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The Comparative Animal Core (CAC) provides an integrated platform for preclinical and translational research and training for studies involving animals with natural disease.
The CAC is made up of three major components:
Blue Buffalo Veterinary Clinical Trials Office
The Blue Buffalo Veterinary Clinical Trials Office (BBVCTO) provides assistance in the design, execution, and evaluation of veterinary clinical trials of client owned animals. The BBVCTO facilitates the conduct of such studies through input into clinical trial design, networking with regional veterinarians to ensure timely enrollment, assistance in collection and coordination of data, and establishment of standard operating procedures.
If you would like to request a service please click on the Request A Service Button below.
For more information contact Dr. Cheryl London, DVM, PhD.
Veterinary Biospecimen Repository
The Veterinary Biospecimen Repository collects and stores tissue specimens from diseased animals and data warehouse on disease diagnosis, pathology, treatments, and other clinical outcomes.
Questions regarding tissue requests may be directed to:
Holly Borghese, DVM
614-292-7954
Comparative Pathology and Mouse Phenotyping
The Comparative Pathology and Mouse Phenotyping Shared Resource (CPMPSR) provides expert, readily available and affordable experimental pathology support to investigators utilizing animal models to study human disease.
Comparative pathologists affiliated with the CPMPSR are familiar with normal anatomy and physiology, as well as background age- and strain-related lesions of various animal models. Recognition of lesions and their interpretation in the context of individual investigations provides a critical component to research incorporating animal models. | Get more information
Direct questions to Krista LaPerle, DVM, PhD. | https://ccts.osu.edu/research-support-services/clinical-research-support/veterinary-clinical-trials |
Delighted to have obtained planning permission this week for a development of office space and 8no: 1 bed flats on the site of a former Public House at Poole Quay. We worked with our colleagues at Pure Town Planning, and despite a lengthy application period, perseverance and communication/negotiation with the planning officers allowed them to reach a delegated officer decision for approval.
Archive for the ‘Planning’ Category
Planning Approval at Poole QuayFriday, February 26th, 2021
Size does matter!Wednesday, August 21st, 2013
There is news in the press today about the size of new homes being built. This is a consultation document and the link to the website can be found here.
http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/8652170.article#
Makes interesting reading!
Application Fee Increases!Wednesday, November 21st, 2012
Planning application fees in England are increasing by 15% from Thursday 22nd November.
The planning fee increase was determined by the Department for Communities and Local Government and was communicated to English local planning authorities last week.
For more information you can visit the Planning Portal, at http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/planning/planninginspectorate/planninginspectorate
St AldhelmsPlanning PermissionWednesday, November 14th, 2012
After several months of careful negotiation, and following over 18 months of preliminary studies and alternative designs, we are very pleased to announce that in conjunction with Tanner & Tilley (www.tanner-tilley.co.uk) we have successfully been granted planning permission for a development of 36 apartments on land at the junction of St Aldhelms Rd and Poole Road. Look at the Poole planning website, under application reference APP/12/00025/F for full details, or of course feel free to contact us or view on the website.
11 Steps Required Before Building Works Can StartFriday, October 5th, 2012
We often get asked a number of times about how long various parts of the process take from concept to build, so we thought we would list a few of the most common frequently asked questions here: | https://www.morgandesignstudio.co.uk/category/planning/ |
I reflect on the list of gratitude that sits before me and feel overwhelmed by its enormity. Loving family, true friends, nature’s beauty and bounty, good health and a strong will to be part of a global solution for peaceful change all have their place within my listings today.
As I pause this holiday season, I make a personal pledge to work harder to co-create the balanced environment that will secure a nonviolent, peaceful history for the next seven generations.
Although there is much work that is required, I have unwavering faith that humanity is capable of this task.
If we each agree to live our lives with a focus on gratitude and respect, we hold the power to affect that change everyone keeps talking about.
Respect for all human life, whether seated in the halls of kings and senators or toiling in the fields and factories of third world desperation, all people share the basic birthright to live in freedom, without fear.
Let us hold close in our hearts those friends and family we know so well while we remember the millions of other family members we have yet to meet; those members of our collective human family who stretch out across this earth.
This Thanksgiving finds us at a crucial crossroads in our global history. Violence has become our immediate reaction to problems and situations of discord. We speak of wanting peace, yet continue to support systems and governments that promote and lead through violent invasion, domination, destruction and intimidation.
Fear has become a partner in our comings and goings, leading the masses into a continuum of division, separation, indifference and apathy. It is a very powerful tool of control and is only effective if we choose to believe in it.
Violence is a compelling spiral that filters compassion, understanding, kindness and love. Instead of finding the common ground necessary to work together effectively, fear spotlights our differences and tells us that ‘different’ is a threat in some way. If we truly want peace, we must face the fear we have allowed to ‘herd’ us like sheep.
This year, let’s remember that the original people of this beautiful land met our fear head-on and have paid dearly for our ‘right to be free’. We cannot undo that which has been done. We can, however, change whether we tell the truth about it or not. We can also prevent it from happening again by standing up to the violence that is perpetrated in our name around the world.
Let’s remember that people everywhere have the right to speak, and be heard. They have the right to shelter, food, clothing, medicines, clean air and water, schooling for their children and to follow the spiritual teachings of their choice.
Let’s remember that ‘we’ are not worth more and ‘they’ are not worth less. Let’s remember that in order to move forward with integrity, truth and love cannot be a casualty.
Let’s remember as we continue to find justifications for the violence perpetrated on others, that to the innocents their demise or disfigurations will not be altered by another’s arrogant need to be right.
Let’s remember that the power to make the changes necessary resides with each of us. It is not some illusory prize that is beyond our reach.
Let’s remember that the ‘leaders‘ are given the power they utilize by us, the people. When that power becomes destructive or self-serving, it is the responsibility of the people to redirect the path that is to be followed.
Let’s give thanks for our ability to speak out for truth, speak up for injustice, stand up to authority that would dictate a violent course of action and stand down to the fear, greed and aggression which continue to represent the greatest cancer to threaten our species.
It is with great thanksgiving that I reflect on my list today and as I do, recommit to creating a culture of peace.
This is a small representation of the high-quality writings you’ll find in every issue of TIFERET. | https://tiferetjournal.com/giving-thanks/ |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The invention relates to a method for filling an open transport box (tray) having a plurality of receiving compartments with individual portions of medicaments. Moreover, the invention relates to an output/input station for an automated storage system for medicament packs for use in a method for filling an open transport box (tray) having a plurality of receiving compartments with individual portions of medicaments.
Flat transport boxes (also referred to as trays) having a plurality of receiving compartments which are open at the top and arranged next to one another, preferably in rows and columns in matrix form, are used, for example, for the ordered supplying of selectively specified quantities of individual portions of medicaments, for example individual (or even halved) tablets or capsules, to a blister packaging machine for producing blister packs for individual patients, i.e., for automatically filling and packaging medicament dosages in individual small film bags or pockets.
Such a blister packaging machine customarily has a plurality of storage containers (for example, 50 or even several hundred), each containing large quantities of medicament portions, such as tablets or capsules, of frequently needed medicaments. One example of such a blister packaging machine is the “Rowa Dose System” by the present applicant (see http://www.rowa.de/Rowa-Dose.1072.0.html). The medicament portions provided in the storage containers are automatically individually removed in a specified number by means of computer-controlled dosing devices, and guided via slides and chutes into collection bins, each collection bin collecting the medicament portions to be filled into a bag or a pocket. The collection bins are led in succession to a packaging station, where they are initially emptied into small film bags or pockets which are still open, whereupon the bags or pockets are closed, in particular their film edges being welded. Each bag then contains the contents collected in the collection bin, which include, for example, the medicament to be taken by a patient at a specified time. The dosage time may also be printed on the bag.
In order to also be able to introduce medicament portions which are to be dispensed less frequently and are not provided in the storage containers, or also half tablets, for example, into the collection bins and thus into the bags (blisters), such a blister packaging machine has a device for which such less frequent medicaments or also partial portions (half tablets, for example) may be selectively introduced fully automatically into specified collection bins. This device is provided with the medicament portions in the above-mentioned open transport boxes (trays) in an ordered manner. For controlling this device, the control computer must know exactly which individual medicament portions are provided in which receiving compartments of the open transport box (tray). For this purpose, it is in turn necessary for the manual filling of the trays to be monitored in such a way that the correct receiving compartments are filled with the specified medicament portions according to a target filling. Errors during manual filling may occur in particular when the workstation of the operator performing filling is simultaneously provided with multiple medicament storage packs, from which the operator then removes the required number of individual portions in succession and places them in specified receiving compartments of the tray. It is possible here, for example, for the operator to inadvertently reach into the wrong medicament storage pack.
The object of the invention, therefore, is to provide a method for filling the trays which increases the reliability of correct filling, and a device which supports such reliable filling. In addition, the aim is to simplify and assist with manual filling.
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This object is achieved according to the invention by a method for filling an open transport box (tray) having a plurality of receiving compartments with individual portions of medicaments, having the features of Claim , and by an output/input station for an automated storage system for medicament packs for use in a method for filling an open transport box (tray) having a plurality of receiving compartments with individual portions of medicaments, having the features of Claim .
In the method for filling an open transport box (also referred to as a tray) having a plurality of receiving compartments, preferably open at the top, with individual portions of medicaments (tablets and capsules, for example), in which the individual portions are removed from medicament packs (standard blister boxes or bottles, for example) which are provided by an automated storage system (an automated picking machine, for example), using an output/input station, firstly, (a) a control device (a control computer or a computer network, for example) is provided with a target filling of the receiving compartments of the transport box, from which the medicament packs to be removed from storage and a sequence of their removal from storage are determined (this may be carried out in advance or also continuously, depending on the availability of the packs and additional removal operations which take place in parallel). The target filling includes information concerning which medicament portions are to be inserted into the individual receiving compartments. Then, (b) a medicament pack which contains at least one individual portion of a specified medicament (i.e., a medicament pack that is complete or only partially filled) is removed from the automated storage system, in that the medicament pack is deposited on a first receiving site of the output/input station by an operator unit (a computer-controlled gripper robot, for example) of the automated storage system, and is transported to an output site by a first transport device as soon as the output site is free. Then, (c) the medicament pack is removed from the output site of the output/input station (preferably by an operator), and (d) one or more individual portions are removed from the removed medicament pack (preferably by the operator) and introduced in each case into one or more specified receiving compartments of the transport box, whereby one or more medicament portions may be inserted into each receiving compartment. The particular receiving compartment to be filled is displayed to the user by means of a display device controlled by the control device (for example, by optical and/or acoustic output of the coordinates or a position description of the receiving compartment by means of an output device of a computer, or by activating a display situated immediately next to the compartment, or by directing a light spot onto the particular compartment, etc.). In addition, the correct filling of the individual portions is monitored by the control device (for example, by proximity sensors situated on each compartment, or by computer-assisted analysis of an electronic image recorded by the tray). Subsequently, (e) the medicament pack, provided that it is partially emptied (for example, still containing at least one individual portion, whereby even higher minimum numbers may be specified), is deposited on a restocking site of the output/input station which is situated in close proximity to the output site (i.e., preferably in the access area of the same operator), and from there is transported to a second receiving site by means of a second transport device, and is accessed by the operator unit (a gripper robot, for example) of the automated storage system in order to restock the (“broken”) medicament pack in the automated storage system (whereby the control device of the storage system stores information concerning the partial emptying of the medicament pack). Lastly, (f) the steps (b) through (e) are repeated for each subsequent medicament pack until all individual portions have been filled according to the target allocation.
This procedure of the automated sequential removal from and return to storage of always only one medicament storage pack in combination with the monitored removal and insertion into the tray compartments has the advantage that removal from the wrong medicament storage packs and incorrect loading of the compartments are avoided.
One preferred embodiment of the method is characterized in that an identification affixed to the medicament pack, for example a barcode or an RFID, is read in step (b) in order to check the correctness of the removed medicament pack. This provides additional reliability.
In addition, an identification affixed to the medicament pack, for example a barcode or an RFID, is preferably read in step (d) prior to or during depositing in order to check the correctness of the medicament pack to be restocked. This also provides additional reliability, since the correctness of the pack be restocked, and thus of the operator's actions, may be checked.
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One refinement of the method according to the method is characterized in that a signal which brings about the transport of the subsequent medicament pack to the output site is generated, either during removal of a medicament pack from the output site, after filling of a receiving compartment with the last individual portion removed from a medicament pack, or after placing the partially emptied medicament pack on the restocking site of the output/input station. For example, the signal which brings about the transport of the subsequent medicament pack to the output site is generated by activating an operator input device. In one alternative embodiment, the signal which brings about the transport of the subsequent medicament pack to the output site is generated by the signal which brings about the transport of the subsequent medicament pack to the output site ().
Another refinement of the method according to the method is characterized in that the placement of a medicament pack on the restocking site is detected by triggering a further sensor, for example a photoelectric barrier. This allows automatic triggering of the further transport of the pack to be returned to storage by the second transport device, and an early clearing of the restocking site for a subsequent restocking.
The output/input station according to the invention for an automated storage system for medicament packs for use in a method for reliably filling an open transport box (tray) having a plurality of receiving compartments with individual portions of medicaments has a first transport device, a second transport device, and a control device. The first transport device may receive a medicament pack from an operator unit of the automated storage bay at a first receiving site and transport it to an output site, at which the medicament pack is available for access by an operator. Drive devices or regulating devices (motors or actuators, for example) of the first transport device drive means (conveyor belts, for example) for transporting the medicament pack and/or enabling such transport (for example, blocking at the upper end of a chute or a slide) and/or for enabling access to the output site (doors, for example). The second transport device may receive a medicament pack at a restocking site which is accessible to an operator and transport it to a second receiving site in the access area of the operator unit, whereby drive devices or regulating devices of the second transport device drive means for transporting the medicament pack and/or for enabling such transport. The restocking site is situated in close proximity to the output site. The control device (a control computer, for example) is coupled to the drive devices or regulating devices of the two transport devices and connected to a detection device for detecting a removal of a medicament pack from the output site, whereby after detecting the removal of a medicament pack from the output site, the control device causes a next medicament pack to be transported to the output site, provided that the medicament pack is already present in the first transport device; otherwise, the operator unit causes, in advance, the medicament pack to be removed from storage and provided to the first receiving site.
The output/input station according to the invention allows an automated sequential removal from and return to storage of always only one medicament storage pack, with the advantage that removal from the wrong medicament storage packs is avoided.
In one preferred embodiment of the output/input station, the drive devices or regulating devices of the first transport device drive means for enabling transport, and the means for enabling include an access block, situated between the first receiving site and the output site, which prevents further transport of a medicament pack to the output site until the control device enables this transport. This increases the reliability of the sequential output of the medicament packs. In this embodiment, it is preferably provided that the access block is an air lock with an airlock door on the inlet side and an airlock door on the output side. It is thus possible to operate the output/input station in such a way that the space containing the output site is always separate from the space containing the receiving site. The first transport device of the output/input station is preferably situated in a tunnel which passes through a wall between the automated storage system for medicament packs and a clean room, and the air lock closes the tunnel via the airlock door on the inlet side and via the airlock door on the output side. This allows a dust-tight separation of a clean room, containing the output site, from the space of the automated storage bay in which the operator unit moves.
In one embodiment, an identification device which allows reading of an identification affixed to the medicament pack is provided at the output site and/or at the restocking site. This provides additional reliability by checking the correctness of the type of medicament pack that is present at the output site or at the restocking site.
In one preferred embodiment of the output/input station, the first transport device is a first belt conveyor having a first conveyor belt and a drive, and the first receiving site and the output site are sites on the first conveyor belt. This simplifies the structural design, since the transport means itself provides the deposit surfaces for the receiving site and the output site. In addition, the second transport device is preferably a second belt conveyor having a second conveyor belt and a drive, and the restocking site and the second receiving site are sites on the second conveyor belt. In this embodiment, the first and the second conveyor belts are preferably situated in parallel next to one another and have approximately the same length. The parallel arrangement of flat belts operated in opposite directions simplifies the structural design and allows a compact design. The first receiving site and the second receiving site are then situated in a plane and directly next to one another, which simplifies the control and configuration of the operator unit which accesses them.
In one preferred refinement of the output/input station according to the invention, the first and the second conveyor belts are each situated in a tunnel which passes through a wall between the automated storage system for medicament packs and a clean room, in each case an air lock closing the tunnel via an airlock door on the inlet side and via an airlock door on the output side. This embodiment combines the mentioned advantages of the parallel belt arrangement with those of the airlock configuration.
Advantageous and/or preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention are characterized in the subclaims.
FIGS. 1 through 3
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show schematic views of one exemplary embodiment of the output/input station according to the invention of an automated storage system for medicament packs. The output/input station has transport devices for outputting medicament packs removed form the storage system, and for restocking medicament packs in the storage system, the transport devices being passed through a wall of a housing or a covering of the automated storage system (automated picking machine), and through a wall , to a clean room. The medicament packs removed from storage, as storage containers for medicament portions in the clean room, are provided to an operator, who removes successive tablets or capsules (medicament portions) from these medicament packs and manually inserts them, deblistered, for example, into receiving compartments of an open transport box (tray) having a plurality of such receiving compartments. This filling of the trays takes place in a clean room so that preferably few dirt particles pass into the receiving compartments of the tray.
FIG. 1
FIG. 1
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shows a schematic top view of the front side of the output/input station on the clean room side. The output/input station includes a channel, accommodating the transport devices, which is situated in an opening in the wall and in an opening in the outer wall of the automated picking machine. Apparent in is the rectangular channel which contains two conveyor belts and situated next to one another (the front sides of the conveyor belts on the deflection rollers are apparent in the figure).
FIG. 2
FIG. 2
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shows a schematic top view of the output/input station . The wall separates the clean room, illustrated beneath the wall in , from the space which accommodates the automated picking machine, illustrated above the wall in . The conveyor belts and on the clean room side are apparent, whereby the medicament packs resting on the conveyor belt are transported from a first receiving site within the housing of the automated picking machine to an output site on the clean room side, while the medicament packs [resting on] the conveyor belt , which have been placed on a restocking site on the clean room side, are transported to a second receiving site within the housing of the automated picking machine. An operator unit (not illustrated) of the automated picking machine, in particular a gripper robot, on the one hand may deposit individual medicament packs on the first receiving site on the first conveyor belt , and on the other hand may receive medicament packs from the second receiving site on the second conveyor belt . The two conveyor belts and are situated next to one another in parallel at the same height, and may be moved independently of one another in opposite directions. On the side of the interior of the automated picking machine, the conveyor belts and are covered by a housing which lies closely against the recess in the wall . In addition, the channel of the output/input station , in which the conveyor belts and are situated, is provided with an air lock, so that the clean room may be separated from the space of the picking robot. For each of the two conveyor belts and , there is an airlock gate on the side of the picking robot and an airlock gate facing the clean room. In addition, a partition which subdivides the channel is situated between the conveyor belts and . An airlock gate situated at the front side inside the picking robot is denoted by reference numeral in .
FIG. 3
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shows a schematic sectional view of the output/input station along the line A-A according to . It is apparent here that the output/input station includes a control device situated in the interior of the housing of the automated picking machine, and therebeneath, a transport channel which accommodates the conveyor belts (the conveyor belt is shown), the transport channel initially passing through an opening in the wall of the automated picking machine and then through a recess in the wall to the clean room. The conveyor belt is driven by a drive motor . The deflection rollers are apparent at the ends of the conveyor belt. On the top side of the conveyor belt , the first receiving site is situated on the clean room side of the deposit site and, within an airlock chamber, on the side of the automated picking machine. Two airlock gates and close the channel above the conveyor belt . A first airlock gate closes the airlock chamber on the side of the automated picking machine, and a second airlock gate closes the airlock chamber on the output side to the clean room. The drives for the airlock gates and , among other elements, are situated in the installation space situated above the transport channel for accommodating control devices of the output/input station .
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The workstation, not illustrated in the figures, for filling the trays is situated directly next to the deposit site and the restocking site , so that the operator who is inserting medicament portions into the receiving compartments of the trays is able to access the output site and the restocking site . Also situated at the output site and at the restocking site are readers (scanners, for example) with which identification means (barcodes, for example) affixed to the medicament packs may be read. During removal of a medicament pack from the output site , the user may check its identity, for example by scanning a barcode. Likewise, during placement of a medicament pack back on the restocking site , the operator may once again have its identifier (barcode, for example) read so that the control device can check the correctness of the pack to be restocked. The control device may thus check whether the operator has actually placed the medicament pack, previously removed from the output site after removal of the medicament portions to be inserted into the receiving compartments of the tray, back on the restocking site . If this is not the case, the control device generates a warning signal and prompts for a correction before the output of subsequent medicament packs is initiated.
FIG. 4
One preferred embodiment of the method according to the method for filling an open transport box (tray) having a plurality of receiving compartments with individual portions of medicaments is described below with reference to .
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In a first step , data which describe a target filling of a tray with individual portions of medicaments are sent to the control computer of the automated picking machine. These data indicate, for example, in which receiving compartments which type of tablets or capsules are to be filled. The receiving compartments of the tray are preferably arranged in a matrix of rows and columns, and preferably include the data which characterize the target filling [and] the coordinates of these receiving compartments.
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In step , the control computer subsequently determines a first pack to be removed from storage, based on the target filling. The selection of the first medicament pack may depend on the transport route and the storage location of the pack, or also on which type of medicament is to be stored in a first compartment of the matrix of receiving compartments of the tray. The control computer may also determine the complete sequence of the medicament packs to be removed from storage, based on the target filling, and then, by storing appropriate information in memories of the control computer provided for this purpose, may ensure that the medicament packs thus reserved cannot be removed from the storage system for other purposes.
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In step , a first pack is subsequently removed from storage by the operator unit and deposited on the first receiving site . For this purpose, the airlock gate is optionally opened beforehand on the side of the interior of the automated picking machine, and is once again closed after the first pack is deposited. A check is made in step as to whether the deposit site is free. When the first pack is output, this question is of course answered in the affirmative. During subsequent removals of further packs from storage, this query ensures that the conveyor belt is not activated until the preceding medicament pack has been removed from the deposit site . It is checked in a subsequent query whether a medicament pack from which the operator is to remove medicament portions and which has been removed from the deposit site by the operator is still queued for restocking, i.e., for depositing on the restocking site , i.e., whether such a pack has not yet been deposited once again on the restocking site . If this question is answered in the affirmative, i.e., if a medicament pack previously removed from storage has not been placed on the restocking site, the control computer waits so that no further transport of the subsequent medicament pack deposited on the first receiving site takes place.
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However, if the question in step is answered in the negative, i.e., the preceding medicament pack has already been deposited on the restocking site, the method continues with step , in which the medicament pack is transported from the first receiving site to the deposit site . At that location, the medicament pack is then ready for removal by the operator.
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Without waiting for the removal by the operator, the method continues with query step , in which it is checked whether the pack just transported to the deposit site is the last pack that is necessary for the target filling. If this is answered in the affirmative, the removal from storage and output to the deposit site terminates. However, if this is answered in the negative, the method returns to step , in which the subsequent pack to be removed from storage is determined. In the event that the sequence of the packs to be removed from storage has been determined beforehand, the next pack in the sequence is simply provided here for removal from storage. The method then continues once again with step , in which the subsequent pack is removed from the automated storage system by the operator unit and deposited on the first receiving site . A query is then once again made in step as to whether the deposit site is free. This is answered in the negative, for example, when the operator has not yet removed the pack previously transported to the deposit site in step .
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The loops in the top half of the illustration in the figure ensure that provision is already made for transporting a subsequent pack to be removed from storage while the pack previously removed from storage is still on the deposit site . However, the conveyor belt is not reactivated until the deposit site has been previously emptied by removing the pack.
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The sequence which begins with the removal of a pack from the deposit site by the operator is illustrated in the bottom half of . This removal in step is decoupled in terms of time from the transport step , as indicated by a dashed-line arrow . The removal of the pack in step naturally takes place after the pack has been transported to the deposit site ; however, an indeterminate period of time may elapse between the transport of the pack to the deposit site and the removal of the pack.
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In step , the operator removes a medicament portion, for example a tablet or capsule, from the medicament pack removed from the deposit site .
At the same time, the control computer displays to the operator the particular receiving compartment of the ready tray in which this medicament portion is to be inserted. Since the control computer monitors the transport as well as the removal of the specified medicament pack, and by means of sensors also monitors the filling of portions into the receiving compartments, at any point in time the control computer also knows into which receiving compartment of the tray the next medicament portion is to be inserted. As stated above, in the simplest case the particular receiving compartment of the tray may be displayed by a visual or acoustic output on a screen or by means of a speaker. However, the selected receiving compartment is preferably directly identified, for example by activating an optical display, visible to the operator, next to or below the receiving compartment. If the tray is in a specified orientation on a specified site, the display may also take place by directing a light spot onto the selected receiving compartment. The operator then inserts the medicament portion into the indicated receiving compartment of the tray, which in turn is detected by the control computer by means of a suitable sensor system.
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In step , a query is made as to whether a further medicament portion from this removed medicament pack is to be inserted into the same or a different receiving compartment of the tray. If this is the case, step is carried out once again.
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When all medicament portions from the removed medicament pack to be inserted have been filled into the tray to be loaded, i.e., no further tablets are to be removed from this pack, the method continues with query . A query is made here as to whether the pack is empty. The control computer recognizes this automatically, since it tracks the particular filling level of the pack. In order to increase the reliability, it may also be provided that the operator makes an entry as soon as he/she determines that the medicament pack is empty. If a discrepancy between this entry by the operator and the filling level of the medicament pack tracked by the control computer is determined, an appropriate error signal may be output. The user may then be prompted to investigate the situation more closely.
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FIG. 4
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If it is determined in step that the pack is empty (arrow ), in step the method continues with the query as to whether the pack most recently removed from storage is the last pack required for the target filling. If this is the case, the method terminates. If this is not the case, it may be assumed that the process sequence illustrated in the top half of has already ensured that the subsequent medicament pack has been transported to the deposit site . The process sequence in the bottom half of then continues with step , namely, removal of the pack by the operator.
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If it is determined in step that the pack is not empty, the method continues with step , namely, with placement of the pack back on the restocking site . Multiple variants are likewise conceivable here. For example, due to the tracking of the filling level by the control computer, the user may be prompted to place the pack back on the restocking site, and optionally to have the barcode scanned. On the other hand, the user may always opt to place the pack back on the restocking site, this operation being detected by the control computer by means of suitable sensors. The control computer then checks whether the pack placed on the restocking site is the correct pack.
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The method then continues with step , in which the pack placed on the restocking site is transported by the conveyor belt to the second receiving site . In turn, the airlock gates are appropriately actuated. The operator unit of the automated storage system removes the pack (which has been partially emptied) from the second receiving site and stores it at an appropriate site. Of course, the control computer also stores the filling level of the partially emptied pack in association with the storage site of this pack.
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After step , the method continues once again with the query described above. In alternative embodiments, step and the subsequent steps may have already been carried out after it has been determined that the pack has been placed back on the restocking site in step . Step and optionally the subsequent steps and may already be carried out in this way during the return transport to the second receiving site and the restocking by the operator unit in step , which shortens the overall process. In this case, once again a query is to be provided, which avoids the situation in which a further medicament pack is placed back on the restocking site before the pack previously placed there, on the second receiving site , has been removed by the operator unit.
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Numerous alternative embodiments are conceivable within the scope of the inventive concept. Instead of situating the airlock gates on the side of the automated picking machine, these may be situated on the side of the clean room. For example, the output site as well as the restocking site may be completely surrounded by walls, and may be accessible by the operator only after the doors provided on the front side have been opened. Slides, for example, may also be used as a transport device instead of the conveyor belts, and blocks may be provided along the slides which may prevent or enable further sliding of the medicament packs. However, it is important that the output site and the restocking site are situated in close proximity to one another, i.e., are simultaneously accessible by the operator carrying out the filling of the trays.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention is described in greater detail below with reference to one preferred exemplary embodiment which is illustrated in the drawings, which show the following:
FIG. 1
shows a schematic front view of one exemplary embodiment of the output/input station according to the invention, with an output site and a restocking site situated next to one another;
FIG. 2
FIG. 1
shows a schematic top view of the exemplary embodiment of the output/input station according to the invention shown in ;
FIG. 3
FIG. 1
shows a schematic sectional view of the output/input station shown in , along the line A-A; and
FIG. 4
shows a schematic illustration of the process sequence of one embodiment of the method according to the invention. | |
One of Bruegel's best-known paintings, Landscape with the Fall of Icarus incorporates a landscape in the foreground with an expansive seascape stretching away towards the horizon. Closest to us, a farmer pushes a plow and horse. To his right, on a lower plateau of land, a shepherd tends to his flock. In the right foreground, a fisherman with his back to the viewer casts his net at the water's edge, while close to the shore in the bottom-right, two legs kick in the air: a comically minute reference to the titular narrative, which therefore seems to unfold in the background of the scene.
This is one of two paintings by Bruegel, which depict the story of Icarus as told in Ovid's Metamorphoses. These were the only two works which Bruegel created on mythological themes, in marked contrast to his contemporaries' focus on heroic narratives. The story revolves around the death of Icarus, the boy who wanted so badly to fly that he constructed wings out of wax and feathers. Failing to heed his father's warning not to fly too close to the sun, his wings melted and he plunged into the sea. We might expect that this tragic denouement would form the focal point of Bruegel's painting, but instead it becomes one incident woven into an all-encompassing representation of common rural life, the demise of the hero rendered almost laughable in its head-first ignominy. The composition is both irreverent and subtly philosophically resonant, expressing a clear skepticism for the bombastic mythological painting that had dominated the previous century of Renaissance art.
This work has been the subject of much moral speculation, revolving especially around the various figures who remain ignorant of Icarus's plight, only the shepherd glancing up towards the sky, and not even towards the relevant spot. The displacement of Icarus from center-stage has been interpreted as a directive to remain focused on one's own daily life. William Dello Russo has even suggested that the painting may illustrate a well-known Netherlandish expression, "one does not stay the plow for one who is dying." Landscape with the Fall of Icarus was given its most famous twentieth-century treatment by the poet W.H. Auden, whose poem Musée des Beaux Arts (1938) considers how suffering and personal drama take place in a wider context of ongoing life.
Oil on canvas - Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, Belgium
The Fight between Carnival and Lent
In one of his more lurid and chaotic paintings, Bruegel offers us a dense allegorical representation of the competing drives underpinning human character by showing the customs associated with two festivals closely aligned in the early-modern calendar. To the left, the figure of the Carnival holds sway: a fat man astride a beer barrel with a pork chop pinned to its front, spit-roasting a pig and wearing a meat pie as a helmet. He presides over a scene populated by jesters, revelers, musicians, thieves, and beggars. To the right, the gaunt figure of Lent, in the habit of a nun, extends a platter of fish, in defiance of his richer offerings. Behind her, hooded figures emerge from the archway of a church, in which the artworks are shrouded in the custom of the season of abstinence. To the other side of the canvas, the tavern provides an equivalent backdrop, standing for the sins and pleasures of the flesh.
Bruegel's complex symbolic representation of contrasting states of sin and piety, pleasure and pain, judgement and redemption, finds its most obvious precedent in the work of an older Netherlandish master, Hieronymus Bosch. In his proto-Surrealist triptych The Garden of Earthly Delights (c.1495-1505) Bosch offers a sequence of landscapes populated by figures in relative states of grace and perdition. What is notable, however, is the lack of any implied supernatural subtext to Bruegel's scene: where Bosch shows us the dire consequences of human error, Bruegel presents the spirit of the Carnival as a force of rebellion and subversion without seemingly offering any positive judgement either way.
The battle between Carnival and Lent stood partly for a contemporary struggle unfolding in Bruegel's home country. In 1556 the Low Countries, in possession of the vastly powerful Habpburg dynasty, passed to King Philip II of Spain, who sought to bring it under a more direct and stricter form of Catholic rule. At the same time, the Netherlandish countries were close to the heart of the unfolding Reformation movement, which viewed Catholic festivities such as Lent with profound suspicion. The carnivalesque energy of the left-hand side of the painting stands not so much for the emergent spirit of Protestantism - which tended to be more repressive of the traditional festive calendar than Catholicism - but for the obdurate pagan customs and rebellious character of an oppressed culture.
Oil on panel - Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
The Netherlandish Proverbs
This painting shows Bruegel's mastery of complex composition, often based on strong diagonal lines bringing overall cohesion to a large number of intersecting focal points. In The Netherlandish Proverbs, a village setting is chosen as the location for a variety of eccentric and superstitious rituals.
The actions undertaken by the villagers represent approximately 120 different Netherlandish proverbs, all related to the oddities of human behavior. In the left foreground a man bangs his head against a brick wall, representing the tendency of a fool to continue attempting the impossible; to the right, a figure leans distraught over a pot of spilt porridge, reminding the viewer that completed actions cannot be undone. Bruegel is noted for his busy compositions, involving many groups of figures engaged in small interactions. These individual compositions in turn establish an overall theme, often satirical or didactic, a compositional approach which has had a profound impact on art history. The influence of Bruegel's allegorical tableaux can be sensed, for example, in the work of the Dutch Symbolist and Expressionist James Ensor, who uses a similar compositional style in Christ's Entry into Brussels (1888) and The Baths at Ostend (1890).
Bruegel's significance as a forerunner of modern art lies not only in his breaking away from the ordered vanishing-point perspectives and carefully-managed figurative arrangements of the Italian Renaissance, but also from the idealized moral style and grandiose subject-matter which those features implied. By depicting the foibles of everyday human life, Bruegel expanded the range of subjects available to the Renaissance painter with characteristic, irreverent wit.
Oil on wood - Gemäldegalerie, Berlin, Germany
The Tower of Babel
A vast, partially constructed tower dominates Bruegel's extraordinary 1563 work The Tower of Babel. Surrounding the structure is a landscape dotted with tiny figures, some of whom march in procession around its curving stories, while others toil at the scaffolds along its sides. To the right, ships unload building materials; in every respect of detail, the painting is minutely, naturalistically accurate.
This is one of three paintings Bruegel created around the Biblical tale of the Tower of Babel. In so doing, he chose a story intended to provide a moral directive around the dangers of over-reaching ambition. In the original narrative from the Book of Genesis, God prevents King Nimrod from building a tower designed to reach to the heights of heaven, cursing the builders so that they are unable to communicate in the same language. In this painting, Nimrod is presented in the foreground discussing his project with an entourage of sycophantic courtiers, while enfeebled subjects crawl around his feet. The structure behind him is, in part, intended to be reminiscent of a Roman amphitheater, the Roman Empire being a symbol of the hubris of human ambition in Bruegel's day.
As with so much of Bruegel's work, the moral message also has a contemporary resonance. Living at a time when mainland Europe was being ravaged by rival religious factions - on the one hand, the Catholic empires of the south, on the other the dissenting Protestant cultures of the north - the story of a once morally united, monoglot religious society fracturing into rival groupings was a pertinent one; particularly as one of the founding causes of Protestantism was the translation of the Bible into modern script. Bruegel was sympathetic with the Protestant culture of his home country, and another version of the painting, The Little Tower of Babel" (c. 1568) provides a direct critique of Catholic ceremonial pomp. On one of the ramps extending up the tower, a group of figures marches under a line of red canopies, generally understood to be a veiled reference to the customs of the Catholic church, on whose behalf the Duke of Alba was brutally subduing Bruegel's homeland during the 1550s-60s.
Oil on panel - Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
The Hunters in the Snow
In a snow-covered landscape, three hunters lead their dogs through a picturesque, sprawling village. Vivid silhouettes of winter trees dominate the left-hand side of the composition, and, along with the direction of the hunters' movement, lead the eye towards the busy scene at the center, a happy gathering of people on a frozen river. In the background, buildings and snow-covered mountains recede into the distance beneath a blue-gray winter sky.
One of a series of paintings that Bruegel created to depict different seasons of the year, this work demonstrates his unique aptitude for capturing the spirit of the natural world. William Dello Russo describes The Hunters in the Snow as "one of the best-loved works by Bruegel", and "undoubtedly the best-known image of winter in Western art [...] Never before had a painter managed to create such a convincing representation of the coldness, the silence, and the torpor of the winter landscape." Bruegel's approach moves well beyond the characteristic landscape-painting techniques of his era, offering complex compositions that rely on color harmonies to convey the mood of the scene and season. Rose-Marie and Rainer Hagen suggest that "the picture is dominated by two 'cold' colors, the white of the snow and the pale green of the sky and ice. Every living thing is dark. This stands in contradiction to the customary color associations connected with being alive, and heightens the impressions of misery and privation." However, the number of people in the painting, and their state of busy activity, suggests liveliness and collectivity in the midst of the frozen landscape, indicating a community not dominated by their surroundings but making their lives within it.
Early in his career, Bruegel drew influence from the Flemish landscape artist Joachim Patinir, who also created paintings which seem to recede telescopically away from the eye. Expanding on Patinir's style, Bruegel's focus on landscape as a self-sufficient subject-matter had a profound impact on the development of modern art, including landscape painting of the Romantic and Naturalist movements. The exaggerated perspectival style of works like Hunters in the Snow, meanwhile, prefigures all subsequent landscape painting in which the conventional, post-Renaissance three-dimensional perspective is eschewed.
Oil on wood - Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria
The Wedding Dance
Bruegel's life-affirming scene of peasant matrimony is crowded with happy, inebriated revelers. In the background, a table is set with food, while the wedding guests dance, drink, and kiss, forming an unruly circle which fills the central space of the composition. One figure to the right, standing in front of a tree in a black hat and orange shawl, seems detached from the scene even while integrated into the joyful spiral, his demeanor of quiet reflection leading some critics to posit that this is a self-portrait of the artist himself.
This painting is one of many created by Bruegel showing rural peasants in scenes of leisure and celebration. The prevailing thought amongst artists of the Renaissance was that only religion, mythology, and the lives of great men were fit subjects for painting. According to Rose-Marie and Rainer Hagen, "no painter before [Bruegel] had dared to produce such works. Contemporary art generally regarded peasants as figures of mockery, considering them stupid, gluttonous, drunken, and prone to violence."
Besides making these gluttonous and volatile figures worthy of artistic representation, Bruegel's decision to focus on scenes and aspects of peasant life also drew attention to the lot of the working man and woman for perhaps the first time in art history. The same motive would become more conspicuous in the work of modern artists inspired by his example, including painters of the French Realist school such as Gustave Courbet and Honoré Daumier, who used their paintings to make politically subversive statements on the living and working conditions of the poor.
Oil on wood - Institute of Arts, Detroit, Michigan
The Conversion of Paul
A mountainous forest landscape dominates Bruegel's painting The Conversion of Paul. Moving in a diagonal sweep from the center foreground to the right background, a crowd of people, including a number of soldiers in armor, swarm into a gap in the rockface. In the left background, behind the crest of the mountain, a calm body of water stretches away.
While this work is nominally focused on the Biblical story of St. Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus, Bruegel radically departed from conventional painterly approaches to religious narrative by making the landscape, and the mass of humanity populating it, the central subject of the work. One has to look closely amongst the figures traveling the mountain path to pick out the convert thrown from his horse, lying on the ground as God strikes him blind. Indeed, without the interpretive hint provided by the title, one might fail to recognize what is taking place. As with his 'Icarus' landscapes, Bruegel detracts further from the import of the central narrative by setting the scene in a contemporary context, using the landscape of his home country as a backdrop, suggesting an irreverent, appropriative attitude to his source-material.
This painting also makes a subtle political statement. Amongst all the figures represented, the viewer's eye is drawn to a man dressed in black riding a white horse with his back to the viewer. Many believe this figure to be based on the Duke of Alba, responsible for the persecution of many Protestants in Brussels during Bruegel's lifetime, as part of a Spanish crusade to bring the Low Countries under stricter Catholic yoke. Rose-Marie and Rainer Hagen even suggest that the painting may be intended to invoke a similar conversion of Alba as overcame Paul, bringing an end to his murderous campaign. Whether or not this precise message can be inferred, the work certainly indicates the extent to which Bruegel was willing to use his art to reflect on the religious and political power-structures of his day.
Oil on wood - Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria
The Blind Leading the Blind
Five blind men trudge across the center of this canvas, canes in hand, arms stretched out hopelessly for guidance. The first member of the procession has already tumbled over, and lies on his back in the dirt. The man directly behind him is mid-stumble, while the steep downward curve of the path behind him suggests that the four following him will suffer the same fate. In the background, various features of a typical Bruegel landscape are visible: a church steeple, low thatched roofs, and a curving, tree-lined hillside.
Though its focus on the poor and destitute is typical of Bruegel's egalitarian concerns, this painting is marked out by its distinct compositional structure and mood. William Dello Russo has pointed out that the earthy color-palette represents a departure from Bruegel's typical tonal range - generally involving brighter colors - as does his use of tempera paint, which allows a less brash, saturated appearance than oil. As regards the visual composition, The Blind Leading the Blind is arguably a very early example of Realist genre painting, focusing closely on a small number of human figures engaged in everyday activities rather than one of the sprawling, densely populated landscapes which occupy the artist's others works.
This painting reflects Bruegel's ability to create captivating allegorical works based on both religious doctrine and common maxims. The painting illustrates a passage found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke -"[a]nd if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch" - but the phrase would have had the currency of a common saying, as it still does, and the curious mixture of empathy and grim amusement that the blind men's plight elicits needs no scriptural grounding. It emanates from that same elementary sense of the pathos and absurdity of human experience that the artist himself drew from. As art historian Max Dvorák wrote in 1928, "[the painting's] novelty lies in the very fact that such an insignificant occurrence with such insignificant heroes becomes the focus of this view of the world."
Tempera on canvas - Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte, Naples, Italy
The Magpie on the Gallows
A lush woodland landscape dominates this work from the penultimate year of Bruegel's life. In the background are the gables and tiled roofs of a Netherlandish village, while in the foreground to the left, a group of young peasants plays in the fields, unmoved by the structure to their right, on which a lone magpie perches.
Bruegel was not an overtly political artist. But this work, like The Conversion of Paul, indicates his ability to offer oblique commentaries on contemporary society. The gallows would have been a recognizable symbol of oppression during the Spanish campaign in the Low Countries, with hanging a fate awaiting many religious agitators, who were often exposed by the gossip or betrayal of friends. The little bird at the center of the piece thus takes on a grim allegorical relevance via a common Netherlandish expression: "to gossip like a magpie". At the same time, the piece strikes a note of defiance, the male figure defecating in the bushes in the immediate foreground suggesting the artist's attitude towards the Spanish occupation, and calling to mind another common expression of the Low Countries, "to shit at the gallows", meaning to defy authority and death.
There is some speculation that Bruegel himself might have been a victim of malicious gossip towards the end of his life, although no specific narrative supports this theory. It is known, however, that he left this work to his wife, and Karel van Mander has argued that the gesture was a loaded one: "he was referring by the magpie to the gossips, whom he would like to see hanged." | https://www.theartstory.org/artist/bruegel-the-elder-pieter/ |
QUÉBEC, May 6, 2021 / CNW Telbec / - In the wake of Rendezvous for educational success: education beyond the pandemic, the Minister of Education, Mr. Jean-François Roberge, and the Minister responsible for Education and Minister responsible for the Status of Women, Mr.me Isabelle Charest, today launched the Recovery plan for success: education beyond the pandemic, representing investments totaling 110 M$. Focused on students, their commitment and their success, this plan, carried out following a consultation bringing together nearly 60 actors from the school network, 35 secondary school students as well as a dozen parliamentarians of different political stripes, will be implemented from summer 2021 to ensure school perseverance and promote the educational success of Quebec students.
Concrete measures
More specifically, the plan aims to reduce learning gaps, and promote the well-being of students and staff, in addition to increasing opportunities to get out, be active and enjoy the outdoors, especially through children. following measures:
- 60 M$ for the continuation of the national tutoring program to ensure that the most vulnerable students benefit from additional educational support and that they can create new links that will allow them to strengthen their motivation and promote their well-being . Part of the amount allocated for this measure (7.2 M$) is reserved for students enrolled in adult education and vocational training centers, in order to support their educational success;
- 4.7 M$ for the hiring of support agents dedicated to strengthening the link between school and family in order to weave a safety net around young people with vulnerability factors, from disadvantaged backgrounds or living in situations precariousness resulting from the pandemic;
- 19 M$ to implement various initiatives to provide additional training and support for school personnel, in particular for more specific problems, such as student mental health and well-being. These sums will allow in particular the hiring of specialized resources, the release of personnel for training purposes and the purchase of equipment. Schools will have the autonomy necessary to implement the most promising initiatives according to the needs identified in their communities;
- 6 M$ to offer an educational outing to each elementary school student, in nature class (red class in autumn, white class in winter and green class in spring) or in discovery class, that is to say an outing taking place in a environment other than nature, often in an urban environment, with a cultural, sporting, artistic, scientific or historical aspect as a concern;
- bonus of 2 M$ for a total of 11.7 M$ for the program At school, we move!, which aims to support preschool and primary education institutions so that all of their students are physically active every day of class for at least 60 minutes, including physical and health education classes scheduled on their schedule.
Two-year partnership for educational camps during the summer
In addition to these measures, the ministers announced the conclusion of a partnership of 8.8 M$ over two years with the Quebec Network for Educational Success for the implementation of educational activities during the summer period. Starting this summer, these activities for young people will provide additional support to support vulnerable students and will help mitigate the negative impacts of the summer slip phenomenon.
The choice of activities are made according to the environment and the needs of the young people (ex .: animation of reading workshops, bookmobile, reading clubs, day camp with educational component, camp for teenagers to help with academic motivation, animation workshops to prepare for the transition between primary and secondary). These activities will be offered to them in a complementary aim to learning, but also in a pleasant and fun approach.
Essential knowledge, bulletins and ministerial tests
To ensure a gradual return to normal with regard to pedagogical frameworks, modifications will have to be made to the Basic school regulation. With the planned changes, the 2021-2022 school year would be divided into two stages of similar duration, with the following weighting: 40 % for the first (August 2021 to January 2022) and 60 % for the second (February 2022 to June 2022 ). Communications to parents should be made at mid-stage to keep them informed of their child's progress. In addition, mandatory ministerial examinations would be reintroduced with an adjusted weighting of 10 % instead of 20 %. All the unique events would also be reintroduced for the 4e and 5e years of secondary school and their weighting would also be adjusted to 20 % instead of 50 %. We thus aim for a gradual return to normal in the school network. It should be noted that the essential knowledge to be prioritized in line with the tests that will be reintroduced and readjusted by the Ministry will be available to teachers from June in order to properly prepare for the next school year.
Read the rest of the press release.
Recovery plan for educational success: "A plan that we were impatiently awaiting which takes into account the transitional period that we are living" - AMDES
MONTREAL, May 6, 2021 / CNW Telbec / - As AMDES President Kathleen Legault said: “Educational improvisation has been hard-hit in the community over the past year. When we know that the start of the school year is planned for January, it was time for the plan to be made public. We share it in general terms, because it reflects what we asked for during the consultations, in particular the essential learning, the two stages, respect for the autonomy of schools to determine the means and measures to be put in place to meet the needs of students. "
AMDES reiterated that the very serious problem of staff shortages remains a major challenge and there are no concrete actions with immediate effects to remedy it. Recent advances to promote the teaching profession are a first step, but do not solve anything for other staff.
“In Montreal, we can only applaud the strengthened partnership with community organizations and the commitment of the Réussite Montréal network with which we have already been working for years. The community is essential especially in the most disadvantaged districts and we are delighted that it is better equipped to contribute to the support of the pupils, ”indicated the president of AMDES.
Source: AMDES
The Federation of Private Educational Institutions is concerned about the delays in receiving health tags for the start of the 2021 school year
Montreal, May 6, 2021 - The Federation welcomes the Educational Recovery Plan presented by the Minister of Education this morning. The Federation is in agreement with the orientations and principles of this plan and ensures its full collaboration with the Minister and the Ministry to bring success to all the students entrusted to it.
However, the Federation would like to point out that tutoring is an approach that has a limited scope. This may help students in the short term, but more emphasis should be placed on school staff to properly support struggling students, ensuring that more resources are available on the job.
ground. The private schools, which welcome nearly 20 % of students with particular challenges in secondary school, consider that the best way to support these students is to count on teaching staff available a few hours a week to offer small recovery periods. groups and offer support through specialized resources. To respect the principle of flexibility, schools should be able to determine the use of the amounts allocated to tutoring and the addition of resources in the field, according to the needs of their students.
"The accompaniment of students by school staff promotes continuity and collaboration for the success of the student," explains David Bowles, president of the Federation. In our opinion, the best use of any additional budget is to add resources to better support staff
teacher (remedial teachers, TES, psychoeducators, teachers released to support pupils in difficulty). "
The Federation also wishes to express its concern about the deadlines for the distribution of health tags for the start of the 2021 school year. The preparation of groups and schedules is generally done in the spring in anticipation of the following school year.
"In a context of scarcity of the workforce in education, it is essential for schools to be able to plan the start of the school year a few months in advance, in order to be fully prepared when students return to school," says Mr Bowles.
Source: FEEP
Recovery plan for educational success - The FCSSQ is delighted to see its proposals implemented
QUÉBEC, May 6, 2021 / CNW Telbec / - The Fédération des centers de services scolaire du Québec welcomes the Recovery Plan for Educational Success presented today by the Minister of Education, Mr. Jean-François Roberge and the Minister for Education, Isabelle Charest.
“The school year that will soon end has been a very special year. It is the same for the one to come. It was essential for school service centers to be able to adequately plan the next school year. The predictability provided for in the Recovery Plan is very welcome. Also, it was very important to leave flexibility to the education network. Each school service center knows its students, their needs and each school's priorities. The Federation notes with great satisfaction that several measures in our joint brief with the Association des directions générale scolaire du Québec have been taken into account by the Minister and will be implemented by our network, respecting the expertise of the people involved. in the field, ”said the President and CEO of the FCSSQ, Caroline Dupré.
“We are also satisfied with maintaining the two stages and increasing the number of communications to parents, in order to ensure the best possible support for students, in collaboration with families. The tutoring program already in place will continue and be enhanced; we will add students in vocational training and general adult education who will be identified by the school teams. I also want to ensure the full commitment of the school service centers to the students, in order to support their perseverance and their success, ”she concluded.
Source: FCSSQ
Recovery plan for educational success - Student success at the heart of the recovery plan
QUÉBEC, May 6, 2021 / CNW Telbec / - The Association des directions générale scolaire du Québec (ADGSQ) is reassured by the investments of 110 M$ unveiled today by Minister Jean-François Roberge and Minister Isabelle Charest as part of of the Recovery Plan for Educational Success following recent consultations with the network. All the measures announced will constitute important levers so that the students can continue their commitment towards their success from the next summer period.
Having participated with great interest in the consultations during the Rendezvous for educational success, the ADGSQ once again welcomes the Minister's attention to general management in order to orient priorities and target concrete, relevant and adapted measures to the current school reality.
A recovery plan which is based on the recommendations of the partners of the network must be welcomed by the first leaders of the network represented by the general management and this clear plan `` beyond the pandemic '' will undoubtedly be a source of mobilization. significant of all the actors involved in the educational mission; whether it takes place at school or outside establishments.
"The Minister's recovery plan is solid and resolutely focused on various measures aimed in particular at consolidating the tutoring program, hiring and training staff, as well as less academic activities so that students continue to develop in better conditions. that promote their success and well-being. >>, declared Mr. Lucien Maltais, president of the ADGSQ.
"With this mobilizing vision, the directorates-general reaffirm their commitment to continue to do everything possible to update the will of the government, and particularly those of the Minister of Education and the Minister Delegate, in order to be a part solution and continue to put their leadership to the benefit of the mobilization of all the actors who must ensure, together, the success of the students, ”concluded Mr. Maltais.
Source: ADGSQ
Stimulus plan for success - Parents are always there
QUEBEC, May 6, 2021 / CNW Telbec / - The Federation of Quebec Parents 'Committees (FCPQ) and the Association of Anglophone Parents' Committees (EPCA) welcome the measures announced today by the Minister of Education, Jean -François Roberge, and the Minister for Education, Isabelle Charest.
Parents have been there for over a year to support their children towards success in this particular context. They like to talk about success and want to be involved and informed about decisions. Surveys conducted with parents during the school year revealed an increase in satisfaction with communications sent to families related to health measures and cases of covid-19 in their school. We must also achieve this level of satisfaction for communications related to the success and progress of our children.
The measures announced are a step in the right direction, in particular the creation of the role of liaison officer in schools in disadvantaged areas, a long-standing request from parents that we hope to see extended to all schools.
The two communications sent to parents during the year, announced today, should however be individual meetings where an exchange can take place. These exchanges on student progress promote harmonious school transitions, co-education and parental involvement. This minimum of two meetings should even be increased for parents of students with special needs.
Individualized success plan
That being said, the FCPQ and EPCA are disappointed that their proposal for an individualized success plan (PRI) was not accepted this year. We are convinced that this tool would help students, but also parents and school staff, not only by improving collaboration and communications, but also and above all to promote the success of all students. We will continue to promote the PRI and its benefits.
Tutoring and student support
The continuation of the tutoring program is welcomed. Parents reiterate, however, the importance of not setting restrictive criteria for eligibility for tutoring. The program should be available to all students who need it. In addition, requests from parents who feel that their child needs this support should be taken into serious consideration.
In addition, the educational activities during the summer meet a real need, particularly for vulnerable students and for English and allophone communities. We salute the granting of this partnership to the Network for Educational Success, a solid and trusted organization. These summer activities should remain a choice for families and should be targeted in collaboration with local organizations to meet the needs.
Motivation of young people
Parents have repeatedly emphasized the importance of extracurricular activities and socialization in motivating young people. We therefore welcome the enhancement of programs that allow young people to move and go on educational outings, such as At school, we move!
Start of the 2021-2022 school year
With the announcement of a vaccination campaign for teens before the next school year, we hope that all students will be able to physically return to school. This is good news for our young people, who have access to supervision and services adapted to their needs at school, in addition to benefiting from social interactions.
We are satisfied with the proposed timetable to inform us of decisions concerning sanitary measures and adjustments to the back-to-school plan if necessary and we will of course be listening.
To view this press release in English, Click here.
Stimulus plan for academic success - Modest means in the face of immense needs
MONTREAL, May 6, 2021 / CNW Telbec / - Reacting to the Quebec government's announcement of the stimulus plan for academic success, the Centrale des unions du Québec (CSQ) describes the amounts announced as modest, given the explosion of needs in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and even before.
Thus, the president of the Centrale, Sonia Ethier, welcomes the injection of $ 110 million already budgeted for, but judges from the outset that the amount will be insufficient to meet the significant increase in demand to meet the needs of students. and staff. “Investments of less than $ 40,000 per school will help, but will not be enough to address the structural problems that plague our networks.
“Today's announcement clarifies the game plan until the summer of 2022, which is a good thing. However, the needs generated by the crisis will go well beyond this moment. In this spirit, we are still waiting for a game plan that goes beyond the medium term and which casts a wider net, by ensuring a coherent alignment of the various government measures aimed at reducing the repercussions of the pandemic.
“The plan provides for some monitoring of the evolution of the situation and speaks of encouraging research, but we should not focus only on good practices and educational innovations. We also need research to better understand how the pandemic affects students and adults in training according to their socioeconomic, ethnocultural and gender differentiations in order to put in place appropriate and structuring measures in the longer term, ”explains Sonia Ethier. .
In the measures deployed, the CSQ underlines the $ 60 million dedicated to tutoring, but expresses fears, given that remedial work and supervision rest almost exclusively on the shoulders of school personnel, who are already overworked. “While the continuation of the national tutoring program is undoubtedly welcome, several questions remain about the 'how',” says Sonia Ethier.
Among the various measures announced, the implementation of summer activities, for a period of two years, is viewed positively by the CSQ since it will help reduce the loss of student achievement during the summer period. However, the amount of $ 5 million earmarked for the educational success of Aboriginal students appears to be derisory and negligible in meeting the glaring needs of these communities.
The great forgotten: vocational training and adult education
Once again, the CSQ deplores the fact that vocational training (FP) and general adult education (FGA) are largely forgotten in today's announcement, despite the release of $ 7.2 million reserved for the tutoring. For the president of the Centrale, the sums are absolutely insufficient. “In the last year alone, many students in FP or FGA left the network or dropped out due to the pandemic. Faced with these numerous dropouts, vocational training and adult education centers are facing a funding crisis and need more financial support than ever. The addition of significant sums, as we demanded during the Rendez-vous pour la success educatif, would have made it possible to compensate for the lack of funding that was caused by the abandonment of many students. Vocational training and general training for adults are, unfortunately still, the big ones forgotten in today's announcement, ”argues the president of the CSQ. | https://ecolebranchee.com/english/impact-de-la-covid-19-sur-la-reussite-educative-plan-de-relance-pour-la-reussite-scolaire-110-m/ |
Updated By: LatestGKGS Desk
The United Nations Day is celebrated every year on 24th October to mark its anniversary of the entry into force of UN Charter in 1945. This year in 2018 UN marks its 73rd anniversary.
The UN entered into force on 24 October 1945 after it was enacted by the original five permanent members of the Security Council-China, France, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (now Russia), United Kingdom, and the United States and the majority of the other signatories.
Since then, United Nations officially came into existence on 24th October is celebrated as UN Day. On this day all member states of UN contribute finances to its operation to help further its goals.
At present, UN has become world’s only truly universal global organization and is a foremost forum to address issues that transcend national boundaries and cannot be resolved by any one country acting alone.
The UN's major role is to maintain world peace, human rights, promote social and economic development and provide aid around the world in cases of famine, natural disaster, and armed conflict.
The main organs of UN are General Assembly (UNGA), Security Council (UNSC), Economic and Social Council (UNESOC), International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN Secretariat, Trusteeship Council.
The United Nations is a successor of ineffective League of Nations and was established in 1945 after World War II in order to prevent another such conflict.
LoN was founded in January, 1920 as a result of Paris Peace Conference that ended World War I.
LoN was the first international organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. But the onset of World War II, demonstrated that LoN failed in its primary purpose of preventing another world war.
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The 14th INTERPRAEVENT Congress hopes to span a wide spectrum of stakeholders within all fields of natural hazard risk reduction, and welcome a variety of contributions from research to practical applications, policy making, insurance and economic aspects.
Focus will be on integrated management of natural hazards and risks, equally considering causes of disasters as well as measures of prevention, preparedness, response and recovery in the view of climate and social changes.
2020 UNDERSTANDING RISK FORUM
Singapore, 18-22 May 2020
UR is a global community of 9,000+ experts and practitioners active in the creation, communication, and use of disaster risk information. Members share knowledge and experience, collaborate, and discuss innovations and best practice in risk assessment. The community convenes every two years at UR Forums – five-day events that highlight groundbreaking work, facilitate nontraditional partnerships, and showcase new technical know-how in disaster risk identification.
UR2020 will take place 18-22 May 2020 at the Singapore EXPO Convention and Exhibition Centre. More than 1,000 representatives from all over the world are expected to participate. The five-day event is divided into three days for the main conference and two days dedicated to side events led by the community. The Forum features technical sessions, interactive workshops, and multimedia exhibits, as well as space for bilateral meetings.
EUROPEAN RISK MANAGEMENNT SEMINAR 2020
Antwerp (Belgium), 12-13 October 2020
The Federation of European Risk Management Associations (FERMA) speaks for the risk management profession in Europe.
FERMA brings together 21 risk management associations in 20 European countries. They represent nearly 5000 professional risk managers active in a wide range of business sectors. FERMA acts on their behalf at European level and promotes the risk management profession. | https://wfcatprogrammes.com/web/guest/events |
Postural Control Basics
Postural control is balance – the ability to maintain balance in a posture while attending to, and engaged in, a task. Postural control emerges on the basis of an innate necessity to gain and maintain upright postures, and is achieved and refined in all functioning positions and postures during the first 10 years of life, with the greatest gains made in the first 3 years. [1,2] The successful acquisition of postural control in the trunk, neck, and hips allows the limb muscles to be used for effective movement and function.
Deficient postural control combined with the necessity to remain upright results in the chronic, compensatory use of limb muscles to maintain stability rather than engage in motions. Limb muscles working to hold postures shorten over time as the adapt to a tonic use history. Shortened limb muscles and surrounding tissues become increasingly stiff (i.e. form contractures). Limb movements are labored in the presence of tonic recruitment for balance and remaining upright and of contractures.
Treatment approaches that address issues of postural control and diminished sensory awareness include:
- The rhythmic stabilization techniques of PNF, intended to elicit co-activation of the postural muscles though deep compression
- Handling techniques targeted to build trunk muscle strength and control from the NDT approach [4,5,6]
- P-A’s strategies for enhancing sensory input through the body-ground interface while the child is engaged in play
- SI therapy seeks to contribute to the child’s ability to receive and use sensory information effectively.
TheraTogs’ Role in Postural Control
TheraTogs systems implement many of the principles and methods used in treatment to promote postural control by:
- Delivering a cozy body hug that raises the level of body awareness on the torso. The fabric used to make the undergarments is lined with foam and is designed to stretch horizontally.
- Assisting in aligning the trunk and hips. The fabric used to make the undergarments is designed to resist vertical stretch so that it offers gentle postural stability. Because it is only fabric, it cannot “do the work” of the postural control muscles. The muscles remain active, but work in a new and more correct length and relationship to the underlying spine and joints.
- The addition of strapping to the garments can further improve postural alignment, connect the thorax to the pelvis, and/or deliver a deep compression through the joints of the spine and hips to promote co-activation of the trunk muscles.
Tip: TheraTogs are made of elastic fabrics. They are not capable of providing passive support to the torso. They cannot possibly produce limb motions. They provide flexible assistance to the wearer who functions in improved postural and joint alignment. It is common to find the wearer develop fatigue while undertaking routine activities in improved alignment. Antigravity muscles are being recruited in new ways and at shorter lengths. Caretakers can easily grant rest periods by loosening key straps temporarily.
Learn More…
TheraTogs inventor Beverly Cusick has created two hour-long webinars that address the critical elements of postural control development:
Program #1: Early Postural Control Acquisition
Program #2: Expanding Postural Control into Movement
References
-
Hadders-Algra M, Carlberg EB. 2008. Postural Control: A Key Issue in Developmental Disorders. Clinics in Devel Med.No. 179. London: Mac Keith Press.
-
Shumway-Cook A, Wollacott MH. 2011. Motor Control: Translating Research into Clinical Practice, 4th edition. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins: Philadlephia PA.
-
Sareen, Aarti. 2013. Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation
-
Arndt SW, Chandler LS, Sweeney JK, et al. (2008). Effects of a neurodevelopmental treatment-based trunk protocol for infants with posture and movement dysfunction. Pediatric Physical Therapy, 20(1), 11.
-
Knox V, Evans AL. 2002. Evaluation of the functional effects of a course of Bobath therapy in children with cerebral palsy: A preliminary study. Devel Med Child Neurol.44(7), 447.
-
Howell JM et al. 2002. Neuro-Developmental Treatment Approach: Theoretical Foundations and Principles of Clinical Practice. NDTA.
-
Institute for Perception-Action Approach. Theoretical Foundations. | https://theratogs.com/knowledge-base/postural-control-overview/ |
Counterpoint: Should students abandon traditional note-taking?
February 16, 2018
As the concept of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) increases in
popularity, the age-old idea of taking notes by hand is quickly becoming a thing of
the past for many students. After all, typing notes is faster and can keep you
organized, particularly in an era when information in bulk is the norm.
However, a number of research studies show the disadvantage of
taking notes digitally, highlighting the fact that this method is not only
distracting, but negatively impacts the ability to retain information over
extended periods of time.
Researchers Pam A. Mueller and Daniel M. Oppenheimer
conducted a study to determine whether taking notes by hand affects
learning. In the study, the psychologists showed TED talks about various
topics to university students, and told them they would later be quizzed on
it. When testing how well the students remembered information, the
researchers found a key point of divergence in the type of question. Despite
the fact that the students who used laptops did equally as well on questions
that required memorizing basic facts, the students who wrote their notes by-
hand did “significantly better” on conceptual application questions.
According to Mueller, the primary cause of this phenomenon was the quality versus the
quantity of the notes recorded. Laptop students tended to copy the notes
word for word, while the longhand students were forced to be more selective and paraphrase the
material. The researchers determined that the longhand technique of
selectively paraphrasing is actually a form of processing the material, rather
than just copying it, and it benefited the students in the long run.
“Writing helps me stay engaged in the material that I’m learning,
whereas typing is often done mindlessly, and therefore I feel like it is less
effective than handwriting in terms of retaining information,” said freshman Isaac Goldstein. “However, typing can be useful at times, as it helps
maintain organization, especially for students that don’t have neat
handwriting.”
In the age of social media, where a simple click can quickly take you
from notes to Instagram or Facebook, using a computer can easily become a distraction. Unlike traditional doodling, which some researchers
suggest can help visual learners, the temptation to surf the web often results
in a complete departure from the task at hand.
“Many students who take notes digitally often find themselves
surfing the Internet, playing games, or doing homework for other classes,”
said freshman Rebecca Packer. “I strongly advise for students to take notes
digitally, but only if they are able to display self-control and stay focused on
the material.”
Despite the advantages of using Google Drive type notes, another benefit of
traditional note taking involves the concept of muscle memory. Muscle memory, also referred to as motor learning, is a form of procedural memory
that involves consolidating a specific motor task into memory through
repetition. By writing down material, students are drilling the information into
their heads, which can be beneficial for courses where memorizing and
reciting information is stressed.
“The more times you write information down, the easier it will
be for your brain to remember the information later,” said junior Hugh
Owens. “Not only will you remember the information more easily, but
actually writing the words is helpful. If I see something similar on a future test, it’s easier for me to get the answer, because muscle memory will associate one key term with another.”
Some Schreiber students are aiming to get the best of both
worlds by first taking longhand notes in class, and then typing them up in
their free time. By doing this, students are able to utilize their muscle
memory to retain the information, yet maintain proper organization by having
typed notes to use as a study guide.
That being said, no two students are the same and the outcome of converting
to digital note taking will vary from person to person. A visual learner may
benefit from doodling in the margin, while an auditory learner may be able to
retype a lecture word for word. Regardless, the truth of the matter is that
scientific studies have demonstrated that those who opt to go digital should
proceed with caution.The right answer is the one that works for you, but perhaps you
should hold onto that pencil case for a few more years. | https://theschreibertimes.com/2018/02/16/counterpoint-should-students-abandon-traditional-note-taking/ |
The continental geotherm and the evolution of rifted margins.
Reston, Timothy J. and Phipps Morgan, Jason (2004) The continental geotherm and the evolution of rifted margins. Geology, 32 (2). pp. 133-136. DOI 10.1130/G19999.1.
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Abstract
Models of melting accompanying mantle upwelling predict far more melt than is observed at nonvolcanic margins. The discrepancy may be explained if the paradigm of a uniform asthenosphere is incorrect. Work on the velocity structure of the continents has shown that the convecting sublithospheric mantle may have a potential temperature as low as 1200 °C, ∼100 °C cooler than that beneath the oceans. The continental geotherm derived from studies on xenoliths brought up by kimberlites is also compatible with a cool sublithospheric mantle except where perturbed by mantle plumes. Upwelling of such cool mantle during rifting leads to little melt production, even for rapid extension rates, explaining the formation of amagmatic margins away from mantle plumes. However, the transition to seafloor spreading and the development of normal-thickness oceanic crust requires the invasion of the amagmatic rift by hotter oceanic asthenosphere and/or plume material. This influx may cause a transient thermal uplift, recorded as a breakup unconformity. Conversely, at volcanic margins, the onset of seafloor spreading is accompanied by the escape of the hot plume puddle along the mid-ocean ridge system away from the volcanic margin, leading to a pulse of rapid subsidence.
|Document Type:||Article|
|Keywords:||rifting, breakup, geotherm, melting, mantle, unconformity|
|Research affiliation:||OceanRep > GEOMAR > FB4 Dynamics of the Ocean Floor > FB4-GDY Marine Geodynamics|
|Refereed:||Yes|
|Open Access Journal?:||No|
|DOI etc.:||10.1130/G19999.1|
|ISSN:||0091-7613|
|Date Deposited:||13 Feb 2009 10:38|
|Last Modified:||04 Aug 2017 12:39|
|URI:||http://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/8180|
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Copyright 2013 | GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel | All rights reserved
Questions, comments and suggestions regarding the GEOMAR repository are welcomed
at [email protected] ! | http://oceanrep.geomar.de/8180/ |
Miriam R Lieberman, MD
Miriam R. Lieberman, MD, FAAD, is a board-certified dermatologist who specializes in both medical and cosmetic dermatology.
Dr. Lieberman graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. She then completed medical school and residency training in dermatology at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in New York City, treating pediatric and adult patients with complex dermatologic and medical conditions. She was awarded the AMWA/Glasgow-Rubin Certificates of Commendation and her research work was recognized with a Commendation in Investigative Scholarship. She was inducted into the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and received the Benjamin Bender Award for Excellence in Clinical Dermatology. Dr. Lieberman is dedicated to advancing the field of dermatology, having published several research papers, including case reports and literature reviews.
Dr. Lieberman is committed to providing quality patient care, empowering her patients through health education. She is an esteemed member of professional organizations such as the American Academy of Dermatology, American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, and the Women's Dermatologic Society.
Education
Board Certification(s)
Hospital Affiliations
Professional Memberships
Miriam Lieberman is a member of the following professional organizations: | https://nssdermatologypllc.com/miriam-r-lieberman-md.php |
Evidence-Based Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Fourth Edition, Revised continues to provide the most up-to-date and evidence-based information for determining the appropriate surgical and medical options for diagnosing, screening for, and treating gastrointestinal conditions. This edition is available in PDF format. The most recent version, the fourth one, features practical recommendations for the care of individual patients that are based on the most recent scientific data. These recommendations have been contributed to by an international team of renowned specialists in the field.
This textbook provides a one-of-a-kind resource that is entirely evidence-based in its approach. It is intended to be a vital tool for gastroenterologists of all levels to consult regularly in order to enhance their time management. The chapters provide an overview of the clinical questions that gastroenterologists face on a regular basis in the course of their professional work. Using the well-respected GRADE framework, the evidence presented in the textbook (such as randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews, or trials of lesser quality), as well as therapy suggestions, are assessed for their level of quality. This brand new and updated edition:
- Featuring contributions from an editorial staff that is both multinational and highly regarded
- Including a reliable assessment of the quality of the evidence based on the GRADE framework
- Places the emphasis on the clinical questions that are most relevant to the patient and are most likely to be encountered
- The purpose of this document is to serve as a guide for patient management protocols that are supported by actual evidence.
- Contains seven brand new chapters on contemporary issues that are important to the fields of gastroenterology and hepatology
The revised fourth edition of Evidence-Based Gastroenterology and Hepatology offers an evidence-based resource that evaluates the evidence for the diagnostic tests and treatment regimens for gastrointestinal and hepatic diseases. This book was written for hepatologists, gastroenterologists, and specialty trainees in gastroenterology/hepatology. | https://www.yakibooki.com/download/evidence-based-gastroenterology-and-hepatology-4th-edition/ |
Fear of Public Speaking...
Below are our articles on the subject of Fear of Public Speaking. If you can't see what you are looking for our other categories are displayed on the left under 'Our Quick Links'...
Dealing With Problems With Poise
Lacking poise? No problem! Just try these techniques for building confidence....
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Do you have a fear of speaking in public? Hypnosis could be the answer to put an end to your apprehension!...
Why Some Are Anxious About Public Speaking?
Why are some people so anxious about speaking in public? Here, we explore four of the top reasons… and how to overcome them!... | http://www.publicspeakingexpert.co.uk/PublicSpeakingFearCategory.html |
The making of Europe is an ongoing process, and this concerns the emergence of new states with new constellations of majorities and minorities, changes of demographic patterns caused by internal European migrations and demographic influx from outside Europe, changes of the political status of ethnic groups and their languages. Language-related boundary-marking of ethnic identity occupies a pivotal role in these processes, producing various scenarios of contact and conflict between ethnic groups throughout Europe. In order to perceive the magnitude of this phenomenon it is necessary to inspect the infrastructure of the complex concept “ethnicity” and to shed light on how ethnic processes have been conceptualized in the history of European reasoning.
https://doi.org/10.1075/mdm.1.06haa
Cited by
Cited by 1 other publications
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 08 september 2022. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them. | https://benjamins.com/catalog/mdm.1.06haa |
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
In recent years, a great deal of emphasis has been directed to development of pedestrian protection systems for use in motor vehicles in an effort to reduce the likelihood or severity of injuries caused during a collision between a pedestrian and a motor vehicle. One such area of development has been directed to equipping the motor vehicle with a hood assembly capable of absorbing impact forces.
A “passive” pedestrian protection system associated with the hood assembly includes providing a pocket of under-hood crush space between the hood and the components within the vehicle's engine compartment. This crush space is configured to reduce the chance of bodily impact with the components within the engine component and, more particularly, to provide an impact absorbing feature. However, the use of low profile hoods in modern motor vehicles for improved aesthetics and aerodynamics, in combination with smaller engine compartments, limits the available crush space.
As an alternative, an “active” pedestrian protection system associated with the vehicle's hood assembly provides a “deployable” hood that is configured to raise a rear portion of the latched hood to create the additional under-hood crush space. This deployable hood feature is activated in response to detection of a pedestrian collision with the front end of the motor vehicle. Typically, a pair of active hinges are incorporated into the hood assembly. Each active hinge includes a pivot linkage interconnecting the hood to the vehicle body and an actuator that is operable to forcibly move the pivot linkage for causing the hood to move from a non-deployed position to a deployed position in response to detection of the pedestrian impact. Examples of active hinges that provide this functionality are disclosed in commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 8,544,590 and U.S. Publication No. 2014/0182962.
In some active hinges, the actuator is used to hold the hood in its deployed position. For example, some active hinges use a pyrotechnic actuator which typically requires controlled venting to maintain the upward force that is applied to the pivot linkage. To this end, a need exists to provide alternative solutions for locating and retaining the hood in its deployed position which address and overcome shortcomings of conventional active hinges.
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Append is a useful predicate, and it is important to know how to use it. But it is just as important to know that it can be a source of inefficiency, and that you probably don't want to use it all the time.
Why is
append a source of inefficiency? If you think about the way it works, you'll notice a weakness:
append doesn't join two lists in one simple action. Rather, it needs to work its way down its first argument until it finds the end of the list, and only then can it carry out the concatenation.
Now, often this causes no problems. For example, if we have two lists and we just want to concatenate them, it's probably not too bad. Sure, Prolog will need to work down the length of the first list, but if the list is not too long, that's probably not too high a price to pay for the ease of working with
append.
But matters may be very different if the first two arguments are given as variables. As we've just seen, it can be very useful to give
append variables in its first two arguments, for this lets Prolog search for ways of splitting up the lists. But there is a price to pay: a lot of search is going on, and this can lead to very inefficient programs.
To illustrate this, we shall examine the problem of reversing a list. That is, we will examine the problem of defining a predicate which takes a list (say
[a,b,c,d]) as input and returns a list containing the same elements in the reverse order (here
[d,c,b,a]).
Now, a
reverse predicate is a useful predicate to have around. As you will have realized by now, lists in Prolog are far easier to access from the front than from the back. For example, to pull out the head of a list
L, all we have to do is perform the unification
[H|_] = L; this results in
H being instantiated to the head of
L. But pulling out the last element of an arbitrary list is harder: we can't do it simply using unification. On the other hand, if we had a predicate which reversed lists, we could first reverse the input list, and then pull out the head of the reversed list, as this would give us the last element of the original list. So a
reverse predicate could be a useful tool. However, as we may have to reverse large lists, we would like this tool to be efficient. So we need to think about the problem carefully.
And that's what we're going to do now. We will define two reverse predicates: a naive one, defined with the help of
append, and a more efficient (and indeed, more natural) one defined using accumulators. | https://cs.union.edu/~striegnk/learn-prolog-now/html/node49.html |
• Reduction of total fat to 20 to 25 percent of calories.
• Cancer Rates Rise in Japan with Modern Diet - Epidemiologists reported that cancer of the lung, breast, and colon increased two to three times among Japanese women between 1950 and 1975. During that period, milk consumption increased 15 times; meat, eggs, and poultry climbed seven and a half times; and rice consumption dropped 70 percent. In Okinawa, with the highest proportion of centenarians, longevity was associated with lowered sugar and salt intake and higher intake of protein and green and yellow vegetables.
• Heart Disease Rates Rise as Japanese Migrate West - Scientists observed that coronary heart disease prevalence and incidence rates tripled among Japanese within a generation of their migration to the West Coast of the United States and doubled in Japanese who migrated to Hawaii. These changes coincided with a change in the immigrants’ diet, especially levels of saturated fat and serum cholesterol.
• High-Fat Food and Rising Disease in Japan - With over a thousand McDonald's in Japan, high-fat food is taking its toll. Between 1955 and 1992, according to a Japanese Government report, the consumption of fat rose from 8.7 percent of calories to 25.5 percent and a higher rate of chronic diseases.
• Cancer Rises as Japanese Migrate West - An epidemiological study indicated that dietary habits and environmental influences are the chief determinants of the world’s varying cancer rates and not genetic factors. Data showed that in the course of three generations, Japanese migrants in the United States contracted colon cancer at the same rates as the general American population. In contrast, the regular colon cancer rate in Japan remained about one-fourth the American incidence.
JEWISH DIET
• Traditional Teachings - In a study of diet and Judaism, a Hassidic teacher explores traditional Jewish teachings on healing and diet in the Bible, Talmud, Kabbalah, Maimonides, and the Hassidic teachings of Rebbe Nachman.
• Jesus’s Way of Eating - Jesus’s way of eating—bread, fish, and vegetables—was essentially macrobiotic, and his teachings show a deep understanding of food and the relationship between heavenly and earthly nourishment. In a study of the Gospel of Thomas and other teachings of Jesus, two educators explore diet in Judaism and early Christianity and describe the use of the term “makrobios” by the council of rabbis in the Septuagint in the 4th century B.C.E.
• Columbus’s Jewish Heritage and the Role of Diet in the Discovery of America - In a study of Christopher Columbus, a holistic teacher surveys Jewish and Christian dietary practices during the Spanish Inquisition, Colum-bus’s probable Jewish origins, and the dietary conquest of America, as well as an interpretation of the story of Noah’s ark in the Bible.
KAIBARA, EKKEN
KALE
• Medicinal Uses - In traditional Far Eastern medicine, kale is made into a juice which helps dissolve heavy, stagnant protein, fat, and cholesterol deposits and relieve liver disorders. Chopped and mashed into a Chlorophyll Plaster, it is good for cooling down fever or neutralizing inflammation.
• Kale Higher in Calcium Than Milk - Researchers from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, and Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, reported that the calcium in kale is readily absorbed by the body and more efficiently than the calcium contained in milk. In studies of 11 women, the absorption of calcium from 300 mg. of kale averaged .409, while from a similar amount of milk calcium absorption averaged .321.
KIDNEY STONES
• Dietary Approach to Kidney Stones - Increase of fiber and reduction of sugar, refined carbohydrates, and animal protein significantly reduced the excretion of calcium, oxalate, and uric acid in the urine. Researchers recommended this dietary approach as a way of treating and managing kidney stones.
KOMBU
• Anticancer Effect - Japanese scientists reported that several varieties of kombu and mojaban, common sea vegetables eaten in Asia and traditionally used as a decoction for cancer in Chinese herbal medicine, were effective in the treatment of tumors in laboratory experiments. In three of four samples tested, inhibition rates in mice with implanted sarcomas ranged from 89 to 95 percent. The researchers reported that “the tumor underwent complete regression in more than half of the mice of each treated group.” Similar experiments on mice with leukemia showed promising results.
KUZU
• Medicinal Use - In his book on home remedies, macrobiotic educator Michio Kushi describes the traditional use of kuzu to help balance energy and presents recipes for various medicinal drinks.
• History East and West - Two foods researchers recount the history of kuzu, how it came to the West, and its practical uses, including recipes.
• Kuzu Reduces Cravings for Alcohol - Kuzu has been used for millennia in China to treat alcohol abuse or lower the desire for alcohol. Researchers reported that kuzu has active ingredients that reduced alcohol consumption by 50 percent in laboratory experiments. “In all cases, the medications were considered effective in both controlling and suppressing appetite for alcohol and improving the functions of the alcohol-affected vital organs,” noted Dr. Wing-Ming Keung, co-director of the study at Harvard Medical School. In a more recent study, researchers identified two isoflavones, daidzin and daidzein, in kuzu that produced this effect.
LENTILS
• Lentils Improve Colonic Function - Canadian researchers reported that adding lentils to the standard North American diet increased fecal weight, reduced urine nitrogen, and improved colonic function.
• Lentils Contribute to Controlling Childhood Diarrhoea - Persistent diarrhoea is a leading cause of death in the Third World. In Pakistan, researchers reported that a nutritional therapy including khitchri, a traditional rice-lentil dish, enabled 217 of 261 children aged 6 to 36 months with this condition to recover successfully.
• Lentils Reduce Risk of Esophageal Cancer - A study in the Caspian littoral of Iran, an area of high esophageal cancer, associated this disease with lower intake of lentils and other pulses, cooked green vegetables, and other whole foods.
LEUKEMIA
• High Caloric Intake In one of the first studies of the relationship between diet and leukemia, researchers found a strong correlation between total caloric intake and both lymphoid and total leukemia incidence, especially among males. “The findings from this rigorous analysis of international data strengthen and expand the hypothesis based on previous simple correlation analyses and animal experiments that an underlying biological relationship exists between diet, particularly energy intake, and international variations in the incidence of certain types of human leukemia.”
• Soy Inhibits Leukemia - Genistein, a nutrient found in miso, tempeh, tofu, and other soybean products, may help prevent leukemia. Researchers at the University of Minnesota reported that in laboratory experiments, genistein killed all the detectable cells of B-cell precursor or BCP leukemia, the most common childhood cancer and the second most common adult acute leukemia.
• Hots Dogs Increase Risk of Leukemia - Children who eat hot dogs 12 or more times a month are 11 times more likely to develop leukemia than children who do not eat hot dogs, according to a University of Southern California study. Risks dropped with reduced hot dog consumption, but were still higher than those who ate no hot dogs.
LIGNANS
LIVER
LONGEVITY
• Caloric Restricted Diet- In longevity experiments, scientists reported that mice fed a calorie-restricted diet lived an average of 55 months compared to 36 months for rodents allowed to eat as much as they wished.
LUNG CANCER
• Diet Reduces Risk of Lung Cancer - In a study of 413 lung cancer patients, researchers found that consumption of vegetables and fresh fruits significantly reduced the risk of developing the disease. Susan Taylor Mayne, an epidemiologist at Yale University School of Medicine, estimated that nonsmokers could reduce their risk by 40 percent by simply adding one-and-a-half servings of vegetables or fruits to their daily diet. The consumption of whole milk, meanwhile, increased the risk of lung cancer.
• Dairy Increases Lung Cancer Risk - In a case control study of 308 men with lung cancer and 504 controls, Swedish researchers reported that higher consumption of milk increased risk of the disease in both smokers and nonsmokers. Lower vegetable intake also raised the risk. There was no significant risk for the disease among light to moderate smokers.
LUPUS
LYMPHOMA
• Dairy Linked to Lymphoid Cancers, Whole Grains Protective - In a case-control study in Italy, researchers found that high milk intake was associated with an 80 to 90 percent higher risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and soft tissue sarcomas. Ham and liver intake were linked to higher risk of Hodgkin’s disease, while butter increased the risk of myelomas almost three times. Whole grain and vegetables were protective for many lymphoid cancers. | http://www.macrobiotics.nl/encyclopedia/encyclopedia_jkl.html |
I have never once decorated for Valentine’s Day – until now. But now I have this hutch, this chalkboard, this white wreath and this centerpiece that all beg for festive adornment. It’s just so easy to add a few simple touches that I couldn’t resist. Besides, winter here in Michigan is drab and gray and depressing – who couldn’t use a little Valentine cheer?
If you’re thinking it’s a little early for Valentine decorations, you might be right. But here’s the thing – if you want to make this garland, you’ll need to go to Target NOW and pick up these paper lace hearts in the dollar bin. Another week and they’ll probably be gone. The other thing is Hubs and I will be gone over Valentine’s Day (we’ll be on a mission trip – YAY!! – in the Dominican Republic). If I waited til February to decorate, we wouldn’t get to enjoy it much.
MATERIALS:
paper lace hearts in 2 colors/sizes (from the dollar bin at Target)
baker’s twine or narrow ribbon
pom pom ribbon in red, pink and white (locals, I found this at Meijer on clearance in craft section for 1.49/roll)
scraps of paper, solid or pattern, in red/pink/white -or- Trendy Tape -or- Washi Tape
STEP 1:
Lay small paper hearts on top of large paper hearts.
STEP 2:
Use a small piece of tape to wrap the end of your twine or ribbon (like the end of a shoelace). This will make threading through the holes easier. Thread the twine or ribbon through both hearts (do this near the top so they will hang properly). Keep threading the double-layered paper hearts onto the twine (leaving an inch or so between each) until you reach the desired length of garland. Leave about 6″ of twine at either end for hanging the garland.
You could be finished at this step and simply hang the garland as is if you like.
STEP 3:
If using scrapbook paper, cut the paper into ½” wide strips about 3-4″ long. (If you want to go wider/longer, go for it). Fold in half over the twine (between two hearts) and use a dot of glue or small piece of double-stick tape to hold the two sides together. Cut out a small triangle from the end to create a flag shape. If using Trendy Tape or Washi Tape, simply cut a length of tape, fold it in half over the twine so it sticks together and cut out the triangle shape.
Repeat until each space between the hearts is filled with a “flag”.
STEP 4:
Hang the garland, allowing it to droop slightly in the middle. Cut the pom pom ribbons to similar lengths as the garland. Hang the pom pom ribbon over the paper heart ribbon as pictured above and below.
Remember the chalkboard area I recently added near my open pantry shelves? And the linen wreath I made? The wreath looked like this for Christmas:
Now it looks like this:
Remember my flea market find – the centerpiece thing? Now it looks like this: | https://86lemons.com/easy-diy-valentine-garland/ |
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Contempt bill sails through lower house
Contempt bill sails through lower house
ISLAMABAD: It took just two hours on Monday night for the government to get the Contempt of Court bill 2012 passed by the National Assembly amid strong protest by the opposition. However, the government suspended all relevant rules to get the nod in this regard from the lower house of parliament. It is expected that the bill, dubbed by the opposition as ‘aggression against the judiciary’, would be moved in the Senate today (Tuesday) so that it could become an Act of the Parliament before July 12, when the government has to submit its reply to the Supreme Court on writing the letter to Swiss authorities.The government took refuge behind the rules of conduct of business in the National Assembly to get the bill passed in haste and as a result, the opposition did not get time to propose any amendment. The government suspended all the rules to get the bill passed as its draft was not sent to the House standing committee concerned.Law Minister Farooq H Naek also introduced the 21st Amendment Bill‚ 2012 which provides for increasing the family pension from 50 per cent to 75 per cent for the widows of the judges of the Supreme Court and the high courts.Law Minister Farooq H Naek moved ‘the Contempt of Court Bill, 2012’ in the National Assembly as PML-N parliamentarians observed that the bill was aimed at tying the hands of the superior judiciary, saving the skin of the incumbent prime minister and creating a confrontation between parliament and the judiciary. “It is a black day in the history of parliament as the bill is a direct aggression against the superior judiciary,” PML-N members Khawaja Saad Rafique and Khurram Dastgir said.Saad Rafique said that Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi, who was chairing the proceedings, had become a party with the government to facilitate the immediate passage of the bill.Replying to the opposition’s protest, Minister for Religious Affairs Syed Khursheed Shah said it was not for the first time that rules were being suspended; he said in the past 14 constitutional amendments were passed in 10 minutes.The statement of objects and reasons says that the contempt law is a blend of the power of the court to punish for its contempt and the rights of the citizens in a democracy for fair comments and criticism. Therefore‚ it is necessary where the law may provide for punishment for contempt‚ the full opportunity should also be provided to the accused to have a fair trial including transparent procedure for the right to appeal is being streamlined and other necessary provisions relevant to contempt proceedings are being incorporated in the bill.Defending the bill, Law Minister Farooq H Naek said that the bill had been drafted while keeping in view respect for the judiciary. “It contains nothing which is against the judiciary,” he said. He said that a similar bill was passed by the PML-N government in 1997.Kashmala Tariq of the PML Like-Minded group alleged that by increasing the family pension of judges of the high court and Supreme Court, the government was trying to offer bribes to judges. Captain (retd) Safdar of the PML-N also said the government was going to launch a suicide attack on the judiciary.The bill says fair comments about the general working of courts made in good faith in the public interest and in temperate language shall not come under contempt of court. It further says that a true averment made in good faith and in temperate language for initiation of actions or in the course of disciplinary proceedings against a judge before the chief justice of a high court‚ the Chief Justice of Pakistan‚ the Supreme Judicial Council‚ the federal government or a provincial government cannot amount to commission of contempt of court.However, Khurram Dastgir of PML-N asked who would define ‘fair comment’ and ‘good faith,’ calling the bill mollified and with bad intentions. “It is a bad law at a bad time,” he said.According to the bill, in a case regarding the first cognisance of the offence has been taken by the chief justice‚ the functions of the chief justice shall be performed by a bench of judges composed of two next most senior judges available.According to the bill, an appeal under sub-section (1) or sub-section(2) shall be filed - (a) in case of an appeal to a bench of the high court, within 30 days and(b) in case of an appeal to the Supreme Court, within sixty days, from the date of the order appealed against.An intra-court appeal shall lie against the issuance of a show-cause notice or an original order including an interim order passed by a bench of the Supreme Court in any case, including a pending case, to a larger bench consisting of remaining available judges of the court within the country provided that in the event the impugned show-cause or order has been passed by half or more of the judges of the court, the matter shall, on the application of an aggrieved person, be put up for re-appraisal before the full court: provided further that the operation of the impugned show-cause notice or order shall remain suspended until the final disposal of the matter in the manner herein before provided.The section 4 of the bill relates to punishment on the contempt of court and it states that, “1) Subject to sub-section (2) any person who commits contempt of court shall be punished with imprisonment which may extend to six months simple imprisonment or with fine may extended to one hundred thousand rupees or with both.A person accused of having committed contempt of court may, at any stage submit an apology and the court, if satisfied that is bona-fide, may discharge him or remit his sentence.Following is text of the bill:Whosever disobeys or disregards any order, direction or process of the court, which he is legally bound to obey or commits a willful breach of valid undertaking given to the court or does anything which is intended to bring the authority of a court or the administration of law into disrespect or disrepute or, to a interfere with or obstruct or interrupt the process of law due to course of any judicial proceedings or to lower the authority of a court or scandalise a judge in relation to his office or to disturb the order or decorum of a court, is said to commit “contempt of court.The clause 4 of the draft bill relates to those things that shall not amount to commission of contempt of the court.i). Fair comments about the general working of courts made after the pendency of the proceedings in a case, in good faith and in temperate language.ii). Fair comments on the merits of a decision of a court made after the pendency of the proceedings in a case, in good faith and in temperate language.iii). Subject to a prohibition of publication under section 9 or under any other law for the time being in force, the publication of a fair and substantially accurate report of any judicial proceedings.iv). The publication of any matter, amounting to a contempt of court by reason of it being published during the pendency of some judicial proceedings by a person who had no reasonable ground for believing that such judicial proceedings were pending at the time of the publication of the matter.v). The distribution of publication, containing matter amounting to contempt of court, by a person who had no reasonable ground for believing that the contained, or was likely to contain, any such matter.vi). A true averment made in good faith and in temperate language for initiation of action or in the course of disciplinary proceedings against a judge, before the chief justice of a high court, the Chief Justice of Pakistan, the Supreme Judicial Council, the federal government or a provincial government.vii). A plea of truth taken up in defence in terms of clause(vi) in proceedings for a contempt of court arising out of an earlier averment unless it is falseviii). Relevant observations made in judicial capacity, such as those by a high court in judicial proceedings against a judge.ix). Remarks made in an administrative capacity by an authority in the course of official business, including those in connection with a disciplinary inquiry or in an inspection note or a character roll or confidential report andx). A true statement made in good faith respecting the conduct of judge in a matter not connected with performance of his judicial function.The section 4 of the bill relates to punishment on the contempt of court and it states, “1) Subject to sub-section (2) any person who commits contempt of court shall be punished with imprisonment which may extend to six months simple imprisonment or with fine may extended to one hundred thousand rupees or with both.2) A person accused of having committed contempt of court may, at any stage, submit an apology and the court, if satisfied that is bona-fide, may discharge him or remit his sentence.Explanation:- The fact that an accused person genuinely believes that he has not committed contempt and enters a defence shall not detract from the bona fide of an apology.3) In the case of the contempt having been committed, or alleged to have been committed, by a company, the responsibility shall extend to a person in the company, directly or indirectly, responsible to the same, who shall also be liable to be punished accordingly.4) Notwithstanding anything contained in any judgment, no court shall have the power to pass any order of punishment or in relation to any act of contempt, save and except in accordance with subsection (1).In the section 5 of the draft bill it is stated, “1) A high court or the Supreme Court, on its own information or on information laid before it by a person, may take cognizance of an alleged commission of contempt of the court.2) The Supreme Court shall have the power to take cognizance of any contempt of itself or of any judge of the Supreme Court alleged to have been committed anywhere and a high court shall have the power to take cognizance of any contempt by itself or of a judge thereof or of other high court or of any judge thereof alleged to have been committed within the territorial limits of the jurisdiction.3) A high court shall exercise the same jurisdiction in respect of contempt of courts subordinate to it or to any other high court as it exercised in respect of contempt by itself. 4) Nothing contained herein shall affect the power of any court to punish any offense of contempt under the Pakistan Panel Code (PPC).Under the section 6 of the draft law, 1) No High court shall take cognisance under this Act of contempt alleged to have been committed in respect of a court subordinate to it where the said contempt is an offense punishable under the Pakistan Panel Code (PPC).2) No court shall take cognisance, as of a contempt of court, of any averment made before the Supreme Judicial Council in respect to which the Supreme Judicial Councils has given a finding that the averment fulfilled the requirements of clause (vi) of the proviso of section 3.3) No court shall take cognisance of a contempt of court arising from an averment made in due course in appellate, the review proceedings, till such proceedings have been finalised and no further appeal, revision or review lies.4) No court shall take cognisance of a contempt of court arising from an averment made before the chief justice of a high Court, the ChiefJustice of Pakistan, the Supreme Judicial Council, the federal government or a provincial government -a) until the petition to which the averment relates has been finally disposed of or (b) otherwise than under the orders of the chief justice of high court, the ChiefJustice of Pakistan, the supreme Judicial Council, the federal government or the provincial government, as the case may be.Section 7 of the draft law relates to procedure for Supreme Court and high court and it states,-(1) when it appears to the Supreme Court or a high court that there is sufficient ground for believing that a person has committed contempt of court and that this is necessary in the interest of effective administration of justice to proceed against him, it shall make an order in writing to that effect setting forth the substance of the charge against the accused and unless he is present in the court, shall requires by means of an appropriate process that he appears or be brought before it to answer the charge.2) The court shall inform the accused of the ground on which he is charged with contempt of court and why he should not be punished.3) The court after holding such an inquiry and taking such evidence as it deems necessary or is produced by the accused in his own defense and after hearing the accused and such other person as it seems fit, shall give a decision in the case: Provided that in any such proceedings, before the Supreme Court or a high court, any finding given in its own proceedings, by the Supreme Judicial Council about the nature of an averment made before it, that is relevant to the requirements of clause (vi) the proviso to section 3, shall be conclusive evidence of the nature of such averment.4) If contempt of court is committed in the view or presence of the court, the court, may cause the offender to be detained in custody and, at any time before the rising of the court on the same day, may proceed against him in the manner provided for in the preceding sub-sections.5) If any case referred to in sub-section (4) cannot be finally disposed of on the same day, the court shall order the release of the offender from custody either on bail or on his own bond.The section 8 of the draft bill relates to transfer of proceedings for the reasons personal to judge and it states, (1) Where, in a case in which a judge has made an order under sub-section (1) of section 7, not being a case referred to in sub-section (4) of that section, the alleged contempt of court involves personal scandalisation of such judge and is not scandalisation of the court as a whole or of all the judges of the court, judge shall forward the record of the case and such comments, if any, as he deems fit to the chief justice of the court.6) On receipt of the papers, mentioned in the sub-section (1), the chief justice, after inviting, if he deems fit, further comments, if any, from the judge first taking cognisance of the offense and making such inquiry in such a manner as deems fit, shall pass (a) another judge, which if the chief justice, so orders, may be the chief justice (b) a bench of judges set up by the chief justice, of which the judge first taking cognisance of the offense is not a member; and the case shall then heard accordingly.3) If at any stage of a case in which the chief justice has passed an order under clause (a) of sub-section (2), the chief justice has the opinion that, in the interest of justice, the case shall be transferred to another judge, he may pass an order accordingly; and the case shall than be heard accordingly.4) When in pursuance of an order under sub-section (2), the judge taking cognisance of the case is not hearing the case:- (a) The other judge or as the case may be, the bench of judges hearing the case may invite or receive any further comments from the judge first taking cognisance of the offense and shall call and hear any witnesses whom such judge desires to be examined and (b) all comments furnished by the judge first taking cognisance of the offence shall be treated as evidence in the case and such judge shall not be required to appear to give evidence.5) When in case the first cognisance of the offence has been taken by the chief justice, the functions of the chief justice, under sub-section (1), (2) and (3) shall be performed by a bench of judges composed of the two next most senior judges available.The section 9 of the draft law suggested that in case of proceedings for transfer of a hearing under section 8 of any proceedings in which truth is pleaded as a defence in terms of clause (vi) of the proviso to section 3, the court, if it deems it fit in the public interest, may hear the case or any part thereof. The section 10 of the law stated that no material which has been expunged from the record under the order of (i) a court of contempt jurisdiction or (ii) the presiding officer of the Senate, the National Assembly or a provincial Assembly, shall be admissible in evidence.The section 11 of the draft law that relates to appeal and limitation for appeal states -(1) from an original order passed by high court under this Act an appeal shall lie, if the order is passed by a single judge, to a division bench, and if it is passed by a bench of two or more judges, to the Supreme Court.2) An appeal shall lie to the Supreme Court from an order passed by a division bench of high court in appeal against an order passed by a single judge.3) An intra-court appeal shall lie against the issuance of a showcause notice or an original order including an interim order passed by a bench of Supreme Court in any case, including a pending case, to a larger bench consisting of remaining available judges of the court within the country - Provided that in the event the impugned showcause or order has been passed by half or more of the judges of court, the matter shall, on the application of an aggrieved person, be put up for re-appraisal before the full court: provided further that the operation of the impugned show-cause notice or order shall remain suspended until the final disposal of the matter in the manner herein before provided.4) An appeal under sub-section (1) or sub-section (2) shall be filed - (a) in the case of an appeal to a bench of the high court, within 30 days and (b) in the case of an appeal to the Supreme Court, within sixty days, from the date of the order appealed against.5) An intra-court appeal or application for re-appraisal shall be filed within thirty days from the date of show-cause notice or the orders, as the case may be.Under section 12 of the draft law, the government may make rules, not inconsistence with the provisions of this Act, providing for any matter relating to its procedure.Under the section 13 of the draft law, the contempt of court ordinance, 2003 (V of 2003) is hereby repealed.For removal of doubt it is hereby declared that the Contempt of CourtAct, 1976 (LXIV of 1976), Contempt of Court Ordinance, 2003 (IV of2003) and Contempt of Court ordinance, 2004 (I of 2004) stand repealed.PPP (Sherpao) Chief Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao questioned when the bill was on agenda, what the need was to suspend the rules.
ISLAMABAD: It took just two hours on Monday night for the government to get the Contempt of Court bill 2012 passed by the National Assembly amid strong protest by the opposition. However, the government suspended all relevant rules to get the nod in this regard from the lower house of parliament. It is expected that the bill, dubbed by the opposition as ‘aggression against the judiciary’, would be moved in the Senate today (Tuesday) so that it could become an Act of the Parliament before July 12, when the government has to submit its reply to the Supreme Court on writing the letter to Swiss authorities.The government took refuge behind the rules of conduct of business in the National Assembly to get the bill passed in haste and as a result, the opposition did not get time to propose any amendment. The government suspended all the rules to get the bill passed as its draft was not sent to the House standing committee concerned.Law Minister Farooq H Naek also introduced the 21st Amendment Bill‚ 2012 which provides for increasing the family pension from 50 per cent to 75 per cent for the widows of the judges of the Supreme Court and the high courts.Law Minister Farooq H Naek moved ‘the Contempt of Court Bill, 2012’ in the National Assembly as PML-N parliamentarians observed that the bill was aimed at tying the hands of the superior judiciary, saving the skin of the incumbent prime minister and creating a confrontation between parliament and the judiciary. “It is a black day in the history of parliament as the bill is a direct aggression against the superior judiciary,” PML-N members Khawaja Saad Rafique and Khurram Dastgir said.Saad Rafique said that Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi, who was chairing the proceedings, had become a party with the government to facilitate the immediate passage of the bill.Replying to the opposition’s protest, Minister for Religious Affairs Syed Khursheed Shah said it was not for the first time that rules were being suspended; he said in the past 14 constitutional amendments were passed in 10 minutes.The statement of objects and reasons says that the contempt law is a blend of the power of the court to punish for its contempt and the rights of the citizens in a democracy for fair comments and criticism. Therefore‚ it is necessary where the law may provide for punishment for contempt‚ the full opportunity should also be provided to the accused to have a fair trial including transparent procedure for the right to appeal is being streamlined and other necessary provisions relevant to contempt proceedings are being incorporated in the bill.Defending the bill, Law Minister Farooq H Naek said that the bill had been drafted while keeping in view respect for the judiciary. “It contains nothing which is against the judiciary,” he said. He said that a similar bill was passed by the PML-N government in 1997.Kashmala Tariq of the PML Like-Minded group alleged that by increasing the family pension of judges of the high court and Supreme Court, the government was trying to offer bribes to judges. Captain (retd) Safdar of the PML-N also said the government was going to launch a suicide attack on the judiciary.The bill says fair comments about the general working of courts made in good faith in the public interest and in temperate language shall not come under contempt of court. It further says that a true averment made in good faith and in temperate language for initiation of actions or in the course of disciplinary proceedings against a judge before the chief justice of a high court‚ the Chief Justice of Pakistan‚ the Supreme Judicial Council‚ the federal government or a provincial government cannot amount to commission of contempt of court.However, Khurram Dastgir of PML-N asked who would define ‘fair comment’ and ‘good faith,’ calling the bill mollified and with bad intentions. “It is a bad law at a bad time,” he said.According to the bill, in a case regarding the first cognisance of the offence has been taken by the chief justice‚ the functions of the chief justice shall be performed by a bench of judges composed of two next most senior judges available.According to the bill, an appeal under sub-section (1) or sub-section(2) shall be filed - (a) in case of an appeal to a bench of the high court, within 30 days and(b) in case of an appeal to the Supreme Court, within sixty days, from the date of the order appealed against.An intra-court appeal shall lie against the issuance of a show-cause notice or an original order including an interim order passed by a bench of the Supreme Court in any case, including a pending case, to a larger bench consisting of remaining available judges of the court within the country provided that in the event the impugned show-cause or order has been passed by half or more of the judges of the court, the matter shall, on the application of an aggrieved person, be put up for re-appraisal before the full court: provided further that the operation of the impugned show-cause notice or order shall remain suspended until the final disposal of the matter in the manner herein before provided.The section 4 of the bill relates to punishment on the contempt of court and it states that, “1) Subject to sub-section (2) any person who commits contempt of court shall be punished with imprisonment which may extend to six months simple imprisonment or with fine may extended to one hundred thousand rupees or with both.A person accused of having committed contempt of court may, at any stage submit an apology and the court, if satisfied that is bona-fide, may discharge him or remit his sentence.Following is text of the bill:Whosever disobeys or disregards any order, direction or process of the court, which he is legally bound to obey or commits a willful breach of valid undertaking given to the court or does anything which is intended to bring the authority of a court or the administration of law into disrespect or disrepute or, to a interfere with or obstruct or interrupt the process of law due to course of any judicial proceedings or to lower the authority of a court or scandalise a judge in relation to his office or to disturb the order or decorum of a court, is said to commit “contempt of court.The clause 4 of the draft bill relates to those things that shall not amount to commission of contempt of the court.i). Fair comments about the general working of courts made after the pendency of the proceedings in a case, in good faith and in temperate language.ii). Fair comments on the merits of a decision of a court made after the pendency of the proceedings in a case, in good faith and in temperate language.iii). Subject to a prohibition of publication under section 9 or under any other law for the time being in force, the publication of a fair and substantially accurate report of any judicial proceedings.iv). The publication of any matter, amounting to a contempt of court by reason of it being published during the pendency of some judicial proceedings by a person who had no reasonable ground for believing that such judicial proceedings were pending at the time of the publication of the matter.v). The distribution of publication, containing matter amounting to contempt of court, by a person who had no reasonable ground for believing that the contained, or was likely to contain, any such matter.vi). A true averment made in good faith and in temperate language for initiation of action or in the course of disciplinary proceedings against a judge, before the chief justice of a high court, the Chief Justice of Pakistan, the Supreme Judicial Council, the federal government or a provincial government.vii). A plea of truth taken up in defence in terms of clause(vi) in proceedings for a contempt of court arising out of an earlier averment unless it is falseviii). Relevant observations made in judicial capacity, such as those by a high court in judicial proceedings against a judge.ix). Remarks made in an administrative capacity by an authority in the course of official business, including those in connection with a disciplinary inquiry or in an inspection note or a character roll or confidential report andx). A true statement made in good faith respecting the conduct of judge in a matter not connected with performance of his judicial function.The section 4 of the bill relates to punishment on the contempt of court and it states, “1) Subject to sub-section (2) any person who commits contempt of court shall be punished with imprisonment which may extend to six months simple imprisonment or with fine may extended to one hundred thousand rupees or with both.2) A person accused of having committed contempt of court may, at any stage, submit an apology and the court, if satisfied that is bona-fide, may discharge him or remit his sentence.Explanation:- The fact that an accused person genuinely believes that he has not committed contempt and enters a defence shall not detract from the bona fide of an apology.3) In the case of the contempt having been committed, or alleged to have been committed, by a company, the responsibility shall extend to a person in the company, directly or indirectly, responsible to the same, who shall also be liable to be punished accordingly.4) Notwithstanding anything contained in any judgment, no court shall have the power to pass any order of punishment or in relation to any act of contempt, save and except in accordance with subsection (1).In the section 5 of the draft bill it is stated, “1) A high court or the Supreme Court, on its own information or on information laid before it by a person, may take cognizance of an alleged commission of contempt of the court.2) The Supreme Court shall have the power to take cognizance of any contempt of itself or of any judge of the Supreme Court alleged to have been committed anywhere and a high court shall have the power to take cognizance of any contempt by itself or of a judge thereof or of other high court or of any judge thereof alleged to have been committed within the territorial limits of the jurisdiction.3) A high court shall exercise the same jurisdiction in respect of contempt of courts subordinate to it or to any other high court as it exercised in respect of contempt by itself. 4) Nothing contained herein shall affect the power of any court to punish any offense of contempt under the Pakistan Panel Code (PPC).Under the section 6 of the draft law, 1) No High court shall take cognisance under this Act of contempt alleged to have been committed in respect of a court subordinate to it where the said contempt is an offense punishable under the Pakistan Panel Code (PPC).2) No court shall take cognisance, as of a contempt of court, of any averment made before the Supreme Judicial Council in respect to which the Supreme Judicial Councils has given a finding that the averment fulfilled the requirements of clause (vi) of the proviso of section 3.3) No court shall take cognisance of a contempt of court arising from an averment made in due course in appellate, the review proceedings, till such proceedings have been finalised and no further appeal, revision or review lies.4) No court shall take cognisance of a contempt of court arising from an averment made before the chief justice of a high Court, the ChiefJustice of Pakistan, the Supreme Judicial Council, the federal government or a provincial government -a) until the petition to which the averment relates has been finally disposed of or (b) otherwise than under the orders of the chief justice of high court, the ChiefJustice of Pakistan, the supreme Judicial Council, the federal government or the provincial government, as the case may be.Section 7 of the draft law relates to procedure for Supreme Court and high court and it states,-(1) when it appears to the Supreme Court or a high court that there is sufficient ground for believing that a person has committed contempt of court and that this is necessary in the interest of effective administration of justice to proceed against him, it shall make an order in writing to that effect setting forth the substance of the charge against the accused and unless he is present in the court, shall requires by means of an appropriate process that he appears or be brought before it to answer the charge.2) The court shall inform the accused of the ground on which he is charged with contempt of court and why he should not be punished.3) The court after holding such an inquiry and taking such evidence as it deems necessary or is produced by the accused in his own defense and after hearing the accused and such other person as it seems fit, shall give a decision in the case: Provided that in any such proceedings, before the Supreme Court or a high court, any finding given in its own proceedings, by the Supreme Judicial Council about the nature of an averment made before it, that is relevant to the requirements of clause (vi) the proviso to section 3, shall be conclusive evidence of the nature of such averment.4) If contempt of court is committed in the view or presence of the court, the court, may cause the offender to be detained in custody and, at any time before the rising of the court on the same day, may proceed against him in the manner provided for in the preceding sub-sections.5) If any case referred to in sub-section (4) cannot be finally disposed of on the same day, the court shall order the release of the offender from custody either on bail or on his own bond.The section 8 of the draft bill relates to transfer of proceedings for the reasons personal to judge and it states, (1) Where, in a case in which a judge has made an order under sub-section (1) of section 7, not being a case referred to in sub-section (4) of that section, the alleged contempt of court involves personal scandalisation of such judge and is not scandalisation of the court as a whole or of all the judges of the court, judge shall forward the record of the case and such comments, if any, as he deems fit to the chief justice of the court.6) On receipt of the papers, mentioned in the sub-section (1), the chief justice, after inviting, if he deems fit, further comments, if any, from the judge first taking cognisance of the offense and making such inquiry in such a manner as deems fit, shall pass (a) another judge, which if the chief justice, so orders, may be the chief justice (b) a bench of judges set up by the chief justice, of which the judge first taking cognisance of the offense is not a member; and the case shall then heard accordingly.3) If at any stage of a case in which the chief justice has passed an order under clause (a) of sub-section (2), the chief justice has the opinion that, in the interest of justice, the case shall be transferred to another judge, he may pass an order accordingly; and the case shall than be heard accordingly.4) When in pursuance of an order under sub-section (2), the judge taking cognisance of the case is not hearing the case:- (a) The other judge or as the case may be, the bench of judges hearing the case may invite or receive any further comments from the judge first taking cognisance of the offense and shall call and hear any witnesses whom such judge desires to be examined and (b) all comments furnished by the judge first taking cognisance of the offence shall be treated as evidence in the case and such judge shall not be required to appear to give evidence.5) When in case the first cognisance of the offence has been taken by the chief justice, the functions of the chief justice, under sub-section (1), (2) and (3) shall be performed by a bench of judges composed of the two next most senior judges available.The section 9 of the draft law suggested that in case of proceedings for transfer of a hearing under section 8 of any proceedings in which truth is pleaded as a defence in terms of clause (vi) of the proviso to section 3, the court, if it deems it fit in the public interest, may hear the case or any part thereof. The section 10 of the law stated that no material which has been expunged from the record under the order of (i) a court of contempt jurisdiction or (ii) the presiding officer of the Senate, the National Assembly or a provincial Assembly, shall be admissible in evidence.The section 11 of the draft law that relates to appeal and limitation for appeal states -(1) from an original order passed by high court under this Act an appeal shall lie, if the order is passed by a single judge, to a division bench, and if it is passed by a bench of two or more judges, to the Supreme Court.2) An appeal shall lie to the Supreme Court from an order passed by a division bench of high court in appeal against an order passed by a single judge.3) An intra-court appeal shall lie against the issuance of a showcause notice or an original order including an interim order passed by a bench of Supreme Court in any case, including a pending case, to a larger bench consisting of remaining available judges of the court within the country - Provided that in the event the impugned showcause or order has been passed by half or more of the judges of court, the matter shall, on the application of an aggrieved person, be put up for re-appraisal before the full court: provided further that the operation of the impugned show-cause notice or order shall remain suspended until the final disposal of the matter in the manner herein before provided.4) An appeal under sub-section (1) or sub-section (2) shall be filed - (a) in the case of an appeal to a bench of the high court, within 30 days and (b) in the case of an appeal to the Supreme Court, within sixty days, from the date of the order appealed against.5) An intra-court appeal or application for re-appraisal shall be filed within thirty days from the date of show-cause notice or the orders, as the case may be.Under section 12 of the draft law, the government may make rules, not inconsistence with the provisions of this Act, providing for any matter relating to its procedure.Under the section 13 of the draft law, the contempt of court ordinance, 2003 (V of 2003) is hereby repealed.For removal of doubt it is hereby declared that the Contempt of CourtAct, 1976 (LXIV of 1976), Contempt of Court Ordinance, 2003 (IV of2003) and Contempt of Court ordinance, 2004 (I of 2004) stand repealed.PPP (Sherpao) Chief Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao questioned when the bill was on agenda, what the need was to suspend the rules.
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Explainer: What Will It Take to Clean Up New Jersey’s Air?
There is still much to be done, but in the past few decades, the state has made some meaningful strides in improving the quality of the air its residents breathe. In part, that is due to tough environmental regulation of the pollutants power plants, factories, and vehicles spew into air. New Jersey also benefits from the way much of the electricity residents and businesses use is produced. Half of the state’s electricity is generated by nuclear power plants, which produce no air pollution. New Jersey also has fewer coal plants (four) than most of the other states.
Still, significant problems with air quality persist, requiring additional efforts to reduce air pollution.
Smog: New Jersey has never complied with the federal health-quality standard for ground-level ozone, or smog as it is more commonly known. Smog forms when emissions from factories, power stations, and vehicles cook in sunlight and the hot summer sun. Exposure can cause severe respiratory problems to the young and elderly. The federal government earlier this month tightened health standards for the pollutant, which is likely to lead to even tougher controls on vehicle tailpipe emissions. But many environmentalists say that the standards fall short of protecting vulnerable populations from smog.
Soot: One of New Jersey’s big success stories is that the state has come into compliance with the federal Clean Air health standard for fine particulate matter, or soot. The federal government blames pollution from soot for causing tens of thousands of premature deaths nationwide each year. Soot is made up microscopic particles from many of the same sources that contribute to smog -- power plants, manufacturing smokestacks, and vehicles. Tougher federal controls loom on many of those sources, which should help the state stay in compliance with the soot standard.
Other common air pollutants: For the most part, New Jersey has been in compliance with federal health-quality standards for three of the other four pollutants regulated by the Clean Air Act -- carbon monoxide, lead, and nitrogen oxide. The lone exception is sulfur dioxide, with Warren County failing to achieve the health standard, largely as the result of power plants and other facilities across the Delaware River. In addition, environmentalists say both the state and the federal governments need to better control air toxics, such as mercury.
What needs to be done? Probably the biggest gain in improving air quality in New Jersey involves wind-blown pollution from neighboring states, which accounts for more than half of the Garden State’s smog problems, according to modeling by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The federal agency imposed a new rule to force those states to reduce such emissions. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld that regulation last year.
Greenhouse gas emissions: The Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan aims to dramatically curb pollution that contributes to global climate change. If the rule survives what is expected to be a lengthy court battle, it will lead to a reduction in those emissions, but also other forms of air pollution from the same sources. The biggest target is emissions from vehicles, a goal that could lead to cleaner-running cars and trucks, as well as more fuel-efficient vehicles. To help achieve those goals, some say the state needs to do more to pave the way for electric cars.
Renewable energy: New Jersey has aggressive goals to shift to cleaner ways of producing electricity by promoting increased reliance on solar panels and developing offshore wind farms, although the latter is far from being realized. Clean-energy advocates and some lawmakers also want to ramp up the state’s reliance on renewable energy by having 80 percent of electricity used here come from those sources by 2050, a target some say is not feasible. | https://www.njspotlight.com/stories/15/10/12/explainer-what-will-it-take-to-clean-up-new-jersey-s-air/ |
Fannie Mae provides reliable, large-scale access to affordable mortgage credit in communities across our nation. We are the leading source of funding for housing in America, which means more people can buy or rent a home. We are focused on sustaining the housing recovery, improving our company, and leading change to make housing better.
Join our diverse, high-performing team and make a difference as we work together to enable access to a good home.
JOB INFORMATION
Lead a team of professionals who work within project teams using modern tools, techniques, and methods to develop, modify, or update applications used by business units or infrastructure units. Lead, or play lead technical role in development teams' efforts to determine unit needs and business processes that are automated by the application. Assess high level design issues relating to platform, enterprise software, and interactions with other systems.
KEY JOB FUNCTIONS
•Collaborating with Product and Program Managers to develop a long-term roadmap with achievable estimates; ensuring software engineering priorities are included within the roadmap.
•Working closely with software engineers and other engineering managers to architect, develop and deliver the best solutions.
•Guide project's roadmap, lending expertise and strategic thinking to ensure business alignment.
•Coordinate and administer assignments, monitor team progress, and maintain schedules. Develop team members and provide ongoing professional guidance and direction.
•Provide expertise for teams in all matters related to deployment, building and release process.
•Serve as a technical lead for an Agile team and actively participate in all Agile ceremonies. Participate in all team ceremonies including planning, grooming, product demonstration and team retrospectives where needed.
•Leverage Fannie Mae DevOps tool stack to build, inspect, deploy, test and promote new or updated features. May serve as architect or project lead in course of large or complex project.
EDUCATION
Bachelor’s Degree or Equivalent Required, Master’s Preferred
MINIMUM EXPERIENCE
6-8 years of related experience. Highly experienced with Agile practices/methodologies. Highly experienced in the use continuous integration tools and infrastructure automation
SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS
Required Qualifications
•At least 10 years of Software Development experience
•At least 2 years of experience in a Multi-Cloud Environment including Amazon Web Services (AWS) and other SaaS providers
•At least 2 years of people management experience or in a technology leadership role
•At least 2 years of experience in Agile
Preferred Qualifications:
•Experience or knowledge with a broad mix of technologies including Angular, Backbone, ReactJS, REST/JSON, Spring Boot, Node.js, Java, Kafka, SOA, Spark, NoSQL, Oracle, UNIX, and Software-Defined Networking
•Experience leading teams through Cloud and DevOps adoptions including strong familiarity with AWS/Azure, Docker, Jenkins, Puppet/Chef/Ansible, Git
•5+ years of experience with data ingestion, data movement and data transformation
•4+ years of people management experience or in technology leadership role
EMPLOYMENT
As a condition of employment with Fannie Mae, any successful job applicant will be required to successfully complete a background investigation.
Fannie Mae is an Equal Opportunity Employer. | https://careers.fanniemae.com/main/jobs/59386?lang=en-us |
Rich Dad Poor Dad is a book about the financial lessons that can be learned in life. Robert delves into his life as he was brought up in Hawaii and discusses the differences between his fathers approach to finance and the approach of others in his life. As he tells about his life and schooling in Hawaii, you get a really clear glimpse into the financial mindset of two men who played an important role in his life and what he learned from their experiences.
There were several instances in Robert’s upbringing that effected the decisions of these two men and these instances are discussed in this book. Robert spends some time in the book describing why it is so important to have intelligence in the financial avenue of your life and how it can improve the outcome of the financial decisions that you make. He discusses the major difference between individuals and corporations when it comes to how they spend their money.
Robert has strong opinions when it comes to personal finances as well. He believes that investing in 401K retirement funds is not the way to go about creating a strong financial future. While this belief was met with strong criticism, he continues to stand behind it. He also believes that those people that strive to achieve a formal education are setting themselves up to be employees or to be self employed. Robert believes that the best avenue to achieve financial freedom is to become a business owner or to become an investor.
Robert created a conceptual tool which allowed him to describe four categories for the ways that someone can create an income. He called it The CASHFLOW Quadrant. Each quadrant is represented by a letter, E, S, B, or I. They stand for employee, self employed, business owner, and investor. He has also created four main classes for assets. They are business, real estate, paper assets, and commodities.
A big part of what Robert teaches covers creating a passive income by taking advantage of investment options that come up. This includes businesses and real estate. The main goal of these teachings is to get yourself into a place where you can support yourself on the income that is created from your investments.
Robert believes that financial intelligence can be taught early in childhood by introducing certain games to a child. Playing Monopoly with a child teaches them to think strategically about their investment decisions. They learn that trading in a few small houses for a larger hotel can bring more income into their game. Robert has created other games like this to help teach our children how to become strong in their financial avenues as they grow older.
While Robert has opinions that are not accepted by all, the book Rich Dad Poor Dad is a well written book that contains valuable information for anyone that reads it. The story gives a real like example of what impact the decisions in our financial life can have on the successes that we achieve through our lives. This personal story provides an insight into his life and an explanation of why following the coaching he provides can lead to a more secure, financially free lifestyle for you and your family. | https://www.investmortgageloan.com/the-rich-dad-poor-dad-guide-to-personal-finance-offers-practical-solutions-to-common-financial-issues/ |
The importance of essay writing cannot be understated. And it's no wonder that this is one of the most frequently assigned tasks for students at any level. However, there are many different formats that you can choose from, and it depends on your teacher’s requirements.
It is vital to know the basic essay format. Every writer who tries to write an essay should follow a standard structure to be successful and avoid any mistakes that could get you a poor grade in your assignment.
An appropriate format will ensure that the reader can easily access your ideas. In addition, it gives off a great impression to those who read it.
Continue reading this blog and know how to format an essay correctly.
Contents
An essay format is a way in which the information is organized for your paper. The format has everything to do with how quickly and easily you can convey the main argument and any ideas that are being expressed in support or opposition.
The main purpose of an essay format is to:
Moreover, the linear approach to writing an essay is the most common. It's easy because each idea will be introduced and then explained in-depth for readers who don't understand it fully right away.
When formatting a paper, there are certain things that you need to pay attention to, such as:
A good essay can be the deciding factor between whether or not an audience will read it. The way it's written, formatted and structured all play integral parts in making sure that people want to read.
To write a successful essay, you need to format it properly. This means that you should have a title page, good essay structure, proper capitalization in your text, and citations of your sources. You also need to include a work cited page where you list the sources you use in your essay.
Here are some steps that will help you to format an essay.
You should always follow your instructor's requirements when formatting an essay. The common style guides aren't applicable in every situation, and if you don't find them on the assignment sheet or syllabus, then ask them before you start writing.
Times New Roman is a standard and easy-to-read font that will work in all formatting styles. In addition, you can change it according to your teacher’s specifications.
The font size is an important part of formatting. Make sure to use the right font size for your document. A too small or generous-sized font could disrupt what you are trying to say and make it difficult for people reading, so keep this number in mind.
With a title page, you can format your paper the way instructors prefer. Titles pages are often required for college and university courses, so check with your professor if they need one before writing.
The proper outline format will help you write a great essay on time. A basic essay outline comprises three main parts: introduction, body, and conclusion.
The essay introduction is crucial to captivating your reader from the start. It should begin with a hook that catches the reader’s interest. The hook statement can be any quote, interesting question, etc.
After that, give some background information about the essay topic and conclude the introduction with a thesis statement.
The body paragraphs of an essay support the thesis statement. In this section, mention all the relevant information about the topic. Each paragraph should include complete and accurate information.
The conclusion is where you summarize all the main points of your essay. Restate the thesis statement and leave readers with a final thought that reflects what they learned throughout reading it.
Placing sourcing information in parentheses after the sentence effectively gives readers easy access to more research on your topic.
List all the sources you use in your paper with a proper format that your teacher recommends.
You can use this essay format to write and organize your academic essay/paper so that the information flows smoothly.
With the help of examples, you will easily create a great essay with the proper format. For your help, we gathered some examples that help you write a great paper/essay in a perfect format.
Here are some tips that our expert writers recommend to format the essay correctly.
The formatting of the essay and research paper is crucial to represent it correctly. Unfortunately, when students are in a hurry, they often end up with poorly formatted content, which makes their writing messy and results in them losing grades.
If you are in need of help with writing a paper, essay, or any academic assignment, consult WriteMyEssayFast.net. We offer professional writing services at affordable rates for all academic levels, whether you are in social sciences or other. We can help!
Contact us now and get help from our top-notch ‘write my essay’ service for your academic project.
Frequently Asked Questions
The five parts of an essay are:
The thesis statement is an important part of an essay. Without it, your essay is useless and has no purpose in writing. | https://writemyessayfast.net/blog/essay-format |
Maggot Dance is a collection of poems portraying a decaying society in which every stratum has been infested with corruption, moral decadence and total disregard for time-honoured values. The poet sees beyond the manifestations of a failed state and shares his feelings on what causes the corruption, selfishness and moral ineptitude.
Through poetry, he recommends some hard, realistic, self-criticism that is devoid of buck-passing and the sectional mindset. It is his belief that this can be achieved through embracing a new perspective of patriotism and selflessness, which will result in a moral rebirth and healing of a dying society. | https://penitpublications.com/product/maggot-dance-a-collection-of-poetry-about-a-decaying-society-by-g-o-kayode/ |
What drew you to security of the internet of things and emerging technologies?
Security has always been an exciting field for me because it’s a mixture of multiple different fields. When you’re working on system security problems you have to deal with cryptography, networking, operating systems, system development, and sometimes computer architecture. You have a mixture of all of these different fields of computer science represented and you have to have some knowledge of every field to efficiently design solutions and that’s something I really liked. Working on Internet of Things security magnifies that because you have to understand that these systems usually have energy-limitations or hardware limitations. You have to have good understanding of hardware and the ecosystem in general to be able to design solutions.
Is there a specific domain or certain categories of devices that currently interest you?
I’m currently looking in a couple of domains in my research, one of which is autonomous driving. We had a paper recently where we looked at the vision system in autonomous driving systems and designed some attacks that were able to fool them. Other than that, home IoT platforms and how we can meaningfully present the decisions to users such that they are able to make good designs. I’ve been starting to look at industrial IoT systems and how they can be attacked at a large scale.
Large-scale doomsday problems within autonomous driving are often brought up but what are the underrated problems in this area that don’t get as much attention that peoples should be aware of?
Currently there is a lot of hype in this area. I don’t believe any of the attacks out there are able to perform a full end-to-end attack on an autonomous driving platform but we have to understand that we have limited knowledge of how these models react and the inputs they are vulnerable to. There is currently a huge cat and mouse game being played with new attacks and new defenses being designed every day. We need to go back to the basics and figure out what the fundamental properties that allow these attacks to design better defenses. How are these models being dealt with and what are the fundamental components allowing these attacks to happen in these platforms.
Could you tell me more about Tyche?
The current way access control decisions are represented to users in the IoT environment is very much like how permissions are represented in the mobile platform. It’s usually all or nothing permission requests that you have to answer to at installation time. We already know that this model doesn’t work well in the mobile environment and this will surely not work any better in the IoT environment, which is more complicated and involves multiple devices, each of them having access to some type of personal or sensitive data or function. In this paper, we wanted to experiment with the idea of breaking down these permissions that are exposed by each device into three different categories based on the risk that we associate with them. We asked domain experts to rate how sensitive each of these functions that the device has are. We also conducted a user study to see how much risk normal users associated with them. The interesting finding we had was that users, when presented with these different levels of risk, are actually able to make good decisions and are able to, for the most part, match the domain experts on their reasoning about the sensitivity of each of these functions. The proposal we present in the paper is that by simply breaking down the levels of permission in each device in three risk categories, you can minimize the risk associated with different apps using the device.
Who are the end users in this study and what is their knowledge level?
For the user study, we used 400 Amazon Turk participants and specifically targeted people who already used some type of smart device in their home environment. These would be your normal home user. They were not picked from a computer science background or certain level of education. Of course, there are known biases in the Amazon Turk platform but we think this is a fairly decent representation of normal users.
IoT devices are notorious for having vulnerabilities. Why do you think it is so difficult to secure these types of devices?
There are a couple of different problems in this space. Generally, the manufacturers of these devices want to make them as cheap as possible. Security is one of things they will not invest in when they want to make these devices cheaper. Along similar lines, when we’re talking about startups and trying to quickly develop a device, sometimes security wouldn’t be the highest priority. Other problems unique to this space are that we don’t have a good way of representing the different choices users have to them. That’s a huge shortcoming of the current IoT environment. We don’t have a uniform or good way of representing the risks and permissions to the user in a meaningful manner.
What do you think we could we be doing better to present these risks in a way that’s meaningful to end users?
We have to understand that people are not able to spend a lot of time making these decisions. We have to expose the minimum information that they need for them to make a good decision. Honestly, I’m not sure what that perfect solution is or what it would look like but our work was the first step toward that in this domain. For the manufacturers, there are a couple of low hanging fruits that they need to pay attention to. One huge problem is the use of default passwords and the lack of security patches or update process for many of these devices. Most of the vulnerabilities we hear about in the large-scale, such as the Mirai botnet, resulted from these low-hanging fruits that have not been addressed by manufacturers. | https://thoughtsonsecdev.home.blog/2018/09/30/amir-rahmati/ |
2:22 p.m., Jan. 18, 2011----Maciek R. Antoniewicz, DuPont Young Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Delaware, has been awarded a prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development Award to study the role of metabolism in cellular behavior.
The NSF Career Award, which includes a $400,000 grant, will support Antoniewicz's research and education program at UD on metabolic engineering and systems biology.
“I am honored to receive this award. It is very gratifying to be selected for this honor by my peers,” says Antoniewicz. According to NSF, less than 20 percent of those submitted each year are selected for funding.
The NSF Faculty Early Career Development program recognizes junior faculty for their role as teacher-scholars and for integrating education and research within the context of their organization's mission. Proposals are reviewed by colleagues in the field and the highly competitive award is bestowed on those scientists and engineers deemed most likely to become the academic leaders of the 21st century.
“My long-term research goal is to improve our understanding of cellular regulation to permit purposeful manipulation of metabolic pathways and cell phenotypes,” explains Antoniewicz. “By developing a better understanding of how cells communicate with each other and how they respond to their environment, we hope to produce cheaper biofuels and develop improved drugs for treating diseases like diabetes and cancer.”
Current knowledge of the role metabolism plays in cell behavior is limited due to difficulties in measuring metabolic fluxes precisely and accurately, says Antoniewicz. Metabolic fluxes are key parameters that describe the overall cellular physiology. In the past decade, metabolic flux analysis (MFA) has become a key tool in metabolic engineering, biotechnology and systems biology.
Antoniewicz's research proposes to quantify the metabolic state of cells using a novel measurement technique called tandem mass spectrometry. A powerful tool for obtaining structural information of molecules, tandem mass spectrometry has previously been used to reveal the structure of a variety of small to medium sized molecules, including organic molecules, lipids and fatty acids, peptides, carbohydrates, as well as DNA and RNA adducts.
Antoniewicz intends to develop a new and universal framework for using tandem mass spectrometry and stable-isotope tracer experiments for elucidating complex biological network models and estimating metabolic fluxes. He hopes this work will provide the groundwork needed to advance applications such as engineering organisms to make alternative fuels and developing next generation drugs to treat metabolic diseases.
If successful, his work will introduce a new method of MFA, provide improved techniques for validating flux results and improve basic knowledge on metabolic network operations of two important microorganisms, E. coli and yeast.
Under the grant, he also hopes to incorporate quantitative systems biology principles as an integral part of chemical engineering education at UD and increase the participation of underrepresented student groups in research, which he says will “contribute to the training of a new generation of engineers and scientists needed to drive the emerging field of systems biology and its biological applications.”
“The project provides unique opportunities to train and educate students in an interdisciplinary environment,” explains Antoniewicz. “Infusion of state-of-the-art research into a classroom firmly based in biological principles will better prepare students to make intelligent and effective decisions in their future careers in biotechnology and related fields.”
Specific action items to achieve this goal include developing new course material and a capstone laboratory course on biological protein production, and providing hands-on summer research opportunities to minority undergraduate students. Antoniewicz will welcome undergraduate students from Delaware State University to his UD lab to take part in research at the front lines of discovery in science and engineering in his Metabolic Engineering and Systems Biology laboratory.
Antoniewicz earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in chemical engineering, with a minor in biotechnology, from Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands. He earned his doctorate in chemical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with a minor in human physiology. Before joining UD in 2007, he conducted postdoctoral research with DuPont in Central Research and Development.
Antoniewicz has won a number of international honors and awards, including the 2008 DuPont Young Professor Grant and the 2008 James E. Bailey Young Investigator Award in Metabolic Engineering. | https://www1.udel.edu/udaily/2011/jan/antoniewicz-nsf-career-011811.html |
Grade 3 Music Theory - Lesson 12: Completing a Rhythm [Archived Lesson]
Please note: rhythm writing was removed from the grade 3 syllabus in January 2018.
If you are preparing for the ABRSM grade 3 music theory exam, this is a question which you must prepare thoroughly, because it’s always included and it’s worth ten points, or 10% of the whole exam!
You need to write a complete four-bar rhythm using the given opening.
You’ll be given one complete bar including the time signature, so you need to write three more bars.
You don’t need to write a tune, only the rhythm.
Here’s an example:
Write a complete four-bar rhythm in 9/8 time using the given opening.
Tips
- Notice the time signature and make sure that each bar you write has the right number of beats.
- Check that beamed notes (quavers, semiquavers and demisemiquavers) (8ths/16ths/32nds) are grouped correctly.
- Don’t just repeat exactly what you already have in any bar.
- Don’t write something that’s completely different to any other bar.
Tips one and two are straightforward, but tips three and four are a little bit more difficult to get right. You need to write something which is similar to bar one, but not the same and not very different. It can be hard to get that right, so make sure you do lots of practice!
Some ways you can achieve this:
- As you write each bar, keep some of the rhythmic patterns from the previous bar, but
not all of them. You can change half to three quarters of the bar, for example:
- Change the order of some of the groups of notes:
(The groups are numbered to show you how the order has changed.)
- Don’t write things like lots of triplets, dotted/tied notes or syncopation UNLESS there were some in the first bar. You need to keep the character of the rhythm the same all the way through.
- Don’t feel that you have to “show off” by writing every single different note value/rests, or anything else. It’s more important to keep the character of the rhythm.
- Make sure any long notes fall on the beat (see lesson 8 for more on this).
- Use a reasonably long note to end the composition: don’t end on a quaver, semiquaver or demisemiquaver (8th, 16th or 32nd note).
Here’s a possible answer to the above question:
Notice how the same patterns get reused, but not in exactly the same way. We used a dotted note in the 4th bar, but it’s not a “new” rhythm – it’s the same value as the tied quaver (8th) + semiquaver (16th) in bars 1 and 2.
Dealing with Upbeats
An "upbeat" is a part of the rhythm which occurs before bar 1. If the piece starts on an upbeat, the first bar will not be complete. For example, this rhythm in 4/4 starts on an upbeat - there is just one crotchet (quarter note) in the first bar:
The second G falls on the strong beat - the first beat of bar 1. It is played with a stronger stress than the first G. Think of the word "potato" - the stress falls on the second syllable of the word. If you set the word "potato" to music, you'd use an upbeat for the syllable "po-", so that "-ta-" falls on the strong beat of the bar. Even when there are no words set to music, rhythms still contain stresses in the same way.
If there is an upbeat, you must make sure the last bar of your piece is also incomplete.
- The first bar and the last bar added together should make one complete bar. In our example, our last bar should contain 3 beats (not 4). | https://www.mymusictheory.com/learn-music-theory/for-students/grade-3/277-12-completing-a-rhythm |
Anyone who even casually frequents the current online hot spots for film discussion is well aware of the ongoing raging debate about the future of film criticism. The alarmism is so resounding it may be reverberating in our heads for some time to come; but ultimately all the hand-wringing over the death of print criticism as it slowly, inexorably moves to the web is not just attention-grabbing shortsightedness—it’s the wrong target. It’s not simply film writing that’s been democratized by the digital realm, but film itself, and perhaps we’re better off first focusing on the changes therein, rather than turning the spotlight on ourselves.
In recent years, film trade magazines, blogs, panels, and the like have devoted themselves ad nauseam to discussing the implications of the digital on our beloved art form. Most obviously cinematography, but also editing, special effects, and even performances have been dissected under this new technological microscope, as filmmakers have lined up on both sides of the digital divide. Movies are now regularly either shot, or more often edited, digitally; digital projectors are becoming more commonplace; and in many cases films are bypassing traditional avenues of physical distribution altogether, existing only on hard drives and digital streams instead of prints and tapes. In 2008, we're far from being able to talk about just George Lucas and a few isolated DIY others; it’s nearly impossible to find a filmmaker who hasn't succumbed in some form. So why has a journal born five years ago on the cusp of digital explosion, such as Reverse Shot, only treaded lightly here until now?
The short answer: the debates on the subject have been both ubiquitous and ill informed. The use and reception of video has changed so much so fast in the past eight years—from grainy, unconsidered cheapo quickies like Tadpole or Pieces of April to auteur dabblings like Bamboozled and The Lady and the Duke to the viable film alternatives of A Prairie Home Companion and Star Wars Episodes II and III> and currently to visionary aesthetic frontiers like Miami Vice and Zodiac—that there’s no reason to assume that in five years even this symposium won't seem antiquated. Now that concerns of practicality, budget, time, and yes, aesthetics, have replaced nonsensical millennial doom-saying (save for Armond White and various other crackpot holdouts), we feel it's as good a time as any to dive in, but on our own terms. For this issue, we attempted a unique approach by asking our writers to select a filmmaker who's traditionally worked in film and has moved to digital video, as a brief sidestep or a career-changing ideological statement. Then we asked them to contrast and compare this digital foray with their earlier cinematic style (unfortunately no one picked up the offered gauntlet of The Godfather vs. Youth Without Youth). With filmmakers as varied as Robert Zemeckis and the Kuchar brothers occupying the same space, we feel we've covered a lot of ground.
Do we see differences in shooting style? Has digital editing had an impact? What does this all mean in terms of aesthetics? Or storytelling? Does it even make a difference when many viewers aren't even aware that many movies they see in conventional theaters were shot on video? Will digital save the cinematic experience from irrelevance in this new information age? Or will these new technologies whittle it away to the point where the shared viewing experience is confined to cramped rooms and LCD displays playing short grainy YouTube clips? We certainly haven’t found any hard and fast answers, but the questions raised around these various film artists are certainly going to be grappled with until celluloid filmmaking is just a distant memory. | http://www.reverseshot.org/symposiums/entry/614/the-new-world-reverse-shot-goes-digital-introduction |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
2. Description of the Related Art
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
First Embodiment
Second Embodiment
Third Embodiment
Fourth Embodiment
EXAMPLES
Example 1
Example 2 to Example 9
Example 10
Example 11
Example 12
Example 13 and Example 14
Example 15
Example 16
Comparative Example 1
This application is a continuation of PCT international Application Ser. No. PCT/JP2016/069138, filed on Jun. 28, 2016, which designates the United States and which claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-158489, filed on Aug. 10, 2015; the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a method for producing a group 13 nitride single crystal and an apparatus for producing a group 13 nitride single crystal.
Disclosed as a method for producing a GaN substrate using a liquid phase growth method is a flux method that dissolves nitrogen in a mixed melt of metallic sodium and metallic gallium to grow a GaN crystal. In a method for producing a group 13 nitride single crystal using the flux method, mainly a plate-shaped seed crystal with a c-plane as a principal face is used as a seed crystal.
The group 13 nitride single crystal produced by crystal growth from the seed crystal using the flux method may contain cracks. Under the circumstance, attempts are being made to produce the group 13 nitride single crystal with cracks inhibited. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-290929 discloses that a self-supporting substrate of the same composition as that of a group III nitride-based compound semiconductor to be obtained is used as a seed crystal in order to inhibit the occurrence of cracks, for example.
However, it is difficult to reduce cracks by the conventional producing method.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for producing a group 13 nitride single crystal includes dissolving and crystal growing. The dissolving includes dissolving nitrogen in a mixed melt in a reaction vessel that contains the mixed melt, a seed crystal, and a surrounding member. The mixed melt contains an alkali metal and a group 13 metal. The seed crystal is a seed crystal that is placed in the mixed melt and includes a group 13 nitride crystal in which a principal face is a c-plane. The surrounding member is arranged so as to surround the entire area of a side face of the seed crystal. The crystal growing includes growing a group 13 nitride crystal on the seed crystal.
The accompanying drawings are intended to depict exemplary embodiments of the present invention and should not be interpreted to limit the scope thereof. Identical or similar reference numerals designate identical or similar components throughout the various drawings.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention.
As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
In describing preferred embodiments illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology may be employed for the sake of clarity. However, the disclosure of this patent specification is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific element includes all technical equivalents that have the same function, operate in a similar manner, and achieve a similar result.
An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.
In the following description, the drawings illustrate the shape, size, and arrangement of components only schematically to the extent that the invention can be understood and do not limit the present invention in a particular manner. Similar components illustrated in a plurality of drawings are denoted by the same symbols, and a redundant description thereof may be omitted.
In the following, a method for producing a group 13 nitride single crystal according to an embodiment of the present invention may be described simply referred to as a producing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
In a method for producing a group 13 nitride single crystal according to an embodiment of the present invention, a group 13 nitride crystal is grown from a seed crystal to produce a group 13 nitride single crystal by a flux method.
A method for producing according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a dissolution process and a crystal growth process.
The dissolution process is a process in which nitrogen is dissolved in a mixed melt in a reaction vessel that contains the mixed melt, a seed crystal, and a surrounding member. The mixed melt contains an alkali metal and a group 13 metal. The seed crystal is a group 13 nitride crystal that is placed within the mixed melt and in which its principal face is a c-plane. The surrounding member is arranged so as to surround the entire area of a side face of the seed crystal. The side face of the seed crystal is a face of outer wall faces forming the seed crystal other than the c-plane as the principal face and a bottom face opposite to (substantially parallel to) the principal face.
The crystal growth process is a process for growing the group 13 nitride crystal on the seed crystal.
In a method for producing a group 13 nitride single crystal according to an embodiment of the present invention, in crystal growth using a flux method, a group 13 nitride crystal is grown in a reaction vessel that contains a seed crystal with the c-plane as the principal face, a surrounding member arranged so as to surround the entire area of the side face of the seed crystal, and a mixed melt.
Consequently, an embodiment of the present invention can reduce cracks in the group 13 nitride single crystal.
A reason why the above effect can be produced is inferred as follows. The following inference does not limit the present invention.
The surrounding member is arranged so as to cover the entire area of the side face of the seed crystal with the c-plane as the principal face, thereby inhibiting {10-11} growth of the group 13 nitride crystal that grows from the seed crystal. Consequently, it is considered that the group 13 nitride single crystal with cracks inhibited can be easily produced.
FIG. 1A
FIG. 1B
FIG. 1A
FIG. 1B
41
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and are illustrative diagrams of a group 13 nitride single crystal obtained by growing the group 13 nitride crystal from a seed crystal with the c-plane as the principal face by a flux method using a conventional producing method. is a plan view when the group 13 nitride single crystal is viewed from the c-plane side of the seed crystal . is a sectional view of the group 13 nitride single crystal .
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The inventors of the present invention have discovered that when the group 13 nitride crystal is grown from the seed crystal with the c-plane as the principal face by the flux method using the conventional producing method, more cracks occur in a {10-11} growth area B of the obtained group 13 nitride single crystal than in a c-plane growth area A. The inventors of the present invention have found out that the cracks occurring in the {10-11} growth area B propagate toward the c-plane growth area A from the {10-11} growth area B.
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In addition, the inventors of the present invention have found out that, in the conventional producing method, the {10-11} growth area B is higher in an oxygen content than the c-plane growth area A of the obtained group 13 nitride single crystal . The inventors of the present invention have also found out that the high oxygen content causes the cracks.
30
Consequently, the inventors of the present invention have found out that cracks can be reduced by inhibiting the {10-11} growth of the group 13 nitride crystal originating from the seed crystal .
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Consequently, it is considered that the {10-11} growth of a group 13 nitride crystal that grows from the seed crystal is inhibited by arranging a surrounding member so as to cover the entire area of the side face of the seed crystal with the c-plane as the principal face. For this reason, it is considered that cracks can be reduced.
The following describes the details.
FIG. 2
1
is a diagram of an example of an apparatus for producing a group 13 nitride single crystal for implementing a method for producing a group 13 nitride single crystal in the present embodiment. In the following, the “apparatus for producing a group 13 nitride single crystal” may be described simply referred to as a producing apparatus.
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The producing apparatus includes a controller and a main body . The controller controls the main body .
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The main body includes an external pressure-resistant vessel . The external pressure-resistant vessel is made of stainless steel, for example. An internal vessel is placed within the external pressure-resistant vessel . The internal vessel has a closed shape. The internal vessel is made of stainless steel, for example. The internal vessel is removable from the external pressure-resistant vessel .
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A reaction vessel is arranged within the internal vessel . In other words, the reaction vessel is arranged inside a double structure vessel of the external pressure-resistant vessel and the internal vessel . The internal vessel is detachable from and attachable to the external pressure-resistant vessel . The reaction vessel contains a mixed melt .
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An external bottom of the reaction vessel is supported by a turn table . The turn table is a plate-shaped member having a plate face along a horizontal face. The turn table is supported by a supporting member . The supporting member supports the center of the plate face of the turn table . The supporting member is a member elongating in a vertical direction; one end in a longitudinal direction is connected to the center of the plate face of the turn table , whereas the other end is connected to a drive unit . The drive unit is a drive unit that rotatingly drives the turn table with the supporting member as a rotary shaft.
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The drive unit is electrically connected to the controller . The drive unit rotates the turn table with the supporting member as the rotary shaft under control of the controller . The rotation of the turn table rotates the reaction vessel . The rotation (rotational speed, rotational direction, and the like) of this reaction vessel is controlled, whereby the mixed melt contained in the reaction vessel is stirred.
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A mechanism that stirs the mixed melt within the reaction vessel is not limited to the mechanism implemented by the turn table , the supporting member , and the drive unit . The mechanism that stirs the mixed melt within the reaction vessel may shake the reaction vessel , for example. The turn table may rotatably support the reaction vessel and a first heating unit .
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FIG. 2
The reaction vessel contains the seed crystal and a surrounding member in the mixed melt , which the reaction vessel contains. In other words, the reaction vessel is a vessel for containing the seed crystal and the mixed melt to grow the group 13 nitride crystal from the seed crystal . In the example illustrated in , the reaction vessel is provided with a lid , which functions as a lid that closes an opening of the reaction vessel .
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2
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The material of the reaction vessel is not limited to a particular material. Examples of the material of the reaction vessel include nitrides such as BN sintered bodies, boron nitride, and aluminum nitride, oxides such as alumina (AlO) and YAG, and carbides such as SiC. An inner wall face of the reaction vessel , that is, a part by which the reaction vessel is in contact with the mixed melt is preferably formed of a material that is difficult to react with (or be dissolved in) the mixed melt . When the group 13 nitride crystal is a gallium nitride crystal, examples of the material of the reaction vessel include nitrides such as boron nitride (BN), pyrolytic BN (P-BN), and aluminum nitride, oxides such as alumina, yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG), and stainless steels (SUS).
24
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The mixed melt contained in the reaction vessel contains at least an alkali metal as a flux and a group 13 metal.
Examples of the flux include metallic sodium and sodium compounds (sodium azide, for example). In the present embodiment, described as an example is a case in which sodium (Na) as an alkali metal is used as the flux.
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The purity of the sodium contained in the mixed melt is preferably 99.95% or higher. When the purity of the sodium contained in the mixed melt is 99.95% or higher, crude crystals are inhibited from occurring on the surface of the mixed melt . In addition, when the purity of the sodium contained in the mixed melt is 99.95% or higher, a reduction in the crystal growth rate of the group 13 nitride crystal that grows on the seed crystal can be inhibited.
24
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In the present embodiment, described is a case in which at least gallium is used as the group 13 metal contained in the mixed melt . Consequently, in the present embodiment, the mixed melt is described as a melt with sodium (Na) and gallium (Ga) as main components.
Other group 13 metals such as boron, aluminum, and indium may be used as the group 13 metal, and a mixture of a plurality of metals selected from group 13 metals may be used.
40
A group 13 nitride single crystal produced in the present embodiment may mean gallium nitride, aluminum nitride, indium nitride, and mixed crystals thereof.
24
The molar ratio between the group 13 metal and the alkali metal contained in the mixed melt is not limited to a particular ratio; the ratio of the molar number of the alkali metal to the total molar number of the group 13 metal and the alkali metal is preferably 40 mol % to 95 mol %.
24
To the mixed melt , additives having an effect of enlarging a metastable area in which nucleation is inhibited or boron oxide or gallium oxide as an n-type dopant raw material may be added as appropriate.
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Examples of the additives include carbon (C) that forms CN ions in the flux to play a role of increasing a nitrogen concentration within the mixed melt and alkali metals such as Li and K and alkaline earth metals such as Mg, Ca, and Sr that play a role of changing a nitrogen take-in amount and nitrogen solubility within the mixed melt . Examples of the n-type dopant include germanium (Ge).
24
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The amount of carbon to be added as an additive to the mixed melt is not limited to a particular amount. The amount of carbon to be added as the additive to the mixed melt is desirably in a range of from 0.1 at % to 5 at % inclusive relative to the total molar number of the group 13 element and the alkali metal contained in the mixed melt , for example. The amount of carbon is preferably 0.4 at % or more and 2.0 at % or less and further preferably 0.5 at % or more and 1.2 at % or less.
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The amount of germanium to be added as an n-type dopant to the mixed melt is not limited to a particular amount. The amount of germanium to be added is preferably 0.1 at % or more and 5 at % or less, further preferably 0.5 at % or more and 3.0 at % or less, and particularly preferably 1.5 at % or more and 2.5 at % or less relative to the molar number of the group 13 element contained in the mixed melt , for example.
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The seed crystal arranged within the mixed melt of the reaction vessel is a group 13 nitride crystal with the c-plane as the principal face.
30
For the seed crystal , preferably used is a self-supporting GaN substrate to which a heterogeneous substrate such as sapphire is not attached.
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A method for producing the seed crystal is not limited to a particular method. The seed crystal is produced by a vapor phase growth method or a liquid phase growth method, for example. The vapor phase growth method is a hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) method, for example. The liquid phase growth method is a flux method or an ammonothermal method, for example.
30
When the HVPE method is used, the seed crystal may be produced by growing a group 13 nitride crystal on the c-plane of a sapphire substrate using the HVPE method and adjusting crystal growth conditions, for example.
30
The shape of the seed crystal is not limited; the c-plane as the principal face is preferably a flat face, and the c-plane is further preferably a mirror face.
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An off angle (an angle of inclination) of the principal face of the seed crystal relative to a <0001> direction is preferably 2 degrees or smaller. When the off angle of the principal face of the seed crystal relative to the <0001> direction is 2 degrees or smaller, the amount of inclusions contained in the group 13 nitride crystal that grows can be reduced. The off angle of the principal face of the seed crystal relative to the <0001> direction is further preferably 0.5 degree or smaller.
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The seed crystal is arranged on an inside bottom B of the reaction vessel . Specifically, the seed crystal is arranged within the reaction vessel such that the principal face of the seed crystal is directed toward a vapor-liquid interface A between the mixed melt and a vapor phase and that a bottom face as the opposite face of the principle face of the seed crystal is in contact with the inside bottom B of the reaction vessel .
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In the present embodiment, the surrounding member is arranged within the reaction vessel . The surrounding member is arranged so as to surround the entire area of the side face of the seed crystal .
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As described above, the side face of the seed crystal is a face of the outer wall faces forming the seed crystal that is continuous to the principal face (the c-plane) of the seed crystal and crosses the principal face. In other words, the side face of the seed crystal is a face of the outer wall faces forming the seed crystal other than the c-plane as the principal face and the bottom face opposite to (substantially parallel to) the principal face.
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The arrangement surrounding the entire area of the side face of the seed crystal means that the side face of the seed crystal is surrounded across the 360-degree circumference about the normal line of the principal face of the seed crystal and that the side face is surrounded from one end to the other end in a first direction (refer to the arrow X direction in the drawings, which may be hereinafter referred to as a first direction X) that is orthogonal to the principal face.
FIG. 2
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As illustrated in , the surrounding member is arranged on the inside bottom B of the reaction vessel . Specifically, the surrounding member is arranged such that one end face in the first direction X is in contact with the bottom B, whereas the other end face is directed toward the vapor-liquid interface A.
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In the present specification, the first direction X is a direction coinciding with the normal line direction of the principal face (the c-plane) of the seed crystal when the seed crystal and the surrounding member are arranged on the inside bottom B of the reaction vessel . Consequently, the first direction X of the surrounding member indicates the direction coinciding with the normal line direction of the c-plane of the seed crystal when the surrounding member is arranged on the bottom B of the reaction vessel so as to surround a side face Q of the seed crystal by an inner wall P of the surrounding member .
FIG. 3A
FIG. 3C
FIG. 3A
FIG. 3B
FIG. 3C
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to are illustrative diagrams of an example of the surrounding member (a surrounding member A). is a sectional view of the seed crystal and the surrounding member . is a top view of the seed crystal and the surrounding member . is a sectional view illustrating a state in which the group 13 nitride crystal has grown on the seed crystal .
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FIG. 3A
FIG. 3C
FIG. 3A
FIG. 3C
The surrounding member A has a shape along the outer circumference of the side face of the seed crystal , for example. Specifically, in the surrounding member A, the shape of the inner wall P at a section orthogonal to the first direction X is similar to a sectional shape orthogonal to the first direction X of the seed crystal (the shape of a principal face C, for example). The example illustrated in to illustrates a case in which the shape of the principal face C of the seed crystal is circular, and the surrounding member A is a cylindrical member as an example. In other words, to illustrate a case in which the shape of the inner wall P at the section orthogonal to the first direction X of the surrounding member A is circular (perfectly circular).
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The distance of a gap between the side face Q of the seed crystal and the surrounding member is not limited. The distance of the gap between the side face Q of the seed crystal and the surrounding member indicates the shortest distance of the gap (clearance) in a direction orthogonal to the first direction X between the side face Q of the seed crystal and the inner wall P of the surrounding member .
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The distance of the gap between the side face Q of the seed crystal and the surrounding member is preferably shorter than 5 mm, further preferably shorter than 2 mm, and particularly preferably 0 mm.
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FIG. 3A
FIG. 3C
The state in which the distance of the gap between the side face Q of the seed crystal and the surrounding member is 0 mm is a state in which the side face Q of the seed crystal and the inner wall P of the surrounding member are arranged in contact with each other. to illustrate a mode in which the inner wall P of the surrounding member A and the side face Q of the seed crystal are arranged in contact with each other.
FIG. 4A
FIG. 4B
FIG. 4A
FIG. 4B
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and are illustrative diagrams of an example of a mode in which the gap between the inner wall P of the surrounding member (a surrounding member B) and the side face Q of the seed crystal exceeds 0 mm. is a sectional view of the seed crystal and the surrounding member B. is a top view of the seed crystal and the surrounding member B.
FIGS. 4A and 4B
FIG. 3A
FIG. 3C
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As illustrated in , the distance of a gap S between the side face Q of the seed crystal and the surrounding member may be a value exceeding 0 mm. However, as described above, the distance of the gap between the side face Q of the seed crystal and the surrounding member is preferably a distance within the range, and particularly preferably, the side face Q of the seed crystal and the inner wall P of the surrounding member are arranged in contact with each other as illustrated in to .
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The gap between the side face Q of the seed crystal and the inner wall P of the surrounding member is made within the range, whereby the occurrence of cracks in the group 13 nitride single crystal to be produced can be further reduced. This is because it is considered that when the gap between the side face Q of the seed crystal and the inner wall P of the surrounding member is within the range, the formation of a {10-11} plane can be effectively inhibited in the group 13 nitride crystal that grows from the seed crystal .
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The gap between the side face Q of the seed crystal and the inner wall P of the surrounding member is preferably constant (the same distance) across the 360-degree circumference about the normal line of the principal face C of the seed crystal .
FIG. 3A
FIG. 3C
FIG. 3A
FIG. 3C
FIG. 3A
FIG. 3C
FIG. 2
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Referring back to to , the length in the first direction X of the surrounding member (hereinafter, referred to as a first length, and refer to a first length T in to ) is not limited. However, the first length T in the first length X of the surrounding member is preferably longer than the length in the first direction X of the seed crystal (hereinafter, referred to as a second length, and refer to a second length T in to ). The surrounding member is preferably arranged such that one end in the first direction X of the surrounding member protrudes toward the vapor-liquid interface A from the principal face C of the seed crystal (refer to also ).
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In other words, the seed crystal is arranged such that the opposite face of the principal face C of the seed crystal is in contact with the inside bottom B of the reaction vessel , whereas the surrounding member in which the first length T is longer than the second length T is arranged so as to surround the side face Q of the seed crystal and such that one end face in the first direction X is in contact with the bottom B. With this arrangement, one end in the first direction X of the surrounding member protrudes from the principal face C of the seed crystal .
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FIG. 3A
FIG. 3C
The length in the first direction X of an area of the surrounding member protruding from the principal face C of the seed crystal (hereinafter, referred to as a third length, and refer to a third length T in to ) is preferably longer than a target thickness T set in advance of the group 13 nitride crystal grown on the principal face C of the seed crystal .
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FIG. 3A
FIG. 3C
The target thickness T is a length in the first direction X of the group 13 nitride crystal grown on the seed crystal (refer to and ). In other words, the target thickness T is a length (the shortest distance) in the first direction X from the principal face C of the seed crystal to a position D at a target thickness of the group 13 nitride crystal grown on the seed crystal .
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Consequently, the first length T in the first direction X of the surrounding member may be adjusted in advance in accordance with the target thickness T of the group 13 nitride single crystal to be produced (that is, the group 13 nitride crystal that grows).
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It is considered that when the third length T of the area of the surrounding member protruding from the principal face C of the seed crystal is longer than the target thickness T set in advance of the group 13 nitride crystal grown on the principal face C of the seed crystal , the {10-11} growth of the group 13 nitride crystal can be effectively inhibited, and the occurrence of cracks can be further reduced.
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It is considered that this is because the group 13 nitride crystal that grows on the seed crystal is inhibited from growing up to a position beyond the end of the surrounding member directed toward the vapor-liquid interface A, whereby the {10-11} plane can be inhibited from being formed in a part beyond the end.
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FIG. 3A
FIG. 3C
A subtracted value obtained by subtracting the target thickness T of the group 13 nitride crystal grown from the third length T in the first direction X of the area of the surrounding member protruding from the principal face C of the seed crystal (refer to a subtracted value T in to ) is preferably 0 mm or more and 10 mm or less, further preferably 0 mm or more and 5 mm or less, and particularly preferably 0 mm or more and 1 mm or less.
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When the subtracted value T is within the range, at least one of stagnation of the flow of the mixed melt contained in the reaction vessel , abnormal growth of the group 13 nitride crystal , polycrystallization of the group 13 nitride crystal , and an increase in the take-in amount of inclusions near the outer circumference of the group 13 nitride crystal can be inhibited.
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The component of the surrounding member is not limited. Examples of the component of the surrounding member include oxides such as aluminum oxide (AlO) and aluminum titanate (AlTiO), nitrides such as silicon nitride (SiN) and aluminum nitride (AlN), carbides such as silicon carbide (SiC), mixed materials formed of combinations of oxides, nitrides, and carbides, high melting point metals such as tungsten (W), and alloys such as invar.
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The surrounding member and the group 13 nitride crystal grown on the seed crystal preferably have different main components. It is considered that a material that differs in the main component from the group 13 nitride crystal is used as the surrounding member , whereby the occurrence of cracks can be further reduced. It is considered that this is because the group 13 nitride crystal that grows and the surrounding member become an integral crystal, whereby the occurrence of cracks caused by the formation of the {10-11} growth area on the side face of the crystal can be inhibited.
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In view of differentiating the surrounding member and the group 13 nitride crystal in the main component, when the group 13 nitride crystal is GaN, for example, the surrounding member preferably has aluminum oxide (AlO), aluminum titanate (AlTiO), silicon nitride (SiN), aluminum nitride (AlN), silicon carbide (SiC), tungsten (W), invar, or the like as the main component.
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The component of the surrounding member is preferably smaller in the coefficient of thermal expansion than the group 13 nitride crystal grown on the seed crystal . In the crystal growth process, the side face of the group 13 nitride crystal grows up to the inner wall P of the surrounding member . For this reason, it is considered that a material that is smaller in the coefficient of thermal expansion than the group 13 nitride crystal grown on the seed crystal is used as the component of the surrounding member , whereby the occurrence of cracks caused by strain or the like caused by the difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion between the group 13 nitride crystal that has grown and the surrounding member when the temperature has decreased after the end of crystal growth can be reduced.
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In terms of the coefficient of thermal expansion, when the group 13 nitride crystal is GaN, for example, preferably used for the surrounding member is aluminum titanate (AlTiO), silicon nitride (SiN), aluminum nitride (AlN), tungsten (W), invar, or the like, which are smaller in the coefficient of thermal expansion than GaN.
90
24
24
90
Preferably used for the component of the surrounding member is a material that is difficult to nucleate and is high in corrosion resistance against the mixed melt . When the material that is difficult to nucleate and is high in corrosion resistance against the mixed melt is used for the component of the surrounding member , the occurrence of cracks caused by the formation of the {10-11} growth area can be further reduced.
90
90
32
30
24
90
90
24
32
It is considered that the surrounding member is formed of the material that is difficult to nucleate, whereby a crystal that has nucleated on the surrounding member and the group 13 nitride crystal that has grown from the seed crystal become an integral crystal, and the {10-11} plane can be inhibited from being formed from the side face of the integral crystal. In addition, it is considered that the material that is high in corrosion resistance against the mixed melt is used for the surrounding member , whereby the surrounding member is inhibited from being dissolved in the mixed melt or becoming deformed, and the {10-11} plane can be inhibited from being formed on the group 13 nitride crystal that grows.
90
In terms of nucleation and corrosion resistance, preferably used for the component of the surrounding member is a material that is a mixed material of an oxide and a nitride containing the nitride material as a main component (the content of which is 80% by mass or higher) and containing the oxide material in an amount of 0.1% by mass or higher and 20% by mass or lower, for example.
32
32
24
90
2
3
As to a material that satisfies all the requirements including being different in the main component from the group 13 nitride crystal , being smaller in the coefficient of thermal expansion than the group 13 nitride crystal , being difficult to nucleate, and being high in corrosion resistance against the mixed melt , particularly preferably used for the surrounding member is a material that contains aluminum nitride (AlN) as a main component and contains yttrium oxide (YO) in an amount of 5% by mass or higher and 7% by mass or lower among the components described above.
FIG. 2
92
52
92
52
92
90
52
52
Referring back to , in the present embodiment, plate-shaped members are preferably placed within the reaction vessel . The plate-shaped members are plate-shaped members elongate in the first direction X and are arranged such that one end side in the longitudinal direction is in contact with the bottom face of the reaction vessel and that the other end side faces the vapor-liquid interface A. The plate-shaped members are arranged between the surrounding member and the inner wall of the reaction vessel on the bottom B of the reaction vessel .
92
24
52
81
52
92
52
24
52
24
92
52
The plate-shaped members function as baffles (baffle boards) that cause the stirring of the mixed melt within the reaction vessel to further proceed when the turn table rotates or stops the rotation of the reaction vessel . The plate-shaped members are arranged within the reaction vessel , whereby the mixed melt is efficiently stirred along with the rotation of the reaction vessel . When the mixed melt is not stirred, the plate-shaped members are not necessarily placed within the reaction vessel .
1
48
48
22
52
24
The producing apparatus is provided with a supply unit . The supply unit supplies nitrogen to the vapor phase within the reaction vessel and dissolves nitrogen in the mixed melt .
48
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The supply unit includes a gas supply pipe , a gas supply pipe , a nitrogen supply pipe , a pressure control apparatus , a valve , a gas supply pipe , a gas supply pipe , a pressure control apparatus , a valve , a valve , a valve , and a valve .
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40
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2
The gas supply pipe and the gas supply pipe are connected to the external pressure-resistant vessel and the internal vessel . The gas supply pipe and the gas supply pipe supply a nitrogen (N) gas as a raw material of the group 13 nitride single crystal and a diluent gas for total pressure adjustment to an internal space of the external pressure-resistant vessel and an internal space of the internal vessel , respectively.
22
52
The nitrogen gas and the diluent gas are supplied to the vapor phase within the reaction vessel .
Although an argon (Ar) gas as an inert gas is desirably used as the diluent gas, this is not limiting; other inert gases such as helium (He) and neon (Ne) may be used as the diluent gas.
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The nitrogen gas is supplied from the nitrogen supply pipe connected to a gas cylinder or the like of the nitrogen gas, is subjected to pressures adjustment by the pressure control apparatus , and is then supplied to the gas supply pipe via the valve . The gas for total pressure adjustment (the argon gas, for example) is supplied from the gas supply pipe for total pressure adjustment connected to a gas cylinder or the like of the gas for total pressure adjustment, is subjected to pressure adjustment by the pressure control apparatus , and is then supplied to the gas supply pipe via the valve . The nitrogen gas and the gas for total pressure adjustment thus subjected to pressure adjustment are supplied to the gas supply pipe to be mixed with each other.
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1
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A mixed gas of nitrogen and the diluent gas is supplied to the inside of the external pressure-resistant vessel and the internal vessel from the gas supply pipe via the valve , the gas supply pipe , the valve , and the gas supply pipe . The internal vessel is detachable from the producing apparatus at the part of the valve . The gas supply pipe communicates with the outside via the valve .
54
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1
10
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50
51
64
The gas supply pipe is provided with a pressure gauge . In the producing apparatus , the controller adjusts the pressure within the external pressure-resistant vessel and the internal vessel while monitoring the total pressure within the external pressure-resistant vessel and the internal vessel by the pressure gauge .
1
55
58
56
59
50
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51
52
In the present embodiment, the producing apparatus thus adjusts the pressures of the nitrogen gas and the diluent gas by the valve and valve , respectively, and the pressure control apparatus and the pressure control apparatus , respectively, and can thereby adjust a nitrogen partial pressure. Because the total pressure of the external pressure-resistant vessel and the internal vessel is adjustable, the total pressure within the internal vessel can be increased, whereby the evaporation of the flux (sodium, for example) within the reaction vessel can be inhibited. In other words, the nitrogen partial pressure as a nitrogen raw material that has an effect on the crystal growth conditions of gallium nitride and the total pressure that has an effect on the inhibition of evaporation of the flux such as sodium can be controlled separately.
51
32
32
51
The nitrogen partial pressure within the internal vessel during the crystal growth of the group 13 nitride crystal is determined by the size or the like of the group 13 nitride crystal to be produced, and the value thereof is not limited. The nitrogen partial pressure within the internal vessel is preferably within the range of from 0.1 MPa to 8 MPa, for example.
70
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50
70
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52
The first heating unit and a second heating unit are arranged around the outer circumference of the internal vessel within the external pressure-resistant vessel . In the present embodiment, the first heating unit is arranged along the side face of the internal vessel . The second heating unit is arranged on the bottom face side outside the reaction vessel .
70
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24
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70
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24
The first heating unit and the second heating unit heat the internal vessel and the reaction vessel to heat the mixed melt within the reaction vessel . Heating temperatures by the first heating unit and the second heating unit are adjusted, whereby desired temperature distribution can be formed within the mixed melt .
Production of Group 13 Nitride Crystal
40
1
In the producing method according to the present embodiment, the group 13 nitride single crystal is produced using the producing apparatus .
Dissolution Process
24
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30
90
30
24
In the dissolution process, nitrogen is dissolved in the mixed melt in the reaction vessel that contains the mixed melt and the seed crystal with the c-plane as the principal face C and the surrounding member arranged so as to surround the entire area of the side face Q that is continuous to the principal face C of the seed crystal and crosses the principal face C that are placed within the mixed melt .
30
90
52
30
90
30
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92
Specifically, first, the seed crystal and the surrounding member are arranged within the reaction vessel . The placing positions of the seed crystal and the surrounding member and the details of the seed crystal and the surrounding member are as described above. Within the reaction vessel , the plate-shaped members may be further arranged.
24
52
52
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51
The raw materials of the mixed melt and the like are then charged into this reaction vessel . Work for charging the raw materials into the reaction vessel is performed with the internal vessel put into a glove box with an atmosphere of an inert gas such as an argon gas, for example. This work may be performed with the reaction vessel put into the internal vessel . The glove box is controlled in an oxygen value and a dew point; the raw materials are charged with an oxygen value of 0.10 ppm or less and a dew point of −100° C. or lower. There is no special limitation on the order of charging the raw materials.
52
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1
70
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The reaction vessel that arranges therewithin the mixed melt , the seed crystal , and the surrounding member is arranged in the producing apparatus . Furthermore, the first heating unit and the second heating unit are energized to heat the internal vessel and the reaction vessel therewithin to a crystal growth temperature. With this heating, the inside of the reaction vessel is heated to the crystal growth temperature. The crystal growth temperature is 750° C. or higher, for example. The nitrogen partial pressure within the internal vessel is preferably within the range of from 0.1 MPa to 8 MPa, for example.
52
24
22
24
24
The group 13 metal, the alkali metal, and other additives as the raw materials then melt within the reaction vessel to form the mixed melt . The nitrogen with the above partial pressure is supplied from the vapor phase to this mixed melt to dissolve the nitrogen in the mixed melt .
Crystal Growth Process
32
30
In the crystal growth process, the group 13 nitride crystal is grown on the seed crystal .
70
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24
32
30
32
30
40
Specifically, the first heating unit and the second heating unit are energized to heat the mixed melt to the crystal growth temperature, and the state in which the nitrogen partial pressure is maintained is continued for a crystal growth time set in advance. With this process, the group 13 nitride crystal grows from the principal face C of the seed crystal . The group 13 nitride crystal grows from the principal face C of the seed crystal , whereby the group 13 nitride single crystal is produced.
40
The crystal growth time in the crystal growth process is determined based on a target size or thickness of the group 13 nitride single crystal to be produced. The crystal growth time is about a few tens of hours to one thousand hours, for example.
24
The crystal growth process is preferably carried out while stirring the mixed melt .
24
80
10
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10
80
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81
The stirring of the mixed melt may be performed by controlling the drive unit by the controller . The mixed melt within the reaction vessel may be stirred by causing the controller to control the drive unit , thereby rotating the reaction vessel via the turn table .
24
24
When the mixed melt is rigorously stirred, crude crystals may occur. For this reason, the stirring rate of the mixed melt is preferably a rate that can inhibit the occurrence of crude crystals.
24
10
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30
32
30
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52
The stirring rate of the mixed melt may be constant or variable. However, the stirring rate is preferably made variable. In other words, the controller preferably stirs the mixed melt by rotation control including the acceleration, deceleration, and inversion of the reaction vessel so as to maintain a state in which a difference has occurred between the rotational speed of the seed crystal and of the group 13 nitride crystal that has grown from the seed crystal and the rotational speed of the mixed melt . The stirring of the mixed melt is preferably being performed at a time when the mixed melt has been formed within the reaction vessel .
24
24
40
It is considered that by stirring the mixed melt in the crystal growth process, nitrogen concentration distribution within the mixed melt is inhibited from becoming nonuniform, and that the group 13 nitride single crystal with high quality and large size can be produced.
24
24
24
24
24
10
The crystal growth conditions (parameters such as the crystal growth temperature, the nitrogen partial pressure, the rotational speed of the mixed melt , the rotational acceleration of the mixed melt , the rotational deceleration of the mixed melt , the rotation time of the mixed melt , and the rotation downtime of the mixed melt ) in the crystal growth process can be freely adjusted and changed by setting changes by a user and control by the controller .
32
30
40
FIG. 3C
Through the crystal growth process, the group 13 nitride crystal grows up to the position D at the target thickness on the seed crystal , whereby the group 13 nitride single crystal is produced as illustrated in .
90
32
40
In this process, the surrounding member inhibits the {10-11} growth of the group 13 nitride crystal , and c-plane growth mainly occurs as described above. Consequently, it is considered that the present embodiment can reduce cracks in the group 13 nitride single crystal .
Post-Process
A post-process is preferably carried out after the crystal growth process.
52
24
First, when the crystal growth in the crystal growth process ends, the reaction vessel is allowed to stand until the temperature of the mixed melt decreases to about room temperature.
24
The temperature decreasing rate of the mixed melt after the crystal growth process is preferably a rate that is the same as or slower than the temperature rising rate to the crystal growth temperature at the starting of crystal growth.
30
32
Such a temperature decreasing rate can further reduce the occurrence of cracks caused by a difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion between the seed crystal and the group 13 nitride crystal that has grown.
24
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40
After the temperature of the mixed melt has decreased to about room temperature, the reaction vessel is taken out of the external pressure-resistant vessel together with the internal vessel . Residual substances such as sodium, gallium, and a gallium-sodium alloy remain within the reaction vessel apart from the produced group 13 nitride single crystal .
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Given this situation, sodium is preferably removed by immersing the reaction vessel into alcohol such as ethanol, or sodium is preferably removed by melting the sodium within a glove box under an inert gas atmosphere, washing the sodium out of the reaction vessel , and immersing the reaction vessel into alcohol such as ethanol. In terms of working efficiency, the sodium is preferably washed out by melting.
52
40
40
In the reaction vessel after the sodium has been removed, the gallium and the gallium-sodium alloy remain apart from the produced group 13 nitride single crystal . The gallium-sodium alloy is reacted with water at a temperature of 50° C. or higher to dissolve only a sodium component, thereby collecting the gallium, or the sodium component is dissolved with acid such as nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, or aqua regia, thereby collecting the gallium. After the gallium-sodium alloy has been removed, the group 13 nitride single crystal is taken out and is washed with acid such as aqua regia.
40
Through the process, the group 13 nitride single crystal is obtained.
40
24
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24
30
90
As described above, the method for producing the group 13 nitride single crystal according to the present embodiment includes the dissolution process and the crystal growth process. The dissolution process is a process that dissolves nitrogen in the mixed melt in the reaction vessel that contains the mixed melt , the seed crystal , and the surrounding member .
24
30
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90
30
32
30
The mixed melt contains the alkali metal and the group 13 metal. The seed crystal is a seed crystal that is placed within the mixed melt and is formed of the group 13 nitride crystal in which the principal face is the c-plane. The surrounding member is arranged so as to surround the entire area of the side face of the seed crystal . The crystal growth process grows the group 13 nitride crystal on the seed crystal .
40
40
Consequently, it is considered that the method for producing the group 13 nitride single crystal according to the present embodiment can reduce cracks in the group 13 nitride single crystal .
30
90
A distance S of the gap between the side face Q of the seed crystal and the surrounding member is preferably shorter than 5 mm, preferably shorter than 2 mm, and particularly preferably 0 mm (contact arrangement).
1
90
2
30
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30
The first length T in the first direction X orthogonal to the principal face C of the surrounding member is preferably longer than the second length T in the first direction X of the seed crystal . The surrounding member is preferably arranged such that the one end in the first direction X of the surrounding member protrudes toward the vapor-liquid interface A from the principal face C of the seed crystal .
3
90
4
32
The third length T in the first direction X of the area protruding toward the vapor-liquid interface A from the principal face C of the surrounding member is preferably longer than the target thickness T set in advance of the group 13 nitride crystal grown on the principal face C.
90
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30
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30
The surrounding member and the group 13 nitride crystal grown on the seed crystal preferably have different main components. The surrounding member is preferably smaller in the coefficient of thermal expansion than the group 13 nitride crystal grown on the seed crystal .
52
The reaction vessel may contain an oxide material.
1
40
1
52
52
24
30
90
The producing apparatus according to the present embodiment is an apparatus configured to produce a group 13 nitride single crystal by a flux method. The producing apparatus includes the reaction vessel . The reaction vessel contains the mixed melt , the seed crystal , and the surrounding member .
90
90
90
FIG. 3A
FIG. 3C
FIG. 4A
FIG. 4B
The first embodiment shows a case in which the shape of the inner wall P at a section orthogonal to the first direction X of the surrounding member is perfectly circular as an example (refer to the surrounding member A in to and the surrounding member B in and ).
90
However, the shape of the inner wall P of the surrounding member is not limited to be perfectly circular.
90
40
The shape of the inner wall P of the surrounding member may be a shape corresponding to the shape of the group 13 nitride single crystal to be formed, for example.
FIG. 5A
FIG. 5D
FIG. 5A
FIG. 5B
FIG. 5C
FIG. 5D
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to are illustrative diagrams of an example of the surrounding member according to the present embodiment (a surrounding member D). is a sectional view of the seed crystal and the surrounding member D. is a top view of the seed crystal and the surrounding member D. is a sectional view illustrating a state in which the group 13 nitride crystal has grown on the seed crystal . is a top view of an example of the group 13 nitride single crystal that has been produced.
40
40
FIG. 5D
It is assumed that the shape of the group 13 nitride single crystal to be formed is a shape having orientation flat (OF) as illustrated in , for example. In other words, it is assumed that the shape of the c-plane of the group 13 nitride single crystal to be formed has a shape having the orientation flat, in which part of the outer circumference shown by a perfect circle is designed as a line (an orientation flat part).
90
40
FIG. 5B
In this case, the sectional shape in a direction orthogonal to the first direction X of the inner wall P of the surrounding member D may be a shape along the outer shape of the group 13 nitride single crystal to be formed having the orientation flat as illustrated in .
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FIG. 5C
FIG. 5D
Using the surrounding member D having the inner wall P of the shape along the shape of the group 13 nitride single crystal to be formed, the dissolution process and the crystal growth process are carried out similarly to the first embodiment. With this procedure, the group 13 nitride crystal grows along the inner wall P of the surrounding member D from the principal face C of the seed crystal as illustrated in . Consequently, the group 13 nitride single crystal to be formed of any shape can be easily produced as illustrated in .
40
40
Consequently, it is considered that the present embodiment can produce the group 13 nitride single crystal of a target shape further easily in addition to the effect of the first embodiment. In addition, the present embodiment can also simplify a process of post-processing on the group 13 nitride single crystal .
90
90
90
FIG. 3A
FIG. 3C
FIG. 4A
FIG. 4B
The first embodiment describes a case in which the surrounding member is a cylindrical member as an example (refer to the surrounding member A in to and the surrounding member B in and ).
90
30
However, the surrounding member is only required to have a shape that surrounds the entire area of the side face of the seed crystal and is not limited to the cylindrical shape.
FIG. 6A
FIG. 6C
FIG. 6A
FIG. 6B
FIG. 6C
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90
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to are illustrative diagrams of an example of the surrounding member according to the present embodiment (a surrounding member C). is a sectional view of the seed crystal and the surrounding member C. is a top view of the seed crystal and the surrounding member C. is a sectional view illustrating a state in which the group 13 nitride crystal has grown on the seed crystal .
FIG. 6A
FIG. 6C
90
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30
As illustrated in to , the surrounding member C may be arranged so as to continuously surround the entire area of the side face Q of the seed crystal and part of the principal face C of the seed crystal . To continuously surround them indicates that the surrounding is continuous to the extent that the mixed melt does not enter between the entire area of the side face Q of the seed crystal and the part of the principal face C of the seed crystal .
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90
FIG. 6A
FIG. 6B
Specifically, the surrounding member C is arranged so as to cover the side face Q of the seed crystal and an area C that is continuous to the side face Q and is along the periphery of the principal face C of the principal face C of the seed crystal . Consequently, a central area C, which is the principal face C of the seed crystal except the area C, is not covered with the surrounding member C (refer to and ).
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40
FIG. 6C
Using the surrounding member C according to the present embodiment, the dissolution process and the crystal growth process are carried out similarly to the first embodiment. With this procedure, the group 13 nitride crystal grows from the central area C that is not covered with the surrounding member C of the principal face C of the seed crystal , whereby the group 13 nitride single crystal is produced as illustrated in .
90
90
Consequently, it is considered that when the surrounding member C is used as the surrounding member , an effect similar to that of the first embodiment can also be obtained.
90
52
90
52
The first embodiment describes a case in which the surrounding member is arranged on the inside bottom B of the reaction vessel . However, the surrounding member may be formed integrally with the bottom B of the reaction vessel .
FIG. 7A
FIG. 7B
FIG. 7A
FIG. 7B
90
30
90
30
90
and are illustrative diagrams of a surrounding member E according to the present embodiment. is a sectional view of the seed crystal and the surrounding member E. is a top view of the seed crystal and the surrounding member E.
FIG. 7A
FIG. 7B
90
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90
As illustrated in and , the surrounding member E is formed integrally with the inside bottom B of the reaction vessel . Specifically, a recess A is formed on the inside bottom B of the reaction vessel . In the present embodiment, the bottom B of the reaction vessel having this recess A functions as the surrounding member E.
30
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90
The seed crystal is arranged within the recess A. With this arrangement, the entire area of the side face Q of the seed crystal is surrounded by the inner wall of the recess A provided in the bottom B of the reaction vessel (that is, the inner wall P of the surrounding member E).
90
32
30
40
Using the surrounding member E according to the present embodiment, the dissolution process and the crystal growth process are carried out similarly to the first embodiment. With this procedure, the group 13 nitride crystal grows from the principal face C of the seed crystal , whereby the group 13 nitride single crystal is produced.
90
90
Consequently, it is considered that when the surrounding member E is used as the surrounding member , an effect similar to that of the first embodiment can also be obtained.
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments as they are and can be embodied with the components modified without departing from the gist thereof in a practical phase. Appropriate combinations of a plurality of components disclosed in the embodiments can form various inventions. Some components may be deleted from all the components illustrated in the embodiments, for example. Furthermore, components across different embodiments may be combined as appropriate. In addition, various modifications can be made.
1
The following shows examples in order to describe the present invention in more detail, but the examples do not limit the present invention. The symbols correspond to the components of the producing apparatus described in the embodiments.
40
1
In Example 1, the group 13 single crystal was produced using the producing apparatus .
Dissolution Process
1
FIG. 2
The dissolution process was carried out by the producing apparatus illustrated in .
30
30
30
A GaN crystal substrate produced by the HVPE method was prepared as the seed crystal . This seed crystal measured 55 mm in diameter and 0.4 mm in thickness, and the surface thereof was mirror finished. The principal face of this seed crystal was the c-plane, and the off angle (the angle of inclination) relative to the <0001> direction at the central part of the principal face was 0.2 degree.
90
90
90
90
FIG. 3A
FIG. 3C
The annular (ring-shaped) surrounding member (refer to the surrounding member A in to ) was prepared as the surrounding member . In other words, the inner wall P of this surrounding member has a perfectly circular sectional shape.
90
90
1
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3
The inner diameter of the surrounding member was 56.2 mm, and the length in the first direction X of the surrounding member A (the first length T) was 4 mm. A surrounding member that contains AlN as a main component and 5.0% by mass of YOas an oxide material was used as the surrounding member .
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52
The internal vessel was separated from the producing apparatus at the part of the valve and was put into a glove box under a high-purity Ar atmosphere. Next, within the glove box, the seed crystal and the surrounding member were placed on the inside bottom B of the reaction vessel with an inner diameter of 140 mm and a depth of 70 mm formed of alumina.
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Specifically, the seed crystal was arranged such that the opposite face of the principal face C of the seed crystal was in contact with the center of the inside bottom B of the reaction vessel and that the principal face C was directed toward the vapor-liquid interface A. The surrounding member was then arranged such that the side face Q of the seed crystal was surrounded by the inner wall P of the annular surrounding member . In this process, the surrounding member was arranged such that the distance of the gap between the inner wall P of the surrounding member and the side face Q of the seed crystal was 0.6 mm across the 360-degree circumference about the normal line of the principal face C of the seed crystal .
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30
Consequently, the end on the vapor-liquid interface A side in the first direction X of the surrounding member protruded from the principal face C of the seed crystal by 3.6 mm.
52
Next, carbon (C) and germanium (Ge) were put into the reaction vessel , and sodium (Na) that had been heated to be liquefied was put thereinto. After the sodium solidifies, gallium (Ga) was put thereinto.
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52
In the present example, the molar ratio between the gallium and the sodium was set to 0.30:0.70. The carbon was set to 0.7 at % relative to the total molar number of the gallium and the sodium. The germanium was set to 2.0 at % relative to the molar number of the gallium. With this composition, the mixed melt was prepared. Thus, the seed crystal and the surrounding member were arranged within the mixed melt contained in the reaction vessel .
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Next, the reaction vessel was housed into the internal vessel , was taken out of the glove box, and was incorporated into the external pressure-resistant vessel . The reaction vessel was placed on the turn table . The valve was then closed to seal the internal vessel filled with an Ar gas to isolate the inside of the reaction vessel from an external atmosphere. Next, the internal vessel was taken out of the glove box and was incorporated into the producing apparatus . Thus, the reaction vessel was placed at a certain position relative to the first heating unit , the second heating unit , and the turn table and was connected to the gas supply pipe at the part of the valve .
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The internal vessel was mounted on the external pressure-resistant vessel , whereby the inside of the external pressure-resistant vessel was isolated from the external atmosphere.
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Next, evacuation of the inside of the pipe between the valve and the valve and the inside of the external pressure-resistant vessel and introduction of nitrogen thereinto were repeated ten times via the valve . The valve was closed in advance. After that, the valve was closed, and the valve , the valve , and the valve were opened to introduce an Ar gas from the gas supply pipe for total pressure adjustment. The pressure was adjusted by the pressure control apparatus to set the total pressure within the external pressure-resistant vessel and the internal vessel to 1.80 MPa, and the valve was closed.
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22
52
A nitrogen gas was introduced from the nitrogen supply pipe , the pressure was adjusted by the pressure control apparatus , the valve was opened, and the total pressure within the external pressure-resistant vessel and the internal vessel was set to 3.43 MPa. In other words, the nitrogen partial pressure of each of the internal space of the external pressure-resistant vessel , the internal space of the internal vessel , and the vapor phase as the internal space within the reaction vessel was 1.63 MPa.
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24
52
50
51
Next, the first heating unit and the second heating unit were energized to raise the temperature of the mixed melt within the reaction vessel up to a crystal growth temperature (890° C.). The nitrogen partial pressure within each of the external pressure-resistant vessel and the internal vessel at the crystal growth temperature was 3.8 MPa.
Crystal Growth Process
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30
Next, the valve was opened to set the nitrogen gas pressure to 8 MPa. With this process, the amount of nitrogen consumed by the crystal growth was supplied to the inside of the reaction vessel , and the nitrogen partial pressure can be always maintained constant. In this state, the reaction vessel was held for 200 hours (with a crystal growth time of 200 hours) to grow the group 13 nitride crystal on the seed crystal .
32
24
81
10
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30
81
In the present example, while the group 13 nitride crystal is growing in the crystal growth process, the mixed melt was stirred. Specifically, the rotation of the turn table was controlled by the controller to rotate the reaction vessel . In this process, so as to cause relative speed between the mixed melt and the seed crystal during the crystal growth (that is, so as to cause a rotational speed to be different), the turn table was repeatedly accelerated, rotated, decelerated, and stopped.
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40
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40
After the crystal growth process, the reaction vessel was immersed into ethanol to wash the sodium out of the reaction vessel . The reaction vessel after the removal of the sodium was washed with water and acid to remove the gallium and a gallium-sodium alloy. After that, the group 13 nitride single crystal within the reaction vessel was taken out and was washed with acid. With this process, the group 13 nitride single crystal was produced.
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4
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3
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90
5
FIG. 3A
FIG. 3C
The produced group 13 nitride single crystal was a GaN single crystal. This group 13 nitride single crystal measured 56.2 mm in diameter and 3.5 mm in thickness. Consequently, a subtracted value obtained by subtracting the target thickness T of the group 13 nitride crystal grown from the third length T in the first direction X of the area protruding from the principal face C of the seed crystal of the surrounding member (refer to the subtracted value T in to ) was 0.5 mm.
Evaluation
FIG. 8
FIG. 8
40
40
illustrates the group 13 nitride single crystal produced in the present example. is an image obtained by photographing the group 13 nitride single crystal produced in the present example from the c-plane side.
FIG. 8
40
40
90
90
52
As illustrated in , the c-plane of the group 13 nitride single crystal produced in the present example was observed, with no occurrence of cracks observed. The shape of the group 13 nitride single crystal was a shape along the inner wall P of the surrounding member , which was cylindrical. No occurrence of crude crystals was observed on the surrounding member within the reaction vessel . Evaluation results of crack reduction are listed in Table 1.
TABLE 1
Example
Example
Example
Example
Example
Example
Example
Example
Example
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Length of gap [mm]
0.6
0
0.5
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
6.0
Subtracted value T5 [mm]
0.5
(value obtained by subtracting target
thickness T4 from third length T3)
Main component of surrounding member
AlN
Material of reaction vessel
Alumina
Evaluation on crack reduction
1
1
1
1
1
2
3
4
5
Example
Example
Example
Example
Example
Example
Example
Comparative
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Example 1
Length of gap [mm]
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.6
—
Subtracted value T5 [mm]
0.5
−1.5
10.5
4.5
0.5
0.5
—
(value obtained by subtracting target
thickness T4 from third length T3)
Main component of surrounding member
AlN
GaN
Alumina
—
Material of reaction vessel
Alumina
Evaluation on crack reduction
1
1
4
3
2
4
4
5
40
40
In Table 1, in the evaluation on crack reduction, Evaluation “1” indicates the best evaluation (that is, cracks are the least). Evaluations “1,” “2,” “3,” “4,” and “5” are arranged in descending order of evaluation, and Evaluation “5” indicates the worst evaluation (that is, cracks are the most). The evaluation on crack reduction in this example was defined as follows based on, for five or more group 13 nitride single crystals that have grown, the rate of the number of the group 13 nitride single crystals in which cracks occurred.
Evaluation “1” is a crack occurrence rate of 0%;
Evaluation “2” is a crack occurrence rate of 1 to 20%;
Evaluation “3” is a crack occurrence rate of 21 to 50%;
Evaluation “4” is a crack occurrence rate of 51 to 80%; and
Evaluation “5” is a crack occurrence rate of 81 to 100%.
90
90
90
Surrounding members with respective inner diameters of 55 mm, 56 mm, 57 mm, 59 mm, 61 mm, 63 mm, 65 mm, and 67 mm were prepared as the surrounding member . They are the same as the surrounding member used in Example 1 except that they were different in the inner diameter.
40
90
90
The group 13 nitride single crystals were produced on the same conditions as those of Example 1 except that these surrounding members having the different inner diameters were used in place of the surrounding member used in Example 1.
90
40
90
30
These surrounding members having the different inner diameters were used, whereby the respective group 13 nitride single crystals were produced as Example 2 to Example 9 when the respective distances of the gaps between the inner wall P of the surrounding member and the side face Q of the seed crystal were 0 mm, 0.5 mm, 1.0 mm, 2.0 mm, 3.0 mm, 4.0 mm, 5.0 mm, and 6.0 mm. As to the surrounding member with a gap of 0 mm of Example 2, considering that the GaN crystal expands by about 50 μm based on a difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion between GaN and AlN at a crystal growth temperature of 890° C., the surrounding member with an inner diameter of 55 mm produced with a tolerance of +0.06 to +0.10 mm was used (a diameter of 55.06 to 55.1 mm).
Evaluation
40
40
4
32
3
30
90
5
FIG. 3A
FIG. 3C
The group 13 nitride single crystals produced in Example 2 to Example 9 were GaN single crystals. These group 13 nitride single crystals measured 3.5 mm in thickness. Consequently, the subtracted value obtained by subtracting the target thickness T of the group 13 nitride crystal grown from the third length T in the first direction X of the area protruding from the principal face C of the seed crystal of the surrounding member (refer to the subtracted value T in to ) was 0.5 mm for all Example 2 to Example 9.
40
For each of the group 13 nitride single crystals produced in Example 2 to Example 9, the c-plane was observed to observe the presence or absence of the occurrence of cracks.
For Example 2 to Example 5 in which the distance of the gap was shorter than 3 mm, the formation of the {10-11} plane was not observed, and no cracks occurred similarly to Example 1.
In contrast, for Example 6 and Example 7 in which the distance of the gap was 3 mm or longer and shorter than 5 mm, the formation of the {10-11} plane was observed, although being less than that of Example 8, and more cracks than those of Example 2 to Example 5 occurred, although being less than those of Example 8. For Example 8 in which the distance of the gap was 5 mm, more cracks than those of Example 7 occurred, although being less in the formation of the {10-11} plane and cracks than a comparative example described below. Furthermore, for Example 9 in which the distance of the gap was 6 mm, the formation of the {10-11} plane and the occurrence of cracks were observed on the same level with the comparative example described below. Evaluation results of crack reduction are listed in Table 1.
90
90
90
90
90
30
A surrounding member that has an annular shape (ring shape) and of which the shape represented by the inner wall P of a section in a direction orthogonal to the first direction X is a shape in which part of the outer circumference of a perfect circle is represented by a linear side was prepared as the surrounding member . The surrounding member prepared in the present example was the same surrounding member as that of Example 1 except that the shape of the inner wall P was different. The distance of the gap between the inner wall P of the surrounding member and the side face Q of the seed crystal and the like are also the same as those of Example 1.
40
90
90
The group 13 nitride single crystal was produced on the same conditions as those of Example 1 except that the surrounding member prepared in the present example was used in place of the surrounding member used in Example 1.
Evaluation
40
40
4
32
3
30
90
5
FIG. 3A
FIG. 3C
The group 13 nitride single crystal produced in the present example was a GaN single crystal. This group 13 nitride single crystal measured 56.2 mm in diameter and 3.5 mm in thickness. Consequently, the subtracted value obtained by subtracting the target thickness T of the group 13 nitride crystal grown from the third length T in the first direction X of the area protruding from the principal face C of the seed crystal of the surrounding member (refer to the subtracted value T in to ) was 0.5 mm.
FIG. 9
FIG. 9
40
40
illustrates the group 13 nitride single crystal produced in the present example. is an image obtained by photographing the group 13 nitride single crystal produced in the present example from the c-plane side.
FIG. 9
40
40
90
90
52
As illustrated in , the c-plane of the group 13 nitride single crystal produced in the present example was observed, with no occurrence of cracks observed. The shape of the group 13 nitride single crystal was a shape along the inner wall P of the surrounding member , which was a shape formed with orientation flat. No occurrence of crude crystals was observed on the surrounding member within the reaction vessel . Evaluation results of crack reduction are listed in Table 1.
90
90
90
90
90
90
FIG. 3A
FIG. 3C
A new surrounding member including the annular (ring-shaped) surrounding member used in Example 1 (refer to the surrounding member A in to ) and a surrounding member the outer wall of which is arranged in contact with the inside (the inner wall P side) of the surrounding member was prepared as the surrounding member .
90
90
90
90
90
30
90
30
90
1
30
30
90
The inner diameter of the surrounding member arranged inside the surrounding member used in Example 1 was 51 mm, and the surrounding member was arranged such that the vapor-liquid interface A side end of the surrounding member coincided with the vapor-liquid interface A side end of the outer surrounding member and that the bottom B side end thereof was in contact with the c-plane of the seed crystal . With this arrangement, the outer surrounding member surrounded the entire area of the side face Q of the seed crystal , whereas the inner surrounding member covered the area C that is a partial area of the principal face C of the seed crystal and is along the periphery of the principal face C. As to the principal face C of the seed crystal , an area with a width of 2 mm toward the center of the principal face C from the periphery of the principal face C was covered with the surrounding member of the present example.
40
90
90
The group 13 nitride single crystal was produced on the same conditions as those of Example 1 except that the surrounding member prepared in the present example was used in place of the surrounding member used in Example 1.
Evaluation
40
40
30
4
32
3
30
90
5
FIG. 3A
FIG. 3C
The group 13 nitride single crystal produced in the present example was a GaN single crystal. This group 13 nitride single crystal measured 51 mm in diameter, which was smaller than the diameter of the seed crystal , and 3.5 mm in thickness. The subtracted value obtained by subtracting the target thickness T of the group 13 nitride crystal grown from the third length T in the first direction X of the area protruding from the principal face C of the seed crystal of the surrounding member (refer to the subtracted value T in to ) was 0.5 mm.
FIG. 10
FIG. 10
40
40
illustrates the group 13 nitride single crystal produced in the present example. is an image obtained by photographing the group 13 nitride single crystal produced in the present example from the c-plane side.
FIG. 10
40
40
90
90
52
As illustrated in , the c-plane of the group 13 nitride single crystal produced in the present example was observed, with no occurrence of cracks observed. The shape of the group 13 nitride single crystal was a shape (cylindrical) along the inner wall P of the inner surrounding member used in the present example. No occurrence of crude crystals was observed on the surrounding member within the reaction vessel . Evaluation results of crack reduction are listed in Table 1.
40
90
1
The group 13 nitride single crystal was produced on the same conditions of Example 1 except that a surrounding member with a height in the first direction X (a first length T) of 2 mm was used.
Evaluation
40
40
4
32
3
30
90
5
FIG. 3A
FIG. 3C
The produced group 13 nitride single crystal was a GaN single crystal. This group 13 nitride single crystal measured 56.2 mm in diameter and 3.5 mm in thickness. Consequently, the subtracted value obtained by subtracting the target thickness T of the group 13 nitride crystal grown from the third length T in the first direction X of the area protruding from the principal face C of the seed crystal of the surrounding member (refer to the subtracted value T in to ) was −1.5 mm.
90
40
90
90
40
90
An area that had been surrounded by the surrounding member of the group 13 nitride single crystal was cylindrical with a diameter of 56.2 mm similarly to the shape of the inner wall P of the surrounding member . In the area that had been surrounded by the surrounding member of the group 13 nitride single crystal , no occurrence of cracks was observed. In contrast, an area that had been exposed out of the surrounding member was hexagonal, and the {10-11} plane was formed across the entire circumference of the c-plane, with the occurrence of cracks observed. Consequently, although the occurrence of cracks was reduced compared with the comparative example described below, the effect of crack reduction was lower than that of Example 1. Evaluation results are listed in Table 1.
40
90
1
4
32
3
30
90
5
FIG. 3A
FIG. 3C
The group 13 nitride single crystals with a thickness of 3.5 mm were produced on the same conditions as those of Example 1 except that surrounding members with respective heights in the first direction X (first lengths T) of 14 mm and 8 mm were used. Consequently, the subtracted values obtained by subtracting the target thickness T of the group 13 nitride crystal grown from the third length T in the first direction X of the area protruding from the principal face C of the seed crystal of the surrounding member (refer to the subtracted value T in to ) were each 10.5 mm and 4.5 mm.
Evaluation
40
The produced group 13 nitride single crystal was a GaN single crystal with a diameter of 56.2 mm and a thickness of 3.5 mm.
40
90
1
In the group 13 nitride single crystal of Example 13 (an example using the surrounding member with a first length T of 14 mm), in the majority of cases, polycrystallization occurred during the growth or a large amount of inclusions were taken in, although being less in the occurrence of cracks than the comparative example described below, and most of them were unusable crystals. In addition, some cracks occurred from a polycrystallized area. Evaluation results of crack reduction are listed in Table 1.
40
90
1
40
In the group 13 nitride single crystal of Example 14 (an example using the surrounding member with a first length T of 8 mm), less cracks occurred than the comparative example described below, and no polycrystallization was observed. However, in the group 13 nitride single crystal of Example 14, the occurrence of more cracks and a larger take-in amount of inclusions near the outer circumference of the c-plane were observed than those of Example 1. Evaluation results of crack reduction are listed in Table 1.
40
90
90
The group 13 nitride single crystal was produced on the same conditions as those of Example 1 except that a surrounding member formed of GaN was used as the surrounding members .
Evaluation
40
40
90
40
40
The group 13 nitride single crystal produced in the present example was a GaN single crystal with a thickness of 3.5 mm and with a hexagonal outer circumference. The group 13 nitride single crystal of the present example grew integrally with the surrounding member . In addition, in the group 13 nitride single crystal of the present example, more cracks than those of Example 1 occurred, although being less in the occurrence of cracks than the comparative example described below, and a {10-11} growth area was formed across the entire circumference on the side face of the group 13 nitride single crystal . Evaluation results of crack reduction are listed in Table 1.
40
90
90
2
3
The group 13 nitride single crystal was produced on the same conditions as those of Example 1 except that a surrounding member formed of alumina (AlO) was used as the surrounding member .
−6
−6
−6
2
3
The coefficient of thermal expansion of a GaN crystal is 5.6×10/K, the coefficient of thermal expansion of an alumina (AlO) sintered body is 7.7×10/K, and the coefficient of thermal expansion of an AlN sintered body is 4.5×10/K.
Evaluation
40
40
40
The produced group 13 nitride single crystal was a GaN single crystal with a diameter of 56.2 mm and a thickness of 3.5 mm. In the group 13 nitride single crystal of the present example, more cracks than those of Example 1 occurred, although being less in the occurrence of cracks than the comparative example described below. In the group 13 nitride single crystal of the present example, the formation of the {10-11} plane was not observed. Evaluation results of crack reduction are listed in Table 1.
41
90
The group 13 nitride single crystal was produced similarly to Example 1 except that the surrounding member was not used.
Evaluation
41
The produced group 13 nitride single crystal was a GaN single crystal with a thickness of 3.5 mm.
FIG. 11A
FIG. 11B
FIG. 11A
FIG. 11B
41
41
41
and are photographed images of the group 13 nitride single crystal produced in the present comparative example. is an image obtained by photographing the produced group 13 nitride single crystal from the c-plane side. is an image obtained by photographing the vicinity of an end face of the group 13 nitride single crystal produced in the present comparative example from the −c-plane side.
FIG. 11A
FIG. 11B
FIG. 11A
FIG. 11B
41
41
As illustrated in and , in the group 13 nitride single crystal produced in the present comparative example, the largest number of cracks was observed compared with those of the examples. The {10-11} plane was formed across the entire circumference of the hexagonal group 13 nitride single crystal (refer to the cracks K in and ).
The number of cracks that occurred was larger than that of any of the examples, and Evaluation “5”, which was the worst, was given for that in the evaluation on crack reduction (refer to Table 1).
FIG. 11B
41
32
41
32
32
32
As illustrated in , in the group 13 nitride single crystal produced in the comparative example, many cracks occurred in the {10-11} growth area B. In addition, observed in the group 13 nitride single crystal was propagation of cracks from the {10-11} growth area B to the c-plane growth area A. Consequently, it was able to infer that the {10-11} growth area B caused the occurrence of the cracks.
41
32
32
32
32
32
32
−10
For the group 13 nitride single crystal produced in the comparative example, the lattice constants of the c-plane growth area A and the {10-11} growth area B were measured; the lattice constants of the c-plane growth area A were 5.1849 Å (5.1849×10m) for the c-axial direction and 3.1881 Å for the a-axial direction, whereas the lattice constants of the {10-11} growth area B were 5.1857 Å for the c-axial direction and 3.1882 Å for the a-axial direction. The {10-11} growth area B was larger than the c-plane growth area A both for the c-axial direction and the a-axial direction.
41
32
32
32
32
17
−3
19
−3
For the group 13 nitride single crystal produced in the present comparative example, the oxygen concentrations of the c-plane growth area A and the {10-11} growth area B were measured by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). The oxygen concentration of the c-plane growth area A was 2×10cm, whereas the oxygen concentration of the {10-11} growth area B was 5×10cm.
41
32
32
41
40
Consequently, in the group 13 nitride single crystal produced in the present comparative example, it is inferred that the difference in oxygen concentration between the c-plane growth area A and the {10-11} growth area B caused the difference in the lattice constants, which introduced strain into the crystal. Consequently, it is considered that more cracks occurred in the group 13 nitride single crystal produced in the present comparative example than in any of the group 13 nitride single crystals produced in the examples (Example 1 to Example 16).
40
41
In contrast, the group 13 nitride single crystals produced in the examples (Example 1 to Example 16) effectively reduced the occurrence of cracks compared with the group 13 nitride single crystal produced in the comparative example as listed in Table 1, and more favorable evaluations were given for them than that for the comparative example in the evaluation on crack reduction.
40
32
30
90
It could be inferred that this was because in the group 13 nitride single crystals produced in the examples (Example 1 to Example 16), the {10-11} growth of the group 13 nitride crystal that grows from the seed crystal was inhibited by the surrounding member .
The present invention can reduce cracks.
The above-described embodiments are illustrative and do not limit the present invention. Thus, numerous additional modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. For example, at least one element of different illustrative and exemplary embodiments herein may be combined with each other or substituted for each other within the scope of this disclosure and appended claims. Further, features of components of the embodiments, such as the number, the position, and the shape are not limited the embodiments and thus may be preferably set. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the disclosure of the present invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.
The method steps, processes, or operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance or clearly identified through the context. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1A
is an illustrative diagram of a group 13 nitride single crystal produced using a conventional producing method;
FIG. 1B
is an illustrative diagram of the group 13 nitride single crystal produced using the conventional producing method;
FIG. 2
is a diagram of an example of an apparatus for producing a group 13 nitride single crystal in an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3A
is an illustrative diagram of an example of a surrounding member;
FIG. 3B
is an illustrative diagram of the example of the surrounding member;
FIG. 3C
is an illustrative diagram of the example of the surrounding member;
FIG. 4A
is an illustrative diagram of an example of the surrounding member;
FIG. 4B
is an illustrative diagram of the example of the surrounding member;
FIG. 5A
is an illustrative diagram of an example of the surrounding member;
FIG. 5B
is an illustrative diagram of the example of the surrounding member;
FIG. 5C
is an illustrative diagram of the example of the surrounding member;
FIG. 5D
is an illustrative diagram of the example of the surrounding member;
FIG. 6A
is an illustrative diagram of an example of the surrounding member;
FIG. 6B
is an illustrative diagram of the example of the surrounding member;
FIG. 6C
is an illustrative diagram of the example of the surrounding member;
FIG. 7A
is an illustrative diagram of an example of the surrounding member;
FIG. 7B
is an illustrative diagram of the example of the surrounding member;
FIG. 8
is a photographed image of a group 13 nitride single crystal produced in an Example;
FIG. 9
is a photographed image of the group 13 nitride single crystal produced in an Example;
FIG. 10
is a photographed image of the group 13 nitride single crystal produced in an Example;
FIG. 11A
is a photographed image of the group 13 nitride single crystal produced in a comparative example; and
FIG. 11B
is a photographed image of the group 13 nitride single crystal produced in the comparative example. | |
Research on Effective Professional Development (Standards of Professional…
Research on Effective Professional Development
What is effective PD?
Four pre-re of PL (Learning Forward, 2011) : (1) Educators commitment to all students (2) educators come ready to learn (3) Fostering collab inquiry (4) Educators learn in different ways and at different rates
Five general principles for PD (Desimone and Garet (2015):
It is easier to improve content knowledge than it is to change instruction techniques
Teachers vary in their response to the PD
PD is more successful if linked to classroom activities
Consideration is given to urban contexts
Leadership is supportive
Jensen et al. (2016) PL in high performing systems
Tied to improvement cycles
allocation of resources
Adult learning principles
Evaluation and accountability measures
What encompasses PD? (Avalos, 2011)
Teacher learning
Learning how to learn
Transforming knowledge into practice
Evaluating professional learning (Guskey, 2014) - Five levels of professional learning evaluation
Standards of Professional Learning (Learning Forward, 2011)
Learning communities
Leadership
Resources
Data
Learning designs
Implementation
Outcomes
Improvement Science
PL is developed around improvement cycles (Jensen et al 2016)
Refine
Evaluate the impact
Develop teaching practices for the next stage of student learning
Assess student learning
Theoretical Perspectives
Adult Learning (Rohlwing, R. L., & Spelman, M.,2014). | https://coggle.it/diagram/XdgLGjRBT0PxIYlM/t/research-on-effective-professional-development |
A Beginner’s Introduction to NER (Specific Entity Recognition)
This article was published as part of the Data Science Blogathon.
summary
This article will give you a brief idea about named entity recognition, which is a common method used to identify entities in a text document. This article is aimed at beginners in the field of NLP. By the end of the article, pre-trained NER models were implemented to demonstrate a practical use case. Happy learning!
Why NER?
picture 1
By observing the image above, you may have some ideas about what the NER model does. The form can find different entities present in the text such as people, dates, organizations, and locations. Thus NER helps in adding more meaning to the text document. In simple words, you can say that it is extracting information. There are many use cases for named entity recognition, some of which are:
1. Customer Support
picture 2
Every company has customer support systems available. Every day, they have to deal with a large number of customer requests which may range from installation, maintenance, complaint and troubleshooting of a particular product. NER helps in identifying and understanding the type of order placed by the customer. Moreover, this helps the company to build an automated system that identifies the incoming request using NER and sends it to the respective support desk.
2. Filter CVs to find suitable candidates for a job role
Picture 3: https://www.rchilli.com/blog/a-complete-guide-to-resume-screening
Do you think that all resumes submitted while applying for a particular job are read by the recruitment team? Well, the truth is that only 25 percent of resumes are read by people. The rest is filtered by an automated system. If you have previously attended a resume-building workshop, the mentor may have emphasized keeping essential skills as a separate section of the resume. Also, we may advise you to add only the essential skills related to the required job. This is because the NER model in the automated system may have been specifically trained to identify specific skill sets as entities. If a particular resume has the required number of existing entities, it qualifies for the next stage. So, if you are not aware of this process, try to customize your resume accordingly while applying for the job in question.
3. Entity identification from electronic health care data
Picture 4: https://www.persistent.com/blogs/building- calling-entity-recognition-models-for-healthcare/
NER models can be used to build robust medical systems that are able to correctly identify symptoms in patients’ electronic health care data and diagnose their disease based on symptoms. If you look at the image above, you can understand how perfectly the NER model can identify symptoms, diseases, and chemicals that were present in a given person’s health care data.
Those were some of the applications where NER has been used in real world scenarios. Next, we will check out different types of NER systems.
Various NER systems
1. Dictionary-based systems
This is the simplest NER approach. Here we will have a dictionary containing a set of vocabulary. In this approach, basic string matching algorithms are used to check if an entity occurs in the given text of the items in the vocabulary. This method has limitations as it is required to update and maintain the dictionary used by the system.
2. Rule-based systems
Here, the model uses a predefined set of rules to extract the information. Two main types of grammar are used, pattern-based grammar, which depends on the morphological pattern of the words used, and context-based grammar, which depends on the context of the word used in the given text document. A simple example of a context-based rule is “If a person’s address is followed by a proper name, then this appropriate noun is the person’s name”.
3. Systems based on machine learning
ML-based systems use statistics-based models to reveal entity names. These models attempt to provide a feature-based representation of the observed data. With this approach, many of the limitations of dictionary and rule-based methods are resolved by recognizing the name of the current entity even with small spelling differences.
There are two main phases as we use an ML-based solution for NER. The first stage involves training the ML model on annotated documents. The time it takes to train a model will vary depending on the complexity of the model we are building. In the next stage, the trained model can be used to illustrate the primary documents.
Image 5: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233912242_Biomedical_Named_Entity_Recognition_A_Survey_of_Machine-Learning_Tools
4. Deep Learning Approaches
Picture 6: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1812.09449.pdf
In recent years, models based on deep learning are being used to build modern NER systems. There are many advantages to using DL techniques over the methods previously discussed. With the DL approach, the input data is mapped to a non-linear representation. This approach helps in learning the complex relationships present in the input data. Another advantage is that we can avoid a lot of time and resources being spent on engineering the features required by other traditional methods.
Next, we are going to try some tools to extract NER.
standford yoke tags
It is one of the standard tools used to identify named entities. There are basically three types of forms for identifying named entities. They are:
1. Three typical categories recognize organizations, people, and locations.
2. A four-category model that identifies various people, organizations, locations, and entities.
3. A seven-category model that identifies people, organizations, locations, money, time, percentages, and dates.
We’ll use a four-category model.
1. Download the StanfordNER zip file using the following commands
!pip3 install nltk==3.2.4 !wget http://nlp.stanford.edu/software/stanford-ner-2015-04-20.zip !unzip stanford-ner-2015-04-20.zip
2. Download the form
from nltk.tag.stanford import StanfordNERTagger jar = "stanford-ner-2015-04-20/stanford-ner-3.5.2.jar" model = "stanford-ner-2015-04-20/classifiers/" st_4class = StanfordNERTagger(model + "english.conll.4class.distsim.crf.ser.gz", jar, encoding='utf8')
3. While testing the form, I had taken a news snippet from the Indian Express
example_document=""'Deepak Jasani, Head of retail research, HDFC Securities, said: “Investors will look to the European Central Bank later Thursday for reassurance that surging prices are just transitory, and not about to spiral out of control. In addition to the ECB policy meeting, investors are awaiting a report later Thursday on US economic growth, which is likely to show a cooling recovery, as well as weekly jobs data.”.'''
4. Provide the news article for the form
st_4class.tag(example_document.split())
Spacey Pipelines for NER
Spacey basically contains three English language pipelines that are optimized for the CPU to recognize the specific entity. they are
a) en_core_web_sm
b) en_core_web_md
c) en_core_web_lg
The above models are listed in ascending order according to their size with SM, MD, and LG denoting small, medium, and large models, respectively. Let’s try NER using the applet model.
1. First, let’s download the template
import spacy import spacy.cli spacy.cli.download("en_core_web_sm")
2. Download the form
sp_sm = spacy.load('en_core_web_sm')
3. Create a function to output the entities recognized by the model.
def spacy_large_ner(document): return (ent.text.strip(), ent.label_) for ent in sp_lg(document).ents spacy_large_ner(example_document)
Here GPE stands for Geopolitical Entity.
conclusion
In short, the article covered the basics of recognizing named entities and their use cases. You can also try the pre-trained model above with different examples. Furthermore, as an educational next step, you can try to create custom NER models for the purposes of your specific field. Several modern, pre-trained NER models are available, and you can adjust them to suit your use. Spacey is a good library for building and using custom NER models. Please check the spacy documentation you provided in the reference. Remember, too, that NER is not limited to English. BERT-based multilingual models can be used for NER tasks in different languages.
references
1. Survey on Deep Learning for
Recognition of the entity identified by Jing Li, Aixin Sun, Jianglei Han, and Chenliang Li.
2. Identification of Named Biomedical Entities: A Survey of Machine Learning Tools by David Campos, Sergio Matos, and Jose Luis Oliveira
3. https://colab.research.google.com/github/mohammedterry/NLP_for_ML/blob/master/NER.ipynb#scrollTo=ghnQyFifqqeX
4. Spacey documentation – https://spacy.io/usage/spacy-101.
Cover image source: https://twitter.com/huggingface/status/1230870653194121216
About the author
Hi guys, I’m Adwait Dathan. Currently, I’m doing my own MTech in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science. Please let me know your suggestions and feedback in the comments section. Happy learning!! | https://newscouple.com/2021/11/03/a-beginners-introduction-to-ner-specific-entity-recognition/ |
Living abroad, whether for work purposes or for a change of setting and lifestyle, can come with its own challenges and difficulties. International research suggests that nine in ten persons that are living in a different country than their own experience a feeling of isolation, with the main reason for at least half of such persons being the distance from family and friends.
An unexpected situation, such as the Coronavirus, brings with it certain stresses and anxiety that no one would have seen coming. With measures requiring social distancing and self-isolation, one can imagine that this may be even more difficult for a person who is not residing in their own country, and who are separated from their network not by a distance of a household, but by sea. It is not a simple situation where one can just drop everything, pack up and move away, particularly in the fast-paced, ever-changing situation of COVID-19.
If you are a foreigner living in Malta, it is
normal to feel confused, with daily press-conferences being held in Maltese,
and a lot of different information being shared. We are a close-knit community,
and sometimes we may unknowingly make you feel external to the community. Your
fears and concerns are valid and natural.
5 ways to stay supported and well informed:
- Reliable Sources: Avoid getting caught up in rumours and unreliable information shared on social media. In Malta it is best to follow pages and groups that are being monitored by public health care such as this one.
- Facebook Groups: Various Local Councils or persons in specific locations in Malta are setting up Community Facebook groups for the particular village/town to share information about deliveries, pharmacies and other useful information about your area. It might be helpful to join such groups.
- Facebook Pages: In line with the above, Local Councils generally also have a Facebook Page where they post updates relevant to your area, so you might also want to follow such pages.
- Stay in Touch: Plan regular online calls and chats with your friends and family back at home. This might be something that you do already, but during this time it may be helpful to set up a routine daily call, or even plan dinners and movie nights over Skype or other platforms. It is also advisable to avoid talking only about COVID-19, we already have enough information online, the more we keep chats light and positive, the better for our mental health.
- Seek Help: If you are struggling with your mental health, or feel like you are not coping with the current situation there are various online platforms, and even apps, that you can make use of. Various therapists offer their services online, including local professionals, so you can stay supported even in the comfort of your own home.
If you need support, or even a friendly chat, we are here for you. Feeling stressed, anxious and isolated, is a completely natural and normal response to this difficult situation, and you are definitely not alone in feeling this way; do not be afraid to reach out.
References
Homepage. (2020). Retrieved 26 March 2020, from https://www.axaglobalhealthcare.com/en/about-us/news/2019/nine-in-ten-expats-feel-isolated/
Nicola Falzon is a psychology officer within the Willingness Team, delivering training and workshops on mental health, managing different services such as Sex Clinic Malta, and organising different events. Nicola is also involved in various projects related to sexuality. | https://willingness.com.mt/im-an-expat-in-malta-during-covid-19/ |
13 Nov 2019 – At the Singapore FinTech Festival (SFF) x the Singapore Week of Innovation and TeCHnology (SWITCH) Conference, Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Mr Heng Swee Keat unveiled the “National AI Strategy” which maps out the deployment of AI to improve lives of citizens.
The key approach of the national strategy is to adopt a human-centric approach and focus on delivering tangible benefits to citizens and businesses through AI. Healthcare, specifically on Chronic Disease Prediction and Management is 1 of the 5 projects that has been identified for roll-out.
Specific to healthcare, Mr Heng said, “AI will also be tapped in the protection and management of chronic diseases. The Singapore Eye LEsioN Analyser (SELENA+), which analyses retinal photographs to detect major eye diseases, will be rolled out for diabetes retinopathy screening here in three years’ time.”
“Its capabilities will be extended to develop a predictive risk assessment model for cardiovascular diseases by 2025,” he added.
Raising this as an example, Mr Heng said: “Many seniors suffer from chronic diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension. Many might be unaware of their conditions, which, if left untreated, can lead to serious medical complications.”
Read the full story at:
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/singapore-national-strategy-ai-economic-benefits-heng-swee-keat-12089082
https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/asia-pacific/singapore-s-national-ai-strategy-focus-chronic-disease-management-and-prevention
About SELENA+
Early screening is highly effective in helping to prevent blindness from a range of eye diseases. SELENA+ is an intelligent deep learning system that can detect eye diseases: this system was jointly invented by researchers at NUS School of Computing (NUS-SoC) and the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI) to perform automated image analysis of retinal images. The analysis results will be used to provide early detection of eye diseases, including diabetic retinopathy (DR), glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Comments are closed. | https://www.nova-hub.com/novanews/selena-mentioned-by-dpm-heng-in-announcement-of-national-artificial-strategy/ |
Toronto, Ontario and New York, New York–(Newsfile Corp. – March 23, 2020) – Micromem Technologies, Inc. (CSE: MRM) (OTCQB: MMTIF) (“Micromem”) (“the Company”) provides the following update on its current projects. Micromem has been in discussions with both Chevron and Romgaz throughout the last quarter and as recently as March 20, 2020. Micromem has been advised by each partner that the respective projects are proceeding. Micromem and both partners have agreed to adjust scheduling as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic forcing staff reductions and travel restrictions that is affecting all suppliers, manufacturers and installers.
Joseph Fuda says: “We have developed strong relationships with our partners who continue to see the value in this technology and in the installation as contemplated. The current COVID-19 Pandemic is a global tragedy and everyone’s top priority is the health and safety of their employees and partners at all levels and to follow the instructions of the health officials tasked in dealing with the pandemic.”
About Micromem.
Micromem Technologies Inc. and its subsidiaries, a publicly traded (OTCQB: MMTIF) (CSE: MRM), company analyzes specific industry sectors to create intelligent game-changing applications that address unmet market needs. By leveraging its expertise and experience with sophisticated sensor applications, the Company successfully powers the development and implementation of innovative solutions for oil & gas, utilities, automotive, healthcare, government, information technology, manufacturing and other industries. Visit www.micromeminc.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause the Company’s actual results to differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements. In particular, factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include: our inability to obtain additional financing on acceptable terms; risk that our products and services will not gain widespread market acceptance; continued consumer adoption of digital technology; inability to compete with others who provide comparable products; the failure of our technology; the infringement of our technology with proprietary rights of third parties; inability to respond to consumer and technological demands; inability to replace significant customers; seasonal nature of our business; and other risks detailed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made and are not guarantees of future performance. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. When used in this document, the words “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “project,” “plan,” “should,” “intend,” “may,” “will,” “would,” “potential,” and similar expressions may be used to identify forward-looking statements.
The CSE or any other securities regulatory authority has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release that has been prepared by management. | https://micromeminc.com/update-14/ |
My research and consultation/training work focuses on processes of recovery from and in serious mental illnesses and addictions and the development and evaluation of innovative policies and programs to promote the recovery and community inclusion of individuals with these conditions. We utilize mixed qualitative and quantitative methods, and typically conduct our research in a participatory and inclusive fashion that involves people in recovery and other stakeholders in all aspects and phases of the research process.
Education & Training
- PhDDuquesne University (1989)
Activities
- Latino CollectiveMedellín, Colombia; São Paulo, Brazil 2016Collaborations with South American countries to disseminate evidence-based practices and conduct participatory research
- Developing the peer workforceMelbourne, Australia 2014Consultation, training, and technical assistance in developing a peer workforce for Melbourne, Australia.
- Disseminating recovery-oriented practicesUnited Kingdom 2011Disseminating recovery-oriented practices throughout the National Health Services.
- Research on Recovery and Service User InvolvementHong Kong; Norway; Sweden 2010Developing a network, including service users (i.e., persons with serious mental illnesses and addictions), to conduct research on promoting recovery and social inclusion.
- Psychiatric disorders training programFrance; United Kingdom; Norway; Sweden 2008Professor Davidson conducts multi-center, international research on recovery from severe psychiatric disorders; this is a collaborative training program. | https://medicine.yale.edu/psychiatry/profile/larry_davidson/ |
The source of data center complexity is the inability to efficiently scale the three data center tiers (compute, storage, and networking). The lack of an inefficient scaling within each tier forces IT to create workload-based silos, each with its own compute layer and storage layer. Each new workload typically requires new compute, storage and networking. Virtualization and later hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) attempted to solve complexity, but both ran into the scale problem.
VergeIO’s VergeOS solves the scale problem and opens a pathway to data center simplification while lowering IT spending.
Join us for our live webinar, “How to Eliminate the Data Center Scale Problem,” to learn the critical architectural capabilities required to eliminate the scale problem.
- Abstract physical resources (compute, storage and networking) from a cluster of dissimilar midrange servers into a global pool
- Instead of creating virtual machines, create virtual data centers to surgically provide those resources, ensuring workload-specific service quality.
- Integrate storage into the operating environment, leveraging global deduplication that doesn’t impact performance, enabling a significant reduction in storage spending while increasing data protection.
- Integrate these capabilities into a single piece of software, creating a cohesive data center operating environment. | https://www.verge.io/webinar/how-to-eliminate-the-data-center-scale-problem/ |
option must be 550 words minimum and 750 words maximum for the entire prompt,
not each individual questions within the prompt. It is important to
draw on concrete examples from recorded lectures, readings, and films. For each
essay prompt option, you must
integrate at least 5 terminologies from the textbook or lecture to apply to
your response. You are also asked to reference anthropological ideas or names
of anthropologists along with their ideas that we have learned about.
In the contemporary world, modern societies might regard the
Aztec as a civilization that was lost long ago. However, in Mexico today there
are indigenous social movements that seek to link the present directly with an
Aztec past. What might motivate contemporary Nahua peoples and others in Mexico
to do so? What is the significance of the ways in which they have chosen to
recognize the Aztec heritage? Is this phenomenon something that you recognize
as happening among other groups, in other nations?
Additional resource:
1.
Language Death in Central Mexico: The Decline of
Nahuatl and the New Bilingual Maintenance Programs by Kellie Rolstad (http://terpconnect.umd.edu/~rolstad/pdf%20of%20Language%20Death.pdf)
2.
https://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/crafting-means-empower-nahua-language-and-culture
3. | https://blitzarchive.com/the-respond-to-essayoption-must-be-550-words-minimum-and-750-words-maximum-fo/ |
Conclusions These data indicate that vehicle ownership in a rapidly growing global city led to long term reductions in physical activity and increase in weight. Continuing increases in car use and ownership in developing and middle income countries could adversely affect physical health and obesity rates.
Results Of 937 people analysed in total, 180 had won a permit to purchase a new vehicle. Winning the permit lottery resulted in the purchase of an additional vehicle 91% of the time (95% confidence interval 89% to 94%; P<0.001). About five years after winning, winners took significantly fewer weekly transit rides (−2.9 rides (−5.1 to −0.7); P=0.01) and walked and cycled significantly less (−24.2 minutes (−40.3 to −8.1); P=0.003) than those who did not win the lottery. Average weight did not change significantly between lottery winners and losers. Among those aged 50 and older, however, winners’ weight had increased relative to that of losers (10.3 kg (0.5 to 20.2); P=0.04) 5.1 years after winning.
Obesity rates are rising worldwide, including in China, but the underlying causes are poorly understood. 1 One possible culprit is the long term decline in active forms of transportation. Previous research has disclosed substantial cross sectional or longitudinal associations between reported physical activity, body mass, and use of cars. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 To understand how car ownership affects physical activity is important for both public health and environmental policy. 14 The relation between car ownership and physical activity remains unclear, given the confounding inherent in observational data. In this study we used the random assignment of permits for automobile purchase to households in Beijing, China, to estimate the relation between car ownership, physical activity, and weight.
Methods
In January 2011, to deal with the problem of congestion, Beijing capped the number of new vehicles allowed at 240 000 each year and introduced a vehicle permit (licence plate) lottery. After that date, only residents who entered and won the lottery were entitled to a licence plate. The lottery was drawn monthly, and winners had to purchase a car within six months of winning. By mid-2012 the probability of winning fell below 2% a month.
The sample was drawn from a group of households collected by the Beijing Transportation Research Centre. The research centre conducted a transportation survey of a random sample of 40 000 households from Beijing in the autumn of 2014, stratifying by district. The survey included questions on whether a household had entered the vehicle permit lottery. Among households with lottery entrants, a stratified random subsample was further surveyed in early 2016 with questions about the permit lottery. Because the lottery had many more losers than winners, sampling was stratified by winning status, with only one third of losers sampled. All lottery entrants in a household were surveyed.
The average household response rate in the 2016 survey was about 22%. Response rates were similar for winning and losing households—21.8% and 22.2%, respectively—suggesting that there was no response bias related to the exposure itself. The resulting sample comprised 180 winners and 757 losers. The sample size was considered sufficient to detect an effect of about 0.2 standard deviations in the primary outcomes—namely, transit rides, minutes spent walking and bicycling, and weight, with 80% power. The 2016 survey asked questions about car ownership, use of public transportation, minutes spent walking or bicycling daily, and weight, which are the key outcome variables for this analysis.
We used data from the 2014 Beijing Transportation Research Centre transportation survey, and found that 2016 survey respondents were broadly similar to 2016 survey non-respondents for many characteristics: household size, number of adults, number of working adults, number of children, household income, sex, age, and education (supplementary appendix). Usually, the mean differences between respondents and non-respondents were small, and in all cases were of the order of 0.1 standard deviations or less.
All outcomes were based on survey responses. Previous work in the Chinese population has found that self reports of physical activity have good reliability and moderate validity, and self reports of weight are generally reliable.1516 Nevertheless, the accuracy of self reported weight has been shown to be inversely related to changes in weight and when weight is changing quickly it may not be reliable.17 In that case the bias would attenuate our estimates, which could thus underestimate the magnitude of activity or weight changes if individuals do not quickly update their weights or activity levels.
Data were complete for most outcomes and key predictors. In general, we omitted missing data, rather than attempting to impute a value. We made exceptions, however, for two variables: the month of initial participation in the lottery and the month of winning the lottery. Although data on the year of lottery entry and year of winning were complete, the exact month of entry (or month of winning) was missing for 251 (26.8%) of 937 individuals. In these instances we replaced the missing month with 6.5 (that is, the midpoint between 1 and 12).
Stata (StataCorp, College Station, TX), version 15.1, was used to estimate intention to treat linear regressions of different outcomes on an indicator for winning the lottery, with standard errors clustered at the household level. Lottery winners were intended by the policy to be treated (with car ownership), while lottery losers were intended not to be treated. Intention to treat analysis exploiting the lottery was important because most licence plates in Beijing were issued before the lottery and thus not randomised. Furthermore, trading or rental of licence plates on the secondary market has occurred.18 Thus winning the lottery is the only valid source of randomisation. Although trading in the secondary market is widely recorded, there has never been any suggestion that the lottery itself was corrupted. Owing to the public nature of the lottery, buying or borrowing a licence plate from an existing vehicle owner was a much safer strategy than attempting to corrupt the lottery administrators.
Winning the lottery was random, conditional on date of entry—participants who entered earlier had better odds and greater chances of winning. Thus all regressions controlled for a cubic function in date of entry. We checked lower and higher order polynomials in date of entry to ensure that results were not sensitive to polynomial order (supplementary appendix).
Because the survey date was approximately constant across households, variation in the date on which winning occurred generated variation in the time between winning and outcome measurement. Because the associations for some outcomes could evolve over time, we allowed interaction between winning and years since winning and reported predicted changes for an individual surveyed 0.1 years, 2.6 years, and 5.1 years after winning (see supplementary appendix for details). These values represented the minimum, average, and maximum times that had elapsed, respectively, between winning and being surveyed. Weight gain is strongly related to age.19 Thus we estimated separately activity and weight regressions for individuals over 40 or over 50 years of age (corresponding to the top half or quarter of our sample’s age distribution) and tested whether an interaction between age and winning the lottery differed from zero. We also tested whether an interaction between male sex and winning the lottery differed from zero. Two sided hypothesis tests were conducted, with Pvalues under 0.05 considered significant.
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We have 28 attorneys who litigate criminal matters, including felony and misdemeanor cases, along with appeals of criminal and summary convictions.
Detectives
Fourteen veteran investigators make up the detectives unit, which assist police across the county in major-crime investigations, and conduct independent investigations of various crimes, including police misconduct cases.
Drug Task Force
A group of seasoned detectives focused on drug-trafficking in Lancaster County. Operations include undercover details and work with informants.
Computer Forensic Unit
A staff of trained investigators that conduct online investigations, along with analysis of technological evidence in cases of all sorts.
Victim/Witness Advocates
Trained professionals who serve as liasions to victims and witnesses in crimes of all sorts.
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School Resource Officer Spotlight: School District of Lancaster's David Ruiz
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Pa. Senate Passes Bill to Toughen DUI Laws Against Repeat Offenders
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2 Charged After Raid in Millersville Reveals Heroin, Cocaine, MarijuanaAndrew P. Ortiz, 21; Maria V. Danner, 41 April 18, 2018
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GUILTY: Jury Convicts Man, Already Serving Time for Drug Charges, of Sexual AssaultManuel Pagan Jr., 27, Sexual Assault April 17, 2018
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Man Pleads to 2 Counts of 1st-Degree Murder, Sentenced to Life Terms, for Killing BrothersJuan Cristo-Munoz, 19 April 11, 2018
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DUI Driver Jailed for Being Under Influence of Cocaine, Morphine in Crash that Injured WomanJoseph Braun, 66, Aggravated Assault-DUI April 11, 2018
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Millersville University Awards Allen Leed for his Work to Combat Elder Abuse
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Verdict: Pequea Township Man, 49, Guilty of Sexual Abuse of GirlWilliam B. Smith, 49, Attempted Child Rape April 9, 2018
/CivicAlerts.aspx
OUR MISSION
The Lancaster County Office of the District Attorney is dedicated to achieving justice and protecting the safety of our community. We thoroughly investigate, and prosecute aggressively, but fairly, criminal activity in Lancaster County. We zealously work to bring justice and preserve the rights of crime victims.
Our goal is to keep Lancaster County safe by working in acquiesce with the many law-enforcement departments within the county. In court, we seek appropriate punishment for those who perpetrate crimes, keeping the victims and safety of the public at the forefront of our efforts. | https://co.lancaster.pa.us/138/District-Attorney |
Needs indicate questions the audience will have that the document should answer. Readers may not even know they will ask these questions, but the writer must anticipate them--and supply answers. Audience objectives may be long-term, short-term, personal, or job-related. What Does Credibility Mean? - Finding Credible Sources Why? The reason is that you may have heard of the journal your doctor referred to, or you may know that the AMA is a highly respected organization in the field of medicine, ergo, they know that their information is credible and reliable. The same situation holds true if you are writing a research paper. If You Teach or Write 5-Paragraph Essays-Stop It! | The White ...
5 Types of Audiences in Writing | Networlding.com
When you decide to write something for a specific audience, you often know instinctively what tone of voice will be most appropriate for that audience: serious, professional, funny, friendly, neutral, etc. For a discussion of analyzing an author's point of view when reading a text, see Point of View in the "Writing about Texts" section. What Is Effective Writing Communication Wondering what is effective writing communication? The reader will understand exactly what you mean. To communicate effectively you need to get your point across and relay information clearly. PDF Audience Strategy for All Professional Business Communication AUDIENCE STRATEGY FOR ALL PROFESSIONAL BUSINESS COMMUNICATION WHY IS STRATEGY IN BUSINESS COMMUNICATION IMPORTANT TO YOU? While this particular career-management resource tool, at first, may seem to you unrelated to your "getting the job done," in fact, the following information ultimately will make the tasks Approaches to process writing | TeachingEnglish | British ... It also helps if the reader is more than just the teacher. Class magazines, swapping letters with other classes, etc. can provide an easy solution to providing a real audience. Writing as communication Process writing is a move away from students writing to test their language towards the communication of ideas, feelings and experiences.
Why American Students Can't Write — The Atlantic
Recognize that how-to writing is a genre they encounter in their everyday lives Identify the characteristics of the how-to writing genre and incorporate them into a how-to essay about succeeding in the fourth grade Identify the audience for their how-to essay (i.e., future fourth graders) and shape ... The 4 Main Types of Writing Styles and How to Use Them as a ... Understanding the 4 main types of writing styles can help you grow as a writer and attract an audience for your written work. Here's how to identify each style of writing and tips for using each of the 4 common writing styles to develop your written skills. 19 Examples of Blogs That Are Loved by Their Visitors - 2019 Maybe you should not think about making money from this site and just concentrate on helping people. Build up an audience that trust you, that finds your content resourceful. Then you can think about getting charities and organisations to sponsor your site, maybe sell ad space on sidebars, headers etc. Good luck. Writing Analyses - users.drew.edu The introduction to a causal analysis should identify the effect whose cause will be analyzed; provide a thesis that states what you believe to be the cause of that effect; and give the audience a sense of why it is useful to identify causes of this effect.
Descriptive Writing | Classroom Strategies | Reading Rockets
Writers focus on what's the importantance of improving their skills & staying calm even if what they wrote wasn't as good expecting to be ,that's okay revise & go over the words & correct sentences & take the advice you have receive & put it in your writing to make your writing outstanding & outstretched & good attitude. The rhetorical situation is one of the most fundamental and ...
Writers can also use conversation, in-depth interviews or focus groups to help them to complete an audience analysis. Conversation as well as other qualitative research techniques will allow the communicator to consider the multiple cultural, disciplinary, and institutional contexts of their target audience, producing a valuable audience analysis. 4 Marks of Good Writing - writersdigest.com Every time a writer begins putting words together for publication, one fact should always be foremost: The writing is (at least partly) for the benefit of someone else. Even if a writer begins without a specific audience clearly in mind, the goal of communication remains. The writing must achieve a link between author and reader. | https://myblog2021ajci.firebaseapp.com/gillmore2593nufi/why-should-writers-think-about-their-audience-710.html |
Q:
How to store the 2D image pixels into 1d array?
I want to store the m(i,j) values in a 1D array of 2 rows. 1st row wd be the m(ij) counter and 2nd row w'd be m(ij) value for each iteration.How can i do that,? Please Help.
want to convert 2D to 1D array like array(2,count).
[e,f] = size(outImg);
m = zeros(e,f);
counter=0
w = [1 2 4 8; 16 32 64 128; 256 512 1024 2048; 4096 8192 16384 32768];
for i = 1:e-3
for j = 1:f-3
I = double(outImg((i:i+3),(j:j+3)));
counter=counter+1;
m(i,j) = sum(sum(I .* w));
end
end
A:
In your code, the quickest way (though not necessarily the most efficient, but most compatible with your code...) would be to allocate a 2D array and populate this array at each iteration. Referencing my previous post to you, the total number of times this loop iterates is (e-3) x (f-3) times. Therefore, allocate a 2D array like how you said in your post. Only this time, replace count with (e-3)*(f-3).
Something like the following:
[e,f] = size(outImg);
m = zeros(e,f);
counter=0;
counts = zeros(2, (e-3)*(f-3)); %// NEW
counts(:,counter) = [counter; m(i,j)]; %// NEW
end
end
Therefore, you will have a 2D array called counts of size 2 x (e-3)*(f-3), where each column denotes the "iteration number" and the value of the summation for each pixel neighbourhood at each iteration in the loop.
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Nuance Wall Shelf with Sliding Door adds the final touch to your room setting. Combine one or more shelves to add a contemporary storage section to your wall. Nuance Wall Shelf features a sliding door ...
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September 02, 2020
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Clean, contemporary design meets rustic industrial style in this etagere bookcase. Crafted of a wood finished, this bookcase features an open, clean-lined rectangular frame complete with an X-frame ... | https://www.usedbrampton.ca/classifieds/bookcases-wall-units.lite |
For over a century, millions of women carried out a crusade to secure the right to vote. Introducing women as a voting block disrupted a political culture built on exclusion. Suffragists changed the idea of a woman's role in society.
Alice Paul joined a contingent of 200 women insisting on an audience with the Prime Minister. Most democracies denied women suffrage. Emmeline Pankhurst was a co-founder of the Women's Social and Political Union; Christabel Pankhurst was not allowed to speak at the University of Birmingham.
Abolitionist Elizabeth Cady Stanton compared her condition as a free married woman with children to slavery. Husbands retained custody of children in a divorce. The first suffragists included Lucretia Mott, Lucy Stone, Sojourner Truth, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Sarah Redmond, and Susan B. Anthony.
Women were considered too emotional to vote; they could not decide civil rights or make laws. The National American Woman Suffrage Association gained traction in the West. Politicians disenfranchised African Americans in the South and barred them from voting.
Harriet Stanton Blatch entered a polling place in New York City. The transformation of American life advanced the cause of women's rights. The Equality League of Self-Supporting Women was open to any woman who earned her own money.
Men believed women participating in elections would disturb the family unit. Pearson's Magazine commissioned Richard Barry to investigate the suffrage movement by profiling women who were opposed to the vote.
While serving her sentence in London's Holloway Jail, Paul declared she was a political prisoner and went on a hunger strike. British authorities force-feed the suffragettes. A swarm of reporters met Paul on the dock in Philadelphia.
Washington State voters approve a suffragette measure. Tens of thousands of women belonged to the National Association of Colored Women, the National American Women Suffrage Association, local equality leagues, franchise associations, and Votes for Women clubs. California joins the cause in 1911.
An anonymous pamphlet suggested the state would close saloons if women were permitted to vote. Susan B. Anthony was a leader in the temperance movement. Harriet Taylor Upton claimed the suffrage association was not a temperance organization, but the vote was defeated.
Women were still without full voting rights in 39 states by the end of 1912. White men controlled the political power in the South. Paul planned a parade a day before Woodrow Wilson's inauguration to petition for a federal amendment.
National protests were nonexistent in Washington, D.C. Lucy Burns recruited volunteers and roused crowds on street corners. Paul oversaw the organization, solicited donations, arranged lodging, and kept reporters interested in the suffrage movement.
Ida Wells-Barnett formed the Alpha Suffrage Club. She decided to march in the parade and advocated for racial justice. Paul concluded that African Americans would not be excluded, but also not encouraged.
"Pilgrims" clad in brown capes and heavy boots walked from New York to Washington D.C. Wells-Barnett arrived from Chicago by train. Paul and Burns received twice the expected marchers.
The Chicago delegation chair was advised to keep the delegation "entirely white." Men taunted and assaulted marchers. Paul demanded an amendment for women's rights. Harriot Stanton Blatch penned a letter to Woodrow Wilson.
The Thomas A. Edison company debuted "Votes for Women." Suffragists were portrayed as spinsters, unsexed, and psychologically unbalanced.
President Wilson avoided commenting on the suffragette movement. Paul and Burns launched a weekly newspaper and formed the Congressional Union. Emmeline Pankhurst engaged in guerilla warfare in England.
The “New York Times” published an editorial admonishing the referendum that would put votes for women before the electorate. Blatch realized power and intention would force politicians to act. The NAACP featured endorsements from some of America's foremost public figures.
President Wilson agreed to vote for the referendum, but it was defeated in New Jersey, Massachusetts, and New York. Anna Howard Shaw decided not to run for re-election.
Credits: The Vote: Episode 1
For additional digital leasing and purchase options contact a media consultant at 800-257-5126 (press option 3) or [email protected].
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This program traces the rise of suffrage militancy, a direct-action approach to politics inspired by Britain’s notoriously militant suffragettes. By 1911, “votes for women” had become, as one journalist noted, “the three small words which constitute the biggest question in the world today.” While galvanizing to many, such radical action was also divisive.
Length: 114 minutes
Item#: BVL215270
Copyright date: ©2020
Closed Captioned
Prices include public performance rights.
Not available to Home Video, Dealer and Publisher customers.
Only available in USA and Canada.
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The jade fish in feng shui stands for wealth and abundance. Wearing jade fish necklace is believed to bring chance of getting wealth. In addition, jade fish is also good for whom wishes to have baby since it has ability of fertility.
This jade fish necklace is made of Chinese jade and has adjustable length. The dimension of the jade fish pendant itself is approx. 1 1/2" x 5/8" in length. | https://www.fengshui-import.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=2787 |
In memorial for more 5,700 who died of COVID-19 in L.A. County, unions push for worker-led councils to help cite health violations
A memorial commemorating the more than 5,700 people who have died of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County stood on the steps of the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration in downtown L.A. on Monday.
A coalition of workers’ unions organized the tribute outside the building, which houses the L.A. County Board of Supervisors’ office, as part of an effort to push for the establishment of councils that would enlist workers to “serve as the eyes and ears” in their workplaces to determine any health order violations during the pandemic.
In front of flowers arranged to say “5,700” and photos of people who have succumbed to the coronavirus, Rob Nothoff of the L.A. County Federation of Labor spoke about how the illness has ravaged the region.
“We’re talking about [nearly] 5,800 families who’ll never see their loved ones again,” he said.
“What’s troubling is that most of that could have been prevented if people just followed health orders,” Nothoff added.
He said that health councils led by workers would empower them to speak out about health violations without fear of retaliation. The coalition planned to propose the “common sense” policy to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.
A former employee at the Los Angeles Apparel factory, which has reported four deaths and more than 365 cases of COVID-19 among its workers, shared his experience falling ill from the disease.
Francisco Tzul said he was hospitalized and became homeless overnight when his roommates did not want him to return home.
Tzul said he wanted to speak out on behalf of the garment workers demanding better health standards, and those who have died working for minimum wage. | |
A new type of high-voltage termination, namely the 'deep p-ring trench' termination design for high-voltage, high-power devices, is presented and extensively simulated. Termination of such devices consumes a large proportion of the chip size; the proposed design concept not only reduces the termination silicon area required but also removes the need for an additional mask as is the case of the traditional p+ ring-type termination. Furthermore, the presence of the p-ring under and around the bottom of the trench structure reduces the electric field peaks at the corners of the oxide, which results in reduced hot carrier injection and improved device reliability.
|Original language||English|
|Pages (from-to)||177 - 180|
|Number of pages||4|
|Journal||IEEE Electron Device Letters|
|Volume||40|
|Issue number||2|
|Early online date||3 Jan 2019|
|DOIs|
|Publication status||Published - Feb 2019|
Bibliographical note© 2019 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.
Copyright © and Moral Rights are retained by the author(s) and/ or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This item cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder(s). The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. | https://pureportal.coventry.ac.uk/en/publications/deep-p-ring-trench-termination-an-innovative-and-cost-effective-w |
On June 3, 2021, the Supreme Court issued its opinion in Van Buren v. United States, Case No. 19-783. Van Buren is a former police sergeant from Georgia. Relevant to the case, Van Buren accepted money to use his patrol car computer to access a database and retrieve information about a license plate. He was indicted and convicted for violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986, or the “CFAA.” His appeal eventually reached the United States Supreme Court who reversed his conviction and held that the government read the CFAA too expansively to convict Van Buren. Resultingly, the Court restricted the CFAA’s scope of liability which could make computer crimes more difficult to prosecute or pursue civilly unless database owners take steps to preserve required evidence.
The Facts
Van Buren is an ex-sergeant in a Georgia police department. The FBI began investigating Van Buren after receiving a recorded conversation where Van Buren “shook down” an undercover informant for cash. The FBI initiated an undercover operation to, as the Court put it, “see how far Van Buren would go for money.”
The FBI directed the informant, while wired, to ask Van Buren to search a law enforcement database for a license plate that the informant wanted information about in exchange for $5,000. The story was the informant met the woman who owned the plate at a strip club, and he needed to know that she was not an undercover officer.
Van Buren complied by using his patrol car computer. Van Buren’s department policy did not permit any such searches for anything but a legitimate law enforcement purpose. The Government’s theory was the breach of department policy exceeded Van Buren’s authorization under the CFAA and Van Buren was charged and convicted of violating the CFAA.
On appeal, the Eleventh Circuit affirmed, criminalizing Van Buren’s access for an “inappropriate reason.” The Supreme Court granted certiorari to resolve a circuit split concerning the scope of liability under the CFAA’s “exceeds authorized access” clause.
The History of the CFAA
The CFAA was borne out of necessity. As Justice Barret recited in the Court’s opinion, trespass and similar actions failed to capture internet crimes and hacking during the 1980’s technology boom.
The CFAA creates criminal liability for “intentionally access[ing] a computer without authorization or exceed[ing] authorized access” and obtaining information as a result. Over time, amendments expanded the scope of information subject to protection from initially only financial information to anything “used in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce or communication.” Therefore, in the Court’s words, the CFAA protects “all information from all computers that connect to the internet.”
The CFAA created civil and criminal responsibility for violators. On the civil side, persons suffering “damage” or “loss” from a CFAA violation may sue for money damages and equitable relief. Prosecutions may result in punishments ranging from misdemeanor sentences and fines to a potential of up to ten years in prison for more egregious violations of the statute.
The Supreme Court’s Analysis and Holding
The Court’s analysis began by analyzing the text of the statute. The CFAA defines “exceeds authorized access” as “to access a computer with authorization and to use such access to obtain . . . information in the computer that the accesser is not entitled so to obtain.” There was no dispute Van Buren accessed the information; rather the question before the Court was whether he was “entitled so to obtain” that license plate information.
The Court engaged in a lengthy determination of what the word “so” means in “entitled so to obtain.” Van Buren argued it meant “the same manner as has been stated” or “the way or manner described” previously in the statute. Thus, in Van Buren’s construction, “so” means “whether one has the right, in ‘the same manner as has been stated [in the statute],’ to obtain the” license plate information. In practice, Van Buren read the statute to mean that the CFAA criminalizes accessing information one is not allowed to obtain on a computer that one is authorized to access. The Government argued “so” means more and that the CFAA should criminalize accessing information that is not permitted to be obtained in the particular method or manner in which it was obtained, i.e., as a product of a bribe. The Court agreed with Van Buren’s interpretation and read “is not entitled so to obtain” to “refer to information that a person is not entitled to obtain by using a computer that he is authorized to access.”
To drive this point home, the Court rejected all of the Government’s counterarguments. Importantly, the Court held that the Government’s untenable reading would result in prosecutions where an employee accesses a company computer which imposes a “business use only” restriction. Under the Government’s reading, an employee who uses a company computer to read the news or send a personal email could be subject to criminal liability. The Court’s opinion limited the statute’s reach and, now, “an individual ‘exceeds authorized access’ when he accesses a computer with authorization but then obtains information located in particular areas of the computer – such as files, folders, or databases – that are off limits to him.” Because Van Buren was authorized to use his patrol car computer and obtain license plate information, he could not be convicted for violating the CFAA. | https://www.doescrimepay.com/2021/10/its-all-about-authorization-under-the-cfaa/ |
10 NORTH PROVIDENCE PUBLIC SAFETY COMPLEX SEPTEMBER 11-17, 2019 | NORTH PROVIDENCE EDITION NORTH PROVIDENCE – Sure, someone could throw a couple treadmills and some fancy weights into the new North Providence Public Safety Complex, but Chief David Tikoian said peak fitness of local police and firefighters was too important not to take a more measured approach. An ad hoc committee established by Tikoian and led by Patrolman Justin Ferreira has been research- ing how to create a fitness center ideal for helping public safety workers do their jobs to the best of their abilities. "Our goal for the fitness room was to focus on functional strength and cardiovascular endurance. Through research and experi- ence, we felt these two aspects of fitness would benefit the agency the most by reducing injury and stress, while also assisting officers' ability to complete the daily tasks required of first responders," said Ferreira. Tikoian was able to get a door moved in the back hallway of the new complex to allow access to the fitness room to both police and firefighters in a common area for both departments. This is one of those natural places where the jobs should intersect, he says. The chief pulled the $30,000 in fitness equipment out of the original plan for the complex, instead deciding to have a com- mittee come up with its own plan. Police were scheduled to meet with Purchasing Agent Mike Mooney this month to draft bid specifica- tions on the equipment, which is expected to cost about $20,000, $10,000 less than the original plan. Ferreira said the committee con- tacted four local fitness equipment vendors and discussed the room's dimensions, the department's size, and the potential equipment. Members also obtained layouts from nearby safety facilities to use as a guide. They reviewed configu- rations and specifications for each piece of equipment to determine functionality, reliability, and price. "We feel we were able to obtain fitness equipment geared to assist our members on the job, while still remaining financially prudent to the budget," he said in an email. For functional strength, commit- tee members requested equipment that focuses on a full-body work- out. They incorporated a pair of half-racks/cages (squats/deadlifts/ pull-ups/press movements), dumb- bells, kettlebells, and a functional trainer (cable-based movements). "These pieces of equipment allow our personnel to exercise multiple body parts through compound (works multiple muscle groups at the same time) and isolated move- ments," he said. For cardiovascular endurance, they requested several pieces of equipment to encourage diversity in workouts, including a rowing machine, exercise fan bike, and a heavy bag, along with the more common treadmill and elliptical. "Exercise fan bikes are ben- eficial because unlike traditional stationary bikes, they incorporate your arms and back within the workout," he said. "As a result, the workout increases your heart rate in a shorter time period, making it more effective. A heavy bag is beneficial because aside from the cardiovascular benefits, it supports core stability, upper-body strength, and self-defense skills." The list doesn't necessarily differ from a traditional gym, he said, as you can find most if not all of this equipment in any commercial gym. Police have received a pair of $1,000 checks from the 100 Club of Rhode Island to go toward the fitness equipment. Complex's new fitness room focuses on functional strength By ETHAN SHOREY Valley Breeze Managing Editor [email protected] The FITNESS ROOM at the safety complex is quite barren right now but will soon have equipment designed to meet the specific fitness needs of police officers and firefighters. BREEZE PHOTO BY ETHAN SHOREY K & R Auto Salvage, Inc. JUNK CARS WANTED! Get the Maximum Dollar for your Car!!! Go right to the source. Pickup Available. Wholesaler for Used Auto Parts Parts for All Makes and Models Foreign & Domestic! 950 Smithfield Road North Providence, RI 02904 (401) 353-9200 or 1-800-638-8089 Open Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m.-1 p.m. View our inventory at www.kandrparts.com 90-Day Standard Warranty Extended Available Welcome to Your New Home! | http://valleybreeze.uberflip.com/i/1164510-the-north-providence-breeze-09-11-2019/45 |
Be thankful this day for cycles.
There are two types of cycles, one to perpetuate learned or self destructive behaviors and the other to sustain life. Both cycles are created to protect us, the soul from any form of harm. As individuals and a collective we create these cycles unconsciously. The cycles are created to numb any sensation felt from previous experiences to protect us, the soul, from harm whether it is emotional, mental or physical. The question now becomes; how to we break a cycle protecting us?
From personal experience, I went years living in a cycle unconsciously created. My cycle was created to protect myself from emotional harm and not allowing people to get to close to me, when I once wore my heart on my sleeve. To finally break any cycle, we first must become aware of it, and then acknowledge it. Once it is acknowledged, we can analyze it to understand why we created it. Then and only then can we move forward to heal and break the cycle. The work involved is intense, with a lot of realizations. All that was once discarded or disregarded resurfaces to confront the reasons why we became less of who we truly are. Times the perpetuated cycle does us more harm, by living in what we think is a protective bubble. The bubble can only protect us for so long, until we have to confront our own creations.
We are the spark, the off spring, and the creations of the Divine Source. The Divine created life cycles to for us to benefit from. On a physical level we go through a continuous life cycle. As young children the cycle is rapid. The rapid cycle is filled the physical growth, mental development and emotional content. As young children, we take in a lot of information at once. The absorption of the information taken in sets the tone for our life.
The energy fed into us creates a cycle of habitual behaviors. Some of us still carry the habits created as children, yet some of us are aware of some of them. Also on a physical level we have cells regenerating daily and other bodily functions repeating so fast our brain is yet to fully comprehend all of what our body does.
On an energetic level, cycles are a little different. Take the cycle of the moon for example and its connection to the water. How the moon pushes and pulls the tide and the water allows it. We are connected to all universal energies in the same way. We allow the universal energy to push and pull us. From the time of conception we are infused with universal life energy. The life energy, our soul, incarnates and develops in a body. From there every seven years our energy cycle is renewed and more energy is added to the current energy. The energy I refer to are the chakras. The chakras help to govern the soul's development. Each developmental stage opens up new accesses to a wealth of energy to guide us to be whole, bringing harmony and balance into everyday life. The energy cycle sustains our well-being and aides us to live a desired life.
Each cycle creates a sense of security, yet they all change. Each cycle changes we be become aware of it and the attachment to it. We then must release the attachment, thus releasing the cycle. Remember we are our own creations and the creations of the Divine. Each cycle serves a purpose, whether if it’s to help heal or sustain us. All cycles provide a level of awaking and balance. Each cycle offers levels of accession and soul development. There is no separation from what we create, they are we and we are them.
Be thankful this day and everyday for being a witness to be awakened from cycle created.
Be thankful this day and everyday for the life energy cycles to sustain and develop us.
Be thankful this day and everyday for the ascension gained through life cycles. | https://spiritlibrary.com/hillis-pugh/thank-you-thursday-cycles |
Students will live and work in a very close environment with up to 44 of their peers; they sleep, eat, shower and do work under the one roof.
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There are separate sleeping and showering facilities for both genders. There are 11 rooms in each of the two accommodation wings, one each for male and female. Two students will be allocated to each room. Staff share the responsibility of supervision of each wing and are responsible for the pastoral care of the students. The school has staff supervision accommodation in each wing.
There is a great deal of independence offered to the students. The students are responsible for helping maintain the school, organizing rosters, for doing various jobs around the school and generally controlling the nature of their home and place of learning.
There are lessons on human relationships that will arise from this lifestyle. Great friendships are made, tolerance is learned and teamwork is created. It will be rare to find an Alpine School Campus student who will not be proud of his or her involvement or to find an ex-Alpine School Campus student who does not readily identify with the school.
School life provides an excellent opportunity for bonding. Of course it would be wrong to imply that there are never tensions. Not many parents or teachers would think that living with teenagers is always blissful. Some teenagers need to be helped along the way to manage their social relationships in one form or another. This is a very important component of their learning environment. | http://alpineschool.vic.edu.au/alpine/alpine-school-life.html |
The state of South Carolina awarded George W. McDaniel, Ph.D. as the winner of the prestigious 2014 South Carolina Environmental Awareness Award. McDaniel received the award during a ceremony on October 22, 2015.
A Legacy of Preservation and Conservation
McDaniel is the former executive director of Drayton Hall, a position he held for 26 years. An 18th century plantation on the Ashley River, Drayton Hall is owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and managed by the Drayton Hall Preservation Trust.
During his tenure as executive director, McDaniel created collaborative partnerships and led initiatives that positively influenced the integrity of the Ashley River region and ecosystem. He is now recognized as a local, state and national leader for his efforts in pioneering what is now referred to as “whole place preservation,” the combination of environmental conservation and historic preservation.
Of his many achievements, McDaniel led efforts to have the Ashley River designated as a State Scenic River and is a founding member of the Ashley Scenic River Advisory Council. He has helped to conserve the tranquil natural environment and habitat surrounding not just Drayton Hall, but also around other historic sites along the river. He has raised awareness among thousands of people about the importance and interconnection of historic and environmental conservation through his speaking engagements, education initiatives, innovative tours of Drayton Hall, and published works.
An excerpt from his nomination:
“He realized that, in the Lowcountry and elsewhere in the nation, humans and the environment have interacted over the centuries, and have changed and been changed by one another, so that what we see today is the result of that interrelationship. If we lose either the historical or the natural environment, then we have lost a critical link to our past and a connection to our future.”
An Award of Excellence
The S.C. Environmental Awareness Award was established by the S.C. General Assembly during the 1992 legislative session to recognize outstanding contributions made toward the protection, conservation, and improvement of South Carolina’s natural resources.
Each year the public is invited to submit nominations that are then reviewed by an awards committee. In judging nominees, the committee considers excellence in innovation, leadership and accomplishments that influence positive changes affecting the natural environment.
Members of the awards committee represent the S.C. Forestry Commission, S.C. Department of Natural Resources, S.C. Sea Grant Consortium and S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.
Previous winners of the Environmental Awareness Award include: | https://blog.scdhec.gov/2015/11/13/2014-environmental-awareness-award/ |
Will My Michigan Pension Get Taxed?
As you prepare for retirement, taxes may be top of mind. A 2011 change to taxation of Michigan pensions remains relevant for Michigan retirees today.
Under this law, your taxation is divided up based upon your birth year (Source: Michigan.gov website):
- Born before 1946: Your pension is not taxed by the state of Michigan.
- Born on or after 1/1/46 to 12/31/1952: Some of your pension gets taxed. You can subtract $20,000/$40,000 for married couple from your pension income to determine taxation. After age 67 (or for the oldest spouse if married), that reduction applies to all forms of income.
- Those born in 1953 or later: Your pension is subject to Michigan income tax until age 67 when they can subtract $20,000 from taxable income, if single, or $40,000 from taxable income for couples filing jointly.
Other considerations: There are a variety of factors that affect your retirement planning and taxes. Those can include your sources of income, planning on how you will access retirement savings such as what order will you spend out of taxable, tax-deferred and tax-exempt assets, Social Security claiming decisions and much more.
We always recommend that you review your personal retirement situation by updating your financial plan with a financial planner. If you have questions about your retirement preparedness or are looking to get serious about retirement, make use of the following resources:
- Retirement Readiness Webinar
- Tax Aware Investment Strategies Webinar
- Schedule a meeting to discuss your personal circumstances in context of your financial and retirement plan
This material is being provided for informational purposes only and does not purport to be a complete description of the securities, markets, or developments referred to in this material. The information has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, but we do not guarantee that the foregoing material is accurate or complete. Please note, changes in tax laws may occur at any time and could have a substantial impact upon each person’s situation. While we are familiar with the tax provisions of the issues presented herein, as Financial Advisors of RJFS, we are not qualified to render advice on tax or legal matters. You should discuss tax or legal matters with the appropriate professional.
Melissa Joy, CFP®, CDFA® is the President of Pearl Planning and a Wealth Advisor for Raymond James Financial Services. Reach out for a call today at 734.274.6744. | https://pearlplan.com/2019/10/22/will-my-michigan-pension-be-taxed/ |
Mind Your Manners: Why Politeness Wins in the Workplace
There’s the colleague who doesn’t say hello in the corridor, and another who is always late to meetings. Then there’s the one who stares at her phone while you’re trying to talk to her. Are you beginning to suspect that politeness at work is passé? It seems you might be right. A Harvard Business Review study revealed that good manners really are on the decline in the workplace: 98% of employees have been on the receiving end of disrespect, with half of them saying it happens at least once a week.
These numbers are more than just disconcerting. In fact, the same study revealed that impoliteness not only makes staff less committed to their employer, but it also makes them less productive. Cisco even put a price on what incivility costs the company annually—about $12 million. Are work environments becoming less and less polite? Let’s take a moment to reflect on the benefits of good manners.
A brief history of politeness
Politeness, decency, and etiquette are natural laws that carry tremendous weight for us as humans. These values have been handed down from generation to generation with little change. Their persistence shows their importance: these codes of behavior are essential to build and maintain society. Practice and repetition of these natural laws give us a safe space to create and retain trust between individuals. They are an integral part of the socialization process and the way we teach our children social norms.
Of course, politeness varies from culture to culture. In an article on international business etiquette in Forbes magazine, Stephen Flowers, president of global freight forwarding at UPS, shed some light on important rules when working abroad. For example, don’t leave a meeting before it is over when in Brazil. In China, it is considered a sign of respect and commitment if a Westerner doing business there adopts a Chinese name. Meanwhile, Japanese customs dictate that the most senior member of a team leads the discussion during meetings. Although politeness is universal, it is expressed in different ways.
What exactly is politeness?
Penelope Brown and Stephen Levinson’s politeness theory—based on the work of American sociologist Erving Goffman—explains the human strategy behind politeness. Each person has two faces: one positive and one negative. Positive face reflects an individual’s self-esteem and self-image. It’s about the need to seek approval from others. Negative face reflects the need for personal freedom of choice on every level—it’s the right to make one’s own decisions. Brown and Levinson conclude that every human interaction contains potential threats to these two faces that the rules of politeness attempt to counterbalance.
Consequently, criticism or poorly worded suggestions— for example, “You shouldn’t have done it like that” or “I would have done it more like this”—are a threat to an individual’s positive face. Conversely, someone who is too touchy-feely, or who barks direct orders, threatens someone’s negative face. As a result, politeness is a balancing act between the desire to uphold our own faces without attacking the faces of others.
The virtues of polite behavior
Politeness is a reflection of the social relations maintained between two individuals. It can build, solidify, or destroy relationships. Companies are beginning to understand the real costs associated with rudeness in the workplace. But what are the specific benefits of good manners?
- Making a good first impression. First impressions can set the tone of a relationship, so it’s important to start off on the right foot. Polite behavior shows others that you care about them, and that makes them more likely to be interested in you. On the job, simple actions such as saying “please” and “thank you” can go a long way in building solid relationships with your coworkers. In the same way, being polite and personable with everyone you meet, from the cleaning staff to the head honcho, will always make a difference.
- Making people you talk to feel at ease. Maryanne Parker, a business etiquette expert based in San Diego, believes that the main trait all polite people share is their ability to make others feel comfortable. They immediately recognize uneasy work situations and understand how to help resolve these problems. Managers use this keen ability to demonstrate support for their teams. Someone who patiently waits until the end of an explanation before asking questions will make others feel more at ease. They will be best able to provide more considered responses than those who interrupt mid-sentence. Cutting someone off or berating them can seem aggressive, which, in turn, can cause the affected individual to stop wanting to do their best.
- Appearing more legitimate. The Politeness Bias, a study carried out by Shun-Yang Lee, Huaxia Rui, and Andrew Whinston, revealed that information delivered with a good dose of politeness is perceived as more legitimate than the same information delivered candidly, or even worse, offensively. The study’s conclusions can easily apply to the business environment. The researchers looked at conversations on Stack Exchange, an online network of Q&A platforms. Responses that used polite, pleasant phrases received more positive grades—which translates to credibility in this case—than those written without these courtesies. This is proof that taking a few extra seconds to sign off with “kind regards” at the end of your e-mails makes them more genuine. Politeness makes us appear more reliable and intelligent.
- Showing respect and support. Good manners help us to express appreciation and respect towards our colleagues and their opinions. We tend to remember a warm thank-you more than an end-of-year bonus. If these expressions of recognition are infrequent, then motivation and the desire to go the extra mile for a company, team, or coworker decrease. What’s more, we are naturally inclined to help a coworker who politely requests a favor with sincere gratitude than someone who asks the same favor without paying attention to the expected norms of politeness.
- Disarming conflicts. Disagreements at work are normal and inevitable. But combined with impolite behavior, they can escalate into conflict that adversely affects the cohesion and work of an entire team. An inattentive reaction such as “This presentation is not up to par. Do it again,” can be interpreted as a personal attack. Compare this with the same thought expressed with more consideration: “If I may say so, this presentation doesn’t have quite the same punch as what you have done before. Would you be able to rework it, please?” Someone who expresses their dissatisfaction too directly risks causing offense and therefore leaves little room for compromise.
When excessive politeness becomes harmful
It is natural for “polite” people to want to preserve others’ faces, but we should never forego our own needs. Being overly polite can pose a problem for our well-being and sense of identity. What are the three biggest dangers of excessive politeness?
- Suppressing emotions. The need to feel socially accepted can lead to a certain dependence on others. If we are afraid to make those around us uncomfortable, we risk suppressing our own emotions, which are important in helping us to build our emotional, and therefore professional, maturity.
- Maintaining a reputation. Being too polite can lead to the negative consequence of constantly looking for approval. If you try to keep up a reputation at all costs, it can cause an accumulation of social pressure that is very difficult to maintain in the long term.
- Being taken advantage of. When you confuse politeness for an excess of generosity, you end up becoming the person who is handed all the urgent projects and 11th hour presentations. Or someone who often gets their meetings cancelled at the last minute. The personal sacrifices we make for fear of being thought of as rude can lead to others taking advantage of us.
Working closely with others requires tact and common sense; it demands constant effort. Thankfully, when politeness is under threat at work, the answer usually lies in the choices we make and the behaviors we practice, each one of us, as social human beings. The future of politeness rests firmly on our shoulders. To conclude in the spirit of this article, we would like to thank you for taking the time to read it!
Follow Welcome to the Jungle on Facebook and sign up for our newsletter to receive our articles every week.
Translated by Mary Mortiz
Photo: WTTJ
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Chicago lost nearly 18K residents in Black neighborhoods in one year before the pandemic
BLACK FAMILIES IN many Chicago communities that have been historically and systemically disenfranchised from economic and investment opportunities are relocating to other communities or moving out of state in some cases to escape violence. (Photo by U-Haul)
By Erick Johnson
One year before the coronavirus pandemic, Chicago that year lost a total of 17,850 residents in at least 14 zip codes that include predominately Black neighborhoods, according to a Crusader analysis of figures from the city’s data portal.
The loss is 65 percent of the population loss Chicago experienced in a total of 29 zip codes that includes neighborhoods throughout the city.
The Crusader has learned that the heaviest losses in residents came from zip codes that include heavily populated Black neighborhoods that have experienced gun violence, poverty and disinvestment over the years.
These problems have led many Blacks to move to the suburbs or to other states, seeking a safer quality of life with more economic opportunities.
The Crusader reviewed the city’s 59 zip codes and particularly 18 zip codes that include predominately Black neighborhoods or communities with large Black populations. Of those 18 zip codes, just four include Black neighborhoods that gained new residents, fueling concerns of gentrification in neighborhoods such as Bronzeville and South Shore.
The remaining 14 zip codes saw the highest population loss in the city, where 17,850 residents left Black neighborhoods between 2018 and 2019.
Seven zip codes, or half of the 14 zip codes, indicate population declines that saw over 1,000 leave Black neighborhoods, city data show.
In two other zip codes with large Black populations, nearly 1,000 people left between 2018 and 2019. Those zip codes include the neighborhoods of Kenwood, Hyde Park (60615) and Morgan Park and Washington Heights (60643).
In all 14 struggling zip codes, a total of 1,868 people died of COVID-19; many more have been killed by gun violence.
The news comes as Chicago prepares to redraw the map of the city’s 50 wards. Illinois law requires Chicago to redraw the map once the official U.S. Census figures are released. With population losses in Chicago’s Black communities a known fact, there is concern that Chicago’s Black wards may suffer when the map is redrawn to reflect the new 2020 Census figures.
Many of the Black wards that may be impacted by the new map are on the South and West sides, including Alderman Anthony Beale’s 9th Ward, which includes zip code 60628, which covers Roseland, West Pullman and Pullman. Those communities, along with North and South Lawndale and West Englewood, experienced the highest population loss in the city in 2019.
In North Lawndale and South Lawndale, about 81,283 residents live in zip code 60623. Between 2018 and 2019, about 4,696 residents left those neighborhoods, making it the highest population loss in the entire city that year. In addition to having the highest population loss, zip code 60623 also has the highest number of COVID-19 deaths, at 263.
In zip code 60628, 66,724 residents lived in the Roseland, West Pullman and Pullman neighborhoods in 2018. By 2019, 64,254 lived in 60628 for a population loss of 2,470, the second highest in the city that year. In the same zip code, 209 residents died of COVID-19, according to the latest data about 60628, from the Chicago Department of Public Health.
The zip code with the third highest population loss is 60636, which includes West Englewood, Englewood, Chatham and other Black neighborhoods. A total of 2,179 residents left those communities that had a total population of 32,203 in 2018. In that same zip code, 108 people have died from COVID-19.
Another zip code that experienced a high population loss is 60629 (West Lawn, Chicago Lawn), which has the highest number of residents in Chicago with 110,029 residents. That is after about 1,821 left those communities in 2019. In addition, about 255 residents in 60629 have died from COVID-19.
Other zip codes with high population losses include 60624 (West Garfield Park, East Garfield Park), where 1,266 residents have left and 83 have died from COVID-19. Austin (60644) and Englewood (60621) also experienced population losses after residents left and many died from COVID-19.
The other 15 zip codes that experienced a population loss totaling 9,567 include neighborhoods in the Loop, the Near North Side and the predominantly Hispanic Belmont Cragin neighborhood (60639), where 2,313 residents left in 2019, the third highest in the city that year.
Population declines in many neighborhoods show that it is a citywide trend, but the biggest concern remains among Black communities, which have been shedding residents for years because of persistent gun violence that has killed thousands of residents.
The Crusader analysis also revealed that some Black neighborhoods gained residents in 2019. They include South Shore (60649), which added 609 residents to its 46,024 population in 2019.
In zip code 60617, which includes South Chicago, East Side, Avalon Park, Calumet Heights and Deering, about 1,019 new residents were added to the 82,534 population, the sixth largest in the city.
The highest population increase on the South Side was in zip code 60653 in Bronzeville’s Oakland and Grand Boulevard neighborhoods. About 1,182 people were added to the area’s population of 31,972.
Bronzeville and South Shore are among the city’s hot neighborhoods where big development projects are fueling concerns of gentrification.
In Bronzeville, numerous affordable housing developments and rising property values have occurred in the last five years as more white and Asian residents move further south.
Community amenities, such as Mariano’s Supermarket, have made Bronzeville a more attractive place to live.
In South Shore, the impending construction of the Obama Presidential Library has fueled a boom in property values in the affluent, historic Jackson Park Highlands district, where some of the city’s most prominent and successful residents live.
Three years ago, Chicago Magazine named South Shore as one of the city’s hottest neighborhoods with its golf courses and proximity to the city’s lush lakefront.
The Crusader Newspaper Group consists of two weekly newspapers in Illinois and Indiana featuring news, commentary and life style reporting geared toward the African American community. The Chicago Crusader and Gary Crusader, published by minority media champion Dorothy R. Leavell, reach two unique markets with a shared $47 billion (annual) consumer buying power. | |
The eagle has become the living symbol of Auburn University’s spirit and pursuit of excellence. Bald eagles have wingspans of up to eight feet. They have been recorded at 44 miles per hour at level flight and can approach speeds of up to 100 miles per hour when plunging toward their prey. Yet the eagle’s real power comes from its talons. An eagle’s talons can clutch its prey with up to 1,000 pounds of pressure per square inch in each foot while in flight. Without its talon, the eagle could not survive. The same can be said of the members of the Talon Society. The Talon Society was created to recognize donors who have contributed at least $500,000 to Auburn Athletics in outright gifts, outside of ticket priority.
Recognition Milestone: | https://auburngiving.org/donor-societies/talon-society/ |
By: Nicole Willett and The Mars Society
Annual conventions have become a staple of The Mars Society. Many leading scientists, researchers, and entrepreneurs hold plenary talks and participate in panel discussions regarding many aspects of the human exploration and settlement of the Red Planet. The 17th Annual Mars Society Convention will be held from August 7-10, 2014 in the Houston area in League City, Texas (near NASA’s Johnson Space Center). The convention will be at the South Shore Harbour Resort.
The Mars Society invites presentations for the 17th Annual International Mars Society Convention. Subjects for discussion can involve all matters associated with the exploration and settlement of the planet Mars, including science, technology, engineering, politics, economics, public policy, etc.
If you would like to submit an abstract to be considered for a presentation at the convention you may email your submission here. Email is preferred, however you may mail your submission to The Mars Society, 11111 West 8th Avenue, Unit A, Lakewood, CO 80215 . The submissions are to be no more than 300 words and must be submitted by June 30th. A few of the proposed conference sessions are:
- The search for life on Mars
- Latest findings from Mars spacecraft
- Why Mars?
- Plans for 2014 Mars missions and beyond
- Curiosity rover – research & accomplishments
- Concepts for future robotic Mars missions
- For further details and a full list of conference sessions, click here.
The convention is open to the general public and everyone is encouraged to attend. The four-day event will bring together key experts, scientists, policymakers and journalists to discuss the latest news on Mars exploration and efforts to promote a human mission to the Red Planet in the coming years. To register for the event click here.
If you would like to view some of the presentations from previous years, please visit the Mars Society Channel on Youtube. You will see previous Mars Pioneer Award winners and their keynote address. The recipient for the 2012 award was Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX and Tesla motors. Musk passionately discussed the importance of a humans to Mars mission and how and why it should be done. The 2013 recipient was Dr. Steve Squyres, the Principal Investigator for the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit and Opportunity. Dr. Squyres gave a wonderful update on the Opportunity Rover and an entertaining history of the MER program.
At the 16th Annual Mars Society Convention, Dennis Tito, founder of Inspiration Mars, announced an international engineering competition for student teams to propose design concepts for the architecture of the Inspiration Mars mission. The contest is open to university engineering student teams from anywhere in the world. Inspiration Mars Executive Director Dennis Tito and Program Manager Taber MacCallum were present for the announcement. “Inspiration Mars is looking for the most creative ideas from engineers all over the world,” said Tito. “Furthermore, we want to engage the explorers of tomorrow with a real and exciting mission, and demonstrate what a powerful force space exploration can be in inspiring young people to develop their talent. This contest will accomplish both of those objectives.” The requirement is to design a two-person Mars flyby mission for 2018 as cheaply, safely and simply as possible. All other design variables are open. The Mars Society’s Inspiration Mars International Student Design Competition has drawn a massive worldwide response. As of the January 31, 2014 deadline, letters of intent to compete have been received from 38 teams representing 56 universities in 15 countries. Nations represented include the United States, Canada, Russia, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Italy, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Poland, Mauritius, India, Bangladesh, Japan and Colombia. A sampling of some of the institutions signed up to participate include: John Hopkins University, St. Petersburg State Polytechnical University, Ohio State University, Warsaw University of Technology, University of Notre Dame, Indira Gandhi National Open University, York University, International Space University, Purdue University, Islamic University of Technology, University of Stuttgart, Keio University, and University of Glasgow.
The University Rover Challenge (URC) is a robotic rover design competition that encourages college students to create rovers using guidelines set by The Mars Society. URC teams are currently working on their rovers. The seventh annual rendition of the international competition for college students is organized by The Mars Society and will be held May 30 – June 1, 2013 at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) near Hanksville, Utah. This unique and renowned competition has hosted dozens of college teams since 2007 in a barren landscape that is an ideal analog of the planet Mars. The MDRS site is also home to human crews conducting mission simulations that test a broad range of Mars exploration topics. URC rovers are designed and built to one day assist astronauts on the Red Planet. The URC has a record 31 teams this year! Click here for more information on how you can join the URC.
The Youth Rover Challenge (YRC) is a multi-tier robotics education development program that is hosted, sponsored and operated by The Mars Society. The program commenced on August 6th, 2013 to commemorate the one year anniversary of the landing of NASA’s Curiosity Rover. YRC is a STEM related educational effort that is designed for schools and organizations with students or members in grades 5-12 to have the chance to build and compete at a global level with a LEGO Mindstorms NXT 2.0 based robotic rover and competition arena intended to simulate the surface of Mars. The YRC has 26 teams registered for this year’s competition. For more information visit the Youth Rover site or email Deputy Director Chuck McMurray.
The Education Forum continues its outreach efforts by hosting speaking engagements in person or via the web. If you would like to schedule an event for your class, troop, astronomy club, or other organization, please contact Education Director Nicole Willett. The talks range from 30 minutes to an hour. The purpose is to educate the public to our place in the universe and the importance of the human exploration and settlement of the planet Mars. To see a list of previous events and accompanying images please click here.
Join The Mars Society Today and Help Play a Role in
Humanity’s Next Step into the Solar System!
All Mars Society members receive: | http://education.marssociety.org/category/tms-conventions/2013-mars-society-convention/ |
Nov 2021, Sawsan Khuri. Our team designs each intervention from scratch with clients using tried and tested tools and methods, and ensuring the context and outcomes are aligned with client needs.
An innovation intervention starts with a lot of listening, then analysing the information received and synthesising from it a process for the client that will deliver the outcome they are after. So far it sounds very much like any other professional service provision… and then the fun starts.
What happens after that is a meeting or series of meetings with the relevant client team and others who might be impacted by decisions taken at that meeting. The meetings themselves typically involve a lot of sticky notes, virtual or paper, flipcharts, whiteboards, energiser activities to keep the pace up and a variety of asks that unleash creativity and allow ideas to flow and synergies to emerge. It is all wrapped up at the end with a plan of action points that the client can take forward.
The process and top level strategy we use to introduce or improve upon innovation within businesses are independent of sector. Whether the new product that a business wants to develop is a new way of buying houses or a new brand of clothing or an online platform to build a community of foodies or of maths teachers: it all starts with listening to why the client cares about the outcomes, what actual outcomes they are after, and then building the collaborative innovation intervention that will help them get there. At Collaborative Capacities, we ensure that the interventions speak directly to client context, and that the client leaves with short term, medium term and long term action points that they can implement to deliver the outcomes they are after.
Collaborative Capacities has been working with small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) around the South West through our affiliation with the Environmental Futures and Big Data Impact Lab at the University of Exeter. The Impact Lab runs a business development service that attracts SMEs who rely on large quantities of data in order to serve their customers, and in turn they are referred to us when there is the need for an innovation intervention. Here are some of their quotes: | https://collaborativecapacities.com/what-happens-at-an-innovation-intervention/ |
Yoga transforms & harmonizes body, mind and soul. Its effects and benefits are seen at physical, mental and spiritual level.
Yoga refers to complete wellness & harmony of body, mind and soul. It has been scientifically arranged in a stepwise manner so that every step takes care of your present status and prepares for the step ahead. For example attaining state of meditation is not easy for those who are not prepared because of physical sickness or mental distress. Therefore the initial steps prepare by improving physical and mental health with better control over body and mind. In Yoga the complete wellness and harmony of body, mind and soul is achieved by activation of energy centres called Chakras which parallel the axis of body along spine (Sushumna Nadi). These chakras represent and controls different aspects of physical, mental and spiritual being. The chakras must remain in balance and activated for good physical & mental health and heightened spiritual consciousness. | https://ethoshealthcare.com/therapies/yoga-3/ |
In simple words, one might say that the case relates to some real-life subject/state while the study is considered as the latter analysis. If you are going to write your very first case study, you need to understand what can be the main focus of the case study. The main subject or focus of the case study may be a project or organization, a period of time or an event, a person or a group of persons.
The case studies we often read are usually boring or most of the time uninspiring. In fact, there is a huge difference between how to write a case study and how to write a case study that persuades and is memorable. The way of writing it defines in which category it falls. So, it is really necessary for you to ensure you are familiar with the right way of writing the case study, before you start writing it. Here is it for you. The first step of the process is formulate the accurate path, the second step is interview preparation, the third one is gather pool of information and the last but not the least step is to start writing your case study.
You may also Study: Format of a Case Study
Two Approaches to Write the Case Study
Basically, there are two main approaches to writing the case studies. The first approach of writing a case study is an analytical approach and the second approach of writing it is problem oriented.
- In analytical case studies, the writer only explores the basics of the main topic and reasons why it happened. Generally, it doesn’t state solutions to the problems.
- In problem-oriented case studies, along with stating the key issues, solutions are also suggested accordingly, as per the knowledge of the writer.
Step-by-Step Process to Write a Case Study
Here is the step-by-step process defined to write a case study effectively.
Step #1: Formulate the Accurate Path
When it comes to how to write a case study, the very first step is to formulate the accurate path for yourself so that you could have a clear understanding of what you want to do, even before taking a start. The whole process in this step is further divided into three basic steps.
The first step requires you to familiarize yourself with the case study type, style as well as the design, keeping in mind the intended audience. The second step requires you to choose a concise and accurate topic for your case study. A few people ask why the selection of topic at this stage is important. The reason is that choosing the topic at this stage will let you have a clear understanding of your case. However, you can decide to make a little bit alterations in your topic later on, with the passage of time. The last but not the least thing is to search for the cases similar to your subject. You are supposed to search for similar cases and give all of them a good reading. Let’s have a look at the detailed view of all these steps.
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Determine the Type, Style, and Design of Case Study
There are several case study types, styles as well as designs. In this regard, you need to determine all these things in advance, keeping in mind your intended audience so that you could have a clear path in front of you to follow.
The selection of the case study type entirely depends on the scenario but no matter what method you utilize, you must analyze your case thoroughly. Have a clear set of goals or objectives in advance and try to accomplish all of them. In fact, as mentioned above, the case study may be about a person, a group of persons or organizations etc but it could reveal all the unknown factors your case study is intended to reveal.
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Topic Selection
Keeping in mind your targeted audience, choose the topic of your case study now. You have chosen your angle and you know the path you need to follow. The only thing left is the selection of topic, keeping in mind all these things.
Selecting your case study topic is the most significant thing and overwhelming at the same time. The reason is that you might not find the accurate or ideal words for it. Invest a reasonable amount of time and energy in selecting the topic. You can get the idea from known case studies familiar to yours to know how they have crafted everything in a few words i.e. topic. Follow the different approach but be precise and exact. But, don’t worry at all as you can update it later on.
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Search and read similar case studies
If it’s your first time, invest a reasonable amount of time in searching and reading the similar case studies as yours. In this regard, you can utilize the internet or the library to go through different cases. Be unique with your case and come up with something totally different and attention seeking. There is no use of replicating something.
Step #2: Interview Preparation
This is the second step of how to write a case study. At this stage, you need to make all the necessary arrangement to prepare yourself well for the interview. In this regard, this process is also subdivided into three basic steps, for your convenience to understand the entire process with ease.
The first step is the selection of the participants for your interview for your case study inclusion. You need to be very much careful and cautious while choosing. But as soon as you find the right candidates to interview, you must have a proper interview questions list to ensure you are not going to miss even a single query. This is the reason the second step is all about having a clear framework in your mind how you are going to conduct interviews, after choosing the right candidates for it. The last but not the least thing is to choose the experts in this scenario i.e. they must have a clear understanding of what you are doing and what they are supposed to do.
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Participant Selection
Selecting the best or ideal participants for the interview process, for sake of collecting the data, is the most important as well as the daunting task. You need to invest a lot of your time for this because you will not find an ideal group of people at your first try. The ideal people for interview are definitely those experts who are able to provide you with the most accurate information related to your case. So, only an expert or knowledgeable person can do that.
It is also important to get informed consent from all of the participants. You need to explain them well your goals and how they are supposed to contribute in your research.
While preparing for the interview, you may choose an individual to ask questions or a group of people in this regard. If your case somehow relates to personal issues, meeting with individuals is best in this scenario. On the other hand, you may choose to have a group of people. While the interview process, all of you may have healthy discussion altogether, which may lead you to have data collected and achieve the purpose. Try to collect as much as possible data because more the data, more it will be beneficial for your case.
There are three basic types of interviews, which are listed below:
Open-ended Interviews: In this kind of interviews, the interviewer and the interviewee directly talk to each other about the main subject. The interviewer asks as many queries as possible. Interviewee replies to every answer and adds to the new information, where necessary. The best recommendation for you in this regard is not to rely on just one source rather make sure to have multiple sources to have accurate information for your case study.
Focused Interviews: In this type of interviews, the interviewer asks a number of queries and interviewee only answer to those questions. The time period fixed for these interviews is usually short and there is no gain of new information rather these interviews are just supposed to confirm the already known facts.
Structured Interviews: In this type of interviews, collecting pool of data is considered essential from a large group of people rather than individuals. List of queries to ask is prepared in advance and answers are usually simple enough.
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Craft a Framework to Conduct Interviews
Having an amazing collection of people for an interview is right but if you are in a situation where you don’t have prepared anything to ask them will lead you to the waste of time. So, crafting an ideal framework to conduct interviews in advance is really essential. In this way, you will have a straight and clear path to follow and the things will definitely go smooth.
Prepare a detailed list of queries to ask and decide the way you are going to conduct interviews, depending on your case. When you will be interviewing several people, either one by one, or all at once, you need to understand their answers or opinions so that it could be advantageous for you, otherwise, it won’t be of any use.
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Choose Experts
No matter what the subject is, you have to choose the subject matter experts. This is the only way you can ensure that you have all the well-informed informants. All of them must know what they are doing and what they are supposed to provide you i.e. the accurate information based on the reality grounds.
Step #3: Gather Pool of Information
While working on how to write a case study, this step is the most important one as this is the actual step as well. Here, you are meant to gather a pool of information from various sources.
The first way to collect the data is conducting interviews. The second source of collecting authentic information is from previous case studies (similar to yours), or from various other sources. Moreover, you can choose to collect as much data as you want at this step but including irrelevant or inaccurate information may lead to serious problems or even result in your case study failure.
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Interview Conduction
No matter what type of interview you are going to conduct, you must have a list of pre-defined questions you need to ask from the interviewees. There are two basic reasons behind. The first one is that it will let you save lots of your time and the second one is that it will let you ask the same questions from all sources to have several perspectives on the same subject. Asking different queries from every individual will result in invaluable information.
Take your time and ask as many questions as you want until you are satisfied. You can ask them for the permissions to add the materials collected from them to your case study.
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Authentic Information Collection From Several Sources
Other than interviews, there can be several sources which may let you gather a pool of information i.e. similar case studies, electronic media or library books etc. Try to organize everything perfectly in one place to make sure easy access to all the collected information, when writing a case study later in the next step.
Sort out all the information to extract only of your interest. The reason is that including all the information in your case study isn’t possible. Moreover, there can be some irrelevant or invaluable information as well in your collected information.
Step #4: Start Writing Case Study
The last but not the least step of the process how to write a case study is start writing as you are already done with enough data collection. This step is further divided into 3 steps.
The first one requires you to develop and write your case study. While writing process, you are meant to follow a specific format for writing the case study, which is defined below.
While writing the case study, one might feel overwhelming where to start, where to end, what to include and what not to include or last but not the least thing, you might not know the ideal way to structure your case study. To assist you for this, here is a perfect structure for you to follow while writing the case study.
Case Study Outline
- Executive summary
- Introduction
- Analysis
- Alternatives and decision criteria
- Recommendations and implementation plan
- Conclusion and references
- Citing sources
The second step is to add references to your work. After that, at the third step, you are supposed to perform editing in your case study. You can get to know if your case study requires any additions or deletions while proofreading it, which is the most essential thing to do. A lot of people skip this step or consider it just a formality but proofreading your work properly let you know the shortcomings of your case study.
Develop and Write Your Case
While writing your case study, you must keep in mind that at this stage, you are going to write down your thoughts and ideas collected previously onto the paper. It gives your research the unique but concrete words. The main focus of this section is to develop the ideas in an amazing manner to write rather than focusing on paraphrasing, grammar mistakes or spellings etc. The reason is that all these things are going to be covered later, after you are done writing your case.
Covering a thorough introduction of your case, writing background i.e. how you got idea about this specific case to write, true and accurate presentation of your entire case and conclusion are really crucial to include in your case study. As in the above-listed structure, all other elements are essential to add too but these are the four key elements that combine to form a perfect case study, if elaborated well.
While writing, keep your intended audience in mind and write everything accordingly. You are already done with lots of research and you have now a pool of information. Here, you are just meant to draft all of the collected information into a case, in a fantastic manner.
Write up all References
Writing anything without any references mean that you claim that you have formulated this or presented this. If it’s not true, your case study may be the biggest failure or all of your time may be wasted.
To avoid such a scenario, always add references to all the sources and this is more important as compared to everything else.
Revision of Case Study
Revision is the most vital part of the process of how to write a case study. The reason is that, while writing, your main focus is to develop and narrow down your ideas rather than perfect grammar. So, you make a lot of minor or most of the time, major mistakes as well. Revision is not supposed to be done only one time but three to four times at least. While revision, check that you have formulated your case study according to your outline and review each case closely to know if it meets its objectives or not.
One more amazing suggestion for you is to have someone else to give a good proofreading to your case. Other than objectives evaluation, the third person may also point out any minor or major mistakes, if any.
While revising your work, read it section by section and make sure that you read and understand everything perfectly. Once you are done revising it section by section, give it enough revision time again as a whole. Make sure everything is perfectly written and placed accordingly.
Make corrections side by side or just highlight them to correct all at once.
Common Mistakes to Avoid While Writing the Case Study
- If you choose to write a case study on a shaky premise, it will lead your case study to failure, so just avoid that.
- Don’t ever utilize the old collected data to write in your case study. Always collect fresh and up to date data.
- One of the frequent errors is to present the material in the wrong order.
- If you choose to extract data from other studies, it will result in repetition of data, which could lead your case study to failure.
- Not performing enough research yourself is another common mistake. A few people collect facts after a lot of hard work but fail to make notes, which also lead you to failure at the end.
- Poor language skills or use of inappropriate words to express your ideas and thoughts in case study gives a very bad impression.
- Errors in grammar, punctuation, and syntax are must to avoid as well.
- People start working on the process of how to write a case study without having a clear path. Understand your aims thoroughly and give it time as much as it wants. Then execute the entire process to achieve those aims.
So, it was all about the process of how to write a case study. There is nothing left now that you need to know to take a start. Take a deep breath and start working on it.
Lots of luck! | https://bohatala.com/how-to-write-a-case-study/ |
No more single-minded or determined batsman has traversed the West Indian cricketing landscape since Brian Lara's debut than Shivnarine Chanderpaul. The tour of England last summer confirmed his place in the pantheon of West Indies batsmen. Demonstrating extensive spells of concentration and stamina, he repelled England's bowlers for 1,074 minutes between dismissals and averaged 148 in the three Tests he played. He thus became the first man to record three 1,000-minute vigils in Test cricket, his 1,513 minutes without being dismissed by India in 2002 being the longest of all.
In resisting the seam at Lord's and swing at Riverside, Chanderpaul was exceptional, but it was his 116 not out in testing conditions with bounce, seam and jagged rough at Old Trafford that cast off his reputation as one who prospers mainly on pitches of low bounce: an innings he refers to as his "best ever". It was as if, with Lara's international retirement after the World Cup, and the premature departure of captain Ramnaresh Sarwan through injury, Chanderpaul felt galvanised to shoulder the team's burden as their most experienced batsman. That no other West Indian managed a score of more than 60 in the Tests speaks of the yawning gap between his skill, commitment and experience - and theirs.
The achievements of Shivnarine Chanderpaul are inextricably linked to his upbringing. He was born into humble surroundings on August 16, 1974, in a fishing village on the north-east coast of Guyana aptly named Unity Village, whose ethnic mix comprises a population of East Indian and African descent. As if it was preordained, he recounts how he grew up no more than a couple of minutes' walk from the village cricket ground. Heroes and role models were something that he neither sought nor found beyond his immediate family: he counts himself fortunate to have grown up in "a relatively stable home environment. To have both parents at my side actually supporting me was a big help." A lot of his team-mates aren't so lucky.
Khemraj Chanderpaul, an admirer of Alvin Kallicharran, and his son literally carved out a pitch on the ground's periphery so as not to inconvenience the two village teams who shared the main centre strip. At eight, Shiv played for the village team: "an experience in itself, going out there to play with big men". Ever since he has had a love of batting. "I would bat for hours and hours against my father, uncle (who had trials for Guyana) or anyone else who would offer to bowl" - male or female. He learned to bowl himself, but only to get them out quickly so he could bat again.
He was taken by his father to the Everest club in Georgetown, but lack of opportunity forced him to Demerara Cricket Club, for whose Under-16s he played aged ten. Eventually he returned to the East Coast. It was a family friend, Sheik Mohammed, who advised Khemraj to take his son to the most prestigious club in the country, Georgetown CC, after watching him play an impressive innings. And it was at Georgetown's ground, Bourda, that he made his Test debut against England in March 1994 at 19, his selection not greeted with consensus at all. For Chanderpaul himself it was "a shock and made my hair stand on end". A solid if somewhat nervous 62 eased, if not dispelled, the doubts.
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Frustration followed as he was unable to convert any of his first 13 Test half-centuries into hundreds. That first landmark eventually came against India, against whom he averages more than 71 in Tests. Terms such as dogged, crablike and accumulator have been used to describe him, yet Chanderpaul is versatile enough to have scored what was then the thirdfastest Test century recorded in terms of balls faced (69), against Australia at Bourda in 2003. "Balance is important, a steady head and not shuffling too much." Substance rather than style has been his ethos.
Chanderpaul refers to his almost interminable concentration as "an immense skill and unique gift - a divine gift bestowed by Lord Shiva". He has matured into a devout Hindu since meeting his guru a few years ago and carries an altar with him on his travels. In truth, his seemingly infinite powers of concentration are also a product of the incessant appetite he nourished in those formative years, polished now by meticulous preparation and an intense work ethic. A team-mate once said: "The difference between Chanderpaul and some others is that if he gets home from tour tomorrow and is asked to go to Timbuktu to play a game of cricket, he will go." Shiv says: "As a youngster I did anything to get better, like hours of knocking a ball buried in a pair of unfortunate socks hanging from a string."
As a personality he can be assertive and is a much tougher character than his public persona reveals. Sure, he can be shy - public speaking was never his forte during his stint as West Indies captain - yet he has never taken a backward step. This writer, who played several Test series with him, has seen more esteemed team-mates shrink in the face of the fastest bowling, but never Chanderpaul.
Given that he is a man of small stature, he is extremely bold and brave, confrontational even. He reminisces about soaking a concrete strip at Unity with water and having the bowlers throw or bowl the ball at high speed, gathering pace off the slippery surface. Once he was struck and began to cry, but his father said: "No crying here, if you want to play with the men you have got to be tough."
Almost as reward for a durable and consistent career he was finally offered the chance to play county cricket in 2007 alongside former West Indian team-mate Ottis Gibson at Durham, and was the top scorer in the Lord's final which brought them their first trophy. Gibson says Durham's cricketers rave at Shiv's willingness to pass on his experience to their younger players. In a paradigm evidenced by a frightening level of anomie among Caribbean youth, Chanderpaul's standards are as high as ever, and after more than 13 years on the international treadmill his love for batting remains undiminished. | https://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/344694.html |
On the 15th anniversary of the return of wolves to Yellowstone National Park, a quiet but profound rebirth of life and ecosystem health is emerging, scientists conclude in a new report.
For the first time in 70 years, the over-browsing of young aspen and willow trees has diminished as elk populations in northern Yellowstone declined and their fear of wolf predation increased. Trees and shrubs have begun recovering along some streams, providing improved habitat for beaver and fish. Birds and bears also have more food.
"Yellowstone increasingly looks like a different place," said William Ripple, a professor in the Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society at Oregon State University, and lead author of the study.
"These are still the early stages of recovery, and some of this may still take decades," Ripple said. "But trees and shrubs are starting to come back and beaver numbers are increasing. The signs are very encouraging."
The findings of this report, based on a recent analysis done by OSU researchers and a review of many other studies as well, were just published in Biological Conservation, a professional journal. They outline an ecosystem renaissance that has taken place since wolves were restored to Yellowstone after being extirpated in the 1920s.
Along four streams studied in the Lamar River basin, 100 percent of the tallest young aspen sprouts were being browsed in 1998, compared to less than 20 percent last year. Heavy browsing by elk on this favorite food had caused new aspen tree recruitment to essentially grind to a halt in the mid-to-late 1900s, when wolves were absent, but new trees are now growing again in places.
Since their reintroduction in 1995-96, the wolf population generally increased until 2003, forcing changes in both elk numbers and behavior due to what researchers call the "ecology of fear."
The northern range elk populations decreased from more than 15,000 individuals in the early 1990s to about 6,000 last year, and remaining elk now have different patterns of movement, vigilance, and other traits.
By 2006, some aspen trees had grown tall enough they were no longer susceptible to browsing by elk, and cottonwood and willow were also beginning to return in places.
Improved willow growth is providing habitat that allows for a greater diversity and abundance of songbirds such as the common yellowthroat, warbling vireo and song sparrow.
The number of beaver colonies in the same area increased from one in 1996 to 12 in 2009, with positive impacts on fish habitat.
Increases in beaver populations have strong implications for riparian hydrology and biodiversity Wyoming streams with beaver ponds have been found to have 75 times more abundant waterfowl than those without.
The coyote population decreased with the increase in wolf numbers, potentially allowing more small mammals that provide food for other avian and mammalian predators, such as red foxes, ravens and bald eagles.
Evidence of improved ecosystem health following the return of wolves is "becoming increasingly persuasive," the scientists said in their report, though they also note that an increasing population of bison is continuing to impact young woody plants in the Lamar Valley.
"The wolves have made a major difference in Yellowstone," said Robert Beschta, a professor emeritus of forestry at OSU and co-author on the study.
"Whether similar recovery of plant communities can be expected in other areas, especially on public lands outside national parks, is less clear," Beschta said. "It may be necessary for wolves not only to be present but to have an ecologically effective density, and mechanisms to deal with human and wolf conflicts also need to be improved."
But at least in America's first national park, the return of this large predator is having an impact.
"Predation and predation risk associated with large predators appear to represent powerful ecological forces," the researchers concluded in their report, "capable of affecting the interactions of numerous animals and plants, as well as the structure and function of ecosystems."
Are wolves saving Yellowstone's aspen trees from elk? | https://phys.org/news/2011-12-ecosystem-yellowstone-years-wolves.html |
Months ago, TT-friend Gary suggested that I watch the Japanese film "Tampopo". I didn't really tell me what it was about other than it was "good". It's actually a great film about the love and experiences related to food told through both the story of Tampopo, who wants to be the best ramen chef she can be, but also through the many vignettes that play out during the movie. It also reminded me of "Jiro Dreams of Sushi", a 2011 documentary of (at that time) 85yr old master sushi chef whose relentless pursuit of culinary mastery during of his 75yr career has earned him three Michelin stars, respect from fellow chefs, and a global fanbase.
This blurb is from the Stockholm Syndrome edition of Thoroughly Thursday. | https://scottdavidmoe.com/blog/tt-stockholmsyndrome-watching |
103 In their analysis, his early reforms centralised France and marked the birth of the modern French state. Louise Franoise de Bourbon, Mademoiselle de Nantes (..
166 China edit Main article: Education in the People's Republic of China The PRC conducts standardized testing to assess proficiency in Standard Chinese, known as..
great empire has been diminished to the status of two cities, with no rule of its own, but as part of a larger country. When Spartan boys turned seven years factors that effect hypertention old they began training for the military, and they ceased their training at the age of twenty. Sparta, Corinth, and Thebes, which made up the Peloponnesian League on one side, and Athens and its other allies, which made up the Delian League were on the other side. In 900.C., fifty years after Athens was invaded, the Dorians invaded Laconia in southeastern Greece, destroying almost all of the small villages. Sparta was militarily supreme over Athens, and it also supported better equality and simplicity of life. A newly elected democratic leader Cleisthenes decreased power of the upper class so as to eliminate power struggles. Mycenaean rule and civilization were destroyed. The boys of Athens went to school between the ages of five and eighteen, where they learned reading, writing, mathematics, music, poetry, sports and gymnastics. But the city remained Greeces intellectual center. In this paper both similarities and differences between Athens and Sparta will be explored, so as to learn the real truth about these two ancient city-state giants.
For hundreds of years, wealthy Roman families sent their sons to Athens to complete their education. From childhood, life was one continuous trial of endurance. The members of the league were obliged to follow Sparta in war. Sparta was forced to give up its Messenian land and its helots.
Its other achievements were that is had excellent forms of art, architecture, drama and literature, philosophy, science, and medicine. The Aristocracy also controlled a council called the Areopagus. Sparta failed to conquer the cities of Arcadia but forced them to enter the Peloponnesian League. In 415.C., Athens suffered a crushing defeat at Syracuse. Its excellent military conquered many territories, which they controlled with slaves. Twenty-one years after Draco s rule ended in 594.C., Athenian leader Solon abolished the Draconian laws, and established new ones that eliminated the Archons in the Ecclesia. A Greek hero, Theseus, united Athens with several other city-states and established a monarchy. Athens was the first democracy, and it was also the first to govern with trial by jury. Even though these two city-states differ greatly from one another, they share many characteristics of their country and their time period. Athens, athens was one of the first city-states. Athens had a king, as how to Lose a Guy in Ten Days did other Greek states. | http://estrelitzia.eu/40433-athens-and-sparta-the-culture/ |
US planning for a possible attack against Iraq continues to make front-page news, but preparations for post-attack programs are getting much less attention. This is a mistake; war in Iraq would create a humanitarian disaster, including huge flows of refugees and a serious nutritional and public health crisis in Iraq.
Surrounding countries estimate that as many as 1.5 million people will flee Iraq, and hundreds of thousands could be displaced within the country. The United Nations might need to feed seven to eight million people, about one-third of the country's population, according to some estimates. Unlike Afghanistan, where relief agencies have been working for years, there is little infrastructure to deal with a humanitarian disaster in Iraq. Stockpiling food, assembling supplies and medicine and building relief teams will take time and money, mainly from the United States.
If Saddam Hussein were to use chemical or biological weapons to blunt an attack, the humanitarian crisis would be far worse. Thousands of people would be killed or incapacitated, but relief workers - the world's first responders to complex emergencies - would find it difficult to provide aid. Humanitarian workers are completely unprepared to work in the toxic conditions they could encounter in Iraq.
Operating separately, officials from the UN, the US military and private relief agencies have begun preliminary contingency planning to address Iraq's post-conflict needs. The challenges are daunting. First, nobody knows if or when the United States will attack. The current speculation is that any attack would come in the cooler months of January or February, which would increase the need for shelter, blankets, and clothing.
In addition, humanitarian planners don't know anything about the dimensions or targets of a possible attack; would it be focused on Baghdad or include other major cities, such as Basra and Mosul?
Second, nobody knows if the war would stay limited to Iraq or spread to other countries, such as Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. Both UN and US analysts have concluded that Iraq has retained a missile program that could allow it to attack targets in other countries.
Third, all planners are worried about a basic lack of assistance infrastructure in and around Iraq. For example, only a few international non-government agencies work in Baghdad, compared with the hundreds working in Afghanistan.
As a result, there is no network for distributing aid quickly. The UN has less than 1,000 expatriate workers in Iraq, supported by a few thousand Iraqis. Most of the international workers administer the UN's oil for food program and would likely leave the country before hostilities start.
Combat would generate a large and immediate need for food, shelter and medicine, both for refugees and those who survived the war within Iraq. But very little relief material is stockpiled in the area. Iran estimates that up to one million refugees could move toward its border, but there are currently enough supplies in place for 40,000.
This problem can be solved with a combination of planning, time, and money. Thousands of tons of food, blankets and medical equipment must be stockpiled in the area as quickly as possible. Most of the refugees are expected to flee toward Iran and Turkey, although both countries currently contend that they won't accept new refugees. Nevertheless, supplies will have to be warehoused in Turkey and Iran so that assistance can be close to refugees in border areas.
These logistical problems are small compared to what relief agencies would face if Saddam Hussein, desperate to repel attack, used chemical or biological weapons. The immediate fatalities and casualties could be extremely high, and the lingering toxic impact of chemical, and particularly biological, agents could complicate rescue and relief efforts. Relief agencies simply lack the experience, equipment and training to work in poisoned environments.
In 1988 Iraqi forces killed thousands of Kurds with chemical weapons in the northern Iraqi city of Halabja. Dr. Christine Gosden, a British scientist who has studied the attack, concluded that ''treating immediately the victims of chemical attack is absolutely critical, not only for saving lives, but for preventing long-term radiation-like medical and genetic problems,'' such as cancer and birth defects.
But Saddam's forces used a cocktail of chemical toxins - mustard gas and the nerve agents Sarin, Tabun, and VX - that made defense and treatment particularly difficult.
No matter how complex the humanitarian challenges, they must be addressed quickly and forthrightly. The humanitarian costs are a necessary part of the calculus of war, and the United States must take the lead in confronting them. Preparation to save the people of Iraq is at least as important as planning to remove the president of Iraq. Kenneth H. Bacon,a former assistant secretary of defense, is the president of Refugees International.
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Joseph Wehby has been selected as the recipient of the 2015 Special Education Research Award from the Council for Exceptional Children. The award will be presented April 8 at the CEC 2015 Convention & Expo in San Diego, California.
Wehby is associate professor of special education at Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development and a Vanderbilt Kennedy Center researcher.
Wehby’s research focuses on identifying variables associated with the development and maintenance of aggressive behavior in children with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) and possible treatment strategies.
Among his contributions to the field is establishing the relationship between teachers’ patterns of instruction and its influence on both academic achievement and problem behavior in children and youth with EBD. He has developed comprehensive reading interventions that have had positive effects on academic and social performance. This work also has led to the development of observational methods for identifying behavioral processes and evaluating instructional interventions.
“This is a well-deserved recognition of Dr. Wehby,” said Elisabeth Dykens, Annette Schaffer Eskind Chair and Vanderbilt Kennedy Center director. “His research is of the highest quality. It addresses important, fundamental problems, and his work has had great impact on the field.”
“Perhaps it is in the area of training that Joe Wehby’s research has made the biggest impact,” added Donald Compton, professor and chair of special education. “At the doctoral level, a number of his students have extended the research in EBD to a greater scale and are identified as leading scholars in the field today. “The same impact can be seen at the classroom level, where his M.Ed. students have gone on to work in school districts around the country, using techniques developed from some of his research to improve the school outcomes of students with EBD.
“Overall, the work he has conducted and the students that he has trained have improved the lives of special education teachers and their students—and this impact will continue in the future,” he said. | https://news.vanderbilt.edu/2015/04/03/wehby-receives-2015-cec-special-education-research-award/ |
The present invention relates to systems for neuromodulation, especially neurostimulation.
(cf.
);
)).
Bizzl E, et al., Modular organization of motor behavior in the frog's spinal cord. Trends in neurosciences 18, 442-446 (1995
Levine AJ, et al., Identification of a cellular node for motor control pathways. Nature neuroscience 17, 586-593 (2014
Decades of research in physiology have demonstrated that the mammalian spinal cord embeds sensorimotor circuits that produce movement primitives These circuits process sensory information arising from the moving limbs and descending inputs originating from various brain regions in order to produce adaptive motor behaviors.
A spinal cord injury interrupts the communication between the spinal cord and supraspinal centers, depriving these sensorimotor circuits from the excitatory and modulatory drives necessary to produce movement.
In general, neural stimulation may be achieved by electrical stimulation, optogenetics (optical neural stimulation), chemical stimulation (implantable drug pump), ultrasound stimulation, magnetic field stimulation, mechanical stimulation, etc.
cf.
);
);
);
);
);
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van den Brand R, et al., Restoring Voluntary Control of Locomotion after Paralyzing Spinal Cord Injury. Science 336, 1182-1185 (2012
Angell CA, et al., Altering spinal cord excitability enables voluntary movements after chronic complete paralysis in humans. Brain: a journal of neurology 137, 1394-1409 (2014
Harkerna S, et al., Effect of epidural stimulation of the lumbosacral spinal cord on voluntary movement, standing, and assisted stepping after motor complete paraplegia: a case study. The Lancet 377, 1938-1947 (2011
Danner SM, et al., Human spinal locomotor control is based on flexibly organized burst generators. Brain: a journal of neurology 138, 577-588 (2015
Courtine G, et al., Transformation of nonfunctional spinal circuits into functional states after the loss of brain input. Nature neuroscience 12, 1333-1342, (2009
Capogrosso M, et al., A brain-spine interface alleviating gait deficits after spinal cord injury in primates. Nature 539, 284-288, (2016
A series of studies in animal models and humans showed that electrical neuromodulation of the lumbar spinal cord using Epidural Electrical Stimulation (EES) is capable of (re-)activating these circuits. For example, EES has restored coordinated locomotion in animal models of SCI, and isolated leg movements in individuals with motor paralysis ().
Capogrosso M, et al., A computational model for epidural electrical stimulation of spinal sensorimotor circuits. The Journal of neuroscience: the official joumal of the Society for Neuroscience 33, 19326-19340 (2013
Moraud EM, et al., Mechanisms Underlying the Neuromodulation of Spinal Circuits for Correcting Gait and Balance Deficits after Spinal Cord Injury. Neuron 89, 814-828 (2016
Rattay F, et al., Epidural electrical stimulation of posterior structures of the human lumbosacral cord: 2. quantitative analysis by computer modeling. Spinal cord 38, 473-489 (2000
Gerastmenko Y, et al., Program No. 447.445 (Soc. Neurosci. Abstr
Minession K, et al., Human lumbar cord circuitries can be activated by extrinsic tonic input to generate locomotor-like activity. Human Movement Science 26, 275-295 (2007
Moraud EM, et al., Mechanisms Underlying the Neuromodulation of Spinal Circuits for Correcting Gait and Balance Deficits after Spinal Cord Injury. Neuron 89, 814-828, (2016
);
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.);
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Computational models (cf. and experimental studies cf. have provided evidence suggesting that EES recruits large-diameter sensory afferents, especially proprioceptive circuits cf.
Moraud EM, et al., Mechanisms Underlying the Neuromodulation of Spinal Circuits for Correcting Gait and Balance Deficits after Spinal Cord Injury. Neuron 89, 814-828 (2016
)
Consequently, the stimulation leads to the activation of motoneurons through mono- and polysynaptic proprioceptive circuits, as well as increases the general excitability of the lumbar spinal cord. In addition, the natural modulation of proprioceptive circuits during movement execution gates the effects of EES towards functionally relevant spinal pathways. Concretely, due to phase-dependent modulation of proprioceptive circuits, the effects of stimulation are restricted to specific ensembles of leg motoneurons that are coherent with the phase of the movement (cf. ).
van den Brand R, et al., Restoring Voluntary Control of Locomotion after Paralyzing Spinal Cord Injury. Science 336, 1182-1185 (2012
Angeli CA, et al., Altering spinal cord excitability enables voluntary movements after chronic complete paralysis in humans. Brain: a journal of neurology 137, 1394-1409 (2014
Harkema, S, et al. Effect of epidural stimulation of the lumbosacral spinal cord on voluntary movement, standing, and assisted stepping after motor complete paraplegia: a case study. The Lancet 377, 1938-1947
Moreover, since EES engages motoneurons through trans-synaptic mechanisms, residual inputs from supraspinal centres are also capable of gating the effects of EES towards specific circuits or increasing the excitability of the motoneuron pools (and thus their responsiveness to EES) in order to mediate voluntary modulation of leg movements (cf. ); ); ).
Blzzi E, et al., Modular organization of motor behavior in the frog's spinal cord. Trends in neurosciences 18, 442-446 (1995
Levine AJ, et al. Identification of a cellular node for motor control pathways. Nature neuroscience 17, 588-593 (2014
);
)).
This conceptual framework was exploited to design a neuromodulation strategy that targets specific ensembles of proprioceptive afferents associated with flexion and extension of both legs (cf.
(
);
)).
Capogrosso M, et al., A brain-spine interface alleviating gait deficits after spinal cord injury in primates. Nature 539, 284-288, (2016
Wenger N, et al., Spatiotemporal neuromodulation therapies engaging muscle synergies improve motor control after spinal cord Injury. Nat Med 22, 138-145 (2016
This strategy, termed spatiotemporal neuromodulation, consists of delivering EES bursts through targeted electrode configurations with a temporal structure that reproduces the natural activation of leg motoneurons during locomotion. This spatiotemporal neuromodulation therapy reversed leg paralysis in both rodent and primate models of SCI cf.
This conceptual framework is applicable to develop spatiotemporal neuromodulation therapies for enabling leg motor control in humans with SCI.
Generally speaking, known stimulation systems use either Central Nervous System (CNS) stimulation, especially Epidural Electrical Stimulation (EES), or Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) stimulation, especially Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES).
Capogrosso M, et al., A Computational Model for Epidural Electrical Stimulation of Spinal Sensorimotor Circuits, Journal of Neuroscience 4 December 2013, 33 (49) 19326-19340
Courtine G, et al., Transformation of nonfunctional spinal circuits into functional states after the loss of brain input, Nat Neurosci. 2009 Oct; 12(10): 1333-1342
Moraud EM, et al, Mechanisms Underlying the Neuromodulation of Spinal Circuits for Correcting Gait and Balance Deficits after Spinal Cord Injury, Neuron Volume 89, Issue 4, p814-828, 17 February 2016
;
;
EES is known to restore motor control in animal and human models and has more particularly been shown to restore locomotion after spinal cord injury by artificially activating the neural networks responsible for locomotion below the spinal cord lesion (cf. ). EES does not directly stimulate motor-neurons but the afferent sensory neurons prior to entering into the spinal cord. In this way, the spinal networks responsible for locomotion are recruited indirectly via those afferents, restoring globally the locomotion movement by activating the required muscle synergies. The produced movement is functional; however, due to relatively poor selectivity (network activation instead of selective targeting of key muscles) the controllability is low and the imprecisions hinder fluidity and full functionality in the potential space of the movement.
PNS stimulation systems used to date in the clinic are known as FES hat provides electrical stimulation to target muscles with surface electrodes, either directly through stimulation of their motorfibers (neuro-muscular stimulation), or through a limited set reflexes (practically limited to the withdrawal reflex) or by transcutaneously stimulating the peripheral nerves. The resulting muscle fatigue has rendered FES unsuitable for use in daily life. Furthermore, successes have remained limited through cumbersome setups when using surface muscle stimulation, unmet needs in terms of selectivity (when using transcutaneous nerve stimulation) and a lack of stability (impossible to reproduce exact electrode placement on a daily basis when stimulating muscles, moving electrodes due to clothes, sweating).
EP 2 868 343 A1
Wenger N, et al., Closed-loop neuromodulation of spinal sensorimotor circuits controls refined locomotion after complete spinal cord injury, Science Translational Medicine, 6, 255 (2014
).
discloses a system to deliver adaptive electrical spinal cord stimulation to facilitate and restore locomotion after neuromotor impairment. inter alia, a closed-loop system for real-time control of EES is disclosed, the system comprising means for applying to a subject neuromodulation with adjustable stimulation parameters, said means being operatively connected with a real-time monitoring component comprising sensors continuously acquiring feedback signals from said subject. The feedback signals provide features of motion of a subject, wherein the real-time monitoring component is operatively connected with a signal processing device receiving feedback signals and operating real-time automatic control algorithms. This known system improves consistency of walking in a subject with a neuromotor impairment. Reference is also made to
WO 2002/034331 A2
discloses a non-closed loop implantable medical device system that includes an implantable medical device, along with a transceiver device that exchanges data with the patient, between the patient and the implantable medical device, and between a remote location and the implantable medical device. A communication device coupled to the transceiver device exchanges data with the transceiver device, the implantable medical device through the receiver device, and between the transceiver device and the remote location to enable bi-directional data transfer between the patient, the implantable medical device, the transceiver device, and the remote location. A converter unit converts transmission of the data from a first telemetry format to a second telemetry format, and a user interface enables information to be exchanged between the transceiver device and the patient, between the implantable medical device and the patient through the transceiver device, and between the patient and the remote location through the transceiver device.
EP 3 184 145
discloses systems for selective spatiotemporal electrical neurostimulation of the spinal cord. A signal processing device receiving signals from a subject and operating signal-processing algorithms to elaborate stimulation parameter settings is operatively connected with an implantable pulse generator (IPG) receiving stimulation parameter settings from said signal processing device and able to simultaneously deliver independent current or voltage pulses to one or more multiple electrode arrays. The electrode arrays are operatively connected with one or more multi-electrode arrays suitable to cover at least a portion of the spinal cord of said subject for applying a selective spatiotemporal stimulation of the spinal circuits and/or dorsal roots, wherein the IPG is operatively connected with one or more multi-electrode arrays to provide a multipolar stimulation. Such system advantageously allows achieving effective control of locomotor functions in a subject in need thereof by stimulating the spinal cord, in particular the dorsal roots, with spatiotemporal selectivity.
WO 2017/062508 A1
discloses a system for controlling a therapeutic device and/or environmental parameters including one or more body worn sensor devices that detect and report one or more physical, physiological, or biological parameters of a person in an environment. The sensor devices can communicate sensor data indicative of the one or more physical, physiological, or biological parameters of a person to an external hub that processes the data and communicates with the therapeutic device to provide a therapy (e.g., neuromodulation, neurostimulation, or drug delivery) as a function of the sensor data. In some embodiments, the therapeutic device can be implanted in the person. In some embodiments, the therapeutic device can be in contact with the skin of the person. The sensor devices can also communicate to the hub that communicates with one or more devices to change the environment as a function of the sensor data.
WO2016/110804 A1
describes a number of inventions comprising one or more wearable devices (i.e. attached or applied to limbs, body, head or other body extremities but also applicable to implanted or physiologically attachable systems). These systems have a means of enabling diagnostic or prognostic monitoring applicable to monitoring relevant parameters and corresponding analysis determination and characterization applicable to the onset or detection of events or health conditions of interest.
WO2017/058913
relates to systems and methods to analyze gait, balance or posture information extracted from data collected by one or more wearable and connected sensor devices with sensors embedded there within. Sensor data detected by the sensors can be received by a mobile computing device, which can analyze the sensor data to identify a pattern related to gait, balance or posture within the sensor data; and apply a statistical/machine learning-based classification to the pattern related to gait, balance or posture to assign a clinical parameter to the pattern characterizing a risk of a slip, trip and fall event.
WO2005/002663 A2
discloses a method for generating an electrical signal for use in biomedical applications, including two timing-interval generators, each optionally driving a multistep sequencer; analog, digital or hybrid means for combining the resulting timed signals into a complex electrical signal; optional filtering means for blocking direct current, removing selected frequency components from the resulting signal, and/or providing voltage stepup if needed; and conductive means for coupling the resulting signal to a human or animal body, food, beverage or other liquid, cell or tissue culture, or pharmaceutical material, in order to relieve pain, stimulate healing or growth, enhance the production of specific biochemicals, or devitalize selected types of organisms.
US 2018/236240 A1
US 2011/313483 A1
US 2017/173346 A1
Further prior art is disclosed by , and .
According to the state of the art, smooth movements comparable to healthy subjects still cannot be achieved by neuromodulation of the subject. There is no available system which overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art. In particular, there is the need of a system stimulating the patient not as a robot. A good roll of the foot and no parasite movements are necessary during walking and smooth movements are necessary during any other movement including but not limited to cycling and/or swimming and/or rowing and/or stepping and/or sitting down and/or standing up. Thus, the goal of applying stimulation is not to control the patient as a robot, but to support the patient during training and daily life activities, including but not limited to walking and/or cycling and/or swimming and/or rowing and/or stepping and/or sitting down and/or standing up and/or or any other movement.
Thus, a control system should enable real-time synchronization of stimulation and motion.
It is an object of the present invention to improve a neuromodulation system, preferably a neurostimulation system, e.g. in the field of improving recovery after neurological disorders like spinal cord injury (SCI), for example after trauma, especially in synchronizing stimulation and a feedback acquisition system.
at least one stimulation element,
at least one stimulation controller and
at least one stimulation feedback aquisition system, further comprising
a reference trigger input module configured such that the temporal relationship between a provided stimulation via the stimulation element and the stimulation controller and a stimulation response received by the stimulation feedback aquisition system can be characterized,
wherein the stimulation controller is configured and arranged to provide a reference trigger signal, wherein the trigger signal is recorded by the stimulation feedback acquisition system.
This object is solved according to the present invention by a neuomodulation system movement reconstruction and/or restoration of a patient, with the features of claim 1. Accordingly, a neuromodulation system comprising:
The invention is based on the basic idea that in the context of neuromodulation, especially neurostimulation, the electrical stimulation parameters defining the stimulation for a patient can be controlled with said system, wherein a reference trigger signal is provided, such that the temporal and/or spatial and/or spatiotemporal relationship between stimulation and the actual received response of the stimulation can be characterized. The temporal relationship may be used to improve stimulation sequences for a desired type of movement.
The actual received response may include any physiological response to the stimulation obtained by a feedback acquisition system. The use of a general concept including at least one stimulation element, at least one stimulation controller, at least one stimulation feedback aquisition system, and a reference trigger input module for neuromodulation system for a patient being equipped with the neuromodulation system enables triggering neurostimulation based on a determined temporal relationship between stimulation and acquisition of feedback. In other words, the temporal relationship, or temporal difference, caused by the feedback acquisition system may be corrected based on the reference trigger input module.As a consequence, the system may enable realtime stimulation of a patient during a task and/or movement. In particular, as the temporal relationship between stimulation provided by the stimulation element and the physiological response may have been characterized, the stimulation element may provide stimulation to the patient such that realtime movements are enabled. In other words, the stimulation may be correlated in time with the physiological response.
In doing so, the system my overcome manual tuning and/or timing by a therapist and/or physiotherapist.
The neuromodulation system may interfere with the natural feedback loop of the patient to enable smooth motion, e.g. a regular gait cycle comparable to a healthy subject.
The system can be used for treatment related but not limited to restoring and/or training of the movements of the patient. These movements may include but are not limited to walking, running, stepping, swimming, cycling, rowing, standing up and/or sitting down. However, also other types of cyclic and non-cyclic movements are possible. The system may be also applied for a patient being supported by an external device, Including but not limited to body-weight support, a walker, or crutches.
The stimulation controller may be configured and arranged to provide stimulation control signals to the stimulation element. The stimulation controller may process data that is acquired among others from the stimulation element, the stimulation feedback aquisition system and the reference trigger input module. In particular, the stimulation controller may be a body-worn platform to execute the control software.
The stimulation feedback aquisition system may be configured and arranged to assess any type of direct and/or indirect stimulation response, including but not limited to motion, electrical excitation signals and/or heat.
The feedback acquisition system may continuously acquire data.
A trigger signal may be used during data acquisition in order to characterize when a stimulation event has been provided by the stimulation element, such that after providing the stimulation, the physiological response to the stimulation can be captured and distinguished from the background, including but not limited to noise and/or other artefacts.
In general, a trigger signal provided by a neuromodulation system may be essential for performing reliable event-detection by an algorithm responsible for processing acquired physiological signals. Since physiological signals are very prone to various disturbances and artefacts, the likelihood of false positives may increase when the system does not comprise a reference trigger input module processing trigger signals and respective physiological responses.
The stimulation controller, the stimulation element and/or the stimulation feedback acquisition system are not synchronized by nature. In particular, the characterization of the temporal relationship enables synchronizing the clocks of the stimulation element, the stimulation controller, the feedback acquisition system and the refeference trigger input module. if further subsystems are included in the neuromodulation system, the temporal relationship between all subsystems may be corrected by synchronization of the clocks of said further subsystems.
The temporal relationship may be a time delay. Thus, the neuromodulation system may characterize and/or manage and/or correct for the time delay occurring between stimulation initiated by the stimulation controller and/or stimulation element and/or the stimulation feedback acquisition system and/or the reference trigger input module. As a consequence, said neuromodulation system enables, inter alia, triggering or synchronizing stimulation element and stimulation feedback acquisition system.
The at least one stimulation feedback aquisition system may comprise a stimulation feedback acquisition base station and/or at least one sensor. The sensor may be or may comprise at least one of a sequence of event sensor, and/or motion sensor, and/or EMG, and/or afferent signal sensor, and/or efferent signal sensor, and/or impedance sensor, and/or EEG, and/orBCl and/or camera-based system. The EMG sensor may be a surface or intramuscular electrode or array of electrodes.
In particular, the at least one sensor could be configured and arranged to be implemented as a camera-based system that detects muscular activation.
In particular, an implanted stimulation element and/or stimulation electrode and/or array of electrodes could also be used as a sensor.
In particular, the at least one sensor may enable detection of any type of stimulation response, including but not limited to motion, electrical excitation signals and/or heat. The at least one sensor may be configured and arranged to be inserted into and/or attached to the patient's body and/or parts of the patient's body, including but not limited to at least one upper and/or lower limb, the head, the trunk, the neck, the hips, and/or the abdomen of a patient. Alternatively, the sensors may be integrated into and/or attached onto a training device or auxilery therapeutic equipment, including but not limited to an exoskeleton, physiotherapy beds or any type of clothing.
Furthermore, the stimulation feedback aquisition system may comprise at least two identical and/or nonidentical sensors, wherein the at least two sensors are synchronized. Of note, in the case that the stimulation feedback aquisition system may comprise more than two sensors it may be possible that only some sensors are synchronized. Alternatively, all sensors of the stimulation feedback aquisition system may be synchronized.
In particular, the two or more sensors may form a sensor network. The sensor network may be a wireless sensor network.
Further, the neuromodulation system may comprise one or more subsystems, wherein the subsystems comprise at least one of a programmer, a passive electrical means, a microprocessor, a wireless link (WL), a communication module (COM) and/or a telemetry module (TEL) module.
The programmer may be used to receive inter alia stimulation parameters, patient data, physiological data, training data etc. The programmer may be an application installed on a mobile device that communicates with the stimulation controller. The programmer may be used by a therapist, physiotherapist, or patient to provide inputs to the stimulation controller, e.g., selecting, starting, and stopping a task or configuring stimulation parameters.
The programmer should allow adjusting the stimulation parameters of a task, while the task is running. This enables the user to tune the stimulation without having to start and stop the task, which would be very cumbersome at the start of the rehabilitation training, when all stimulation partitures are developed and tuned.
The programmer may include but is not limited to a physiotherapist programmer (PTP), and patient programmer (PP) which are applications installed on a mobile device that communicate with the controller. These programmers may aim at providing functionalities for different levels of professional expertise in the field of rehabilitation and as such could, respectively, provide advanced stimulation options with trigger-capabilities to physiotherapists and simpler forms of trigger-capabilities to patients.
This wireless network may link the stimulation controller and the stimulation element and/or the feedback acquisition system and/or the reference trigger input module and/or any other subsystem including but not limited to a programmer and/or a microprocessor of the neuromodulation system to send data and receive data. This also may include error-correction, retries, commands including but not limited to start or stopping a task.
The communication module may be or may comprise a Bluetooth module and the telemetry module may be or may comprise a Near Field Magnetic Induction (NFMI) module or a Near Field Electromagnetic Induction module (NFEMI). Alternatively, and/or additionally, the telemetry module may be or may comprise one or more of a Medical Implant Communication System (MICS) and/or one or more of a Medical Data Service System (MEDS).
MICS is a low-power, short-range, high-data-rate 401-406 MHz (the core band is 402-405 MHz) communication network.
Similarly, MEDS systems may operate in spectrum within the frequency bands 401 MHz to 402 MHz and 405 MHz to 406 MHz.
In particular, the communication module may be a wireless link between the stimulation controller and the stimulation element and/or the stimulation feedback acquisition system and/or the reference trigger input module and/or any other subsystem including but not limited to a programmer and/or a microprocessor and/or a connecting means of the neuromodulation system to send data and receive data. This also may include error-correction, retries, commands including but not limited to start or stopping a task.
Furthermore, the stimulation controller may be configured and arranged to provide a reference trigger signal, wherein the reference trigger signal is recorded by the stimulation feedback aquisition system.
In particular, the reference trigger signal may be a at least one of e.g. a electrical signal, a Bluetooth signal, an NFMI signal and/or an NFEMI signal. This reference trigger signal may enable synchronization of the stimulation element and the stimulation feedback acquisition system. In general, it could be possible that the reference trigger signal is used to start data acquisition of the stimulation feedback acquisition system, in particular to start data aquisition of the sensor of the stimulation feedback acquisition system. Similarly, in addition to or rather than starting/stopping acquisition, the reference trigger may be used as time-marker in a signal acquired over a timeperiod to segment specific temporal segments of that data for further processing.
Of note, the reference trigger signal may also allow synchronization of other systems and/or elements and/or subsystems being part of the neuromodulation system. The above-mentioned subsystems may lead to various delays in said neuromodulation system. However, the reference trigger input system module may be configured and arranged such that the temporal relationship, e.g. time delay, between the various subsystems can be characterized and/or managed and/or corrected.
Furthermore, the stimulation controller may be configured and arranged to be connected to a connecting means, wherein the connecting means is connected to the stimulation feedback aquisition system. In particular, the connecting means may be connected to the feedback acquisition base station and/or at least one sensor of the stimulation feedback aquisition system.
Furthermore, a passive electrical means may be configured and arranged to convert a NFMI signal into an electrical signal, wherein the response and/or the transmission of the electrical signal is recorded by the stimulation feedback aquisition system. in particular, a NFMI signal provided by the stimulation controller may be converted by the passive electrical means into an electric signal, wherein the response and/or the transmission of the electrical signal may be recorded by the stimulation feedback aquisition system. Of note, any other type of signal provided by the simulation controller including but not limited to a NFMI signal, a NFEMI signal, and/or a Bluetooth signal could be converted by a passive electrical means into any other type of signal, including but not limited to an electric signal.
In particular, the passive electrical means may be configured and arranged to be included in a sticker, wherein the sticker may be attached to the skin of a patient. In particular, the passive electrical means may be included in and/or attached onto the sticker. Of note, the sticker may be placed on any part of the body of the patient. In particular, the passive electrical means may pick up the magnetic field, i.e. the NFMI signal, provided by the stimulation controller and convert it into an electric field onto the sticker attached to the skin of the patient. In particular, the electrical field may propagate from the sticker attached to the skin of the patient over the skin of the patient, thereby changing skin potential. In particular, this change in skin potential may be recorded by the stimulation feedback acquisition system. Thereby, the signal could serve as a reference trigger signal for the stimulation feedback acquisition system.
Alternatively, the passive electrical means may be configured and arranged to be inserted and/or integrated into and/or onto the clothing of the patient, including but not limited to a top, a longsleeve, a pullover, a jacket, one or more gloves, armlets, socks, tights, a belt and/or a pouch worn by the patient equipped with the system. The passive electrical means may be In direct contact with the skin of the patient. Furthermore, the stimulation element may be configured and arranged to provide an under-threshold signal, wherein the under-threshold signal does not lead to stimulation of a subject but is detectable by the stimulation feedback aquisition system as a reference trigger signal. In particular, the stimulation element and/or the casing of the stimulation element may provide a signal, which does not induce a movement and/or excitation of the patient but may be recorded by the stimulation feedback acquisition system.
In general, It is possible to provide neuromodulation and/or neurostimulation with the stimulation element to the CNS with a CNS stimulation element and/or to the PNS with a PNS stimulation element. Note that the CNS stimulation element and the PNS stimulation element can be comprised in one stimulation element. Both CNS and PNS can be stimulated at the same time or also intermittently or on demand. These two complementary stimulation paradigms can be combined into one strategy and made available for a patient being equipped with the system. For example, neuromodulation and/or neurostimulation of the CNS may be used to enhance and/or restore the patient's capabilities of movement, especially in a way that the existing ways of physiological signal transfer in the patient's body are supported such that the command signals for body movement or the like still are provided by the patient's nervous system and just supported and/or enhanced or translated by the CNS stimulation system. The stimulation provided by a PNS stimulation element may be used to specifically steer and direct stimulation signals to specific peripheral nervous structures in order to trigger a specific movement and/or refine existing movements. Such a PNS stimulation may be used to refine and/or complete motion and/or movement capabilities of the patient being equipped with the system. It can be e.g. used to complete flexion or extension, lifting, turning or the like of inter alia but not limited to toes, fingers, arms, feet, legs or any extremities of the patient. This can be e.g. done in cases where it is realized that the neuromodulation and/or neurostimulation provided by the CNS stimulation element is not sufficient to complete a movement of the patient. Then, such a movement may be completed or supported by stimulation provided by the PNS stimulation element. The PNS stimulation can be also used to reduce side effects or compensate for imprecisions of the CNS stimulation.
EES can be phasic or tonic, selective PNS stimulation is always phasic. Here, phasic is defined as locked to defined events in the sensing signals (decoded intention, continuous decoding, muscle activity onset, movement onset, event during defined movement (foot off or foot strike during walking for instance).
By PNS stimulation, a stimulation of the upper limb nerves, i.e. the radial, ulnar and/or median nerves can be provided. All PNS stimulation can be done by targeting nerves with intra-neural electrodes (transversal or longitudinal) or epi-neural (cuff) electrodes.
By CNS stimulation the following nervous structures may be stimulated: for the upper limb movements the cervical spinal cord or handlarm motor cortex may be stimulated with the CNS stimulation system. For the lower limb movements, the lumbosacral spinal cord may be stimulated. All these nerves can be targeted with epidural, subdural or intra-spinal/intra-cortical stimulation.
Both PNS and CNS stimulation systems may comprise implantable pulse generators (IPGs).
IPGs can be used for providing the necessary stimulation current and signals for the CNS stimulation element and the PNS stimulation element. The IPG produces the stimulation pulses that are delivered by a lead comprising multiple electrodes to the stimulation site, e.g. the spinal cord.
For EES, the lead is positioned in the epidural space (i.e. on the outside of the dural sac, which encases the spinal cord and the cerebrospinal fluid in which the spinal cord 'floats'), on top of the spinal cord (including but not limited to the segments T12, L1, L2, L3, L4, L5, and S1 bilaterally).
It is also possible that two separated IPGs are provided, one for the PNS stimulation element and one for the CNS stimulation element.
The stimulation parameters for the PNS stimulation and the EES stimulation may be frequency, amplitude, pulse-width and the like.
Both CNS and PNS stimulations, as well as the combination of these stimulation systems may be used in a sub-motor threshold region, i.e. an amplitude or configuration at which neuronal sensation but no motor response is evoked.
The control system may be a closed-loop system.
The control system may alternatively be an open-loop system.
Further details and advantages of the present invention shall now be disclosed in connection with the drawings.
Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig 6
Fig. 7
a general layout of an embodiment of the neuromodulation system for movement reconstruction and/or restoration of a patient according to the present invention;
Fig. 1
a perspective view of a patient equipped with one embodiment of the neuromodulation system disclosed in comprising two sensors and a connecting means;
Fig. 1
a perspective view of a patient equipped with one embodiment the neuromodulation system disclosed in comprising a communication module;
Fig. 1
a perspective view of a patient equipped with one embodiment of the neuromodulation system disclosed in comprising a telemetry (NFMI) module;
Fig. 1
a perspective view of a patient equipped with a further embodiment of the neuromodulation system disclosed in comprising a telemetry (NFEMI) module;
Fig. 1
shows a perspective view of a patient equipped with one embodiment of the neuromodulation system disclosed in comprising a passive electrical means; and
Fig. 1
shows a perspective view of a patient P equipped with one embodiment of a neuromodulation system disclosed in using an electrical reference trigger signal provided by the IPG.
It is shown in
Fig. 1
shows a general layout of an embodiment of the neuromodulatlon system 10 for movement reconstruction and/or restoration of a patient P according to the present invention.
The neuromodulation system 10 comprises a stimulation element 12.
In this embodiment, the stimulation element 12 is an implantable pulse generator IPG 12.
In general, any other type of implantable and/or non-implantable stimulation element 12 could be generally possible.
The IPG 12 is implanted in the body of the patient P.
The neuromodulation system 10 further comprises a stimulation controller 14.
Additionally, the neuromodulation system comprises a stimulation feedback acquisition system 16.
In this embodiment, the stimulation feedback acquisition system 16 comprises a stimulation feedback aquisition base station 16a and a sensor 16b.
It could be generally possible that the feedback acquisition system 16 comprises more than one sensor 16b.
It could be generally possible that the feedback acquisition system 16 comprises at least two identical and/or nonidentical sensors 16b.
It could be generally possible that the at least two sensors 16b are synchronized.
It could be generally possible that the at least two identical and/or nonidentical sensors 16b form a sensor network.
There is also a reference trigger input module 18.
The stimulation element 12 is connected to the stimulation controller 14.
The stimulation element 12 is also connected to the reference trigger input module 18.
The connection between the stimulation element 12 and the stimulation controller 14 and the stimulation element 12 and the the reference trigger input module 18 is in the shown embodiment a direct and bidirectional connection.
However, also an indirect and/or unidirectional connection (i.e. with another component of the neuromodulation 10 in between) would be generally possible.
The connection between the stimulation element 12 and the stimulation controller 14 and the stimulation element 12 and the the reference trigger input module 18 is established in the shown embodiment by a wireless network WSN.
However, also a cable bound connection would be generally possible.
Moreover, the stimulation controller 14 is connected to the stimulation feedback acquisition system 16.
The stimulation controller 14 is also connected to the reference trigger input module 18.
The connection between the stimulation controller 14 and the stimulation feedback acquisition system 16 and the stimulation controller 14 and the reference trigger input module 18 is in the shown embodiment a direct and bidirectional connection.
However, also an indirect and/or unidirectional connection (i.e. with another component of the neuromodulation 10 in between) would be generally possible.
The connection between stimulation controller 14 and the stimulation feedback acquisition system 16 and the stimulation controller 14 and the reference trigger input module 18 is established in the shown embodiment by a wireless network WSN.
However, also a cable bound connection would be generally possible.
Moreover, the stimulation feedback acquisition system 16 is connected to the reference trigger input module 18.
The connection between the stimulation feedback acquisition system 16 and the reference trigger input module 18 is in the shown embodiment a direct and bidirectional connection.
However, also an indirect and/or unidirectional connection (i.e. with another component of the neuromodulation 10 in between) would be generally possible.
The connection between the stimulation feedback acquisition system 16 and the reference trigger input module 18 is established in the shown embodiment by a wireless network WSN.
However, also a cable bound connection would be generally possible.
The stimulation controller 14 provides a stimulation signal to the IPG 12.
The IPG 12 provides stimulation to a patient P via a lead 20 comprising electrodes.
The lead 20 could comprise multiple electrodes.
A physiological response to the stimulation by the IPG 12 and the lead 20 comprising electrodes is recognized by the stimulation feedback acquisition system 16.
In particular, the response to the stimulation by the IPG 12 and the lead 20 is recognized by a sensor 16b of the stimulation feedback acquisition system 16.
The stimulation controller 14 provides a reference trigger signal.
The reference trigger signal is recorded by the feeback acquisition system 16.
In particular, the reference trigger singal is recognized by a sensor 16b of the stimulation feedback acquisition system 16.
In this embodiment, the reference trigger signal could be provided by the stimulation controller 14 at the same time as the stimulation signal to the IPG 12 is provided.
In alternative embodiments, the reference trigger signal could be provided by the stimulation controller 14 before the stimulation signal to the IPG 12 and the lead 20 is provided.
In alternative embodiments, the reference trigger signal could be provided by the stimulation controller 14 after the stimulation signal to the IPG 12 and the lead 20 is provided.
The time of recognizing the physiological response to the stimulation by the IPG 12 by the sensor 16b is recorded by the stimulation feedback aquisition base station 16a.
The reference trigger input module 18 characterizes the temporal relationship as part of the full recruitment curve between providing the reference trigger signal by the stimulation controller 14 and recognizing by the sensor 16b and the stimulation provided by the IPG 12 and the lead 20 and recognizing the response of stimulation by the sensor 16b.
In this embodiment, the temporal relationship characterized by the reference tigger input module 18 is a time delay.
In this embodiment, the reference trigger input module 18 enables correction of the time delay Induced by the feedback acquisition system 16.
By means of the reference trigger input module 18 a reference trigger input on the basis of the time delay is provided for optimizing stimulation parameters for a certain type of movement.
In this embodiment, the characterization of the temporal relationship could enable synchronizing the clocks of the IPG 12 and/or the stimulation controller 14 and/or the feedback acquisition system 16, incuding the sensor 16b and/or the base station 16a, and/or the reference trigger input module 18 and/or the wireless network WSN.
Fig. 1
Not shown in is that the reference trigger signal could communicate the sensor 16b the relative time with respect to the stimulation by the IPG 12.
In general, it could be possible that the reference trigger signal is used to start data acquisition of the stimulation feedback acquisition system 16.
In general, it could be possible that the reference trigger signal is used to start data aquisition of the sensor 16b of the stimulation feedback acquisition system.
It could be generally possible that the reference trigger signal and the stimulation signal provided by the stimulation controller 14 are the same signal.
Fig. 1
Not shown in is that the neuromosulation system 10 could further comprise one or more subsystems, including but not limited to a programmer 22, a passive electrical means 30, a microprocessor, a wireless link WL, a communication module COM and/or a telemetry module TEL
Fig. 1
Not shown in is that the communication module COM could be or could comprise a Bluetooth module BT and the telemetry module TEL could be or could comprise a Near Field Magnetic Inuction (NFMI) module or a Near Field Electromagnetic Induction (NFEMI) module.
Fig. 1
Not shown in is that the reference trigger signal could be an electrical signal, a Bluetooth signal, a NFMI signal and/or a NFEMI signal.
Fig. 1
Not shown in is that the temporal relationship between all possible subsystems of the neuromodulation system 10 may be characterized by the reference trigger input module 18.
Fig. 1
Not shown in is that the clocks of said further subsystems of the neuromodulation system 10 may be synchronized.
Fig. 1
Not shown in is that in this embodiment, the sensor 16b is a surface EMG electrode 16b.
In particular, in this embodiment the sensor 16b is a surface EMG electrode 16b placed on the skin of a patient P.
In particular, in this embodiment the sensor 16b is a surface EMG electrode 16b placed on the skin of a leg of a patient P.
However, in general, the sensor 16b as a surface EMG electrode 16b could be placed on the skin of any part of the body of a patient P.
In an alternative embodiment, an intramuscular EMG electrode 16b could be used as a sensor 16b.
In an alternative embodiment, an electrode array (intramuscular or surface electrode array) could be used as a sensor 16b.
Fig. 1
Not shown in is that alternative sensors 16b of the feedback acquisition system 16 for measuring the physiological response to the stimulation could be or could comprise at least one of a sequence of event sensor and/or a motion sensor and/or an EMG, and/or a afferent signal sensor and/or an efferent signal sensor and/or impedance sensor and/or BCI and or camera-based system.
Fig. 1
Not shown in is that a sensor could be implemented as a camera-based system that detects muscular activation.
Fig. 1
Not shown in is that an implanted stimulation element and/or stimulation electrode and/or array of electrodes could also be used as a sensor.
Fig. 2
shows a perspective view of a patient P equipped the neuromodulation system 110 comprising two sensors 116b and a connecting means 24.
Fig. 1
The neuromodulation system 110 comprises the structural and functional features as disclosed for neuromodulation system 10 in . The corresponding references are indicated as 100+x (e.g. stimulation element 112).
In this embodiment, the patient P is equipped with said neuromodulation system 110.
The neuromodulation system 110 additionally comprises a programmer 122.
In this embodiment, the programmer 122 is an application installed on a mobile device.
In general, other embodiments of a programmer 122 are possible.
The neuromodulation system 110 further comprises a connecting means 24.
In this embodiment, the connecting means 24 is an external connector 24.
Further, the neuromodulation system 110, in particular the stimulation feedback acquisition system 116, comprises two identical sensors 116b.
In this embodiment, the external connector 24 is connected to the stimulation feedback acquisition system 116.
in particular, one sensor 116b is mounted on the external connector 24.
One sensor 116b is placed on the skin of a patient P.
The two sensors 116b are synchronized.
In this embodiment, the programmer 122 is connected to the stimulation controller 114.
The connection between the programmer 122 and the stimulation controller 114 is in the shown embodiment a direct and bidirectional connection.
However, also an indirect and/or unidirectional connection (i.e. with another component of the neuromodulation 110 in between) would be generally possible.
The connection between the programmer 122 and the stimulation controller 114 is established in the shown embodiment by a wireless network WSN.
However, also a cable bound connection would be generally possible.
In this embodiment, the programmer 122 is also connected to the IPG 112, the reference trigger input module 118 and/or the stimulation feedback aquisition system 116.
The connection between the programmer 122 and the the stimulation element 112, the reference trigger input module 118 and the stimulation feedback aquisition system 116 is a direct and bidirectional connection.
The connection between the programmer 122 and the the stimulation element 112, the reference trigger input module 118 and the stimulation feedback aquisition system 116 is established in the shown embodiment by a wireless network WSN.
However, also an indirect and/or unidirectional connection (i.e. with another component of the neuromodulation 110 in between) would be generally possible.
In general, the connection between the programmer 122 and the stimulation element 112, the reference trigger input module 118 and/or the stimulation feedback aquisition system 116 could be a wireless or cable-bound connection.
The stimulation controller 114 is connected to the external connector 24
In this embodiment, the stimulation controller 114 is directly connected to the external connector 24.
However, also an indirect connection between the external connector 24 and the stimulation controller 114 could be generaly possible.
The programmer 122 programs the stimulation controller 114 to deliver a reference trigger signal.
The reference trigger signal provided by the stimulation controller 114 is recognized by the sensor 116b mounted on the external connector 24.
The time of recognizing the reference trigger singal by the sensor 116b mounted on the external connector 24 is recorded by the stimulation feedback aquisition base station 16a.
The programmer 122 programs the stimulation controller 114 to deliver stimulation.
The stimulation controller 114 provides a stimulation signal to the IPG 112.
The IPG 112 provides stimulation to the patient P via the lead 120 comprising electrodes.
A physiological response to the stimulation by the IPG 112 and the lead 120 comprising electrodes is recognized by the stimulation feedback acquisition system 116.
In particular, the response to the stimulation by the IPG 112 and the lead 120 is recognized by the sensor 116b placed on the skin of the patient P.
The time of recognizing the physiological response to the stimulation by the IPG 112 by the sensor 116b placed on the skin of the patient P is recorded to the stimulation feedback aquisition base station 116a.
The reference trigger input module 118 characterizes the temporal relationship as part of the full recruitment curve between providing the reference trigger signal by the stimulation controller 114 and recognizing by sensor 116b mounted on the external connector 24 and the stimulation provided by the IPG 112 and the lead 120 and recognizing the response of stimulation by the sensor 116b placed on the skin of the patient P.
In this embodiment, the characterization of the temporal relationship enables synchronizing the clocks of the IPG 112 and/or the stimulation controller 114 and/or the sensor 116b mounted on the external connector and/or the sensor 116b placed on the skin of the patient P and/or the stimulation feedback aquisition base station 116a, and/or the reference trigger input module 118.
in general, the programmer 122 could be used by a person, including but not limited to a therapist, physiotherapist, or patient to provide inputs to the stimulation controller 114, including but not limited to selecting, starting, and stopping a task or configuring stimulation parameters.
In particular, the programmer 122 could allow adjusting the stimulation parameters of a task, while the task is running.
Fig. 2
Not shown in is that the feedback acquisition system 16 could comprise two non-identical sensors 116b or more than 2 identical or non-idendical sensors 116b.
Fig. 3
shows a schematical drawing of a patient P equipped with the neuromodulation system 210 comprising a communication module COM.
Fig. 1
The neuromodulation system 210 comprises the structural and functional features as disclosed for neuromodulation system 10 in . The corresponding references are indicated as 200+x (e.g. stimulation element 212).
In this embodiment, the patient P is equipped with a neuromodulation system 210.
The neuromodulation system 210 further comprises a communication module COM.
In this embodiment, the communication module COM comprises a Bluetooth module BT.
The stimulation controller 214 comprises a Bluetooth interface 32.
Fig. 2
The neuromodulation system 210 additionally comprises a programmer 222, with the structure and function of the programmer 122 as disclosed in .
The connection between the programmer 222 and the stimulation controller 214 is established in the shown embodiment by the communication module COM, i.e. the Bluetooth module BT.
In this embodiment also the IPG 212, the stimulation controller 214, the stimulation feedback acquisition system 216 including the sensor 216b and/or the base station 216a and/or the reference trigger input module 218 are also connected via the Bluetooth module BT.
However, also cable bound connections would be generally possible.
The programmer 222 programs the stimulation controller 214 to deliver a reference trigger signal via the Bluetooth interface 32.
The reference trigger signal is a Bluetooth signal.
The reference trigger signal, i.e. the Bluetooth signal, is communicated to the sensor 216b via the Bluetooth module BT.
The stimulation feedback aquisition base station 216a records the time of recording the Bluetooth signal by the sensor 216b.
The programmer 222 programs the stimulation controller 214 to deliver stimulation.
The stimulation controller 214 provides a stimulation signal to the IPG 212.
The IPG 212 provides stimulation to the patient P via the lead 220 comprising electrodes.
A physiological response to the stimulation by the IPG 212 and the lead 220 comprising electrodes is recognized by the stimulation feedback acquisition system 216.
In particular, the response to the stimulation by the IPG 212 and the lead 220 is recognized by the sensor 216b of the stimulation feedback acquisition system 216.
The stimulation feedback aquisition base station 216a records the time of recognizing the response to the stimulation by the sensor 216b.
Fig. 4
shows a perspective view of a patient P equipped with the neuromodulation system 310 comprising a telemetry module TEL.
Fig. 1
The neuromodulation system 310 comprises the structural and functional features as disclosed for neuromodulation system 10 in . The corresponding references are indicated as 300+x (e.g. stimulation element 312).
In this embodiment, a patient P is equipped with a neuromodulation system 310.
In this embodiment, the neuromodulation system 310 comprises a telemetry module TEL.
The telemetry module TEL comprises a NFMI module.
The stimulation controller 314 comprises a NFMI interface 26.
The NFMI interface 26 is in contact with the skin of the patient P.
Fig. 2
The neuromodulation system 310 additionally comprises a programmer 322, with the structure and function of the programmer 122 as disclosed in .
The connection between the programmer 322 and the stimulation controller 314 is established in the shown embodiment via the NFMI module.
In this embodiment also the IPG 312, the stimulation controller 314, the feedback acquisition system 316 including the sensor 316b and/or the base station 316a, and/or the reference trigger input module 318 are also connected via the NFMI module.
However, also cable bound connections and/or other wireless connections would be generally possible.
The programmer 322 programs the stimulation controller 314 to deliver a reference trigger signal.
The stimulation controller 314 provides a reference trigger signal via the NFMI interface 26.
The reference trigger signal is a NFMI signal.
The NFMI signal is recorded by the sensor 316b.
It is generally possible, that the NFMI signal is partially or fully transmitted via the body of the patient P, including the skin, and recorded by the sensor 316b.
The stimulation feedback aquisition base station 316a records the time of recording the NFMI signal by the sensor 316b.
The programmer 322 programs the stimulation controller 314 to deliver stimulation.
The stimulation controller 314 provides a stimulation signal to the IPG 312.
The IPG 312 provides stimulation to the patient P via the lead 320 comprising electrodes.
A physiological response to the stimulation by the IPG 312 and the lead 320 comprising electrodes is recognized by the feedback acquisition system 316.
In particular, the response to the stimulation by the IPG 312 and the lead 320 is recognized by the sensor 316b of the feedback acquisition system 316.
The stimulation feedback aquisition base station 316a records the time of recognizing the response to the stimulation by the sensor 316b.
The time of recognizing the physiological response to the stimulation by the IPG 312 by the sensor 316b is recorded by the stimulation feedback aquisition base station 316a.
The characterization of the temporal relationship enables synchronizing the clock of the programmer 322 and the IPG 312 and/or the stimulation controller 314 and/or the feedback acquisition system 316 and/or the reference trigger input module 318.
Fig. 4
Not shown in is that the telemetry module TEL may alternatively and/or additionally comprise one or more of a Medical Implant Communication System (MICS).
MICS is a low-power, short-range, high-data-rate, 401-406 MHz (the core band is 402-405 MHz) communication network .
Fig. 4
Not shown in is that the telemetry module TEL may alternatively and/or additionally comprise one or more of a Medical Data Service System (MEDS).
MEDS systems may operate in spectrum within the frequency bands 401 MHz to 402 MHz and 405 MHz to 406 MHz.
Fig. 4
It is not shown in that any other type of telemetry module known in the art is generally possible.
Fig. 5
shows a perspective view of a patient P equipped with the neuromodulation system 410 comprising a telemetry module TEL
Fig. 1
The neuromodulation system 410 comprises the structural and functional features as disclosed for neuromodulation system 10 in . The corresponding references are indicated as 400+x (e.g. stimulation element 412).
In this embodiment, a patient P is equipped with a neuromodulation system 410.
In this embodiment, the neuromodulation system 410 comprises a telemetry module TEL.
The telemetry module TEL comprises an NFEMI module.
The stimulation controller 414 comprises an NFEMI interface 28.
The NFEMI interface 28 is in contact with the skin of the patient P.
Fig. 2
The neuromodulation system 410 additionally comprises a programmer 422, with the structure and function of the programmer 122 as disclosed in .
The connection between the programmer 422 and the stimulation controller 414 is established in the shown embodiment via the NFEMI module.
In this embodiment also the IPG 412, the stimulation controller 414 and/or the NFEMI interface 28, the feedback acquisition system 416 including the sensor 416b and the base station 416a and the reference trigger input module 418 are connected via the NFEMI module.
However, also cable bound connections and/or other wireless connections would be generally possible.
The programmer 422 programs the stimulation controller 414 to provide a reference trigger signal.
The reference trigger signal is an NFEMI signal.
The NFEMI signal is provided by the NFEMI interface 28.
The NFEMI signal is transmitted via the skin/body of the patient P.
The NFEMI signal could alternatively and/or additionally be transmitted via air.
The NFEMI signal is recorded by the sensor 416b.
The stimulation feedback aquisition base station 416a records the time of recording the NFEMI signal by the sensor 416b.
The programmer 422 programs the stimulation controller 414 to deliver stimulation.
The stimulation controller 414 provides a stimulation signal to the IPG 412.
The IPG 412 provides stimulation to the patient P via the lead 420 comprising electrodes.
A physiological response to the stimulation by the IPG 412 and the lead 420 comprising electrodes is recognized by the stimulation feedback acquisition system 416.
In particular, the response to the stimulation by the IPG 412 and the lead 420 is recognized by the sensor 416b of the stimulation feedback acquisition system 416.
The stimulation feedback aquisition base station 416a records the time of recognizing the response to the stimulation by the sensor 416b.
The reference trigger input module 418 characterizes the temporal relationship as part of the full recruitment curve between providing the reference trigger signal, i.e. the NFEMI signal by the NFEMI interface 28 of the stimulation controller 414 and recognizing by the sensor 416b and the stimulation provided by the IPG 412 and the lead 420 and recognizing the response of stimulation by the sensor 416b.
In this embodiment, the characterization of the temporal relationship enables synchronizing the clocks of the IPG 412 and/or the stimulation controller 414 and/or the NFEMI interface 28 and/or the sensor 416b and/or the base station 416a of the stimulation feedback acquisition system 416, and/or the reference trigger input module 418 and/or the programmer 422.
Fig. 6
shows a perspective view of a patient P equipped with the neuromodulation system 510 comprising a passive electrical means 30.
Fig. 1
4
The neuromodulation system 510 comprises the structural and functional features as disclosed for neuromodulation systems 10 and/or 310 in and . The corresponding references are indicated as 500+x or 200+x (e.g. stimulation element 512).
In this embodiment, a patient P is equipped with a neuromodulation system 510.
In this embodiment, the neuromodulation system 510 comprises a passive electrical means 30.
In this embodiment, the passive electrical means 30 is included in a sticker 30.
In this embodiment, the sticker 30 is in placed on the skin of the patient P.
In general, other embodiments of passive electrical means 30 are possible.
The sticker 30 is in contact to the stimulation controller 514.
In this embodiment, the sticker 30 is in direct contact to the stimulation controller 514.
In this embodiment, the sticker 30 is placed between the skin of the patient P and the stimulation controller 514.
The programmer 522 programs the stimulation controller 514 to deliver a reference trigger signal.
The reference trigger signal is a NFMI signal.
The NFMI signal is delivered by the NFMI interface 26 of the stimulation controller 514.
The NFMI signal is converted into an electrical signal by the sticker 30.
The electrical signal is transmitted via the body of the patient P.
The electrical signal is recorded by the sensor 516b.
The stimulation feedback aquisition base station 516a records the time of recording the NFMI signal by the sensor 516b.
In other words, the passive electrical means 30, i.e. the sticker 30, converts the NFMI signal into an electrical signal and the signal is recorded by the stimulation feedback acquisition system 516.
The programmer 522 programs the stimulation controller 514 to deliver stimulation.
The stimulation controller 514 provides a stimulation signal to the IPG 512.
The IPG 512 provides stimulation to the patient P via the lead 520 comprising electrodes.
A physiological response to the stimulation by the IPG 512 and the lead 520 comprising electrodes is recognized by the feedback acquisition system 516.
In particular, the response to the stimulation by the IPG 512 and the lead 520 is recognized by the sensor 516b of the stimulation feedback acquisition system 516.
The stimulation feedback aquisition base station 516a records the time of recognizing the response to the stimulation by the sensor 516b.
Fig. 6
It is not shown in that the signal provided by the telemetry module TEL could be another signal than a NFMI signal, and the signal converted by the sticker 30 could be another signal than an electrical signal.
Fig. 6
It is not shown In that the passive electrical means may alternatively and/or additionally be configured and arranged to be inserted and/or integrated into and/or onto the clothing of the patient, including but not limited to a top, a longsleeve, a pullover, a jacket, one or more gloves, armlets, socks, tights, a belt and/or a pouch worn by the patient equipped with the system.
Fig. 7
shows a perspective view of a patient P equipped with the neuromodulation system 610 using an electrical reference trigger signal provided by the IPG 612.
Fig. 1
The neuromodulation system 610 comprises the structural and functional features as disclosed for neuromodulation system 10 in . The corresponding references are indicated as 600+x (e.g. stimulation element 612).
In this embodiment, a patient P is equipped with a neuromodulation system 610.
Fig. 2
The neuromodulation system 610 further comprises a programmer 622, with the structure and function of the programmer 122 as disclosed in .
The IPG 612 is implanted close to the skin of the patient P.
In particular, the IPG 612 is implanted less than 2 cm under the skin of the patient P.
In an alternative embodiment, the IPG 612 could be implanted deeper in the body of the patient P.
The programmer 622 programs the stimulation controller 614 to deliver a reference trigger signal.
In this embodiment, the reference trigger signal is an electrical trigger signal.
In this embodiment, the reference trigger signal is delivered via the casing of the IPG 612.
In particular, for the reference trigger signal a waveform is chosen, which does not lead to stimulation of the patient P near the IPG 612.
The reference trigger signal, i.e. the electrical trigger signal, pulls down or pushes up the skin potential of the patient P.
A change in skin potential is recorded by the sensor 616b of the stimulation feedback acquisition system 616.
In other words, an under-threshold signal is provided by the casing of the IPG 612.
The under-threshold signal does not lead to stimulation of the patient P but is detectable by the stimulation feedback aquisition system 616 as a reference trigger signal.
The time of recognizing the change in skin potential in response to the reference trigger signal provided by the casing of the IPG 612 by the sensor 616b is recorded by the stimulation feedback aquisition base station 616a.
The programmer 622 programs the stimulation controller 614 to deliver stimulation.
The stimulation controller 614 provides a stimulation signal to the IPG 612.
The IPG 612 provides stimulation to the patient P via the lead 620 comprising electrodes.
A physiological response to the stimulation by the IPG 612 and the lead 620 comprising electrodes is recognized by the stimulation feedback acquisition system 616.
In particular, the physiological response to the stimulation by the IPG 612 and the lead 620 is recognized by the sensor 616b of the stimulation feedback acquisition system 616.
The time of recognizing the physiological response to the stimulation by the IPG 612 and the lead 620 by the sensor 616b is recorded by the stimulation feedback aquisition base station 616a.
The reference trigger input module 618 characterizes the temporal relationship as part of the full recruitment curve between providing the reference trigger signal by the casing of the IPG 612 and recognizing the evoked skin potentials by the sensor 616b and the stimulation provided by the IPG 612 and the lead 620 and recognizing the response to the stimulation by the sensor 616b.
Fig. 7
Not shown in is that the reference trigger signal could alternatively and/or additionally be provided by the lead 620 comprising electrodes.
Note that the example control and estimation routines included herein can be used with various system configurations. The control methods and routines disclosed herein may be stored as executable instructions in non-transitory memory and may be carried out by a neuromodulation system 10, 110, 210, 310, 410, 510, 610 e.g. as a part of the stimulation system 12, 112, 212, 312, 412, 512, 612, the stimulation controller 14, 114, 214, 314, 414, 514, 614, the stimulation feedback acquisition system 16, 116, 216, 316, 416, 516, 616, the reference input module 18, 118, 218, 318, 418, 518, 618, the programmer 22, 122, 222, 322, 422, 522, 622 and other system hardware. The specific routines described herein may represent one or more of any number of processing strategies such as event-driven, interrupt-driven, multitasking, multi-threading, and the like. As such, various actions, operations, and/or functions illustrated may be performed in the sequence Illustrated, in parallel, or in some cases omitted. Likewise, the order of processing is not necessarily required to achieve the features and advantages of the example embodiments described herein but is provided for ease of illustration and description. One or more of the illustrated actions, operations and/or functions may be repeatedly performed depending on the particular strategy being used. Further, the described actions, operations and/or functions may graphically represent code to be programmed into non-transitory memory of a computer readable storage medium in the stimulation controller 14, 114, 214, 314, 414, 514, 614, where the described actions are carried out by executing the instructions In a neuromodulation system 10, 110, 210, 310, 410, 510, 610 including the various hardware components.
References
10
12
14
16
16a
16b
18
20
22
24
26
28
30
32
Neuromodulation system
Stimulation element/ IPG
Stimulation controller
Stimulation feedback acquisition system
(Stimulation feedback aquisition) base station
Sensor/surface EMG electrode
Reference trigger input module
Lead
Programmer
Connecting means/external connector
NFMI interface
NFEMI interface
Passive electrical means/sticker
Bluetooth interface
110
112
114
116
116a
116b
118
120
122
Neuromodulation system
Stimulation element/ IPG
Stimulation controller
Stimulation feedback acquisition system
(Stimulation feedback aquisition) base station
Sensor/surface EMG electrode
Reference trigger input module
Lead
Programmer
210
212
214
216
216a
216b
218
220
222
Neuromodulation system
Stimulation element/ IPG
Stimulation controller
Stimulation feedback acquisition system
(Stimulation feedback aquisition) base station
Sensor/surface EMG electrode
Reference trigger input module
Lead
Programmer
310
312
314
316
316a
316b
318
320
322
Neuromodulation system
Stimulation element/ IPG
Stimulation controller
Stimulation feedback acquisition system
(Stimulation feedback aquisition) base station
Sensor/surface EMG electrode
Reference trigger input module
Lead
Programmer
410
412
414
416
416a
416b
418
420
422
Neuromodulation system
Stimulation element/ IPG
Stimulation controller
Stimulation feedback acquisition system
(Stimulation feedback aquisition) base station
Sensor/surface EMG electrode
Reference trigger input module
Lead
Programmer
510
512
514
516
516a
516b
518
520
522
610
612
614
616
616a
616b
618
620
622
Neuromodulation system
Stimulation element/IPG
Stimulation controller
Stimulation feedback acquisition system
(Stimulation feedback aquisition) base station
Sensor/surface EMG electrode
Reference trigger input module
Lead
Programmer
Neuromodulation system
Stimulation element/IPG
Stimulation controller
Stimulation feedback acquisition system
(Stimulation feedback aquisition) base station
Sensor/surface EMG electrode
Reference trigger input module
Lead
Programmer
P
BT
CNS
COM
EES
FES
MICS
MEDS
NFMI
NFEMI
Patient
Bluetooth
Central Nervous System
Communication module
Epidural Electrical Stimulation
Functional Electrical Stimulation
Medical Implant Communication System
Medical Data Service System
Near Field Magnetic Induction
Near-field electromagnetic induction
PNS
Peripheral Nervous System
WL
WSN
TEL
Wireless link
Wireless network
Telemetry module | |
- noun the ability of an optical instrument or type of film to separate or distinguish small or closely adjacent images.
English new terms dictionary. 2014.
Look at other dictionaries:
Resolving power — may refer to:* Angular resolution * Spectral resolution … Wikipedia
resolving power — resolving power. См. разрешающая способность. (Источник: «Англо русский толковый словарь генетических терминов». Арефьев В.А., Лисовенко Л.А., Москва: Изд во ВНИРО, 1995 г.) … Молекулярная биология и генетика. Толковый словарь. | https://new_terms.enacademic.com/55061/resolving |
Flannel Fest happening this weekend at The Mall at Johnson City
The Mall at Johnson City is hosting a Flannel Fest this Saturday. Organizers say the main event will be a flannel outfit contest, where families and pets will compete to have the best flannel ensemble of the day. Registration is required to compete; a link to sign up for free can be found on the Johnson City Mall’s social media. In addition to the flannel contest, lots of kids’ activities, food trucks, vendors, and live music happens at the festival. Music starts at 4 PM. This Flannel Fest happens at the Mall at Johnson City on Saturday from noon to 6. | https://www.supertalk929.com/2021/10/21/flannel-fest-happening-this-weekend-at-the-mall-at-johnson-city/ |
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Thomson Reuters’ Practical Law The Journal: Litigation (PLJ) recently spoke to Linda Lu, Senior Vice President & Deputy General Counsel at TransUnion, one of the country’s major consumer credit reporting agencies, about the scope of the company’s litigation portfolio, matters for which they turn to outside counsel, and what lawyers can do to add value.
PLJ: What is the total number of attorneys in the company worldwide, and how many focus on litigation? And where does litigation fall within the organizational structure?
Lu: TransUnion’s Legal & Compliance department has approximately 200 associates. Twenty-five associates manage the litigation portfolio. And as Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of Litigation Enforcement & Strategy, I directly report to the Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer.
PLJ: How typical or unique is the scope of responsibilities for the company’s litigation attorneys?
Lu: The litigation portfolio includes a high volume of individual lawsuits, numerous class actions, several large corporate and commercial lawsuits, and government enforcement matters. Only a handful are non-U.S. matters.
PLJ: What is keeping your company’s litigation attorneys the busiest at the moment?
Lu: In addition to proactively managing the high volume of individual lawsuits, our litigation attorneys must effectively manage increased scrutiny and legal risk as TransUnion expands into new markets, offers additional products and services, and grows in size and geography.
PLJ: Have any recent legal developments changed the way your department operates?
Lu: We must navigate increased data privacy regulations and the changing class action landscape, including constant challenges to damages. Most recently, COVID-19 has been a basis for increased litigation filings and government inquiries as well.
Additionally, there is a greater need for all companies to be operationally streamlined. As head of legal strategy, I am building a legal operations team to better use processes and technology to gain efficiencies and reporting metrics. We helped work to make sure the legal department appropriately addressed the effects of COVID-19 to our offices, operations, and associates. Like other companies, the pandemic really tested our ability to manage a crisis and highlighted opportunities for process improvements and adoptions of technology.
PLJ: What types of issues will cause you to turn to outside counsel?
Lu: We turn to outside counsel when we need jurisdiction-specific guidance in light of TransUnion’s growing geographic footprint, specific experience with the Fair Credit Reporting Act and other issues important to our industry, additional data privacy and data security expertise, and assistance with matters involving increased government scrutiny. We also seek law firms with advanced artificial intelligence and technology resources that can help us be more efficient and effective.
Read the full interview in the Fall 2020 issue of Practical Law The Journal: Litigation
PLJ: What three things does a law firm need to do to impress you?
Lu: Partnerships are with lawyers, not law firms. To impress me, a lawyer should:
- Provide practical legal and business-oriented advice.
- Be a trusted advisor who my company and I can rely on to have our backs and who makes my life easier (including by appreciating how my success is measured and the limits of my time and resources).
- Communicate articulately and succinctly.
PLJ: What is the best career advice you ever received?
Lu: Develop a career path, be open to new opportunities, and take risks.
PLJ: What is one mistake you made early on in your legal career and what did you learn from that experience?
Lu: I did not appreciate the unwritten rules and politics of the work environment and believed I could change workplace culture by myself. Ultimately, I learned that improving an organization’s culture must be championed by leadership or others with influence.
PLJ: If not an attorney, what would you wish to be?
Lu: A superhero like Wonder Woman.
PLJ: What advice would you give to prospective in-house litigation counsel?
Lu: Unlike a law firm attorney who can concentrate on one legal matter for an entire day, in-house litigation counsel may have five to ten different issues they need to manage daily with an eye towards providing business-oriented solutions. Therefore, the ability to synthesize information quickly, take a business-focused approach to resolving challenges, and communicate effectively are essential for success. | https://www.legalexecutiveinstitute.com/plj-in-house-qa-linda-lu-transunion/ |
His Holiness the Dalai Lama: The Medicine of Altruism
In Tibet we say that many illness can be cured by the one medicine of love and compassion. These qualities are the ultimate source of human happiness, and need for them lies at the very core of our being. Unfortunately, love and compassion have been omitted from too many spheres of social interaction for too long. Usually confined to family and home, their practice in public life is considered impractical, even naive. This is tragic. In my view point, the practice of compassion is not just a symptom of unrealistic idealism but the most effective way to pursue the best interest of others as well as our own. The more we- as a nation, a group or as individuals – depend upon others, the more it is in our own best interests to ensure their well-being. Practicing altruism is the real source of compromise and cooperation; merely recognizing our need for harmony is not enough. A mind committed to compassion is like an overflowing reservoir – a constant source of energy, determination and kindness. This is like a seed; when cultivated, gives rise to many other good qualities, such as forgiveness, tolerance, inner strength and the confidence to overcome fear and insecurity. The compassionate mind is like an elixir; it is capable of transforming bad situation into beneficial ones. Therefore, we should not limit our expressions of love and compassion to our family and friends. Nor is the compassion only the responsibility of clergy, health care and social workers. It is the necessary business of every part of the human community. Whether a conflict lies in the field of politics, business or religion, an altruistic approach is frequently the sole means of resolving it. Sometimes the very concepts we use to meditate a dispute are themselves the cause of the problem. At such times, when a resolution seems impossible, both sides should recall the basic human nature that unites them. This will help break the impasse and, in the long run, make it easier for everyone to attain their goal. Although neither side may be fully satisfied, if both make concessions, at the very least, the danger of further conflict will be averted. We all know that this form of compromise is the most effective way of solving problems – why, then, do we not use it more often? When I consider the lack of cooperation in human society, I can only conclude that it stems from ignorance of our interdependent nature. I am often moved by the example of small insects, such as bees. The laws of nature dictate that bees work together in order to survive. As a result, they possess an instinctive sense of social responsibility. They have no constitution, laws, police, religion or moral training, but because of their nature they labour faithfully together. Occasionally they may fight, but in general the whole colony survives on the basis of cooperation. Human beings, on the other hand, have constitutions, vast legal systems and police forces; we have religion, remarkable intelligence and a heart with great capacity to love. But despite our many extraordinary qualities, in actual practice we lag behind those small insects; in some ways, I feel we are poorer than the bees. For instance, millions of people live together in large cities all over the world, but despite this proximity, many are lonely. Some do not have even one human being with whom to share their deepest feelings, and live in a state of perpetual agitation. This is very sad. We are not solitary animals that associate only in order to mate. If we were, why would we build large cities and towns? But even though we are social animals compelled to live together, unfortunately, we lack sense of responsibility towards our fellow humans. Does the fault lies in our social architecture -the basic structures of family and community that support our society? Is it our own external facilities – our machines, science and technology? I do not think so. I believe that despite the rapid advances made by civilization in this century, the most immediate cause of our present dilemma is our undue emphasis on material development alone. We have become so engrossed in its pursuit that, without even knowing it, we have neglected to foster the most basic human needs of love, kindness, cooperation and caring. If we do not know someone or find another reason for not feeling connected with a particular individual or group, we simply ignore them. But the development of human society is based entirely on people helping each other. Once we have lost the essential humanity that is our foundation, what is the point of pursuing only material improvement. To me, it is clear: a genuine sense of responsibility can result only if we develop compassion. Only a spontaneous feeling of empathy for others can really motivate us to act on their behalf. | https://www.sangye.it/wordpress2/?p=4923 |
Verified December 2016 by McMaster University.
Recruitment status was: Recruiting
First Posted : October 8, 2015
Last Update Posted : December 16, 2016
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- No Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
|Condition or disease||Intervention/treatment||Phase|
|Esophageal Achalasia||Procedure: POEM||Not Applicable|
This is a study of an investigational surgical procedure for the treatment of achalasia the inability of smooth muscle to move food down the esophagus.
Standard care for participants includes Heller Myotomy, a laparoscopic procedure that includes cutting the muscle layers in the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) the valve at the bottom of your esophagus. A second procedure is then required to prevent reflux (acid entering the esophagus from the stomach) called fundoplication. Patients with the Heller myotomy will typically stay overnight in hospital. A new procedure, called the POEM procedure (per oral endoscopic myotomy) has been developed for achalasia. This procedure uses endoscopy and no incisions to cut one muscle layer. A fundoplication is not required with this method. This study treatment works by entering the surgical area through the mouth and then making an incision (cut) through the esophagus and placing flexible instruments along the outside of the esophagus and down to the LES through a tunnel. The instruments used in this procedure are standard endoscopic instruments that will be provided by one of the leading endoscopic instrument manufacturers, Olympus. The investigators have recently completed a small study showing this procedure is safe and feasible. One observation from this pilot study was that most patients had no pain and didn't need any pain medications. Due to this reason, the investigators think patient's may go home on the same day as their procedure.
|Study Type :||Interventional (Clinical Trial)|
|Estimated Enrollment :||100 participants|
|Allocation:||N/A|
|Intervention Model:||Single Group Assignment|
|Masking:||None (Open Label)|
|Primary Purpose:||Treatment|
|Official Title:||To Assess the Feasibility of Same Day Discharge Following a POEM Procedure|
|Study Start Date :||October 2015|
|Estimated Primary Completion Date :||December 2017|
|Estimated Study Completion Date :||December 2017|
|Arm||Intervention/treatment|
|
Experimental: Active case
|
POEM procedure
|
Procedure: POEM
|
To determine the feasibility of same-day discharge following a POEM procedure
- percent of patients leaving on post-operative day 0 [ Time Frame: 1 year ]
- percent of patients who experience post-operative reflux [ Time Frame: 1 year ]
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
|Ages Eligible for Study:||18 Years to 80 Years (Adult, Older Adult)|
|Sexes Eligible for Study:||All|
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:||No|
Inclusion Criteria:
Participants must meet ALL of the following inclusion criteria:
- Candidate for a Heller myotomy
- Their age is ≥18 years and ≤80 years
- Able to give written consent
Exclusion Criteria:
Participants who meet any of the following criteria at the time of the baseline visit are NOT eligible to be enrolled in this study:
- Previous Heller myotomy or POEM procedure
- contra-indication to general anesthesia
- Previous mediastinal surgery hiatal hernia greater than 2 cm
- Any anatomical esophageal anomaly that in the opinion of the investigator may render the intervention more difficult, such as sigmoid esophagus on the pre-operative barium swallow or hiatal hernia > 2cm.
- Any medical condition, which in the judgment of the Investigator and/or designee makes the subject a poor candidate for the investigational procedure
- Pregnant or lactating female (Women of child bearing potential must take a pregnancy test prior to surgery)
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor. | https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02572193 |
# Buckeye Eagle
The Buckeye Eagle is an American powered parachute that was designed and produced by Buckeye Industries of Argos, Indiana.
## Design and development
The aircraft was designed to comply with the US FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles rules, including the category's maximum empty weight of 254 lb (115 kg). The aircraft has a standard empty weight of 220 lb (100 kg). It features a parachute-style high-wing, single-place accommodation, tricycle landing gear and a single 40 hp (30 kW) Rotax 447 engine in pusher configuration. The 50 hp (37 kW) Rotax 503 engine was a factory option.
The Eagle is built from a combination of bolted aluminium and 4130 steel tubing. In flight steering is accomplished via foot pedals that actuate the canopy brakes, creating roll and yaw. On the ground the aircraft has lever-controlled nosewheel steering. The main landing gear incorporates spring rod suspension. The aircraft was factory supplied in the form of an assembly kit that requires 30–40 hours to complete.
The Eagle has a conversion kit that allows exchanging the parachute wing for a hang glider-style wing to convert the aircraft into an ultralight trike.
With the parachute wing, the standard day, sea level, no wind, take off with a 50 hp (37 kW) engine is 300 ft (91 m) and the landing roll is 100 ft (30 m).
## Specifications (Eagle)
Data from Cliche and Purdy
General characteristics
Crew: one Wing area: 450.0 sq ft (41.81 m2) Empty weight: 220 lb (100 kg) Gross weight: 550 lb (249 kg) Fuel capacity: 5 U.S. gallons (19 L; 4.2 imp gal) Powerplant: 1 × Rotax 447 twin cylinder, two-stroke, air-cooled aircraft engine, 40 hp (30 kW)
Performance
Maximum speed: 26 mph (42 km/h, 23 kn) Cruise speed: 26 mph (42 km/h, 23 kn) Service ceiling: 10,500 ft (3,200 m) Rate of climb: 800 ft/min (4.1 m/s) Wing loading: 1.2 lb/sq ft (5.9 kg/m2) | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckeye_Eagle |
With many drugs in pharmaceutical industry pipelines showing solubility limitations, formulation of new drug candidates can be complex. This webinar describes approaches that streamline formulation and technology selection for compounds with low aqueous solubility and oral bioavailability. This compound-driven approach carefully matches the characteristics of the active ingredient and the target product profile to the best technology. An overview is provided of common bioavailability-enhancing technologies, including salts, polymorphs, cocrystals, nanocrystals, amorphous dispersions, and lipids. Also covered is the array of in vitro tests that can be used to evaluate bioavailability-enhancing formulations. Finally, three case studies are presented demonstrating the effectiveness of the approach in real-life application. | https://www.capsugel.com/knowledge-center/formulation-selection-and-in-vitro-screening-for-oral-bioavailability-enhancement |
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About PQDT Open Search
Historic markers, monuments and memorials (historic markers) are familiar sights in our towns, cities and parks. They can be found in an endless array of forms, shapes and sizes from the spectacular monuments on the National Mall to the bronze plaques attached to boulders, granite slabs and buildings in almost any community. They can be read individually or as a grouping, that articulates a historical narrative. Historic markers function as artifacts that express the historical elements of each marker, the historical context of their time and the values and forms of leadership involved in their construction. Historic markers provide a device to study how leaders, both formal and informal, have participated in the construction of public history through weaving historical narratives, the styles of leadership utilized for this purpose and the forms of leadership that society seemed to revere.
The historic markers in New Hampshire's original communities of Portsmouth and Dover serve as sample communities to survey, research and analyze what the community leaders and dominant culture sought to perpetuate as important aspects in the community's history. The historic markers in Dover and Portsmouth, N.H., provide insight into the various types of leadership at work in a community. They reflect the forms of leadership and the deeds of leaders that were valued as well as the different forms of leadership that operated in a community. The community leaders who contribute to the accumulation of historic markers and the construction of their community's historical narrative sought to perpetuate aspects in the community's history that they believed were important to the identity of the community and reflected their values. An analysis of the historic markers and historical narratives in communities reflect national trends in monument design and depict the changing trends in the community's and nation's values, ideals, culture and leadership.
|Advisor:||Abel, Richard|
|Commitee:||Moore-West, Margaret L., Southard, Douglas R., Wallner, Peter|
|School:||Franklin Pierce University|
|Department:||Leadership|
|School Location:||United States -- New Hampshire|
|Source:||DAI-A 76/03(E), Dissertation Abstracts International|
|Source Type:||DISSERTATION|
|Subjects:||American studies, American history, Educational leadership|
|Keywords:||Community history, Historic markers, Leadership studies, Monuments, New Hampshire|
|Publication Number:||3643806|
|ISBN:||9781321317190|
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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
http://acervodigital.unesp.br/handle/11449/22386
- Title:
- Contemporary gene flow and weak genetic structuring in Rococo toad (Rhinella schneideri) populations in habitats fragmented by agricultural activities
- Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP)
- Fed Univ Para
- 0173-5373
- Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)
- Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)
- CNPq: 152757/2007-4
- The reduced vagility and philopatric behaviour of most amphibians make them especially vulnerable to the effects of habitat fragmentation, in particular the loss of genetic variation. However, almost no data are available on the effects of agricultural practices on populations of Neotropical amphibians. Here, the genetic diversity of Rococo toad (Rhinella schneideri) populations in the highly disturbed landscape of the north-western region of the Brazilian state of São Paulo was analysed using microsatellite markers. Two areas were sampled - one dominated by open pastures (four populations) and the other by sugar cane plantations (two populations) - in an attempt to evaluate the possible influence of the type of anthropogenic matrix on genetic variability and gene flow (dispersion). The populations presented a relatively uniform genetic stock, with low levels of inbreeding (Fis) and high levels of admixture between localities (Fst, Rst, STRUCTURE) indicating no genetic subdivision. The results indicated relatively high levels of recent migration among sites (m) and no isolation by distance. The analyses also found that historical and contemporary rates of migration among populations were broadly similar. Overall, then, neither type of matrix appeared to have an effect on the connectivity of the Rococo toad populations. This suggests that the species has a considerable capacity for dispersal, allowing it to maintain a relatively homogeneous population, even under intense human pressure.
- 1-Jan-2011
- Amphibia-reptilia. Leiden: Brill Academic Publishers, v. 32, n. 3, p. 399-411, 2011.
- 399-411
- Brill Academic Publishers
- anthropogenic disturbance
- gene flow
- Genetic diversity
- high dispersion
- Microsatellite
- Population structure
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/017353711X588182
- Acesso restrito
- outro
- http://repositorio.unesp.br/handle/11449/22386
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Living with teenage daughters and working with millennials keeps me on my toes. If I am to be involved in their lives, I need to be aware of their interests and at least broadly up with 'the goss' and 'the happs'.
Understanding the younger generation is not always straightforward. The lifestyles, interests and attitudes of those in their teens, 20s and even 30s are so different from my day.
My early adulthood was fairly formulaic — university, work, marriage, work. The only real difference between my peer group and me was that I eschewed travel and delayed starting a family so I could get stuck into my career.
These days there is no typical life journey and, according to one US study, progression from youth to adulthood is taking longer, with a significant impact on the wealth of the younger generation. There is a growing generational wealth gap between the old and the young — a function of financial, cultural and even emotional factors.
These milestones are taking longer to achieve, if they're achieved at all, and it is not just affordability causing the delay.
The US Census Bureau says in 1960, 77 per cent of women and 65 per cent of men had passed all five milestones by the time they were 30. By 2000, fewer than half of all 30-plus women and less than a third of men that age had passed all five.
It has become more culturally acceptable to keep on studying or go back to study while you 'find yourself'. Increasingly young adults are coming back home to live with their parents and the median age for marrying and having children has increased.
The notion of 'paying your own way' seems relatively less important to the young people of today and, interestingly, often parents will exacerbate the situation, letting their offspring live at home without any financial or practical contribution to the household.
In the US, 40 per cent of people in their 20s move back home with their parents at least once. Two-thirds spend at least some time living with a romantic partner before marrying, and couples today generally don't expect to marry until their late 20s or start a family until their 30s.
Some of this 'deferment of adulthood' will be for financial reasons. But, in a lot of cases, it is a lifestyle choice rather than a financial one. Unfortunately, deferring adulthood because you can't (or don't want to) afford it, makes it harder to build wealth when you eventually reach adulthood.
Young people today say "it was easier for your generation to build assets than it is for ours". There may be an element of truth to this but the main reason older people are wealthier than younger people is they have been working longer. The longer you work, the more money you're likely to have. The longer you defer working, the harder it will be to accumulate wealth.
Given the trend of delayed adulthood seems entrenched, what can be done to close the generational wealth gap? For my part, I will be encouraging my children and other young people to plan for their own financial success. A deliberate plan and set of expectations around life's journey should ensure greater likelihood of reaching the milestones of adulthood.
If my daughters choose to live at home, they will do so as young adults taking responsibility for their financial and practical contribution to the household. If they choose to delay adulthood, that's cool too. But I won't accept any complaints they are hard done by and can't afford what others have.
Their choice is simple — grow wealth by growing up. | https://fisherfunds.co.nz/newsroom-archive/kiwisaver/growing-wealth-by-growing-up |
We are entering an era of extremely long-form storytelling. While there was a time when a three-hour movie was considered long and a 600-page book was considered enormous, we are now in a time when stories can be told in a variety of formats as an ongoing concern. These will not be like the stories of old, where a television soap opera might run 20 years and tell hundreds of stories. Instead, the stories will be serialized, deliberate, and tell single stories, albeit stories that are typically of epic proportions and covering years or even centuries.
It will not be unusual for a single storyline to take three or four years to complete, if dramatized on television. Films will tell a single story over dozens or even hundreds of sequels. Novels, published both online and in the real world, will spread to dozens of volumes at least, and, at their most ambitious, thousands of volumes.
This will be the era of the Long Story, and this type of storytelling will be valued for the extreme detail and exceptionally nuanced look it provides. Few will actually follow a story from start to finish, but will instead drop in for a while and drop back out when interest lags, sometimes popping back in years later to see how the story has progressed.
The most famous example of this approach to storytelling will be a single novel that takes place over hundreds of years and takes the author the better part of 60 years to write. Some of these stories will become dynastic, with children taking over the telling of the story when their parents die. There will even be a story called The Thousand Year Tale that will transfer authorship from year to year, looking to take a millennium to complete. | https://thereader.com/specials/the-long-tale |
James “Jim” Bucki has been a coin collector for over 30 years and specializes in modern U.S. coins, paper money and foreign type coins. His professional numismatic writing accomplishments including being the “Collector Tech” columnist for the ANA’s monthly magazine “The Numismatist,” a contributing writer for national coin collecting magazines and author/webmaster for the local coin club. He is well versed in all areas of numismatics, ranging from beginner to intermediate to advance. As a part time coin dealer he understands the coin collecting market and the subtle nuances of buying and selling coins. For Jim’s complete biography, click here.
Coin Update: When did you take over for Susan Headley who had been doing the About.com Coins column for several years?
JB: I took over for Susan Headley at the beginning of September 2011. I do not know why Susan left or where she went, but I wish her the best of luck.
Coin Update: How did you get the assignment from about.com? Were you recommended, did you apply with others, or by some other route?
JB: Prior to becoming the Guide for Coins at about.com, I was the Guide for Operation Technology. In fact, it was Susan Headley that encouraged me to apply for the Operations Technology position with about.com. My background and formal education is in computer systems and management of computer systems. I’ve always enjoyed writing and was willing to share my knowledge and experience with about.com readers. As for how many other people applied for the position, that is confidential knowledge that about.com does not share.
Coin Update: What are your duties associated with this assignment? I know you do articles and keep a blog, but can you give the audience an idea of how you go about your responsibilities–a taste of what it is like to be a numismatic writer?
JB: About.com is not my first numismatic writing experience. I am the current “Collector Tech” columnist for the ANA’s monthly magazine The Numismatist. Given my background in computers and technology coupled with my passion for numismatics this was a perfect fit. This all precipitated from attending the ANA summer seminars in 2010 where I bumped into Barbara Gregory the editor-in-chief. The rest is history.
Numismatics is not just a hobby for me, but it is a passion. I love sharing information and knowledge about the hobby with anybody that is willing to learn. Patty Finner, former Vice President at the ANA, got me started by teaching the Coin Collecting Merit Badge to the Boy Scouts in our area. We now do two Coin Collecting Merit Badge Workshops every year in connection with our local coin clubs shows.
For current news articles I subscribed to many RSS feeds that keep me abreast of what is going on in the numismatic world. I then further research the topics to ensure their accuracy and integrity and then pass that on to my readers via my blog on my homepage. Additionally, I am going to start attending national coin shows to get a pulse for what is going on in the hobby.
When it comes to writing longer feature length articles, I try to think of topics that would help people further their interest in, and deepen their knowledge of, coin collecting. For example, being the Scouting and Youth Activities Coordinator for our local coin club, has enlightened me that there are more “accumulators” of coins than there are “collectors” of coins. Therefore, I intend at the beginning of my tenure as the coins guide to focus on helping people set collecting goals, acquire coins to meet these goals and organize and store their coins in a meaningful way that will maximize their enjoyment of their coin collection.
I also plan on expanding on other topics within coin collecting such as specialization, errors and varieties, world coins, and ancient coins.
Coin Update: What coins do you collect, specifically, and which types and denominations are among your favorites?
JB: I currently like collecting modern US coins and commemoratives. I enjoyed digging through dealer stock to find the best examples for each of my collections (some people refer to this as cherry picking). I really like the Jefferson nickel series and consider myself a specialist. My proof Jefferson nickel registry set has won several awards from PCGS.
I am also working on a world type coin collection. To me, a “world type coin collection” is obtaining uncirculated examples of several coins (not every type ever minted by that country) for each of the over 200 modern countries that exist in the world.
Being a man of modest financial means (i.e. six children, with two in college) I can still have as much fun and enjoyment out of collecting coins that the guy who’s striving to collect a complete set of $20 gold double Eagles.
Coin Update: How can coin clubs, sites, blogs, associations and publications engage youth so as to generate enough collectors for the future?
JB: This is a topic that is very near and dear to my heart. When I was a kid, 40 some years ago, you just hung around coin shops and coin shows to learn about coin collecting. Also, when we wanted to play football or hockey, we just gathered up a bunch of kids in the neighborhood and played football or hockey in the street. Nowadays, parents want organized activities for their children, be it football or soccer or book club at the library, it must be organized.
Five months ago I started a Young Numismatists club that meets at every coin show. The activity is organized with “coin digs,” prizes and a short lesson on a different aspect of coin collecting. We currently have over 25 kids that come to almost every meeting. In fact it’s becoming an issue as to where we put these kids at our local coin shows (what a nice problem to have).
Being a teacher by trade, organizing and running this sort of event comes naturally to me. One methodology that we use in computers to educate a wide variety of people is what is called train-the-trainer. You can buy courses that come prepackaged with manuals, activities and books for the students. If one of the national organizations could create a train-the-trainer kit that local clubs could purchase at a minimal cost (or even free) and provide training to a coin dealer or hobby enthusiasts, this could get people across the country to create organized coin collecting activities for kids.
Coin Update: What are the biggest challenges or detriments the hobby may be facing today? Opportunities?
JB: One of the biggest challenges facing the hobby today is the proliferation of counterfeit coins coming from overseas. This is compounded by the fact that many of these coins can be sold anonymously through Internet auction sites and other online venues. These sort of unscrupulous people prey upon the unknowledgeable and this gives the hobby of coin collecting a bad name. All because somebody purchase something that was “too good to be true.”
The biggest opportunity that the coin collecting hobby has in front of it is the use of technology. This includes the Internet, mobile computing devices (such as smart phones) and social networks. We can choose to wait and let these opportunities with technology pass us by, or we can embrace them, guide them and use them to promote the hobby of Kings. By the way, if you haven’t noticed, kids are really into technology. If we want to get kids involved in coin collecting, we better “get with it!”
Coin Update: What are your favorite coin designs and by which designers and why?
JB: The Victoria gold Proof 5 Pound 1839 Una and the Lion coin and the St. Gaudens $20 double eagle. Both coins tell a dramatic story of leadership and liberty. The designs are simple and yet breathtaking when you carefully study them. I don’t own either of these coins, but they make great screensavers for my computer.
My favorite coin designer is John Mercanti former Chief Engraver at the US Mint. I got to spend some time with him last summer at the ANA summer seminars. We mostly talked about how technology has changed the minting of coins from when he started with the US mint with the plaster models and Janvier Reducing Lathe to the computer-controlled machinery that cuts the dies today.
Coin Update: In addition to writing for about.com., what other coin related activities to you do to keep sharp or engaged in the hobby?
JB: As mentioned above, I am the Scouting and Youth Activities Coordinator for our local coin club. My younger children are taking an interest in the hobby but they will probably follow the path of my older children and put it aside for a few years. This usually happens when they are bit by the fumes: car fumes, perfumes or locker room fumes (i.e. buy a car, get a girlfriend, or start playing sports). But my hope is that just like me, I checked out for a few years to play sports and go to college, and then eventually returned to the hobby when I was older and had time and some money.
Coin Update: Susan Headley did a nice job investigating counterfeit coins and being a consumer advocate. Will you carry on those traditions, or do you have other interesting ideas about how the column and blog should proceed?
JB: The consumer advocate part of the coins.about.com site is a pivotal part that must be maintained. A lot of this depends upon feedback from faithful readers that will contribute to the site. Additionally, the best consumer is an educated consumer. In other words, that the more people understand about coin collecting and how the hobby works, the better they will be able to make purchasing decisions and not get ripped off by the con artists that are out there. As we say in computer science, our toughest job is to protect users from themselves.
Coin Update: What grading companies do you patronize and why? Which do you avoid and why?
JB: I personally favor PCGS, although I also submit coins to NGC and ANACS also. These are the ones that I feel are the most trustworthy because when the big-ticket items come to market, they are usually in one of these holders. I know there are people that play the crack-out game to resubmit coins for a better grade. With that aside, I believe that PCGS is the most consistent third party grading company on the market today. ANACS on the other hand, provides a better variety and error attribution service than the other two. NGC on the other hand, won’t bodybag or “genuinize” your coin if there is a problem with your coin without offering their opinion on the grade.
Coin Update: Do you think the Internet is reducing patrons of onsite coin shows, as some believe they might be?
JB: I haven’t read any data on this topic so therefore I cannot commentate using facts. If you’re asking my opinion, which everyone has one, is that technology will only be a detriment to the hobby if we let it. If we embrace it, study it, and implement it, then it could be the driving force that will bring this hobby to a new generation. So let’s step out on a limb, and try something new to see if it works. “Technology. It’s going to be big!”
Coin Update: Any views about buying coins from eBay or Proxibid?
JB: I buy and sell coins on eBay all the time. Of course I have been burned, but those lessons are the best teachers in life. I hope to pass most of these lessons onto the readers in my coins.about.com column so they will not make the same mistakes. The most basic advice I could give is “if it’s too good to be true, it usually is” and “follow your gut, if it doesn’t feel right, run away.”
Coin Update: Anything else you’d like to add?
JB: If we don’t change the way we do things, we will go the same way as the VFW and American Legion by losing many members every year. So encourage the young people, let them try new things (without being negative or being a naysayer), maybe even let them fail because we all have failed in our lives and the older you are, the more failures you have under your belt. Eventually the young people will learn, especially from their mistakes, and they will turn into the future leaders of this hobby, but without them the hobby will die a slow and painful death. So stop reminiscing about the good-old-days and start creating the good-old-days that today’s youth will look back on 60 years from now.
Coin Update: THANKS!
JB: You’re welcome! | http://news.coinupdate.com/james-bucki-new-about-com-coins-guide/ |
Dr. John Zimmerman has a Ph.D. in Biological Psychology and Neuroscience. He has been involved with sleep research for over 30 years.
"My name is Dr. John Zimmerman. I'm the director of one sleep lab in Reno and the owner of another sleep lab in Carson City, both in northern Nevada. I've been in the field of sleep disorders and electrophysiology for over 30 years. There is an aspect of the delivery system of Calorad, which is very important with respect to the body's natural anabolic processes. Taking a very high protein product in the form of liquid collagen prior to sleep onset allows the body to access the food at just the right time. During the first 90 minutes of sleep for a normal individual (who does not have a sleep disorder), a person gets the deepest sleep and the longest duration of that sleep. The deepest sleep stages at night are called stages 3 and 4 sleep. Stage 3 sleep I refer to as "deep sleep" and stage 4 sleep I call "very deep sleep." They are composed of different amounts of a brain wave called "delta." During the day our brainwave patterns are mostly composed of "alpha" when we are relaxed with our eyes closed and "beta" when the eyes are open. Beta also occurs when we're thinking, speaking, listening, or looking at things. The frequency of beta is around 15-30 cycles per second or Hertz (Hz). When we relax and close our eyes, particularly if we are not thinking of anything, our brainwaves change to "alpha", which have a frequency of around 8-12 or 13 cycles per second. What is associated with sleep are two other brainwaves: theta and delta. Theta, which is 4-7 Hz, occurs during "light sleep" (stage 1) and "medium sleep" (stage 2). Delta occupies frequency range 0.5-2 or 3 cycles per second. Varying amounts of delta activity define the differences between stage 3 and 4 sleep.
When we first enter into sleep, we go into stage 1 sleep for a few short minutes, then stage 2, and then proceed directly to stages 3 and 4 (assuming normal sleep patterns). Descent into sleep is like a staircase downward: stage 1, stage 2, stage 3, stage 4, light sleep, medium sleep, deep sleep, very deep sleep. After 80-90 minutes, we re-ascend the sleep staircase, climbing back up from stages 4, 3, 2, etc. then we enter a special sleeping state called REM, short for rapid eye movement, sleep, when we dream.
The first sleep period (of 4 or 5) of the night occurs during the first 90 minutes. It has the largest amount of deep sleep and this is very important to the release of a growth hormone that our bodies use for rejuvenation and repair.
The second sleep period has less deep sleep. The third sleep period would usually have no or very little deep sleep and relatively little stage 3 sleep and hence very little growth hormone release. By the time a person gets to the fourth sleep period around 4-5 a.m. in the morning, there is usually no stage 3 or 4 deep sleep at all (and growth hormone release has all but ceased). All your remaining sleep will consist of stages 1, 2 and REM, with increasingly longer REM periods (and more intense dreams!) towards the end of the night.
During stages 3 and 4 of deep sleep, "we release growth hormone from the pituitary gland into the blood stream. Growth hormone has the beneficial effects of building up lean muscle mass and burning fat!" If we provide the body with a high amount of protein near the time it produces growth hormone, it will utilize it very effectively.
There is also another factor to be considered from a nutritional standpoint called "specific dynamic action" (SDA). The SDA is different for the three food groups: fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. Proteins require the most amount of work to digest and consume the most amount of calories during this process. This is because proteins have to be uncoupled into separate amino acids. You can think of a protein as either a long string of beads or a long line of box cars in a train that have to be uncoupled in individual beads or individual box cars. Proteins have to be broken down into short poly peptides or free amino acids before they can be absorbed by the intestinal villi into the bloodstream. The energy to adjust proteins (break them down into free amino acids), requires the expenditure of calories. "This is why it is most beneficial to provide the body with a very high protein food at the particular time of the 24 hour day when we’re most likely to be utilizing our anabolic processes" - during stages 3 and 4 sleep - when growth hormone is released into the blood.
The role of Collagen
Calorad® in muscular development and total well being
By John H. Norris, M.D., Ph.D. and Reginald D. Barnes, Jr., M.D.
Calorad® is a specially formulated collagen product designed by Michel Grisé, which when used as directed, can result in significant fat loss, an increase in lean body muscular mass and increased well being, as demonstrated in clinical trials conducted over a period of several months.
In human physiology, it is well known that muscle and adipose (fat) tissue metabolism are influenced directly by the complex interplay between insulin, exercise, glucocorticoid (stress hormones), growth hormone (GH), amino acids (including arginine and leucine), proteins, L-hydroxyproline, fats and other substances. Calorad® appears to augment known physiological processes in the metabolism of fat and muscle, which might explain its success as discussed below.
Little if any fat catabolism (fat burning) can take place in the presence of high insulin levels such as those found in, but not limited to, type two diabetes mellitus with insulin resistance or, most commonly, after eating a meal high in carbohydrates or fat. Insulin levels are lowest during fasting. When Calorad® is used as directed after three to four hour fast prior to going to bed, the subject has extended the hours of fasting significantly in addition to that which occurs during sleep. This results in longer periods of low insulin levels, allowing more time for fatty acid metabolism and resultant fat loss.
GH is one of several significant hormones involved in muscular development and it is secreted episodically 24 hours daily. Synthetic growth hormones are often abused by body builders attempting to produce muscular hypertrophy (increased muscular size). Patients with low growth hormone levels often have little muscle mass and/or tone. The most consistent period of GH secretion in both children and young adults (and possibly other age groups), is within the onset of the first slow wave sleep (deep sleep). Delay in the onset of the deep sleep usually results in the delay in the onset of the major GH peak. GH levels are highest during slow wave sleep and lowest during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Furthermore, GH secretion is augmented during fasting. Preliminary studies of Calorad® - collagen suggest a significant deepening in all levels of sleep. This might allow for an increased net secretion of growth hormone and an increase in muscular mass. What’s more, this deeper sleep might account for the subjective feeling of "improved well being" described in many subjects using Calorad®.
Protein, amino acids, L-hydroxyproline, and other building blocks of muscle and collagen are essential for muscle rebuilding. During rest, a complex interplay takes place as muscle and cartilage repair under the influence of GH. If one is deficient in any one of these building blocks necessary for muscle rebuilding, those building blocks will be removed from a healthy muscle (catabolism). Furthermore, certain amino acids, particularly arginine and leucine, stimulate GH secretion. When subjects take Calorad®, this catabolic process is felt to be limited because Calorad® is rich in the amino acids and the collagen building blocks necessary for muscle and cartilage growth, thus resulting in a net increase in lean body mass. At present, studies are being designed to measure GH and insulin levels during sleep in subjects using Calorad® versus matched controls.
DISCLAIMER: Please note none of the statements made on this website have been evaluated or approved by the F.D.A. and no medical claims or claims of cure are being made. | http://calorad123.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13&Itemid=27 |
Colchester’s Economic and Inflation Outlook – April 2021
Keith Lloyd, CEO & Deputy CIO, presents an update on Colchester’s Economic & Inflation Outlook at a time when countries are still working through the effects of the COVID pandemic and markets are increasingly concerned about the potential for rising inflation ahead.
India Bond Market Insights
We are pleased to share with you a short presentation from Colchester’s Investment Officer, Jean Lee. In this video Jean will share Colchester’s thoughts on India’s bond market, provide an overview of their economy, and discuss India’s potential for inclusion in global and emerging market indices.
Colchester Fund Update Webinar
(as at end March 2021)
In this webinar Martyn Simpson, Colchester Investment Officer, provides a Global Government and Emerging Markets Fund update which includes our valuations, along with bond and currency positioning. Martyn also provides commentary on our inflation and market outlook, as well as answers several participant questions within the last 15mins of the session; these cover topics such as inflation, ESG and emerging markets.
ESG in Sovereign Debt Analysis
Claudia Gollmeier discusses ESG factors and the role of engagement within Sovereign Bond Analysis with Kristian Hartelius, Head of Quantitative Strategies at AP2, and Carmen Nuzzo, Head of Fixed Income at the PRI.
Fidelity shines a light on Colchester’s Global Bond Fund and real value approach
Watch Cian O’Brien, Senior Investment Officer, discuss our real value approach as Fidelity shines a light on Colchester’s Global Bond Fund.
Colchester Green Bond Fund
Ian Sims, Chairman and CIO, discusses Colchester’s Green Bond capability and reasons for launching this client offering.
A practical guide to ESG Integration in Sovereign Debt
Claudia Gollmieier, Colchester Senior Investment Officer and as Chair of the PRY Sovereign Working Group, has contributed to further work in this important field.
Global Fixed Income markets – Where to from here & what considerations for portfolio construction
Colchester Global Investors’ Martyn Simpson explores how global bonds offer potentially higher returns and a rich and diverse opportunity set creating a genuine defensive allocation. He explores how investment into global sovereign bonds offers a defensive asset class that adds ballast to diversified portfolios on top of compelling risk/reward outcomes and reinforcing the need to look beyond domestic borders highlighting how global government bonds have outperformed Aussie Government Bonds over the last 10 years.
Colchester and Responsible Investing
Claudia Gollmeier discusses how Colchester incorporates responsible investing principles into its investment process.
Discussing sovereign bonds with Martyn Simpson
An allocation to sovereign bonds can enhance the defensive element of an investment portfolio and, as Martyn Simpson explains, can add above market returns or alpha as well.
- Why should investors consider investing in fixed income beyond Australia? (0:35)
- Why does Colchester choose to only invest in global sovereign bonds? (1:30)
- And does that restrict your portfolio’s diversification? (2:44)
- What about the performance of global fixed income? (3:50)
- Brief insight to Colchester’s philosophy and process (4:45)
- What about the impact of geopolitical risks (6:01)
Morningstar Analyst Review by Tim Wong, Associate Director, Fund Research Morningstar Australasia
Zenith Ratings Review
Zenith has awarded the Colchester Global Government Bond Fund a Highly Recommended Rating. Listen to Bronwen Moncrieff GM and Head of Zenith Research discuss the rationale behind this strong rating.
Lonsec Meet The Manager Interview
Lonsec’s Head of Research Libby Newman sat down with Colchester’s Martyn Simpson to discuss Colchester’s valuation driven approach to global bond investing. With emerging markets in the spotlight recently, Martyn explains the process behind Colchester’s emerging market allocation, and how Australian investors can benefit from global growth opportunities.
Cian O’Brien discusses the merits of currency management in global bond portfolios
- What should investors consider when deciding to hedge their portfolio? (0:03)
- Why do investors often hedge a global bond portfolio but not a global equities portfolio? (1:16)
- What About the cost of Hedging? (2:03)
- Does Colchester believe currency can be a source of added value? (3:32)
- What is Colchester’s approach to managing currency? (4:41)
Ian Sims discusses why Colchester invests solely in sovereign bonds and the benefits or utilising smaller markets
Ian Sims provides insights to Colchester’s team and culture
Keith Lloyd provides insights to who Colchester is, what Colchester’s investment philosophy is and why he believes clients choose them
Ian Sims provides his thoughts on why clients choose to invest with Colchester
Keith Lloyd explains Colchester’s investment process
Bond Investors Need to Lower Income Expectations
Returns available from fixed income are muted compared to historic yields, says Ian Sims, CIO of Colchester Global – but there are still opportunities out there for bond investors. | https://colchesterglobal.com.au/video-library/ |
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is a relatively new technology that uses small computer programs called bots to mimic the manual path taken by a human through a range of computer applications when performing certain tasks in a business process.
The sequence of tasks that is being mimicked by bots, referred to as a 'bot-flow', typically comprises various computer-human interactions (such as mouse clicks and keyboard strokes) that need to be executed in a particular order to accomplish the tasks. Before a bot can be executed, a design (or blueprint) of a bot-flow is needed that describes what activities a bot will perform at runtime, and in what sequence.
Such designs are largely obtained through manual efforts by observing and mapping human actions into some process models. However, the design is often constrained due to limited observation time windows, and so may not be comprehensive. One consequence of this is that particular occurrences at runtime that were not included in the process design, such as missing or invalid data or changes to GUI layouts, are not correctly handled, resulting in flow failures. These occurrences are referred to as exceptions, and are described as any event that is deemed to be outside the pre-defined behaviour for a bot-flow.
To achieve robust bot execution, a suite of rich runtime exception handling strategies is needed to ensure that exceptions that occur during the execution of bot-flows are handled gracefully. These strategies should, as far as possible, provide for the detection and mitigation of exceptions so that a bot can continue its flow unimpeded, and without the need for human intervention.
Research activities
Research activities in this project vary, depending on students’ skills and the duration of the project. In general, research activities for this project include:
- A literature review on the state-of-the-art techniques for handling RPA runtime exceptions (VRES)
- An investigation of the applicability of various exception handling techniques from areas such as software engineering and business process automation to RPA exception handling (VRES, Honours)
- The development of new exception handling techniques for RPA (Masters, PhD)
- The development, implementation, and evaluation of algorithms, strategies and programs that will provide bots with the capabilities to intelligently handle exceptions through methods such as active learning, runtime monitoring, and timely intervention (PhD)
Outcomes
The expected project outcomes are dependent on the scope of the project that students’ undertake. Key outcomes include:
- Gap analysis in the domain of RPA exception handling
- Evaluation of the suitability of existing exception handling techniques from other domains to the problem area of intelligent and automated RPA exception handling
- New techniques, strategies and programs for automated, intelligent RPA exception handling
Skills and experience
- Familiarity with the fields of process automation
- Software engineering and general exception handling techniques
- Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to think logically
- Programming skills
Keywords
Contact
Contact the supervisor for more information. | https://www.qut.edu.au/research/study-with-us/student-topics/topics/intelligent-and-automated-exception-handling-strategies-for-robotic-process-automation2 |
Most digital to-analog converters (DACs) today are of the R-2R type. FIG. 1 shows a simplified circuit diagram of an eight bit R-2R ladder DAC of the prior art. The switches 1 through S8 are FET switches which are controlled by an eight bit digital input word to the DAC. Each bit position in the digital word controls a respective switch to send the current through the respective legs of the circuit (i.e., the 2R resistor above the switch) either to analog ground 12, if the corresponding bit is a 0, or to the summing junction 14, if the corresponding bit is a 1. S1 is controlled by the most significant bit of the digital word while each successive switch is controlled by the next most significant bit. The summing junction 14 is held at virtual ground by the output buffer amp 16. Due to the configuration of the resistors having impedances of R and 2R, the current in each leg is one half the current in the preceding (i.e., next most significant) leg. However, since there is no resistance R in series with the resistance 2R in leg 9, the current in legs 8 and 9 are egual.
Vref, the input voltage to the R-2R ladder, is a reference voltage which provides a current I into the ladder. The R-2R configuration will split the input current I between analog ground 12 and the summing junction 14 in accordance with the switches S1-S8 and the digital input word. The buffer amplifier 16 converts the current at the summing node 14 into a voltage, V.sub.out. V.sub.out is the analog output voltage corresponding to the digital input word.
As an example, if the digital input word is 10010010, the current flowing through legs 1, 4 and 7 would be directed to the summing node 14 while the current in legs 2, 3, 5, 6 and 8 would be sent to analog ground 12. If we call the current in leg 1 I.sub.msb, then the current at the summing junction 14 will be I.sub.msb +1/8 I.sub.msb +1/64 I.sub.msb. The remaining current, 1/2 I.sub.msb +1/4 I.sub.msb +1/6 I.sub.msb +1/32 I.sub.msb +1/128 I.sub.msb, is sent to analog ground. The buffer amplifier 16 converts the current at summing junction 14 to a voltage at V.sub.out. Since the buffer amplifier 16 is an inverting amplifier, V.sub.out will be a negative voltage if Vref is a positive voltage. In order to obtain a positive output voltage, the V.sub.out signal is inverted at a later stage in the signal processing of the DAC.
The R-2R ladder shown in FIG. 1 is configured to operate only in a uni-polar mode, that is, its output can only be of the opposite polarity of the applied Vref. In order to obtain four guadrant operation, i.e., allow for a positive or negative analog output voltage in response to a positive or negative digital input word using offset binary or two's-complement codes, an offset current equal and opposite to 1/2 Iref is added to the summing junction 14. This causes the voltage at V.sub.out to be offset by exactly 1/2 the full scale range of the DAC. Therefore, if V.sub.out in the uni-polar mode has a range of 0 to 5 volts, V.sub.out would have a full scale range of .+-.2.5 volts in the bi-polar mode. The offset reference current may be provided by a separate offset reference. More usually, it is derived from the DAC's basic Vref signal in order to minimize drift of the output zero with temperature.
Errors are introduced into the analog output of a DAC if the analog ground 12 seen by the R-2R ladder drifts from the true ground seen by the related circuit components (i.e., the chip ground pin connector). Ideally, the conductor which leads from the switch terminals to ground and the ground line itself are perfect conductors and offer no electrical resistance to the circuit. Unfortunately, however, the conductor in the DAC does provide a small but non-negligible resistance to the circuit. This resistance causes the voltage at the switch terminals to drift from true ground to some offset value, thereby offsetting all currents to both analog ground 12 and the summing junction 14 and causing inaccurate readings. Analog ground drift, as it is called, which is about 1/2 or more of the amplitude of the least significant bit (as determined by Vref and the number of bits of resolution) causes inaccurate operation of the DAC and is unacceptable. Unfortunately, errors of greater than 1/2 lsb are easily accumulated, particularly in monolithic chips carrying a multiplicity of DACs. In such chips, the total amount of conductor resistance between the pin which is to be connected to analog ground and the actual switches in the DAC can be quite significant and particularly bothersome in higher accuracy DACs.
For instance, a 12-bit DAC having a reference voltage of 10 volts would have a least significant bit value of 2.5 mV. An analog ground drift of more than 1.25 mV (1/2lsb) would cause an error in the analog output of the DAC. If the ground wire offers a resistance of 1 ohm to the circuit, then an analog ground current of just 1.25 mA would cause an unacceptable analog ground drift of 1.25 mV.
Another error introduced into the analog output in prior art DACs is caused by the temperature dependence of the FET switches used in the R 2R ladder as well as additional FET switches that might be included for such purposes a selecting uni polar or bi polar operation or selecting a full scale range for the DAC. The resistance offered to the circuit by the FET switches drifts with temperature, thereby causing the analog output also to drift with temperature. The amount by which the resistance of the FET switches drifts with temperature is defined by the "temperature coefficient", or TC, of the switch.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a monolithic digital-to-analog converter that is substantially immune to analog output drift due to the TC of the FET switches in the circuitry.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a monolithic digital-to-analog converter that substantially eliminates the effect of analog ground current on the output analog voltage.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a monolithic digital to-analog converter capable of being selectively programmed to operate in either uni-polar or bi-polar modes.
Additionally, it is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved monolithic digital-to-analog converter.
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This display shows the contents of the PERM page (page 2) in a program running under Scheme A.
Although a CRT storage tube used an array of phosphor spots to store
information, it could not in general be used to observe its current set of
values, as the screen would be covered by a pick-up plate (to "read" the values)
and the whole tube would be contained in a metal box to screen it from outside
electrical interference. So display tubes were provided to show the current
state of a selected storage tube, but laid out in a more useful way for
viewing. (See display
detail.)
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This is the first Ferranti Mark 1, installed in the new Computing Machine
Laboratory at the University in 1951. Sitting at the console is Keith Lonsdale (right) and B.W. (Brian)
Pollard (left). B.W. Pollard was a key member of Ferranti working on the
Ferranti Mark 1. (Unfortunately, due to some misunderstandings, he was not
invited in time to come over from the US for the Celebrations.)
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The two larger CRT displays could be switched to show the current contents of
any of the 8 pages. The four smaller displays (presumably) permanently showed
the current contents of the four auxiliary tubes, A (80-bit Accumulator), B
(8 20-bit B-lines), C (Control Address and Present Instruction) and D (current
multiplicand value). See the next picture and comment for the Input/Output
equipment.
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The Input medium was a 5-hole paper-tape reader (left) and a teleprinter and
5-hole paper tape punch (right).
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Seated again are Brian Pollard and Keith Lonsdale. | http://curation.cs.manchester.ac.uk/digital60/www.digital60.org/rebuild/50th/gallery/gallery2/index-2.html |
The UK Digital Economy Act is supposed to usher Britain into the digital age. Despite having many opponents (certain MPs, law enforcement agents, ISPs, companies like Google and privacy and human rights advocates), it finally received Royal Assent on 8 April 2010, which automatically made it a law.
Big ISPs have particularly much to lose if the act stays in place, so it’s no wonder, then, that BT and TalkTalk – two of the biggest ones in the U.K. – have filed a motion with the High Court for a judicial review of the controversial act.
They argue that the act was “rushed through” parliament during the wash-up period (the last few days before the Parliament is dissolved before the general election) and that that rush shortened the examination and debate time essential to a thorough analysis of the implications of such a law.
The also want the High Court to give its opinion on whether the act and its provisions regarding illegal file-sharing encroach on the basic rights and freedoms of individuals, whether it is in conflict with EU laws or privacy and electronic communication regulations, BBC reports.
The ISPs have probably waited this long to ask for a judicial review because they hoped that the current government would exercise the right to revoke the act, but they have been spurned into action by the government’s admission that they are not planning to do so.
“We believe measures are consistent with EU legislation and that there are enough safeguards in place to protect the rights of consumers and ISPs and will continue to work on implementing them,” the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills offered in a statement regarding the matter.
BT and TalkTalk are worried that the act will put undue stress on their business activity. The cost of warning persistent file-sharers by letter and of keeping a blacklist that can be used by copyright owners to sue the pirates falls on the ISPs, but the thing that they are mostly worried about is that the loss of customers. Since the obligation of doing these two things applies only to ISPs with over 400,000 subscribers, customers may prefer to take their business to smaller ISPs to avoid detection. | https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2010/07/12/big-isps-challenge-the-uk-digital-economy-act/ |
Welcome to the Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Society (ACNS) web site. We are an academic society focused on the scientific study of the biological or brain foundations of mental processes and behaviour. We welcome members from disciplines such as psychology, neuroscience, cognitive science, psychiatry, neurology, linguistics, computer science, and philosophy, all with an interest in the relationships between the brain, mind, and behaviour.
The main purpose of the Society is to encourage and facilitate the exchange of knowledge, primarily through conferences and workshops.
The ACNS was founded in 2012, out of discussions following the 2nd Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference, with founding members from eight universities across Australia and New Zealand. We have now grown to a Society of over 300 members across Australia, New Zealand, and Asia.
The Society hosts the annual Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference in Nov/Dec each year. In 2014, we hosted the International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON 2014) for the first time in the southern hemisphere. The Society supports the Australian Brain Alliance.
In 2016 the Society launched its Equity and Diversity Policy, click here to download. | https://www.acns.org.au/about-acns/ |
How To Start Investing In Bitcoins
What is investing? At its most basic, investing is when you purchase properties you anticipate to make a benefit from in the future. That might describe purchasing a home (or other property) you think will rise in worth, though it frequently refers to buying stocks and bonds. How is investing various than saving? Conserving and investing both involve setting aside cash for future usage, but there are a great deal of differences, too.
However it most likely will not be much and typically fails to keep up with inflation (the rate at which rates are increasing). Usually, it’s best to only invest money you won’t require for a little while, as the stock market changes and you don’t desire to be required to sell stocks that are down due to the fact that you need the cash.
Prior to you can invest any of the cash you’ve developed through financial investments, you’ll have to offer them. With stocks, it could take days before the profits are settled in your savings account, and selling residential or commercial property can take months (or longer). Normally speaking, you can access cash in your savings account anytime.
You don’t have to select just one. You canand probably shouldinvest for numerous objectives simultaneously, though your technique might require to be various. (More on that below.) 2. Pin down your timeline. Next, figure out just how much time you need to reach your goals. This is called your financial investment timeline, and it dictates just how much threat (and for that reason the kinds of investments) you may have the ability to handle.
So for fairly near-term objectives, like a wedding event you desire to pay for in the next couple of years, you might wish to stick to a more conservative investing method. For longer-term goals, nevertheless, like retirement, which may still be decades away, you can presume more danger since you have actually got time to recover any losses.
There’s something you can do to reduce that disadvantage. Go into diversification, or the process of varying your investments to manage danger. There are 2 primary ways to diversify your portfolio: Diversifying between possession classes, like stocks and bonds. Typically, as you get older (and closer to retirement) or are otherwise nearing completion of your investing timeline, professionals recommend moving your possession allowance toward owning more bonds.
Time is your greatest ally when it concerns investing. Thanks to intensifyingor when the returns on your cash generate their own returns, and so onthe longer your money is in the market, the longer it has to grow. Invest typically. By investing even percentages routinely over time, you’re practicing a routine that will help you develop wealth throughout your life called dollar-cost averaging.
Make it automatic. Automating any repeating task makes it much easier to stick to over the long term. The same applies for investing. Whether it’s by immediately contributing a part of your paycheck to a 401(k) or setting up automatic transfers from your checking account to a brokerage account, automating your financial investments can make it a lot easier to strike your long-term objectives.
When you invest, you’re giving your cash the possibility to work for you and your future goals. It’s more complex than direct transferring your paycheck into a savings account, however every saver can become an investor. What is investing? Investing is a method to potentially increase the quantity of money you have.
1. Start investing as soon as you can, The more time your cash needs to work for you, the more chance it’ll have for development. That’s why it is essential to start investing as early as possible. 2. Try to remain invested for as long as you can, When you stay invested and do not move in and out of the marketplaces, you might make money on top of the cash you’ve currently made.
3. Expand your investments to manage threat. Putting all your money in one investment is riskyyou might lose money if that investment falls in value. However if you diversify your cash across multiple financial investments, you can decrease the risk of losing money. Start early, stay long, One essential investing method is to begin faster and stay invested longer, even if you start with a smaller sized quantity than you want to buy the future.
Intensifying occurs when revenues from either capital gains or interest are reinvestedgenerating extra profits with time. How essential is time when it concerns investing? Extremely. We’ll take a look at an example of a 25-year-old investor. She makes an initial financial investment of $10,000 and is able to make a typical return of 6% each year.
1But waiting ten years before beginning to invest, which is something a young financier might do earlier in her working life, can have an influence on just how much cash she will have at retirement. Instead of having more than $100,000 in cost savings by age 65, she would have simply $57,000 nearly half as much.
1Even if it’s early on in your profession and you only have a little quantity to invest, it might be worth it. The power of time has potential to work for itselfthe cash you do invest (even if it’s just a little) will intensify for as long as you keep it invested – How To Start Investing In Bitcoins.
However your account would deserve over 3 times thatmore than $147,000. Diversify your financial investments to decrease danger, You typically can’t invest without coming in person with some threat. There are ways to handle threat that can assist you fulfill your long-lasting objectives. The easiest method is through diversification and asset allowance.
One financial investment may suffer a loss of worth, however those losses can be made up for by gains in others. It can be hard to diversify when investing strictly in stocksespecially if you’re not beginning with a great deal of capital (How To Start Investing In Bitcoins). This is where possession allotment enters into play. Asset allocation includes dividing your investment portfolio among different possession categorieslike stocks, bonds, and money.
See what an individual retirement account from Principal needs to offer. Currently investing through your company’s pension? Visit to examine your existing selections and all the choices offered.
Investing is a method to reserve cash while you are hectic with life and have that cash work for you so that you can completely enjoy the rewards of your labor in the future. Investing is a method to a happier ending. Famous financier Warren Buffett specifies investing as “the process of laying out cash now to receive more money in the future.” The goal of investing is to put your money to work in several kinds of financial investment cars in the hopes of growing your cash gradually.
Online Brokers Brokers are either full-service or discount rate. Full-service brokers, as the name implies, provide the full range of standard brokerage services, consisting of financial guidance for retirement, healthcare, and everything associated to cash. They generally just handle higher-net-worth customers, and they can charge substantial costs, consisting of a portion of your transactions, a portion of your properties they manage, and often, a yearly membership fee.
In addition, although there are a variety of discount brokers without any (or very low) minimum deposit restrictions, you may be confronted with other restrictions, and certain charges are credited accounts that do not have a minimum deposit. This is something a financier need to take into account if they desire to buy stocks.
Jon Stein and Eli Broverman of Improvement are often credited as the first in the space. Their objective was to utilize innovation to lower costs for financiers and enhance financial investment recommendations – How To Start Investing In Bitcoins. Because Improvement released, other robo-first companies have actually been established, and even developed online brokers like Charles Schwab have included robo-like advisory services.
Some companies do not require minimum deposits. Others may often decrease expenses, like trading charges and account management fees, if you have a balance above a certain threshold. Still, others might offer a certain variety of commission-free trades for opening an account. Commissions and Charges As economists like to state, there ain’t no such thing as a totally free lunch.
In many cases, your broker will charge a commission whenever you trade stock, either through buying or selling. Trading fees range from the low end of $2 per trade but can be as high as $10 for some discount rate brokers. Some brokers charge no trade commissions at all, but they make up for it in other ways.
Now, think of that you choose to buy the stocks of those 5 business with your $1,000. To do this, you will sustain $50 in trading costsassuming the cost is $10which is comparable to 5% of your $1,000. If you were to fully invest the $1,000, your account would be decreased to $950 after trading costs.
Ought to you sell these five stocks, you would when again sustain the costs of the trades, which would be another $50. To make the round journey (purchasing and selling) on these 5 stocks would cost you $100, or 10% of your initial deposit amount of $1,000 – How To Start Investing In Bitcoins. If your investments do not make enough to cover this, you have lost money just by getting in and exiting positions.
Mutual Fund Loads Besides the trading charge to acquire a shared fund, there are other expenses associated with this kind of financial investment. Mutual funds are professionally managed swimming pools of financier funds that buy a concentrated way, such as large-cap U.S. stocks. There are numerous charges an investor will sustain when investing in shared funds (How To Start Investing In Bitcoins).
The MER varies from 0. 05% to 0. 7% yearly and varies depending upon the type of fund. The greater the MER, the more it affects the fund’s total returns. You might see a variety of sales charges called loads when you purchase shared funds. Some are front-end loads, but you will likewise see no-load and back-end load funds.
Take a look at your broker’s list of no-load funds and no-transaction-fee funds if you wish to avoid these extra charges. For the beginning financier, shared fund fees are in fact an advantage compared to the commissions on stocks. The factor for this is that the fees are the very same despite the quantity you invest.
The term for this is called dollar-cost averaging (DCA), and it can be an excellent way to start investing. Diversify and Lower Risks Diversification is thought about to be the only totally free lunch in investing. In a nutshell, by buying a series of possessions, you minimize the risk of one investment’s efficiency significantly harming the return of your total financial investment.
As discussed previously, the costs of purchasing a a great deal of stocks could be harmful to the portfolio. With a $1,000 deposit, it is almost difficult to have a well-diversified portfolio, so understand that you may require to buy one or 2 business (at the most) in the first place.
This is where the major benefit of shared funds or ETFs enters focus. Both types of securities tend to have a big number of stocks and other investments within their funds, that makes them more diversified than a single stock. The Bottom Line It is possible to invest if you are simply starting with a small quantity of money.
You’ll need to do your homework to discover the minimum deposit requirements and then compare the commissions to other brokers. Opportunities are you will not be able to cost-effectively purchase specific stocks and still diversify with a small quantity of cash. You will likewise need to choose the broker with which you wish to open an account.
Check the background of financial investment specialists related to this site on FINRA’S Broker, Check. Earning money does not need to be made complex if you make a strategy and adhere to it (How To Start Investing In Bitcoins). Here are some standard investing concepts that can help you prepare your financial investment strategy. Investing is the act of buying monetary assets with the prospective to increase in value, such as stocks, bonds, or shares in Exchange Traded Funds (ETF) or mutual funds. | https://jackstevison.com/how-to-start-investing-in-bitcoins/ |
Now this picture looks like one of my baby pictures. Finally I can say I see it!
Two Month-6/30/2011
Weight: 12 pounds 6 ounces -- 70th percentile
Length: 22 3/4 inches --50th percentile
Head Circumference: 39 centimeters -- 25th percentile
Doctor said we had a pretty good growth spirt, could be from the rice cereal he gets in his bottles to help keep his formula down in his little tummy! | http://www.keepingupwiththesouths.com/2011/06/i-am-that-mom.html |
TOP-REF is committed to increase the competitiveness and efficiency of the EU resource-intensive process industry as well as to assure a long-term greener economy.
This methodology will be implemented
In three specific, non-invasive, real time and on-line monitoring and control tools adapted to three specific continuous energy and resource intensive processes: Fertilizer, Refining and Chemical.The three tools will be validated through demonstration under real conditions in three pilots, one in each sector.
In order to ensure TOP-REF impacts, specific Key Resources Indicators (KRI) will be developed and standardized to foster the greening and the competiveness of the European process industry.The indicators, based among others on life cycle studies, will help to measure the decoupling of environmental impacts and resource use from economic growth.
Furthermore, a method and standard for providing environmental performance information based on the Key Resources Indicators (KRI) will be developed in TOP-REF.
The multi-sectorial methodology will be constructed by performing the following steps:
- The methodology will start by developing specific Key Resources Indicators (KRI). These KRI will guide the complete execution of the methodology.
- Definition of Key Performance Attributes (KPA) for the final product addressing: Quality, Safety, Costs.
The industrial final user will define the values for these parameters on each sector related to their final product.
- Evaluation of the resource efficiency potential of the global process by performing audits and diagnosis over the different sub-processes and related equipment: the aspects with the highest resource-efficiency improvement potential points will be identified in order provide a focused framework to the following actions.
- Modelling and simulation of the identified highest resource-efficiency improvement points to establish the Critical Process Parameters (CPP), like residence time, temperature of the raw materials, cooling water flow rate, etc. and understand their relation with the Key Attributes (KPA = f (CPP)). This step will allow the:
- Characterization of the Critical Process Parameters
- Identification of the variables for the monitoring (VM) and control (VC) of the CPP
- Development of the monitoring and control strategies attending to different prioritization schemes of the targeted KPAs
- Design and implementation of the monitoring and control tools attending to the previously established strategies, defining the required hardware (SCADA, sensors, actuators and software).
- Integration of the results, pilots deployment plan, proofs of concept demonstration and final optimization of the methodology and the monitoring and control tools.
- Finally a methodology for developing environmental product declarations will be established based on these KRI. | http://toprefproject.eu/?page_id=11530 |
Culture is the shared attitudes, goals, and norms within your environment, whether that be your department or the University as a whole. Faculty have an important role in creating the culture within their research teams by setting and reinforcing customs and values. Likewise, faculty also convey these practices as leaders within their departments and professional groups. Yet, the practice of establishing a conscientious culture may fall outside of your previous professional development experiences. Being intentional in your leadership and supervision can facilitate success for you and those with whom you work across the intellectual and social spheres. Also, it sets the tone with regard to mentoring, group dynamics, safety, inclusion and diversity, and other situations. Join this panel discussion to hear how others approach this issue, and learn about the campus activities and resources with which you can partner as you establish your research environment. | https://research.princeton.edu/research-development/faculty-research-forum/creating-culture |
First make some coffee and add the flavors, 1 teaspoon of chocolate and 1 teaspoon of sugar per cup. Top drink off with whipped cream, chocolate and favorite color candy sprinkles, and a chocolate covered strawberry on the very top for the finishing touch.
Coffee Recipe Sharing at: Old Chicago Coffee © 2019
https://www.oldchicagocoffee.com/recipes/: | https://www.oldchicagocoffee.com/recipes/print/124/index.html |
Omega-3, omega-6 in diet alters gene expression in obesity
A new study reveals that essential fats in the diet may play a role in regulating protein secretion in the muscles by changing the way genes associated with secretion act. The study was published May 4, ahead of print in Physiological Genomics.
A research team from the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, explored how regular consumption of essential fats regulates how genes use information, or gene expression, associated with the skeletal muscle secretome.
The researchers studied glucose levels and took samples from muscle and RNA—a molecule chain that uses genetic information from DNA to produce proteins in the cells—from four groups of rats:
- A lean group ate a normal diet
- An obese group ate food supplemented with Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)
- An obese group ate food supplemented linoleic acid (LA)
- An obese control group ate a normal diet
After 12 weeks on the respective diets, both the ALA and LA groups had lower glucose levels and better glucose tolerance compared to the obese control group. These factors improved more in the ALA group than the LA one. In addition, the researchers found more than 135 genes that expressed differently based on diet among the four groups of animals, including genes that correspond with 15 secreted proteins. Expression in most of these proteins differed between the lean and obese groups.
ALA and LA are plant-based essential fats, called polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), that humans consume through diet. ALA is an omega-3 fatty acid; LA is an omega-6 fatty acid. Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids have been shown to be beneficial to brain health and reduce the risk of inflammation and heart disease.
Previous studies have shown that proteins secreted from the muscles, skeletal muscle secretome, help regulate signaling of metabolic activities, such as muscle fiber formation and the function of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Prior research suggests that obesity and insulin resistance, an inability of the body to properly respond to insulin, changes the skeletal muscle secretome.
These results suggest that "LA and ALA may differentially regulate the skeletal muscle secretome," the researchers explained, and that the addition of PUFA further alters gene expression.
"Our findings concerning the relationship between obesity and the skeletal muscle secretome add valuable information to a relatively understudied area of investigation." | https://www.integrativepractitioner.com/practice-management/news/omega-3-omega-6-in-diet-alters-gene-expression-in-obesity |
A Reflection from Saint Augustine
In this time of war and rumors of war, we are challenged as Christians to live the Gospel message of peace.
Saint Augustine, in his Letter to Darius (Letter 229, written in the year 429), makes the point that seeking peace through peace is better than seeking peace through war. We offer for your reflection these words of Augustine in praise of peace.
From a Letter of Augustine to Darius
...These features of your character are joyfully seen both by us, and through the mercy of God by yourself also, as in a mirror in the holy Gospel, in which it is written in words uttered by Him who is truth: "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."
Those warriors are indeed great and worthy of singular honor, not only for their consummate bravery, but also (which is a higher praise) for their eminent fidelity, by whose labors and dangers, along with the blessing of divine protection and aid, enemies previously unsubdued are conquered, and peace obtained for the State, and the provinces reduced to subjection.
But it is a higher glory still to stay war itself with a word, than to slay men with the sword, and to procure or maintain peace by peace, not by war.
For those who fight, if they are good persons, doubtless seek for peace; nevertheless it is through blood.
Your mission, however, is to prevent the shedding of blood. Yours, therefore, is the privilege of averting that calamity which others are under the necessity of producing.
... May God "strengthen that which He hath wrought for us through you."
... I salute with due affection the pledge of peace, which through the favor of our Lord and God you have happily received. | https://www.midwestaugustinians.org/procuring-peace-by-peace |
Despite being in the 21st century, society often still uses incorrect or outdated terms when talking about members of the LGBT community. Through our campaign, we hope to rectify this by promoting individuals to become aware of different terms within the community and to use them in the correct manner.
People just don't understand a lot of the terminology used around the LGBT community
By simply not knowing the correct term in a situation, we may isolate and/or offend those in the LGBT community wrongly defining them or using a term which may be offensive to many.
What We Do
We hope we can inform society around LGBT definitions, and in the process promote a better understand of the LGBT community, eradicating prejudice which often stems from a lack of understanding or knowledge. | https://uprisingsocialaction.uk/campaigns/straightalkin |
The Gold Museum (Museo del Oro) - Bogota
I'd read that the Museo del Oro was reason enough to visit Bogota but not even that made me check the opening hours. You know where this is going don't you? Yes, of course we turned up when it was closed, this is one of my classic travel fails and one I repeat frequently! So much for being the well travelled blogger with all the answers ;). But we got there eventually, at the end of our trip and it was quite spectacular.
I imagined people raved about the museum because of their holdings of pre-Colombian art but the place is spectacular not just because of the extensive collection of gold but also because of the wonderful presentation of the works, the interpretation and the emphasis on both where and how the artifacts where worn and used, and on the cosmology, how and what they meant to those who made or used them. In this regard the objects themselves are infused with symbolism which connects us to the past through an understanding of what they meant and how they were regarded.
When museums can connect us across time and space, through the objects they are exhibiting, they are doing a great job. I really loved this museum because in addition to the quality of the collection, they do a great job of putting it all together telling us how, where and why these objects are important. It starts with a section on metalwork, smelting, techniques and various alloys, moves to a series of rooms discussing pieces in relation to specific local cultures and regions and then moves up a floor where the emphasis is on cosmology and the symbolic, the ways in which objects were used by shamans to invoke powerful spiritual forces.
Just to be a contrarian D. liked the Gold Museum for its ceramic collection! He's right that the pottery works are quite lovely, like the gold pieces they are incredibly diverse and show wide stylistic influences.
I particularly liked the way in which they displayed many of the wearable pieces against a shadow. Crowns, breastplates, earrings and other forms of adornment where shown, some worn by women, chiefs and other pieces worn by shamans and used for ritual purposes.
There is so much to see here that after a while all the gold can become quite overwhelming. It's incredible to think that this is what was found and preserved after the colonialists plundered and removed all that they could.
I can't resist including the following images which were among my favorites.
One of the most significant single pieces in the museum is the "Offering Raft" from the , Muisca people, a pre-Colombian group on which the legend of El Dorado may have been based. The work depicts the ritual offering of gold made from a reed raft in the middle of a lake. Here's what the blurb at the museum said,"According to present-day indigenous groups, gold is the fertilizing energy of the Sun Father, while lakes are the womb of the Earth Mother. When the gilded chieftain there gold and offerings into the waters from the raft, he was making a pact with nature for life to be renewed"
Unfortunately there wasn't much light and my hand isn't too steady so this was the best photo I could manage...
Like so many museums today the Gold Museum has added an experiential element and their final room should not be missed. You enter in the dark and the circular room comes alive with the sounds of shamanic chanting. You stand in the half light between the objects and the sounds of ritual practice, reunited across a millennia. It's incredibly atmospheric and brings together the pieces and their usage, somehow unshackling them from the sterility of a museum display. It really helps you contextualize the pieces as cultural and spiritual artifacts. Don't miss it, it's easy to walk by if the doors are closed, it's on the right as you exit the display of the "Offering Raft". Just wait for a few minutes on the benches for the door to open.
This really is a wonderful museum and we recommend it highly, we rescheduled our flight back to Bogota to get in early enough to see the museum and it was well worth the effort.
Tip: Do pay attention to the opening times and learn from our mistake. We arrived just as they were closing at 4pm on a Sunday only to find out that (like so many museums the world over) they are closed on a Monday. I often say travel is a skill set but there are certain lessons we never learn, that everything is closed in Italy at lunchtime and that you should never presume a museum will be open. I seem to be incapable of learning from these mistakes but the message is, "save yourself" and learn from mine! | https://www.somuchmoretosee.com/2016/01/the-gold-museum-museo-del-oro-bogota.html |
Jakarta, 12 November 2015—The Asia Pacific Centre for the Responsibility to Protect (APR2P) at the University of Queensland and the Human Rights Working Group (HRWG) held a Roundtable Expert Meeting on “Developing and strengthening national mechanisms for mass atrocities prevention in Indonesia.” The half-day meeting was attended by representatives from research organizations, Indonesia’s National Human Rights Institutions, as well as relevant government ministries, and lively discussion ensued on current developments in the application of the Responsibility to Protect at the international level as well as in Indonesia.
The Responsibility to Protect (RtoP) is based on the concept that while a sovereign State has the right to govern its territory, it also has the responsibility to protect the rights of those within its borders. The scope of RtoP includes the prevention of mass atrocities which is comprised of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing, and their incitement. World leaders made a historic commitment to this responsibility during the 2005 UN World Summit, which was reaffirmed by the Security Council the year after through UNSC Resolution 1674. The three pillars of RtoP are: (1) the State is the bearer of primary responsibility (2) the international community is responsible to encourage and assist States in fulfilling this responsibility, and (3) the international community should use appropriate diplomatic, humanitarian and other peaceful means to help protect populations, and to be prepared to take collective action in accordance with the UN Charter should peaceful means be inadequate and national authorities are manifestly failing to protect their populations.
The discussion opened with a presentation from Ms. Lina Alexandra from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), outlining the findings in its 2011 report titled Indonesia and the Responsibility to Protect. Ms. Alexandra emphasized that presently there is a general lack of understanding on RtoP among governmental and non-governmental institutions in the country, with the exception of officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who have been involved in discussions in international forums on the issue. Ms. Alexandra also outlined that the third pillar is most contentious when discussing implementation, due to fear of its potential abuse by stronger States and double standard in interpreting the necessity threshold to justify the international community’s intervention. There is less debate with relation to the first pillar, with the parties interviewed by CSIS identifying that it is already enshrined in Indonesia’s Constitution, and that aside from the fact that Indonesia has had an NHRI since 1993 (Komnas HAM) and Human Rights National Action Plans, the State has also been actively involved in regional human rights mechanism development, like the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR).
One of the implementation methods for RtoP is the appointment of an RtoP National Focal Point. The Focal Point is meant to be a senior level official or an office responsible for promoting RtoP domestically and for fostering international cooperation to ensure the responsibility’s implementation. The discussion in the expert meeting found that there is yet to be a serious discussion to establish this mechanism amongst the relevant government agencies in Indonesia, but there was a general agreement that such office is necessary. The participants generally agreed that utilizing existing agencies such as Komnas HAM or the Ministry of Law and Human Rights will be more ideal than building a new mechanism.
The expert meeting also highlighted actions that the Government of Indonesia needs to do in implementing RtoP in Indonesia, especially diffusing the fourteen situations that increase the risk of mass atrocities. The prescribed actions include repealing discriminative policies and laws, increasing human rights training amongst law enforcers in tandem with post-training performance monitoring as well as establishing an effective punishment and reward system, and protecting human rights defenders from arbitrary violence. The meeting also emphasized the need to bring the discussion on RtoP to the local regions and to develop an early warning system that is built at the grassroots level. The discussion also touched on the necessity of addressing past mass atrocities in Indonesia, to provide justice for the victims but, just as importantly, to prevent recurrence of similar tragedies.
There was no in-depth discussion on how RtoP should be implemented in ASEAN during the meeting. However, the report of a High Level Advisory Panel titled Mainstreaming the Responsibility to Protect: Pathway Towards A Caring Community was briefly described. The report, presented before the United Nations in 2014, outlined recommendations for ASEAN in implementing RtoP, including raising awareness and public knowledge on RtoP, developing and strengthening the regional capacity for early warning and assessment through existing institutions, mechanisms and relevant sectoral bodies within ASEAN, and considering the incorporation of the prevention of genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity into the future agenda of the AICHR. | http://hrrca.org/prevention-of-mass-atrocities-a-little-known-but-crucial-responsibility-to-be-implemented-in-indonesia/ |
The invention discloses an offline handwritten Chinese character recognition method based on a convolutional neural network. The method comprises two stages of convolutional neural network model training and offline handwritten Chinese character recognition. The training stage mainly comprises the steps of data set acquisition, data set division, image preprocessing, convolutional neural network model construction and training, and model and weight parameter storage. The recognition stage mainly comprises the processes of image preprocessing, model reconstruction, recognition result output andthe like. The convolutional neural network model structure designed by the invention comprises an input layer, five convolutional layers, three full connection layers, four maximum pooling layers, asoftmax layer and an output layer, and adopts a 3 * 3 convolutional kernel with a step length of 1, a maximum pooling method with a size of 2 * 2 and a step length of 1, and a Relu activation function. The method has a good recognition effect, and the generalization ability of the model is good. | |
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
FIELD
BACKGROUND
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-049035 filed on Mar. 15, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Embodiments described herein relate generally to operation apparatuses.
There has been developed a technique for implementing a neuromorphic processor using a hardware-implemented neural network. In such a neuromorphic processor, a learning tool provides error data for a neural network to optimize weighting coefficients and other parameters set for the neural network.
The conventional neural network performs a learning process and optimizes weighting coefficients with its normal operation process halted. This allows the conventional neural network to perform the learning process with an external processor.
However, implementing the neuromorphic processor involves the neural network performing the operation process and the learning process in parallel. This configuration requires the neural network to perform, in parallel, a process of propagating target data to be operated, which is received from an external device, in a forward direction and a process of propagating error data for learning in a backward direction.
According to an embodiment, an operation apparatus includes a first neural network, a second neural network, an evaluation circuit, and a coefficient-updating circuit. The first neural network is configured to perform an operation in a first mode, the first neural network being implemented with a hardware circuit. The second neural network is configured to perform an operation in a second mode differing from the first mode, the second neural network being implemented with a hardware circuit and having a same layer structure as a layer structure of the first neural network. The evaluation circuit is configured to evaluate an error of the operation performed by the first neural network in the first mode and evaluate an error of the operation performed by the second neural network in the second mode. The coefficient-updating circuit is configured to update, in the first mode, a plurality of coefficients set for the second neural network based on an evaluating result of the error of the operation of the first neural network, and update, in the second mode, a plurality of coefficients set for the first neural network based on an evaluating result of the error of the operation of the second neural network.
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An operation apparatus according to an embodiment will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The operation apparatus according to the embodiment is capable of performing an operation process and a learning process in parallel in a neural network.
FIG. 1
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is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the operation apparatus according to the embodiment. The operation apparatus is hardware implemented on, for example, a semiconductor chip. The operation apparatus may be a circuit formed on a substrate. The operation apparatus may be a circuit formed on a plurality of semiconductor chips or a plurality of substrates.
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The operation apparatus includes a first neural network , a second neural network , an input unit (an input circuit) , an output unit (an output circuit) , an evaluation unit (an evaluation circuit) , a coefficient-updating unit (a coefficient-updating circuit) , and a controller (a control circuit) .
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The first neural network is implemented with a hardware circuit. In the first neural network , a plurality of coefficients set for each of a plurality of layers may be variable resistor elements used for resistive random access memories (ReRAMs), or may be variable capacitors, for example.
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The second neural network is implemented with a hardware circuit. The second neural network has the same layer structure as that of the first neural network . The number of layers, the number of values input to and output from each layer, a matrix-multiplication circuit in each layer, and an activation function circuit in each layer of the first neural network are the same as those of the second neural network . The values of the coefficients set for the first neural network and the second neural network may be different from each other.
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The first neural network and the second neural network have N (N is an integer of 2 or more) layers each. The first neural network and the second neural network individually output a plurality of intermediate output values from each of the N layers.
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The action of the operation apparatus is switched between a first mode and a second mode. The first neural network performs an operation in the first mode, and does not perform any operation in the second mode. In contrast, the second neural network performs an operation in the second mode, and does not perform any operation in the first mode.
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Coefficients set in the first neural network are updated in the second mode, and are not updated in the first mode. In contrast, coefficients set in the second neural network are updated in the first mode, are not updated in the second mode.
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The input unit receives a plurality of input values to be operated from another device. In the first mode, the input unit provides the input values for the initial layer (first layer) of the first neural network . In the second mode, the input unit provides the input values for the initial layer (first layer) of the second neural network .
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In the first mode, the output unit outputs, as output values, the intermediate output values output from the final layer (N-th layer) of the first neural network to another device. In the second mode, the output unit outputs, as output values, the intermediate output values output from the final layer (N-th layer) of the second neural network to another device.
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In the first mode, the evaluation unit evaluates an error of the operation by the first neural network . In the second mode, the evaluation unit evaluates an error of the operation by the second neural network .
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For example, the evaluation unit generates, in the first mode, a plurality of intermediate evaluation values correspondingly to each of the N layers of the second neural network . The plurality of intermediate evaluation values to be generated, which correspond to each of the N layers of the second neural network , are values obtained by evaluating the plurality of intermediate output values output from the corresponding layer of the N layers in the first neural network . The evaluation unit generates, in the second mode, a plurality of intermediate evaluation values correspondingly to each of the N layers of the first neural network . The plurality of intermediate evaluation values to be generated, which correspond to each of the N layers of the first neural network , are values obtained by evaluating the plurality of intermediate output values output from the corresponding layer of the N layers in the second neural network .
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The evaluation unit may be implemented with a hardware circuit, or may be implemented by a processor executing a computer program. The details of the evaluation unit will be further described later.
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In the first mode, the coefficient-updating unit updates the coefficients set for the second neural network , based on the evaluation result of evaluating the error of the operation by the first neural network . In the second mode, the coefficient-updating unit updates the coefficients set for the first neural network , based on the evaluation result of evaluating the error of the operation by the second neural network .
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Specifically, the coefficient-updating unit updates, in the first mode, the coefficients set for each of the N layers of the second neural network , based on the intermediate evaluation values corresponding to each of the N layers of the first neural network .
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Similarly, in the second mode, the coefficient-updating unit updates the coefficients set for each of the N layers of the first neural network , based on the intermediate evaluation values corresponding to each of the N layers of the second neural network .
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For example, the coefficient-updating unit calculates gradients of the errors of the coefficients for each of the N layers. The coefficient-updating unit changes the coefficients in a direction where the gradients of the errors of the coefficients become zeros.
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The coefficient-updating unit may be implemented with a hardware circuit, or may be implemented by a processor executing a computer program. The details of the coefficient-updating unit will be further described later.
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The controller switches between the first mode and the second mode alternately. The controller may switch the mode, for example, for a certain period of time. The controller may switch the mode each time when it receives an input value predetermined times.
FIG. 2
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is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a process by the operation apparatus . At S, it is assumed that the operation apparatus is set to the first mode.
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At S, the operation apparatus determines whether the mode is switched. That is, the operation apparatus determines whether it is switched to the second mode.
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When the mode is not switched (No at S), the operation apparatus determines, at S, whether a plurality of input values is acquired. When no input values are acquired (No at S), the operation apparatus returns the process to S. When the input values are acquired (Yes at S), the operation apparatus advances the process to S. When the mode is switched (Yes at S), the operation apparatus advances the process to S.
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At S, the operation apparatus performs the operation on the acquired input values by the first neural network . As a result, the operation apparatus can output a plurality of output values. At S, the operation apparatus evaluates an error of the operation by the first neural network . At S, the operation apparatus updates the coefficients set for the second neural network , based on the evaluation result of evaluating the error of the operation by the first neural network .
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The operation apparatus returns the process to S after completing S. The operation apparatus repeats the process from S to S during the first mode.
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When the process proceeds to S, the operation apparatus is in a state where it is set to the second mode. At S, the operation apparatus determines whether the mode is switched. That is, the operation apparatus determines whether it is switched to the first mode.
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When the mode is not switched (No at S), the operation apparatus determines, at S, whether a plurality of input values is acquired. When no input values are acquired (No at S), the operation apparatus returns the process to S. When the input values are acquired (Yes at S), the operation apparatus advances the process to S. When the mode is switched (Yes at S), the operation apparatus returns the process to S.
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At S, the operation apparatus performs the operation on the acquired input values by the second neural network . As a result, the operation apparatus can output a plurality of output values. At S, the operation apparatus evaluates an error of the operation by the second neural network . At S, the operation apparatus updates the coefficients set for the first neural network , based on the evaluation result of evaluating the error of the operation by the second neural network .
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The operation apparatus returns the process to S after completing S. The operation apparatus repeats the process from S to S during the period of the second mode.
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By the above process, the operation apparatus can perform the operation by the first neural network in the first mode and perform the operation by the second neural network in the second mode. Furthermore, the operation apparatus can update the coefficients set for the second neural network in the first mode and update the coefficients set for the first neural network in the second mode. Thus, the operation apparatus can perform the operation process and the learning process in the neural network in parallel.
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The operation apparatus is switched between the first mode and the second mode alternately. This enables the operation apparatus to advance the update of the coefficients set for the first neural network and the update of the coefficients set for the second neural network alternately. Thus, the operation apparatus enables both the first neural network and the second neural network to be adaptive.
FIG. 3
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is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the first neural network and the second neural network . Each of the N layers from the first layer to the N-th layer of the first neural network and the second neural network performs the following process.
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The first layer acquires input values from the input unit . An x-th (x is an integer of 1 or more) input value of the input values is represented by y.
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Note that a superscript number in the square brackets of y denotes a layer number. [0] denotes the number of the input unit . A subscript number of y denotes the order of a plurality of values input to or output from the layer. The same goes for other variables.
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Each of the N layers outputs the intermediate output values to the subsequent layer. The number of intermediate output values output from each of the N layers may be different from each other. An x-th intermediate output value of the intermediate output values output from an n-th layer is represented by y, where n is any integer from 1 to N.
Each of the second to N-th layers acquires the intermediate output values from the preceding layer. Note that the number of intermediate output values acquired by each of the second to N-th layers is the same as the number of intermediate output values output from the preceding layer.
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Each of the N layers calculates a plurality of product-sum operation values by matrix-multiplying the intermediate output values output from the preceding layer by the set coefficients. An x-th product-sum operation value of the product-sum operation values calculated at the n-th layer is represented by v.
In addition, each of the N layers calculates the intermediate output values by performing a preset activation-function operation on the product-sum operation values. Each of the N layers outputs the calculated intermediate output values. The activation function set for each of the N layers may be different from that of any other layer.
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The N-th layer outputs the intermediate output values to the output unit . The output unit provides the intermediate output values output from the N-th layer for another device, as a plurality of output values output from the operation apparatus .
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Each of the N layers outputs the calculated product-sum operation values and intermediate output values to the coefficient-updating unit for it to update the coefficients. The number of product-sum operation values output from each of the N layers is the same as the number of intermediate output values.
FIG. 4
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is a diagram illustrating the input and output values to/from the n-th layer of the first neural network and the second neural network , as well as the set coefficients. The n-th layer of the first neural network and the second neural network performs the following process.
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The n-th layer acquires I intermediate output values output from the preceding (n−1)th layer, where I is an integer of 2 or more. Note that, if n=1, the n-th layer (i.e., the first layer) acquires I input values output from the input unit as the I intermediate output values. An i-th (i is an integer of 1 or more and I or less) intermediate output value of the I intermediate output values acquired by the n-th layer is represented by y.
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The n-th layer outputs J intermediate output values, where J is an integer of 2 or more. A j-th (j is an integer of 1 or more and J or less) intermediate output value of the J intermediate output values output from the n-th layer is represented by y.
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(I×J) coefficients placed correspondingly to a matrix of I columns and J rows are set for the n-th layer. In the (I×J) coefficients set for the n-th layer, a coefficient placed at an i-th column and a j-th row is represented by w.
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The n-th layer outputs J product-sum operation values. A j-th product-sum operation value of the J product-sum operation values calculated by the n-th layer is represented by v.
In such a case, the n-th layer calculates the J product-sum operation value by using a matrix multiplication illustrated in the following equation (1), where j=1 to J.
<math overflow="scroll"><mtable><mtr><mtd><mrow><msubsup><mi>v</mi><mi>j</mi><mrow><mo>⌊</mo><mi>n</mi><mo>⌋</mo></mrow></msubsup><mo>=</mo><mrow><munderover><mo>∑</mo><mrow><mi>i</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>1</mn></mrow><mi>I</mi></munderover><mo></mo><mrow><mo>(</mo><mrow><msubsup><mi>w</mi><mi>ij</mi><mrow><mo>⌊</mo><mi>n</mi><mo>⌋</mo></mrow></msubsup><mo>×</mo><msubsup><mi>y</mi><mi>i</mi><mrow><mo>⌊</mo><mrow><mi>n</mi><mo>-</mo><mn>1</mn></mrow><mo>⌋</mo></mrow></msubsup></mrow><mo>)</mo></mrow></mrow></mrow></mtd><mtd><mrow><mo>(</mo><mn>1</mn><mo>)</mo></mrow></mtd></mtr></mtable></math>
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In addition, an activation function is set for the n-th layer. The activation function set for the n-th layer is represented by f(⋅).
The n-th layer calculates the J intermediate output values by using an activation-function operation illustrated in the following equation (2), where j=1 to J.
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The n-th layer outputs the J calculated intermediate output values to the (n+1)th layer. Note that, when n=N, the n-th layer (i.e., the N-th layer) provides the J calculated intermediate output values for the output unit .
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The n-th layer outputs the calculated J product-sum operation values and J intermediate output values to the coefficient-updating unit in order to update the coefficients.
FIG. 5
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is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the evaluation unit . The evaluation unit includes an output evaluation unit (an output evaluation circuit) and a backward propagation neural network .
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The output evaluation unit acquires, from another device, a plurality of target values, each being a target (teacher) of the corresponding output value output from the operation apparatus . An x-th target value of the target values is represented by t.
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In the first mode, the output evaluation unit acquires the intermediate output values output from the N-th layer of the first neural network . In the first mode, the output evaluation unit evaluates an error for each of the intermediate output values output from the N-th layer of the first neural network relative to each of the target values, and thereby generates a plurality of output evaluation values.
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In the second mode, the output evaluation unit acquires the intermediate output values output from the N-th layer of the second neural network . In the second mode, the output evaluation unit evaluates an error for each of the intermediate output values output from the N-th layer of the second neural network relative to each of the target values, and thereby generates the output evaluation values.
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When the output evaluation unit is implemented with a processor circuit, it may generate the output evaluation values by substituting the intermediate output values output from the N-th layer of the first neural network or the second neural network and the target values into a loss function prepared in advance. The output evaluation unit may be provided with a hardware circuit that can perform a process corresponding to the loss function.
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The output evaluation unit provides the output evaluation values for the backward propagation neural network . An x-th output evaluation value of the output evaluation values is represented by e.
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The backward propagation neural network propagates the output evaluation values output from the output evaluation unit and outputs a plurality of intermediate evaluation values corresponding to each of the N layers.
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The backward propagation neural network is a neural network implemented with a hardware circuit. In the backward propagation neural network , the coefficients set for each of the layers may be variable resistor elements used for resistive random access memories (ReRAMs), or may be variable capacitors, for example.
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The backward propagation neural network has (N−1) layers corresponding to the second to N-th layers of the first neural network and the second neural network . The backward propagation neural network propagates the output evaluation values received from the output evaluation unit in a direction from the N-th layer toward the second layer.
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The N-th layer acquires the output evaluation values from the output evaluation unit . An x-th output evaluation value of the output evaluation values is represented by e.
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An m-th layer in the second to (N−1)th layers acquires the intermediate evaluation values from the preceding (m+1)th layer. An x-th intermediate evaluation value of the intermediate evaluation values output from the m-th layer is represented by e, where m is any integer of 2 to N.
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Note that the number of intermediate evaluation values acquired by each of the (N−1) layers is the same as the number of intermediate output values output from the corresponding layer of the first neural network and the second neural network .
The m-th layer of the (N−1) layers calculates a plurality of operation values by matrix-multiplying the intermediate evaluate values output from the preceding (m+1)th layer by the set coefficients.
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Each of the (N−1) layers calculates the operation values by performing a matrix multiplication in which the matrix multiplication for the corresponding layer of the first neural network and the second neural network is transposed. The coefficients set for each of the (N−1) layers may be independent of the coefficients set for the corresponding layer of the first neural network and the second neural network . For example, the coefficients set for each of the (N−1) layers of the backward propagation neural network may be random values.
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Furthermore, each of the (N−1) layers calculates the intermediate evaluation values by performing the preset function operation on the operation values. The function preset for each of the (N−1) layers may be independent of the activation function set for the corresponding layer of the first neural network and the second neural network .
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The backward propagation neural network outputs the intermediate evaluation values calculated by each of the (N−1) layers to the coefficient-updating unit as the intermediate evaluation values corresponding to the preceding layer of the first neural network and the second neural network . That is, the backward propagation neural network outputs the intermediate evaluation values calculated by the m-th layer as the intermediate evaluation values corresponding to the (m−1)th layer of the first neural network and the second neural network .
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Furthermore, the backward propagation neural network outputs the output evaluation values acquired by the N-th layer as the intermediate evaluation values corresponding to the N-th layer of the first neural network and the second neural network .
FIG. 6
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is a diagram illustrating input and output values to/from the m-th layer of the backward propagation neural network , as well as the set coefficients. The m-th layer of the backward propagation neural network performs the following process.
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The m-th layer acquires J output evaluation values output from the preceding (m+1)th layer. Note that, if m=N, the m-th layer (i.e., the N-th layer) acquires the J output evaluation values output from the output evaluation unit as J intermediate evaluation values. A j-th intermediate evaluation value of the J intermediate evaluation values acquired by the m-th layer is represented by e.
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The m-th layer outputs I intermediate evaluation values. An i-th intermediate evaluation value of the I intermediate evaluation values output from the m-th layer is represented by e.
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(J×I) coefficients placed correspondingly to a matrix of J columns and I rows are set for the m-th layer. Of the (J×I) coefficients set for the m-th layer, a coefficient placed at a j-th column and an i-th row is represented by α.
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The m-th layer calculates I operation values. An i-th operation value of the I operation values calculated by the m-th layer is represented by s.
In such a case, the m-th layer calculates the I operation values by using a matrix multiplication illustrated in the following equation (3), where i=1 to I.
<math overflow="scroll"><mtable><mtr><mtd><mrow><msubsup><mi>s</mi><mi>i</mi><mrow><mo>[</mo><mrow><mi>m</mi><mo>-</mo><mn>1</mn></mrow><mo>]</mo></mrow></msubsup><mo>=</mo><mrow><munderover><mo>∑</mo><mrow><mi>j</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>1</mn></mrow><mi>J</mi></munderover><mo></mo><mrow><mo>(</mo><mrow><msubsup><mi>α</mi><mi>ji</mi><mrow><mo>[</mo><mi>m</mi><mo>]</mo></mrow></msubsup><mo>×</mo><msubsup><mi>e</mi><mi>j</mi><mrow><mo>[</mo><mi>m</mi><mo>]</mo></mrow></msubsup></mrow><mo>)</mo></mrow></mrow></mrow></mtd><mtd><mrow><mo>(</mo><mn>3</mn><mo>)</mo></mrow></mtd></mtr></mtable></math>
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Here, the matrix multiplication in the equation (3) is a matrix multiplication in which the matrix multiplication for the m-th layer of the first neural network and the second neural network is transposed.
[m]
In addition, an activation function is set for the m-th layer. The activation function set for the m-th layer is represented by g(⋅). In such a case, the m-th layer calculates the I intermediate evaluation values by using a function operation illustrated in the following equation (4), where i=1 to I.
e
=g
s
[m−1]
[m]
[m−1]
i
i
() (4)
40
The m-th layer outputs the I calculated intermediate evaluation values to the subsequent (m−1)th layer of the backward propagation neural network . Note that, for m=2, the m layer (i.e., the second layer) does not output the I intermediate evaluation values to the subsequent layer.
30
21
22
Furthermore, the m-th layer outputs the I calculated intermediate evaluation values to the coefficient-updating unit as the intermediate evaluation values corresponding to the (m−1)th layer of the first neural network and the second neural network .
FIG. 7
10
30
44
1
44
is a diagram illustrating a signal input-output relation within the operation apparatus in the first mode. In the present embodiment, the coefficient-updating unit has N, first to N-th, updating units - to -N.
30
21
44
21
n
In the first mode, the coefficient-updating unit acquires the intermediate output values output from the preceding layer of the first neural network , correspondingly to each of the N, first to N-th, layers. For example, in the first mode, the n-th updating unit -acquires the intermediate output values output from the (n−1)th layer of the first neural network .
30
24
44
44
1
24
n
Note that, in the first mode, the coefficient-updating unit acquires the input values output from the input unit as the intermediate output values corresponding to the first (initial) layer. Specifically, in the first mode, if n=1, the n updating unit -(i.e., the first updating unit -) acquires the input values output from the input unit as the intermediate output values.
30
21
44
21
n
In the first mode, the coefficient-updating unit acquires the product-sum operation values calculated by the corresponding layer of the first neural network , correspondingly to each of the N layers. For example, in the first mode, the n-th updating unit -acquires the product-sum operation values calculated by the n-th layer of the first neural network .
30
28
44
40
44
44
36
n
n
In the first mode, the coefficient-updating unit acquires, from the evaluation unit , the intermediate evaluation values calculated for the corresponding layer, correspondingly to each of the N layers. Specifically, in the first mode, the n-th updating unit -acquires the intermediate evaluation values output from the (n−1)th layer of the backward propagation neural network . Note that, in the first mode, if n=N, the n-th updating unit -(i.e., the N-th updating unit -N) acquires the intermediate evaluation values output from the output evaluation unit as the intermediate evaluation values.
30
22
44
22
n
In the first mode, the coefficient-updating unit updates the coefficients set for each of the N layers of the second neural network , based on the intermediate output values, the product-sum operation values and the intermediate evaluation values acquired correspondingly to each of the N layers. Specifically, the n-th updating unit -updates the coefficients set for the n-th layer of the second neural network , based on the intermediate output values, the product-sum operation values and the intermediate evaluation values acquired correspondingly to the n-th layer.
FIG. 8
10
is a diagram illustrating a signal input-output relation within the operation apparatus in the second mode.
30
22
44
22
n
In the second mode, the coefficient-updating unit acquires the intermediate output values output from the preceding layer of the second neural network , correspondingly to each of the N, first to N-th, layers. Specifically, in the second mode, the n-th updating unit -acquires the intermediate output values output from the (n−1)th layer of the second neural network .
30
24
44
44
1
24
n
Note that, in the second mode, the coefficient-updating unit acquires the input values output from the input unit as the intermediate output values corresponding to the first layer. For example, in the second mode, if n=1, the n-th updating unit -(i.e., the first updating unit -) acquires the input values output from the input unit as the intermediate output values.
30
22
44
22
n
In the second mode, the coefficient-updating unit acquires, correspondingly to each of the N layers, the product-sum operation values calculated by the corresponding layer of the second neural network . Specifically, in the second mode, the n-th updating unit -acquires the product-sum operation values calculated by the n-th layer of the second neural network .
30
28
44
40
44
44
36
n
n
In the second mode, the coefficient-updating unit acquires, correspondingly to each of the N layers, the intermediate evaluation values calculated for the corresponding layer from the evaluation unit . Specifically, in the second mode, the n-th updating unit -acquires the intermediate evaluation values output from the (n−1)th layer of the backward propagation neural network . Note that, in the second mode, if n=N, the n-th updating unit -(i.e., the N-th updating unit -N) acquires the intermediate evaluation values output from the output evaluation unit as the intermediate evaluation values.
30
21
44
21
n
In the second mode, the coefficient-updating unit updates the coefficients set for each of the N layers of the first neural network , based on the intermediate output values, the product-sum operation values and the intermediate evaluation values acquired correspondingly to each of the N layers. Specifically, the n-th updating unit -updates the coefficients set for the n-th layer of the first neural network , based on the intermediate output values, the product-sum operation values, and the intermediate evaluation values acquired correspondingly to the n-th layer.
FIG. 9
44
44
n
n
is a diagram illustrating input and output values to/from the n-th updating unit -. The n-th updating unit -carries out the following process.
44
44
44
n
n
n
[n−1]
[n−1]
[n−1]
[n]
[n]
[n]
[n]
[n]
[n]
1
i
I
1
j
J
1
j
J
The n-th updating unit -acquires the I intermediate output values y, . . . , y, . . . , y). The n-th updating unit -acquires the J product-sum operation values v, . . . , v, . . . v) The n-th updating unit -acquires the J intermediate evaluation values (e, . . . , e, . . . , e).
44
21
22
44
44
n
n
n
[n]
[n]
[n]
11
ij
IJ
The n-th updating unit -updates the (I×J) coefficients (w, . . . w, . . . , w) set for the n-th layer of the first neural network and the second neural network . In the present embodiment, the n-th updating unit -calculates the gradient of an evaluation function for evaluating an error of a coefficient, for each of the (I×J) coefficients set for the n-th layer. The n-th updating unit -changes each of the (I×J) coefficients set for the n-th layer such that the gradient is reduced (for example, such that it becomes 0).
[n]
[n]
44
n
ij
For example, among the (I×J) coefficients set for the n-th layer, a coefficient at an i-th row and a j-th column is represented by w. In this case, the n-th updating unit -changes the coefficient of the i-th row and j-th column in accordance with the following equation (5). Note that, E denotes the evaluation function, and ∂E/∂wdenotes the gradient of the evaluation function for the coefficient of the i-th row and j-th column.
w
=w
−∂E/∂w
[n]
[n]
[n]
ij
ij
ij
(5)
44
n
[n]
ij
The n-th updating unit -calculates the gradient (∂E/∂w) by using the following equation (6),
E/∂w
=y
×f
v
e
[n]
[n−1]
[n]
[n]
[n]
ij
i
j
j
∂′()× (6)
[n]
21
22
where f′(⋅) is the differential function of the activation function set for the n-th layer of the first neural network and the second neural network .
44
21
22
n
The n-th updating unit -is able to perform an operation corresponding to the error backward propagation method to update the coefficients set for the n-th layer of the first neural network and the second neural network .
FIG. 10
10
28
30
10
28
1
28
2
30
1
30
2
is a structural diagram of an alternative embodiment of the operation apparatus . In place of the evaluation unit and the coefficient-updating unit , the operation apparatus may include an evaluation unit - for the first mode, an evaluation unit - for the second mode, a coefficient-updating unit - for the first mode, and a coefficient-updating unit - for the second mode.
28
1
28
2
28
30
1
30
2
30
FIG. 1
FIG. 1
The evaluation unit - for the first mode and the evaluation unit - for the second mode have the same configuration as that of the evaluation unit illustrated in . The coefficient-updating unit - for the first mode and the coefficient-updating unit - for the second mode have the same configuration as that of the coefficient-updating unit illustrated in .
32
28
1
30
1
28
2
30
2
32
28
1
30
1
28
2
30
2
In the first mode, the controller activates the evaluation unit - and coefficient-updating unit - for the first mode and halts the action of the evaluation unit - and coefficient-updating unit - for the second mode. In the second mode, the controller halts the action of the evaluation unit - and coefficient-updating unit - for the first mode and activates the evaluation unit - and coefficient-updating unit - for the second mode.
10
30
2
21
10
30
1
22
Such a structure of the operation apparatus allows the coefficient-updating unit - for the second mode to be placed close to the first neural network . Similarly, the operation apparatus allows the coefficient-updating unit - for the first mode to be placed close to the second neural network . Those placements in the operation apparatus allow any physical switches and other devices to be eliminated, and wires or other components for updating coefficients to be reduced.
10
10
As described above, the operation apparatus is able to perform the operation process by the neural network and the learning process in the neural network in parallel. This enables the operation apparatus to perform the learning process in real time without halting the operation process.
10
40
10
40
In addition, the operation apparatus generates the intermediate evaluation values for learning coefficients set for each of the layers of the neural network, by using the backward propagation neural network . The operation apparatus produces the following effect by using the backward propagation neural network .
In implementation of the neural network with hardware, coefficients are implemented with, for example, resistance values or capacitor capacitances. Such an implementation of the neural network with hardware may cause a learning device to spend relatively long time to update the coefficients.
In a conventional error backward propagation method, when updating coefficients of one layer, a learning device must have been finished updating coefficients of the immediately preceding layer. Thus, when coefficients of the hardware-implemented neural network are updated by using the conventional error backward propagation method, the learning device requires extremely long time to update the coefficients for every layers of the neural network.
10
40
10
10
In contrast, the operation apparatus according to the present disclosure calculates the intermediate evaluation values for each of the layers by using the backward propagation neural network . Thus, the operation apparatus can calculate the intermediate evaluation values for each of the layers without updating the coefficients of the targeted neural network. This enables the operation apparatus to rapidly perform the learning process.
While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventions. Indeed, the novel embodiments described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the embodiments described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the inventions. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the inventions.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a structural diagram of an operation apparatus according to an embodiment;
FIG. 2
is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a process by the operation apparatus;
FIG. 3
is a structural diagram of first and second neural networks;
FIG. 4
is a diagram indicating input and output values to/from an n-th layer of the first and second neural networks;
FIG. 5
is a structural diagram of an evaluation unit;
FIG. 6
is a diagram illustrating input and output values to/from an m-th layer of a backward propagation neural network;
FIG. 7
is a diagram illustrating a signal input-output relation in a first mode;
FIG. 8
is a diagram illustrating a signal input-output relation in a second mode;
FIG. 9
is a diagram illustrating input and output values to/from an n-th updating unit; and
FIG. 10
is a structural diagram of an alternative embodiment of the operation apparatus. | |
The issues faced by African countries in their fight against illegal fishing are mammoth. NFDS is a Norwegian consultancy offering sustainable fisheries management to governments, the UN and other official bodies in Africa and other parts of the world.
Educating local communities and regional authorities about the effects of illegal fishing was paramount in the brief, so it was vital the literature we produced for NFDS was informative and eye catching, appealing to the reader rather than being bland and text heavy. The use of strategic infographics has proved invaluable.
Orbital have worked alongside NFDS in the creation of standout brochures, inserts, and print material for events. Additionally, to provide the scale of an online presence and to create information centres with varying tactical executions we also built dynamic and engaging websites, for themselves as well as their affiliated partners Stop Illegal Fishing (SIF) and Fish-i Africa. | https://orbital.co.uk/our-work/brand-website-design-nfds/ |
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