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News Time Now Sunday Special
“Roll on, thou deep and dark blue ocean-Roll !
Ten thousand fleets sweep over thee in vain;
Man marks the earth with ruin- his control
Stops with the shore ;
So wrote Byron in his famous poem “Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage” while addressing the vast ocean. But he could not have been expected to imagine the extent of its vastness, about which even modern man has only limited knowledge.
An American astronaut looking back from outer space humorously observed that our planet had been wrongly named “Earth” and that it should have been more appropriately christened “Water”. The statistics in respect of the massive size of the oceans would enable us to appreciate that remark.
Our Earth is perhaps the only planet in the observable universe known to have oceans. They cover 70.8 per cent of the Earth’s surface and contain 350 million cubic miles of water— 97 per cent of all the water on the Earth.
Oceanographers make it easy for us to visualise the vastness of the oceans by means of a graphic translation. According to them if all the Earth’s mountains are flattened to a common level, the globe would be covered to a depth of eight to twelve thousand feet by water. Since the oceans create the weather and the atmosphere and sustain all life on the planet, one can understand why our planet is rather a special kind of world.
A major portion of the oceans is shrouded in darkness and even in this space-age when cosmonauts have actually journeyed to the moon, no Columbus has set out to explore the oceans.
Most people do not realise the enormous size of the oceans because of their tendency to think only in terms of dry continents or high mountains, whenever they discuss Earth’s superlatives. Thus, for example the average school boy would regard Everest which is 29,028 feet high as the tallest peak in the world, though a less famous peak off the Peruvian coast of South America which is 19,000 feet higher, would completely dwarf its shorter Himalayan brother in comparison. Everest is able to claim its record as the highest peak only because every inch of its surface is visible to the naked eye. On the other hand a major portion (a 25,000-foot mass) of the Peruvian mountain is below the surface of the ocean with only 23,000 feet rising above the surface.
Geological facts like this would explain why we have grown accustomed to shape the world to our limited way of thinking rather than in terms of larger mountain masses which lie undiscovered beneath the vast oceans and seas of this planet. Human achievements however seem to shrink in significance when one observes the environment inside the oceans and the spectacular triumphs achieved by some of the animals in the seas.
The Grand Canyon, which is 13 miles wide, 200 miles long and a mile deep at its deepest point is one of the greatest natural wonders, attracting as it does thousands of tourists from all over the world every year. However, it would be considered small when compared to the abysses inside the oceans such as the Peru-Chile trench off the eastern Pacific which is 3600 miles long from end to end and is 18 times longer, or the Mariana trench near the island of Guam which is more than 7 times deeper.
One of the reasons why people do not talk much about the spectacular geological formations inside the seas and oceans is their lack of adequate knowledge (Someone even remarked that more is known about the rear face of the moon than about the bottom of the sea). A second reason is the relative inaccessibility of the ocean floor; while thousands of people have visited the Grand Canyon, only a handful of persons have gone deep into the ocean. Only two human beings ( Aquanauts )Don Walsh of the United States and Jacques Piccard of France have gone to the bottom-most surface( 36198 feet) of the ocean in the Mariana trench ( in the Western North Pacific ) in a submersible for a very brief period on Jan. 23, 1960.
Another extraordinary geological formation is the mid-Atlantic ridge which starts at Iceland, one of the few places where its peaks extend above the ocean surface. It follows the entire length of the Atlantic going parallel to America, Europe and Africa before it curls eastward around the tip of Africa into the Indian Ocean. The crest of this ridge has an average width of about 125 miles, and almost all of it is underwater
At some points, even its highest peaks lie 10,000 feet down below the surface in perpetual darkness. In all, the mid- Atlantic ridge and its associated sub-sea ridges extend more than 40,000 miles the equivalent of one and a half times the circumference of the world at the equator. There is not a single mountain range on Earth which can rival this.
Coming to rivers, generally, the Nile which is 4,145 miles- long is considered the longest and the Amazon whose enormous flow pushes freshwater a hundred miles into the Atlantic is regarded as the most powerful. Their splendour is dimmed in comparison with ocean rivers such as the Gulf stream which turns clockwise around the north- Atlantic from the Caribbean to Europe and travels a distance greater than the Nile with a force that makes the Amazon seem like a brook.
The stream which was discovered first in 1769 by Benjamin Franklin is 50 miles wide and 1500 miles deep off Miami. It contains minerals and nutrients and its dark blue water is easily recognisable by any seasoned voyager.
The sea is also rich in minerals and is a storehouse of energy. The salt in the oceans amounting to 50 billion tons can cover the Earth’s landmass to a depth as high as the Washington Monument.
“Dead zones” inside the oceans are referred to as” ocean deserts”. They are regions inside the ocean which are starved of oxygen. Excess of Nitrogen from agricultural fertilisers, emissions from automobiles, trucks and factories, acts as a nutrient that in turn triggers an explosion of plankton or algae which, again deplete oxygen, resulting in hypoxic( oxygen-starved) regions
Of course there are”ocean deserts” which occur naturally also.
Coming to life forms not many people realise that it is the blue whale which moves about in the oceans( and not the elephant) that is not only the largest animal on Earth but also the largest animal ever to have existed on Earth.
Some of the biological facts pertaining to the oceans are mind-boggling. Every animal phyla that ever existed, exists even today in the oceans and the seas. There are more than 50,000 species of marine fish roaming about in the oceans. There are also 25000 species of insects, shelled shrimps, crabs and lobsters in the oceans. Scientists have only recently begun to learn that some marine life can yield wonder drugs.
The feats performed by some of the creatures of the seas make man’s achievements appear insignificant. The California grey whale has a natural radar that guides it on an 11,000- mile round- trip from the Arctic to Mexico every year—a feat of navigational accuracy man has yet to improve upon. The near-perfect natural sonar of the brainy Dolphin is still being studied by Naval scientists.
The ocean’s biological superlatives seem to apply to plant life equally. The giant Kelp grows faster than the plants of the tropic rain forests of the continent. Some of these which are found in shallow water on most coasts add 15 feet to their length every six months, and very few land forests sustain as many species of living creatures as these forests of the seas.
Life is also very difficult and harsh on the ocean floor contrary to popular impression. The ocean ecosystem is not similar to the “pyramid of life” structure found on Earth; the oceans are full of predators and in the animal world the parents sometimes gobble up the young. According to some estimates, only one in thousand animals born in the oceans survive to maturity.
Despite this jungle-like competition for survival and abnormal mortality rate, animals in the oceans and the seas seem to have developed amazing resilience to survive in the face of catastrophe. During the last 600 million years the coral reefs of the oceans were totally destroyed four times by catastrophes of one kind or another and were rebuilt each time though each come-back took millions of years. However, unlike human time, this long period would amount to a fractional time interval on the calendar of ocean evolution.
Such is the empire of Neptune which consists of mountains taller than Everest, deserts larger than Sahara, rivers vaster than the Nile and is inhabited by animals larger than the elephants.
One recalls once again Byron’s famous lines about the ocean:
“Thou glorious mirror, where the Almighty’s form
Glasses itself in tempests; in all time,-
Calm or convulsed, in breeze, or gale, or storm,
Icing the pole, or in the torrid clime
Dark-heaving—boundless, endless, and sublime
The image of eternity, the throne
Of the invisible; even from out thy slime.
The monsters of the deep are made; each zone”
Obeys thee; thou goest forth, dread, | http://newstimenow.com/the-universe-beneath-the-oceans/ |
The star is a symbol that cannot be overlooked in flag science. You can find it on 80 national flags; which makes up about 40% of all. This makes it the most frequently used symbol.
One can say that the star belongs to the flag industry, because in the heraldry, the ancestor of the flag industry, the star appears very rarely. When it appears in a coat of arms, it is usually six-pointed, while five-pointed stars are preferred on flags. The popularity of stars on flags can be traced back to the stars and stripes of the United States from 1777, even if there were older flags with stars, e.g. in Hamburg and Turkey. New stars were continually added to the American stars and stripes, so that the current national flag of the United States has "only" existed since 1960. Some old national flags with stars have remained unchanged to this day: Chile since 1817, Tunis since around 1835, Liberia since 1847, Cuba and New Zealand since 1902, Panama since 1904, Australia since 1909 and Morocco since 1915.
Number of pips
On 65 of the 80 flags with stars, these are five-pointed. There are 5 flags with six-pointed stars, 3 with seven-pointed stars. Six flags have stars with more than six points. There is only one flag with a four-pointed star. There is no flag with a three-pointed star. still those with 9, 10, 11, 13 and more points (with the exception of 24). Stars with many points come very close to the symbolic representation of the sun, and one can only infer from the description of the flag design which symbol it should be. The star on the flag of the Marshal Islands has 24 points, but they are no longer identical. The star with the most similar points (fourteen) is the one on the flag of. Malaysia.
Symbolism of the star
What is the symbolic meaning of a star? No general answer can be given to this. Stars are often used as symbols for very different things on different flags. While stars in connection with the crescent moon are symbols for Islam (but not exclusively, see Croatia), the star on the flag of the Marshal Islands stands for Christianity. The star has other meanings in the African states, where it stands for the unity of a state, or, as in Somalia, for diversity (five regions live in Somalis).
Multiple stars
National flags that have several stars represent a number that is important for the state. As a rule, it is the number of administrative or geographical sub-areas, such as states, regions, districts or islands. Honduras is the only country on whose flag the stars represent foreign countries.
Exceptions to this meaning of number can be found with the flag of Burundi, where the number three corresponds to the number of words in the national motto, and with the Chinese flag, on which the four small stars symbolize the four classes of the people.
The stars in the flags of Croatia and Slovenia are holdovers from the coats of arms of these countries. Why Syria and Iraq have two stars is unclear.
The largest number of stars are of course on the US flag - 50, followed by the 22 Brazilian stars of various sizes and the 15 stars of the Cook Islands. With the exception of 11 and 13, all smaller numbers of stars appear on today's national flags. The most common number of stars on a flag is 5 (on 11 flags), followed by 3 (on 7 flags), 2 (on 5 flags), 4 (on 3 flags) and 10 and 6 stars respectively on 2 flags.
arrangement
When multiple stars are shown on a flag, there are many possible arrangements. They can be grouped according to natural or geometric criteria.
A natural arrangement is the rendering of constellations. The typical example of this is the Southern Cross (Crux Australis). This is represented very differently in the flags of Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Niue and the Christmas Islands. Natural starry sky is also shown on the Brazilian flag. The display of many stars in different sizes is unique. Other peculiar arrangements can be found on the flags of Australia and the Christmas Islands, where stars with different numbers of points and of different sizes are combined.
Another type of natural arrangement is the reproduction of geographical situations, as it was on the flag of Tuvalu, which was valid until recently, where the position of the islands belonging to the state was symbolized by stars.
Geometric arrangements of stars can be linear (Comoros, USA, Uzbekistan), circular (Micronesia, Myanmar, Cook Islands), semicircular (Equatorial Guinea, China, Macao, Tajikistan, Venezuela), elliptical (Netherlands Antilles), or according to other geometric rules take place (Grenada, Niue).
Five stars are arranged either in a circle / ellipse (Singapore, Netherlands Antilles) or in the form of the letter X (Honduras, Solomon Islands, roughly Turkmenistan). Three stars can be found in a linear arrangement (Iraq, Tokelau) or in a circle or triangle (Burundi, Slovenia, Philippines, Cayman Islands).
Color of the stars
The color of the stars cannot be given any outstanding symbolic significance. The classic identification of communism with the five-pointed red star can be questioned with today's flags. Three of the eight red stars on national flags are connected to a crescent moon and have nothing to do with communism. The red star on the flag of Djibouti stands for the unity of the country, which on the New Zealand flag belongs to the Southern Cross, which on the Panamanian flag is "random" red. Only the flags of Korea and Zimbabwe are linked to socialism. On the other hand, a few different colored stars indicate the heirs of Marxist teaching: yellow stars in Angola, Mozambique and Vietnam and possibly the green and black stars in the flags of Senegal, Ghana and Guinea-Bissau. Yellow stars from several other African countries could also be of socialist origin. White stars, on the other hand, appear almost without exception on flags of non-communist countries.
White and yellow stars are the most common. The other colors are significantly less common, such as red on nine flags, green on six, blue and black on three each. Panama has the only flag on which stars appear in different colors.
Alignment
Stars with 7 or more points always have one pointing upwards. Six-pointed stars either point with a point upwards (Burundi, Slovenia) or, if they are arranged in a circle or semicircle, outwards, i.e. the stars rotate around the center. (Equatorial Guinea, Croatia). On today's flags, there are no six-pointed stars with their points pointing horizontally to the right or left. The star that accompanies a crescent moon can point towards it (Turkey), be turned away from it (Pakistan, Western Sahara) or point upwards (Mauritania, Turkmenistan). An interesting case is the flag of St. Kitts and Navis, where the stars are perpendicular to the diagonal stripe. Four-pointed stars are of course oriented vertically.
Outlined stars
Hollow stars, i.e. those in which only outlines are shown, are quite rare. - Israel, Morocco and Ethiopia. Interestingly, these are all of Jewish origin. This is clear with the Star of David, but the pentagrams of Morocco and Ethiopia are also symbols that can be traced back to King Solomon. As for outlined stars, i.e. stars with a different type of edge, these have a more decorative character in order to better emphasize them visually in contrasting colors.
Summary
The star is an irreplaceable symbol in flag history. It can represent anything from unity to diversity in various forms and combinations. No political ideology has a monopoly on the star as a symbol. It is also not associated with a specific religion, although it can stand for everyone. As a very simple geometric figure, it is easy to make in any material. No other symbol is so widespread and universal. In addition to the rectangle, the star is the typical element of today's national flags.
Overview of the national flags with stars,
ordered by the number of points. (their symbolic meaning in brackets):
24-pointed star white: Marshall Islands (unequal points, 24 districts, Christianity)
14-pointed star yellow with crescent moon: Malaysia (Provinces, Islam)
12-pointed star white: Nauru (tribes), Nepal (sun)
8-pointed star white with crescent moon: Azerbaijan (peoples)
yellow: Moldova (?)
7-pointed star white: Jordan (the first 7 suras of the Koran)
white, 4 stars: Australia (Crux Australis, 7 states)
Christmas Islands (Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta of Crux Australis)
6-pointed star red, bordered in green, 3 stars Burundi (words in the motto, ethnic groups)
blue: Israel (Magen David)
yellow, 2 stars: Croatia (1 in the coat of arms, 1 with crescent moon, morning star)
yellow, 3 stars: Slovenia (unknown, from the Celje coat of arms)
yellow, 6 stars: Equatorial Guinea (mainland + 5 islands)
..5-pointed star: red: Djibouti (unity), North Korea and Zimbabwe (socialism)
red, with crescent moon: Algeria, Tunis and Western Sahara (Islam)
yellow: Angola, Mozambique and Vietnam (socialism)
yellow: Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Suriname, (unit)
yellow: Central African Republic (independence, bright future)
yellow: Ethiopia and Paraguay (?)
yellow, with crescent moon: Mauritania (Islam)
white: Australia and Christmas Islands (Epsilon Crux Australis)
white: Chile, Cuba, Northern Marianne Islands, Puerto Rico (?)
white: Liberia (freedom, unity), Togo (purity)
white: Somalia (five areas where Somalis live)
white, with crescent moon: Pakistan and Turkey (Islam)
green: Senegal (?)
green, pentagram: Morocco (ruling dynasty)
black: Ghana and Guinea-Bissau (African freedom)
2 stars white: St. Kitts and Nevis (islands)
green: Syria (?)
black: Sao Tome and Principe (islands)
red and blue: Panama (?)
3 stars yellow: Philippines (geographical areas)
white: French South Seas and Antarctic Territories, Tokelau (?)
green: Cayman Islands (islands), Iraq (?)
4 stars red, outlined in white: New Zealand (Crux Australis)
white: Micronesia (archipelago)
white, with crescent moon: Comoros (islands, Islam)
5 stars yellow: China (social classes), Macao (China), Niue (Crux Australis)
white: Netherlands Antilles (islands)
white: Papua New Guinea and Samoa (Crux Australis)
white: Solomon Islands (geographical areas)
white, with crescent moon: Singapore (prosperity), Turkmenistan (Islam)
blue: Honduras (former states of Central America)
7 stars yellow: Grenada (districts), Tajikistan (?)
white: Venezuela (provinces)
8 stars yellow: Tuvalu (islands)
9 stars yellow: Bolivia (provinces)
10 stars yellow: Cape Verde (islands)
green, with a yellow border: Dominica (provinces?)
12 stars white, with crescent moon: Uzbekistan (zodiac sign)
14 white stars: Myanmar (States)
15 stars white: Cook Islands (islands)
22 white stars: Brazil (states)
50 stars white: U.S.A. (states)
4 - pointed star red, with white border: Aruba (wind directions)
------------------
Swell:
1. W. Smith "Flags and arms across the World", 1980)
2. N. Smith "Flags of the World", New York, 1995.
3. "The Flagchart", Shipmate Vlag Produktie, 1996.
4. FOTW website at http://Flaggen.cesi.it/Flaggen
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Introduction
============
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a clinical sleep disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of partial or complete obstruction of the respiratory passages during sleep \[[@ref1],[@ref2]\]. Symptoms include choking or gasping during sleep, daytime sleepiness, startled awakening, poor concentration, and difficulty staying asleep \[[@ref2],[@ref3]\]. The prevalence of OSA in the general adult population has been found to range from 6% to 17% or to be as high as 49% at advanced ages \[[@ref4]\]. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is considered the gold standard for the treatment of patients with moderate-to-severe OSA. It involves wearing a mask during sleep that uses a pump to provide a constant flow of air (pressure) to the throat to keep the airway open. Treatment with CPAP is highly effective for normalizing breathing and sleep; it reduces the frequency of respiratory events during sleep, decreases daytime sleepiness, and improves blood pressure and quality of life \[[@ref5],[@ref6]\].
Unfortunately, acceptance and adherence are often suboptimal in CPAP treatment, thereby jeopardizing the improved health outcomes. It is estimated that 30% to 80% of OSA patients can be classified as nonadherent when operationalized as using CPAP for less than 4 hours per night \[[@ref7]-[@ref9]\]. Numerous factors have been linked to CPAP nonadherence, although no single factor has been consistently identified. Many factors presumably interact and may jointly predict nonadherence \[[@ref7],[@ref10],[@ref11]\], including patient characteristics (eg, age, race, and smoking status) \[[@ref7],[@ref12]\], disease characteristics (eg, symptom severity) \[[@ref7],[@ref12]\], experienced side effects (eg, skin irritation, dryness in the nose or mouth, and abdominal bloating) \[[@ref11]\], treatment titration procedures \[[@ref8]\], and psychosocial factors (eg, skills at coping with challenging situations, mental health problems, self-efficacy, and social support) \[[@ref7],[@ref11],[@ref12]\].
A growing body of research is investigating interventions to promote CPAP adherence \[[@ref12],[@ref13]\]. Such interventions may incorporate educational, supportive, and therapeutic strategies, such as cognitive-behavioral techniques. A Cochrane review by Wozniak et al \[[@ref13]\] reported low- to moderate-quality evidence for these types of adherence interventions. Behavioral interventions were found to have the largest effects on CPAP adherence, followed by supportive interventions and educational interventions. More specifically, the respective intervention strategies yielded mean improvements of 1.5 hours, 50 minutes, and 35 minutes of CPAP use per night.
Strategies delivered by means of information and communication technologies (ie, eHealth) offer strong potential to address the relatively poor rate of CPAP adherence through standardized education, real-time monitoring of symptoms and CPAP adherence in daily life, self-management, and early identification and intervention if device or treatment problems arise \[[@ref14]-[@ref17]\]. With regard to the then existing evidence base on eHealth adherence interventions, Sawyer et al \[[@ref8]\] briefly reviewed technological strategies to promote CPAP adherence. They concluded that most strategies were promising in terms of effect sizes but that larger trials were needed to determine their potentials. A similar conclusion was reached in a more recent review, which mainly focused on remote telemonitoring \[[@ref15]\]. Overall, preliminary evidence suggests that eHealth technology has the potential to improve patient adherence. To the best of our knowledge, however, no studies have systematically assessed the impact of the broad range of available eHealth technologies on CPAP adherence. This meta-analytic review investigated the effectiveness of eHealth interventions in improving CPAP adherence in adult populations with OSA.
Methods
=======
Search Strategy
---------------
Our search strategy was part of a broader search performed in a research project on the role of eHealth in treatment adherence in chronic lung diseases. The searches for OSA, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were thereby pooled together.
A systematic literature search was conducted in the electronic databases of the Cochrane Library (Wiley), PsycINFO (EBSCO), PubMed, and Embase. The search results were limited to available full-text articles in English or Dutch with publication dates from January 1, 2000, to March 20, 2018. The starting year of 2000 was chosen because technology began greatly advancing around that time. Terms related to eHealth technology, patient adherence, and the target populations were combined, using both free-text and index terms (see [Multimedia Appendix 1](#app1){ref-type="supplementary-material"} for the full search string). We additionally checked reference lists in the ultimately included studies, as well as systematic reviews on the research topic to locate other potentially relevant studies.
Eligibility Criteria
--------------------
The study inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) The target population comprised patients aged 18 years or older who were undergoing CPAP treatment and whose OSA diagnosis was supported by polysomnographic examination, home sleep apnea testing, or nocturnal pulse oximetry; (2) A major component of the experimental intervention was delivered by eHealth technology or an eHealth component was assessed as an add-on to care as usual (CAU), irrespective of whether it comprised a major part of the experimental intervention. The criteria to qualify as an eHealth intervention were that the intervention was delivered via information and communication technology, such as telephone calls, telemedicine (eg, videoconferencing), websites, smartphone applications, SMS and the intervention was delivered independently of time and place, making distance a critical factor (eg, videos delivered in face-to-face sessions were not considered eHealth interventions); (3) CAU did not include the experimental eHealth intervention or component under investigation, thus excluding any studies comparing similar eHealth interventions with differing contents, such as general versus tailored text messages; (4) Outcomes were assessed in terms of one or more quantitative measures of patient adherence to CPAP treatment; (5) Outcomes were compared statistically between study conditions; (6) Study design was a randomized controlled trial.
Screening
---------
Two reviewers (JA and LL) independently screened all titles and abstracts for eligibility. Subsequently, the reviewers independently screened the full text of the selected papers to determine eligibility for inclusion. Disagreements were resolved by discussion. Covidence software \[[@ref18]\] was used to manage the screening process and risk-of-bias assessments.
Data Extraction, Syntheses, and Analyses
----------------------------------------
Data on study reference, design, population, interventions, outcomes, and results were extracted by JA from all eligible studies ([Multimedia Appendix 2](#app2){ref-type="supplementary-material"}). Where feasible, data were synthesized using a narrative approach and a statistical approach (ie, meta-analysis). The meta-analysis was conducted with Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software (CMA, version 3.3.070, Biostat, Englewood, New Jersey), which analyzed the computed differences in means (MD) in adherence measures (the average number of nightly hours of CPAP use). The meta-analysis was performed on available postintervention data.
For studies with multiple intervention conditions, the control condition was split into two or more groups corresponding to the number of experimental comparisons, with sample sizes divided by that number, thus enabling separate comparisons of intervention conditions within the same meta-analysis. Since considerable heterogeneity among studies was expected, a random-effects model was chosen \[[@ref19]\]. Heterogeneity between observed effect sizes was examined with the *I^2^* statistic. To calculate 95% CIs around *I^2^*, we used the noncentral χ^2^-based approach within the HETEROGI module for Stata \[[@ref20]\]. Funnel plots were visually inspected to assess potential publication bias, and the Duval and Tweedie trim-and-fill procedure \[[@ref21]\] was conducted to adjust for any such bias. Additionally, funnel plot symmetry was checked using the Egger linear regression test of the intercept \[[@ref22]\]. Statistical outliers were defined as studies in which the 95% CI of the MD did not overlap with that of the pooled MD. If outliers were identified, sensitivity analyses were performed by removing them from the analysis to ascertain whether exclusion would significantly affect the results.
Subgroup analyses were conducted using a mixed-effects model, pooling the studies within subgroups with a random-effects model and testing for significant differences between subgroups with a fixed-effects model. One subgroup analysis compared CPAP adherence in studies that tested eHealth interventions as an add-on to CAU with adherence in studies that tested them as a replacement of CAU. This was of interest because the context of eHealth delivery could have important implications for how interventions are implemented in the process of care delivery and follow-up, and more generally, for the efficiency of and burden on the health care system. A second subgroup analysis compared interventions delivering eHealth only versus blended approaches combining eHealth and face-to-face strategies. A third analysis compared fully automated versus guided eHealth interventions given that it is often assumed that guided and blended interventions lead to better adherence outcomes.
If included studies did not report the data needed to carry out main or subgroup analyses, we attempted to contact the first or corresponding author to gain the necessary data.
Risk-of-Bias Assessment
-----------------------
The Cochrane Collaboration risk-of-bias tool \[[@ref23]\] was used to assess the quality of all included studies. Two reviewers (JA and LL) independently evaluated the following dimensions of the risk of bias: (1) adequacy of random sequence generation; (2) adequacy of concealment of the allocation sequence to personnel; (3) blinding of study participants and personnel; (4) blinding of outcome assessors; (5) adequacy of handling of incomplete outcome data; (6) selective outcome reporting; and (7) potential other sources of bias, such as baseline imbalances and differential dropout. Each study was rated on every dimension as "low risk," "high risk," or "unclear risk." Disagreements were resolved by discussion.
Results
=======
Search Results
--------------
[Figure 1](#figure1){ref-type="fig"} presents the PRISMA flow diagram depicting the process of the literature search, identification, and selection. The pooled systematic search for OSA, asthma, and COPD resulted in a total of 3772 potentially relevant articles. After removal of duplicates (n=723), a total of 3049 articles were selected for title and abstract screening. Subsequently, 123 studies were selected for full-text screening, and 56 of these were found to target OSA. A total of 19 studies targeting individuals with OSA were eventually included in the narrative review, and 18 of these were included in the meta-analysis.
{#figure1}
Study Characteristics
---------------------
[Multimedia Appendix 2](#app2){ref-type="supplementary-material"} provides an overview of the relevant characteristics of each of the included studies. All studies focused on adults with OSA who were starting either CPAP or automatically adjusted positive airway pressure (APAP) treatment. Adherence to CPAP was assessed mostly in terms of average nightly CPAP use in hours with or without the criterion "on nights being used," the percentage of nights of CPAP use with or without the criterion "for more than X hours per night," or the percentage of patients adherent to CPAP.
Most studies (n*=*14) compared CAU with and without supplementation by one or more eHealth components. For reasons of brevity, these are henceforth called add-on studies. In the remaining five studies, the eHealth component or components were used to replace CAU rather than supplement it. These will be referred to as replacement studies.
Of the 14 add-on studies comparing CAU to the same care supplemented with eHealth, nine studies added eHealth components only, whereas five added a combination of face-to-face and eHealth strategies. Most studies adding eHealth components alone used telemonitoring tools (n=7) to monitor CPAP adherence and efficacy data, and telephone calls (n=7) intended to educate, provide support, promote self-management, or reinforce adherence. One study included a Web-based education portal, as well as automated feedback messages by e-mail, telephone, or SMS, according to CPAP monitoring data \[[@ref24]\]. Mendelson et al \[[@ref25]\] gave study participants a smartphone with an application incorporating a self-monitoring tool capable of transmitting clinical information and providing self-care messages in daily pictograms. In the five studies that added a combination of face-to-face and eHealth strategies, the eHealth component generally consisted of telephone calls designed to troubleshoot, provide support and encouragement, and reinforce CPAP treatment adherence. The face-to-face components mainly involved personal consultation for education, consultation, or early review \[[@ref26]-[@ref29]\], and one included a brief motivational enhancement program \[[@ref30]\].
In the five replacement studies, face-to-face follow-up consultations were replaced by eHealth strategies. More specifically, Fields et al \[[@ref31]\] replaced four face-to-face follow-up visits by one video-conferencing consultation and three telephone calls. Three other studies replaced face-to-face visits by telemonitoring units and subsequent collaborative management \[[@ref32]\] or by "as needed" clinical contact (eg, in response to mask leaks or low adherence) \[[@ref17],[@ref33]\]. Isetta et al \[[@ref34]\] replaced two face-to-face follow-up visits with follow-up care at a distance as follows: two video-conferencing visits, "as needed" televisits or telephone calls, and a Web-based portal including education, self-monitoring, and a messaging tool for communicating with staff to solve treatment-related problems.
All studies, except one \[[@ref34]\], included postintervention assessments between 1 and 4 months after baseline. Five studies included follow-up assessments after completion of the intervention \[[@ref26],[@ref30],[@ref33],[@ref35],[@ref36]\], ranging from 1 month \[[@ref30]\] to 2 years \[[@ref26]\].
As shown in [Multimedia Appendix 2](#app2){ref-type="supplementary-material"}, the types and intensities of CAU varied considerably. Participants typically received education about OSA and CPAP, treatment instructions, and one or more follow-up assessments by sleep practitioners via telephone calls, home visits, or patient visits to the clinic.
Risk-of-Bias Assessment
-----------------------
[Figure 2](#figure2){ref-type="fig"} presents the results of the risk-of-bias assessment for each study separately, and [Figure 3](#figure3){ref-type="fig"} summarizes the percentages of studies with low, unclear, and high risks of bias. The methodological quality of the studies varied considerably. One study had a low bias risk for only two of the seven risk-of-bias criteria, eight had it for three criteria, four had it for four criteria, another four had it for five criteria, and two had it for six criteria.
Not a single study was rated as having a low bias risk for all seven assessment dimensions, and this was mainly due to a high bias risk for the blinding of participants and personnel dimension. Most studies had a low bias risk for blinding of outcome assessment because CPAP adherence data were downloaded directly from CPAP devices. A high risk of selective outcome reporting was identified for two studies that failed to adequately report on the types of adherence outcomes specified in their methods sections \[[@ref24],[@ref26]\] or on the outcome periods defined there \[[@ref26]\]. Studies with a high risk of attrition bias ([Figure 2](#figure2){ref-type="fig"}) generally did not analyze the data according to an intent-to-treat design, thus excluding participants who did not adhere to the intervention or were lost to follow-up. Finally, identified high risks of other sources of bias (n=4) were in two studies related to significant baseline differences (*P*\<.05) that were not controlled for in the analyses \[[@ref27],[@ref31]\]. Another study reported that about 80% of participants receiving CAU or CAU plus Web access to airway pressure data were treated with APAP rather than CPAP, whereas APAP was used in a third study arm by only 62% of participants \[[@ref37]\]. In a fourth study, bias may have arisen in the follow-up period because of increased face-to-face walk-in care received by the CAU group, which was balanced with an increased number of telephone contacts in the telemedicine group \[[@ref17]\].
{#figure2}
{#figure3}
Publication Bias
----------------
A visual inspection of the funnel plot did not indicate potential publication bias, but the Egger linear regression test of the intercept was significant (*P*=.02). However, no studies were removed and imputed by the trim-and-fill procedure, suggesting no evidence of publication bias.
Meta-Analysis of eHealth Interventions and Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Adherence
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Among the 19 eligible studies identified, one study \[[@ref35]\] had to be excluded from the meta-analysis because postintervention data on average nightly CPAP use was lacking, being provided at a 1-year follow-up only. The results of the remaining 18 studies, which contained 22 comparisons between experimental and control conditions, are shown in [Table 1](#table1){ref-type="table"} and [Figure 4](#figure4){ref-type="fig"}. The use of eHealth interventions as a supplement or replacement of CAU was associated with a significant improvement in patients' average nightly CPAP use in hours at the postintervention measurement (MD=0.54, 95% CI 0.29-0.79), with high heterogeneity (*I^2^*=90%, 95% CI 87-93). The exclusion of studies identified as outliers \[[@ref24]-[@ref27],[@ref30],[@ref38]\] resulted in a similar rounded mean difference ([Table 1](#table1){ref-type="table"}), with a considerable decrease in heterogeneity (*I^2^*=51%, 95% CI 10-73).
Because one study \[[@ref35]\] could not be included in our meta-analysis on postintervention data, we will review its postintervention results narratively. Directly after the intervention period of 1 month, the monthly average number of nights when the CPAP device had been used for 4 or more hours was significantly higher among participants who received CAU plus early extra telephone support and advice than among those who received CAU only (*P*=.02). The extra-support participants also showed a significantly higher rate of adherence, defined as using CPAP for ≥4 hours a night for at least 70% of the nights.
######
Results of the main and subgroup analyses at postintervention assessment.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Variables Studies, n Comparisons, n Total, N^a^ Mean difference\ *P* value^b^ *I²* (95% CI)
(95% CI)
---------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------- ---------------- ------------- --------------------- ---------------------- --------------- ---------------
CPAP^c^ adherence^d^ 18 22 5429 0.54 (0.29-0.79)^e^ N/A^f^ 90.45 (87-93)
Outliers excluded 12 14 1433 0.54 (0.27-0.82)^e^ N/A 51.10 (10-73)
Subgroup analyses \
**Context of experimental care** \ \ \ \ .95 \
\ Add-on to usual care 13 17 4879 0.54 (0.20-0.87)^e^ \ 91.34 (88-94)
\ Replacement of usual care 5 5 550 0.52 (0.13-0.91)^e^ \ 69.10 (21-88)
**Medium of experimental care** \ \ \ \ .23 \
\ eHealth only 11 14 1690 0.38 (0.07-0.70)^e^ \ 66.35 (41-81)
\ Blended: combined eHealth + face-to-face care 5 6 3458 0.76 (0.23-1.29)^e^ \ 96.73 (95-98)
**Type of experimental care** \ \ \ \ .83 \
\ Fully automated 4 7 830 0.60 (−0.03 to 1.24) \ 57.23 (1-82)
\ Guided 14 15 4599 0.53 (0.25-0.81)^e^ \ 93.19 (90-95)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
^a^Total sample analyzed: total randomized N in intent-to-treat analyses and N of completers in completers-only analyses.
^b^Two-tailed *P* value reflecting whether the difference in effect sizes between subgroups is significant.
^c^CPAP: continuous positive airway pressure.
^d^CPAP adherence operationalized as average nightly CPAP use in hours.
^e^*P* value is significant at the .05 level.
^f^Not applicable.
{#figure4}
Subgroup Analysis of eHealth Interventions and Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Adherence
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The results of the subgroup analyses are shown in [Table 1](#table1){ref-type="table"}. No significant differences in CPAP adherence were found between studies investigating eHealth as an add-on to CAU (n=13) and studies investigating eHealth as a replacement of CAU (n*=*5) (see [Multimedia Appendix 2](#app2){ref-type="supplementary-material"} for an overview of both types of studies). A second subgroup analysis compared interventions providing eHealth only (n=11) \[[@ref17],[@ref24],[@ref25],[@ref31],[@ref34],[@ref36]-[@ref41]\] with blended approaches combining eHealth and face-to-face strategies (n=5) \[[@ref26]-[@ref30]\]. Two studies \[[@ref32],[@ref33]\] were excluded, because it was unclear whether collaborative management was provided using eHealth technology. No significant differences between the subgroups were found ([Table 1](#table1){ref-type="table"}). A third analysis comparing the effectiveness of fully automated eHealth interventions (n=4) \[[@ref24],[@ref25],[@ref37],[@ref39]\] versus guided eHealth interventions (n=14) \[[@ref17],[@ref26]-[@ref34],[@ref36],[@ref38],[@ref40],[@ref41]\] also found no significant differences ([Table 1](#table1){ref-type="table"}).
Review of the Long-Term Follow-Up Effects of eHealth Interventions and Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Adherence
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Four studies included follow-up assessments subsequent to the postintervention measurement. In view of this limited number of studies and their large variation in follow-up periods, no meta-analysis was conducted. We will now review the follow-up data, distinguishing between short-term follow-up (1-6 months; three studies) and long-term follow-up (≥1 year; two studies).
Regarding studies with short-term follow-up, Lo Bue et al \[[@ref35]\] did not report 3- and 6-month follow-up data in detail. Lai et al \[[@ref30]\] found that participants who received a brief motivational enhancement education program on top of CAU showed greater adherence at a 3-month follow-up (see [Multimedia Appendix 2](#app2){ref-type="supplementary-material"} for more details). Stepnowsky et al \[[@ref33]\] found that average nightly CPAP use in hours was higher at a 4-month follow-up for participants who received a telemonitoring intervention with a Web-based portal for education and self-monitoring than for participants who received CAU consisting of preset contact with clinical staff (*P*=.03).
Regarding long-term follow-up, Bouloukaki et al \[[@ref26]\] reported that telephone support supplemented to CAU was superior to CAU at a 2-year follow-up in terms of the range of CPAP adherence measures (see [Multimedia Appendix 2](#app2){ref-type="supplementary-material"} for more details). However, Lo Bue et al \[[@ref35]\] found at a 1-year follow-up that telephone support adjunctive to CAU was not more effective than CAU in terms of increasing nightly CPAP use in hours.
Discussion
==========
Principal Findings
------------------
To our knowledge, this meta-analytic review is the first to systematically assess the influence of eHealth interventions in improving adherence to CPAP treatment among adults with OSA. Nineteen eligible studies were identified, and our meta-analysis included data from 18 studies reporting 22 comparisons. A heterogeneous collection of eHealth interventions, employed either as add-ons or as replacements to CAU, were found to increase the average CPAP adherence by about half an hour a night as compared with CAU alone. No significant differences in effects emerged between eHealth provision supplemented to CAU and eHealth as a replacement of CAU. Additionally, no significant differences were found between other subgroups of approaches (eHealth only versus blended interventions and fully automated versus guided eHealth interventions).
In line with preliminary investigations \[[@ref8],[@ref15]\], the results of the meta-analysis suggested the potential of a broad range of eHealth technologies as tools to promote and reinforce adherence to CPAP treatment for adults with OSA. eHealth technologies can help to deliver standardized education to patients and to closely monitor their daily-life CPAP data, enabling early detection of problems and nonadherence, followed by timely and appropriate response at a distance. This could have important clinical implications, potentially reducing the number of necessary follow-up visits to clinics and enhancing the numerous health benefits associated with CPAP treatment, such as improved sleep quality, improved sleep efficiency \[[@ref5],[@ref42]\], and reduced blood pressure \[[@ref43],[@ref44]\]. Many studies have furthermore identified dose-response relationships in the treatment of OSA with CPAP \[[@ref8],[@ref45],[@ref46]\], demonstrating more hours of CPAP use to be associated with better outcomes. More specifically, patients with higher treatment adherence generally showed larger decreases in self-reported sleepiness, as well as greater improvements in functional outcomes owing to a reduced impact of excessive sleepiness on everyday activities. Overall, our meta-analysis showed that eHealth interventions are able to increase adherence to CPAP treatment, which can positively impact a range of health outcomes.
It is difficult to determine the clinical relevance of our meta-analytic finding that eHealth technologies increased average CPAP adherence by half an hour a night. There is no established general cut-off point defining how much adherence leads to clinically meaningful improvement. In contrast to the dose-response relationships noted above, some studies have reported effective treatment of OSA with relatively few hours of CPAP use, whereas others noted little progress at longer durations. Individual variation in CPAP response in terms of indicators, such as sleepiness, may depend on factors such as biological response mechanisms \[[@ref46]\]. In other words, different individuals may experience different changes in their clinical symptoms in relation to their levels of CPAP adherence and relative improvement.
As to whether specific characteristics of eHealth adherence interventions could potentially moderate CPAP response, our meta-analysis showed no significant differences in effect sizes for eHealth adherence interventions delivered as (1) replacements to CAU rather than as add-ons, (2) blended versus eHealth-only strategies, or (3) guided versus fully automated interventions**.** These findings should be interpreted with care, as analyses may have been underpowered and varying types and intensities of CAU may have influenced the results independent of the eHealth interventions themselves. Future studies should therefore compare different eHealth adherence interventions directly within studies to shed light on the most effective types or components of such interventions. For example, a recent study conducted by Hwang et al \[[@ref24]\] has assessed the individual effects of two types of eHealth interventions on adherence to CPAP treatment, as well as their combined effect. Adding a Web-based education program to CAU was not found to be effective in increasing adherence rates, whereas adding CPAP telemonitoring with automated patient usage feedback, as well as a combination of telemonitoring and Web-based education was found to successfully increase adherence. Direct comparisons of different eHealth strategies are also of interest because these differ widely in terms of implementation effort, complexity, and cost. Partially or fully automated eHealth components, for instance, would require no or substantially less involvement of clinical staff, with favorable clinical implications in terms of intervention cost and availability, as well as the allocation of health care resources.
Study Limitations
-----------------
Follow-up data beyond posttreatment measurements were too limited for meta-analytical assessment. Furthermore, the results are limited to adult populations scoring generally well above the threshold for severe OSA; it is unclear whether the results could be generalized to younger populations or those with less severe OSA. Another limitation was the moderate-to-high heterogeneity in the results between the included studies, as well as the high risk of bias in some studies for one or more dimensions. The type and intensity of CAU provided in the control condition varied considerably, potentially biasing the results. The null findings in our subgroup or moderator analyses should be interpreted with caution, as the analyses may have been underpowered. Further limitations lie in the fact that not all studies performed conventional polysomnography to diagnose patients and that CPAP may not have always been manually titrated. We did not search for gray literature, and we searched only for literature published after 2000. Finally, in several studies, routine or as-needed telephone support was part of CAU, whereas in other studies, it was confined to the experimental intervention condition.
Directions for Future Research
------------------------------
Economic evaluations are needed to determine the cost-effectiveness of eHealth adherence interventions in comparison with CAU. To our knowledge, only two studies \[[@ref34],[@ref41]\] have carried out such economic evaluations. The results of both these studies suggested the use of eHealth adherence interventions to produce effects similar to those of traditional care, with significant cost saving by, for example, reducing travel costs and productivity losses \[[@ref34]\], and reductions in face-to-face visits to the sleep clinic \[[@ref41]\]. Future studies could specifically adopt both societal and health care perspectives in examining cost-effectiveness in comparison with CAU.
Another future research direction would be to investigate the long-term effectiveness of eHealth interventions in improving adherence to CPAP treatment. What happens when patients are no longer monitored or followed up by visits to the clinic after their first months using the CPAP device?
Currently, little is known about which eHealth strategies or components are most effective in increasing CPAP adherence. Such information could help design the most efficient and effective interventions. Future studies could also investigate the benefits of eHealth adherence interventions for individuals with moderate levels of OSA.
With regard to methodology, future studies should carefully take into account the various risks of bias identified in many studies in this review, that is, outcome measures should be defined a priori and should be adequately reported, an intent-to-treat design should be adopted when analyzing the data, and any baseline imbalances should be adequately accounted.
Finally, an interesting direction for future research would be to examine the potential of incorporating psychological theories and models into eHealth adherence interventions. Promising results have already been reported for interventions based on cognitive-behavioral treatment principles \[[@ref47]\] and motivational interviewing \[[@ref48],[@ref49]\]. Such interventions can maximize adherence by focusing on negative or distorted beliefs or attitudes, outcome expectations, perceived self-efficacy, and motivational issues.
Practical Implications
----------------------
The current findings suggest that a broad range of eHealth interventions are effective in increasing adherence to CPAP treatment. Given the literature showing that higher CPAP adherence is generally associated with better outcomes, the potential of eHealth should be further explored and exploited. We therefore recommend assessing personal pathways in more detail to determine who can benefit the most from digitally enabled adherence support. Research is also needed on the cost-effectiveness of interventions and on how they might be implemented on a large scale.
Conclusions
-----------
Providing eHealth interventions to adults with OSA during CPAP treatment can improve treatment adherence in the initial months, increasing the mean nightly duration of use by about half an hour. eHealth technologies can also be employed as tools to deliver standardized education and to monitor patients more closely in daily life. This enables the early detection of problems and nonadherence and allows timely and appropriate responses at a distance. More information is still needed about the specific types of eHealth interventions and the timing, duration, and intensity of eHealth interventions that health care providers could effectively implement.
This study was funded by the Dutch National Health Care Institute. We would like to thank Caroline Planting for her help in conducting the literature search and Dr Lotte Hermsen for providing content support.
Conflicts of Interest: None declared.
Search string.
An overview of the relevant characteristics of each of the included studies (n=19).
APAP
: automatically adjusted positive airway pressure
CAU
: care as usual
COPD
: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
CPAP
: continuous positive airway pressure
eHealth
: electronic health
OSA
: obstructive sleep apnea
| |
47 Million Year Old Fly Found With a Belly Full of Pollen
In what is considered a world first, scientists have discovered a 47 million-year-old fossilized fly with a stomach full of pollen. This find proves that ancient flies fed on the microspores of several different species of subtropical plants.
"The rich pollen content we discovered in the fly’s stomach suggests that flies were already feeding and transporting pollen 47 million years ago and shows it played an important role in the pollen dispersal of several plant taxa", said in a statement Fridgeir Grímsson from the Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research of the University of Vienna.
"Flies were major pollinators in ancient (sub-)tropical equivalent ecosystems and might even have outshined the bees."
The fossil was discovered in a disused quarry near Frankfurt, Germany. The scientists have identified the fossilized fly as a novel species of ancient, short-proboscid fly also known as Hirmoneura messelense.
The contents of the belly of this fly were remarkably well preserved and showed traces of pollen from several plant families.
"The fly fed on pollen from at least four plant families—Lythraceae, Vitaceae, Sapotaceae, and Oleaceae—and presumably pollinated flowers of two extant genera, Decodon and Parthenocissus. We interpret the feeding and foraging behavior of the fly, reconstruct its preferred habitat, and conclude about its pollination role and importance in paratropical environments," wrote the researchers in their study.
"This represents the first evidence that short-proboscid nemestrinid flies fed, and possibly feed to this day, on pollen, demonstrating how fossils can provide vital information on the behavior of insects and their ecological relationships with plants."
The scientists also speculated that the fly fed on plants that grew close to each other at the forest margin surrounding the ancient Messel lake. "It is likely that the fly avoided long-distance flights between food sources and sought pollen from closely associated plants", concluded Grímsson.
The study was published in the journal Current Biology. | https://interestingengineering.com/science/47-million-year-old-fly-found-with-a-belly-full-of-pollen |
In a collaborative project with the Stokes Nature Center in Logan Canyon, Utah and Campbell Scientific, a manufacturer of premier meteorological instruments, integrative, interactive displays and programs were developed and piloted. The displays and programs use the natural themes observable in the surrounding environment with a goal of helping children and adults learn important mathematical and scientific principles centered on the study of weather and climate. The centerpiece of the education programs and displays is a weather station sited near the Nature Center. This station presents a display within the Nature Center and includes interpretative plots of the data. Data are integrated with other data from nearby stations. Displays are included to explain the weather and climate of the region.
Additionally, a curriculum has been developed for visiting school groups and for teachers who wish to develop classroom meteorology units. Physical Science and Mathematics State Core Curriculum objectives are integrated in the presentation and study of meteorology through hands-on displays and experiments. Teachers are given a pre-site curriculum designed to enable groups of students to become experts in a particular aspect of meteorology (atmospheric pressure, cloud cover and type, wind speed and direction, humidity and precipitation, plus solar radiation). When the students visit the Nature Center for the on-site program, they are reorganized into groups that include an expert in each aspect. The groups continue to learn and observe environmental variables using both simple and complex instruments. Groups of students are aided in integrating and interpreting their observations and data. Students use this integrated picture to predict the next day's weather and its impact on outdoor activities. Teachers then follow-up in the classroom to assess the children's predictions. The post-site curriculum gives students the opportunity to further investigate areas that most interest them in meteorology, mathematics, and the technology of measuring environmental variables. In this way, school children learn about meteorology in the natural environment plus use mathematical skills to put their newfound knowledge to work.
The programs and displays have been piloted and feedback indicates a high level of success. Teachers had a high level of satisfaction with the program. In addition, the children deem the program to be fun, effective learning.
Supplementary URL: | https://ams.confex.com/ams/annual2003/webprogram/Paper51590.html |
You are here: Home / Women and Writing / Want to Be a Good Novel Writer?
How do you become a good novel writer?
Put in the time. A long time. About ten years.
Sure, for a few writers, they’re prodigies like Mary Shelley, who wrote the classic Frankenstein before her twentieth birthday. For the rest of us who juggle other demands in our lives, it takes years.
I’ve put in the time. I’m back working on chapters of my latest novel, and I can feel that the writing is better, much better than I’ve ever produced before.
Last week I read a chapter to my writing critique group, Puget Sound Writers’ Guild, who are an educated, sophisticated, and picky bunch. They echoed what I thought was wrong with the chapter, but overall the consensus was that it was darn good.
There’s a handful of Guild members who have been around for years. I’ve seen them progress. My friend Jeremy is one such writer. He gets up extra early every day to spend time writing before he goes to work. Years have gone by. He was good before, but now he’s great.
I’ve also seen newbies come into the group, with stars in their eyes how they’re going to “make it rich” by banging out a novel in six months. Their writing isn’t great, and they don’t stick around long enough to get better.
Malcolm Gladwell is well known for stating that it takes 10,000 hours to become proficient at something. Doing the math, that’s putting in 1,000 hours for 10 years, which sounds daunting.
It is. Writing a great novel takes time. | https://kathleencolvin.com/women-and-writing/want-to-be-a-good-novel-writer/ |
Patients who suffering with Covid-19 virus are highly benificial by getting physicaltherapy Treatment. Physicaltheapy perform specialized exercises for lungs and peform hihly skilled prone position exercises by using postural drainage techniqes.
Oxygen transport from the lungs to body tissues can be limited in patients with an ineffective cough or an impairment of normal mechanisms of mucociliary clearance. An array of techniques for assisting the mobilization of airway secretions is available for patients and caregivers to augment a patient’s own mechanisms. When prescribing an optimal method of airway clearance, the caregiver must consider the pathophysiology and the clinical manifestations of the disease, the physiological basis of the method, availability of the technique to the patient, and the patient’s acceptance of the technique.
This chapter reviews the physiological basis of each airway clearance technique (ACT), the history of its use, and research on its effectiveness. An introduction to the application of these techniques to patients is presented. Also addressed are the benefits and burdens of each technique, contraindications and precautions, and practical concerns regarding patient care.
Evidence for the use of airway clearance techniques is often difficult to evaluate, in part due to agreement that top-level evidence on this topic is lacking.1a-b The components of a given treatment have not been standardized and the literature refers to ACTs using a variety of terms, including chest physiotherapy, chest physical therapy (CPT), bronchial drainage, postural drainage (PD) therapy, and bronchial hygiene. In addition, the availability of equipment and cultural differences in its application confound research results. Differences in the outcome measures for a given technique also occur—some studies use wet or dry (dehydrated) sputum volume or radioaerosol clearance, whereas other studies use pulmonary function tests, radiographic evidence, or arterial blood gases to asses the effectiveness of a specific technique. The majority of secretion clearance research has been focused on patients with cystic fibrosis, as the need for ongoing secretion removal is apparent in this population. However, results showing a treatment to be effective in one cross section of patients must not be generalized to apply to the treatment across all patients with pulmonary disease.
Historically, the gold standard of airway clearance has been a combination of postural drainage, percussion, and vibration with cough. This has been challenged1b-c as more techniques have been demonstrated to be effective. Postural drainage and percussion have been shown to be ineffective in some cases and, in fact, to be detrimental to pulmonary status in others. Caregivers have also been shown to suffer from the performance of percussion; repetitive-motion injuries of the wrists have been documented as a result of regular performance of percussion.2,3
Alternative techniques have arisen out of the need to find effective methods for those patients not responsive to traditional methods. A desire to increase adherence with airway clearance, especially in patients approaching adolescence and adulthood, has led to an investigation of more independent techniques.4 Many of these techniques have been practiced longer in other countries, but are now commonly used by practitioners in the United States.
It is important to remember, however, that secretion clearance is just one step toward realizing effective gas exchange in the complex oxygen transport pathway.5 Airway clearance, when indicated, should be integrated into a comprehensive plan of care, including positioning and mobilization, to optimize oxygen transport.
Airway Clearance Techniques
Airway clearance techniques differ with respect to equipment needs, the skill level required to perform them, and their usefulness with various clinical problems. Matching a patient with an appropriate method or combination of methods may increase effectiveness, reduce complications, and promote long-term adherence to the treatment. This will, in turn, assist with achieving the goals of airway clearance: reducing airway obstruction, improving ventilation, and optimizing gas exchange.
Preparation for any secretion removal technique should include evaluation of the patient’s pulmonary status so that measures may be compared before and after a treatment is provided. A physical examination, including inspection, palpation, measurement of vital signs, and chest auscultation, provides assessment of a treatment’s effectiveness. Other outcome measures include chest radiographs, arterial blood gas measurements, and pulmonary function studies. An adequate intake of fluids (as allowed) decreases the viscosity of the secretions, allowing easier mobilization.
Several factors must be taken into account when scheduling an optimal time for airway clearance. At least 30 minutes to 1 hour should be allowed for the completion of tube feedings or meals. The inhalation of bronchodilator medications should take place before airway clearance maneuvers to improve secretion removal by opening the airways. Inhaled antibiotics are best scheduled after airway clearance has taken place for optimal deposition of medication. If necessary, adequate pain control should be provided to receive a patient’s best effort and cooperation with a treatment.
Exercise for Airway Clearance
In addition to improving many outcomes in patients with lung disease, exercise has been shown to assist in secretion clearance.25-28 Exercise increases mucociliary transport in patients with chronic bronchitis.28 Higher transpulmonary pressure with aerobic exercise may open closed bronchi, as well as increase collateral ventilation to allow mucus to be moved.26 It has also been shown that exercise-induced hyperventilation is more effective than eucapnic hyperventilation in mobilizing bronchial secretions.29 The contribution of increased expiratory airflow and exercise-induced coughing are other factors in improving secretion removal. Exercise for secretion clearance has focused on aerobic or endurance exercise; however, any form of exercise must be adapted to the individual patient’s status and abilities.
Based on a lack of decrease in lung function following the cessation of PD and percussion but the continuation of an exercise program, or based on the improvement in pulmonary function, exercise has been recommended as a replacement for a conventional chest physiotherapy routine in some patients or at some stages of lung disease.26,27,30,31 In hospitalized patients with cystic fibrosis, no significant change in pulmonary function was reported when exercise was substituted for two of three daily treatments of PD, percussion, and vibration, and the weight of the sputum produced was equivalent.30 In terms of mucus cleared, no significant differences were found among exercise on a cycle ergometer, postural drainage, and PEP mask breathing.32 Increases in sputum expectoration on exercise days as opposed to nonexercise days have also been reported.27,33
However, other studies conclude that exercise alone is not sufficient and recommend its use as a complement to other forms of airway clearance. Airway clearance using PD and FET was shown to be more effective than exercise with a cycle ergometer in inducing sputum expectoration.34 Results from Bilton and colleagues35 demonstrated that any modality that included the active cycle of breathing technique (ACBT) in PD positions alone or in combination with exercise is better than exercise alone at clearing sputum.
It is difficult to compare these studies, however, because the mode and length of exercise differ, as do the outcome measures of effectiveness of airway clearance. Exercise as an airway clearance technique is not suitable for the very young (younger than 4 to 5 years of age), for patients with neuromuscular limitations, or for patients with limited exercise tolerance. Moreover, the potential need for supplemental oxygen during exercise should be monitored. Nonetheless, evidence suggests that an exercise program, in addition to clearing secretions, may decrease morbidity and mortality by improving exercise capacity.36,37
Treatment with Exercise
A walking program requires only a suitable pair of shoes and a safe location. Higher-impact exercise, because of increased stress on the knees, requires shoes specifically for that purpose. Clothing should be appropriate for the weather if exercising outdoors.
Exercise equipment suitable for a patient who is beginning an exercise program includes the treadmill, bicycle ergometer, elliptical trainer, mini-trampoline, or arm ergometer. For more accomplished exercisers or patients with a higher exercise tolerance, equipment may include a stair climber, cross-country ski machine, or rowing machine. Numerous other exercise equipment options are available; the patient’s interests should be the primary factor for choosing.
Tools to monitor a patient’s response to exercise include a sphygmomanometer, stethoscope, heart rate monitor, pulse oximeter, and a scale to measure patient’s level of perceived exertion (Figure 21-1). In a home setting, patients should be knowledgeable in self-monitoring exercise intensity. For those patients who require closer monitoring, a pulse oximeter may be rented from an oxygen supply company. Monitoring of vital signs before and during exercise, and during recovery, will allow titration of the workload for optimal performance.
Supplemental oxygen and oxygen delivery supplies will be necessary for those patients who exhibit oxygen desaturation during exercise.
Patients with hyperreactive airways should be premedicated with a prescribed bronchodilator before an exercise session.
The principles of an exercise prescription addressing mode, intensity, duration, and frequency, as well as principles of “warm up” and “cool down,” should be followed when using exercise as a form of airway clearance. Individualizing an exercise program for each patient is of the utmost importance.
Patients hospitalized for an acute exacerbation may not be able to initially perform endurance exercise. These patients should be started slowly and progressed as tolerated; consider using interval training.
The patient should be instructed in huffing or controlled coughing to expectorate secretions as they are loosened.
A regular, consistent program of exercise should be scheduled around the patient’s daily activities to achieve adherence (e.g., walking the dog, sports at school, stopping by the health club after work).
Advantages and Disadvantages of Exercise
Exercise has the advantage of being the only airway clearance technique that is performed regularly by people without lung disease. This factor can make it appealing to those patients who do not want to call attention to their differences from their peers. Exercise may improve self-esteem, a sense of well-being, and quality of life. Higher levels of exercise tolerance in patients with cystic fibrosis have been demonstrated to improve survival.37
Some patients may not tolerate the amount or frequency of exercise necessary for this to be the sole method of airway clearance. Thus various airway clearance techniques can be used as adjuncts to exercise. This is particularly true during an acute exacerbation when activity tolerance is limited, or in infants or patients with neurological or musculoskeletal limitations. Andreasson26 observed that regular contact with a caregiver seems to be necessary for successful exercise training, as does family support, especially in young children. This points out the difficulty with adherence to a home program. Adherence will also be affected by a patient’s preference for a particular activity, scheduling conflicts, and commitment by friends and family members.
Precautions for Using Exercise
Several precautions must be observed when using exercise as a form of airway clearance. Care must be taken in prescribing exercise to patients with hyperreactive airways or a tendency toward oxygen desaturation. Desaturation has been shown to occur with exercise in individuals with pulmonary disease,38,39 and therefore it becomes prudent to monitor oxygen saturation, providing supplemental oxygen for the exercise period when indicated. Exercise-induced bronchospasm must also be considered when pulmonary compromise is seen with exercise, especially with higher-intensity exercise.40 When medication is indicated, it is recommended to provide an inhaled bronchodilator 20 to 30 minutes before exercise to alleviate this symptom.41 Use of bronchodilator medication and supplemental oxygen may be necessary to improve exercise tolerance, but these patients require closer monitoring as well. Andreasson26 reports a risk for pneumothorax associated with exercise in patients with extensive bullae.
Contraindications and Precautions for Manual and Mechanical Airway Clearance Techniques
In patients who are very young, who have limited ability to cooperate, or who are not adherent to other ACTs, percussion, shaking, and vibration offer methods for dislodging retained secretions. However, because of the force transmitted to the thoracic cage with these techniques, there are many precautions and contraindications to consider. The therapist should not make this decision alone but should seek direction from the medical team. These treatments are not completely benign and should not be performed in the absence of good indications.42
Percussion has been shown to contribute to a fall in PaO2 in acutely ill patients,43 especially in patients with cardiovascular instability44 and in neonates.45 The factor that seems most closely associated with or predictive of this effect is the patient’s baseline PaO2.42 Cardiac dysrhythmias have been associated with chest percussion for bronchial drainage11 and Huseby46 hypothesizes that hypoxemia may be the underlying mechanism of CPT-caused cardiac arrhythmias.
Patients with hyperreactive airways (e.g., asthma) show intolerance for percussion as part of airway clearance. Campbell and colleagues47 demonstrated a fall in FEV1 associated with percussion; it was not evident when percussion was omitted. Administration of a bronchodilator before treatment with percussion precluded the fall in FEV1. Wheezing has also been associated with percussion and vibration in patients with cystic fibrosis and COPD.48,49
Box 21-1 summarizes the precautions and contraindications for external manipulation of the thorax associated with percussion, shaking, and high-frequency chest compression. Vibration involves less force to the thorax and may be better tolerated than the aforementioned techniques. A nebulized bronchodilator may be administered during a treatment of high-frequency chest compression to avoid the consequences of hyperreactive airways. Box 21-1 Contraindications to External Manipulation of the Thorax in Addition to Contraindications for Postural Drainage
Recent epidural spinal infusion or spinal anesthesia
Recent skin grafts or flaps on the thorax
Burns, open wounds, and skin infections of the thorax
Suspected pulmonary tuberculosis
Additional contraindications for percussion of a neonate
Intolerance to treatment as indicated by low oxygen saturation values
Hemoptysis From AARC Clinical Practice Guideline: Postural drainage therapy, Respiratory Care 36:1418-1426, 1991; and Crane L: Physical therapy for the neonate with respiratory disease. In Irwin S, Tecklin JS, editors: Cardiopulmonary physical therapy, St. Louis, 1985, Mosby.
Postural Drainage
Postural drainage, also known as bronchial drainage, is a passive technique in which the patient is placed in positions that allow gravity to assist with the drainage of secretions from the bronchopulmonary tree. PD is accomplished by positioning the patient so that the angle of the lung segment to be drained allows gravity to have its greatest effect (Figure 21-2). Positioning the patient to assist the flow of bronchial secretions from the airways has been a standard treatment for some time in patients with retained secretions.50
Knowledge of the anatomy of the tracheobronchial tree is vital to effective treatment. Each lobe to be drained must be aligned so that gravity can mobilize the secretions from the periphery to the larger, more central airways. The mechanism of postural drainage is considered to be a direct effect of gravity on bronchial secretions, although observations made by Lannefors (1992)32 that gravity also influences regional lung ventilation and volume suggest that these mechanisms are also involved.
PD has been shown to be effective in mobilizing secretions in patients with cystic fibrosis,51,52 bronchiectasis,10 and other pulmonary diseases.53,54 Other treatments, such as percussion, vibration, and the active cycle of breathing technique (ACBT), may be used while the patient is in postural drainage positions.
There are, however, many contraindications to gravity-enhancing positioning for PD. Recent studies have reported adverse effects of head-down or Trendelenburg positions required for the lower lobes. Modified positions should be used for head-down positions unless it has been shown to be effective in a particular patient. The head of the bed should remain flat instead of being tipped into the Trendelenburg (head down) position.
Preparation for Postural Drainage
For the hospitalized patient, electric beds allow patients to be positioned more easily. Air therapy beds, most often used in the intensive care unit (ICU), are valuable aids for positioning, especially in patients who are large or unresponsive.
In the ICU, it is imperative to be familiar with the multiple lines, tubes, and other devices attached to the patient (see Chapter 16). Allow enough slack from each device to position a patient for postural drainage.
Ensure there are enough staff members to position the patient with as little stress to both patient and staff as possible.55
For treatment in the clinic, have foam wedges or pillows available for positioning.
For home treatment, aids in positioning might include pillows, sofa cushions, or a bean-bag chair.
Nebulized bronchodilators or mucolytics before PD may facilitate the mobilization of sputum.
For the patient with an adequate cough to expectorate secretions, have tissues or a specimen cup available. Have suctioning equipment ready to remove secretions from an artificial airway or the patient’s oral or nasal cavity after the treatment. Refer to Chapter 43 for a discussion of suctioning.
Treatment with Postural Drainage
After determining the lobe of the lung to be treated by auscultation and chest x-ray, position the patient in the appropriate position, supporting the patient comfortably in the position indicated (see Figure 21-2).
If postural drainage is used exclusively, each position should be maintained for 5 to 10 minutes, if tolerated, or longer when focusing on a specific lobe. Coordinating the positioning with nursing care for skin pressure relief may allow the time spent in a position to be extended. If postural drainage is used in conjunction with another technique, the time in each position may be decreased. For example, if percussion and vibration are performed while the patient is in each PD position, 3 to 5 minutes is sufficient.
A patient who requires close monitoring should not be left unattended, but this may be appropriate if a patient is alert and able to reposition himself or herself.
It is not always necessary to treat each affected lung segment during every treatment; this may prove to be too fatiguing for the patient. The most affected lobes should be addressed with the first treatment of the day, with the other affected areas addressed during subsequent treatment(s).
The patient should be encouraged to take deep breaths and cough after each position, if possible, and again after the treatment is completed. Having the patient sit upright or lean forward optimizes this effort by allowing the use of the abdominals for a stronger cough.55
Mobilization of secretions may not be apparent immediately after the treatment, but this may occur up to 1 hour later. The patient should be thus informed and reminded to clear secretions at a later time. A health care practitioner or family member should be included in this aspect of treatment, especially with patients who need encouragement.55
Advantages and Disadvantages of Postural Drainage
Postural drainage is relatively easy to learn; the patient and/or caregiver must be familiar with the appropriate positioning for the affected lung fields. Treatment in the hospital may be coordinated with other patient activities, such as positioning for skin pressure relief, bathing, or positioning for a test or procedure. Home treatment can be coordinated with activities such as reading or watching television.
For many patients, optimal PD positions will be contraindicated for a variety of reasons and modified positions should be used. Adherence to PD may be a challenge because of the length of the treatment; this is especially challenging in the pediatric population, who will require considerable distraction to maintain a desired position for the appropriate length of time. Children who are able to role-play the treatment—for instance, with a doll or stuffed toy—may better understand what is expected and be more cooperative with therapy.
The cost of the equipment required for PD is minimal. The cost of a caregiver’s time to provide the treatment, however, especially in the case of a chronic disease, may be substantial. A family member should be taught the procedure, if possible, to decrease the cost and provide flexibility in scheduling.
General Precautions and Contraindications to Postural Drainage Positioning
It is essential that the therapist and the health care team discuss treatment priorities when deciding to use PD positions. A decision to use postural drainage might be made despite a contraindication if the benefits are thought to outweigh the risks in a particular case. For example, it is known that use of the Trendelenburg (head-down) position increases intracranial pressure in patients after neurosurgery.56 However, if the patient develops atelectasis, the stress of respiratory embarrassment may also increase intracranial pressure. In this instance, the decision may be made to position the patient to clear the atelectasis and subsequently return to a modified conservative regimen.55
A fall in arterial O2 saturation has been reported with the use of postural drainage for airway clearance, although the effects of PD were not separated from additional techniques.46,57 Therefore O2 saturation levels should be monitored during treatment, especially in patients with known low PaO2 values.
Caution must also be used in treating a patient with end-stage lung disease in postural drainage positions because of the risk for hemoptysis.58,59 Decreased cardiac output60,61 has been associated with chest physiotherapy treatment; however, the effects of postural drainage were not separated from those of percussion and vibration.
Many physical therapists working with the pediatric population almost never use the head-down position in treating infants but rather a modified routine that excludes the Trendelenburg position. The head-down position has been shown to increase the incidence of gastroesophageal reflux in neonates.16 Button and colleagues62 found that the head-down position is associated with gastroesophageal reflux, distressed behavior, and lower oxygen saturation in infants with cystic fibrosis. It should be noted that a finding of gastroesophageal reflux can occur even 1 hour after treatment. A modified routine that eliminates head-down positioning is associated with fewer respiratory complications.63 Box 21-2 summarizes the precautions and contraindications concerning postural drainage. Box 21-2 Contraindications for Postural Drainage
All Positions Are Contraindicated for the Following
Intracranial pressure (ICP) >20 mm Hg
Head and neck injury until stabilized
Active hemorrhage with hemodynamic instability
Recent spinal surgery (e.g., laminectomy) or acute spinal injury
Pulmonary edema associated with heart failure (HF)
Older, confused, or anxious patients
Rib fracture, with or without flail chest
Surgical wound or healing tissue
Trendelenburg Position Is Contraindicated for the Following
Patients in whom increased ICP is to be avoided
Recent gross hemoptysis related to recent lung carcinoma
Uncontrolled airway at risk for aspiration
Trendelenburg Position Is Contraindicated for the Following Cases in Neonates
Untreated tension pneumothorax
Recent tracheoesophageal fistula repair
Recent eye or intracranial surgery
Intraventricular hemorrhage (grades III and IV)
Acute heart failure or cor pulmonale From AARC Clinical Practice Guideline: Postural drainage therapy, Respiratory Care 36:1418-1426, 1991; and Crane L: Physical therapy for the neonate with respiratory disease. In Irwin S, Tecklin JS, editors: Cardiopulmonary physical therapy, St. Louis, 1985, Mosby.
Percussion
Percussion, sometimes referred to as chest clapping, is a traditional approach to secretion mobilization. A rhythmical force is applied with a caregiver’s cupped hands against the thorax, over the involved lung segments, trapping air between the patient’s thorax and the caregiver’s hands (Figure 21-3), with the aim of dislodging or loosening bronchial secretions from the airways so they may be removed by suctioning or expectoration. This technique is performed during both the inspiratory and expiratory phases of breathing. Percussion is used in postural drainage positions for increased effectiveness64,65 and may also be used during ACBT. For individuals with pulmonary disease, percussion in conjunction with postural drainage continues to be a mainstay of the treatment, especially for pediatric patients and patients who are unresponsive.
The proposed mechanism of action of percussion is the transmission of a wave of energy through the chest wall into the lung. This wave loosens secretions from the bronchial wall and moves them proximally, where ciliary motion and cough (or suction) can remove them. The combination of postural drainage and percussion has been shown to be effective in secretion removal.66-68
A handheld mechanical percussor can be used by a caregiver to minimize fatigue or may be used by the patient to self-administer percussion. The effectiveness of mechanical as opposed to manual percussion has been studied. Maxwell and Redmond69 found mechanical percussion equivalent to manual percussion in effecting removal of secretions. Although there was a significant increase in pulmonary function with manual techniques, Pryor and colleagues70,71 supported the use of mechanical percussion in patients, using the forced expiration technique. A study by Rossman and colleagues72 was in disagreement, finding that mechanical percussion did not enhance postural drainage in secretion removal.
There are contraindications to percussion. If a patient’s pulmonary status is of greater concern than the relative contraindications, a decision may be made to administer the treatment, with appropriate modifications.
Preparation for Percussion
The only equipment required for manual percussion is the caregiver’s cupped hands to deliver the force to mobilize secretions.
For the adult and older pediatric population, electric or pneumatic percussors that mechanically simulate percussion are available. This enables a patient to apply self-percussion more effectively. Several models have variable frequencies of percussion, as well as different levels of intensity.
Several devices, including padded rubber nipples, pediatric anesthesia masks, padded medicine cups, or the bell end of a stethoscope may be used to provide percussion to infants whose chest walls are too small to accommodate the size of an adult’s hand.
Placing the patient in appropriate PD positions (as the patient’s condition allows) enhances the effect of percussion.
A thin towel or hospital gown should cover the patient’s skin where the percussion is to be applied. The force of percussion over bare skin may be uncomfortable; however, padding that is too thick absorbs the force of the percussion without benefit to the patient.
Adjust the level of the bed so that the caregiver may use proper body mechanics during the treatment. The caregiver may become excessively fatigued or injured as a result of lengthy or numerous treatments if proper body mechanics are ignored.
Treatment with Percussion
Position the hand in the shape of a cup with the fingers and thumb adducted. It is important to maintain this cupped position with the hands throughout the treatment, while letting the wrists, arms, and shoulders stay relaxed.
The sound of percussion should be hollow as opposed to a slapping sound. If erythema occurs with percussion, it is usually a result of slapping or not trapping enough air between the hand and the chest wall.73
The patient will better tolerate an even, steady rhythm. The rate of manual percussion delivered by caregivers can vary between 100 and 480 times per minute.73
The force applied to the chest wall from each hand should be equal. If the nondominant hand is not able to keep up with the dominant hand, the rate should be slowed to match that of the slower hand. It might be helpful to start with the nondominant hand and let the dominant hand match the nondominant hand.55 The force does not have to be excessive to be effective; the amount of force should be adapted to the patient’s comfort.
If the size of an infant does not allow use of a full hand, percussion may be done manually with four fingers cupped, three fingers with the middle finger “tented,” or the thenar and hypothenar surfaces of the hand.74
Hand position should be such that percussion does not occur over bony prominences of the patient. The spinous processes of the vertebrae, the spine of the scapula, and the clavicle should all be avoided. Percussion over the floating ribs should also be avoided because these ribs have only a single attachment.
Percussion should not be performed over breast tissue. This will produce discomfort and diminish the effectiveness of the treatment. In the case of very large breasts, it may be necessary to move the breast out of the way with one hand (or ask the patient to do this) and percuss with the other hand.
A patient may be taught to perform one-handed self-percussion to those areas that can be reached comfortably, either manually or with a mechanical percussor. This does, however, virtually preclude the treatment of the posterior lung segments.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Percussion
The addition of percussion to a PD treatment may enhance secretion clearance and shorten the treatment. Patients, especially young children and infants, often find the rhythm soothing and are relaxed and sedated by percussion.
Patients with chronic lung disease who have used PD and percussion for many years and have found it effective may be reluctant to try an alternative method of airway clearance. Acceptance of this method is dependent on the consistent availability of a family member or other caregiver to provide the treatment. Mechanical percussors allow a patient more independence or decrease fatigue of a caregiver, and they are especially useful in patients requiring ongoing treatment at home.
Percussion is not well tolerated by many patients postoperatively without adequate pain control. The force of percussion may also be contraindicated in patients with osteoporosis or coagulopathy. Percussion has been associated with a fall in oxygen saturation, which can be eliminated with concurrent thoracic expansion exercises and pauses for breathing control.75
Delivering percussion for extended periods on an ongoing basis can result in injury to the caregiver, whether a family member or a health care provider; repetitive motion injuries of the upper extremities may occur in long-term delivery of percussion for airway clearance.
The expense of a mechanical device for percussion is minimal compared with the ongoing cost of a caregiver to provide percussion and PD, either in the hospital setting or at home. In the case of young children or unresponsive patients, there are few choices for airway clearance. For other populations, however, a more independent method can prove to be more cost-effective if adequate adherence is achieved.
Vibration and Shaking
The techniques of vibration and shaking are on opposite ends of a spectrum. Vibration involves a gentle, high-frequency force, whereas shaking is more vigorous in nature. Vibration is delivered through a sustained co-contraction of the caregiver’s upper extremities to produce a vibratory force while applying pressure to the chest wall over the involved lung segment. Shaking is similar in application to vibration, and is described as a bouncing maneuver, sometimes referred to as “rib springing,” supplying a concurrent, compressive force to the chest wall. Like percussion, vibration and shaking are used in conjunction with PD positioning. Unlike percussion, they are performed only during the expiratory phase of breathing, starting with peak inspiration and continuing until the end of expiration. The compressive forces follow the movement of the chest wall. Both techniques require the assistance of a caregiver, but a mechanical vibrator may be used in place of manual vibration.
It is proposed that vibration and shaking enhance mucociliary transport from the periphery of the lung fields to the larger, central airways. Because the compressive force to the thorax is greater with shaking than vibration, it produces increased chest wall displacement, and the stretch of the respiratory muscles may produce an increased inspiratory effort and lung volume.76 The same relative contraindications for percussion should be observed for shaking, because it involves the application of force to the thorax.
Pavia77 demonstrated a higher, though not statistically significant, rate of secretion clearance and sputum production with vibration. However, this study was conducted while subjects were in the upright position only, which does not replicate the use of vibration clinically. Many studies do not separate the effects of vibration from the components of PD and percussion because they are often used in conjunction. In fact, many studies describe the techniques of PD, percussion, and vibration or shaking as a single entity and refer to the treatment as chest physical therapy or postural drainage therapy. Mackenzie and colleagues78 demonstrated significant improvement in total lung/thorax compliance after treatment with postural drainage, percussion, and vibration in mechanically ventilated patients. Feldman and colleagues48 demonstrated improved ventilatory function by improved expiratory flow rates in patients receiving postural drainage, percussion, vibration, and directed coughing.
Preparation for Vibration and Shaking
For manual techniques, the caregiver’s hands are the only “equipment” required.
Mechanical vibrators are available to administer the treatment and are useful for self-treatment by a patient or to reduce fatigue in the caregiver.
For infants, a padded electric toothbrush may be used.74
Place the patient in the appropriate PD position or modified position, as the patient’s status allows.
Place a thin towel or hospital gown over the patient’s skin. The material should not be thick enough to absorb the effect of the vibration or shaking.
Proper body position of the caregiver is important to deliver an effective treatment and to decrease caregiver fatigue.
Treatment with Vibration and Shaking
For vibration, the hands may be placed side by side or on top of each other, as shown in Figure 21-4. As with shaking, the patient is instructed to take in a deep breath while in a proper PD position. A gentle but steady co-contraction of the upper extremities is performed to vibrate the chest wall, beginning at the peak of inspiration and following the movement of chest deflation. The frequency of manual vibration is between 12 and 20 Hz.44,53
For shaking, with the patient in the appropriate PD position, place your hands over the lobe of the lung to be treated and instruct the patient to take in a deep breath. At the peak of inspiration, apply a slow (approximately 2 times per second), rhythmic bouncing pressure to the chest wall until the end of expiration. The hands follow the movement of the chest as the air is exhaled. The frequency of shaking is 2 Hz.44,53
If the patient is mechanically ventilated, the previously described techniques needs to be coordinated with ventilator-controlled exhalation.
If the patient has a rapid respiratory rate, either voluntary or ventilator-controlled, it may be necessary to apply vibration or shaking only during every other exhalation.
A mobile chest wall is necessary to apply a compressive force without causing discomfort. If a patient has limited chest wall compliance, vibration will probably be better tolerated than shaking.
Mechanical vibrators may be used by the unattended patient, although only limited attention can be paid to the posterior portions of the lungs.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Vibration and Shaking
The use of vibration and/or shaking in addition to PD may enhance the mobilization of secretions. Shaking or vibration may be better tolerated than percussion, especially in the postsurgical patient. Manual vibration and shaking allows the caregiver to assess the pattern and depth of respiration. The stretch on the muscles of respiration during expiration may encourage a deeper subsequent inspiration. A mechanical vibrator, more commonly used with pediatric patients, may be preferable for delivery of airway clearance in the long-term.
The patient cannot apply these techniques without assistance, except in a limited manner with a mechanical vibrator, so adherence and regular administration of vibration depends on caregiver availability.
The same contraindications for percussion apply because shaking and vibration involve compression to the thorax. The technique of vibration is less constrained by these contraindications than is shaking.
Manual Hyperinflation
The technique of manual hyperinflation was used more commonly in the past for patients requiring mechanical ventilation. However there is not enough evidence to promote the regular use of this technique that has many contraindications and that is not well known in the United States.80 A brief description of the technique and its precautions follows. Two caregivers are needed to perform the technique with the patient placed in PD positions.79 One caregiver uses a manual inflation bag to hyperinflate the lungs with a slow, deep inspiration and, after a short pause, provides a quick release to allow rapid exhalation. A second caregiver applies shaking or vibration at the beginning of exhalation to mobilize secretions. The technique is promoted to mobilize secretions and reinflate collapsed areas of the lung and is likened to simulating a cough—deep inspiration, pause, and forceful exhalation. | https://kidneynest.com/author/admin/page/2/ |
Government of Canada and the A-Tlegay Member Nations Sign the Reconciliation Framework Agreement for Fisheries Resources
OTTAWA, ON, Feb. 10, 2021 /CNW/ - Today the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honourable Bernadette Jordan, the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, and the Chiefs of the A-Tlegay Member Nations (We Wai Kai Nation, Wei Wai Kum First Nation, Kwiakah First Nation, Tlowitsis Nation, and K'ómoks First Nation), announced the signing of the "Reconciliation Framework Agreement for Fisheries Resources." All five nations have a long history of marine use and stewardship in the northern Gulf of Georgia and the Johnstone Strait region, and the Framework Agreement commits the Parties to work together based on recognition of rights, respect, cooperation and partnership.
The Framework Agreement forms a common fisheries negotiation table between the Government of Canada and the A-Tlegay Member Nations (AMN). Through this agreement the parties are building a process that advances reconciliation in respect of fisheries resources. The goal is to expand the Nations' access to the commercial industry, including aquaculture, develop community fisheries, and create a mechanism for collaborative governance of fisheries resources.
The Government of Canada and the AMN are committed to a reconciliation process that sees them as active participants and partners in the region's fishery. Together, they are working to modernize and strengthen nation-to-nation, government-to-government structures, and through this, create opportunities for First Nations-led development of new economic initiatives in fisheries.
Negotiating fisheries issues collectively with the A-Tlegay Member Nations aligns with the Government of Canada's approach to reconciliation and the DFO-Coast Guard Reconciliation Strategy and implements the Principals' Accord On Transforming Treaty Negotiations in British Columbiato "improve and expedite treaty negotiations in British Columbia". It implements the Recognition and Reconciliation of Rights Policy for Treaty Negotiations in British Columbia that provides for the negotiation of treaties, agreements and constructive arrangements to recognize and reconcile Indigenous rights and title. It also supports the principles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). In this spirit, Canada and the A-Tlegay Member Nations are collaboratively defining the elements of a reconciliation agreement with the shared intent of securing mandates to allow the parties to conclude agreements.
Quotes
"First Nations have been stewards of our oceans for generations, and they were the first peoples to fish this land. The goal of this agreement is to ensure that the A-Tlegay Member Nations are full participants in the commercial fishery today, and for generations to come. This marks an important step forward on the path of reconciliation between our nations. It is an opportunity to work together to advance a sustainable, prosperous fishery so the members of these communities can continue to feed their families and make a living off the sea, just as their ancestors have done for centuries." The Honourable Bernadette Jordan, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
"The A-Tlegay Member Nations have a deep connection with the water and the fishery. It is an important part of their identity. This agreement to negotiate together is an important step in our collaborative efforts to renew and rebuild Canada's relationship with the A-Tlegay Member Nations. Our government is firmly committed to advancing reconciliation, respecting Indigenous treaties, and implementing First Nation rights. We invite all Canadians to join us in celebrating this important step on the journey of reconciliation with the A-Tlegay Member Nations." The Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations
Statement
As Nations with a profound connection with the fishery, we are pleased to be signing this framework agreement and look forward to continuing our collaborative work with Canada towards a comprehensive agreement that will help restore our rightful place as drivers of the fisheries economy and as stewards of our marine resources. Statement from the A-Tlegay Member Nations
Quick Facts
The A-Tlegay Member Nations are: We Wai Kai Nation, Wei Wai Kum First Nation, Kwiakah First Nation, Tlowitsis Nation, and K'ómoks First Nation. Their territories include the northern Gulf of Georgia and the Johnstone Strait area, along the central and north east coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia.
These five First Nations formed the A-Tlegay Fisheries Society in 1999 with capacity support from Fisheries and Oceans Canada's (DFO) Aboriginal Fishing Strategy (AFS) program.
All five First Nations are in advanced treaty negotiations in the British Columbia treaty process.
The goal of the Agreement signed today is the creation of a common fisheries negotiation table to discuss access to commercial fisheries, aquaculture, community-based commercial fisheries, collaborative fisheries management and capacity development elements. | |
The 28th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol (MOP28) kicked off in Kigali, yesterday, with some parties and environmentalists calling for action that will help put the world on the path toward reducing hydroflourocarbons (HFCs).
Montreal Protocol is regarded as the world’s most effective environmental treaty and expectations are high in Kigali for the next action on climate change—beginning with the ambitious amendment of the protocol.
At the opening ceremony, Tina Birmpili, executive secretary of the Ozone Secretariat at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), said “this is the time to act” regarding protecting the ozone layer and mitigating climate change.
“As we convene here in Kigali, you are part of a historic moment that has been long in the making. It has taken years of useful discussions among you to get here. Now it’s time to act. To act together to protect the global environment while leaving no country behind. This is your chance to live up to what you have been working on for the last seven years,” Birmpili said.
On the first day, it was evident that Montreal Protocol parties meeting in Kigali are making progress in their talks on controlling global warming. However, issue remains on how to phase out the dangerous greenhouse gases, availability of future technologies and its costs, and additional funding required by developing countries to transition in a sustainable and affordable manner.
Countries such as India, Pakistan and China are some of the main producers and consumers of refrigerants and they are pushing for a “balanced agreement” in the amendment process to phase down HFCs — the refrigeration and air-conditioning coolants — which are said to have a high global warming potential.
At the meeting of the 198 parties, the big consumers and producers of the coolants are trying to negotiate separate deadlines for the developed and developing nations to phase out HFCs, arguing that there is a huge financial burden on such countries during the phase-out.
Reducing global warming
Yet still, according to the study, the amendment of the protocol will ultimately help avoid up to 0.5 degree Celsius rise in global temperature by the end of the century and will significantly contribute toward the global goal of staying well below two degrees Celcius.
“Montreal Protocol amendment agreement can’t make you all happy, but it can make you all relatively happy,” Birmpili said. “Now is time to act together to protect the global environment. While each nation will always have its own priorities and challenges, by focusing on what we have in common rather than what makes us different, we can create an incredible force for positive, meaningful change.”
In Kigali, Birmpili said, it is in the world’s interest to ensure that the high-GWP HFCs are phased down, that developed countries can assist developing nations in their transition, and that developing nations commit to HFC phase down schedules without compromising their growth but putting their growth on a greener path.
She is also optimistic that, from the Kigali meeting, industries will choose “the most efficient technologies” and innovative approaches available to mitigate the effects of climate change.
Natural Resources minister Vincent Biruta called on all parties to come to the dais with the “same spirit” of collaboration and commitment to find common ground on the negotiations—which seek to amend the Montreal Protocol.
“For many of the world’s most vulnerable nations, including Rwanda, climate change is no longer an issue on the horizon. It’s a reality of our daily lives. From droughts that destroy our crops to landslides that tragically claim the lives of our sisters and brothers, we know too well the impacts of a warming planet,” Dr Biruta said.
“That is why Rwanda and many nations around the world support an ambitious amendment to the (Montreal) protocol. And if the amendment is accompanied by strong efforts to promote energy efficiency, we could double the climate benefits,” he added.
The minister expressed confidence that, while there are still some details to iron out, global experts on ozone protection and the climate, will provide guidance on the solutions and reach consensus on the pending issues.
The amendment to the Montreal treaty is believed to be a stepping stone to achieving the goals set by last year’s Paris Agreement on climate change planned to come into force within next month.
Dr Biruta said, by being courageous, by putting the future ahead of the present and amending the Montreal Protocol, the parties will send the signal that world’s governments are serious about action on climate change.
“Citizens of our countries will know that they can count on us to protect their future, end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity,” he said.
As the world strives to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, especially Goal 13 on climate action, the minister added, parties must recognise that improving lives and conserving nature cannot be separated.
London’s Environmental Investigation Agency says ambitious political will from all countries is now needed to get the best agreement possible to phase down the HFCs and adopt new environment friendly technology. | https://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/204354 |
Writing a compelling and concise challenge description for a hackathon or mass collaboration can be a daunting task. Often, organizations may have the willingness to participate but lack clear guidance on exactly what they’re challenging their participants to do or discover. Writing an inspiring and useful challenge statement requires understanding your own organization as well as your audience. This talk will cover how to ask the right questions to craft a compelling challenge statement that will move people to action, help properly scope the submissions, and set a clear direction for what you look to get from the event. | https://schedule.sxsw.com/2017/events/PP96472 |
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After several years with a shorter summer break but two week breaks in the fall and spring, new thoughts on the calendar have arisen. In a recent survey, students were asked on their opinion on the balanced calendar. The results were mixed, as some enjoy the longer fall and Spring breaks and the benefits of more time off. However, some find the two-week breaks excessive, feel that the balanced calendar does not solve problems, or think that it even create new issues.
These are the results.
Some find the shorter summer better. “The shorter summer and longer breaks are great. It gives me more time to take a break from school in the fall and spring,” Brandon Bonamarte says. “Also, by the end of the two weeks I’m ready to go back to school. The shorter summer is good because I get excited for the next year and eventually get bored of summer. So shorter summer means less time away from friends, less time I have to wait, and get me back in school so my mom doesn’t have to watch over us!”
The shorter summer can balance out breaks, providing a more equal time between terms. “I do support the balanced calendar concept and the resulting equalizing of days per grading period,” responded sixth grade teacher David Goforth.
In addition, the longer fall and spring breaks can provide extra time for extracurricular activities. “The longer breaks in fall and spring help me catch up on things outside of school such as writing projects or drawings,” commented eighth grader Evelyn Taylor.
Seventh grade teacher Gregory Hamilton also believes the balanced calendar provides better elements. “It offers the opportunity for parents, student, and teachers to take vacations at times other than the summer. It gives teachers a two-week window in the fall and spring to revise their lessons based on knowledge of the kids. And it’s nice to recharge your energy during the fall and spring breaks.”
However, some have differing views. “I do not see a difference of ‘learning loss’ with a shorter summer with the balanced calendar,” replied seventh grade teacher Michelle Scott. “What I do see is that after the two-week breaks, it is like starting over again in many ways. Therefore, we are starting over four times a year… I feel (this) is detrimental to momentum gained. I would rather have two more weeks in the summer and one week for fall and one week for spring.”
Other teachers notice negative elements with the balanced calendar. “The shorter summer has not had any positive impact on summer learning loss. We are now experiencing learning loss after every break,” sixth grade teacher Laura Scott says. Less learning loss may not be present, and the longer breaks may result in behavioral issues.
Thus, the issue remains largely split. Student Cristofer Hernandez stated, ” I like it how it is right now;” however, others find it an additional difficulty for a learning environment. As Laura Scott stated, “It’s too hard to get back into the routine after the long fall and spring breaks.”
No matter the opinion, the calendar will continue unless altered in the future by the Oak Ridge School Board. Since the school calendar is approved two years in advance, the 2020-2021 calendar is currently under review. | https://www.orhsnews.com/news/2018/12/21/balanced-calendar-survey-results/ |
Water is life, we all know that, but many of us don’t know the struggles of those who don’t have access to this basic human right. It’s estimated that 34 million people in Indonesia do not have access to clean drinking water, that is 13% of the total population. This often leads to water related deaths and diseases. 20 000 children below 5 years old die every year from waterborne diseases in Indonesia.That’s why Bali-based social enterprise Social Impakt, founded by Jeroen van Overbeek, has prepared a crowdfunding campaign to finally provide the marginalised people of Bali with life’s most valuable of needs.
The campaign starts on 5 September 2017 and lasts for 30 days : The goal is to raise €60,000 to finance the purchase of 2000 Nazava© Water Filters to be given to schools, villages and communities in the arid, rural area of East Bali. These filters purify water at the household level; using the Water Filter Candle made of ceramic, silver and activated carbon, it stops micro-organisms, bacteria, cyst, parasites, fungi and other particles collected from tap, well, river and rain water. This means that there is no need to boil or use electricity or even buy bottled water, making it the perfect, environmentally sustainable solution for low income housing to access clean drinking water. Support this crowdfunding campaign to help an estimated 15,000 people in rural Bali; to improve health, income and the local environment. | https://www.nowbali.co.id/need-crowdfunding-clean-water-bali/ |
Q:
LeetCode: Add Two Numbers (in Kotlin)
(...as I still learning Kotlin) I found this "problem":
You are given two linked lists representing two non-negative numbers. The digits are stored in reverse order and each of their nodes contain a single digit. Add the two numbers and return it as a linked list.
Input: (2 -> 4 -> 3) + (5 -> 6 -> 4)
Output: 7 -> 0 -> 8
This is my solution so far:
fun add(a: IntArray, b: IntArray): Iterable<Int> {
val result: MutableList<Int> = mutableListOf()
var remainder = 0
for (i in 0..Math.max(a.size, b.size) - 1) {
val sum = a.elementAtOrElse(i, { 0 }) + b.elementAtOrElse(i, { 0 }) + remainder
remainder = if (sum >= 10) 1 else 0
result.add(if (remainder >= 1) sum - 10 else sum)
}
if (remainder > 0) result.add(remainder)
return result
}
...test cases:
import org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat
import org.junit.Test
class AddTwoNumbersTest {
@Test
fun test_Add() {
assertThat(add(intArrayOf(9, 6, 9, 5, 9), intArrayOf(1, 5, 1, 6, 1))).isEqualTo(listOf(0, 2, 1, 2, 1, 1))
assertThat(add(intArrayOf(4, 1, 8, 7, 2), intArrayOf(9, 4, 1, 0, 3))).isEqualTo(listOf(3, 6, 9, 7, 5))
assertThat(add(intArrayOf(2, 2, 3, 3), intArrayOf(4, 5, 6, 7))).isEqualTo(listOf(6, 7, 9, 0, 1))
assertThat(add(intArrayOf(4, 1, 0, 8), intArrayOf(2, 2, 7, 6))).isEqualTo(listOf(6, 3, 7, 4, 1))
assertThat(add(intArrayOf(2, 7, 1, 0), intArrayOf(0, 0, 8, 1))).isEqualTo(listOf(2, 7, 9, 1))
assertThat(add(intArrayOf(9, 9, 9), intArrayOf(9, 9, 9))).isEqualTo(listOf(8, 9, 9, 1))
assertThat(add(intArrayOf(9, 3, 7), intArrayOf(8, 7, 8))).isEqualTo(listOf(7, 1, 6, 1))
assertThat(add(intArrayOf(6, 6, 6), intArrayOf(7, 8, 9))).isEqualTo(listOf(3, 5, 6, 1))
assertThat(add(intArrayOf(0, 0, 0), intArrayOf(0, 0, 0))).isEqualTo(listOf(0, 0, 0))
assertThat(add(intArrayOf(2, 4, 3), intArrayOf(5, 6, 4))).isEqualTo(listOf(7, 0, 8))
assertThat(add(intArrayOf(0, 1), intArrayOf(0, 1, 2))).isEqualTo(listOf(0, 2, 2))
assertThat(add(intArrayOf(4, 6), intArrayOf(6, 4))).isEqualTo(listOf(0, 1, 1))
assertThat(add(intArrayOf(1), intArrayOf(9, 9))).isEqualTo(listOf(0, 0, 1))
assertThat(add(intArrayOf(), intArrayOf(0, 1))).isEqualTo(listOf(0, 1))
assertThat(add(intArrayOf(), intArrayOf())).isEmpty()
}
}
It works so far...so I'm wondering if you can improve this one, or have a better approach. Notice I use everything the language offer.
A:
Using add as a function name seems very ambiguous. The method name used in the Java Solution class from LeetCode seems more appropriate: addTwoNumbers (thereby specifying that the arguments, although not numbers themselves, represent numbers).
You can remove the explicit type specification for var result if you add explicit type arguments to mutableListOf(). I personally find this more readable and less verbose:
var result = mutableListOf<Int>()
You can use start until endExclusive instead of start..endInclusive - 1:
for (i in 0 until Math.max(a.size, b.size))
You can use the slightly shorter getOrElse instead of elementAtOrElse. You can also move trailing lambda arguments out of parentheses:
val sum = a.getOrElse(i) { 0 } + b.getOrElse(i) { 0 } + remainder
You can use an overloaded operator for adding elements to a mutable list:
result += if (remainder >= 1) sum - 10 else sum
I wouldn't use remainder >= 1 or remainder > 0 because it makes it appear that remainder can be greater than 1 which is not true. I recommend using remainder == 1.
Altogether:
fun addTwoNumbers(a: IntArray, b: IntArray): Iterable<Int> {
val result = mutableListOf<Int>()
var remainder = 0
for (i in 0 until Math.max(a.size, b.size)) {
val sum = a.getOrElse(i) { 0 } + b.getOrElse(i) { 0 } + remainder
remainder = if (sum >= 10) 1 else 0
result += if (remainder == 1) sum - 10 else sum
}
if (remainder == 1) result.add(1)
return result
}
However, the "problem" specified in LeetCode does not use arrays which are very different from linked lists. If you convert the Java code it provides you would get the following:
/**
* Definition for singly-linked list.
* class ListNode internal constructor(internal var `val`: Int) {
* internal var next: ListNode? = null
* }
*/
class Solution {
fun addTwoNumbers(l1: ListNode, l2: ListNode): ListNode {
}
}
Solving such a problem should result in a very different solution than what you've arrived at.
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Matrioshka brain
A Matrioshka brain is a hypothetical product of astroengineering, making use of one or more Dyson spheres and nanoscale information processing technology to produce a staggeringly powerful computer. Such a computer, it has been suggested might be capable of simulating alternate universes or as serving as a receptacle into which previously organic minds (such as human consciousness) could be uploaded, The term "Matrioshka brain" was coined by the nanotechnologist Robert Bradbury, who noted the analogy between nested Dyson spheres around a central star and a Russian Matrioshka doll.
In a Matrioshka brain, the Dyson spheres would be composed largely of material engineered at the atomic scale to function as a processing medium ("computronium".) The innermost sphere would absorb energy coming directly from the central star, use it to power its computational matrix and radiate the residue, which would be collected by the next sphere to repeat the process, and so on. The processing material of each sphere would be set up to function optimally at different temperatures, ranging from as much as several thousand degrees kelvin on the inner surface of the smallest sphere to little above the temperature of interstellar space at the outermost sphere.
A Matrioshka brain is an example of a class B stellar engine , making use of almost the entire energy output of its host star. It is similar in principle, but much larger in size and computational capacity, than a so-called Jupiter brain, which is "only" planetary in scale.
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Useful guidance papers developed by PIMPAC for conservation officers in the Pacific Islands, as well as some more general papers on enforcement in protected areas. There is also a resource discussing the use of economic incentives for community-based nature conservation.
This document is one of a series of practical guides designed to assist marine conservation programs and practitioners in planning, building, and implementing effective conservation compliance and enforcement action.
Although this guide can be completed independently, it is best to work within a team that includes those who are familiar with local customs, rules and regulations, legal contexts, and existing resource management programs in order to ensure that the plan is as realistic and accurate as possible.
This guide is intended to assist government conservation and resource management agencies identify a process for developing good standard operating procedures (SOPs) within its conservation law enforcement program.
The purpose of the written SOP manual is to clearly document and explain the mission, organization, policies and procedures to all staff, supervisors, and administers.
Policies are broadly stated principles and values intended to guide members in the performance of their duties. Procedures are methods of performing activities to achieve an objective.
Emerton, L. 2001. Community-Based Incentives for Nature Conservation. IUCN The World Conservation Union, Eastern Africa Regional Office and Economics Unit.
Economic incentives could contribute towards achieving compliance within protected area systems.
This resource kit describes practical steps and methods for identifying and using economic incentives in community-based nature conservation, and illustrate these with case studies from Eastern Africa.
It is targeted primarily at conservation and development managers engaged in the design and implementation of field-level programmes and projects. Case studies include sustainable land use in woodland areas in Kenya and urban wetlands conservation in Uganda.
Could an Ancient Principle of Law Help Protect the Sea?
Creating Legal Space for Community-based Fisheries and Customary Marine Tenure in the Pacific: Issues and Opportunities.
Kuemlangan, B. 2004. Creating Legal Space for Community-based Fisheries and Customary Marine Tenure in the Pacific: Issues and Opportunities. FishCode Review. No. 7 (En). Rome, FAO.
This is a brief study that primarily looks at the legal aspects of Community Based Fishery Management (CBFM) and the role of legislation in enhancing Customary Marine Tenure (CMT). It was prepared on the basis of a literature and legislative review and site visits to the Cook Islands, Fiji, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.
Parks in Peril (www.parksinperil.org) is a partnership of organizations across Latin American and the Caribbean working to protect natural resources through organisation.
Fully Protected Marine Reserves: a Guide.
Roberts, C.M. and Hawkins, J.P. 2000. Fully Protected Marine Reserves: a Guide. WWF Endangered Seas Campaign, Washington D.C.
This guide provides in-depth answers to 27 pertinent questions relating to full protected marine reserves. Question 26 asks the question “how should reserves be enforced?’ In answer to this question, Roberts and Hawkins discuss the importance of including stakeholders in reserve establishment, particularly fishermen.
Governance of Protected Areas: From Understanding to Action.
Borrini-Feyerabend, G., Dudley, N. Jaeger, T., Lassen, B., Pathak Broome, N., Phillips, A. and Sandwith, T. 2013. Governance of Protected Areas: From Understanding to Action. Best Practice Protected Area Guidelines Series No. 20, Gland, Switzerland.
This report presents work that was initiated at an international workshop supported by UNEP bringing together 20 marine protected area (MPA) case studies from different regions. These were subjected to detailed analysis employing a governance analysis framework developed by Dr. Peter Jones.
This guide is designed to teach conservation officers how to correctly write and file incident reports and citations. It is based on information presented at the MPA Enforcement Capacity Building Workshop in Palau in March 2011. It describes the five parts of an incident report and has a useful example of an incident report form.
Barbara., L. 2011. Guidelines for Protected Area Legislation. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.
Chapter 10 of these extensive guidelines covers the topic of Enforcement and Compliance. The chapter reviews basic considerations important to include in protected areas legislation for compliance with and enforcement of regulated activities. It begins by providing context on the various tools available to promote compliance with protected areas legislation and the relationship of compliance to enforcement.
It then reviews the range of functions of authorized officers, from enforcement to outreach and education, and considerations associated with offences and penalties of a criminal and civil nature.
Lausche, B. 2011. Guidelines for Protected Area Legislation. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.
Clarke, P. Gillespie, C.T. 2009. Legal Mechanisms for the Establishment and Management of Terrestrial Protected Areas in Fiji. IUCN. Suva, Fiji.
This briefing paper provides an overview of the existing legal mechanisms for establishment and management of terrestrial protected areas in Fiji, with an emphasis on community‐based approaches to conservation. Both the international policy context and a review of the relevant national policies are described along with a summary of all national legislation that has the potential to deliver site-based conservation benefits. This is in light of the fact that Fiji does not have a dedicated protected area legislation.
Marine Protected Areas Policy and Legislation Gap Analysis: Fiji Islands.
Techera, E.J. and Troniak, S. 2009. Marine Protected Areas Policy and Legislation Gap Analysis: Fiji Islands. IUCN Regional Office for Oceania, Suva, Fiji.
This paper assesses the legislation and current relevant policies in the Fijian Islands. The ‘gaps’ identified include areas where legislation and policy are missing and identify the areas where there is a difference between the written law and policy and what is being applied in practice by local people. It demonstrates that although centralised law and policy is evident, the theory and practice do not match.
Model Law for Protection of Traditional Ecological Knowledge. Unknown Source. Available Through GRAIN Website.
GRAIN is a small international non-profit organisation that works to support small farmers and social movements in their struggles for community-controlled and biodiversity-based food systems. This model law which is uploaded through their website can be used by lawyers or managers who wish to create a law for the protection of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK).
This act is designed to prevent un-authorised use of TEK, innovations, and practices and to ensure equitable sharing of benefits derived from the use of such knowledge, innovations and practices.
Toward New Ocean Governance We make necessary proposals for ocean governance and promote implementation to protect this common heritage of mankind. With international cooperation and coordination, we promote research and studies aiming for comprehensive ocean management and sustainable development. As an organization of a country surrounded by the sea, we pursue a model of a new ocean State that maintains a balance between development and utilization of marine resources and environmental protection. We make efforts to enhance cooperation with the international community, especially with Asian and Pacific countries, to establish the ocean governance of the future.
PCEG, which is based out of IUCN’s Suva office, will provide world-class environmental governance support for Pacific Island decision makers and to existing IUCN programs. It will also contribute to the discussion and debate on pressing issues within and around the conservation sector.
The METT was developed as part of the WWF-World Bank Forest Alliance programme and the first version was field tested in 2001. Since then it has been adopted and adapted by the Global Environment Facility and many other countries, organisations and projects, as outlined in this publication.
In 2005, the government of Fiji committed to protecting at least 30% of Fiji’s marine areas using ‘comprehensive, ecologically representative networks of MPAs [marine protected areas], which are effectively managed and financed’. 3 In order to establish a comprehensive and ecologically representative network of marine protected areas (MPAs), Fiji must first have in place a suitable legal framework, that is, appropriate policies and legislation. The purpose of this paper is to support the development of a comprehensive legal framework for the establishment and management of an effective network of MPAs in Fiji which is based on science and suited to the Fiji context. | https://pipap.sprep.org/content/governance |
When many people listen to music from earlier periods, they classify it all as classical music, when although there were many periods of music. Although the two may sound similar to the untrained ear, the Baroque style and the Classical styles of music have many differences.
The Baroque Period (1600-1750) was a revolutionary period for music. Preceded by the renaissance, the Baroque Period offered new and different things to music. Common tools were used such as counterpoint and fugue that transformed music.
There was a growth in the uses of new instruments such as the trumpet, French horn, and piano. Composers, such as Johan Sebastian Bach, concentrated on what the music notes lead to and what sounded good to listen to. Bach, who composed over 1200 pieces, was the “gold standard” for Baroque music, helping to regulate harmony in music. Baroque music was all about emotion. Composers used these tools to weave and blend different sounds together to create unison. Counterpoint was a popular tool used, where two separate lines were played together to make harmony.
A lot went on in Baroque music.
The Classical Period (1750-1825), on the other hand was a lot simpler. Instead of having many instruments playing lines at once in harmony, many instruments would play softly in the background while a solo instrument would play. Classical music consisted of a single melody. Baroque music was very complex, and demonstrated polyphony, where many different sounds went on at the same time, whereas Classical music demonstrated homophony, where the same sounds were played. Form was also a big factor in Classical music. Baroque composers were more concerned about evoking emotion than the form of their piece; Classical composers were the opposite Classical composers demonstrated clear cut form, whereas Baroque composers blended everything together. Classical music was also very repetitive. Composers would not change much, it was the same melody played over and over.
I prefer Baroque music over Classical music. I chose Baroque music because it is a lot more interesting. Classical music is too simple compared to Baroque music. With Baroque music, more emotion is evoked. A great example of this is Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” where you could actually tell which season is portrayed by which piece by listening carefully. To me, Classical music is too boring and repetitive. Baroque music always keeps me on my toes, keeping me guessing at what is coming next. I care more about what a piece means than the form it is written in. Although I prefer Baroque music, I do not discredit Classical music at all. A lot of brilliant pieces came from both periods of music. | https://studymoose.com/baroque-vs-classical-music-essay |
The Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) 2015 External Mentor-Student Meeting and Student Career Embarking Ceremony were recently held on campus with 240 external mentors in attendance together with XJTLU students. .
Regarding the aim of the external mentor programme, Ms. Xi Wei from Far Eastern Leasing Co., LTD commented that, “The programme aims to improve students’ comprehensive qualities and professional competitiveness.” She also said that to train an outstanding talent not only requires an integrative educational system but also demands responsibility and a positive attitude.
The External Mentor-Student Meeting and Student Career Embarking Ceremony was held at the XJTLU International Conference Centre where at the beginning of the ceremony, Executive President of XJTLU, Professor Youmin Xi, detailed the University’s unique Five-star Education Model and gave suggestions as to how to become a competitive global citizen.
Ms. Mengge Tian, Year 4 student majoring in English and Finance explained her communication with her mentor Haibin Bao over the last year, “Mr. Bao introduced me us his friends from different fields, provided us opportunities to get in touch with different industries and gave us the chance to learn totally different skills from classroom learning.
As a representative student who joined this year’s external mentor programme, Ms. Yue Meng, Year 3 students majoring in English and International Business, shared her opinions about external mentor programme at the ceremony and said, “As students, we should seek assistance from mentors and improve our capabilities accordingly. The number of external mentors this year has increased to 240 and this number of mentors will ensure that each student has access to industry links via their mentors. | https://www.xjtlu.edu.cn/en/news/2015/05/career-development-opportunities-start-with-external-mentors |
A detail from Avengers: Endgame shows that Tony Stark is the only hero Kang the Conqueror fears.
One small but important detail in Avengers: Endgame suggests that Tony Stark/Iron Man is the only superhero that Kang the Conqueror is truly afraid of.
Phases 4, 5, and 6 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe relate to the multiverse and the consequences of time travel after the events of Avengers: Endgame. Kang, the Conqueror, replaces Thanos as the main villain. He’ll have to face a decent group of superheroes that will reunite in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and six months later in Avengers: Secret Wars. But he’ll be glad he doesn’t have to fight Tony Stark/Iron Man.
But Kang’s influence on Marvel Cinematic Universe events seems to have been underestimated by heroes and villains alike, even in the first three stages. Loki explained it in episode 6. “I paved the road, you walked.” So the character, or at least the variant that says it, was aware of everything that happened to some of the greatest characters, including Tony Stark and his sacrifice at the end of Avengers: Endgame.
The latter not only solved the way to time travel, but was also clear about the dangers of doing so. “If you play with time, it will play with you,” he said in a scene from Avengers: Endgame.
Tony Stark seems to be the only superhero who can understand the benefits and problems of time travel, which is Kang the Conqueror’s main advantage. Therefore, it is especially convenient for the villain that he is no longer alive.
Kang’s fear of Tony Stark after the events of Avengers: Endgame
If Thanos’ strength lies in the immense power he gains while collecting the Infinity Stones, as demonstrated in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, Kang’s lie lies in his ability to control time at will. He collected weapons from different eras to become stronger in comics and defeat superheroes. We don’t yet know how it will do that in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it’s likely similar.
And if there’s one person you don’t want to confront, it’s another genius who can figure out how to manipulate time. That was Tony Stark, and he showed it in Avengers: Endgame. Also, in the comics, Kang doesn’t have a superhero of his own. It all depends on his intelligence, his ability to invent as a genius and time travel.
These are all features similar to those of Tony Stark. The superhero who most resembles himself and therefore fears a confrontation the most. Many things can happen and another character emerges like Riri Williams who takes on some of Stark’s best traits. Or we could see a version of the character from a parallel universe. We only have to wait a few years to witness the events of Avengers: The Kang Destiny and Avengers: Secret Wars. Until that happens, we will continue to theorize about Kang’s motivations and fears. | https://gmspors.com/is-tony-stark-the-only-hero-kang-the-conqueror-fears/ |
Chap. III.—Whether the universe is governed by the power of one god or of many.
Let the commencement of our work therefore be that inquiry which closely follows and is connected with the first: Whether the universe is governed by the power of one God or of many. There is no one, who possesses intelligence and uses reflection, who does not understand that it is one Being who both created all things and governs them with the same energy by which He created them. For what need is there of many to sustain the government of the universe? unless we should happen to think that, if there were more than one, each would possess less might and strength. And they who hold that there are many gods, do indeed effect this; for those gods must of necessity be weak, since individually, without the aid of the others, they would be unable to sustain the government of so vast a mass. But God, who is the Eternal Mind, is undoubtedly of excellence, complete and perfect in every part. And if this is true, He must of necessity be one. For power or excellence, which is complete, retains its own peculiar stability. But that is to be regarded as solid from which nothing can be taken away, that as perfect to which nothing can be added.
Who can doubt that he would be a most powerful king who should have the government of the whole world? And not without reason, since all things which everywhere exist would belong to him, since all resources from all quarters would be centred in him alone. But if more than one divide the government of the world, undoubtedly each will have less power and strength, since every one must confine himself 12within his prescribed portion.2626 [A hint to Cæsar himself, the force of which began soon after very sorely to be felt in the empire.] In the same manner also, if there are more gods than one, they will be of less weight, others having in themselves the same power. But the nature of excellence admits of greater perfection in him in whom the whole is, than in him in whom there is only a small part of the whole. But God, if He is perfect, as He ought to be, cannot but be one, because He is perfect, so that all things may be in Him. Therefore the excellences and powers of the gods must necessarily be weaker, because so much will be wanting to each as shall be in the others; and so the more there are, so much the less powerful will they be. Why should I mention that this highest power and divine energy is altogether incapable of division? For whatever is capable of division must of necessity be liable to destruction also. But if destruction is far removed from God, because He is incorruptible and eternal, it follows that the divine power is incapable of division. Therefore God is one, if that which admits of so great power can be nothing else: and yet those who deem that there are many gods, say that they have divided their functions among themselves; but we will discuss all these matters at their proper places. In the meantime, I affirm this, which belongs to the present subject. If they have divided their functions among themselves, the matter comes back to the same point, that any one of them is unable to supply the place of all. He cannot, then, be perfect who is unable to govern all things while the others are unemployed. And so is comes to pass, that for the government of the universe there is more need of the perfect excellence of one than of the imperfect powers of many. But he who imagines that so great a magnitude as this cannot be governed by one Being, is deceived. For he does not comprehend how great are the might and power of the divine majesty, if he thinks that the one God, who had power to create the universe, is also unable to govern that which He has created. But if he conceives in his mind how great is the immensity of that divine work, when before it was nothing, yet that by the power and wisdom of God it was made out of nothing—a work which could only be commenced and accomplished by one—he will now understand that that which has been established by one is much more easily governed by one.
Some one may perhaps say that so immense a work as that of the universe could not even have been fabricated except by many. But however many and however great he may consider them,—whatever magnitude, power, excellence, and majesty he may attribute to the many,—the whole of that I assign to one, and say that it exists in one: so that there is in Him such an amount of these properties as can neither be conceived nor expressed. And since we fail in this subject, both in perception and in words—for neither does the human breast admit the light of so great understanding, nor is the mortal tongue capable of explaining such great subjects—it is right that we should understand and say this very same thing. I see, again, what can be alleged on the other hand, that those many gods are such as we hold the one God to be. But this cannot possibly be so, because the power of these gods individually will not be able to proceed further, the power of the others meeting and hindering them. For either each must be unable to pass beyond his own limits, or, if he shall have passed beyond them, he must drive another from his boundaries. They who believe that there are many gods, do not see that it may happen that some may be opposed to others in their wishes, from which circumstance disputing and contention would arise among them; as Homer represented the gods at war among themselves, since some desired that Troy should be taken, others opposed it. The universe, therefore, must be ruled by the will of one. For unless the power over the separate parts be referred to one and the same providence, the whole itself will not be able to exist; since each takes care of nothing beyond that which belongs peculiarly to him, just as warfare could not be carried on without one general and commander. But if there were in one army as many generals as there are legions, cohorts, divisions,2727 Cunei; properly, soldiers arranged in the shape of wedge. and squadrons, first of all it would not be possible for the army to be drawn out in battle array, since each would refuse the peril; nor could it easily be governed or controlled, because all would use their own peculiar counsels, by the diversity of which they would inflict more injury than they would confer advantage. So, in this government of the affairs of nature, unless there shall be one to whom the care of the whole is referred, all things will be dissolved and fall to decay.
But to say that the universe is governed by the will of many, is equivalent to a declaration that there are many minds in one body, since there are many and various offices of the members, so that separate minds may be supposed to govern separate senses; and also the many affections, by which we are accustomed to be moved either to anger, or to desire, or to joy, or to fear, or to pity, so that in all these affections as many minds may be supposed to operate; and if any one should say this, he would appear to be destitute even of that very mind, which is one. But 13if in one body one mind possesses the government of so many things, and is at the same time occupied with the whole, why should any one suppose that the universe cannot be governed by one, but that it can be governed by more than one? And because those maintainers of many gods are aware of this, they say that they so preside over separate offices and parts, that there is still one chief ruler. The others, therefore, on this principle, will not be gods, but attendants and ministers, whom that one most mighty and omnipotent appointed to these offices, and they themselves will be subservient to his authority and command. If, therefore, all are not equal to one another, all are not gods; for that which serves and that which rules cannot be the same. For if God is a title of the highest power, He must be incorruptible, perfect, incapable of suffering, and subject to no other being; therefore they are not gods whom necessity compels to obey the one greatest God. But because they who hold this opinion are not deceived without cause, we will presently lay open the cause of this error. Now, let us prove by testimonies the unity of the divine power. | https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf07.iii.ii.i.iv.html |
Gender wage gap strategy consultation
Thank you for sharing your views and feedback on the gender wage gap. This consultation is now closed.
A consultation summary is now available below.
Feedback received during the consultation is now being reviewed and considered by the Gender Wage Gap Strategy Steering Committee as they develop recommendations to help the government create a strategy aimed at closing the gender wage gap, with the help of business, government, labour and all Ontarians.
The recommendations will be presented to the government later this year.
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Consultation summary
The gender wage gap consultation gave women and men across the province a chance to share their views and concerns about work, home and pay. Through meetings and discussions, Ontarians told us what they think is causing the gender wage gap and solutions they would like to see.
Letter from the Gender Wage Gap Strategy Steering Committee
To The Honourable Kevin Flynn, Minister of Labour and The Honourable Tracy MacCharles, Minister Responsible for Women’s Issues:
Dear Ministers Flynn and MacCharles,
In the September 2014 mandate letters, the Premier asked you to work together to develop a wage gap strategy “that will close the gap between men and women in the context of the 21st century economy.”
As members appointed to the Gender Wage Gap Strategy Steering Committee, we were tasked with developing recommendations to help the government develop this strategy. We have a mandate to consult with groups across Ontario to understand how women and their families are affected by the gender wage gap, and how government, business, labour, other organizations, and individual leaders can work together to address the conditions and the systemic barriers that contribute to the gap.
Engaging the public in open dialogue is an essential part of the project. We are pleased to provide this summary of comments we heard from the public, businesses, stakeholders, experts and other interested parties. These ideas and suggestions will inform the development of recommendations which will be presented to the government in our final report due by the end of May.
We thank everyone who participated in the consultation process.
Gender Wage Gap Strategy Steering Committee
Nancy Austin
Linda Davis
Emanuela Heyninck
Parbudyal Singh
Public engagement on gender wage gap issues
The consultations provided opportunities for women and men across the province to share their views and concerns about work, home and pay. Through meetings and discussions, Ontarians told us what they thought were the most important factors causing gender wage gaps and solutions they would like to see.
We heard that the gender wage gap has many causes. The consultations gave the Gender Wage Gap Strategy Steering Committee a chance to learn more about them, why they continue to occur and their effects on individuals, their families, businesses and communities.
This report summarizes many of the comments and ideas we received on how to close Ontario’s gender wage gap.
Ways to participate
The Steering Committee used both traditional and digital tools, including consultation documents, email notifications, a web-based survey, and social media, to let as many people as possible contribute to this project.
From October 26, 2015 to February 22, 2016, public town hall sessions were held in 14 locations across the province (see Appendix for locations). Meetings were also held with local businesses, organizations and experts, on specific topics.
To involve businesses and other local stakeholders, major local employers in the main industries in the area were invited based on labour market information from Statistics Canada. Community members with knowledge of the local labour market helped us organize meetings, and identify and invite key business leaders and other stakeholders.
People could also share their experiences and feedback by sending written responses to questions posed in the consultation papers, or by completing an online survey.
Who participated
A wide range of individual workers, residents and representatives of professional associations and employers participated in the consultations. The majority of participants were women, from accountants to warehouse workers, goods and services industries, private, public and broader public sectors, job seekers and students.
We invited a wide range of public and private sector groups, trying to be as inclusive as possible. There were representatives from community organizations, industry associations, business owners, child care, developmental services, educational institutions, health, economic development and social services agencies, municipalities and unions at the consultations. Employer associations provided business viewpoints; however, participation by individual private sector employers was limited.
Detailed lists of organizations can be found in the Appendix.
Participants by the number
- 170 stakeholders: through meetings and/or written submissions
- 75 written submissions: one third from individuals, two thirds from organizations
- 530 people attended the public town hall sessions
- 1430 online survey responses were received
About the consultation
The consultation papers and the online survey included questions about influences on employment and career decisions, factors that cause the gender wage gap, effective approaches for achieving work life balance, effective gender inclusive workplace policies and pay practices, and other ways to close the gender wage gap. Some participants answered the questions directly; most people gave us their personal views or experiences, or their organization’s position.
An “open mic” format was used at the public town halls. Individuals and stakeholder representatives were present. The public town halls raised awareness of gender wage gap issues in local communities. It gave residents a chance to share their experiences of the local labour market and gender workplace challenges. No specific questions were posed, although reference was made to the consultation documents and website information.
The majority of written submissions came from organizations. Some of these organizations were also represented at the public town halls and/or at local stakeholder meetings.
Overall message
Throughout the province, most people we heard from agreed that the gender wage gap is a problem and that the gap should be closed. Almost everyone recognized that the gender wage gap is not an easy problem to solve. Many said that more should be done and that progress has been too slow. The public welcomed the opportunity to discuss the issue and offered many thoughtful solutions.
[The pay gap is] a symptom of other things happening in society, if you can correct systematic underlying issues you can deal with the gender wage gap.City for All Women Initiative (CAWI), Ottawa
The majority of talent recruitment, development, and management systems aren’t designed to correct wage inequities, nor will ‘giving it time’ even the playing field for women and men. Only intentional actions will help close these gaps.Catalyst
Bold, innovative approaches that challenge and transform systemic practices of discrimination are needed to ensure that women and girls finally share in the economic and social wealth of our communities.Equal Pay Coalition
Comments and ideas through the working life cycle
We heard about significant issues affecting women’s work and pay at all stages of their working life cycle. Participants welcomed the life cycle approach to addressing the problem and many offered solutions for issues occurring within and across the different stages.
Many moving stories and interesting examples were shared. Here are samples of what we heard.
Learning years
In their learning years, children are exposed to images and ideas about what they will be when they grow up. Young people start to think about their education and career choices or about getting their summer, or first, jobs. At this stage, girls and boys develop their self-image, views about others, and learn about their social world, including roles and obligations to family. We heard that we need to ensure girls and young women are assertive and confident, and that both boys and girls need to see their future roles as including caregiving as well as earning an income.
We heard about issues that prevent women from pursuing jobs in male-dominant fields and men from pursuing jobs in female-dominant fields.
Many people said we must start early to challenge gender stereotypes about work historically done by men or women. They said it was important to encourage girls and young women to consider STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields and the skilled trades. It was equally important to encourage boys and young men to consider the “caring” professions.
Many wished that jobs would be “re-valued” so that students could explore jobs or careers based on their skills and interests – and would be fairly paid no matter what path they chose. Some proposed that job skills were changing, and that educators should ensure all children received skills needed to thrive in the 21st century economy, including problem-solving, team-work, financial literacy and coding skills.
People mentioned barriers faced by women in skilled trades. These included: attracting women to the trades, ability to complete their apprenticeship, job retention, and safe, non-harassing workplaces. Some trades require shift work or travel to remote locations with no available child care.
I wanted to be a pipefitter but was told “no”. It’s not that we [girls and women] don’t want to be in men’s jobs, it’s not about how we are raised or choices, it’s about the sexism and harassment and discrimination.Ottawa Public Town Hall: female participant.
People suggested: showing role models of women in trades, ensuring science and math teachers have university level qualifications in these subjects, emphasizing all career options for both females and males, more training programs for women in skilled trades and technology, ensuring guidance counsellors are trained to understand the jobs and the skills needed for the 21st century economy, encouraging students to “follow their skills” not their gender, and reviewing curriculum for gender equity. A few people suggested that single sex or gender balanced classes might help girls thrive in math and science.
Many people said we need an education and awareness campaign to address societal norms and attitudes. They suggested that the campaign be similar to the province’s anti-sexual violence campaign “It’s never okay” or to anti-smoking campaigns; that it should feature young women talking about their careers and balancing work/life needs, as well as men or dads who are fully involved at home with their children. They also asked for more information about employment rights and obligations and about anti-discrimination laws.
[Media campaigns] help challenge societal attitudes by educating the public about what women in non-traditional professions look like and do, thus helping younger generations envision themselves as future engineers.
#ILookLikeAnEngineer was started by a software engineer to raise awareness, following sexism faced by female engineers and people working in STEM fields.Ontario Society of Engineers
I work as an Industrial Electrician in an automotive plant. …Learning a skilled trade has given me the confidence to be able to learn so much more in my life.London Public Town Hall: female participant
Earning years
The jobs people do and where they work affect the gender wage gap. As people start their families, they may leave and re-enter the workforce. Caregiving and work/life balance was identified as an issue by many women and men.
We heard from participants who worked in workplaces where their gender is underrepresented. Women mostly shared the challenges they face in male-dominated workplaces.
I often have to “prove” that I can speak the language and follow the conversation before I’m taken seriously.IT professional, written submission, female
It’s hard to be a woman in the warehouse…men don’t want women in that field …there’s whispers and snickers…it’s not about skills and ability…if you complain you’re [labeled] a whining female.Cornwall local business/employer
[mining], 1300 degree molten metal in your face, gas that can drop you to your knees, but you work for 12 hours, then you shower and you’re done. I was working from 5 to 5 so I would sleep in my truck so I don’t wake [my son] up. 24/7 [childcare] will open up opportunities for single parents… working in the mine you have to take on an androgynous personality.Sudbury Public Town Hall: female participant
I’ve delayed having children because in my career [historically male-dominant profession]…they put you on the “baby track”.York Region Public Town Hall: female participant
Being in a male same-sex relationship I feel uncomfortable working in heterosexual-male dominated industries. It’s not just women, we need to educate men.Brampton Public Town Hall: male participant
We heard that there is a “care penalty”, where the wages for women-dominated caregiving professions are too low for women to support themselves and their families (e.g., childcare, developmental services, homecare workers). Low wages were contributing to stress and high turnover in the field. Midwives, elementary school principals, literacy and essential skills workers, also feel their work is undervalued and underpaid. People said men are part of the solution and everyone must “share the care.”
ECE [early childhood education]… it’s important, meaningful work…it’s an investment in the next generation, it’s work that supports the whole labour force, sustains economic growth of the whole province… Give people respect in the profession [by] increasing wages. We need to attract men [to the field].Toronto Public Town Hall: female participant
We do not value the "caretaker" role as we should in our society. That has to change. People looking after the developmentally challenged, the sick, the poor, the disenfranchised. Those jobs should mean more than making golf clubs.Former development services worker, Sault Ste Marie
Jobs that tend to be female-dominated (e.g., nursing, childcare and social work) are essential to society and the need for these jobs continues to grow as Ontario’s population ages…SEIU Healthcare
…the government should start encouraging boys to go into caregiving roles… government should encourage male parental leave to show that it is a shared responsibility.London Public Town Hall: female participant
I’m choosing to study ECE because I am passionate about the job but I know I will earn less than other industries with the same amount of education.Toronto Public Town Hall: male participant
Child care was the number one issue everywhere. Clear statements were made about the need for a public system of early childhood education and care that is universal, high quality and comprehensive. Participants called for public funding and support that provides for both adequate wages and affordable fees.
Accessing child care subsidies was noted as an issue for some women. Eligibility is based on an assessment of household income and labour market participation of both parents. These rules may prevent women with children from working and becoming economically independent, because access to child care subsidies depends on household situations rather than an individual’s need. Lack of child care limits women’s employment options. The non-transferability of the subsidy across regions and lack of transportation to childcare facilities were problems many women discussed. These barriers are even more serious for mothers who need to earn enough to leave an abusive relationship.
Sector-based bargaining models were mentioned by some stakeholders as part of the solution to ensure fair pay for the paid caregivers.
Concrete steps must be taken to shift care from a market “good” or “service” to a public resource. The care of people, from cradle to grave, is in everyone’s best interest. That means supporting families and workplaces to offer leaves and flexible work hours… it means a public childcare system.Childcare Policy Academic, mother
A publicly funded child care system that is high quality, affordable, and flexible, is key to closing the gender wage gap for women in Ontario…our public dollars are best spent in supporting a high quality workforce that is professionally prepared, valued, and fairly compensated. Publicly funded child care is a win-win for Ontario; supporting women, children and families while closing the wage gap in a notoriously [gender] segregated occupation.Association of Early Childhood Educators of Ontario
[Paid] caregivers need access to a sectoral platform for collective bargaining.Workers’ Action Centre
…if we don’t have daycare that accommodates shiftwork, people will use informal sector… one city based program is open until midnight… people use it – but they work on a rotating schedule, so you might have 60 children enrolled, but only 25 present in any given evening – it does work, but it is difficult…Sudbury Childcare Agencies
Participants talked about having difficulty in meeting home and job responsibilities, and facing workplace barriers when they exercise their right to maternity, parental and caregiving leaves. To prevent the “motherhood penalty,” participants called for more generous and flexible parental leaves, pointing to Scandinavian countries such as Sweden, Finland, or Denmark for solutions.
My husband took three months and people referred to him as Mr. Mom. Daddy-only [second parent] leave is important to entice men to take it. It would become more normal and set the tone for other men.Sudbury Public Town Hall: female participant
Caregiving can be supported by subsidized childcare, flexible hours, time off without penalty, maternity and paternity leaves without penalties, compassionate leaves and better homecare.Canadian Federation of University Women
My husband was threatened that he would be fired if he took time off to pick up our sick child.Windsor Public Town Hall: female participant
Advancement and later years
The effects of the gender wage gap compound over a lifetime. Options and supports workers have in their earning years affect their economic security and ability to advance in their careers later in life. Interruptions in career paths affect opportunities for advancement, leadership and pay in later years. We asked what can be done to help lessen the gender wage gap’s effects in later years.
Many comments focused on the need for affordable, accessible and quality child care to support families so women can participate and succeed in the workplace. The needs of the “sandwich generation”, who care for aging parents, as well as those who work shifts, were also mentioned.
Why we don’t have more “family policy” in Canada?Peterborough Public Town Hall participant
As a single mother, the biggest issue is childcare… finding childcare for irregular hours …If I didn’t spend money on a car, it would be impossible. If starting at minimum wage, you cannot get a car, [and] cannot get ahead.Burlington Public Town Hall: female participant
I think the gender wage gap would close if Ontario had high quality, accessible and affordable licensed childcare and elder care. If one can go to work with their mind at ease that their loved ones are being cared for in capable and compassionate hands it makes a HUGE difference.Online survey participant
Many of us are self-employed … being the primary childcare provider in my family severely impacts my ability to grow my business.Online survey participant
Many organizations and employees supported transparency in pay and for other workplace practices as a way to help workers decide where to work, or negotiate their salary, promotions and training. Some participants said companies should publish information on the distribution of men and women in the workforce, including numbers or proportion of part-time and temporary employees, contract pay, pay gaps within and across jobs, pay gaps in bonuses and other additional payments. Some people pointed out that unless reporting requirements are mandatory, employers are not likely to comply. A suggestion was made to start with government, the largest companies or municipalities.
There is no accountability for employers to have a certain [gender] mix – it should be mandatory. Do something simple, start with cities, big employers who have capacity… it may be heavy handed but it’s needed.Sudbury Public Town Hall: female participant
However, some employers and some employees saw transparency requirements as invasive and a breach of privacy. Organizations working with employers and some employer participants expressed concern that reporting could be expensive, and it would add to the regulatory burden for businesses, given that they already must report on other issues (e.g., environmental regulations) and to other levels of government. Their suggestion is to implement existing anti-discrimination, labour and employment laws more effectively.
We feel we are reporting so many things to government –businesses are already struggling…If we have laws already in place isn’t implementation an easier fix?Toronto, organization representing employers
Participants held a range of views about whether current laws adequately protect women from gender-related workplace and gender pay discrimination and how they can be improved. Some people said that the laws are not well enforced, are complex and difficult to access. Many suggested that the laws should be monitored and implemented in a proactive manner by government, instead of relying on an individual’s complaint before an investigation is started.
Ontario’s Employment Standards Act, Labour Relations Act, Pay Equity Act, and Human Rights Code …These laws must be seen as a whole and work together in closing the gender wage gap, and ensuring equity and a solid floor of labour rights for all.Good Jobs for All Coalition
Human rights tribunals are a nightmare to navigate … government should fund community rights workers to assist women when they have to navigate these systems… Provide supports for women going through harassment processes in their workplaces.Online survey participant
Without monitoring and enforcement [of existing laws], without maintaining what has been gained, no real change can occur.Advancement of Women Halton
Some organizations that are subject to the proxy provisions of the Pay Equity Act believe that the government should provide funding for proxy pay equity obligations. Others were more focussed on the need to fund wages in a more even and consistent way across the broader public sector. We heard that there is a need for effective enforcement, proactive monitoring for compliance, support for those making complaints (especially for non-unionized workers), and amendments to the proxy provisions of pay equity.
Addressing this legislated [Pay Equity] obligation without regular corresponding increases in funding is creating tremendous strain and liability for volunteer boards of directors in community agencies… seriously jeopardizing and reducing the capacity of agencies to provide the necessary supports required by people who have an intellectual disability and their families.Community Living service provider
Amend the proxy provisions of the Pay Equity Act to ensure equal access for women in female dominated establishments.Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA)
Lack of pay equity is demoralizing. As a two-mother household, we and our children suffer doubly compared to our heterosexual counterparts. Our "women’s" skills are not innate. They are learned and should be valued.Online survey participant
Independent contractors need the Pay Equity Act – these are precisely the workers whose positions are most precarious, and who are most in need of protection against gender-based discrimination in pay.Association of Ontario Midwives
Some employers and organizations stated the solution to closing the gender wage gap is not more legislation. They suggested instead that employer incentives and other programs could help close the gender wage gap. A few groups representing employers’ viewpoints recognized the benefits of examining gender and pay practices in their business.
The primary strategy the Ontario Government should employ… is to use its financial resources to provide incentives and rewards for organizations to increase their diversity across occupations and levels… provide funding, taxation, and similar incentives tied to diversity.Ryerson University, Equity and Diversity Inclusion
The provincial government can give a tax incentive [to employers] to achieve gender parity. Punitive measures get push back, but incentives can impact the bottom line, because if a “bad” employer chooses not to do anything, he will be subsidizing his competitors, who are doing something [and getting the tax break].Scarborough Public Town Hall participant
Financial services companies are committed to…providing significant resources for initiatives such as mentoring, coaching, networking, leadership development, maternity/parental transition support, and diversity programs… Government may wish to consider…exploring a sector approach which targets initiatives to specific problem areas.Toronto Financial Services Alliance
…carrying out a pay equity exercise…forces a company to examine its compensation practices and policies…Executives are surprised at how much they learn about their organization and the value of jobs…companies that carry out pay equity benefit from improved organizational climate by having cultivated positive workplace relationships and teamwork.Solertia, consultants/employer
Specific groups and other issues throughout the working life cycle
People from different backgrounds emphasized the importance of addressing gender wage gaps experienced by Aboriginal people, immigrants, low income families and people with disabilities. Many participants named discrimination as a main, underlying root cause of the gender wage gap. People noted that discrimination took many forms.
Strategies must begin by acknowledging and confronting the fact that the pay gap arises from systemic discrimination against women. The reality is that Ontario men’s and women’s lives are different and unequal and those who suffer from additional discrimination face much higher gaps.Equal Pay Coalition
Young people among the First Nations are enthusiastic about getting good jobs, but too many…still experience racism and discrimination…Although discrimination against me as a First Nations woman is not overt…my voice becomes silenced when the employer consistently diminishes my opinions.Aboriginal woman, written submission
Women living in poverty or with a disability often cannot pursue a [gender-based] workplace complaint against their employer for fear of losing their source of income… Mental health disabilities are often associated with key systemic barriers that block people from achieving their employment goals.Canadian Mental Health Association
The main priority of many immigrant women is to earn a living wage to support their families. Because their credentials and foreign experience are not recognized, they are less likely to find work that is applicable. As a result they will often find themselves under-employed with low wages. The longer they are away from their profession, the more likely they are going to be “de-skilled.”Chinese Interagency Network
Discrimination against transgendered women, and Islamaphobia against women who wear the hijab was mentioned and seen to affect equal access to employment opportunities, which results in a wider gender wage gap.
Individuals and organizations suggested that employment equity law and policies should be used to require employers to end discriminatory practices. Other ideas included:
…use disaggregated data to identify benchmarks and indicators to monitor the progress of hiring, promotion, and pay as it relates to racialized and other historically disadvantaged and marginalized communities; require public and private employers to conduct workplace inclusion audit on an annual basis to identify and address any obstacles to equal employment and equal pay.Colour of Poverty-Colour of Change Network
Other issues contributing to the gender wage gap
Precarious work, employment and labour laws and link to the changing workplaces review
Many individuals and stakeholder groups talked about the precarious nature of jobs in the 21st century economy. While these recommendations may have greater applicability for the Ministry of Labour’s Changing Workplaces Review,
- increased minimum wage or a living wage
- reliable scheduling
- pathways to full-time work
- guaranteed paid sick or personal days
- facilitation of unionization using card-based certification or sector bargaining
- extending equal pay for equal work
In addition, program ideas included:
- encouraging males to use caregiver leaves
- flexible schedules/job sharing
- anti-harassment policies/reporting processes
- mentoring programs
In most cases, stakeholders have made these recommendations to the Changing Workplaces Review, as they affect the Employment Standards Act and the Labour Relations Act.
The gender wage gap must be addressed by looking through the lens of precarious work…we mean work that is insecure, unstable, low income and without benefits or union representation, and not effectively covered by labour regulations.Worker Action Centre and Parkdale Legal Community Services
The effects of precarious employment are distributed unevenly in the economy; disproportionately affecting society’s most vulnerable [including] women, immigrants and visible minorities.United Food and Commercial Workers Union
Caregiving responsibilities would be supported through policies around workplace absences, including legislated paid sick time for all employees, sick time to care for dependants, vacation time and vacation pay in line with global standards, the ability to reduce work hours without penalty, and [option for] condensed work weeks.Sudbury Social Planning Council
Employment support for survivors of domestic violence
People mentioned the links between domestic violence, employment options and the gender wage gap. Women who have experienced domestic violence or abuse may need time and support to re-locate and get another job, or they take on multiple jobs or lower paid jobs as they are escaping from a partner. The main recommendations to support women who have experienced violence were to provide specialized support services, child care subsidies, skills training programs and personal leaves to help women return to work.
Young people’s employment opportunities
Some younger participants talked about graduating without a job and a “mortgage” of student loan debt. Some young women experience a gender wage gap right after graduating from post-secondary education. Their lower earnings mean it will take these women longer to repay their loans.
To get their career going, some considered taking low paying jobs or doing unpaid internships. Some suggestions were made to provide free/interest free tuition, more cooperative education opportunities and tracking job placements, more relevant guidance counselling and to eliminate the student minimum wage.
Members of the Premier’s Council on Youth Opportunities wanted to ensure that the recommendations addressed the needs of the most vulnerable populations of young women, including low income, lone female led families, and those facing mental health issues, or in the criminal justice system. The members strongly asserted that a focus on the intersectionalities of gender, race, sexuality, Aboriginal and disabilities should be included in the recommendations.
Opportunities in rural and northern communities
Participants from rural and northern communities raised issues that contribute to the rural gender wage gap including lack of jobs, lack of childcare, lack of affordable transportation, discrimination, occupational segregation, jobs in remote locations and shiftwork.
Solutions suggested included investment in rural and remote infrastructure, and gender-specific initiatives in rural and remote communities.
Other ideas and best practices
Municipal and provincial budgets, policy- and decision-making
Several participants and organizations stated that governments play an important role in closing the gender wage gap in the ways they allocate funding, collect gender-based program data, and whether they take into consideration the different effects that their policy and spending decisions have on women and men (for example, the role of the Ontario Women’s Directorate in applying a gender lens to programs and policies).
Implement a gender and equity lens in the current provincial budget process and in cabinet and ministry decision-making.Equal Pay Coalition
…the wages for public sector workers are significantly more equal than those in the private sector [so] reductions in the public workforce has particular impacts on women’s equality.United Steelworkers (USW)
…the government…needs to ensure that the gender wage gap is a consideration when it is making decisions about cost savings initiatives… discussions must begin with deciding what policy goals and outcomes the government is seeking and how to integrate its fiscal and social priorities… a shift in thinking must move from short-term solutions to broader transformation.Written submission, female, Toronto
Each year, the Province of Ontario is engaged in millions of dollars’ worth of contract negotiations. Provincial investments, allocations and commitments can be used as leverage to make businesses implement equity based hiring practices.Colour of Poverty-Colour of Change Network
Mixed support for salary negotiation
Some participants said it may be helpful for the government to sponsor salary negotiation training for women; however, others pointed out the initiative may backfire because employers may “look down on those [women] who negotiate pay.”
I never would have thought that I had permission to negotiate salary…Thunder Bay Public Town Hall: female manager
…studies show that when women negotiate for higher salaries, people react more negatively than they would to a man asking for more money. [Instead] Organizations should conduct pay equity audits to identify and correct anomalies based on gender. These [audit] policies… take the onus off of women who are often blamed for earning less than men because they didn’t negotiate.Catalyst
Role of unions and sector-based collective bargaining
Unions and unionized workers talked about the “union advantage.” They stated the ability for women to join a union has proven to be a significant contributing factor toward reducing the gender pay gap. Thus they recommend making it easier for women to join unions.
One good method of dealing with the gender wage gap would be for the government to legislate in a way that does not discourage union organizing.Association of Management, Administrative and Professional Crown Employees of Ontario (AMAPCEO)
The two largest constituencies of migrant workers (caregivers and farm workers) are excluded from the right to unionize and bargain collectively under the Labour Relations Act. As such they are denied one of the most important tools for closing the wage gap.Migrant Workers Alliance for Change
It was pointed out that the Labour Relations Act (LRA) needs to be updated to address changing labour market practices. (Note: the Changing Workplace Review is currently conducting a review of Ontario’s system of employment and labour standards.) However, any proposed changes must consider how current legal frameworks for collective bargaining “as usual,” may in fact reinforce gender discrimination in pay and produce low pay for work historically performed by women, in large part because women are often isolated in bargaining units that are predominantly female. Reference was made to sector-based bargaining as an approach. The construction labour framework was suggested as a model for consideration.
An International Labour Organization review of 57 countries concludes that “multi-employer bargaining at the sectoral or national level is the most inclusive form of collective bargaining.” [These models] tend to offer more inclusive labour protection for vulnerable workers, such as women and migrant workers. It can also help to establish minimum standards for working conditions in an industry or sector.Worker Action Centre and Parkdale Legal Community Services
Local government initiatives
A number of diversity and inclusion plans have been undertaken at the municipal government level. Local groups advocating for gender equality and equity have made contributions to gender analysis in Ontario cities (e.g., Toronto Women’s City Alliance and Ottawa’s City for All Women).
Student initiatives
Innovative student run initiatives across the province include a male alliance group on campus which discusses masculinity and popular culture, self-esteem issues, and participates in campus “take back the night” events in Thunder Bay; poster and other awareness campaigns; and participation of University of Waterloo in “#HeforShe” – a world-wide campaign initiated by UN Women to engage men and boys as agents of change for the achievement of gender equality and women’s rights.
Community-based research
Community-based research on women’s local employment issues is being conducted in a few areas. For example, Workforce WindsorEssex has produced a report on women in trades, and a gender-based needs assessment of workplace barriers facing women. However, these gender-based workforce analyses were only carried out in select areas. There is a knowledge gap in areas not covered.
Organizational perspective
At the organizational level, on getting hired and setting starting salaries, the Human Resources Professionals Association recommended diversifying the applicant pool, implementing anonymous reviews of qualifications and resumes (e.g., eliminate gender-identifying information from documents), standardizing interview questions, and setting starting salaries.
Closing comments
The consultations confirmed that there are many ways of understanding gender wage gap issues and many solutions to help close the gap. As the Steering Committee considers recommendations for the final report, we will reflect on the valuable themes expressed throughout the consultations.
- Discrimination, based on gender and other social identifiers in the labour market and workplaces, still exists.
- Almost everyone mentioned the need to provide high quality, affordable and accessible childcare as a priority issue to help working women and their families close the gender wage gap.
- People who wanted improvements in working conditions suggested solutions related to leaves, scheduling, flexible work arrangements, unionization and sector bargaining.
- Many people emphasized the importance of addressing issues facing vulnerable and precarious workers.
- “Share the care” was common to many proposed solutions. Family-friendly policies to address caregiving needs include: paid leaves for the second parent, childcare, public awareness campaigns using traditional or social media to engage men and to dispel gender stereotypical attitudes about jobs and career paths.
- There were many comments about initiatives to achieve greater transparency in pay and other workforce practices.
- It was consistently emphasized that pay equity and other workplace anti-discrimination laws need to work together, and be easy to access.
- People repeatedly raised the role, commitment and activities of government as important for closing the gender wage gap.
- More data and measurement tools are required to fully understand gendered effects of programs, policies and budget decisions on men and women.
- Government should show the way by being a model employer for workplace gender diversity, and by embedding gender analysis in policy development, program funding, and legislative processes.
Appendix
Public town hall locations
- York Region (Richmond Hill)
- Thunder Bay
- Ottawa
- Cornwall
- Toronto (downtown)
- Windsor
- Kitchener-Waterloo
- Burlington
- Toronto (Scarborough)
- Peterborough
- Sudbury
- London
- St. Catharines-Niagara
- Brampton
Total participants, all locations: 530
95 stakeholder groups by location
|Date||Location||Stakeholders|
|October 26, 2015||York Region|
Catholic Community Services of York (CCSY)
|October 28, 2015||Thunder Bay|
Lakehead University Students Union (LUSU)
|November 6, 2015||Toronto|
Jessie’s Centre
|November 12, 2015||Ottawa|
City for All Women Initiative (CAWI)
|November 13, 2015||Cornwall|
Cornwall and Area Chamber of Commerce
|November 16, 2015||Toronto|
AMAPCEO
|November 19, 2015||Windsor|
AIDS Committee of Windsor/Blue House Drop-In Centre for Women
|November 20, 2015||Kitchener-Waterloo|
Axonify
|November 23, 2015||Burlington|
Advancement of Women Halton
|November 30, 2015||Scarborough|
Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario (AECEO)
|December 9, 2015||Toronto||Equal Pay Coalition|
|December 9, 2015||Peterborough|
City of Peterborough – Social Services Division
|December 17-18, 2015||Sudbury|
City of Greater Sudbury
|January 12, 2016||Toronto|
Conference Board of Canada
|January 25-26, 2016||London|
City of London – Social Services
|January 27, 2016||Toronto||School of Public Policy and Governance, University of Toronto|
|February 12, 2016||Toronto||Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA)|
|February 16, 2016||St. Catharine’s /Niagara|
Innovate Niagara Region
|February 23, 2016||Toronto||Kathleen Lahey, Queen’s University|
|February 29, 2016||Toronto||Premier’s Council on Youth Opportunities|
|March 8, 2016||Toronto||Armine Yalzanian, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives|
50 written submissions received from stakeholders
Organization
- Advancement of Women Halton
- AMAPCEO
- Association of Early Childhood Educators (AECEO)
- Association of Ontario Midwives
- Canadian Federation of University Women
- Canadian Mental Health Association (Ontario)
- Catalyst Canada
- CFUW - Burlington
- Chinese Interagency Network Labour Committee
- Christian Labour Association of Canada (CLAC)
- City of Sudbury ECE Group
- Colour of Poverty/Colour of Change Network
- Community Living Tillsonburg
- Dr. Tammy Schirle
- Equal Pay Coalition (EPC)
- Good Jobs for All Coalition
- Human Resources Professional Association (HRPA)
- International Association of Machinist and Aerospace Workers Canada (IAMAW Canada)
- Literacy Link South Central Ontario (with Ad Hoc Committee of Learning Networks of Ontario)
- London and District Labour Council
- Migrant Workers Alliance for Change (MWAC)
- Ontario Agencies Supporting Individuals with Special Needs (OASIS)
- Ontario Association of Architects (OAA)
- Ontario Bar Association (OBA)
- Ontario Coalition for Better Childcare (OCBCC)
- Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA)
- Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI)
- Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL)
- Ontario Municipal Human Resource Association (OMHRA)
- Ontario Nurses Association
- Ontario Principals’ Council (OPC)
- Ontario Society of Professional Engineers
- OPP Civilian Association of Managers and Specialists (OPPS CAMS)
- Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU)
- Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO)
- Ryerson University, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
- Service Employees International Union (SEIU Healthcare)
- Social Planning Council of Sudbury
- Solertia Consulting Group
- Toronto Financial Services Alliance
- Toronto Women’s City Alliance
- UFCW Canada Local 1000A
- UFCW National
- UNIFOR
- United Steel Workers (USW)
- Waterloo Regional Labour Council (WRLC)
- Women in View on Screen
- Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF)
- Workers’ Action Centre (WAC)/Parkdale Legal Community Services
- York Region Centre for Community Safety
In addition, the Gender Wage Gap Steering Committee received 25 written or oral submissions from individuals.
Online survey results
A voluntary online survey was open from November 27, 2015 to February 29, 2016.
The survey asked questions about work experiences, influences and barriers to employment and career decisions, negotiating pay, work life balance issues, factors that cause the gender wage gap, opinions on effective gender inclusive workplace policies and pay practices, and sought any other comments.
It provided a convenient way for Ontarians to participate in the GWG Strategy consultations. Many people found the topic of the gender wage gap important and relevant enough to take the time to respond, and were comfortable expressing their views through the online format. The responses of those who participated in this survey cannot be generalized to other individuals, groups or populations.
There were 1430 responses: 1422 in English and 8 in French.
- Most of the respondents were non-immigrant women, who live in urban centres
- Over three quarters of the respondents were between the ages of 25 and 54
- 42% of the respondents think gender stereotypes and discrimination is the main cause of the gender wage gap
- 86% of respondents said all workplaces in Ontario should provide salary information and share their human resources policies
- The survey results are included in this consultation summary report
Footnotes
- footnote Back to paragraph The final report of the Changing Workplaces Review is expected to be submitted to the Ministry of Labour in fall 2016. | https://www.ontario.ca/page/gender-wage-gap-strategy-consultation |
Seagrasses, one of the important ecosystems in Indonesian coastal waters, have declined mostly due to a variety of multi-sector (i.e. ecology, socio-economy, technology and institution) anthropogenic disturbances. The decline and loss of seagrass meadows will have an effect not only on biodiversity and fisheries productivity within the ecosystems but also on the adjacent ecosystems (coral reef and mangrove forest), and even the effect will spread out far to the outside of the areas where seagrass grow. Seagrass ecosystems management in Indonesia is urgently required as part of fisheries management. However, this concept has not been understood by most of Indonesian people, including some government officials. Consequently, the seagrass ecosystems are still marginalized in the coastal resource management practices in Indonesia. In order to sustain fisheries productivity, knowledge of impact scales of each seagrass-related multi-sector human activities are very important as one of basic requirements in designing an effective seagrass management.
Keywords
anthropogenic disturbance; challenging ; Indonesia ; seagrass decline ; seagrass management
Full Text:PDF
Journal of Coastal Development, Diponegoro University
Widya Puraya Building, 1st Floor, Tembalang, Semarang 50275, Indonesia. | https://ejournal.undip.ac.id/index.php/coastdev/article/view/4011/0 |
Role of mixing on microwave-enhanced advanced oxidation process in treating sewage sludge.
The microwave enhanced advanced oxidation process (MW/H2O2-AOP) was used for the release of nutrients and the disintegration of suspended solids from both anaerobic sludge and aerobic sludge. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of mixing on the performance of the process, in terms of soluble ammonia, orthophosphate and soluble chemical oxygen demands. Experiments were conducted on sludge samples with various total solids concentrations (1.1-3.7%) and hydrogen peroxide dosage (1% per 1% of total solids) at 80 degrees C of microwave temperature and five minutes of heating time. The results indicated that mixing affected solids disintegration and nutrient solubilization of sewage sludge, regardless of the sludge used, anaerobic or aerobic. However, the effects of mixing on the MW/H2O2-AOP were dependent on the total solids concentration of the sludge. A paired t-test was performed on data for aerobic sludge: at 2.9% of total solids (TS), the difference for solubilization of nutrients and solids disintegration was statistically significant at a 95% confidence level between mixing and non-mixing samples. At a lower TS of 1.7% only soluble chemical oxygen demand showed significant difference between mixing and non-mixing. The results suggest that, for sludge with higher solids content, the MW/H2O2-AOP can be more effective if a mixing device is implemented.
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In March, Nico and I had the pleasure and luck of being invited to a friend’s traditional Indian wedding in Delhi. This was my second time in Delhi, but my first time attending an Indian wedding. I also loved the idea of escaping to a warm climate for a few days.
The celebration was a 4 day long event, but I’ve heard of other Indian weddings lasting a week. I have no idea how they do it. I can’t party hard more than two days in a row these days. Both the groom’s and bride’s families were so welcoming, decadently dressed, and put on an amazing party for everyone.
Day 1 – Holi Party
We slept in because we arrived the night before after a roughly 12 hour trip. Nico had gone to grad school with the bride, and most of her squad arrived around the same time we did so we were all jet lagged. Most of the wedding events took place in a city southwest of New Delhi called Gurgaon, and the first one was a casual outdoor lunch the same day as Holi.
Holi, a traditional Hindu festival, celebrates the beginning of spring as well as the triumph of good over evil. It is best known around the world as the “festival of colors” for the colored powder that people throw on each other, leaving everyone coated in color by the end of the day. We had been woken up by drums and music in the morning, and we could see people throwing color at each other all over the place, even on the streets.
Anyone and everyone is fair game, as we got an earful of color immediately upon arrival from people we hadn’t formally met yet. There were also water guns and water balloons that people used to color each other. We were told to wear clothes that we wouldn’t mind throwing out afterwards. What we weren’t told was that the yellow and pink colors are the hardest to wash off. I think Nico had yellow spots in his hair for a week after.
Day 2 – Cocktail / Sangeet
While the bridal party was practicing their dance with the choreographer, a few of us had lunch in a place that offers a different take on local and street food, Cafe Lota in the National Craft Museum. For the evening party, the dress code was salwar kameez/ lehenga/sari for women. I was able to borrow pieces of this outfit from my coworker’s wife (thank you Sindhu!).
The cocktail event allowed everyone to meet one another and was hosted by the groom’s family. The entrance into the garden was beautifully lit with chandeliers and framed with sheer curtains and an ornate red carpet. Inside, there was a stage, a bar, and literally the biggest buffet I’ve ever seen. I think the groom said that there were 300 different menu items! The bride-to-be was drop dead gorgeous in her sparkly dress, and the groom was charming everyone like a pro.
After a few drinks and bites to eat, the entertainment started. The main event was a dance off between the groom’s side and the bride’s side. Afterwards, there was a live band, traditional dancers, and even a fire breather!
Day 3 – Mehendi / Henna
The bride’s family hosted the Mehendi Ceremony poolside at a posh hotel. It was a chill event with a lot of pink, singing & dancing, and, of course, more delicious food. Traditionally a female only event, everyone was welcome to participate in getting mehendi or henna on their hands.
Day 4 – The Wedding
In the morning, the bride’s parents hosted the intimate Haldi/Choora ceremony in their home. The family priest was there to lead prayers, while family members tossed herbs and spices into a fire for good luck while reciting blessings for the bride and groom. The bride then put on the Choora, a set of red and white bangles that she’ll wear for 40 days while exempt from work. Traditionally the mother-in-law would do the housework. Finally, the bride had the Kalire tied to her wrists. Kalire are these delicate gold chandelier bracelets that she then shook (sometimes quite vigorously!) over the heads of her unmarried friends and family. If a piece falls off onto the head of the person, then he or she will get married soon. I likened this to the throwing of the bouquet at western weddings, but you have a better chance with the Kalire 😉 To learn more about this ceremony, this is a helpful page.
For the grand finale, everyone was dressed to the gills in their best. The groom and his entourage arrived first with a huge procession on the street in front of the venue with drums and music. He sat in a horse drawn carriage wearing a gigantic garland made of money around his neck. The male members of the bride’s family greeted each other by exchanging flower garlands, Nico included!
The bride along with her bridal party then walked in under a canopy made of flowers called a Phoolon ki Chadar, that the male members of her family held. The ceremony was led by the same family priest, where almost all the Hindu deities were asked to bless the new couple. This is a pretty long ceremony, so unlike western ceremonies, the guests chatted with each other at banquet tables and milled around having drinks and snacks. The dinner and reception was afterwards, with a dance floor & DJ, amazing food, and a stage set up where guests could go up and take photos with the beautiful couple.
Old Delhi
We had about half a day to do some proper tourist things in the city before we flew back to Luxembourg, and I’ve posted about it here: Delhi Photo Essay
Lessons and Tips
- After Holi celebrations, be prepared for some color stains on your hair and skin. For sure wear clothes that you don’t mind throwing away in case the color doesn’t come out, but after a good wash, the clothes I wore were fine.
- Let loose! Don’t be afraid to dance, even if you don’t know how, and even if everyone around you is way more coordinated.
- Try everything in the buffet. I couldn’t always tell what it was, but if you’re not afraid of spices or heat, try everything.
- An Indian wedding is a marathon. Pace yourself, but have fun! | https://huangee.com/2018/09/26/india-delhi-wedding/ |
A. Serafino and P. Pierimarchi Pages 2401 - 2409 ( 9 )
Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) is a cardiac hormone playing a crucial role in cardiovascular homeostasis mainly through blood volume and pressure regulation. In the last years, the new property ascribed to ANP of inhibiting tumor growth both in vitro and in vivo has made this peptide an attractive candidate for anticancer therapy. The molecular mechanism underlying the anti-proliferative effect of ANP has been mainly related to its interaction with the specific receptors NPRs, through which this natriuretic hormone inhibits some metabolic targets critical for cancer development, including the Ras-MEK1⁄2-ERK1⁄2 kinase cascade, functioning as a multikinase inhibitor. In this review we summarize the current knowledge on this topic, focusing on our recent data demonstrating that the antitumor activity of this natriuretic hormone is also mediated by a concomitant effect on the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and on the pH regulation ability of cancer cells, through a Frizzled-related mechanism. This peculiarity of simultaneously targeting two processes crucial for neoplastic transformation and solid tumor survival reinforces the utility of ANP for the development of both preventive and therapeutic strategies.
Antitumor effect, atrial natriuretic peptide, cardiac hormones, corin, frizzled, mechanism(s) of action, NHE-1 inhibition, pH regulators, target therapy, tumor microenvironmental pH, Wnt pathway.
Institute of Translational Pharmacology - National Research Council of Italy, Via Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133, Rome, Italy. | http://www.currentmedicinalchemistry.com/articles/120198/atrial-natriuretic-peptide-a-magic-bullet-for-cancer-therapy-targeting-wnt-signaling-and-cellular-ph-regulators |
Did you know: It is easy to get all the protein we need without eating meats (any animal tissue).
Did you know: Our body gets all but 1/6 of the protein it needs from recycling old body tissue. This 1/6 must come from essential amino acids we eat.
Every cell in the body is comprised of proteins. Amino acids are the chemical substances that make up protein. Our bodies use 22 amino acids to make the 50,000 different proteins we must have to be healthy. Of the 22 amino acids there are 8 that are essential for human nutrition. An essential amino acid is one that cannot be synthesised from other available resources, and therefore must be supplied as part of the diet.
It is not important to mix plant material at one meal to obtain the 8 amino acids - Our bodies store amino acids in our blood for several hours. So if we miss getting some amino acids in one meal, we can pick them up at some other time during the day. Non-essential amino acids don't need to be supplied in the diet as they can be synthesised from other dietary substances.
Nearly every food, with the exception of fruits, sugars and fats and oils, has enough protein to supply our necessary amino acids if we eat enough of it to get our day's worth of calories. We do not need to eat meat.
1) tryptophan - tryptophan is a precursor for serotonin and melatonin. It is plentiful in chocolate, oats, bananas, dried dates, milk, cottage cheese, meat, fish, turkey and peanuts.
2) lysine - Lysine deficiency can result in a deficiency in niacin (Vitamin B) and this can cause the disease pellagra. It is also beneficial in treating and preventing herpes. Lysine sources include green beans, lentils, soybean, spinach and amaranth.
3) methionine - Methionine supplies sulphur and other compounds required by the body for normal metabolism and growth. It belongs to a group of compounds called lipotropics that help the liver process fats. It is found in fish, whole grains, and dairy.
4) Valine: Valine is needed for muscle metabolism, tissue repair, and for the maintenance of proper nitrogen balance in the body. Valine is found in high concentration in the muscle tissue. It is also one of the three branched chain amino acids, which means that it can be used as an energy source by muscle tissue. It may be helpful in treating livere and gallbladder disorders, and it is good for correcting the type of severe amino acid deficiencies that can be caused by drug addiction. Dietary sources of valine include dairy products, grain, meat, mushrooms, peanuts, and soy proteins.
5) Leucine: Leucine is a branched chain essential amino acid that stimulates muscle protein synthesis and may be the major fuel involved in anabolic (tissue building) reactions During times of starvation, stress, infection, or recovery from trauma, the body mobilizes leucine as a source for gluconeogenesis (the synthesis of blood sugar in the liver) to aid in the healing process. It has recently been suggested that leucine may have beneficial therapeutic effects on the prevention of protein wasting, as it occurs during starvation, semi-starvation, trauma, or recovery after surgery. Insulin deficiency is known to result in poor utilization of leucine; therefore, individuals who suffer from glucose intolerance may require higher levels of leucine intake. Leucine is found in cottage cheese, sesame seeds, peanuts, dry lentils, chicken, and fish.
6) Isoleucine: Isoleucine is a branched chain amino acid that is important for blood sugar regulation, muscle development and repair, haemoglobin development, and energy regulation. Deficiencies of isoleucine result in possible dizziness, headaches, fatigue, depression, confusion and irritability. Isoleucine is found in eggs, fish, lentils, poultry, beef, seeds, soy, wheat, almonds and dairy.
7) Threonine: Threonine is important for antibody production. It can be converted into glycine and serine. Deficiencies are rare but can result in skin disorders and weakness. Dietary sources of threonine include dairy, beef, poultry, eggs, beans, nuts, and seeds.
8) Phenylalanine: Phenylalanine serves in the body as a precursor to the catecholamine family of hormones. These hormones include adrenaline and noradrenaline, which are activating substances in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Deficiencies are rare but can include slowed growth, lethargy, liver damage, weakness, oedema, and skin lesions. Food sources or phenylalanine are dairy, almonds, avocados, lima beans, peanuts, and seeds.
Food sources of each of the essential amino acids are mentioned in the previous section describing each essential amino acid. In general terms proteins are found primarily in meats, eggs, milk, rice and beans, although there are also amino acids in vegetable as well. Our bodies have to break down plant or animal protein into the component amino acids and then rebuild protein - human protein. The plant or animal protein cannot be absorbed directly because these proteins have polypeptides with hundreds, or thousands of amino acids joined in peptide bonds that have to be broken with enzymes into the single amino acids that the body can absorb, and then reform into the proteins the body requires. It is more difficult for our bodies to break down animal protein than it is for it to break down plant protein.
Heat in cooking and the conditions of processing destroy many amino acids in our food.
Vegetarians and vegans often have low intakes of the amino acid lysine that is prevalent in eggs and poultry products.
Meats are the most protein dense food, followed by legumes and then grains, oats and rye. Meat eaters usually consume far more protein than they require which can lead to health problems. When we consume more protein than our body needs, we cause excess nitrogen to be excreted as urea in urine. This excess nitrogen has been linked with reduced kidney function in later years. Studies have found that when people have impaired kidney function, reducing protein intake slows the rate of decline of kidney function. High protein intakes may lead to dehydration due to excessive urine output (related to ketone production), and may cause extra metabolic stress to be placed on the liver.
Too much protein in the diet also can increase excretion of calcium, and there is some evidence of high protein diets linked to osteoporosis, particularly when the major protein source is animal. The calcium, on its way through the urinary system, can produce kidney stones.
If our diets are high in protein they are usually low in other food group representatives. Therefore there is an increased risk of inadequate vitamins and minerals (especially antioxidants), low fibre intake, high total and saturated fat intake, excess caloric intake, as well as excess protein intake. These imbalances carry with them long term negative consequences.
Although most of us obtain sufficient amounts of the essential amino acids in our diets there are conditions that require our bodies to need more than they are getting. In times of physical and emotional stress, illness, injury and surgery the body requires more amino acids than can be gained from food alone, especially when the diet is poor. Many people are turning away from a meat based diet because of considerations for the environment, the animals, and their own health. In these situations it is important that people educate themselves on the best ways to obtain sufficient essential amino acids.
If supplementation is required, but it is important to establish if the body does really need more. If supplementation is required make sure it is pharmaceutical grade, or the highest quality, pure, crystalline amino acids which are best utilised by our body since they do not require digestion and are easily absorbed. | http://saalad.com/56.html |
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- +34 938 25 15 29
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- Start May - End September
Alan Rogers Review
Camping Gironella has a picturesque setting, one kilometre outside the village of Gironella, in the Berguedà region. This campsite offers charming, well-equipped bungalows, an outdoor swimming pool and free Wi-Fi.
The campsite’s restaurant serves traditional Catalan cuisine. There is also a café-bar. Guests can use Gironella’s shop, which sells a range of food and drink. Camping Gironella features a large sports pitch and table tennis, You can enjoy Local activities in the surrounding area include cycling, horse riding and fishing. The surrounding area is ideal for hiking, and Cadí-Moixeró Park is just 12.4 miles away.
Facilities
Facitlties suitable for disabled visitors, Bar, Snack bar, Resturant, shop (small) Entertianment (high season), Outdoor swimming pool, Childrens playground, Table tennis, Billiards, Games room, WiFi is available in all areas and is free of charge, Pets allowed. | https://alanrogers.com/campsite/camping-gironella-cataluna-catalunya |
Since it is usually impossible to consider every flne detail associated with the production process while maintaining such a long planning horizon, it is mandatory to aggregate the information being processed. The aggregate production approach is predicated on the existence of an aggregate unit
The cement manufacturing process starts from the mining of raw materials that are used in cement manufacturing, mainly limestone and clays. A limestone quarry is inside the plant area and a clays quarry is as far from the plant area as 25 km.
Cement: Materials and manufacturing process. Cement Works No 2 by Eric Revilious 1934. The essential components of cement • Chemically, cement is a mixture of calcium silicates and small amounts of calcium aluminates that react with water and cause the cement to set.
Aggregate Crushing Plant. Aggregate production line produce construction aggregates widely used for making concrete production. The aggregate process consists by progressive stages of crushing, screening, and washing. Aggregate production line manufactured by aims for producing crushed stone aggregate.
What is Manufacturing Process? Manufacturing process is basically a complex activity, concerned with people who've a broad number of disciplines and expertise and a wide range of machinery, tools, and equipment with numerous levels of automation, such as computers, robots, and other equipment.
The production process, or manufacturing process, consists of a few key components or sub-processes from production planning through quality assurance and inspection of final products. Manufacturing process flow charts, or workflows, can be applied to the manufacturing process to reduce lead times, increase machine utilization and optimize first pass yields.
The process of converting raw material into finished products is called as production process. In this production process, different types of machines, tools, equipment are used to produce the finished good. Several types of manufacturing processes are applied in production process based on the nature of work and ultimate resultant finished ...
production process: Mechanical or chemical steps used to create an object, usually repeated to create multiple units of the same item. Generally involves the use of raw materials…
The strength of concrete is probably the most important property that must be tested to comply with specifications. To achieve the desired strength, workers must carefully control the manufacturing process, which they normally do by using statistical process control.
11.20 Lightweight Aggregate Manufacturing 11.20.1 Process Description1,2 Lightweight aggregate is a type of coarse aggregate that is used in the production of lightweight concrete products such as concrete block, structural concrete, and pavement. The Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code for lightweight aggregate manufacturing is 3295 ...
Dec 17, 2018· The continuous flow manufacturing process is similar to the production line, but the products that are manufactured cannot be removed from the production line and stored, but require to have been through each process. For example, materials that are suited to continuous flow include chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and plastics.
The product is usually described by a formula plus a bill of materials. Process ... The primary difference is that production materials are gases, liquids, powders, or slurries. In some cases ...
aggregate physical properties, and, in particular, gradation (size control). Establishing a stable production process may reduce variability of the product. EXTRACTION With the exception of slag and other manufactured aggregates most materials for aggregate production come from bedrock or unconsolidated deposits.
2.3 The Concrete Construction Process. The focus of this monograph is the chemistry, microstructure, and properties of cement and concrete, not the nuts and bolts of how to mix and pour the stuff.
Aug 30, 2012· Cement Manufacturing Process Phase 1: Raw Material Extraction. Cement uses raw materials that cover calcium, silicon, iron and aluminum. Such raw materials are limestone, clay and sand. Limestone is for calcium. It is combined with much smaller proportions of sand and clay. Sand & clay fulfill the need of silicon, iron and aluminum.
Accurate cement production also depends on belt scale systems to monitor output and inventory or regulate product loadout, as well as tramp metal detectors to protect equipment and keep the operation running smoothly. The Cement Manufacturing Process flow chart sums up where in the process each type of technology is making a difference. NOTE:
The aim of the Journal of Manufacturing Processes (JMP) is to exchange current and future directions of manufacturing processes research, development and implementation, and to publish archival scholarly literature with a view to advancing state-of-the-art manufacturing processes and encouraging innovation for developing new and efficient ...
The Asphalt Manufacturing Process Explained. ... Hot-mix asphalt is made by heating aggregates to decrease the viscosity of the binding agents and make the whole more fluid, then drying it to remove any remaining moisture. It is mixed hot at 200-350 degrees Fahrenheit. It is called hot-mix because not only because it is mixed hot, it must also ...
Overview. Scheduling is the process of arranging, controlling and optimizing work and workloads in a production process. Companies use backward and forward scheduling to allocate plant and machinery resources, plan human resources, plan production processes and purchase materials.
Today, concrete block manufacturing is a highly automated process that can produce up to 2,000 blocks per hour. Raw Materials The concrete commonly used to make concrete blocks is a mixture of powdered portland cement, water, sand, and gravel.
9 Materials That Will Change the Future of Manufacturing [Slide Show] Researchers are developing cutting-edge foams, coatings, metals and other substances to make our homes, vehicles and gadgets ...
The key to realizing the outstanding inherent strength of these materials is the process by which the polymer is spun into fibers. The first attempts using traditional techniques involving injecting a stream of the polymer directly into a cooling bath did not result in an unusual material.
Cement manufacturing process & what is cement made of, it can be discussed conveniently under two headings: Selection of Raw materials and manufacturing methods. Raw Materials of Cement. Most important raw materials (what is cement made of) required in the manufacture of Portland Cement are: Limestone, Clay, Gypsum, Fuel, and Water (in wet method).
Aggregate Production Planning. Aggregate production planning, abbreviated as APP, is useful for operation management. It is associated with the determination of production, inventory, and personnel levels to fulfil varying demand over a planning perspective that …
This process involves removing unwanted materials, such as blocks, clay, etc. The scalped product is crushed once to transform the block into broken stone. The process is repeated as many times as necessary to obtain the desired fragment size. The resulting material is then screened to obtain aggregates of the desired grade.
Oct 03, 2016· MANUFACTURING PROCESS OF AGGREGATES. Category Science & Technology; Show more Show less. ... MANUFACTURING PROCESS OF STEEL SCRAP TO BILLET AND BILLET TO ROLLING MILL - Duration: …
Construction aggregate, or simply "aggregate", is a broad category of coarse to medium grained particulate material used in construction, including sand, gravel, crushed stone, slag, recycled concrete and geosynthetic aggregates. Aggregates are the most mined materials in the world.
Start studying Ch. 6 - The Production Process. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. | https://www.degroenewelvaart.nl/SAMgrinding/20-01-20289-production-process-of-aggregates.html |
There’s an interesting debate going on within Keynesianism at the moment about whether or not the present economic malaise in much of the western world can be accredited to the persistent rise in inequality that has transpired over the last thirty years or so. Arguing in favour of the inequality connection is Joseph Stiglitz; arguing against is Paul Krugman. I’d like to examine what both economists have to say on the topic and deduce as best I can my own view on the subject.
To start off, let’s substantiate the underlying assumption of the debate, that inequality is, in fact, increasing. Using data from the OECD, we can see that if you live in a developed country that is not Turkey, Greece, France, Hungary, or Belgium, inequality has risen where you live:
Gini coefficient is a measure of inequality. Low inequality nations like Sweden usually score around 0.25 while high inequality nations like the United States often approach or exceed 0.4. As you can see in the chart, the red cubes for the 2008 measurement are nearly uniformly higher than the blue bars representing the 1985 measurement (and in some of these countries (the USA and UK in particular), 1985 is considerably more equal than say, 1975). With the central premise of higher inequality established, we can then discuss whether this inequality has negative impacts connected to economic malaise.
Let’s start with Stiglitz. Stiglitz proposes a series of connections between rising inequality and the recent economic malaise:
- Lower wages as a percentage of GDP translate into a middle class having to spend in excess of its earnings to support growth, reducing the economy’s ability to sustainably maintain high growth rates without generating higher household debt.
- Investment in the next generation at the familial level is crowded out by household debt used to fuel growth (or compounded further into student loan debt).
- The rich often pay effectively lower tax rates than the middle class through tax avoidance, so weaker middle class incomes relative to GDP depresses tax income relative to GDP, reducing the perceived budgetary scope for stimulus.
- There is a statistical relationship between higher inequality and economic instability in general for these reasons.
Krugman takes on board points 2 and 4, but claims that they are not specific to this crisis and are ongoing problems we have had for some time. In response to point 3, Krugman points out that the tax system in the United States is, despite avoidance, still mildly progressive. I am broadly inclined to agree with Krugman here–while higher earners do try to avoid paying quite a bit of tax, they still, broadly speaking, end up paying more than lower earners:
However, it should be noted that Krugman himself has claimed that inequality has created some specific tax problems, namely with regard to the payroll tax cap. Payroll taxes fund Social Security, but, as currently structured, income beyond the approximately $106,000 cap is not subject to payroll tax. Greater inequality does have the effect of making the financial foundation of Social Security consequently appear much less secure than it is–if the cap were lifted, it is estimated that Social Security would remain solvent until at least 2060.
The crux of the debate centres on Stiglitz’s first point, which amounts to an “underconsumption” hypothesis. Krugman is suspicious of the underconsumption hypothesis because it unites broadly left wing egalitarian goals with Keynesian economic policy and argues that the former favours the latter. Krugman believes that this may be a form of biased, wishful thinking. In answer to it, he offers up data on the savings rate. Krugman’s argument goes like this:
- For inequality to be producing underconsumption, there would need to be evidence that the rich, who are receiving a larger portion of the income, save substantially more of that income without consuming it than the poor do.
- Consequently, the hallmark of underconsumption would be a high savings rate, representing more of the income diverted to the wealthy being saved rather than spent and corresponding producing an economy that chronically suffers from inadequate demand.
- Since the savings rate has in reality been falling, underconsumption is not possible.
The savings rate is indeed doing as Krugman suggests, if we look at the Federal Reserve data:
However, I think Krugman has the wrong conception of the means by which inequality produces under-consumption It is not so much that the rich consume or invest so much less of their income than the poor do, it is that when inequality rises wages are replaced with borrowing. When inequality is rising, instead of raising wages to keep up with economic growth, wages remain stagnant or grow more slowly, actually falling as a share of GDP. In order for demand to support this growth, the additional purchasing must come from somewhere other than wages. Where does it come from? Borrowing, with the result being increased household debt. Who lends the money? The rich, the very people whose incomes have increased. So the rich supply the additional demand, but they do it not by consuming themselves, but by loaning the money to their own workers for their consumption. No one saves more money in this scenario–the rich lends all of their money out, and the poor spend everything they earn in wages and more. Now, it’s true that you don’t have under-consumption before the crisis in this story–the borrowing supplies the money needed to sustain demand, at least for a while. However, eventually a Minsky moment occurs in which the market realises that the aggregate debt level produced by that borrowing is unsustainable, and the result is a private debt crisis (which can evolve into a public debt crisis if states nationalise private debts to protect creditors, as happened in most western countries, though notably not Iceland). The under-consumption is the result, once the borrowing stops, and it is what we are seeing now as, year after year, consumers fail to recover their pre-recession spending habits.
So, to summarise this alternative story:
- Wages as a share of GDP stagnate, but the economy continues to grow, with the proceeds of that growth going to the rich.
- To sustain growth, the rich lend their money to the poor rather than pay them higher wages. The borrowed money substitutes for higher wages and produces growth.
- However, eventually the debts accumulated throughout the economy become unsustainable, and the economy collapses.
- As an added bonus, states take on this debt and consequently become debt-burdened themselves and less able to provide for fiscal stimulus.
The hallmarks of my alternative story would be:
- Falling wages as a percentage of GDP
- Soaring household debt in the run-up to the crisis which is only clearing slowly in the aftermath and consequently continuing to retard growth.
- A low savings rate as everyone is either a debtor or a creditor.
As we saw above, the savings rate did indeed fall in the run up to the crisis. What about wage share and household debt? Let’s look:
Sure enough, wage share has been falling, as per the Federal Reserve:
And sure enough, household debt sky-rocketed in lock-step with the wage share’s fall:
So, from where I’m sitting, advantage Stiglitz. | https://benjaminstudebaker.com/2013/01/21/inequality-krugman-vs-stiglitz/ |
Authentication using JSON Web Tokens in .NET Core
So you have considered using JSON Web Tokens (JWT) for implementing authentication in your next ASP.NET Core application. Good choice!
JWT is one of the most sophisticated mechanisms that help to transfer information securely across systems. It works on the principle of tokenization that has gained widespread acceptance across the globe to implement authentication.
This post covers the basics of JWT initially to finally explain how to implement authentication using JWT in ASP.NET Core.
Table of Contents
- What is JWT?
- Structure of JWT
- How does JWT work?
- How to implement JWT in ASP.NET Core?
- Conclusion
What is JWT?
JWT is an acronym for JSON Web Token. It works on the principle of tokenization to securely transfer information between two systems. As a result, it has found wide applications in the authentication systems.
An objective of JWT is to verify the authentication claims or assertions that are present within it.
For example ‘Logged in as an admin’ could be a possible claim. A JWT would verify this claim and pass on the information to the client stating that the user who has tried to log in is indeed an admin and thus access can be granted to him/her.
If you have encountered ‘Single Sign-On’ while accessing an application, there is a high possibility that it works using a JWT these days. JWT has extremely low overhead and lets you use them across different domains easily, leading to its mass popularity.
A key property of JWT is its capability to verify its own integrity. This is achievable due to the presence of a signature component in its structure. Let us dive deeper into the structure of JWT.
Structure of JWT
A JWT comprises of three parts - header, payload, and signature.
Header
A header comprises of two parts -
alg and
typ. The
alg specifies the hashing algorithm used while ‘typ’ depicts the type of token. Here is an example of what the header of JWT looks like:
The header will be encoded separately in Base64Url to form the first part of JWT.
The main purpose of the header is to provide metadata information about the token. This metadata will enable the receiver of the token to interpret the signature and verify the contents of the payload.
Payload
So any information stored in the payload is readable to any interceptor of the JWT. Thus a payload should ideally not contain sensitive information such as username or password.
You may add multiple fields in a payload but it is recommended to not exceed 6 fields as JWT is meant to be compact. You may add some standard recommended default fields such as iss (issuer), sub (subject) and exp (expiration time) along with the user fields.
Here is what a typical payload looks like -
Signature
The last part is the signature which is used to validate the authenticity of the JWT itself.
The signature is encrypted and is the only component of a JWT that is not readable publically. A secret key is needed to decrypt the information stored in the signature.
The signature verifies that the message transferred by the JWT was not intercepted and changed during its transfer.
The signature contains the header and the payload and digitally signs them using the hashing algorithm mentioned in the header and a secret key. Here is what a signature looks like -
The three parts of a JWT are created, encoded and then concatenated using
. to produce the final JWT. This can then be easily passed into HTML and HTTP environments.
Here is the encoded version of the above created JWT.
How does JWT work?
Say you visit your favorite shopping website and wish to view your details in the My Account page. You enter your username and password on the login page and wait for the My Account page to load.
This short wait for few milliseconds is where a JWT comes into the picture.
Your username and password are sent as a request to the Auth server which validates them and generates a JWT if they are valid. This JWT is sent back to the client.
The client then sends the required information plus the JWT to the App server. The App server validates the JWT and fetches the data (such as My Account details) and sends them as the response.
The below diagram depicts authentication using JWT in terms of the above example.
How to implement JWT in ASP.NET Core Framework?
Here are the steps involved in implementing JWT in ASP.NET Core.
Step 1
Start by creating a new ASP.NET Core Web Application project.
Step 2
Then select API template to start implementing the application.
Step 3
The next step involves installing a JwtBearer package in the
startup.cs file. This is essential to implement the authentication using JWT in your application.
Step 4
Once it is successfully installed, in the startup.cs file, add the JWT authentication scheme. It is also recommended to save the token which will be quite useful when communicating between multiple APIs.
Step 5
Any request that comes from the client will be routed to the LoginController.cs and the endpoint inside it. In the below screenshot, the LoginUser is the endpoint that helps to get the bearer token by passing the username and password as input.
Step 6
Define the details about the user in the user.cs class under the entity file.
Step 7
Define the business logic for validating the credentials in the userservice.cs class file.
Step 8
The below screenshot depicts the structure of the application after completion.
Step 9
Check the response real-time by entering a username and password.
Conclusion
JWT is one of the most popular authentication techniques used by programmers across the world. Its popularity is mainly attributed to the ease of use and simplicity in implementing it.
The process to implement JWT is even simpler when done in the ASP.NET Core thanks to the seamless support offered by the framework.
It doesn’t matter whether you are a newbie programmer or a seasoned veteran, following the steps covered in this post will help you to effortlessly implement JWT in your next application. | https://www.partech.nl/nl/publicaties/2020/04/authentication-using-json-web-tokens-in-net-core |
Like Library of Congress call numbers, Dewey Decimal call numbers group books together by broad topic or classification (number before the decimal), and then use further letters and numbers to group books into more specific topics and subtopics (letters and numbers after the decimal).
While the call numbers appear horizontally in the online catalog, they will appear vertically on the spine or edge of the book.
For example, to read the Dewey Decimal call number in the catalog: 630.51 P884
630.51: The number in front of the decimal is read as a whole number (six hundred and thirty), then treat the rest as a decimal. 630.51 would come between 630.5 and 630.52.
P884: For the final number, go to the letter first and then read the rest as the whole number. P884 would come between P883 and P885.
Example taken from the U. of Chicago libraries.
The call number appears horizontally on the spine:
Call numbers group materials on similar subjects together to facilitate browsing. So, if you find one book that closely matches your topic, you will likely find others next to it on the shelf that fit with your research. The beginning letters of a Dewey Decimal call number indicate what broad classification your book is in.
000 Generalities
100 Philosophy & psychology
200 Religion
300 Social sciences
400 Language
500 Natural sciences & mathematics
600 Technology (Applied sciences)
700 The arts
800 Literature & rhetoric
900 Geography & history
Deweys in the Owen Science Library are on the 3rd floor. Look for the signs as you get out of the elevator. | https://libguides.libraries.wsu.edu/callnumbers/dewey |
Owl’s Bread Bakery makes pure butter French pastries that are as beautiful as they are delicious…
All our pastries are made with pure butter and cream.
We use no mixes or additives.
All our preparations are made frombasic ingredients (flour, eggs, milk…) and the best fruit pulps imported from France. We only use Barry or Valrhona chocolate in our mousses.
We also use the same high quality ingredients in our gelato style sherbets and ice creams. | https://www.owlsbread.com/english/produits/pastry.html |
This week sees some surprise news from All Leisure Group, who have just cancelled cruises scheduled to leave this week on the Minerva from Marseille and on the Voyager from Port Kelang. Speculation has the two ships going to other operators and rumours so far have centred on Phenix Reisen or Saga Cruises for the Minerva (both of these companies have operated this ship before) and an Asian operator or Celestyal Cruises for the Voyager. Meanwhile, TUI’s cruise business continues to thrive and we have a look at the latest cruise port news from Holyhead and Poole, two smaller cruise ports in the UK.
THIS WEEK’S STORY
All Leisure Cancels Voyager And Minerva Cruises
The mood at All Leisure group’s cruising ventures today is one of uncertainty, along rumours that at least one of their ships, if not two, could be going to other operators.
A one-line message on the website of Swan Hellenic announced this week that the 352-berth Minerva’s “Gateway to the Atlantic Isles” cruise due to leave Marseille tomorrow, January 3, has been cancelled, with apologies to all its passengers.
A similar message on the website of affiliated Voyages of Discovery announced the cancellation of the 556-berth Voyager’s “Riches of the Orient” cruise due to start in Malaysia this Wednesday, January 4.
Unconfirmed reports say that potential buyers inspected the Voyager during a recent dry-docking at Keppel shipyard in Singapore. Meanwhile, representatives of Sea Chefs, who operate the vessel’s hotel services, are said to have flown in from Germany to address crew members.
These announcements follow a long period of uncertainty at All Leisure Group.
In late November 2015, All Leisure sold the 50-berth Hebridean Princess and certain related assets for £2.9 million in cash to a new company, HP Shipping, from which it is chartering the five-star ship back on an eight-year lease. HP Shipping is owned by a syndicate of private investors led by Roger Allard, chairman of and shareholder in All Leisure Group.
In late August 2016, All Leisure Group sold its Egypt specialist operator Discover Egypt, which offers Nile cruises, to its own management team. Discover Egypt is now part of Platinum Holidays, established in May 2016, and includes Roger Allard and All Leisure Holidays’ commercial director Philip Breckner and director David Wiles.
At the time, All Leisure said that All Leisure Holidays would “continue to meet the demands of the growing tour and cruise markets with its brands Travelsphere, Just You, Swan Hellenic, Hebridean Island Cruises and Voyages of Discovery.”
Preceding these changes, Market Harborough-based All Leisure Group had also announced forty staff redundancies.
In its end of year results for October 2015, the group said demand for tours to Turkey and the Middle East was “sharply down” but that Discover Egypt “continued to maintain its historic position as a leading holiday and cruise operator.”
All Leisure left the the stock market last year after months of tough trading conditions. Its turnover for the year to October 2015 was °Í127.3 million, down from £138.9 miillion a year earlier, but the group did make a £500,000 profit compared with a £7.5 million loss the previous year and a £13.2 million loss the year before that.
News of the outcomes will follow in next week’s column.
OTHER CRUISE NEWS
TUI Group Cruise Business Up
Tui Group reported its second year of strong performance since its merger two years ago in 2014. Underlying earnings before interest, taxes and amortisation increased 12.5% to €1.03m in 2016 (€875,541 the year before), while earnings for the world’s biggest tourism operator’s continuing operations increased 14.5%.
The cruise sector remains a major growth driver for TUI Group and in the last financial year, cruises showed a 60% growth in earnings. Overall, TUI Group cruises delivered underlying EBITA of €130 million (previous year €81 million), with growth coming from both the German and UK markets.
For TUI Cruises, the 2,500-berth Mein Schiff 4 completed its first full year in operation, and in the summer of 2016, the fleet was expanded with the launch of sister ship Mein Schiff 5. TUI Cruises will launch Mein Schiff 6 this year, and two additional newbuilings will join the fleet in 2019.
Following its turnaround last year, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises delivered earnings growth of €17 million, with the average daily fare achieved up by 8%. Modernisation of the fleet operated by Hapag-Lloyd Cruises will take place in 2019 with two new luxury expedition ships.
TUI Group is investing in the expansion and modernisation of its fleet with three cruise lines in all, TUI Cruises, Thomson Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.
In the premium segment, TUI Cruises dominates the German market. Generous facilities, quality, individual service and passenger comfort are guiding lights aboard the Mein Schiff fleet. Every passenger is offered a premium full-service package, so most food and drinks, along with use of the spa zone, are included in the fare.
And TUI Cruises is still growing. When the next two newbuildings enter service in 2019, the 1,870-berth Mein Schiff 1 & 2 will switch to Thomson Cruises in the UK.
Thomson Cruises is looking to strengthen its position in the UK by expanding its fleet. By 2019 it will have added three more vessels. Thomson Cruises appeals to a wide audience, with a philosophy founded on balance and diversity. From carefully composed cuisine to the all-day family programme to the night-time bar and casino, a wide range of passengers are offered an affordable cruise to suit their needs
Meanwhile, exclusivity reigns supreme at Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. With a maximum of 400 to 500 passengers, the acclaimed cruise liners Europa and Europa 2 are top of the luxury segment.
The expedition ships are exclusive too, with these vessels ideally equipped for extraordinary locations where large ships have no access, be it the Amazon or the Arctic. These destinations are in such demand that Hapag-Lloyd Cruises has placed orders for two new expedition ships.
TUI Group is the world’s number one tourism business.
The broad portfolio gathered under the its umbrella now consists of fourteen cruise ships along with strong tour operators, 1,600 travel agencies and online portals, five airlines with more than 150 aircraft and over 300 hotels with 214,000 beds.
In 2015/16 the TUI Group will carry 67,000 passengers with a recorded turnover of €17.8 billion and an operating result of €1 billion. The TUI Group is listed on the London Stock Exchange and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
UK Minor Cruise Ports On The Rise
News has recently arrived from two smaller UK cruise ports. Holyhead, the main turnaround port for ferries to Ireland, will welcome a record number of passengers this year, while Poole, on the south coast, will open a new berth later this year and has just appointed a new commissioner with cruise background.
A record number of cruise ships will be calling on Holyhead this year. The 2017 schedule calls for forty-four cruise ships over the spring and summer cruising season, bringing more than 20,000 passengers. This is a 47% increase in number of cruise ships and 60% increase in passenger numbers compared to 2016.
Ships will dock at the Orthios berth (formerly Anglesey Aluminium) as well the refit berth, while the largest, the 2,850-berth Celebrity Silhouette, will anchor in the outer harbour and tender her passengers in.
Among the ships calling at Holyhead will be the 750-berth Seven Seas Explorer, dubbed by its operators Regent Seven Seas Cruises as “the world’s most luxurious ship.” She is due in June.
Meanwhile, on the south coast of England, William “Bill” Gibbons, who headed up the UK’s Passenger Shipping Association for many years, has joined the board of Poole Harbour Commissioners.
There is already a ferry terminal in Poole that can be used to accommodate small cruise ships, but construction of a new berth for completion in late 2017 will enable Poole to accommodate larger cruise ships up to about 650 feet in length, starting in 2018.
Poole has seen a number of small ship cruise lines calling in recent years, including Grand Circle Cruise Line, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, Hebridean Island Cruises, Noble Caledonia and Saga. | http://www.latecruisenews.com/2017/01/02/leisure-cancels-voyager-minerva-cruises-cruise-news-tui-group-cruise-business-uk-minor-cruise-ports-rise/ |
The COVID-19 pandemic has raised urgent questions related to the effective use of vaccines and has led to polarized global debates on vaccine equity. In turn, this has stimulated discourse around a number of broader ethical issues such as access to health care, as well as balancing personal freedom and public health. The forces behind polarized vaccine debates are complex, involving many players including the media, funding agencies, corporations and the scientific/academic community itself (and made more complex by the influx of fraudulent misinformation that undermines public confidence in vaccines). All of this complexity generates anxiety that hinders society’s ability to have a reasoned, rational and respectful discussion around scaling up the life-saving potential of vaccines. Art/creative research has the potential to play an important role in helping to foster a more nuanced discourse around vaccines by articulating elusive or emotionally charged issues in ways that other forms of communication often cannot.
<Immune Nations> is the first multi-year research-based exhibition to specifically address the issue of vaccination from a collaborative, interdisciplinary perspective, attentive to the arts and its many roles for advocacy and political intervention. The outcome of a multi-year project that was developed prior to the pandemic (2014-2017), the exhibition explores complex issues related to the use and distribution of vaccines in the world today and the capacity of artistic research to solicit complex forms of affective engagement when dealing with difficult and divisive social and political topics such as global vaccination.
<ImmuneNations> began with a series of interdisciplinary workshops in which scientists, artists and policymakers shared their perspectives and expertise. These workshops were followed by a first exhibition at the Trondheim Academy of Fine Art’s Galleri KiT in March 2017, where it was featured as the opening event of the 2017 Norwegian Global Health & Vaccination Research Conference, and a second exhibition at the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) in Geneva from May-July 2017, including during WHO’s World Health Assembly. This work further led to a special issue of the peer-reviewed journal Imaginations titled <Immune Nations> Research-Creation at the Intersection of Vaccine Science and Global Health Policy, featuring academic essays addressing public perceptions of vaccines today, policy issues related to vaccine use and distribution, speculations about the role art can play in discourse around vaccines and public policy, as well as discussions around interdisciplinary research in which theoretical knowledge is translated into creative practice.
For the McMaster Museum of Art, the exhibition presents original work alongside new work produced in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Featuring collaborative art and research projects by Jesper Alvær, Sean Caulfield, Timothy Caulfield, Patrick Fafard, Caitlin Fisher, Steven J. Hoffman, Johan Holst, Annemarie Hou, Alison Humphrey, Rachelle Viader Knowles, Kaisu Koski, Vicki S. Kwon, Patrick Mahon, Lathika Sritharan, and Mkrtich Tonoyan. Curated by Natalie Loveless.
<Immune Nations> was funded with support from the Research Council of Norway and the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada. | http://www.immunenations.com/about.html |
My Teaching Approach
Apparently, 80% of all English language students in the world are beginners. This implies that only a small percentage develop and succeed at higher levels. Seemingly, success in second language acquisition is a matter of personal variation, and success at first language acquisition is not. For me, this is very motivating as a teacher. I wish to aid in my student’s ability to cross that barrier into more advanced levels.
How do people learn?
It is necessary to take into consideration that people benefit from different styles of learning, which can be categorised in the VAK model. This model claims that there are three different types of learners: visual learners, who have a preference for flashcards, illustrated books, diagrams etc.; auditory learners, who benefit from lectures, discussions, audio tapes, songs etc.; and kinaesthetic learners, who prefer to learn through moving, doing and touching. As a teacher, it is necessary to incorporate all learning styles into the classroom in order for all students to benefit. One-to-one classes and smaller groups would greatly benefit from discovering their learning style in the classroom, and I would tailor activities and materials accordingly.
Learners can wish to acquire a second language for various reasons, which is also important to consider as a teacher. For example, one may wish to learn English for personal reasons, to increase travel/work opportunities, or because their employer requests it. It is important to discover the purpose of the lessons in order to satisfy the needs of the learner and set adequate learning outcomes.
Approach and Method
The cognitive approach opposes behaviourism and focuses on inner mental states such as memory, thinking, knowing and problem-solving, in order to understand the ways in which people learn. This is the approach I shall adopt, as it is highly functional, encourages practical engagement and has proven to be effective. The method I would adopt is the communicative, as it is broad, flexible, and lacks a defined set of classroom principles. Therefore, it can be easily adapted to suit various age groups (which I wish to teach), levels and learning styles. This method, in short, combines the four macro skills in order to successfully achieve communicative competence: listening, speaking, reading and writing. It puts emphasis on learning to communicate in the target language through interaction, and it introduces authentic resources in order for the learner to experience the language in real-life situations. In addition, structures are taught through meaning. For example, the use of inversions and word substitution games (e.g. changing positives into their negative form), which test structure and vocabulary simultaneously. Additionally, the learner’s personal experiences are brought into the classroom in order for them to personally relate to the language, and opportunity is provided for learners to reflect upon the learning process, which I believe to be important and what a behaviourist approach fails to provide. Furthermore, CLT is not fully teacher-led, which encourages learners to develop their confidence by allowing them to think for themselves, instead of constantly being told by the teacher and through overuse of textbook materials. I believe this to be the most effective and beneficial method that can be suited to the majority of learners. The Callan method, on the other hand, is restrictive, is only useful for beginner level, and does not allow freedom of thought or expression, as the drilling technique is used to have students simply repeat and memorise content in the TL, disallowing them the ability to expand upon expressions/responses. I believe repetition is better naturally introduced, such as through spaced intervals and language recycling. Therefore, the information is retained in a less boring manner and the brain is forced to activate the memory and make connections.
Syllabus
Just as the communicative method teaches through communication, so too does content-based instruction. I would apply CBI to my classes as it allows students to make stronger connections with the language and prior knowledge. As a teacher, it is important to consider the ways in which people learn, and activating prior knowledge can improve understanding and retention of new information. I would often introduce pre-task activities in order to allow the student to brainstorm and make predictions about the content. For example, if I were to present a role-playing dialog on a patient making a trip to the hospital, I would first ask the students to brainstorm hospital vocabulary. I believe this would immediately raise the student’s confidence in their ability to tackle the activity/new information, unlock what they already know and increase the likelihood of it being stored in the long-term memory. In addition, as previously mentioned with reference to CLT, CBI allows flexibility and adaptability to suit the student’s interest. Real-life content is provided to deliver complex information in a relatable, fun and motivating way. For example, through creative use of sound, visual aids and the use of realia.
Furthermore, I think it is necessary for teachers to be up-to-date with current trends and topics in order to encourage relevant and active discussion. For example, for children and teenagers it can be beneficial to be aware of the current music trends, television programmes, social media platforms etc. in order to grasp their attention and allow them to be able to discuss real-life experiences and express themselves in the target language. A sample of a activity for lower levels, but one that suits all ages and purposes, is a game called ‘Who am I?’, which is very engaging, encourages everyone to participate, and is communicative and fun. The game requires each student to write the name of a famous person on a piece of paper. The papers are then collected and redistributed. One at a time, a student must, without looking at the paper, hold it to their forehead. They have then to attempt to guess the name of the famous person by asking their fellow students yes/no questions. For example, “Am I a man?, Am I American, Am I a singer?” etc. This activity ticks a lot of boxes for a successful lower level game: practice of first and second person in the present tense, oral communication practice, listening practice, use of memory, etc. It is suitable for large classes or even individual classes, as a teacher and student can play it alone. With regard to adults, controversial and discussable topics are very useful to introduce for the students to sink their teeth into. They can include animal rights, the economic crisis, automation, death row etc.
I would also incorporate function-based syllabus, which is beneficial as the students learn how to use the target language to express their own ideas, opinions and purposes. For example, content for FBI can include how to communicate in a social situation, how to ask for directions, how to prepare an answer for different types of questions etc.
In addition, I would put emphasis on grammar, and my students acquiring native-like pronunciation. With regard to grammar, students can struggle, and it is a very important area to cover adequately. Thus, I would sway from the cognitive approach, and lean towards the deductive. It can be argued that the cognitive has little written grammatical focus, which may result in gaps in grammar knowledge. I believe the deductive approach to be the most beneficial, especially for lower levels, as it provides the rules, then examples, then practice. However, I would consider adopting the inductive approach when teaching advanced levels as they have already acquired a basic knowledge, and this approach allows them to see examples and attempt to figure out the rules for themselves.
Class Roles
With regard to classroom roles, I think the role of communicator is a suitable and productive role for students, as it means they are actively engaged and learn to communicate by communicating – the most rewarding way. The role of self-manager is also appropriate as it allows students to use initiative, reflect and be responsible for their own learning. I would adopt the role of play-maker. Thus, I would have effective time management and would guide the students in order for them to achieve the best results. I would ensure different learner needs were met in order for every student to participate. I believe this to be the most suitable role with regard to my teaching approach and method, and the most beneficial for the students. As, for example, with a behaviourist approach, the teacher is the controller and fully decides upon how to execute an activity, leaving no room for natural learning or student reflection.
Planning and Preparation
Undoubtable, adequate lesson preparation and lesson reflection is essential to be a successful teacher. I would use the PPP model which adopts a cognitive approach: Present, Practice, Produce. This is an effective model that satisfies the needs of students at various levels and ages, and for various specific learning purposes. The first stage, ‘present’, allows the student to view the target language which will be the focus of the activity. For example, in a vocabulary activity, they could be asked to match the vocabulary with a table of images. This allows the student to use previous knowledge and develop an understanding for new information through visual aids. Subsequently, the ‘practice’ stage allows the students to see the TL in real-life situations, such as through role-plays. Finally, the ‘produce’ stage gives the students an opportunity to use the TL and personally adapt it. For example, they could be asked to give sentences of their choosing containing the TL, or if the TL involved expressing likes and dislikes, ability etc., the students could be asked to create questions and answers with a personal touch.
Personal Experience
When developing my teaching approach, method and desired teacher-role, I have taken into consideration the positives and negatives with regard to my own experiences as a second language learner. For me, as I believe is the same for many, I feel I was extremely disadvantaged due to fear of participating orally in class. Therefore, to this day, I believe I have the knowledge, but can struggle to produce it in real-life conversation. As I think of my teachers in high-school, I remember that more attention was paid to the confident ones, and less to the more reserved. I also felt like I would be in trouble had I made mistakes, as my teacher was impatient. This greatly knocked my confidence, and is something I will ensure my students never feel. All students should be given equal attention and should be told never to be nervous or apologise for making mistakes. An additional reason as to why I would adopt the cognitive approach: it considers trial and error as part of the learning process. Furthermore, in my experience, simply being told forms and structures without putting them into practice and fully understanding what I was learning at the time, has left gaps in my second language acquisition.
Additionally, a comfortable atmosphere and student-teacher rapport is essential to allow the learner’s confidence to grow and encourage consistent use of L2, which is crucial to speed up the learning process tremendously. I will consistently compare and contrast classroom applications and reflect upon my role, as it is an ever-evolving process, and necessary to be in control of my own professional development. Furthermore, praising learners is greatly encouraging, and mistakes and the learner’s difficulties should be tackled with consistency, yet tolerance and constructivism. Energy, patience and positivity is something I will bring to every lesson taught.
The Future
English is the current global lingua franca, is predominant in education, employment and the media, and continues to grow. It is possible that as technology advances, learning English with human teachers may not be in such high demand. Currently, there are many employers allocating English tutoring lessons to their employees, which is likely to decrease as machine translation advances. Additionally, as language apps such as Duolingo improve, they will be used to provide English language learning to millions, anywhere, any place. However, although technology advancement will be utilised, it can still be argued that there is no better teacher than a human teacher. I studied translation theory and practice at university and many flaws in machine translation still remain, so I assume learning English solely through one’s smartphone and without teacher guidance, will not be entirely satisfactory and engaging enough for many. English teachers, however, can use the advancement of technology to help us evolve. For example, just like with Oxinity’s collaborative platform, teachers can use technology to work together and share lesson plans. This allows the opportunity for individual teachers to use a wide range of ideas and activities to learn and develop from, as well as being able to provide their students with a great variety of content, and colourfully enhance the learning process and future of education. | https://oxbridgetefl.com/community/english-teacher-profile-tefl-certified/index.php?id=9826 |
[February 17, 2001] The Species Analyst based at the University of Kansas Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center "is a research project developing standards and software tools for access to the world's natural history collection and observation databases. The primary mechanism for accessing these data is currently through this web site at the Species Analyst Web Interface. Alternative tools are being developed that permit direct access to these data. The tools are in active development, but beta versions may be retrieved from the Species Analyst technical development web site. The Species Analyst uses XML for all its native data caching and retrieval from the remote data sources; the remote data sources are still mostly Z39.50 servers."
Project goals: "The Species Analyst is a research project developing standards, agreements and software tools facilitating the discovery, exchange, use, and analysis of natural history specimen records and observations. Natural history collections are a valuable resource that combined together, provide approximately 3 billion records documenting the global distribution of species over the last 300 years or so. This information is housed in a large number of collections, most of which are using different database management systems, different database schemas, and varying degrees of capture into electronic form. The standards and software developed on the Species Analyst project provides a mechanism for combining most of theses collection databases into a single, coherent, and readily searchable virtual database."
The Species Analyst relies heavily upon the fusion of the ANSI/NISO Z39.50 standard for information retrieval (ISO 23950) and XML. Z39.50 provides an excellent framework for distributed query and retrieval of information both within and across information domains. However, its use is restrictive because of the somewhat obscure nature of it's implementation. All of the tools used by the Species Analyst transform Z39.50 result sets into an XML format that is convenient to process further, either for viewing or data extraction. This fusion of Z39.50 and XML brings standards based information retrieval to the desktop by extending the capabilities of existing tools that users are familiar with such as Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Excel and ESRI's ArcView.
ITIS XML: "The Species Analyst utilizes the information contained in the ITIS*ca database in a variety of ways. The contents of this folder provide information about the XML output option of ITIS and how to extract data from the ITIS XML output. ITIS*ca is the Canadian implementation of the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). The goal in this subproject is to define an XML interface to ITIS that may be utilized for programmatic access to the contents of ITIS database implementations. As of June 30, 2000, a new ITIS XML standard was under development.
Version 1.3 of the Darwin Core profile for natural history collections and observation data sets. The Darwin Core (DwC) is "a profile describing the minimum set of standards for search and retrieval of natural history collections and observation databases. Natural history collections and observation data sets represent sets of observations, with each record detailing the observation of an organism, ideally at a specific geo-temporal location. In the case of collections, the observation is permanent in that the organism was collected from the field and preserved in a curated collection intended to last indefinitely. Collected specimens can be prepared in various ways, and several preparations from a single organism are not unusual (skin, skeleton, and perhaps microscope slides), thus there may be several records for a single organism, each representing the organism prepared using different techniques, but all records refering to a single observation event. Conversely, some collection records may represent a collection object that contains many organisms. For example, in icthyology, where the contents of a trawl may be sorted by taxon and lumped into a single collection container. Observation data sets catalog the observation of an organism, also at a specific geo-temporal location, but in this case the organism observed is not collected, and hence the observation record is the only information recorded about the organism. In both cases a taxonomic identification of the organism is attempted, with obvious consequences for accuracy of identification (a specimen available for identification to several experts compared with a potentially fleeting glimpse of an organism in the field)... Record content is also defined in this profile along with suggested syntaxes for encoding result set records in GRS-1, XML, SUTRS, and MARC. Although the profile was originally intended for use with the Z39.50 protocol through Z39.50 servers such as ZBigServer, it is also applicable for defining searches and XML content generated by databases served using HTTP, such as with ZHTTP."
Becoming a Data Provider: "Any institution with specimen or observation collections is welcome to participate in the public distribution of their records using the components available through the Species Analyst. The server software and client tools are available free of charge for non-commercial use. To install ZBigServer is a fairly straight forward process that typically requires a "one-two cups of coffee" period of time. If you are familiar with your database, how it works, and the content of the database is in reasonably good shape, then the whole process can take as little as 15 minutes. Since The Species Analyst clients all generate XML output, there is no technical reason you can not use a web server to provide the same basic functionality as ZBigServer. In fact, a set of active server pages (for Microsoft's IIS or personal web server) are being developed which will let you serve specimen records as XML right from your web server. That is in the future though, right now the easiest and quickest way to start providing data is with ZBigServer. Z39.50 also appears to be more efficient as a mechanism for search and retrieval of data, so there are some performance reasons for choosing Z39.50 over HTTP. Any Z39.50 server that can generate records in the GRS-1 record syntax can participate; there are no peculiar or proprietary features of ZBigServer that exclude the use of other Z39.50 servers."
References:
ITIS*ca XML Interface DTD; also at http://habanero.nhm.ukans.edu/DTD/ITIS.dtd. "An experimental XML stream is available from the ITIS*ca web site. This interface was developed to test the feasibility of such an interface and to identify potential problems, and should be treated as experimental only."
"Z39.50 URL Notes for ZIG 07Dec2000." By Dave Vieglais. Monday, November 27, 2000. "The Z39.50 client application is implemented as an 'asynchronous pluggable protocol handler' (APP) which when installed on any win32 platform, provides Z39.50 support for many existing internet applications that utilize the functionality of URL monikers. The current implementation of the APP is called 'ZX'. For a Z39.50 search (Figure 1), the APP connects to the target (INIT), sends the query (SEARCH), presents up to n records (PRESENT) and closes the connection (CLOSE). A similar interaction is performed for SCAN. The APP transforms the Z39.50 response into an XML document that may be further processed using a variety of XML processing tools. For example, typing a Z39.50 URL into a ZX enabled copy of Internet Explorer would show the results of the operation as an XML document. The XML parser developed by Microsoft can perform a Z39.50 search and parse the results simply by calling the 'load' method with a Z39.50 URL. The SAX API can be used in a similar manner to load and process a Z39.50 URL... [fig.] records presented to the Z39.50 client are transformed into an XML document. The resulting XML document is the only response that the hosting application is aware of. MARC records are encoded in a similar fashion to GRS-1 records where tag codes are turned into XML elements preceded by the _ character and sub-fields are contained within the parent elements... GRS-1 records are convenient to recast into XML as their internal structure is very similar to that exhibited by an XML document except numeric tags consisting of a tag type and tag value are used in place of string tags..."
The Species Analyst Internet Integration of Natural History Collections." By Dave Vieglais (University of Kansas, Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center). Slide presentation (70 slides). | http://xml.coverpages.org/speciesAnalyst.html |
February is Jewish Disability Awareness Month (JDAM) which was founded in 2008 by the Jewish Special Education Consortium. The Union for Reform Judaism actively supports JDAM and encourages congregations to raise awareness and continue to navigate the journey of inclusion of people with disabilities throughout the year.
We used to believe that building a ramp to the bimah would invite people who use mobility devices to come to services. But ramps do not take the place of real engagement and belonging. How important is a ramp to the bimah if those ascending it have never learned the rituals and blessings associated with Torah?
Jewish Disability Awareness Month provides us the opportunity to think about our own attitudes and the barriers to participation that these cause. Attitudinal barriers are the most challenging to address because they require that we look deeply inside ourselves and our organizations to discover our own beliefs about differences and abilities.
During JDAM we have opportunities to talk about our own assumptions about disabilities and become aware of how our own attitudes might shape the actual practice of inclusion in our congregations and institutions. These discussions can be held in staff meetings or staff development, board meetings or retreats, in our religious schools, Torah study sessions and services. Several ideas include:
- Base discussion on the Resolution in Support of Access to Lifelong Jewish Learning for Jewsh with Disabilities that was approved at the 71st Biennial in December. The resolution addresses participation for people with disabilities through access to lifelong learning in all aspects of Jewish communal life, affirms individual choice, eases isolation and promotes person-centered thinking through the suggestion of person-first language (“person with a disability”, not “disabled person” or person who has autism, not “the autistic”).
- Learn how your organization has progressed in its attitudes toward welcoming people with disabilities. Discuss how these changes impact your organization. Consider how Torah and other texts inform inclusion and elimination of barriers to participation. Talk about where people with disabilities are included in the organization starting with this very group.
- Read the JDAM Reads! inaugural New York Times bestselling novel, The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon. This compelling novel is set over a 40 year period beginning in 1968 and weaves the lives of four individuals together: retired schoolteacher Martha; two escapees from the Institution for the Feebleminded and Incurable, Lynnie, a young Jewish woman with developmental disabilities and Homan, an African American man who is deaf, and Julia, Lynnie’s newborn daughter. Rachel Simon, Sandy Block (of Congregation Emanu El in Houston TX) and I developed a Jewish values based discussion guide. The free download is available online.
Finally, as leaders, it is up to each one of us to nurture a culture where all people are valued. This is ultimately what JDAM teaches us to do.
Shelly Christensen is a board member of Bet Shalom Congregation, Minnetonka, MN and co-chairs the Access to Lifelong Jewish Education Task Force. She is a national speaker, consultant and author of The Jewish Community Guide to Inclusion of People with Disabilities.
Find resources for making your congregation more inclusive for members with disabilities on the URJ website. | http://blogs.rj.org/blog/2012/01/26/jewish-disability-awareness-month-is-a-call-to-action/ |
Q: Jana, where are you from? Can you tell us a little more about your career path before you joined IFA Paris?
Jana: I’m from the Netherlands and graduated from high school at the age of 16. I came to France, to Versailles, to work as an au pair for 8 months and I studied French at the same time at La Défense. I was thinking of going back to Amsterdam to pursue my studies in fashion until I visited the IFA Paris campus.
Q: What were the reasons that made you choose IFA Paris to further your studies? You are in the 3rd and final year of the Bachelor in Fashion Design & Technology. When and why have you chosen to specifically enroll in this program?
Jana: During an Open Day, I became aware of the numerous possibilities, opportunities and multi-cultural aspects available on the IFA Paris campus in Paris. In 2016, my choice was more towards fashion marketing training because I lacked the self-confidence to hope to enter the fashion design sector. Today I thank the director and the teaching staff for believing in my creative qualities and encouraging me to make my dream come true: I really don’t regret my decision.
Q: What was your biggest challenge when you moved to Paris? The greatest integration issues encountered, but perhaps also your most beautiful surprises?
Jana: Paris is a very special and magical city… but also very expensive, so the biggest challenge at first was financially. I had the chance to meet an exceptional family, and to be able to offer them my babysitting services in exchange for housing was great.
The most beautiful surprises? Even today I still marvel at my ability to design and wear my own clothes: it’s an incredible feeling of pride!
Q: How did you manage to match the school’s theoretical teaching with your various professional experiences?
Jana Blank
Jana: Before joining IFA Paris, I knew how to sew but had never made a pattern before; for the first time this summer, I developed and marketed my own collection of clothes based on Upcycling (recycling clothes that are no longer needed to make new ones), while adapting the different designs and pieces in several sizes.
While studying, I worked for Victoria Beckham during Fashion Weeks. The school allows me to deepen my knowledge of design techniques, while my professional missions are more focused on sales promotion and customer relations: both are very complementary and very fulfilling.
Q: How important are internships to you? How do you choose them?
Jana: Internships are very important in the curriculum and I try to do as much as I can according to my academic and professional needs. I choose them according to the opportunities, the different experiences they can bring to me, but also make sure that they are in line with my own creative values.
Jana Blank
For the past 2 years I have been working regularly for Victoria Beckham’s showroom, and sometimes for Rick Owens. I have also carried out missions for Lola James Harper, Bensimon or Made in Paris.
Q: Among all the collaborations offered by the IFA Paris, which one was the most meaningful for you and why?
Jana: Without hesitation the first collaboration with Stackers (a Parisian store bringing together creative and original brands). It was an opportunity for me to establish new relations and meet influential people in the fashion industry.
Q: Has the IFA Paris course changed your global vision of fashion?
Jana: Yes, absolutely. Before I joined IFA Paris, I had a rather limited fashion vision. Today, thanks to the courses in fashion history, trend reports or the implementation of different projects, I am much more acquainted with the subject and with the approach of contemporary brands.
Q: What are your plans and objectives after graduation this year?
Jana: In a few years I have the ambition to create my own fashion studio in France or maybe in my home country. But in the meantime, I hope to be able to work for a fashion designer as soon as possible, where creativity and originality will be the brand’s main driving forces.
Q: What advice could you give to a student who would like to join IFA Paris, but whose fear of emigration remains an obstacle to his decision?
Jana: To overcome his or her fears because Paris is the city of fashion and opportunities. To give yourself the means to follow your dreams to the end, even if it is not always easy, “hard work pays off “. This motto and the choice of this program at IFA Paris are the best decisions of my life so far! | https://www.ifaparis.com/media/interviews/2018/student-jana-blank-netherlands-bachelor-fashion-design-technology/ |
What led you to become a designer?
“I can’t remember a day from my childhood where I wasn’t doodling on a piece of paper or using things around me to create interesting objects. I come from a family of doctors, so when it came to making that big career decision, medicine seemed like the right choice. When I was studying dentistry, I realised quite early on that it wasn’t something I felt passionately about. It didn’t allow the kind of free thinking and creativity that fields like architecture and design do. I needed to be creating something, and architecture seemed like the right choice. With time I became more interested in design-based practices.”
What does design mean to you?
“To me, design is all about creating a balance of elements.”
What are the themes and concerns that drive your practice?
“My practice has evolved over the years but what has remained constant, is my belief in the philosophy of Wabi Sabi. The Japanese concept is derived from Buddhist teachings. It is the aesthetic of a beauty that is imperfect and incomplete. Asymmetry and asperity play a major role and I appreciate spaces that incorporate natural objects and processes. Nothing is permanent, nothing is finished and nothing is perfect.”
How has the field and its perception changed from when you started out?
“There have been some major changes over the past few years. I think several factors have contributed to this evolution, such as awareness, and the significant amount of information available on design. People in developing countries like India have seen a rise in their disposable income. And there has been a steady growth in people’s desire to collect real design and art pieces for their home. A direct result of this much-awaited shift in the market is a rejuvenation of young, homegrown talent in fields like art, design and even fashion.”
What are some changes that you’d like to see in Indian design?
“Rather that seizing the space and modifying it to fit someone, designers in the West create and design structures for the space itself. Staying true to the space is essential if one is to strike a balance between aesthetics and functionality. I think that designers here in India are still struggling with this. I also think the idea of India needs to evolve — mixing the traditional with the new is the way forward.”
What inspires you? Is there a specific object, technique, place, event that really encapsulates your design sensibility?
“There are a lot of different periods I find inspiring and often look at art, architecture, design, literature through them. My work doesn’t make direct references to any particular place, designer, architect or artist but they become important elements in my creative process. I think some of Le Corbusier’s work is pure genius, with respect to both material and form. I’m also influenced by modern movements like the Bauhaus.”
Who are some people whose work you admire?
“Le Corbusier, Louis Khan, Tadao Ando.”
In the world of Indian design, who do you see as a rising star?
“Shift by Nimish Shah, Rimzim Dadu, Misho by Suhani Parekh, Paul Matter by Nikhil Paul.”
A promising young designer is…
“MISHO by Suhani Parekh (jewellery design)”
Have you read about Valérie Barkowski from our ‘Talking Design’ series? Check it out here.
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You must be logged in to post a comment. | https://www.vervemagazine.in/people/talking-design-with-ashiesh-shah |
Belarus has announced that the launch of its new biometric ID cards and passports will be delayed until 2020 while the integration of information systems is completed, BelTA reports.
The date for introducing the new documents was pushed back from January 1, 2019 to allow time for database operated on different platforms to be interconnected, without which the biometric documents cannot be used as intended.
“We will receive the necessary equipment by the end of the year and in theory we could launch ID cards and biometric passports from the onset of the next year. However, we realize that it makes no sense yet, as it will be bare plastic,” says Pavel Khrishchenovich, Deputy Head of the Citizenship and Migration Department of the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Belarus.
The Ministry of Interior and Communications and Informatization Ministry have drafted a 15-page document to define the responsibilities for the remaining work, according to Khrishchenovich. Every citizenship and migration office is expected to receive biometric devices purchased from X-Infotech and Emperor Technology by 2020 to enable fingerprint and facial image capture, and the government will also open a data personalization center.
The new mandatory national ID card will replace all domestic identity documents, and will be issued at an estimated cost of Br24.5 (roughly US$11.50).
Article Topics
Belarus | biometric passport | biometrics | facial recognition | fingerprints | identity document
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I want to start making bread but I have no idea where to start. I have a KitchenAid mixer but wonder if I need a bread machine to make bread. Do you have any suggestions?
Sounds like you have everything you need, aside from the ingredients. Here are some of the most important tips to making just about any type of bread.
First, be sure to use a good quality yeast to start the dough and ensure that the temperature indoors is neither too hot nor too cold when doing so. Be sure to allow the proper amount of time to proof the yeast as well. Use the dough hook on your mixer when you start to add the flour, as it is the best option that comes with most standard mixers and is specially designed to turn the dough very well. Never over-mix the dough or the gluten in the flour could become glue-like. Just follow recipe instructions for the estimated amount of time. Most dough will need time to rise, so follow recipe instructions for that as well.
Lastly, make sure your oven is working properly by using an oven thermometer to make sure the inside temperature is as you’ve selected on the outside dial. If not, you may need to have your oven calibrated, which re-aligns the temperature. Now go on and find a recipe you’d like to try, follow the instructions and these tips to get some bread-baking experience under your belt!
Here’s one recipe suggestion for foccacia bread to get you started: http://myhalalkitchen.com/help-haiti-and-a-simple-recipe-for-foccacia-bread/
I am pursuing a career in culinary arts but my cooking school requires me to deal with pork and its by-products. I am at a point where I need to get this degree but I really need to know if it is permissible to touch it without consuming it.
Congratulations on your pursuit of a career in the culinary arts! I know this can be such a struggle for so many who are passionate about food and cooking and wanting to devote their lives to a career in this area.
I have personally visited and spoken to the admissions departments and chefs at several top culinary schools about this topic and explained the reasons as to why I would like there to be a substitute for both pork and alcohol in the cooking classes. Some were very accommodating and others were not at all, so the good news is that there are some places you can go to get a culinary education without sacrificing your values.
I suggest you talk to the culinary school admissions advisor of any school you’re interested in attending and ask to speak to someone who can make decisions about these things. Explain your situation cordially and ask if they can make substitutes in ALL of your classes that require cooking pork, as it is not permissible to touch, cook, serve or consume it (according to my understanding). Insha Allah that will carry you through all of your class requirements. I hope that helps. | https://www.sisters-magazine.com/my-halal-kitchen-qa/ |
The innate immune system responds within minutes of infection to produce type I interferons and pro-inflammatory cytokines. Interferons induce the synthesis of cell proteins with antiviral activity, and also shape the adaptive immune response by priming T cells. Despite the discovery of interferons over 50 years ago, only recently have we begun to understand how cells sense the presence of a virus infection.
Two families of pattern recognition receptors have been shown to distinguish unique molecules present in pathogens, such as bacterial and fungal cell wall components, viral RNA and DNA, and lipoproteins. The first family includes the membrane-bound toll-like receptors (TLRs). A second family of pattern recognition receptors has recently been identified, which comprises the cytoplasmic sensors of viral nucleic acids, including MDA-5, RIG-I, and LGP2. Studies of the signaling pathways that lead from pattern recognition to cytokine induction have revealed extensive and overlapping cascades that involve protein-protein interactions and phosphorylation, and culminate in activation of transcription proteins that control the transcription of genes encoding interferons and other cytokines.
A relatively uncharted area of innate immunity is the recognition of viral DNA. There have been several reports of cytoplasmic DNA sensors, but precisely how these recognize nucleic acid and induce cytokine synthesis remains to be determined. When double-stranded DNA is introduced into the cell cytoplasm, production of type I interferons and chemokines occurs independently of Toll-like receptors and the cytoplasmic RNA sensor RIG-I. dsDNA activates transcription factor IRF3 and the interferon-beta promoter through a signaling pathway involving the kinases TBK1 and IKKi. Transcription factor NF-kappaB is also activated after introduction of dsDNA, independent of TBK and IKKi, but dependent upon IPS-1, an adaptor molecule that links RIG-I with downstream signaling events.
Another putative DNA sensor is DLM-1 , or DAI (DNA-dependent activator of IFN-regulatory factors). Synthesis of DAI in cells enhances DNA-mediated induction of type I IFN, while silencing of mRNA for DAI inhibits this response. DAI also binds to dsDNA and enhances its association with IRF3 and TBK1.
Recently a new DNA sensor, AIM2 (absent in melanoma 2), was identified by a proteomics screen for proteins that bind DNA and are induced by interferon-beta. The protein was found to localize to the cell cytoplasm and binds dsDNA, consistent with a role in sensing DNA. AIM2 was found to be part of the inflammasome, a multiprotein complex involved in inducing synthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Levels of AIM2 rose significantly in cells treated with dsDNA, and siRNA mediated silencing of its mRNA interfered with secretion of the cytokine IL-1beta.
These results certainly indicate that AIM2 is a candidate sensor of DNA. It will be of interest to determine the role of this protein in the innate response to infection with viruses that produce dsDNA. | https://www.virology.ws/2009/01/29/innate-sensors-of-nucleic-acids/ |
Plant pathogenic bacterial type III effectors subdue host responses.
Like animals, plants sense bacterial pathogens through surface-localized pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) and intracellular nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat proteins (NB-LRR) and trigger defense responses. Many plant-pathogenic bacteria secrete a large repertoire of effector proteins into host cells to modulate host responses, enabling successful infection and multiplication in plants. A number of these effector proteins target plant innate immunity signaling pathways, while others induce specific host genes to enhance plant susceptibility. Substantial progress has been made in the past two years concerning biochemical function of effectors and their host targets. These advances provide new insights into regulatory mechanisms of plant immunity and host-pathogen co-evolution.
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The new edition calculus textbook has been thoroughly revised. It continues to embrace the best aspects of reform by combining the traditional theoretical aspects of calculus with creative teaching and learning techniques. This is accomplished by a focus on conceptual understanding, the use of real-world data and real-life applications, projects, and the use of technology (where appropriate). It is widely acknowledged that the main goal of calculus instruction is for the student to understand the basic ideas. This text aims to support such a goal while motivating students through the use of real-world applications, building the essential mathematical reasoning skills, and helping them develop an appreciation and enthusiasm for calculus.
Deep learning simplified by taking supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning to the next level using the Python ecosystem
Distributed systems have become more fine-grained in the past 10 years, shifting from code-heavy monolithic applications to smaller, self-contained microservices. But developing these systems brings its own set of headaches. With lots of examples and practical advice, this book takes a holistic view of the topics that system...
Too often there are serious missed signals between a company’s stated goals and the methods employed to try to reach them. Translating Strategy into Shareholder Value is a unique look at how the planning process relates to the achievement of shareholder value, and ways to ensure that the two directly complement each other. Using... | https://book.pdfchm.net/calculus/9780534359492/ |
The City of Arvada Communications Division assists the City Manager and the Arvada City Council in communicating with both internal and external stakeholders. We are committed to disseminating timely and accurate information about the activities and operations of the City.
Some of the methods by which we provide information to our stakeholders include:
- Producing and mailing The Arvada Report to all City of Arvada residences and businesses (approximately 52,000) six times per year.
- Maintaining current and timely content on the City’s website, www.arvada.org.
- Utilizing various social media sites including Facebook, Twitter and Nextdoor.com to engage residents and inform of upcoming events.
- Issuing press releases to the media and key stakeholders.
- Broadcasting Arvada City Council meetings on Arvada Channel 8 as well as making available online.
- Creating video programming for Arvada Channel 8 and the City’s YouTube channel.
- Photographing and filming events.
Contact
Ben Irwin, City of Arvada Communications Manager, 720-898-7507 or [email protected].
Arvada Police Department Public Information Officer: Detective David Snelling, 720-898-6654 or [email protected].
Community and Economic Development Communication Manager: Allison Trembly, 720-898-7013 or [email protected]
Infrastructure Communication Manager: Rachael Kuroiwa, 720-898-7607 or [email protected]. | https://arvada.org/city-hall/departments/communications |
Team work concept with strong shadows working together as a group 3d render
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I hesitate to write the word pandemic. I realize that it brings up complex emotions within all of us, and we are tired. I am tired, but in our collective attempt to keep pushing forward, forgive me for looking back. I did it to help you truly understand the incredible feats and new skills that were discovered during such dramatic change and adversity. Skills that can't be forgotten or left behind as you crave to return to what you once knew.
Can Remote Working Improve Engagement
This new working environment has in large part received positive reviews from employees. Employee engagement in many organizations has improved from the levels in the pre-pandemic period. My colleague Jack Zenger and I compared data from 509,097 employees before the pandemic to 16,566 in the pandemic to verify this improvement in engagement. Engagement data was gathered from leaders in hundreds of different organizations across the globe. Employee engagement was assessed using a five-item index which assessed employee satisfaction, discretionary effort, desire to quit, willingness to recommend the organization to others, and confidence that the organization will be successful. We found a three percentile point improvement on engagement in the pandemic results comparing the two different datasets. (This difference is statistically significant.) (T-Value 5.094, Sig. 0.000). A random sample of 50% of the cases also revealed a statistically significant difference.
This result is especially meaningful because most people assumed with all the frustrations and complications associated with the pandemic, engagement would be less positive rather than more positive.
Zenger Folkman Leadership Pandemic Study 2021
Zenger Folkman
Discovering The Skills That Boost Employee Engagement
While employees are generally more satisfied working from home, some managers appear to be doing a better job than others at managing a remote workforce. We identified the top 20 leadership behaviors correlated with increasing employee engagement before and during the pandemic. We discovered that while 15 of the leadership behaviors were consistent before and after, five new leadership behaviors appeared to make a substantial difference in the pandemic. Leaders who performed these five leadership behaviors well had significantly higher employee engagement. In the graph below, we created an index based on managers' effectiveness ratings on the five leadership behaviors. The impact of these five leadership behaviors on employee engagement is dramatic.
Protecting employees from risks. The pandemic created a variety of risks both to employees and to the organization with which they work. Leaders who put the organizations' success ahead of employee needs and health concerns drove down the engagement ratings by those employees. When managers put the employees first and showed concern and consideration for the employees' health and well-being, these leaders boosted their employee engagement scores.
Capitalizing on the diverse perspectives and talents of employees. During the pandemic, we all saw a significant movement around social justice issues. We have seen some organizations take a stand on voting rights and other current issues, while others rejected their employees' urging to speak out. In general, employees desire to work for an organization where diversity on many dimensions is valued, and this issue is becoming more and more important. Valuing diverse perspectives needs to move from the C-Suite to every manager and supervisor in order for these issues to make a meaningful impact for everyone. Employees who worked for leaders who demonstrated that they valued different perspectives had higher engagement and discretionary effort levels.
Building an inclusive climate. Employees who do not feel that sense of belonging are not as engaged and unwilling to put forth the additional effort. Creating a team where every team member feels welcome, appreciated, and valued makes a huge difference, and the difference shows up in both engagement and discretionary effort.
Managers true concern with developing others. A significant test of whether an employee is valued is if they have the opportunity to learn new skills and develop in their jobs. When leaders find developmental activities for employees, they communicate that they are valued and important to the organization. When people improve their skills, their performance also increases. This behavior not only benefits the individual employee it also provides benefits to the organization. Creating new development experiences enables team members to move into new jobs or expand their current assignments. This sends a clear signal that even amid a pandemic, their leader seeks to provide them with the opportunity to work on new and challenging assignments.
Adapting quickly in response to people's needs or the situation. The pandemic provided an excellent test for how agile both managers and employees adapted to a new and different circumstance. Working remotely required that work be done differently, meetings were held virtually, and collaboration between groups was more intentional and planned. Communication needed to change, and relationships were harder to reinforce and build. Leaders who were quick to adapt and learn the new skills had highly engaged employees and were willing to give more effort.
Several other skills can help leaders build employee engagement and discretionary effort, but these five new skills make a big difference in today's work environment. As problems from the pandemic ease, it appears that many employees want to continue to work remotely for organizations. Embracing these five new skills will continue to be a valuable asset for leaders at every level, both now and in the future.
I am the founder of two leadership development firms, Novations and Zenger Folkman. Through the years I’ve developed a unique, proven method to improve organizations and
…
I am the founder of two leadership development firms, Novations and Zenger Folkman. Through the years I’ve developed a unique, proven method to improve organizations and develop employees by building on strengths. My specialty lies in behavioral statistics. I have built and administered more than 500,000 360-degree assessments on some 50,000 leaders across the globe. My 30 years of expertise in survey research and change management has led me to engagements with organizations including AT&T, General Mills, General Motors, Conoco Phillips and Boeing. Additionally, my research has appeared in publications including The Wall Street Journal's National Business Employment Weekly, CNN, Fox News, Harvard Business Review, CBS News, Training and Development Magazine and Chief Learning Officer. He is the author and co-author of 13 books including including How To Be Exceptional: Drive Leadership Success by Magnifying Your Strengths, The Extraordinary Leader, Turning Good Managers into Great Leaders and The Inspiring Leader: Unlocking the Secrets of How Extraordinary Leaders Motivate, along with his newest book Speed: How Leaders Accelerate Successful Execution (McGraw Hill, 2016). Connect with me on twitter.com/joefolkman | |
Last year, I wrote a little piece for Tor.com about the music of steampunk. Looking over it now, it’s easy to see that I had far more questions than answers, and also that steampunk music was very much in flux at the time. That still seems to be true now. The two pervasive eras of influence on steampunk, musically speaking—the gypsy jazz and darker folk music of the 1920s and the haunted side of the pop music of the 1980s—have something in common in vibe and attitude: In both, you can trace a running thread of despondent yet hopeful urgency, a response to some sort of decadence, whether it’s the people wallowing in it or the people left out.1 But practically speaking—that is, at the level where you’re putting your band together and deciding which instruments should be involved in your sound—these two eras are very hard to marry.
Imagine them side by side on a stage. On one side you have violins, accordions, tubas, cimbalons, banjos, and a bunch of other instruments that fell dramatically in popularity to the guitar’s hegemony just a few years later; on the other side, you have drum machines, synthesizers, and piles of effects boxes (especially chorus and reverb) to make the guitars and basses sound not all that much like guitars and basses. The sounds of these genres are united in what they aren’t—namely, guitar-centered music2—but after that the differences start to pile up. The timbres, tonalities, and conventions of the genres, separated as they are by several decades and often several thousand miles, are really different from each other. Even on a practical level, it’s hard for them to play together, starting from the fact that one genre developed as it did in part because it needed to work without electricity, and the other genre needed electricity to work at all.3
So maybe it’s right that a previous post on this blog listed Vernian Process as the beginning of steampunk music. If they’ve been at it the longest, it makes sense that their newest album, Behold the Machine, puts steampunk’s diverse musical influences together more seamlessly, to these ears, than its peers do, and also suggests what could lie ahead, both for the music and for the band itself.
Vernian Process starts with its feet firmly in one corner of steampunk’s musical territory, the stretch of land from the 4AD of the 1980s to Projekt and beyond, hither and yon across the landscape of darker pop music, from dream pop to industrial.4 And some of the cuts on Behold the Machine—”Unhallowed Ground” and the first half of “The Exile” in particular—show that they know their way around. They have the right gear and they know how to use it, and they’re as good as anyone at doing so.5 But the members’ musical heroes range farther than that, from prog rock to metal to classical, and several of the songs on Behold the Machine are flush with ideas inspired by them. Especially Pink Floyd. Misters Waters, Mason, Wright, Barrett, and Gilmour are setting the controls for the heart of the sun in the spacey epicness of Vernian Process’s instrumental breaks; I am told that the second half of “The Exile” is an overt homage to Floyd, combining elements from “Sheep,” “Echoes,” and “One of These Days.” And the title track of Behold the Machine takes a cue from the theatricality of some of The Wall’s more operatic moments: The band there—Martin Irigoyen on guitars and effects, Peter J. Zarate on bass and effects, Free Fargo on bass and drums, Brian Figueroa on keys and guitars, and Kyle Thomas on keys and accordion—is in full orchestral mode, with singer Joshua Pfeiffer prowling the same ground Roger Waters did between fascist dictator and carnival barker on “In the Flesh.”
But throughout, Vernian Process does its own thing, too. “The Alchemist’s Vision” is a pop song that swerves in unexpected and intriguing melodic directions. And everything clicks in “The Last Express,” a five-minute number full of wonderful, dynamic shifts in texture, rhythm, and instrumentation that hang together to give the song a long and engaging dramatic arc.6 This sensibility pushes against the constraints of the conventions of popular music—even as liberally defined as it is here—and in its most exciting moments, Vernian Process breaks free.
Not all of these experiments succeed. “Into the Depths” has an organ riffing briefly on Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor (yup, this organ piece) and their take on “The Maple Leaf Rag” (yup, this rag) sounds first like an old recording and then a little too close to a MIDI recording (is it a MIDI recording?). The joke was good the first time around, but on repeated listening, they were the first tracks I started to skip. And “Queen of the Delta” sounds too much like world music, in the homogenizing, uninteresting sense of that term. It’s not bad—not like the lousy music in Avatar, about which nobody should get me started—but it’s less sure-footed, not up to the high standard of the other songs on the album.
The experiments that do work, however, are my favorite tracks on an album of many strong tracks, and they are also the places where Vernian Process’s own voice emerges most strongly. Nowhere is this more evident than on the final two cuts, “Into the Aether” and “The Maiden Flight,” which together clock in at over fifteen minutes of—just as the titles promise—ethereal, soaring, gorgeous music that it’s hard to imagine anyone but Vernian Process writing. These are the cuts I’ll listen to again and again, probably most often in headphones; I’ll put them on, close my eyes, and go away with them, wherever they’re headed.
But where are they headed? The album’s title here is apt, for in its extended instrumentals, Vernian Process suggests how the various parts of steampunk’s musical influences can be put together to form a single, larger machine—Steampunk Music 2.0, if you’ll allow the term. In such a style of music, electric guitars, synthesizers, and drum machines could share the stage with sousaphones, harpsichords, and Stroh violins, forming an unlikely yet ridiculously versatile orchestra, capable of playing longer, more complex pieces of music that still rock like the 1980s and swing like the 1920s. Even if they don’t take on such a project themselves—though they certainly could—Vernian Process shows that it’s possible, which should inspire us all.
1 Oh my goodness, am I oversimplifying. Please bear with me.
2 You could argue that the synthesizer-based music of the 1980s was the first real threat to the guitar’s hegemony since the six-string’s occupation of the kingdom of Western popular music. In 1983, in some circles, a bunch of people who should have known better were probably arguing that electric guitars and drum kits were dead, excepting as sources for MIDI samples or occasional flourishes to color the music. Of course, hair metal changed all that. All right, fine, I pretty much just made all that up. But maybe you know what I mean.
3 Now, I’m not saying that the musicians who played dark, dreamy pop in the 1980s couldn’t play acoustically. They could, and did. I just mean that the sound of the genre is electric, electronic, amplified—that is, really hard to make without burning some fossil fuels, or setting up a pretty big array of solar panels and wind turbines.
4 Again, oversimplifying; I have left so many people out, I know. (Last year, I even said that when I heard them, they reminded me at first of Actually-era Pet Shop Boys.) Apologies to those that go unmentioned.
5 Except maybe the Cocteau Twins, who, as the years go by, have emerged in my brain as producing perhaps the best that the genre had to offer. Even now, I still swoon.
6 On the other hand, guitarist and producer Martin Irigoyen did list Mr. Bungle as an influence.
Brian Francis Slattery is an editor of the New Haven Review and the author of Spaceman Blues (2007), Liberation (2008), and Lost Everything (forthcoming, eventually). He has recently been playing in a small music group composed of banjo, accordion, and cello. | https://www.tor.com/2010/10/28/behold-the-machine-the-vernian-process-and-steampunk-music-20/ |
The Louvre in Paris, the world’s most visited museum, received a record 10.2 million visitors in 2018, numbers boosted by a video clip shot by pop star Beyonce amid its paintings and sculptures.
The Louvre also mentioned in a statement Thursday the success of its flagship exhibition on French master Delacroix as a reason for the record.
The video of Beyonce and her husband Jay Z, featuring the Mona Lisa and other world-famous artworks, has been viewed over 146 million times on YouTube.
The museum notes a significant rise in the number of foreign visitors —almost three-quarters of total visitor numbers — mostly from the United States, China, other European countries and Brazil.
Tourism in the French capital has rebounded since 2017 after a sharp fall following 2015 terror attacks. | https://thebl.com/world-news/europe/helped-by-beyonce-clip-paris-louvre-breaks-visitor-record.html |
What makes an excellent museum? It’s about extra than simply the artwork inside its partitions—it’s additionally these partitions themselves, which are supposed to work in service of what’s on view. As many architects have realized over time, museum buildings can, if something, operate like artworks themselves, as objects for appreciation. In some instances, these buildings have develop into simply as identifiable because the masterpieces in museums’ collections.
This record collects a number of the most essential museum buildings of the previous 100 years. It contains influential modernist experiments and polarizing postmodern expansions, architectural oddities and beloved additions, round museums and glassed-in pyramids. These buildings proposed unusual, new potentialities for a way a museum must look—and, in some instances, modified the cultural panorama altogether. Prior to now few a long time alone, spurred by Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Bilbao in Spain, there’s been a museum growth that brought about architects to push their practices in new instructions, and whereas the momentum of that growth has died down, its vitality lives on.
From an area resembling a hovering spaceship to an establishment formed like an unrolled carpet, these are the 25 greatest museums since 1922. | https://webinfousa.com/the-25-greatest-museum-buildings-of-the-previous-100-years-artnews-com/ |
Niels Diffrient, who passed away over the weekend at the age of 84, did more than any other designer to further the principles of ergonomic design as we now understand them. He is perhaps best known for his work over the last two decades on seating for Humanscale, including the groundbreaking and truly iconic Freedom chair, but his interest in function and comfort predated that by some time. As far back as the 1950s, Diffrient was one of the first people to x-ray a human spine while its owner was sitting and moving in a chair. He discovered that people will generally adapt to whatever they are sitting on without adjusting the seat. To Diffrient this suggested that the chair should be designed to adapt to the person rather than the other way round.
He laid out these principles in a book published in three volumes in the 1970s and 1980s called Humanscale which argued that ergonomic design should not rely on providing the fixed factor in the ergonomic relationship – the human – with a manual that allowed it to adapt to the variable factor – the product. It seems obvious but it remains an idea that some designers are not always prepared to accept.
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In a New York Times interview from 2003, he explains that his interest in this area dated to his time working with the designer Henry Dreyfuss for the Singer Sewing Machine Company. ‘Dreyfuss introduced me to ‘human-factors engineering’ in 1955 – it’s now called ergonomics’ he said. ‘We worked on making the machines fit people. I had worked in Eero Saarinen’s office on furniture. I learned a lot from Eero. We didn’t know a lot about ergonomics then. We learned it, pardon the pun, by the seat of our pants.’
Diffrient was born in 1928 in a farmhouse in Mississippi. During the Great Depression his family relocated to Detroit, where Diffrient joined Cass Technical High School. He later studied Aeronautical Engineering at Cranbrook Academy Art. He spent some 25 years working with Dreyfuss before setting up his own practice in the early 1980s. Although his career saw him work on a wide range of products including computers, aircraft, corporate identity, and farm machinery, he is best known for his work on office furniture design and seating in particular.
Although he is best known for the office furniture products he developed with Humanscale, his core belief in seating that adapted to the user rather than the other way round was established with the chairs he designed for Knoll in 1979.
It was to be another 20 years before these principles helped to define the way we now view ergonomics. By 1998, the Aeron Chair from Herman Miller had completely reshaped the market for office seating and Diffrient was the ideal designer to take things on to the next level. His designs for the Freedom and Liberty Chair not only transformed the market but also the fortunes of Humanscale, catapulting the firm into competition with the global giants that had previously dominated the market.
This success may have come later in his life, but Diffrient was undoubtedly by then the right man at the right time. All that was needed was for the world to catch up with his ideas and principles. | https://workplaceinsight.net/niels-diffrient-redefined-what-we-know-about-ergonomics-and-office-furniture/ |
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Sketching Kant’s Critical Philosophy
As of late, I’ve been working my way through a number of German idealist thinkers, producing a series of small posts as I investigate the tradition (see on Kant and Fichte here, on Fichte and Schelling here, and on Goethe here). In this post, I move back to Kant himself, sketching an outline of the critical philosophy, as expressed in The Critique of Pure Reason, including an account of his rejection of rationalism and empiricism, his account of intuitions, concepts, and ideas, and his notions of judgment, imagination, and apperception. Understanding Kant’s critical philosophy is essential to understanding the evolution of German idealism as a whole. As Frederick Beiser notes, those involved in this tradition strove to find a middle path between a number of competing binaries, including that between skeptical subjectivism and naive realism, foundationalism and relativism, materialism and idealism, and Platonism and historicism, binaries which, as Beiser rightly suggests, are still the concern of much contemporary epistemology.[1]
In many ways, then, the attempt launched by Kant and the German idealists is centered on finding a synthesis between empirical reality and transcendental ideality. Kant’s hope was to create a new science (Wissenschaft) of knowledge through the transcendental method wherein metaphysics is recast in terms of the limits of human reason; this was a “critical idealism” that “observes the limits of human experience, and that avoids all speculation about the existence of spiritual substance.”[2] Thus on the one hand Kant rejected Locke’s claims that the human being comes into the world as a blank slate (tabula rasa), that all ideas come to us through accrued sensory impressions, and that thinking is merely a reflection upon those ideas. On the other, Kant rejected Descartes’s account of the manner in which our imaginings (Vorstellen)—our representations of the real—coincide with things in their original being, or what Schelling calls “being through itself” (das von sich selbst Seyende).[3]
Critical or transcendental idealism in this way sought to recognize the subjective, mental, and rational elements of the subject’s constructive capacity vis-a-vis experience whilst nevertheless rejecting the empiricists claims to individual solipsism and particularity. In this sense, the transcendental predicate of Kant’s idealism amounts to a universalism amongst humans (insofar as every human is a transcendental subject) which honored the intersubjective and publically observable elements of empirical experience (i.e., those elements which the special sciences describe). As Beiser notes, “The intersubjective world constituted by these concepts [of transcendental idealism] is not constructed from the ideas of the individual mind; rather, it is the necessary condition of even having such ideas.”[4]
Thus for Kant it is the transcendental status of the subject’s construction of experience that secures both the epistemic role of reason in ordering concepts and the success of the empirical sciences in describing causal relationships within the domain of a shared intersubjective ideality. Crucially, the transcendental on this account, as Beiser is at pains to show, is not a new form of subjectivism, but an account of the space within which the subjective and the objective is established.[5] This rational–empirical synthesis—the idea that mind actively organizes experience based on a priori principles, an idea that Lee Braver calls “the Kantian root” of modern philosophy[6]—has dominated the continental landscape in one form or another for over 200 years.
More specifically, in his Critique of Pure Reason Kant argued that all knowledge, including our scientific knowledge, amounts to knowledge of appearances (phenomena) but never to things in themselves (noumena). These appearances are fashioned from our own representations. Kant wrote, “We suppose that our representations of things, as they are given to us, do not conform to these things as they are in themselves, but that these objects, as appearances, conform to our mode representation.”[7]
To produce the representations that populate our first-person experience, Kant argued, sense impressions, or what he called intuitions, must be combined with concepts, which express our understanding of what is the case in a given moment of experience. As a singular representation, an intuition is a particular sensory item that provides sensibility with the raw data for conceptualization.[8] On this account, a concept is a mode of synthesis in which the multiple and particular features of our sensory impressions are combined in a moment of cognition. For Kant, experience depends on receptivity, in the mode of sensible intuition, and discursivity, in the mode of conceptual ordering.[9]
Concepts, Kant held, are deployed in our capacity for linking together multiple representations in a series of interconnected types. The concept takes an ideal type as an exemplar of a class of beings and compares the contents of our singular empirical encounters to this type, issuing a judgment in cognition about what the perceived item is as it emerges in perception. Stated differently, the judgment is the object’s emergence in perception.[10] As Henry Allison notes, “To judge is both to unify representations by combining them in a concept (producing an analytic unity) and to relate these representations to an object in a manner that purports to be valid with respect to the object.”[11]
Interestingly, for Kant, the imagination is central to his account of perception and judgment. On Kant’s account, the subject uses the conceptual tools acquired through experience—that is, through learning how to bring together representations into a concept—to project a likely future state of affairs based on our best understanding of an in-the-moment event. This understanding is rooted in our conceptual skills and knowledge, which yield to the subject relevant inferences about what to expect next in a given scenario. In this way, the given manifold of sensibility is not only combined through the understanding to produce a judgment, but also contains knowledge about a likely future event, constellated out of present actions. In Altman’s words, “According to Kant, the imagination forms expectations about our experience based on what we require of it conceptually; it relates the sensory manifold to conceptually possible future representations.”[12]
On Kant’s view, then, the world—and what it might do next—is made intelligible only through our concepts and categories. This is the basis of Kant’s critical philosophy: All metaphysical description from this point on must be carried out in tandem with a transcendental epistemology, with a critical philosophy of the knowing person. In this sense, Kant recasts in a single move the modern senses of self, world, and knowledge. This move split the world into two complex registers, the noumenal and the phenomenal; it made truth an intersubjective agreement; and it positioned the self as an organizing center around which turned an epistemic anti-realism.[13]
This organizing center Kant called the transcendental subject, a unity of apperception, a pure and unchanging consciousness who synthetically grounds and produces experience through the forms of intuition, the categories of the understanding, and the ideas of reason. These elements are transcendental in the sense of being anthropologically universal and they are formal in the sense of being necessary for our mode of experience; that is, the aim of Kant’s transcendental idealism is to provide an a priori account of the conditions of possibility necessary for experience.
In the context of transcendental idealism, what were for Aristotle ontological categories of being—quantity, quality, temporality, location, and so on—become epistemological categories in Kant’s critical philosophy. This shift amounts to a move away from metaphysical concepts of world and towards regulative ones. Specifically, with Kant’s Copernican Revolution, the notion of world is reduced to a regulative ideal used to clarify and systematize the ideas of reason. All previous metaphysical systems, including Aristotle’s, Kant argued, were but transcendental illusions, which the philosopher Sean Gaston aptly defined as any “subjective view that takes itself as an objective summation of things as they really are.”[14] Gaston continues:
Before critical philosophy it was easier to speak of the world as something ontologically given. It was also easier to speak of a concept of world in general on this basis. Kant implies that there can be no concept of world in these terms and that we must use the idea of the world in general within the epistemological limitations and possibilities of reasoning.[15]
The ideas of reason thus enable the understanding, even if only artificially, to extend beyond the immediately empirical. The regulative function of reason is thus to secure the understanding’s ability to issue judgments that hold consistently across time, allowing it to ground its operations beyond a series of fragmentary cognitions.[16]
Kant further insists that the systematic unity that reason provides for the understanding’s various instances of cognition is merely projected; it is another transcendental illusion, albeit a necessary and functional one.[17] The ideas here serve a similar function to the understanding that concepts serve to intuitions. Just as concepts gather together intuitions in a rule-like way, allowing for generality, consistency, and comparability in the plural contents of empirical experience across time, the ideas of reason gather together concepts in an equally rule-like way, permitting the recombination of concepts into new and more complex conceptual architectures.[18]
Finally, as reason uses the concept of world to enable the understanding’s ability to make judgments across time and place, the transcendental unity of apperception grounds the thinking subject’s ability to maintain its sense of unity across moments of systematized understanding and intuiting. As a transcendental unity, this “I” is not equivalent to the empirical or psychological self, which may change moment to moment, but to the formal activity that synthesizes intuition, concept, and idea into a unity that transcends but connects together empirical instances of experience across time.
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even if the other vital signs are normal; a patient with a respiratory rate greater than 27 breaths/minute should receive immediate medical review; and patients with a respiratory rate greater than 24 breaths/minute, in combination with other evidence of physiological instability (eg, hypotension or a reduced level of consciousness), should also receive immediate medical review. You probably will be able to make around 20-30 steps. A disruption in oxygen metabolism can cause saturation levels to drop below 95 percent, at which point a physician might order intervention. 80-150. As we get older, we become more prone to diseases and organ dysfunction. Some drugs may act as a depressant, while others act as stimulants. Muscles wrapped around your airways are fully relaxed, allowing airways to be fully dilated. 2008 Oct. 27(10):939-41. Your child is breathing fast: more than 50 breaths per minute for infants (2 months to 1 year) more than 40 breaths per minute for children (1-12 years) more than … https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-is-a-normal-respiratory-rate-2248932 © 2005 - 2021 WebMD LLC. Last medically reviewed on March 14, 2019, Vital signs are a helpful way to assess health, but they are different for children and adults. For children, a normal respiratory rate will depend on their age. It branches into the right and left pulmonary…, Within the body, there are a total of four pulmonary veins, and all of them connect to the left atrium of the heart. Table 4: Normal Respiratory Rates A respiratory rate that is consistently below 10 or above 60 breaths per minute indicates a problem that needs immediate attention. The main artery splits…. 80-115. Different conditions have similar symptoms, so it may be hard for you to figure out which one your child has. Healthline Media does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. When the baby can’t expel the fluid out entirely, the respiratory rate may increase to take in more oxygen. First, you need to know what counts as typical, healthy breathing. Infant (birth–1 year) 100 160 Toddler (1–3 years) 90 150 Preschooler (3–6 years) 80 140 School-age (6–12 years) 70 120 Adolescent (12–18 years) 60 100 Pulse rates for a child who is sleeping may be 10 percent lower than the low rate listed. The pulse rate slows down with their age until it reaches the limit of the normal pulse rate … If your respiratory rate is above normal, it could indicate another underlying condition. Few of the normal infant vitals are different than older children and adults, as the normal heart rate for infant and respiratory rate is higher than an adult’s heart rate and respiratory rate. Paediatric Respiration and Heart Rate rapid breathing of over 20 breaths per minute in adults, slow breathing of under 12 breaths per minute in adults, a breathing rate that falls outside of normal in children, symptoms of asthma or a lung infection, such as coughing, wheezing, and increased mucus, symptoms of thyroid disorder, such as dry skin, hair changes, and fatigue. – Normal respiration rates for children (from Healthwise – health.msn.com) – This page in Spanish: Frecuencia respiratoria normal y respiración ideal. 2011Mar 19;377(9770):1011-1018. For humans, the typical respiratory rate for a healthy adult at rest is 12–18 breaths per minute. Clinical assessment tool for children 0-5 years . They're less than 1 year old and takes more than 60 breaths a minute. 105-180. 15-25. 40. 2. There are other factors outside of these that can affect your respiratory rate, as we’ll explore below. As the body attempts to increase oxygen consumption, respiration increases. The normal respiratory rate of adults falls within the range of 12 to 16 breaths per minute. 20. Hypothyroidism can weaken the muscles of the lungs, making it harder to breath. Potassium is a mineral that's involved in muscle contractions, heart function and water balance. Here's a helpful guide to understanding your child's…, It can be tough to drink enough water throughout the day, but dehydration can have consequences. When this happens, your body doesn’t get the oxygen it needs and respiration increases. If you or your child is experiencing the following symptoms, it’s important to see a doctor: If you suspect the change in breathing is due to an overdose or poisoning, get to the closest emergency room immediately. A fever can cause an increased respiratory rate as the body attempts to cool itself down. When you’re dehydrated, decreased fluid levels become low enough to alter your levels of electrolytes. The neural central control system sets the ventilation rate and air intake volume. 20-55. Oxygen treatment is usually not necessary unless the SpO2 is less than 92%. Average resting respiratory rates by age are: It can potentially indicate a more serious condition, such as cardiac arrest. 12 years. Things to Consider. The most common factors that can affect your measured respiratory rate include: Respiration is the metabolic process of oxygen intake and carbon dioxide release. 65-120 All rights reserved. Hypothyroidism is caused by an underactive thyroid gland. ", Allergy & Asthma Network: âRespiratory syncytial virus,â âAsthma in Children.â, American Sleep Apnea Association: âChildrenâs Sleep Apnea.â, Kids Health: âTransient Tachypnea of the Newborn.â, Merck Manual: "Overview of viral respiratory tract infections in children. The respiratory drive is tied closely to the central nervous system. 10. Fouzas S, Priftis KN, Anthracopoulos MB. 70-105. Fleming S, Thompson M, Stevens R, Heneghan C, Pluddemann A, Maconochie I, Tarassenko L, Mant D. Normal ranges of heart rate and respiratory rate in children from birth to 18 years: a systematic review of observational studies. For example, a stroke that causes brain stem damage can affect breathing. As has already been discussed, normal breathing strictly tends to be nasal (in and out), slow (in terms of frequency), mainly diaphragmatic (i.e. 30. Infants have a normal range of 30 to 60 breaths per minute. 3 months. If your childâs breathing pauses while they're asleep, that might be a sign of sleep apnea. It’s controlled by a body system called the respiratory drive. 10 years. 60-130. Central sleep apnea occurs when the area of the central nervous system that controls breathing doesn’t send the proper signals while you sleep. Besides fast breathing, symptoms can include coughing or wheezing. Normal parameters Heart rate Mean resp rate Infants <1 year 110-160 40 Toddler 1-2 years 100-150 35 Pre-school 3-4 years 95-140 30 School 5-11 years 80-120 25. The thyroid hormone plays an important role in many body processes, including respiration. 2 years. Smart Grocery Shopping When You Have Diabetes, Surprising Things You Didn't Know About Dogs and Cats, Coronavirus in Context: Interviews With Experts, Sign Up to Receive Our Free Coroanvirus Newsletter, Developmental Delays in Children Ages 3-5, The Lungs (Human Anatomy): Picture, Function, Definition, Conditions, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). For children, the normal rate depends on their age: To measure how fast your child is breathing, count how many times their chest rises in 1 full minute. The normal respiratory rate for kids varies by age. How fast they breathe can be a signal. They can diagnose any other underlying conditions and causes. a. 5. In adults, the normal respiration rate is 12–20 rpm, whereas the normal respiration rate for children is between 20 and 30 rpm. The effects of alcohol continue to increase the more you consume. All rights reserved. This includes the chest sinking in below the neck and below the breastbone (sternum). 75-140. Naturally, you want to watch out for any sign that your youngster is coming down with something. They generally get it in winter or early spring. Pulse Oximetry in Pediatric Practice. Acute severe asthma is defined by an … Only to be used in conjunction with pathways for . 25-60. respiratory rate; temperature ; This important information can tell a medical provider a lot about a child’s overall health. But if it goes longer than 10 seconds or they start to turn blue, call 911. 1 year . This can slow down your normal respiratory rate. For children receiving oxygen therapy SpO 2 targets will vary according to the age of the child, clinical condition and trajectory of illness. We’ll tell you how to tell if you’re dehydrated…, When a baby is delivered, the amniotic fluid should be expelled from their lungs. They should go to a doctor if they show symptoms. Pulse oximetry should show an oxygen saturation close to 100% in normal healthy children breathing air. 75-105. Some organs are closely linked to your respiratory health and can change your respiratory rate. A normal resting breathing rate is 15 breaths per minute. If you have a baby or toddler, call 911 if: If your child is older than that, call the doctor if they get winded more than usual after exercise, or even ordinary activities. 6 years. This can affect the exchange of important gases in the lungs, causing an increase in respiratory rate. In addition, excess mucus may block the airways. Respiratory system:Assess chest expansion and auscultate: beware of the silent chest (this means that very little air is going in and out). Respiratory rate is an important part of your vital signs. My Lung Is Injured â Can I Still Breathe? Each one may take a couple of weeks to clear up. The effects can be seen system-wide, from blood pressure to respiration rate. Increased effort of breathing. [Medline] . Breathing issues are common in kids, especially if they go to daycare or have brothers and sisters. A lower than the normal respiratory rate is termed bradypnea, and a higher than the normal respiratory rate is termed tachypnea. 120-185. The role of respiratory viral infections among children hospitalized for community-acquired pneumonia in a developing country. So, for example, a breathing rate above 30 would be too high for a child aged 6 years but a breathing rate above 20 would be too high for a teenager aged 16 years. When we breath out, we release low oxygen and high carbon dioxide air. In a healthy, young human adult, tidal volume is approximately 500 ml per inspiration or 7 ml/kg of body mass. It's normal for a child to stop breathing for 5 or 10 seconds, then pick back up again on their own. In this article, we’ll discuss how to measure respiratory rate, the factors that influence respiratory rate, and when to see a doctor if you’re concerned about your respiratory rate. This includes the heart muscles and the muscles required for breathing. For children, a normal respiratory rate will depend on their age. Rate. 17-30. Overdosing on certain drugs, especially stimulants, can lead to an increased breathing rate. If this doesn’t happen, this excess fluid in the lungs can make it…. The heart is closely tied to respiration. That is, do not give oxygen if the SpO2 is ≥ 92%. Hyperventilation is a common symptom of anxiety and panic attacks. Oxygen saturation sensing in a healthy child breathing room air will reveal a saturation rate between 96 and 98 percent. These systems work together to create a process that exchanges two types of air. 20-40. even if the other vital signs are normal; a patient with a respiratory rate greater than 27 breaths/minute should receive immediate medical review; and patients with a respiratory rate greater than 24 breaths/minute, in combination with other evidence of physiological instability (eg, hypotension or a reduced level of consciousness), should also receive immediate medical review. Pediatr Infect Dis J . Tidal volume (symbol V T or TV) is the lung volume representing the normal volume of air displaced between [clarification needed] normal inhalation and exhalation when extra effort is not applied. There are many signs and symptoms of a fever, including hot skin, sweating, and shivering. Low-Normal Pediatric Systolic Blood Pressure During a panic attack, the fight-or-flight response is activated. If their quick breathing keeps coming back, thatâs another reason to check with your doctor. Each lung is divided into lobes; the right lung consists of the superior, middle, and inferior lobes, The pulmonary trunk is a major vessel of the human heart that originates from the right ventricle. 85-120. It makes the airways inside their lungs get more narrow. 3.5. It’s not uncommon for a newborn to have a respiratory rate of 60, whereas a 12-year-old can comfortably have a respiratory rate of 18 rpm (RCHM 2017). The normal respiratory rate for adults is 12 to 16 breaths per minute. View options for downloading these results. If your babys breathing is abnormal, such as being sixty breaths per minute without crying, then it could be an indication of underlying breathing problems, meaning you should call your doctor immediately as it will most likely require medical attention. 6. UW Health (University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority): âCounting Respiration Rate,â âRespiratory Problems, Age 11 and Younger.â, British Lung Foundation: âSigns of breathing problems in children,â "Bronchiolitis," "Pneumonia," âPneumonia in children.â, Cleveland Clinic: âAsthma in Children,â âNewborn Behavior,â âChildhood Respiratory Infections and Other Illnesses,â âBronchiolitis,â "Croup. Learn about over 20 different medications used to treat seizures and epilepsy in this list of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). The thing to watch is how fast they breathe when theyâre at rest. A typical person breaths at a rate of 12-20 times per minute. Transient tachypnea usually clears up within a few days, but sometimes it requires extra monitoring in the hospital after birth. Obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea are the two main types of this condition. The respiratory center sets the quiet respiratory rhythm at around two seconds for an inhalation and three seconds exhalation. 4 years. In addition, increased or decreased respiratory rates often indicate underlying conditions that need to be treated. Itâs normal for them to get as many as 12 infections a year. What Is The Normal Pulse Rate For Children? The exchange of these elements is important for metabolic processes to continue at the cellular level. The respiratory drive is broken down into three systems: neural central control, sensory input, and muscular effect. 80-115. The normal respiratory rate for children varies by age. For an infant, a normal rate is up to 44 breaths per minute. They're 1 to 5 years old and takes more than 40 breaths per minute. 8. There usually are other symptoms, too, such as snoring. Asthma: Kids who have this usually show the first signs of it by the time theyâre 5 years old. 20-45. Avoid strenuous activity beforehand. 12. The respiration rate may remain faster and deeper than normal for up to 40 minutes after the exercise ends. 1. 70-105. A patient’s breathing rate is said to be normal if it is within the appropriate range. If your breathing rate is low for too long, it can cause complications such as low blood oxygen, acidosis, or respiratory failure. A child’s resting pulse rate for his age is measured when he is at rest and not crying, running, or playing. Marijuana, hallucinogenics, and opioids are all known to affect respiratory rate. Children younger than 3 need extra-close attention because this type of illness can be especially hard on them. Breathing problems related to infants include: This gives the lower of the average rate at 12 breaths per minute. One of these neurotransmitters, norepinephrine, plays a role in respiratory rate. Normal respiratory rates for children in breaths per minute are as follows: birth to 1 year: 30 to 60 1 to 3 years: 24 to 40 3 to 6 years: 22 to 34 6 to 12 years: 18 to 30 12 to 18 years: 12 to 16 Rapid breathing can be a symptom of several things. Minor respiratory changes can lead to sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea. The following conditions fall under the umbrella of COPD: Like asthma, the inflammation in the lining of the lungs with COPD makes it difficult to get enough oxygen. Children are not all alike, and various authorities report slightly different normal … Narcotics can have a major influence on the central nervous system. | Sort by Date Showing results 1 to 10. Listed are the normal ranges of heart rates in children from birth to 18 years of age based on a large review study in Lancet. Stimulant drugs influence certain neurotransmitter chemicals in the brain. The normal respiratory rate in all adults is about 12 breaths/min. This can be done by counting how many times the chest rises. Dehydration occurs when the body doesn’t take in enough water to meet its needs. If they are not breathing, or not breathing normally, go to step 6. With asthma, there are times when it becomes difficult to get enough air into the lungs. When the body is unable to take long, deep breaths, it’ll increase respiration to compensate and improve oxygen intake. Intense exercise may increase the breathing rate up to 40 or 50 breaths per minute. Alcohol is a depressant that affects the central nervous system. Changes in the respiratory rate can be minor to severe, depending on the stroke. 75-110. © 2005-2021 Healthline Media a Red Ventures Company. Start the timer and measure the amount of breaths taken in 1 minute. The person in cardiac arrest may make occasional grunting or snoring attempts to breathe and this is not normal breathing. One of the common complications of stroke is respiratory system dysfunction. The normal breathing rate gets gradually less as a child gets older. The inferior lobe is a section of the human lung. With heart disease, heart function deteriorates and it can’t pump as much blood. 60-105. If you’re concerned that your breathing isn’t normal, visit your doctor. 16-30. Asthma is a condition characterized by narrow, inflamed, and mucus-filled airways. A normal respiratory rate in adults is roughly 12 to 16 breaths per minute. Some of the most common are: Bronchiolitis: This lung infection affects children under 2 years old. You should be at rest, either sitting or lying down. Check for breathing – look, listen and feel for signs of breathing. Lung infections can cause inflammation of the airways and the lungs. 115-180. (1) Normal. This allows the clear and easy passage of air through them. ", University of Wisconsin: "Vital Signs in Children," "Counting Respiration Rate.". There is no need to worry if your babys breathing is normal, when compared to thenormal respiratory rate for infants noted above. Children have a normal breathing rate of 20 to 28 breaths per minute. A normal breathing rate for an adult at rest is 8 to 16 breaths per minute. Pneumonia: This may come after your child has a cold or flu. You can see that it corresponds to the normal breathing rate of 12 breaths per minute. This can be caused by underlying factors, such as stroke, heart failure, or certain medications. abdominal) and imperceptible (or small/shallow in terms of its volume). The normal respiratory rate of adults falls within the range of 12 to 16 breaths per minute. Normal breathing? This is because the muscles of infants aren’t properly developed yet. Continued. A normal adult will breathe at a steady rate. 5226 results for children respiratory rate Sorted by Relevance . When we breath in, we take in high oxygen and low carbon dioxide air. Heart Rate (Beats/minute) Respiratory Rate (Breaths/minute) Term. For children aged 6 to 15, the normal resting pulse rate is around 70 to 100 beats per minute. 95-175. The following table details the normal respiratory rate and heart rate for unwell children of different ages. That makes it hard for them to breathe. Lancet. 90-120. Periodic breathing is not unusual in infants; therefore, you may have to spend more time observing the … This inflammation can make it difficult to breath. If it's a bit too quick, that can be one of the first symptoms of a lung infection, especially for a baby or small child. Pinch your congested nose and walk fast with your blocked nose pinched and your mouth closed the whole time. Babies have the highest pulse rate, with around 180 beats per minute. A fever is one of the normal reactions the body experiences when fighting an infection. The role of the heart, working in conjunction with the lungs, is to circulate oxygenated blood to the vital organs of the body. Read full chapter. They're 1 to 5 years old and takes more than 40 breaths per minute. 25. They're less than 1 year old and takes more than 60 breaths a minute. When the central nervous system is altered or damaged, it can affect the rate of respiration. Major respiratory disturbances can lead to more serious complications, such as the need for a breathing tube. Roughly four to six servings of alcohol are enough to negatively impact the functioning of your central nervous system. General observations. 16-30. A Normal Heart Rate . This article explains how much potassium you need per…. 70-130. The heart pumps oxygen-depleted…, The main pulmonary artery is responsible for transporting oxygen-depleted blood away from the heart and back toward the lungs. Deaths from opioid overdose, which claim more than 130 lives every day in the United States, are often caused by altered or dysfunctional breathing. Traffic light system for identifying severity of illness . 110-180. The sensory system lets the central nervous system know how much volume and at what rate to breathe. Respiratory rate, one of the main vital signs of the human body, is the number of breaths taken per minute. WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. This can cause increased respiration as the body attempts to compensate for the lack of air exchange. View chapter Purchase book. According to the CDC, stroke is responsible for the deaths of 140,000 Americans each year. Kids who are 2 or younger are more vulnerable. ", New York State Department of Health: "Pediatric respiratory rates. It can be from a virus or bacteria. Some variation in respiratory rate occurs naturally as we age. Our website services, content, and products are for informational purposes only. 60-95. 25-60. This is the normal range for a healthy adult as well. 8 years. This can lead to decreased access to the oxygen in the air. Narcotics, such as opioids, can also depress the central nervous system and affect breathing. This response prepares the body to “fight” or “flight,” and heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate all increase. Tachypnea is the term that your health care provider uses to describe your breathing if it is too fast, especially if you have fast, shallow breathing from a lung disease or other medical cause. Living With COPD: About Treatments, Exercise, and Diet, Pepper and Soap Trick Teaches Kids to Wash Hands. Then, RSV spreads into the lungs, where it can lead to things like bronchiolitis and pneumonia. This can crop up in kids between 2 and 8 and years old. The muscular system moves the lungs in accordance with signal inputs. Normal Respiratory Rate by Age (Breaths/Minute) Age Normal Respiratory Rate; Infants (<1 y) 30-55: Toddler (1-2 y) 20-30: Preschool (3-5 y) 20-25: School … Other symptoms may include: It usually comes on during the winter or early spring, and the first symptoms look like a cold. 6 months. Your respiratory rate can be measured in three easy steps. This acute condition occurs in newborns and is characterized by fast, sometimes labored, breathing. Thatâs where the doctor will help. A breathing rate from 12 to 20 breaths per minute is normal. If they're outside the normal range for their age, something may be wrong. As newborns take their first few breaths, the fluid that was in the lungs is expelled out. If your respiratory rate is below normal, it could indicate central nervous system dysfunction. 15. Breathing Pattern: During normal breathing, your stomach goes out, and there is minimal movement of your chest and shoulders. Sleep apnea is a condition in which your breathing pattern is disrupted during sleep. If the person is breathing normally, roll them onto their side. Sickness that affects breathing crops up often during childhood. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is a set of conditions that are characterized by long-term lung damage.
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Global warming has become a huge challenge to the world. Days are getting hotter and natural calamities are occurring more often. And on Tuesday, humanity observes World Environment Day (WED) with the theme 'Green Economy: Does it include you?'
India observes World Environment Day amidst hot summer.
Addressing the gathering at Science Express - Biodiversity Special train at Safdarjang Railway Station, New Delhi, Smt. Jayanthi Natarajan, Hon'ble Minister of State for Environment & Forests, spoke about the importance of environment.
"The World Environment Day is celebrated every year, to not only create awareness but also to reaffirm our commitment to protect and safeguard the environment for us and our future generations. It's a call for a positive environmental action to save our planet from further degradation," said Natarajan.
"India is blessed with rich natural resources, from the mighty Himalayas to the Gangetic plains to the Deccan; from the deserts to the lush greens in the North east; the Western Ghats, the coasts and the islands. No wonder our country is one of the 12 mega-diverse countries in the world, rich in biodiversity and associated traditional knowledge. It is not just about the tigers and the elephants, but it is also about the algae and the fungi, and the microbes that build up our systems. This biodiversity can only be protected for future use through informed and responsible decision making and by sustainable use by the communities. This requires understanding the value of the ecosystems to the benefit of the communities. Being aware of the biodiversity is the key to protecting the fragile ecosystem and threatened species," she added.
What is Green Economy?
The 2012 theme for World Environment Day is Green Economy: Does it include you?
The UN Environment Programme defines the Green Economy as one that results in improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities. In its simplest expression, a green economy can be thought of as one which is low carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive.
Practically speaking, a Green Economy is one whose growth in income and employment is driven by public and private investments that reduce carbon emissions and pollution, enhance energy and resource efficiency, and prevent the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services. These investments need to be catalyzed and supported by targeted public expenditure, policy reforms and regulation changes. | https://www.ibtimes.co.in/india-observes-world-environment-day-amidst-hot-summer-what-is-green-economy-348711 |
The Sun rules by daytime sky, but at night, especially if the Moon does not shine, the show belongs to the stars. Bright and dim, randomly distributed across the sky, with odd formations that catch the eye, their number seems huge. To ancient observers it seemed as if Earth was at the center of a giant star-studded “celestial sphere," which reinforced the belief, held for thousands of years, that we are at the center of the universe.
If you watch stars throughout the night, you will see that most of them also rise to the east of you and set west of you, like the Sun and Moon. Indeed, the entire celestial sphere seems to rotate slowly --- one turn in 24 hours --- and since half of it is always hidden below the horizon, this rotation constantly brings out new stars on the eastern horizon, while others to disappear beneath the western one.
We of course know that it is not the universe that rotates around us from east to west, but our Earth is the one rotating, (from west to east--see note at end). But it is still convenient to talk about “the rotation of the celestial sphere." That could also make the sky rotate the way it is observed to do.
Note
The text above --- and sections that follow --- gives the period of rotation of the Earth as 24 hours. That is not exactly true: 24 hours is the mean length of a solar day, the average time that passes from noon to the next noon. Noon is always defined by the position of the Sun --- when it passes exactly to the south (to viewers in Europe and the US, at least), and is at its greatest distance from the equator.
Using the Sun for reference, however, gives a shifting reference point in the sky. Between one noon and the next, the Sun too moves slightly in the sky, as part of its annual circuit around the celestial sphere, discussed in the next section, on the ecliptic (See the chapter “The Ecliptic"). We could instead use some star as reference point, since stars keep fixed positions on the celestial sphere (see further below): for instance, define as “sidereal day" (sidereal --- related to stars) the time between one passage of Sirius (the brightest star) to the south, and the next passage. That would be the true rotation period of the Earth, shorter than 24 hour by nearly 4 minutes --- more accurately, 235.9 seconds.
If you wish to calculate the difference: 24 hours are equal to 86400 seconds, and the average year contains 365.2422 solar days (See the chapter “The Calendar", where this point is also discussed). Actually, however, the Earth completes 366.2422 rotations in that time, so the real rotation period is just (365.2422/366.2422) of 86400 seconds. You should be able to figure out the rest.
Most stars keep fixed positions relative to each other, night after night. The eye naturally groups them into patterns or constellations (“stella" is Latin for star), to which each culture has given its own names. The names we use come from the ancient Greeks and the Romans, e.g. Orion the hunter, accompanied by his two faithful dogs nearby. Other names evoke animals, whose Latin names are used --- Scorpio the scorpion, Leo the lion, Cygnus the swan, Ursa Major the Big Bear (better known as the “big dipper") and so forth.
The Sun slowly moves through this pattern, circling around it once a year, always along the same path among the stars (“the ecliptic"). The ancients distinguished 12 constellations along this path, and since most are named for animals, they are known as the zodiac, the “circle of animals." The Sun spends about one month inside each “sign of the zodiac." The Moon moves close to the Sun's path, but only takes about a month, and a few conspicuous stars also move near it, the planets. We will come back later to all these: all other celestial objects are firmly placed and do not move, forming the “firmament."
Like the globe in the drawing, the sphere of the sky has two points around which it turns, points that mark its axis ---the celestial poles. Stars near those poles march in daily circles around them, and the closer they are, the smaller the circles (they do not rise and set). At any time, only half the sphere is visible: it is as if the flat ground on which we stand sliced the celestial sphere in half --- the upper half is seen, the lower half is not. Because of that, only one pole is seen at any time, and for most of us, living north of the equator, that is the north pole.
Note
If you mount a camera on a dark night in a way that the pole is in the middle of its field of view, open the shutter and take a time exposure, the image of each star will be smeared into part of a circle, and all the circles will be centered on the pole. Go to http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980912.html to see such a picture.
Just as the globe of the Earth has an equator around its middle, halfway between the poles, so the sphere of the sky is circled by the celestial equator, halfway between the celestial poles. As the sky rotates, stars on the equator trace a longer circle than any others.
Of course, we know well (as the priests in Babylon didn't) that the stars are not attached inside a huge hollow sphere. Rather, it is the Earth which rotates around its axis, while the stars are so distant that they seem to stand still. The final effect, however, is the same in both cases. Therefore, whenever that is convenient, we can still use the celestial sphere to mark the positions of stars in the sky. | https://k12.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Science_and_Technology/Book%3A_Physics_-_From_Stargazers_to_Starships_(CK-12)/02%3A_The_Celestial_Sphere/2.01%3A_The_Celestial_Sphere |
The ADA National Network at http://www.adata.org/ provides comprehensive services for up-to-date information, consultation, referrals, resources, and training on the Americans with Disabilities Act for businesses, employers, governmental entities, service providers and individuals with disabilities.
Next Session: July 12, 2011 1:00 - 2:30pm CST
How to Create Accessible Video with speaker Terrill Thompson, Accessibility Specialist University of Washington
Terrill Thompson
The series is free, but participants must pre-register at http://www.ada-audio.org/Webinar/AccessibleTechnology/.
Future sessions:
- September 13, 2011 - Introduction to Mobile Computing, with Speaker Jonathan Spalter, Chairman of Mobile Future
Guidelines for accessible forms
Websites today incorporate user feedback and interaction and therefore accessible forms have become that much more important. Many sites have already embraced making their forms accessible, and done a pretty good job of it, but something as small as an inappropriately named label, can create a barrier for people with disabilities attempting to use the website.
Labels should always be used and include the for attribute (e.g. < label for="name" >). The value used should match the id of the input field that the label is being used for:
< label for="name" > Name < /label > < input type="text" id="name" />
Labels for inputs, select dropdowns and text areas should precede the input, though labels for radio buttons and checkboxes should follow the input, as follows:
< input type="checkbox" id="terms" > < label for="terms" >Accept our terms & conditions< /label >
In addition, related form elements should be grouped together inside
< fieldset > < /fieldset > tags and have a < legend > just inside them to describe what the fieldset contains.
It's useful to use color to highlight the current field so users can easily see their current location within the form. If a field is required, it's good practice to highlight that field with an icon. The most recognizable symbol, the asterisk (*), should be clearly placed before the required field.
It is a good idea to avoid reset buttons because of users inadvertently clicking on them, and losing all the data they just input - usually frustrating them enough that they'll simply leave your site or not complete your form. This is especially important in the case of bigger forms, though can be equally frustrating if users are in a rush to fill out the form.
For more information on creating accessible forms, check out these resources:
- Webaim Tutorials at http://webaim.org/techniques/forms/
- JimThatcher.com at http://www.jimthatcher.com/webcourse8.htm
- Web Standards Project at http://www.webstandards.org/learn/tutorials/accessible-forms/beginner/
The Department of Education Clarifies Obligation Regarding Accessible Technology
The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights recently issued a Dear Colleague letter to schools on their legal obligation to provide equal opportunity to enjoy the benefits of technology.
As the use of emerging technologies in the classroom increases, schools at all levels must ensure equal access to the educational benefits and opportunities afforded by the technology and equal treatment in the use of the technology for all students, including students with disabilities. The letter highlights what schools need to know to ensure that students with disabilities have access to information and resources provided through technology.
After the college letter was issued, many questions arose; therefore the U.S. Department of Education issued a "Frequently The FAQ is a follow-up to a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) regarding the use of electronic book readers and other emerging technologies in educational settings. The legal requirements that are articulated in the June 2010 DCL, which are reiterated in the attached FAQ, also apply to elementary and secondary schools. | http://www.adagreatlakes.org/Publications/ATBulletin/Archives/Volume5%20Issue4.asp |
At Ansvar, we help ensure that historic buildings are properly protected and safeguarded with specialist support through risk management and insurance solutions. Heritage buildings are important reminders of our collective cultural history. Preserving them is our responsibility so that future generations can experience a connection to the past.
Heritage buildings have unique risks and our specialist heritage insurance cover is customised to meet specific heritage property requirements.
Buildings and sites of cultural significance or community importance contribute to our heritage, which is important to protect for future generations. Ansvar has one of the most comprehensive risk quality survey programs including the use of drones, 360 degree cameras and related technologies. These services are available to both the heritage and our commercial property owner customers.
At Ansvar, we will provide you with the right insurance solutions to protect you, your staff, visitors, valuable relics and property. | https://www.ansvar.com.au/heritage/ |
To calculate ROI, you would need to find out how much your investment has earned. There are two different ways to calculate ROI which lead to the same conclusion.
You calculate ROI by finding the net return of an investment. The net return of the investment is the total returns subtracted by the total costs of an investment. This net return will then be divided by the cost of the investment. To turn the fraction into a percentage, we multiply it by 100. The generated number will show the benefit we got from the investment as a portion of the investment’s cost.
The second method finds the return of the investment by using its final value and subtracting it by the initial value of the investment. This is then divided by the initial value of the investment and multiplied by 100 to turn it into a percentage form.
A business wants to calculate the return on investment for a new machine purchased. The machine cost the company $1,000. The machine generated $400 in income each year for 3 consecutive years. After the third year, the business sold the machine for $300. What is the machine’s ROI?
ROI= [((3 * $400) + $300) / $1,000] x 100% = 50%
An investor wants to calculate the return on investment for their stock investment. The stock cost the investor $100. After one year, the investor sold the stock for $90. The ROI calculation would be:
ROI = [($90 - $100) / $100] x 100% = -10%
Cap Rate vs. ROI
The capitalization rate of an investment, also known as the cap rate, is a similar measure of the profitability of an income-generating property. There is, however, one crucial difference. Unlike ROI, the Cap rate assumes the purchase of a property is made using cash only, which means that there are no financing costs such as mortgage and interest payments. In addition to that, ROI accounts for the capital gains made at the time of sale of the property. If the capital gains are large due to various reasons such as finishing a basement or experiencing a large property appreciation, the ROI may be much larger than Capitalization Rate.
Interpreting ROI
The idea behind both methods of calculation is that we need to find the difference between what we spent on an investment or what the investment cost us in the beginning and what the investment is returning or giving us now. Before jumping into understanding what ROI means, it is important to note that you may need to pay capital gains taxes, which will lower the ROI. The best way to get the most precise result when calculating ROI is to calculate capital gains tax and account for that expense. This is the net return. On its own, the net return can only tell us if the investment has been profitable or not. In order to figure out how profitable the investment has been compared to its initial cost, we use ROI, which can also help us compare between 2 or more investment opportunities. To calculate ROI, the net return should be expressed as a percentage of the total cost of the investment. In other words, what the return is relative to the cost. ROI can also be used as a rate of return for a Rule of 72 to estimate the number of years it takes for an investment to double.
Because the net return on an investment can be positive or negative, ROI can be a positive or negative number as well. If the result of your ROI calculation is a positive number, then your investment made a positive return. If your ROI is negative, then your investment incurred a loss.
Why use ROI?
ROI is used instead of just looking at the investment’s return on its own so that the investment could be evaluated based on how efficient the investment was. If all you were told was that an investment made a return of $100, you would not be able to tell if this was a good investment or not.
Perhaps to make the return of $100 you only had to invest $1, which would have a very high ROI, or perhaps it would have required an investment of $1,000, which would have made it a poor investment choice. Rather than just looking at pure investment returns, knowing the ROI of an investment allows you to make a more informed decision of where to put your money.
Flaws of ROI
There are a few flaws to using ROI:
Time of investments (holding period)
Timing of returns
Costs involved in the investment
What basic ROI does not take into account is time. Looking at ROI on its own would not give you much info to go on when comparing different investments. If you were told that an investment would have a ROI of 10% after 1 year, it might be a good investment choice. If there was an investment with a ROI of 10% after 100 years, then there might be other investment options that you should consider instead. While both of these investment options had the same ROI, the length of time of the investment matters.
Besides time, what ROI also misses is the timing of returns. ROI assumes that an investment’s return is steady and stays the same for the entire investment period. For example, if an investment had a ROI of 10% after 10 years, then that means that the investment consistently provided a return of 1% per year for 10 years. This misses the potential for fluctuations in returns for an investment within that 10 year period.
To account for the timing of returns, the internal rate of return (IRR) should be used for investments with more complicated cash flows. If the majority of an investment's return was generated in the early years of an investment, then the investment would have a higher ROI calculated using IRR than an investment that had steady returns throughout the same period.
Calculating ROI gets a bit more complex for returns of certain investment options. When looking at real estate, there are costs that would reduce the amount of your investment gain, such as property taxes, insurance, and maintenance. The cap rate, or capitalization rate, may be a simpler method to calculate the annual return of a real-estate investment that generates rental income when the property is bought using only cash.
What is Annualized Return on Investment?
Annualized return on investment is a better alternative to basic ROI as it allows you to compare different investment choices. You cannot compare two different investment options using basic ROI on its own if the lengths of the investment options are different. For example, if you were just told that two investment options yielded a ROI of either 1% or 10%, you most likely would choose the 10% ROI option. If you were then told that the 1% ROI option had an investment length of one day and the 10% ROI option had an investment length of 100 years, then you might reconsider your choice.
Annualized ROI allows you to compare investment options with different investment lengths. In the above example, an ROI of 1% after 1 day would result in an annualized ROI of 3,678.34%. An ROI of 10% after 100 years would have an annualized ROI of 0.09%. This allows you to quickly see that even though the basic ROI of the second investment option is higher, the annualized ROI of the first option shows that it would be a better investment. Of course, this assumes that there is the option to reinvest or invest in other investment opportunities.
ROI vs Annualized ROI
|Initial Investment||Investment Gain||ROI||Holding Period||Annualized ROI|
|Investment A||$100||$1||1%||1 Day||3,678.34%|
|Investment B||$100||$10||10%||100 Years||0.09%|
IRR VS ROI
IRR is another financial measure to estimate and compare the profitability of investment opportunities. IRR, or the Internal Rate of Return, is a discount factor used when calculating present value. It is the discount factor that makes all the net cash flows from an investment through the years, or the investment’s net present value, equal to 0. When a project’s net present value is equal to 0, it means that the project is neither profitable nor unprofitable. The formula of IRR is:
In terms of usage, while ROI is used mainly for short-term investment opportunities, IRR is more useful in finding the long-term return, because IRR takes into account the timings of the cash flow, while ROI doesn’t. However, as the formula shows, IRR is a bit more complex to calculate than ROI.
It costs $30,000 to make an investment, which will generate net cash flows of $12,000 every year for 3 consecutive years. Calculate the IRR.
Stock ROI
ROI on stocks measures the return on investment in a particular stock relative to what it cost you to purchase that stock. The return can be in the form of stock appreciation or depreciation in value and dividend distributed during a period of time.
The formula for Stock ROI is:
Imagine that you bought 1000 shares of ABC company at a price of $20 per share. When you decided to sell off your shares, the price of an ABC share had gone up to $28. During this time, you also receive a dividend in the amount of $2 per share. What was your ROI?
Then we find the net return of the investment, which is the total net return subtracted by the cost of the investment. The cost of investment is the amount that you paid for the shares when you first bought them.
Average ROI on stocks
The historical average ROI on stocks has been around 10% per year since 1926. This average is found by looking at the S&P 500 index, which is considered the benchmark for stock market returns. Taking a look at the 10-year return, according to Goldman Sachs, the annual stock market return is 9.2%.
It is important to stress that this is just an average, meaning that if you decide to invest in stocks, you will most likely not get this exact return. Depending on recent events, ROI on stocks can be higher or lower for a certain year. Experts suggest that you use a 6% annual stock return when you are estimating how much a stock investment will return.
Best ROI stocks in 2020
Despite the economic downturn caused by COVID-19, some stocks still managed to perform well under the new circumstances. Besides technology and electric vehicles, an industry that experienced strong growth was that of medical specialties and biotechnology as companies rushed to provide vaccines and other medicine to fight the pandemic.
As mentioned earlier, the ROI in stock is a result of two components, price change and dividends distributed. For the list of 20 stocks that performed best in 2020, we will focus on only the price change as an indicator of ROI.
|Company||Industry||Price Change during 2020 (%)|
|Tesla Inc.||Motor Vehicles||743|
|Moderna Inc.||Biotechnology||434|
|Peloton Interactive Inc. Class A||Other consumer services||434|
|Zoom Video Communications Inc. Class A||Software||396|
|Pinduoduo Inc. Sponsored ADR Class A.||Internet Retail||370|
|Etsy Inc.||Miscellaneous Commercial Services||302|
|DocuSign Inc.||Software||200|
|MercadoLibre Inc.||Internet Software/Services||193|
|Nvidia Corp.||Semiconductors||122|
|Okta Inc. Class A||Software||120|
|PayPal Holdings Inc.||Data Processing Services||117|
|L Brands Inc.||Apparel/Footwear Retail||105|
|Albemarle Corp.||Chemicals: Specialty||102|
|Advanced Micro Devices Inc.||Semiconductors||100|
|Freeport-McMoRan Inc.||Other metals/Minerals||98|
|Cadence Design Systems||Software||97|
|ServiceNow Inc.||Information Technology Services||95|
|Atlassian Corp. PLC Class A||Software||94|
|Align Technology Inc.||Medical Specialties||92|
|Idexx Laboratories Inc.||Medical Specialties||91|
ROI Analysis
ROI analysis is a valuable tool for comparing different investment proposals. You can use ROI to choose between different investments, different companies or compare performance during different periods. It is crucial to understand what ROI tells us in order to make the most use of it.
Companies use ROI as well, to measure the profitability of their investments. In this case, we used the term Return on Invested Capital, or ROIC, and it is calculated as follows:
This formula can be broken down into two other components, which can help the company do a more accurate analysis of different ROIs.
To get a better understanding of the differences in ROIs in time periods or in different projects, companies can try to locate what is causing these differences - the return on sales or the asset turnover.
Effects of Leverage on ROI
Leverage is when you borrow money to invest. Since you’re borrowing money so that you don’t need to invest as much of your personal capital, your returns will be magnified based on your capital contribution. This can be a good thing for positive returns, but can be bad for negative returns. In other words, leverage makes gains bigger, but also makes losses bigger.
Most homeowners in the United States will need to get a mortgage in order to purchase their home. Did you know that using a mortgage to purchase a home is a form of leverage? Instead of having to pay the full purchase price of the home in cash, you will only need to make a small down payment. The rest of the cost of the home will be financed with a mortgage. Some mortgage types, such asVA loans and some USDA loans, have no minimum down payment requirements at all! In return, you get to keep all of the home’s price appreciation.
Leverage and Real Estate ROI
Calculating ROI for real estate and rental properties involve leverage, which can affect the ROI calculation. You will also need to take into account additional costs, specifically financing costs. Let’s look at a $500,000 home in Los Angeles that is being financed with a FHA mortgage loan that has a minimum down payment requirement of 3.5%. This means that you will need to pay $17,500 today in exchange for owning the home. Let’s say that in five years the price of the home is now $550,000. The price of the home went up $50,000, but you only had to “invest” $17,500. That’s a 185% return on your investment!
If you didn’t use leverage and purchased the home using cash only, how much will your ROI be? You would need to have paid $500,000, and gotten a $50,000 gain. That would be a 10% return on your investment for the same property, which is much lower than getting a mortgage and getting a 185% ROI.
However, you will most likely not be able to borrow money for free. Mortgage lenders chargemortgage interest, and other forms of leverage have some type of financing cost as well. Let’s say that your mortgage rate is fixed at 3.0%. Would you still have a positive ROI? Using a mortgage interest calculator, we can see that it would cost about $1,150 in interest per month for a $500,000 mortgage, which includes closing costs. Over five years, that would be roughly $69,000 in interest! That’s more than the $50,000 capital gain from the home’s price growth. This means that rather than a 10% ROI from not using leverage, you will have a negative ROI of 38% by using leverage after accounting for financing costs.
A quick way to see how leverage will impact your ROI is by comparing the investment’s financing costs with the investment’s total return. In this case, the financing cost of the mortgage was 3% per year. However, the home price only grew by 2% per year. This means that the home will have a negative return of 1% per year.
While real estate can have a high level of leverage, other types of investments might have lower leverage limits. For example, stocks in the US commonly have a maximum leverage of 2:1, or 50%. For example, with $10,000, you can purchase up to $20,000 of stocks using margin.
Knowing the benefits and costs
It is true that ROI is an easy metric to compare different investment opportunities. However, you cannot use ROI to measure some returns that are intangible, such as social impact and environmental consciousness. So when you do use ROI to evaluate investments, make sure you have a clear idea of what these costs and gains comprise.
Let’s say your company is planning to purchase a new machine that will help its business. The first machine has a ROI of 12%. The second machine has a ROI of 8%. If we simply compare the numbers, obviously that you would go with the first machine. However, what if the lower ROI of the second machine was because of its higher cost due to it being environmentally friendly, which investment would you choose now? Companies that place higher importance on social responsibility would probably choose to purchase the second machine. | https://casaplorer.com/roi-calculator |
The number of people suffering from heart disease is increasing exponentially. According to recent estimates, heart disease will be responsible for 35.9 per cent deaths in India by the year 2030. Heart disease, being a lifestyle related disorder, can be prevented well in time by making small corrections in daily life. To make those corrections, you need to aware of these 12 common factors that contribute to heart disease development. The more risk factors you have, the greater your chances of ending up in a hospital due to heart attack or chest pain.
1. Family history: If you have a relative who is suffering from a heart disease, you’re likely to suffer from the condition. The risk is higher if any of your immediate relatives have had a heart attack before the age of 55 years.
2. Age: Age is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). It accounts for approximately 40 per cent of deaths due to heart failure and stroke in people aged 60 years and above. The lifetime risk factor is high for both men at women at the age of 40 years. But, women should worry about age as a risk factor at 55, provided all other risk factors are controlled.
3. Gender: CVD is a leading cause of death in both men and women but there are significant differences in the incidence and mortality of CVD in both the genders. In the oldest age group, men are more likely to suffer heart disease than women. Women, on an average, suffer from heart disease approximately 9 years later than men but the progression is faster in them as compared to men.
4. Ethnicity: Genetic differences and environmental factors influencing them play a major role in creating differences between the lifetime risk factor for heart disease in different ethnic groups. Indians are at a high risk but the risk is higher in Americans Indians as compared to Indians.
Non-modifiable risk factors like age, family history, gender and ethnicity cannot be controlled but managing the below risk factors can go a long way in reducing your risk of heart disease.
5. Diabetes: People with diabetes have three times higher risk of suffering coronary heart disease or stroke and a four times greater risk of dying due to heart disease. Diabetes is a metabolic disorder that results in insulin resistance. And insulin resistance is linked to a lot of other factors like obesity, high cholesterol and hypertension which individually contribute to increasing the risk of heart disease.
6. High BP: Hypertension means increased blood pressure on the walls of the arteries. If not controlled properly, this increased pressure can cause thickening of the blood vessels. Thickened blood vessels along with high cholesterol levels can lead to hypertensive heart disease like coronary artery disease, heart failure and thickening of heart muscle.
7. Smoking: If you smoke you’re twice likely to suffer from heart disease than people who don’t smoke. Smoking affects the levels of cholesterol and causes narrowing down of the blood vessels, therefore contributing to plaque deposition. It damages walls of the arteries, raises blood pressure and reduces good cholesterol (HDL) levels. It also causes blood clots by aggregating platelets at the site of damage. The risk further varies with the duration and frequency of smoking.
8. High cholesterol: When the blood level of bad cholesterol (LDL) is high, cholesterolgets deposited on the walls of the arteries. This blocks the arteries and restricts the blood flow resulting in heart disease.
9. High triglyceride level: While considering the lifetime risk of heart disease most heart disease guidelines do not take into account high levels of triglycerides. But in India, high level of triglycerides is a big concern. According to Dr. K Srinath Reddy, President of the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) and the World Heart Federation, a ratio of triglycerides to good cholesterol (HDL) should be considered to determine the overall risk of heart disease for an individual.
10. Obesity: If you’re overweight, you are 6 times more likely to suffer from heart disease. Obesity is linked to most of the other risk factors of heart disease. It is a path to developing high BP, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, diabetes and stress which individually contribute to heart disease.
11. Alcohol intake: Drinking more than the recommended alcohol limit increases blood cholesterol level and blood pressure, contributing to plaque deposition (atherosclerosis) and heart attack.
12. Stress: Chronic stress is a main cause of depression, a psychosocial factor known to contribute to heart disease. Stress results in hormonal imbalance that causes fluctuations in blood pressure. Stress is also responsible for forcing individuals to unhealthy practices like smoking and alcoholism.
It is only with healthy eating habits and active lifestyle that you can manage the biggest risk factors of heart disease mentioned above. So, exercise regularly, eat stay fit, quit smoking and drinking and lead a stress-free life. | https://www.afternoonvoice.com/which-of-these-12-risk-factors-for-heart-disease-do-you-have.html |
Kenya Community Education & Action’s mission is to provide material support for community-based initiatives that expand educational opportunities, provide health services, and strengthen local economies.
Less than 1 in 10 Maasai girls in Kenya will complete secondary school. Nine out of ten will be circumcised and married off before the age of 15.
Providing education, support, and refuge to women who seek alternatives to their traditional tribal roles; supporting libraries; assisting community members in prevention-based family planning and in prenatal care; identifying opportunities and fostering small community-run economic co-operatives. | https://www.educationformaasai.org/our-mission |
FIREFIGHTERS helped children from a local scout group raise money with a charity car wash day.
Weymouth community fire station in Radipole Lane hosted the car wash - and children even had the chance to use the fire engine hoses to clean visitor's cars.
The money raised will be split between The Fire Fighters Charity and West Weymouth Air Scout Group, who are currently fundraising for an extension to their scout hut.
The scouts are hoping to upgrade the existing facilities at their home in Granby Close and make it accessible for people with wheelchairs.
This will include new fire doors, toilets, showers, washbasins, a heating and hot water system, fire alarms, security locks, ramps, flooring, signage, emergency lighting, and drainage. It is expected to cost a total exceeding £100,000.
More than £15,000 was raised through a crowdfunding page set up by the group, and John Naylor, one of the people who runs the group, says events like the car wash have helped the scouts raise more than £30,000 so far.
He said: "It has got a way to go, but we have made a great start.
"We have plenty more fundraising events coming up this autumn and we will achieve our target eventually."
Vikki Thomas, safe and well manager at Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: "We have teamed up with them to help fundraise for their new extension project.
"So far today we have washed about 30 or 40 cars already. Most people have given five or ten pounds each so it is going quite well.
"We have ten children and leaders washing people's cars, the hoses we have here are actually the perfect tools for the job really.
"I am also the secretary for West Weymouth Air Scouts so we do quite a lot of work together with the station here.
"We have tried to do car washes and other fundraising events in the past and the children come here to use the SafeWise facilities too." | https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/17957751.weymouth-firefighters-help-scout-group-charity-car-wash/ |
On Monday, Judge Donna M. Ryu denied the motion for summary judgment filed by the City of Emeryville and Officer Warren Williams in the civil case brought by Yuvette Henderson's family and attorney Dan Siegel of Siegel & Yee in Oakland. This is a significant victory for the family and the people of Emeryville and the surrounding area because it is a step closer to accountability for the officers who murdered Yuvette.
The City of Emeryville attempted to argue that the officer who killed Yuvette - with an AR-15 while she was already down on the ground wounded - had qualified immunity, meaning that he would be shielded from civil liability because he was "just doing his job" as police officer. The problem with that argument is that qualified immunity would have required the officers not to violate the clearly established constitutional rights of Ms. Henderson.
1) A reasonable jury could find that Williams' use of force was excessive because it was not necessary to protect his life or the lives of others.
2) Yuvette Henderson had a “clearly established” right to not be executed by a police officer while unarmed.
The judge also concluded, “Since the key non-police eyewitness to the entire incident is dead, the court must also carefully consider all the evidence including forensic evidence to determine whether Williams’s account of the event is internally consistent as well as consistent with the other facts.
This is a HUGE win for the people because it means the judge looked at the totality of the evidence, rather than placing extra weight on the word of the police officers. She acknowledged that Yuvette is no longer here to speak for herself and the public has a right to see all the facts of the case. | http://www.antipoliceterrorproject.org/blog/2017/3/14/significant-peoples-victory-in-yuvette-henderson-civil-case |
Background: Although COVID-19 data that separates Pacific Islander (PI) numbers from the general population is limited, the states and counties that are reporting this data show that PIs are disproportionately affected by COVID-19. To address this disparity, PI community leaders from 10 states decided to collaborate to form the PI COVID-19 Response Team (PICRT) with technical support from the PI Center of Primary Care Excellence (PI-CoPCE), the only national health organization that focuses on and is governed by PIs. PI-CoPCE is currently housed with the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO).
Proposed Solution to the Problem: To address these needs, the project team will engage PI communities and diverse stakeholders in COVID-19 and other infectious diseases (COID) research. Working with community, clinical, and academic partners in 38 states and all six US Pacific jurisdictions, the team will implement the COVID-19 and Other Infectious Diseases Engagement Initiative (COIDEI).
Objectives: The long-term objective of the COVID-19 and Other Infectious Diseases Engagement Initiative (COIDEI) is to reduce health disparities related to COVID-19 and other infectious diseases (COID). To accomplish this, the team aims to:
- Facilitate an inclusive dialogue with diverse stakeholders to set and address COID research priorities
- Develop stakeholders’ capacity to conduct PCOR/CER including conducting training, providing resources, and facilitating partnerships
- Disseminate current knowledge, research, and best practices related to COID
The project’s broad target audience encompasses a diverse group of stakeholders that participate in research; implement research findings in practice and policy; and benefit from research. These targeted sectors include: academic researchers and educators; patients and caregivers; health and human services providers; community members; nonprofit organizations; policy and government agencies; and funding organizations.
Activities: This proposal is based on a foundation of participatory and collaborative PCOR/CER methods that honors the indigenous PIs’ view of research and considers the current context of a pandemic and infectious disease progressions in planning and implementing activities. The team’s approach engages stakeholders in all aspects of planning, implementation, evaluation, and dissemination.
Projected Outcomes and Outputs: The expected short-, medium-, and long-term outcomes will be associated with achieving each of the aims and are outlined in the workplan, including documentation of research priorities set by PI stakeholders; increase in research initiated on identified priority areas; researcher and community stakeholders (a) trained in engaged research/PCOR methods and online platform use; and (b) received support to access online meetings/trainings; and increased capacity (skills, knowledge, and resources) to engage in PCOR/CER research.
Patient and Stakeholder Engagement Plan: PI stakeholders will inform every aspect of the project planning, implementation, and evaluation. The implementation of COIDEI activities will follow a holistic approach that honors the indigenous PIs’ view of research and balances dissemination, input/consensus building, training, and networking/partnership development to meet PI community needs. | https://www.pcori.org/research-results/2020/covid-19-and-other-infectious-diseases-engagement-initiative-coidei |
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1 TM THE GEORGE LUCAS EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION TM THE GEORGE LUCAS EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION book excerpt teaching for Meaningful Learning A Review of Research on Inquiry-Based and Cooperative Learning By Dr. Brigid Barron and Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond, Stanford University
2 Introduction Dr. Milton Chen Executive Director The George Lucas Educational Foundation Our Foundation began in 1991 with an ambitious mission: to demonstrate how innovative learning environments in classrooms, supported by powerful new technologies, could revolutionize learning. As an organization founded by George Lucas, we believed that the same benefits of technology that were transforming business, health care, manufacturing, entertainment, and other sectors could be applied in education. And this was in the days before the Internet. Nearly two decades later, the world has moved ahead in dramatic ways, but our schools remain caught in a web of educational thinking and systems that originated a century ago. The instructional model of the teacher and the textbook as the primary sources of knowledge, conveyed through lecturing, discussion, and reading, has proven astonishingly persistent. Fortunately, this dominant paradigm is showing signs of wear. In our work of telling stories of innovative learning, we see many more examples of teachers, principals, and district administrators implementing new forms of projectbased curricula and performance-based assessment. In these classrooms, students are working in teams to address openended and complex questions, such as What is the air and water quality in your community? How would you design a school of the future? Or a hybrid car? These students are sifting information from many sources and producing projects to present their knowledge, using computers and the Internet throughout. Their teachers are embracing their new role as learning coach and manager, rather than as exclusive instructor. As a Foundation, we have understood the critical importance of developing a research basis for these innovations. In order for the exemplars we have profiled to take root in more places, their effectiveness must be demonstrated in educational research. Importantly, policymakers investing funds to bring these innovations to scale must be able to base their policies on documented results. These beliefs led to our support for research published in the book, Powerful Learning: What We Know About Teaching for Understanding (Jossey-Bass, 2008), from which this article is excerpted. On behalf of our Foundation, I express our appreciation to the authors of the book: Dr. Brigid Barron and Dr. Linda DarlingHammond of Stanford University; Dean P. David Pearson, Dr. Alan Schoenfeld, Dr. Timothy Zimmerman, Dr. Gina Cervetti, and Jennifer Tilson at the University of California, Berkeley; and Dr. Elizabeth Stage at the Lawrence Hall of Science. Dr. Darling-Hammond also served as editor for the volume. This impressive group of leaders in educational research has taken an important step forward for the field. Their review of the literature on projectbased learning, cooperative learning, and instructional strategies in literacy, mathematics, and science summarizes what is known and what new research is needed. While they point to studies of the effectiveness of these strategies, they also issue this important caveat: effectiveness relies heavily on the readiness and quality of teachers implementing them. Their book includes vignettes of schools and programs illustrating these practices, with links to films and articles on our Edutopia website and other web resources. We also thank our partners at JosseyBass, editors Kate Gagnon and Lesley Iwa, for bringing this book to publication. We hope that Powerful Learning provokes new thinking about the investments needed to create more powerful twentyfirst century schools and school systems.
3 Teaching for Meaningful Learning: A Review of Research on Inquiry-Based and Cooperative Learning By Dr. Brigid Barron and Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond, Stanford University Decades of research illustrate the benefits of inquiry-based and cooperative learning to help students develop the knowledge and skills necessary to be successful in a rapidly changing world. Since A Nation at Risk was published a quartercentury ago, mountains of reports have been written about the need for more powerful teaching and learning focused on the demands of life and work in the twenty-first century. Consider this: In 1900, 95 percent of all jobs were low skilled and required only that employees could follow basic procedures designed by others. In 2008, many jobs require specialized knowledge and skills. Today s employees must be able to communicate and collaborate, research ideas, and collect, synthesize, and analyze information. They need to develop new products and to be able to apply different areas of knowledge to new problems and challenges. In short, the nature of work has changed and continues to do so. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the average worker will hold more than 10 jobs before the age of 40. The top 10 in demand jobs projected for 2010 did not exist in The changing workforce and the need for socalled twenty-first-century skills have changed what it means to provide every child with an effective education that prepares them for a full and productive life. It s no longer enough to simply transmit information that students memorize and store for future use. Education today must focus on helping students learn how to learn, so they can manage the demands of changing information, technologies, jobs, and social conditions. How do we prepare our students for these twenty-first-century skills? Traditional academic approaches narrow tasks that emphasize memorization or the application of simple algorithms won t develop students who are critical thinkers or students who can write and speak effectively (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 1999; Bransford & Donovan, 2005). To develop these higher-order skills, students need to take part in complex, meaningful projects that require sustained engagement, collaboration, research, management of resources, and the development of an ambitious performance or product. In fact, a growing body of research suggests that students learn more deeply and perform better on complex tasks if they have the opportunity to engage in more authentic learning projects and activities that require them to employ subject knowledge to solve realworld problems. Studies have shown a positive impact on learning when students participate in lessons that require them to construct and organize knowledge, consider alternatives, engage in detailed research, inquiry, writing, and analysis, and to communicate effectively to audiences (Newmann, 1996). For example, a study of more than 2,100 students in 23 schools found significantly higher achievement on intellectually challenging performance tasks for students who experienced this kind of authentic pedagogy (Newmann, Marks, & Gamoran, 1995). Indeed, use of these practices resulted in stronger performance regardless of race, gender, or prior achievement. The research highlighting the benefits of authentic learning, together with a growing interest in providing students with more engaging, thought-provoking learning opportunities, has prompted teachers at all grade levels to experiment with incorporating inquiry-based learning into their curriculum. But interest alone does not make for effective implementation of new models. Indeed, learning by doing has a somewhat checkered track record, in part because teachers often lack the information, support, and tools necessary to fully integrate and support this alternative approach to teaching and learning. This chapter seeks to expand our knowledge of the benefits of inquiry-based learning, as well as to deepen our understanding of the components of an effective inquiry-based lesson or unit. We ll explore three approaches to inquiry-based learning: project-based learning, problem-based learning, and learning by design, highlighting key research and unpacking important elements of each approach. A Pathway to Deeper Knowledge Project-based learning involves completing complex tasks that typically result in a realistic product, event, or presentation to an audience. Thomas (2000) identifies five key components of effective project-based learning. It is: central to the curriculum, organized around driving questions that lead students to encounter central concepts or principles, focused on a constructive investigation that involves inquiry and knowledge building, student-driven (students are responsible for designing and managing their work), and authentic, focusing on problems that occur in the real world and that people care about. Generally, research on project-based learning (PBL) has found that students who engage in this approach benefit from gains in factual learning that are equivalent or superior to those of students who engage in traditional forms of instruction (Thomas, 2000). The goals of PBL are broader, however, than simply the development of content knowledge. This
4 Assessment Matters How we assess students both formatively and summatively has enormous implications for what we teach and how effectively we teach it. In collaborative and inquiry approaches to learning, three components of instruction assessments, classroom activities, and curriculum are interdependent components of a system that can be designed to promote flexible knowledge development. Assessment systems that support cooperative and inquiry approaches to learning share three key characteristics: Intellectually ambitious performance assessments that enable students to learn and apply desired concepts and skills in authentic and disciplined ways. Evaluation tools, such as assignment guidelines and rubrics, which define what constitutes good work and effective collaboration. Formative assessments to guide feedback to students and to shape their instructional decisions throughout a unit. As teachers of all grade levels recognize, the types of assessments used play a significant role in shaping the work students are asked to undertake. Research suggests that inquiry-based learning demands thoughtfully structured performance assessments, both to define the tasks students are engaged in and to properly evaluate what has been learned. Good performance assessments are complex intellectual, physical, and social challenges. They stretch students thinking and planning abilities, while also allowing student aptitudes and interests to serve as a springboard for developing competence. Through these tasks, students are not only required to demonstrate their competencies, but the tasks themselves require use of critical skills, including planning, setting priorities, organizing individual and group efforts, exerting discipline, determining how to communicate effectively with an audience, and understanding ideas well enough to answer the questions of others. There are many ways in which performance assessments contribute to learning. For example, exhibitions, projects, and portfolios provide multiple occasions for review and revision toward a polished performance. These opportunities help students examine both how they learn and how to improve their performance. Students are often expected to present their work to an audience, such as groups of faculty, visitors, parents, or other students, to ensure that their mastery is genuine. These public presentations signal to students that their work is valued and reinforce the significance of their tasks in a real-world context. In the table below, we summarize the types of assessment that can be used in inquiry-based lessons. As the table shows, assessment strategies can include rubrics that are applied to artifacts, whole class discussions, midcourse design reviews, performance assessments, and new-transfer problems. The most effective inquirybased approaches use a combination of informal ongoing formative assessment and project rubrics that communicate high standards and help teachers make judgments about the multiple dimensions of project work. For rubrics to be useful, they must include scoring guides that specify criteria, ideally written for both teachers and students. An important aspect of ongoing assessment is the development of students capacity to assess their own work, so that they internalize standards and become aware of and thoughtful about their own learning. The power of these approaches has been illustrated in many studies, including a comparison group study that evaluated the impact of self-assessment on student learning in twelve inquiry-based middle school science classrooms. The experimental groups spent half of their time in discussion structured to promote self- and peer assessment of cognitive goals and processes, while the control group used this time for general discussion of the concept. The study found that students involved in self-assessment showed significantly larger gains on both a conceptual physics test and on project scores, and that students with low pretest scores showed the largest gain on all of the outcome measures. Another analysis of formal and informal self-evaluation processes concluded that an integrated practice of self-assessment led students to assume greater responsibility for their own learning. Well-crafted performance assessments can also lead to better teaching. For example, teachers who have been involved in scoring performance assessments with other colleagues and discussing their students work have reported becoming more problem-oriented and more diagnostic in their teaching. Two final notes: For assessments to serve the critical functions detailed above, they must be grounded in a conception of learning as developmental and in a belief that all students will learn from experience and feedback, rather than being constrained by innate ability. It is also important to remember that the most effective performance assessments are part of a related set of practices that include the integration of assessment and instruction, systematic use of iterative cycles of reflection and action, and ongoing opportunity for students to improve their work. Type of Assessment Rubrics Solution Reviews Whole Class Discussion Performance Assessments Written Journals Portfolios Weekly Reports Self-Assessment Form of Feedback Detailed specifications of students work products, with levels of progress defined. Students should understand the rubric before beginning the work and should revisit it throughout a project. A public opportunity for students to show work in progress and obtain feedback from peers, teachers, or other community members. Structured classroom discussions that provide a venue for the vetting of ideas and explanations and surface misconceptions that can be addressed mid-project. Individual or small-group projects, usually of short duration, that enable teachers to assess students ability to apply acquired knowledge in a new context. Students maintain an ongoing record of experiences, reflections, and problem-solving throughout a project. Students compile a collection of their work over time, usually highlighting progress and including personal reflection. Students create weekly written responses to a set of simple questions throughout the duration of a project. Students evaluate their own work according to predefined criteria, often using such tools, such as a rubric or focus questions.
5 approach aims to take learning one step further by enabling students to transfer their learning to new kinds of situations and problems and to use knowledge more proficiently in performance situations. Some examples illustrate this point. Shepherd (1998) studied the results of a unit in which a group of fourth and fifth graders completed a nine-week project to define and find solutions related to housing shortages in several countries. In comparison to the control group, the students engaged in project-based learning demonstrated a significant increase in scores on a critical-thinking test, as well as increased confidence in their learning. A more ambitious, longitudinal comparative study by Boaler (1997, 1998) followed students over three years in two British schools that were comparable with respect to students prior achievement and socioeconomic status, but that used either a traditional curriculum or a project-based curriculum. The traditional school featured teacher-directed whole class instruction organized around texts, workbooks, and frequent tests in tracked classrooms. Instruction in the other school used open-ended projects in heterogeneous classrooms. Using a preand post-test design, the study found that although students had comparable learning gains when tested on basic mathematics procedures, those who had participated in the project-based curriculum did better on conceptual problems presented in the National Exam. Significantly more students in the project-based school passed the National Exam in year three of the study than those in the traditional school. Boaler noted that, although students in the traditional school thought that mathematical success rested on being able to remember and use rules, the PBL students had developed a more flexible, useful kind of mathematical knowledge that engaged them in exploration and thought (Boaler, 1997, p. 63). A third study, designed to assess the impact of the development of multimedia projects on student learning, showed similar gains. In this example, researchers created a performance task in which students participating in the Challenge 2000 Multimedia Project and a comparison group developed a brochure informing school officials about problems faced by homeless students (Penuel, Means, & Simkins, 2000). The students in the multimedia program earned higher scores than the comparison group on content mastery, sensitivity to audience, and coherent design. They performed equally well on standardized test scores of basic skills. Other short-term, comparative studies of traditional vs. project-based approaches have demonstrated several benefits from projects, such as an increase in the ability to define problems (Gallagher, Stepien, & Rosenthal, 1992), growth in their ability to support their reasoning with clear arguments (Stepien, Gallagher, & Workman, 1993), and enhanced ability to plan a project after working on an analogous problem-based challenge (Moore, Sherwood, Bateman, Bransford, & Goldman, 1996). Additional studies have documented positive changes for teachers and students Students who may struggle in traditional instructional settings have often been found to excel when they work in a PBL context. in motivation, attitude toward learning, and skills, including work habits, critical thinking skills, and problem-solving abilities (see, e.g. Bartscher, Gould, & Nutter, 1995; Peck, Peck, Sentz, & Zasa, 1998; Tretten & Zachariou, 1995). Interestingly, students who may struggle in traditional instructional settings have often been found to excel when they have the opportunity to work in a PBL context, which better matches their learning style or preference for collaboration and activity type (see, e.g., Boaler, 1997; Meyer, Turner, & Spencer, 1997; Rosenfeld & Rosenfeld, 1998). Students as Problem-Solvers Problem-based learning approaches are a close cousin of project-based learning. Lessons typically involve a specific type of activity focused on using reasoning and resources to solve a problem. In problem-based learning, students work in small groups to investigate meaningful problems, identify what they need to learn in order to solve a problem, and generate strategies for solution (Barrows, 1996; Hmelo- Silver, 2004). They also implement these strategies, evaluate their results, and continue to generate new strategies as needed until they have solved the problem. The problems are realistic and have multiple solutions and methods for reaching them, rather than a single right approach. In all problem-based approaches, students take an active role in building their knowledge, while the teacher s role is to make thinking visible, guide the group process and participation, and to ask questions to solicit reflections. In short, the goal for teachers is to model good reasoning strategies and to support the students to take on these roles themselves. Teachers also offer instruction in more traditional ways, such as lectures and explanations that are crafted and timed to support inquiry. Much of the research into problem-based learning is associated with medical education, where this approach is widely used. For example, physicians-in-training are typically presented with a patient profile, including the patient s history and symptoms. Using this information, a small group of medical students must generate a diagnosis and then conduct research and perform diagnostic tests in order to identify possible causes of the pain or illness. The instructor typically plays a coaching role throughout the process. Metaanalyses of studies have found that medical students who are enrolled in problem-based curricula score higher on clinical problemsolving measures and on actual ratings of clinical performance (Vernon & Blake, 1993; Albanese & Mitchell, 1993) than peers who are not enrolled in such programs. Similar problem- or case-based approaches have been used in business, law, and teacher education to help students learn to analyze complex, multifaceted situations and to develop knowledge to guide decisionmaking (see, e.g. Lundeberg, Levin, & Harrington, 1999; Savery & Duffy, 1996; Williams, 1992). For example, research has found that the use of cases in teacher education can help prospective teachers learn to apply theory and practical knowledge to specific school contexts and think through and resolve classroom dilemmas more productively. Through the use of case methods in which they analyze their practice and its outcomes as well as the practice of others teachers grow more capable of framing problems, drawing lessons
6 Implementing Project-Based Learning Districtwide Robert J. Van Maren, superintendent of the Bonner Springs/Edwardsville School District near Kansas City, Kansas, believes it s essential that learning not only be fun, but also be something that teachers and kids can get passionate about. I ve never seen anyone be passionate about testing, adds Van Maren, but as a result of No Child Left Behind and other like initiatives, that s what we ve been forced to offer. To change the paradigm, Van Maren championed a recent effort to bring the project-based Expeditionary Learning Schools (ELS) Outward Bound model a type of learning that has been very successful in other schools and districts to his own school district. In this model, the focus is on learning expeditions long-term student investigations that, though keyed to state and federal standards, are designed to nurture a strong affinity for dynamic learning and a curiosity about the world beyond the classroom. In ELS schools, the focus is on learning by doing, rather than the more passive traditional classroom experience. As a result of Van Maren s efforts, Kansas City s Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation awarded five-year, $150,000 grants to four of his schools three elementary schools and one middle school to support their transformation into Expeditionary Learning Schools. That brought the total number of ELS schools in the Kansas City area to eleven, giving the region the opportunity to become the flagship of the movement. Van Maren believes Expeditionary Learning is where their schools are headed and that they ll get there without compromising national and state standards in the process. I m an old science teacher, and I know that kids learn by doing, not by sitting there doing worksheets or practice tests, he says. This grant allows us to use the best pedagogy available to teach using an investigative style, so kids can discover the linkages between what they re learning not just math for math s sake, or science for science s sake. We believe that the test scores will take care of themselves. By test scores, or almost any account, ELS has a successful track record in education reform. After just six years in operation, Congress hailed it as a national educational model and was signing up schools from coast to coast. In 2003, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded it a five-year, $12.6 million grant to create twenty small college-preparatory high schools. That track record was one reason the Kauffman Foundation chose to partner with ELS. Another was diversity. In Kansas City, we have a huge range of school settings large, small, rural, urban, suburban, wealthy, not wealthy so we looked hard to find an innovative program that could accommodate our needs, says Margo Quiriconi, the organization s director of research and policy. Their model has been successfully implemented in almost every kind of school imaginable. Getting Buy-In This success is due in part to an ELS mandate regarding program buy-in: Before a school can apply, the school board must unanimously approve it, and 80 percent of school staff must agree on the proposal. Even though this is a school-based model, not a district-based model, we can t pick a school if we don t have support from the top down, says Corey Scholes, a former K 8 principal who is now the ELS representative working with the Bonner Springs schools. Changing an entire school culture is really hard work. You just can t do it without the support of both administration and the teachers. The Bonner Springs school system showed an intense dedication to the model. MOREINFORMATION Joseph DiPinio, principal of grant recipient Robert E. Clark Middle School, was a staunch supporter from the beginning. As part of the grant process, we visited For more information on the Expeditionary Learning Schools Outward Bound Model, go to elschool.org Expeditionary Learning Schools around the country, and, in every instance, I walked away with the thought That s how I want my school to be, he says. When you see something good for kids, you want to figure out a way to make that happen, but the costs for the professional development and the school design are so extensive. We wouldn t have been able to afford to do this comprehensively on our own. Though excitement about the new venture is evident, Bonner Springs s superintendent acknowledges that the next five years will be challenging. Change is difficult, and it s always easier to just keep doing what you ve always done, Van Maren says. But we want different results. We want our kids to reach a new level of potential and be competitive with kids all over the world. Just as important, we want to bring the joy and passion back into the classroom. We want to create a learning experience that kids and teachers will never forget. Adapted from Edutopia article, River Journeys and Life Without Bathing: Immersive Education, by Laura Scholes (May 15, 2007).
7 beyond their immediate setting, and reflecting upon their work from multiple perspectives. Cases have been found to be helpful in enabling teachers to take alternative perspectives, for example, to better understand and appreciate cultural diversity. For many teachers, writing cases about their own practice leads to a kind of reflection-on-action that results in professional learning and changes in practice (Darling-Hammond & Hammerness, 2002). Studies of the efficacy of problem-based learning suggest that it is comparable, though not always superior, to more traditional instruction in facilitating factual learning. This approach has been found to be better, though, in supporting flexible problem solving, application of knowledge, and hypothesis generation (for a meta-analysis, see Dochy, Segers, Van den Bossche, & Gijbels, 2003). Additional studies have demonstrated that students who participated in problem-based experiences are better able to generate accurate hypotheses and coherent explanations (Hmelo, 1998b; Schmidt et al., 1996) and to support their claims with well-reasoned arguments (Stepien et al., 1993). They also experience larger gains in conceptual understanding in science (Williams, Hemstreet, Liu, & Smith, 1998). Learning Through Design A third genre of instructional approaches is based on the premise that children learn deeply when they are asked to design and create an artifact that requires understanding and application of knowledge. Design-based lessons have several features that make them ideal for developing technical and subject matter knowledge (Newstetter, 2000). For example, design activity supports revisions and iterative activity as students create, assess, and redesign their work product. The complexity of the work often dictates the need for collaboration and specific roles for different students, providing them with the opportunity to become experts in a particular area. Finally, design projects require students to set constraints, generate ideas, create prototypes, and develop plans through storyboarding or other representational practices. These are all critical twenty-first century skills. Design-based approaches can be found across many disciplines, including science, technology, art, engineering, and architecture. Competitions, such as the FIRST robotics competitions (www.usfirst.org) or the ThinkQuest competition (www.thinkquest. org) also stress design using technological tools and collaborative project work. In the ThinkQuest competition, for example, teams of students design and build Web sites on topics ranging from art, astronomy, and programming to foster care and mental health. Student teams are mentored by a teacher who gives general guidance throughout the design process, leaving the specific creative and technical work to the students. Teams receive and offer feedback during a peer review of the initial submissions, and then use this Tomorrow s Engineers: Building a Competitive Robot Every year, thousands of students meet to put their creations through their paces in a competition that involves a wide-range of twenty-first century skills: teamwork, problem solving, and perseverance, as well as imagination, creativity, professionalism, and maturity. The students, teachers, and mentors who participate in the First Robotics Competition (FRC) also have a whole lot of fun. Started by engineer and inventor Dean Kamen, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is all about inspiring and motivating students to become engaged in math, science, engineering, and technology. Each year, teams of students, teachers, and professional engineers respond to the FIRST challenge by designing and building a robot. To passively sit in a classroom is a nineteenth-century format, Kaman has said. In this next century, you re going to have to be creative, or you re not going to make it. Hands-On Science and Engineering The regional and national competitions are the culmination of six intense weeks, during which students, working with high school teachers and professional engineers, design and build a remote-control robot that can complete specific tasks and maneuver through a specially designed course. Mentoring plays a big role in the process right from the start, says Lori Ragas, senior teams coordinator for FIRST. From the first brainstorming session to the last match at one of the regionals or the national competition, professional engineers work side-by-side with the high school students, explaining the functions of different parts, providing feedback on design options, and rolling up their sleeves to repair a faulty part or tinker with a design element. For a team from Poudre High in Fort Collins, Colorado, the first week and a half after the design challenge is announced is devoted to what teacher and robotics coach Steve Sayers calls pure strategy. Everyone from the first-year participant to the veteran team member, from parents to professional engineers puts forth design ideas. From those best ideas comes a basic design, which the team will spend the next five weeks refining, fabricating, and testing on a prototype of the actual competition course. Although much of the work revolves around design and engineering, robotics coach Sayers, who was a chemical engineer before making the switch to teaching, is quick to point out that a successful team requires an eclectic mix of students with a variety of skills and interests. If a student wants to be on the team, the first questions I ask them are, What do you enjoy doing? What are you good at? says Sayers, adding that there s something for everyone on the Poudre High robotics team. Students interested in computers do the programming or computer-aided design and animation work. Those with an artistic flair MOREINFORMATION Watch a video about Poudre High School s Robotics Team at edutopia.org/pourdre-high-schoolrobotics. For more information on FRC and First Competitions, visit usfirst.org design everything from team T- shirts to fliers to the look and feel of the robot itself. Writers create the design documentation. The list of responsibilities, says Sayers, goes on and on. And no one job, he is quick to add, is more important than any other. In addition to providing handson science and engineering experience, the robotics program teaches students valuable lessons in cooperation and teamwork. Respect. Cooperation. Learning to be a team player. These are just a few of the life skills students learn through the robotics program. They re skills, say team members and adult advisers alike, that students will carry with them whether or not they decide to pursue a career in science or engineering. Adapted from Edutopia article, Building a Better Robot: A Robotics Competition Introduces Students to Engineering, by Roberta Furger (December 3, 2001).
8 information to revise their work. To date, more than 30,000 students have created more than 550 Web sites through this competition (www. thinkquest.org/library/). There are relatively few studies that have used control-group designs to evaluate the impact of the learning-by-design model. In one such study, however, Hmelo, Holton, and Kolodner (2000) asked sixth-grade students to design a set of artificial lungs and build a partially working model of the respiratory system. They found that the design project led to better learning outcomes than the traditional approach to instruction. They also noted that the design students learned to view the respiratory system more systemically and understood more about the structures and functions of the system than the comparison group. Researchers also observed that design activities are particularly good for helping students develop understanding of complex systems, noting that the systems can be presented as a united whole whose structure is adapted to specific purposes (Perkins, 1986). Echoing the findings of other classroom research, Hmelo and colleagues (2000) maintain, however, that design challenges need to be carefully planned. They contend that lessons should be designed to illuminate the functions of different elements of a system, and they stress the importance of providing dynamic feedback, allowing students to engage in multiple iterations of design, and giving adequate time to the entire system of classroom activities. Much of the research on learning through design-based projects has been more naturalistic. These studies have either focused on a single design activity or on longer-term design experiments in which changes are made to the curriculum based on observations of learning processes and outcomes. For example, Fortus and colleagues (2004) conducted a study with 92 students that tracked their learning across three designbased science units that included designing a structure for extreme environments, designing environmentally friendly batteries, and designing safer cell phones. Each unit contained multiple design and learning cycles. The research team found that both higherand lower-achieving students showed strong evidence of progress in learning the targeted science concepts, and that students were able Findings A growing body of research has shown the following: Students learn more deeply when they can apply classroom-gathered knowledge to real-world problems, and when they to take part in projects that require sustained engagement and collaboration. Active learning practices have a more significant impact on student performance than any other variable, including student background and prior achievement. Students are most successful when they are taught how to learn as well as what to learn. to apply key concepts in their design work. They also noted a positive effect on motivation and sense of ownership over designs among both individuals and groups. Implementation Challenges One of the most significant challenges to the successful implementation of inquiry approaches is the skills and knowledge of the teachers engaging in this alternative form of teaching and learning (Good & Brophy, 1986). When teachers don t fully understand the complexities of inquiry-based learning, they may simply think of this approach unstructured, and may, as a result, fail to provide proper scaffolding, assessment, and redirection as projects unfold. Research on inquiry-based learning has identified the risks and consequences when students lack prior experience in this approach or have insufficient support and modeling from teachers. For example, with respect to disciplinary understanding, students can have difficulty generating meaningful driving questions or evaluating their questions to determine if they are warranted by the investigation (Krajcik et al., 1998) or they may lack the background knowledge needed to make sense of the inquiry (Edelson, Gordon, & Pea, 1999). With respect to general academic skills, students may have difficulty developing logical arguments and evidence to support their claims (Krajcik et al., 1998). As for management of the work, students often find it hard to determine how to work together, manage their time and the complexity of the work, and sustain motivation in the face of setbacks or confusion (Achilles & Hoover, 1996; Edelson et al., 1999). One of the principal challenges for teachers, then, is to learn how to juggle a host of new responsibilities and implementation issues from carving out the time needed for extended inquiry to developing new classroommanagement techniques. Teachers must also be able to design and support inquiry-based lessons that meet a variety of criteria, such as illuminating key subject matter concepts, balancing direct instruction with inquiry opportunities, scaffolding the learning of individual students through modeling and feedback, facilitating learning among multiple groups, and developing assessments to guide the learning process (Blumenfeld et al., 1991; Marx et al., 1994, 1997; Rosenfeld & Rosenfeld, 1998; Sage, 1996). That s a tall order for even the most experienced teacher. Successful inquiry-based approaches require careful planning and the development of strategies for collaboration, classroom interaction, and assessment. Some research has focused specifically on how to best support these new approaches to teaching and learning. For example, Puntambekar & Kolodner (2005) describe two studies designed to advance our understanding of the kinds of support students need to learn content in the context of design projects. They knew from earlier classroom research (Gertzman & Kolodner, 1996) that simply furnishing students with rich resources and an interesting problem (such as designing a household robot with arthropod features) was not enough. Students needed help understanding the problem, applying science knowledge, evaluating their designs, explaining failures, and engaging in revision. Students often neglected to use informational resources unless explicitly prompted. To address these problems, the researchers introduced a design diary that was intended to explicitly introduce design process ideas and support four phases of design work: understanding the challenge, gathering information, generating a solution, and evaluating solutions. The goal of the curriculum was to help students learn about coastal erosion by designing a solution for a specific island off the coast of Georgia. To experiment with solutions, they had access to stream tables, as well as informational resources on videotape and the Internet. In addition to implementing the journal, they carried out
9 Intelligent Design: Immersing Students in Civic Education The Build San Francisco Institute, a yearlong design program cosponsored by the Architectural Foundation of San Francisco (AFSF) and the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), has as one of its core principles that subjects such as math, history, and writing have a broader context they are essential tools for conceptualizing, understanding, sketching, and building relevant and compelling real-world projects. In a military academy, they don t teach trigonometry; they teach navigation, explains Build SF cofounder Richard Hannum. Because you need trig for navigation, you learn it. Offering accredited courses with titles such as Architectural Design and Urban Sociology, today s Build SF is the offshoot of an after-school and summer program launched 13 years ago. In 2004, as a part of the SFUSD s Secondary School Redesign Initiative, the program was expanded to an all-afternoon, fiveday-a-week schedule; two of those days are devoted to working with mentors from some of San Francisco s leading architecture, interior-design, engineering, and contracting firms, along with city agencies involved in urban planning. The curriculum was designed to develop student interest in architecture-related fields and, more fundamentally, to immerse them in the process of meshing civic and business interests. It s not about building little architects, says Hannum. Rather, we use architecture as a vehicle to give kids with no community context an insight into, and a voice in, the public process. The ability to provide a bridge between education and business is why Janet Schulze, principal at San Francisco s John O Connell High School of Technology, is a Build SF booster. The program, she says, is the fastest way to integrate academic skills into a real-world setting. Schulze praised the effort San Francisco s design community dedicates to the program, particularly in terms of offering mentorships. I d love to see the medical and finance communities do something like it, she adds. At Build SF s downtown studio, the decibel level is much higher than what would be acceptable in most high school classrooms. This place does develop a certain hum, admits Alan Sandler, the foundation s executive director. It s supposed to be like a busy office. AFSF programs director Will Fowler characterizes the ambiance as the real sound of learning. It shocks and delights them that they are encouraged to talk to each other. The use of the term studio rather than classroom is not accidental. According to Fowler, We want the kids to understand that Build SF is more a design studio than it is a school. Build SF s insistence on treating kids like adults takes some getting used to. Accustomed to dealing with hundreds of kids in a traditional high school setting, Boston-area refugee Brennan admits she was nervous in 2005 when she began instructing at Build SF. We were trained never to leave kids alone, she adds. When Will Fowler first told me to walk away, it was difficult. There is only one rule, Fowler explains. When Casey says, Listen up, they have to listen up. Rising to Challenges Another central precept of Build SF is that participants be exposed to the unvarnished realities of life in the highly competitive and often-contentious world of design and architecture. One recent project involved creating a series of historically themed tiles for the city s newly redesigned Pier 14. The students had to first design the tiles and then present and sell their idea to the Port Commission a process that took several iterations before the Commission was satisfied. The Build SF team had to master the complex process of tile production, from drawing, tracing, and painting to glazing and firing, as well as overseeing installation. Some projects, such as the design and building of a bridge with sets of Lego blocks, are meant to get kids from different schools comfortable with one another. Students tend to spend their entire school careers with the same kids from the same neighborhoods, the AFSF s Sandler says about the goal of opening up new vistas. When they come here and leave their baggage behind, they re able to develop a different, adult, persona. Comings and goings at the Build SF studio continue throughout the afternoon as students arrive from their morning high school classes, go to work on their various projects, or move on to their assigned mentorships. Some stay throughout the afternoon, and others depart for after-school activities at their respective high schools. This open-endedness might strike some critics as an easy way to ditch school. For the Build SF team, however, it is a critical part of the program. Maybe for the first time in their school careers, kids have to be responsible for their own time, Sandler says. Our key motto is Trust the kids treat them as professionals, and they will rise to the challenge each and every time. Adapted from Edutopia article, Intelligent Design: Immersing Students in Civic Education, by Richard Rapaport (March 2007). MOREINFORMATION Watch a video on Build SF at edutopia.org/learning-design For more information on the Build San Francisco Institute, go to afsf.org/program_buildsf.htm
10 careful assessment of students learning and observation of classroom interactions. In this first study, the learning outcomes were disappointing, but instructive. For example, researchers noted that the teacher missed many opportunities to advance learning because she could not listen to all small group discussions and had decided not to have whole-group discussions. They also noted that the students needed more specific prompts for justifying design decisions. In their second study, the researchers designed and implemented a broader system of tools and processes, which greatly improved the learning outcomes--notably, more structured diary prompts that asked for design rationales and explanations, and insertion of whole-class discussions at strategic moments. They also added new activity structures that required students to publicly defend designs earlier in the process. These processes of helping students keep track of and defend their thinking were very helpful. In addition, the redundancy of learning opportunities afforded by the many forms of support was instrumental in helping students focus on learning concepts and connecting them with their design work. Small-Group Learning Much of the work involving inquiry-based learning involves students working in pairs or groups to solve a problem, complete a project, or design and build an artifact. Cooperative small-group learning, which Cohen (1994b) defines as students working together in a group small enough that everyone can participate on a collective task that has been clearly assigned, has been the subject of hundreds of studies and several meta-analyses (Cohen, Kulik, & Kulik, 1982; Cook, Scruggs, Mastropieri, & Castro, 1985; Hartley, 1977; Johnson, Maruyama, Nelson, & Skon, 1981; Rohrbeck, Ginsburg-Block, Fantuzzo, & Miller, 2003). Overall, these analyses come to the same conclusion: there are significant learning benefits for students who work together on learning activities (Johnson & Johnson, 1981, 1989). For example, in a comparison of four types of problems presented to individuals or cooperative teams, researchers found that teams outperformed individuals on all types and across all ages (Quin, Johnson, & Johnson, 1995). Problems varied in terms of how well defined they were (a single right answer versus open-ended projects, such as writing a story) and whether they were more or less reliant on language. Several experimental studies have shown that groups outperform individuals on learning tasks and that individuals who work in groups do better on later individual assessments as well (Barron, 2000a, b; 2003; O Donnell & Dansereau, 1992). Cooperative group work benefits students in social and behavioral areas as well, including improvement in student selfconcept, social interaction, time on task, and positive feelings toward peers (Cohen et al., 1982; Cook et al., 1985; Hartley, 1977; Ginsburg-Block, Rohrbeck, & Fantuzzo, 2006; Johnson & Johnson, 1989). Ginsburg- Block and colleagues (2006) focused on the relationship between academic and nonacademic measures. They found that both social and self-concept measures were related to academic outcomes. Larger effects were found for classroom interventions that used same-gender grouping, interdependent group rewards, structured student roles, and individualized evaluation procedures. They Expeditionary Learning At King Middle School in Portland, Maine, celebrations with everyone from parents to community members are an important part of the learning process. King, like schools throughout the country, has adopted the Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound model of personalized, projectbased learning. At least twice a year, students engage in extended interdisciplinary projects that culminate in a celebration of learning, during which they share their newfound knowledge and skills with the broader school community. As with other Expeditionary Learning schools, King teachers incorporate a range of subjects into their projects -- from art to science to language arts. The projects also include well-considered use of technology, due in no small part to the state of Maine s decision to provide all seventh and eighth graders with Apple ibook laptop computers. Culminating events come in a number of forms: a performance of an original play, a presentation to younger students of a geology kit, or the production of a CD-ROM, book, or a video, all of which incorporate state curriculum standards. Projects at King have included an aquarium design judged by local architects, a CD narrative of Whitman s O Captain! My Captain! by students learning English, and Voices of U.S. (a book of immigrant stories), to name a few. The goal for us at King Middle School is to create opportunities for all kids to do representational work about their learning, says David Grant, King s technology teaching strategist. He works with both students and teachers to ensure that any video or computer or Web production furthers the curriculum. It s in the making of things that kids actually do their learning, he says. Through their projects, adds Grant, students are able to demonstrate what they know. That s always where we want to be working from what they know and what they don t know. And working with these media allows that to happen. Ann Brown, King s eighth-grade science teacher, likes the fact that video requires students to work in teams and to learn from each other. That adds to the final product because the different angles produce different ways of approaching the same problem, she says. You get pieces of the best ideas coming together, so the final product is that much better, and they re also learning from each other and thinking differently. King put an end to tracking and special education pullout classes at about the same time it adopted the project approach to learning and began emphasizing the use of technology. Since then, test scores have shot up a major accomplishment for a student population that is 60 percent low-income and 22 percent refugee and that comes to school speaking 28 different languages. Following years of below-average scores on the state achievement test, King students began outscoring the state average in six out of seven subjects in 1999, and they even moved into the top third in some subjects. Adapted from Edutopia article, Laptops on Expedition: Embracing Expeditionary Learning, by Diane Curtis (January 19, 2004). MOREINFORMATION Watch a video on King Middle School s Expeditionary Learning Program at: edutopia.org/maine-video. For more information on the Expeditionary Leaning Schools Outward Bound Model, go to elschool.org
11 also found that low-income students benefited more than high-income students and that urban students benefited more than suburban students. Racial and ethnic minority students benefited even more from cooperative group work than non-minority students, a finding repeated over several decades (see Slavin & Oickle, 1981). Most recently, the focus of research has gone beyond the practical benefits of collaboration for individual learning to recognize the importance of helping children learn to collaborate as necessary preparation for all kinds of work. For example, the Science for All Americans, Project 2061 (American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1989) suggests that a core practice of scientific inquiry is collaborative work and that schools should prepare students for this kind of work through classroom activities that require joint efforts. But effective cooperative learning can also be complex to implement. Research has identified at least three major challenges for cooperative learning in classrooms: developing norms and structures within groups that allow individuals to work together; developing tasks that support useful cooperative work; and developing discipline-appropriate strategies for discussion that support rich learning of content. Each challenge is discussed in the next section. Productive Collaboration A great deal of work has been done to specify the kinds of tasks, accountability structures, and roles that help students collaborate well. In Johnson and Johnson s summary (1999) of forty years of research on cooperative learning, they identify five basic elements of cooperation that have emerged as important across multiple models: positive interdependence, individual accountability, structures that promote faceto-face interaction, social skills, and group processing. A range of activity structures has been developed to support group work, from cooperative-learning approaches where students are simply asked to help each other complete individually assigned traditional problem sets to approaches where students are expected to collectively define projects and generate a single product that reflects Definitions Cooperative Learning Small teams use a variety of learning activities to improve their understanding of a subject. Design-Based Instruction Students create, assess, and redesign products through stages of revisions. The work often requires collaboration and specific roles for individual students, enabling them to become experts in a particular area. Inquiry-Based Teaching A student-centered, active learning approach focusing on questioning, critical thinking, and problem solving. Project-Based Learning Students explore real-world problems and challenges, developing cross-curriculum skills while working in small collaborative groups. Also known as project learning. Problem-Based Learning Students learn through the process of solving a problem. The approach is also inquiry-based when students are active in creating the problem. the continued work of the entire group. Many approaches fall between these two extremes. Some approaches assign children to management (e.g. Cohen, 1994a, 1994b), conversational (O Donnell, 2006; King, 1990), or intellectual roles in the group (Palincsar & Herrenkohl, 1999, 2002; Cornelius & Herrenkohl, 2004; White & Frederiksen, 2005). When designing cooperative group work, teachers should pay careful attention to various aspects of the work process and to the interaction among students. For example, Slavin (1991) argues, it is not enough to simply tell students to work together. They must have a reason to take one another s achievement seriously. He developed a model that focuses on external motivators that reside outside the group, such as rewards and individual accountability established by the teacher. His meta-analysis found that group tasks with structures promoting individual accountability produce stronger learning outcomes (Slavin, 1996). Cohen s review of research (1994b) on productive small groups focuses on internal group interaction around the task. She and her colleagues developed Complex Instruction, one of the best-known and wellresearched approaches to cooperative smallgroup learning. Complex Instruction uses carefully designed activities that require diverse talents and interdependence among group members. Teachers are encouraged to pay attention to unequal participation among group members, which often results from status differences among peers, and are given strategies that allow them to bolster the status of infrequent contributors (Cohen & Lotan, 1997). In addition, roles are assigned to support equal participation, such as recorder, reporter, materials manager, resource manager, communication facilitator, and harmonizer. A major component of the approach is development of group-worthy tasks that are both sufficiently open-ended and multifaceted that they require and benefit from the participation of every member of the group. Tasks that require a variety of skills, such as research, analysis, visual representation, and writing are well suited to this approach. There is strong evidence supporting the success of Complex Instruction strategies in promoting student academic achievement (Abram et al., 2001; Cohen, 1993, 1994a, 1994b; Cohen & Lotan, 1995; Cohen et al., 1999, 2002). In recent studies, evidence of this success has been extended to the learning gains of new English language learners. Keys to Group Work Recent research has gone beyond summative assessments of the benefits of group work to try to understand why collaboration benefits learning and to unpack the differences between more and less successful approaches to collaboration. A number of social processes have been identified that help explain why group work supports individual learning. They include opportunities to do the following: share original insights (Bos, 1937), resolve differing perspectives through argument (Amigues, 1988; Phelps & Damon, 1989), explain one s thinking about a phenomenon (King, 1990; Webb, Troper, & Fall, 1995), provide critique (Bos, 1937), observe the strategies of others (Azmitia, 1988), and listen to explanations (Coleman, 1998; Hatano & Iganaki, 1991; Webb, 1985; Schwartz, 1995; Shirouzu, Miyake, & Masukawa, 2002).
12 Researchers of collaborative learning situations note that it is not simply the act of asking children to work in groups that is essential, but rather the possibility that certain kinds of learning processes can be activated (Cohen, 1994b). Group members need to find ways to coordinate their attention and goals to work together productively (Barron, 2003). Research that attends explicitly to variability in group interaction has yielded information about factors affecting productive and less productive collaboration. In an experimental study comparing the problem-solving of groups and individuals at the sixth-grade level, Barron (2000a, b; Barron 2003) found that groups outperformed individuals and that when students were given a new analogous problem to solve, those who had first solved the problems in groups performed at a significantly higher level. However, more detailed analysis revealed a great deal of variability in how well the students collaborated. Further analysis also showed that the quality of the collaboration how they talked and interacted with one another was related to their group score and later individual scores. Given these and other findings, it s clear that the classroom teacher plays a critical role in establishing and modeling practices of productive group learning processes and conversations. Observing a group s interactions can provide teachers with valuable insight into whether the students are engaged in productive work and can provide the opportunity to offer formative feedback and to support the development of group understandings and goals. Computerbased tools can also be useful in establishing ways of working and supporting productive collaborative exchanges. One of the best and most documented examples is the Computer-Supported Intentional Learning (CSILE) project (Scardamalia, Bereiter, & Lamon, 1994), which includes a knowledge gathering and improvement tool to support inquiry and norms for knowledge building discourse. In their contemporary work, Scardamalia and Bereiter have expanded this pedegogical approach to knowledge building communities from K 12 to college level and workplace communities using the Knowledge Forum software environment. Beyond any specific tool or technique, however, it s important that the teacher establish, model, and encourage norms of interaction that reflect good inquiry practices. Summary There is strong evidence to show that inquirybased, collaborative approaches to learning benefit both individual and collective knowledge growth. Students engaged in inquiry-based learning develop content knowledge and learn increasingly important twenty-first century skills, such as the ability to work in teams, solve complex problems, and to apply knowledge gained through one lesson or task to other circumstances. The research also suggests that inquirybased lessons and meaningful group work Inquiry-Based and Cooperative Learning in Action Here is a list of short films and articles from the Edutopia website highlighting these practices in schools around the country: FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics competition for high schools, founded by inventor and engineer Dean Kamen edutopia.org/poudre-high-school-robotics Build San Francisco, a yearlong design program for high school students working with architects, organized by the Architectural Foundation of San Francisco edutopia.org/learning-design Expeditionary Learning Interdisciplinary projects by Maine middle school students, equipped with laptop computers edutopia.org/king-middle-schoolexpeditionary-learning Anchorage Alaska s districtwide commitment to cooperative learning and the development of social and emotional skills edutopia.org/anchorage-socialemotional-learning-video can be challenging to implement. They require simultaneous changes in curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices changes that are often new to teachers, as well as students (Barron et al., 1998; Blumenfeld, Soloway, Marx, Krajcik, Guzdial, & Palincsar, 1991). Teachers need time and a community to support their capacity to organize sustained project work. Without this additional time and support, extended projects can easily become more about doing for the sake of doing than doing with understanding (Barron et al., 1998), the true goal of inquirybased group work. As schools explore and implement strategies to engage and prepare students for the complex and ever-changing world, inquiry-based learning provides a researchproven approach withthat has the potential to transform teaching and learning. Students develop critical academic, interpersonal, and life skills and teachers, for their part, expand and deepen their repertoire, connecting with their peers and their students in new and powerful ways. That s a powerful combination for students and teachers alike. n
13 REFERENCES Abram, P., Scarloss, B., Holthuis N., Cohen, E., Lotan R., & Schultz, S. E. (2001). The use of evaluation criteria to improve academic discussion in cooperative groups. Asia Journal of Education, 22, American Association for the Advancement of Science. (1989). Science for All Americans: Project New York: Oxford University Press, Achilles, C. M., & Hoover, S. P. (1996). Transforming administrative praxis: The potential of problem-based learning (PBL) as a school-improvement vehicle for middle & high schools. Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New York. Albanese, M. A., & Mitchell, S. A. (1993). Problem-based learning: A review of literature on its outcomes and implementation issues. Academic Medicine, 68(1), Amigues, R. (1988). Peer interaction in solving physics problems: Sociocognitive confrontation and metacognitive aspects. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 45(1), Barron, B. (2000a). Achieving coordination in collaborative problem-solving groups. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 9(4), Barron, B. (2000b). Problem solving in video-based microworlds: Collaborative and individual outcomes of high-achieving sixthgrade students. Journal of Educational Psychology, 92(2), Barron, B. (2003). When smart groups fail. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 12(3), Barron, B. J. S., Schwartz, D. L., Vye, N. J., Moore, A., Petrosino, A., Zech, L., et al. (1998). Doing with understanding: Lessons from research on problem- and project-based learning. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 7(3 4), Barrows, H. S. (1996). Problem-based learning in medicine and beyond: A brief overview. In New Directions for Teaching and Learning, no. 68 (pp. 3 11). San Francisco: Jossey- Bass. Bartscher, Gould, & Nutter, Increasing student motivation through project-based learning. Master s research project, Saint Xavier and IRI Skylight. (ED ). Blumenfeld, P., Soloway, E., Marx, R. W., Krajcik, J. S., Guzdial, M., & Palincsar, A. (1991). Motivating project-based learning: Sustaining the doing, supporting the learning. Educational Psychologist, 26(3 & 4), Boaler, J. (1997). Experiencing school mathematics: Teaching styles, sex, and settings. Buckingham, UK: Open University Press. Boaler, J. (1998). Open and closed mathematics: Student experiences and understandings. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 29, Bos, M. C. (1937). Experimental study of productive collaboration. Acta Psychologica, 3, Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (Eds.). (1999). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington, DC: National Research Council. Cohen, E. G. (1994a). Designing groupwork: Strategies for heterogeneous classrooms, Revised edition. New York: Teachers College Press. Cohen, E. G. (1994b). Restructuring the classroom: Conditions for productive small groups. Review of Educational Research, 64(1), Cohen, E. G., & Lotan, R. A. (1995). 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Journal of Special Education, 19, Cornelius, L. L., & Herrenkohl, L. R. (2004). Power in the classroom: How the classroom environment shapes students relationships with each other and with concepts. Cognition and Instruction, 22(4), Darling-Hammond, L. & Hammerness, K. (2002). Toward a pedagogy of cases in teacher education. Teaching Education, 13(2), Dochy, F., Segers, M., Van den Bossche, P., & Gijbels, D. (2003). Effects of problembased learning: A meta-analysis. Learning and Instruction, 13, Edelson, D., Gordon, D., & Pea, R. (1999). Addressing the challenges of inquiry-based learning through technology and curriculum design. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 8(3&4), Fortus, D., Dershimer, R. C., Marx, R. W., Krajcik, J., & Mamlok-Naaman, R. (2004). Design-based science (DBS) and student learning. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 41(10), Gallagher, S. A., Stepien, W. J., & Rosenthal, H. (1992). The effects of problembased learning on problem solving. Gifted Child Quarterly, 36, Gertzman, A., & Kolodner, J. L. (1996, July). A case study of problem-based learning in middle-school science class: Lessons learned. In Proceedings of the Second Annual Conference on the Learning Sciences (pp ), Evanston/Chicago. Ginsburg-Block, M. D., Rohrbeck, C. A., & Fantuzzo, J. W. (2006). A meta-analytic review of social, self-concept, and behavioral outcomes of peer-assisted learning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98, Good, T. L., & Brophy, J. E. (1986). Educational Psychology (3rd ed.). New York: Longman. Hartley, S. S. (1977). A meta-analysis of effects of individually paced instruction in mathematics. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Colorado at Boulder. Hatano & Ignaki. (1991). Sharing cognition through collective comprehension activity. In L. B. Resnick, J. Levine, & S. Teasley (Eds.), Perspectives on socially shared cognition (pp ). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Hmelo, C. E. (1998b). Problem-based learning: Effects on the early acquisition of cognitive skill in medicine. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 7(2), Hmelo, C. E., Holton, D. L., & Kolodner, J. L. (2000). Designing to learn about complex systems. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 9(3), Hmelo-Silver, C. E. (2004). Problem-based learning: What and how do students learn? Educational Psychology Review, 16(3), Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (1981). Effects of cooperative and individualistic learning experiences on interethnic interaction. Journal of Educational Psychology, 73,
14 Johnson & Johnson 1989). Cooperation and competition: Theory and research. Edina, MN: Interaction Book Company. Johnson, D. W. Johnson, R. T. (1999). Making cooperative learning work. Theory into practice, 38(2), Johnson, D. W., Maruyama, G., Johnson, R., Nelson, D., & Skon, L. (1981). Effects of cooperative, competitive, and individualistic goal structures on achievement: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 89, (http://dx.doi. org/ / ). King, A. (1990). Enhancing Peer Interaction and Learning in the Classroom Through Reciprocal Peer Questioning. American Educational Research Journal, 27(4), Krajcik, J. S., Blumenfeld, P. C., Marx, R. W., Bass, K. M., Fredericks, J., & Soloway, E. (1998). Inquiry in project-based science classrooms: Initial attempts by middle school students. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 7, Marx, R. W., Blumenfeld, P. C., Krajcik, J, Blunk, M., Crawford, B., Kelly B., and Meyer, K. (1994). Enacting project-based science: Experiences of four middle grade teachers. Elementary School Journal, 94(5), Moore, A., Sherwood, R., Bateman, H., Bransford, J., & Goldman, S. (1996, April). Using problem-based learning to prepare for project-based learning. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New York. Newmann, F. M. (1996). Authentic achievement: Restructuring schools for intellectual quality. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Newmann, F. M., Marks, H. M., & Gamoran, A. (1995). Authentic pedagogy: Standards that boost student performance. Issues in Restructuring Schools, 8, 1 4. Newstetter, W. (2000). Bringing design knowledge and learning together. In C. Eastman, W. Newstetter, & M. McCracken (Eds.), Design Knowing and Learning: Cognition in Design Education. New York: Elsevier Science Press. O Donnell, A. M. (2006). The role of peers and group learning. In P. Alexander & P. Winne (Eds.), Handbook of Educational Psychology (2nd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. O Donnell, A. M., & Dansereau, D. F. (1992). Scripted cooperation in student dyads: A method for analyzing and enhancing academic learning and performance. In R. Hertz-Lazarowitz & N. Miller (Eds.), Interaction in cooperative groups: The theoretical anatomy of group learning. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press. Palincsar, A. S., & Herrenkohl, L. (1999). Designing collaborative contexts: Lessons from three research programs. In A. M. O Donnell & A. King (Eds.), Cognitive perspectives on peer learning (pp ). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. Palincsar, A. S., & Herrenkohl, L. (2002). Designing collaborative learning contexts. Reading Teacher, 41(1), Peck, J. K, Peck W., Sentz, J., & Zasa, R. (1998). Students perceptions of literacy learning in a project-based curriculum. In E. G. Sturtevant, J. A. Dugan, P. Linder, & W. M. Linek (Eds.), Literacy and Community (pp ). Texas A&M University: College Reading Association. Penuel, W. R., Means, B., & Simkins, M. B. (2000). The multimedia challenge. Educational Leadership, 58, Perkins, D. N. (1986). Knowledge as design. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. Phelps, E., & Damon, W. (1989). Problem solving with equals: Peer collaboration as a context for learning mathematics and spatial concepts. Journal of Educational Psychology, 81(4), Puntambekar, S., & Kolodner, J. L. (2005). Toward implementing distributed scaffolding: Helping students learn science from design. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 42(2), Quin, Z., Johnson, D., & Johnson, R. (1995). Cooperative versus competitive efforts and problem solving. Review of Educational Research, 65(2), Rohrbeck, C. A., Ginsburg-Block, M. D., Fantuzzo, J. W., & Miller, T. R. (2003). Peer-assisted learning interventions with elementary school students: A metaanalytic review. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95, (http://dx.doi. org/ / ) Rosenfeld, M., & Rosenfeld, S. (1998). Understanding the surprises in PBL: An exploration into the learning styles of teachers and their students. Paper presented at the European Association for Research in Learning and Instruction (EARLI), Sweden. Savery, J. R., & Duffy, T. M. (1996). Problem based learning: An instructional model and its constructivist framework. In B. G. Wilson (Ed.), Constructivist learning environments. Englewood, NJ: Educational Technology Publications, pp Scardamalia, M., Bereiter, C., & Lamon, M. (1994). The CSILE project: Trying to bring the classroom into world 3. In K. McGilly (Ed.), Classroom lessons: Integrating cognitive theory & classroom practice (pp ). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Schmidt, H. G., et al. (1996). The development of diagnostic competence: A comparison between a problem-based, an integrated, and a conventional medical curriculum. Academic Medicine, 71, Schwartz, D. L. (1995). The emergence of abstract representations in dyad problem solving. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 4(3), Shirouzu, H., Miyake, N., & Masukawa, H. (2002). Cognitively active externalization for situated reflection. Cognitive Science, 26(4), Slavin, R. (1991, February). Synthesis of research on cooperative learning. Educational Leadership, Slavin, R. E. (1996). Research on cooperative learning and achievement: What we know, what we need to know. Contemporary educational psychology, 21(1), Slavin, R., & Oickle, E. (1981). Effects of cooperative learning teams on student achievement and race relations: Treatment by race interactions. Sociology of education, 54(3), Stepien, W. J., Gallagher, S. A., & Workman, D. (1993). Problem-based learning for traditional and interdisciplinary classrooms. Journal for the Education of the Gifted Child, 16, Thomas, J. W. (2000). A review of project based learning. (Prepared for Autodesk Foundation). Vernon, D. T., & Blake, R. L. (1993). Does problem-based learning work? A metaanalysis of evaluative research. Academic Medicine, 68(7) Webb, N. M. (1985). Verbal interaction and learning in peer-directed groups. Theory into Practice, 24(1), Webb, N. M., Troper, J. D., & Fall, R. (1995). Constructive activity and learning in collaborative small groups. Journal of educational psychology, 87(3), White, B., & Frederiksen, J. (2005). A theoretical framework and approach for fostering metacognitive development. Educational Psychologist, 40(4), Williams, S. M. (1992). Putting case-based instruction into context: Examples from legal and medical education. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 2(4), Williams, D. C., Hemstreet, S., Liu, M., & Smith, V. D. (1998). Examining how middle schools students use problem-based learning software. Proceedings of ED-MEDIA/ ED-Telecom 98 World Conference on Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, Freiburg, Germany.
15 Editor s Note: This article, edited by Roberta Furger, is excerpted from a chapter of a new book, Powerful Learning: What We Know About Teaching for Understanding. By Linda Darling-Hammond, Brigid Barron, P. David Pearson, Alan H. Schoenfeld, Elizabeth K. Stage, Timothy D. Zimmerman, Gina N. Cervetti, and Jennifer Tilson 2008 by John Wiley & Sons Inc. All rights reserved. Published by Jossey-Bass, a Wiley imprint. 989 Market Street San Francisco, CA josseybass.com Published with support from The George Lucas Educational Foundation More Resources: For other articles and documentary films, including a video interview with Linda Darling-Hammond, go to edutopia.org/darling-hammond-video TM THE GEORGE LUCAS EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION Established in 1991 by filmmaker George Lucas, the Foundation is a nonprofit operating foundation that publishes media to celebrate and share the most innovative practices in K 12 education, including how technology offers many new opportunities for learning and teaching. We hope this information will inspire, inform, and stimulate active involvement in redesigning public education. TM
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Critical Thinking is the process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information to reach an answer or conclusion, based on accurate assessment of conditions, context and proper Discernment.
In developing greater skills of accurate assessment of the conditions to which we are exposed, we will need to integrate the mental body's critical thinking skills with our heart's intelligence, such as developing our intuitive feelings, and Higher Sensory Perception to have higher degree of personal clarity.
Critical thinking is not usually conceptualized as a process we should synthesize with our heart's feelings, and most intellectuals will refuse to accept this analogy of critical thinking. However, to have more informed awareness and to achieve Coherence within our perceptions of reality, we will be required to merge the heart-brain with the external perception of events, simultaneously. Applying critical thinking in order to develop strong and accurate discernment of events, as well as applying the wisdom based upon our analysis in when to take action or non action in situations.
The Frequency of Fear essentially eliminates our Critical Thinking, Executive Function and Self-Regulation skills.
Other definitions
Traditionally, critical thinking has been variously defined as:
- disciplined thinking that is clear, rational, open-minded, and informed by evidence"
- "reasonable, reflective thinking focused on deciding what to believe or do"
- "purposeful, self-regulatory judgment which results in interpretation, analysis, evaluation, and inference, as well as explanation of the evidential, conceptual, methodological, criteriological, or contextual considerations upon which that judgment is based"
- "includes a commitment to using reason in the formulation of our beliefs"
- the skill and propensity to engage in an activity with reflective scepticism
- disciplined, self-directed thinking which exemplifies the perfection of thinking appropriate to a particular mode or domain of thinking
- thinking about one's thinking in a manner designed to organize and clarify, raise the efficiency of, and recognize errors and biases in one's own thinking.
Critical thinking is not 'hard' thinking nor is it directed at solving problems (other than 'improving' one's own thinking). Critical thinking is inward-directed with the intent of maximizing the rationality and Coherence of the thinker. One does not use critical thinking to solve problems—one uses critical thinking to improve one's process of thinking. Such as making an appraisal based on careful analytical evaluation, as well as considering the intuitive insights that are felt in the circumstances. | https://ascensionglossary.com/index.php/Critical_Thinking |
Vision:
To create a vibrant community of ICT practitioners who are active learners and leaders of sterling character and current competencies.
Key Programmes
(a) Create & Construct using Information Technology Programme (CCITP)
The school seeks to empower pupils to create and construct their learning in an environment that promotes creativity and innovation with seamless integration of IT. FMS(S) leverages on IT to cater to the varying needs of the wide range of abilities of pupils as well as to support the school vision and mission.
Secondary 1 and 2 students undergo a weekly hour-long IT lesson. During these lessons, they are taught to use a variety of software such as Google suite of tools and Microsoft office tools. Students are also given an opportunity to explore coding with the use of Scratch and Microbit. These lessons enrich their understanding and use of IT.
(b) Use of ICT in Teaching and Learning
Besides the traditional way of learning by means of pen and paper, FMS(S) also includes the use of online resources as a form of teaching and learning. Our teachers enhance students’ learning by using different online tools, such as Zoom, Google Meet, discussion forums and the Student Learning Space (SLS).
Online learning not only helps to develop the students’ ability to collaborate on a different platform but more importantly, teaches them how to communicate and work with others offline and online as well. | https://fairfieldmethodistsec.moe.edu.sg/curriculum/departments/information-n-communication-technology |
Evaluate and interpret thoroughly all freight charges sustained.
Develop and execute operational strategies to optimize customer service as well as economic results.
Comply with local, federal and state warehousing, material handling as well as shipping requirements through studying current and new legislation.
Enforce conformance to requirements and recommend management on necessary actions.
Perform safeguards warehouse operations along with contents to establish and monitor security methods and protocols.
Control inventory levels through conducting cycle counts, physical counts and support inventory resolution process.
Maintain warehouse physical condition through planning and executing new design layouts.
Inspect equipment, issue work orders for requisitions and for replacement.
Develop solutions to leverage Company’ s volumes and systems.
Collaborate to provide steadily high levels of customer care service in cost-effective approach.
Identify and prioritize logistics needs and convey suggestions to upper management for attaining efficient product distribution.
Provide data and suggest solutions on product tracking, rerouting, costing, route analysis and usage alternatives.
Recommend IS and system users to develop and implement logistics systems changes and improvements.
Manage and monitor customer EDI systems and MRP system (SAP).
Contribute to team effort by achieving required results. | https://www.greatsampleresume.com/job-responsibilities/logistic-manager-responsibilities/ |
Focusing on the unique and unseen wildlife across the African continent.
44:25
S1 E3 - Nature's Greatest Architects
Creatures transform Botswana's landscape each season.
TV-14 | 12.17.2018
44:28
S1 E2 - Born to Survive
It takes determination and deceit to win the mating game.
TV-14 | 12.11.2018
44:28
S1 E1 - Battle of the Sexes
Winning the mating game on the African plains. | https://www.nationalgeographic.com/tv/shows/africas-wild-side/episode-guide/season-1 |
This article comes from Entrepreneur.
Here are five tips and techniques for making a productive team that’s accountable for a shared goal.
Regular face-to-face communication is vital to create a feeling of teamwork and to ensure that people are communicating well, and when you can’t do that in person, technology gives us the next best thing. Phone calls just aren’t the same as a videoconferences. You need to see the whites of each other’s eyes. You need to see reactions and facial expressions and emotional impact of words.
And don’t think you can join a video call with your video off, because that just makes it a phone call again. Make face-to-face video communication a priority. These little nuances make all the difference.
Agile project management encourages accountability and predictability across a team. SolutionStream’s managers use the scrum style of project management, which is a type of agile management. “Scrum” refers to a tight-knit rugby formation, but the scrum technique just prioritizes compact teams driving toward a common goal. During the project, they use four type of “scrum ceremonies” to check in with the team and remain productive and accountable.
This management style ensures that everyone has clear tasks and an understanding of what everyone o the team is doing. It’s especially powerful when it’s practiced throughout an organization, even up to the executive level.
There are so many amazing tools that allow everyone on the team to see the same information and collaborate on it. Here on a few I recommend:
To make collaborative tools even more effective, use the tools in conjunction with videoconferencing as part of every conversation. Don’t be afraid to experiment and find the tools that work for your group.
Even if you feel like you are communicating like crazy, it probably isn’t enough. One of the biggest challenges for remote teams is misunderstandings and miscommunication. Tools like Slack feel like they are helping us communicate better (and often they do), but the written word can also make it easy to misunderstand intentions.
Typing can also slow the conversation substantially compared to a video conversation. Again, the key to fixing this lies in using videoconferencing tools. Encourage your team to regularly take the conversation off Slack (or other written communication channels) and onto video to ensure clarity of communication.
Isolation and loneliness are real problems for remote workers and teams. As a leader, you need to make sure that people still feel the social connections that come with a work environment. Teamwork, trust, good work relationships and personal interaction can and should be maintained in a digital form.
Your team also needs social interaction with each other to feel camaraderie. Schedule regular online social interactions between your team members, and encourage water-cooler-style conversations. Have virtual lunches or virtual cocktail hours for your teams to let down their guard and communicate more casually.
With all that is happening in the world, use these skills to ensure that your business and your team can be effective and happy while staying safe at a distance.
Click here to read the original article. | https://priorityonepayroll.com/how-to-work-effectively-from-home |
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All breaches are not created equal. Those with malicious intent cost organizations on average nearly twice ($840,000) as much as those with non-malicious designs ($470,000), according to a new study commissioned by Solera Networks and undertaken by the Ponemon Institute.
The report, “The Post Breach Boom,” surveyed security practitioners in the U.S., Canada, UK, Australia, Brazil, Japan, Singapore and United Arab Emirates. All participants in the study represent organizations that had one or more data security breaches in the past 24 months. The results were unveiled on Tuesday at the annual RSA conference.
While the cost of malevolent attacks will take a larger bite out of the company wallet, the fact that only 40% of survey respondents say they have the tools, personnel and funding to pinpoint the root causes should surprise very few.
“[The] study confirms that organizations are facing a growing flood of increasingly malicious data breaches, and they don't have the tools, staff or resources to discover and resolve them," said Dr. Larry Ponemon, chairman and founder, Ponemon Institute.
This theme of resource depravation and under preparedness was echoed at several of this week’s RSA Conference sessions.
According to Mark Weatherford, Deputy Under Secretary for Cybersecurity at the Department of Homeland Security, who spoke on the federal government’s cybersecurity “brain drain,” finding enough personnel to handle these types of incidents is still a work in progress as government officials strive to build an information exchange to locate quality potential hires.
“Sometimes we literally write down names on the back of a napkin,” he said.
Having the tools is one thing, but utilizing them in preparation for the inevitable breach should be the new global security mantra.
At her talk on the new cyber threat landscape, veteran prosecutor Kim Peretti, who spent years prosecuting some of the world’s most sophisticated cyber crime rings as a senior litigator for the Department of Justice's Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, said current breach investigations are often not thorough enough.
“Criminals have changed and continue to try and maintain deep and prolonged access,” she maintained.
Their aim is to return and do additional harm, something that could – and does – cost organizations far more than dollars.
Motivations and lack of resources aside, nearly a third of all malicious breaches were not even caught by the victim organization, according to the study. Instead, the impacted group is often notified by a third party, like law enforcement or a customer, or even discovered by accident.
Peretti maintains that information sharing is key to properly investigating and mitigating these cyber threats. She points to the recent Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks as evidence that a new effort towards collaboration can help lessen the impact of malicious breaches.
“The DDOS attacks are a great example of how important information sharing is,” she said.
Knowing the source of such malicious attacks and being in a position to have that information beforehand is paramount to streamlining breach investigations. This sort of collaboration could eventually lead to shorter response times, another area where enterprises were lacking.
"Months are passing as [organization’s] key information assets are left exposed,” said Poneomon. “The results demonstrate a clear need for greater and faster visibility--as well as a need to know the root cause of the breaches themselves--in order to close this persistent window of exposure."
According to the study, it took affected companies on average 80 days to discover a breach and another 40 additional days to remedy the breach – a gap that needn’t exist.
And as is evidenced by the study’s findings, organizations need to react accordingly. | https://www.corero.com/blog/358-rsa-coverage-bad-intentions-will-cost-you.html |
Formed during the demise of the Soviet system, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development was giving a unique mandate – to foster transition in Eastern Europe through project finance, primarily in the private sector.
Besides transition, the EBRD is the first multilateral financial lender whose founding documents emphasise the need to support environmental and sustainable development in all operations.
Transition also includes helping to build the institutions necessary for underpinning a market economy, and demonstrating and promoting market-oriented skills and sound business practices.
The Bank was given flexibility to achieve these objectives by working with both government-owned borrowers and private ones. The EBRD strives to ensure the highest quality in each of these areas.
We are proud of the significant impact the Bank has made toward transition in Bulgaria over twenty years and more specifically during the last decade. Since the start of its operations, the Bank financed more than 200 projects in Bulgaria, investing over EUR 2.5 B in the key sectors of the economy.
Each euro from EBRD attracted at least another two euros from other investors and co-lenders, meaning the total value of the EBRD funded projects exceeded EUR 8.3 B. Over 90% of the EBRD's investment in Bulgaria is in the private sector.
Companies financed in Bulgaria range from small entrepreneurs (which are supported via credit lines provided to local banks) to large infrastructure investments. Key sectors financed include energy efficiency projects, transport and municipal infrastructure, natural resources, industry, agribusiness, property and tourism, as well as information and communication technology.
These investments played a role in helping Bulgaria reached a stage of transition comparable to countries in central Europe and the Baltics which have joined the EU during the 2000s. EBRD projects have helped Bulgaria achieve high transition scores (as measured each year in the EBRD Transition Report) in a range of sectors, notably in the corporate sector, electric power and micro, small and medium enterprises.
In the past decade, high profile EBRD projects in Bulgaria include:
EUR 47.5 M loan provided in 2010 to KCM AD, the largest lead and zinc smelter in Bulgaria, to help increase the company's energy efficiency and improve its environmental profile
EUR 90 M in Residential Energy Efficiency Credit Lines channelled through local banks to Bulgarian households to help insulate homes and cut energy bills.
EUR 31 M loan to Bulgaria's first privately managed water and waste-water company, Sofijska Voda AD, to finance modernisation of the water infrastructure netwoek in Sofia, enhance customer service and promote a more efficient and easy-to-use billing system.
Rimini gas – a EUR 30 M investment in gas distribution in the Central and Southeast of Bulgaria.
Maritsa East 1 power company – the largest power investment, allowing for the clean use of Bulgaria's coal.
Burgas Water – Was one of five loans to water companies designed to improve performance and increase efficiency.
Callpoint – the first investment in Bulgaria under the Local Enterprise Facility LEF deal. The project allows for the further development of the business process outsourcing company.
Enemona – The Bank supports the creative financing of energy service contracts through its EUR 7 M loan to this new energy service company.
Through these and other investments, EBRD has supported Bulgaria's reform plans and advanced economic development and the business environment. Although proud of our accomplishments, we all acknowledge that there is more to be done (particularly in the current uncertain environment) and I, personally, believe the Bank has an important role in Bulgaria and in the region for some years to come.
Therefore, the Bank will continue to support Bulgaria as it addresses remaining transition challenges, which amongst others include restructuring the power sector and improving its energy efficiency, developing greater export capacity as well as further strengthening of the infrastructure and financial sectors.
We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you! | https://www.novinite.com/articles/136201/EBRD+-+Investment+with+a+Difference |
"Home workouts are helping me conquer my fear of working out in a gym – and I'm not alone"
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Despite gyms reopening in July, many women have chosen to continue exercising in the safety and comfort of their own home rather than head back to the gym. Jasmin Nahar investigates.
Despite many gyms opening up on 25th July, I haven’t stepped into one since March. Pre-lockdown, I dedicated numerous hours every week to my local gym; lifting heavy dumbbells from the vast weights section, sprinting up the stair machine, and trying to look nonchalant while waiting for the pulldown machine to become available.
As lockdown measures tightened, these weekly rituals were replaced with Chloe Ting videos in my living room and the calming voice of Michael Johnson on the Couch to 5k app as I ran around the edges of the park. But home workouts haven’t just been there to substitute “the real thing”– for women new to fitness, they’ve been a great way to overcome anxiety around to exercise.
Meera Kumar has been a personal trainer for four years, and tells me many female clients feel uncomfortable in the gym, especially when first starting their fitness journey. “Beginners can feel judged for their lack of skill, the way they look, or even because they’re making mistakes. Ultimately, beginners judge themselves more harshly than anyone – for failing to stick to exercise in the past and for where they’re starting.”
Donna Noble, the founder of CurveYoga, points out that judgement can even come from instructors who are supposed to support and help their clients. “They may get stared at by other students, or ignored by the teacher who may not be able to offer modifications so that the postures are accessible for everybody.”
But at home of course, there’s nobody to judge you except a bemused flatmate or an unimpressed pet. Nobody can see that your heels don’t quite touch the floor while in downward dog, and you can rewind that twisting side plank on YouTube rather than hope for the best as the instructor moves on. It’s freedom from the fear of getting things wrong and simultaneously realising that as long as you are moving, you aren’t doing it wrong.
The best at home workouts
When I spoke to women (who were previously ambivalent about exercise) to tell me what they liked most about home workouts during lockdown, the fact that nobody else was there to witness them ranked highly.
Jessica, 24, previously attended the gym a couple of times a month, but wasn’t actively into exercise. “I felt lost and intimidated by the gym, and didn’t really think about home workouts, because in my mind, the gym is where you go to get fit.” She tells me that in comparison, working out at home has been far less daunting.
“I felt like I wasn’t being judged by other people like I was when at the gym.” Trying new things at home has made her more confident about how she’d fare in front of others too. “I did a load of beginner’s series on YouTube because the gym classes are aimed at everyone (of varying fitness levels), so now, I’m much more confident with the basics and won’t feel like I’m keeping anyone behind if I do go to a gym class.“
It’s freedom from the fear of getting things wrong and simultaneously realising that as long as you are moving, you aren’t doing it wrong.
Zainab, 26, also started working out at home more in lockdown. Previously, she would often bail on fitness classes as they felt like a chore. Zainab would sporadically go to the gym a few times a month, but now exercises at home more regularly, saying it’s easier to do so without other people around. “I feel like I’m able to focus on myself when working out at home. There aren’t other women in my space to compare myself to.”
I asked Pirkko Markula, professor of Socio-Cultural Studies of Physical Activity at the University of Alberta, what home workouts have to offer for women who feel self-conscious going to the gym. “Working out at home with a live online class can offer more flexibility to take part and can also encourage trying different types of classes without a fear of ‘looking foolish’.”
The flexibility and low-commitment aspect is certainly an important part of it. At home, no money is spent on a class that may or may not have been enjoyable, and nobody knows if you opt for the ‘easier’ modifications. A sixty-minute class surrounded by strangers is quite a commitment if you’ve never tried it before, whereas a ten-minute taster video of a similar routine in your bedroom feels like less pressure.
The ‘here and there’ approach of home workouts…isn’t the ‘go hard or go home’ attitude we often associate with fitness, but it’s one that makes movement a part of everyday life.
The ‘here and there’ approach of home workouts – fitting in fifteen minutes for a floorwork routine on your lunch break, doing an evening yoga session before bed as you’ve got some extra time – isn’t the ‘go hard or go home’ attitude we often associate with fitness, but it’s one that makes movement a part of everyday life. It also happens to be a great antidote to the worries of fitting in a workout now that lockdown continues to ease, and many of us are trying to fit in social outings after months of staying at home.
Meera agrees that being flexible with your time and workouts is the way to go for keeping momentum up, “Sometimes you’ll feel stressed, and the best workout for your body might be a long gentle walk – so skip the HIIT. Sometimes you’ll only have ten minutes until your Zoom meeting; use that as an opportunity to work on your press-ups or your core.”
For the women I spoke to, working out at home has made a positive impact on how they feel about going to the gym in the future. Zainab tells me she will be heading back to her gym regularly, especially as she’s “now more consistent and happy to work out, rather than put it off”, while Jessica says “once I feel like it’s safe from my end, I’ll definitely unfreeze my membership and get going again. I can’t wait to do some of my normal routines, but with more weights involved.” Silvia, 32, another newcomer to home workouts during lockdown, is excited about the prospect. “I have now gotten into a routine that works for me, but with lockdown easing I hope I can bring my newfound confidence and motivation to the gym, and outdoor sports as well.”
For those who have previously felt out of their depth or excluded in fitness spaces, home workouts have been a way to discover that becoming more active isn’t as intimidating or time-consuming as it may appear. Having a space to move your body while feeling safe and unbothered by judgement is crucial, whether it ends up being in a spin class, at the park, or on the living room floor with Netflix in the background. A fulfilling, enjoyable workout can be a myriad of things, and there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to fitness. As Donna puts it, “Movement is something we do naturally and is your given right. So go and find what you love doing.” | |
The connected customer is an individual who is intimately connected to the data, outcomes, decisions and staff associated with any relationship to an organization. To create personalized experiences, companies across all industries must pursue a more connected relationship with their customers through technology and processes focused on delivering relevant personalized experiences whenever possible. In this report, Blue Hill explores the key traits associated with supporting the connected customer through the internet of things, and provides guidance on why the internet of things will be essential across the general business landscape.
DatacenterDynamics is a brand of DCD Group, a global B2B media and publishing company that develops products to help senior professionals in the world's most ICT dependent organizations make risk-based infrastructure and capacity decisions.
Our portfolio of live events, online and print publishing, business intelligence and professional development brands are centred on the complexities of technology convergence. Operating in 42 different countries, we have developed a unique global knowledge and networking platform, which is trusted by over 30,000 ICT, engineering and technology professionals.
Data Centre Dynamics Ltd. | http://research.datacenterdynamics.com/content64965 |
In the last few years, AI has made breathtaking strides driven by developments in machine learning, such as deep learning. Deep learning is part of the broader field of machine learning that is concerned with giving computers the ability to learn without being programmed. Deep learning has had some incredible successes.
Arguably, the modern era of deep learning can be traced back to the ImageNet challenge in 2012. ImageNet is a database of millions of images categorized using nouns such as “strawberry,” “lemon,” and “dog.” During this challenge, a convolutional neural network (CNN) could achieve an error rate of 16 percent (before that, the best algorithm could only achieve a 25 percent error rate).
One of the biggest challenges of deep learning is the need for training data. Large volumes of data are needed to train networks to do the most rudimentary things. This data must also be relatively clean to create networks that have any meaningful predictive value. For many organizations, this makes machine learning impractical. It’s not just the mechanics of creating neural networks that’s challenging (although this is itself a hard task), but also the way to organize and structure enough data to do something useful with it.
There is an abundance of data available in the world—more than 180 zettabytes (1 zettabyte is equal to 1 followed by 21 zeros) predicted by 2025. Ninety-nine percent of the data in the world is not yet analyzed, and more than 80 percent of it is unstructured, meaning that there is plenty of opportunity and hidden gems in the data we are collecting. Sadly, however, much of this data is not in any state to be analyzed.
So, what can enterprises do?
You need to think about data differently from how you do today. Data must be thought of as a building block for information and analytics. It must be collected to answer a question or set of questions. This means that it must have the following characteristics:
- Accuracy: While obvious, the data must be accurate.
- Completeness: The data must be relevant, and data that is necessary to answer the question asked must be present. An obvious example of incomplete data would be a classroom where there are 30 students, but the teacher calculates the average for only 15.
- Consistency: If there is one database indicating that there are 30 students in a class and a second database showing that there are 31 in the same class then this is an issue.
- Uniqueness: If a student has different identifiers in two separate databases, this is an issue as it opens the risk that information won’t be complete or consistent.
- Timeliness: Data can change, and the AI model may need to be updated.
Beyond the data itself, there are severe constraints that can impede analytics and deep learning, including security and access, privacy, compliance, IP protection, and physical and virtual barriers. These constraints need to be thought about. It doesn’t help the enterprise if it has all the data but the data is inaccessible for various reasons. Often, steps need to be taken such as scrubbing the data so that no private content remains. Sometimes, agreements need to be made between parties that are sharing data, and sometimes technical work needs to happen to move the data to locations where it can be analyzed. Finally, the format and structure of the data needs to be considered. Recently, I was looking at the currency rates from the Federal Reserve going back 40 years for a personal project and then, in one of those head-slapping moments, I realized that there was a discontinuity from 1999 onwards: The euro had replaced most European currencies. There was a way I could mitigate the problem, but it was deeply unsatisfying. Legacy data might be plentiful, but may be incompatible with the problem at hand.
The moral of the story is that we are deluged with data, but often the conditions do not allow the data to be used. Sometimes, enterprises are lucky, and with some effort, they can put the data into good shape. Very often, enterprises will need to rethink how to collect or transform data to a form that is consumable. Agreements can be made to share data or merge data sets, but completeness issues often remain.
As noted earlier, the key to success is to start with a question and then structure the training data or collect the right data to answer the question. While immense barriers remain in collecting training data, there is clearly a push by enterprises toward higher quality data evinced by the growing influence of data scientists. I am very optimistic that the corpus of high-quality training data will improve, thus enabling a wider adoption of AI across enterprises of all sizes.
This article is published as part of the IDG Contributor Network. Want to Join? | https://www.infoworld.com/article/3246706/artificial-intelligence/ai-the-challenge-of-data.html |
The effect of colorful spots and glow in eyes, which can be seen in the pictures of humans and animals, is sometimes referred to as the “red-eye effect,” even though it is not necessarily red (Battiato 1302). Apart from that, animal eyes can glow while illuminated regardless of whether they are photographed or not (Wolpert 269). In both cases, this effect is the result of a combination of biological factors and light reflection, which, when studied, can help photographers to avoid the appearance of the spots and glow in their pictures (Battiato 1302; Battiato et al. 217).
The red eye effect is produced by the reflection of light, which is why it is typically the result of flashlight (for photography) or other types of illumination (Battiato et al. 218; Wolpert 269). In animals, the effect is explained by a particular layer in their eyes, which is called “tapetum lucidum.” Tapetum lucidum is a “biological mirror,” which exists to improve a creature’s vision in scant light by ensuring a “double pass” of photons through its retina, which enhances photon absorption (Wolpert 269-270). This eye layer is typical for nocturnal animals, including dogs and cats. The “double pass” is ensured due to the reflection of the light by the tapetum (the layer is usually found behind the retina, although it can sometimes appear within it as well), which means that the red-eye effect in animal pictures can be regarded as a side effect of tapetum’s natural function. It is noteworthy that the animal red-eye effect can result in a glow of different colors from blue to pink (Wolpert 270).
No tapetum can be located in the human eye, which explains the fact that the human ability to see in the dark is rather deficient. However, the human eye still has a surface that can reflect light, the choroid, which contains blood vessels and is located in the back of the eye (Battiato et al. 218; Wolpert 270). The fact that the light reflects from the blood-rich layer of the human eye explains the red color of the effect. Here, it should be pointed out that the primary function of the choroid is to provide nourishment for the eye, which explains the presence of blood vessels in it (Millodot 61-62). Thus, the red-eye effect can once again be described as a side effect of a function of an eye layer. However, it is noteworthy that this form of reflection does not always result in a red color. Indeed, if the part of the retina, which reflects the light during a particular photography session, does not have many blood vessels, the picture may have yellow or white spots (Battiato 1302). Thus, the red-eye effect for humans is not limited to shades of red.
To sum up, the red-eyed effect is a side effect of the functions of certain parts of human and animal eyes and a direct effect of light reflection. It is also noteworthy that the differences in the intensity of the effect depend on the angle of the reflected light, which, in turn, is determined by the opening of the pupil (Battiato 1302). Battiato et al. point out that this factor is exploited, for example, by flash brackets, which reduce the possibility of the red-eye effect by modifying the angle of the light (218). Thus, the study of the factors that cause the red-eye effect has a direct practical outcome: it allows finding the means of removing it from pictures (Battiato 1302; Battiato et al. 217).
Works Cited
Battiato, Sebastiano. “Single-Sensor Imaging Devices: An Overview.” Handbook of Digital Imaging, edited by Michael Kriss, John Wiley & Sons, 2015, pp. 1281-1310.
Battiato, Sebastiano, et al. “A Cluster-Based Boosting Strategy for Red Eye Removal.” Computational Intelligence in Image Processing, edited by Amitava Chatterjee and Patrick Siarry, Springer, 2013, pp. 217-251.
Millodot, Michel. Dictionary of Optometry and Visual Science. Elsevier, 2014.
Wolpert, Donald. “Biological Optics.” Biomimetics: Nature-Based Innovation, edited by Yoseph Bar-Cohen, CRC Press, 2012, pp. 267-307. | https://premium-papers.com/green-glow-in-animal-eyes-and-red-eye-photo-effect/ |
Rinchenpong Monastery is popular with tourists visiting West Sikkim for its scenic beauty and singular Buddha statue. It is situated on a mountain trail above the village of Rinchenpong. The villages of Kaluk and Rinchenpong are located at 5,500 ft. and about 5 hours by road from Siliguri. From the main Rinchenpong bazaar, a mountainous trail originates which leads to a bifurcated junction. Towards the left of this junction lies the Poison Pokhri, the famous poisoned lake, a symbol of resistance against foreign invasion. Further up from the Poison Pokhri, the trail continues amidst maize fields to a series of stony steps. The final climb of the stone staircase brings one to the Rinchenpong Monastery, situated amidst lush green mountains and floating clouds. A breathtaking view is one of the attractions of the place.
The entrance to the monastery is lined with colorful prayer flags. Housed in a traditional hut, the outer periphery is decorated with prayer wheels. Child lamas can be seen in and around the monastery as the place also serves as a training center for lamas. The main door and windows have intricate detailing in a myriad of colors. Inside, the Buddha statue is placed on a platform. Visitor entry is allowed in the sanctum but photography has recently been prohibited.
Kaluk:-
Kaluk is the small village located in the Himalayan foothills of West Sikkim, near the West Sikkim capital of Gyalshing. It is a tourist destination due to the natural beauty of the village and its surroundings, such as the town of Rinchenpong. Kangchenjunga, the world's third highest peak, is visible from Kaluk. It is one of the most windiest places in Sikkim and is famous for destinations like the Durga Mandir, Rinchenpong Gumba and Megi Dara. The people of this area are dependent on agriculture and horticulture for their livelihood. Of late, tourism is playing a role in this region and many are now dependant on tourism.
Dentam:-
Dentam is a scenic village located 10 km from Varsey in West Sikkim District. It lies at an elevation of around 1,500 m. Dentam commands a constant view of the Kanchenjunga. The entire area is surrounded by forest of rhododendrons. Pemayangtse Monastery (10 km), Ravangla (69 km) and Hilley are nearby interesting destinations to visit. The village is an ideal spot for bird watchers and nature lovers. Trekking and mountaineering are arranged here. Accommodation is available at Pelling and Pemayangtse.
Barsey Rhododendron Sanctuary:-
To reach Barsey, one first drives 60 km from Bermiok via Soreng, upto Hilley. From Hilley, it is four-kilometer trek. The sanctuary is west of National Highway 31A and Bermiok is connected to the National Highway by state roads via Melli-Nayabazar. The Barsey (altitude of 10,000ft,) Rhododendron Sanctuary lies in the south west corner of the West Sikkim district. Spreading over 104 sq. km, across the razor sharp Singalila Range, which forms the natural international border with Nepal. In the South the Rambong Khola separates it from West Bengal. Among the other points of entry, tourists generally prefer Hilley since it is approachable by road. The bridle path from Hilley to Barsey ( 4 Kms ) already exists and is a favourite amongst tourists specially during the Rhododendron flowering season.
The Barsey Rhododendron Sanctuary spans over the razor sharp Singalila Range. The climate is wet and cold favouring the spread of the dominant genus Rhododendron. July is the wettest month, with the average annual precipitation being in excess of 250 cm. The reaches above 2500m receive regular snowfall in winter. Clear skies can be experienced only from November to May. From the months of November to May, the flowers appear in their best form and it is also regarded as the best time to visit this sanctuary. | http://heebermiok.com/interest.php |
Dubrovnik islands are among the region’s top attractions and, even though most of them are small and uninhabited, they are very popular both with locals and tourists, as they provide a breath of fresh air during the crowded summer season.
Lokrum island
Lokrum is usually the first stop for travellers looking to do some island hopping during their stay in Dubrovnik. Only a short boat ride from the Old Town, Lokrum is an oasis of natural wonders, well known for its Botanical Garden and a small salt lake known as the Dead Sea. The island is also home to a deserted Benedictine monastery dating back to 1023 and Fort Royal, a fortress built by the French in 1806 that offers a spectacular view of the island and Dubrovnik Old Town. Today, Lokrum is a Nature Reserve and a Special Forest Vegetation Reserve.
Elaphiti Islands
The Elaphiti Islands are an archipelago stretching just to the northwest of Dubrovnik, and easy to reach from the old city. With a total population of 850 inhabitants, the islands draw large numbers of visitors during the summer season with their pristine scenery, lush Mediterranean vegetation and stunning beaches. Only three of the 13 Elaphites are inhabited – Lopud, Šipan and Koločep – and each has a well-developed tourism infrastructure.
Koločep and Lopud are car-free, offering a perfect getaway from the city and plenty of places to enjoy a tranquil day out. Koločep is known for the Blue Cave, easily accessed by swimmers, and a number of old buildings and churches, some of which date back to the 9th century. Lopud also makes an excellent destination for a day trip, with a number of 15th and 16th century churches and plenty of opportunities for long walks along the island’s paths. Šipan, the largest of the Elaphiti Islands, is also known for its old churches and remains of summer houses built by Dubrovnik aristocrats over the centuries.
Dubrovnik island tours
Several larger islands that are a bit farther away are also popular with visitors who stay in Dubrovnik for a week or longer. Hvar, Mljet, Korčula and Brač are well connected with the old city by ferry routes and offer plenty of stunning beaches, natural and historic attractions for visitors to explore. Hvar, the fourth largest of all Croatian islands and sunniest island of the Adriatic, is known for its vineyards and fields of lavender, sage, rosemary and thyme, as well as for its rich cultural heritage and historic buildings. Mljet is best known for its National Park, which covers more than two thirds of the island, and the Odysseus Cave, where the Greek hero is said to have found shelter after surviving a shipwreck.
Korčula is one of the country’s most treasured islands, but not quite as overrun by tourists as Brač and Hvar. The island’s Old Town is known as mini-Dubrovnik because it looks similar and is also very well preserved. Brač, the single largest Croatian island, is known for its wine and agricultural products, as well as for the famous Brač stone, used to build many historic buildings, including the White House in Washington and Reichstag in Berlin. The island is also home to the Golden Horn (Zlatni Rat), one of the best known beaches in the Adriatic.
Accommodation on the Dubrovnik Riviera
Guests looking to explore the charms of the islands around Dubrovnik can find comfortable accommodation at Villas Mlini, a complex of modern apartments only 10 km from the old city. Located in Mlini, an idyllic small town with a rich cultural and historic heritage, the complex offers a cosy alternative to hotels for tourists who prefer a more homey setting, with a special discount for those who book a minimum stay of seven nights.
Villas Mlini is part of the Dubrovnik Riviera Hotels complex, which offers a variety of options to ensure that guest make the best of their holiday, from day trips to Dubrovnik and other popular destinations along the coast to excursions to Lokrum and the Elaphiti Islands.
Images: Pixabay, Wikimedia Commons/Karel Hrdina (Korcula Town), Jaganjac (Great Lake on Mljet), Jerrye and Roy Klotz (Lokrum monastery). | http://www.dubrovnik-travels.com/dubrovnik-islands/ |
Chennai is a vibrant and exciting Indian city and has its own distinct art and culture scene. This 369 year-old city, once known as Madras, is a gateway to South India and has a long art and culture tradition. Since its independence, it has become the centre of the Tamil movie industry as well as a hotbed of traditional dance. During the annual Music Season, the city hosts hundreds of traditional Carnatic music performances. It is one of the best destinations in India for art and culture lovers.
When you decide to stay in Chennai, you will be able to visit many excellent art galleries and learn about the ancient and modern art traditions. Each of the museums within the city will give you its own unique angle of local culture and history.
Here are a few of the best museums and art galleries in Chennai that you can visit during your holiday in order to soak up the culture:
The Government Museum
The Government Museum of Chennai is one of the most visited attractions within the city and it includes six independent museums with 46 galleries. This museum embodies the broadest and most comprehensive take on the artwork and culture of Chennai, including both archaeological exhibits as well as traditional artwork.
The museum opened in the days of colonial rule in 1896 and it is thought to be one of the oldest museums in India. This impressive museum contains a collection of artefacts and artwork including a botany section, archaeology section, zoology section, bronze gallery, children’s museum and art gallery. Allow lots of time for exploring this huge museum, as there is plenty to see.
The National Art Gallery
This beautiful red sandstone building was constructed in 1907, inspired by Mughal architecture and representing a typical Indo-Saracenic structure. The architecture of the building is just as impressive as the artwork inside, so take the time to have a good look around while you are here. The gallery’s collection includes sculptures, metal work, medieval handicrafts and paintings from throughout the ages. Don’t miss the truly beautiful Tanjore paintings on glass.
The Rock and Cave Art Gallery
This fascinating gallery gives you an opportunity to see some of the amazing rock and cave art which is usually hidden away in remote areas. This gallery was set up after field study and academic research were conducted by a team from the museum department and it uses modern technology such as touch screens to allow visitors to learn more about cave art. The gallery displays rock art from sites all over India.
The Vivekananda House
This museum is named after Swami Vivekananda, who was known for being a “wandering monk.” He is known for being a liaison between Western and Eastern religions and bringing Hinduism to the forefront in the later part of the 19th century. This building was his former residence and is now a museum of his life, with period furniture, paintings, memorabilia and even a meditation room.
Art Deco Architecture at Parry’s Corner
If you are interested in architecture, be sure to pay a visit to Parry’s Corner. This is one of the best preserved Art Deco architectural areas in all of India, with beautiful building facades around every corner.
Art Deco was a popular design movement that flourished throughout the world from the 1920s to the 1940s. Its characteristics include stepped motifs, geometric designs and a sleek modernity compared to the extravagant and ornate styles of the past. Parry’s Corner is a fantastic place to take photographs, so spend some time wandering around the charming buildings and exploring all the little nooks and crannies.
Fort Museum
A great place to learn about the history of Chennai is the Fort Museum, which is located inside the Exchange Building on the grounds of Fort St. George. This museum features period costumes and weapons from the British colonial days, including uniforms and several portraits of prominent citizens.
These are just a few of the many great museums and galleries within the city of Chennai that you will be able to enjoy on your visit. Take your time exploring and enjoy! | https://backpacking-travel-blog.com/destinations/an-art-lovers-guide-to-chennai/ |
This past Saturday, July 30th, marked the 57th anniversary of the passage of the Medicare and Medicaid Act. In our nation’s long, slow march to assuring quality, affordable healthcare for all, this legislation was a significant leap forward at time when a pervasive lack of healthcare access drove tens of millions of working families and seniors deeper and deeper into poor health, poverty and death.
Today, sadly, we still have a long way to go to assure that there is quality, affordable healthcare for all. But we do have an opportunity during the current General Assembly in Raleigh, and current Congress in Washington, to make important progress in this vital area.
All of us concerned about justice and equality need to keep urging our lawmakers to pass two important pieces of legislation: a bill that will expand Medicaid here in North Carolina, and a bill that will close the Medicaid coverage gap in all other states that have not expanded their programs.
Right now in the twelve states that have not expanded Medicaid, more than two million people remain stuck in the Medicaid coverage gap that the Affordable Care Act was designed to close. What’s more, of those twelve, only North Carolina and South Dakota are seriously considering expansion — here through legislative action, and there though a ballot initiative. Expanding Medicaid here in North Carolina would reverse more than a decade of senseless and cruel denial of the health and economic benefits that expansion would deliver.
Unfortunately, in the other 10 non-expansion states, there is no current hope of closing the coverage gap other than through action by Congress.
As a Black woman with two daughters who have serious health problems, but who have been inadequately treated or even made worse because they’re trapped in the Medicaid coverage gap, I feel the injustice and indignity of our state’s failure to expand Medicaid every day. I see the same impact every day in my work as a healthcare organizer and advocate, especially among the Black and Brown women who have advocated with me for expansion through Action NC’s Race and Gender Equity Initiative.
In non-expansion states, two-thirds of people who can’t get access to Medicaid are people of color. People of color are more likely to have low-wage jobs that don’t offer affordable coverage, and one in four people with medical debt in collections is a person of color. It’s hard to believe, but in our rich nation millions of people every year incur medical debt that damages their credit and impedes their ability to get housing, go to school, or provide for their children because they don’t have adequate insurance. States like ours that have not expanded Medicaid have the highest rates of medical debt, which is now the top source of all debt in our country.
It’s plainly unfair that such a disproportionate share of those still in the Medicaid coverage gap are from southern states. This disparity deepens our differences and widens the gap between rich and poor, Black and white, North and South.
Access to healthcare should not depend on zip code, job or income. As the medical debt numbers show, affordable access is vital not only to better health, but also to economic security and stability. Without it, individuals are one sickness, one car accident, or one on-the-job injury from hardship or bankruptcy.
The prospects for passing a federal reconciliation bill that addresses healthcare access, tax fairness and climate change are looking up now that Senators Manchin and Schumer have reached an agreement about what the bill would include. It’s not a done deal, but the exasperation so many of us have felt during this saga has turned again to hope. Disappointingly, it won’t be the bill originally proposed. Whether or not it will provide for closing the Medicaid coverage gap is an open question. If it’s not included, there may be other chances to get it passed this fall in different bills. Either way, Congress can’t give up.
But the best route to coverage in North Carolina is for the state General Assembly to act. Our organization will keep pushing for it, as will many other good groups and the large majority in the state who favor expansion. For other states, we must keep pushing Democrats in Congress to close the coverage gap. Sadly, the unanimous opposition of Republicans in the House and the Senate to the reconciliation bill and all the good it will do, like lowering prescription drug prices, will not change.
During the pandemic, expanding Medicaid eligibility was a vital lifeline provided by the Biden administration and Congress, just as it has been in many other crises from hurricanes to terrorist attacks. There is no principled or fair argument against making this lifeline available to millions of people in need at all times rather than just during emergencies. Now is the time to tell our state legislators, and Representatives and Senators in Washington to do their jobs and pass these bills. My daughters, and millions of deserving people just like them, are counting on us.
Carrol Olinger is the Cumberland County Director of Action NC. | https://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/2022/08/01/cumberland-county-activist-and-mom-now-is-the-time-to-close-the-healthcare-coverage-gap/#sthash.bna0IAE6.mWbc9O1L.dpbs |
Part of the Commodities Analysis Community within Barry Callebaut sourcing department, the Oils & Fats Analyst is responsible to provide timely and actionable procurement and trading insights about global supply and demand for the Sourcing teams around the world (15+ people; >200-500 Mio TO) to assist in making sound decisions with regards to buying these ingredients. This role collaborates extensively with market specialists, traders, suppliers and customers; and involves analyses of how supply and consumption patterns, macroeconomic volatility, trade environments (quotas, tariffs and or incentives), and the availability of substitutes affect supply, demand, trade flows and consequently commodity prices. The goal consists in anticipating the market for the commodities under your responsibility and offering the best strategy relating to our portfolio exposure. Daily communication within the team is a must, but customer advice and presentations are also key to the role.
Key responsibilities include
- Analyze fundamental drivers and market trends impacting commodities prices
- Understand farmer and industry behavior, costs of production, supply chain logistics, stock levels, and consumption trends
- Study macro-economic, political, foreign exchange, and speculative developments
- Track meteorological patterns and impact on crop/markets
- Analyze futures markets and understand spreads, basis behavior, arbitrages Identify threats and opportunities prior to market reaction
- Develop mid/long term price forecasts
- Determine critical vs. beneficial data/sources of information within an allocated budget
- Build your own Supply & Demand balance, finding best indicators to evaluate stocks situation
- Automating data gathering and utilizing visualization tools, with the aim of in-house full-stack data analysis. (Excel, SQL, Python, Tableau)
- Maintain a network of key sources of information within the supply chain (farmers, transformers, advisers, brokers, officials, etc…)
- Participate in industry conferences as well as workshops
- Communicate results and incentivize rapport with the Sourcing teams on a daily/weekly basis (with the Americas, Europe, and Asia)
- Develop and disseminate formal weekly/monthly market presentations directly to top management, internal stakeholders and customers
Create and communicate market presentations as needed
- Participate in scheduled/unscheduled conference calls with customers/sales to discuss commodity markets and assist sales personnel
About you
- Bachelor’s degree preferably in Agronomy-Agriculture or Business, Economics, Finance, Statistics, actuarial science.
- 1 – 3 years’ experience in market analysis/purchasing preferably with a trading/food processing company
- Good understanding the Oils & fats supply chain knowledge globally is a plus
- Sourcing/trading experience is a plus
- Strong analytical skills preferably in commodity markets.
- Ability to utilize, or understand the use of, the latest data science, data management, and visualization tools.
- Excellent communication skills (verbal and written). | https://jobs.barry-callebaut.com/job/Zurich-Commodities-Market-Analyst-ZH-8005/873353800/ |
Jockey Club 'Multicultural Leaders of the World' Programme is a territory-wide youth training Programme which welcome form 3 – 5 Chinese and non-Chinese students from different schools to participate. It is fully funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. Hence, this Programme is FREE OF CHARGE. It aims to increase the students’ understanding and practice of Cultural Intelligence (CQ), foster the understanding and collaboration among Chinese and non-Chinese youths, and empower participants’ skills development, community involvement, global and cultural exposure, as well as increasing their awareness of social harmony in order to construct a multicultural harmonious Hong Kong society.
Programme introduction:
Details of Programme below:
Multicultural School Sharing (Sept – Dec 2021) (Online / At school) (The application will be started in early Aug 2021!)
Guest speaker from cross-cultural backgrounds will be invited to conduct sharing to enhance students' understanding in multi-cultural concepts, cultural awareness and Cultural Intelligence (CQ). We hope students can understand more about the important concepts, such as multi-culture and Cultural Intelligence (CQ), as well as how to face and tackle the conflicts and challenges related to culture, to further equip themselves for their future study and work.
Stage 1: Hi! Me (Jan – May 2022) (The application will be started in Sept 2021!)
Selected participants will form cross-cultural teams to look into and understand the innovative cases from around the world. Then design to apply those cases to solve the social problems happening in Hong Kong, using their own video to introduce. This stage enables participants to enhance their understanding towards multi-culture, Cultural Intelligence, Sustainable Development Goals and Design Thinking, also to enhance their confidence and personal understanding, cross-cultural teamwork, problem solving skills, a sense of community involvement and contribution.
After completing Stage 1, participants with outstanding performances would be eligible to participate in more training and activities (Jun – Dec 2022):
- Local multicultural day camp (i.e. community exploration and international exchange with hybrid mode)
- Design and organize multicultural activities in the community/ at school
- Singapore learning exchange (depends on the pandemic situation)
*The activities may be adjusted according to the pandemic development and the government health measurements. The organiser, WEDO GLOBAL, will reserve the rights to make the final decision.
Organizer:
Funded by: | https://www.wedoglobal.com/en/trips/program-details |
Persona is based on an ideology that by categorizing characters into archetypes, you can know their background, which in turn shows their motivations, and then, allows you to predict their behavior. It's the difference between knowing your character and just allowing your character to evolve. To put it more bluntly, it is the difference between deliberately crafting a compelling character and hoping that the character turns out the way you wanted.
Packed inside Persona are 32 archetypal themes - good guys and bad guys. These archetypes are described in detail: personality traits, qualities, flaws, background, occupations, and how they interact with other personalities. Whether your character is a brainiac talking fish or an outcast orphanage owner, Persona helps you explore how each one's unique psychology and background influences their dealings and dialogue.
Choose a name and know its origin and meaning from one of the 16,000 names included in the Names database - or, add your own. | https://shop.collegebuys.org/mariner-software-mariner-persona-mac-download-p1815.aspx |
East Africa: Conference On Artisanal Fishing Regroups Representatives of Several Indian Ocean Islands
A four-day conference on the theme L'Evolution de la Pêche Artisanale dans l'océan Indien : Contraintes, Perspectives et Stratégies kicked-off, today, at Le Four à Chaux Restaurant in Trou d'Eau Douce. This conference is being organised by the Trou d'Eau Douce Fishermen Co-operative Society Ltd in collaboration with the Ministry of Industrial Development, SMEs and Cooperatives, and the Fédération des Pêcheurs Artisans de l'océan Indien (FPAOI).
Some 30 participants from Mauritius, Seychelles, Comoros, Madagascar, and Reunion Island are attending the conference, which aims at sharing best practices in the field of artisanal fishing and at reflecting on the future of this sector in Mauritius.
The Minister of Industrial Development, SMEs and Cooperatives, Mr Soomilduth Bholah, the Minister of Blue Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping, Mr Sudheer Maudhoo, and other eminent personalities were present at the opening ceremony.
In his address, Minister Bholah highlighted that this conference comes at an opportune time as representatives of several countries will be able to discuss and share their experience, as well as constraints and opportunities offered by artisanal fishing. He however recognised that local fishermen nowadays face several difficulties as there is a decrease in fish population around the island. As such, he added, the FPAOI is invited to provide viable solutions through their expertise, knowledge and experience in artisanal fishing.
Minister Bholah underscored that, in addition to the measures being implemented by the Ministry of Blue Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping, his Ministry is providing several facilities to fishermen cooperative societies. They include, among others, a scheme for acquiring fishing boat engines, and a refrigerated truck put at the disposal of cooperative societies to ease the transportation of their catch in good sanitary conditions, he added.
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For his part, Minister Maudhoo underlined that the FPAOI, through this conference, will try and find solutions so as to ease the life of local artisanal fishermen. Following the four-day conference, he pointed out, representations will be forwarded to his Ministry so that Government can find new means to support local fishermen.
The Blue Economy Minister also indicated that Rs 25 million have been earmarked for coral culture as well as for repopulating the lagoon. He added that, as from next week, training in coral culture will be offered to fishermen in front of four hotels, with the collaboration of the latters. This endeavour, he observed, will encourage the collaboration between Government, hotels and the fisherman community so as to restore the marine ecosystem around the island and some 1,000 fishermen are expected to benefit from this training.
In addition, he commended the Trou d'Eau Douce Fishermen Co-operative Society Ltd for having come up will a value chain system whereby it provides cool boxes to fishermen to ensure freshness of their daily catch. He informed that a selection of products is then sold directly to a hotel of the region at a higher price, and encourages other cooperative societies to adopt the same practice which, according to him, enables fishermen to increase their revenue.
Minister Maudhoo also dwelt on the various existing schemes already in place so as to ensure Government's support to the local fishermen community.
AllAfrica publishes around 700 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.
AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa - aggregating, producing and distributing 700 news and information items daily from over 100 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public. We operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Abuja, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington DC. | |
The Rise of the Decentralized Organization
Around the world, hierarchy has long been known as the standard organizational structure.
However, organizations from startups to multinational corporations are coming to view flatter, more egalitarian structures as much more effective than hierarchies.
In today’s increasingly fast-paced business environment, companies are experimenting with a variety of decentralized structures. In some cases, decentralization represents the full culmination of the organization’s vision; in others, it’s a response to changing times.
What Decentralization Looks Like
Centralized organizations have a clear chain of command that travels through the levels of their hierarchy. While decentralized organizations may have a hierarchy, they delegate decision-making to individual teams, empowering them to take action on their own. In a decentralized organization, decision making happens as low on the chain of command as possible, explain O. C. Ferrell, John Fraedrich, and Linda Ferrell in Business Ethics 2009 Update: Ethical Decision Making and Cases.
The teams still need to make sure their actions align with an agreed-upon vision and broader plan. However, they might make up their own rules and determine their individual processes, reaching consensus on them as a team.
Divisions of a decentralized company might independently handle all aspects of their operations or only particular ones, say Carl S. Warren, James M. Reeve, and Jonathan Duchac in Accounting. They might exist in the same building or over a broad geographical space.
No company is fully centralized or decentralized, asserts Andrew J. DuBrin in Essentials of Management. Instead, there are degrees of both. The degree of decentralization that’s right for a company depends on its size, culture, and strategy.
Franchises embody a combination of centralization and decentralization, says DuBrin. For example, Subway gives local stores control over hiring, but a centralized headquarters makes decisions about things like menu and marketing, he explains.
Johnson & Johnson, well-known for its decentralized structure, has over 200 units that function autonomously. Some focus on particular components of a product, requiring cooperation between such units.
A more extreme level of decentralization that aims to eliminate hierarchy altogether usually won’t work for a massive corporation, according to Forbes. Often called a “flat” structure, this tends to work best for smaller startups and medium-size companies. The gaming company Valve has embraced this structure, eliminating job titles and allowing employees to work on or initiate any project they choose. Such a structure might germinate a great deal of creativity within a young company, but it will probably need to be adapted as the company grows.
Decentralization: Should Your Company Be Doing It?
Read our guide to the benefits and challenges of decentralization
Roots of Decentralization
The dominant societal institutions – namely, the government, the military, and the church – have long had a centralized structure, so it's only natural that corporations followed suit by embracing centralization as the standard.
As the team-based approach has gained prevalence in the corporate world, companies have worked to create more egalitarian structures that model values of teamwork and individual empowerment.
The military's own movements toward decentralization of combat units have also provided lessons for the corporate world. In the Iraq war, when Al-Qaeda forces were winning battles, the U.S. Army moved to empower highly trained combat units to make their own decisions in real time. Their increased agility paid off, along with their connection to a centralized information hub.
However, decentralization is hardly a new concept. According to BusinessNews Publishing, industries tend to move back and forth between being more centralized and more decentralized depending on an array of societal forces.
Early railroad companies in the U.S. were largely decentralized, and this structure worked quite well for them, Gerrit Broekstra explains in Building High-Performance, High-Trust Organizations. Still, this didn't last too long. According to Broekstra, the banking industry's focus on centralized structure would largely eradicate decentralization from American industry by the end of the nineteenth century.
Vision and Benefits
Taking steps toward decentralization can produce major results when a company pinpoints the right level of decentralization for its operations.
- Flexibility: Decentralized organizations have a great deal of flexibility compared to centralized ones. They can adapt to change or make decisions quickly, instead of putting every decision through a rigorous bureaucratic review. Nowadays, change happens too fast for hierarchical organizations to respond to it.
- Information-processing ability: New and emerging systems constantly aggregate vast amounts of user data and information on company performance. Centralized management simply can't respond effectively to such information in a timely manner. Specialized teams with narrow areas of focus are much more agile.
- Increased morale: Decentralizing provides more employees with the opportunity to step into leadership roles, giving them a sense of empowerment. In turn, the organization can benefit from having a plethora of empowered leaders rather than a select few.
- Development of expertise: As a result of this narrow focus, managers in divisions of a decentralized corporation have expertise in managing within a particular area of operations.
- Error mitigation: According to William Weldon, former chair and CEO of Johnson & Johnson, "The problem with centralization is if one person makes one mistake, it can cripple the whole organization." In a decentralized company, he asserts, "you don't have to worry about making that one big mistake."
- Ability to pinpoint strengths and weaknesses: Decentralization also helps companies pinpoint where mistakes and successes occur. In 1999, Forbes wrote about a highly successful decentralized company called Illinois Tool Works. Split into an array of units each handling a different function, the company would split up units even further if they started greatly outperforming or falling behind the competition. Decentralization allowed the company to pinpoint exactly what was working and what wasn't based on the successes and failures of particular units.
- Reliance on local insight: Decentralization makes sense in a globalized world because local talent has more insight on how to market to and manage their own people. In Japan, local businesspeople run Johnson & Johnson's operations for this very reason.
- Ability to cope with adversity: Decentralized companies are more "recession-proof," according to a recent study. Rather than a centralized CEO making aggressive job cuts and plant closures, local staff buckle down and find ways to boost productivity.
Challenges of Decentralization
Companies working to decentralize should negotiate the following challenges:
- Implementing change: Implementing organizational changes in a decentralized company may take a long time as there may not be a fast, clear, or accepted system for making such changes.
- Coordination between teams: This poses a primary challenge for decentralized organizations. In such companies, teams can become information silos. Developing individuals' ability to collaborate across teams is the solution.
- Redundancy of roles: Additionally, decentralization can lead to redundancy of roles across divisions. Different sales or customer service staff might be hired for different divisions as opposed to one set of staff to fulfilling this function. That's not necessarily a problem if they're more effective than one centralized set of staff, but a company must evaluate whether avoiding such overlap is beneficial.
- Social impacts: Ferrell, Fraedrich, and Ferrell point out potential implications of decentralization on corporate social responsibility. It's possible that lower-level teams that are authorized to make decisions about something impacting the community won't make the most ethical or informed decisions, which impacts the reputation of the whole company. Oversight of such decisions or having people with the relevant expertise on such teams can potentially remedy this issue.
Decentralized Autonomous Organizations
Decentralization can go a step further: decentralized autonomous organizations. Such an organization is a vast system (or a system with the potential to become vast) that adapts to user needs, tracks spending and preferences, and dispurses profits without the need for centralized oversight.
In such organizations, something called "blockchain technology" allows the system to function entirely without centralized management. The system has a mechanism for generating feedback loops about user preferences so that it can adapt products, services, or even system rules according to their needs.
Blockchain technologies also have the ability to safeguard users' privacy, as no centralized authority needs to have their information.
These technologies keep an electronic record of user data and transactions that requires no centralized accounting. Bitcoin is one of the best examples. The currency functions wholly without a centralized bank, automatically tracking what all users send and receive.
Such organizations may distribute profits to users throughout the network rather than to a centralized hub, as stated by Forbes.
These systems are still in the experimental stages, but some companies partially follow such a framework – Uber is one example.
Evolutionary theory can be considered as forming the basis of these organizations. Through the selection of members, a product or service evolves over time; it's never seen as "finished."
Decentralization: Should Your Company Be Doing It?
Read our guide to the benefits and challenges of decentralization
Does Decentralization Work for Both Existing Companies and Startups?
Decentralizing a long-standing company might take perseverance, as hierarchical structures are deeply entrenched in the corporate world. However, many corporations have successfully made bold moves toward decentralizing their operations. Ultimately, as such organizations tend to have many experienced employees ready to take on greater leadership roles, decentralization can significantly boost their morale and capacity.
Corporations should carefully evaluate the degree of decentralization that will work for their size. Extreme decentralization is not necessarily better.
Zappos, for instance, made a move toward something called holacracy, which gets rid of centralized hierarchy by eliminating titles and bosses. However, employees began leaving in droves (taking the company up on its buyout option) because of confusion and dwindling motivation – after all, there was no career ladder to climb, reports The Atlantic. Whether the tide will turn for Zappos' experiment with holacracy remains to be seen.
Creating and empowering smaller divisions with decision-making authority while retaining centralized corporate oversight may be a wiser move for most large companies.
For instance, Unilever decentralized as it expanded, with its divisions throughout the world acting as "self-sufficient units" that could respond effectively to local market conditions. However, it hasn't done away with headquarters and job titles quite yet.
Startups might be too small to have much to decentralize, but it's never too soon to start planning how the structure will evolve as the company grows. Putting a plan in place before the company expands will ensure those tough decisions don't have to be made just when business is booming and new hires are coming on board. It's crucial to know where they fit in before they arrive.
If you're considering changing your organizational structure, ask yourself how it should look as your company continues to expand. Imagine how it might shift five or ten years down the road. You'll be more agile and able to seize opportunities when you're prepared to delegate well. | https://www.goco.io/blog/rise-decentralized-organization/ |
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/191,742 filed on May 21, 2021, the entire contents of which is incorporated by reference herein.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The presently disclosed subject matter relates to a tool for temporary fastener placement, typically used during fabrication of metal components.
BACKGROUND
FIG. 1
FIG. 2
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In sheet metal fabrication and assembly, particularly in the area of aircraft manufacturing, it is frequently necessary for two metal parts to be temporarily joined together. Traditional cleco pliers (), similar to those found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,328,866 and 2,755,541, are used to install and remove temporary sheet metal fasteners, known as clecos (), similar to those in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,136,875 and 8,534,651. Clecos are inserted in match drilled holes to temporarily hold two or more parts in place, so that riveting, drilling, sizing, cutting, fitting, filing, deburring, bending and other metal fabrication tasks may be accomplished with accuracy. The cleco is typically cylindrical in shape, and contains a plunger () at one end, with expandable prongs () on the opposing end, which are activated by an internal spring.
FIG. 1
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Traditional cleco pliers (), used to install and remove clecos, have changed very little since their introduction in the early 20century. Traditional cleco pliers have opposing handles () at one end for the user's hand (), and are attached by a pivot (). At the opposite side of the pivot () there are jaws (), which engage the cleco when the pliers' jaws () are squeezed together. The jaws of the cleco pliers are composed of a concave, integral or attached, piece () on one jaw () of the pliers, and a C shaped, integral or attached, piece () on the opposing jaw () of the pliers. The concave attachment () on one jaw () rests against the cleco plunger (), and depresses it when the user squeezes the pliers. At the same time, a C-shaped attachment () on the opposing jaw (), catches a ridge () which wraps around the circumference of the cleco body (), providing an opposing force. This causes the cleco () to activate.
FIG. 1
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While durable, and cheap to produce, traditional cleco pliers () put the user's hand, wrist, and arm, at an awkward angle relative to the cleco and work surface. This awkward angle is uncomfortable and inefficient in power transfer. The traditional cleco pliers do not take advantage of the natural movement or angle of the hand, wrist, and arm. As a result, over the course of repeated uses, this awkward position can cause fatigue, pain, and undue stress to body parts and aggravate repetitive stress injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome and various forms of arthritis. This is because of an improper handle axis angle ().
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Aside from being inefficient and uncomfortable, the traditional cleco pliers handle axis angle () also makes it very difficult to engage the cleco in a confined space. The traditional handle axis angle is close to horizontal, relative to the work surface (). As a result, the cleco pliers protrude out across the workspace inconveniently when the pliers engage the cleco. This presents challenges when attempting to insert and remove clecos where multiple parts or other clecos are present nearby. Inserting clecos near the intersection of two or more parts, can be impossible.
Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide an improvement that addresses the above-noted disadvantages.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a side view of a traditional cleco tool;
FIG. 2
is a side view of a cleco; and
FIG. 3
is a front view of a tool for actuating a cleco according to one or more embodiments disclosed herein;
FIG. 4
is a side view of a tool for actuating a cleco according to one or more embodiments disclosed herein; and
FIG. 5
is a bottom view of a tool for actuating a cleco according to one or more embodiments disclosed herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Below, the technical solutions in the examples of the present invention are depicted clearly and comprehensively with reference to the figures according to the examples of the present invention. Obviously, the examples depicted here are merely some examples, but not all examples of the present invention. In general, the components in the examples of the present invention depicted and shown in the figures herein can be arranged and designed according to different configurations. Thus, detailed description of the examples of the present invention provided in the figures below are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention as claimed, but merely represent selected examples of the present invention. On the basis of the examples of the present invention, all of other examples that could be obtained by a person skilled in the art without using inventive efforts will fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.
FIGS. 3, 4, and 5
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As illustrated in reference to , a tool for use in A tool for use in installing and removing a cleco fastener is generally designated . The tool includes a main body of the tool. The main body defines an elongated length. A grip pocket radially extends from the main body and is configured for receiving a shoulder/ridge extending from a cylindrical body of the cleco . A pusher surface is spaced-apart along the length of the main body from the grip pocket and also radially extends outwardly of the main body and is configured for pushing a plunger extending from the cylinder body of the cleco . The pusher surface is configured for slidable movement along a portion of the length of main body . A handle is slidably received within the main body and coupled with the pusher surface to provide translation to the pusher surface to engage the plunger of the cleco to activate the cleco as described in the background herein. The handle is slideable in the same direction as a longitudinal extending through the length of the main body . In this manner, push-pull forces on the tool will activate the cleco. This is advantageous over the prior art designs as discussed since the tool can be used in tight and less accommodating spaces.
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The grip pocket is at a terminal end of the main body , and defines a flat bottom surface for being rested against a working surface. This advantageously allows for the tool to be positioned against the working surface and provide stability to the tool, without utilizing excess working space. The main body may define a recess through which the pusher surface extends from. The main body may define a cross-bar that extends in a horizontal direction that is parallel to a direction of the handle , such that a user may grip both the cross-bar and the handle to actuate the handle.
The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application or technical improvement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.
Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood to one of ordinary skill in the art to which the presently disclosed subject matter pertains. Although any methods, devices, and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the presently disclosed subject matter, representative methods, devices, and materials are now described.
The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application or technical improvement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein. | |
The social network VKontakte has launched automatic subtitles in Russian using its own speech recognition technology, the company told reporters.
The text is generated automatically. Unlike others of this kind, the development of "VKontakte" is able to set punctuation marks and capital letters, distribute the text over a frame and control the accuracy of its appearance at the time of the pronunciation of the phrase in the video.
In addition to speech recognition technology, the automatic subtitles use machine learning algorithms and intelligent noise reduction technology of video calls.
In the future, the developers plan to train the technology to separate the speech of the characters in the video into different replicas, which will make it easier to read while watching.
Now the new subtitles are available in experimental mode for part of the audience in popular videos and videos from verified communities in the web version and mobile application of VKontakte. | https://madeinrussia.ru/en/news/6126 |
Security Plan and Training Program Assignment 2020
In this particular report, the various different electronic, human and physical holdings which could be facing risks as a result of the snags in an establishment’s securities would be analysed.
The organisation comprises of a total of 1000 staffs working under its roof which is located in a separated, multi – storied building of a central business district in a highly advanced city.
After having properly analysed the possible threats and the risks, we would be determining the actual as well as the potential threats which are likely to surface and cause hard to the electronic, human as well as the physical holdings of the establishment.
After the threats and the risks have been analysed, they would assist in the formulation of a security plan in covering the various different counter – steps which could or should be undertaken in managing the electronic, human and the physical threats and safeguard the establishments from risks in the future.
Then on, on the basis of the findings, we would have to come up with an effective and efficient “information security education and awareness programme” which would be aimed at educating the contractors, the staff as well as the management regarding the various aspects of security (Kebbel-Wyen, 2016),.
A security plan leads to the creation of guidelines for ensuring an organisation’s safety from various sorts of threats and risks that might come about as a consequence of the evolving technologies as well as the needs of the businesses around the world.
The essentiality of the downloading and the publishing to the appropriate external entities and must be communicated in an effective manner to the workers as well.
The aspect of security is highly complex and it constitutes several different aspects out of the existing factors there also are a few other aspects that are required to be present at all times in order to make sure that a certain organisation or establishment is safe at all times.
The other aspects could be integrated at a later time as and when the necessity arises. All of these factors come together for the formulation of a security plan which is foolproof for any given establishment.
For ensuring that a particular security plan is effective and efficient, it is highly important that the plan is implemented at the inter – organisational, organisational as well as the individual levels.
An effective security plan comprises of the policies which safeguard all the various different business assets which include the electronic, human or the physical assets.
Security planning has been seen to be either non – existent or either heavily lacking in seriousness and depth in many of the organisations today.
They issue is often ignored and the need for an effective security system is often realised only after a company has incurred a heavy loss owing to a breach in the security.
For protecting the most important organisational resources, it is highly essential that an establishment takes care of the national as well as the state security measures and this makes security planning a very important consideration.
Security planning is also required for the safety and health of the public as well as for the economic growth and prosperity. It is also needed such that everyone can ensure his or her smooth livelihood.
Described below are the various holdings of the establishment which could be at risk:
The assets of a business establishment are, in general, referred to as the physical holdings which are always at a constant risk. Hence, it is the responsibility of the contractors, the consultants as well as the employees to safeguard the non – tangible as well as the tangible assets of that establishment. Damages might include risks to the office building from accidental fire or earthquakes, to other electronic gadgets such as the vending machines, the air conditioners, printers, desktops, laptops among others (Alexander, 2008).
These basically include the contractors, the management as well as the staff who are working or are connected to the establishment. In this particular case, the human holdings are the 1000 human personnel who are working for the organisation throughout the hierarchical structure from the CEO to the peon.
These include all the electronic machineries which the company possesses along with all the intangible data. A lot of the establishments are attempting to go paperless which gives rise to the risk of hackers hacking into the classified sites of the establishment.
Majorly the physical threats are connected to the natural calamities or the accidents which physically harm an organisation’s properties and hence cause in disruption in an organisation’s usual working conditions.
This might be inclusive of internal and external fire, external and internal flooding, typhoons, tidal waves, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and earthquake.
If the establishment is situated close to an ocean or a sea then there are greater chances that the establishment would be affected as a result of external or internal flooding or even by the tidal waves.
Physical threats could include accidents, natural disasters or attacks which cause harm to the organisation’s physical holdings. Hence, a security plan becomes very necessary in determining the risks which an establishment might have to face in future (Peek-Asa, 2017).
These are also referred to as technical threats as fluctuations or failure in the power supply might essentially result in damages to the electronic components. The failure in air conditioning, ventilation as well as excessive heating might also be treated as an electronic threat.
If such issues are not taken note of then they might cause significant amount of trouble to the establishment in the future. Several other problems in this regard could also be the failure or the malfunctioning of the CPU which might put an organisation’s electronic database at risk.
Other such threats include failure in communications or telecommunications, nuclear fallouts, gas leaks among others.
There are a lot of different aspects that need to be incorporated under an effective security plan for it to be useful and also for countering the various risks. These have been discussed as under:
These are the most vital security measures that are undertaken in order to protect an organisation’s physical assets.
The protection of the assets, nonetheless, need to be noted during the stage of recruitment itself and must be monitored effectively when the person is employed under the establishment.
It has to be the duty of the consultants, the contractors and the employees to safeguard the non – tangible as well as the tangible assets of the establishment against all destructions and harms.
In the situations of any suspected or real threat to the assets of the company, an employee must report to their respective manager prior to that turning into a larger security threat.
An establishment could safeguard the physical assets of the organisation by enhancing the off – site back – ups or the back – ups. The concept of a hot site or a cold site could also be implemented. The establishment must also have a theft prevention mechanism in place.
This could be done by making use of the electronic cards, locks or guards for preventing access to the company’s physical properties (Van, 2017).
Incident management is what the workers need to understand and must be provided extensive training regarding the management of the incidents. The reaction and the prevention protocols need to be harnessed within the establishment.
The employees need to be effectively trained and those could include teaching them about the natural disasters which occur in a way that they could be well – prepared prior to counter such happenings.
The employees must also have the skill of handling sexual attacks or personal injuries. The establishment must take them out on field trips or conduct workshops and give them the required amount of knowledge regarding land – mines among others.
The management as well as the employees need to be taught reaction protocols such as psychological and medical emergency situations. They also need to be trained in fire safety with the help of safety drills or mock drills (Wilson & Hash, 2003).
Also, during the human counter – measures, the families of the employees and the employees themselves might be subjected to threats and hence they must be adequately insured and trained well in the self – defence mechanisms.
4.3 Electronic Countermeasures
Since a majority of the sensitive information, the planning schemes and strategies of establishments are stored in an electronic format by the businesses, electronic theft have become a common form of theft these days.
Hence, it has turned very much essential for business establishments to direction efforts towards electronic countermeasures.
If an establishment is inadequate in keeping its content password protected, then sanitising of the data becomes imperative meaning that the information must be entirely erased with the help of appropriate techniques of disposal.
In order to sanitise data, simply deleting or erasing the content is not enough but the information will have to be over – written ample number of times in order to dispose it off effectively.
The policies and the measures which will be prepared by the establishment will have to be tested repeatedly with the help of mock dills and this would assist the workers in understanding how the physical assets must be safeguarded and how the calamities and the natural disasters must be countered.
The employees should, furthermore, be taken out on land – mine trainings as well as on field trainings and this would help them in effectively gauging the potential risks involved (Basham and Rosado, 2005).
For ensuring that the workers are well acquainted with the information security processes and policies, they must be trained effectively regarding the processes and security requirements which are specific to their jobs.
They should also be taught about the proper use of the IT systems.
Moreover, the contractors and the employees could be taught newer security steps once every single year.
This would help them in inculcating the best defence techniques as well. The aspect of internal attack risks must also have to be assessed by carrying out employees’ background check.
An efficient security system needs to be built by framing a security infrastructure policy.
A security plan must be one in which the programme and the policies protect not just the organisational assets but also the environment surrounding the establishment, the community as well as the employees.
It must be developed in a way such that all the chances of security breaches are either diminished or completely removed. The participation of the employees must also be given due attention.
An effective security infrastructure must be built by the creation of an effective policy of security infrastructure and those include account management policy and security training policy (Thomas et al, 2012).
Provided below is a security plan with the required countermeasures of managing and addressing the threats:
- Coming up with an authorisation, identification and authentication policy would assist in providing a restricted access to a handful of the people who are authenticated only with by identity verification. The workers could be provided electronic key cards for accessing the data or for entering the office.
- The policies for the protection of data would provide greater security particularly to the data which is sensitive and for this reason the system based mechanisms could be recommended for protecting the data.
- The policies for physical access such as providing access to the areas which are restricted to a handful of few people in the upper management as well as providing proper identification cards would assist in securing and upholding the organisation’s security as well as the classified information.
- The Incident Response Policy would teach the employees in managing all sorts of difficult circumstances that might arise while maintaining composure.
Therefore, by effectively utilising the information security plan that has been mentioned above and also by effectively training and spreading awareness among the workers, the establishment would be able to avoid a lot of the risks and the dangers. The department of technology must also keep up with the developing establishment and must also utilise the security plan across all levels of the establishment.
Alexander, G., Cromwell, P., Dotson, P. (2008), Crime and incivilities in libraries: situational crime prevention strategies for thwarting biblio-bandits and problem patrons, Security Journal, Vol.21(3), pp. 147-158.
Basham, M., Rosado, AL. (2005), A Qualitative Analysis of Computer Security Education and Training in the United States: An Implementation Plan for St. Petersburg College, Journal of Security Education, Vol.1(2-3), pp. 81-116.
Kebbel-Wyen, J. (2016), 4 Steps to successful security training, Risk Management, Vol. 63(8), p. 14(2).
Peek-Asa, C., Casteel, C., Rugala, E., Holbrook, C., Bixler, D., Ramirez, M. (2017), The threat management assessment and response model: A conceptual plan for threat management and training, Security Journal, Vol.30(3), pp. 940-950.
Thomas, W.S., Babb, D., Spillan, J.E. (2012), The Impact of a Focus on Change in Technology in Successful Implementation of SAP Enterprise Resource Planning Systems in North and South America, Journal of Management Policy and Practice, Vol.13(5), pp. 19-34.
Van, A.A. (2017), How to develop a vital program project plan, Information Management, Vol.51(6), pp. 33-36. | https://uniquesubmission.com/security-plan-and-training-program/ |
The purpose of the report is to clarify and analyze the “ethical requirements which must be met if transplant medicine is to achieve its true end, and merit the support of Catholics and, more generally, of men and women of good will” (3). The document is also particularly concerned with addressing “the criteria for diagnosing death and the issue of presumed consent” (3).
The document is divided into two parts. The first part treats live donation in the context of the legal structure and professional guidance practices of the United Kingdom and Ireland and select ethical issues that arise as a result. The second part treats post mortem donation (again contextualized by the legal structure and professional guidance practices of the United Kingdom and Ireland and select ethical issues that arise as a result). The purpose of this post is to provide a brief overview of Part I. Jana Bennett shall provide an overview of Part II in the coming days.
Is it in principle acceptable?
Is live donation ever a duty?
Let us now take these headings in turn. The first heading, “the goods of transplant medicine” is concerned with elucidating, well, the goods of transplant medicine: using and gaining “knowledge and skill to save life, to restore health and to alleviate suffering.” These goods are entirely consistent with the “Hippocratic tradition of ethical medicine.” However, from the standpoint of the Catholic moral tradition, particularly as articulated by St. John Paul II, we would add the goods of “a visible expression of human solidarity” and furtherance of the “culture of life” (5).
Because of goods such as these, organ transplantation is “in principle acceptable.” Nevertheless, there are “limits to acceptability.” First and foremost, “organ donation is justified only as an act of charity and not through a subordination of the individual to the greater good of society.” It is on the basis of this distinction that Pius XI can condemn “eugenic sterilisation as an illegitimate attempt of the State to exercise power over the bodily integrity of its citizens” (Casti Connubii (1930), 22-23). Natural law and virtue, as opposed to utilitarianism, are the proper context for assessing the ethics of organ transplantation.
Second, organ donation is only morally acceptable so long as the donor takes “reasonable risks” with his or her health. The donor may not implore the doctor to perform an operation that will “harm the functional integrity of the body.” Thus, different donor scenarios need to be prudentially evaluated and discerned on a case by case basis. Obviously, vital organs can only be donated post mortem. Donating a kidney is acceptable assuming the presence of another functioning kidney in the donor. However, more tricky are cases such as “partial liver and lung lobe transplants” both of which “involve significant risk to the life of the donor” and in some cases “loss of function” (6). This raises a difficult question: what degree of diminishment of functional integrity must be present in order to move the act from the “morally acceptable” category to the “morally unacceptable” category? Where is the line?
Informed consent is not a moral disinfectant either. The real issue is prudence and more precisely the relationship between prudence and courage. As the document notes, if two parents wish to “donate a lung lobe to a child with cystic fibrosis, the procedure has a chance of being a triple mortality” (6). Parents, Husbands, and Wives may be willing to take major risks for the sake of loved ones, but these risks cease to be courageous and become instead foolhardy if divorced from prudential discretion. Running in to a burning building to save your mother is virtuous when there is a real possibility that you can save her. The same action is rash if there is no possibility of that. The morality of the subsequent act is determined by the accuracy of the preceding prudential judgment. Donors must act on the basis of a truthful vision of reality. The true precedes the good.
With respect to “payment, remuneration, and exploitation,” John Paul II is willing to go much further than is Pius XII in declaring all forms of this immoral. However, both are agreed about these dangers in principle. It does not require an extraordinary leap of the imagination in order to envision the kinds of abuses that would, and in some cases already follow from the commercialization of transplantation. Yet, a legitimate question does arise with respect to “the issue of reimbursement of expenses and recompense for time, risk, or inconvenience, and from time away from paid employment” (7). Here the document argues that remuneration for expenses directly related to the procedure are not a problem but that anything beyond this will exacerbate the already present commodification of the body mentality that pervades much of modern consumer culture as well as lead to perverse incentives and a host of dangerous and illicit practices.
Perhaps the most interesting discussion in Part I occurs under the heading of “is live donation ever a duty?” According to Catholic teaching, the answer is both yes and no. Donating is not a duty in the “general or objective sense” (8). In fact, a danger concurrent with the normalization of organ donation is what the document refers to as a kind of “familial conscription” whereby a given family member may feel obliged to donate in certain circumstances, such as but not limited to when a child is involved (8). The document makes clear that hospitals need to assure that donors are not being coerced, and here “to coerce” is taken in a broad sense. Objectively speaking, no one could ever have a greater right to a part of my body than I do and so I am never obliged to donate. However, if the Holy Spirit is calling me to donate to someone, then I do have such an obligation derived from the virtue of charity.
Next, the document considers when, if ever, it is permissible to take “organs and tissues from children.” There are a very strict set of conditions that must be met for such an act to be permissible. I will not review them all here, but the most essential factor is “the nature of the relationship between donor and recipient” (10). Taking an organ from a person who is not competent to make that choice should be “a last resort,” but may be justifiable under certain circumstances. Imagine, for example, an instance where a parent needed an organ from the child to survive. Imagine further that the procedure involved “minimal risk to the child” and offered “proven efficacy.” In such a case, the child, too, benefits from the procedure since by it he or she is prevented from having to endure the tragic and unnecessary loss of a parent.
The discussion of “altruistic donation” concerns a kind of paradox. On the one hand, medical institutions tend to be most suspicious of non-relative “altruistic” donors, since in such cases there may exist undisclosed financial incentives. On the other hand, according to the Catholic view, while such suspicions are not entirely unwarranted, altruistic donation “represents the purist form of donation, understood as an act of generosity” (10). The altruistic donor donates purely as a response to the calling of the other.
“Domino donation” refers to the “donation of an organ which has been removed incidentally as part of a prior transplant procedure” (11). For instance, since doctors prefer to transplant the lungs and the heart concomitantly, someone who receives a new lung may also receive a new heart even if their own heart was perfectly healthy. In such cases, the individual’s heart may then be given to a different person who needs a new heart. There must be consent, of course, but it would seem a perfectly reasonable thing to do.
The discussion of “less than ideal donors” is quite edifying. There are a host of reasons why a candidate may be excluded from donating. Say, for example, that a husband wanted to donate a kidney to his wife who is experiencing renal failure and has a GFR of under 20. Suppose that the husband is in good health but at increased risk of diabetes and also has bilateral kidney stones. In such an instance, the husband may donate his kidney without violating the functional integrity of his body. However, by doing so he is placing himself at increased risk since both the diabetes and the kidney stones could very well damage his remaining kidney later in life. According to Catholic teaching, in such cases the husband is certainly not obligated to donate. However, he may elect to do so as an act of “heroic virtue” out of love for his spouse (13). Hospital oversight committees violate the moral law if they disallow such a husband from making the aforesaid choice on the basis of mere probabilistic judgments cloaked in the language of scientific objectivity.
In sum, the purpose of On the Ethics of Organ Transplantation: A Catholic Perspective is to examine the “ethical requirements which must be met if transplant medicine is to achieve its true end, and merit the support of Catholics and, more generally, of men and women of good will.” Part I of the document, reviewed above, considers live donation in the context of the legal structure and professional guidance practices of the United Kingdom and Ireland and select ethical issues that arise as a result. The document provides a helpful overview of Catholic perspectives on the issue of organ transplantation and draws attention to the importance of charity and prudence operating as guides to help one navigate through the maze of situations that Catholic moral theologians and ethicists alike must confront.
NextHospital or Campaign: What will the Synod on the Family be?
When tyranny protects Christian communities: a tension in Catholic social teaching? | https://catholicmoraltheology.com/on-the-ethics-of-organ-transplantation-a-catholic-perspective-part-i/ |
Empathy is a beautiful thing: empathy predicts imitation only for attractive others.
Research shows that we spontaneously imitate people. Moreover, empathy predicts the degree of this non-conscious imitation. Little is known, however, if or how this expression of empathy is influenced by stable physical characteristics of our interaction-partners. In two studies, we tested whether attractiveness of others moderated the relation between empathy and imitation. While seeing a woman performing joystick movements, participants either imitated, or non-imitated these movements. Results showed that the higher participants empathy score, the faster they imitated an attractive person. The level of empathy did not predict the degree of imitation of unattractive targets. The findings demonstrate that the expression of empathy through imitation can be moderated by attractiveness, thereby introducing a new dimension to the conditionality of empathy.
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The plant of the month for January: the hazel
The hazelnut tree is a honey plant. It is native to the temperate zone of the northern hemisphere, and it grows most often in thickets, hedges, on the edge of woods, on hills, mountains and gardens, at altitudes up to 1500m .
The hazelnut tree prefers mild, fairly rainy winters and cool summers. It is relatively sensitive to drought and should be irrigated regularly if rain is scarce.
During prehistoric times, hazel trees covered immense thickets throughout Asia Minor. The Turks are also the first to cultivate hazelnuts.
Flowering
The male flowers bloom very early in the year, between January and March, in hanging yellow catkins 5 to 6 cm. The female flowers are more discreet. They are distinguished from a wood bud only by the red stigmas that adorn them. On the same shrub, the male flowers bloom before the female flowers. The latter will therefore not be fertilized by pollen from their own tree, but by that of another later. The hazelnut cannot be installed in isolation because it needs another hazelnut nearby to give hazelnuts.
Hazelnuts
Rich in proteins, fibers and lipids of excellent qualities, the hazelnut is a very nourishing and satisfying fruit. Very highly antioxidant, hazelnut plays a role in reducing the damage caused by free radicals in the body involved in the onset of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers and other diseases linked to aging.
The hazelnut also contains a high amount of monounsaturated fatty acids which tend to lower the "bad" cholesterol.
Its harvest is carried out from August to October depending on the varieties and the production area. Aquitaine, and more specifically Unicoque à Cancon, represents 98% of French production.
Truffles
In the soil, the roots of the hazel tree live in symbiosis with certain fungi. It turns out to be a real host tree for a wide variety of truffle species. In the Center of France, there are often some Burgundy truffles at the foot of the hazelnut trees and in the Southwest and Mediterranean region they are rather black truffles.
Beekeeping interest
Its beekeeping interest lies in its early flowering which greatly attracts foraging bees: the male flowers are very rich in pollen. They are a good source of food for the colony at the start of the season. | https://www.miel-factory.com/en/blogs/blog/la-plante-du-mois-de-janvier-le-noisetier |
The regular-season schedule, which includes 82 games per club, will end on Friday, April 29 when 30 of the League’s 32 teams take to the ice. Break from the Olympics: To this moment, no definitive agreement or resolution has been reached regarding NHL players’ participation in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
Similarly, How long is a regular NHL season?
There were 82 games in all.
Also, it is asked, How long is NHL season 2021?
Secondly, How long is a hockey season in months?
Following the Stanley Cup Finals, the NHL season finishes in early to mid-June. This brings to a close an arduous 8.5-month preseason, 82-game regular season, and four rounds of playoffs.
Also, How many total games are in a NHL season?
There were 82 games in all.
People also ask, How long is an NHL game?
Time limit: 60 minutes
Related Questions and Answers
How many games will NHL play in 2021?
The regular-season schedule, which includes 82 games per club, will end on Friday, April 29 when 30 of the League’s 32 teams take to the ice.
Who is leading the NHL in goals?
McDavid, Connor
How will the 2022 NHL playoffs work?
Each division’s top three clubs advance to the playoffs. The wild-card positions go to the next two clubs in the conference in terms of total points, regardless of division. This gives each league a total of eight teams. Each division’s top seed will face one of its conference’s wild-card teams.
How long is the NFL season?
18-week period
How long is an NBA season?
The regular season in all Standard leagues is 19 weeks long. The playoffs begin after that!
How many periods are there in hockey?
What sport has the longest season?
Major League Baseball (MLB) The MLB season is the longest of the major American sports, with 162 games.
Do all NHL teams play each other?
The regular season will consist of 56 games, all of which will be played in the same division. Each team in the East, Central, and West divisions will face every other team in their division eight times, while the North Division will face every other team in its division nine or ten times. There will be no preseason games this year.
How many hockey teams are there?
32 Number of teams in the National Hockey League
Why are hockey intermissions so long?
How Long Does a Hockey Intermission Last? Teams may plot as supporters stretch and buy additional beverages and food thanks to the break-in activity. Furthermore, some spectators appreciate seeing the Zamboni wipe the ice in one smooth motion.
How many rounds are there in hockey?
A typical game is made up of three 20-minute minutes separated by a 15-minute halftime between the first and second periods. Each period, the teams switch ends. A five-minute sudden-victory extra session is played if a medal-round game ends in a draw.
What is the playoff format for NHL 2021?
The structure for the 2021 playoffs was modified due to travel constraints, but the NHL will revert to its regular playoff format this year. The top three teams from each division, as well as two wild card teams from each conference, will qualify for the tournament.
How many NHL teams make playoffs?
In the NHL, eight clubs from the Eastern Conference and eight from the Western Conference reach the playoffs. The top three clubs from each division in each conference are assured postseason berths, with the division champions receiving the top two positions in the playoffs.
How many points do you get for a win in the NHL?
A victory earns the team two points, while a defeat in overtime or a shootout earns the team one point.
How many games are in the 2021 2022 NHL season?
How many games are in an NFL season?
There are 17 games in all.
When did the NHL start?
The National Hockey League’s first game is on December 1st.
Who has most hat tricks in NHL?
Wayne Gretzky is a Canadian hockey player.
Who is currently the best hockey player in the world?
McDavid, Connor
How long do NHL playoffs last?
The 79 games in 49 days of the 2020 NHL playoffs started on August 11 and finished on September 28.
Who is the richest basketball player in the world?
Michael Jordan is a basketball player who was born in Michael Jordan reacts at the 2022 NBA All-Star Game in Cleveland, Ohio, after being recognized as a member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. Tim Nwachukwu took the photo. Michael Jordan’s estimated net worth is $1.5 billion, making him the richest basketball player in the world.
How long is a WNBA game?
a period of two and a half hours
How much do hockey players make?
Hockey Players’ Salary Ranges Hockey players in the United States earn between $19,910 and $187,200 a year, with a median wage of $44,680. Hockey players in the middle earn $28,400, with the top 75 percent earning $187,200.
Is there a halftime in hockey?
In hockey, there are intermissions. In the NHL, the first two intermissions last fifteen and a half minutes (seventeen minutes for broadcast games), and the game timekeeper records the time and displays it to the spectators on the scoreboard. Players exit the ice via doors in the boards at intermission and go to the changing rooms.
Why does hockey have 2 intermissions?
The level of play improved almost immediately, although only partially due to the ice. Players were also well rested after the second interval.
What is the shortest sport?
Football is a popular sport in the United (Soccer)
What sport is the hardest?
Boxing. The Science of Happiness. That is the sport that puts the greatest demands on the athletes that participate in it. It’s more difficult than football, baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer, cycling, skiing, fishing, billiards, or any of the other 60 sports we graded.
Is NHL season longer than NBA?
252 days in the National Hockey League The NHL is in operation for more than two-thirds of the calendar year, with a schedule that is most comparable to that of the NBA. Both the NHL and the NBA have 82 games, however the NHL normally starts sooner than basketball.
What division is the Kraken?
Pacific Division is a division of the United States Army Division / Seattle Kraken In a league restructuring in 1993, the Pacific Division of the National Hockey League was created as part of the Western Conference. It is also one of the two successor divisions to the Smythe Division, however only the Anaheim Ducks, Seattle Kraken, and Vegas Golden Knights now compete in it. Wikipedia
How is the NHL divided?
Atlantic, Metropolitan, Central, and Pacific are the names of the four divisions. The Eastern Conference is divided into two divisions: Atlantic and Metropolitan, each with eight clubs. The Western Conference is divided into two divisions: Central and Pacific, each with seven clubs.
What’s the biggest NHL arena?
The Bell Centre is a multi-purpose facility that
Conclusion
The “when does nhl season start” is a question that has been asked for years. The NHL season starts in October and ends in April.
This Video Should Help: | https://foreverrebuilding.com/how-long-is-a-nhl-season/ |
If you were there thanks for visiting IIP.
Hope to see you next time!
If you want to stay informed about IIP outcomes send us an e-mail.
ICT In Practice is a platform that offers practice-based research initiatives in the field of ICT and originating from the FHICT community, the opportunity to demonstrate results, share knowledge, discuss developments and initiate new projects. One of the manifestations of the platform is the annual ICT In Practice Symposium, which focuses on a different theme each edition. The theme for 2018 is Robotics.
The IIP symposium program consists of talks by experts, product and (research) project demonstrations, panel discussions and a Robotics Challenge workshop. Furthermore the symposium offers various opportunities for networking and matchmaking within the informal and unique setting of the historical Natlab building where the FHICT community gathers.
Listen to interesting talks...
See and discuss projects, products, ideas, questions and plans...
Meet professionals... | https://www.ictinpractice.nl/previous-editions/ict-in-practice-2018/ |
There are two public viewing events of the transit of Venus across the sun on Tuesday.
A transit of Venus across the face of the sun takes place when Venus passes directly between the Earth and the sun. During a transit, Venus can be seen as a small black dot moving across the sun.
S.P.A.C.E. Hogs, along with the Center for Space and Planetary Science and the Student Astronomical Society, are sponsoring a viewing at Gifford Avenue and Knapp Drive, off Garland Avenue near the Agriculture Park in Fayetteville.
The transit begins at 5:04 p.m., but organizers urge viewers to arrive at about 4:30 p.m. to get acquainted with the equipment. 40/29's Drew Michaels will be live at the event.
Northwest Arkansas Community College's science department and Pauline Whitaker Library will be conducting a viewing at 5:15 p.m. in front of Burns Hall on the NWACC campus. Viewing the transit will require clear skies.
The science department has telescopes equipped with solar filters for the viewing. Organizers remind the public that it's extremely dangerous to look directly at the sun without a solar filter.
The next transit of Venus will be in 2117. | https://www.4029tv.com/article/2-groups-offer-transit-of-venus-viewing-opportunities/4945317 |
The Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre was opened in 1985 by people with Multiple Sclerosis. Its aim is to serve people affected by MS in Tees Valley, North Yorkshire, County Durham, Tyne and Wear and into Northumbria. The centre provides a range of essential therapies aimed at limiting the problems of MS. Currently these therapies are high dosage oxygen treatment, physiotherapy, yoga, therapeutic massage, reflexology aromatherapy and counselling. We also provide support and therapy to stroke victims, ME sufferers and people with other neurological disorders.
We are an independent local charity that provides a unique service of therapies and support for MS sufferers, their carers and their families. Although MS is as yet incurable, much can be done to improve the quality of life of MS sufferers. Considerable research has been done in other countries into ways to alleviate some of the symptoms of MS. It has been found that oxygen treatment, physiotherapy and diet, were the best hope of providing some relief and possibly of slowing down the advance of the disease.
We are a self help group and registered charity endeavouring to provide a complete service for MS sufferers throughout the north, encouraging them to look after themselves and make the best of their lives within the confines of their condition.
We are affiliated to the National Federation of MS Therapy Centres. We are totally self-funding. We receive no government funding and raise our income through members, donations towards the cost of treatments along with the tireless fundraising efforts of our members, volunteers and staff.
A members, management committee runs the centre and we have a team of members and volunteers who help with our day-to-day tasks.
If you require any further information or would like to speak to us please contact the centre.
We also offer services for people suffering from Cerebral palsy and other Neurological conditions as well as people with various sports injuries. | http://middlesbroughmstherapy.org/ |
Balloons Over Rockbridge is a hot air balloon festival that is held every July at the Virginia Horse Center Oak Hill property in Lexington, Virginia. Enjoy the view of colourful balloons against the stunning backdrop of Blue Ridge Mountains. The festival features live music, piloted balloon flights, and tethered flights. There are many food and merchandise vendors as well as beer and wine. A Pizza Eating Challenge is sponsored by Papa John’s. The festival also offers kids' activities.
Piloted balloon flights are held at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. There is also the Ed McDaniel Memorial Balloon Glow at 9 p.m. Visitors can bring a lawn chair or blanket to relax on the grass and enjoy live music, beverages, and food.
The free annual Hot Air Balloon Festival in Rockbridge is a fundraiser for local charities. It also offers The Balloons Over Rockbridge 5K grass trail through Oak Hill and the outskirts of Lexington, Virginia. The annual run benefits the Veterans Support group TeamRWB.org. | https://rove.me/to/virginia/balloons-over-rockbridge |
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A control method of the user-based distributed intelligent power grid monitoring system comprises the following steps: evaluating the power generation capacity of each power generation module in a power grid based on historical data, so that the impact of renewable energy uncertainty on the power grid is greatly reduced, the reliability of the power grid is enhanced, and data-driven distributed intelligent power grid monitoring is realized; setting transmission parameters related to the carbon emission evaluation value and the transmission cost of each power generation module and the transmission cost of each user module, so that the consumption of renewable energy sources is promoted; enabling each module i to iteratively calculate the upper and lower bound parameters of the generated power and the power of transmitting power to any other module j, and to send a calculation result to the module j after each iteration until all parameters are converged, wherein the electric quantity transmitted by the user is always smaller than zero; the user participates in control information calculation and transmission, reliable electric energy is provided for the user, the flexibility and selectivity of power utilization of the user are improved, and in addition, through distributed monitoring, the privacy of the user is also greatly protected. | |
Every game has numerous bugs, not matter how well optimized it is, and people experience them all the time. However, when most users report bugs, it tends to be very vague, includes too much unnecessary information, and/or too little useful information. Using my experience as a beta tester for multiple games on PC and iOS, I've written this guide to try to help both the players and the developers. Just remember, small indie games often have human development teams, meaning you aren't going through an automated ticket system and wait 3 days to HOPEFULLY have a representative give you a non copy/pasted answer.
A good rule to remember when reporting bugs, or problems in general, is that the developers need your help in order to help you. This means, that you need describe your reports in a way that give the developers the most usable information.
• If there is an error, PLEASE give the error code or message, and even a screenshot of the pop-up.
• Describe the steps or events leading up to the bug or crash. This is one of the most important ways to figure out the origin of a bug.
• Try to reproduce the situation as much as you can. If it seems random, or not easily reproduced, wait until it happens a second time to get a better understanding.
• Include any programs running in the background, if applicable.
• Include any system specifications such as device model, OS type and build version (Win1, iOS8.1, OSX:MountainLion, etc), System RAM (if applicable), GPU (if applicable), etc.
• Personal tangents are not required, and can distort bug reports. Please include the most useful information first, and proceed to detail anything unrelated subsequently thereafter.
• Please include a follow-up if the developers say they may have fixed the bug. They want to get rid of these bugs as much as you, and really enjoy having a solid answer from players if it has been fixed or not.
• It shouldn't have to be said, but if developers ask questions, answer ALL of them to the best of your ability.
Again, if you only have a little information, please try to report it to the best of your ability. It's much better to be safe than sorry, and other players may be able to fill in details if they have the same problem as you. There have been many cases where specific bugs have been squashed because people have offered different sides to the situation, even if only a small amount of detail is present.
If there is anything I missed and need to add, please comment. I can edit this for one month after it's posted.
unless you have any additional information to add, as that can be more helpful to resolve the issue. | http://forums.deepworldgame.com/discussion/24184/some-simple-guidelines-for-posting-bugs |
Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is known for defining the concept of flow. We’ve all experienced flow -- it’s the state of focus we feel when we’re doing something we’re good at and enjoy that leaves us wondering where the time went. Flow typically happens for me when I’m writing, planning a project or playing a good video game. For you it might be coding, cooking, knitting, or playing an instrument or sport.
Flow is a delicate balance in which the activity we’re performing is at the very edge of our skill level. If we’re performing below our abilities, we experience boredom, and if the task exceeds our capabilities, stress. Flow is the holy grail for game developers, and a lot of energy goes into harnessing learning curves in games to create an ongoing state of flow -- and conditions under which you might pay a couple of bucks to keep it going.
As those in the gaming industry will attest, the opposite of play is not work. To the contrary, work and play can be the same thing when we are in a state of flow. We should all be so lucky to have a job in which we’re operating at optimal flow.
However, as the work-life divide becomes ever more blurry, the separation of work and play becomes more distinctive. And in a world without flow, all work and no play doesn’t just make Jack a dull boy. It burns Jack out.
In its recent revision of the International Classification of Diseases, the World Health Organization has declared burnout a workplace syndrome characterized by three symptoms:
* Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion;
* Increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job; and
* Reduced professional efficacy
Burnout doesn’t discriminate and affects workers in every field; however, it is especially prevalent within technology companies. In a 2018 survey conducted by the app Blind, a community that allows tech workers to communicate anonymously, almost 60 percent of some 11,500 respondents claimed to experience burnout.
Let’s be fair -- workers experiencing optimal flow are not likely to be part of this anonymous community, so the proportion here may be a bit high (and the sample size a bit small). Still, it should come as no surprise that as companies race to develop new products and solutions and be the first to market, the resulting all-hands-on-deck culture of grueling expectations is producing high burnout rates among employees from a wide representation of employers.
What is somewhat puzzling, though, is the dual focus on work-life balance and rapid growth -- mindsets which are diametrically opposed and made more difficult due to the ubiquity of mobile devices.
As tech companies and communities depart major hubs and set up shop in every corner of the world, managers and workers alike should be asking themselves some important questions:
What does success look like in this culture, who are the greatest benefactors, and are sacrifices worth the reward?
Does all burnout and no flow really make tech companies successful, or does it create situations where sprints must become marathons in order to be sustainable?
Are marathon-sprints good for teams?
The onus is on company leaders, especially tech company leaders, to create a healthy environment. If leaders claim work-life balance as a priority, it will be important for them to recognize when flow becomes stress and to strike a balance in which work and play can be more synonymous.
Aleshia Howell is a freelance writer and digital entrepreneur. She writes about technology. | https://www.savannahnow.com/opinion/20190529/aleshia-howell-column-tech-burnout-culture-impedes-flow-workplace-satisfaction |
Throughout the coaching process, I help my clients clear up their thinking, offer them new perspectives and motivate and inspire them to make choices which are in alignment with their values.
Living with high levels of stress, you’re putting your entire well-being at risk. - Effective stress management, helps you break the hold stress has on your life, so you can be happier, healthier, and more productive. - The ultimate goal is a balanced life. | https://hvella.com/ |
The Orrell Trust develops and delivers a wide range of projects to engage the whole community. We ensure that we offer a range of activities for people of all ages that are inclusive.
We pride ourself on our partnership working and deliver collaborative projects that build and develop relationships, breakdown barriers and encourage engagement. The Orrell Trust is a charity with aspirations and constantly developing projects to meet the needs and wants of our community.
We work with and are supported by several funders such as The Steve Morgan Foundation, PH Holt, Burbo Bank and the Tudor Trust to name a few, these funders provide us with financial support so we can reach our potential, grow and develop.
The Orrell Trust prides itself on the many fundraisers held throughout the year which include makers markets, quiz nights, disco and theme nights plus much more. These events allows Lou feeds to take the lead, plan and develop sessions as well as bringing the community together. | https://www.theorrelltrust.co.uk/our-projects/ |
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