- Compassionate and motivated to help clients and their families gain insight, define goals, and create a plan of action to achieve effective personal, social, and educational growth
- Energetic and silly, with ability to connect with children
- Accountable and attentive to the needs of clients and their families
- Patient with a kind and nurturing spirit
- Collaborative spirit and willingness to work as a team
What You’ll Do:
- Identify psychological, emotional, or behavioral issues and diagnose disorders, using information obtained from interviews, tests, and records
- Conduct thorough intake and feedback sessions with clients and their families
- Assess for a range of referral concerns, including autism, ADHD, developmental disorders, mood disorders, anxiety, trauma, and conduct-related conditions
- Oversee testing cases and consult with psychometrist regarding battery changes
- Write comprehensive reports based on test data and observations
- Collaborate with other psychologists and providers regarding case conceptualization and resources for parents
- Case management, when appropriate, including communication with schools and medical professionals
- If interested, opportunities to provide psychotherapy to children and adolescents can be discussed.
What You’ll Bring:
- Doctoral degree (Ph.D or Psy.D) in in Clinical or School Psychology (Ph.D or Psy.D) from an APA accredited program
- Internship training and post-doctoral training in psychological assessment and psychotherapeutic treatment with children
- Current Illinois Registration/licensure in Clinical Psychology or license-eligible
- Experience conducting pediatric psychological/neuropsychological evaluations
- Formal training and proficiency administering the ADOS-2 is strongly preferred
- Preference working with young children (ages 2+)
- Passion for working with children with developmental delays
- Excellent oral, listening, communication and self-awareness skills
- Comfortable persona to better develop relationships with children and their families
- Training in clinical supervision
- Competence with a variety of computer applications
What You’ll Get: | https://westsidechildrenstherapy.com/job/licensed-clinical-psychologist/ |
Economic Studies at Brookings yesterday dropped a call for better regulation of the cryptocurrency and digital assets industries by none other than Tim Massad, the former chairman of the CFTC. As befits the former head of an agency that embraced principles-based regulation, Massad’s paper is long on analysis of the industries and the regulatory issues that seem to afflict business conditions.
Massad’s most provocative recommendation is that Congress should give the SEC regulatory authority over the cash markets for non-security crypto-assets, as well as the associated trading platforms, wallets and advisors. Although he acknowledges that the CFTC would be competent to regulate crypto assets, Massad nods to the SEC mostly because of its experience with retail investors but also because it already has jurisdiction over tokens and crypto-assets that are securities. The expansion of the work load could be funded by industry levies as is done for the securities industry today.
Massad also calls on the crypto-asset industry to take an active role in designing the legislation and regulation.
The following are all of Massad’s recommendations:
- Congress should pass legislation providing the SEC (or alternatively the CFTC) with the authority to regulate the offering, distribution and trading of cryptoassets, including regulation of trading platforms, custodians (or wallets), brokers and advisors.
- Congress should increase the resources of both the SEC and the CFTC to implement new as well as existing authorities pertaining to regulation of cryptoassets.
- The legislation should set forth core principles, rather than specifics for regulations, as Congress has done for the futures industry and crowdfunding. [named core principles deleted] Congress should direct the agency to issue regulations to implement the core principles and on such other matters as the agency believes are necessary to promote transparency, integrity, customer protection and financial stability.
- With respect to offshore platforms that solicit or provide access to U.S. investors, Congress should give the relevant agencies the authority to determine whether such platforms should be required to comply with U.S. standards, or demonstrate compliance with comparable standards, or disclose prominently that they do not meet such standards.
- Congress should direct the relevant agencies to consider whether there may be different ways of meeting core principles for centralized versus decentralized platforms and systems and, where practicable, have regulations that do not favor one approach over another.
- As a first step toward the development of legislation, the Financial Stability Oversight Council or the Treasury Department should issue a report recommending Congressional action to strengthen and clarify regulation of the sector.
- The industry should continue to develop its own self-regulatory standards. The legislation should give the lead agency the authority to allocate responsibility for certain enforcement or compliance matters to a self-regulatory entity.
John Lothian Newsletter
Today's Newsletter
Morgan Stanley Fined $22 Million for Rigging Bond Markets; Crypto Exchange LedgerX Places Twitter-Raging CEO Chou on Leave
First Read Turbulence at the #1 Bitcoin SEF in the World Thom Thompson - Editor, John Lothian News In the middle of Monday afternoon, the board of directors of LedgerX Holdings announced with a press release that each in the husband and wife...
We visit more than 100 websites daily for financial news (Would YOU do that?)
Now Read This
Turbulence at the #1 Bitcoin SEF in the World
In the middle of Monday afternoon, the board of directors of LedgerX Holdings announced with a press release that each in the husband and wife team of Paul and Juthica Chou had been put on administrative leave from their roles as CEO and president, respectively.
Grayscale wants digital asset regulators and investors to get along
When you lose your digital assets, there isn’t exactly a 1-800 number you can call to seek legal recompense. It’s still the Wild West in a lot of ways...investors still get scammed, the heads of new platforms are still getting pinched for running unregistered...
Building New Markets: Matt Trudeau of ErisX
What does it take to build a new market? Matt Trudeau’s a good person to ask – he’s done it 12 times now, and he shared his experience with JLN during FIA Expo 2019.
Back in Court with Bcause – Year End Report
Wednesday was the last hearing scheduled for this year for the Bcause bankruptcy. The next court date is January 7 when the bankruptcy trustee’s disposition of Bcause’s remaining “asset,” the spot market, will be presented to the court. | https://johnlothiannews.com/ex-cftc-chairman-calls-for-sec-to-regulate-cryptocurrencies/ |
Recently developed high-throughput analytical techniques (e.g., protein mass spectrometry and nucleic acid sequencing) allow unprecedentedly sensitive, in-depth studies in molecular biology of cell proliferation, differentiation, aging, and death. However, the initial population of asynchronous cultured cells is highly heterogeneous by cell cycle stage, which complicates immediate analysis of some biological processes. Widely used cell synchronization protocols are time-consuming and can affect the finely tuned biochemical pathways leading to biased results. Besides, certain cell lines cannot be effectively synchronized. The current methodological challenge is thus to provide an effective tool for cell cycle phase-based population enrichment compatible with other required experimental procedures. Here, we describe an optimized approach to live cell FACS based on Hoechst 33342 cell-permeable DNA-binding fluorochrome staining. The proposed protocol is fast compared to traditional synchronization methods and yields reasonably pure fractions of viable cells for further experimental studies including high-throughput RNA-seq analysis. | https://research.nu.edu.kz/en/publications/facs-isolation-of-viable-cells-in-different-cell-cycle-stages-fro |
Our client , a global organization providing smart engineering solutions, offers a complete suite of IT security solutions to strengthen the cyber resilience of public and private enterpises.
Seeking a Forensics Analyst to play a crucial role in the threat detection and incident response processes of the Security Operations Center (SOC).
Mandatory Skill(s)
- Degree or Diploma in Computer Science, Information Systems or Information Security;
- At least 2 years experience in Security Incident Event Management (SIEM) ;
- Knowledgeable in Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS/IPS), Security Incident Event Management systems (SIEM), anti-virus log collection systems and and data loss prevention systems;
- Experienced in analyzing security logs to detect and resolve security issues;
- Familiarity with regulatory standards such as ISO , ITIL, PCI, SOX, HIPAA;
- Exposure to large-scale breaches and the ability to identify themes and trends out of large datasets;
- Problem Solver with key attention to detail and strong analytical skills;
- Team player with good communication and time management skills.
- Able to work in a shift based environment;
Desirable Skill(s)
- Relevant certifications like GCFE, GCFA, GNFA, GCTI,CHFI;
- Exposure to multiple programming languages and reverse engineering of software.
Responsibilities
- Act as a key contributor to threat detection and incident response;
- Contribute to the proactive monitoring, detection and response to known or emerging threats;
- Conduct detailed and comprehensive investigation on security incidents and breaches;
- Acquire evidence using cyber forensic related technologies and determine the root cause of an incident;
- Perform complex data analysis on suspicious files and event logs;
- Recommend and implement remediation processes and preventive measures to avoid recurrence;
- Keep abreast of the latest additions to the security threat landscape and participate in the development of new SIEM rules;
- Prepare root cause analysis and other security incident related reports and documentation in accordance with organizational and industry standards. | https://www.scienteinternational.com/candidates/it-technology-jobs-singapore/11013/security-forensics-analyst-soc/ |
"Log" means the common logarithm of a number in base 10 arithmetic. Ask yourself a question: what number do I have to raise 10 to, to get the number in question. You can look at Mike's table and spot the easy examples. For instance, what number do you have to raise 10 to, to get 1,000,000? The answer from the table is 6. In other words, 10 raised to the 6th power equals 1,000,000 so the log of 1,000,000 is 6. In base 10, you can count the number of zeros to get the log. For example, the log of 10,000 is 4.
So in your example, you raise 10 to the 1.301 power. My calculator says 20, same as Mike told you. So your VL is 20, which is a super good number. Congratulations!
It seems kind of silly for your lab to report the log of your VL. I think they do this because before successful treatments were available, it was easier for doctors to converse in terms of log of VL because the numbers were otherwise so impossibly high. People don't easily comprehend such big numbers. Your lab report is a kind of leftover from those days.
To answer your other question, you will never see zero expressed as a logarithm because it doesn't exist. Actually, the last few numbers in that table are wrong. The log of 1 is zero, not 0.1. ;)
Scientists and engineers use log transformations to make their data more managable and more easily understood. Lets say a hepatologist wanted to plot viral load of her patient versus number of orange pills taken. That would be easy, except as we all know, the VL drops pretty quickly so the scale on y-axis would have to be impossibly large to get numbers like 1 million and 100 and 10 all on the same scale. So to solve this problem, the hepatologist plots the log of these numbers, 6, 2, and 1, and the data all easily fits on the same scale.
When I started high school we used log charts from the Navy to do our homework. Then those of us who were especially nerdy started using slide rules to get logarithms. That lasted a year or two into college at which time we all started using electronic calculators. Now of course, spreadsheets like Excel do it for you.
This is probably more than anyone really cares to know. Obviously a slow night here in the desert. | https://forums.hepmag.com/index.php?action=printpage;topic=2547.0 |
It is common for a Pugpig App to contain a combination of editions on a storefront tab, and rolling content on other timelines. This document summarises our recommended way for you to structure your RSS feeds to power this. It is also relevant for apps without a storefront but an article can appear in multiple timelines.
The types of collections we generate are normally:
- A set a edition collections. These are normally ordered by page number or page rank, which should be supplied in the feed
- A set of curated article timelines (for example a Home Tab or Latest News) - these should each have their own RSS feed, and the timelines normally contain the exact set of articles in the feed, ordered by feed order
- A set of automatic article timelines - these normally show a fixed number of articles (ideally around 50) and ordered by recency. These do not need a dedicated set of feeds
- Timelines of unique content types - for example a Podcast Timeline or an Event Timeline. These should normally be provided as their own RSS feeds like the curated article timelines. They'll often have unique entries, e.g. a start time for an event or a duration for a podcast.
A typical entry for an article that can appear in editions and timelines should look something like this:
<item> <title>This is an article in editions and timelines</title> <link>https://www.amce.com/artlicle.html</link> <description><![CDATA[It's amazing how easily we can put an article in multiple places]]></description> <category><![CDATA[Cricket]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Rugby]]></category> <pubDate>Wed, 20 Oct 2021 17:00:00 +0000</pubDate> <updated>Wed, 20 Oct 2021 10:45:53 +0000</updated> <guid isPermaLink="false">1234567890</guid> <content:encoded><![CDATA[ Content in HTML with <b>tags</b> and inline images etc ]]></content:encoded>
Include this if it is in an edition:
<pugpig:edition>3357</pugpig:edition> <pugpig:page>55</pugpig:page>
Include this if it is on one or more timelines:
<timeline>Home</timeline> <timeline>News</timeline>
We can also support treating the editions and timelines as the same things, like in the example below:
<pugpig:page>55</pugpig:page> <collection>3357</collection>
Include this if it is on one or more timelines:
<collection>Home</collection> <collection>News</collection>
This example assumes that the "widget" display for the article will be the same on both the Home and News timeline is the same. If the article should be styled differently in different contexts, then more information is needed which should be discussed on a call.
Note: It is important that if an article appears in multiple RSS feeds, we expect the entry in each feed to be identical. This means that the order in which we process feeds doesn't matter, and updating one feed won't steal content from a different one
Edition Meta Data
In this model, you will still need to manually create your editions in the CMS, and upload covers and other meta data. If you want to power this from a separate RSS feed, see Pugpig RSS Edition & Timeline Feed Specification.
Polling frequency
You can control how often we hit your server by including the RSS Syndication Module tags:
https://web.resource.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/
For example, an edition feed could be checked every few hours, while Latest News maybe every 5 or 10 minutes. | https://support.pugpig.com/hc/en-us/articles/4413374289681-How-to-structure-your-RSS-feeds-from-timelines-and-a-storefront |
We are looking for a dynamic and resourceful candidate to join the Trade Marketing team of Group Marketing. You will be driving B2B events and engagements to promote SPH media brands and solutions to our trade clients.
The role
Plan the trade roadmap and responsible for conceptualising and executing events and engagements according to plan.
Develop concept proposals detailing framework, programme, budget forecast and timeline for management to review
Work with internal stakeholders (Editorial, Product, Sales, Creatives, etc) to align objectives and deliverables, and external vendors to ensure project success.
Identify opportunities on partnerships and collaborations for Trade Marketing as well as Group Marketing division
Able to recommend event spaces, F&B, vendors, suppliers, etc for different types and scale of engagements and events
A self-starter, a team player as well as an independent worker
Outstanding communication, negotiation and organisational skills
Skilled in project management, with critical thinking and problem solving abilities
Able to multitask and excel in a fast paced environment
A good degree in Business, Marketing, Advertising, Communications or other related studies
4 to 6 years of relevant working experience
Good to have: | https://www.stjobs.sg/jobs/assistant-manager-manager-trade-marketing |
After performing poorly in recent crash tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Toyota’s 2013 Camry and Prius V models both received the lowest safety ratings handed out by the organization. IIHS simulated severe front-end collisions, where a vehicle would crash into another car, tree, or pole. The two Toyota models were the only cars to be given a ‘poor’ rating in the IIHS’s mid-size family cars crash test.
The crash test results are seemingly the latest round of bad PR for Toyota. On Tuesday, Toyota was ordered to pay more than $17 million in fines for delaying a recall related to acceleration problems in their Lexus RX model. Toyota’s reputation as a reliable car at an affordable price could soon come into doubt after their recent quality issues.
Do you take safety tests into account when purchasing a car? How do you balance safety and affordability?
Guest: | http://www.scpr.org/programs/airtalk/2012/12/20/29774/new-toyotas-tank-in-crash-tests/ |
Microbial Biotechnology (2020) 13(5), 1311--1313
**Funding Information**
No funding information provided.
An increasing world population and climate change are global challenges that, amongst others, burden the sustainability of agricultural production. In fact, in order to feed the growing world population, current estimates indicate that our global agricultural output will need to be increased by at least 50% by 2050 (Muller *et al.*, [2017](#mbt213515-bib-0010){ref-type="ref"}). However, the urgent demand to intensify agricultural production is challenged by diseases caused by plant pathogens along with soil erosion and land degradation. Factors affecting soil structure and degradation are multiple and include water and wind erosion, but also those derived from various human activities such as pollution or an excessive application of fertilizers. In this sense, although nutrients in soils are key for an optimal plant growth and yield, the excessive and continued application of chemical fertilizers has been shown to affect soil health by altering, for example, its microbial diversity, organic matter content and other physico‐chemical properties (Singh, [2018](#mbt213515-bib-0014){ref-type="ref"}; Shah and Wu, [2019](#mbt213515-bib-0013){ref-type="ref"}). For this reason, one of the main global challenges at present is to develop efficient agro‐biosystems that permit an adequate agricultural productivity with a minimal impact on the environment as well as on public health.
The interactions between plants and non‐pathogenic bacteria have been largely studied, and the advantages that both partners obtain from such association have been explored in different model systems (Berg and Koskella, [2018](#mbt213515-bib-0001){ref-type="ref"}; Matilla and Krell, [2018](#mbt213515-bib-0009){ref-type="ref"}; Thomashow *et al.*, [2019](#mbt213515-bib-0016){ref-type="ref"}). In order to efficiently colonize plant roots, bacteria have developed multiple strategies. Among them, chemotaxis to plant root exudates has been shown to be important for efficient root colonization in multiple beneficial plant‐associated bacteria (Feng *et al.*, [2019](#mbt213515-bib-0004){ref-type="ref"}; Lopez‐Farfan *et al.*, [2019](#mbt213515-bib-0008){ref-type="ref"}). Following plant colonization, plant‐associated bacterial communities can promote plant growth and health by enhancing the uptake and availability of nutrients, synthesizing phytohormones and providing resistance against pathogens (Matilla and Krell, [2018](#mbt213515-bib-0009){ref-type="ref"}; Biessy *et al.*, [2019](#mbt213515-bib-0002){ref-type="ref"}; Su *et al.*, [2019](#mbt213515-bib-0015){ref-type="ref"}). Consequently, beneficial plant‐associated bacteria are of increasing agricultural interest due to their potential as efficient alternatives to chemical products in modern agricultural practices (Matilla and Krell, [2018](#mbt213515-bib-0009){ref-type="ref"}; Sessitsch *et al.*, [2018](#mbt213515-bib-0012){ref-type="ref"}; Wu *et al.*, [2019](#mbt213515-bib-0018){ref-type="ref"}). As a result, and as emphasized in a recent report published in Microbial Biotechnology, current estimates indicate that the global microbial biopesticides and biostimulants market will reach around 11 billion dollars by 2025 (Sessitsch *et al.*, [2018](#mbt213515-bib-0012){ref-type="ref"}).
The emergence of the above‐mentioned next‐generation green revolution aimed at developing sustainable alternatives to improve crop production is also reflected in the increasing number of articles that are focused on investigating the composition of soil microbiota and how soil treatments alter bacterial soil communities. Among them, there is a remarkable number of studies that investigate the impact of long‐term fertilization, chemical or organic, on the diversity of plants and microorganisms. In general, these studies reveal that chemical fertilization reduces the diversity of plants and microorganisms as well as negatively impacts plant--microbe interactions and the soil microbiome's capacity to contribute to soil nutrient cycling (Pierik *et al.*, [2011](#mbt213515-bib-0011){ref-type="ref"}; Cassman *et al.*, [2016](#mbt213515-bib-0003){ref-type="ref"}; Wang *et al.*, [2018](#mbt213515-bib-0017){ref-type="ref"}; Li *et al.*, [2019](#mbt213515-bib-0007){ref-type="ref"}). However, these alterations have been suggested to be also dependent on the length of the fertilization process (Pierik *et al.*, [2011](#mbt213515-bib-0011){ref-type="ref"}; Li *et al.*, [2019](#mbt213515-bib-0007){ref-type="ref"}), and there is a paucity of studies that investigate the effect of fertilizations lasting more than a century on the interaction between plants and microorganisms. To cast light into this aspect, an elegant multidisciplinary study by Huang *et al.*([2019](#mbt213515-bib-0006){ref-type="ref"}) recently published in Microbial Biotechnology investigated the effect of a fertilization process lasting more than 150 years on the networks between plants and their associated functional microbial communities. Given the length of this treatment, the effect of the chemical fertilization on the soil can be considered a stable change and, consequently, this experimental approach is an excellent model to determine the impact of long‐term human‐induced alterations on soil bacteria--plant interactions. In this study, Huang *et al.,*([2019](#mbt213515-bib-0006){ref-type="ref"}) found that all major physico‐chemical properties of the fertilized soil (e.g. pH, moisture, total carbon and nitrogen) were altered as compared to the non‐treated soil. Significantly, these changes were associated with an abrupt reduction in both diversity and composition of plant species as well as in the diversity of soil microorganisms. Importantly, the use of high‐throughput approaches for functional activity analysis of microbial communities allowed the authors to determine that the number of genes involved in the degradation of recalcitrant compounds, denitrification, nitrogen fixation and phosphate utilization was largely reduced. Further *in silico* analysis revealed that long‐term fertilization not only reduced the interactions between soil microbes but also the complexity of the networks between plants and functional microbial communities. Thus, while five plant species showed an association with microbial functional genes in unfertilized soils, only one plant species showed a connection with microbial functional groups in long‐term fertilized soils. Finally, the authors showed that carbon and nitrogen contents in soil were the main parameters that modulate plant and microbe networks. They further highlighted that functional microbial communities play an important role in plant diversity (Huang *et al.*, [2019](#mbt213515-bib-0006){ref-type="ref"}).
Anthropogenic changes in natural ecosystems are dramatically affecting global diversity. In particular, the soil microbiome plays a key role in modulating plant diversity as well as nutrient retention and recycling (Geisen *et al.*, [2019](#mbt213515-bib-0005){ref-type="ref"}). Therefore, a reduction in the microbial biodiversity of soils may have serious consequences on the normal functioning of natural ecosystems (Geisen *et al.*, [2019](#mbt213515-bib-0005){ref-type="ref"}). Nowadays, the intensification of agricultural production mainly depends on an increase in irrigation as well as on the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers (Sessitsch *et al.*, [2018](#mbt213515-bib-0012){ref-type="ref"}; Geisen *et al.*, [2019](#mbt213515-bib-0005){ref-type="ref"}). These practices not only result in an increased emission of greenhouse gases or in a decreased water availability, but also substantially affect the biodiversity of soil microorganisms and plants, as shown by Huang *et al.*([2019](#mbt213515-bib-0006){ref-type="ref"}). Consequently, future strategies should explore the sustainability of our agricultural systems. Among the options to be considered, soil microbiome management represents a promising approach to maintain the well‐balanced soil microbial diversity that is essential for plant health and crop productivity.
Conflict of interest {#mbt213515-sec-0002}
====================
None declared.
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Microbial processing of organic matter (OM) in the freshwater biosphere is a key component of global biogeochemical cycles. Freshwaters receive and process valuable amounts of leaf OM from their terrestrial landscape. These terrestrial subsidies provide an essential source of energy and nutrients to the aquatic environment as a function of heterotrophic processing by fungi and bacteria. Particularly in freshwaters with low in-situ primary production from algae (microalgae, cyanobacteria), microbial turnover of leaf OM significantly contributes to the productivity and functioning of freshwater ecosystems and not least their contribution to global carbon cycling. Based on differences in their chemical composition, it is believed that leaf OM is less bioavailable to microbial heterotrophs than OM photosynthetically produced by algae. Especially particulate leaf OM, consisting predominantly of structurally complex and aromatic polymers, is assumed highly resistant to enzymatic breakdown by microbial heterotrophs. However, recent research has demonstrated that OM produced by algae promotes the heterotrophic breakdown of leaf OM in aquatic ecosystems, with profound consequences for the metabolism of leaf carbon (C) within microbial food webs. In my thesis, I aimed at investigating the underlying mechanisms of this so called priming effect of algal OM on the use of leaf C in natural microbial communities, focusing on fungi and bacteria. The works of my thesis underline that algal OM provides highly bioavailable compounds to the microbial community that are quickly assimilated by bacteria (Paper II). The substrate composition of OM pools determines the proportion of fungi and bacteria within the microbial community (Paper I). Thereby, the fraction of algae OM in the aquatic OM pool stimulates the activity and hence contribution of bacterial communities to leaf C turnover by providing an essential energy and nutrient source for the assimilation of the structural complex leaf OM substrate. On the contrary, the assimilation of algal OM remains limited for fungal communities as a function of nutrient competition between fungi and bacteria (Paper I, II). In addition, results provide evidence that environmental conditions determine the strength of interactions between microalgae and heterotrophic bacteria during leaf OM decomposition (Paper I, III). However, the stimulatory effect of algal photoautotrophic activities on leaf C turnover remained significant even under highly dynamic environmental conditions, highlighting their functional role for ecosystem processes (Paper III). The results of my thesis provide insights into the mechanisms by which algae affect the microbial turnover of leaf C in freshwaters. This in turn contributes to a better understanding of the function of algae in freshwater biogeochemical cycles, especially with regard to their interaction with the heterotrophic community.
In aquatic ecosystems, light availability can significantly influence microbial turnover of terrestrial organic matter through associated metabolic interactions between phototrophic and heterotrophic communities. However, particularly in streams, microbial functions vary significantly with the structure of the streambed, that is the distribution and spatial arrangement of sediment grains in the streambed. It is therefore essential to elucidate how environmental factors synergistically define the microbial turnover of terrestrial organic matter in order to better understand the ecological role of photo-heterotrophic interactions in stream ecosystem processes. In outdoor experimental streams, we examined how the structure of streambeds modifies the influence of light availability on microbial turnover of leaf carbon (C). Furthermore, we investigated whether the studied relationships of microbial leaf C turnover to environmental conditions are affected by flow intermittency commonly occurring in streams. We applied leaves enriched with a 13C-stable isotope tracer and combined quantitative and isotope analyses. We thereby elucidated whether treatment induced changes in C turnover were associated with altered use of leaf C within the microbial food web. Moreover, isotope analyses were combined with measurements of microbial community composition to determine whether changes in community function were associated with a change in community composition. In this study, we present evidence, that environmental factors interactively determine how phototrophs and heterotrophs contribute to leaf C turnover. Light availability promoted the utilization of leaf C within the microbial food web, which was likely associated with a promoted availability of highly bioavailable metabolites of phototrophic origin. However, our results additionally confirm that the structure of the streambed modifies light-related changes in microbial C turnover. From our observations, we conclude that the streambed structure influences the strength of photo-heterotrophic interactions by defining the spatial availability of algal metabolites in the streambed and the composition of microbial communities. Collectively, our multifactorial approach provides valuable insights into environmental controls on the functioning of stream ecosystems. | https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/solrsearch/index/search/searchtype/authorsearch/author/%22Fabian%2C+Jenny%22 |
Our world is evolving more rapidly than the capacity of any existing education system. The challenge of learning is becoming progressively harder.
At GEMS (Singapore), we recognise that school is no longer just rows of students in desks with a teacher lecturing beside a chalkboard. The world our students are entering is a diverse, complex and exciting place to be. With the advent of the smartphone giving access to a constant stream of information and connectivity, young people need more than just content knowledge from the traditional disciplines. Our young learners need to acquire the skills and dispositions that will enable them to navigate and apply knowledge to the world around them.
GEMS (Singapore) provides students with the opportunity to develop and practice innovative thinking through collaborative projects in the areas of robotics, coding and entrepreneurship.
We understand that not every student will become an app designer, business owner or a robotics engineer. Still, all students will be provided with numerous opportunities to develop strong creative, collaborative dispositions, curiosity, agility, resilience, problem-solving and analytical skills. These opportunities are integrated into our daily curriculum through various school activities and multiple student-led school initiatives.
Our educational programme is always in a state of evolution, adapting to student needs and changes in a complex workforce, and ultimately providing the best opportunities for students to be prepared for success in school and beyond.
In the Primary Years, our STEM programme empowers our students through Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Students are given open-ended tasks that can be solved using cross-curricular skills that they have been learning in regular classes. Students make connections between subjects’ using this interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary learning approach, gaining a deeper, more complete understanding.
We believe that innovation and creativity are fundamental to all subjects and that design is the link between innovation and creativity. In the Secondary Years, we aim to develop creative thinking to enable students to apply their imagination while they enquire, generate ideas, explore, experiment and solve problems through a “design thinking” approach, which relies on the human ability to be intuitive, inventive, solve complex problems and find desirable solutions. This process involves observation, discovery, framing the opportunity and scope of innovation, generating creative ideas, testing and refining solutions.
We want your child to be able to solve real-world problems by applying a more comprehensive and creative way of thinking. To achieve this, our students learn to explore subjects in a more integrated fashion, developing a robust understanding of each subject and the relationship between each subject, and use design thinking methods to unleash creativity and explore innovative solutions.
This interdisciplinary approach to education allows GEMS students to hone their analytical thinking skills, while simultaneously providing them with the resources needed to develop creative reasoning. Not only will your child learn the “traditional” skills they need to thrive in their careers, but they will also enjoy learning and finding creative solutions for pressing real-world problems.
We offer leading-edge facilities with a wealth of design and technology resources to provide your child with the inventive flair needed to become tomorrow’s innovators and entrepreneurs.
Our Design Centre and Innovation Suite are fully equipped with the latest design technologies, flight simulators, VR, 3D printers, a laser cutter, Scatch and other programming language stations, electronics stations featuring Arduino and Rasberry Pi, hand and power tools and robotics. | https://www.gwa.edu.sg/what-sets-gems-apart/innovative-curriculum.html |
The European Space Agency’s 2019 Living Planet Symposium, an event which is held every three years, will take place on 13–17 May 2019 in Milan, Italy. The Symposium is organised with the support of the Italian Space Agency.
Scientific advances in Remote Sensing of the function and structure of terrestrial ecosystems and their components. Despite increasing awareness that sustainable development cannot be achieved without safeguarding the environment, the world is still undergoing a massive degradation of terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems and consequently some dramatic reduction of the services these ecosystems provide to society. Regular assessment of the status of and change to biodiversity at a global scale is urgently needed. In this context, the 2020 Aichi biodiversity targets of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) address the underlying causes of biodiversity loss, reduce direct pressure on biodiversity, safeguard ecosystems and their services, and enhance implementation of the Convention. This requires scientific cooperation for the collection, production, analysis and dissemination of biodiversity data.
A framework for such a global and integrated biodiversity monitoring system is currently being developed by the Group on Earth Observation Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON) under the general concept of Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs). The EBVs have been defined as the key variables needed, on a regular and global basis, to understand and monitor changes in the Earth’s biodiversity, and form the basis of biodiversity monitoring programs by countries. From their conceptual definition in 2013, the EBVs have been based on the integration of remotely sensed observations that can be measured systematically and globally by satellites, with field observations from local sampling schemes integrated into large-scale generalisations. Satellite remote sensing allows wide scale, repeatable, standardised and cost effective measurements, yet their application in global biodiversity monitoring is still insufficiently developed, and the derivation of high-level biodiversity indicators from remotely sensed data has proved challenging.
The emergence of government-funded satellite missions with open and free data policies, global coverage, and long term continuity of observations, such as the Sentinel missions of the European Copernicus Program or the US Landsat series, offer an unprecedented ensemble of satellite observations at high spatial and temporal scales, which together with very high resolutions sensors from commercial vendors (e.g. SPOT 6/7, Pleiades, WorldView, QuickBird), enable the development of satellite-based biodiversity monitoring systems. The combined use of different sensors opens new pathways for a more effective and comprehensive use of Earth Observations in the functional and structural characterisation of terrestrial ecosystems and their components. The importance of EO for terrestrial biodiversity monitoring is also articulated by ongoing activities within the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) and Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS), namely GEO BON and CEOS Biodiversity, as well as funded projects by ESA, NASA and the European Commission H2020 program.
In this series of biodiversity sessions, we will present the recent scientific advances in the development of EO applications for the monitoring of the status of and changes to terrestrial ecosystems, and their relevance for biodiversity and conservation studies such as ecological modelling or ecosystem integrity analyses. The session will also present examples of the EO contribution to policy activities such as monitoring progress towards the 2020 Aichi Biodiversity Targets of CBD and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. The development of RS-enabled EBVs for standardized global assessment will also be addressed, with the road ahead. | http://www.lifewatch.be/en/events/esas-living-planet-symposium-2019 |
Conclusions
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In Rwanda, communicable diseases represent about 90% of all reported medical consultations in health centers. The country has often faced epidemics including emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. To enhance its preparedness to identify and respond to outbreaks and prevent epidemics, the Government of Rwanda has developed and deployed a nationwide electronic Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response system (eIDSR) using mobile technology. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has funded Voxiva to build, operate and support this program.
The design of eIDSR system was completed in November 2011, and then 1524 end-users were progressively trained for the national roll out of the system until April 2013. All 521 health facilities in Rwanda have been trained and are currently using the electronic system (100% of national coverage since April 2013). There are important lessons learned from the successful implementation of this national electronic system:
Political commitment: Rwanda has committed to use ICT as a pivotal of development and social transformation. Then the Ministry of Health made the electronic disease surveillance a priority and established an Epidemics and Infectious Diseases (EID) division to follow up on disease surveillance activities implementation. The Ministry of Health also set up a district response team to conduct investigations into probable outbreaks that were reported. The appointment of a disease surveillance focal point at district level was a key point in the success of eIDSR implementation: The ministry of health sent a formal appointment letter to one of the supervisors at district level to include disease surveillance attributions into his scope of work. The eIDSR system provided a role and permissions of eIDSR supervisor to the newly appointed personnel so that they could view and review data from their districts. This made supervision and follow up of eIDSR activities at district level possible.
Securing a toll free number: the toll free number is used by eIDSR end users while reporting to eIDSR system using phone and this helps health personnel to report any disease or event of public health importance without paying. Pilot sites before the national roll out: This phase helped to adjust the system with the needs at field. Some rectifications were made on the system based on the observations and recommendations from this phase to enhance the system performance.
Data quality assessment field visits: Our team conducted site visits to compare the data reported to eIDSR system and the data in registers at site level. During the visits the team identified and addressed challenges (e.g. the proper completion of registers and data collection forms, the adequate usage of the standard case definitions) while using the opportunity for immediate training.
Appropriate training methodology: Through the combination of a real time electronic system and intensive training of end users, Rwanda has been able to achieve national coverage and high levels of timeliness and completeness. The trainings were not only aimed at providing knowledge on how to use the technology tool to report diseases but also to know the usage of standard case definition and case detection, how to conduct outbreak investigation, epidemiology of the most prevalent diseases in the area, the basics and importance of disease surveillance and Laboratory.
Regular feedback and sharing of information among all disease surveillance actors: Feedback on the probable outbreaks detected by the system and through the distribution of epidemiological bulletins was also very important. Staff enjoyed seeing their reporting efforts translated into useful information for decision making.
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“The emotions are sometimes so strong that I work without knowing it. The strokes come like speech.” —Vincent Van Gogh
Vincent Van Gogh was quite busy during his time in Arles’ it was perhaps his most busy time’ and many of his best works came out of his time here. It’s almost as if Van Gogh’s talents came to a head here’ and all of his previous works led to this intensely creative time. In Nuenen Vincent was definitely a painter with skill and he had a deep passion for painting outdoors whether it is people or landscapes.
Then’ when Vincent Van Gogh was in Paris he evolved into an even more skilled painter willing to take risks and be influenced by the Impressionists. It’s as if these two periods of artist time and talents came together in Arles and inspired Vincent to create some of his most well known pieces. If Vincent Van Gogh had only known how some of these paintings would be received in the years to come’ it might have changed the course of his life.
The time in Arles was a busy one’ in August 1888 alone Vincent Van Gogh painted more than twenty pieces’ and they were all beautiful in their own way. Van Gogh was very inspired by flowers and other still life at the time’ but sunflowers took on an especially beautiful role of inspiration for him.
Many people know Sunflowers as one of Vincent’s most beautiful and popular paintings’ though there was actually more than one Vincent Van Gogh painting with Sunflowers in it. Sunflowers were actually meant to be a lengthy series of paintings’ though he never completed as many as he had hoped. Sunflowers has inspired many artists’ new and old’ to attempt similar paintings’ although none have been able to achieve what Vincent Van Gogh did.
Vincent Van Gogh had actually used sunflowers as the subject of his works since early in 1886′ but when he began painting in Arles in 1888 his use of color got brighter and bolder’ so the sunflowers were more beautiful. Vincent Van Gogh loved the Sunflowers series and had painted the majority of them in hopes that it would make his beloved Yellow House more welcoming to Gaugin when he arrived in Arles to stay with Vincent. Yellow was one of Vincent’s favorite colors during this time’ so sunflowers were the perfect subjects of his painting.
Of the series’ Vase With Fifteen Sunflowers is probably a favorite among a lot of people’ as well as the most well known. The Sunflowers is beautiful because the colors are so bold’ and there is a feeling of hope and optimism that emits from these pieces. Perhaps it was Vincent’s love of the flowers’ or his excitement that Gaugin was coming to stay with him that helps to evoke these feelings from the observer’ but the Vase With Fifteen Sunflowers is able to evoke these things’ as are all the other pieces of the series.
Vincent worked with other flowers during this time as well’ with wonderful results. Vase with Oleanders is another beautiful piece’ though not as well known as the Sunflowers series. This piece was done around the same time as the others’ and perhaps that is why it is just as moving and as beautiful as the others. The great thing about Vincent Van Gogh was that he could use a variety of flowers’ or different types of flowers for many paintings’ yet they are all very different and evoke different feelings in the observer. Vincent was great at capturing the beauty of still life such as flowers’ yet he captured something different in each’ possibly because of what he was thinking or feeling at the time.
A painting known simply as The Chair was also painted during Vincent’s time in Arles and it has gotten much attention. The Chair is often known as Vincent’s Chair with His Pipe and this is one of his most well-known and scrutini2ed works. Many people wondered exactly what the underlying interpretation of the painting is’ as it’s so simple’ others simply remark at it’s simply beauty.
Many believe as though this simple chair on plain red tiles simply is a portrait of the man Vincent believed himself to be: simple. Of course’ looking back over his life it’s plain to see that he felt as though he didn’t measure up to expectation’ though he is anything but a simple man. Whatever it’s meaning The Chair has gotten a good deal of attention’ and so it should’ as one of Vincent’s most beautifully simple pieces.
The Chair has also gotten quite a bit of attention because there is a piece that seems to go well with it. Paul Gaugin’s Armchair is said to sort of be another piece of the story to the previous painting.
As was established in the first section of this book’ Gaugin was a friend of Vincent’s that came to live with him during his time in Arles. Unfortunately’ the two men were both passionate men who had a friendship end tragically. If The Chair was a portrait of Vincent’ than it’s thought that Paul Gaugin’s Armchair is a representation of Gaugin. The two paintings really are like night and day’ as Vincent’s chair is painted with light colors and the chair is quite simple. The painting of Gaugin’s chair is actually quite dark in color’ and the chair is far more ornate than Vincent’s. Was Vincent making the statement that he was more like the men and women he had painted in the early years and Gaugin was worldlier than he? Or’ was this a depiction of what had gone wrong between the two’ that they were two totally different people? When the two paintings are placed beside one another it’s hard not to speculate that there is some symbolic meaning here. While the chairs may simply be paintings of the chairs they used’ there has been much
interpretation of them because they are so opposite. Whatever their meaning or symbolic reasoning’ it’s safe to say that these are two of Van Gogh’s most wonderfully executed works.
Though Vincent tended to be more creative and bold during this time’ he didn’t lose sight of his passion for people who worked hard for a living. In works such as The Sower it’s easy to see that Vincent still had a love for this type of painting’ though his style had changed substantially. His technique had changed to short brushing strokes to give the painting depth and he was even more practiced at using colors to produce the effect of light. The Sower is a great example of how his interests stayed the same’ but Vincent’s techniques and use of color really were refined by this time.
The Sower Also painted during this time was the first in what would become a famous trilogy of paintings by Vincent Van Gogh’ Café en la Place du Forum. This painting really captures Van Gogh’s talent for taking an every day scene and making it look magical. His use of color to depict light coming from the café despite it being dark is remarkable’ and so uniquely Van Gogh. The use of color is outstanding because Van Gogh achieves a very dark look’ without using black’ and though the painting is dark’ it gives off a very tranquil feeling. Though this painting was done in 1888′ the café depicted in Café en la Place du Forum is still there today’ though it’s been remodeled a bit. The café has also been renamed’ Café Van Gogh’ which seems appropriate enough.
Café in el Place du Forum was inspired not only by the café’ but also by the works of another artists. Van Gogh was famous for using other artist’s work for inspiration’ and this painting is along the same vein as Avenue de Clichy in the Evening by Anquetin. In a letter to his sister Van Gogh conveyed his pleasure and satisfaction in completing this painting.
On September ninth and sixteenth Van Gogh wrote the following to his sister about his piece entitled Café in el Place du Forum also known as The Terrace:
“In point of fact I was interrupted these days by my toiling on a new picture representing the outside of a night cafe. On the terrace there are tiny figures of people drinking. An enormous yellow lantern sheds its light on the terrace, the house, and the sidewalk, and even causes a certain brightness on the pavement of the street, which takes a pinkish violet tone. The gable-topped fronts of the houses in a street stretching away under a blue sky spangled with stars are dark blue or violet and there is a green tree. Here you have a night picture without any black in it, done with nothing but beautiful blue and violet and green, and in these surroundings the lighted square acquires a pale sulphur and greenish citron-yellow colour. It amuses me enormously to paint the night right on the spot. They used to draw and paint the picture in the daytime after the rough sketch. But I find satisfaction in painting things immediately”.
Letters such as these really give insight to the way Vincent was feeling about his painting. When you are able to read these portions of his letters’ it really allows the observer to connect with the painting in a new way.
Starry Night Over Rhone is the second in the twilight trilogy. While the three paintings are often referred to as a trilogy’ it’s important to point out that Vincent Van Gogh himself never intended for the three pieces to be considered a trilogy. Instead’ the trilogy was something that was done later when looking at the three pieces that fit beautifully together and sort of encapsulate some of his best work.
Starry Night Over Rhone is nothing like Café in el Place du Forum though the basic style and use of color is the same. Starry Night Over Rhone once again shows Van Gogh’s ability to work with colors to achieve something not done by many during that time. Van Gogh is able to achieve a peaceful night scene with bursts of light in the sky’ though it’s simple’ it’s also quite deep when you stand to observe it. The reflections on the water are also quite breathtaking as this whole painting comes together with a very tranquil feel. Are these peaceful paintings due to a content time in Vincent’s life? It’s possible’ as it seems more of his work was influenced by his emotional state than not.
In October of 1888 Vincent Van Gogh painted another of his most well known paintings’ Bedroom In Arles’ which is another great example of taking something so ordinary and making it quite extraordinary. The striking colors really draw you into the painting’ as well as the unusual perspective of the room. Bedroom in Arles is well known among art fanatics’ and was a favorite of Vincent’s as well. Vincent was quite proud of this painting and many believe it may be his favorite piece. In going over the hundreds of letters’ Vincent mentions it no less than 13 times in different letters’ so this had quite an impact on him. There are actually three different versions of this painting’ and each of them is as beautiful as the last.
Another piece that is well known and was also painted while in Arles is The Night Café or Night Cafe in the Place Lamartine. This is another of Vincent’s paintings that really captures the ambiance of an obscure place. Vincent used the rich reds and yellows that he had been using since his time in Paris. It’s almost as if Vincent was once again watching the common person’ and finding inspiration by it. Vincent employed a style in The Night Café not unlike Bedroom in Arles where the furniture and landscape almost slopes toward the observer. This perspective shows that Vincent truly broke free of any teachings’ and was painting from his heart and soul’ not to be held back by standards. This piece stands out’ even among the best Van Gogh pieces.
Many of the portraits painted during this time were of the Roulin family’ most notably Joseph Roulin’ known as Postman Roulin. Roulin and Vincent struck up a friendship almost immediately upon his Vincent’s arrival in Arles. How the two actually met is unknown’ although they lived on the same street. It’s likely that they met at a nearby café or just passing on the street’ and Van Gogh was always drawn to people who seemed so ordinary and really worked for a living. Perhaps his postal uniform drew Vincent to Roulin’ and they struck up a friendship as a result. Whatever their meeting’ Roulin and Vincent Van Gogh celebrated an enduring and heartwarming friendship’ something Van Gogh didn’t get from many of his relationships throughout life. It seems his friendship with Roulin made him the perfect model’ as well as Roulin’s family as Vincent did numerous portraits’ some of which he gave to the family’ and many of which became quite well known’ though these were ordinary folk. Each painting entitled Postman Roulin is different from the last’ but each shows a man who worked hard’ and at times’ a tense man. The history of the Roulin family shows that Joseph Roulin was a hard workingman’ so the stress and tension in his face and eyes was a great depiction of the man he was.
The Roulin family as a whole inspired Vincent completing six portraits of Postman Roulin’ one portrait of his mother’ one of Joseph Roulin’s wife and baby’ two portraits of Joseph’s son Camille Roulin’ and three portraits of the baby of the postman. While Vincent appreciated his friendship with the postman’ he also loved the fact that they all made great models. Modeling for Vincent didn’t go unpaid’ as the Roulin house held many of Vincent’s works’ so many in fact that the Roulin children grew up not reali2ing the significance of these pieces’ even after Van Gogh’s death.
Late into the Arles period’ in January 1889 Vincent Van Gogh painted Self Portrait With Ear Bandage and Pipe’ which was a depiction of himself after his stay with Gaugin came to a tragic end with the mutilation of his right ear. Vincent painted himself in this piece with the ear bandage and a hat on’ with quite vivid colors. The pipe is hanging from his mouth and puffs of smoke are depicted with wisps of white paint coming from it.
There is an almost weary look in his eyes in the portrait’ and the puffs of smoke are almost like parts of his self’ possibly a depiction of his loss of friendship with Gaugin. Many of Vincent’s paintings offer hope’ even the pieces that depict hard lives’ but this one feels sad and you can almost feel his desperation when you look at his face. The difference between this piece and the pieces before are striking’ through paintings like this can see the decline of Van Gogh’s mental health through his paintings’ as the pain is quite palpable.
A painting done around the same time entitled Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear is a bit different’ the use of color isn’t quite so vivid’ and it’s not such a stark piece. There is a wall hanging in the background’ though the observer seems to be drawn to Van Gogh’s eyes’ which seem vacant and quite sad in this painting as well. It’s evident through both Self Portrait With Ear Bandage and Pipe and Self Portrait with Ear Bandage that this was truly a deep’ dark time in Vincent’s life. Though these paintings could be interpreted a million different ways by a million different people’ there is no doubt this was a time of profound pain and disappointment for Van Gogh.
The time that Vincent Van Gogh spent it Arles was definitely one of his most active’ so many of his successful pieces came from this time. The variation in his work during this time is obvious’ and because he made each brush stroke to express himself’ it’s obvious that he had some of his best times’ perhaps when Gaugin first came to the Yellow House’ and then some of his worst’ and the end of his time with Gaugin and when he mangled his right ear. Despite the true highs and lows in his life during this period’ Vincent Van Gogh executed many pieces that will forever be known as some of the most outstanding pieces of art in the world. | https://lifeofvangogh.com/art-history/the-arles-period/ |
Adaptation in Form and Functions of Living Organisms Due to Environmental Conditions
Subject :
Biology
Topic :
Adaptation in Form and Functions of Living Organisms Due to Environmental Conditions
Term :
Second Term
Week:
Week 10
Class :
SSS 2
Previous lesson :
The pupils have the previous knowledge of
ECOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT TOLERANCE
that was taught in the last lesson
Behavioural objectives :
At the end of the lesson, the pupils should be able to
- explain adaptation
- say the variation in plant and animals due to changes in environment
- State three structural adaptations of tadpole to aquatic life.
- State three structural adaptations of birds to their feeding habits.
Instructional Materials :
- Poster
- Wall Chart
- News paper
- Online Video
- Pictures
Methods of Teaching :
- Class Discussion
- Group Dialogue
- Asking Questions
- Explanation
- Role Modelling
- Role Delegation
Reference Materials :
- Scheme of Work
- Online Information
- Textbooks
- Workbooks
- 9 Year Basic Education Curriculum
- Workbooks
Adaptation in Form and Functions of Living Organisms Due to Environmental Conditions
Adaptation refers to any feature or characteristics possessed by an organism that contributes to its fitness and survival in its environment. In order to survive and fit into their environment, living organisms usually possess some adaptive features that make them to withstand life-threatening and unfavourable environmental conditions and promote their well-being and proliferation.
Adaptations are inherited characteristics of organisms. They are display in three main features of organisms, their physiology and their behaviour. Some insects mimic leaves in order to escape predators, while some plants produce toxins, which prevent other plants from growing near them, thus reducing competition.
Stems
The stem of a plant provides pathways for the distribution of water and nutrients between the roots, leaves, and other parts of the plant. The herbaceous stem of the dandelion (top, center) lacks lignin, the stiffening material in rigid, supportive woody stems. For this reason, herbaceous plants are generally limited in their physical size. Spurges and cacti (bottom, left), their leaves reduced to needles to prevent evaporation in a dry climate, consist entirely of stem material. Tubers, such as potatoes (top, right), are swollen, food-storing, underground stems that nourish growing buds. The stems of some plants are adapted for protection, as in the hawthorn (bottom, right). Others actively compete for sunlight, using touch-sensitive, curling tendrils (top, left) or other structures to climb upwards.
Adaptation of Plants
Plants are grouped into three on the basis of the environmental conditions under which they grow, especially on availability of water in the soil. The three groups are hydrophytes, mesophytes and xerophytes.
Adaptation of Hydrophytes
Hydrophytes are plants that have adapted to living in the aquatic environment. They are either submerged of floating on the water surface. The plants can also grow in the soil that is permanently saturated with water. Their adaptive features include the following:
- Possession of large air cavities called parenchyma that serve as a means of buoyancy and storing gases for respiration.
- Possession of photosynthetic chloroplast that make use of less light in water for photosynthesis.
- Possession of breathing roots (pneumatophores) by some of the hydrophytes, which grows above the water level to get enough oxygen for respiration.
- Possession of hairy leaves and thin and waxy cuticle to repel rain water as they do not meet it.
- Surface plants float on water have broad leaves that contain numerous stomata on the upper side of the leaf, which trap maximum light for photosynthesis.
- Possession of small feathering roots.
- Less rigid structure because water pressure support them.
- They have succulent stem.
- Numerous stomata are opened at all times.
Examples of hydrophytes include water lily, water lotus and water hyacinth.
Adaptation of Mesophytes
Mesophytes are terrestrial plants that grow in areas of moderate water supply. They are the large ecological group of terrestrial plants. Their adaptive features are:
- Possession of well developed root system.
- Presence of well developed vascular bundle.
- Possession of large thin leaves.
- Presence of large number of stomata on the under surface of the leaves.
- Presence of erect and branded stem.
- Possession of mesophyll layer that is well differentiated with many intercellular spaces.
Examples include maize, sunflower, cassava, hibiscus, mango and orange.
Adaptation of Xerophytes
Xerophytes are plants that grow in dry areas with little water or moisture such as desert. Their adaptive features are:
- Reduced leaves that are reduced to spines and tiny scales to reduce water loss.
- Reduced number of stomata to reduce water loss.
- Sunken stomata reduce transpiration.
- Large hairs on surface to reduce water loss.
- Succulent leaves and stems to store water.
- Deep root system to absorb water from depth.
- Possession of thick, waxy cuticle that reduces water loss through cuticular transpiration.
- Shedding of leaves during day season to prevent water loss through transpiration.
- Possession of ability to fold their leaves during the day to decrease the number of stomata that is exposed, thus reducing the rate of transpiration.
Examples are cactus, euphorbia, Aacia, pine and opuntia.
Jeweled Lizard
This beautiful species also goes by the name of eyed lizard, Lacerta lepida, not because it has eyes, although of course it does, but for the ocelli (“little eyes”), or ringed spots, that adorn its back and flanks. Native to southern Europe and northwestern Africa, the eyed lizard is the largest member of a group of rather unspecialized Old World lizards. The oldest males may reach 80 centimeters (30 inches) from nose to tail tip. Better known to many Europeans are two smaller members of the genus, the wall lizard and the common or live-bearing lizard, which has the unusual habit of producing its young not in the leathery-shelled eggs typical of reptiles but in a thin membrane whose confines they immediately tear out of to assume life as full-fledged lizardlings.
Adaptation of Animals to Terrestrial Habitat
- Most terrestrial organisms possess well developed supporting or skeletal systems.
- The flight birds and mammals possess light skeleton to enable them swing in the air.
- The climbing animals possess long curved claws for support or nuptial pads to help them grip surfaces.
- Some grassland and desert animals exhibited protective colouration to prevent easy detection by predators or prey e.g. chameleons.
- The herbivores grace on a variety of forage.
- Most weak animals possess keen eyesight and can run fast to escape from their predators.
- They have well developed sense organs.
- Some possess impermeable coverage to prevent water loss e.g. monitor, lizard and ant eater.
Adaptation of Animals to Aquatic Environment
- Possession of streamlined body that reduce friction during movement in water e.g. fishes.
- Possession of dense, waterproof feathers that keep cold water away from bird’s skin and prevent wetting of feather e.g. birds.
- Possession of webbed feet, formed from their skin between the toes that work like paddles e.g. ducts.
- Possession of gills in fishes and tad poles for gaseous exchange.
- Possession of hooks, suckers, sticky under surfaces by stationary organisms for attachment to rock surface e.g. snails, flatworms.
- Possession of swim bladder to aid buoyancy in water e.g. Tilapia fish.
Bonito
Bonito, a relative of the tuna and mackerel, are buit for speed. Bonitos have streamlined, torpedo-shaped bodies that taper to a thin junction with a large, forked tail.
EVALUATION
- What is adaptation?
- Name three forms of adaptation that are notable in organisms.
- Define the following and give two examples of each: (a) hydrophytes (b) mesophytes (c) xerophytes
- State five ways by which xerophytes adapt themselves to arid condition.
- List five ways animals adapt to terrestrial habitat.
Effects of Availability of Water on Adaptive Modification
All terrestrial organisms face he problem of water loss from their body fluids to the environment. The body fluids of these organisms are maintained by specialized by osmoregulation or excretory organs such as malphighian tubules and kidney. A balance must be achieved between the amount of water lost and gained.
Many aquatic organisms especially those fresh water environment have their body fluids more concentration than their surroundings and as such gain water by osmosis. In order to minimise this, they have impermeable outer covering. On the other hand, those with body fluids less concentrate than their surrounding would lose water to their environment. The water lost is replaced by drinking much water from the environment.
Structural Adaptation of Tadpole and Fish to Aquatic Life
- Possession of stream-lined body without neck that enhance movement in water.
- Possession of a trial fin, which aid in changing of reduction during swimming.
- Presence of external gills, which serve as the respiratory organ used for oxygen uptake in water.
Becoming a Frog
The legless tadpoles that hatch from a floating mass of frog eggs are the animal’s fishlike larval stage. Part of a true metamorphosis, they have gills and a tail, both of which disappear as the tadpole feeds and grows. When limbs and air-breathing lungs develop, the young frog, now a miniature replica of its parents, emerges from water to land.
Structural Adaptation in Birds
- Seed-eating birds like sparrow, cardinals and weaver birds have short, thick, conical beaks adapted for cracking seeds or nuts.
- Birds of prey like hawks, eagles and owls have sharp, curved breaks for tearing flesh, they also have strong chawlike feet, which they use to capture and kill their prey.
- Aquatic birds like duck and seagulls have long, flat beaks adapted for straining small plants and animals from the water and for gripping fish and sieving muddy water for food. They also have webbed feet adapted for swimming.
- Birds are insect eaters like woodpeckers have beaks that are long and chisel-like for boring into wood to eat insects. Other insect eaters like the nobblers have thin pointed beaks.
- Some birds like crows have a multi – purpose beak that is adapted to eat fruits, seeds, insects, fishes and other animals.
Ostrich
The ostrich, Struthio camelus, is a bird of the savannas and deserts of Africa. Its closest cousins-the rheas, cassowaries, emu, and kiwis, as well as the extinct moas and elephant birds-also have or had a southern distribution, in South America, Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Africa, and Madagascar. How did these species, none of which can fly, spread across these southern continents and islands? In the time before scientists accepted the theory of continental drift and seafloor spreading, the distribution of the ostrich and its relatives was one of the unaccountable mysteries of biogeography. Now it is considered a classic example of the result of the breakup of the former supercontinent of Gondwanaland, over which the ancestor of all these species is believed to have roamed.
EVALUATION
- State three structural adaptations of tadpole to aquatic life.
- State three structural adaptations of birds to their feeding habits.
- Classify plants into three groups on the basis of availability of water to the soil in their environment.
- State five adaptive features of xerophytes to arid environment.
- List adaptive features of animals to terrestrial habitat. | https://edudelighttutors.com/2021/09/14/adaptation-in-form-and-functions-of-living-organisms-due-to-environmental-conditions/ |
Welcome to Kindergarten!
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At Clearview, we prioritize academic excellence and social-emotional learning to create a supportive and inclusive learning environment for all of our students. Our kindergarten curriculum focuses on developing strong foundational skills in both math and language arts, as well as fostering a positive and caring classroom culture through Social Emotional Learning (SEL) activities.
In math, our kindergarten students engage in hands-on learning activities that emphasize number sense, basic operations, and problem-solving skills. Through exploration and play, our students build a strong foundation in mathematics that prepares them for future academic success. In language arts, our kindergarten students develop their reading, writing, and communication skills through a balanced approach that includes phonics instruction, guided reading, and writing workshops. Our goal is to help students become confident and proficient readers and writers, setting them up for lifelong learning.
Clearview also places a strong emphasis on social-emotional learning, recognizing that a child's emotional well-being is just as important as academic success. We use evidence-based practices to teach students self-awareness, self-regulation, and social skills, helping them develop the resilience and empathy necessary for success in school and in life.
We believe that every child deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential, and we are committed to providing a welcoming and academically rigorous kindergarten program that prepares our students for a lifetime of success. | https://clearviewes.fcps.edu/academics/kindergarten |
Archive for March, 2019
The International Space Station partners have endorsed plans to continue the development of the Gateway, an outpost around the Moon that will act as a base to support both robots and astronauts exploring the lunar surface.
The Multilateral Coordination Board, which oversees the management of the Space Station, stressed its common hope for the Gateway to open up a cost-effective and sustainable path to the Moon and beyond.
A possible commitment towards building Europe’s contributions to the Gateway will be one of the key decisions to be made by Ministers at the Space19+ Conference in November 2019.
The European Space Agency’s (ESA) potential involvement includes the ESPRIT module to provide communications and refueling of the Gateway and a science airlock for deploying science payloads and cubesats.
The endorsement comes after several years of extensive study among space agencies who have developed a technically achievable design. The partnership includes European countries (represented by ESA), the United States (NASA), Russia (Roscosmos), Canada (CSA) and Japan (JAXA).
The Cosma Hypothesis: Implications of the Overview Effect by Frank White; Morgan Brook Media (March 2019; paperback: 269 pages, $19.95.
It takes a special kind of person to come up with a special kind of effect.
Frank White coined the term: “The Overview Effect” – the experience of seeing the Earth from orbit or the Moon – on humanity’s perceptions of our home world and our place in the cosmos.
White’s book, The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution, was first published by Houghton-Mifflin in 1987. This trailblazing work is now in its third edition, and is a seminal work in the field of space exploration and development. His just released new book is The Cosma Hypothesis: Implications of the Overview Effect.
In short, this impressive volume puts forward that our purpose in exploring space should transcend focusing on how it will benefit humanity. We should ask how to create a symbiotic relationship with the universe, giving back as much as we take, and spreading life, intelligence, and self-awareness throughout the solar system and beyond.
Given the wistful and wishful space futurism of the day – space tourism, mining space rocks, living on the Moon and occupying cities on Mars — White argues that developing a philosophy of space exploration and settlement is more than an intellectual exercise: it will powerfully influence policy and practices that are now unfolding.
The reader will enjoy pondering a number of themes in the book, from the appropriate approach to mining asteroids and the moon, the possible need to revise the UN 1967 Outer Space Treaty, to the role Artificial Intelligence (AI) will play in helping humans explore and develop the cosmos.
Of special interest are 16 content-specific task forces that are a healthy part of the New Human Space Program chapter – key issues arising out of human expansion into our “solar neighborhood.”
This heartfelt book is thought-provoking. Why has the evolutionary process brought humanity to the brink of becoming a spacefaring species?” The author concludes that our purpose, or ecological function, is to support the universe (Cosma) in reaching a higher level of life, intelligence, and self-awareness.
White adds: “As Cosma become more conscious, the universe will become a more welcoming place for Homo sapiens, and we will evolve together.”
In an author’s note, White requests that a reader can learn more about The Human Space Program, contact him at: [email protected]
For more information on this book, go to:
https://www.amazon.com/Cosma-Hypothesis-Implications-Overview-Effect/dp/173288613X
China will ramp up their human spaceflight program, tied to the establishment of the country’s space station.
Zhang Bonan, chief designer of the space program of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, has stated that China intends to realize bulk production of crew-carrying spacecraft in the future instead of today’s customization.
As reported by China’s Science and Technology Daily report over the weekend, Zhang said to meet the space station’s demands around 2022, the country has to prepare enough spacecraft in advance.
Dramatic increase
The number of personnel and the volume of goods that transport between the ground and the space station will increase dramatically, Zhang said.
They will be launched based on the needs of the replacement of astronauts and the freight, “just like air flights,” Zhang said.
“Today’s China aerospace manufacturing industry has gained the ability to do small volume production through improved digitization and automation technology,” Zhang said.
Spacecraft in quantity
Following the Shenzhou-10 spacecraft mission in June 2013, Zhang said, the country now has the ability to produce crew-carrying spacecraft in quantity.
In 1992, China launched its manned space flight program. The success of Shenzhou-5 in 2003 made China the third country to acquire human space travel technology on its own.
China’s most recent, and the sixth piloted space mission, Shenzhou-11, lifted off in mid-October 2016. The two-person crew made the first piloted docking with the Tiangong-2 space laboratory.
The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) has issued its vision for the future — one that includes morning commutes via flying air taxi, supersonic business travel between continents, and an emerging market for space-based research and manufacturing in 2050
This new study – What’s Next for Aerospace and Defense: A Vision for 2050 — The result is a comprehensive look at innovations that will shape the world over the next thirty years.
The study was launched today with an interactive experience at South by Southwest (SXSW) now underway in Austin, Texas.
AIA represents more than 300 aerospace and defense manufacturers and suppliers, with the study built on interviews with over 70 industry leaders.
The variety of activities characterized in the study includes space mining.
Given the mineral riches floating in the cosmos, the study points out, commercial space manufacturing and mining “may move from the realm of science fiction into reality.”
“The underlying technology to enable such a space use case could even become widespread once the economics become viable,” the report explains.
Nascent stages
The study explains that, as interest in the commercial potential of space grows, exploration will likely become the focus of increasing public attention again.
In-depth research and exploration in space will be in its initial stages, but commercial research activity in support of that interest will likely increase:
- Nascent: Space infrastructure—including off -Earth bases, supply hubs, and orbital fuel stations—will support expanded activities in space and make space travel safer and more sustainable.
- Nascent: Space-based research, resource extraction, and manufacturing will take advantage of space’s unique conditions, such as extreme heat, zero gravity, and consistent solar energy.
Launch cost reduction
Furthermore, an increasingly dense constellation of low Earth orbiting (LEO) satellites is setting the stage for low-cost research across a variety of fields.
“Reductions in launch cost and improved sensor sensitivity across the electromagnetic spectrum will combine to make exploration and commercial activity in space more economical,” the study suggests.
To get a glimpse into this technology-driven future, read the full-study at:
https://www.aia-aerospace.org/vision-2050
Watch a brief video inspired by Vision 2050 at:
Mixed news from the “mole” probe onboard NASA’s Mars InSight – part of Germany’s HP3 (Heat and Physical Properties Package) instrument.
It began hammering into the surface of Mars on February 28. However, the device may have come up against a rock or something else that is proving highly resistant beneath the surface. The researchers are now analyzing the data before it can continue hammering.
The mole had come about three-quarters of the way out of its housing structure before stopping. Data also suggests that the device is at a 15-degree tilt.
Pause the hammering
“The team has therefore decided to pause the hammering for about two weeks to allow the situation to be analyzed more closely and jointly come up with strategies for overcoming the obstacle,” explains Tilman Spohn of the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) Institute of Planetary Research and principal investigator of the HP3 experiment.
The HP3 team has commanded a large number of images to be taken by the cameras on the InSight lander and its robotic arm.
Play it safe
“Some of the images we already have, indicate that part of the mole is actually visible,” Spohn reports. “The consensus is that the mole is about 30 centimeters in the regolith and probably still 7 centimeters in the tube of the support structure. It is approximately pointing 15° away from the vertical and has undergone either some rotation or precession of its rotation axis.”
The instrument remains healthy. But the team wants to play it safe and get all the evidence that could become available including seismic data together to assist the mole overcome the obstacle (or to get through a possible layer of gravel). “Once we have all the data, we will decide on how to proceed best,” Spohn explains.
Design heritage
The mole penetrometer was developed at the DLR Institute of Space Systems. It draws upon earlier developments at DLR and in Russia. An earlier version of the probe was built at the former DLR Institute of Space Simulation in Cologne as a sample collector for the Beagle II lander – flown as part of the Mars Express mission – which crashed onto the Martian surface in 2003. The hammering mechanism for the HP3 mole was developed by Astronika in Warsaw, Poland.
Phobos eclipse
Meanwhile, Spohn says there’s excellent news concerning the Mars moon, Phobos.
“We just got the data from the first Phobos eclipse observation and the cooling by the shadow passing through the fields of view of the radiometer in about 30 seconds is clearly visible,” Spohn notes. “So the team is happy and is rejoicing about the first eclipse on Mars ever observed with a radiometer.”
The Radiometer (RAD) is mounted underneath the platform of the lander and monitors the area beside the lander where HP3 is installed.
The team will analyze the RAD data and come up with a model of the uppermost millimeters or so of the Mars surface material. This measurement is called the thermal inertia. This quantity depends on the thermal conductivity of the near surface material, its density and its heat capacity.
“So, it is part of our efforts to measure the geophysical parameters of Mars,” Spohn says.
An instrument onboard NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) indicates that water molecules scattered on the surface of the Moon are more common at higher latitudes and tend to hop around as the surface heats up.
“These results aid in understanding the lunar water cycle and will ultimately help us learn about accessibility of water that can be used by humans in future missions to the Moon,” said Amanda Hendrix, a senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute.
Hot topic
The findings have been reported in the Hendrix-led paper – “Diurnally‐Migrating Lunar Water: Evidence from Ultraviolet Data” — published in the American Geophysical Union’s Geophysical Research Letters.
“This is an important new result about lunar water, a hot topic as our nation’s space program returns to a focus on lunar exploration,” said SwRI’s Kurt Retherford, the principal investigator of the LRO LAMP instrument.
“We recently converted the LAMP’s light collection mode to measure reflected signals on the lunar dayside with more precision,” Retherford said, “allowing us to track more accurately where the water is and how much is present.”
Surface water
According to a SwRI press statement, up until the last decade or so, scientists thought the Moon was arid, with any water existing mainly as pockets of ice in permanently shaded craters near the poles.
However, more recently, scientists have identified surface water in sparse populations of molecules bound to the lunar soil, or regolith. The amount and locations vary based on the time of day. This water is more common at higher latitudes and tends to hop around as the surface heats up.
As rough, irregularly shaped grains heat up over the course of a day, the molecules detach from the regolith and hop across the surface until they find another location cold enough to stick.
“A source of water on the Moon could help make future crewed missions more sustainable and affordable,” Hendrix explains. “Lunar water can potentially be used by humans to make fuel or to use for radiation shielding or thermal management; if these materials do not need to be launched from Earth, that makes these future missions more affordable”
To review the paper — “Diurnally‐Migrating Lunar Water: Evidence from Ultraviolet Data” – go to:
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2018GL081821
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover is now performing Sol 2341 science work.
The rover is finishing up at the “Midland Valley” outcrop, work that also included inspection of a wide range of new images.
“In those images the team discovered a block that allows a unique 3D view of the rocks in the area,” reports Susanne Schwenzer, a planetary geologist at The Open University, Milton Keynes in the U.K.
Rock of interest
As the rover stood at the moment, the rock of interest was just behind it, with the line of sight and Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) line of laser shot blocked by the rover itself.
“The question was, whether to proceed as planned and drive away from the site, or to turn the rover around and take the opportunity to observe this block from the top and the side,” Schwenzer adds. “This way, we would gain a three-dimensional view of the layering as well as chemical information. This would be important information to investigate depositional conditions of those rocks, and thus help our understanding of the new environment of the clay-bearing unit, as part of which this rock was deposited. We decided to take the turn.
Unusual maneuver
As a start, in a recent plan, the rock was named “Muir of Ord” and – in an unusual maneuver only possible because of the very short and well understood drive to turn the rover around, Schwenzer explains.
Curiosity’s Mastcam will be able to get multispectral imagery in the same sol. Chemical information and the robot’s Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) will add to the investigations in the future.
Concludes Schwenzer: “So, stay tuned!”
A new study looks into the possibility of searching for black hole starships using very high energy gamma ray telescopes.
Louis Crane, a mathematician at Kansas State University, has authored – “Searching for Extraterrestrial Civilizations Using gamma Ray Telescopes” – and underscores the speculative thought that the object Oumuamua was in fact a probe sent to our solar system by an extraterrestrial civilization.
“The extremely improbable trajectory of this body, with its non-gravitational acceleration makes this suggestion plausible,” Crane observes.
Additionally recent work by the Kepler telescope seems to advocate that as many as one star in five in our galaxy has an earthlike planet circling it.
Special pattern of activity
“These facts make it seem more likely that our region in the Milky Way galaxy is inhabited by advanced alien civilizations some of whom are actively exploring interstellar space,” Crane senses.
A starship powered by a black hole or other very high energy source, would exhibit a very special pattern of activity. “Detecting this distinctive pattern should be feasible,” Crane explains.
Crane also feels that there have been “interesting potential candidates” already observed for black hole starships (BHSs), and tests to see if any of them are actual BHSs are not difficult to propose.
“If it is really true that black hole starships, or some similar high energy density drive ships exist,” Crane says, “they would play a more important role in the galaxy than would be apparent, because only a small number of their focused beams would reach us on Earth.”
The proposal of Crane’s paper is to examine the unidentified point-like very high energy gamma ray sources in the galaxy as possible starships.
Fermi paradox
As far as the existence of intelligent life elsewhere in the galaxy is concerned, Crane contends that there is really no reason to rule it out. Thus, there may be an answer to physicist Enrico Fermi’s question – Where is everybody? – the apparent contradiction between the lack of evidence and high probability estimates for the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations.
It might simply have been that they were rather hard to see, Crane adds, paradoxically because their emissions were too energetic.
The study is available online at:
International experiments carried onboard China’s Chang’e-4 farside mission are gathering good data, report their principal investigators.
The Lunar Lander Neutrons & Dosimetry experiment (LND) is part of the Chang’e-4 lander payload.
The LND instrument has two major science objectives: 1) dosimetry for human exploration of the Moon and 2) contribute to heliospheric science as an additional measuring point
“LND is working fine,” reports Robert Wimmer-Schweingruber of the Institut fuer Experimentelle und Angewandte Physik, University of Kiel in Germany. “We were turned on for the third lunar day last Friday and have now received our data or the previous two lunar days,” he told Inside Outer Space. “We see some variations in the dose rate with time which we need to understand before we start publishing the data.”
The LND device is designed to gauge radiation on the Moon, mainly for future human missions. It will also measure the water content underneath the lander.
Working flawlessly
Meanwhile, Sweden’s Advanced Small Analyzer for Neutrals (ASAN) carried by the Yutu-2 rover is also gathering data.
“Yes, we are doing fine! ASAN is operated typically twice per lunar day,” reports Martin Wieser of the Swedish Institute of Space Physics in Kiruna, Sweden.
“ASAN works flawlessly and the data is good. People are working on the first papers,” Wieser told Inside Outer Space.
Energetic sensor
ASAN was built in collaboration with the Chinese National Space Science Center (NSSC). It is the first time an energetic neutral atom sensor is deployed on the lunar surface. From a vantage point of only a few decimeters above the regolith surface, ASAN is geared to measure energy spectra of energetic neutral atoms originating from reflected solar wind ions under different solar wind illumination conditions.
ASAN is mounted on the Yutu-2 rover making it possible to perform measurements at different locations. The measurements could shed light on the processes responsible for the formation of water on the Moon.
Chang’e-4 landed within the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin, the largest and deepest basin in the solar system. The January 3 touchdown was in Von Kármán crater, a 110 miles (186-kilometers) wide region.
An audit of the SETI Institute has been performed by the NASA Office of Inspector General.
Over the past 25 years, NASA has, according to Agency officials, provided only three grants totaling $1.6 million for research associated with the direct search for extraterrestrial intelligent life through the use of electromagnetic signals, the OIG report explains.
“It is not clear whether this limited funding is simply because technosignatures research has not been an Agency priority or whether it is due to confusion related to a 1-year congressional prohibition on such research in 1993. The broader scientific community has expressed interest in the search for extraterrestrial intelligent life in the past, as did a House of Representatives NASA authorization bill voted out of Committee in April 2018.”
Technosignatures 101
As noted in the report, technosignatures research is a collective term for scientific searches for intelligent extraterrestrial life and includes—but is not limited to—monitoring electromagnetic radiation for signs of transmissions from civilizations on other planets.
The SETI Institute is only one organization within a broader community of practitioners that conduct technosignatures research. Moreover, the Institute conducts wide-ranging scientific research in multiple disciplines that goes well beyond the search for intelligent life outside of Earth.
Strong partnership
The upshot from the audit: “The research conducted by the SETI Institute through its 85 awards with NASA has played an important role in advancing understanding of stars, planets, planetary satellites, and astrobiology, all of which reflect the Agency’s science goals and objectives.”
The reports further states: “We found that NASA followed its policies and federal guidelines when it solicited and selected the SETI Institute for these awards, and in turn, the Institute properly accounted for expenditures and complied with federal requirements. As a result, NASA and the Institute have forged a strong partnership and produced valuable data and research benefitting the scientific community.”
To review this interesting and informative document, go to: | http://www.leonarddavid.com/2019/03/page/4/ |
Even if all committee nodes are honest (i.e. they have no malicious intent), there are factors which may make each node see things differently. This can lead to different inputs to the same program on different nodes and, consequently, to different results.
There are several possible reasons for such an apparently non-deterministic outcome.
Each committee node has its own access to the UTXO ledger, i.e. committee nodes are usually connected to different IOTA nodes. The reason for this is to not make access to the UTXO ledger a single point of failure, i.e. we also want access to the Tangle to be distributed. This may often lead to a slightly different perception of some aspects of the ledger, for example of the token balance in a particular address. Also, each node has its own local clock and those clocks may be slightly skewed, so there isn’t an objective time for nodes.
The requests (UTXOs) may reach Wasp nodes in an arbitrary order and with arbitrary delays (even if these are usually close to the network latency).
Before starting calculations, nodes are required to have consensus on the following:
- The current state of the chain i.e. on the state output
- Timestamp to be used for the next state transaction
- Ordered batch of requests to be processed
- Address where node fees for processing the request must be sent (if enabled)
- Mana pledge targets
In order to achieve a bigger throughput, the committee picks requests from the on-ledger backlog and processes requests in batches, not one by one. This means the committee has to have a consensus on the batch of the requests and the order of the requests in the batch. After at least a quorum of committee nodes have a consensus on the above, honest committee members will always produce identical results of calculations.
Proof of consensus
Suppose a quorum of committee nodes has reached consensus on inputs and produced identical results, these being the block of state updates and the anchor transaction.
The anchor transaction contains chain state transition, the AliasOutput and token transfers, so it must be signed.
It is only possible to produce valid signatures of inputs of the anchor transaction by the quorum of nodes. In this case, a confirmed anchor transaction becomes a cryptographical proof of consensus in the committee.
To achieve this, IOTA Smart Contracts uses BLS threshold signatures in combination with polynomial (Shamir) secret sharing to identify the address controlling the chain state. In order for the secret keys to be distributed across the chain validators, a DKG (Distributed Key Generation) procedure is executed when starting a chain (using the Rabin-Gennaro algorithm).
The Consensus Algorithm
The committee is of fixed size, thus we use a Byzantine Fault Tolerant (BFT) Algorithm, which guarantees consistency and byzantine fault tolerance if less than ⅓ of nodes are malicious.
As a basis for the IOTA Smart Contracts consensus, the Asynchronous Common Subset (ACS) part of the HoneyBadgerBFT algorithm is used, with the exception of how the proposals are combined.
The rest of the consensus algorithm is built on top of the ACS. Each node supplies to the ACS its batch proposal which indicates a set of Request IDs, a timestamp, consensus and access mana pledge addresses, fee destination and a partial signature for generating non-forgeable entropy. Upon termination of the ACS, each honest node gets the same set of such proposals and aggregates them into the final batch in a deterministic way.
It is ensured that all honest nodes have the same input for the VM. After running the selected batch, the VM results are then collectively signed using the threshold signature. The signed transaction can be published by any node at this point. In order to minimize the load on the IOTA network, the nodes calculate a delay for posting the transaction to the network based on a deterministic permutation of the nodes relative to the local perception of time.
The comprehensive overview of architectural design decisions of IOTA Smart Contracts can be found in the whitepaper. | http://wiki.iota.org/smart-contracts/guide/core_concepts/consensus |
Q:
Why is this undefined behavior when I always get the same result?
I recently came across a question about sequence points in C++ at this site, about
what this code will output:
int c=0;
cout << c++ << c;
It was answered that the output is undefined and << is not a sequence point, but still I want to know why is it undefined when, even if I compile it 25 times, it still always prints 01?
A:
"Undefined" means that the standard doesn't specify what has to happen in that situation, so anything your compiler does is, by definition, right. If it always prints 01, that's fine. If it prints a different number every time you run, that would be fine too. If it causes monkeys to fly out of your nose (as illustrated here), that would be fine as well.
You might not think so, but the compiler writers are off the hook if it happens.
[Edit: It has been pointed out in the comments that the cannonical reference is "nasal demons", not "nasal monkeys". My apologies for any unintended confusion. Any intended confusion I'm proud of and do not apologize for. :-) ]
A:
You ask:
why does it that even if i compile it
25 times it still prints 01
and the answer is because compilers are basically (but not totally) deterministic - given the same input, they will produce the same output. in terms of machine code. and that machine code is also deterministic, and so always outputs "01". Another C++ compiler though might, in a similarly deterministic fashion, produce machine code that produces "10" every time.
A:
Because always printing 01 is one of the behaviors your program is allowed to have.
| |
What are the 5 philosophies of art?
Five Philosophies of Art (Theories of Art) Art Aesthetics & Criticism. Art Criticism- An organized approach for studying a work of art. Street Art Chalk Murals. Graffiti Artwork: Public Pedagogy Some artists create graffiti in order to send positive visual messages to a larger and more. Emotionalism.
How do you define art?
Art is generally understood as any activity or product done by people with a communicative or aesthetic purpose—something that expresses an idea, an emotion or, more generally, a world view. It is a component of culture, reflecting economic and social substrates in its design.
What is the purpose of art philosophy?
The purpose of works of art may be to communicate political, spiritual or philosophical ideas, to create a sense of beauty (see aesthetics), to explore the nature of perception, for pleasure, or to generate strong emotions. Its purpose may also be seemingly nonexistent.
What is your personal definition of art?
Art , like every other idea, is completely personal and should not be dictated by popular opinion. Art , to me, is any work that gives one a feeling of aesthetic pleasure, transporting one out of the present moment and into an emotional world that is defined by one’s personal associations with the work.
What are the 7 different forms of art?
The arts have also been classified as seven : painting, architecture, sculpture, literature, music, performing and cinema.
What is the relationship between philosophy and art?
Philosophy is theoretical from beginning to end, whereas art is sensuous and imaginal. Philosophical thought reflects its subject-matter in concepts, in categories; art is characterised, on the other hand, by emotional and imaginal reflection and by transformation of reality.
What is the best definition of art?
The definition of art has generally fallen into three categories: representation, expression, and form. Art as Representation or Mimesis. For this reason, the primary meaning of art was, for centuries, defined as the representation or replication of something that is beautiful or meaningful.
What is importance of art?
Now, remove any element founded in creativity , art and design, and all that remains are piles of materials that require human imagination and visual thinking. Art forces humans to look beyond that which is necessary to survive and leads people to create for the sake of expression and meaning.
What is the power of art?
Many people are well aware of the feeling motivated by a piece of art work. Art has the power to move people and offer new experiences. It motivates people to attribute new meaning to life and existence. As a consequence the individual become aware of a feeling that he may not have focused on before.
Where do we see art in our daily lives?
All kinds of art can affect our mood in a positive way, making us feel happier, calmer, or even inspired to do something. Everywhere you go art is evident. Parks often use sculptures to add interest and to inform people. Posters on walls give information and motivation.
What are the 3 types of arts?
Traditional categories within the arts include literature (including poetry, drama , story, and so on), the visual arts ( painting , drawing, sculpture , etc.), the graphic arts ( painting , drawing, design, and other forms expressed on flat surfaces), the plastic arts ( sculpture , modeling), the decorative arts (enamelwork,
Does art need to be beautiful?
Works of art don’t have to be beautiful , but we must acknowledge that aesthetic judgement plays a large part in the reception of art . Beauty might not be an objective quality in the work of art , nor is it a rational way for us to argue for the cultural importance of an object.
What are the four definitions of art?
What are the four definitions of art ? Mimesis, communication, significant form, and instutional thoery of art . What are the elements of design?
What is visual arts in your own words?
The visual arts are art forms that create works that are primarily visual in nature, such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, photography, video, film making and architecture.
What is your own definition of art appreciation?
Art appreciation is the knowledge and understanding of the universal and timeless qualities that identify all great art . The more you appreciate and understand the art of different eras, movements, styles and techniques, the better you can develop, evaluate and improve your own artwork . | https://www.castela.net/philosophy/what-is-art-philosophy.html |
Overview :
We are a Technology company providing data & financial services.
Principal Duties / Tasks and Responsibilities
Account Functions
Provide professional guidance and processing for all day-to-day, business and financial transactions.
Coordinate the general day to day administration of the Finance department.
Set up financial and manage processes such as request processes, retirement processes, etc.
Ensure that Crowd Force is up to date on all statutory financial and tax regulations, e.g. PAYE, FIRS, PENCOM, etc.
Vet all financial transactions and ensure they meet our internal control processes.
Analysis and record all expenditures into the respective expense type.
Controls the cash flow position throughout the company understand the sources and uses of cash and maintains the integrity of funds, securities, and other valuable documents.
Oversees payment of vendors and other transactions as required.
Monitors and manages cash advance retirements by Crowd Force staff.
Resolving accounting discrepancies.
Processing all invoices, expense forms, and requests for payment.
Dealing with daily transactions for petty cash and ensuring that reconciliations are completed on a weekly and monthly basis.
Compiles and prepares periodic budgets and forecast proposals using the information provided by all departments and the approved business strategy.
Assist in extracting, collating, and consolidating information needed to generate the company’s annual operating budget.
Analyzing business operations, trends, costs, revenues, financial commitments, and obligations, to project future revenues and expenses or to provide advice.
Analyzing revenue and expenditure trends and recommend appropriate budget levels, and ensure expenditure control.
Prepare final accounts by ensuring all account schedules agree with the General ledger balances
Ensure all remittances to external regulators as expected
Monitor the CAPEX and OPEX expenses while ensuring adequate compliance to financial prudence ethics.
Liaise with team leads on operations expenses costing and project costs.
Support the establishment of prices and monitor Invoices for products sold to clients
Compute taxes owed and prepare tax returns, ensuring compliance with other statutory requirements.
Liaising with internal and external auditors and dealing with any financial irregularities as they arise
Prepare monthly payroll and manage disbursement of payments to all staff and other statutory bodies.
Liaise with banks and manage all banking and reconciliation exercises.
Preparing and review budget, revenue, expense, payroll entries, invoices, and other accounting documents.
Prepare, examine, or analyze accounting records, financial statements, or other financial reports to assess accuracy, completeness, and conformance to reporting and procedural standards.
Develop, maintain, and analyze budgets, preparing periodic reports that compare budgeted costs to actual costs.
Functional Competencies
Ability to work effectively under pressure
Must be able to address vendors in a corporate / diplomatic manner
Is experienced in bookkeeping and advanced use of Microsoft excel
Has integrity
He / she should be able to move around and work professionally
Should be organized
Ability to work effectively with little or no supervision
Education / Certifications / Experience :
A minimum Bachelor’s Degree in Finance, Accounting, and / or Economics is highly desirable.
A Master’s Degree in Finance or other relevant postgraduate degrees will be an advantage.
Must have professional certifications and memberships
Post graduate degree in any of the above courses or an MBA is an added advantage.
Qualified accountant to at least CIMA, ACCA, ACA or CIPFA level. | https://neuvoo.com.ng/view/?id=a111ecfdabe8 |
This Black Forest Gateau consists of layers of super moist and soft spongy chocolate cake, with lashing of softly whipped cream, cherry and chocolate. You can't satisfy your mind with just one peice of this fresh-baked cake.
Caring Tips-
● Don't squeeze the side of the box while receiving.
● The cake should be refrigerated before serving.
● Cover the leftover cake and then refrigerate.
● Consume within 2 days.
Customer Reviews
Based on 2 reviews
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The cake is full with cream and tastefullness. | https://www.frostedmemory.com/products/black-forest-gateau |
In Palo Laziale, a weather station has been installed in the selected area (close to a temporary pond). It will measure meteorological parameters in both freshwater and forestry environments, including:
- atmospheric temperature (minimum, average and maximum);
- humidity (minimum, average and maximum);
- precipitation;
- soil moisture of the wood at three different depths (-30cm, -50cm and -70cm);
The system integrates a telescopic pole (height 10 m) for meteorological antenna (figure 2) to monitor also:
- solar radiation;
- photosynthetically active radiation (PAR);
and a piezometer to monitor:
- water level of a pilot temporary pond;
- water temperature of the same pilot temporary pond.
The system can be further upgraded with other sensors such as soil humidity gauge or gas exchange measurers of trees that can be specifically linked among their selves to detect more physico-chemical parameters of the wood.
The collected data are automatically sent to the Integrated Agrometeorological Service of the Lazio Region, managed by ARSIAL, and made public on this website from the section "Download". at from from where would be at the disposal of the project. | https://lifeprimed.eu/en/progress/21-progress/96-fddfa |
Following a rigorous peer-review process, the RTO/ERO Foundation announced in the Fall of 2016 a total of $100,000 in funding for four new grants related to aging research and the training of post-secondary students in geriatrics and gerontology.
Evaluation of a Standardized, Online Dementia Education Program for Post-Secondary Healthcare Students
The behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), such as agitation, repetitive vocalizations, exit-seeking, refusing care, and aggression are commonly exhibited by older adults with dementia across all health care settings in Canada, occurring in as many as 50% of patients.
Post-secondary healthcare students have limited knowledge about the behavioural impacts of dementia and skills in how best to react to challenging behaviours. The students’ lack of understanding can result in avoidance of patients with dementia when encountered in any health care sector.
A grant for $ 24,989 was awarded to Ryerson University, AGE and McMaster University for this project, which aims to build students’ capacity to support patients with dementia who display challenging behaviours with non-medical intervention.
The goal of this project is to study a dementia education program for post-secondary multidisciplinary health care students, with the aim of building the students’ capacity to support patients with dementia who display challenging behaviours.
The funds from the RTO Foundation will be used to:
- provide students with access to the GPA eLearn program
- provide handouts and educational materials to all students attending the 8th Annual Geriatrics Skills Day Workshop
- support the data collection costs
- fund multidisciplinary student representatives to participate in the planning of the 8th Annual Geriatric Skills Day Workshop and participate in data analysis and interpretation
- hire research assistants who will conduct focus groups and individual interviews
- fund 2 student representatives to present findings at the Canadian Association on Gerontology (CAG) conference in October 2017 and a team member to present at the Canadian Conference on Medical Education and Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing Education conference in 2018
- contribute to the cost of publishing a manuscript in an open access scientific journal to disseminate the findings to a broad audience of academic and clinical educators/researchers in geriatrics and gerontology, and
- contribute to the cost of hosting a group of key stakeholders such as educators and family caregivers to review the study findings during a think tank meeting to assist in building recommendations from our study for overall health care education in the province of Ontario.
A Toolkit for Healthcare Professionals caring for older LGBT Adults facing the End of Life
Older adults who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) continue to face discrimination and marginalization within Canada resulting in them being less likely than older heterosexual adults to seek healthcare support.
Disparities experienced by LGBT individuals have been documented and range from negative effects of stigmatization to reduced access to social services. Additionally, in comparison to their heterosexual peers, LGBT older adults are more socially isolated, more likely to live alone, more concerned about finances, more likely to experience health service barriers, and more likely to rely on neighbours and friends for care support
Granted to the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, University of Guelph, University of Ottawa, and Lakehead Universities for $ 24,750, this novel project incorporates both research and training, and will benefit LGBT seniors across Ontario – in urban, rural and remote communities.
The purpose of this research project is to develop toolkit that includes a suite of educational resources to aid healthcare professionals in offering inclusive care that addresses the needs of LGBT older adults.
The objectives of this project are to:
- promote and enhance awareness of the unique needs of older adults who identify as LGBT as they enter late stages of life;
- develop an interactive training and educational tool to assist healthcare providers to provide inclusive, safe and comprehensive care for older adults who identify as LGBT;
- pilot the interactive training tool with interdisciplinary future healthcare providers; and
- evaluate the implementation of the training tool and assess learner comprehension and satisfaction.
The project Speaking Up and Speaking Out will produce a toolkit for healthcare professionals caring for older LGBT adults facing the end of their lives and will contribute to the development of a healthcare environment that is inclusive of all older adults.
Evaluation of a Geriatric Education Program for Orthopedic Surgery Residents
Orthopedic surgeons provide care to older adults through multiple avenues including joint arthroplasty and management of fractures. Individuals aged 65 and older account for 86% of hip fractures. Statistics Canada estimates that by 2030, 25% of Canada’s population will be over the age of 65. Given the aging population, orthopedic surgeons will need to care for an increasing proportion of elderly patients.
The RTO/ERO Foundation awarded $ 24,655 to Mount Sinai Hospital and the University of Toronto to evaluate a Geriatric Education Program for Orthopedic Surgery Residents. The project aims to strengthen geriatric competencies among orthopedic trainees, leading to a new generation of orthopedic surgeons better equipped for the care of our growing older adult population.
There are numerous challenges associated with older adults undergoing and recovering from surgery. For example, hip fracture repairs in particular are more strongly associated with poor outcomes: significant medical complications, death, loss of independence, financial burden, and an increased risk for delirium following surgery.
While the optimal process would be to work with a geriatrician to co-manage patients, there are not enough geriatricians to make this realistic. Therefore the need to strengthen geriatric competencies among orthopedic surgeons is critical.
Funds from the RTO/ERO foundation will be used to:
- fund medical student summer research assistants;
- cover research expenses such as study participant incentives, transcription and printing services; and,
- facilitate dissemination of study findings through participation in conferences.
- Rotation evaluation and a session with stakeholders
Researchers hope to identify the program’s strengths and limitations, and determine how they can better provide geriatric education to orthopedic surgeons. Knowledge gained from the study can subsequently be used to improve the current program and facilitate the implementation of geriatric education in medical training programs across Ontario.
Volunteer Administered Cognitive Stimulation to Enhance the Quality of Life of Aging Adults in Long-Term Care
Impaired cognition is one of the most disabling conditions in older adulthood, and has severe consequences on an individual’s overall health and quality of life – reducing a senior’s ability to accurately communicate pain to health care providers, cope with chronic disease symptoms, carry out functional activities of daily living, and perform self-care.
More than half (54.7%) of long-term care home residents in Ontario have dementia. Although we are currently limited in our ability to cure these cognitive impairments, recent evidence demonstrates that we can stimulate, maintain, and even improve the cognitive functioning of people with dementia, which can help slow disease progression and have beneficial effects on quality of life.
The RTO/ERO Foundation has awarded $ 25,000 to Baycrest Hospital, the University of Toronto, Meighen Manor, and Rekai Centres at Sherbourne Place and Wellesley Central Place, to investigate the benefits of using cognitive stimulation with elderly long-term care residents during friendly visits by volunteers.
The Project aims to show that the use of cognitive stimulation exercises used in conversation with residents will lead to improved behaviours, mood and quality of life.
Unique to this project is that it will investigate the benefits of cognitive programming, and develop practical, resource-friendly ‘kits’ with which to deliver such programming within underserviced long-term care communities. Through the cost effective use of volunteers, this project will examine the short- and longer-term impact of a relatively simple and affordable, pen-and-paper program to older adults residing in long-term care.
Beyond Bones: Building Educational Bridges between Orthopedic Surgery and Geriatric Medicine
Situated at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, the "Orthogeriatrics" rotation brings together orthopedics and geriatrics in a partnership to acquaint Orthopedic Surgery trainees with a holistic Geriatric Medicine lens in approaching complex older patients with broader issues such as frailty, recurrent falls, cognitive changes, and multiple medical comorbidities and medications requiring judicious management.
The evaluation project, funded through the RTO/ERO Foundation, aims to complete a rigorous scholarly evaluation of this novel curriculum experience. The goal would be to help disseminate this educational model to other surgical residency programs to include a mandatory geriatric medicine module in their training programs.
Incorporating geriatric medicine training into multiple medical curricula and building a broader capacity to provide geriatric care throughout the health care system is seen as one of the best ways to address the issue of the shortage of geriatricians in Ontario and beyond.
The evaluation project was designed to answer three questions:
- Does the curriculum increase knowledge & attitudes in geriatrics?
- How does it affect residents' comfort & behaviors?
- How can the curriculum be improved for the future?
Adrian Chan, a summer medical student in the program, presented the preliminary findings in August. The results have been positive, showing improvements in knowledge and attitudes among the trainees who completed the geriatrics curriculum.
Observations from project participants...
"The fracture might be the end-point. Often it's all the medical issues that need to be addressed...I think that this is a partnership that is a must as an orthopod." Senior Resident
"There is a lot more ... one-to-one patient time spent from the MDs, which is a change I've seen" (After the training, the charge nurse noticed that residents were spending more time with the patient) Charge Nurse
The Orthogeriatrics Evaluation Project is one of ten active projects across Ontario funded by the RTO/ERO Foundation. | https://rto-ero.org/support-the-foundation/your-donation-in-action/research-and-postsecondary-education-in-geriatrics |
The U.S. Department of Education has awarded a grant of about $550,000 to Georgetown to improve campus emergency management. The grant will be funded and used over an 18-month period to address four phases of emergency management: prevention-mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery, according to Rocco DelMonaco, vice president of university safety.
Georgetown was selected for the grant as part of a two-year, nationally competitive process through the [Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Drug-Free schools](https://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osdfs/index.html). The department awarded 43 grants, ranging from $58,000 to $768,000, to schools across the country.
According to information from the Campus Emergency Office provided by Peter Luger, executive director of university safety, finance and administration, the grant will provide funds for reviewing and improving emergency management planning efforts and will allow the [Office of University Safety](https://safety.georgetown.edu/) to conduct training exercises with members of the university community
“The grant will also help us build on our existing review process, allowing us to strengthen our emergency preparedness planning and response,” Luger said. “The plans are in place to help protect the life, safety and property of our entire community of students, faculty, staff and visitors.”
The grant will also fund a graduate student internship program established in the summer of 2008, according to Whit Chaiyabhat, director of emergency management. The unpaid internship has produced three emergency preparedness exercises focused on the university’s Emergency Response Team and crisis management systems, Chaiyabhat said in an e-mail provided by Luger.
“The grant-funded graduate student internship program will continue that work while offering students a paid internship opportunity,” Chaiyabhat said. “The internship program serves as an excellent opportunity for students to influence the preparedness of their own university and fellow students.”
The graduate student program will offer preference to students in security studies, health studies and public policy, and to those with career interests in crisis and disaster management, Chaiyabhat said. Unpaid undergraduate internships will still be considered but will not be funded under the grant.
“The success and nature of emergency preparedness requires a comprehensive community approach and emphasis,” Chaiyabhat said. “Prior to the grant award, the Department of Emergency Management and Operational Continuity had already begun the development of an emergency preparedness awareness campaign to engage and focus students, faculty and staff on increased attention to a `personal preparedness’ mindset. These initiatives are ongoing, in consultation with the Student Safety Advisory Board, and will include the development of an online training capability funded by the grant.”
In anticipation of the possibility of [H1N1 outbreaks](https://www.thehoya.com/news/gu-finds-50-likely-h1n1-cases/) on campus, as well as other medical concerns, rapid response to health emergencies on campus would also be addressed with the grant. One of the projects involves training university administrators as Community Emergency Response Team members.
“This training will benefit GERMS by giving bystanders the knowledge and preparation to confidently confront emergency situations, such as those that require our ambulance services,” Brendan Maggiore (MSB ’11), vice president of public relations for GERMS, said. “A more educated community allows our crews to operate more efficiently.”
The Office of University Safety has unveiled numerous measures to enhance Georgetown’s ability to respond to emergency situations over the past few years. These include the HOYAlert system – the university’s emergency notification system – and the Campus Alert System – a series of steam whistles that signal to the university community to take shelter when activated. | https://thehoya.com/gu-receives-emergency-management-grant/ |
The term adaptive learning refers to a nonlinear approach to online instruction that adjusts to a student's needs as the student progresses through course content, resulting in a customized experience for the learner based on prior knowledge. This concept is emerging in the field of online learning. Through a project funded by the eXtension Foundation, we reviewed and conducted pilot testing on adaptive learning tools for Extension programming. We found that the adaptive learning format aided learners in mastering content. A significant contribution to the Extension community resulting from our project is improved understanding of an innovative way of teaching online. | https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/joe/vol56/iss5/17/ |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
This application is a continuation-in-part of International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2014/074440 with an international filing date of Mar. 31, 2014, designating the United States, now pending. The contents of all of the aforementioned applications, including any intervening amendments thereto, are incorporated herein by reference. Inquiries from the public to applicants or assignees concerning this document or the related applications should be directed to: Matthias Scholl P. C., Attn.: Dr. Matthias Scholl Esq., 245 First Street, 18th Floor, Cambridge, Mass. 02142.
Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of the video codec technology, and more particularly to a chroma interpolation method and a filter device using the same for chroma interpolation.
Description of the Related Art
Typical video codec standards adopt luma interpolation which has a 1/4-pel accuracy. The corresponding chroma interpolation has a 1/8-pel accuracy, with the interpolated fractional-pel pixels reaching 63; this increases the calculation difficulty.
Although bilinear interpolation features a simple calculation process, the performance thereof is inadequate.
In view of the above-described problems, it is one objective of the invention to provide an improved chroma interpolation method and a filter device using the method.
1) determining a pixel accuracy for interpolation;
2) determining coordinate positions of interpolated fractional-pel pixels between integer-pel pixels; and
3) performing two-dimensional separated interpolation on the interpolated fractional-pel pixels by an interpolation filter according to the coordinate positions.
To achieve the above objective, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, there is provided a chroma interpolation method. The method comprises:
In a class of this embodiment, the pixel accuracy is 1/8-pel accuracy. The interpolation filter comprises a 4-tap interpolation filter.
In a class of this embodiment, the two-dimensional separated interpolation on the interpolated fractional-pel pixels according to the coordinate positions comprises:
1) performing one-dimensional interpolation filtering on the fractional-pel pixels between adjacent integer-pel pixels in a horizontal direction;
2) performing one-dimensional interpolation filtering on the factional-pel pixels between adjacent integer-pel pixels in a vertical direction; and
3) performing the one-dimensional interpolation filtering on remaining factional-pel pixels in the horizontal direction and then performing the one-dimensional interpolation filtering in the vertical direction.
In a class of this embodiment, coefficients of the 4-tap interpolation filter are as follows: a coefficient corresponding to a 1/8-pel is {−4, 62, 6, 0}; a coefficient corresponding to a 2/8-pel is {−6, 56, 15, −1}; a coefficient corresponding to a 3/8-pel is {−5, 47, 25, −3}; a coefficient corresponding to a 4/8-pel is {−4, 36, 36, −4}; a coefficient corresponding to a 5/8-pel is {−3, 25, 47, −5}; a coefficient corresponding to a 6/8-pel is {−1, 15, 56, −6}; and a coefficient corresponding to a 7/8-pel is {0, 6, 62, −4}.
In a class of this embodiment, the coordinate positions of the interpolated fractional-pel pixels are as follows:
X
Y
0/8
1/8
2/8
3/8
4/8
5/8
6/8
7/8
0/8
A
oa
ob
oc
od
oe
of
og
1/8
pa
pb
pc
pd
pe
pf
pg
ph
2/8
qa
qb
qc
qd
qe
qf
qg
qh
3/8
ra
rb
rc
rd
re
rf
rg
rh
4/8
sa
sb
sc
sd
se
sf
sg
sh
5/8
ta
tb
tc
td
te
tf
tg
th
6/8
ua
ub
uc
ud
ue
uf
ug
uh
7/8
va
vb
vc
vd
ve
vf
vg
vh
in which, interpolation processes of the fractional-pel pixels oa, ob, oc, od, oe, of, and og are as follows: performing 4-tap interpolation filter on the adjacent integer-pel pixels in the horizontal direction, adopting the coefficients of the interpolation filter corresponding to the 1/8-pel, 2/8-pel, 3/8-pel, 4/8-pel, 5/8-pel, 6/8-pel, 7/8-pel positions for calculation, and shifting calculation results by shift1 to acquire corresponding fractional-pel pixels.
In a class of this embodiment, interpolation processes of the fractional-pel pixels pa, qa, ra, sa, ta, ua, and va are as follows: performing 4-tap interpolation filter on the adjacent integer-pel pixels in the vertical direction, adopting the coefficients of the interpolation filter corresponding to the 1/8-pel, 2/8-pel, 3/8-pel, 4/8-pel, 5/8-pel, 6/8-pel, 7/8-pel positions for calculation, and shifting calculation results by shift1 to acquire corresponding fractional-pel pixels.
In a class of this embodiment, shift1 equals to 6.
In a class of this embodiment, interpolation processes of the remaining fractional-pel pixels are as follows: performing 4-tap interpolation filter on the adjacent integer-pel pixels in the horizontal direction, adopting coefficients of the interpolation filter corresponding to the positions of the remaining fractional-pel pixels to acquire intermediate values; and performing 4-tap interpolation filter on the intermediate values in the vertical direction, and adopting the coefficients of the interpolation filter corresponding to the 1/8-pel, 2/8-pel, 3/8-pel, 4/8-pel, 5/8-pel, 6/8-pel, 7/8-pel positions for calculation, and shifting calculation results by shift2 to acquire corresponding fractional-pel pixels.
In a class of this embodiment, shift2 equals to 12.
In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a filter device using the above method for chroma interpolation.
Advantages of the chroma interpolation method according to embodiments of the invention are summarized as follows.
Because the coordinate positions of the interpolated fractional-pel pixels between integer-pel pixels are determined, the two-dimensional separated interpolation can be performed on the interpolated fractional-pel pixels by the low tap interpolation filter, such as the 4-tap interpolation filter, according to the coordinate positions. For the bilinear interpolation, the performance of the interpolation is improved.
For further illustrating the invention, experiments detailing a chroma interpolation method and a filter device are described below. It should be noted that the following examples are intended to describe and not to limit the invention.
FIG. 1
As show in , a chroma interpolation method in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, comprises the following steps:
102
S: determining a pixel accuracy for interpolation. In one embodiment of the invention, the pixel accuracy is 1/8-pel accuracy.
104
S: determining coordinate positions of interpolated fractional-pel pixels between integer-pel pixels;
106
S: performing two-dimensional separated interpolation on the interpolated fractional-pel pixels by an interpolation filter according to the coordinate positions. In one embodiment of the invention, the interpolation filter comprises a 4-tap interpolation filter.
In one embodiment of the invention, the two-dimensional separated interpolation on the interpolated fractional-pel pixels according to the coordinate positions comprises:
1) performing one-dimensional interpolation filtering on the fractional-pel pixels between adjacent integer-pel pixels in a horizontal direction;
2) performing one-dimensional interpolation filtering on the factional-pel pixels between adjacent integer-pel pixels in a vertical direction; and
3) performing the one-dimensional interpolation filtering on remaining factional-pel pixels in the horizontal direction and then performing the one-dimensional interpolation filtering in the vertical direction.
In the chroma interpolation method of the invention, coefficients of the 4-tap interpolation filter are as follows: a coefficient corresponding to a 1/8-pel is {−4, 62, 6, 0}; a coefficient corresponding to a 2/8-pel is {−6, 56, 15, −1}; a coefficient corresponding to a 3/8-pel is {−5, 47, 25, −3}; a coefficient corresponding to a 4/8-pel is {−4, 36, 36, −4}; a coefficient corresponding to a 5/8-pel is {−3, 25, 47, −5}; a coefficient corresponding to a 6/8-pel is {−1, 15, 56, −6}; and a coefficient corresponding to a 7/8-pel is {0, 6, 62, −4}. The adopted coefficients of the 4-tap interpolation filter have excellent performance and good interpolation effect.
In the video codec standard, the motion vector of the chroma is derived from the motion vector searched by the luma. Since the motion vector of the luma generally adopted in the current standard has 1/4-pel accuracy, the motion vector of the chroma has 1/8-pel accuracy, thus the fractional-pel pixels of the chroma can be acquired by interpolation according to the motion vector of the chroma.
FIG. 2
In one embodiment of the chroma interpolation method of the invention, the interpolated fractional-pel pixels are shown in , in which, positions represented by upper-case letters are known integer integer-pel pixels, and positions represented by lower-case letters are fractional-pel pixels required to be acquired by interpolation. Fractional-pel pixels oa, ob, oc, od, oe, of, and og can be acquired by performing 4-tap interpolation filter on the adjacent integer-pel pixels in the horizontal direction. Fractional-pel pixels pa, qa, ra, sa, ta, ua, and va can be acquired by performing 4-tap interpolation filter on the adjacent integer-pel pixels in the vertical direction. And the remaining fractional-pel pixels can be acquired by performing 4-tap interpolation filter on the adjacent integer-pel pixels in the horizontal direction and then performing the 4-tap interpolation filter on intermediate values in the vertical direction. The coefficients of the 4-tap interpolation filter are listed in Table 1, and the coordinate positions of the interpolated fractional-pel pixels are listed in Table 2.
TABLE 1
Coefficients of 4-tap interpolation filter
Positions of fractional-pel pixels
Coefficients of interpolation filter
1/8
{−4, 62, 6, 0}
2/8
{−6, 56, 15, −1}
3/8
{−5, 47, 25, −3}
4/8
{−4, 36, 36, −4}
5/8
{−3, 25, 47, −5}
6/8
{−1, 15, 56, −6}
7/8
{0, 6, 62, −4}
TABLE 2
Coordinate positions of interpolated fractional-pel pixels
X
Y
0/8
1/8
2/8
3/8
4/8
5/8
6/8
7/8
0/8
A
oa
ob
oc
od
oe
of
og
1/8
pa
pb
pc
pd
pe
pf
pg
ph
2/8
qa
qb
qc
qd
qe
qf
qg
qh
3/8
ra
rb
rc
rd
re
rf
rg
rh
4/8
sa
sb
sc
sd
se
sf
sg
sh
5/8
ta
tb
tc
td
te
tf
tg
th
6/8
ua
ub
uc
ud
ue
uf
ug
uh
7/8
va
vb
vc
vd
ve
vf
vg
vh
FIG. 3
In another embodiment of the invention, the chroma interpolation, as shown in , comprises the following steps:
302
S: start.
304
S: the fractional-pel pixels to be interpolated are determined according to the coordinate positions on an X-axis and a Y-axis in Table 2, in which 0≤X≤7/8, 0≤Y≤7/8.
306
S: for the integer-pel pixels, the original integer-pel pixels are directly copied. The interpolation processes of the corresponding fractional-pel pixels are respectively performed according to the determination of the above step. For the integer-pel pixels, no interpolation is needed, and the original integer-pel pixels are directly copied.
308
oa
A
A
A
ob
A
A
A
−A
oc
A
A
A
A
od
A
A
A
A
oe
A
A
A
A
of
A
A
A
A
og
A
A
A
−1,0
0,0
1,0
−1,0
0,0
1,0
2,0
−1,0
0,0
1,0
2,0
−1,0
0,0
1,0
2,0
−1,0
0,0
1,0
2,0
−1,0
0,0
1,0
2,0
0,0
1,0
2,0
S: interpolation processes of pixels having the Y-axis equal to 0, such as the fractional-pel pixels oa, ob, oc, od, oe, of, and og, are as follows: the 4-tap interpolation filter is performed on the adjacent integer-pel pixels in the horizontal direction, and the coefficients of the interpolation filter corresponding to the 1/8-pel, 2/8-pel, 3/8-pel, 4/8-pel, 5/8-pel, 6/8-pel, 7/8-pel positions are adopted to calculate the corresponding fractional-pel pixels. Specific calculation equations corresponding to the fractional-pel pixels oa, ob, oc, od, oe, of, and og are as follows:
=(−4×+62×+6×)>>shift1=(−6×+56×+15×)>>shift1=(−5×+47×+25×−3×)>>shift1=(−4×+36×+36×−4×)>>shift1=(−3×+25×+47×−5×)>>shift1=(−+15×+56×−6×)>>shift1=(6×+62×−4×)>>shift1
310
pa
A
A
A
qa
A
A
A
−A
ra
A
A
A
A
sa
A
A
A
A
ta
A
A
A
A
ua
A
A
A
va
A
A
A
0,−1
0,0
0,1
0,−1
0,0
0,1
0,2
0,−1
0,0
0,1
0,2
0,−1
0,0
0,1
0,2
0,−1
0,0
0,1
0,2
0,−1
0,0
0,1
0,2
0,0
0,1
0,2
S: interpolation processes of pixels having the X-axis equal to 0, such as the fractional-pel pixels pa, qa, ra, sa, ta, ua, and va, are as follows: the 4-tap interpolation filter is performed on the adjacent integer-pel pixels in the vertical direction, and the coefficients of the interpolation filter corresponding to the 1/8-pel, 2/8-pel, 3/8-pel, 4/8-pel, 5/8-pel, 6/8-pel, 7/8-pel positions are adopted to calculate the corresponding fractional-pel pixels. Specific calculation equations corresponding to the fractional-pel pixels pa, qa, ra, sa, ta, ua, and va are as follows:
=(−4×+62×+6×)>>shift1=(−6×+56×+15×)>>shift1=(−5×+47×+25×−3×)>>shift1=(−4×+36×+36×−4×)>>shift1=(−3×+25×+47×−5×)>>shift1=(−A+15×+56×−6×)>>shift1=(6×+62×−4×)>>shift1
312
S: for the remaining fractional-pel pixels, the 4-tap interpolation filter is performed on the adjacent integer-pel pixels in the horizontal direction and then the 4-tap interpolation filter in the vertical direction is performed.
0,i
0,i
0,−1
0,0
0,1
0,−1
0,0
0,1
0,2
pb
oa′
oa′
oa′
pb
oa′
oa′
oa′
−oa′
Interpolation processes of the fractional-pel pixels pb, qb, rb, sb, tb, ub, and vb are as follows: the 4-tap interpolation filter is performed on the adjacent integer-pel pixels in the horizontal direction, and the coefficients of the interpolation filter at corresponding positions are utilized, so that intermediate values oa′(in which i represents integers between −1 and 2) are obtained. A difference between oa′ and oa is that the calculation of oa′ is in the absence of the final shifting operation by shift1. Then, the 4-tap interpolation filter is performed on the intermediate values oa′in the vertical direction, and the coefficients of the interpolation filter corresponding to the 1/8-pel, 2/8-pel, 3/8-pel, 4/8-pel, 5/8-pel, 6/8-pel, 7/8-pel positions are adopted respectively to calculate the corresponding fractional-pel pixels. Hereinbelow, the calculation equations of the fractional-pel pixels pb and qbare listed while calculation equations of other fraction-pel pixels are likewise:
=(−4×+62×+6×)>>shift2=(−6×+56×+15×)>>shift2
0,i
0,i
0,−1
0,0
0,1
0,−1
0,0
0,1
0,2
pc
ob′
ob′
ob′
qc
ob′
ob′
ob′
−ob′
Interpolation processes of the fractional-pel pixels pc, qc, rc, sc, tc, uc, and vc are as follows: the 4-tap interpolation filter is performed on the adjacent integer-pel pixels in the horizontal direction, and the coefficients of the interpolation filter at corresponding positions are utilized, so that intermediate values ob′(in which i represents integers between −1 and 2) are obtained. A difference between ob′ and ob is that the calculation of ob′ is in the absence of the final shifting operation by shift1. Then, the 4-tap interpolation filter is performed on the intermediate values ob′in the vertical direction, and the coefficients of the interpolation filter corresponding to the 1/8-pel, 2/8-pel, 3/8-pel, 4/8-pel, 5/8-pel, 6/8-pel, 7/8-pel positions are adopted respectively to calculate the corresponding fractional-pel pixels. Hereinbelow, the calculation equations of the fractional-pel pixels pc and qc are listed while calculation equations of other fraction-pel pixels are likewise:
=(−4×+62×+6×)>>shift2=(−6×+56×+15×)>>shift2
0,i
0,i
0,−1
0,0
0,1
0,−1
0,0
0,1
0,2
pd
oc′
oc′
oc′
qd
oc′
oc′
oc′
−oc′
Interpolation processes of the fractional-pel pixels pd, qd, rd, sd, td, ud, and vd are as follows: the 4-tap interpolation filter is performed on the adjacent integer-pel pixels in the horizontal direction, and the coefficients of the interpolation filter at corresponding positions are utilized, so that intermediate values oc′(in which i represents integers between −1 and 2) are obtained. A difference between oc′ and oc is that the calculation of oc′ is in the absence of the final shifting operation by shift1. Then, the 4-tap interpolation filter is performed on the intermediate values oc′in the vertical direction, and the coefficients of the interpolation filter corresponding to the 1/8-pel, 2/8-pel, 3/8-pel, 4/8-pel, 5/8-pel, 6/8-pel, 7/8-pel positions are adopted respectively to calculate the corresponding fractional-pel pixels. Hereinbelow, the calculation equations of the fractional-pel pixels pd and qdare listed while calculation equations of other fraction-pel pixels are likewise:
=(−4×+62×+6×)>>shift2=(−6×+56×+15×)>>shift2
0,i
0,i
0,−1
0,0
0,1
0,−1
0,0
0,1
0,2
pe
od′
od′
od′
qe
od′
od′
od′
−od′
6
Interpolation processes of the fractional-pel pixels pe, qe, re, se, te, ue, and ye are as follows: the 4-tap interpolation filter is performed on the adjacent integer-pel pixels in the horizontal direction, and the coefficients of the interpolation filter at corresponding positions are utilized, so that intermediate values od′(in which i represents integers between −1 and 2) are obtained. A difference between od′ and od is that the calculation of od′ is in the absence of the final shifting operation by shift1. Then, the 4-tap interpolation filter is performed on the intermediate values od′in the vertical direction, and the coefficients of the interpolation filter corresponding to the 1/8-pel, 2/8-pel, 3/8-pel, 4/8-pel, 5/8-pel, 6/8-pel, 7/8-pel positions are adopted respectively to calculate the corresponding fractional-pel pixels. Hereinbelow, the calculation equations of the fractional-pel pixels pe and qe are listed while calculation equations of other fraction-pel pixels are likewise:
=(−4×+62×+6×)>>shift2=(−×+56×++15×)>>shift2
0,i
0,i
0,−1
0,0
0,1
0,−1
0,0
0,1
0,2
pf
oe
oe′
oe′
qf
oe′
oe′
oe′
−oe′
Interpolation processes of the fractional-pel pixels pf, qf, rf, sf, tf, uf, and of are as follows: the 4-tap interpolation filter is performed on the adjacent integer-pel pixels in the horizontal direction, and the coefficients of the interpolation filter at corresponding positions are utilized, so that intermediate values oe′(in which i represents integers between −1 and 2) are obtained. A difference between oe′ and oe is that the calculation of oe′ is in the absence of the final shifting operation by shift1. Then, the 4-tap interpolation filter is performed on the intermediate values oe′in the vertical direction, and the coefficients of the interpolation filter corresponding to the 1/8-pel, 2/8-pel, 3/8-pel, 4/8-pel, 5/8-pel, 6/8-pel, 7/8-pel positions are adopted respectively to calculate the corresponding fractional-pel pixels. Hereinbelow, the calculation equations of the fractional-pel pixels pf and qf are listed while calculation equations of other fraction-pel pixels are likewise:
=(−4×+62×+6×)>>shift2=(−6×+56×+15×)>>shift2
0,i
0,i
0,−1
0,0
0,1
0,−1
0,0
0,1
0,2
pg
of′
of′
of′
qg
of′
of′
of′
−of′
Interpolation processes of the fractional-pel pixels pg, qg, rg, sg, tg, ug, and vg are as follows: the 4-tap interpolation filter is performed on the adjacent integer-pel pixels in the horizontal direction, and the coefficients of the interpolation filter at corresponding positions are utilized, so that intermediate values of′(in which i represents integers between −1 and 2) are obtained. A difference between of and of is that the calculation of of is in the absence of the final shifting operation by shift1. Then, the 4-tap interpolation filter is performed on the intermediate values of′in the vertical direction, and the coefficients of the interpolation filter corresponding to the 1/8-pel, 2/8-pel, 3/8-pel, 4/8-pel, 5/8-pel, 6/8-pel, 7/8-pel positions are adopted respectively to calculate the corresponding fractional-pel pixels. Hereinbelow, the calculation equations of the fractional-pel pixels pg and qg are listed while calculation equations of other fraction-pel pixels are likewise:
=(−4×+62×+6×)>>shift2=(−6×+56×+15×)>>shift2
0,i
0,i
0,−1
0,0
0,1
0,−1
0,0
0,1
0,2
ph
og′
og′
og′
qh
og′
og′
og′
−og′
Interpolation processes of the fractional-pel pixels ph, qh, rh, sh, th, uh, and vh are as follows: the 4-tap interpolation filter is performed on the adjacent integer-pel pixels in the horizontal direction, and the coefficients of the interpolation filter at corresponding positions are utilized, so that intermediate values og′(in which i represents integers between −1 and 2) are obtained. A difference between og′ and og is that the calculation of og′ is in the absence of the final shifting operation by shift1. Then, the 4-tap interpolation filter is performed on the intermediate values og′in the vertical direction, and the coefficients of the interpolation filter corresponding to the 1/8-pel, 2/8-pel, 3/8-pel, 4/8-pel, 5/8-pel, 6/8-pel, 7/8-pel positions are adopted respectively to calculate the corresponding fractional-pel pixels. Hereinbelow, the calculation equations of the fractional-pel pixels ph and qh are listed while calculation equations of other fraction-pel pixels are likewise:
=(−4×+62×+6×)>>shift2=(−6×+56×+15×)>>shift2
In the above equations, shift1=6 and shift2=12. Thus, the interpolated fractional-pel pixels are acquired by interpolation.
314
S: Finish.
Unless otherwise indicated, the numerical ranges involved in the invention include the end values. While particular embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects, and therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention is described hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1
is a first flow chart of a chroma interpolation method in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2
is a structure diagram showing interpolated fractional-pel pixels in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; and
FIG. 3
is a second flow chart of a chroma interpolation method in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. | |
It had been noticed that, while coevolutionary computational systems have only a single objective when evaluating, there is a subtle multi-objective aspect to evaluation since different pairings can be thought of as different objectives (all in support of the single original objective). Previously researchers used this to identify pairings of individuals during evaluation within a single generation. However, because of the problems of forgetfulness and the Red-Queen effect, this does not allow for the proper control that the technique promises. In this research, this implicit multi-objective approach is extended to function between generations as well as within. This makes it possible to implement a more powerful form of elitism as well as mitigate against some of the pathologies of Coevolutionary systems that forgetfulness and the Red-Queen effect engender, thus providing more robust solutions.
Initial design strategies and their effects on sequential model-based optimization: an exploratory case study based on BBOB
Sequential model-based optimization (SMBO) approaches are algorithms for solving problems that require computationally or otherwise expensive function evaluations. The key design principle of SMBO is a substitution of the true objective function by a surrogate, which is used to propose the point(s) to be evaluated next.
SMBO algorithms are intrinsically modular, leaving the user with many important design choices. Significant research efforts go into understanding which settings perform best for which type of problems. Most works, however, focus on the choice of the model, the acquisition function, and the strategy used to optimize the latter. The choice of the initial sampling strategy, however, receives much less attention. Not surprisingly, quite diverging recommendations can be found in the literature.
We analyze in this work how the size and the distribution of the initial sample influences the overall quality of the efficient global optimization (EGO) algorithm, a well-known SMBO approach. While, overall, small initial budgets using Halton sampling seem preferable, we also observe that the performance landscape is rather unstructured. We furthermore identify several situations in which EGO performs unfavorably against random sampling. Both observations indicate that an adaptive SMBO design could be beneficial, making SMBO an interesting test-bed for automated algorithm design.
ϵ-shotgun: ϵ-greedy batch bayesian optimisation
Bayesian optimisation is a popular surrogate model-based approach for optimising expensive black-box functions. Given a surrogate model, the next location to expensively evaluate is chosen via maximisation of a cheap-to-query acquisition function. We present an ϵ-greedy procedure for Bayesian optimisation in batch settings in which the black-box function can be evaluated multiple times in parallel. Our ϵ-shotgun algorithm leverages the model's prediction, uncertainty, and the approximated rate of change of the landscape to determine the spread of batch solutions to be distributed around a putative location. The initial target location is selected either in an exploitative fashion on the mean prediction, or - with probability ϵ - from elsewhere in the design space. This results in locations that are more densely sampled in regions where the function is changing rapidly and in locations predicted to be good (i.e. close to predicted optima), with more scattered samples in regions where the function is flatter and/or of poorer quality. We empirically evaluate the ϵ-shotgun methods on a range of synthetic functions and two real-world problems, finding that they perform at least as well as state-of-the-art batch methods and in many cases exceed their performance.
Bivariate estimation-of-distribution algorithms can find an exponential number of optima
Finding a large set of optima in a multimodal optimization landscape is a challenging task. Classical population-based evolutionary algorithms (EAs) typically converge only to a single solution. While this can be counteracted by applying niching strategies, the number of optima is nonetheless trivially bounded by the population size.
Estimation-of-distribution algorithms (EDAs) are an alternative, maintaining a probabilistic model of the solution space instead of an explicit population. Such a model is able to implicitly represent a solution set that is far larger than any realistic population size.
To support the study of how optimization algorithms handle large sets of optima, we propose the test function EqalBlocksOneMax (EBOM). It has an easy to optimize fitness landscape, however, with an exponential number of optima. We show that the bivariate EDA mutual-information-maximizing input clustering (MIMIC), without any problem-specific modification, quickly generates a model that behaves very similarly to a theoretically ideal model for that function, which samples each of the exponentially many optima with the same maximal probability.
From understanding genetic drift to a smart-restart parameter-less compact genetic algorithm
One of the key difficulties in using estimation-of-distribution algorithms is choosing the population sizes appropriately: Too small values lead to genetic drift, which can cause enormous difficulties. In the regime with no genetic drift, however, often the runtime is roughly proportional to the population size, which renders large population sizes inefficient.
Based on a recent quantitative analysis which population sizes lead to genetic drift, we propose a parameter-less version of the compact genetic algorithm that automatically finds a suitable population size without spending too much time in situations unfavorable due to genetic drift.
We prove an easy mathematical runtime guarantee for this algorithm and conduct an extensive experimental analysis on four classic benchmark problems. The former shows that under a natural assumption, our algorithm has a performance similar to the one obtainable from the best population size. The latter confirms that missing the right population size can be highly detrimental and shows that our algorithm as well as a previously proposed parameter-less one based on parallel runs avoids such pitfalls. Comparing the two approaches, ours profits from its ability to abort runs which are likely to be stuck in a genetic drift situation.
Effective reinforcement learning through evolutionary surrogate-assisted prescription
There is now significant historical data available on decision making in organizations, consisting of the decision problem, what decisions were made, and how desirable the outcomes were. Using this data, it is possible to learn a surrogate model, and with that model, evolve a decision strategy that optimizes the outcomes. This paper introduces a general such approach, called Evolutionary Surrogate-Assisted Prescription, or ESP. The surrogate is, for example, a random forest or a neural network trained with gradient descent, and the strategy is a neural network that is evolved to maximize the predictions of the surrogate model. ESP is further extended in this paper to sequential decision-making tasks, which makes it possible to evaluate the framework in reinforcement learning (RL) benchmarks. Because the majority of evaluations are done on the surrogate, ESP is more sample efficient, has lower variance, and lower regret than standard RL approaches. Surprisingly, its solutions are also better because both the surrogate and the strategy network regularize the decision making behavior. ESP thus forms a promising foundation to decision optimization in real-world problems.
Analysis of the performance of algorithm configurators for search heuristics with global mutation operators
Recently it has been proved that a simple algorithm configurator called ParamRLS can efficiently identify the optimal neighbourhood size to be used by stochastic local search to optimise two standard benchmark problem classes. In this paper we analyse the performance of algorithm configurators for tuning the more sophisticated global mutation operator used in standard evolutionary algorithms, which flips each of the n bits independently with probability χ/n and the best value for χ has to be identified. We compare the performance of configurators when the best-found fitness values within the cutoff time k are used to compare configurations against the actual optimisation time for two standard benchmark problem classes, Ridge and LeadingOnes. We rigorously prove that all algorithm configurators that use optimisation time as performance metric require cutoff times that are at least as large as the expected optimisation time to identify the optimal configuration. Matters are considerably different if the fitness metric is used. To show this we prove that the simple ParamRLS-F configurator can identify the optimal mutation rates even when using cutoff times that are considerably smaller than the expected optimisation time of the best parameter value for both problem classes.
On the choice of the parameter control mechanism in the (1+(λ, λ)) genetic algorithm
The self-adjusting (1 + (λ, λ)) GA is the best known genetic algorithm for problems with a good fitness-distance correlation as in OneMax. It uses a parameter control mechanism for the parameter λ that governs the mutation strength and the number of offspring. However, on multimodal problems, the parameter control mechanism tends to increase λ uncontrollably.
We study this problem and possible solutions to it using rigorous runtime analysis for the standard Jumpk benchmark problem class. The original algorithm behaves like a (1+n) EA whenever the maximum value λ = n is reached. This is ineffective for problems where large jumps are required. Capping λ at smaller values is beneficial for such problems. Finally, resetting λ to 1 allows the parameter to cycle through the parameter space. We show that this strategy is effective for all Jumpk problems: the (1 + (λ, λ)) GA performs as well as the (1 + 1) EA with the optimal mutation rate and fast evolutionary algorithms, apart from a small polynomial overhead.
Along the way, we present new general methods for bounding the runtime of the (1 + (λ, λ)) GA that allows to translate existing runtime bounds from the (1 + 1) EA to the self-adjusting (1 + (λ, λ)) GA. Our methods are easy to use and give upper bounds for novel classes of functions.
Landscape-aware fixed-budget performance regression and algorithm selection for modular CMA-ES variants
Automated algorithm selection promises to support the user in the decisive task of selecting a most suitable algorithm for a given problem. A common component of these machine-trained techniques are regression models which predict the performance of a given algorithm on a previously unseen problem instance. In the context of numerical black-box optimization, such regression models typically build on exploratory landscape analysis (ELA), which quantifies several characteristics of the problem. These measures can be used to train a supervised performance regression model.
First steps towards ELA-based performance regression have been made in the context of a fixed-target setting. In many applications, however, the user needs to select an algorithm that performs best within a given budget of function evaluations. Adopting this fixed-budget setting, we demonstrate that it is possible to achieve high-quality performance predictions with off-the-shelf supervised learning approaches, by suitably combining two differently trained regression models. We test this approach on a very challenging problem: algorithm selection on a portfolio of very similar algorithms, which we choose from the family of modular CMA-ES algorithms.
Algorithm selection of anytime algorithms
Anytime algorithms for optimization problems are of particular interest since they allow to trade off execution time with result quality. However, the selection of the best anytime algorithm for a given problem instance has been focused on a particular budget for execution time or particular target result quality. Moreover, it is often assumed that these anytime preferences are known when developing or training the algorithm selection methodology. In this work, we study the algorithm selection problem in a context where the decision maker's anytime preferences are defined by a general utility function, and only known at the time of selection. To this end, we first examine how to measure the performance of an anytime algorithm with respect to this utility function. Then, we discuss approaches for the development of selection methodologies that receive a utility function as an argument at the time of selection. Then, to illustrate one of the discussed approaches, we present a preliminary study on the selection between an exact and a heuristic algorithm for a bi-objective knapsack problem. The results show that the proposed methodology has an accuracy greater than 96% in the selected scenarios, but we identify room for improvement.
CMA-ES for one-class constraint synthesis
We propose CMA-ES for One-Class Constraint Synthesis (CMAESOCCS), a method that synthesizes Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model from exemplary feasible solutions to this model using Covariance Matrix Adaptation - Evolutionary Strategy (CMA-ES). Given a one-class training set, CMAESOCCS adaptively detects partitions in this set, synthesizes independent Linear Programming models for all partitions and merges these models into a single MILP model. CMAESOCCS is evaluated experimentally using synthetic problems. A practical use case of CMAESOCCS is demonstrated based on a problem of synthesis of a model for a rice farm. The obtained results are competitive when compared to a state-of-the-art method.
Expected improvement versus predicted value in surrogate-based optimization
Surrogate-based optimization relies on so-called infill criteria (acquisition functions) to decide which point to evaluate next. When Kriging is used as the surrogate model of choice (also called Bayesian optimization), one of the most frequently chosen criteria is expected improvement. We argue that the popularity of expected improvement largely relies on its theoretical properties rather than empirically validated performance. Few results from the literature show evidence, that under certain conditions, expected improvement may perform worse than something as simple as the predicted value of the surrogate model. We benchmark both infill criteria in an extensive empirical study on the 'BBOB' function set. This investigation includes a detailed study of the impact of problem dimensionality on algorithm performance. The results support the hypothesis that exploration loses importance with increasing problem dimensionality. A statistical analysis reveals that the purely exploitative search with the predicted value criterion performs better on most problems of five or higher dimensions. Possible reasons for these results are discussed. In addition, we give an in-depth guide for choosing the infill criteria based on prior knowledge about the problem at hand, its dimensionality, and the available budget.
Model-based optimization with concept drifts
Model-based Optimization (MBO) is a method to optimize expensive black-box functions that uses a surrogate to guide the search. We propose two practical approaches that allow MBO to optimize black-box functions where the relation between input and output changes over time, which are known as dynamic optimization problems (DOPs). The window approach trains the surrogate only on the most recent observations, and the time-as-covariate approach includes the time as an additional input variable in the surrogate, giving it the ability to learn the effect of the time on the outcomes. We focus on problems where the change happens systematically and label this systematic change concept drift. To benchmark our methods we define a set of benchmark functions built from established synthetic static functions that are extended with controlled drifts. We evaluate how the proposed approaches handle scenarios of no drift, sudden drift and incremental drift. The results show that both new methods improve the performance if a drift is present. For higher-dimensional multimodal problems the window approach works best and on lower-dimensional problems, where it is easier for the surrogate to capture the influence of the time, the time-as-covariate approach works better.
An evolutionary optimization algorithm for gradually saturating objective functions
Evolutionary algorithms have been actively studied for dynamic optimization problems in the last two decades, however the research is mainly focused on problems with large, periodical or abrupt changes during the optimization. In contrast, this paper concentrates on gradually changing environments with an additional imposition of a saturating objective function. This work is motivated by an evolutionary neural architecture search methodology where a population of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) is evaluated and iteratively modified using genetic operators during the training process. The objective of the search, namely the prediction accuracy of a CNN, is a continuous and slow moving target, increasing with each training epoch and eventually saturating when the training is nearly complete. Population diversity is an important consideration in dynamic environments wherein a large diversity restricts the algorithm from converging to a small area of the search space while the environment is still transforming. Our proposed algorithm adaptively influences the population diversity, depending on the rate of change of the objective function, using disruptive crossovers and non-elitist population replacements. We compare the results of our algorithm with a traditional evolutionary algorithm and demonstrate that the proposed modifications improve the algorithm performance in gradually saturating dynamic environments.
Sensitivity analysis in constrained evolutionary optimization
Sensitivity analysis deals with the question of how changes in input parameters of a model affect its outputs. For constrained optimization problems, one question may be how variations in budget or capacity constraints influence the optimal solution value. Although well established in the domain of linear programming, it is hardly addressed in evolutionary computation. In this paper, a general approach is proposed which allows to identify how the outcome of an evolutionary algorithm is affected when model parameters, such as constraints, are changed. Using evolutionary bilevel optimization in combination with data mining and visualization techniques, the recently suggested concept of bilevel innovization allows to find trade-offs among constraints and objective value. Additionally, it enables decision-makers to gain insights into the overall model behavior under changing framework conditions. The concept of bilevel innovization as a tool for sensitivity analysis is illustrated, without loss of generality, by the example of the multidimensional knapsack problem. The experimental results show that by applying bilevel innovization it is possible to determine how the solution values are influenced by changes of different constraints. Furthermore, rules were obtained that provide information on how parameters can be modified to achieve efficient trade-offs between constraints and objective value.
Integrated vs. sequential approaches for selecting and tuning CMA-ES variants
When faced with a specific optimization problem, deciding which algorithm to apply is always a difficult task. Not only is there a vast variety of algorithms to select from, but these algorithms are often controlled by many hyperparameters, which need to be suitably tuned in order to achieve peak performance. Usually, the problem of selecting and configuring the optimization algorithm is addressed sequentially, by first selecting a suitable algorithm and then tuning it for the application at hand. Integrated approaches, commonly known as Combined Algorithm Selection and Hyperparameter (CASH) solvers, have shown promise in several applications.
In this work we compare sequential and integrated approaches for selecting and tuning the best out of the 4,608 variants of the modular Covariance Matrix Adaptation Evolution Strategy (CMA-ES). We show that the ranking of these variants depends to a large extent on the quality of the hyperparameters. Sequential approaches are therefore likely to recommend sub-optimal choices. Integrated approaches, in contrast, manage to provide competitive results at much smaller computational cost. We also highlight important differences in the search behavior of two CASH approaches, which build on racing (irace) and on model-based optimization (MIP-EGO), respectively. | https://sig.sigevo.org/index.html/tiki-index.php?page=TOC+GECCO+2020+GECH |
Opening speech, Peter Maurer, President of the ICRC. Third Meeting of States on Strengthening Compliance with International Humanitarian Law, Geneva, 30 June - 1 July 2014.
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure to welcome you to this Third Meeting of States on Strengthening Compliance with International Humanitarian Law and to offer a few opening remarks.
Where national implementation measures and mechanisms play a central role in structured states, the international community must develop additional and adapted tools to ensure compliance in operational environments characterized by fragile states, armed groups, spreading violence and the potential collapse of traditional law and order systems.
As has just been eloquently recalled by the President of the Swiss Confederation Didier Burkhalter, this year marks the 150th anniversary of the adoption of the first treaty of international humanitarian law, the Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded in Armies in the Field.
This first treaty launched an emblematic quest of states and society for regulating the use of military force in times of conflict, and mitigating the impact of hostilities on civilians and persons hors de combat. The protection of wounded and sick combatants, independently of the side to which they belong, the respect for medical personnel and facilities, and the creation of a protective emblem are symbols for this important development. Over the last century this quest has produced an impressive legal structure as well as strategies and methods to support the implementation of IHL. It situates International Humanitarian Law at the forefront of the efforts to protect and assist people affected by armed conflicts; it brings about a minimum of international attention where one could least expect it: in the most remote battlefields, detention facilities and in other similar situations.
The development of clear and well-articulated international mechanisms to strengthen respect for the rules of IHL and ensure the compliance of belligerents is a critical component of this enterprise, especially as armed conflicts are becoming more protracted and armed groups more fragmented. Where national implementation measures and mechanisms play a central role in structured states, the international community must develop additional and adapted tools to ensure compliance in operational environments characterized by fragile states, armed groups, spreading violence and the potential collapse of traditional law and order systems.
The impact of current conflicts on affected people is both tragic and sobering in terms of implementation of IHL. We continue to witness the execution of captured persons, of indiscriminate attacks affecting civilian populations, of hostage taking, of rape and other forms of sexual violence and of the killing of humanitarian workers. The sad list of atrocities goes on.
While compliance with IHL, as with any other body of norms, will always depend on a range of factors, some of which are not legal in nature, this body of norms serves as the primary guidance on how the parties to an armed conflict must behave. It is the product of generations of collective wisdom and of the experience of those who came before us in an effort to codify the necessary balance between considerations of military necessity and the imperative of humanity. It reflects the values of all states in the attempt to humanize the conduct of military operations. This is evidenced, among other things, by the universal ratification of the 1949 Geneva Conventions.
No law, and IHL is no exception in this regard, can exert a normative function without being supported by the larger community within which it operates. This is the purpose of the joint Swiss-ICRC consultation process in the course of which today’s Third Meeting of States is taking place.
Put simply, the process aims to create an institutional space in which IHL can be supported, on a continuous basis, and through which compliance with it may be strengthened by means of dialogue and exchanges among states. The time for such a space seems long overdue.
At last year’s Second Meeting of States we discussed the inadequacies of some of the current IHL compliance mechanisms. It was rightly pointed out that one of the reasons for the lack of use of these mechanisms is the lack of their attachment to or support by a broader IHL compliance framework and network. Last year we also reflected on the fact that the Geneva Conventions are an exception among international treaties in that they do not provide that states will meet on a regular basis to discuss issues of common concern and perform other functions related to treaty compliance. The absence of an institutional space for dialogue and exchanges on ways of improving compliance with IHL becomes even more extraordinary if we take into account the humanitarian consequences of the non-application of IHL, which we continue to witness today.
Because of the lack of an IHL-supportive space, other bodies of international law are carrying out aspects of the necessary dialogue, exchanges and actions among states aimed at improving compliance with IHL. The case to be made for an IHL specific compliance system appears self-evident considering the fact that IHL is a specific branch of international law, with principles, rules and a logic that would need and benefit from a more dedicated focus. An IHL-supportive system would also involve persons who are familiar with this body of norms, and who can, over time, foster the creation of a broader community of IHL experts and raise awareness of it among the public at large. As with other bodies of law, knowledge of IHL is a prerequisite to developing a sense of ownership and responsibility, with respect to its implementation.
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The consultation process being facilitated by Switzerland and the ICRC presents states with a unique opportunity to address some of the needs and fill in some of the gaps I have just outlined, through the establishment of a dedicated IHL compliance system.
A Meeting of States, I would hope annual, is being envisaged as the central pillar of the new IHL compliance system. It should, on the one hand, serve as a regular forum for dialogue among states on IHL issues, and, on the other, be an anchor for specific compliance functions and other elements of the system. While your discussions on its structure and features are still on going, it would be natural to anticipate that plenary sessions would constitute the principal body of the Meeting of States, as is the case in other international legal frameworks. It is clear that states would form the core membership of the Meeting of States, but other actors, including international and regional intergovernmental organizations, as well civil society organizations, should be able to take part in its work as observers.
In ICRC’s view it would be necessary to have other organs as well, such as a Chair, a Bureau, and a Secretariat. While the need for a “light footprint” - which many of you desire - must be observed, we should also keep in mind that the system should allow for a meaningful and sustained dialogue on IHL issues and ways of improving compliance with it.
A periodic reporting function would also appear to be an essential tool for improving compliance with IHL at the national level. Periodic reporting mechanisms provide opportunities for self-assessment by states in the process of the preparation of reports. Reporting further allows for the provision of information on measures taken at the national level, permitting states to engage with each other in order to achieve the common goal of enhancing IHL compliance, enabling exchanges on practical experiences in IHL implementation, sharing of best practices and identifying capacity-building needs.
Thematic discussions on IHL issues would be an important function of a new IHL compliance system. They could serve, among other things, to ensure that States are better informed about current or emerging IHL issues, enable a better mutual understanding of each other’s positions on such issues and offer the possibility of exchanges on key legal, practical and policy questions.
The ability to monitor implementation of commitments has become an important feature today in many compliance mechanisms. The proliferation of fact-finding missions mandated by multilateral organizations demonstrates the interest of States to gather and analyze information on current and past conflicts as a way to ensure compliance with international law. The added value of an IHL-specific fact-finding function is that it could be designed to ensure that the required IHL mandate exists, and that any possible enquiry is carried out by experts familiar with the law, practice and spirit of this branch of international law. This would facilitate the quality of the findings and that could, in turn, promote their credibility with those who are responsible for implementing IHL at the policy level, and on the ground.
I hope that these considerations might guide your further efforts to find a mutually acceptable way of including a non-politicized fact-finding function in a new IHL compliance system.
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In the discussions held to date, a clear convergence of views seems to have emerged that the establishment of the future system should not entail amendments to the 1949 Geneva Conventions, or the negotiation of a new treaty. The voluntary nature of the system underlines that a key challenge will be how to make it effective: states' participation and meaningful involvement will be critical to making a difference in compliance with IHL on the ground.
As far as the ICRC is concerned, we stand ready to provide the necessary technical support in setting up a new IHL compliance system, as well as to cooperate in its deployment. The ICRC is therefore committed to working with states, multilateral organizations, specialized agencies and all other entities to support greater compliance with the rules of IHL, in line with its core principles of independence, neutrality and impartiality, as well as its specific mandate enshrined in the Geneva Conventions. Evidently, the requirements of humanitarian access to people affected by armed conflict and other situations of violence may put some limitations on the modalities of the ICRC’s participation in the proposed reporting mechanism, particularly in terms of the confidentiality of ICRC observations and interactions with belligerents. Its operational involvement on the other hand may represent an important asset to such a mechanism. The ICRC supports the establishment of effective reporting and fact-finding mechanisms, as well as thematic discussions on IHL issues, which will be attached to regular periodic meetings and to finding modalities to ensure the best use of its experience within the system as a whole.
At the end of the day, effectiveness will be the main tool for measuring the success of our current endeavour. This consideration should infuse the crafting of the structure of the protection system and of its features, as well as the design and operation of the specific elements of which it will be composed. In the same vein, the ICRC is keen to ensure that the proposed IHL compliance mechanisms complement parallel compliance mechanisms established under other legal frameworks. Protection is at the core of ICRC mission and can only be achieved in concert with all relevant actors, from the belligerents to national authorities, from UN protection agencies to local and international NGOs. The ICRC is keen to work with all of these authorities and organizations in enhancing its protection strategies.
I am encouraged by the course of your discussions thus far, although I am of course aware that the consultations are on going and that challenges lie ahead. I call on you to approach these challenges in a spirit of trust and cooperation. I am pleased to note that, based on discussions thus far, the contours of a new IHL compliance system seem to be emerging. You have a unique opportunity to make a lasting difference to the lives of people affected by armed conflict. I urge you to seize it. | https://www.icrc.org/en/doc/resources/documents/statement/2014/06-30-compliance-ihl-maurer.htm |
adjective Of or relating to a stage of tool culture of the Lower Paleolithic Period between the second and third interglacial periods, characterized by flaked bifacial hand axes.
Of or pertaining to Saint-Acheul, in the Somme valley, northern France.
adjective Alternative spelling of Acheulean.
noun Alternative spelling of Acheulean.
French acheuléen, after St. Acheul, a hamlet in northern France.
Thought to be our direct ancestors, these hominins probably mastered fire and were the first to develop cutting and butchering instruments known as Acheulian tools, named after an archaeological site in Saint-Acheul, France.
Since that discovery, paleontologists have unearthed evidence that the earliest chipped stone "Acheulian" hand axes originated in Africa about 1.8 million years ago.
Dennell writes, "this new evidence from Attirampakkam makes it all the more important that we find out what type of human species first brought Acheulian artifacts to South Asia."
Three occupation sites of the Acheulian culture (between 500,000 and a million years B.P.) have been found in the Park.
As Alun Salt expands upon in a similar post on Egnor's misplaced analogy, however, archaeology's "design detection" is understood only because of a body of background experience, observation, experimentation and general hypothesis testing has already informed us that an Acheulian handaxe, for example, was made by early Homo and is not the result of lightning bolts.
For instance, the Acheulian culture of early prehistory is named after the northern French town of St. Acheul, where the stone hand axes so characteristic of this culture are found.
Although only a few tools lay beside the fossil, Mary decided to sink an exploratory trench, and this time was rewarded with the discovery of a “fine Acheulian site about 400,000 years old,” as she wrote in her autobiography.
Made from chiseled stone, Acheulian tools improved upon the pebble-like chopping implements wielded by Homo erectus' more primitive cousins such as Homo habilis.
The earliest sites recovered in Asia and Europe contain pebble tools and flakes, but no sign of Acheulian technology like hand axes. | https://www.wordnik.com/words/Acheulian |
Inclusion in special education has been a hot topic for the last decade or so. In an attempt to keep students with disabilities from being excluded from their classrooms because of their disabilities, as well as to give these students a more naturalistic learning experience, many schools have decided to include students with special needs in general education classes.
This approach has been met with mixed reactions. Some teachers and parents feel this is the right thing to do – after all, why should a child be separated from his or her peers just because he or she may need extra help? Others feel that this practice is setting these students up for failure, and they would be better served by remaining in a self-contained classroom where they could get the individualized help they need.
It is true that both sides of this debate have good points, but it is also true that there are studies that show inclusion can be beneficial for many special education students. What follows are some of those benefits.
Inclusion in special education refers to the practice of educating students with disabilities in general education classrooms during specific time periods based on their skills. The goal of inclusion is to provide students with disabilities with maximum interaction with non-disabled peers and access to the general curriculum. Inclusion has many benefits, but it can also be very difficult to implement properly.
Teachers and administrators must consider several factors when implementing inclusion, such as student needs, family concerns, school policies and teacher preferences. They must also determine whether an inclusive classroom will meet the needs of their students.
There are many types of inclusion programs. Some programs place students in general education classrooms for most or all of the day, while others place them there only part of the time. The amount of time a student spends in an inclusive classroom depends on his or her needs, abilities and learning style.
Inclusion has many benefits for students with disabilities and their classmates without disabilities. For example, it helps students develop social skills by interacting with peers who do not have disabilities. It also improves academic performance because students learn from each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
The benefits of inclusion are that it offers disabled students access to the same curriculum as non-disabled students, while offering non-disabled students the opportunity to learn and interact in a diverse environment.
Inclusion in special education refers to the practice of educating students with disabilities in classrooms alongside their non-disabled peers. The practice is mandated by federal law and has been shown to improve social skills and potential outcomes for students with disabilities. Though some faculty and administrators may feel unprepared to educate students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms, there are many methods available to support teachers and students.
Inclusion allows disabled students to be educated alongside their non-disabled peers. It is required by federal law. There are two main types of inclusion: full inclusion, where all students are included in a classroom regardless of disability, and partial inclusion, where disabled students spend only some time with non-disabled peers. Most schools use a partial inclusion model when implementing disability education. The benefits of inclusion include improved academic success, social skills, and career outcomes for disabled students. Students with disabilities who are included in regular classrooms have better academic progress than their peers who are not included. Disabled students also develop stronger social skills when they are included with their non-disabled peers. Socialization is a critical skill for success later in life, including after graduation from high school or college, so it is important that disabled students have the opportunity to develop these skills while they are still in school. | https://whizcircle.com/quotes-about-inclusion-in-special-education/ |
What are Patient Surveys
Patient surveys are questionnaires or assessments used to gather patient feedback and opinions about their experiences with healthcare providers and facilities. Usually, they are administered after a patient has received medical treatment or care. They can cover topics such as the quality of care received, the effectiveness of communication with medical staff, and overall satisfaction with the healthcare experience. The results can be used to improve the quality of care provided and to identify areas where changes or improvements are needed.
How to Design an Effective Patient Survey
A few essential steps must be followed to design an effective survey. You should clearly define what you hope to learn from the survey and what information you want to collect. It will help guide the development of the survey questions and ensure that the survey is focused and relevant. It would help if you also considered factors such as the target population, the length of the survey, and the resources available for administration and data collection.
You should also choose a combination of closed- and open-ended questions and test the survey with a small sample of patients to ensure the questions are clear and easy to understand. You should also summarize and present the results of the survey in a clear and meaningful way. You should use the data to identify improvement areas and determine the overall patient satisfaction with the healthcare experience.
Decide on How you Plan to Use the Results
Once you have evaluated the results of your patient satisfaction survey, it is time to implement changes based on the feedback received. It is essential to meet with your staff to discuss the results and consider possible changes based on patient feedback. If the feedback relates to the behavior of specific staff members, it is important to deliver it privately and sensitively. After making changes, it may be helpful to conduct another survey after a few months to see if improvements have been made.
Keep It Short And Simple
The survey should be kept short and simple due to the following reasons:
- Attention span: A long and complicated survey may require more work for patients to focus on and complete accurately. By keeping the survey short and simple, you can ensure that patients are more likely to pay attention and provide accurate responses.
- Understanding: A short and simple survey is easier for patients to understand. It can help improve the quality of the responses, as patients are more likely to provide meaningful feedback if they fully understand the questions.
- Response rate: A shorter and simpler survey may also have a higher response rate, as patients may be more willing to take the time to complete it.
Set Response Rate Goals
The response rate is the percentage of patients who complete the survey out of the total number of patients who received it. Setting response rate goals in patient surveys is important because it helps establish a benchmark for measuring the survey’s success. Moreover, a high response rate indicates that the survey was well-designed and easy for patients to complete. It can be important for surveys intended to be used for research or quality improvement purposes, as a low response rate may affect the validity of the results.
Leverage Technology to get the Most Number of Inputs
Technology can improve patient surveys by making it easier for patients to provide feedback. It can be executed through online survey tools, which allow patients to complete surveys on their own devices at their convenience. Additionally, technology can be used to analyze and interpret the data collected from patient surveys, which can help healthcare providers identify trends and areas for improvement. Moreover, technology can be used to communicate the results to relevant stakeholders, which can help facilitate the necessary changes to improve the patient experience.
Softbrik is a voice-based AI/ML platform that helps to measure and improve the patient experience. It provides you with the tools to create a more personalized patient journey by understanding the key factors that matter to the patients. Conducting patient surveys through Softbrik can help your organization to get the correct information to deliver high–quality care.
Why are Patient Surveys Important
Patient surveys provide healthcare providers and facilities with valuable feedback on the quality of care provided, which can be used to identify areas for improvement and make changes that will lead to better patient outcomes.
Such surveys allow healthcare providers and staff to listen to patients and understand their perspectives, leading to better communication, collaboration, and trust between patients and the healthcare systems. The ability to measure and track patient satisfaction over time can help healthcare providers and facilities make data-driven decisions to improve the quality of care continuously.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do patient surveys help healthcare?
Patient surveys can help by improving the quality of care, identifying areas for improvement, measuring patient satisfaction, gathering patient feedback, and improving patient retention.
How can patient satisfaction surveys be utilized for service improvement?
Patient satisfaction surveys can be utilized for service improvement by analyzing results, responding to feedback, sharing results with staff, setting goals and benchmarks, and communicating with patients. | https://softbrik.com/how-to-use-patient-surveys-to-improve-your-healthcare-service/ |
Before we get into the recording of Starship Oak, here's a little bit of backstory to set the stage.
First off, all the music that was to become Starship Oak was recorded onto Fostex and Tascam four-track tape recorders. The first was an X-15. It had two inputs plus bass and treble controls.
Before that my first recordings, apart from onto a portable mono cassette recorder my folks owned, were onto a TEAC A-2340 4-Channel 4-Track track in a studio at the Leeds College of Music next door to the Jacob Kramer College of Art where I was studying Advertising Design.
I spent a lot of time in there when nobody was around, and actually recorded an art installation piece titled Surrealist Photography with my fellow student Nick Thyer to accompany our photos for the end of term show. We played it super loud in the school theater while the slideshow presented our photos.
We didn't make it to the optional third year because of that, but we got our diplomas anyway.
A year later I bought a Roland Jupiter 4 that had an arpeggiator built-in and by sticking tape over half of the record and playback heads of an Akai cassette deck was able to record a whole tapes worth of arpeggiation and then by swapping the tape record along to it. That was about all I could do without another tape deck to bounce to.
I ended up selling the Jupiter 4 to help pay for my move to London from my home town of Leeds to work at a music store called Unisound, but within six months I had a Roland Juno 106 and a four-track tape recorder and that was my studio.
I used that to record demos for a band called The Intimates we formed with several friends, and a year or so after that I joined a band called The Bolshoi.
We soon added an Ensoniq Mirage sampler to go with the Juno because it just couldn't create a decent piano sound. I was playing a lot of piano on our studio recordings and needed to play those parts live on stage. We later added a Roland JX-8P and then an Akai S900 sampler and while we weren't touring, practicing or other band related activites I'd spend my spare time recording in the spare room of a flat me and the bass player were sharing.
At this point I had also upgraded the X-15 to an X-18. It had four inputs but could still only record two tracks at a time.
My process was to record a sequence I liked into the Mirage and record that to track one for the entire length of the tape and then record other parts along to it on the other tracks, dropping in when I wanted a change but very rarely bouncing tracks.
After the band split I spent almost all my time in the spare room recording. I never considered joining another band, deciding instead to continue recording with a view towards releasing a solo album. In the meantime I got married and we decided to move to Seattle.
Two years after arriving in Seattle I bought an Emax II sampler that had a digital recorder built in. I had fun figuring it all out and working entirely within the digital domain was stimulating and new, but it was slow going and sterile so I decided to add a Juno 106, to replace the one I sold along with all my other gear before leaving England, and also a Tascam Portastudio 424 MkIII. This beast had it all. Four track simultaneous recording, four EQ's per channel and two recording speeds, which meant higher quality recordings.
I recorded music to five more cassettes Starship Oak spanned twelve cassettes in total and made some music videos then decided to try using a computer to record the music from my cassettes to so I could mix it. After wetting my feet with an Apple Macintosh II, which I mainly used to learn how computers and this weird new thing called The Internet worked, I got a Power Macintosh 7300 and tried to use it to record new music and also digitize and mix all the music on the tapes.
The first app I used was Opcode Studio Vision. It was amazing to realize I could actually record more than four tracks but I just couldn't get it to work properly. Maybe I ended up spending too much time using it to record new music within the computer itself instead of just recording what I already had, or too much time digging into other aspects of what it was capable of, but the fact is I wasn't spending enough time doing any actual recording and never did any mixing on it.
Then I broke my hand and was physically unable to play, or at least like I was used to. I began spending more time on the internet and ended up buying electronicmusic.com and reviewing software, music and interviewing folks like Bob Moog, Rick Wakeman and Gary Numan, and before long I just wasn't recording music anymore.
Ultimately it took the combination of Mac OS X, Logic Pro, Spectrasonic's Omnisphere and an iMac years later to get me interested in making music again.
The operating system, audio production software and hardware was light years ahead of what I had been using before, and the learning curves were surprisingly shallow.
Within a few months I felt comfortable enough with the new equipment to start making music again, but the original plan of converting those 4-tracks into a record was never far from my mind, and in the Winter of 2011 I unsealed the box of cassettes and began the process of digital conversion.
I had a stereo cassette deck and decided to use it to digitize the four track cassettes. Over the entire five or six year recording period I had used several different machines, some with noise reduction in the form of Dolby B, C or dBx, some recorded double speed and others at real time with no noise reduction.
My cassette deck had Dolby B and C noise reduction but wasn't capable of playing tapes back at double speed. I figured I would get around this problem by using a speed correction tool built into Logic that slowed music down. There was also the issue of only being able to play two tracks at the same time from the stereo cassette deck instead of four tracks from the 4-track, but again there was solution within the audio software. I would simply flip the tape when it got to the end, record tracks three and four into the computer backwards and reverse them digitally.
So there I am with my 4-track cassettes with four tracks of music, all recorded in the same direction but with some recorded at double speed and some with and without noise reduction. I put them into the stereo cassette player, rewind to the beginning, create two tracks on the computer to record to and press play on the cassette deck. I record around 60 minutes of music (if it's a C60 cassette) then I turn the cassette over, create two more tracks on the computer to record to, press play on the cassette recorder and record tracks three and four into the computer backwards.
After the tape played all the way back to the beginning (end) I have all four tracks recorded into the computer, with tracks one and two playing in the right direction and tracks three and four playing backwards.
All that I needed to do now was digitally reverse tracks three and four so they played in the same direction as tracks one and two and I would be ready to start mixing. To do this I accessed the sample editor which essentially treated each track as one huge sample and reversed it.
After several minutes the processing was completed and now I had four tracks all playing in the same direction. After trimming the front of tracks three and four and lining them up so they started at the same time as tracks one and two I was able to play the four tracks as if I was playing them from the audio cassette on a four track recorder.
At first it sounded great, all four tracks playing in the same direction at the same time, but after only a few minutes tracks three and four started going out of time with tracks one and two. This was casued by the tape tending to speed up ever so slightly as it played from beginning to end, times by two because the reversed tracks three and four would would start off faster and slow down to normal speed while tracks one and two would start off normal and speed up.
By reversing tracks three and four I was essentially doubling this effect.
I tried tempo stretching tracks two and three so they would end up being the same length as tracks one and two, which would theoretically make them play back at exactly the same rate, but still the tracks went out of sync in the middle sections, and the process also generated lots of audio artifacts that dramatically changed the sound.
The only solution was to cut up the audio that was going out of time on tracks three and four and create new tracks where the parts could be copied and moved back into time with the audio on tracks one and two that I left alone.
After a couple of hours carefully cutting the audio up into different pieces I had around thirty tracks of audio. Tracks one and two were the same untouched tracks I had originally recorded into the computer from the cassette, and tracks three through thirty were all the different parts from what was originally track three and four.
All that remained to be done was go through and move each part back into time with the audio on tracks one and two.
Some sections on tracks three and four, such as sequenced parts I had originally recorded from the sequence in the Ensoniq Mirage were too long to simply nudge into place, because after a while they would go out of time. In these situations I ended up digitally stretching the section of audio slightly so it would stay in time with what was playing on tracks one and two, and because these sections were relatively short I didn't notice the kind of noise I heard when I had tried stretching the entire tracks.
Many of the sections were easy to realign with the untouched reference tracks on one and two, but most were almost impossible to align with perfect accuracy primarily because the original music was never recorded using a click track. The only musical elements that were ever in time were percussion loops that only appeared briefly on most of the tracks, and long repeating arpeggiated sequences from the Ensoniq Mirage that were recorded onto a single track for the duration of the entire cassette, so I could play other parts to it as it went along.
This whole process of realigning all the cut up sections was very difficult and I began to despair that I would ever get it to sound the way I had originally recorded it. Some sections were pads that faded in and out with no way to sync them up exactly as they were recorded. A slight nudge of a pad section in the wrong direction would completely alter the feel of the track, essentially destroying it. Finally, after several weeks I had each track sounding as close to how I remembered it as possible.
The next step in the process was to clean up the beginning and end of every cut up section, to minimize the pops and clicks that occur when you slice a sample up into pieces. Some of the sounds faded in from an empty track, and even faded out the same way, so these were easy to fade in and out, but other parts were sliced between different sounds so I had to remove the pops and clicks that were caused by the equipment when a new part was electro-mechanically dropped in and out during the recording process.
After all twelve tapes were recorded into the computer, aligned and cleaned up I started mixing.
Most of the mixing work was panning, so the parts sat correctly within the stereo field, adjusting levels and applying effects to parts that needed it. When I originally recorded the music I had various effects in mind for specific parts that I didn't have access to at the time, so that was gratifying to finally be able to realize those goals.
I was also able to make use of the powerful EQ tools within Logic to get the recorded tracks closer to how I originally imagined them but was unable to apply because of the limitiation of the orginal equipment. Throughout this process I was surprised how easily I was able to hear the original vision in my head and apply it to what I was listening to all these years later.
Finally the songs were ready for mastering, and as much as I would have like to have done this myself I know how important this part of the process really is, and luckily I know an excellent mastering engineer who is also a friend, Steve Turnidge.
Steve has actually written a couple of books about mastering, Desktop Mastering and Beyond Mastering, published by Hal Leonard, and although I have become somewhat enlightened since reading them I still regard mastering as something best left for someone who really knows what they are doing to do.
An hour or two after sending Steve the first mixed .wav file I got an email back telling me it was, for all intents and purposes, unusable.
The noise from the cassette tapes was apparently so bad that something would have to be done to the raw tracks before mastering could take place, and at this point I was introduced to iZotope RX.
For those of you unfamiliar with this amazing software it basically allows you to see the music as if through x-ray glasses, and with photoshop style tools lets you erase parts of the wavefile such as clicks, thumps, crackles and hums in much the same was a graphic artist would process the photo of a model for a magazine cover.
It also has a feature that removes background noise produced by the tape medium itself by taking a sample of the tape noise before the audio kicks in and going through and removing that noise sample from the entire track.
After spending a week or so removing noise and other artifacts it was back to Steve for another shot at mastering.
This time I got an email telling me something weird was going on with the sound. After looking at the music through his x-ray glasses he noticed I’d gone in and removed all the noise above a certain frequency on every track using the eraser tool I really liked. This bull in a china shop approach to noise reduction turned all the sine waves into square waves and caused all kinds of terrible issues that made the intitial noise issues pale in comparison.
It was at this point it was decided that we would need a 4-track recorder to play all four tracks at the same time into the computer. The process of reversing and slowing down tracks digitally to line everything up may have made sense at one point, but it was becoming clear it was destined to fail for one very simple reason.
As soon as one track went even fractionally out of time with an adjoining track there was a small but noticable amount of audio bleed from the adjoining track not going out of time that caused strange artifacts that ended up as the kind of noise that proved impossible to remove.
The only solution was to play back all four tracks at the same time, in the same direction, into the computer so that all four tracks were exactly in time as the rest.
This is where Mike Perez and his PortaStudio came to the rescue.
It turns out Mike's four-track not only played back all four tracks at once but it also had a Dolby B and C noise reduction setting that came in very useful because a couple of the tapes used one of these two noise reduction settings during recording. It was also capable of running at twice the normal speed which meant that we didn't have to do any digital processing to the audio files from the cassettes recorded at double speed.
Steve had also recently added a new digital audio interface to his system so we were also able to record the audio at a higher bit rate than was possible before. This meant that the cassette tapes, even though recorded digitally, would sound as authentic as the original analog tapes.
The stage was set to finally turn the analog signals recorded onto iron oxide covered tape over two decades previously into a digital format ready for mixing and mastering.
After each tape were played from beginning to end, and the four separate audio tracks were recorded to four digital tracks on the computer, Steve would then copy them to my removable flash drive and off I'd go back to my studio to import them into Logic Pro X.
I repeated the same process I outlined before, cutting the tracks up into individual sections and moving the parts to new tracks, but this time I didn't move anything out of sync with the rest, instead I was doing it because I'd learned from the first run through that it was not only easier to mix if all the parts were on separate tracks but also easier to apply fades to get rid of the unwanted pops and clicks caused by the original recording process, although I did leave several that I liked.
I ended up moving similar types of sounds to the same track, so all the percussion parts, strings and other pads, lead sounds and sound effects would be grouped together on their own tracks.
Within a couple hours of sending the first mix over to Steve I got the mastered version back and was very happy with the result. The original vibrancy was still there but without all the noise and other artifacts.
The project was finally drawing to a conclusion, and within a couple of weeks I had all the tracks mixed, mastered and ready for release.
The process of marketing the music is a whole other story.
In a nutshell, there's another Paul Clark. I know I know, I own paulclark.com right, so I'm the only one. Wrong, and what's more the other one is a Christian slash Folk musicician who has been around since the 60's and has a huge following so I was getting lumped in with him every time I uploaded music to the online music services.
His music would show up on my listener demographics and I'm presuming me on his.
I decided the best course of action would be to release the album under a pseudonym and so Verdant Set was born. I was also re-reading Micheal Moorcocks Runestaff books at the time and thought the music fit well with the look and feel of his alternate universe, and granbretan.com was available, so that became the album title.
I made the website, had cassettes duplicated, set up an online store and uploaded it to the online retailers only to become heavily involved in my new album, Merciana.
For a year it all just sat there without any real promotion while I focussed on the new album and on the eve of its release realized that it should have been Starship Oak under my own name all along.
The problems I had encountered when registering it with the online databases seemed to have been fixed by using a system of unique ID's attached to recorded works as opposed to the artists name, and besides, the concept of a Starship Oak fit perfectly with the story that accompanies Merciana. Even the original song titles worked better than the ones we came up with while tracking the album.
I pulled the songs from the online stores and made Starhip Oak available as a CD with a bonus cassette version, seeing as the music was recorded to that format originally, as opposed to cassette only with a audio download code.
And that, as they say, is that. Needless to say it has all been lots of fun, and very educational, but at the end of the day any musician wants their music to be listened to, and appreciated, so help make it all worth it by buying a CD at The Shop. | http://www.paulclark.com/making-starship-oak.html |
Though the law sounds like it would help teaching of science in the state, it really was nothing more than an attempt to get creationism (along with global warming denialism) taught in Louisiana’s public schools. Creationism refers to the belief that the universe and everything in it were specially created by a god through magical , rather than natural, scientifically explained, means. Creationism implicitly relies on the claim that there is a “purpose” to all creation known only to the creator. In other words, creationism is a religious belief, and no matter what argument is made (and I could write 50,000 words on the topic), creationism is not science because it relies upon a supernatural being, which means it can never be falsified, one of the basic tenets of the scientific method. The supporters of creationism attempt to claim that creationism is a scientific theory on the level of evolution, ignoring the fact that a scientific theory is “a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world, based on a body of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed through observation and experiment.” Creationism is generally based on a fictional book.
The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, specifically prohibits any government entity from establishing a religion (which courts have ruled to include teaching religion in schools). Decades worth of Supreme Court rulings have found that teaching creationism in schools is equivalent to teaching religion. As recently as 2005, in Kitzmiller v Dover Area School District, a Federal Court continued the tradition of considering creationism as religion, and ruled against a school district, costing the Dover Area School District nearly $1 million in legal fees. That money probably could have been used to teach their students better science. What we can assume will happen in Louisiana is that a school district will decide to teach creationism in a school district, a few parents will complain, and sue this district. It will be struck down in a lower court, the school district will appeal, and that district will eventually lose. Because in the history of trying to teach creationism in schools, all cases have favored the Establishment Clause and denying the school district the ability to provide a religious education.
But then the scientists organized. The Louisiana Coalition for Science was able to stop two new efforts that might have furthered the teaching of creationism Louisiana classrooms after the passage of the Louisiana Science Education Act. First, they convinced the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to adopt new biology books after creationists attempted to have the books thrown out. Then they also succeeded in killing a Louisiana House bill (HB 580) which was meant to weaken the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education’s oversight of public school biology books and supplementary materials.
And then there’s recent Louisiana high school student, Zack Kopplin, who has taken it upon himself to repeal this law. And challenging Republican presidential candidates, but that’s another story. He has spearheaded the effort to block the changes in textbooks to creationist versions, helped the New Orleans school district to ban creationism, and assist progressive Louisiana state legislators in trying to repeal the law. Not bad for a college sophomore.
Karen Carter Peterson, a Louisiana state senator, has introduced Senate Bill 26 (SB 26), which would repeal the Louisiana Science Education Act. She had proposed the same exact bill in 2011 and 2012, but both failed to be voted out of committee. According to Zach Kopplin, “we believe that this spring we can muster the votes we need to pass.” Given his record of success, I’ll go along with his optimism!
As opposed to what the Republicans in Louisiana believe, there are no controversies with regards to evolution or climate change. Those theories are well established and are accepted by a broad consensus of scientists in the field. Even with abiogenesis, the theory of the beginning of life (which is not covered by the theory of evolution), the only controversy is in the exact mechanism, not in the fact that life arose out of basic chemicals and energy approximately 3.5-3.9 billion years ago. If someone wants to create a “scientific controversy” in these theories, they must bring scientific data and analysis from a world class laboratory staffed by world-class Ph.D-level scientists with that data published in a world class journal, subject to repetition, analysis and criticism by other scientists in other world class laboratories. A clueless politician in a right-wing state does not get to invent a “scientific controversy” by saying one exists. In other words, these science denialists must get off their lazy butts, and give us scientific evidence that contradicts what we know today. Rhetoric and invented controversies don’t count.
And let’s support Senator Peterson and Mr. Kopplin. They’re swimming upstream in a dark red state, maybe rational minds will prevail! | http://www.skepticalraptor.com/skepticalraptorblog.php/antievolution-legislation-update-louisiana/ |
In February 2019, a team of researchers from Columbia University published the results of an experiment that showed that sound waves can carry gravitational mass. During the experiment, scientists discovered that sound waves can generate a small gravitational field.
“Calculations show that sound waves carry a tiny negative mass, which means that in the presence of a gravitational field, such as that of the Earth, their trajectory will bend upward. Scientists have found that sound waves also generate a small gravitational field,” the study said.
For years, physicists believed that sound waves could carry energy, but they did not think that waves could carry mass. However, the researchers found evidence that their earlier findings were incorrect, reports Phys.org.
The team of scientists discovered that sound waves traveling through superfluid helium carry a small amount of mass. They proved this mathematically, but did not measure the mass carried by the sound wave.
They found that phonons (quasiparticles) interact with the gravitational field in a way that causes them to transfer mass as they move through the material. In their new work, scientists report evidence showing that the same results are true for most materials.
Researchers have proposed ways to test their discovery in the real world. One possibility would be to use devices that detect gravitational fields to study earthquakes. As the earthquake sends sound across the planet, the devices could detect “billions of kilograms of mass” carried by the sound.
In 2020, scientists created an algorithm to detect earthquake signals that deform gravity, changing the density of rocks for a short time. These changes in gravity send signals at the speed of light, allowing earthquakes to be detected even before destruction begins.
How earthquakes create waves inside the planet / National Geographic
A year before the study, the same group of scientists put forward the theory that phonons have negative mass and, therefore, negative gravity.
Co-founder of string theory Michio Kaku says: “It turns out that under certain conditions, sound waves can actually start to rise rather than fall. And this anomaly seems to be consistent with the laws of physics so that some vibrations, instead of falling down, can actually fall up. ”
Researchers of ancient civilizations believe that this study suggests how ancient people managed to move massive stones. It is possible that they used sound waves and vibrations for this.
According to ancient legends, sound was part of the equation, and people built giant structures, such as the pyramids in Egypt, using sounds of a specific frequency.
Scientists hope that perhaps someday they will unravel the mystery of sound waves and, on their basis, create a technology for moving objects of large mass. | https://anomalien.com/sound-waves-make-any-objects-levitate-scientists-found/ |
Over the last three months the Salt Lake City Arts Council has closely monitored the development of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and the tremendous social and economic impact it has had within our community. While we would love nothing more than to come together and celebrate in-person, we will instead continue virtual offerings, small socially distanced pop-ups that follow state guidelines for the “general public”, and look to support the community in innovative and necessary ways as we monitor public health guidelines.
“This has been a challenging year for everyone and we felt our large in-person events and festivals would not be able to responsibly maintain social distancing.” Felicia Baca, Executive Director of the Salt Lake City Arts Council said. “Our team has shifted their focus to supporting the community with safety and support in mind.”
For additional COVID-19 resources and updates please visit our website saltlakearts.org/covid-19-updates.
LIVING TRADITIONS FESTIVAL
Produced by the Salt Lake City Arts Council, The Living Traditions Festival is a FREE, three-day event presenting the traditional arts of Salt Lake City’s rich and varied cultural communities through dance, music, craft arts, food, panel discussions, school engagement and hands-on art making.
Approximately 30,000 people participate in the Living Traditions Festival each year, including students, families, performers, exhibiting artists, volunteers and attendees. More than 70 different cultural groups are represented each year—from Bosnian stuffed pitas and West African samosas to Chinese dragon dancing and Scottish bagpipes. The sights and flavors of the Festival cannot be found at any other cultural event in Utah.
The Living Traditions Festival is dedicated to preserving Utah’s diverse cultural landscape, by supporting the varied artistic traditions and cultural perspectives that create and sustain a strong and vibrant community. We achieve this mission by collaborating with folk and traditional artists and community members in sharing languages, food, art, dance and educational activities. Through the presentation of both historical and contemporary customs, Living Traditions aims to facilitate thoughtful conversations about the unique qualities of various cultures, and the similarities of the human experience, while creating bonds among community members.
Photo Credits: David Vogel Photography and Photo Collective Studios
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
There are many ways to get involved with the Living Traditions Festival. From performing on one of the four stages to presenting and selling traditional crafts or food, this unique community event showcases the diverse communities that make Salt Lake City their home.
Performing Artists Music and dance are often at the heart of cultural expressions found in every community, developed for celebratory, sacred and daily occasions. The traditional performances of music and dance at Living Traditions provide a rich array of rhythm, movement, instruments, and vocals that engage the audience. With four stages at the Festival, performing groups can share their culture and artistry with audience members through dazzling costumes and energetic performances.
Food Market The Living Traditions food market is a multicultural dining experience and one of the highlights of the Festival. Audience members (as well as Festival staff) look forward to the opportunity to gather together and share some of the most delectable food traditions the Salt Lake community has to offer.
Craft Artists Exceptional examples of traditional crafts are created on-site at the Living Traditions Festival by masters of their respective art forms. These craft artists have acquired the skills and techniques that are passed down through generations or learned through apprenticeships. Craft items sold and presented at the Festival must be a traditional art form and handmade by the artist(s) presenting them.
Community Partner Booths We value and appreciate our community partners! Our work could not happen without all of the other arts and cultural organizations that make Salt Lake City a vibrant place to live. Spread the word about your program or upcoming events or host activities at your booth.
MONDAYS IN THE PARK
Mondays in the Park is produced in partnership with the Utah Division of Arts & Museums folk arts program, and presents FREE weekly Monday night concerts with Living Traditions artists at the Chase Home Museum in Liberty Park and at Jordan Park. | http://saltlakearts.org/program/living-traditions/ |
Modifications of the Baroque complex are considered to be the sensible act, authenticity is important to us. The story of both courts has a certain symbolic significance, we propose to keep the East Court in contact with the death row and the museum; the modifications are considerate. The West Court on the contrary becomes an active part of the new cultural function of the prison; we place here a multi-purpose hall with upper daylight.
The project won 2nd prize in an architectural competition. | https://www.sial.cz/en/projects/detail/creative-centre-brno/ |
Mitochondria are small often between 0 75 and 3 micrometers and are not visible under the microscope unless they are stained.
Mitochondria. It also promotes cell multiplication and cell growth. This is the norm among certain coniferous plants although not in pine trees and yews. The number of mitochondria per cell varies widely. Mitochondria are specialized structures unique to the cells of animals plants and fungi.
Mitochondria have a distinctive oblong or oval shape and are bounded by a double membrane. The only eukaryotic organism known to lack mitochondria is the oxymonad monocercomonoides species. Mitochondria s primary function is to produce energy through the process of oxidative phosphorylation. Besides this it is responsible for regulating the metabolic activity of the cell.
Mitochondria are organelles found in the cells of every complex organism. So it s easy to see why when mitochondria go wrong serious diseases are the result and why it is important we understand how mitochondria work. Mitochondrial diseases take on unique characteristics both because of the way the diseases are often inherited and because mitochondria are so critical to cell function. Mitochondria are found in both animal and plant cells.
This mode is seen in most organisms including the majority of animals. Mitochondria also detox ammonia in the liver cells. Unlike other organelles miniature organs within the cell they have. They produce about 90 of the chemical energy that cells need to survive.
The inner membrane is folded creating structures known as cristae. Mitochondria are therefore in most cases inherited only from mothers a pattern known as maternal inheritance. For example in humans erythrocytes red blood cells do not contain any mitochondria whereas liver cells and muscle cells may contain hundreds or even thousands. Their many functions include the krebs cycle metabolism of fatty acids amino acids and steroids pyruvate oxidation and the production of energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate atp.
However mitochondria in some species can sometimes be inherited paternally. Mitochondria produce the energy required to perform processes such as cell division growth and cell death. They contains genes and ribosomes and are the site of cell respiration. The outer membrane covers the surface of the mitochondrion while the inner membrane is located within and has many folds called cristae.
They serve as batteries powering various functions of the cell and the organism as a whole. These membranes are made of phospholipid layers just like the cell s outer membrane. | http://feelfor.info/mitochondria.html |
The Ensiferi in Latin literally means "who carried a sword". It was an adjective, first coined by Lucanus in the 1st Century BC but applied to the early republican era of Rome and in general Italic infantry. It could be argues that at some point after Camillian reforms the adjective became meaningless as the three main Roman Infantry ranks had all a sword. The term however don't tells the nature and shape of the sword in question. For good reasons. Contrary to common opinion, the Roman infantry did not came out with the famous Gladius, right from the beginning. The latter was, like most of the Roman gear, a foreign adoption. It was inspired by the typical Iberian straight sword and was called for this reason, after its adoption around the time of the second Punic war, probably by Scipione (future "Africanus", winner of Hannibal) and therefore called at the beginning "Gladius Hispaniensis". It was remarkably shorter than the straight, common sword used by the Italic peoples and known as the spatha. The latter was much longer than a gladius, but still shorter than the late Spatha, as carried by the "Spatharii", a late melee Roman cavalry type and soon in widespread use during the so-called "dark age" of the barbarian invasions.
The infantry type known as Ensiferi Italici was the basic non-spearman type in use by both the Samnite, Etruscans, and other Italic peoples, especially during the VI-IVth centuries eras which saw Rome emerging from the state of a small backwater to a raising regional power. After 299 BC and the defeat of the last remnants of the Samnite power, Rome has secured indeed a very large foothold in central Italy, still with rebellious Etruscans in the North-west, Gauls in the North-east, and Greeks in the south. By that time, Rome could already count on a comfortable supply of "Socii Latini", its Latin allies. Report made by Latin -or greek- authors about the composition of their armies is all but unknown. We can only made suppositions about the level of imitation these regional troops made of the Roman army types. We do known these troops had elites within called the "extraordinarii" -both cavalry and infantry types- placed under direct orders of a consul, and these picked-up troops carried some extra edge or specialty to the Roman legion. A highly skilled, heavy cavalry (like the reputed Campanian cavalry) for example whih compensated for the lack of good cavalry within the Roman Army, of some kind of swordsmen, heavy skirmisher infantry, or specialized spearmen, hoplite-like. With time and the global influence of Rome and better integration into the legion, we can imagine this infantry similar to the Hastati/Principe style.
The Etruscans and Tuscans as described by Livy counted on upper-class soldiers on one side, either heavy spearmen like the Hoplite Primore, modelled after the city-state Greek hoplite, and lighter spearmen (Lancearii), mostly use for defensive purposed and backed by hundreds of Lancearii delecti, or peasant levies spearmen militia. The elite attack infantry was called the Ensiferii and was armed with armor, aspis-like shield, two heavy javelins or "pila" and a sword, generally of the Greek curved style, or "kopis". Similar to the Spanish falcata, the kopis is perhaps derived from the Khopesh, the archetypal Egyptian weapon that was made to inflict the maximal blunt force possible. Less crude than the peasant hammers, maces and axes, these were refined weapons with a curved blade and long handle able to cut through armor but also to stab with the edgy forward part of the curve; The greek version tended more towards the straight sword, with a slightly curved blade, angled on the back, and rounded on the other, cutting side, with a distinctive curve and specific handle with a decorated, often horsehead shaped hand guard. The weapon appeared in the 5th century BC and meant "Chopper". It was less widespread than the cheaper straight xiphos, and was adopted first by cavalry and superseded by the longer makhaira ("chopper") as the infantry type was made gradually shorter. The Makhaira was also curved, but of simpler construction and although still one-edged, it kept some of the weight particulars of the previous weapon as being heavier in the front for balance. It was also largely used by the infantry but was notably heavier and larger than the Xiphos.
Indeed early examples of the Kopis were about 65 cm long, like a regular spatha. It had both the reach and a much better blunt force than the spatha due to its recurved design, combining the strength of both the sword and axe. The Nepalese Kukhri of the famous Gurkha, employed by the British Army was perhaps modelled in ancient times on the Macedonian Kopis when Alexander's army crossed their lands, just as the Afghans adopted the distinctive Macedonian soft cap. This kopis was also a heavy knife used as a tool for cutting meat for ritual slaughter and animal sacrifice. Etruscan warriors, well protected and probably picked-up, using the Kopis combined with pila were the perfect assault infantry. In fact such swords have been found as early as the 7th century BC in Etruria, and due to its Greek-oriented culture could have been the creator of this weapon, later adopted by the Greeks. These Etruscan and Tuscan Ensiferi could have used either the common Chalcidian helmet, the Italo Attic model, which had some similarities with the Phrygian model and ofter decorated with metal wings, crests and the usual adornments, horsehair plumes and crests, and feathers. Apparently the Montefortino type was used, wether it was an adoption of the nearby Gauls, or a local version of the Greek Pilos (possibly misinterpreted as such) and the closely resembling Neagau type.
Ceremony that follows the Roman defeat in 321 BC in the hands of the Samnites, ensuring the lasting peace. The sword used there is a machaera.
On the Samnite side, the largest Oscan nation was a league composed of four tribes, The Pentri, Hiprini, Caudini and Carricini, living in the central Italic mountain range called the Appenines. There were few large cities (but perhaps Bovianum, Aufidena, Maluentum, Aquilonia, Caudium, Cluviae and Teanum Sidicinum) and due to isolation less Greek influence, which explains the local style of warfare. No heavy hoplite phalanx here, but a light, agile infantry relying on skirmishing and ambushes. Even the tactical style of the Samnites was famously imitated by the Romans. The most humiliating defeat they suffered indeed was at the hands of a Samnite host at the Furculae Caudinae in 321 BC, a bloodless ambush near Capua, so hopeless that the 40 000 Romans led by two consuls immediately surrendered. This showed the Samnites well-suited to a difficult terrain they knew perfectly. But when engaged in a regular pitch-battle on flat ground like during the third Samnite war, they were utterly defeated. Their organization relied on the old tribal system of the pagus. Each "touto" contained a number of "pagi", based on what villages can muster. On Samnite warfare however, historians had to deal with confusing material, from Livy and Dionysius. While Oscan warriors are profusely illustrated, and it appeared the Samnites were lightly armed, with reduced, thin bronze body protections and bearing a smaller scutum. Heavier troops used smaller version apparently of the Argive round shield. Common helmets were the Montefortino and Italo-Attic style, adorned with many feathers. Outside the light tragula, or javelin, they had curved swords (of the "machaera" type) and light spears. So the Ensiferi Samniti was probably given a relatively long Machaera (latin for Makhaira), a scutum and three-four javelins. Probably they were also bare-foot. The lighter Ferentarii, probably younger, were given even smaller shields, no protection, more javelins and a dagger rather than a sword they could not afford at that stage. Peasant militias were probably also armed only with light spears and summary shields. Part of these Ensiferi could have been also nobles on foot recruited among the famous Legio Linteata, with linen clothes and silver body armour, richly adorned.
The Umbrian ensiferi were a reflection of the different nature of the region, with still strong italic influences from the nearby Oscan and Sabines, but also the Greek culture proper to their city-states, generating an aristocratic rather on horseback, with a strong core of hoplite while the larger part of the army was made of lighter infantry, the heaviest and richest part among the commoners being the Ensiferi using a long sword, either Spatha or Machaera and heavy javelins of the pila type. Armour protection was derived from the Villanovian panoply, while the helmets were the usual Negau, Italo-Attic and Chalcidian types, some heavily decorated probably used by the nobility, and also with the usual crests, plumes and feathers to better effect. The amount of daggers recovered suggest the light infantry, either Iaculatore and lancearii used these as secondary weapons.
The Lucanian were of Oscan culture and shared the language and also warfare in large part. They conquered and held for long (until their submission in 270 BC) the southern Italian "boot", except for Greek coastal cities. Lucanian warriors are well known by numerous vase artworks, and due to the nature of the cities, rather small, Lucanian nobles fought on horseback while there were few hoplites, if any, the bulk of the infantry being made of lighter lancearii and ferentarii while those that can afford better armour protection and equipments like the Machaera were the Ensiferi. They were characterized by the large use of the Italo-Attic type helmet, light bronze body armour, and broad leather belts covered with bronze scales and hooks. These Ensiferi were likely to have a round shield rather than the lighter, smaller scutum used by light infantry, and greaves so they can be basically resumed as sword hoplites, a bit like the Peloponnesian war era Ekdromoi Hoplites. | http://ancient-battles.com/warriors/Ensiferi.php |
Information Technology is complex, comprising multiple disciplines which require a variety of skill-sets to achieve success.
Overseeing IT can be a daunting task for business leaders who have limited time and limited expertise in one or more of the functional areas involved:
- Infrastructure
- Networks
- Telecom
- Data Centers
- Cloud
- Help Desks
- Laptops, Desktops
- Mobile Devices
- Websites
- Information Security
- Licensed Software
- Custom Software
- Databases
- Reports, Dashboards
- Data science
There are many reasons an outside assessment can be helpful for business leaders trying to understand their IT platform and department:
- Root-cause analysis of recent failures, a breach, etc.
- Budget preparation – “what the CIO should be proposing”
- Budget proposal review – “where the CEO should push back”
- Transition preparation
- Vulnerabilities analysis
- IT assessment of tools and skill-sets in use
- Insourcing/Outsourcing analysis
- Pre-Merger/Acquisition IT due diligence
- Software Buy vs. Build analysis
Assessing an IT department can be a critical early step in a revamp of an organization’s IT strategy…
Our approach to Assessing IT goes far beyond simply talking to the staff in IT. Actually, in our experience the business often has a clearer view of the effectiveness of IT than the group itself may have. (Read our post on Why we Check with the Business FIRST when assessing IT departments…)
Providing IT Assessments is one of Innovation Vista’s core service offerings. Please contact us if you’d like to start a conversation about how we can help you understand what you have today in your IT group, as a first step of determining where you want to take it.
Not All Brainstorms are Created Equal
Wikipedia gives this summary and definition of brainstorming: Brainstorming is a group creativity technique by which efforts are made to find a conclusion for a specific problem by gathering a list of ideas spontaneously contributed by its members. In other words, brainstorming is a situation where a group of people meet to generate new ideas and solutions around a specific domain of interest by removing inhibitions. People are able to think more freely and they suggest as many spontaneous new ideas as possible. All the ideas are noted down without criticism and after the brainstorming session the ideas are evaluated. It's a powerful concept, first articulated by Alex Faickney Osborn in his 1967 book Applied Imagination, which had multiple followup editions through the 1970's. As with many powerful concepts, though, the specifics of implementation matter. The traditional approach to Brainstorming can fall victim to human nature We love the power of brainstorming, but [...]
Microsoft throws open the RPA door, makes Power Automate Free
Microsoft created some waves in the Robotic Process Automation (RPA) space this week, with the announcement at their Ignite conference that they are bundling Power Automate free in Windows 10 - all the way down to the Home user license. We imagine that UI Path, Blue Prism, and Automation Anywhere noticed this announcement as well. We believe that RPA is one of the most impactful technologies to come to maturity in recent years, and is one that a huge number of organizations benefit from. Contact us if you'd like to discuss how this technology, and this announcement from Microsoft, could impact your organization in a positive way. | https://innovationvista.com/assessments/ |
In a periodic inventory system, the cost of goods sold is calculated in initial stock + purchases – final stock. It is assumed that the result, which represents costs that are no longer in the warehouse, must be related to the goods that have been sold. In fact, this cost diversion also includes inventory that has been disposed of or declared obsolete and taken out of stock, or inventory that has been stolen. As a result, the calculation tends to spread too many expenses that were sold and that were in fact more related costs to the current period. The COGS does not include salaries and other general and administrative costs. However, certain types of labour costs may be included in the COGS as long as they can be directly linked to specific sales. For example, a company that uses contractors to generate revenue may pay those entrepreneurs a commission based on the price charged to the customer. In this scenario, the commission earned by the contractors could be included in the company`s COGS, as these labor costs are directly related to the revenues generated. With this method, you assume that the oldest inventory units are always sold first. Knowing your COGS is a must for anyone who sells products, whether you`re making products in-house or buying them for resale. It`s impossible to know how much money you`ll make from the goods and services you sell if you don`t calculate your cost of the goods sold.
For more details and special circumstances in calculating the cost of goods sold, check out this article from the IRS 334 Tax Guide for Small Business your COGS can also tell you if you`re spending too much on production costs. The higher your production costs, the more you need to value your product or service to make a profit. If the cost of making a product is so high that you can`t sell it at a profit, it`s time to find ways to reduce your COGS or re-evaluate your strategy as a whole. Now you need a dollar number. If you`re a small retailer or wholesaler, this question is pretty obvious – that`s what it costs to buy your inventory from the factory owner or another supplier. Most companies add inventory throughout the year. You need to keep an eye on the cost of each shipment or the total manufacturing cost of each product you add to the inventory. For purchased products, keep invoices and all other documents. For the items you make, you`ll need the help of your tax professional to determine the cost to add to the inventory.
An e-commerce site sells high jewelry. To determine the cost of goods sold, a company must determine the value of its inventory at the beginning of the year, which is actually the value of the inventory at the end of the previous year. After collecting the above information, you can start calculating your cost of goods sold. Depending on your business and goals, you can choose to bill COGS weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually. If you`re looking for an accounting software application that can calculate the cost of goods sold, be sure to check out The Blueprint`s accounting software reviews. Let`s say you sold 400 pairs out of your total stock of 500 pairs of socks. You can use three different methods to calculate the COGS: Returns of customers and products or goods for family or personal use must be deducted from purchases made during the quarter. With the LIFO method, you sell the latest products you bought or manufactured. With LIFO, your COGS could be higher. (Inventory at the beginning of the year + net purchases + labor costs + materials and accessories + other costs) – Inventory at the end of the year = cost of goods sold (COGS) As you can see, the formula of the cost of goods with which we started was a shortened version. Now that we know all the components that calculated the cost of goods sold, we can move to a more complete and useful version.
If your company makes things instead of reselling them, this includes “the cost of any raw materials or parts purchased at the beginning of the year for goods that have been turned into a finished product,” according to the IRS. If the materials were purchased at a discount, you must use the original number before the savings have been deducted. This free cost calculator for the goods sold will help you facilitate this calculation. The first goods to buy or manufacture are sold first. Since prices tend to increase over time, a company that uses the FIFO method will first sell its cheapest products, which will result in a lower COGS than the one registered under LIFO. Therefore, the net profit according to the FIFO method increases over time. Once you have all the parts of the equation for the cost of goods sold, you can calculate how much you spent to sell your products. For example, if you had an initial inventory of $250,000, you bought goods or materials worth $200,000, and after the inventory you have $150,000 of products left, your equation would look like this: $250,000 + $200,000 – $150,000 = $300,000. This amount is deducted from the income in the income statement because it is an expense. The difference between revenue and cost of goods sold is called gross margin.
Many companies add more products or buy materials to increase inventory throughout the year. The total cost of each product you add to your inventory may include additional labor costs. For example, if you spend $500 on additional materials and $100 on labor costs, your new purchase costs are $600. If you buy products in bulk, the amount you pay for them is the new purchase cost. For multi-member partnerships, multi-member non-binding liability corporations, corporations and S corporations, the cost of goods sold is calculated on Form 1125-A. This form is complicated, and it`s a good idea to ask your tax professional to help you. FIFO accounting assumes that a company sells its oldest products before the newest ones. And since prices tend to rise over time, a company is expected to sell its most affordable products before its more expensive products. LIFO accounting, on the other hand, assumes the opposite. The process of calculating the cost of goods sold begins with the stock at the beginning of the year and ends with the stock at the end of the year. Many companies have an inventory process at these times to determine the value of their inventory.
Cost of goods sold is also used to calculate inventory turnover, a ratio that shows how often a company sells and replaces its inventory. It is a reflection of the level of production and direct sales. CogS is also used to calculate gross margin. So, what type of account is COGS? Is the cost of goods sold an asset? Responsibility? As of May 31, Anthony`s inventory totalled $47,000. Anthony uses accounting software, so this amount is calculated for him. If it were not, it would have to count the number of books that remained in stock at the end of the month and assign them a value to correctly calculate its cost of goods sold. However, if you own a factory and the warehouse where you count inventory is full of your goods, you`ll need to dig a little deeper. For sole proprietors and single-member CORPORATIONs who use Schedule C as part of their personal income tax return, the cost of property sold is calculated in Part III and included in the Income (Part I) section of this Schedule. And a basic concept you need to learn is the “cost of goods sold,” or COGS, which deals with material and labor costs. You have most of the numbers you need after these steps, but there`s another important one: the cost of your inventory at the end of the relevant period. When making products, you also need to add direct labor costs to the formula: companies that sell products need to know the cost of creating those products. . | https://pkavietnam.com/cost-of-goods-sold-price-formula/ |
Aliens from the Fifth Space-Time presents an alternate universe where a mostly Earth-like planet, Globe, is visited by a variety of aliens from another space-time dimension.
The aliens, called Tymans, need help from Globe scientists to fix an issue with their battery system so that they can return to their dimension. This leads them to contact the story’s main protagonist, a nuclear physicist named Aston. They attempt to work with him, as well as the dean of his university and several of Aston’s colleagues to collect the items they need.
Aston finds himself at first confused, then fascinated by the aliens, who can become invisible and alternately appear in strange forms (for instance, a profane young boy or a female clown). Ultimately, the aliens become involved with violent conflicts on Globe that threaten our heroes.
That’s the novel’s basic premise, but the narrative incorporates a far more complex array of elements, both in plot and theme. It touches on the relationship between faith and science, along with how each inform cultural and political conflicts on Globe. Aspects of personal identity and acts of terrorism, among other issues, are viewed and judged through the viewpoint of the aliens.
Unfortunately, while the author has carefully considered how space-time dimensions work and relate to technology, the storytelling itself rarely achieves any narrative momentum or drama. Nearly every development is excessively explained by both alien and human characters through long, dry, unnatural monologues. A kidnapping and escape midway through the story energizes the narrative a bit, but it has an overly violent tone that doesn’t fit the rest of novel. Similarly, in a plot point early on, Aston acts in a way that could be devastating to both his personal and professional life, but the story never resolves the issue in a satisfying way.
Aliens of the Fifth Space-Time doesn’t lack for interesting ideas, but ultimately, it requires a more engaging narrative to make readers care about them.
Also available in hardcover and ebook. | https://www.blueinkreview.com/book-reviews/aliens-from-the-fifth-space-time/ |
Redefining Fair Use and Copyright Law?
Yesterday afternoon Judge Patterson of the Southern District of New York ruled that Steven Vander Ark’s “Harry Potter Lexicon,” an encyclopedia intended to chronicle the famous Harry Potter series, infringed on J.K. Rowling’s copyright for the series. The Harry Potter Lexicon began as a fan website dedicated to serving as “the ultimate Harry Potter reference.” The site defined Harry Potter terms, created Harry Potter timelines, and even identified mistakes in the Harry Potter books. Rowling never took issue with the Lexicon in its free website form, but after Vander Ark and RDR Books unveiled a plan to publish the website as a book, Rowling filed suit.
The court found that the “Lexicon appropriates too much of Rowling’s creative work for its purposes as a reference guide….” Judge Patterson ruled that the Lexicon’s use of Harry Potter material was “substantially similar” to the Harry Potter series, and therefore infringed on Rowling’s rights as an author. However, Judge Patterson was careful to distinguish the Lexicon from other companion books, commenting that “reference guides to works of literature should generally be encouraged by copyright law because they provide a benefit [to] readers and students.”
While Rowling heralded the decision as a victory for the “right of authors everywhere to protect their own original work,” many legal scholars wonder if this decision grants Rowling an unhealthy level of control over the Harry Potter world. Anthony Falzone, leader of the Fair Use Project at Stanford University, served as co-counsel to defend Vander Ark and RDR books because he believed the Lexicon to be “the sort of important and transformative work that fair use has long protected.” The Fair Use Doctrine, based on Constitutional rights of free speech in the First Amendment, allows for limited use of copyrighted material for scholarly or research purposes. Reference guides and companion books like the Lexicon were often thought to be covered by the doctrine.
There is some legitimate concern that yesterday’s decision may stifle the very creativity that copyright law is designed to protect. If authors of reference works will be forced to count the number of words and limit the number of ideas that can be “appropriated” from the original source, will such scholarly works lose some value to the literary community? Has this decision found the right balance between an author’s intellectual property and readers’ rights to new forms of creativity and self-expression?
[...] “The Harry Potter Lexicon,” a fan-website-turned-unauthorized-reference-book. As our blog mentioned a couple of days ago, there were some interesting and delicate issues of copyright and fair use involved in what was [...]
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Dr. David A Robertson is an Instructor I at the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus. Dr. Robertson began his academic career in quantitative fields, earning a BS in Mathematics from University of Oregon and a MS in Statistics from University of Wisconsin – Madison. As an undergraduate, he discovered a love of psychology while working in the psycholinguistics laboratory of Morton Gernsbacher, which inspired him to attend graduate school in psychology. He obtained his Ph.D. in Psychology (Cognitive & Perceptual Sciences) in May, 2000.
Dr. Robertson’s research interests involve language and learning, and involves experiments using behavioral measures such as reading time, memory accuracy, meta-memory accuracy, etc., and also neuroimaging techniques such as functional MRI (FMRI). More specifically, his research has focused on language processing at the text or discourse level, concerning questions about how we understand language. A general premise is that understanding requires not just understanding the words, but understanding the situation conveyed by the words. Dr. Robertson’s work has investigated and supported the theory that when we form an understanding of the situation described in a text, it involves processes and embodied representations that are the same as those used to understand actual physical situations. For example, he conducted several FMRI experiments that showed a common network of brain regions involved in reading or listening to conventional stories. These same regions were also involved in the processing of picture stories presented without any language. Dr Robertson’s reading and teaching interests include a passion for developmental psychology. Outside of school he enjoys the many and wide variety of music and art events in the region, and is the fond owner of two dogs. | http://psychology.usf.edu/faculty/drobertson |
This thesis examines the intersection of language, identity, language ideologies and attitudes in relation to national, regional, religious and gender identities among Kurdish, Turkish and English speaking multilingual Kurds of Turkey in the UK who are learning Kurmanji-Kurdish as their heritage language in community-based language classes in the UK. The central concern of this thesis is to explore the ways in which language is constructed as a salient marker of Kurdish identity in the UK diaspora. The process of Turkey's accession to the EU, along with greater cultural and linguistic demands of Kurds, has foregrounded the significance of language as a means of democratisation and conflict resolution. The armed conflict between the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) and the Turkish Republic which has been a problem since the 1980s is currently undergoing peace negotiations via a turbulent 'resolution process' (since 2009), tantamount to the 'peace process' initiated in 2012, where language and identity became an important part of the political negotiations between the PKK and the Turkish state. These macro-political developments have had a great impact on the emerging Kurdish language classes in the UK. More specifically, this thesis seeks to examine how national/ethnic identities (Anderson 2006; Hobsbawm 1996; Joseph 2004) as well as regional, religious and gender identities are hierarchised (Omoniyi 2006) in classroom interactions and semistructured interviews. The first part of the thesis draws on a systematic analysis of ethnographic data which predominantly focuses on languages and identities using Interactional Sociolinguistics (IS) (Gumperz 2001) and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) (Fairclough 2010; Wodak and Meyer 2009; Fairclough and Wodak 1997). The second part of the thesis investigates language attitudes (Azjen 1988; Baker 1992; Ryan et al. 1987) towards 'standard' or 'academic' (Bohtan Kürtc̦esi/southern dialect region) versus 'nonstandard' or 'vernacular' varieties such as that which is referred to as 'Maraș Kürtc̦esi' in Turkish or 'Kurmanjiya Mereșe' (northwestern dialect region see figure 1.3) in Kurdish, spoken in Kahramanmara., a city in southern Turkey. This aspect of the investigation takes a social psychological perspective. This thesis aims to contribute to the field of sociolinguistics in relation to the investigation of language and identity from a multidisciplinary and multi-analytical perspective. | https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.707212 |
Doha, Qatar – October 1, 2018 – As part of the recently opened Media Innovation Lab (The MIL) at Northwestern University in Qatar, an expert on virtual and augmented reality spoke at the University. Mia Tramz, Emmy-winning producer and editorial director of enterprise and immersive experiences at TIME Inc., spoke about virtual reality as a new tool for storytelling.
In line with the MIL’s theme for the year, “Virtual and Augmented Reality in Storytelling and Media,” Tramz spoke at a public lecture and held several workshops for the NU-Q community to learn more about the components of creating VR and AR content.
“Mia’s work in AR and VR is at the forefront of futuristic storytelling,” said Everette E. Dennis, dean and CEO. “To be able to get a glimpse into the breadth of the work involved in making this type of innovative content puts into perspective how much the world of media and communication is changing and informs us of the types of projects our students may be working on in the near future.”
Tramz oversees the operations at LIFE VR, a digital extension of LIFE magazine, and also heads the AR and VR initiatives of more than 35 other brands including TIME, People, Sports Illustrated, Real Simple, Essence, Southern Living, and InStyle. A four-part documentary series she produced for Sports Illustrated, following the journey of three climbers ascending Mount Everest, won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Digital Innovation.
At a community meeting, Tramz gave examples of how VR can be used to share new perspectives and the processes behind producing some of the organization's most notable projects in a quickly developing medium.
Although a specialist in the field, Tramz does not see VR as an emerging alternative to photojournalism or documentary films, but rather as another way to take audiences to new places in ways that might otherwise seem distant or unreachable. 'VR does a lot of things really well -- it's sort of magical. It can create wonder; it can be hilarious or scary. There are many different applications for it,' Tramz said.
Her projects have transported audiences to Mars, to the glaciers of Iceland, and behind-the-scenes with Hugh Jackman to the set of the movie The Greatest Showman.
In her journalistic projects, Tramz faces the same rigorous standards for accuracy – even in environments produced fully with computer-generated imagery. Stories that take viewers to the frontlines of Pearl Harbor or on-board a ship fleeing the Nazis all contain objects and information that were gathered through research from archival images, ethnographic museum collections, and first-hand accounts.
At a workshop for students, faculty, and staff, she provided practical tips on producing VR content, which included knowing your audience, recognizing the high production costs of the technology, and understanding the importance of being selective with the medium.
“VR is not enhanced cinema – its interactive theatre,” she said, adding that passive audiences are transformed into active players once they are in new territory across borders, behind walls, and in foreign lands. While this has allowed for powerful storytelling, she believes its full effect is not appreciated if used without a defined purpose.
Tramz encouraged attendees to experiment with the new technology available at the Media Innovation Lab and take storytelling into new arenas. “If you are considerate of your readers and give them a way into your story that isn’t intimidating, the technology can help you reach whomever you intend to reach,” she said.
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The big news to emerge from the Michelin Guide to France 2017 was a third star for chef Yannick Alléno’s Le 1947 at the Cheval Blanc hotel in Courchevel in the French Alps. It was the only new three star restaurant in the 2017 Guide, one of 27 in total in France now, including Alléno's other restaurant, Pavillon Ledoyen in Paris.
Alléno has drawn acclaim for his modern approach to French cuisine, with particlular focus on the development of sauces, the pillars of France's gastronomical strength and what Alléno describes sauce as "the verb of French cuisine". He has in more recent years focused his work towards fermentation.
At Le 1947, named after a particulary fine Château Cheval Blanc vintage, Alléno's full repertoire of skills and knowledge are on show, a place where seasonal produce is transformed into true art on the plate.
This is a French chef at the top of the game, achieving two restaurants with three Michelin stars is a testament to a unfaltering dedication to producing some of the best cuisine the country has to offer. | https://www.finedininglovers.com/article/10-dishes-frances-newest-three-michelin-star-restaurant |
Groupe ADP conducts a significant portion of its activities abroad through its subsidiaries and equity interests. These activities expose the group to the inherent risks of international operations, linked to: the geopolitical and economic context of the main geographical regions in which the group operates; legal, tax and compliance risks; exchange risks; operational risks associated with asset management; in Turkey, the area of concern is the end of the concession of Istanbul- Ataturk airport in January 2021; exposure to exceptional natural phenomena.
Groupe ADP brought the management of its international activities under a single entity, ADP International 1 , in July 2017. This wholly-owned subsidiary of Aéroports de Paris is responsible for the entire international scope of Groupe ADP, including TAV Airports and for monitoring the interest in Schiphol Group. The group’s three main activities internationally are now under the same management: investments, airport operations and engineering-innovation. ADP International now benefits from support from a strong local network, thanks to the three regional offices: in New York for the Americas zone, in Hong Kong for the Asia zone a reinforcement of the dedicated international teams in the operations, finance and risk & compliance sectors; the implementation of momentum to reinforce project steering; the initiation of actions to ensure the correct integration of TAV Airports into Groupe ADP’s governance and processes; these actions will continue in 2018. This new organisation aims to provide an essential growth relay, in order to achieve the value creation objectives defined in Groupe ADP’s strategic plan, CONNECT 2020. Amongst the priorities of the strategic plan, “CONNECT 2020”, for the period 2016-2020 are notably: the optimisation of infrastructures by deploying a “one roof” initiative (merging terminals); support for Société du Grand Paris and the CDG Express projects, to facilitate access to Ile-de-France region platforms. The group has an investment project steering system based around a Strategy and Investment Committee and an Investment Approval Committee chaired by the Chairman & CEO. In addition, the Engineering & Development Division plans, designs, organises and conducts investments in infrastructure (roads and runways), buildings (terminals, hangars, shops and administrative premises, real estate projects) and all types of equipment for the Company, for the purpose of meeting the medium to long term aeronautical and strategic needs. and in Istanbul for the Middle East zone. This change was accompanied in 2017 by: RISK MONITORING AND MANAGEMENT
Risks related to investments in developments and capabilities
RISK IDENTIFICATION
Groupe ADP’s Ile-de-France region platform development and infrastructure projects are complex with long investment cycles (from the study phase up to commissioning). Significant technological or structural changes (in terms of traffic...) could lead to: the saturation of existing infrastructure before the new installations are delivered; mismatch between the delivered infrastructure and requirements. The return on investment could be lower than forecast, and have an adverse impact on income. Moreover, the group is pursuing a programme of significant investment as part of its strategic plan, “CONNECT 2020”. Given the size, complexity and number of investment projects and external constraints (conditions for obtaining administrative authorisations, stakeholders…), the control of project steering is a major challenge.
1 See press release of 7 July, available on the website www.groupeadp.fr . | https://labrador.cld.bz/ADP-REGISTRATION-DOCUMENT-2017/20/ |
Is IQ 130 genius?
115 to 129: Above average or bright. 130 to 144: Moderately gifted. 145 to 159: Highly gifted. 160 to 179: Exceptionally gifted.
What is the highest genius IQ?
A score of 116 or more is considered above average. A score of 130 or higher signals a high IQ. Membership in Mensa, the High IQ society, includes people who score in the top 2 percent, which is usually 132 or higher.
What IQ equals genius?
A normal intelligence quotient (IQ) ranges from 85 to 115 (According to the Stanford – Binet scale). Only approximately 1% of the people in the world have an IQ of 135 or over. Genius or near-genius IQ is considered to start around 140 to 145.
What was Albert Einstein’s IQ?
The maximum IQ score assigned by the WAIS-IV, a commonly-used test today, is 160. A score of 135 or above puts a person in the 99th percentile of the population. News articles often put Einstein’s IQ at 160, though it’s unclear what that estimate is based upon.
What are signs of high IQ?
11 Signs of Intelligence Proving There’s More Than One Way to Be a Genius Empathy. Solitude. Sense of self. Curiosity. Memory. Body memory. Adaptability. Interpersonal skills.
Is 125 IQ gifted?
IQ classification is the practice by IQ test publishers of labeling IQ score ranges with category names such as “superior” or “average”. Stanford–Binet Intelligence Scale Fifth Edition.
|IQ Range (“deviation IQ “)||IQ Classification|
|130–144||Gifted or very advanced|
|120–129||Superior|
|110–119||High average|
|90–109||Average|
Who has the highest IQ alive?
|Christopher Langan|
|Nationality||American|
|Education||Reed College Montana State University–Bozeman|
|Occupation||Horse rancher|
|Known for||High IQ|
Who has the highest IQ of all time?
|Marilyn vos Savant|
|Born||Marilyn Mach August 11, 1946 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.|
|Occupation||Author columnist|
|Spouse||Robert Jarvik ( m. 1987)|
|Website|
What is the highest IQ in the world 2020?
With a score of 198, Evangelos Katsioulis, MD, MSc, MA, PhD, has the highest tested IQ in the world, according to the World Genius Directory.
How can I get a higher IQ?
Here are some activities you can do to improve various areas of your intelligence, from reasoning and planning to problem-solving and more. Memory activities. Executive control activities. Visuospatial reasoning activities. Relational skills. Musical instruments. New languages. Frequent reading. Continued education.
What is the average IQ for a 14 year old?
Price, a professor at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at University College London, and colleagues, tested 33 “healthy and neurologically normal ” adolescents aged 12 to 16. Their IQ scores ranged from 77 to 135, with an average score of 112.
How rare is an IQ of 140?
Anything above 140 is considered a high or genius-level IQ. It is estimated that between 0.25 percent and 1.0 percent of the population fall into this elite category.
What is the IQ of an average person?
The vast majority of people in the United States have I.Q.s between 80 and 120, with an I.Q. of 100 considered average. To be diagnosed as having mental retardation, a person must have an I.Q. below 70-75, i.e. significantly below average.
What is a normal IQ?
Psychologists revise the test every few years in order to maintain 100 as the average. Most people (about 68 percent) have an IQ between 85 and 115. Only a small fraction of people have a very low IQ (below 70) or a very high IQ (above 130). The average IQ in the United States is 98.
What defines IQ?
IQ, or intelligence quotient, is a measure of your ability to reason and solve problems. It essentially reflects how well you did on a specific test as compared to other people of your age group. While tests may vary, the average IQ on many tests is 100, and 68 percent of scores lie somewhere between 85 and 115. | https://www.skipperwbreeders.com/training/quick-answer-what-iq-is-genius.html |
NOTE: This page is an old roadmap which was made between 2010-2012. It is available here for those who are interested but for the up-to-date version, SEE THIS INSTEAD.
Below is a list of features that may be included in the game as we go along. They are listed in the order that we think would make sense to implement them (but sometimes we skip ahead.) The first release focuses on survival. From there, we go on to themes such as: Farming, Manufacturing and Industry, Mining, The Sea.
In the first part of our game, we follow pioneers and scientists who are isolated from the other human settlements. Many months pass where the stranded people must fight for survival. The pioneers must use all their skill and knowledge of the environment to hold out until they are rescued and rejoin the other settlers.
The characters gather berries, edible roots, mushrooms and firewood and chop down wood for construction. Scavenging carcasses is also an option.
The player can designate an area to be explored. Characters all have a sensor range which gives a fog of war effect. The player knows the general features of the map from the beginning but the specific flora and fauna of an area is unknown until a character walks into the area. After a while, resources such as mushrooms, fruits and firewood appear, indicating that the area has been explored.
The characters can hunt for game and in return be hunted by predators.
The player can order production of tools, weapons, food and many other items.
The expedition members rely on versatile tools that are either high-tech or improvised from available resources.
There are a variety of exotic ingredients in the game. The stranded characters will need to appreciate the strangest dishes.
Many actions are determined by the characters’ physical needs. These include eating, sleeping and resting.
The day-night cycle influences the behavior of expedition members as well as creatures.
Alien animals are a danger as well as a source of food for the expedition members.
The player can order the characters to salvage structures and items. Salvaging splits the object up in its consisting components, with a loss. The efficiency of a salvage job is dependent on the available tools.
Items and goods, as well as finished vehicles and machinery can degrade if they are not stored properly, and will eventually break down.
A condition level tracks the state of the item. When the condition is low, there is a chance that one of the components will be destroyed and the item will cease to function.
These are ideas we have for future game expansions. (We are already underway with several of these.) Take it with a grain of salt though, because our plans will undoubtedly change during development.
The stranded characters already have some knowledge of the environment, based on research during the reconnaissance mission they took part in. But many plants and animals are waiting to be examined, named and categorized. When expedition members encounter an unknown phenomenon they will have to examine the item to figure out its attributes and also name it. The player gives an examine order and a character will look at the specimen and use research equipment to determine its properties.
If a character is sick or injured, another character with sufficient medical skill can diagnose and then perform treatment.
Characters performing the Repair action will improve the condition level and replace destroyed components, if the right materials are available.
We follow the farming communities that appeared in the years after planetfall. The player can now establish settlements that produce and trade crops.
The settlers establish small fields, preparing the soil for terrestrial crops by burning away the alien plants or they try their hand at cultivating indigenous crops. Farming will be most successful on land that is cleared of rocks, is fertilized and has the right mix of clay, sand and organic material.
Using hand tools the settlers fertilize, sow, control pests and harvest crops.
They have hydroponics and greenhouses as well.
When the player wants to exploit or research a distant area, he needs to form an “Expedition” since characters will not go too far from their home. All settlements start as expeditions, because after a while, the expedition can grow more permanent with buildings, roads etc. This changes its definition into an Outpost, then a Colony.
The supplies and all other equipment that is brought along on an expedition is owned by an entity called “the collective” which is controlled by the player. The player chooses among volunteers, selects supplies and equipment and loads it on his chosen means of transportation.
Characters performing jobs for the expedition will earn food rations from its stores and shelter in its buildings.
Settlers can get access to items and tools that they are not able to produce themselves by trading with off-map colonies.
Settlers can use land vehicles and aircraft for transporting goods and people.
The “Mule” is an electric utility vehicle which can operate with or without a driver.
The SK-140 “Skimmer” is an all-purpose VTOL aircraft. It has ducted propellers and can carry a load of 400 kg at a top speed of 360 km/h. Its power cells give it a range of 800 km.
Paved roads can now be built. Tracks and pathways appear automatically where there´s traffic.
Settlers can set up their own homes, live together; get babies and die of old age. They are free to decide where to live. Some will live in barracks built by the collective; others will build their own home. The type of home that characters choose to build for themselves reflect their background and personal wealth.
People living in the same home are defined as belonging to the same household. They will most often be family members too. A household can be the owner of vehicles, items and buildings. All household members then share these possessions.
The concept of needs is expanded and now encompasses psychological needs as well.
When the settlers intervene in the ecosystems it can have far-reaching consequences that are difficult to predict. It will be hard to avoid, though, because the colonists must use every means they have to protect themselves from hostile alien life forms. Also, they will need to introduce terran animals and plants to provide food in the beginning, until enough is understood about the local organisms that food production can be based on them.
It becomes possible to have workshops and small factories that produce many types of goods. Buildings can be fitted with workshops and storage rooms.
On the secluded world where the game takes place, it is not possible to order spare parts for machinery or vehicles from home. There are no supply ships or freighters. Everything must be produced from scratch, from the planet’s own resources. This is why the colony ship carried two factories, packed down in boxes and ready to be assembled.
The ATLAS Self-Replicating Factory is capable of producing every part that it is made of. To achieve this difficult goal, while fitting within strict weight limits, it has been very carefully designed.
Humans are needed to operate all of the work processes. However, the factory can be upgraded later with greater automation. The factory itself weighs 150 tonnes and is divided into modules.
The ATLAS forms the backbone of the entire economy. Without it, the world’s technology would regress, as the settlers ran out of spare parts for their machines.
In the beginning of the game, two factories exist on the planet, one is assembled, the other is not. Over time, the player will be able to construct his own factories from parts acquired through trading with the surrounding world.
Such as biomass and nuclear fuel.
Settlers can now breed and care for animals. Farms can have livestock and aliens can be captured and tamed. Settlers can ride horses and train dogs.
New discoveries made on the planet can be sent to Earth, where research institutions will pay for the results in the form of new technologies and product designs that can be readily deployed.
The settlers can now extract metals from the earth, either by strip mining (digging away layers of soil) or leaching (extract dissolved minerals from deep in the ground).
Mines and quarries can be set up where the land has raw materials suitable for extraction.
To find these locations, geologists must probe the land and analyze data captured by aircraft and satellites.
The player directs the geologists by designating the areas he wants investigated further.
Ores and minerals are converted into materials.
Big rocks and terrain features can be pulverized with explosives.
Settlers can now make a living for themselves instead of relying on the collective. Private land ownership becomes possible and the player must compensate owners of land if he wants to develop it.
There are a variety of robot designs, some specialized in mining or farming, and some for hauling and even repair work. The robots are autonomous, but require human maintenance – they are somewhat costly to maintain and cannot fill all jobs. Robots will work around the clock as long as they are powered and serviced.
Game maps no longer need to be made by hand, the game can procedurally generate unlimited numbers of maps.
It becomes possible to travel by sea and fish from boats.
Small and large fish are simulated.
Heavy vehicles help with farming, construction and clearing land. | http://unclaimedworld-game.com/features-old/ |
- The Indian Rupee is a reflection of the fundamental strength of the Indian economy. Over a longer period of time, the INR has weakened against the Dollar, but in the shorter term the INR is impacted by a lot of technical factors and demand/supply factors.
- In the past five years, the nominal exchange rate of the rupee has fallen some 4 per cent in CAGR terms (rupee down from 59/60 to the current 71 levels).Therefore, if the “real” exchange rate has appreciated despite steady nominal rate depreciation, it seems a reasonable inference that the relative inflation position of Indian exports is not as favourable as projected.
- The rupee has already lost 2.6% against the dollar so far this month, since the pandemic hit the country early last year.
- RBI manages the value of the rupee with several tools, which involve controlling its supply in the market.
- Exchange rate management by the Reserve Bank of India will help the central bank to manage inflation according to SBI economists. Inflation could be impacted by 0.1-0.13% for every 1% change in exchange rate, according to their study.
Linkages:-
Current situation:-
- The prospects of higher domestic inflation, as supply disruptions is not doing any harm for RBI to lean with the wind and let rupee appreciate as it is reducing imported inflation when metal prices are rising, and clearing the liquidity to some extent, said group chief economic advisor Soumya Kanti Ghosh and his team in the report.
- The large supply of dollars will ensure that rupee will appreciate from the current levels and this could potentially play to the advantage of RBI in inflation management”
- Also, Estimates of exchange rate passes through some moderation during the flexible Inflation targeting period. As per report, inflation can still alter by 0.1-0.13% for every 1% change in exchange rate, warranting that the exchange rate be closely monitored as a key information variable for the conduct of monetary policy.
- For an inflation targeting regime, the key target variable is inflation but in the current situation growth concerns outweigh inflationary pressures. So the MPC will have to be watchful of an depreciation induced inflation.
Impact:-
- Appreciation of the rupee can bring down inflation.
- The factor that is likely to have influenced the Central bank is the impact of dollar buying on domestic inflation.
- The typical policy instrument used by RBI or the Monetary Policy Committee to target inflation is interest rates. However, increasing interest rates at a time when the economy is contracting can have disastrous effects. This ties the hands of RBI as it attempts to fight inflation while supporting revival.
- By allowing rupee to appreciate, it is allowing imports to become cheaper which could offset the impact of an increase in duties or any inflationary pressures in the global market on India’s inflation.
- As a impact rbi will have to keep Indian rupee stable and stronger to keep inflationary conditions under check. Already with falling income and rising unemployment, the masses have been put to greater hardships and further the inflation put additional financial burden on economy.
Concepts Explained:-
- Exchange rate:
- An exchange rate is the value of one nation’s currency versus the currency of another nation or economic zone. There are two kinds of exchange rates—floating and fixed.
- CAGR:
- Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) is the annual growth of the investments over a specific period of time.
- MPC:
- The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is a committee of the Central Bank in India (Reserve Bank of India) headed by its Governor. | https://newscanvass.com/2021/05/rupee-levels-too-crucial-for-inflation-management/ |
Business analysis and info science are two disciplines which can be closely related. Both focus on data and quantitative actions used to gauge the performance of companies. Business experts often work with fact-based supervision for decision-making. They use data to understand and estimate the future of businesses, helping to travel the economy and foster growth within the market. Business analysts use info transformations and predictive styles to make better decisions based on historical fashion. They can utilize machine learning how to create predictive models and optimize functionality through marketing.
As each fields overlap, there are some key element differences. While data scientists https://datatechtonics.com/2020/02/18/data-techtonics-has-started-a-partnership-with-a-new-company are statistically properly trained, business analysts happen to be organisation-centric. They will evaluate and interpret info to get insights coming from it and present this to non-technical audiences. Inevitably, both types of professionals depend on each other’s skills. And there’s no denying that data scientists happen to be in high demand. They’re also supposed to continually upgrade their skills.
While data science certainly is the future of info management, both the disciplines don’t terme conseillé in all methods. They equally aim to evaluate data and locate patterns to fix problems and improve organizational performance. Organization analysis was traditionally used to capture business needs and fix problems. But the use of big data, specifically big data, has radically changed it is purpose. Rather than simply fixing problems, it might now predict upcoming needs and respond to these people better. Within a data-driven globe, this type of analysis can help agencies improve their underlying part lines and minimize costs and turnaround moments. | https://www.ncs-science.com/2022/06/19/business-analysis-and-data-science/ |
A middle grade novel by Kate Egan, Golden Ticket, explores friendship, academic anxiety, and what it means to be special.
“It’s practically like a private school,” Mrs. Silver said bitterly. “The best teacher, for such a tiny group of students. Who wouldn’t succeed in a class like that?” She took off her sunglasses to glare at the dad. “Those kids get picked out when they’re seven years old, and they get handed a golden ticket. Of course they become stars.”
Eleven-year-old Ash McNulty is one of the “gifted and talented” kids at her school, spending most of her day in a special class with a few other advanced students. As the end of fifth grade rolls around, she should be on top of the world. According to everyone, she’s going to rock junior high!
But Ash has a secret: She can’t keep up with her advanced classmates anymore. The minute she asks for help though, everyone will know she’s not who they think she is. She’s not so smart. She might not even be that special. And her parents will be crushed to discover the truth.
If Ash can win the Quiz Bowl, though, that will show everyone that she is still on top. If she gets a lucky break ahead of time, all the better.
Except that “lucky break” backfires . . .
And Ash is left to question everything she thought she knew about school, friends, and success.
About the Author
Kate Egan’s gifts and talents all involve words. She is the author of a picture book, Kate and Nate Are Running Late!, and a chapter book series, The Magic Shop, both published by Feiwel and Friends. Her work has been named to many state reading lists, selected by the Junior Library Guild, and recognized as “Best of the Year” by Amazon. She is also a freelance editor, a prolific ghostwriter, and an occasional book reviewer. Kate lives with her family on the coast of Maine.
Praise For…
"With great heart, and in smooth, fresh prose that is a pleasure to read, “Golden Ticket” offers young readers a hopeful way of looking at failure and mistakes.... " —The New York Times
"Through realistically flawed characters and engaging third-person prose, Egan (the Magic Shop series) explores resource allocation, internal and external definitions of success, and what it means to be “gifted.” — Publishers Weekly
"Egan creates a high degree of tension in the early chapters, mirroring the conflict within Ash, a good kid who makes some bad decisions and has to live with the consequences, but just as involving is her later exploration of who she is, where she fits in, and what she really wants. . . engaging" —Booklist
"A sensitively drawn tale of a young girl’s struggle with redemption and self-identity. Vivid characters and crisp writing make this a poignant and accessible read. Golden Ticket contains a timely and powerful message for young readers about the importance of finding—and claiming—your unique place in the world." | https://www.tinybooksonline.com/book/9781250820334 |
The sea has evoked and inspired a study about wave surfaces as engine of the project: the goal is to use a single wavy surface that adapts itself to articulate all the parts of the building, indoor and outdoor spaces, production and exhibition areas, defining a strong coastal design, a recognizable landmark. The big wavy surface is defined by a structure of interwoven steel beams, that gives intriguing light/shadows effects to the inner spaces. The rooms are closed by oversized fibre-composite panels, used for the roof and walls. The same technology is used to build a series of suspended cocoons connected to each other through catwalks grafted into the waves. These cocoons are home to offices, design spaces and conference rooms: the ground level is let free for the production activity, the administrative and design side stand over, with the possibility to have a comprehensive look from above. Double layered roof: Passive Heating and Cooling The building has a natural ventilation/air flow geometry based on environmental parameters, including wind and sun thermal siphon technique, creating a natural form of air-conditioning. Aerodynamically streamlined shapes reduce wind pressures and assist the airflow within the building. The double roof serves as a second buffer for thermal and acoustic variations, where operable elements supplement and support good day lighting and let in natural air: the second plastic skin, connected to the thermal chimney, ventilates and cools the building, carrying off used air heated by passive solar energy. A network of photovoltaic cells is integrated into the outer layer to provide electricity to the building machinery and the production units of the factory.
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You must be logged in to post a comment. | http://pitcrit.com/water-anomalies-sailboat-factory/ |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT INTEREST
The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/680,833, filed on Jun. 5, 2018, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
This invention was made with government support under Contract No. 1538318 awarded by the National Science Foundation. The government has certain rights in the invention.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
Background of the Invention
The present invention relates to a three-dimensional (3D) printed material that changes shape when exposed to an external stimulus.
Current 3D printing technology can print objects with a multitude of materials; however, these objects are static, geometrically permanent, and not suitable for multi-functional use. 4D printing is an emerging additive manufacturing technology that combines 3D printing with smart materials. The 4D printed objects can change their shape over time (4th dimension) by applying heat, pressure, magnetic field, or moisture to the smart materials.
It would be beneficial to provide 4D printing with a light responsive shape-changing material because light is wireless, easily controllable, and causes a rapid shape change of the smart material.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.
The present invention provides a 4D printed component that uses the photoisomerization stimulus as a method of activation. Other 4D printing methods use heat, moisture, a combination of heat and stress, and the heat from a light source as methods of activation. The present invention takes advantage of 3D printing capability and adds the capability of providing a printable material that dynamically changes shape over time when exposed to an external stimulus. This characteristic reduces the amount of onboard weight of the 3D printed components by reducing the number of parts required to create motion. The present invention removes the need for onboard sensors, processors, motors, power storage, etc. This characteristic will allow for manufacturing of, inter alia, novel medical devices, automated actuators, packaging, smart textiles, etc.
The present invention provides several polymeric bilayer actuators fabricated by 4D printing that can reversibly change their shape upon exposure to light. The photoactive layer includes a newly synthesized linear azobenzene polymer that is printed onto several different support layers to achieve these bilayer actuators. An investigation of their optical and mechanical properties has allowed us to better understand the photomechanical behavior of these devices. The bilayer actuators provide the ability to design and fabricate more complex devices and extend their use to applications such as unmanned aerial vehicles, artificial muscles, and biomedical drug delivery platforms.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitute part of this specification, illustrate the presently preferred embodiments of the invention, and, together with the general description given above and the detailed description given below, serve to explain the features of the invention. In the drawings:
FIG. 1
is a schematic representation of the manufacture and operation of a photoactivated shape changing device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2
is an SEM image of a device of the present invention;
FIG. 3A
is a schematic drawing of a device according to the present invention with the active layer proximate to a turned off light source;
FIG. 3B
FIG. 3B
is a schematic drawing of the device of with the device reacting to the light source being turned on;
FIG. 3C
is a schematic drawing of the device according to the present invention with the active layer distal to a turned off light source;
FIG. 3D
FIG. 3C
is a schematic drawing of the device of with the device reacting to the light source being turned on;
FIG. 4A
is a photo of a temporary compressed shape of a four-curved spline after it has been heated to 70° C. and then cooled to room temperature;
FIG. 4B
FIG. 4A
. is a photo of the compressed spline of extending to its permanent shape after it is reheated to 70° C.;
FIG. 4C
is a photo of an arm that can be bent when heated then cooled to room temperature;
FIG. 4D
FIG. 4C
is a photo of the arm of returned to its permanent straight shape when reheated to 70° C.;
FIG. 5A
is a photo of a compressed “drxl” logo after it has been heated above its glass transition temperature (70° C.) then cooled;
FIG. 5B
is a photo of an extended “drxl” logo that is cooled
FIG. 5C
FIGS. 5A and 5B
is a photo of both shapes of returned to the permanent “drxl” shape when reheated to 70° C.;
FIG. 6A
is a photo of PLA and nylon fabric combo that was heated to 70° C. and rolled into a cylinder, then cooled;
FIG. 6B
FIG. 6A
is a photo of the PLA nylon cylinder of unfolding into its permanent flat shape when reheated in the 70° C. pool of water;
FIG. 6C
FIG. 6A
is a photo of the PLA nylon cylinder of fully unfolded into its permanent flat shape;
FIG. 7A
is a photo of a magnetic stir bar placed in the center of the PLA nylon fabric;
FIG. 7B
FIG. 7A
is a photo of the PLA nylon fabric of having been heated to 70° C. and encapsulating the stir bar, then removed from the heated water to cool to room temperature and maintaining its shape; and
FIG. 7C
FIG. 7B
is a photo of the PLA nylon fabric of having unraveled and releasing the stir bar when the PLA nylon fabric is returned to the heated bath.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the drawings, like numerals indicate like elements throughout. Certain terminology is used herein for convenience only and is not to be taken as a limitation on the present invention. The terminology includes the words specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof and words of similar import. The embodiments illustrated below are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. These embodiments are chosen and described to best explain the principle of the invention and its application and practical use and to enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention.
Reference herein to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments necessarily mutually exclusive of other embodiments. The same applies to the term “implementation.”
As used in this application, the word “exemplary” is used herein to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any aspect or design described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs. Rather, use of the word exemplary is intended to present concepts in a concrete fashion.
Additionally, the term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive “or”. That is, unless specified otherwise, or clear from context, “X employs A or B” is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B, then “X employs A or B” is satisfied under any of the foregoing instances. In addition, the articles “a” and “an” as used in this application and the appended claims should generally be construed to mean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear from context to be directed to a singular form.
This invention presents 3D printed shape changing components that actuate when exposed to light and reduces the number of required 3D printed parts for creating an actuating mechanism.
A photoisomerizable smart material that responds to ultraviolet (UV) and visible light is used as an additive manufacturing material. The smart material can be defined as a shape memory or shape changing polymer containing photoisomerizable units. The smart material active layer is 3D-printed onto a flexible solid passive layer. These two layers comprise the 3D-printed shape changing device.
The photoisomerizable units in the active layer, alone, change volume when exposed to light. This volume change causes stress to develop in the active layer due to its constraint by the passive layer. The 3D-printed component actuates due to the contraction of the flexible passive layer caused by a stress gradient between the layers. When the light is switched off and a second stimulus is applied, the photoisomerizable units return to their original state, thus the component returns to its original 3D-printed shape. The second stimulus may be heat or light of a different wavelength that returns the material to its original shape. Since the photoisomerizable units can be reversibly switched between states, the actuation of the component is reversible as well.
Current 3D printing material suffers from rigid and static parts that cannot actuate or transform shape right off the print bed. If users desire to make moving parts, such as hinges or actuators, they must assemble multiple parts together after printing. The invention reduces the number of required parts for creating actuating parts by 3D printing a material that can change shape when exposed to light. Post processing of 3D printed parts can still be tedious and time consuming just like machined parts. The 3D printer's bed size is another issue because it limits the number of parts and size of the parts that can be printed in one iteration. Our invention offers a potential solution since it uses a material that can dynamically change shape over time when exposed to an external stimulus after it has been 3D printed.
Light reactive smart materials are used as the 4D printing material because light is a clean power source, capable of being focused, can be remotely controlled, causes rapid shape change, wireless, and can be applied to smart materials at various intensities. The smart material can be 3D printed into complex shapes that can actuate into different states. The inclusion of smart material into 4D printed materials removes the need for complex electrical and mechanical components such as sensors, motors, processors, and power storage. The removal of these components simplifies the design of the products, reduces the weight of the product, and reduces the numbers of chances of a part failing. The invention may find applications in areas of advanced manufacturing, microfabrication, biomedical devices, self-assembling structures, packaging, and smart textiles.
Different blends of a photoisomerable (light reactive) smart material can be developed as a 3D printing material (Fused Deposition Modelling or Extrusion Printing). Different designs can be printed using the light reactive smart material such as cantilevers, multi-hinge components, twisting motion, and 2D designs that can transform materials into 3D objects. The smart material can be dispensed onto a non-reactive polymer film that acts as a flexible passive layer for the 4D printed component. The mechanical properties and shape memory properties of the designs can be evaluated and quantified for scientific reports. Different light sources and power requirements can be assessed to identify the best settings to actuate the 4D printed components.
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FIG. 1
FIG. 2
In an exemplary embodiment, a 3D printed polymeric bilayer device that requires only light input to achieve a reversible shape change is shown in and a Scanning Electron Microscope (“SEM”) image of device is shown in . Device can be an actuator or other device that is desired to move or transform when exposed to a desired wavelength of light. In an exemplary embodiment, a first layer includes a photoactive poly(siloxane) containing pendant azobenzene (AB) group, known as the active layer. A second layer , known as the passive layer, includes a polyimide thin film, such as Kapton®. Polyimide thin films are used as second layer due to the fact that such material is flexible, inert to most organic solvents, and have desirable mechanical properties. Bilayers , are fabricated in a single step by printing active layer onto passive layer , which has previously been provided in a desired shape.
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Irradiating the layers , with the appropriate wavelength of light causes a trans-cis isomerization of azobenzene (“AB”) molecules in active layer . Due to size differences of the AB isomers, the isomerization requires a free volume increase of the polymer matrix, which results in an overall volume expansion of active layer . Under the correct conditions, this photoinduced volume expansion forms a strain gradient between the active layer and passive layer large enough to deform device . The cis-trans isomerization returns the device to its original shape and removes the strain gradient, making the shape change reversible.
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In such bilayer device , the shape change relies on the volume change of the active layer . While the overall volume change of active layer can be small, such volume change can be amplified into large deformations by means of the configuration of bilayer device .
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In an exemplary embodiment, linear polymers that are soluble in common organic solvents and can be printed from solution via syringe via 3D printing are used. Passive layer uses a material with a larger modulus than prior art hydrogels or elastomers used in 4D printing that is capable of performing more mechanical work than a comparable actuator with a lower modulus passive layer. Also, the inventive light-driven device uses a stimulus that is superior to prior art stimuli used in 4D printing, such as water or thermomechanics. The shape change of device is near-instantaneous.
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For active layer , liquid crystal elastomers (“LCEs”) can be candidates for applications such as soft actuators and artificial muscles. LCEs are formed from a lightly crosslinked polymeric elastomer portion and a liquid crystalline (“LC”) portion that can be in the main chain of the polymer, or alternatively, attached to the main chain as a side group. The unique property that such a material possess is its ability to reversibly change shape upon exposure to external stimuli, such as light, temperature, and electric field. LCEs that change their shape upon exposure to light contain a photosensitive dye as the mesogen in the LC portion. An exemplary dye used in this LCE is an azobenzene-based dye, although those skilled in the art will recognize that other dyes, such as spiropyran and coumarin can be used.
g
Before irradiation with light, the polymer chains in photoactive LCEs adopt an extended conformation and some degree of chain anisotropy due to the alignment of the dye molecules. The magnitude of the anisotropy is variable from system to system, because the anisotropy is strongly dependent on the overall LCE architecture and the method of alignment used during synthesis. When the LCE is irradiated, the AB dye absorbs light and undergoes a trans-to-cis isomerization. This isomerization induces an isothermal phase change from an initially ordered LC phase to a disordered isotropic phase where the mesogens are no longer aligned and the polymer chains adopt a random coil configuration. This large scale macromolecular motion is responsible for the shape change in the LCEs. The original shape can be recovered by irradiating the LCE with the appropriate wavelength of light to induce the cis-to-trans isomerization of the dye molecule. Usually, the cis isomer of the dye can be obtained by irradiating with UV light and the trans isomer can be recovered with visible light. Since the cis-to-trans isomerization can be induced by both heat and light, heating the LCE above its Tis another way to recover its original shape.
A feature of AB is that multiple properties of the molecule, such as shape, dipole moment, and light absorption are significantly altered by the trans-cis isomerization. This feature has led to the extensive use of AB in applications such as photochromic devices, molecular machines, and holographic gratings.
The absorption spectrum of trans-AB includes two separate bands in the UV-vis region. The band appearing at λ-max of ˜320 nm (UV) is due to the π−π*(S2←S0) transition of trans-AB and is the stronger of the two bands having an extinction coefficient of ˜22,000 L/mol/cm. The band appearing at λ-max of ˜450 nm (Vis) is due to an n−π*(S1←S0) transition of trans-AB. This band is very weak (˜400 L/mol/cm), because it is a symmetry-forbidden band involving the excitation of the lone pair of electrons on either azo nitrogen atom. The photoisomerization of trans-AB to cis-AB can be caused by excitation to either the S1 or S2 state. The UV band (π−π*) of cis-AB appears at λ-max of ˜270 nm and the visible band (n−π*) appears at λ-max of ˜450 nm. In cis-AB the n−π* is no longer symmetry forbidden, and therefore is more intense than in the trans-AB isomer, with an extinction coefficient of ˜1500 L/mol/cm. The trans-AB is the more thermodynamically favored of the two isomers, so the cis-trans isomerization can be induced by heating or by irradiation with light having wavelengths greater than ˜500 nm.
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Active layer includes linear poly(siloxane)s containing pendant AB groups to serve as the active layer materials. An AB molecule is attached to the backbone silicon atoms of polymethylhydrosiloxane (PMHS) by means of known hydrosilylation chemistry. A grafting density of AB of about 0.84 is provided.
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g
g
g
The polymer for active layer can be polymethylhydrosiloxane-g-(4-methoxy-4′-(hexyloxy)azobenzene)(P-g-MeABHx). The glass transition temperature (T) for P-g-MeABHx is about 26 degrees Celsius, which is near room temperature. Polymer segment mobility is largely restricted below Tand the overall volume change from the trans-cis isomerization would be decreased if the active layer polymers had higher Tvalues. This allows operation of device with only light as the stimulus under ambient conditions, whereas LCEs possessing Tvalues around 80 degrees Celsius require multiple stimuli (heat and light) because light alone is insufficient to cause a shape change.
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FIGS. 3A-3D
FIG. 3A
FIG. 3B
FIGS. 3C and 3D
The displacement of bilayer device is known to depend on the thickness ratio between active layer and passive layer . In an exemplary embodiment, shown in , active layer of a P-g-MeABHx/Kapton bilayer device is proximate to a light source . When the light source was switched on, device immediately bent away from light source , as shown from to . As shown in , device has been flipped over, with active layer being distal from light source . With the light from light source passing through passive layer first, active layer bent toward the light source . Depending on the placement of light source relative to device , the layers , either bent toward or away from light source , but device always transformed into the same shape. The expansion of active layer along the long axis of device is responsible for the shape change of device . The shape-change of device is independent of which side active layer is irradiated with light source , since the expansion is always in the same direction. This is quite different from prior art light-activated LCE thin films, which typically bend toward the light source.
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In an exemplary embodiment, with active layer having a thickness of about 8 microns and passive layer having a thickness of about 25 microns, with a 442 nm blue light having a power of about 100 mW/cmplaced about 10 mm from device , the maximum bending angle of device was about 35 degrees. Within about 5 seconds of light source being turned on, device reached maximum bending angle. When light source was switched off, it took about 10 seconds for device to return to its original position. After multiple cycles, device showed no signs of fatigue and for each cycle, a maximum deflection angle of about 35 degrees was achieved.
In an alternative embodiment, other materials can be used to form a 4D shape changing device and can convert from one shape to another by the application of heat Poly(lactic) Acid (PLA) is a common FDM material that possesses shape changing and shape memory properties. PLA can stand alone or be combined with other materials such as textiles or fabrics. The textile industry has been displaying increasing interest into adaptable materials and technological state-of-the-art textiles. Shape memory materials (SMM) are materials that sense a change in temperature in their environment and change their physical properties, such as a change in shape. One method of creating smart textiles is combining yarns with shape memory alloys (“SMAs”) or with shape memory polymers (“SMPs”) to form smart woven textiles fabrics. Typically, SMPs used in smart textile research are polyurethanes and polyurethane blends.
These smart woven textiles would have potential use for interior applications that require minimal human interaction. The materials sense and react to the environment's temperature that causes the materials to expand or contract. As an example, a smart fabric being used as window blinds could expand and lower when exposed to sun, thus reducing the amount of sunlight in a room.
FDM printed PLA possesses shape changing properties, which are caused by the strain generated during the 3D printing process when contracted strain is generated within the PLA with higher printing speeds. Thus, the material shrinks when exposed to temperatures above its Tg, causing the shape change. PLA can be 3D printed onto materials with different coefficient of thermal expansion, such as paper, and create light weight 3D structures from 2D sheets using the thermal stimulus shape change. This methodology can be used for pattern transformation in heat shrinkable materials and simplify the manufacturing process of shape memory materials suited for microstructures.
g
m
m
g
In order to obtain the relationships between the printing properties of the PLA and the shape fixing properties, different thicknesses of PLA cantilevers ranging from 800 μm, 1000 μm, and 1200 μm were printed. The material used in the printer was 1.75 mm in diameter PLA filament from Flashforge. The PLA possessed a glass transition temperature (T) around 58-60 degrees Celsius and a melting temperature (T) at 150-220 degrees Celsius. During printing, a permanent shape was established because the ordered crystalline structure of PLA is printed above its Tand cooled to room temperature (below its T). During the programming stage, temporary shapes can be created when a stress is applied to the PLA when the PLA is heated above its Tg, fixed in that position, and maintained that stress/strain as the material cools. The stress is removed once the material fully cools to room temperature and the temporary shape is maintained.
f
f
f
f
f
f
f
R
N
m×
R
N
m×
Cyclic mechanical tests were performed to quantify the shape memory of the post printed PLA. During these tests, the strain fixity rate (R) was calculated. Rmeasures the materials' ability to hold a temporary shape after the material has been programmed (Eq. 1). During each number of cycles (N), the applied mechanical strain (εm) and the temporary strain after fixing, (εu(N)) are used to calculate R. However, during experiments the final bending angle of the cantilever (θf) compared to the bending angle during programming or shape fixing (θf) was measured (Eq. 2).
=ε()ε100% (Eq. 1)=θ()θ100% (Eq. 2)
Example
FIG. 4A
FIG. 4B
FIGS. 4C and 4D
FIGS. 5A-5C
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g
Different designs and concepts were 3D printed to test the shape memory capabilities of PLA. A spline with four curves, 68.39 mm in length, 10 mm wide, and a thickness of 0.50 mm was 3D printed on the 3D printer. The designs were placed into a pool of water at 70° C. for 60 seconds and compressed within the water. After the spline was compressed, it is removed from the pool and allowed to cool to room temperature, which caused the compressed spline to harden (). The spline maintained its temporary compressed shape under T. The compressed spline quickly expands back to its original shape once it is returned to the 70° C. pool of water (). Alternate designs of PLA 4D printing were tested using the same method. In other examples, a 3D printed “arm” can be bent in the user's desired direction and return to the permanent straight shape (). In another test, a “drxl” logo can be compressed or extended when heated and return to the “drxl” symbol when heated above its transition temperature, (). All models tested, take seconds to return to their permanent shapes when heated above their T.
Since PLA possesses shape memory properties, poly-l-lactic acid (“PLLA”) was combined with PLA to determine the resulting shape memory structure. In a first embodiment using PLA, the PLA material is the only material used during the process and 3D printed directly onto a print bed. In a second embodiment using PLA, The PLA material is 3D printed onto a nylon fabric. The nylon fabric used for the textile printing is Solid Power Mesh Fabric Nylon Spandex made up of 90% nylon and 10% spandex. The nylon fabric is cut into 40 mm×40 mm squares and measures at 0.26 mm in thickness. Double sided tape is placed onto the print bed and the cut nylon fabric is placed onto the tape for better adhesion to the build plate. Finally, computer printing file is uploaded and a part is 3D printed onto the nylon fabric. The printing speed was set to 100 mm/s, the bed temperature was set to room temperature, and the nozzle temperature was set to 230° C. for all test prints.
g
FIGS. 6A-6C
A grid structure that was 3D printed onto the nylon material was placed into heated water at 70° C. and rolled into a cylinder. Once the material was rolled into the desired shape, the component was removed from the heated pool and allowed to cool to room temperature. At room temperature, the material remains stiff and maintains its temporary cylindrical shape; however, the cylinder unravels to the permanent flat shape when the cylinder is returned to the heated water above its Tat 70˜80° C. ().
FIG. 7A
FIG. 7B
FIG. 7C
Next, the nylon fabric with a grid made from PLA 3D printed onto its surface was used for the concept of encapsulation and release of an object when exposed to heated environments. In this case, a magnetic stir bar was placed in the center of the fabric (), but the PLA fabric combination cannot be wrapped around the stir bar due to it being stiff at temperatures under 60° C. The PLA fabric and stir bar were submerged into 70° C. water for 60 seconds. The corners of the fabric were wrapped around the stir bar and the entire piece is removed from the heated water. The material cools to room temperature and becomes stiff, ensnaring the stir bar (). The PLA fabric mesh is returned to the 70° C. water in order to release the stir bar ().
The concept of smart materials combined with nylon textiles displays the possibility of using smart textiles for encapsulation and controlled release in response to its surrounding environment. The nylon fabric in the experiments serves more as a structure and non-active material, while the PLA serves as the smart material. The research presents a proof-of-concept of 4D printed smart textiles and their future applications. It is observed that the smart textiles could be modified into custom shapes and 2D flat textiles could be transformed into temporary 3D objects that maintain those shapes at room temperature. This may be promising for clothing that reacts to extreme environments and release products that may protect the wearers from dangerous environments. Also, the combination of smart materials with non-reactive textiles as structural materials reduces the need for additional 3D printing material, which may be more expensive.
g
The shape changing smart textiles could be used for aesthetic reasons or compact packing of supplies and unfolding at their final destination. The combination of textiles with smart materials may allow wearers of clothing to customize and mold clothes to their personal designs and body types. This development could lead to clothing that reacts with the surrounding environment or to the wearer's body temperature. The same piece of clothing could be used for insulating the wearer or ventilating them. Smart textiles may find uses in the biomedical field. Smart fabrics that can be infused with medicine can be used for different biomedical applications that mold to different body parts and persons with different body types. Such applications would be ideal for burn victims or patients that have suffered bone fractures, where the materials can be soft when applied to the patient then harden after the medical procedure. The removal of the cast or skin prove to be easier than current methods by reheating to the smart material above its Tto soften it and allow for unraveling.
A Ph.D. thesis by inventor Steven Leist is attached hereto as an Appendix and is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the broad inventive concept thereof. It is understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but it is intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. | |
The search for truth is not exclusive to representational art. From viewing many of the examples so far, you can see how individual artists use different styles to communicate their ideas. Style refers to a particular kind of appearance in works of art. It’s a characteristic of an individual artist or a collective relationship based on an idea, culture, or artistic movement. Following is a list and description of the most common styles in art:
Naturalistic
A naturalistic style uses recognizable images with a high level of accuracy in their depiction. Naturalism also includes the idealized object: one that is modified to achieve a kind of perfection within the bounds of aesthetics and form. William Sydney Mount’s The Bone Player gives accuracy in its representation and a sense of character to the figure, from his ragged-edged hat to the button missing from his vest. Mount treats the musician’s portrait with a sensitive hand, more idealized by his handsome features and soft smile.
Abstract
An abstract style is based on a recognizable object, which is then manipulated by distortion, scale issues, or other artistic devices. Abstraction can be created by exaggerating form, simplifying shapes, or using strong colours. Let’s look at three landscapes with varying degrees of abstraction in them to see how this style can be so effective. In the first one, Marsden Hartley uses abstraction to give the piece Landscape, New Mexico a sense of energy. Through the rounded forms and gesture in treatment, we can discern hills, clouds, a road, and some trees or bushes.
Georgia O’Keeffe’s Birch and Pine Trees – Pink, 1925 combines soft and hard abstraction into a tree-filled landscape dominated by a spray of orange paint suggesting a branch of birch leaves at the top left. Vasily Kandinsky’s Landscape with Red Spots, No. 2 goes further into abstraction, releasing colour from its descriptive function and vastly simplifying forms. The rendering of a town at the lower left is reduced to blocky areas of paint and a black triangular shape of hill in the background. In all three of these, the artists manipulate and distort the so-called real landscape as a vehicle for emotion.
The definition of abstract is relative to cultural perspective. That is, different cultures develop traditional forms and styles of art that are understand within the context of a particular culture (see the following section on cultural styles) and that may be difficult for another culture to understand. So, what may be stylistically abstract to one culture could be more realistic to another. For example, the Roman female bust looks very real from a western European aesthetic perspective. From the same perspective, the African mask would be considered abstract. Yet, to the African culture from which the mask emerged, it would appear more realistic.
In addition, the African mask shares some formal attributes, such as the exaggerated eyes and mouth and the painted lines and designs, with those found on the Tlingit Groundhog Mask from Canada’s west coast. It’s very possible that the cultural perspective of these two cultures would consider the Roman bust as abstract. So, it’s important that we understand artworks from cultures other than our own in the context in which they were originally created.
Questions of abstraction may also emerge from something as simple as our distance from an artwork. View Fanny/Fingerpainting by American painter and photographer Chuck Close. At first glance, it is a highly realistic portrait of the artist’s grandmother-in-law. Click the image to view a large version. Note how the painting dissolves into a grid of individual fingerprints, a process that renders the surface very abstract. With this in mind, we can see how any work of art is essentially made of smaller abstract parts that, when seen together, make up a coherent whole.
Non-objective
Non-objective imagery has no relation to the so-called real world; that is, the work of art is based solely upon itself. In this way, the non-objective style is completely different than abstract, and it is important to make the distinction between the two. This style rose from the modern art movement in Europe, Russia, and the United States during the first half of the 20th century. Pergusa Three by American painter and printmaker Frank Stella uses organic and geometric shapes and strong colour set against a heavy black background to create a vivid image. More than with other styles, issues of content are associated with a non-objective work’s formal structure.
Cultural styles
Cultural styles refer to distinctive characteristics in artworks throughout a particular society or culture. Some main elements of cultural styles are recurring motifs, created in the same way by many artists. Cultural styles are formed over hundreds or even thousands of years and help define cultural identity. Let’s find evidence of this style by comparing two masks; one from Alaska and the other from Canada. The Yup’ik dance mask from Alaska is stylized with oval and rounded forms divided by wide bands in strong relief. The painted areas outline or follow shapes. Carved and attached objects give an upward movement to the whole mask, and the face carries an animated expression.
By comparison, the Groundhog Mask from the Tlingit culture in coastal northwestern Canada exhibits similar forms and many of the same motifs. The two mouths are particularly similar to each other. Groundhog’s visage takes on human-like characteristics just as the Yup’ik mask takes the form of a bird. This cultural style ranges from western Alaska to northern Canada.
Celtic art from Great Britain and Ireland shows a cultural style that’s been identified for thousands of years. Its highly refined organic motifs include spirals, plant forms, and zoomorphism. Intricate and decorative, the Celtic style adapted to include early book illustration. The Book of Kells is considered the pinnacle of this cultural style.
Answer the following question in the course feed:
- If you make art: What kind is it? What medium do you use? What style is it?
- If you don’t make art, apply the questions to art that you typically appreciate.
- Give an example of a type of art that tends to have a recurring motif.
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Note: Your comment will be displayed in the course feed. | https://course.oeru.org/art101/learning-pathways/definitions-artistic-roles-and-visual-thinking/artistic-styles/ |
Did you know that the Viking queen was called a “ruler of the sea”? And did you know that she was considered a powerful and influential woman? If you’re curious about what this powerful woman was like, read on to learn more about the Viking queen and her fascinating history. You’ll be surprised at just how much she influenced the world around her, and you’ll also learn a few fascinating facts about how she ruled over her subjects.
Who were the Vikings?
The Vikings were a group of Scandinavian seafarers and farmers who raided and traded throughout Europe from the 7th century onwards. They played an important role in developing both Scandinavian and European culture and influencing many other aspects of history.
Some of their most famous accomplishments include founding settlements in Greenland, Newfoundland, Iceland, Ireland, Scotland, Normandy (France), Sweden, and Russia; conquering vast areas of North America, including present-day Manitoba and Minnesota; establishing trade routes along the Mediterranean Sea that connected western Europe with towns in Tunisia; establishing colonies in East Africa, and attacking Byzantine Constantinople on several occasions.
So what made these Viking warriors so successful? There are a variety of factors that contributed to their success. First and foremost, they were very mobile – they could quickly move across large distances by sailing on longboats or raiding ships. This mobility allowed them to expand their territory at will while protecting them from attacks by rival tribes or empires. They also had excellent navigational skills, which helped them find new trading opportunities wherever they went. Finally, Viking society was highly organized – every member knew his duty within the group and followed orders quickly without question. These traits enabled the Vikings to overcome even the most challenging obstacles while pillaging.
What was life like in Viking society?
The Viking society was one of medieval Europe’s most advanced and prosperous societies. They were known for raids, trading expeditions, and settlements throughout Europe and North Africa. Their culture impacted the modern world, including their belief in God, their use of runes as writing systems, and their iconic longboats.
How did this vibrant but brutal society come to be? The Vikings emerged in Scandinavia around the 8th century AD (now Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden). At first, they consisted of small bands of raiders who raided other villages for food or weapons. However, they soon began to settle down and trade with these same villages. This shift from raiding to trading created many innovation opportunities within society. The Vikings developed new methods of agriculture (including crop rotation), navigation (using celestial maps), warfare (using better weapons such as bows guns), shipbuilding skills (which allowed them to build larger ships that could travel farther inland), and more. As a result, Viking culture became increasingly complex and sophisticated over time.
Life in Viking society was full of adventure and challenges. They belonged to a culture with little regard for society’s traditional norms, and their lives were often filled with danger and excitement. Viking society was a very different world from our own. Not only did they have their own unique set of rules and obligations, but life in Viking society was also quite dangerous.
Here are some key details about their lifestyle and how it related to gender roles:
– Men were responsible for defending the community and waging war, while women played a significant role in providing the menfolk food, shelter, and clothing.
– Women often acted as chieftains or headwomen, leading their clans into battle or negotiating treaties with other tribes.
– Marriage within the Vikings’ social hierarchy was typically arranged by parents rather than love; alliances were formed for political gain rather than love interests. Many marriages between members of different social classes were designed to strengthen family relationships instead of creating genuine affection between partners.
What was the Viking social hierarchy?
The Viking social hierarchy was a clear and rigid system that divided society into distinct groups. At the top were the great landowners or magnates, in the middle were the farmers and at the bottom were slaves. The great divisions in society were between free men (those who paid tribute to their superiors), unfree men (those who did not pay homage), rich men (those who had more resources than others), and poor men (those who lacked resources). Women occupied a lower position than men throughout Norse society, with women typically having less access to power, wealth, and education.
This social hierarchy was based on each group’s wealth, power, and status. People of high rank enjoyed greater privileges than those lower on the scale and could also expect greater respect from their peers. However, this didn’t mean everyone lived happily ever after – there was still inequality throughout Viking society, which often led to conflict.
What was Viking royalty called?
“Viking royalty” is often used to describe the powerful magnates and kings who ruled over Viking society. These individuals were known as jarls (or earls in modern English). Jarls were the ruling class of Viking society, and their power was based upon their wealth, military prowess, and political savvy.
Jarls typically lived in large fortified settlements called hirdmanns (or hedgehogs), which served as their permanent homes and strongholds. They also had numerous estates scattered throughout Scandinavia that they used for agricultural purposes or to support their armies. Jarls enjoyed a high degree of social privilege compared to other members of Vikings culture, and they generally held complete control over the affairs of their communities.
While jarls played an essential role in Norse society, it’s worth noting that they weren’t the only people with authority within this highly stratified culture. High-ranking priests also wielded significant influence over matters of religion, while chieftains commanded respect due to their tribal descent and martial skills. As a result, no one person or group completely dominated Viking life – each individual had their own strengths and weaknesses that contributed to societal stability.
Are there Viking queens?
The Vikings were a fierce and violent people known for their raids across Europe and the Far East. But what we know about them — or think we do — is largely based on male sources. So, where did the women of Viking society fit in?
Evidence suggests that women played a crucial role in Norse culture and society. Queen Gudrid was one of the most powerful female warriors of her time, leading several successful campaigns against her enemies. She was also a celebrated seamstress who designed many pieces of clothing worn by high-ranking ladies during this period.
Evidence also suggests that women participated in Norse life, from trading to farming to politics. Some historians even believe that there were Viking queens! Nevertheless, more research must be done before any definitive conclusions can be drawn about women’s roles in Viking society.
Who was the Viking queen Ingrid?
Ingrid was one of the most powerful women in medieval Scandinavia. She was a Viking warrior queen, twice married to kings, and played an important role in Norwegian history. What made her so special?
First of all, Ingrid was born into a wealthy family – her father was Ragnvald Eysteinsson, who served as governor of Uppsala County. As daughter-in-law to two powerful kings, Ingrid enjoyed considerable political power herself. Secondly, she became involved in many military campaigns – on several occasions, she led troops into battle against rival factions or foreign invaders. Finally, Ingiríðr had a strong personality and proved herself a pretty capable ruler. During her time as Queen consort of Norway, she quelled several rebellions and maintained stability within the kingdom.
Who was the queen Gunnhild Vikings series?
Gunnhild is a significant character in the History Channel series Vikings, but she has significantly impacted Scandinavian history. Gunnhild was the queen of Norway during its time as an independent kingdom. She married Jarl Olavsonn and became his shield maiden. Jarl Olavsonn later became Bjorn’s father-in-law, and Gunnhild eventually became the Queen of Kattegat.
Gunnhild played an essential role in consolidating Norwegian power and forging alliances with other kingdoms throughout Scandinavia. Her reign saw major military victories against Danish forces, which helped to increase Norway’s stature as a regional power.
Throughout her life, Gunnhild was known for her bravery and strategic skills; she was even said to be able to see into the future. Although little is known about her personal life, what we do know makes her one of history’s most enigmatic queens.
Was Lagertha really a Viking?
It’s uncertain whether Lagertha was a natural person or just a legendary figure, but she is one of the most famous Vikings in history, apart from being a Viking ruler. According to legend, Lagertha was born into royalty and became a Shield-maiden (a female warrior) at an early age. She eventually married Ragnar Lodbrok, one of the greatest and most potent Viking chiefs. Together, they led their people in numerous raids throughout Europe and North Africa.
Lagertha is mainly well known for her role in the Battle of Stiklestad, during which she defeated King Harald Finehair single-handedly. After this victory, Lagertha ruled Norway as its sole ruler for many years until her death at an unknown age. Several chroniclers have recorded her story over the centuries, making her one of the longest-lived legends in Scandinavian history!
What was Viking symbol for queen?
There is no definitive Viking symbol for a queen, but several possible contenders exist. Some examples include the valknut, likely used as a royally-themed crest or logo; the hammer and shield, commonly associated with female warriors; and the seiðr knot, believed to protect against evil spirits.
What is a Viking lady called?
A Viking lady was called a valkyrie and fought in Norse literature alongside men. There were several types of female warriors in the Viking age, but valkyries were perhaps the most celebrated and feared. They were known for their bravery, strength, and skills with weapons. Valkyries could transform into birds of prey or beautiful women to ride into battle on horseback. They often led armies into battle and protected those who swore an oath of loyalty to them by killing any enemy that threatened their comrades or clan members.
These brave women served humanity by retrieving slain heroes from Valhalla, where they would feast on an endless supply of food and mead until Ragnarök – the end of days when all gods will face destruction. As long as courageous hearts are beating beneath Viking ladies’ breasts, their legacy will live on!
What did Vikings call their wife?
Did the Vikings call their wife “eiginkona? Dating couples may often use these terms even today, but in its long form, this term is only used for married couples. The Norse word eignamaður means “husband of man.” It was originally used to refer to a wealthy and powerful husband who could protect his wife and provide for her well-being. Later, it came to be used as the title of a husband generally, regardless of wealth or power.
At the same time, the term kona can also be translated as “wife,” but it has a more specific meaning than eignamaður. Kona usually refers to the woman whom a man lived with while they were married. Unlike eignamaður, which can encompass any husband irrespective of social status or wealth, Kona typically referred to wealthier women who could support themselves.
What is a female Viking warrior called?
A shield-maiden is a female Viking warrior who fought bravely and wields a powerful shield. She was often called upon to protect the home of her lord or king.
This term first appeared in Old Norse poetry around the 9th century AD. It typically referred to female warriors who lived in rural areas and protected their communities from raiders. These heroic women were usually members of wealthy families who could afford armor and weapons and enjoyed considerable societal respect.
As more evidence has emerged about these fascinating women, researchers have begun to debate whether or not they existed on a large scale. However, regardless of its historical accuracy, the story of the shield-maiden continues to inspire modern-day warriors (both male and female) everywhere! | https://viking.style/what-is-a-viking-queen-called/ |
Comprehensive Risk Management for Food Systems Resilience
Food systems are facing an unprecedented array of familiar and unfamiliar risks, interacting in a hyperconnected world and a changing landscape.
The Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), Bangladesh consist of 3 districts and Bandarban Hill District is one of them. Bandarban is one of the three hill districts considered to hold and practice varieties of culture, norms and traditions with the existence of 12 groups of Indigenous Peoples (IPs). Historically, the CHT has been politically unrest since after the independence of the country, which attempted to be resolved through CHT Peace Accord in 1997. Therefore, the Indigenous and vulnerable communities are still remaining underdeveloped and vulnerable. Their main occupation and profession is slash and burning cultivation called jhum at locality which is yearly crops cultivation. This profession is not profitable at all due to climate change, other men made interruptions and disasters and lack of necessary technical skills and instrumental capacity. And women and young girls are mostly affected from the worse situation like iliteracy, lack of land ownership, lack of awareness on rights, customs, culture, discrimination in rights and so on. it has been also revealed that they are compelled to work out 16-18 hours per day whereas men only for 5-7 hours and the women are receiving BDT 150-250 ($1.9 to 3.2) and men receives BDT 500-800 ($6.4-10.2) in daily labor as wages of both rural and urban. Moreover, due the sky cultural influences, the indigenous women do not know except aged women their cultural heritage (dress and handicrafts) for their own uses, preservation, identity and marketization of production. Therefore, the organization strategically committed to ensure the leaving no one behind in collaboration with local, national and global supports
Indigenous peoples
Advance Equitable Livelihoods, Decent Work, & Empowered Communities
Country
www.kothowain.org, program, project
Food systems are facing an unprecedented array of familiar and unfamiliar risks, interacting in a hyperconnected world and a changing landscape.
This platform seeks to reach 100 million farmers by 2030 with nature-positive innovation through a multi-stakeholder platform to increase investment in innovation for nature-positive production and action at the country-level.
Commitments to action Food Producers’ Declaration for the UN Food Systems Summit International Pole and Line Foundation (IPNLF); Intercontinental Network of Organic Farmers Organisations (INOFO);
Commitments to action Local Food Supply Chains Alliance World Food Programme, UN Capital Development Fund Promote inclusive economies and societies thereby strengthening socio-economic resilience and
Commitments to action Bega Valley Circular Economy initiative Bega Valley Circular Economy Co-operative Limited, Bega Cheese Limited, NSW Government, Rabobank Australia, KMPG, Charles Sturt University,
Commitments to action Coalition on Indigenous Peoples´ Food Systems Ministry for Primary Industries, New Zealand A coalition on indigenous peoples’ food systems can spearhead specific
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Please allow a few minutes for this process to complete. | https://foodsystems.community/commitment_to_action/access-to-food-amongst-ethnic-marginalized-communities-in-bandarban-hill-district/ |
Wallscourt Farm Academy uses a Rights and Responsibilities approach to behaviour for learning. This is fully embedded, explicitly modelled, taught and implemented by all staff across the whole Academy with a clear system of celebrations and sanctions in line with our school policy. Our learners have a strong sense of their Rights and Responsibilities and can discuss their behaviour using the ‘language of choices.’
Our daily gathering schedule ensures that social, moral, spiritual and cultural learning is promoted alongside British Values and an understanding of Equality. We are an Academy that values uniqueness and respect and we celebrate our differences. Singing is a weekly whole school ritual which is strengthened by the large number of choir members from across the school. Our Gatherings are not an ‘add on’ or ‘extra’, the message given in gatherings is truly what the academy is about.
The Government guidance requires key ‘British Values’ are taught in all schools and academies. They define these in the 2011 Prevent Strategy as:
- Democracy
- The rule of law
- Individual liberty
- Mutual respect
- Tolerance of those of different faiths and belief
As part of Cabot Learning Federation, Wallscourt Farm Academy has clear policies on Equality and Diversity and is committed to promoting community cohesion and fostering good relations between all of the staff, learners and their families who form part of our community – One Learning Community.
We understand the vital role that academies can play in ensuring that groups or individuals are not subjected to discrimination, bullying, harassment or intimidation and will actively promote our Federation wide policies and procedures to address these issues.
Our safeguarding policies and practices seek to prevent the radicalisation of our learners by those wishing to unduly, or illegally, influence them. We will actively implement our duties under the Equality Act 2010 to prevent discrimination against any individual or group, on grounds of religion or belief, race or ethnicity, gender, sexuality, disability and the other protected characteristics named in the Act.
We are dedicated to preparing learners for their adult life through the formal curriculum, and also through the hidden curriculum, ensuring that it models, promotes and reinforces British Values to all its learners. We use strategies within the National Curriculum and beyond, to secure these outcomes.
The examples that follow so some of the many ways we seek to embed British Values.
Democracy
Our Rights and Responsibilities approach and a culture of respect pervades all aspects of our learning community. We have Pupil Leader Representatives from across the school and Pupil Councils have played an active role in shaping all aspects of Wallscourt Farm Academy. Each year, elections are held for these key roles.
The Rule of Law
Our whole school charters and charters for Learning Zones, lunchtimes and out of hours are all drawn up in collaboration with the learners. We have effect links with our neighbour Police Officers and they have spent time in school helping learners to make connections between their Rights and Responsibilities in school and within the wider community.
Individual Liberty
At Wallscourt Farm Academy learners are encouraged to have their own opinions and recognise the strength of their voices – individually and collectively. A strong focus on individualism is at the heart of our values.
Mutual Respect
As part of our Rights and Responsibilities work, and through our taught SMSC, PSHE and Collective Worship, learners are taught the skills and knowledge to gain and develop a sense of mutual respect. This includes learning about the protected characteristics of the Equality Act and a commitment to ensuring that ‘Everyone is Welcome Here’ at Wallscourt Farm Academy. Learners learn that there are many different types of families and all families should be respected.
Learners are taught that although their views may differ from one another, we must always show respect for others and expect other people to show us respect.
Tolerance of those of different faith and belief
Our learners, families and the wider community are supported to develop tolerance and a sense of respect and understanding of those of different faiths and beliefs. This takes place through our taught curriculum, including Religious Education, homezone and whole school gatherings (assemblies).
We take time recognise and understand celebrations and key events from a range of cultures and communities, and we include opportunities for visits and visitors from the wider community to support learners to develop their knowledge of community – locality, nationally and internationally. | http://wallscourtfarmacademy.org.uk/curriculum-overview/british-values/ |
Fragmented Sights consists of digitally manipulated photographs that are essentially taken in total darkness via a flash. The photos are taken mostly in a random fashion, very quickly and most of the time without seeing the subject beforehand. To disengage all possible conceptual connections that might happen with a photograph the subject is deliberately chosen as simple branches, trees and plantations that does not happen to have any remarkable qualities to it. That way it became possible to produce very “raw” images rather than photographs with subjects and stories. Though the images should be treated as mere graphical content, they do in some sense describes and builds the ground for the essential concept behind the project.
Fragmented Sights is a small booklet that visually explores the phenomenon of data lost. It is by no means intended to explore the subject in depth or to describe the background processes and computational errors behind the phenomenon. Rather the project is focused on the subject on a very superficial level and explores the visual qualities and conceptual possibilities of the data loss. Images are altered, deleted on some places, and overlaid with each other. When seen they awaken the idea that some parts are lost, fragmented or broken, however this does not refer to the concept of error directly since the images are arranged by hand and are not product of mere chance or computational error. That way the raw and seemingly unremarkable photographs become part of this graphical composition and produce the images of uncertain states of themselves so that they can also be interpreted as an ongoing process of data collection, the image is being rapidly coming together rather than a destructive process. | https://www.dorukkumkumoglu.com/fragmented-sights/ |
Systemic constellations are a way of working with issues within human systems.
- Developed by Bert Hellinger, a German psychotherapist, they originally focused on family systems to disclose the deeper forces that unknowingly influence our thoughts, behaviors and emotional experiences through multiple generations.
- Family Constellations create a model of the family system to reveal and transform hidden patterns that are difficult to understand and change.
- -- See: What are Systemic Constellations?
Info
- What are Systemic Constellations?
- Educators find Constellations help with learning and barriers to learning
- Community and social justice activists
- Psychotherapists
- Alternative practitioners
- Organizational coaches
- https://www.nasconstellations.org/medical-professionals.html Doctors, nurses and other medical professionals]
See Also
Variations
- Family Constellations create a model of the family system to reveal and transform hidden patterns that are difficult to understand and change.
- A powerful insight of Bert Hellinger is that each family system has a conscience that requires that all members be connected and remembered in a particular way. If someone in the system is not remembered correctly then younger members, out of love or the need to belong, can become "entangled" with their ancestors, particularly with those who have been excluded, forgotten or shunned or have experienced a difficult fate. Unconscious entanglements are behind many of the issues that are explored in these constellations.
- Organizational Constellations are an evolution of Family Constellations that can reveal the hidden dynamics in companies and other kinds of organizations and communities.
- Organizational facilitators can set up representatives to look at leadership issues, conflict resolution between colleagues, dynamics between founders and successors, relationships between various stakeholders, challenges of innovation and organizational restructuring. This approach can also be used to discover a deeper understanding and resolution for larger social, cultural, ethnic and racial issues by shifting perceptions, creating new insights and uncovering different forms of action for moving forward.
- Nature Constellations can explore the relationship between human systems, natural systems and the earth.
- They explore the interconnectedness between the health of human systems and the larger natural world. These constellations often include elements of indigenous peoples' insight into nature, shamanism, ecology and other environmental perspectives. They can include global environmental issues, individual relationships with nature, using resources, dynamics with animals and plants, and insights and wisdom from being in nature that support a deeper understanding of family systems.
- Systemic Constellations are an innovative approach to the hidden dynamics that influence our lives that has a solid foundation originally developed by Bert Hellinger.
- They are continually applied in ways that reflect the creativity and insight of each facilitator and their growing understanding of the natural laws that govern human systems and the complexity of human life on planet earth. | https://othernetworks.org/Systemic_Constellations |
Succeeding(a) Synonyms include case in point, common law, and case law. Case law, common law, and precedent (noun) are all synonyms.
Precedent means "that which serves as a guide" or "an example to be followed." When a court accepts a case as being similar enough to allow it to be used as guidance on how to resolve an issue before it, that case becomes precedent. Precedents can also be called upon by a court when it needs to determine what role, if any, certain events played in past cases.
Thus, precedent is something that helps courts in deciding future cases; it isn't changed simply because one or more judges feel like it can't work any other way. Changing precedent is usually not done except under special circumstances, such as when a court finds a previous decision was based on a mistake made by one of the judges involved.
In American jurisprudence, precedent plays an important role in the judicial system. Lower courts must follow decisions made by higher courts in the same jurisdiction, because they know that if the first court gets something wrong, someone will take them to court and ask them to do it again. This prevents lower courts from creating their own rules about what should happen in different situations.
(civil law) is a body of law that has developed as a result of previous court rulings. Obtaining success (a) Synonyms include case in point, common law, and case law. (b) An exception was made for the Louisiana Purchase Act, which was not ruled on by any other state so it is not binding law.
In (United States) federal law, this term refers to cases that have established a rule of decision for a particular issue arising within the context of a case. Precedent does not apply to administrative agencies or to the courts themselves; they can decide any case directly without being bound by its resolution of another case with similar facts. Precedents do bind other courts involved in future cases with the same parties and issues involved in the precedent case. Administrative agency decisions are usually not precedents because they are not intended to establish rules for other cases. Rather, they are meant to explain the thinking of the agency involved.
In (India), law is considered to be a system that exists only when there are people who understand it enough to use it as a guide for their actions. Therefore, precedent is important since it helps people understand how laws work and what role they can play in creating a fair society. Without precedents, there would be no way to know whether a certain action was illegal or not.
This page contains 31 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic phrases, and related terms for precedent, including decision, model, antecedent, exemplar, pattern, criteria, instance, rule, authoritative example, example, and preceding. In law, a precedent is a legal authority that shows how to interpret a statute or rule.
When used as nouns, case law refers to law produced by judges through court judgments and opinions, as opposed to laws and other forms of legislation, whereas precedent refers to a prior conduct that may be used as an example to help decide the outcome of comparable cases in the future. Case law can also include administrative law, statutory law, and foreign law.
In general, case law is found in judicial decisions while precedent is found in rules of decision made by courts or other legal authorities. However, case law can also include material published by courts not intended as binding authority, such as dissenting opinions, as well as materials published by lower courts which are relied upon by higher courts in their rulings. Precedent, on the other hand, can only refer to decisions of higher courts.
Precedent is often considered the most important factor in determining how a court will rule on an issue before it. Courts look to previous cases for guidance on issues like jurisdiction, cause of action, remedies, and standards of review. Judges often cite previous cases where the same issue has been presented to help them make decisions more quickly and easily.
Case law and precedent are not the same thing, but they are closely related. Case law is actually just one type of precedent—judicial precedent. As the name implies, case law is the body of law created by courts through judgments and opinions.
This page contains 14 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic phrases, and related words for jurisprudence, including: law, constitution, legal philosophy, constitutional law, statute, Roman law, moral-philosophy, substantive law, civil law, medical-ethics, and political philosophy.
Although the notion of precedent is viewed as a constraint on the English legal system, there are methods to escape strict adherence of precedent. Precedent can be avoided in three ways: distinguishing, overruling, and reversing. Distinguishing precedents involves using facts that are not very similar to the case at hand to reach a different result. Overruling precedents means rejecting the idea that previous cases should control future decisions. Reversing precedents means changing existing rules because they were decided wrongly.
A precedent is a concept or rule set in a previous legal case that is either binding or persuasive on a court or other tribunal when considering later cases with comparable questions or circumstances without going to court. Thus, when lawyers or judges say that they will follow the "precedent" of a previous case, they mean that they will do so unless there are good reasons not to.
In general, people use the term "precedent" when referring to how other courts have decided similar issues, and they use the word "respect" when talking about how others' decisions should influence their own decision-making. In many ways, precedent is the heart of the judicial system because it allows for consistency and stability in the law. When courts can rely on previous cases to make future rulings, parties can plan their actions based on what they know the law to be without worrying about changing standards from judge to judge or even from year to year.
When courts don't follow precedent, both parties are at fault because they didn't do their research or ask the court for an explanation. This can cause problems if other courts start ignoring the first court's decision because they think it was wrong rather than trying to understand why it was decided the way it was. Also, parties may feel like they're being taken advantage of by the court if they don't know why their case was rejected or ignored.
The term comes from the Latin praecursor, meaning "one who goes before," and refers to someone who sets an example or provides guidance for others to follow.
When used by courts, the word assumes special significance because courts often describe their decisions as following or being controlled by existing cases. Such descriptions are usually based on a combination of factors including, but not limited to, logic, reason, policy, practice, prior results, and convenience. They serve to give direction to lawyers and judges dealing with a large number of issues in which there is no single right answer.
In North America, the term "precedent" is also used to describe any decision by a court of law that determines future action or litigation on a matter that has not been resolved by the court. This usage differs from the common law use of the term, which describes only those decisions that determine future action on matters that have been resolved by other courts.
In England and Wales, it is customary for judges to refer to previous cases when delivering judgments, especially if there is a large volume of work to be done. | https://bartlesvilleschools.org/what-is-the-opposite-of-precedent |
It’s a New Year – Are You Calculating CAC Correctly?
For subscription businesses, customer acquisition cost (CAC) is a key metric, the flip side to monthly recurring revenue. This is because it tells you how much each new customer, who generates that monthly revenue, cost to obtain. While essential, this metric and how you calculate it can be complicated. Get it wrong or calculate based on erroneous numbers, and your strategic decisions for growing your business could disappoint you and put your growth in jeopardy.
This recent blog post, from Profitwell, provides an excellent and thorough discussion on a better way to calculate CAC and why it's important to know how you're going to monetize your customers once you've acquired them. As the author says, “You want customers that are going to stay and pay—this is how you'll achieve an LTV that will pay back and earn profit past your CAC.”
Read the blog here! | https://recurly.com/blog/its-a-new-year-are-you-calculating-cac-correctly/ |
HR Matters: Volunteering and Learning & Developmentby
Steve Wilkins looks at the importance of developing an HR strategy incorporating Learning & Development and CSR.
One of the main focuses of HR is to develop a strategy to increase employee productivity. An area which is of particular importance is the building of skills and training opportunities to ensure both individual and company growth. The professional body for HR and people development, CIPD, recently made the connection between Corporate Social Responsibility activities and employee development in order to add value and help both businesses and individuals grow. In its report it highlights the importance of investing in the workforce through collaboration between HR, L&D and CSR departments and how volunteering has a significant impact not only on personal skills but on a company as a whole.
CSR creates many synergies from an HR and L&D point of view. Not only does it offer an opportunity to develop relationships with charitable organisations, it provides experience outside of an individual’s normal job requirements as well as developing their existing skillset. This in turn boosts morale and employee engagement, while contributing to a business’s objectives.
Employee benefits
CSR can shift an individual’s attitude and expectations, by offering a different perspective of the world around them, along with providing an enhanced skillset, including:
- Gaining a greater appreciation for the community. Through volunteering, team members recognise how their decisions can impact the wider workforce along with the environment and communities they serve. This supports individual growth by encouraging them to think about their actions, whether recycling or switching off the lights.Additionally, through increasing awareness of CSR opportunities of this nature, employees are supporting a company’s vision and business philosophy by upholding its values and contributing to its success.
- Improving communication skills. Volunteering encourages staff to communicate with a different audience, thus enhancing their confidence.
- Developing existing knowledge. Volunteering provides team members the chance to collaborate with different departments and to share skills and expertise. By offering employees an opportunity to develop their knowledge by undertaking a role they might not necessarily work in and with people they don’t usually work with, CSR activities can allow them to progress in different areas.
- Becoming a well-rounded individual. Taking part in CSR initiatives can enhance an individual’s soft skills such as team building and skill sharing. Through volunteering, employees interact with a variety of people across an organisation, helping to also increase staff camaraderie while reinforcing a company’s commitment to the workforce.
Key takeaways
Incorporating CSR initiatives with HR provides a worthwhile addition to traditional forms of staff development and performance. Volunteering can be used as an overarching human resources toolkit to break down barriers by engaging different people at different levels, encouraging them to work efficiently as a team.
Volunteering provides long-term solutions to short-term problems. By expanding knowledge and skillsets, this enables the future growth of an individual, while helping to develop the skills needed for leadership and managerial roles, allowing individuals to climb the ranks within a business. This in turn helps with their retention and can also address skills gaps and behavioural changes while encouraging individual development – ultimately helping support an HR department’s people management strategy while allowing a business to grow. | https://www.trainingzone.co.uk/lead/strategy/hr-matters-volunteering-and-learning-development |
Even though Thailand is considered a development success story, it is still in the category of a developing nation. Between the 1980s and 2015, poverty in Thailand has greatly declined from 67 percent to 7.2 percent. However, the country’s growth slowed between 2005 and 2015 to an average of 3.5 percent. Currently, 10.5 percent of Thailand’s population is living below the poverty line.
Why is Thailand poor? The reason that Thailand remains poor is imbalanced development. Due to the critical poverty rate of Thailand in the 1960s, emphasis was put on industrialization to boost the economy. This industrialization caused rapid economic growth and poverty reduction, but development was not widespread. To support industrial production, resources were centralized to the capital and surrounding urban areas, thus depriving rural areas. Because of this, 80 percent of poor people living in rural areas as of 2014.
Concentration of development in urban areas means a lack of investment in rural Thailand. For example, Bangkok houses only 10 percent of the population, but it contributes more than 50 percent of Thailand’s GDP. Highlighting the inequality, rural areas have a poverty rate of 13.9 percent compared to 7.7 percent in urban areas.
In answering the question “Why is Thailand poor?” one must look at the disparity between development in urban and rural areas. Poor people living in rural areas have very limited access to public services that could help them out of poverty. To gain access, rural poor persons must be able to afford both the service and transport to urban areas.
Education is an example. Many rural poor people cannot afford education more than the six years of compulsory schooling. The enrollment rate for “tertiary education” was reported as 18 percent in rural areas compared to 39.5 percent in urban. Due to lack of education, many rural poor people are under-qualified for higher paying positions, perpetuating a vicious cycle.
In recognition of the disparity, Thailand has created a 20-year economic plan to bring the nation to developed country status. The reforms aim to bring economic stability, equal economic opportunities, competitiveness and effective government bureaucracies. To reach its goal, Thailand needs to overcome what is constraining growth in rural areas and maintain widespread growth.
Poverty in Thailand, despite its success in development, reveals the need for further research into poverty alleviation. Approaches to ending global poverty should keep in mind the complexity of the problem. | https://borgenproject.org/tag/imbalanced-development/ |
Who is MCC?
What's Working (Not Working)
Current Site Review
Competitor Review
Goals
Project Challenges
Strategy
Navigation & Structure
>
Final Concept
Concept 1 - Patty
Concept 2 - Linus
Concept 3 - Snoopy
Technology
Content Opportunities
>
Scope for New Content
Suggested Timeline
Key Distinctives
Writing
Workshop
>
Organize
Draft
Prep
Load
Maintain
Voice and Personality
Words We Use (and Don't)
Content Process
Competitor Review
Here's a compilation of what we learned from looking at competitor websites.
I've also created a document with specific examples of
websites we looked at (
Google Doc
)
.
Visuals
What inspired us...
People
Authentic community (real people together)
A sense of action or movement (people in action)
Place, context
What we want to avoid…
Lack of images or visuals that are bland
Stock or generic photos
Images that take too long to load
Visuals that get in the way of your ability to find and read information
Based on what we’ve learned….
We want our visuals that showcase real stuff happening in the life of MCC and establish a sense of place and community for site visitors.
But we don’t want to be all flash and no function. They shouldn’t get in the way of your ability to find the information you need.
Overall Layout & Design
What inspired us…
Designs that feels fresh
Sites that feel clean, not too much clutter
Clear and easy to use navigation
Layouts that fit the content
What we want to avoid…
Trying too hard
Not being compelling or interesting
Based on what we learned...
We want to find the balance having an engaging layout that attracts people but is also clear and easy to use. We want it to feel fresh, but also humble. We don’t want people to feel like we’re trying too hard or are too hip.
Language
What inspired us…
Language that’s welcoming (even if our community might not be the best fit for everyone, we still want to be a welcoming place)
Simple words that highlight what the church is about
Clear about Sunday service (where, when, and how to get there)
What we want to avoid...
Over communicating
Being unclear or confusing for people who don’t know about our way of doing church
Overemphasizing the wrong things
Vague language or navigation terms
Based on what we’ve learned…
We want our language to tell visitors what make us unique and what inspires us as a community, but in a way that’s clear, accessible, and makes them feel comfortable enough to engage or look for more.
You can also access all of the competitor reviews in this
Google Drive folder
.
Powered by
Create your own unique website with customizable templates. | http://mccwebstrategy.weebly.com/competitor-review.html |
When we took the little baby home from the hospital, we should have prepared almost everything-not wet urine, small beds, beautiful bedding, baby bottles, etc. But the doctor did not explain how we would coax the baby to sleep or help us define the concept of true sleep. We went home with the joy of having a newborn, but we were exhausted and turned over in the first few months.
1.Sleep characteristics:
1) Sleep signals of newborns
There is a saying in English called “Sleeping like a baby”, (sleeping like a baby), in our cognition the sleep of an infant is an ideal state. But in fact, this is not the case. To apply this sentence pattern, it should be “sleeping like a baby’s dad”. In fact, the wake-up time of newborns is very limited, and even after 3 months, the longest wake-up time is not more than
2 hours. However, the newborn’s sleep has not formed a regular pattern, so setting a strict work schedule is not necessarily effective. At this time, it is necessary to rely on the baby’s sleep signal to arrange to fall asleep in time.
In the newborn period, the sleep signal is very obvious, and the well-known yawn is particularly easy to observe. As the child ages, the baby’s ability to control his body increases, and many other sleep signals develop. I summarized some common sleep signals according to the dimensions.
However, not all babies’ sleep signals are consistent, so more observation and more experience can better capture the time to coax.
2) The relationship between newborn sleep and feeding
Feeding and sleeping are more closely related at the neonatal stage than at any other stage. It can be said that the driving force of sleep at this stage is feeding-it is difficult for a baby who is not full to sleep well. However, the expression ability of newborns is still very limited, so it is often difficult for us to judge when a baby is hungry and when it is sleepy. Sometimes when you have just fed your baby and your baby has to eat again, it will make you more confused about whether TA is full. Let’s take a look at the common signs of hunger in newborns:
Open your mouth or smacking lips
(fingers, toes, clothes, etc.)
Rooting (foraging reflexes, shaking your head back and forth, looking for nipples with your mouth)
Irritability or crying.
The picture below shows the three stages of hunger signals provided by the Australian government.
In general, crying and irritability means that the baby is already very hungry. Try to arrange for breastfeeding when the baby is not hungry. Because stomach capacity is still limited during the neonatal period, breastfeeding can be done once during the night and before sleep, which can help extend the duration of sleep.
At 0-3 months, if you are breastfeeding, it is highly recommended that you feed on demand. Of course, feeding on demand requires the premise of grasping the child’s hunger signal, otherwise, it can easily be reduced to the weird “feeding by crying”. If you want to breastfeed on time, depending on the average child’s stomach capacity, the feeding interval can be about 2-3 hours. If it is milk powder feeding, you can adopt the mode of feeding on time, and the interval between two meals should not exceed 3 hours.
Whether you eat enough is mainly judged by your baby’s urine and stool volume. You can also check the weight gain situation through a professional medical infant weight scale.
3) The sleep cycle of a newborn
The behavior of the newborn stage can be divided into 6 stages according to the level of consciousness:
Sleep patterns in newborns and even early childhood are actually very different from those in adults.
Let’s take a look at the sleep cycle for adults
Note 1: It is usually easy to be awakened by a sudden sound at this stage. This wakeful reaction actually represents that you entered the REM sleep stage at the wrong time. At this point, you will feel muscle paralysis, and most people react to dreaming of falling.
Note 2: Some people will sweat or even get wet at this stage. This is normal. And if you are awakened at this stage, you will feel very confused and it will take some time to respond.
The sleep cycle of an adult usually lasts 90 minutes. The first sleep cycle usually consists of NREM. After 90 minutes, it will enter the REM phase. The first REM after falling asleep lasts only a few minutes, and then it will enter the next NREM phase. The sooner dawn comes, the longer the duration of REM, so you are likely to be dreaming when you wake up in the morning. If it is chronic sleep deprivation, the first REM phase will occur earlier, such as 30-40 minutes after falling asleep. People with sleep deprivation also experience more third and fourth stages of sleep.
Although the order of the usual sleep cycles is:
But for various reasons, the sleep cycle does not necessarily follow this order every day. On some nights, you may not have the third and fourth stages of sleep at all. If you have a Xiaomi bracelet, you can observe it. Sometimes, although you sleep for 8+ hours at night, it only shows more than an hour of deep sleep. 7 hours, but 4+ hours of deep sleep.
The sleep cycle of a newborn is not as many stages as the sleep cycle of an adult. The sleep cycle of a newborn can be roughly divided into two phases:
Active sleep (similar to REM sleep)
Quiet Sleep (similar to NREM sleep)
Among them, 50% of the sleep is active REM sleep. At this stage of sleep, the baby’s breathing is uneven, he will stretch his arms and legs, he will make a sucking action with his mouth open, and he will even open his eyes and even smile. Out loud. After entering the quiet NREM sleep, they will be almost motionless and their breathing will become very regular.
There are many different sleep cycles for adults and newborns:
》》 The length of the sleep cycle: 60 minutes for babies and 90 minutes for adults. So for young children, about 30 minutes after falling asleep, it begins to switch from light sleep to deep sleep, so it is normal to wake up easily.
》》 The order of the sleep stages is different. Adults enter NREM first after entering sleep, and then 90 minutes before entering REM. The opposite is true for babies, who enter light sleep first and then deep sleep after 20-30 minutes.
》》 The proportion of REM is different. For newborn babies, about 50% of their sleep time is light sleep, while adults have only 20-25% of REM sleep. By the age of 10, only 20% had light sleep.
》》 In 3-4 months, the sleep mode will begin to turn into an adult, and there will be a “stage two-spindle activity” (second stage sleep spindle wave, which can ensure that sleep is protected from external noise). By 6 months At that time, NREM sleep will have stages 1-4 like adults. At the same time, another important part of sleep, “spontaneous K complexes” (sleep K complexes, is used to maintain sleep)
After 60 minutes of sleep, babies usually have a very short awakening period. Some babies may turn around and then go back to sleep, while some babies may experience sleepwalking or night terrors. After this awakening, the baby will return to deep sleep. Sometimes, after the REM sleep, there will be a short awakening. This is different from the awakening described above. This time the awakened baby will be completely awake and hope you can help him fall asleep. This is what we often say “Wake up at night.”
2. Common problems:
1) Irregular sleep
There is also a very big difference between the sleep patterns of infants and adults. Adult sleep is single-phase sleep, that is to say, adults usually only have a period of sleep that lasts about 8 hours. Habits are a cultural arrangement, not a physical one), and babies have polyphasic sleep. In the first 0-3 months, babies sleep every 2-4 hours, regardless of day or night. At 6 months, with a clear circadian rhythm, the baby’s sleep will be like that of an adult. Most of the sleep occurs at night, and more time is spent during the day. Therefore, there is no clear nighttime sleep time at this stage, and 20-24 o’clock may be the beginning of night vision. The duration of sleep during the day, the duration of the small sleep is not fixed.
To deal with this kind of irregular phenomenon, do not need to be overly anxious. There is no need to help your baby to set a strict work schedule as suggested by many popular sleep adjustment books. What we can do is to carefully observe the sleep signal and hunger signal to ensure that the baby is scheduled to fall asleep while feeding.
2) Short sleep
Unlike babies, babies can sleep without feeling when they alternate with the sleep cycle. If you wake up and find that your surroundings are not the same as when you fell asleep, you will wake up. For example, if you are in bed when you are asleep, and you wake up in the middle of the night and find yourself sleeping on the ground without a cover, you will probably wake up immediately-this is biological instinct. So if you fall asleep or cuddling at sleep, you will also want to re-engraving the way you fall asleep when the sleep cycle is alternated to make you fall back to sleep.
The solution is a sensation. In the neonatal period, I recommend “sleep enough, then sleep right”. Whether the way you fall asleep meets your expectations and whether you are “healthy” is not as important as being full. The amount of sleep required at this stage is still relatively large, and it averages around 16 hours (14-22 hours are possible), so when the children themselves can’t sleep long, we need to help them to feel it.
The principle of sensation is to repeat the way of falling asleep, so how to coax how to sleep will be more successful. The time of perception needs to be determined according to ordinary observations. If it is easy to wake up at 30 minutes, then the way to fall asleep at about 25 minutes, such as starting to shoot or even holding it up. It usually takes 5-20 minutes to connect. After receiving the sleep, try to consolidate until the baby enters deep sleep (you can determine whether to enter deep sleep according to the baby’s body reaction, such as the muscles are completely relaxed, raise your arms and then release your hands, the baby’s arms will naturally fall down), and then let go The bed continued to sleep. Sensing may not be successful, so do n’t be discouraged if you do n’t connect it. Find out more about the timing and method of your baby ’s perception.
3) Asleep, wake up in bed
There is a reason to rely on snore during the neonatal period. When a baby is born, she has to face an unfamiliar external world. This external world is not as urgent, warm and moist as the mother’s womb, so it will give the baby a restless, restless feeling. Hugging provides a similar environment to the womb. If you are sleeping while holding your breasts, it must be the best thing for your baby. Hugging and sleeping is a very natural thing. Just like milk sleeping, it will make your baby feel comfortable and comfortable, and you don’t need to deliberately avoid it at the newborn stage. But as your baby gets older, sleeping in bed will lead to more restorative sleep.
At 0-3 months, holding your sleep won’t develop dependence and will not spoil your baby. In order to ensure that the baby can get enough sleep, I recommend that the baby “sleep enough first, then sleep right”. So if you hold your sleep in a situation that doesn’t bother you, you can increase your sleep time, and there is really no need to correct it. If you do n’t eat and sleep, you do n’t need to force it. You can try to get out of bed when you are awake or to sleep in the bed. Because of the immature development of the vestibular sensation in the inner ear of a child, a drop may be felt when the child is put out of bed. At the same time, the baby will enter light sleep and then deep sleep after entering sleep, so if you put out the bed just after falling asleep, the baby will be easily disturbed by the action of putting out the bed and wake up.
Tips:
Find the right time to put the bed. In order to be as successful as possible, it is best to try putting out of bed after your baby has gone into a deep sleep. The performance of deep sleep We have said before that if the breathing is even and calm, raising the baby’s arm and then releasing it can naturally fall, it means that the baby has entered the deep sleep stage.
Place the bed to avoid noticeable vertical drops. When you put it down, avoid bending down and dropping it down. You can follow the method of drawing the Z in the air and lower it a little until you land safely. At the same time, for convenience, you can also take a harder mat (such as a nursing pillow) under the baby when you are sleeping, and put it with the mat when you put it on the bed.
Put your ass first and then your head. After putting it on the bed, don’t pull your hands immediately. One hand is still under the baby’s body, and the other hand is patted on the baby. During the shooting process, the other hand was slowly pulled out. After pulling out, continue to pat with the other hand for a while to consolidate the effect. Put a towel on your arm when you are sleeping, this will prevent your baby from waking up when you feel the temperature difference when you are out of bed.
4) Not sleeping well and should not be soothed
Many parents often report that babies do not sleep well at the newborn stage, sleep lightly, and it is easy to wake up. It’s especially noticeable in the middle of the night, it will twist constantly, and it seems that it can’t sleep well. And, at certain times of the day (especially at dusk), the baby cries a lot, so how to calm it seems to be useless.
In fact, it is normal for a baby to not sleep well at this stage, for the following reasons:
In light sleep. Babies have lighter sleep than adults and account for a large proportion. And in the middle of the night, it was the lightest night of sleep, so it looked very unsteady. The baby has a lot of movements during light sleep, such as kicking, rolling his eyes, crying, laughing, pouting, etc., but the baby is still in the sleep stage. Therefore, if it is not practical during light sleep, parents do not need too much intervention.
Baby colic. Baby colic is not a disease, and academics call crying of unknown cause Colic. The cause of Baby colic is unknown, and it can cause your baby to cry more than ever, making it difficult to soothe. You can try the aircraft hug, or try feeding, changing the environment and other methods. Any method that might work is worth a try.
Physiological galactorrhea. The baby’s intestinal and esophageal development is still immature, and the stomach capacity is relatively limited, so what we call vomiting often occurs during the newborn period. If you do not slap in time, it may cause flatulence and make your baby sleepless. Therefore, I suggest that whether it is breastfeeding or powdered milk feeding, after each feeding, try to pat (not at night), and usually help the baby to do passive ventilation.
Small tips: 5s soothing method The
5s soothing method was created by the famous American pediatrician Dr. Carp, which has an excellent effect on soothing newborns. Briefly, 5s refers to appease method:
wrap method swaddling
side / prone method
boo
shaking
sucks
5) day and night confusion
Diurnal confusion is a common problem in newborns. When the baby is still in the mother’s belly, his schedule is closely related to his mother’s schedule. Because the hormone will affect the baby more or less when the mother is pregnant when the mother secretes melatonin, the baby’s work schedule will also be affected. After birth, however, this connection between mother and baby is severed and only exists when breastfeeding in person. In addition, during pregnancy, the mother’s daytime activity may make it easier for the baby to fall asleep. We can imagine ourselves lying on the deck of a sailing ship all day long and sleeping peacefully as the waves go. And at night, when we lay down and rested, we could n’t remember that little guy did n’t have any spare time just like getting up and having a party. This also causes the baby to be awake at night and sleep most of the day.
There is no overnight solution to day and night confusion. However, it is comforting that even without any intervention, in most cases the problem will resolve itself. The day and night confusion can usually be corrected within 8 weeks. When the baby is about 3 months old, the melatonin secretion begins to approach that of an adult. At 5 or 6 months, the circadian rhythm will basically develop. These will allow ta to increase nighttime and reduce daytime sleep.
Although there is no quick way to solve the problem, there are still some steps we can take to help newborn babies change this situation:
When the baby sleeps for a long time during the day, wake him up appropriately. Although we all know that waking a sleeping baby, the baby is angry and the consequences are serious. However, in order for him to distinguish between day and night as quickly as possible, he needs to stay awake during the day to adjust his circadian rhythm to life outside the womb. Therefore, it is best to limit naps during the day to less than 3 hours. Try to keep your baby awake for a little while after each feeding, even if only for a few minutes. This will help ta “reset” the biological clock.
Let your baby get more sun during the day. Note that it is not that the baby is directly exposed to the sun without obstruction, which will sunburn the baby! Instead, let your baby not stay in a dim room during the day, and try to bring him to play in a sunny place at home. Before the day and night confusion is resolved, the room should not be too dark when the baby sleeps during the day, and the room should be darkened with blackout curtains when falling asleep at night. This regular exposure to sunlight and darkness will guide your baby to establish a circadian rhythm correctly.
It makes the day fun and night boring. During the daytime waking hours of the baby, take him to do some stimulating activities, such as playing toys, reading picture books and so on. In contrast, when you wake up at night, try to minimize irritation. When waking up at night, try to keep the dark and quiet environment as much as possible, and just light small night light. After eating milk and changing diapers, let ta fall asleep again.
Tip:
Sleep deprivation can be said to be a barrier for novice parents. In the first 3 months, parents and babies are still running in, so you may need to adapt to your baby’s sleep rhythm. When possible, parents will also supplement their sleep when the baby is resting during the day, so as to have better energy and physical care for the baby. | https://bubbleh.me/analysis-of-sleep-problems-for-a-baby-aged-0-to-3-months/ |
Automatic Depalletizer for depalletizing cans. This depalletizer is composed of an empty pallets store, an automatic carton extractor, a carton store, an accumulation table and an extraction table.
The operation of this depalletizing machine is to deposit the pallet of empty cans on a roller conveyor, to depalletizing them, layer by layer, on the top of the depalletizer.
Once the cans are placed on the accumulation table, we proceed to the cardboard extraction to place it in a carton storage designed for this function.
While this occurs, the cans are advancing to subsequently roll over as they fall, in order to access to the next phase of the bottling process.
Once the cardboard has been placed in the empty pallet magazine, the next layer rises, so it can be depalletized . | https://www.jorpack.com/en/product/automatic-depalletizer-desp-4500/ |
3 edition of Sound absorption at the soil surface. found in the catalog.
Sound absorption at the soil surface.
Anthony R. P. Janse
Published
1969
by Centre for Agricultural Publishing and Documentation in Wageningen
.
Written in English
Edition Notes
|Statement||[By] A. R. P. Janse.|
|Series||Agricultural Research Reports, 715|
|Classifications|
|LC Classifications||S239 .A37 no. 715|
|The Physical Object|
|Pagination||viii, 215 p.|
|Number of Pages||215|
|ID Numbers|
|Open Library||OL4055328M|
|LC Control Number||79431409|
Sound Energy absorbed by infinite surface in diffuse sound field αST = Equation 4 This is an idealized quantity which cannot be measured directly. Normal Incidence Coefficient αN The normal incidence absorption coefficient is the ratio of energy absorbed/energy incident, for a plane wave, normally incident on an absorptive surface. It is File Size: KB. At frequencies below 1 kHz, sound absorption coefficients in the ocean are a function of pH, and at higher frequencies they are dependent upon MgSO pH dependent terms are attributable to relaxation of B(OH) 3 and MgCO 3 species, and the ensemble effect has been approximated (Mellen et al., a) as α = α 1 (MgSO 4) + α 2 (B(OH) 3) + α 3 (MgCO 3), where α is the absorption Cited by:
Feasibility study of estimating the porosity of soils from sound absorption measurements Article (PDF Available) in Measurement 77() September . Acoustic panels are generally specified by the sound absorption coefficient. What this specification tells us is that if the absorption at a given frequency shows a value of , the panel will be % effective at absorbing sound at that specific frequency. A value of would indicate 50% absorption.
The results for different soil depths (50, , , mm) showed that even the thin soil layer with a depth of 50 mm provided a significant absorption coefficient of about at around Hz. Sound absorption, measured in a plane-wave impedance tube, for glass fiber, Alporas foam in the as-received condition, and Alporas foam after 10% compression to rupture the cell faces. σ rises to about at Hz. Compressing the foam by 10% bursts many of the cell faces, and increases absorption, as shown in the bottom figure.
Creating Your Future
Promise and fulfillment
Its good to talk
Edinburgh
Topics in Current Chemistry
The Faversham poor in the 18th and early 19th centuries
Karoo characters
To eliminate employment discrimination
Bringing them home
The historic villages of Cheshire and Derbyshire
Redwood Creek, California. Letter from the Secretary of War, transmitting a copy of the report of the preliminary examination of Redwood Creek, California.
Plant and process dynamic characteristics
Nathaniel Hawthorne and his wife
Nursing in the storm
The relic war
Rembrandts portrait
Sound absorption at the soil surface (Agricultural Research Reports, ) [Janse, Anthony R. P] on *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Sound absorption at the soil surface (Agricultural Research Reports, )Author: Anthony R.
P Janse. Sound absorption at the soil surface. [Anthony R P Janse] -- The properties of a soil structure may be examined in various manners. As well as a study of the stability, a knowledge of the geometry of the volume of air filled pores is often needed.
Next the principles of the propagation of sound in porous materials are presented. For a sample of thickness l and having a rigid backing, the specific acoustic impedance Z at the free surface is given by Z = W m coth(γ m l), where γ m is the propagation constant for acoustical waves in the sample and W m Cited by: 2.
situated at x = 0 (x thus takes on negative values inside the tube). The sound field in the tube may be considered as the superposition of two waves, the incident wave, travelling from the loudspeaker towards the sample and im.
pinging on the sample surface at normal incidence (p. in figure la) and the re. including absorption of sound in air, non-uniformity of the propagation medium due to meteorological conditions (refraction and turbulence), and interaction with an absorbing ground and solid obstacles (such as barriers).File Size: KB.
The effect of each type of coverage in the erosion plots was evaluated by means of the apparent sound absorption coefficient of the surface (α).
(with K = 1 – adopted) and Eq. were used for the calculation. It is noteworthy that the depth of penetration of the incident wave into the ground was not measured. Statistical analysisCited by: 2. The sound absorbing effectiveness of sound absorbing material for plane wave angle of incidence at angles other than normal incidence is different for locally reacting and bulk-reacting (or extended reacting liners).
Locally reacting liners: Particle velocity confined to the direction normal to the surface. The results of measurements of sound absorption by the body surface of man and fur‐bearing animals are reported for the frequency range to 12, c.p.s.
The acoustical impedances and the absorption coefficients of the surfaces were determined from the resonance characteristics of an air‐filled tube.
The end of the tube was closed first by a rigid wall and then by the unknown by: 6. Porous sound absorption material is most widely used as sound absorption functional material, which is made of glass fiber, wool fiber, wood fiber, or polyester fiber and adhesive as board or sound proof felt.
There are many macropores and micropores that are interconnected and opened to the surface inside the material. The most relevant visual predictor for the sound absorption of bark is its roughness.
Interestingly, moss grown barks provide a strong increase in absorption in the frequency range up to Hz. Especially in dense tree belts, bark absorption might have an influence on the final noise shielding performance.
speed of sound in the soil samples as a function of four levels of acterize living tissues. Seismic waves of frequency below Seismic waves of frequency below soil moisture and two levels of compaction. ABSORPTION COEFFICIENTS FREQUENCY Hz MATERIAL THICKNESS MASONRY WALLS Rough concrete 0,02 0,03 0,03 0,03 0,04 0,07 Smooth unpainted concrete 0,01 0,01 0,02 0,02 0,02 0,05 Smooth concrete, painted or glazed 0,01 0,01 0,01 0,02 0,02 0,02 Porous concrete blocks (no surface finish) 0,05 0,05 0,05 0,08 0,14 0,2File Size: KB.
where, ΔA is the additional sound absorbed capacity of sound absorption material, S 2 is the surface area of the tested sample, and α 2 is the sound absorption coefficient of the. speed of sound is m/sec, yielding a ρc value of Pas/m.
Using these values in Equation (4) yields a value for r i I I ofwhich means that percent of the energy is reflected from the silica surface; only percent is transmitted. Lower density materials will reflect less energy, as will materials with lower sound File Size: KB.
Survey Staff. Field book for describing and sampling soils, Version Natural Resources Conservation Service, National Soil Survey Center, Lincoln, NE. Cover Photo: A polygenetic Calcidic Argiustoll with an A, Bt, Bk, 2BC, 2C horizon sequence.
This soil formed in Peoria Loess thatMissing: Sound absorption. The acoustic properties of recycled polyurethane foams are well known.
Such foams are used as a part of acoustic solutions in different fields such as building or transport. This paper aims to seek improvements in the sound absorption of these recycled foams when they are combined with fabrics.
For this aim, foams have been drilled with cylindrical perforations, and also combined with Author: Roberto Atiénzar-Navarro, Romina del Rey, Jesús Alba, Víctor J.
Sánchez-Morcillo, Rubén Picó. Using discarded feather fibers (DFs) and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer, the DFs/EVA composites with good sound absorption performance were prepared by hot-pressing method. The effects of hot-pressing temperature, mass fraction of DFs, density and thickness of composites on the sound absorption properties were studied by the controlling variable : Lihua Lyu, Yingjie Liu, Jihong Bi, Jing Guo.
Natural fiber and wood are environmentally friendly materials with multiscale microstructures. The sound absorption performance of flax fiber and its reinforced composite, as well as balsa wood, were evaluated using the two-microphone transfer function technique with an impedance tube system.
The microstructures of natural materials were studied through scanning electrical microscope in order Cited by: this finding. For every measurement mode, a fixed sound was released by surface impedance meter toward the road surface in calibration mode till 6 second.
After completion of calibration mode, the instrument is put in actual measurement mode and the sound is released till 6 second for absorption and reflection of road Size: KB.
When soil conditions are restrictive due to high groundwater, flooding, slowly permeable soil, shallow bedrock, or inadequate lot size, advanced treatment as discussed in Chapter VI, and/or alternative soil absorption systems are often used.
They provide fundamentally sound. This work applied acoustic technique to relate the response of a signal sound to different surfaces, measured in equivalent sound pressure level, with the factors governing soil erosion plots in reduced scale ( x m) were built on.Sound absorbing materials are used in buildings to dissipate sound energy into heat using viscous and thermal processes.
Sound absorbers increase the transmission loss of walls, decrease the reverberation time of rooms, and attenuate the noise generated by internal sound sources.
Porous absorbers (fibrous, cellular, or granular) are the most used materials in noise control applications because.sound-absorbing structures that can attain near-equality for the causal relation with very high absorption performance; such structures aredenoted “optimal.” Our strategy involves using carefully designed acoustic metamaterials as backing to a thin layer of conventional sound absorbing material, e.g., acoustic sponge. | https://kihokylydyk.le-jasmin-briancon.com/sound-absorption-at-the-soil-surface-book-30670pb.php |
The Luminate Marketing Client Manager plays a crucial role of Project and Relationship Manager.
This role serves to build and maintain relationships with Clients and helps keep all projects on time, on track, and within scope. Working closely with both the Client and Luminate Marketing design team, Client Managers will be actively attuned to the clients’ needs and identify additional projects as applicable. The Client Manager leads the client and team to ensure the details of the Contract are delivered upon, and that Workplans are created and followed, adhering to deadlines. The role will manage existing client projects and also field, support and lead new business inquiries and calls. Client Managers at Luminate Marketing are responsible for onboarding new clients, getting them set up in Asana (Luminate’s Project Management System), scheduling all meetings, preparing agendas, booking meeting rooms, and ensuring phone or video call-in details are successfully received and approved by all parties.
During meetings, the Client Manager takes excellent notes, and then schedules tasks afterwards, assigning them to all relevant team members and tracking work through to completion. The Client Manager works closely with the entire team to ensure excellence as it pertains to efficiency and effectiveness.
At the end of the project, the Client Manager will ensure the Client is satisfied, the Contract and internal offboarding process is fully completed, and the online portfolio is updated to showcase featured work.
The Client Manager monitors team capacity, ensures proper time tracking, and coordinates all meeting logistics(including on-site meetings or travel, as needed). The Client Manager serves a crucial role of ensuring that the Luminate Team operates efficiently and effectively in serving the needs of our clients. They are the champion of their clients and manage this relationship above and beyond expectations.
Ultimately, the Client Manager’s duties are to ensure that the relationships with Clients they are managing go well, and that for those Clients all projects are completed on time, within budget and fulfill Contract obligations.
POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES
● Coordinate for excellent execution of projects on-time, within scope and within budget
● Ensure resource availability and allocation
● Manage the relationship with the client and all stakeholders
● Oversee and facilitate end-to-end client onboarding process
● Create Project Workplans and break them into tasks and set timeframes
● Serve as liaison with clients to provide project updates and identify new potential projects
● Assign tasks to internal teams and assist with schedule management
● Take excellent notes, and develop and distribute meeting agendas and notes
● Manage all meeting logistics (booking rooms, travel, calendar invitations, etc.)
● Make sure that clients’ needs are met as projects evolve
● Lead or provide support in new business development and management of potential clients
● Analyze risks and identify opportunities to mitigate potential impact to client
● Monitor project progress and partner with Luminate Marketing team to handle any issues that
arise
● Act as the point of contact and communicate project status to all participants, including internal
team
● Use tools to monitor working hours, plans and expenditures
● Issue all appropriate legal paperwork (e.g. contracts and terms of agreement) are distributed
POSITION QUALIFICATIONS
● Bachelor’s degree in business administration, business management, or related field.
● 5+ years in a client service or related field in a marketing organization, ministry, or small
business.
● Hands-on experience with project management tools (e.g. Asana) and Google apps platform
(e.g. Google docs, drive)
● Basic knowledge and experience with WordPress, Adobe Creative Cloud, MailChimp and CRM
tools a plus
● Experience in project management, from conception to delivery
● Direct experience in managing a portfolio of client accounts, existing and new business, and
delivering excellence in relationship and service management
● Recognition of Luminate Marketing core values and that the company is as much as ministry
as it is a business
● Solid organizational skills, including multitasking and time-management
● Candidate must be tech-savvy - willing and capable of identifying opportunities to leverage
modern project management tools to drive efficiency and seamless collaboration across project
teams
● Candidate must be capable of working autonomously, with limited instruction, to proactively
seek solutions to existing problems; a self-starter
● Exhibit exemplary level of professionalism both internally and externally; excellent
communication skills both written and verbal, internally and externally
● Relationship-driven, Detail-oriented and deadline-driven; ability to set and maintain
expectations and boundaries with multiple people and teams with grace
● Excellent communicator, both written and verbal. Positivity, encourager, patient, professional,
and passionate; team-mentality and recognition of the importance of a healthy team culture
● Ability to take constructive feedback with a teachable, non-defensive spirit; ability to give such
feedback in a similar way
● Self-assured, confident, and amicable with a professional approach; ability to work under
pressure to tight deadlines; willingness to learn, a can-do attitude, and motivated to succeed
and grow
● Work with team to ensure that all client deliverables are on time and fulfill client contracts
LUMINATE MARKETING | luminatemarketing.com | [email protected] | 404.419.6619
COPYRIGHT © 2021 LUMINATE MARKETING. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Luminate Marketing is an award-winning agency that spreads the light of Christ in the world through marketing excellence for the mission-minded. Our clients inspire us by doing God’s work in the world and serving others, so we help them inspire and bring their mission to light.
Sometimes the best messages are the most under-funded, yet we believe nonprofits, churches, and other mission-focused organizations around the world should have access to the same quality of marketing solutions as large-budget businesses. Our job is to spread their light and make it visible through leveraging the power of modern marketing strategies.
We’re good at what we do, which matters to us because this is our calling, and just as much a ministry as a business. | https://www.christiancareercenter.com/job/36642/client-manager/ |
There is a general idea that most questions in the world are asked by children, as far as while developing they want to discover a lot and understand the way things work. However, not only children often use questions. All people, who enter into a dialogue, are forced to go to questions anyhow.
If we want to study out some information, to ask someone's name, age, what person likes and what someone does, we have to use questions. Communication is just impossible without questions and answers.
Question-answer structure is overwhelmingly important and necessary element of human's communication and thinking as well. Nevertheless, not only somebody can be asked questions, but even yourself.
Questions fulfil two major functions: cognitive and communicative.
Question mostly comprises a request or demanding certain information.
It is interesting that a question has rather strong activating effect on a listener. It renews a speech, drives audience's attention, provoking its interest, exciting initiative, aspiration to take an active part in collective thinking. Leading role in the argument, as well as any other kind of speech act, belongs to question in particular.
According to the definition, a question is a saying, verity of which is not determined or not specified to the end. Practically, any question is based on certain knowledge. Stating one's question, a person thereby wants to clarify information that is already partially known. For example, "Кто является владельцем сети гипермаркетов Ашан?" /Who is the owner of Auchan hypermarket network?/. A person tries to broaden already avaliable partial information by this question. One knows about existense of the network of these hypermarkets, and wants to find out by whom it is owned.
Types of Interrogative Sentences
Interrogative question makes an interlocutor answer speaker's question. There are the following types of interrogative questions:
- Proper interrogative sentence comprises a question, supposing obligatory answer: Вы завершили ваш проект? /Did you finish your project?/ Она уже пришла? /Has she already come?/
- Interrogative-affirmative sentence comprises information, which needs to be confirmed: Так вы едете с нами? /So, are you coming with us?/ Это уже решено? /Is it decided already?/ Ну, поехали? /Well, are we going?/
- Interrogative-negative sentence already comprises the negation of what is being asked: Что же вам тут может нравиться? /What can you like about this?/ Кажется, это не особо эстетично? /It seems to be less than aesthetic, isn't it?/ И что же вы можете нам поведать? /So, what can you tell us?/
- Interrogative-affirmative and interrogative-negative sentences can be united banded in the category of interrogative-declarative sentences.
- Interrogative-imperative sentence comprises drinking to act, expressed in a question itself: Итак, может быть, продолжим нашу тренировку? /So, maybe we'll continue our training?/ Займёмся сначала растяжкой? /Let's do stretching out at first?/ Ну, начнем? /Well, let's start?/
- Interrogative-rhetorical sentence comprises a statement or negation and doesn't need any answer, since an answer is comprised in a question itself: Мечты… Какая польза от напрасных мечтаний? /Dreams... What's the point of vain dreaming?/
So How Are Questions Formed in Russian?
Questions can be formed in different ways in Russian: with the help of intonation, by adding interrogative words (кто? /who?/, что? /what?/, где? /where?/, зачем /what for?/, почему? /why?/, как? /how?/, какой? /which?/), with the help of particle "ли" /whether/ (Знаете ли?, Правда ли?).
You can give complete or short answers to the questions. For example: "В сколько ты вернулся из кинотеатра?" /When did you come back from the cinema?/ - "Я вернулся из кинотеатра в 8" /I came back from the cinema at 8 p.m./ (complete answer), "в 8" /at 8 p.m./ (short answer). You can answer some questions, formed with the help of interrogative intonation in particular (Ты знаешь, что твой брат уже приехал из Парижа? /Do you know that your brother has already come back from Paris?/), and so-called "ли-вопросы" (Правда ли, что хлеб подорожал? /Is it true bread got more expensive?/), with monosemantic words "да" /yes/ or "нет" /no/. However, you can also answer such questions another way. For instanse, "нет, я этого не знал" /no, I didn't know that/, "да, я об этом знаю" /yes, I know that/.
There are simple and complex questions in Russian. Everything concerning simple questions is rather clear. They consist of one simple sentence (Как тебя зовут?) /What is your name?/. Complex question represents the formation of simple questions, integrated with the help of conjunctions and, or, whether.., either... or etc. Complex question can consist of some matrixes and one unknown variable (Каковы финансовые и материальные активы вашего холдинга и какие у нас шансы на успех? /What are the financial and fixed assets of your holding and what chances of success do we have?/).
We can distinguish open questions and closed-end questions among the simple ones. The meaning of open questions is multivalued, that's why answers to such questions aren't stricktly bounded and can be of free format. The following question can be an example: "Каковы перспективы развития финансовой системы на Уругвае?" /What are the perspectives of financial system development in Uruguay?/. The answer to this question can be given in a form of report and give consideration to different aspects of this issue. Closed-end question is decisive and stated, that's why the answer should be reasoned by rigid boundaries: definite character and exact proportionment of requested information. "Кто построил это здание?" /Who built this building?/. | https://www.ruspeach.com/en/learning/4684/ |
American University’s School of Communication has a distinguished history of accomplishments in social change, social justice, political communication, and advocacy. The Advocacy and Social Impact concentration of the online Master’s in Strategic Communication program focuses your passion for positive social change and political causes on communication techniques that engage audiences and encourage real action.
More people around the country and the world today wish to make their voices heard in social movements, election campaigns, public-policy debates, and legislation to achieve social change. To accomplish this, organizations need to engage, influence, and mobilize people for action. This unique concentration emphasizes high-level communication principles and techniques to create change at the individual, community, and public-policy levels, allowing you to apply what you learn to a career path in your area of choice, such as politics, health care, community issues, or the nonprofit sector.
Through the degree and this concentration, you will:
- Create and manage dynamic communication campaigns
- Develop effective communication plans using qualitative and quantitative research
- Think analytically about communication problems and develop creative solutions
- Write clearly and strategically across media channels, including social and digital
- Understand how channels differ and how to use each one effectively
- Use digital strategy and technology tools adeptly in integrated communication campaigns
- Focus on tactics to engage and mobilize audiences to achieve positive social change
Concentration Curriculum
Students choose three electives from the following five course options. These electives fulfill three of the five required electives for the overall MA in Strategic Communication curriculum:
- COMM 533 Ethics in Strategic Communication
- COMM 540 Social Marketing for Social Impact
- COMM 551 Grassroots Digital Advocacy
- COMM 608 Social Media Strategies and Tactics
- COMM 639 Political Communication
Communication Careers in Advocacy and Social Change
Many MA in Strategic Communication students want to pursue a career working for social causes and issues they are passionate about, such as health, education, and the environment. If you want to work for organizations that are dedicated to improving lives, the Advocacy and Social Impact concentration can provide you with the specific skills and expertise such organizations are looking for, including:
- An understanding of the theory behind behavior change
- Knowledge of communication theory and its applications in social marketing
- The ability to make change happen
- Strong digital organizing and social media skills
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2017), rates of employment in public relations and marketing communications-oriented jobs are increasing,1 while applicants with strong social and digital media skills will see high demand. Graduates may have titles similar to other areas of strategic communication (e.g., Director of Communications, Public Affairs Specialist) while working for government agencies and nonprofit organizations such as foundations, associations and advocacy groups.
1 Bureau of Labor Statistics, accessed May 31, 2017.
Pursue a fulfilling career helping causes you are passionate about with the online MA in Strategic Communication with the Advocacy and Social Impact concentration. Call us at 855-725-7614 to speak to an admissions adviser, or request more information here. | https://programs.online.american.edu/msc/masters-strategic-communication/advocacy-social-impact-concentration |
GATT and Agriculture
The GATT prohibition on quantitative restrictions contains exceptions for agricultural products. Restrictions may be placed on imports of agricultural or fisheries products for the purpose of policies of restricting quantities of like domestic products on the market or to remove temporary surpluses of such domestic products.
The restriction is not to be such as reduces the total imports relative to domestic production, relative to what might reasonably be expected to apply in the absence of restrictions. The provisions are commonly used to underpin market management schemes which restrict supply and maintain the domestic price of agricultural products.
GATT allows prohibitions and restrictions on a temporary basis on exports, in order to prevent or reduce shortages of critical food or other essential products.
Article XVI of GATT provides that states parties should seek to avoid the use of subsidies on exports of primary products. If they are applied, they must not do so in a manner which results in the state having more than the equitable share of the world export trade for that product, having regard to the relevant proportions and shares during the previous representative period.
Under the above provisions, which predate the Uruguay Round, a series of waivers were granted in respect of many products, even in respect of these relatively light obligations.
Most states, including, in particular, the European Union have used mechanisms to maintain and stabilise the market in primary agricultural and fishery products. These measures consist of guaranteed intervention prices, rebates on exports below the set price, and import levies to bring the price of imports to the set/ target price. These measures significantly affect third party importers, in this context, into the European Union.
Uruguay Round and Agricultural Support
In recent decades, the focus of Agricultural policy has shifted from intervention and price maintenance to direct payments and aids. The Uruguay Round concluded in 1993, following significant differences in approach by the USA and EU in relation to their respective treatment of agriculture. The EU attempted to defend the principal features of the Common Agricultural Policy. A compromise was reflected in the 1993 Agreement, which sought to reduce distortions in trade in agricultural products.
The Agreement sought to quantify and embody domestic agricultural support measures in a single measure, the aggregate measure of support.
The Agreement on Agriculture in the Uruguay Round prohibits import quotas, variable import levies, minimum import licensing, nontariff measures maintained whether by the state or state enterprises, voluntary export restraints and measures other than customs duties.
The measure of protection offered by a quota or licensing scheme is measured by reference to the difference between the domestic and world price. The Agreement sought that quotas and equivalent arrangements replaced by a tariff giving equal protection and subject to the obligations of reduction.
The Agreement on Agriculture provides for the aggregate measurement of support which applies both to government aid and support for agricultural production in general. It is determined by comparing prices of products which benefit from supports against average world prices. Domestic price supports are not prohibited but are to be reduced over a period of six years.
The Agreement on Agriculture did not completely prohibit export subsidies. It required them to be set out in binding schedules. They could not be increased. They were to be reduced over a six-year period in respect of government expenditure and quantity for each product.
If an export subsidy complies with the terms of the Agreement, it may be subject to countervailing measures, only provided there is a determination of injury or a threat of injury.
Reductions
States undertook to deliver a 20% reduction in the level of support from the 1986 base. Subsidies were to be reduced by 21% over a six-year period in terms of the volume of products receiving subsidies, and 36% in value of those subsidies. States agreed not to increase export subsidies beyond that level after the six years. This provision was to take precedence over Article XVI of GATT.
The Agreement required state parties to convert non-tariff measures, such as quotas, into tariffs and reduce agricultural tariffs by those proportions. There was to be a minimum of a 15% reduction in each product category.
New tariff measures were prohibited. Border measures were to be reduced to increase access for foreign producers to up to 3% rising to 5%, during the six-year period.
Certain types of supports were exempted. Domestic supports were either in the “yellow” box, “blue” box or “green” box. Yellow box are those measures which distort the market including subsidies and price supports. Reduction commitments apply.
Green box subsidies are those which support research, domestic food aid, disaster assistance, training, advisory, and infrastructure. They are deemed not to have an effect on trade or production and are exempt from the requirements for reduction.
Blue box subsidies are direct payments to farmers under programmes for limiting production and certain payments in developing countries to encourage production. They are not subject to reduction, provided that they follow certain criteria.
Domestic supports exempted from the commitments and reductions were not actionable during the so-called peace clause, which ran until 2003. Due restraint was to be applied in initiating countervailing duty investigations in blue box subsidy cases.
Additional duties may be applied where the level of imports is above a certain trigger level or where the prices fall below a trigger price. There is separate treatment for developing countries with phasing in provisions.
Later Round
The Doha Declaration permits states parties to build on the Uruguay Agreement on Agriculture. It seeks substantial improvements in market access, reductions, all with a view to phasing out all forms of export subsidies and substantial reductions in trade-distorting domestic support. It provides special treatment for developing countries.
There has been some agreement on reducing export subsidies but not on reducing domestic support. Many countries have changed to tariff rate quotas for previous quantitative restrictions. However, the out of quota tariffs may be multiples of the value of the goods and have the effect of maintaining the pre-existing quota system to a large extent.
The Bali Package in December 2013 does not contain legally binding commitments in relation to agriculture. However, Member parties commit themselves to dealing with quota under filling through simplification procedures in relation to tariff quota administration.
In relation to food stockpiles, a peace clause applies by which states agree to temporarily refrain from lodging complaints if a developing country exceeds its Amber Box limit (10% of production at which domestic supports are capped), where it is as a result of food security. This is to apply pending a longer-term solution. | https://brexitlegal.ie/world-trade-and-agriculture/ |
1) Octane (C8H18) oxidizes at high temperatures in the presence of oxygen to form CO2and H2O. How many moles of CO2 are produced per mole of octane?
2)Methane (CH4) also burns in the presences of oxygen to form CO2 and H2O. How many lbs of CO2 are formed when 1 lb of methane is burned?
3)Hypochlorous acid (HOCl) is also referred to as “chlorine” as is used as a disinfectant for swimming pools and drinking water. This is a weak acid with a pKa = 7.53. Which of the following represents the correct equilibrium equation for this weak acid?
4)For an endothermic reaction, an increase in temperature causes an increase in the equilibrium constant, K. In this case an increase in temperature would cause:
5)At a pH = 7, which of the following is true?
7) Which of the following can be used to increase the pH of water?
CO2
8) Chlorine bleach (hypochlorous acid) is more effective at:
9)A strong acid:
10)1. You can oxidize organic waste (C70H110O50N) using oxygen according to the following equation:
C70H110O50N + O2 = CO2 + H2O + NH3
If you decompose 100 lbs of waste, how many lbs of CO2 will you create? (175 lb CO2)
11) The following organic waste can be consumed by bacteria in the presence of oxygen.
C75H110O62N + O2 = CO2 + H2O + NH3
a. Balance the chemical equation above. (show your work)
___C75H110O62N + ___O2 = ___CO2 + ___ H2O + ___ NH3
b. Water contains 100 mg/L of organic waste (C75H110O62N). What is the concentration of oxygen dissolved in the water required to decompose all the organic waste?
NH3 (ammonia – more toxic) can also become NH4+ (ammonium – less toxic) according to:
NH4+ = H+ + NH3 pKa = 9.21
c. Calculate the ratio of NH3 to NH4+ at a pH of 6.5.
d. If the pH is raised to 8, would the water be more or less toxic in terms of ammonia? Explain your answer.
12) After treating the water you need to decrease the pH back to 6.5. The water is held in a 200,000 gallon “pond”.
a. You have a 3 M HCl solution. How many mLs of this solution are required to change the pH from 9.5 to 6.5?
b. Another option for lowering the pH is to add citric acid (C6H8O7). Citric acid has a pKa = 3.1. How many grams of citric acid do you need to add to a 200,000 gallon pond to lower the pH from 9.5 to 6.5? | https://submityourassignment.org/2020/12/14/1-octane-c8h18-oxidizes-at-high-temperatures-in-the-presence-of-oxygen-to-form-co2and-h2o-how-many-moles-of/ |
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
This invention relates to a hearing aid system for the handicapped and more particularly to such a system for processing signals prior to application of the same to the ear of a user.
It is known that the frequency response of a normal ear is not flat. At the lower frequency range, the response falls off depending upon the level or intensity of the audio signal. This is true of the rate of fall- off as this also depends upon the intensity of the signal. Such aspects of a normal ear's response are evident when viewing the well known Fletcher-Munson curves.
In order to simulate normal hearing for use in hearing aids for the handicapped, one desires to approach the characteristics of the normal ear by incorporating compensating circuitry within such devices. In any event, it is extremely difficult to do and if attempted, would result in cumbersome and expensive aids which would be extremely difficult to design and build.
Most hearing aids conventionally available, employ a volume control to enable the user to adjust the volume of the device according to his preferences and in regard to the particular environmental situation. Such volume controls in the prior art devices vary the audio output of the hearing aid without substantially affecting the frequency response; which response is usually determined by suitable filters incorporated in the device.
The present invention concerns itself with a volume control which operates to vary the audio output of the hearing aid while further serving to control the frequency response of the device according to variation or control of the volume adjustment. In this manner, the frequency response of the aid is varied according to the volume control to attempt to match the frequency response of a normal ear.
The frequency control afforded corresponds to the levels of soft conversational speech as well as moderate and loud speech.
Thus, a user of this aid is able to adjust the volume control and hence, the frequency response according to the intensity of conversational speech as being either soft, moderate or loud.
It is also known that the slope of the frequency response characteristics is also a function of the patient's loudness contours and his own loudness growth and hence, the volume taper can accommodate for these particular characteristics.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
In a hearing aid apparatus for the handicapped, said apparatus employing an amplifier having a gain controlled by a handicapped user in varying a gain control associated with said apparatus, in combination therewith, comprising a frequency selective circuit having controllable frequency bandpass characteristics adapted to receive audio signals at an input for propagating a given frequency range of said signals according to said bandpass and an input control terminal for varying said bandpass according to the magnitude of a signal applied thereto, control means responsive to the variation of said gain control for providing a control signal according to said variation, said control means coupled to said input terminal of said selective circuit for varying said bandpass according to said gain as controlled by said user.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES
FIGS. 1A to 1C are graphs depicting compression ratios according to input level for specified frequencies.
FIG. 2 is a graph showing gain versus frequency for various audio levels indicative of A(soft), B(moderate) and C(loud) conversational input signals.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram partially in block form depicting a hearing aid according to this invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
As was briefly indicated above, the relative loudness of different components of frequency in speech vary as a function of the overall intensity. In this manner, as intensity varies, the frequency spectrum of the speech as applied to a normal ear varies.
Hence, in providing a taper in the volume characteristics, one must consider various points to adequately compensate for the change in the speech at different intensity levels. One consideration involves a typical ear mold which is employed in a hearing aid to couple the amplified or processed audio signals to the ear of the handicapped. In such a device, any enhancement of high frequencies is lost or is substantially reduced due to the coupling of the sound pressure from the ear mold to the ear of a user.
Furthermore, many handicapped users suffer from recruitment which indicates a change in loudness function. Such a change in the loudness function also serves to change the predicted frequency response. A handicapped user who has a recruitment problem experiences a compression in his dynamic range of hearing. This recruitment factor is frequency dependent and hence, loudness at certain frequencies is exaggerated as compared to other frequencies. This characteristic causes loudness discomfort to the user when wearing a conventional hearing aid due to peak amplitudes of speech components within the range of the user.
A handicapped person with a hearing loss based on recruitment, exhibits a narrow dynamic range of hearing, exaggerated loudness relationships between the various frequency elements of speech, and a loudness discomfort from the peaks of speech which can cause possible hearing damage while further causing handicapped users to reject the use of the hearing aid.
In order to circumvent these problems, a hearing aid should be designed with a volume taper which attempts to match the frequency response of the normal ear. The taper is operative to control loudness at mid and low frequencies and would further operate during soft conversational speech in the range of 55 db. Thus, the user upon adjustment of the volume control of the hearing aid according to the intensity of the conversational speech whether it be soft, moderate or loud, will automatically effectuate an adjustment in the frequency response of the aid to enable him to employ the aid without any of the above noted disturbances.
Essentially, speech has a dynamic range of 60 db. If all of the components of speech are to be heard, the ear must receive the total information in the audio wave, especially those components representative of the softer, shorter duration consonant sounds. The average dynamic range of the impaired ear is around 25 db for frequencies above 1,500Hz and 40 db for frequencies below 1,500Hz. Generally speaking, low frequency hearing acuity is better in these people than is the high frequency hearing.
Since the low frequency speech sounds (vowels) are more intense and have a longer duration, people with sensorineural hearing loss require smaller amounts of amplification in order to hear the lower level components of speech. As indicated, however, their response to higher frequency components of speech is severely limited and hence, one must also compress the high frequency components of speech within the frequency range which can be accommodated by the impaired ear. In order to prevent discomfort by large peaks of low frequency components, the lower frequency components have to be clipped or limited in amplitude to prevent discomfort as above indicated. The processor or hearing aid should also serve to provide frequency equalization throughout the acoustic spectrum to compensate for the characteristics of the impaired ear. Compensation should only be utilized in the high frequency range as if one compressed the entire band, the relationship between the acoustic elements of speech would cause the consonants to be amplified inefficiently. In this manner, the stronger components would serve to reduce amplifier gain and hence, control compressor operation. This effect in prior hearing aids is detrimental to speech intelligibility and is prevalent in prior art devices. Thus, the compression ratio in such a device should be adjusted so that compression primarily occurs for higher frequencies.
Referring to FIGS. 1A to 1C, one can see that the compression ratio is to take effect at the low frequency of 750Hz for a higher input signal level than for 2,000Hz and compression takes place at 2,000Hz for a higher input signal level than at 4,000Hz. This aspect is clearly depicted in FIGS. 1A through 1C. The compression threshold should be low enough to compress the weaker components of speech which contribute to the redundancy of speech and is set to emphasize the weaker components and prevent the reduction of amplifier gain caused by the strong components of speech.
Essentially, normal listeners preceive speech with all its redundancy as they possess the ability to employ the full acoustic spectrum without normally experiencing acoustical interference from other sources. However, the masking effect of such interference is substantial for the impaired ear. Hence, an objective of a hearing aid is to attempt to restore and make useable the acoustic information which is lost or distorted by the impaired ear.
In FIG. 1, three compression ratios are shown and the proper one would be selected depending upon the particular hearing loss of the user.
Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown gain versus frequency curves for A) soft speech, B) moderate speech and C) loud speech. As one can ascertain fron FIG. 2, the gain which would be adjusted by the user adjusting his volume control, affords a different shape to the frequency characteristics of the speech components.
In essence, as indicated in FIG. 2, a change in gain results in a change in the bandpass for the acoustic spectrum between low frequency and the high frequency and shown approximately between 50Hz to 4,000Hz.
A major improvement can thus be achieved in a hearing aid by controlling the volume taper characteristics of the device to therefore enable a user to set the volume control while the system automatically provides the desireable frequency response in accordance with the setting of the volume control.
By further employing selective compression and low frequency limiting in conjunction with the feature of a volume taper, one can specify an improved hearing aid for the user with the handicap.
As can be seen from FIG. 2, the slope of the gain versus frequency characteristic is varied as a function of the speech or audio listening level as A(soft), B(moderate) and C(loud). There are two break points where the slope varies as at 750Hz and 2,000Hz. Thus, for soft conversation (A), the slope of the curves is at about 6db per octave until 750Hz and thence, at 3db per octave until 2,000Hz and falls off beyond 2,000Hz at a rate according to the normal ear.
For moderate speech (B), the slope is at 12db per octave until 750Hz and then at 6db per octave until 2,000Hz and falls off as the A curve thereafter.
For loud speech (C), the slope is at 24db per octave until 750Hz and then at 12db per octave until 2,000Hz, where the curve again follows those of A and B thereafter. The slope between the various breakpoints of 750Hz and 2,000Hz can also vary as a function of the particular impairment of the user as well as the breakpoints depicted; but these variations will be usually about the values depicted.
Hence, one may employ breakpoints of 500Hz and 1,500Hz and so on depending upon the patient's loudness contours. It is also noted that the loudness contours tend to flatten for an input signal of about 40db as applied to the ear and hence, for levels about this magnitude, one cannot do much to achieve compensation.
It is a primary objective to increase the user's acuity by increasing the low frequency components of speech as compared to the high as those frequencies up to about 2,000Hz and specifying a dynamic range for these frequencies by varying the frequency taper according to the listening or speech level.
Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a circuit diagram of an improved hearing aid according to this invention.
An input transducer 10 responds to audio energy transmitted in the environment. Transducer 10 is a pick-up microphone of the type conventionally employed in present hearing aids and as such, may be a ceramic or other type device.
The output of the pick-up microphone 10 is applied to the input of a fixed gain amplifier 11 which serves to provide impedance isolation and a fixed gain for matching the impedance of the microphone 10 to the filter 12. As such, the pre-amplifier 11 may be an emitter-follower device providing a high input impedance and a low output impedance.
The output of the pre-amplifier 11 is coupled to a bandpass filter 12 which provides a bandwidth necessary to accommodate the range of audio frequencies as responded to by the microphone 10. The bandwidth of the filter 12 may accommodate the range of 50Hz to 5KHz with relatively equal gain characteristics throughout the band accommodated.
The output of the bandpass amplifier 12 is coupled to an input of a variable gain operational amplifier 13. Examples of gain controlled operational amplifiers are known and available in the prior art as integrated circuit components and so on. Essentially, the gain of the amplifier 13 is a function of the ratio of the feedback resistor 14 to the input resistor 15. The feedback resistor 14 comprises a fixed resistor 14A and a potentiometer 14B. Varying the value of the potentiometer 14B varies the gain by changing the above noted ratio. The gain or volume control 14B is adjusted by the user of the aid according to the intensity of the input conversation at audio level as soft, moderate or high (FIG. 2).
Mechanically coupled to the moveable arm of the potentiometer 14B are the control arms of potentiometers 19 and 16. Potentiometer 19 is associated with a voltage control divider coupled between a source of potential (+V) and a reference potential and includes resistors 17 and 18. The control arm of the potentiometer 19 is coupled to the gate electrode of a field effect transistor 20. Hence, as the volume is controlled via resistor 14B, the voltage on the gate of the FET 20 is also varied. The FET 20 has its source or drain electrode coupled to the input of a variable, active bandpass filter 21. The filter 21 receives an input signal from the gain controlled amplifier 13 via resistor 32.
Essentially, the filter 21 is an operational amplifier employing R-C resistance-capacitance feedback to vary the bandpass according to the value of the control FET 20. Examples of such circuits are well known in the art.
As the impedance of FET 20 is varied according to adjustment of the volume control 14B, the center frequency of the filter 21 is varied and hence, the slope is changed. Also coupled to the arm of potentiometer 19 is the gate of still another FET device 22. The gate electrode of FET 22 is coupled to the bias supply including variable resistor 19, via a resistor 23. Another variable resistor 16 is coupled from the gate of FET 22 to a point of reference potential and the arm of this resistor is also varied according to resistor 14B as being mechanically coupled thereto.
The source electrode of FET 22 is coupled in parallel with the source electrode of FET 20 via resistor 25. Capacitor 31 is also coupled to a control electrode of a compressor amplifier 30.
Essentially, the compressor 30 operates to reduce or limit the signal from filter 21 within a given amplitude at the output of compressor 30 relatively independent of an increase in input to compressor 30. The compression ratio is controlled by varying the point at which the amplifier compressor will limit.
Many examples of variable and adjustable compression amplifiers as 30 exist and are known in the art and are used to adjust the volume range to reduce overload distortion in recording music and so on. Such compressor amplifiers as 30 can provide frequency dependent compression ratios by applying a suitable control signal to an input as shown in FIG. 3.
Essentially, the circuit of FIG. 3 operates as follows:
The volume control 14B is adjusted by the user of the device according to his preferences and according to the level of the input signal as soft, moderate, or loud. Adjustment of the volume control 14B specifies a bias for both FET 20 and FET 22 via resistors 19 and 16 which are mechanically controlled by 14B. The FET 20 determines the low frequency slope of the bandpass 21, while FET 22 and FET 20 both determine the high frequency slope above 750Hz. The FET 22 is coupled directly to the compressor 30 and provides the proper compression ratio strictly according to the volume control, while the slope is frequency dependent according to the values of resistor 15 and capacitor 31.
Thus, as can be seen in FIG. 3, an adjustment of volume specifies the slope of the bandpass 21 as well as the compression ratio. The output of the compressor 30 is applied to an output amplifier 33, having its output coupled to an output transducer 34 for directing the processed sound to the ear 35 of a user.
It will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that one may employ a long term average detector to monitor the intensity of the input sound and to use the same to automatically vary the slope of the bandpass amplifier 21 and the compression ratios of compressor 30 according to the levels detected by the detector apparatus. The use of a slope control according to a volume selection provides the handicapped user with greater utility in employing a hearing aid by allowing him to use his lower frequency response to speech in a more efficient and optimum manner. | |
Mariam Alsibai is British of Syrian descent, born and raised in the city of London. With a fashion design degree from FIDM in Los Angeles, Mariam founded the brand together with her sister between their hometown of London and LA.
Her passion for artisan craftsmanship and culture resonates throughout the brand and collaborations.
A note from Mariam: "every garment is made with love, care and attention. The process of garment creation is a beautiful alchemy. Our pieces are timeless and not limited to a specific trend. They are designed to maintain longevity in the wardrobe, something that fast fashion lacks. I dress in a way to reflect my mood that allows for variation and authenticity.Therefore, my collection has a mix of cosy and chic wear. We focus on craftsmanship, meaning our garments are limited, not mass produce." | https://www.curated-crowd.com/designer/Mariam-Alsibai |
The incorporation into the SDGs of inclusive and sustainable industrialization, as well as infrastructure, is a significant achievement for countries of the global South. SDG 9 includes targets to develop regional and transborder infrastructure, raise industry’s share of employment and GDP, doubling its share in least developed countries, greater adoption of clean technology and industrial processes and upgrading technological capabilities, innovation and research and development.
Such structural transformation processes were central to economic development policies up to the mid-1970s, focused on productive capabilities, sustained investments in technological and industrial capacities and strategic economic diversification, alongside specialization and exports.
However, since the late 1970s the neoliberal model of macroeconomic stability and liberalized markets and borders has, downplayed structural transformation and industrial development in favour of export specialization. This model holds that as long as an economy is open to international trade, comparative advantage international competition and privatization will direct capital, labour and material resources to where their contribution to GDP is maximized.1
However, reality has proven different. In sub-Saharan Africa, for example, preferential trade schemes with developed countries, such as 100 percent duty-free quota-free market access by the EU and 60 percent by China, have absorbed a large share of Africa’s exports but have done little to help Africa industrialize. The proportion of manufactured goods exported by African LDCs is extremely marginal and did not improve or diversify over 2000-2012 due to the fact that most exports are concentrated in fuels, ores and metals.2
In all developed countries, the state has played a proactive role, by nurturing enterprises, building markets, encouraging technological upgrading, strengthening capabilities, removing infrastructural bottlenecks, reforming agriculture and providing finance. Developing countries have argued that no country has developed without advances in industrialization and productivity, driven by managed investment (both foreign and domestic) and technology.
UN Member States, in agreements such as the Lima Declaration (1975, 2013) and the Istanbul Programme of Action (2016), recognize that industrialization drives development and job creation and thereby contributes to poverty eradication, gender equality, youth employment, social inclusion and education, among other goals.
The MDGs, which were essentially an aid agenda for poorer countries driven by donor agencies, included no mention of infrastructure or industrialization. The SDGs, while far from ideal, integrate the need for structural transformation, and are universal, obliging all UN Member States to achieve their targets. As such despite the lack of sufficient means of implementation (MOI), they are an advance in global development policy-making.
Infrastructure
At the heart of structural transformation for economic development is national and regional infrastructure, as outlined in Target 9.1, which also specifies affordability and equitable access for all. In the least developed countries (LDCs), limited physical infrastructure, including electricity, water and sanitation, transport, institutional capacity and information and communications technology, is one of the major challenges to development.3 While an inclusive process of consultation and national planning should determine what specific types of infrastructure will best achieve social and economic development (e.g., highways or rural roads), the fundamental implementation challenge for Target 9.1 is financing.
Three primary sources of infrastructure investment are official development assistance (ODA), particularly in LDCs, private sector capital and public funds. The sole MOI for infrastructure is Target 9.a, which uses the relatively weak language of “enhanced financial, technological and technical support” without specifying how much and what kind of support.
Likewise, the sole indicator for Target 9.a measures the amount of total ODA that goes to infrastructure. While ODA flows to LDCs are still less than half of the 0.15-0.20 percent of GNI agreed to by developed countries, the bulk of ODA is directed to social sectors, not to building physical and economic infrastructure.4
Meanwhile, the primary means of infrastructure financing is through public-private partnerships (PPPs), partnerships between the state and private sector where the upfront financing and implementation is carried out by the private sector while increased costs, risks and liabilities are often borne by the public sector. They have become the status quo vehicle for the World Bank Group, the BRICS New Development Bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the European Investment Bank and the Chinese and Brazilian national development banks.
While Target 9.1 does not mention PPPs, multi-stakeholder partnerships are promoted under SDG 17, on means of implication (Targets 17.16 and 17.17). Nowhere is there a mention of the disproportionate risks and costs of PPPs to the public sector, which exacerbate inequalities and decrease equitable access to services, including infrastructure.
Various studies have shown these risks, which include:5
• PPP financing costs are higher than public costs due to higher interest rates involved in private sector borrowing;
• Debt and fiscal risks, or contingent liabilities, of PPPs are often poorly accounted for, while the public sector must take ultimate responsibility when a project fails or if the private partner goes bankrupt or abandons the project;
• Social and environmental regulation and enforcement, such as workers’ and women’s rights, tax regulation, transparency rules, and environmental safeguards, are often lacking in PPPs;
• Government budgets are constrained by payments required over longer PPP contractual periods (25-30 years in some cases), compared to conventional service contracts (e.g., for refuse collection, 3-5 years), from higher transaction costs6 and from legal constraints against payment reduction schemes.7
The appropriateness of the proposed indicators is also questionable. Indicator 9.1.1 measures the “share of the rural population who live within 2 km of an all-season road,” and indicator 9.1.2 measures “passenger and freight volumes, by mode of transport.”8 However, Target 9.1 is unlikely to be achieved directly or indirectly from the presence of roads and vehicles. Relevant indicators would include, for example, number of decent work jobs created locally by infrastructure projects, density of health and educational infrastructure projects per capita, and a focus on affordability for the most vulnerable and marginalized in society, including women in the care economy and unemployed and homeless people.
Target 9.5 calls for enhancing scientific research and upgrading the technological capabilities of industrial sectors, Target 9.b calls for support to domestic technology development, research and innovation in developing countries and the proposed indicator 9.5.1 measures research and development expenditure as a percentage of GDP. All three sections of SDG 9 allude to the scaling up of financial resources, public, private, domestic and international. However, recent reports show that 132 countries, across all levels of development, are expected to shrink public budgets even further in 2016 than in other years since the global financial crisis that began in 2007-2008.9
By 2020 austerity measures are estimated to impact more than two-thirds of all countries and more than 6 billion people, or 80 percent of the human population.10 Austerity measures include cuts and caps to the public wage bill, reducing social safety nets and welfare benefits, reforming pensions, reducing or removing public subsidies, privatization, taxing public consumption and services and lowering wages. The weakness of the SDGs in establishing time-bound MOI commitments to scale up international financial resources for the global South, especially LDCs, may well undermine the ability of these countries to address the key goals on structural transformation under these circumstances.
Industrialization
The core of SDG 9 is Target 9.2, which promotes inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and includes three key targets to raise industry’s share of employment and gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030 and to double their share in LDCs. It is widely recognized that manufacturing activity is positively correlated with GDP and skilled employment, and has a multiplier effect on job creation, as every one job in manufacturing creates 2.2 jobs in other sectors.11 The proposed indicators for this target, manufacturing value added (MVA) and employment as a percentage of GDP, are thus appropriate and relevant.
However, missing in the targets is anything to reduce the constraints developing countries face if they implement the same industrial policies used historically by developed countries. These include infant industry protection and regulations on foreign investment (including performance requirements and local content sourcing) that help domestic enterprises upgrade their technology and labour skills, and increase their domestic value-added (which increases demand for labour and output of other enterprises).12
These critical policy tools are increasingly prohibited through legally binding free trade agreements (FTAs), bilateral investment treaties (BITs) and to a lesser degree, the Agreement on Trade-Related Investment Measures (TRIM) in the World Trade Organization (WTO). Trade and investment agreements with the U.S. and Canada in particular limit the use of performance requirements by developing countries. Out of 20 US FTAs currently in force, all but two prohibit performance requirements under the investment chapter.
The ability of states to manage foreign investment through performance requirements is crucial for the following purposes:
• promoting domestic manufacturing capabilities in high-value added sectors or technology-intensive sectors;
• stimulating the transfer or indigenous development of technology;
• promoting small and medium-sized enterprises and their contribution to employment creation.
• stimulating environment-friendly methods or products;
• promoting purchases from disadvantaged regions in order to reduce regional disparities; and
• increasing export capacity in cases where current account deficits would require reductions in imports.
FTAs and BITs also extend pre-establishment rights to investors, guaranteeing the right to establish, acquire and expand investments with the same treatment accorded to domestic investors. Some investment treaties also include employment clauses that guarantee foreign investors the right to employ staff of any nation without interference from the host state, thereby constraining the right to development.13
Small-scale industrial enterprises
Access to financial services and affordable credit for small-scale industrial and other enterprises, called for in Target 9.3, are measured by two indicators that specify the share of small-scale industries in total industry value-added and with a loan or line of credit. Given that small businesses engaged in industrial manufacturing account for over 90 percent of global business and between 50-60 percent of global employment, access to credit and services is critical. However, again, the roadmap for how to get there is absent. There is nothing about the role of national development banks, state banks and local cooperatives that have historically provided credit and financial services to small businesses. Meanwhile, financial services liberalization under the aegis of FTAs, BITs and the WTO expands the role of multinational banks that lack the mandate or the capacity to ensure affordable credit for small businesses with greater risk profiles than bigger businesses.
A key threat to the survival of small-scale enterprises is the provision of equal treatment to foreign and domestic businesses, under the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). Under the TIPP, for example, the UK reservation of 25 percent of supplier contracts for industrial SMEs may be rendered illegal.14 The SME Association of Malaysia estimates that the TPPA is likely to force out at least 30 percent of Malaysia’s 650,000 small and medium enterprises that cannot compete internationally with multinational enterprises. Primarily concentrated in local businesses (81%) rather than exports (19%), if foreign products overtake domestic markets small businesses have nowhere to go.15
Global value chains
Target 9.3 also calls for the integration of small-scale industrial and other enterprises into value chains and markets. However, with regard to global value chains (GVCs), not all enterprises can gain. The greater the technological, manufacturing, service capacities, the larger the firm size, ability to meet international market standards and the level of managerial expertise, among other criteria, determine the ability of a firm to succeed in GVCs.
Currently, 67 percent of global value added occurs in developed countries, with only 9 percent in China, 5 percent in Russia, Brazil and India and 8 percent in all LDCs.16 Lead firms, the vast majority from developed countries, retain high-value added activities, such as research, innovation, design, sales and marketing, in their home countries, while outsourcing low-value added activities, such as raw materials and assembly line processing, to developing countries. Rather than integrating into value chains, small-scale industrial firms in developing countries need to deepen their production capacities in order to garner a bigger share of the value added,17 for which domestic or regional markets often offer better opportunities.
Clean Technology
Target 9.4 calls for greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes and increased resource efficiency. The fact that technology-dependent growth accounts for approximately 80 percent of the income divergence between rich and poor countries since 1820 indicates that developing countries require increased access to technology, including through concessionary and preferential terms. The key structural obstacle to technology transfer is the international intellectual property rights regime, which is entrenched in trade agreements and the WTO and prevents developing countries from being able to use existing technology without onerous royalty payments. In this regard, the Technology Facilitation Mechanism created at the Third International Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa, has the potential to support developing countries’ concrete technology needs.
The development of renewable and clean energy in the South is already being undermined by a recent WTO panel ruling that struck down India’s efforts to develop domestic solar energy on the ground that they violated India’s national treatment obligations under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994 and the WTO TRIMs agreement. India argued that under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change (2015), it had an obligation to ensure the adequate supply of clean electricity generated from solar power at reasonable prices in order to mitigate climate change and achieve sustainable development.18 Developing country efforts to secure unrestricted access to technology transfer in the Paris negotiations were also defeated.
Given such power imbalances in international agreements, how are developing countries, even when political will is mobilized, supposed to develop renewable energy for the goal of cleaner industrial processes? Without a cleaner industrialization model, how is the “sustainable” part of the SDGs to be taken seriously?
Conclusion
The structural challenges surrounding industrial policy tools and clean technology are undeniably daunting. At the same time, a diversified, dynamic, inclusive and sustainable industrialization is at the very heart of structural transformation, without which the SDG paradigm remains a patchwork of goals that do not address domestic growth, job creation and local self-sufficiency. Indeed, SDG 9 is at the center of the transformative potential of the SDGs, on par with SDG 10 on inequality and SDG 17 on MOI. The substantive integration of industrialization, which would not have been possible in the formulation of the MDGs, is evidence that the SDGs, while far from perfect, has the potential to address the right to development through structural transformation, where the poorest nations and communities have the opportunity to develop their economies on a foundation of equity, human rights and ecological sustainability.
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Targets for SDG 9
9.1 Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all
9.2 Promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and, by 2030, significantly raise industry’s share of employment and gross domestic product, in line with national circumstances, and double its share in least developed countries
9.3 Increase the access of small-scale industrial and other enterprises, in particular in developing countries, to financial services, including affordable credit, and their integration into value chains and markets
9.4 By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, with all countries taking action in accordance with their respective capabilities
9.5 Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries, in particular developing countries, including, by 2030, encouraging innovation and substantially increasing the number of research and development workers per 1 million people and public and private research and development spending
9.a Facilitate sustainable and resilient infrastructure development in developing countries through enhanced financial, technological and technical support to African countries, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States
9.b Support domestic technology development, research and innovation in developing countries, including by ensuring a conducive policy environment for, inter alia, industrial diversification and value addition to commodities
9.c Significantly increase access to information and communications technology and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the Internet in least developed countries by 2020
References
Banga, Rashmi (2013): Measuring Value in Global Value Chains. Geneva: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Background Paper No. RVC-8. http://unctad.org/en/PublicationsLibrary/ecidc2013misc1_bp8.pdf
Callan, Margaret/Davies, Robin (2013): When Business Meets Aid: Analysing public‑private partnerships for international development. Canberra: Development Policy Centre Discussion Paper 28, Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University. http://devpolicy.anu.edu.au/pdf/papers/DP_28_-_%20When%20business%20meet...
Chang, Ha-Joon/Green, Duncan (2003): The Northern WTO Agenda on Investment: Do as we say, not as we did. Geneva and Cambridge: South Centre/CAFOD.
http://www.ecolomics-international.org/n_sd_south_center_doaswesay_notas...
Estache, Antonio/Philippe, Caroline (2012): The impact of private participation in infrastructure in developing countries: Taking stock of about 20 years of experience. Brussels: ECARES working paper. https://ideas.repec.org/p/eca/wpaper/2013-133537.html
Foon, Ho Wah (2015): SMES must buck up for TPPA. In: The Star, 23 November 2015,
http://www.thestar.com.my/metro/smebiz/news/2015/11/23/smes-must-buck-up...
Hall, David (2015): Why Public-Private Partnerships Don’t Work: The Many Advantages of the Public Alternative. London: Public Services International.
http://www.world-psi.org/sites/default/files/rapport_eng_56pages_a4_lr.pdf
Hall, David (2010): More public rescues for more private finance failures - a critique of the EC Communication on PPPs. London: Public Services International Research Unit (PSIRU).
www.epsu.org/sites/default/files/article/files/2010-03-PPPs_FINAL.pdf
Kanth, D. Ravi (2016): Countering Climate Change vs. Neo-Mercantilist Goals. Geneva: SouthNews No. 104.
http://www.other-news.info/2016/04/trade-countering-climate-change-vs-ne...
Kennedy, Lindsey (2015): The secret business plan that could spell the end for SMEs. In: SME Insider, 12 February 2015
http://www.smeinsider.com/2015/02/12/the-secret-business-plan-that-could...
Muchhala, Bhumika (2013): Amplifying the private sector in development: Concerns, questions and risks. Penang: Third World Network (TWN) briefing paper 69. https://www.unngls.org/IMG/pdf/Third_World_Network_-_Private_Sector_Role...
OECD (2011): Measuring Aid: 50 Years of DAC Statistics. Paris.
https://www.oecd.org/dac/stats/documentupload/MeasuringAid50yearsDACStat...
Ortiz, Isabel et al. (2015): The Forthcoming Adjustment Shock. Policy Brief based on The Decade of Adjustment: A Review of Austerity Trends 2010-2020 in 187 Countries. Geneva and New York: ILO/South Centre/Initiative for Policy Dialogue, Columbia University. http://www.social-protection.org/gimi/gess/RessourcePDF.action?ressource...
South Centre (2015): Investment Treaties: Views and Experiences from Developing Countries. Geneva. http://www.southcentre.int/tag/bilateral-investment-treaties-bits/.
South Centre (2013): Global Value Chains (GVCs) From a Development Perspective. Geneva. http://www.southcentre.int/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/AN_GVCs-from-a-Dev...
UN (2011): Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2011-2020. Istanbul.
http://www.ipu.org/splz-e/ldciv/action.pdf
UNCTAD (2006): The Least Developed Countries Report 2006. New York and Geneva.
http://unctad.org/en/Docs/ldc2006_en.pdf
UNCTAD/ILO (2014): Transforming Economies: Making industrial policy work for growth, jobs and development. New York and Geneva.
http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/---publ/do...
UN DESA (2007): Industrial Development for the 21st Century: Sustainable Development Perspectives. New York. http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/publications/industrial_development/full_r...
UNECA (2015): Industrializing Through Trade. Addis Ababa. http://www.uneca.org/sites/default/files/PublicationFiles/era2015_eng_fi...
Notes:
2 Cf. UNECA (2015).
3 Cf. UNCTAD (2006).
4 Cf. UN (2011), para. 22.
5 Cf. Callan/Davies (2012), Estache/Philippe (2012), Hall (2015).
6 According to data from the European Investment Bank total transaction costs for PPPs can average over 20 percent of the total project value. Contract disputes may further increase these, as “the development of quasi-markets has already led to a contractual playground for lawyers and legal firms.” Quoted in Hall (2010), p.5.
7 Hall (2015) p. 35 mentions that annual payments to two major road PPPs in Portugal cost 800 million Euros, more than the annual national transport budget of 700 million Euros.
8 Cf. UN Doc. E/CN.3/2016/2/Rev.1; (http://unstats.un.org/unsd/statcom/47th-session/documents/2016-2-SDGs-Rev1-E.pdf).
9 Cf. Ortiz et al. (2015).
10 Ibid.
12 Cf. Chang/Green (2003).
13 Cf. South Centre (2015).
14 Cf. Kennedy (2015).
15 Cf. Foon (2015).
16 Cf. UNCTAD (2007).
17 Cf. South Centre (2013).
18 Cf. Kanth (2016). | https://www.socialwatch.org/node/17293 |
Available under University of Tasmania Standard License.
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Abstract
This study examines the nature and evolution of European supranationalism and its
relationship to European identity formation, together with the factors promoting and
inhibiting the development of such an identity. The central proposition of the study is that
there exist certain conditions for the emergence of an European identity. This identity is
developing, in accordance with a 'civic' model based on a common sense of European
belonging rooted in constitutionalism, participative citizenship, civil and humanitarian
rights and shared democratic institutions.
The question of how political communities, increasingly ethnically heterogeneous,
socially fragmented and territorially dispersed, yet institutionally and functionally linked,
can aid a common consciousness and a sense of identity is addressed. This work
predicates that there is a relationship between supranational institutional development and
the development of European identity. It explores how supranational institutions
developed within post-war Europe and demonstrates how such institutions affect
communal European identity formation.
The study establishes that in common with the historical experience of European state
formation in early modernity, that enlarged polities are closely and causally linked to the
rise of broad identification amongst their named populations. We demonstrate that as
European supranational institutions have become politically and socially entrenched that
the appropriate conditions for the creation of European identity have emerged. Such an
identity, necessarily civic in nature, is inclusive of, and sympathetic to, the diverse range
of pre-existing European ethnonational identifications.
The study utilises an analytical framework which allows for the examination of European
identification from a variety of perspectives. Utilising a typology of communal identity
synthesised from sociology, social psychology and political science the study
demonstrates that communal identity is a multdimentional phenomena. It is made up not
only of shared feeling of community and belonging, but is further exhibited in collective
self-description, shared values, collective attachment to common symbols, common
actions and a common cognitive boundary separating `us' from the 'other'.
The study demonstrates that there is a viable European identity. It finds that such an
identity exists concurrently with pre-existing national, regional and local identities.
European identity is found to exist, in part, as a result of the institutional recognition and
securing of such pre-existent identities. The study concludes that it is from the
construction of a dense and socially inclusive European civil society that European
identity emerges.
|Item Type:||Thesis - PhD|
|Authors/Creators:||Grover, AB|
|Keywords:||Supranationalism, Europeans|
|Copyright Holders:||The Author|
|Copyright Information:||
|
Copyright 2001 the Author - The University is continuing to endeavour to trace the copyright
|Additional Information:||
|
Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Tasmania, 2001. | https://eprints.utas.edu.au/19733/ |
Telehealth tools to enable self-care in consumer informatics include:
Pill identifiers and drug interaction checkers
Symptom checkers, fitness trackers, and personal health records
Reminders and alerts
Personal health records linked to exchange network and secure messaging
Telemedicine practice guidelines for healthcare professionals' practice is identified by the...
American Telemedicine Association
The four operational and organizational factors that enhance or hinder telehealth are:
bandwidth, education, leadership, and technology
Three clinical practice considerations for telehealth-delivered care for health professionals are:
Competency of physicians and nurses
Equal to f2f care
Confidentiality and privacy
Which type of telehealth uses interactive telecommunications technology and/or patient monitoring technologies to connect a provider and patient for direct care?
Synchronous telehealth
Schools, occupational health, public health, parish nursing, and nurse-managed health centers are examples of:
home healthcare
Standardized datasets used in health records (EHRs) and information systems in home care practice sites include:
Outcome Assessment Information Set (OASIS)
The primary benefits of point-of-care standardized terminologies in home health clinical information systems are:
Prerequisites for decision support to improve performance
Maintain accurate lists of problems and medications, and reuse of information
Quantitative data for outcomes reporting and disclosing patient outcomes disparities
Real-time and one-time external monitoring and documentation
The primary goal of home health agency providers in using technology to work with accountable care organizations is to:
facilitate communications and collaboration
Which components are associated with community-based healthcare?
Patients who are knowledgeable about their own healthcare
Interprofessional collaboration
Work with patients and their families over time
Best practices for clinical decision support design that improves practitioner performance and patient outcomes consist of which four function categories?
Triggers, input data, interventions, and action steps
In the national road map by Osheroff and colleagues, clinical decision support was described as:
interventions to provide knowledge and person-specific information, intelligently filtered or presented at appropriate times, to clinicians, staff, or patients, or other individuals to enhance health and healthcare
Patient care workflow and relevant patient information or summaries of prominent aspects of a patient's record are:
major types of clinical decision support
The Agency for Health Research and Quality suggested which strategies for disseminating advanced clinical decision support on a national level?
CDS developed once and used by many
The barriers to the wide adoption of clinical decision support include:
culture of quality improvement
The development of telemedicine and telehealth across state lines has been most hampered by:
the need to obtain licenses to practice in each state in the network
What are the two overarching types of telehealth technologies?
Synchronous and asynchronous
Which of the following are challenges or barriers to CDS adoption?
Lack of widely adopted standards for CDS
Concerns over "cookbook medicine"
Misaligned financial incentives
Inadequate EHR adoption
Most important element for operationalizing and ensuring telehealth acceptance by providers?
Training
A healthcare system has implemented a functionality where patients who are overdue or almost due for a mammogram are sent letter notifying them. Which type of CDS system is this?
A reminder system
Legal and regulatory issues directly impacting telehealth practice for healthcare providers include:
malpractice
licensure
credentialing
reimbursement
What are the primary goals for using EHRs in home health and related community-based systems?
To improve communication
To provide an effective and efficient method for tracking cost and related billing
To support clinical decision making and quality of care by presenting best practices and evidence-based practice options
To capture clinicians' documentation that supported interaction with patients at the point-of-care
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Capt. Cerdan is an airline captain with more than 15,000 hours experience. He holds TRE ratings, and has flown B737, DC10, A330 and A340 aircraft.He has held different instructor positions, including CRM instructor, and has also held different management functions.Capt. Cerdan holds a masters degree in Philosophy, and has also studied Neurocognitive and Behavioral approach therapy.He is doing research work on how to apply elements of Phenomenology in pilot training and assessment.
ABSTRACT
Resilience and Decision-making Training: The Way Ahead!
2017 beat all records in terms of air transport safety. However, growth prospects in the airline industry are a major challenge in terms of pilot training and, in particular, regarding “decision-making” and the “management of complex situations”. There is a need to reinforce the pilot’s cognitive and behavioural abilities when under high stress levels and/or in critical situations. In order to achieve this, new tools and a new methodology will be necessary.
This presentation introduces a specific interface – the pilot-KPI model – which provides overall performance assessment of the pilot from both an operational point of view, by using conventional markers – technical and non-technical – but also cognitive and behavioural sciences markers.
This new fully interactive interface introduces easy and reliable tools to provide a better understanding of observable behaviour and cognitive processes during pilot training and/or evaluation. Such as diagnosis protocol will then allow a tailored training/remedial programme to be developed individually or according to specific airline operational needs.
Such a comprehensive evaluation approach, fully compatible with EBT principles, is two-fold in its benefits as firstly, it provides tools to identify underlying weaknesses in non-technical skills, such as stress management, poor flight management and lack of resilience, and secondly makes it possible to reinforce global crew resilience and decision-making processes through “Mental Mode Management” training modules.
These “Mental Mode Management” modules are easily understandable for non-psychological experts and simple to implement so it makes sense to use them, not only economically but also operationally. Last, but not least, Neurocognitive and behavioural approach deployment in pilot training (Basic or Recurrent programmes) would not require any great effort and therefore the impact on cost would be minimal. | https://www.eats-event.com/conferences/pilot/waldo-cerdan-lopez |
Literature is divided into Prose and Poetry.
there are 5 (five) categories of prose.. here:Short prose,Flash prose,Rhymed prose,Vercelli Homilies,Vignette (literature)hope it gonna help ya ^^
"Fiction" is the immediate sub genre of "prose" for The Canterbury Tales. All literature is divided into two categories, prose (standard written literature) and poetry (literature in verse). Prose is then subdivided into fiction and non-fiction. The sub genre of fiction for The Canterbury Tales would be "short stories."
poetry/prose is its own genre. Poetry is different from Prose... but it is its own genre. If you are at the bookstore, poetry will have its own section. All the rest of the categories will be Prose.
Which of the following describes of prose poetry?
there are two types of prose. one is a article.that is kind of like a newspaper
Two examples of prose would be narrative and expository. Narrative prose is typically found in stories, while an example of expository prose would be an analysis.
The main categories of literature are poetry, prose, and drama. Genres of English poetry include sonnets, sestinas, and free verse.
addison
Which of the following are categories for punishing violations of federal health care laws
two categories of diseases
two categories of observations?
It lends itself to an analytic approach
Fiction, Non-fiction
it lends itself to an analytic approach
The two categories of compounds are ionic and molecular.
prose and poetry
prose and poetry
heterotrophs
RAM LTM these are the two categories
The two broad categories are living and nonliving.
Two categories of chemicals are based on carbon ?
two categories of diseases
There are two broad categories of software. These categories include system software, as well as application software. There are sub-categories to both of these types of software. | https://www.answers.com/Q/Which-of-the-following-are-the-two-categories-of-prose |
It’s hard to imagine a time when checking email wasn’t part of our daily routine. Over the last four decades or so, email has become integrated into our everyday life. The history of email is quite the fascinating one, so here’s a brief look into the evolution of the inbox.
A brief history of email
When was the last time you took a break from whatever you were doing and refreshed your email? Seriously, think about it for a moment. If you are anything like the majority internet users, you may even have more than one inbox that you are checking multiple times a day. Here’s a fun fact for you: in 2018, there were around 3.8 billion active email addresses in use worldwide.
Source: Statista
With email getting ready to turn the big 48 this October, let’s take a quick look at the history of email to remind us where it all began.
Shiva Ayyadurai or Ray Tomlinson: Who gets the credit?
Believe it or not, there is some major controversy as to who the father is of the system that we’ve come to know as email.
Those who have an understanding of the history of email will recognize Ray Tomlinson as the one who first developed the system that made use of the @ symbol to send messages between computers. The @ symbol was used to identify addresses. History has it that Ray sent the first email message to himself in 1971, and while he says he no longer remembers the actual message, legend states that it read something like, “QWERTYIOP.”
Where the controversy lays is in who gets credit for creating email as we know it today. Yes, Ray may have credit for the first message sent between computers and the use of the @ symbol for identifying users, but it’s actually Shiva Ayyadurai who owns the copyright for the system developed in 1978 entitled “EMAIL,” and even the user manual that went along with the original system.
The dispute between who invented email as we know it is a topic of hot debate. However, what’s most essential to remember is that the system was a collaborative effort and that it has since come a long way.
The initial purpose of email
Surely, when the program was first created in the ‘70s, the team developing it had no idea just how massive it would grow to become.
The initial programming was developed by the US Department of Defense, the Arpanet. The idea here was to create a program that would allow office staff to communicate between computer terminals via electronic plain text messages.
How has email changed over the last 48 years?
The systems used to send these messages have evolved massively in the last 48 years, and by the looks of it, it’s not going to slow down anytime soon.
It wasn’t until 1981 that the American Standard Code for Information Interchange adopted a process of symbols, letters, and punctuation to store information digitally. In 1985, email had begun to spread in popularity; however, it was mostly used by government and military employees along with academic professionals and some students.
It wasn’t until the World Wide Web was actually created in 1991 that email’s capabilities truly became limitless. When personal computers working on LANs began growing in popularity, server-based systems began popping up. Some early examples include:
-
LANtastic
-
Microsoft Mail
-
Lotus Notes
-
Banyan VINES
Source: Reddit
Over the years, those systems continued to evolve, and before we knew it, more and more people were using the likes of JUNO, AOL, and Hotmail to send and receive emails from not only colleagues but friends and family as well.
1x1 communications to mass messaging
Personal communication was a significant reason behind the creation of email in the first place. So, as technology continued to evolve, so did the use of electronic communications. While initial email messaging was done between two individuals, it soon became a way to send the same message to multiple people in the same workplace.
Once email became public and more popular amongst those with personal computers, emails were used not only to send 1x1 communications between individuals but for sending the same message to multiple members in a person’s social circle.
It wasn’t long before businesses learned that they could use this electronic platform for advertising purposes, which helped to user in the era of digital marketing.
Email’s role in the ever-changing world of marketing
While email marketing may seem to be a newer concept, the very first newsletter was sent on December 22, 1977, via Arpanet. This newsletter was named EMMS, aka Electronic Mail and Message Systems, and believe it or not; it ran until 2001. This was the true start of digital and email marketing.
Digital marketing
Digital marketing is the art of marketing via digital channels, such as:
-
Online/Search engine marketing
-
Social media marketing
-
Affiliate marketing
-
Influencer marketing
-
Content marketing
-
Email marketing and more
While the idea of “digital marketing” may not have been on the forefronts of the minds behind the creation of email, it has since become the most cost-effective form of marketing for businesses today.
Email marketing
Email marketing is a form of digital marketing, and, as mentioned before, it is one of the most cost-effective form of marketing today. Currently, email marketing generates the highest return on investment for brands, returning an average of $38 for ever $1 spent.
As technology continues to evolve, so do the marketing experts. As email continued to grow in popularity amongst consumers for personal communications, businesses began to catch on and started formulating ideas to help them grow closer to their customer base. The problem with reaching consumers in their inboxes was that they could easily be marked as SPAM and that not only hurt their overall spending but defeated the purpose of sending out these emails.
Blindly sending mass email communications never worked out very well, and with the introduction of various email laws and regulations, it required marketing teams to tailor their email marketing efforts to suit their reader's needs, not their own.
Creating a customer-centric experience through email
How is a brand supposed to see a return on investment if they are required to focus on the needs of customers and not their own? That question may have been difficult in the year’s past. However, in this digital age, there are quite literally thousands of ways to tailor your email messages to your customers to convince them that you are the solution to whatever their needs are.
Know your audience
In order to cater to your customer’s needs, you need to understand who exactly your audience is. If we’ve learned anything from the history of email, it’s that you can’t simply fire off mass emails to everyone. This isn’t only a waste of your valuable time and budget, but it doesn’t create a pleasant experience for those who don’t know who you are or how you’ve landed in their inbox.
Bring back the idea of 1x1 communication and keep in mind that you want to reach those who want to get to know you and who may be highly interested in what you have to offer.
Choose your campaign
Once you’ve defined who your ideal audience members are, it’s time to start creating and email marketing campaign that will not only catch their attention, but will entice them into acting. Depending on the type of business you run, you want to make sure you are tailoring your campaigns to the reader, and that means convincing them to take action by clicking on a hyperlink or call to action button.
The design of your message plays a significant role in this phase, so make sure you are choosing an email campaign that suits their current needs. Email campaign ideas can include:
-
Newsletters
-
Welcome campaigns
-
Seasonal campaigns
-
Lead nurturing
-
Transactional and more
Source: Emma
Always test and reevaluate
Knowing who your audience members are is a significant part of the puzzle; However, that doesn’t necessarily mean you know what they will react well to as far as design and content go. That’s where testing and reevaluating your campaigns comes into play.
The history of email taught us many lessons, including that you need to always keep reworking your programming to better suit your audience’s needs. A/B testing allows email marketers to do just that. This process allows you to test various parts of your email, including design and content, and send the variations out to small samplings of your email list. The one that performs the best can then be sent out to the rest of your list.
Source: Emma
Alt: Emma’s A/B content testing allows marketers to learn what works best before sending to your larger audience.
Wrap up
The history of email has taught us a lot, especially that communication is key. This is clearly seen by the fact that email is one of the preferred methods of communication not only between users for personal use but is also a preferred method of communication between consumers and their favorite brands.
To ensure that your email marketing efforts are worth it and pay off, you want to make sure you are creating and sending customer-centric messages—always. So, keep these tips in mind:
-
Know your audience
-
Create email campaigns that suit their needs
-
Always test for efficiency and reevaluate over time
Need to revamp your email marketing strategy? Check out these 3 newsletter design ideas to help you shake things up! | https://content.myemma.com/blog/the-history-of-email-and-the-revolution-of-target-marketing |
In this article I will firstly explain what smart contracts are and how they can be used. The second part of this article is focussed on the added value of Chainlink and the ‘oracle problem’ explained. The third part of this article is about concrete use cases of Chainlink in the world of finance. The reason I focus on this vertical is because my background is in finance. Furthermore, I still feel that there is a gap between the developer side of blockchain technology and real world use cases in finance.
Key terms to know before reading:
Blockchains are immutable (unchangeable), decentralized open ledgers. It’s a database that serves all participants, is owned by all participants, but does not belong to anyone in particular and is not controlled by anyone in particular.
are immutable (unchangeable), decentralized open ledgers. It’s a database that serves all participants, is owned by all participants, but does not belong to anyone in particular and is not controlled by anyone in particular. Nodes are the participating computers in the blockchain network.
are the participating computers in the blockchain network. DeFi is an abbreviation of decentralized finance which refers to the digital assets and financial smart contracts, protocols, and decentralized applications (DApps) built on Ethereum.
is an abbreviation of decentralized finance which refers to the digital assets and financial smart contracts, protocols, and decentralized applications (DApps) built on Ethereum. Smart contracts are lines of code that automatically execute a function when a predefined set of agreement(s) / event(s) occurs.
are lines of code that automatically execute a function when a predefined set of agreement(s) / event(s) occurs. API is short for Application Programming Interface. An API is a software intermediary that allows two applications to communicate with each other. It’s the messenger that delivers your request to the provider that you’re requesting it from and then delivers the response back to you.
is short for Application Programming Interface. An API is a software intermediary that allows two applications to communicate with each other. It’s the messenger that delivers your request to the provider that you’re requesting it from and then delivers the response back to you. Oracles feed smart contracts with external information (the most up to date) that can trigger predefined actions of the contract. This external data stems either from software (big data) or hardware (Internet-of-Things). This could be anything from weather temperatures, prices of goods and commodities, payment confirmations to outcomes of the Rugby World Cup.
feed smart contracts with external information (the most up to date) that can trigger predefined actions of the contract. This external data stems either from software (big data) or hardware (Internet-of-Things). This could be anything from weather temperatures, prices of goods and commodities, payment confirmations to outcomes of the Rugby World Cup. Chainlink is a form of digital infrastructure that secures data transmission.
is a form of digital infrastructure that secures data transmission. CBDC is a central bank digital currency.
What is a Smart Contract?
Smart Contracts are digital contracts that are highly reliable by being executed on a tamper-proof, secure and decentralized network (a blockchain, for instance Ethereum). Simply put: a digital self-executing contract with terms of agreement written in code. Their extreme reliability makes it possible to reach agreements about an entirely new level of added value and trustworthiness. The contracts are programmed to specific agreements and are executed as soon as the predefined event occurs.
Contracts itself are nothing new new, contracts are everywhere, for instance in the stock market you have futures contracts or derivatives contracts. Even those ‘traditional contracts’ can be automated using software. The key difference is the tamper-proof aspect, where with a blockchain, the smart contracts will always be executed on the pre-established conditions, and no third party will be able to change this. Clearly, smart contracts are the superior form of a contract.
In order for smart contracts to be useful in the real world, they require external inputs of information. An “oracle” is a third-party information source that allows smart contracts to access off-chain data. The accuracy of this data is really important, because once the smart contract rules are programmed, nor the programmer or the user can change it.
So if the data isn’t true — and being on a blockchain doesn’t necessarily make it so — the smart contract can’t work properly.
Data is fed into blockchains and used for smart contract execution from external sources, specifically data feeds and APIs; a blockchain cannot directly “fetch” data. (These real-time data feeds for blockchains are called “oracles” — they’re essentially the middleware between the data and the contract.)
What is Chainlink — and what does it solve?
Chainlink is a decentralized oracle network that can enable smart contracts to securely gain access to off-chain data, traditional bank payments and API’s. Chainlink has been selected as one of the top blockchain developments by independent research firms such as Gartner. It is well known for providing highly secure and reliable oracles to blockchain startups as well as big corporates (Google, Oracle, Intel, SWIFT and Binance).
So what does Chainlink solve? Most smart contracts currently rely on a single oracle input — one single point of failure — to feed the contracts with external information. Chainlink has developed a decentralized network of independent nodes to perform computations about the accuracy of multiple external data sources before it is written into the code of a smart contract.
“But wait, these oracles already work right, why would you need them to be decentralized?”
The main challenge with (centralized) oracles is that people need to trust an external source of information, whether they come from a website or a sensor (IoT). Since oracles are third-party services that are not part of the blockchain consensus mechanism, they are not subject to the underlying security mechanisms that this public infrastructure provides. And thus a single point of failure.
If oracle security is not provided, companies will not be comfortable with using smart contracts, since it might be fed false information and thus trigger undesired outcomes.
Use cases in the financial landscape
Money is used as a store of value, medium exchange and unit of account. It is used to both value assets and exchange assets. Within the financial system, the use of money is maximized to generate wealth. Since there are high stakes in the market, there is a low trust factor in financial markets and international trade. And some companies or individuals try to influence markets, or don’t fulfil one side of a financial contract.
Smart contracts can bring more trust in financial markets, by eliminating counter-party risk in international trade and probabilistic finance. Financial products (like derivatives) can be automated and verified decentralized without the need for trusted intermediaries that could be biased and thus exert influence and gain value from their position as an intermediary.
The overview of the potential of Chainlink’s connectivity
Derivatives
A derivative is a financial security with a value that is reliant upon or derived from, an underlying asset — the benchmark. The global notional value of the derivatives market is estimated to be between $500 trillion and $1.2 quadrillion. The derivative itself is a contract between two or more parties, and the price of the derivative depends on fluctuations in the underlying asset. They’re used by companies to decrease the risk aspects of an investment or deal by hedging against future uncertainties, such as commodity or currency risk. For instance, a cereal manufacturer and a wheat producer make a deal for a set wheat price in the future, to prevent being impacted by price volatility in wheat.
Chainlink empowers automated execution of derivatives contracts by gathering price feeds from one or multiple sources, aggregating them into a single data point, feeding it into the smart contract for execution, and enabling settlement with any payment output. In a market where companies will avoid payments until they establish positions, Chainlink enabled smart contracts are needed for trust and reliability.
‘Chainlinked’ smart contracts can be a superior replacing infrastructure in the backend systems of derivatives that currently maintain, execute and settle the contracts.
Recently Chainlink also introduced the term Mixicles. Which is an initiative to bring more privacy to DeFi applications on blockchains (like Ethereum). This can create more adoption of public DeFi products, so they can comply with new data security laws such as GDPR.
The value locked in derivatives on Ethereum, source: https://defipulse.com/
2. Remittances
With increasing globalisation, remittances have become a necessity. However, despite technological advancements, remittances are still very expensive and slow. The underlying systems are fragmented and complex. Physically boarding a plane and flying your cash across the ocean is still faster than making a bank transfer intercontinental.
Many blockchain projects are aiming to disrupt the remittance industry. Ripple tries to built a network of banks for international settlements in the XRP token. Both IBM Worldwire (with the XLM token) and Facebook’s Libra try to take a share of the remittances market.
Chainlink oracles can provide reliable data on currency conversion rates to smart contracts, or enable a direct deposit after the transfer has been made.
3. Market Data
With so many exchanges listing different prices for assets, it’s crucial to aggregate multiple data sources to get an accurate price for an asset. Chainlink offers a variety of developer tools to obtain the most up-to-date and trustworthy prices in an unbiased and decentralized manner. This is crucial since there are companies trading millions of dollars based on the price of an asset. It’s important that the price is fair, reliable, and tamperproof to eliminate disputes. Here you can see the accurate price of Ethereum calculated by Chainlink nodes. Chainlink already has external adapters available for cryptocurrency market data from CoinMarketCap, CryptoCompare, Brave New Coin, Binance and Kaiko. This can also be done in traditional markets with for instance Bloomberg, Reuters and NYSE, maybe a future territory for Chainlink?
In this overview you can see how Binance will use Chainlink oracles
4. Tokenization of real world assets
Blockchain networks made it possible to tokenize assets / securities. One of the interesting propositions is creating tokenized assets that can maintain a certain price based off market data fed into the smart contract through Chainlink oracles. Maker DAO (the current market leader in DeFi) already uses 14 oracles to form reference prices for the Maker system.
A wide variety of decentralized products can be created using oracles around tokenizing assets like gold, oil, real estate, art and shipping debt. I see also opportunity around tokenizing stocks to enable 24/7/365 trading.
Another variety of tokenized assets is a weighted basket of assets like the SDR — an international reserve asset offered by the IMF based on a weighted average of five currencies. Which is similar to the backing of cryptocurrency Libra, that is backed by a basket of currencies and US government bonds.
Up until now the tokenized securities market is still in it’s infancy, since there are almost no exchanges worldwide approved yet by regulatory parties to offer secondary markets in these tokens. Although it’s just a matter of time before we trade a lot of real world assets through smart contracts and tokens.
Payments
It’s easy for smart contracts to issue payments in the cryptocurrency of their native blockchain, such as Ethereum smart contracts issuing payments in the token ETH. However, cryptocurrencies are volatile, and thus most businesses are not willing to take the risk of holding it long term. They also don’t want the additional work of trading out ETH for their preferred fiat currency. Given the wide variety of payment preferences around the world, smart contracts need access to many types of payment options to adequately service global demand.
5. Bank payments
Chainlink enables smart contracts to easily connect to existing banking systems, giving developers the ability to create applications that were not possible in the previous data-siloed financial systems. You might wonder whether banks give permission for systems such as Chainlink to connect. Firstly, due to the Open Banking (PSD2) movement, it’s becoming the norm that banks share their API’s publicly. European banks (and soon worldwide) are obliged by this legislation to share data via API’s. This is mainly for AIS (account information services) and PIS (payment initiation services). Smart contracts can be programmed so that once the prefilled conditions are met, an account-to-account payment is automatically initiated via Open Banking API’s. This could decrease the costs for online payments dramatically, while currently Visa and Mastercard dominate the industry.
Smart contract developers can seamlessly integrate with information from consumers bank accounts. Developers can also take advantage of international payment messaging standard SWIFT for cross-border payment functionality.
In this overview you can see how Open Banking API’s relates to third party applications
6. Payments in retail
Many popular consumer applications such as Deliveroo, Booking, Uber, Spotify and AirBnB allow customers to use common retail payment methods. For those companies that would like to use smart contracts, Chainlink can provide easy access to world leading payment gateways, like PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, WorldPay, Venmo and Stripe. Something like Apple Pay or Google Pay should also be possible. Developers can start building applications that take advantage of the most in-demand payment outputs, both domestically and internationally, used on a daily basis in the retail economy. Chainlink has already premade external adapters for payment firms such as Mistertango and PayPal.
7. Payments in Cryptocurrency
Cryptocurrency payments are becoming increasingly popular, but most of these are disconnected from the leading smart contract platforms. Chainlink bridges the gap by allowing any smart contract platform the ability to make payments on any other distributed ledger. This allows smart contracts to trigger payments in Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, stablecoins (such as Tether, Libra, CBDC’s), and any other preferred digital currency. Up until now Bitcoin has been more used as a speculative asset / store of value. Some people think it can succeed as ‘digital gold’, an alternative digital store of value. However I think that it needs to accomplish being a worldwide payment system as well, to attract more investors using it as a store of value. Bitcoin’s current transaction costs and time are too high, but developers are working on the ‘lightning network’, which is an ‘off-chain’ micro payments network. This is an interesting development that makes transactions both faster and cheaper. Currently Bitcoin’s marketcap is around $150 billion, while the lightning network capacity is around $7.8 million (still in it’s infancy).
The lightning network is not guaranteed to be widely adopted and as secure as on-chain transactions. However, it might enable off-chain connectivity and enhance Bitcoin’s use as a worldwide payment system. Smart contracts can be used to trigger payments in the lightning network, and guess what these smart contracts need? Decentralized oracles, for secure data transmission to the smart contracts.
More statistics on the Bitcoin lightning network can be found here.
The capacity of the Bitcoin Lightning Network, source: https://defipulse.com/
Conclusion
As you can see there are many potential use cases in Finance for smart contracts and Chainlink. I think decentralized oracles together with smart contracts can revolutionize the way we transfer value online. We are still in the early days of smart contract adoption and the amount of value locked in DeFi applications is still very low. Currently I am working on a fundamental analysis of the Chainlink token and how staking works in the decentralized oracle network. As soon as it’s finished I will post the link in here.
Learn more by visiting the Chainlink website, Telegram or Twitter. If you’re a developer, visit the developer documentation or join the technical discussion on Discord.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an improved data processing system, and in particular to a computer implemented method, data processing system and a computer program product for indicating a cursor location.
2. Description of the Related Art
A cursor is a movable graphical indicator, pointer or marker that is used to indicate a position within some spatial arrangement. The term cursor has been used for many years with regard to slide rules, typewriters, computers and databases. A cursor is typically a visual indicator used to show the position on a computer display screen, or other display device that will be responsive to a user's input of data. In most command line interfaces, the cursor is typically rendered as one of an underscore, a solid rectangle, or a vertical line character, which may be either flashing or steady, indicating a position on the screen where text will be placed when entered.
Some interfaces also use an underscore character or thin vertical bar character to indicate that the application is in insert mode, in which case, text will be inserted at a position in the middle of the existing text, and a larger block to indicate that the application is in overtype mode, therefore inserted text will overwrite existing text characters.
In text oriented interfaces, including examples such as a console of the Linux™ operating system and many programs written for MS-DOS™, the cursor is frequently a solid rectangle. Depending on the interface implementation, the rectangle may always be a single color, or may be the opposite color of whatever lies on a layer below the cursor to provide strong visual contrast.
Interfaces incorporating use of a computer mouse, or other pointing device, have an additional cursor to show the current position of the computer mouse pointer. Graphical user interfaces usually use an arrow-like pointer to indicate the mouse pointer position, and a solid vertical line to indicate a text insertion point. Some users may reference the insertion point cursor as a caret to distinguish the insertion point cursor variant from the mouse cursor. Other users may describe the two types of cursors as a mouse pointer and a text cursor to make a distinction between the two.
Presently, a user may invoke methods to visually identify the location of a cursor or a mouse pointer. However, the methods used do not automatically invoke routines to display the cursor location based on a user's particular interaction with an application. Manual invocation methods are typically inconvenient for users, or the ability to invoke a method may be unknown to computer use novices. In some cases, applications do not auto-scroll to the cursor location even upon typing data, and sometimes the user wants to be brought back to the cursor location without typing anything into the application. Furthermore, when users attempt to locate the cursor by typing arbitrary text, if the application does not scroll to the text, the user may end up with undesired text inserted into the document and may have to take extra steps to locate the undesired text.
Additionally, current methods do not indicate when a cursor is off-screen, as when left in another portion of a document or placed out of view. Loss of the cursor in such cases typically disorients a user when the user resumes editing a document.
Illustrative embodiments provide a computer implemented method, an apparatus and a computer program product for indicating the location of a cursor within an application. In one embodiment, the computer implemented method comprises monitoring the application to generate a set of collected values regarding the location of the cursor, comparing the set of collected values with a set of respective predetermined values to create a set of compared values, and presenting a visual cue indicating the location of the cursor on a display, responsive to a determination based on the set of compared values.
In another embodiment, a data processing system comprises, a bus, a memory connected to the bus, wherein the memory contains computer usable program code, a processor unit connected to the bus and the memory, wherein the processor unit executes the computer usable program code to create a monitor capable of monitoring the application to generate a set of collected values regarding the location of the cursor, create a comparator capable of comparing the set of collected values with a set of respective predetermined values to create a set of compared values, and create a cue function capable of presenting a visual cue indicating the location of the cursor on a display, responsive to a determination based on the set of compared values.
In another embodiment, a computer program product comprising computer usable program code tangibly embodied on a computer usable recordable type medium, the computer usable program code comprising computer usable program code for creating a monitor capable of monitoring the application to generate a set of collected values regarding the location of the cursor, computer usable program code for creating a comparator capable of comparing the set of collected values with a set of respective predetermined values to create a set of compared values, and computer usable program code for creating a cue function capable of presenting a visual cue indicating the location of the cursor on a display, responsive to a determination based on the set of compared values.
The use of “cursor” within the scope of this description applies to use of the text input cursor.
FIGS. 1-2
FIGS. 1-2
With reference now to the figures and in particular with reference to , exemplary diagrams of data processing environments are provided in which illustrative embodiments may be implemented. It should be appreciated that are only exemplary and are not intended to assert or imply any limitation with regard to the environments in which different embodiments may be implemented. Many modifications to the depicted environments may be made.
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depicts a pictorial representation of a network of data processing systems in which illustrative embodiments may be implemented. Network data processing system is a network of computers in which the illustrative embodiments may be implemented. Network data processing system contains network , which is the medium used to provide communications links between various devices and computers connected together within network data processing system . Network may include connections, such as wire, wireless communication links, or fiber optic cables.
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In the depicted example, server and server connect to network along with storage unit . In addition, clients , , and connect to network . Clients , , and may be, for example, personal computers or network computers. In the depicted example, server provides data, such as boot files, operating system images, and applications to clients , , and . Clients , , and are clients to server in this example. Clients - may access applications contained on a server such as server and in doing so use a graphical user interface of the application. The graphical user interface provides a space in which cursor location may be relevant to a user of the application in the performance of application related tasks. Network data processing system may include additional servers, clients, and other devices not shown.
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In the depicted example, network data processing system is the Internet with network representing a worldwide collection of networks and gateways that use the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) suite of protocols to communicate with one another. At the heart of the Internet is a backbone of high-speed data communication lines between major nodes or host computers, consisting of thousands of commercial, governmental, educational and other computer systems that route data and messages. Of course, network data processing system also may be implemented as a number of different types of networks, such as, for example, an intranet, a local area network (LAN), or a wide area network (WAN). is intended as an example, and not as an architectural limitation for the different illustrative embodiments.
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With reference now to , a block diagram of a data processing system is shown in which illustrative embodiments may be implemented. Data processing system is an example of a computer, such as server or client in , in which computer usable program code or instructions implementing the processes may be located for the illustrative embodiments. In this illustrative example, data processing system includes communications fabric , which provides communications between processor unit , memory , persistent storage , communications unit , input/output (I/O) unit , and display .
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Processor unit serves to execute instructions for software that may be loaded into memory . Processor unit may be a set of one or more processors or may be a multi-processor core, depending on the particular implementation. Further, processor unit may be implemented using one or more heterogeneous processor systems in which a main processor is present with secondary processors on a single chip. As another illustrative example, processor unit may be a symmetric multi-processor system containing multiple processors of the same type.
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Memory , in these examples, may be, for example, a random access memory. Persistent storage may take various forms depending on the particular implementation. For example, persistent storage may contain one or more components or devices. For example, persistent storage may be a hard drive, a flash memory, a rewritable optical disk, a rewritable magnetic tape, or some combination of the above. The media used by persistent storage also may be removable. For example, a removable hard drive may be used for persistent storage .
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Communications unit , in these examples, provides for communications with other data processing systems or devices. In these examples, communications unit is a network interface card. Communications unit may provide communications through the use of either or both physical and wireless communications links.
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Input/output unit allows for input and output of data with other devices that may be connected to data processing system . For example, input/output unit may provide a connection for user input through a keyboard and mouse. Further, input/output unit may send output to a printer. Display provides a mechanism to display information to a user.
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Instructions for the operating system and applications or programs are located on persistent storage . These instructions may be loaded into memory for execution by processor unit . The processes of the different embodiments may be performed by processor unit using computer implemented instructions, which may be located in a memory, such as memory . These instructions are referred to as, program code, computer usable program code, or computer readable program code that may be read and executed by a processor in processor unit . The program code in the different embodiments may be embodied on different physical or tangible computer readable media, such as memory or persistent storage .
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Program code is located in a functional form on computer readable media and may be loaded onto or transferred to data processing system for execution by processor unit . Program code and computer readable media form computer program product in these examples. In one example, computer readable media may be in a tangible form, such as, for example, an optical or magnetic disc that is inserted or placed into a drive or other device that is part of persistent storage for transfer onto a storage device, such as a hard drive that is part of persistent storage . In a tangible form, computer readable media also may take the form of a persistent storage, such as a hard drive or a flash memory that is connected to data processing system . The tangible form of computer readable media is also referred to as computer recordable storage media.
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Alternatively, program code may be transferred to data processing system from computer readable media through a communications link to communications unit and/or through a connection to input/output unit . The communications link and/or the connection may be physical or wireless in the illustrative examples. The computer readable media also may take the form of non-tangible media, such as communications links or wireless transmissions containing the program code.
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The different components illustrated for data processing system are not meant to provide architectural limitations to the manner in which different embodiments may be implemented. The different illustrative embodiments may be implemented in a data processing system including components in addition to or in place of those illustrated for data processing system . Other components shown in can be varied from the illustrative examples shown.
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For example, a bus system may be used to implement communications fabric and may be comprised of one or more buses, such as a system bus or an input/output bus. Of course, the bus system may be implemented using any suitable type of architecture that provides for a transfer of data between different components or devices attached to the bus system. Additionally, a communications unit may include one or more devices used to transmit and receive data, such as a modem or a network adapter. Further, a memory may be, for example, memory or a cache, such as found in an interface and memory controller hub that may be present in communications fabric .
Illustrative embodiments provide a capability for creating a monitor to monitor an application to generate a set of collected values regarding the location of the cursor within the graphical user interface space of an application and comparing the set of collected values with a set of respective predetermined values to create a set of compared values. Responsive to a determination based on the set of compared values, presenting a visual cue indicating the location of the cursor to the user. The set of respective predetermined values are typically obtained from a corresponding set of predetermined values in a configuration data. The phrase “a set,” as used herein, refers to one or more items. For example, a set of collected values is one or more collected values, and a set of predetermined values is one or more predetermined values.
For example, in a spreadsheet application a user may be scrolling through pages of data, and as a result, the cursor location may be many pages behind the current view on the display. In accordance with embodiments of the present invention the actual location of the cursor would be tracked and compared to a need of the application to be cursor sensitive and to update the user. The user would then receive a visual cue, on the current display, indicating the location of the cursor.
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Turning to , typical software architecture for a data processing system is depicted in accordance with an illustrative embodiment. At the lowest level of data processing system , operating system is utilized to provide high-level functionality to the user and to other software. Such an operating system typically includes a basic input output system (BIOS). Communication software provides communications through an external port to a network, such as the Internet, via a physical communications link by either directly invoking operating system functionality or indirectly bypassing the operating system to access the hardware for communications over the network.
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Application programming interface (API) allows the user of the system, such as an individual or a software routine, to invoke system capabilities using a standard consistent interface without concern for how the particular functionality is implemented. Network access software represents any software available for allowing the system to access a network. This access may be to a network, such as a local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), or the Internet. With the Internet, this software may include programs, such as Web browsers. Application software represents any number of software applications designed to react to data through the communications port to provide the desired functionality the user seeks. Applications at this level may include those necessary to handle data, video, graphics, photos, or text, which can be accessed by users of the Internet. The cursor location service may be implemented within application programming interface software , typically in a device driver component, in these examples. Cursor location service incorporates interfaces to both the application software and the operating system to obtain access needed for monitoring and display capabilities.
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With reference to , a tabular view of a typical set of collected data in accordance with illustrative embodiments is shown. The example table illustrates a set of example applications for which focus timing information has been recorded, as well as an indication of an application type . The application type , as used in the example, indicates a property of cursor sensitivity.
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The focus timing information in the time related columns indicate the start time of when the respective application became the application in focus, time focus attained , and the corresponding time at which the application lost focus, time focus lost . The remaining time column represents the duration or time between the time focus attained and the time focus lost , time in focus . Out of focus time may be derived from the difference between the time focus lost and the current time.
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The example application in row indicates Eclipse has attained focus, but has not lost focus yet. When an application is exited and closed, the corresponding record for that application is removed from the table .
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With reference to , a block diagram of major components of the cursor location service in accordance with illustrative embodiments is shown. Cursor location service of comprises software components covering three functional areas. A monitoring function is provided by monitor , an analytical function performed by analysis , and a cue providing function by cue .
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Monitor provides a subsystem comprising capabilities of a location tracker for tracking the location of the cursor within the application. This function may be implemented using, for example, an operating system service, such as Microsoft® .NET framework function call of GetCursorPos ( ) or in another example, an application programming interface function, to provide periodic indications of the position of the cursor and to then store that information in a table or array of collected values for later use.
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Monitor also provides a subsystem comprising capabilities for tracking the viewable display. As in the case of tracking the location of the cursor within the application, the function of tracking the viewable display may also be implemented using either an operating system provided function or an application programming interface accessible function. The function of tracking the viewable display receives periodic indication of the window size and the elements of the application viewable within the window.
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Monitor additionally provides a subsystem comprising capabilities for tracking the time the application is in focus and the amount of time since each application has been in focus. The data may be obtained through the operating system provided functions to determine which application window is in active focus. The data may typically then be gathered and stored in tabular form as in the example of .
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The analytical function provided by analysis comprises a comparator and configuration data . Configuration data comprises a set of attributes and corresponding values related to elements subject to comparison as a result of monitoring. Elements may include, but are not limited to, an application type in which an application is defined to be cursor sensitive, and requiring notice of cursor location when used or not cursor sensitive, a notification setting indicating a desire to be informed of the cursor location or not, a time the application is in focus, an amount of time since an application has been in focus, and a time limit for an amount of time an application may be out of focus. For example, if an application type indicates cursor sensitive then a notification setting will be set to yes. Similarly, if a user wishes to be notified, the notification setting will be set to yes. The notification setting thus determines if a notification should be provided in the event certain conditions are met.
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The comparator in a first case compares the location of the cursor obtained by the location tracker of monitor with the viewable display information from the tracking of the viewable display of monitor to determine if the cursor is viewable. If the cursor is not viewable and the user has elected to be notified, having a notification setting of yes, analysis will then call the services of cue .
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Analysis is also capable of analyzing the focus status of the applications. For example, analysis using a comparator in a second case will determine whether the application in focus has been out of focus for some duration of time longer than the time limit specified by consulting the data parameters maintained in configuration data . If the comparison in the second case is true, the comparison in the first case is called to determine if the cursor is off the screen, and if so, sets the notification setting value to yes, which may override a previously set configuration data value, causing a cue to be displayed.
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The cue display function provided by the cue component of cursor locator service of provides a cue to the user indicating the location of the cursor. The cue is typically in the form of a visual cue. The location of the cursor is determined by the location tracker function in combination with tracking the viewable display of monitor to provide a visual cue, such as, a flashing arrow at the appropriate display extremity. Other symbols may be used to indicate the approximate location of the located cursor.
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With reference to , an example of a visual cue in an application in focus, in accordance with illustrative embodiments is shown. In this example, an illustrative embodiment thus monitors the location of the cursor within the context of an application window , a portion of which is shown, detecting when the application regains focus after a period of time. This may be the case when a user returns to the section being viewed and the cursor is visible, but the user receives a visual indication of where the cursor is visible as a further aid. A visual cue, indicating the cursor location, such as graphic , may be displayed to the user at that time.
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With reference to , an example of a visual cue in an application when a cursor is off screen, in accordance with illustrative embodiments is shown. Monitoring methods maintain awareness of the application focus state, indicating whether an application is currently being viewed and processed by the user, such as in a portion of the application window or if it is in the background. Upon resumption of application focus, when the cursor is not on screen for that application, a visual cue may be displayed such as graphic .
The visual cue may also support providing the user with a selection of actions or help regarding the cursor location. The user may be provided a choice of jumping directly to the cursor location, scrolling to the location, receiving an indication of how far, for example, the number of pages or screens the cursor is located from the present location, and receiving a hint for added help. The prompt choices may be contained on the cue itself or as an additional message on screen, responsive to the presence of the cue. The selection of a particular graphic may be controlled via user preference settings related to the viewer or application being used. Other configurable choice implementations could be used as well, such as an application property file, configuration file or add-on.
The user may be determined to be “lost.” A determination may be made based on certain events or actions of the user, comprising, “no action after returning focus to an application,” “maneuvering the pointer in a random, non-useful manner (that is, moving the pointer, but not actually clicking anything, or not moving the pointer in a relatively straight line)”, “a user declaration via clicking a button, giving a voice command, that they are lost”, or “a user pressing arrow keys back and forth.”
Additionally, a visual cue indicating the location of the cursor on the screen may be displayed when specific types of applications such as those that are cursor sensitive, for example, text-centric applications, return to focus.
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With reference to , a flowchart of the cursor location service process in accordance with illustrative embodiments is shown. Process , of cursor location service of , begins at start (step ) proceeding to initiate parallel functions of tracking as in the steps of track cursor ; track viewable display and track focus .
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Track cursor tracks the location of the cursor within an application (step ). Track viewable display provides periodic indication of the window size and of the elements of the application that are viewable within the window (step ). Track focus determines, for an application that is in focus, the time an application window has been in focus and the time since it has been in focus and stores that information for later comparison operations (step ).
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An analysis is performed on the in focus application to determine if the cursor is currently outside of the viewable display area (step ). If the cursor is not located out of view, step determines a “no” otherwise a “yes” is determined. If a “no” is determined, process ends (step ). If a “yes” was determined, then process determines if the user desired to receive notification (step ).
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Having determined a “yes” in step , a visual cue is presented to the user (step ) and return to repeat step to start again.
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Returning now to focus tracking of step , process determines if an application's out of focus time is greater than a predetermined time specified in the configuration data (step ). If the out of focus time of the tracked application is not greater than a predetermined time, a “no” is determined and the process terminates thereafter (step ). Otherwise, a “yes” is determined and process moves to determine if the application is of a type that requires notification (step ).
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If the application does not require a notification, a “no” is determined for step and the process terminates thereafter (step ). If the application requires notification a “yes” is determined in step and a setting of “notify=yes” is made for this use of the notification setting of the respective application, possibly overriding a user provided value or other setting in the configuration data (step ).
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Having updated the notification setting, process displays a visual cue (step ) and returns to start (step ) again. Visual cues may be selectable and may provide a simple indication of direction in which to search for the missing cursor. Additional information may be supplied by a cue to aid the user in reaching the missing cursor in a parked location. For example, to provide information for a cursor that has been parked several screens before, a cue image in the form of an upward pointing arrowhead may provide help in the form of a rollover text, prompting a user to select an action, such as, selecting the cue image to jump to the specific location of the parked cursor or scroll in the direction indicated by the cue to gradually return.
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also provides a correspondence of the components of with the operations of process . Portions of process comprising monitor , analysis and display correspond to components of cursor location service as shown as monitor , analysis and cue of , respectively.
Thus, the illustrative embodiments provide a capability to collect a set of values regarding the location of the cursor within the graphical user interface space of an application and compare the set of collected values with a set of respective predetermined values. Responsive to a determination based on the set of compared values, a visual cue is presented indicating the location of the cursor to the user.
For example, in a spreadsheet application a user may have scrolled through pages of data, leaving the cursor location many pages behind the current view on the display. In accordance with embodiments of the present invention the actual location of the cursor would be tracked and due to the requirements of the application to be cursor sensitive update the user. The user would then receive a visual cue, on the current display, indicating the location of the cursor allowing the user to quickly return to the cursor location or realize where the cursor is located.
Illustrative embodiments typically provide increased efficiency through non-disruptive notification to the user when the cursor is in a potentially unexpected location, and enables the user to be effective when returning to an application window. A convenience factor to users, who either do not know how to identify cursor location or who would prefer not to have to manually identify where the cursor is within an application, is also provided.
Illustrative embodiments of the present invention can take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment containing both hardware and software elements. In a preferred embodiment, the invention is implemented in software, which includes, but is not limited to, firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.
Furthermore, the invention can take the form of a computer program product accessible from a computer-usable or computer-readable medium providing program code for use by or in connection with a computer or any instruction execution system. For the purposes of this description, a computer-usable or computer readable medium can be any tangible apparatus that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.
The medium can be an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system (or apparatus or device) or a propagation medium. Examples of a computer-readable recordable type medium include a semiconductor or solid state memory, magnetic tape, a removable computer diskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a rigid magnetic disk and an optical disk. Current examples of optical disks include compact disk-read only memory (CD-ROM), compact disk-read/write (CD-R/W) and DVD.
A data processing system suitable for storing and/or executing program code will include at least one processor coupled directly or indirectly to memory elements through a system bus. The memory elements can include local memory employed during actual execution of the program code, bulk storage, and cache memories which provide temporary storage of at least some program code in order to reduce the number of times code must be retrieved from bulk storage during execution.
Input/output or I/O devices (including, but not limited to, keyboards, displays, pointing devices, etc.) can be coupled to the system either directly or through intervening I/O controllers.
Network adapters may also be coupled to the system to enable the data processing system to become coupled to other data processing systems or remote printers or storage devices through intervening private or public networks. Modems, cable modems, and Ethernet cards are just a few of the currently available types of network adapters.
The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention, the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1
is a pictorial representation of a network of data processing systems in which illustrative embodiments may be implemented;
FIG. 2
FIG. 1
, is a block diagram of a data processing system of in which illustrative embodiments may be implemented;
FIG. 3
is a block diagram of a typical software architecture for a data processing system in accordance with illustrative embodiments;
FIG. 4
is a tabular view of a typical set of collected data in accordance with illustrative embodiments;
FIG. 5
is a block diagram of major components of the cursor location service, in accordance with illustrative embodiments;
FIG. 6
is an example of a visual cue in an application in focus, in accordance with illustrative embodiments; and
FIG. 7
is an example of a visual cue in an application when a cursor is off screen, in accordance with illustrative embodiments;
FIG. 8
is a flowchart of the cursor location service process in accordance with illustrative embodiments. | |
PCSD is dedicated to ensuring continued education amongst all of our clinicians. To guarantee that our clinicians are practicing at the cutting edge of their specialty, PCSD has in place an intensive and ongoing educational program to serve our patients, our clinicians, and the primary care physicians in the community.
CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION PROGRAM – MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the Continuing Medical Education program at Psychiatric Centers at San Diego (PCSD) is to provide lifelong learning opportunities for our physicians, psychologists, therapists, and nurse practitioners that will support continuous professional development and improve knowledge, competence, and performance. Activities are designed to enhance the quality of patient care through the integration of the latest research information and frequent reviews of standard of care practices. PCSD is committed to educate our physicians and healthcare professionals on health disparities and cultural diversity to deliver relevant care to our patients and community.
The past 30 years have seen dramatic improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders. As a result of intensive and productive research, psychiatrists and their patients have now at their disposal a vast array of effective medications for use in many mental health disorders.
PCSD’s professionals are encouraged to be active in research, teaching, and continuing education. PCSD also encourages it physicians’ involvement with hospital administrative positions, and is able to assist physicians in obtaining such positions. Several of our physicians hold medical and clinical directorships in local area hospitals.
PCSD hosts clinical lectures, given by guest speakers, for our clinicians on a regular basis. A monthly Journal Club is one example of our commitment to continuing education.
The Institute of Medical Quality/California Medical Association awarded PCSD with CME certification, allowing us to provide our clinicians, free of charge, opportunities to fulfill their annual CME requirements by taking advantage of the in-house events offered by PCSD’s Education Department. | https://www.psychiatriccenters.com/services/pcsd-clinician-education/ |
The chapter does a good job of setting the scene while also throwing us into the action. We are introduced to Pip who is from low social class and is an orphan. Dickens emphasises his vulnerability in this chapter. He even uses pathetic fallacy in his description of the bleak, damp weather.
Chapter 2 - Gargery household
- Pip arrives home and we are introduced to his cold and mean sister / guardian, Mrs Joe and her husband the kind blacksmith, Joe Gargery/
- Pip hides his bread and butter away for the convict and steals from the pantry
- A cannon goes off, signalling that a convict has escaped from a prison ship.
In this chapter, it is evident that although Mrs Joe is Pip's blood relation, he has a much closer bond with Joe because he genuinely cares for Pip and not about how hard looking after him is. Pip battles with his guilty conscience in this chapter and reads Joe's lips as "Pip" when asking about convicts. His natural inquisitiveness is shown in this chapter when he is asking about the prison ships (to the annoyance of Mrs Joe). This helps create the theme of growing up.
Chapter 3 - Second encounter with the convict
- Pip runs to the marshes to give his stolen food and file to the convict
- On the way, he encounters another convict who he assumes is the "young man" our convict threatened him with the day before
- Our convict gulps down his food and thanks Pip sincerely
- When Pip describes the other man he saw, our convict starts filing his leg iron furiously to run after him
When the convict shows his gratitude to Pip, we begin to see that he has a human side and their relationship is now more friendly. Pip's childish innocence and kindness are shown when he wishes the convict to enjoy his food.
Chapter 4 - Christmas dinner
- We are introduced to Uncle Pumblechook, Mr and Mrs Hubble and Mr Wopsle who are all guests at the dining table
- Pip is accused of being ungrateful, vicious etc by the adults
- Just as the lack of pork pie is about to be discovered, soldiers arrive at the household
Pip's guilty conscience is prominent in this chapter. He genuinely believes that the soldiers have come to arrest him for helping the convict. The adults in this scene (except Joe) are portrayed as hypocritical and mean which contrasts with Pip's innocence.
Chapter 5 - Convict hunting
- After Joe fixes some handcuffs, he and Pip join the soldiers in a search for two escaped convicts
- They find Pip's convict and the other young man brawling on the marshes
- Pip's convict recognises Pip but takes the blame for 'stealing' the pork pie etc
The big theme of this chapter is justice and morality. Pip's convict faces more punishment so he can be satisfied morally in covering for Pip.
Chapter 6 - Pip is conflicted
- Pip feels guilty about helping the convict and getting away with it
- Narrator Pip tells us that he didn't tell Joe about his misdeed because he thought Joe would think less of him
This chapter very clearly shows the confliction Pip is feeling. Here is a big moment in his growing up when he realizes that not telling the truth is an option. He begins to lose some of his innocence, but we still see it in his concern that Joe will think less of him (when we know he will love Pip just the same)
Chapter 7 - Miss Havisham's invitation
- A few years older, Pip is now being taught by Mr. Wopsle's great-aunt (but more by Biddy)
- Joe tells Pip about his childhood and how he believes that although his father beat him, he was good in his heart
- Uncle Pumblechook comes with a message that Miss Havisham wants a boy to come and play for her
- Pip is scrubbed clean and sent to Pumblechook's to visit Satis House in the morning
Dickens is showing how Joe's lower class background and lack of education does not affect his generosity and kindness, which is a social statement because, in Victorian times, class meant a lot. Pumblechook and Mrs. Joe are excited about Havisham's invitation because they think that such a connection would move them up in class.
Chapter 8 - First visit to Satis House
- Pip is invited into the gates of Satis house by Estella who dismisses Pumblechook
- He meets Miss Havisham, who is a lady withering away in a dressing room stood still in time
- She orders Estella and Pip to play cards and Estella insults Pip's boots and coarse hands
- Once outside, after being presented food as if he were a dog, Pip begins to cry and thinks about Estella's insults all the way home
This is the first time we see Pip as dissatisfied with his social class. He takes Estella's insults as truth because she is higher class and blames himself for his own sensitivity, not for her cruelty.
Chapter 9 - Mrs Joe's questioning
- When Pip arrives home, Mrs. Joe and Pumblechook grill Pip with questions about Satis House and Miss Havisham
- Not wanting to reveal such information, Pip makes up a plethora of spectacular lies which amaze the adults
- In private, Pip confesses the reality to Joe who is not upset with him for wanting to be "uncommon" but tells him that he won't get there by lying
- Narrator Pip notes that this day was the first link in a long chain that determined his life's later course.
Joe takes the term "uncommon" to mean "amazing" or "unusual" rather than "upper class." This misunderstanding is evidence of Joe's priorities - he isn't focused on social class. Instead, Joe concentrates on individual self-worth, hard work, and kindness. This day is important because it has given Pip the ambition to be "uncommon" and has taught Pip to judge himself according to Estella's standards.
Chapter 10 - Mystery man in the pub
- Biddy agrees to teach Pip everything she knows and takes over teaching his class
- Pip goes to meet Joe in the public house where he is talking to a mysterious man
- The man asks about Pip and looks at him knowingly. He stirs his drink with what Pip recognises as the file he stole for the convict
- The man gives Pip a shilling wrapped in two pound notes
Driven by ambition to be "uncommon", Pip now sees education as a way to improve himself and to rise in class. Pip is now constantly thinking about social status because he worries about associating with a convict of the lowest class. | https://getrevising.co.uk/revision-cards/great-expectations-chapter-summaries |
How to Plant Winter Corn
Planting a winter crop of corn in your home garden is possible in mild winter climates. Winter or summer, corn requires light and warmth to thrive. Dwarf varieties such as "Golden Midget Sweet Corn" have the added benefit of a shorter season, maturing in 55 to 75 days. By extending the growing season with a high hoop house and planting dwarf varieties, you can supply your kitchen with fresh corn throughout the year.
Prepare the Garden Bed
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1.
Select a site in the garden that receives the maximum amount of winter sunlight, at least six to eight hours daily. A sheltered, south-facing wall or fence is an ideal location, as the reflected sunlight creates a warmer microclimate.
-
2.
Lay out the garden bed. Generally, PVC pipe is available in 10 to 20 foot lengths. By using 20-foot-long sections of pipe, an 8-foot-wide garden bed allows an approximate height of 6 feet at the peak of the high hoop house.
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3.
Pound the rebar 18 inches into the ground, placing one every 2 feet along the length of the garden bed. Repeat on the opposite side of the bed.
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4.
Place two rows of 12-inch pavers down the center of the garden bed, making a 24-inch wide path. Lay a 4-by-4-inch post along each side of the pavers, making an edge for the garden beds. Drill a hole through each end of the posts. Pound a piece of rebar through the holes and into the ground to hold the posts in place.
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5.
Spread 4 inches of compost over each of the two garden beds. Dig it into the soil to a depth of 12 inches, mixing thoroughly.
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6.
Sprinkle the soil with water until thoroughly moistened. Rake the soil up into two 12-inch wide, mounded rows that extend the length of each garden bed.
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7.
Insert the PVC pipe onto the rebar. Carefully bend it over and across the garden bed and insert it onto the opposite piece of rebar. Push the PVC pipe down until it touches the ground. Repeat along the length of the garden bed.
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8.
Unfold the plastic sheeting, laying it flat on the ground along the length of the garden bed. With a helper, pull the plastic snugly up and over the PVC pipe. Use spring-loaded clips to hold the plastic onto the PVC pipe.
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9.
Weigh the plastic down on three sides of the high hoop with soil, rocks, bricks or boards. Fold the plastic on the downwind end loosely, weighing it down with one or two large rocks or bricks.
Plant the Corn
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1.
Place an outdoor thermometer inside the high hoop. Monitor the temperature until it reaches at least 65 degrees Fahrenheit. While corn will germinate at temperatures as low as 55 degrees, a warmer environment encourages faster germination
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2.
Poke a 6-inch-wide grid of 1/2-inch deep planting holes in the top of each row, using a pencil or small stick. Insert one seed into each hole. Rake the soil over the seeds and tamp gently. Sprinkle the garden lightly with water.
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3.
Sprinkle the seeds with water when the soil is barely dry to the touch, keeping the seeds moist until they germinate in seven to 14 days. Continue to water regularly by flooding the trenches between the rows.
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4.
Fertilize every two weeks with a balanced 20-20-20 liquid fertilizer. Always fertilize immediately after watering the garden.
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5.
Monitor the interior temperature of the hoop house. Open the loose end when the interior temperature rises above 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
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6.
If possible, place a fan in the high hoop house when the tassels appear. Corn plants use the wind as a pollinator; a fan generates the air circulation necessary for successful pollination. Alternatively, partially open the hoop house or hand pollinate.
-
7.
Watch for pests such as aphids, corn earworms and spider mites. While planting in winter and covering with a high hoop house reduces pest infestations, even covered corn is not immune to all pests. Generally, an application of neem oil spray is sufficient to discourage most pests.
References
Resources
Tips
- Grow dwarf varieties in large tubs placed in a warm sunroom for decorative as well as culinary uses. You can use regular varieties to grow "baby corn," also known as candle corn or Chinese corn. Harvest the developing ears for use as baby corn within five days of when the silk first appears. However, some varieties of sweet corn don't render good results as baby corn. If you would like to grow primarily baby corn, look for specialty varieties labeled "minor" hybrids.
Warnings
- Wear gloves, safety glasses and a dust mask whenever you're working with soil and compost.
- Keep children and pets away from the plastic sheeting. Plastic is an extreme suffocation hazard.
Writer Bio
With degrees in fine and commercial art and Spanish, Ruth de Jauregui is an old-school graphic artist, book designer and published author. De Jauregui authored 50 Fabulous Tomatoes for Your Garden, available as an ebook. She enthusiastically pursues creative and community interests, including gardening, home improvement and social issues. | https://homeguides.sfgate.com/plant-winter-corn-26572.html |
Innovation can be simply defined as a “New Idea, Device or a method”. Innovation can also be defined as the application of better solutions to meet new or existing market requirements.
Teaching Innovation to Your Kids
Young minds, as usual, are the sharpest and they grasp things quickly. Traditional education systems have gradually been replaced by more modern methods. Innovations excite today’s kids to learn more, which further helps them to be more creative and innovative.
Children are always thinking of something extraordinary, which helps develop their minds from a very young age.
This is why kids nowadays enjoy learning through experiential learning. While doing these, kids get to explore some of the most innovative projects by getting hold of new things to know.
Nobody can deny that innovation is one of the key skills when it comes to a kid’s future. Innovative thinking helps kids to see new opportunities, express creativity, and develop problem-solving skills.
Innovation is not innate; it is a skill that parents and mentors can help their children develop.
Recommended Reading: 10 Soft Skills To Teach Your Kids In 2023
Methods of explaining and fostering innovation in children:
1) Develop Curiosity
Kids are always curious about new things. If we develop their curiosity, they will undoubtedly try to learn more and develop themselves which will lead them to innovate.
2) Encourage Taking Risks
Parents and teachers should encourage children to take risks. No one can learn and become better without risks. So, instead of protecting their children from risks, parents should encourage them to take risks so that they can learn to overcome the risks that they will face in the future.
3) Let them choose & Decide
The parents or teachers usually direct the children. To some extent, it is beneficial, but parents and teachers should not choose and decide for the kids. Kids should learn to tackle the consequences of their decision; it will help them to be creative and innovative.
Recommended Reading: Expert Opinion: Skills Your Child Needs to Become Future Ready
4) Provide a purpose
One of the best ways to light the spark of a child’s creative thinking and innovation is to ask them to help solve a challenge that requires them to come up with a solution or make something that will genuinely help them solve a problem.
5) Encourage kids to play more
Children are always eager to play. So, allowing children to imagine themselves as their favorite characters allows them to build their minds. When children play, they develop creative abilities, which help their minds grow and think clearly. When they play, they also feel a sense of positivity and creativity.
So, instead of engaging the kids with mobile phones inside, let them play outside more.
6) Praise their Efforts
When children try something new, we should praise them. We can also praise children for working hard, trying new strategies, and being creative.
According to one study, children benefit more from having their efforts recognized than from having their skills recognized.
7) Create a space for their Ideas to be shared
Nobody knows everything. Everyone searches for something to find answers and solutions to their questions and problems. Instead of discouraging the children, the Elder should respect their efforts and allow them to share their ideas.
However, children need to be more creative and innovative, so it is the responsibility of parents and teachers to encourage children to be innovative.
Moonpreneur is empowering the young generation to become future innovators and entrepreneurs by providing them with the world’s education. Keep learning and follow Moonpreneur to get such informative content for your child.
To know how we can help your child in their entrepreneurship journey, book a free workshop today! | https://moonpreneur.com/blog/explain-innovation-to-child/ |
The Green Climate Fund (GCF) through its Simplified Approval Process (SAP) and the Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems (CREWS) convened 70 experts and development partners, on 12 January 2023, to validate a Scaling-up Framework, that will facilitate access to financing to develop early warning systems, for countries that are most exposed to the impacts of climate change.
The collaboration is expected to provide developing countries that have successfully implemented projects with CREWS funds, a faster access to climate finance, through the GCF Simplified Approval Process.
The SAP-CREWS Scaling-up Framework will allow countries that have programmes related to data collection, hazard monitoring and predictions, early warning communication and community response capacities that can be scaled-up, to potentially have accelerated access to GCF SAP funds, through GCF Accredited Entities, if certain parameters and procedures will be met. They will also benefit from technical assistance from a wide range of development partners.
The proposed Scaling-up Framework on Early Warning is being developed in consultation with national experts and key development partners, such as the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the World Bank, regional development banks such as the African Development Bank (AfDB), the UN Development Fund (UNDP) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) amongst many other.
The Scaling-up Framework will also benefit from a new financing mechanism, the Systematic Observation Financing Facility (SOFF) established so countries can sustain their networks of observation stations which provide foundational data for effective weather predictions and warnings.
At the opening of a virtual “Validation Workshop on Scaling up Framework Early Warning in Developing Countries affected by Climate Change”, held on the 12th of January, the Chair of the CREWS initiative, Gerard Howe, who heads the Adaptation, Nature & Resilience Department at UK’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) reminded participants that “the UN Secretary-General in the margins of the recent UNFCCC COP27 in Sharm-El-Sheik, Egypt, presented a plan to have all people covered by early warning systems within five years. Reaching the plan's goal requires scaled-up financing, along with strong and effective collaboration and partnerships”. He referred to the Scaling-up Framework on Early Warning “as a potentially key contribution to the success of the UN Early Warning for All Plan.” The Workshop set out to define the criteria that would facilitate access to additional financing for countries.
WMO Assistant-Secretary-General Wenjian Zhang, at the same event, put the challenge in context: “early warning systems are effective tools to minimize the loss and damage due to extreme events and to adapt to climate change, yet, one third of the world’s people, mainly in least developed countries and small island developing states, are still not covered by early warning systems.”
The Scaling-up Framework for Early Warning is expected to be operational by the third quarter of 2023. | https://public.wmo.int/en/media/news/wmo-improve-financing-early-warning-systems |
linguistics and the teacher routledge library editions educationDownload Book Linguistics And The Teacher Routledge Library Editions Education in PDF format. You can Read Online Linguistics And The Teacher Routledge Library Editions Education here in PDF, EPUB, Mobi or Docx formats.
Routledge Library Editions Education Mini Set I Language Literacy 9 Vol SetAuthor : Various,
ISBN : 9781136510533
Genre : Education
File Size : 88. 39 MB
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Mini-set I: Language & Literacy re-issues 9 volumes originally published between 1971 and 1992. They examine the challenges for teachers in the UK and USA in this field, with a focus on both early years education and adolescent and adult literacy. The volumes encompass elements of developmental psychology and literary theory and together provide a wide-ranging analysis of teaching and learning in the language and literary studies.
Linguistics And The TeacherAuthor : Ronald Carter
ISBN : 9780415694261
Genre : Education
File Size : 42. 21 MB
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Linguistics and the Teacher is a collection of essays by linguists on different aspects of the relationship between linguistics and education. All the contributors are united in their belief that linguistics should be a central element in the education of teachers, and argue for principled and systematic analysis in the study of the role of language in learning. The essays range from theoretical accounts of the nature of language study in teacher education to practical examples of how linguistics can help the teacher in such diverse contexts as the assessment of difficulty in textbooks, the teaching of literature, and analysing children's writing. The book offers models for analysis, specific syllabus and course proposals, and, in a key essay, discussion of those areas relevant to language and learning upon which most linguists would agree. The collection as a whole presents teachers with all the materials they need to make informed judgements about what has hitherto been regarded as a difficult area.
The Routledge Handbook Of English Language TeachingAuthor : Graham Hall
ISBN : 9781317384465
Genre : Language Arts & Disciplines
File Size : 61. 78 MB
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The Routledge Handbook of English Language Teaching is the definitive reference volume for postgraduate and advanced undergraduate students of Applied Linguistics, ELT/TESOL, and Language Teacher Education, and for ELT professionals engaged in in-service teacher development and/or undertaking academic study. Progressing from ‘broader’ contextual issues to a ‘narrower’ focus on classrooms and classroom discourse, the volume’s inter-related themes focus on: ELT in the world: contexts and goals planning and organising ELT: curriculum, resources and settings methods and methodology: perspectives and practices second language learning and learners teaching language: knowledge, skills and pedagogy understanding the language classroom. The Handbook’s 39 chapters are written by leading figures in ELT from around the world. Mindful of the diverse pedagogical, institutional and social contexts for ELT, they convincingly present the key issues, areas of debate and dispute, and likely future developments in ELT from an applied linguistics perspective. Throughout the volume, readers are encouraged to develop their own thinking and practice in contextually appropriate ways, assisted by discussion questions and suggestions for further reading that accompany every chapter. Advisory board: Guy Cook, Diane Larsen-Freeman, Amy Tsui, and Steve Walsh
Studies In Discourse Analysis Rle Linguistics B GrammarAuthor : Malcolm Coulthard
ISBN : 9781317933403
Genre : Language Arts & Disciplines
File Size : 21. 13 MB
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The book explores ways in which the formal methods of linguistics can cast light on the structure of verbal interaction, and in particular considers how successive utterances cohere together in continuous spoken discourse. Beginning with an earlier model of discourse analysis elaborated to deal with teacher-pupil interaction in the classroom, it then reviews attempts to extend this model to a variety of discourses such as committee talk, doctor-patient interviews, broadcast discussions and the monologue of lectures. The extension of the original model to other situations has prompted a number of innovations and additional insights which are expounded in a series of contributions linked by complimentary themes. There are contributions on the role of intonation and of kinetics in discourse analysis; explorations of the problems of the analytic category ‘sentence’ and of the problems raised by casual conversation; and there is extended discussion of the structural properties underlying exchanges of utterances. The book moves easily between data and theory, forming a unified whole. It sums up a continuing and lively debate within a common tradition of discourse analysis and may well serve as a programmatic statement for future work in the field.
Language Teacher Education For A Global SocietyAuthor : B. Kumaravadivelu
ISBN : 9781136836992
Genre : Education
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The field of second/foreign language teacher education is calling out for a coherent and comprehensive framework for teacher preparation in these times of accelerating economic, cultural, and educational globalization. Responding to this call, this book introduces a state-of-the-art model for developing prospective and practicing teachers into strategic thinkers, exploratory researchers, and transformative teachers. The model includes five modules: Knowing, Analyzing, Recognizing, Doing, and Seeing (KARDS). Its goal is to help teachers understand: how to build a viable professional, personal and procedural knowledge-base, how to analyze learner needs, motivation and autonomy, how to recognize their own identities, beliefs and values, how to do teaching, theorizing and dialogizing, and how to see their own teaching acts from learner, teacher, and observer perspectives. Providing a scaffold for building a holistic understanding of what happens in the language classroom, this model eventually enables teachers to theorize what they practice and practice what they theorize. With its strong scholarly foundation and its supporting reflective tasks and exploratory projects, this book is immensely useful for students, practicing teachers, teacher educators, and educational researchers who are interested in exploring the complexity of language teacher education.
Social Linguistics And LiteraciesAuthor : James Gee
ISBN : 9781317525189
Genre : Education
File Size : 68. 64 MB
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In its first edition, Social Linguistics and Literacies was a major contribution to the emerging interdisciplinary field of sociocultural approaches to language and literacy, and was one of the founding texts of the ‘New Literacy Studies’. This book serves as a classic introduction to the study of language, learning and literacy in their social, cultural and political contexts. It shows how contemporary sociocultural approaches to language and literacy emerged and: Engages with topics such as orality and literacy, the history of literacy, the nature of discourse analysis and social theories of mind and meaning Explores how language functions in a society Surveys the notion of ‘discourse’ with specific reference to cross-cultural issues in communities and schools. This fifth edition offers an overview of the sociocultural approaches to language and literacy that coalesced into the New Literacy Studies. It also introduces readers to a particular style of analyzing language-in-use-in-society and develops a distinctive specific perspective on language and literacy centered on the notion of "Discourses". It will be of interest to researchers, lecturers and students in education, linguistics, or any field that deals with language, especially in social or cultural terms.
Leadership In English Language EducationAuthor : MaryAnn Christison
ISBN : 9781135128913
Genre : Education
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Leadership in English Language Education: Theoretical Foundations and Practical Skills for Changing Times presents both theoretical approaches to leadership and practical skills leaders in English language education need to be effective. Discussing practical skills in detail, and providing readers with the opportunity to acquire new skills and apply them in their own contexts, the text is organized around three themes: The roles and characteristics of leaders Skills for leading ELT leadership in practice Leadership theories and approaches from business and industry are applied to and conclusions are drawn for English language teaching in a variety of organizational contexts, including intensive English programs in English-speaking countries, TESOL departments in universities, ESL programs in community colleges, EFL departments in non-English speaking countries, adult education programs, and commercial ELT centers and schools around the world. This is an essential resource for all administrators, teachers, academics, and teacher candidates in English language education.
Doing Action Research In English Language TeachingAuthor : Anne Burns
ISBN : 9781135183844
Genre : Education
File Size : 27. 39 MB
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This hands-on, practical guide for ESL/EFL teachers and teacher educators outlines, for those who are new to doing action research, what it is and how it works. Straightforward and reader friendly, it introduces the concepts and offers a step-by-step guide to going through an action research process, including illustrations drawn widely from international contexts. Each chapter includes a variety of pedagogical activities. Bringing the how-to and the what together, this is the perfect text for BATESOL and MATESOL courses in which action research is the focus or a required component.
Faces Of English EducationAuthor : Lillian L. C. Wong
ISBN : 9781351794558
Genre : Education
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Faces of English Education provides an accessible, wide-ranging introduction to current perspectives on English language education, covering new areas of interest and recent studies in the field. In seventeen specially commissioned chapters written by international experts and practitioners, this book: offers an authoritative discussion of theoretical issues and debates surrounding key topics such as identity, motivation, teacher education and classroom pedagogy; discusses teaching from the perspective of the student as well as the teacher, and features sections on both in- and out-of-class learning; showcases the latest teaching research and methods, including MOOCs, use of corpora, and blended learning, and addresses the interface between theory and practice; analyses the different ways and contexts in which English is taught, learned and used around the world. Faces of English Education is essential reading for pre- and in-service teachers, researchers in TESOL and applied linguistics, and teacher educators, as well as upper undergraduate and postgraduate students studying related topics.
The Routledge Handbook Of Educational LinguisticsAuthor : Martha Bigelow
ISBN : 9781317754466
Genre : Language Arts & Disciplines
File Size : 25. 2 MB
Format : PDF, ePub, Docs
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The Routledge Handbook of Educational Linguistics provides a comprehensive survey of the core and current language-related issues in educational contexts. Bringing together the expertise and voices of well-established as well as emerging scholars from around the world, the handbook offers over thirty authoritative and critical explorations of methodologies and contexts of educational linguistics, issues of instruction and assessment, and teacher education, as well as coverage of key topics such as advocacy, critical pedagogy, and ethics and politics of research in educational linguistics. Each chapter relates to key issues raised in the respective topic, providing additional historical background, critical discussion, reviews of pertinent research methods, and an assessment of what the future might hold. This volume embraces multiple, dynamic perspectives and a range of voices in order to move forward in new and productive directions, making The Routledge Handbook of Educational Linguistics an essential volume for any student and researcher interested in the issues surrounding language and education, particularly in multilingual and multicultural settings. | http://www.nwcbooks.com/download/linguistics-and-the-teacher-routledge-library-editions-education-/ |
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