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- Designed to deliver optimal command load to Warehouse Control System Server, towards achieving uninterrupted Warehouse Control System operation.
- Minimizes transport to reduce the work load of the cranes by implementing optimization method in WMS System.
- Provision to avoid repetitive retrieval of Pallets/Bins towards fulfilling multiple orders by task interleaving.
- Designed for optimal crane movement leading to reduced crane movement, ultimately resulting in achieving maximum throughput.
- Designed for transport priority towards achieving maximum throughput.
- Intuitive interface to reduce the interaction between WMS and Warehouse Control System.
- Designed for efficient use of cranes/branch-conveyors.
- Provides intuitive user interface in WMS to monitor the status and debug the issues. | https://www.wm-central.com/warehouse-management-software-integrations/warehouse-control-system-integration/ |
Some of the world’s leading water experts met in Geneva on 7 July 2017 to respond to the urgent need to ensure global water security. The Founding Signatories to the Geneva Actions on Human Water Security call for the establishment of a Global Human Water Security Fund (see https://genevaactions.org/) to support three strategic water actions:
Action One: Secure the delivery of basic water needs for people
Action Two: Secure improvements in the condition of watersheds, streams, rivers and aquifers
Action Three: Secure better water planning, management and governance
(2) Responding to a global and urgent need
In 2015 there were some 2.2 billion without access to safely managed drinking water services and 4.4 billion without access to safely managed sanitation services.
Most of the world's rivers are polluted and are not suitable for direct human use. This imposes large costs on billions of people that depend on streams and rivers for their water needs, as well as on animals and plants.
This is not just a water problem. In most dry and semi-arid locations water extractions from aquifers and rivers have been growing at unsustainable rates, which jeopardizes future food production and impedes future social and economic development.
In nearly all parts of the world water planning, management, and governance needs to be improved. The very poor incur a high cost relative to their incomes to access poor quality water. Yet many of those who can afford water do not pay a price that supports a financially sustainable model for the provision of water services.
This presents an immediate need in water, and demands a dedicated funding mechanism. Such a fund should invest in: (1) meeting basic human water needs; (2) conserving watersheds and aquifers; and (3) improving water governance.
(3) Existing water related funds fail to meet water needs
Many funding mechanisms include investments to overcome water problems, but there is no dedicated global fund for water. Water investments that are made through existing global multilateral funding mechanisms include the Global Environment Facility (GEF) established in 1992 and the Green Climate Fund (GCF) created in 2014. For these funds, resources are mobilized from various sources, but the main contributors are the governments of developed countries. Based on proposals by a recipient country and an implementing agency, funding allocations are made by a council (in case of GEF) or a board (in case of GCF) that comprise representatives of donor and recipient countries. A Blue Fund has also been proposed by the Global High-Level Panel on Water and Peace to provide concessional and preferential funding for transboundary freshwater cooperation in developing countries. None of the existing funds are primarily focused on water and they have made few investments related to global water problems while the proposed Blue Fund does not respond to the scale or scope of the global water needs.
Private investment funds seek to address water problems by focusing on profitable water activities with funds often directed to infrastructure or in water-related companies listed on major stock exchanges. Examples include the Allianz Global Water Fund, Calvert Global Water Fund, and Pathfinder Global Water Fund. Such funds do not invest in public good-related water problems such as river pollution and vulnerable households’ access to clean water and sanitation.
Multilateral development banks and bilateral aid agencies are another source of funding for water investments. Examples include the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. Water investments are also made directly by NGOs such as the World Wildlife Fund for Nature, the Nature Conservancy, Care International, and by national aid agencies.
The estimated annual gap in global investments in water and sanitation alone is some USD 28 billion per year from 2015-2030 if the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all” is to be achieved. While there is insufficient funding in water, sanitation, and health there is grossly inadequate support for the conservation of watersheds and aquifers or for improved water governance.
Critical to achieving the targets under the SDG 6 is a dedicated fund that: (1) prioritizes marginalized and vulnerable households, and (2) delivers strategic investments in a whole-of-the-water-system that includes catchment and aquifer conservation and improved water governance.
(4) Responding to the global funding gap on water
The Global Human Water Security Fund (the Fund) would be designed to address the shortcomings of the existing water related funding mechanisms and respond to the global funding gaps that could be as much as USD 50 billion per year to meet SDG 6. The key objective is to provide funds in support of the Geneva Actions that, in turn, will help to achieve the goals set under SDG 6. The Fund would be supported by the 55 Founding Signatories from 23 countries who would provide strategic and pro bono advice to ensure the Fund delivers on its key objectives and actions.
The Fund would enhance the opportunities of prioritized developing countries to access water-related funding in both hard and soft infrastructure. It would focus on two types of projects: (1) those implemented via an accredited entity and (2) projects directly implemented by the recipient, with a proper monitoring mechanism.
The Fund would enhance sustainability of projects by supporting, where possible, investments that incorporate public-private partnership consistent with the Geneva Actions and that help leverage public funding in support of these actions. The Fund would assist in the development of effective public-private partnerships that balance the objective of mobilizing sufficient resources for sustainable project outcomes (basic needs, conservation, and governance) while providing public good outcomes, especially where there are appreciable market and governance failures.
Notwithstanding its primary focus on water, the Fund would promote holistic approaches in responding to water challenges. For instance, a water-health-environment focus would be needed in the delivery of basic water needs and cross-cutting projects. Such a focus would likely provide for more efficient and effective delivery of sustainable development outcomes.
(5) Architecture of the Fund
The underlying architecture of the Fund, and its operations, would be decided by the principal donors and potential recipient countries. We propose that the fund be outside the UN/IFI framework, with more independence than an aid agency model permits. It would provide a grant-based funding approach that would leverage every investment and focus on maximizing outcomes in support of the Geneva Actions.
The shareholders would all be donors to the fund where voting rights would be determined by the share or proportion of the contribution of each donor to the total amount in the Fund. Such a structure would allow funding from donor countries, and in due course from non-government entities and corporations, and also individuals. A possible framework for the Fund would be to structure it as a Non-Profit Corporation Limited by Guarantee.
The shareholders would appoint the Chairman and the Board of Directors. The Board should include a minimum number of Directors from recipient countries and appropriate diversity in its membership. The Board’s role would be to establish the Governance Charter and, ultimately, be responsible to the shareholders of the Fund to ensure the successful delivery of the Geneva Actions. A professional staff would answer to a Chief Executive who would report to the Board. | https://genevaactions.org/news/2017/7/8/geneva-actions-signed-ygmm2 |
384 F.2d 653
T. C. ALLEN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, Appellant,v.STRATFORD CORPORATION, Appellee.STRATFORD CORPORATION, Appellant,v.ALLEN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, Appellee.
No. 10964.
No. 109651.
United States Court of Appeals Fourth Circuit.
Argued March 9, 1967.
Decided October 12, 1967.
1
Eugene H. Phillips, Winston-Salem, N. C., for T. C. Allen Const. Co.
2
Norwood Robinson and G. D. Humphrey, Jr., Winston-Salem, N. C. (Hudson, Ferrell, Petree, Stockton, Stockton & Robinson, Winston-Salem, N. C., on the brief), for Stratford Corp.
3
Before HAYNSWORTH, Chief Judge, CRAVEN, Circuit Judge, and SIMONS, District Judge.
SIMONS, District Judge:
4
Plaintiff-appellant, T. C. Allen Construction Company, (hereinafter referred to as plaintiff) brought suit against defendant-appellee, Stratford Corporation, (hereafter defendant) to recover a retained balance due it under a contract for the construction of a Downtowner Motor Inn in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, together with interest thereon from July 25, 1964, the date of its alleged completion of its contract.
5
For a proper understanding of the issues the following brief summary of the proceedings in the court below is stated.
6
In its complaint plaintiff alleged that it had substantially completed all work required of it under the terms of a written contract between the parties executed during June 1963, as it was subsequently modified by mutual agreement, and was entitled to the balance of $58,042.61 due thereunder. During the trial plaintiff voluntarily reduced its demand by $1500, upon its admission that there existed certain minor defects in its concrete work which would require that amount to correct. Accordingly, it amended its complaint to demand the amount of $56,542.61.2
7
Defendant answered, asserting that it was not indebted to plaintiff in any amount because of the latter's improper and unworkmanlike manner of constructing the motel, that it had suffered damages as a result thereof far in excess of the balance due plaintiff, and counterclaimed for $75,000.00 damages allegedly resulting from plaintiff's failure to complete the construction work in a good and workmanlike manner in accordance with the contract plans and specifications.
8
Defendant went into possession of the motel in July or August 1964 and has operated it continuously since then.
9
At trial the evidence was in sharp conflict as to the manner in which plaintiff had performed the construction. Plaintiff's evidence supported its contentions that it had properly and substantially complied with its contract, and that $1500.00 was adequate to repair satisfactorily the minor defects or cracks in the cement work, which in no way affected the structural safety of the building. By the testimony of several expert witnesses defendant showed that plaintiff's workmanship was so shoddy and defective that it would require the expenditure of approximately $58,000.00 or more to make the construction conform to the contract standards.
10
Defendant's expert testimony established that the concrete construction work was primarily deficient in four general areas:3 (a) That the topping in the basement was cracked and had failed to bond properly; the corrective measure recommended was to remove the topping and pour three to four inches of reinforced concrete; the estimated cost was $4-5,000.00; (b) That the walkways were wavy, the aggregate showed in spots, and reinforcing rods were exposed; there was spalling on the outside walkways; as a corrective measure it was recommended that all of the topping be removed and replaced by an epoxy topping which would produce a finish reasonably comparable to a smooth concrete surface as required by the contract; the estimated cost was $18,000.00; (c) That the terrazzo in the lobby was cracked; and it could reasonably be corrected by the installation of a resilient floor covering at estimated cost of $1,100.00; (d) That the topping on the driveway and the main parking area was in an advanced state of cracking and coming up; to correct properly the topping should be removed and replaced by a neotex type of apoxy at a total cost of $30,000.00, which would not produce as satisfactory result as good finished concrete required by the contract, but was considered to be the only practical solution at that stage.
11
The foregoing testimony on behalf of defendant was admitted by the trial judge over plaintiff's strenuous objection upon ground that the performing of such corrective measures would put the premises in different, more expensive, and better condition than the contract requirement. Plaintiff objected upon further ground that during the course of discovery, in answer to plaintiff's interrogatories about the claimed defects and the mode and cost of correcting them, defendant professed to have no such information, and refused to reveal its position in reference thereto when in fact it had such information.
12
After a full and adequate charge, the trial judge submitted the following three issues to the jury for its determination:
13
"(1) Has the plaintiff either fully or substantially performed its contract with the defendant?
14
(2) If so, what amount, if any, is the plaintiff entitled to recover of the defendant? (3) What amount, if any, is the defendant entitled to recover of the plaintiff?"
15
During his main charge and in an additional charge the trial judge emphasized that if the jury should find substantial performance of the contract, it should award plaintiff the balance due on the contract of $56,542.61, less the fair and reasonable cost of correcting and repairing any defects required "to make the premises comply with the contract", which would put defendant "in the condition bargained for".
16
Plaintiff's counsel made several general objections to the court's main charge without stating any definite or particularized reason or ground therefor. No exception was taken to the court's additional charge when the jury returned to the courtroom during its deliberations with a request for additional instructions, which reiterated the same measure of damages outlined in the main charge.
17
Plaintiff admitted that at time of trial there was still due and owing by it to its subcontractors a total of $33,084.66. Upon oral argument before this court plaintiff's counsel advised that about $26,000.00 still remained unpaid. The contract provided that final payment to plaintiff would not be made until defendant's architect certified that all work required thereunder had been completed and accepted by him as satisfactory; further, that before the issuance of the architect's final certificate it was incumbent upon the contractor to submit satisfactory evidence that all payrolls, material bills, and other indebtedness in connection with the work had been paid.
18
The jury by its verdict answered issue number one in the affirmative, thus finding that plaintiff had substantially performed its contract. In answer to issue number two it awarded plaintiff the sum of $28,000.00. Thereupon, plaintiff moved to set aside the jury verdict upon ground of inadequacy which was denied. No issue as to interest was submitted to the jury, and the court entered judgment on the jury verdict in favor of plaintiff for $28,000.00, together with interest from the date execution was issued thereon. The judgment further provided that no execution would issue until ordered by the court upon notice and a showing that the claims of subcontractors against the funds represented by the judgment had been satisfied. Plaintiff duly excepted to the judgment, alleging error in its failure to provide for interest on the jury award from August 1, 1964 (the approximate date plaintiff completed its contract and defendant went into possession of the motel).
19
In its brief plaintiff urges the following three grounds4 which entitle it to a new trial: (1) That the court below erred in admitting defendant's expert testimony as to the methods and costs of repairing plaintiff's allegedly defective work; (2) That the court committed prejudicial error in limiting its charge on the measure of damages to the "abstract rule of putting the premises in the condition called for by the contract", when all of defendant's evidence related to putting the premises in a different, more expensive, and better position than that contracted for; and (3) That the court erred in entering judgment upon the jury verdict which deprived plaintiff of interest on the sum found to be due it under the contract between the parties.
20
We find no merit to plaintiff's contentions relative to issues one and two and affirm the district court in this regard. We, however, conclude that the trial judge was in error in his failure to allow interest on the jury verdict from August 1, 1964, and remand with directions to modify the judgment in favor of plaintiff so as to provide for such interest.
21
Although plaintiff's counsel admits that defendant's expert testimony warranted the jury in reaching its verdict; nevertheless, it contends that such evidence was prejudicial to plaintiff and inadmissible upon the ground that such was (1) irrelevant to the issues, and (2) defendant had failed in answer to plaintiff's interrogatories to furnish plaintiff with its position and information as to the extent and amount of defects and corrective measures needed. There is no merit to such contention, as we do not agree that defendant failed during discovery and before trial to furnish plaintiff the requested information concerning the defects in the concrete work, the best method and the cost of repairing the same, and its witnesses who had information concerning these questions. In answer to plaintiff's interrogatories defendant provided it with substantially the requested information. Moreover, the pretrial order dated February 4, 1966 (five months prior to trial), consented to by plaintiff's counsel and approved by the trial judge, gave a list of defendant's proposed expert witnesses and a brief statement of what the testimony of each would be. In addition plaintiff was advised of the nature and extent of the alleged defects, and the method and the approximate cost of repairs ($58,000.00).
22
The receiving of such testimony under the circumstances was well within the discretion of the trial judge. Furthermore, it was relevant and responsive to the issues. We, therefore, conclude that there was no abuse of discretion on the part of the court below in admitting such evidence; neither did any prejudicial error result therefrom.
23
The trial judge repeatedly instructed the jury in his main charge and again during his supplemental instructions that if they found defects to exist in plaintiff's construction work as claimed by defendant, then "the measure of damages" would be the cost of corrective measures to bring the construction up to "contract standards or requirements". Plaintiff's counsel did not seasonably specifically object to the charge relative to such measure of damages, and did not request an additional charge that the proper measure of damages was the difference in the market value of the motel as constructed and its market value if completed in accordance with such contract, which it now contends is the correct measure of damages applicable to the facts and should have been submitted to the jury. Plaintiff's counsel's objection to the judge's charge as to the measure of damages to be applied by the jury was directed principally to the court's failure to instruct the jury that the defendant "in no event would be entitled to receive repairs of a superior nature to what had been contracted for". Such objection was entirely too general and did not distinctly state the matter to which counsel objected and the grounds of his objection, as required by Rule 515 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Therefore, plaintiff has waived any such error or omission in the charge and cannot now complain. A timely and proper objection to a judge's charge must be given before the jury retires to commence its deliberations, in order that the trial judge may have a reasonable opportunity to correct any alleged error or omission.
24
Plaintiff's counsel concedes that the measure of damages charged by the court to the jury as to the costs of repairing defects is good North Carolina law in reference to minor or inconsequential defects, but that such principle is not applicable where there are major defects requiring substantial alterations, such as those claimed by defendant.
25
The jury verdict determined specifically that plaintiff had substantially performed its contract when it answered issue number one in the affirmative. In answer to issue number two finding that defendant owed plaintiff $28,000.00 balance under the contract the jury determined that it would reasonably require the expenditure of $30,042.61 to place the premises in the condition required by the contract. Such verdict was amply and fully supported by the evidence.
26
We conclude that the trial judge submitted to the jury the proper measure of damages required by the testimony in full accord with the applicable North Carolina law. Such principle was enunciated by the North Carolina Supreme Court in Durham Lumber Co. v. Wrenn-Wilson Construction Co., 249 N.C. 680, 107 S.E.2d 538, at pages 540-541 (1959):
27
"Where a building contract is substantially, but not exactly, performed, the amount recoverable by the contractor depends upon the nature of the defects or omissions. `Where the defects or omissions are of such a character as to be capable of being remedied, the proper rule for measuring the amount recoverable by the contractor is the contract price less the reasonable cost of remedying the defects or omissions so as to make the building conform to the contract.' * * *
28
"In an action to recover the unpaid portion of the contract price, the defendant, under his denial of plaintiff's alleged performance, may show, in diminution of plaintiff's recovery, the reasonable cost of supplying omissions, if any, and of remedying defects, if any; and, if such costs exceed the unpaid portion of the contract price, the defendant may, by counterclaim, recover the amount of such excess." (Citations omitted).
29
In the later case of Robbins v. C. W. Myers Trading Post, Inc., 251 N.C. 663, 111 S.E.2d 884 (1960), the North Carolina Supreme Court, quoting with approval from 9 Am.Jur., § 152, page 89, stated:
30
"`The fundamental principle which underlies the decisions regarding the measure of damages for defects or omissions in the performance of a building or construction contract is that a party is entitled to have what he contracts for or its equivalent. What the equivalent is depends upon the circumstances of the case. In a majority of jurisdictions, where the defects are such that they may be remedied without the destruction of any substantial part of the benefit which the owner's property has received by reason of the contractor's work, the equivalent to which the owner is entitled is the cost of making the work conform to the contract. But where, in order to conform the work to the contract requirements, a substantial part of what has been done must be undone, and the contractor has acted in good faith, or the owner has taken possession, the latter is not permitted to recover the cost of making the change, but may recover the difference in value.' * * * The difference referred to is the difference between the value of the house contracted for and the value of the house built — the values to be determined as of the date of tender or delivery of possession to the owner."
31
See also Moss v. Best Knitting Mills, 190 N.C. 644, 130 S.E. 635 (1939).
32
We find no basis in the record to support plaintiff's contention that the trial judge submitted the wrong measure of damages to the jury. There is no evidence tending to establish that "in order to conform the work to the contract requirements, a substantial part of what has been done must be undone". Robbins v. C. W. Myers Trading Post, Inc., supra. The only reasonable inference deducible from the testimony is that whatever defects existed in plaintiff's construction work could be adequately remedied without a substantial undoing or destruction of the premises. Therefore, the trial judge was correct in instructing the jury that the cost of labor and materials necessary to make the construction conform to the contract was the proper measure of damages.
33
In view of the applicable North Carolina Supreme Court decisions and the North Carolina General Statute6 we conclude that the judgment entered by the court below on the jury verdict should have provided for interest thereon from August 1, 1964 (the date upon which the jury concluded that plaintiff had substantially performed its contract), even though there was a bona fide dispute as to the correct balance due between plaintiff and defendant. In Perry v. Norton, 182 N.C. 585, 109 S.E. 641 (1921), in allowing interest on the sum found to be due plaintiff for services rendered and improvements made on a quantum meruit basis, no part of the amount being liquidated, the court said:
34
"In this the trial judge simply followed the law as established by the decisions of this court. * * * The statute says that all sums of money due by contract of any kind, excepting money due on penal bonds, shall bear interest. * * * From this it would seem to follow in this state that whenever a recovery is had for a breach of contract and the amount is ascertained from the terms of the contract itself or for [sic] evidence relevant to the inquiry, that interest should be added. * * *
35
"It was argued by the defendants that, as the court did not instruct as to giving interest in the verdict, the jury may have done so, and defendants would thereby pay double interest, but we think this cannot be assumed, but that the presumption is the other way, that the jury did not allow interest, nothing having been said by counsel or the court with respect to it. In adding interest, the court was merely complying with the statute and following the precedents in this Court.
36
"It will be noted that in this case the defendants got the benefit of both the labor and money of the plaintiff — his labor in the service of the defendants for four years and his money in the improvement of the house and lot that they agreed should be deeded to him, but which they conveyed to another in the wholesale conveyance of their large estate."
37
See also Harris & Harris Construction Co. v. Crain & Denbo, Inc., 256 N.C. 110, 123 S.E.2d 590, at page 602 (1962) wherein the court stated:
38
"Since the decision in Bond7 there has been a definite trend in the North Carolina cases toward allowance of interest in almost all types of cases involving breach of contract. The following cases should be examined in this light. In Perry v. Norton, 182 N.C. 585, 109 S.E. 641, defendant, in order to retain plaintiff as an employee promised plaintiff $40.00 per month salary, a house rent free, and to deed plaintiff the house when the plantation on which it was located was sold. Defendant sold the plantation and house to another. Plaintiff sued for value of improvements made on the house and land, and for services rendered. He recovered judgment with interest from the date of the sale of the plantation. This Court affirmed stating that `the jury "ascertained from the terms (of the agreement) and the relevant evidence" the amount of the plaintiff's claim.' Thomas v. Piedmont Realty & Development Company, 195 N.C. 591, 143 S.E. 144, was a suit upon quantum meruit for services rendered. The Court declared that the measure of damages was `the reasonable value of the services rendered.' Plaintiff recovered $18,500 with interest from 5 June 1925, the date on which services were completed and demand for payment was made. The Supreme Court found no error and stated: `This sum is due, by contract, and under C.S. 2309 (now G.S. § 24-5) bears interest from the date on which it was due.'"
39
See also American Casualty Company of Reading, Pa. v. Gerald, 369 F.2d 829 (4th Cir. 1966); Hunt v. Hunt, 261 N.C. 437, 135 S.E.2d 195 (1964); Miller Equipment Co. v. Colonial Steel and Iron Co. et al., decided July 20, 1967, 383 F.2d 669 (4th Cir.).8
40
In General Metals, Inc. v. Truitt Mfg. Co., 259 N.C. 709, 131 S.E.2d 360 (1963), the North Carolina Supreme Court summarized the recent trend as to interest in its decisions as follows:
41
"The time when interest begins to run upon a debt, the amount of which is in dispute and finally determined by judgment, has been before this Court many times. The later cases following the enactment of G.S. § 24-5 seem to have established this rule: When the amount of damages in a breach of contract action is ascertained from the contract itself, or from relevant evidence, or from both, interest should be allowed from the date of the breach. * * * The court's action in allowing interest from March 15, 1958, finds support in the record and the cases cited." (Citations omitted).
42
By its verdict the jury concluded that planitiff had substantially performed its contract, and that defendant owed plaintiff a balance of $28,000 thereunder. Such determination and the amount found due were "ascertained from the contract itself, or from relevant evidence, or from both", and interest should have been allowed from the date of plaintiff's substantial performance.
43
The action will be remanded to the district court with direction that the judgment entered on the jury verdict be modified to provide for interest on the jury award at the legal rate from August 1, 1964 until paid.
44
Affirmed in part and remanded with instructions.
Notes:
1
Although Stratford Corporation cross-appealed from the judgment entered on the jury verdict and such appeal was docketed in this court under the within caption, neither party briefed nor argued the merits of the appeal before this court, and it is considered as having been abandoned. Nevertheless, the disposition herein of No. 10,964 also is determinative of No. 10,965 upon its merits
2
It was stipulated by the parties that this amount of the contract price remained unpaid. Thus, such amount would have been due to plaintiff by defendant if there had been no dispute about plaintiff's satisfactory performance of its contract
3
Defendant's counterclaim also alleged as an element of damages that plaintiff had failed to install a heating and air conditioning system in accordance with the plans and specifications. However, before trial this issue was resolved by a consent summary judgment in which the court found that it was at request of defendant that the contract had been modified by the substitution of a high velocity system which was installed in the motel instead of the low velocity system called for by original contract; that defendant had assumed all risks in connection therewith; and that no defense or counterclaim relating to such matter could be considered by the jury upon the trial of the case
4
In oral argument before this court plaintiff's counsel urged two bases upon which plaintiff seeks a new trial: (1) The admission into evidence over plaintiff's objection the costs of repairing plaintiff's allegedly defective work which would give defendant a better and more expensive job than required by the contract; and (2) failure of the court to allow interest on jury verdict from August 1, 1964
5
Rule 51, Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, provides in part:
"No party may assign as error the giving or the failure to give an instruction unless he objects thereto before the jury retires to consider its verdict, stating distinctly the matter to which he objects and the grounds of his objection. Opportunity shall be given to make the objection out of the hearing of the jury."
6
The North Carolina General Statute provides as follows:
"G.S. § 24-5. Contracts, except penal bonds, and judgments to bear interest; jury to distinguish principal. — All sums of money, due by contract of any kind, excepting money due on penal bonds, shall bear interest, and when a jury shall render a verdict therefor they shall distinguish the principal from the sum allowed as interest; and the principal sum due on all such contracts shall bear interest from the time of rendering judgment thereon until it is paid and satisfied. In like manner, the amount of any judgment or decree, except the costs, rendered or adjudged in any kind of action, though not on contract, shall bear interest till paid, and the judgment and decree of the court shall be rendered according to this section."
7
Bond v. Pickett Cotton Mills, 166 N.C. 20, 81 S.E. 936
8
The facts in Miller, also a North Carolina case involving the law of that state, are similar to the facts in the instant case. Miller sought recovery of the balance due it under its contract with Colonial Steel and Iron Company to fabricate structural steel to be incorporated in a federal bridge project in Virginia. The court below found that Miller had defaulted in the performance of its contract and was therefore not entitled to the payment of the balance of the contract price. This court reversed, finding that Miller had not breached its contract and was entitled to recover the balance due under its contract with Colonial, and remanded to the district court for entry of judgment in favor of Miller for such balance due "with interest thereon at the rate of 6% per annum from February 27, 1964 until paid (being the date that Miller completed the performance of its contract)."
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What did the land look like before you were born?
This is a good question to ponder, but it’s a difficult question to answer unless clarification is provided.
How much land are we talking about? And what is the time frame in question?
Even with such clarification, answers do not come easy. The original question often persists and we are prompted to further refine our inquiry.
What did the eastern forests look like 300 years ago? Which trees were present, and what was the composition of the trees in these earlier forests?
American chestnut, it turns out, can help us answer those questions.
American chestnut (Castanea dentata) is a tree whose numbers have dwindled over the past 100 years. A fungal disease known as chestnut blight has been the major culprit, but other factors have contributed to the decline of mature American chestnut trees in eastern forests.
When we study accounts of American chestnut, we routinely hear the same thing: “American chestnut was a dominant tree in eastern North America prior to the introduction of chestnut blight.”
We also hear this: “One in every four hardwood trees in eastern North America was an American chestnut.”
Believing both statements to be true, we might imagine an unbroken expanse of chestnut trees in eastern North America. The proverbial squirrel might have been able to travel from Maine to Florida on chestnut tree limbs without ever touching the ground.
But was that ever the case? Was American chestnut really the most dominant tree in eastern North America?
Or, have the claims been exaggerated? Could it be possible that American chestnut was not so dominant of a tree in these earlier forests?
That’s the topic of the following video. If you are interested in learning what the land might have looked like in the not-too-distant past, check it out! | https://learnyourland.com/american-chestnut-questioning-its-former-status-as-a-dominant-tree/ |
Relativity, Quantum Mechanics and Chaos theory are three of the most significant scientific advances of the 20th Century - each fundamentally changing our understanding of the physical universe. The authors ask why the UK National Curriculum in science almost entirely ignores them. Children and young people regularly come into contact with the language, concepts and implications of these theories through the media and through new technologies, and they are the basis of many contemporary scientific and technological developments. There is surely, therefore, an urgent need to include the concepts of '20th Century physics' within the curriculum. | http://www.oalib.com/paper/3695931 |
This article is a summary report on the Eighth Workshop on the Social Implications of National Security Series. This year’s workshop was held on “Remotely Piloted Airborne Vehicles and Related Technologies,” on September 29–30, 2014, at the University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The workshop was featured as part of the larger Carlton Connect Conference: Challenges, Partnerships, Solutions.
The aim of the workshop was to further develop the dialogue promoted by the Unmanned Airborne Systems and Public Safety: Capabilities, Uses and Regulation conference held at Flinders University in February 2014 by Professor Andrew Goldsmith. That conference examined the current state of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) capabilities and applications in civilian contexts and explored the implications of their use for the future.
The Melbourne workshop provided a forum for discussion around:
- the properties of remotely piloted airborne vehicles (RPAVs);
- the different types of unmanned aircraft and aerial systems currently being deployed or in development;
- the challenges and risks posed by the use of RPAVs;
- safety regulation as applied to the manufacture and civilian use of RPAVs;
- the nature of RPAV surveillance and other missions; and
- how these impact on important societal values in Australia and the United States.
The workshop considered the RPAV as a platform, the mission capabilities of platforms and their “payloads” (current and potential), and the integrity of related technologies that enable them to operate remotely. The potential for future developments in those technologies and capabilities, such as the ability for hostile agents to take control of and autonomously direct airborne systems against the better interests of mankind, was also discussed as was the issue of operator integrity, including the potential for incompetent, reckless, mischievous, malicious, and criminal use of RPAVs.
The workshop brought together a select group of experts and thought-leaders intimately familiar with the societal challenges and implications of the rapidly expanding use and sophistication of RPAVs and their related technologies. Participation was restricted to 20 invited experts (including two from the United States) and members of the Workshop Organizing Committee, whose collective expertise covered the spectrum of legal, insurance, regulatory, operators (military, commercial and private), and technology (industry and academia) relevant to the technological development, manufacture, acquisition and operation of RPAVs and related technologies.
The top three key conclusions of the workshop were:
- there is a need for a universal vocabulary that facilitates the international dialogue on RPAVs at all levels;
- there is a need for a clear and robust international framework for the certification of RPAVs and licensing for their intended use; and
- while there are countless proposed uses across the vast range of RPAVs, not all are appropriate.
The major outcome of the workshop will be a communique that will inform the preparation of SAF05 reports and CTAP position papers on the social and national security implications of RPAVs and related technologies for submission to the Australian and United States governments.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The Eighth Workshop on the Social Implications of National Security Series was a joint activity of the SSIT Australia Chapter, the University of Wollongong (UOW), the Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA)’s Securing Australia’s Future Project 5 (SAF05), the Carlton Connect Initiative (CCI), the IEEE-USA Committee on Transportation and Aerospace Policy (CTAP), and the Australian Defence Science Institute (DSI).
Author
Philip Hall is Adjunct Professor at The University of Western Australia; Chair, SSIT Australia Chapter; and SSIT Member on CTAP; email: [email protected]. | https://technologyandsociety.org/remotely-piloted-airborne-vehicles/ |
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Apple Oat Pancakes
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Yields:
2 servings
Prep Time:
5 mins
Cook Time:
15 mins
Meal Types:
Snacks
Breakfast
Rating:
fatsecret members overall average rating
by
Jenn519
Apple Oat Pancakes
Apple cinnamon pancakes packed with fiber and protein.
Ingredients
4 oz applesauce
1/4 cup oats
1 large egg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp wheat germ
2 tbsps flaxseed meal
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking powder
Directions
Mix the applesauce, egg, and vanilla together.
Add oats, flaxseed meal, wheat germ, cinnamon, and baking powder. Batter will be thick.
Spoon the batter onto a sprayed griddle or pan heated to medium.
Cook until golden brown on both sides (about 3 minutes per side).
Makes about four 3-inch dense pancakes.
59 members have added this recipe to their cookbook.
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Reviews
Not bad for a flour-less pancake, it has a good sweet flavor and the texture didn't bother me.
for
Thing 1's own diet
26 Oct 13 by member:
Thing 1
It was easy and hearty, however, I think it needs a sweetener since there is no topping. It is low in calories, so to add a bit of brown sugar would add only a few more calories. I will definitely make this again. Thank you for the recipe.
for
Calorie Count
23 Jan 14 by member:
Heidibug
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Nutrition summary:
There are
150 calories
in 1 serving of Apple Oat Pancakes.
Calorie break-down:
34% fat
, 48% carbs, 18% protein.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size:
1 serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat 53
Calories
150
% Daily Values*
Total Fat
5.88g
9
%
Saturated Fat
1.154g
6
%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2.344g
Monounsaturated Fat 1.706g
Cholesterol
106mg
35
%
Sodium
157mg
7
%
Potassium
80mg
Total Carbohydrate
18.6g
6
%
Dietary Fiber
4.3g
17
%
Sugars
6.58g
Protein
6.92g
Vitamin A 0%
Vitamin C 20%
Calcium 20%
Iron 20%
*
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
8%
of RDI*
(150 calories)
Calorie Breakdown:
Carbohydrate (48%)
Fat (34%)
Protein (18%)
* Based on a RDI of 2000 calories
What is my Recommended Daily Intake (RDI)?
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Breakfast Meeting – Security Infrastructure
Guest Speakers:
- Kimberly Jones, Regional Security Officer, US Consulate General
- K. Sivanthu, Head of Security, DELL and Chairman, Overseas Security Advisory Council, Chennai Chapter
On 29th April, the AmCham Tamil Nadu Chapter organized a meeting of security managers, facilities managers and others responsible for the safety and security of people, property and information, from member companies. Safety and security are two very important functions that is of concern to every employee in an organization. The objective of the meeting was to connect security managers with the Regional Security Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Chennai and to identify emerging trends related to perceived security threats, management challenges and operational issues; and also to enable them to join OSAC (Overseas Security Advisory Council) where they can jointly define priorities and strategies, develop business plans, create budgets, and set management agendas.
A recent study revealed that the top security threats are:
- Cyber/communications security – internet/intranet
- Business continuity planning/organizational resilience
- Workplace violence prevention/response
- Employee selection/screening
- Environmental/social privacy concerns
- Property crime – theft, vandalism
- General employee theft
- Crisis management and response – domestic terrorism
- Identity theft
- Unethical business conduct
These are just some of the perceived threats for which we can plan and take action. However, security concerns have become even more complex and there are many unseen, unknown and unfelt issues that may blow into a major crisis. We need to prepare and be alert at all times.
Ms. Kimberly Jones, the RSO at the U.S. Consulate spoke of how it is important for AmCham members to join the OSAC Chennai Chapter and she listed out the objectives of the Council as outlined in its charter:
- To establish continuing liaison and to provide for operational security cooperation between State Department security functions and the private sector.
- To provide for regular and timely interchange of information between the private sector and the State Department concerning developments in the overseas security environment.
- To recommend methods and provide material for coordinating security planning and implementation of security programs.
- To recommend methods to protect the competitiveness of American businesses operating worldwide.
Mr. K. Sivanthu, Chairman, OSAC – Chennai Chapter spoke about the OSAC membership, its meetings, calendar of activities, security audit compliance, incident management, external threats, best practices and challenges. Giving an example of the Secure Workplace Program at the Dell plant, he said all employees observe a SWR week each year. A general awareness is created using broadcast mailers, standees and tent cards to sensitize employees on security aspects. There are stalls, quizzes, prizes and feedback questionnaires.
Participants discussed financial frauds, identity thefts, harassments, loss of confidential/propriety information, phishing attacks, virus and malware and social engineering effects. Given the internet penetration, cyber theft and associated attacks are on the rise. A recent study revealed that companies in the U.S. are the most active when it comes to using encryption to protect their data, while India is not far behind. Encrypting data is perhaps the safest way of protecting critical information, because it allows only the receivers who have the unique unlock keys or passcodes to access the data. ‘The State of Encryption Today’ report, suggested that companies in the U.S. (56%) are the most active when it comes to deploying encryption on their networks. In India, 46% companies are actively using this technique to keep their critical data safe from hackers and prying eyes. For 60% of the companies, encryption is to protect proprietary information. Worryingly though, 31% of organisations do not encrypt the financial details of their employees, while 30% do not protect the company’s financial data.
The meeting ended with an announcement by Ms. Kimberly Jones, RSO at the Consulate that AmCham companies are welcome to connect with her for an onsite visit. The RSO has offered to review the security arrangements and practices and make recommendations where required. | https://www.amchamindia.com/breakfast-meeting-security-infrastructure/ |
organizational phenomena in light of such theories.
|
Contemporary work-life is much more flexible and individual than it was just 20 years ago. Today, a work-day is not only limited by work-hours (e.g. 9-5), but is to a larger and larger degree also regulated by complex structures defined by demands of clients, projects and personal life situations. This means that traditional control and management mechanisms resting on notions of authoritative power and bureaucratic hierarchical structures are being replaced – or at least appended by – more subtle power structures and ephemeral organizational cultures. Understanding such power structures and cultural dynamics are of paramount importance in order to manage people – and optimize organizational performance.
The students will in this course both be presented with primary texts from the fields of for example philosophy and sociology, management texts and be expected to apply these concepts and perspectives to an organizational context. The aim of the course is therefore two-fold. 1) For the students to get a better conceptual understanding of power, culture and political theory and 2) to be able to apply these to an organizational context in order to analyze a concrete organizational problem. To emphasize this double purpose, the students will both be given conceptual lectures, but will also be working on a number of empirical assignments, in which the students will be solving cases as well as send out to do field-work (to for example collect interview and observation material), which will be analyzed and discussed in class.
By combining empirical material, management texts and philosophical concepts, the students will get a concrete and practical insight into the managerial challenges of power, culture and politics and a philosophical understanding of the more principal nature of these challenges. The students will learn to analyze and understand ethnography-inspired empirical material such as interviews and observations in light of managerial and philosophical concepts such as leadership, structure, performance, autonomy, identity, diversity, passion, desire and obligation. Besides equipping the students theoretically in the field of organizational power, culture and politics, this course will also have direct relevance for students who wish to apply qualitative ethnographic inspired studies in their master dissertations such as conducting various forms of (critical) discourse analysis. | https://kursuskatalog.cbs.dk/2014-2015/KAN-CCMVV4020U.aspx |
A new ResearchMoz research report offers 360-degree analysis of the global Industrial Design Software Market for the assessment period 2021–2026, where 2021 is the base year and 2021–2026 is assessment period. The research report carries out deep discussion on various technological advancements and historical and present trends shaping the growth of the global market. As a result, the report gives a thorough perspective on the progression of global Industrial Design Software market throughout the abovementioned assessment period.
Owing to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the government bodies of major countries across the globe have concentrated toward the development of vaccine against the virus and carrying out vaccination program across the regions. Despite implementation of various stringent regulations, many countries are going through second, third, or fourth wave of the pandemic. This situation has impacted adversely on the overall economy of the world. The new research report provides all information on the impact of COVID-19 outbreak on the growth of the global Industrial Design Software market.
The estimates demonstrated in the research document on Industrial Design Software market are the outcome of systematic primary interviews, secondary research, and in-house expert panel reviews. Through this research document, readers gain knowledge on various market dynamics such as challenges, growth avenues, restraints, drivers, and threats in the Industrial Design Software market. Apart from this, the study sheds light on the end-user adoption analysis, key trends, and key indicators of market.
The present research report performs segmentation of all the information and statistics gathered from the global Industrial Design Software market. For the market segmentation, many important parameters including end-use industry, application, product type, and region are considered.
A clear idea on the competitive landscape of the global Industrial Design Software market can be gained by readers using this research report. Thus, they get access to a list of key market players from the various geographical regions. Apart from this, readers can gather data on latest research and development investments by key enterprises of the market.
The research document conducts study of different regions in which the global Industrial Design Software market shows prominent growth avenues. The regional analysis section of the report presents lucid picture on different regulatory frameworks and their impact on the Industrial Design Software market in different geographical regions.
Some of the key regions of the global Industrial Design Software market are:
The study on the global Industrial Design Software market makes successful attempt to give dependable answers to following questions:
What will be the impact of COVID-19 on the growth of global and regional Industrial Design Software market?
What will be the size of Industrial Design Software market by the end of assessment period of 2021 to 2026?
Which end-user industries are expected to be the most lucrative for players in the Industrial Design Software market?
Which region is likely to maintain its prominent position in the market?
At what CAGR the Industrial Design Software market is expected to show growth during the forecast period 2021–2026?
Who are prominent players working in the global Industrial Design Software market?
What are the names of top five countries of the Industrial Design Software market?
About ResearchMoz
ResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfil all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organisations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price. | |
Amber headhunted me on LinkeldIn and was able to confirm her intentions to find me a new social worker role, closer to home and to earn more money. Throughout the process, Amber was able to keep me updated via telephone calls, WhatsApp messages and emails on her progress in searching for my ideal role. During this time, she was mindful that I was at work and would aim to contact me at a time of convenience. Amber was able to secure two interviews and arranged to meet up with me to provide face-to-face interview preparation along with her colleague Lisa. Amber was able to prepare information packs on both local authorities, which saved me time to conduct such research.
On the day of my interviews, Amber checked-in before and after my interviews and provided feedback as soon as this was made available. I found Amber to be polite and friendly and she was able to demonstrate her commitment and interest in helping me to find a new role. Amber was able to stay true to her word and has been able to support me to obtain an Advanced Social Worker role in Croydon. The process was quick and did not require me to do much in terms of paperwork. I would highly recommend having Amber support any professional to secure their next role. | http://pertempsprofessionalrecruitment.co.uk/candidates/candidate-testimonials/cherelle-social-worker/ |
We are Skilz Academy, a charity who have a mission to improve the lives of the people in our community who are most in need through the power of sport, physical activity and creative arts, by being a creative, understanding and pro-active charity, with the core values of honesty, integrity and compassion.
Our vision is to run a programme of FREE sport and physical activity opportunities for the community of Arbroath with a twist......most of it will be Glow in the Dark (see below).
The aims of the programme are to:
1) Reduce barriers to sport and physical activity such as cost, confidence and travel.
2) Reduce social isolation.
3) Reduce anti-social crime by youths.
4) Improve mental health, confidence, self-esteem and overall Health and Well-Being of the community.
We will achieve this by making sport and physical activity FREE for the community of Arbroath, running sessions in the most socially deprived areas of Arbroath and running sessions where there is a lack of provision in the area.
We will also work with local partners to encourage children and adults to access these sessions, especially those that we wish to target (socially excluded/isolated, those with mental health issues and socially deprived).
During this programme, we would like to help the people in our community build social connections and access support available to them in their local community. We will encourage participants to stay for a coffee/tea after sessions to chat with ourselves and each other, and work with local partners to help provide access to local services.
The programme of activities is based on feedback from the local community, and we will continually consult with the community to respond to local need. The programme will include a wide variety of options, including Glow in the Dark Zumba, Yoga, Seated Exercise, Walking Sports and other fitness classes.
We will run 12 different classes per week and if successful, the funding will cover the project for 2 years. We will have a variety of different sessions including family sessions, over 60+ sessions, men only, women only, youths, adults. | https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/glow-sport-and-physical-activity-for-the-c |
Bridgewater State University can be found in Bridgewater, MA, a public college which focuses on only a select few programs offered. BSU has an enrollment of about twelve thousand students.
An ACT or SAT exam may be required before applying to this college. Scores in the range of 890 (25th percentile) to 1090 (75th percentile) for the SAT exam and in the range of 19 (25th percentile) to 24 (75th percentile) on the ACT is common among applicants admitted to BSU. We were able to estimate the Bridgewater State University (BSU) average GPA (2.98 - 3.25) of admitted students by applying sampled GPA data on over 150 schools. Bridgewater State University admits approximately 80 percent of applicants. Of those that are admitted, roughly 32 percent of students enrolled. Using acceptance rate data from previous years, we can project that the Bridgewater State University (BSU) acceptance rate in 2015 is going to be around 73%. You can get more information from the admissions office website at bridgew.edu.
The overall acceptance rate for Bridgewater State University was reported as 78.6% in Fall 2013 with over 5,920 college applications submitted to this school. Both in state and out of state applicants are included in these figures. We do not have data on transfer acceptance rates currently.
The applicant selectivity of Bridgewater State University is about average, as determined by collecting standardized test scores e.g. ACT/SAT and high school average GPA ranges of students who were granted admissions from previous years.
The historical trend chart shows acceptance rates from the previous years, from which we have projected the acceptance rate for the 2019-2020 school year. The overall acceptance rate trend for BSU has been getting much higher in the past few years.
The acceptance rate for BSU is forty-two percent higher than the national average of all colleges which is around 55.5%. | http://www.acceptancerate.com/schools/bridgewater-state-university |
Considering taking a vitamin or supplement to treat Aplastic-Anemia? Below is a list of common natural remedies used to treat or reduce the symptoms of Aplastic-Anemia. Follow the links to read common uses, side effects, dosage details and read user reviews for the drugs listed below. | https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/condition-2332/aplastic+anemia |
The Journal of Applied Social Theory aims to provide an intellectual space where critical applications of social theory (in all its varied forms) can flourish.
The objective in setting up this new open-access journal is to fill a gap in current academic debates regarding the treatment of well-established and sometimes revered theories, theories that can all too often inhibit discussion while shying away from more applied forms of theoretical work.
By providing this platform for debate around social theory and its applications, we aim to make a strong contribution to critical understandings of how theory can be applied to various forms of practice – professional research, policy, practitioner, etc. All too often we find discussions of theory divorced from method and/or separated from practice. We hope that in the long run the Journal of Applied Social Theory can offer an online space where such troublesome boundaries and dichotomies can be traversed.
We also envisage the journal providing a space for future innovation across a range of areas, not just in contributions to intellectual knowledge, but also issues of style, delivery, engagement and impact. Combined with our sister website Social Theory Applied we see this new journal as having a role in delivering on the promise of the digital public sphere. We have a clear and unambiguous commitment to democratising knowledge while staying true to the ‘traditional’ emphasis on academic standards and peer review. In this important regard, the journal is itself a boundary spanner looking to making the best of both worlds while seeking ways via which we can shape future alternatives around questions of access, academic knowledge and impact.
Given the scope of the journal, we have a number of audiences in our sights. These include the ever growing number of academics working across a wide range of disciplines who are engaged in the application of social theory in their research. Moreover, we would like to engage with communities outside the academy. These include people working in different forms of professional practice (e.g. teachers, public administrators, health sector workers, industry, etc.), policy makers at various levels of governance (regional, national and international), non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and interested members of the wider public. Over time, what we would really like to achieve is a digital space where the interests, values, and ideas of these audiences can come together and create alternative forms of knowledge. After all, no one sector has a monopoly on useful knowledge.
To achieve this, the journal consists of two main sections:
- Social Theory and Research
- Social Theory and Society
These sections inevitably overlap to some extent but they have the purpose of serving different forms of practice – the first serving researchers who wish to report and discuss the challenges of combining theory and method, whilst the second section provides a home for academics and/or practitioners and/or policy makers who want to reflect more generally on social issues via a socio-theoretical lens. The second category is wider but deliberately so; we aim to be as inclusive as possible and engage with as wide a readership as we can.
Section Policies
Articles
- Open Submissions
- Indexed
- Peer Reviewed
Reviews
- Open Submissions
- Indexed
- Peer Reviewed
Special Edition: Digital Scholarship and the Public Intellectual
- Open Submissions
- Indexed
- Peer Reviewed
Editorial
- Open Submissions
- Indexed
- Peer Reviewed
Special Edition: Futures and Fractures in Feminist & Queer EducationEditors
- Maddie Breeze
- Yvette Taylor
- Open Submissions
- Indexed
- Peer Reviewed
Test SectionEditors
- Eileen Murphy
- Open Submissions
- Indexed
- Peer Reviewed
Peer Review Process
The Journal of Applied Social Theory uses a double-blind peer review process for original research articles in which the reviewer and author’s names and information are withheld from the other. All manuscripts are reviewed as rapidly as possible, while maintaining rigor. The journal’s policy is to have manuscripts reviewed by two expert reviewers. Reviewers make comments to the author and recommendations to the Editor, who makes the final decision.
Open Access Policy
This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. | https://socialtheoryapplied.com/journal/jast/about/editorialPolicies |
Countries achieve greatness not because of their material prosperity but because they follow traditions.
Only that which is vital and life-giving in that past, should be retained. Our marriages are also performed according to specific rites, which are very logical, due to which couples believe that it is a lifelong union. Clothes and jewelry India is famous for many things, but its traditional clothes are so distinguishable that they are recognized all over the world.
The eighteenth century marks the beginning of the modern period of Indian history. India has a rich cultural heritage. A new system of exploitation of one country by the dominant classes and groups of another country came into being. Dance in India has an unbroken tradition of over years.
The strength of Indian culture has always been in its broad-heartedness, its ability to accept and assimilate other thoughts wholeheartedly. Unity in diversity is the strength of Indian culture.
India is one of the most religiously and ethnically diverse nations in the world, with some of the most deeply religious societies and cultures. Therefore, we find in India the presence of so many different faiths, all willing to live together harmoniously, in a spirit of common brotherhood and love.
Jainism and Buddhism which arose in the sixth century B. This is our tradition, but the logic is that people the world over believe in stars and their effect on them.
The heritage of India is the result of developments in the social, economic, cultural and political life of Indian people over a period of thousands of years.
She was the mother of our philosophy; mother through the Arabs of much of our mathematics; through the Buddha of much of the ideas embodies in our Christianity; mother through the village community of self-government and democracy. This is why, Indian culture has witnessesed so many religions intermingling and prospering over the ages without bias.
The Gupta's built a large kingdom during eighth century. Gandhiji simply highlighted through his preachings what already has been practised for ages in our country. The nationalist movement united the Indian people on a new basis.
Along with being a part of this wonderful culture we should make sure that we continue to create its awareness amongst the coming generation as well.
In our country it is traditional to respect elders, be truthful and honest and also to help out others in need. Religious activities are deeply engrossed in Indian culture. The mountains and the rivers systems have been an important factor in the emergence of a number of distinct cultural zones within the country.
The guest, in other words, is treated as a God. Ethnic Indian saris are recognizable worldwide. It allows its followers to worship God in any form they like. Heritage means what we inherit from our ancestors and from our past.
Except for Jammu and KashmirPunjabMeghalayaNagalandMizoram and LakshadweepHindus form the predominant population in all 29 states and 7 union territories. In fact, Culture is formed out of the ethics and moral values that control a society. The Arabs conquered Sindh, and the Mughals settled here.
In them we find freshness simplicity and charm and an effort to understand the mystery of the world. Select Page Indian Culture Speech India has always been considered a culturally rich country with diverse food habits, traditions, beliefs, social customs, attire, language, festivals, etc.
The people from other cultures and civilizations have brought with them their own traditions which got intermixed and integrated with the pre-existing traditions.
The Harappan culture was the first urban culture to emerge in India. Even today, the main terms for compound analysis are taken from Sanskrit. Her culture is essentially religious and spiritualism is the breath of her nostrils.
Indians are developing materialistic attitude, but at the same time they are not neglecting the moral aspect of life. There seemed to him something unique about the continuity of a cultural tradition through five thousand years of history, of invasion and upheaval, a tradition which was wide spread among the masses and powerfully influenced them.
Foreign tourists experience a spiritual reawakening on visited these temples. Mother India is in many ways the mother of us all. In the case of “cultural heritage,” the heritage doesn’t consist of money or property, but of culture, values and traditions.
Cultural heritage implies a shared bond, our belonging to a community. Cultural Heritage of India – Essay India has a rich cultural tradition. There is a harmonious blend of art, religion and philosophy in the Indian culture. They are so beautifully interwoven in the fabric of Indian way of life and thought that they are inseparable.
The heritage of India is the result of developments in the social, economic, cultural and political life of Indian people over a period of thousands of years. words essay on the Heritage of India Home.
Indian culture is unique and diverse. Because of this, it is well-known around the world. Let’s have a look at some distinctive features of cultural heritage of this country.
Indian Culture Essay 1 ( words) India is a famous country all over the world for its culture and tradition. It is the land of various culture and tradition. The heritage of India is the result of developments in the social, economic, cultural and political life of Indian people over a period of thousands of years. | https://jesihugygobaxoly.makomamoa.com/essay-about-indian-culture-and-heritage-16030nf.html |
My research interests focus on social-ecological systems using the combination of empirical data collection and modelling to investigate the interaction between human decision-making and the dynamics of ecological processes.
My research interests focus on how conflicts between wildlife conservation and other human activities develop over time. To do this, I collect and analyse time series relating to the sociological (e.g. media articles), economic (e.g. damage and compensation payments) and ecological (e.g. population size and distribution) aspects of conflicts.
My research in ConFooBio aims to assess disagreements in conservation conflicts and understand the factors that influence whether or not conflicting stakeholders are willing to cooperate. One of my core interests lies in developing new understanding of stakeholders’ decision-making from behavioural games and deliberative approaches. I am also interested in examining the influence of uncertainties (at various levels of the natural system and decision-making processes) on the development and resolution of these conflicts.
As part of the ConFooBio project, I am developing software to construct general social-ecological models that integrate game theory and ecological theory to resolve conflicts between biodiversity conservation and food security. These models build off of a previously developed management strategy evaluation (MSE) framework to simulate all aspects of management: population dynamics, manager observation of populations, manager decision-making, and stakeholder responses to management decisions.
I am a community ecologist, with a focus on tropical forest tree communities, lianas, and carbon storage. I have broad interests in conservation biology, and am developing my experience in human-wildlife conservation conflict research as a postdoc within the ConFooBio research group. My PhD investigated the biodiversity and carbon impacts of landscape-scale tropical forest fragmentation, and carbon storage within regenerating secondary tropical forests.
My role in ConFooBio is to contribute to the continuing development of the GMSE model, as well as work towards its application to novel and different case studies. In addition, I intend to build further stakeholder engagement to assist in the uptake and distribution of both GMSE and similar modelling approaches to resolve human-wildlife conflicts. | https://sti-cs.org/contributors-2/ |
Lake Powell Pipeline reduces environmental footprint
The Utah Division of Water Resources (UDWRe) recently announced design modifications to the Lake Powell Pipeline (LPP) that will further minimize the project’s environmental footprint. Even without these changes, the environmental studies done to date found that the LPP would have negligible environmental impacts on area streams, river flows, water quality and fish habitat. The project would preserve river flows since the state proposes to divert its water just above Glen Canyon Dam. This would ensure that up to 86,249 acre feet of water will continue to flow more than 400 river miles downstream through valuable riparian and fish habitat in the Colorado River system. In addition, the LPP route follows existing alignments and designated utility corridors to minimize disturbances to natural, cultural, historic and archeological resources.
The state’s decision supports the Environmental Protection Agency, Army Corps of Engineers and the Fish and Wildlife Service recommendations to further reduce potential environmental impacts. Two reservoirs, needed to generate hydropower at times of peak demand, will be removed. This will eliminate impacts to several hundred acres of land that include habitat for the desert tortoise as well as potential impacts to waters of the U.S. These modifications follow suggestions by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to consider using a hydropower conduit exemption expanded by congress in 2018. While this simplifies permitting, LPP will still be able to produce hydropower using inline units. The changes will reduce the project costs by more than $100 million.
All the time and money spent to conduct the required studies and reports are relevant and will continue to advance the LPP. UDWRe has requested that the Department of the Interior lead the Environmental Impact Statement.
As the primary recipient for the water that will be delivered by the LPP, Washington County Water Conservancy District supports the state’s decision. This is very good news for the environment and our customers. The decision moves us one step closer to improving the water security for our region.
Ron Thompson is general manager of the Washington County Water Conservancy District. | https://www.thespectrum.com/story/opinion/2019/10/21/thompson-lake-powell-pipeline-would-lessen-environmental-impacts/4047016002/ |
Duties and Responsibilities
The duties and responsibilities of McKean County DA's Office is to prosecute criminal offenses. The legislature enacts laws that define each criminal offense. The prosecutors and police have to analyze a suspect's conduct and determine if the conduct meets the definition of a criminal offense. The analysis is a determination of whether a crime can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
The DA's Office represents the Commonwealth at each stage of the criminal justice system - from preliminary hearings in front of one of the county's four Magisterial District Judges; plea conferences; jury trials; and appeals.
Following each conviction, the DA's Office utilizes the sentencing guidelines and makes a sentencing recommendation to the Judge.
The District Attorney's Office works hand-in-hand with law enforcement throughout the life of the case and, sometimes, before charges are filed. We consult with them during investigations and until the conclusion of the case.
One mission of the DA's Office is to provide information to the community regarding the criminal justice system - schools, press, general public (presentations, printed materials). DA Shaffer frequently provides press releases so that the public is informed of matters that relate to the community.
The DA's Office assists victims through the criminal justice process; pursues the imposition of court costs and fines (disbursed to county and state); handles all juvenile delinquency petitions; and addresses probation and parole violations.
DA Shaffer speaks at events on various topics including elder abuse, child abuse, sexual violence, safety to first responders, gun rights, and school safety. She also testified before the Center for Rural Pennsylvania on the opioid crisis. | https://mckean.crimewatchpa.com/da/136029/content/duties-and-responsibilities |
In lossless interconnection networks such as InfiniBand, congestion control (CC) can be an effective mechanism to achieve high performance and good utilization of network resources. The InfiniBand standard describes CC functionality for detecting and resolving congestion, but the design decisions on how to implement this functionallity is left to the hardware designer. One must be cautious when making these design decisions not to introduce fairness problems, as our study shows. In this paper we study the relationship between congestion control, switch arbitration, and fairness. Specifically, we look at fairness among different traffic flows arriving at a hot spot switch on different input ports, as CC is turned on. In addition we study the fairness among traffic flows at a switch where some flows are exclusive users of their input ports while other flows are sharing an input port (the parking lot problem). Our results show that the implementation of congestion control in a switch is vulnerable to unfairness if care is not taken. In detail, we found that a threshold hysteresis of more than one MTU is needed to resolve arbitration unfairness. Furthermore, to fully solve the parking lot problem, proper configuration of the CC parameters are required. | https://www.simulamet.no/publications/relation-between-congestion-control-switch-arbitration-and-fairness |
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Category: Church History
Church History
Showing all 8 results
Getting To Know The Church Fathers
$28.00Add to cart
This concise introduction to the church fathers connects evangelical students and readers to twelve key figures from the early church. Now updated and revised.
Evangelical Influences : Profiles Of Key Figures And Movements Rooted In Th
$16.95Add to cart
SKU (ISBN): 9781619701564 J. I. Packer Binding: Trade Paper Published: April 2014 Publisher: Hendrickson Publishers
Story Of Christianity 2
$27.99Add to cart
THE STORY OF CHRISTIANITY, VOLUME 2, is an informative, interesting, and consistently readable narrative history. Beginning with the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century, this second volume continues narrative history to the present. Historian Justo Gonzalez brings to life the people, dramatic events, and shaping ideas of Protestantism, Catholicism, and Orthodoxy during this period, keynoting crucial theological developments while providing fresh understanding of the social, political and economic forces that influenced the formation of the church. In particular, the author notes recurring themes of unrest, rebellion, and reformation. Gonzalez presents an illumination record of the lives, impelling ideas and achievements of such prominent figures as Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, and John Calvin-movers and shapers in the emerging Protestant church. His biographical insights, in conjunction with vivid historical accounts, reveal how individual lives mirror and clarify core theological concerns and developments. The interpretive overview of The Story of Christianity includes a thorough and timely analysis of the growth and maturation of Christianity, including events in Europe, the United States, and Latin America-the latter an area too often neglected in church histories, yet increasingly vital to an understanding of Christianity’s historical development, present situation, and future options. Gonzalez’s richly textured study discusses the changes and directions of the church in the traditions of Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, and Eastern Christianity. The Story of Christianity covers such recent occurrences as the World Council of Churches, the Second Vatican Council, the movement toward Christian unity, and much more. It concludes with a thoughtful look at the major issues and debates involving Christians today. The Story of Christianity will serve as a fascinating introduction to the panoramic history of Christianity for students and teachers of church history, for pastors, and for general readers.
Story Of Christianity 1
$27.99Add to cart
THE STORY OF CHRISTIANITY, VOLUME 1, is an informative, interesting, and consistently readable narrative history. It brings alive the people, dramatic events, and ideas that shaped the first fifteen centuries of the church’s life and thought–including major events outside of Europe, such as the Spanish and Portuguese conquest of the New World. Historian Justo Gonzalez shows how various social, political, and economic movements affected Christianity’s internal growth.
Gonzalez skillfully weaves in relevant details from the lives of prominent figures from the apostles to John Wycliffe, tracing out core theological issues and developments as reflected in the lives and stuggles of leading thinkers within the various traditions of the church. The history of the church, while showing all the characteristics of human history, is much more than the history of an institution or movement, Gonzalez stresses. It is a history of the deeds of the spirit in and through the men and women who have gone before in the faith. THE STORY OF CHRISTIANITY demonstrates at each point what new challenges and opportunities faced the church, and how Christians struggled with the various options open to them, thereby shaping the future direction of the church.
THE STORY OF CHRISTIANITY will serve as a fascinating introduction to the panoramic history of Christianity for students and teachers of church history, for pastors, and for general readers.
City Of God
$18.95Add to cart
A monument of Western prose, this was penned as a reply to the charge that Christian other-worldliness was causing the decline of the Roman empire. It is widely regarded as the first serious philosophy of history and has immensely influenced the way Christians individually and collectively relate to the temporal order.
Eusebius : The Church History
$17.99Add to cart
This highly affordable paperback edition includes Maier’s best-selling translation, historical commentary on each book of The Church History, and ten maps and illustrations.
Dictionary Of Early Christian Beliefs Super Saver
$34.99Add to cart
Interest in the ways of the early church has never been more intense. What did early Christians believe about the divinity of Christ? What were the beliefs of those who sat at the feet of Jesus’ disciples? Now, for the first time, a unique dictionary has been developed to allow easy access to the ancient material and furnish ready answers to these questions and others like them. David W. Bercot has painstakingly combed the writings of these early church leaders and categorized the heart of their thinking into more than 700 theological, moral, and historical topics to create A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs. Wonderfully suited for devotional or thematic study as well as sermon illustration, this resource offers a window into the world of the early church and affords a special opportunity to examine topically the thoughts of students of the original apostles, as well as other great lights in the life of the early church.
* Collects relevant comments on key Christian concepts from prominent figures such as Origen, Clement of Alexandria, Clement of Rome, and Hippolytus.
* Includes key biblical verses associated with a given topic.
* Offers brief definitions of unfamiliar terms or concepts, allowing easy access to the ancient material.
* Provides a Who’s Who of ante-Nicene Christianity to put in context the ancient Christian writers.
* Discusses more than 700 key theological, moral, and historical topics.
* Gives strategic cross-reverences to related topics.
* Functions as a topical index to the writings of the Ante-Nicene Fathers.
Dictionary Of The Later New Testament And Its Developments
$67.00Add to cart
Preface
How To Use This Dictionary
Abbreviations
Transliterations
List Of Contributors
Dictionary Articles
Scripture Index
Subject Index
Articles Index
1290 Pages
Additional Info
1998 GOLD MEDALLION WINNER
The Dictionary of the Later New Testament and Its Developments follows the Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels and the Dictionary of Paul and His Letters as the third in a celebrated series of reference works on the Bible. Picking up where the previous volumes left off, this volume includes in its scope the book of Acts, the general epistles of Peter, James, Jude and John, and the books of Hebrews and Revelation. This Dictionary is without peer in its in-depth coverage of the most neglected books of the New Testament.
In addition to its coverage of this New Testament literature, a unique and valuable feature of this dictionary is its extended coverage of developments in early Christianity through A. D. 150. Some articles, such as those on each of the apostolic fathers, focus exclusively on this post-apostolic period. But nearly all topical articles take into consideration the writings of the apostolic fathers. Readers will enjoy a deeper and expanded understanding of how orthodox Christianity continued and developed in the years just following the New Testament era. No other single-volume reference work provides comparable coverage and assessment of the early patristic era and its theology. | https://bookstore.compasschurch.org/product-category/reference-2/church-history/?add-to-cart=3591 |
Peter Gentenaar, a paper artist based in the Netherlands, creates ethereal, large-scale sculptures of organic shapes that float in mid-air as they hang from the ceilings. Some look like aquatic plant life while others resemble the qualities of bright, delicate spring flowers. Gentenaar’s craft evolved from his love for paper, a passion he acquired from the many years he spent working in a printmaking shop. His unusual, stunning work defies conventional thinking regarding paper’s colloquial, everyday use.
With the help of a friend from the Royal Dutch Paper Factory, Gentenaar learned to handcraft his own paper in order to create these projects. His sculptures start off as two-dimensional colored sheets of pulp; the waves and textures are caused by pulp drying and shrinking in unison. The simple and natural drying process develops, through time, the pieces’ unique colors, textures and forms; these characteristics, ultimately, lead the final outcome to resemble naturally-ocurring forms. | http://hifructose.com/2014/02/17/peter-gentenaars-paper-sculptures-inspired-by-plant-life/ |
- Providing guidance on procurement policies and procedures including the implementation of all procurement laws, regulations and policies.
- Establish and implement inventory policies and procedures
- Responsible for Management and implementation of store & stock control systems
- Sending out of RFQs, receiving quotations/bids and receives supplies, records and ensures proper storage of the same.
- Dispatch of project supplies to field offices
- Prepare and submit accurate and timely (weekly or monthly, as agreed) stock reports of all movements of stock in and out of the store using the material requests forms to the management.
- Evaluate and compare suppliers’ products and services, maintaining accurate records of purchases and pricing. Ensure purchases are within the working capital budget.
- Communicate company needs to suppliers and maintain good relationships with them for good credit terms.
- Maintaining acceptable and accurate inventory levels and ensure we keep accurate utilization rates by monitoring the duration and usage of inventory, ensuring par levels are always kept.
- Investigate physical count variances and resolve issues.
Qualification
- Degree in procurement or supply chain management or related course
- At least 2 – 3 years of experience in a similar role.
How to Apply
To apply, send your CV and cover letter only to [email protected] before close of business 6th February, 2018.
Clearly indicate the position applied for on the subject line and expected remuneration.
NB: Flexi Personnel does not charge candidates for job placement.
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Share this post with your Friends: | https://admalic.co.ke/engineering-company-job-vacancies-2018-for-procurement-officer/ |
October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month — so what better time to bring a deserving furry friend into your life? But before you rush out to the shelter, we’ve pulled together some important things you should know.
Find out what you should expect from the adoption process in the gallery below. Then, if you think you’re ready for the commitment, go find that perfect pup for you and your family!
When you’re looking for a dog to make a part of your family forever, you want to be sure he’s the right fit. It helps to think about what kind of traits you’re looking for in a dog, Emily Weiss, the ASPCA’s vice president of research and development, says. Are you looking for a potential running partner? A big or small dog? Does he need to be good with kids?
Before you head to a local shelter, do some research online. Check out shelter websites and Facebook pages to see what dogs they have available and review their adoption requirements so you can be prepared. “There’s nothing more heartbreaking than falling in love with an animal and not being able to take him home,” Weiss says. You might need to fill out an application that could ask for references, and you may also need to include your veterinarian’s contact information or veterinary records for animals already in your home — so have those things handy.
When you do your research, you should also be able to find out the shelter’s requirements for your home. If you rent your home, you may need to provide proof that dogs are allowed, either with your lease or your landlord’s contact information. Some groups require a home visit, and some might insist on a fenced-in yard, although Weiss says this is becoming less common.
If there’s a shelter dog you spotted online and have your heart set on, be sure to call first to see if he’s still available for adoption. Then, put together a list of questions you can ask staff members, volunteers or fosters who may have spent time with your potential pet. For example: What’s his personality like? Does he have any behavioral issues? What do you know about his history? Does he like other dogs and cats? How does he do with children? They may be able to provide some valuable details about the dog you’re considering.
If you get the chance to walk through the kennels, pay attention to how the dogs react to you — but remember that they’re in a stressful environment and might not be themselves. When you find a shelter dog you’re interested in, spend some time interacting with him. Most shelters have a meet-and-greet room where you can get a better sense of the dog’s personality and behavior. Watch how the dog acts, and think about your expectations and whether they match — or whether you’re willing to shift those expectations. The dog should meet all of the members of your family — kids and other pets included — to see if he’s a good match for everyone.
Be prepared to make your payment if you decide you’ve found the perfect pooch and remember that shelter fees vary widely. You may have to wait a few days to bring your dog home, but in some cases, your pup can hit the road with you that same day. So if you know you’re ready for a pet, you can be fully prepared by already having the essentials at home, including things like bowls, a leash and collar, and a crate. | https://www.quiet-corner.com/pets/adopting-shelter-dog-6-things-consider/ |
Assessment is an indispensable part of teaching; it is a feedback mechanism to improvise one’s teaching methods and is a process to enhance learning. Assessments have to be done in a continuous manner and at regular intervals, going beyond the routine paper–pencil test. Contradictory to the existing practices that induce fear in students, different assessment methods can be enjoyable and engaging for the students.
I teach Science at the Government Girls High School in Maducarai, which is located 30 km west of Puducherry town. The school has a strength of 340 girls. My aim is to develop the interest of my students towards education. A bond between the teacher and the students is central for the students to develop such an interest, and dialogues prove to be a powerful medium for facilitating this bonding. I converse with my students on non-academic matters for five to ten minutes each day, wherein the students share their experiences while I talk about mine. We conduct activities where the students can showcase their talents for the whole class to appreciate. Sometimes, the students are awarded prizes as well.
Assessment in Education:
Assessment is fundamental to education, and it is inseparable from teaching. While formal modes of assessment, such as exams and tests, instil a lot of fear among the students, informal methods of assessment can be a powerful process for enhancing learning. I believe that assessment must be formative and continuous, rather than mundane and summative. When assessments are conducted in a continuous manner and at regular intervals, information such as the values and attitudes of students, their individual skills and conceptual understanding, come to the surface. In my class, I conduct non-threatening assessment methods, which bring out the students’ potential and makes the classroom an enjoyable learning space. This aids in increasing the self-esteem of the students and helps in developing their ability to think independently.
I believe assessment must be formative and continuous rather than mundane and summative.
I use the following techniques to assess my students:
- Dialogues and observations
- Projects
- Role-plays
- Simple experiments
- Tests/exams
- Board Test
Role-play as a Mode of Assessment:
Role-play is one of the modes of assessment that I employ to evaluate my students. This method is mostly suitable for teaching topics related to ecology, environmental science, or global issues. It proved very useful in developing a broader scientific perspective among the students. The students come up with their own scripts; it is an opportunity for them to showcase their originality. This automatically reduces the tendency to copy from others; it helps in the reduction of malpractices during assessments. The advantages of role-plays are listed below:
- It ensures participation of the entire class.
- It promotes the ability of students to work in groups, thereby enhancing their skills in planning, working in a team, etc.
- It enhances the ability of the students to think, especially in areas like concept-planning, script-writing, narration, etc.
- It increase the interest of the students towards the subject, and the class becomes more fun, enjoyable, engaging, and different.
- It facilitates in providing instant feedback and appreciation to the students.
Advantages of Role-play as a Mode of Assessment:
Students demonstrating global warming and its effects through role-play
When role-play was used as an assessment technique, all the students actively participated in it. The students enacted global warming and its effects through a role-play. Some students squeezed under a blue bedsheet to signify the seas. Some squeezed themselves under a white sheet to form ice caps. The students demonstrated the melting of ice caps by going flat under the white sheet and the rising of the sea levels by rising inside the blue sheet. This expressed their creativity and their understanding of global warming. When I conducted the role-play, a mentally retarded child in class, who is usually disengaged from the classroom activities, came to the stage and participated along with the other students. I was able to identify and assess the skills of each child (curricular as well as co-curricular skills).
Board test as an Assessment Tool:
Another assessment technique I have employed in my class is the board test. For this, the board was split into four parts, and the students were directed to write the answers for the questions that they had come prepared for. The bright students were usually the ones to volunteer first for writing the answers. With some extra preparation time and motivation, the average learners came next to write the answers on the board. The weak students were given some more time, and they were given simpler questions to study and answer. Every student felt happy that they were able to write on the board. As a teacher, this activity also helped me in doing a spot assessment of the students.
Reflections: | https://www.azimpremjifoundationpuducherry.org/perspectives/assessment |
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Job Description
Job Title: Chief of Party
Reports To: DRC Team Leader
Location: Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
General summary/purpose:
The Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (CCP) aims to empower people to adopt healthy behaviors for themselves, their families and their communities. CCP will implement a USAID-funded project that will use global best practices to distribute insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) in DRC.
CCP seeks candidates for the position of Chief of Party (COP) for an anticipated 5-year, ITN distribution project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), projected to be awarded on or by March 31, 2020. In collaboration with USAID/DRC and the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), the project aims to assist the DRC National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) to distribute ITNs via mass campaigns and through schools in target provinces. The COP will lead the implementation of this project, responding to technical assistance needs including province-specific implementation as well as national technical leadership and advocacy.
The COP will oversee management and operations of the project as a whole. S/he will be expected to represent the project at high level stakeholder meetings with donors, government ministries, and project partners. S/he will possess a deep command of management processes generally and USAID reporting and compliance requirements specifically and demonstrate an ability to produce quality results on schedule.
**This position is contingent upon project award and funding**
Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned.
Specific duties & responsibilities:
The COP will provide strategic oversight to all in-country project operations. This includes but is not limited to liaising with project partners and government institutions for the timely and effective distribution of ITNs in implementation regions, sensitizing communities distribution events such as household registration and key ITN behaviors, designing and implementing a monitoring system to ensure ITNs reach target households, overseeing financial and logistical systems needed for ITN distribution, and liaising with all partners to ensure coordination between the different ITN distribution phases. In addition, the COP will provide technical inputs to relevant high level stakeholder meetings to support the DRC NMCP to implement vector control programs, including ITN distribution, that best suit the Congolese context based on available data.
Program Management
- Lead technical areas, larger activities and/or programs independently
- Envision, design and initiate new program activities according to a larger program goal, national policies, and global best practices
- Oversee country programs with support
- Produce and edit documents, work plans, reports, and presentations
- Monitor budgets and make strategic decisions to reallocate funding according to strategic priorities
- Act as liaison for consultant activities, ensuring statement of work, contract and deliverables are in place
- Initiate, track and monitor procurements, contracts, work plans and other administrative and programmatic documents
- Work closely with finance and administrative staff to ensure timely and compliant spending
- Maintain frequent, open, ongoing communication with program team members in all locations (offsite, in headquarters, and internationally)
- Liaise with internal and external partners
- Adhere to JHU, CCP and donor rules, regulations and policies
- Upload and save deliverables on relevant knowledge management platforms
- Identify and address STTA needs independently
- Work closely with research to routinely review program performance data and initiate adaptations to program management and implementation
People Management
- Supervise staff
- Orient and train new staff members
- Conduct regular (at least quarterly) check ins and annual performance reviews with all supervisees
- Identify and recommend appropriate professional development opportunities for supervisees
- Provide coaching and mentoring to promote continued growth and improvement among supervisees and other staff
- Oversee and ensure the quality of work produced by staff or team.
- Manage group work and effective team functioning independently; includes identifying and filling staffing gaps and independent contractor identification and hiring.
- Operate with compliance to all JHU supervisory policy.
Technical Work
- Lead and manage technical work independently, including strategies, policy documents, ITN distribution tools and SBC materials
- Generate and envision new activities, ideas, frameworks, and strategies that further high-level goals
- Use tools, processes, best-practices and colleague review to ensure all products and documents are of the highest quality possible
- Provide feedback to others about the quality of work. This includes raising concerns about errors, omissions, and poor quality products to the staff member responsible for that work, and requesting revision of work that is not high quality.
- In collaboration with research and evaluation division, contribute to design and implementation of research plans and activities
- Supervise/oversee STTA of staff with support
- Lead in-country technical work, including trainings, workshops, and program support, independently
- Demonstrate technical expertise in relevant technical areas (i.e. SBC, knowledge management, health areas, etc.)
- Demonstrate high level technical communication, including writing reports, creating and giving presentations, and facilitating trainings or group discussions
Professional and Organizational Growth
- Lead strategic partnership development with support
- Represent JHU and CCP at relevant external meetings and events
- May include delivering technical presentations, networking, relationship building, and initiate and follow through with opportunities for collaboration
- Engage with the global malaria community to stay abreast of technical updates, emerging best practices, and lessons learned that can be applied to DRC.
- Professionally engage and collaborate with other programs across the Center
- Recognize and address factors that might strategically impact a program or the Center, and propose solutions to appropriate staff members
- Proactively seek opportunities to expand leadership and management skills
- Request or initiate quarterly check-in meetings with supervisor to assess performance, strengths and areas for improvement in your current position, and establish professional goals
Minimum qualifications:
- Masters’ degree in business, public health, program management or a related field with at least ten (10) years of experience in international health and development, including senior-level management positions and experience managing large and complex projects implemented by multi-sectoral/multi-partner consortia;
- Experience providing technical guidance to large and complex activities with a focus on malaria and proven ability to effectively engage partners, including host country government personnel;
- Experience working in DRC and demonstrated knowledge of the health systems of DRC
- Experience planning, implementing and monitoring ITN distribution through multiple channels include mass campaigns and school distribution.
- At least five (5) years’ experience managing the reporting and compliance requirements for large health and development contracts or agreements that serve clients in developing countries funded by U.S. Government funds and experience interacting with U.S. government agencies including Missions, strongly preferred
- Strong interpersonal skills.
- Must be able to travel to provinces, when needed.
- Critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to manage difficulty, timely, and complex issues with diplomacy and tact while holding steadfast to principles with staff, partners, and funders.
- Ability to exercise independent judgment.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills, able to communicate and conduct meetings and synthesize large amounts of data to produce research reports (graphs, tables) and presentations.
- Demonstrated ability to exercise confidentiality, professionalism, and diplomacy.
- Ability to ensure adherence to applicable donor rules and regulations and local in-country laws.
- Fluent in French and English
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience planning, implementing and monitoring ITN distribution through multiple channels include mass campaigns and school distribution.
- Knowledge of SBC theories, best practices and a proven record of implementing data driven SBC programs.
Applicants who accept an interview will be asked to submit three (3) professional references familiar with their work in the previous five years. Applicants who are unable to provide three references will not be considered for this position.
If you are interested in applying for this position, please submit your CV with a cover letter to [email protected]. Applications will be accepted until this position is filled. | https://tonjob.net/offre-demploi/emploi-chief-of-party-kinshasa/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+EmploisOffresDemploiKinshasaRdcCongoTonjobnet+%28Emplois+%E2%80%93+Offres+d%27emploi+Kinshasa+RDC+Congo+%7C+Tonjob.net+%21%29 |
Intern Sales / Marketing Who can apply - MBA (Marketing) specializations only from reputed institutions with BE / B.Tech / BCA in Computer Science or Information Technology fields. - Students open for working in a competitive start - up culture Job Description: - Assist in sales , business communication , presentation design , content development and events - Responsible for maintaining reports - Assist in Branding and social media marketing activities Additional Requirements: - Proficiency in Hindi , English and / or any regional languages with a good command on any one or more languages - Ability to work in a team and resourceful - Should be a student in a Management institution - Open to travelling (all expenses paid by Company in this case) Location: Bangalore , South Bangalore Duration: Between 2 months to 4 months.
About Company
Corporate Resources is a national HR service provider servicing world class companies across the globe. Started in 2004, the company has grown into a full spectrum HR services provider for clients worldwide. It has helped generate career opportunities for thousands of individuals in the countries, and has worked for over Fortune 500 organizations. | https://www.crplindia.com/view-job/20559?path=Viewjob |
Technical Field
Background Art
Citation List
Patent Document
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
Solution to the Problems
Effect of the Invention
Brief Description of the Drawings
Description of Embodiments
Embodiment 1
Embodiment 2
Embodiment 3
Embodiment 4
Embodiment 5
Embodiment 6
Embodiment 7
Embodiment 8
Description of the Reference Characters
The present invention relates to a power conversion device including a converter in which phase arms are formed by converter cells each composed of a plurality of switching elements and a DC capacitor, the power conversion device being for performing power conversion between an AC circuit having a plurality of phases and a DC circuit. In particular, the present invention relates to a power conversion device that allows the converter to output a level of current at which a protection relay can operate during a DC line fault.
In large-capacity power conversion devices, the converter output is high voltage or large current, and therefore, many large-capacity power conversion devices are configured with a plurality of converters multiplexed in series or parallel. It is known that multiplexing converters cannot only increase the converter capacity, but also reduce harmonics contained in an output voltage waveform by synthesizing outputs, and as a result, can reduce harmonic current flowing to a grid.
There are various methods for multiplexing a converter: reactor multiplexing, transformer multiplexing, direct multiplexing, etc. In a case of transformer multiplexing, since an AC side is isolated by transformers, there is an advantage that common DC current can be used among the converters. However, there is a disadvantage that, in a case where output voltage is high, the configuration of the multiplexed transformer is complicated and the cost of the transformer increases.
Considering the above, as a power conversion device that is suitable for high-voltage usage and does not require a multiplexed transformer, a multilevel converter is proposed in which outputs of a plurality of converters are connected in cascade. One example of such multilevel converters is a modular multilevel converter.
The modular multilevel converter (hereinafter, referred to as MMC) is composed of arms in each of which a plurality of unit converters called cells (hereinafter, referred to as converter cells) are connected in cascade. Each converter cell includes a plurality of semiconductor switches and a DC capacitor, and through ON/OFF control of the semiconductor switches, outputs both-end voltage and zero voltage of the DC capacitor.
In a case of a three-phase MMC, such an arm is individually formed for each phase, output ends of half the total number of converter cells connected in cascade are used as the AC terminal, both ends of the arms of the respective phases are connected to each other, and their respective terminals are used as the DC terminal.
Each phase arm is composed of two arms, i.e., a positive arm and a negative arm. Since each converter cell output of the MMC converter is connected to both sides of the DC terminal and the AC terminal of the MMC converter, each converter cell has a characteristic of outputting both DC current and AC current.
Since the MMC converter is connected to both sides of the DC terminal and the AC terminal, it is necessary to handle a fault that occurs at each terminal. In particular, when a fault has occurred at the DC terminal, power transmission stops until the fault is removed. Thus, the fault needs to be removed immediately. Such a DC line fault includes a DC short circuit fault which is a short circuit between DC lines.
In order to suppress fault current that occurs during the fault, a control method has been disclosed in which: an MMC converter including converter cells each formed by semiconductor switching elements in full-bridge configuration is used, and the converter is controlled so as to output voltage against arc voltage that occurs during occurrence of a short circuit (for example, see Patent Document 1).
US 2013/0308235 A1
Patent Document 1:
Conventionally, fault currents are suppressed by using an MMC converter including converter cells in full-bridge configuration such that gate blocking is performed or voltage is output against arc voltage during occurrence of a high-voltage DC line fault. In the method above, fault currents are promptly suppressed by controlling the semiconductor switching elements in the converter cells, and thus, DC terminal output becomes zero in a short time period, and the fault can be removed.
A DC line fault is detected and removed by means of a protection relay on the line. However, there is a problem that operation of the protection relay is slower than operation of semiconductor switching elements. That is, when fault current is suppressed by means of a converter, there is a problem that DC current which serves as information for detecting a fault is blocked before the protection relay operates, and detection and removal of the fault point cannot be performed.
The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problem. An object of the present invention is to obtain a power conversion device that applies a small amount of voltage to a DC terminal of a power converter during a DC short circuit fault, and in which the power converter can output a level of current that allows a protection relay to perform fault determination.
a power converter connected between an AC line having a plurality of phases and a DC line, the power converter for performing power conversion between AC and DC, wherein a positive arm and a negative arm which correspond to each of the plurality of phases are connected in series, one ends of the plurality of positive arms are connected to each other and connected to the DC line at positive side, and one ends of the plurality of negative arms are connected to each other and connected to the DC line at negative side; and
a control device for controlling the power converter, wherein
each of the plurality of positive arms and the plurality of negative arms which correspond to the plurality of phases comprises one converter cell or a plurality of converter cells connected in series, each converter cell being comprised: a series unit in which a plurality of switching elements are connected in series to each other; and a DC capacitor connected in parallel to the series unit,
the control device has a voltage command generation unit for generating a first voltage command value for each positive arm, and a second voltage command value for each negative arm, and controls each switching element of the converter cell in the positive arm and the negative arm, and
when a DC short circuit fault in the DC line has been detected, the control device causes predetermined DC voltage to be output from a DC terminal of the power converter, the DC voltage allowing a protection relay in the DC line to operate.
A power conversion device according to the present invention is a power conversion device including:
According to the power conversion device of the present invention, even in a case where a DC short circuit fault has occurred, AC voltage similar to that in a steady state is output to the AC end of the power converter, and a current that can be output by the power converter and that allows a protection relay to perform fault determination is output to the DC terminal of the power converter. Accordingly, it becomes possible to detect and remove the fault point by causing the protection relay on the DC line to operate.
FIG. 1
FIG. 2
FIG. 3
FIG. 4
FIG. 5
FIG. 6
FIG. 7
FIG. 8
FIG. 9
FIG. 10
FIG. 11
FIG. 12
FIG. 13
FIG. 14
FIG. 15
FIG. 16
is a schematic configuration diagram of a two-terminal HVDC system in which a power conversion device according to embodiment 1 of the present invention is used.
is a schematic configuration diagram of the power conversion device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
is a circuit diagram showing a configuration of a converter cell of the power conversion device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
is a circuit diagram showing a configuration according to another example of the converter cell of the power conversion device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
is a block diagram showing a control device included in the power conversion device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
is a block diagram showing a DC voltage command value calculation unit used in the control device of the power conversion device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
is a circuit diagram showing a configuration of a converter cell of a power conversion device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.
is a block diagram showing a control device included in a power conversion device according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.
is a block diagram showing a DC voltage adjustment amount calculation unit used in the control device of the power conversion device according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.
is a block diagram showing a DC voltage adjustment amount calculation unit used in a control device of a power conversion device according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.
is a block diagram showing a DC voltage adjustment amount calculation unit used in a control device of a power conversion device according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention.
is a block diagram showing a configuration of positive and negative arm voltage command value calculation units used in a control device of a power conversion device according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention.
is a schematic configuration diagram of a three-terminal HVDC system in which a power conversion device according to Embodiment 7 of the present invention is used.
is a flow chart describing operation of fault point removal using a protection relay and the power conversion device according to Embodiment 7 of the present invention.
is a schematic configuration diagram of a three-terminal HVDC system including a DC short circuit fault point determination unit according to Embodiment 8 of the present invention.
is a flow chart describing operation of fault point removal using a protection relay and a power conversion device according to Embodiment 8 of the present invention.
FIG. 1 to FIG. 6
FIG. 1
Hereinafter, a power conversion device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is described in detail with reference to . is a schematic configuration diagram of a two-terminal HVDC (High-Voltage DC Transmission) system in which the power conversion device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is used.
FIG. 1
As shown in , power converters 1A, 1B respectively connected to AC grids 9A, 9B have their DC terminals connected to each other by means of DC lines 2, 3, thereby forming a two-terminal HVDC system. In this configuration, the DC line 2, 3 is provided with: sensor groups 91A, 91B; DC breaker groups 92A, 92B; and protection relays 93A, 93B. When a DC short circuit fault 90 has occurred between the DC lines 2, 3, fault current flowing to the DC terminals is detected by the sensor groups 91A, 91B, and the protection relays 93A, 93B perform fault determination to open the DC breaker groups 92A, 92B.
FIG. 2
FIG. 2
FIG. 1
is a schematic configuration diagram of the power conversion device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. As shown in , the power conversion device includes: a power converter 1 (corresponding to 1A, 1B in ) as a main circuit; and a control device 100 for controlling the power converter 1. The power converter 1 performs power conversion between three-phase AC, and DC. The AC side of the power converter 1 is connected via an interconnection transformer 8 to a three-phase AC power supply 9 which is a grid as a three-phase AC circuit, and the DC side of the power converter 1 is connected to the DC grid of the DC lines 2, 3.
FIG. 2
Each phase of the power converter 1 is composed of a phase arm 4U, 4V, 4W in which a positive arm 5U, 5V, 5W and a negative arm 6U, 6V, 6W are connected in series, and an AC end 7U, 7V, 7W as the connection point thereof is connected to a corresponding phase AC line. In , the AC ends 7U, 7V, 7W are directly connected to the respective phase AC lines, but may be connected to the respective phase AC lines via a three-winding transformer.
In the three phase arms 4U, 4V, 4W, one ends of the positive arms 5U, 5V, 5W (opposite side to the AC end 7U, 7V, 7W) are connected to each other and connected to the positive DC line 2, and one ends of the negative arms 6U, 6V, 6W are connected to each other and connected to the negative DC line 3, whereby the three phase arms 4U, 4V, 4W are connected in parallel between the positive and negative DC lines 2, 3.
Each of the positive arms 5U, 5V, 5W and the negative arms 6U, 6V, 6W of the phase arms 4U, 4V, 4W is composed of a cell group in which one or a plurality of converter cells 10 are connected in series, and each positive arm and each negative arm are connected in series to a corresponding arm reactor 11U, 11V, 11W.
The position at which the arm reactor 11U, 11V, 11W is inserted may be any position in each arm, and a plurality of arm reactors may be provided separately for positive and negative arms.
FIG. 5
The control device 100 includes a voltage command value generation unit and a PWM circuit to generate a gate signal, and controls each converter cell 10 in the positive arm 5U, 5V, 5W and the negative arm 6U, 6V, 6W of each phase. Details of the configuration of the control device 100 will be described with reference to described later.
FIG. 3
Positive arm currents ipu, ipv, ipw and negative arm currents inu, inv, inw respectively flowing in the positive arms 5U, 5V, 5W and the negative arms 6U, 6V, 6W of the respective phases are each detected by a current detector not shown and are input to the control device 100. Further, each phase voltage Vsu, Vsv, Vsw of the AC power grid 9, DC bus voltage Vdc, and DC capacitor voltage Vcap (see ) are each detected by a voltage detector not shown and are input to the control device 100.
FIG. 5
AC current lac and DC current Idc (see ) of each phase may be detected by a current detector not shown, or may be calculated from the positive arm current ipu, ipv, ipw and the negative arm current inu, inv, inw flowing in the corresponding positive arm 5U, 5V, 5W and negative arm 6U, 6V, 6W of each phase.
FIG. 3. FIG. 3
A configuration of the converter cell 10 provided in each of the positive arm 5U, 5V, 5W and the negative arm 6U, 6V, 6W is described with reference to shows a converter cell 20 employing a half-bridge configuration.
FIG. 3
FIG. 3
The converter cell 20 shown in is composed of: a series unit 23 in which a plurality of (two in the case of ) switches 21, 22 are connected in series; and a DC capacitor 29 connected in parallel to the series unit 23 and for smoothing DC voltage. Each switch 21, 22 is configured such that a semiconductor switching element 21s, 22s (hereinafter, simply referred to as switching element) is connected in anti-parallel to a diode 21d, 22d.
As the switching element 21s, 22s, a self-turn-off switching element such as an IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor) or a GCT (Gate Commutated Turn-off thyristor) is used.
FIG. 3
As shown in , in the converter cell 20, both terminals of the switching element 22s of the switch 22 are used as output terminals Po, No, and the switching elements 21s, 22s are turned on/off, whereby positive voltage of the DC capacitor 29 and zero voltage are output from the output terminals Po, No.
FIG. 4
A configuration according to another example of the converter cell 10 is described with reference to .
FIG. 4
FIG. 4
A converter cell 30 shown in is composed of: two series units 35, 36 connected in parallel; and a DC capacitor 39 connected in parallel to the series units 35, 36 and for smoothing DC voltage. The series unit 35 is composed of a plurality of (two in the case of ) switching elements 31s, 32s connected in series, the switching elements 31s, 32s having diodes 31d, 32d connected thereto in anti-parallel.
The series unit 36 is composed of a diode 33 and a switching element 34s connected in series, the switching element 34s having a diode 34d connected thereto in anti-parallel. Switches 31, 32, 34 in which the switching elements 31s, 32s, 34s are each implemented by a self-turn-off switching element such as IGBT or GCT and have the diodes 31d, 32d, 34d connected thereto in anti-parallel, are used.
FIG. 4
As shown in , in the converter cell 30, the connection point between the switching elements 31s, 32s and the connection point between the diode 33 and the switching element 34s, the connection points respectively serving as intermediate connection points for the series units 35, 36, are used as output terminals Po, No.
FIG. 4
Then, the switching elements 31s, 32s, 34s are turned on/off, whereby same-polarity positive voltage and opposite-polarity negative voltage, having a magnitude substantially equal to the magnitude of the voltage at both ends of the DC capacitor 39, are output from the output terminals Po, No. In addition, zero voltage in a state where the output terminals Po, No are short-circuited by the switching elements is output. Hereinafter, the converter cell 30 shown in is referred to as a converter cell in 1.5 bridge configuration.
FIG. 3, FIG. 4
As long as the converter cell 20, 30 includes: the series unit 23, 35, 36 including a plurality of switching elements or diodes; and the DC capacitor 29, 39 connected to the series unit in parallel, and is configured to selectively output voltage of the DC capacitor 29, 39 through switching operation, the configuration of the converter cell 20, 30 is not limited to those shown in .
Next, a configuration of the converter cells 10 in the phase arm 4U, 4V, 4W of the power converter 1 is further described.
FIG. 3
FIG. 4
The converter cells 10 in the positive arm 5U, 5V, 5W are implemented by the converter cells 20 which can output positive voltage at both ends of the DC capacitor 29 and zero voltage as shown in , or are implemented by the converter cells 30 which can output positive voltage and negative voltage at both ends of the DC capacitor 39 and zero voltage as shown in , or are configured to include both the converter cells 20 and the converter cells 30.
FIG. 4
Meanwhile, the converter cells 10 in the negative arm 6U, 6V, 6W are implemented only by the converter cells 30 which can output positive voltage and negative voltage at both ends of the DC capacitor 39 and zero voltage as shown in .
That is, all the converter cells 10 in the negative arm 6U, 6V, 6W are implemented by the converter cells 30 which can output negative voltage, and the converter cells 10 in the positive arm 5U, 5V, 5W are implemented by a combination of the converter cells 20 which can output positive voltage and zero voltage and the converter cells 30 which can output negative voltage. Alternatively, the converter cells 10 in the positive arm 5U, 5V, 5W are implemented by either the converter cells 20 or the converter cells 30.
It is sufficient that the converter cells 10 in the phase arm 4U, 4V, 4W are configured such that at least arms (positive arm 5U, 5V, 5W or negative arm 6U, 6V, 6W) at only one side are composed of the converter cells 30 which can output negative voltage. All the converter cells 10 in the positive arm 5U, 5V, 5W may be implemented by the converter cells 30 which can output negative voltage, and the converter cells 10 in the negative arm 6U, 6V, 6W may be implemented by a combination of the converter cells 20 which can output positive voltage and zero voltage and the converter cells 30 which can output negative voltage. Alternatively, the converter cells 10 in the negative arm 6U, 6V, 6W may be implemented by either the converter cells 20 or the converter cells 30.
FIG. 5
is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the control device 100 in the power conversion device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
The control device 100 includes the PWM circuit and the voltage command value generation unit composed of various control systems as described above. The voltage command value generation unit includes: a normalization/calculation unit 110 for converting detected current value/voltage value into a signal to be used in control; a DC-AVR/DC-ACR control unit (DC constant voltage/DC constant current controller) 120 for generating a DC voltage command value Kdc* on the basis of DC current Idc and DC voltage Vdc to control DC terminal voltage; a DC voltage command value calculation unit 140 for calculating a DC voltage command value Vdc+*, Vdc-* for positive arm/negative arm on the basis of the DC voltage command value Kdc* obtained by the DC-AVR/DC-ACR control unit 120, a DC voltage adjustment amount ΔVdc*, and a DC short circuit fault detection signal DCfault; an AC voltage control unit 150 for calculating AC voltage command values Vac+*, Vac-* on the basis of AC voltage Vs, AC current lac, and DC capacitor voltage Vcap, to control AC voltage; positive and negative arm voltage command value calculation units 160A, 160B for calculating arm voltage command values V+*, V-* on the basis of the command values calculated by the DC voltage command value calculation unit 140 and the AC voltage control unit 150; and each-cell individual control units 170A, 170B for outputting voltage command values Vcell+*, Vcell-* for converter cells on the basis of command values V+*, V-* calculated by the positive and negative arm voltage command value calculation units 160A, 160B.
It should be noted that a voltage command generation unit is composed of the normalization/calculation unit 110, the DC-AVR/DC-ACR control unit 120, a DC voltage adjustment amount calculation unit 130, the DC voltage command value calculation unit 140, the AC voltage control unit 150, the positive arm voltage command value calculation unit 160A, the negative arm voltage command value calculation unit 160B, the positive-side each-cell individual control unit 170A, and the negative-side each-cell individual control unit 170B, and a voltage command value for the positive arm and a voltage command value for the negative arm are generated.
PWM circuits 180A, 180B generate a gate signal for performing PWM control of the switching elements of each converter cell 10 in the positive arms 5U, 5V, 5W and negative arms 6U, 6V, 6W of the respective phases, on the basis of the positive-side each-cell voltage command value Vcell+* and the negative-side each-cell voltage command value Vcell-*. The switching elements 21s, 22s (31s, 32s, 34s) in each converter cell 10 are controlled to be driven according to the generated gate signal, whereby the output voltage of the power converter 1 is controlled to have a desired value.
In the following, description is given of the DC voltage command value calculation unit 140 which calculates, during a DC short circuit fault, the DC voltage command values Vdc+*, Vdc-* for the positive arm and the negative arm, respectively, which is the major part of the present invention, in particular.
First, the positive arm voltage command value V+* output from the positive arm voltage command value calculation unit 160A and the negative arm voltage command value V-* output from the negative arm voltage command value calculation unit 160B are described.
The positive arm voltage command value V+* is determined in accordance with the DC voltage command value Vdc+* output from the DC voltage command value calculation unit 140 and the AC voltage command value Vac+* output from the AC voltage control unit 150.
The negative arm voltage command value V-* is determined in accordance with the DC voltage command value Vdc-* output from the DC voltage command value calculation unit 140 and the AC voltage command value Vac-* output from the AC voltage control unit 150. That is, each of the arm voltage command values V+*, V-* respectively output from the positive and negative arm voltage command value calculation units 160A, 160B contains two components of DC and AC.
Each converter cell 10 in the positive arm 5U, 5V, 5W is implemented by the converter cell 20 in half-bridge configuration which can output positive voltage and zero voltage, and the voltage command value to be provided to the converter cell 10 in the positive arm is limited to a positive range. That is, the DC voltage command value Vdc+* for the positive arm is limited to a positive value. The maximum amplitude of the AC voltage command value Vac+* for the positive arm is dependent on the DC voltage command value Vdc+*.
Meanwhile, each converter cell 10 in the negative arm 6U, 6V, 6W is implemented by the converter cell 30 in 1.5 bridge configuration which can output positive voltage, negative voltage, and zero voltage. Although depending on the current flowing in the converter cell, the voltage command value to be provided to the converter cell 10 in the negative arm can be in a positive range or in a negative range.
That is, the DC voltage command value Vdc-* for the negative arm is selectable between a positive value and a negative value. The AC voltage command value Vac-* for the negative arm is set so as to have opposite polarity to that of the AC voltage command value Vac+* for the positive arm.
The DC terminals P, N of the DC lines 2, 3 have the positive arms and the negative arms connected thereto in series. Thus, voltage that substantially matches the sum of the positive arm voltage command value V+* and the negative arm voltage command value V-* is output to the DC terminals P, N. The positive arm AC voltage command value Vac+* and the negative arm AC voltage command value Vac-* have opposite polarities to each other, and thus cancel each other.
Thus, voltage that substantially matches the sum of the positive arm DC voltage command value Vdc+* and the negative arm DC voltage command value Vdc-* is output to the DC terminals P, N. Here, when the positive arm DC voltage command value Vdc+* is provided with the DC voltage command value Kdc* obtained by the DC-AVR/DC-ACR control unit 120, and the negative arm DC voltage command value Vdc-* is provided with the sum of the DC voltage adjustment amount ΔVdc* and the DC voltage command value Kdc* having opposite polarity, the DC voltage adjustment amount ΔVdc* is output to the DC terminals P, N.
During a fault in which the DC lines 2, 3 are short-circuited, if the power converter 1 outputs voltage corresponding to the above DC voltage adjustment amount ΔVdc* to the DC terminals P, N, DC current flows in the DC lines 2, 3 in accordance with the DC line impedance.
When the positive arm DC voltage command value Vdc+* is provided with the DC voltage command value Kdc*, and the negative arm DC voltage command value Vdc-* is provided with the DC voltage command value Kdc* having opposite polarity, if the magnitude of the DC voltage command value Kdc* is set to be a magnitude that allows output of the AC voltage command values Vac+*, Vac-*, interconnection with the AC grid is also allowed.
As described above, by controlling the negative arm DC voltage command value Vdc-*, in a state where interconnection with the AC grid is established during a fault, it is possible to cause current that allows fault detection to flow in the DC lines 2, 3. It should be noted that during occurrence of a fault, arc voltage occurs at the DC terminals P, N, and thus, voltage against the arc voltage is output, and then, after the DC terminal voltage is sufficiently lowered, current that allows fault detection is caused to flow in the DC lines 2, 3.
FIG. 6
Here, a method for calculating the DC voltage command value Vdc+*, Vdc-* is described. shows a configuration of the DC voltage command value calculation unit 140 in detail. The DC voltage command value calculation unit 140 calculates the positive arm DC voltage command value Vdc+* from the DC voltage command value Kdc* obtained by the DC-AVR/DC-ACR control unit 120, and the negative arm DC voltage command value Vdc-* from the DC voltage command value Kdc* and the DC voltage adjustment amount ΔVdc*.
The DC voltage adjustment amount ΔVdc* is a value previously set so as to realize voltage that is not less than voltage necessary to cause current at a level which allows the protection relay 93 to operate, to flow in the DC lines 2, 3, and that is not greater than voltage that causes current to flow that is not greater than a level of overcurrent at which the power converter 1 stops.
The DC voltage command value calculation unit 140 is configured such that, with respect to the positive arm DC voltage command value Vdc+*, the DC voltage command value Kdc* is always provided. Meanwhile, with respect to the negative arm DC voltage command value Vdc-*, a switch 142 is operated on the basis of a signal DCfault (in steady state: 0, during fault: 1) provided by a DC short circuit fault detector not shown, whereby a DC voltage command value is provided that is different depending on the presence/absence of a DC short circuit fault.
That is, with respect to the negative arm DC voltage command value Vdc-*, the DC voltage command value Kdc* is provided in a steady state "0", and a value obtained by an adder 141 adding the value of the DC voltage command value Kdc* having opposite polarity and the DC voltage adjustment amount ΔVdc* is provided during a fault "1".
In a steady state, the DC short circuit fault detection signal DCfault is "0", and thus, the same component DC voltage command value Kdc* is provided for the positive arm DC voltage command value Vdc+* and the negative arm DC voltage command value Vdc-*. That is, a command value that would allow output of a predetermined DC voltage to the DC terminals P, N is calculated.
Meanwhile, during a DC short circuit fault, the DC short circuit fault detection signal DCfault is "1", and the polarity of the DC voltage command value Kdc* is reversed, and the value of the DC voltage adjustment amount ΔVdc* is added. Therefore, different DC voltage command values are provided for the positive arm DC voltage command value Vdc+* and the negative arm DC voltage command value Vdc-*, respectively. That is, a command value that would allow output of the DC voltage adjustment amount ΔVdc* to the DC terminals P, N is calculated.
In the present embodiment, the DC voltage adjustment amount ΔVdc* is added to the DC voltage command value Kdc*, and the resultant value is provided as the negative arm DC voltage command value Vdc-*. However, unless exceeding a level that allows interconnection with the AC grid, the DC voltage adjustment amount ΔVdc* may be added to the DC voltage command value Kdc*, and the resultant value may be provided as the positive arm DC voltage command value Vdc+*.
As described above, in the present Embodiment 1, all the converter cells 10 in the negative arm 6U, 6V, 6W are implemented by the converter cells 30 which can output negative voltage, and the converter cells 10 in the positive arm 5U, 5V, 5W are implemented by the converter cells 20 which can output positive voltage and zero voltage.
Accordingly, when a DC short circuit fault has occurred, the DC voltage command value calculation unit 140, which calculates the positive arm DC voltage command value Vdc+* and the negative arm DC voltage command value Vdc-*, can cause AC voltage similar to that in a steady state to be output to the AC end of the power converter 1, and can cause predetermined voltage to be output to the DC terminal of the power converter 1, the predetermined voltage allowing a level of current to flow, the current allowing the protection relay 93 to perform fault determination. Accordingly, by causing current based on the impedance value of the resistance component of the DC line 2, 3 to flow in the DC line 2, 3, the protection relay 93 on the DC line 2, 3 is allowed to operate, thereby detecting and removing the fault point.
In a case of the main circuit configuration as described above, as a result of the gate blocking performed by the converter cells 10 during a DC short circuit fault, the total sum of the capacitor voltages of the converter cells 30 can be output to the DC terminals of the power converter 1, whereby the fault current can be suppressed. That is, by increasing the proportion of the converter cells 30 in the phase arm, the voltage to be output to the DC terminal of the power converter 1 is increased, whereby fault current suppressing effect is enhanced.
Also in a main circuit configuration in which the fault current suppressing effect has been increased as a result of increase of the proportion of the converter cells 30 in the phase arm such that the converter cells 10 in the positive arm are implemented by the converter cells 30 or configured to include both the converter cells 20 and the converter cells 30, and the converter cells 10 in the negative arm are implemented only by the converter cells 30, AC voltage similar to that in a steady state can be output to the AC terminal of the power converter 1, and current that allows the protection relay 93 to perform fault determination can be output to the DC terminal.
FIG. 7. FIG. 7
Next, a power conversion device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention is described in detail with reference to is a circuit diagram of a converter cell 40 employing a full-bridge configuration to be used as the converter cell of the power conversion device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.
FIG. 2
In the power conversion device of Embodiment 2, the converter cells 10 in the positive arm 5U, 5V, 5W of the power converter 1 shown in are implemented by the converter cells 20 in half-bridge configuration, and the converter cells 10 in the negative arm 6U, 6V, 6W are implemented by the converter cells 40 in full-bridge configuration. Other configurations are the same as those of Embodiment 1 described above, and thus, description thereof is omitted.
FIG. 7
FIG. 7
The converter cell 40 shown in is composed of: two series units 45, 46 connected in parallel; and a DC capacitor 49 connected in parallel to the series units 45, 46 and for smoothing DC voltage. Each series unit 45, 46 is composed of a plurality of (two in the case of ) switching elements 41s, 42s, 43s, 44s connected in series, the switching elements 41s, 42s, 43s, 44s having diodes 41d, 42d, 43d, 44d connected thereto in anti-parallel. Switches 41, 42, 43, 44 in which the switching elements 41s, 42s, 43s, 44s are each implemented by a self-turn-off switching element such as IGBT or GCT and have the diodes 41d, 42d, 43d, 44d connected thereto in anti-parallel, are used.
FIG. 7
As shown in , in the converter cell 40, the terminal at the connection point between the switching elements 41s, 42s and the terminal at the connection point between the switching elements 43s, 44s, the terminals respectively serving as intermediate connection points for the series units 45, 46, are used as output terminals Po, No.
Then, the switching elements 41s, 42s, 43s, 44s are turned on/off, whereby same-polarity positive voltage and opposite-polarity negative voltage, having a magnitude substantially equal to the magnitude of the voltage at both ends of the DC capacitor 39, and zero voltage in a state where the output terminals Po, No are short-circuited by the switching elements are output from the output terminals Po, No.
FIG. 7
As long as the converter cell 40 includes: a series unit including a plurality of switching elements or diodes; and a DC capacitor connected in parallel to the series unit, and is configured to selectively output voltage of the DC capacitor through switching operation, the configuration of the converter cell 40 is not limited to that shown in .
FIG. 3
FIG. 7
Next, a configuration of the converter cells 10 in the phase arm 4U, 4V, 4W of the power converter 1 is described. The converter cells 10 in the positive arm 5U, 5V, 5W are implemented by the converter cells 20 which can output positive voltage at both ends of the DC capacitor 29 and zero voltage as shown in . The converter cells 10 in the negative arm 6U, 6V, 6W are implemented by the converter cells 40 which can output positive voltage and negative voltage at both ends of the DC capacitor 49 and zero voltage as shown in .
With the configuration described above, during a DC short circuit fault, the converter cells 10 in the positive arm operate so as to output positive DC voltage and AC voltage that would allow interconnection with the AC grid, and the converter cells 10 in the negative arm operate so as to output negative DC voltage and AC voltage having opposite polarity to that in the positive arm.
That is, when a DC short circuit fault has occurred, AC voltage similar to that in a steady state can be output to the AC terminal of the power converter 1, and voltage that causes current to flow, the current allowing the protection relay 93 to perform fault determination, can be output to the DC terminal of the power converter 1.
Also in a main circuit configuration in which in order to increase the fault current suppressing effect, the converter cells 10 in the positive arm are implemented by the converter cells 40 or configured to include both the converter cells 20 and the converter cells 40 and the converter cells 10 in the negative arm are implemented only by the converter cells 40, AC voltage similar to that in a steady state can be output to the AC terminal of the power converter 1, and voltage that causes current to flow, the current allowing the protection relay 93 to perform fault determination, can be output to the DC terminal of the power converter 1.
It is sufficient that the converter cells 10 in the phase arm 4U, 4V, 4W are configured such that at least arms (positive arm 5U, 5V, 5W or negative arm 6U, 6V, 6W) at only one side are composed of the converter cells 40 which can output negative voltage. All the converter cells 10 in the positive arm 5U, 5V, 5W may be implemented by the converter cells 40 which can output negative voltage, and the converter cells 10 in the negative arm 6U, 6V, 6W may be implemented by the converter cells 20 which can output positive voltage and zero voltage.
FIG. 8
FIG. 9
FIG. 8
Next, a power conversion device according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention is described in detail with reference to and . is a block diagram showing a configuration of the control device 100 in the power conversion device according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.
FIG. 8
FIG. 5
In , except that the DC voltage adjustment amount calculation unit 130 for calculating the DC voltage adjustment amount ΔVdc* on the basis of the DC current Idc is provided, the configuration is the same as that of the control device 100 in Embodiment 1 shown in . Thus, the same or like parts are denoted by the same reference characters as those used above, and description thereof is omitted.
FIG. 9
shows a configuration of the DC voltage adjustment amount calculation unit 130 of the power conversion device according to the present Embodiment 3. The DC voltage adjustment amount calculation unit 130 is composed of a subtractor 131 and a controller 132.
FIG. 9
With reference to , the DC voltage adjustment amount calculation unit 130 provides the DC voltage adjustment amount ΔVdc*, as a result of the controller 132 performing control such that the difference between the DC current Idc and a DC current command value Idc* becomes close to zero, the DC current command value Idc* causing current to flow that is not less than a level of current at which the protection relay 93 on the DC line 2, 3 operates, and that is not greater than a level of current at which the power converter 1 stops for protection.
As to the DC current command value Idc*, as long as the DC current command value Idc* causes current to flow that is not less than a level of current at which the protection relay 93 on the DC line 2, 3 operates and that is not greater than a level of current at which the power converter 1 stops for protection, any one of a DC component, an AC component, or two components of a DC component and an AC component may be provided. Alternatively, a triangular wave or the like may be provided instead of the AC component.
In a case where the DC voltage adjustment amount ΔVdc* is a DC component, current based on the impedance value of the resistance component of the DC line 2, 3 can be caused to flow in the DC line 2, 3. In a case where the DC voltage adjustment amount ΔVdc* is an AC component, current based on the impedance value of the reactor component regarding the DC line 2, 3 can be caused to flow in the DC line 2, 3. This allows the protection relay 93 to operate.
With the configuration described above, during a DC short circuit fault, the power converter 1 outputs, to the DC terminal thereof, voltage in accordance with the DC voltage adjustment amount ΔVdc*, thereby causing DC current to flow in the DC line 2, 3. The DC current Idc increases until fault detection is performed by the protection relay 93 on the DC line 2, 3, and upon detection of a fault, the DC breakers 92 installed on the other side of the fault point on the DC line 2, 3 open, whereby the fault point is removed.
FIG. 10. FIG. 10
Next, a power conversion device according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention is described in detail with reference to is a diagram showing a configuration of the DC voltage adjustment amount calculation unit 130 used in the control device 100 in the power conversion device according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.
FIG. 8
FIG. 10
The configuration of the control device 100 in the power conversion device according to the present Embodiment 4 is the same as that shown in . The DC voltage adjustment amount calculation unit 130 used therein is composed of a comparator 133, a current adjuster 134, an adder 135, and a voltage command value converter 136, as shown in .
The voltage command value converter 136 calculates the DC voltage adjustment amount ΔVdc* on the basis of the magnitude of the DC current Idc, and provides the DC voltage adjustment amount ΔVdc* that would cause current to flow that is not greater than a level of current at which the power converter 1 stops for protection.
FIG. 10
In the DC voltage adjustment amount calculation unit 130 shown in , first, the comparator 133 determines whether or not the magnitude of the DC current Idc is smaller than a value Ic_prt set to be not greater than the protection current level of the power converter 1. When the magnitude of the DC current Idc is smaller than the value Ic_prt, the comparator 133 outputs "1", multiplication by a current increase amount ΔIdc is performed at the current adjuster 134, and the resultant value is added to the DC current Idc by the adder 135. The output from the adder 135 is multiplied by a voltage command value conversion gain Kdc at the voltage command value converter 136, whereby the DC voltage adjustment amount ΔVdc* is calculated.
When the DC current Idc* which is the input to the comparator 133 is greater than the Ic_prt, the output from the comparator 133 is "0", and the value of the last time is output as the DC voltage adjustment amount ΔVdc*. That is, the DC voltage adjustment amount ΔVdc* is provided that would cause current to flow in the DC line 2, 3, the current having a DC component that allows the protection relay 93 to operate.
With the configuration described above, during a DC short circuit fault, the power converter 1 outputs voltage in accordance with the DC voltage adjustment amount ΔVdc*, thereby causing the current Idc having a DC component to flow in the DC line 2, 3. The DC current Idc increases until fault detection is performed by the protection relay 93 on the DC line 2, 3, and upon detection of a fault, the DC breakers 92 installed on the other side of the fault point on the DC line 2, 3 open, whereby the fault point is removed.
FIG. 11. FIG. 11
Next, a power conversion device according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention is described in detail with reference to is a diagram showing a configuration of the DC voltage adjustment amount calculation unit 130 used in the control device 100 of the power conversion device according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention.
FIG. 8
FIG. 11
The configuration of the control device 100 in the power conversion device according to the present Embodiment 5 is the same as that shown in . The DC voltage adjustment amount calculation unit 130 used therein is composed of the comparator 133, the current adjuster 134, the voltage command value converter 136, a peak value holding circuit 137, a counter 138, and a multiplier 139, as shown in .
FIG. 11
With reference to , in the DC voltage adjustment amount calculation unit 130, first, the peak value holding circuit 137 holds the peak value of the DC current Idc. The comparator 133 determines whether or not the peak value of the DC current is smaller than the value Ic_prt set so as to be not greater than the protection current level of the power converter 1. When the peak value of the DC current is smaller than the value Ic_prt, the comparator 133 outputs "1" and when the peak value of the DC current is greater than the value Ic_prt, the comparator 133 outputs "0".
When "1" is input, the counter 138 increments the count for each calculation cycle, and when "0" is input, the counter 138 stops incrementing the count. The output from the counter 138 is multiplied by the current increase amount ΔIdc at the current adjuster 134, and at the multiplier 139, the resultant value is multiplied by a sine wave having a frequency that is twice of the frequency of the AC power grid 9, for example.
The value used in the multiplication may be a sine wave of another frequency component, triangular wave, or the like. The output from the multiplier 139 is multiplied by the voltage command value conversion gain Kdc at the voltage command value converter 136, whereby the DC voltage adjustment amount ΔVdc* is calculated. That is, the DC voltage adjustment amount ΔVdc* is provided that would cause current to flow in the DC line 2, 3, the current having an AC component that allows the protection relay 93 to operate.
With the configuration described above, during a DC short circuit fault, the power converter 1 outputs voltage in accordance with the DC voltage adjustment amount ΔVdc*, thereby causing current having the AC component or the like to flow in the DC line 2, 3. The DC current Idc increases until fault detection is performed by the protection relay 93 on the DC line 2, 3, and upon detection of a fault, the DC breakers 92 installed on the other side of the fault point on the DC line 2, 3 open, whereby the fault point is removed.
FIG. 12. FIG. 12
Next, a power conversion device according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention is described in detail with reference to is a diagram showing configurations of the positive and negative arm voltage command value calculation units 160A, 160B used in the control device 100 in the power conversion device according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention.
FIG. 5
FIG. 8
The configuration of the control device 100 in the power conversion device according to the present Embodiment 6 is the same as that shown in or , and thus, description thereof is omitted.
FIG. 12
In , the positive arm voltage command value calculation unit 160A and the negative arm voltage command value calculation unit 160B calculate the positive arm voltage command value V+* and the negative arm voltage command value V-* on the basis of the DC voltage command values Vdc+*, Vdc-*, the AC voltage command value Vac*, and a signal DCfault2 indicating the presence/absence of AC interconnection.
On the basis of the signal DCfault2 indicating the presence/absence of AC interconnection (interconnection: 0, non-interconnection: 1), AC output switches 161A, 161B are operated. In the case of the AC interconnection "0", the AC voltage command value Vac* is provided to the arm DC voltage command values Vdc+*, Vdc-*, and in the case of non-AC interconnection "1", zero as the AC voltage command value Vac* is provided to the arm DC voltage command values Vdc+*, Vdc-*. In the case of non-AC interconnection, since interconnection with the AC grid is not established, current is caused to flow in the DC line 2, 3, by use of only the energy accumulated in the DC capacitor 29 (39, 49) in the converter cell 10. The DC current Idc increases until fault detection is performed by the protection relay 93 on the DC line 2, 3, and upon detection of a fault, the DC breakers 92 installed on the other side of the fault point on the DC line 2, 3 open, whereby the fault point is removed.
The converter cells 10 in the phase arm 4U, 4V, 4W of the power converter 1 may employ, in the positive arm 5U, 5V, 5W, and the negative arm 6U, 6V, 6W, any of a configuration in which both the converter cell 20 and the converter cell 40 are connected in series, the configuration of Embodiment 1, and the configuration of Embodiment 2.
FIG. 13. FIG. 13
Next, a power conversion device according to Embodiment 7 of the present invention is described in detail with reference to is a schematic configuration diagram of a three-terminal HVDC system in which the power conversion device according to Embodiment 7 of the present invention is used.
FIG. 13
As shown in , power converters 1A, 1B, 1C connected to AC grids 9A, 9B, 9C have their DC terminals connected by the DC line 2, 3, thereby forming the three-terminal HVDC system. In this configuration, the DC line 2, 3 is provided with: sensor groups 91A, 91A', 91B, 91B' 91C, 91C'; and DC breaker groups 92A, 92A', 92B, 92B', 92C, 92C'.
FIG. 14
is a flow chart describing operation of fault point removal by use of the protection relay and the power conversion device according to the Embodiment 7 of the present invention.
FIG. 13
FIG. 14
DC fault removal to be performed when the DC lines 2, 3 are short-circuited in the HVDC system in three-terminal configuration is described with reference to and .
When a DC short circuit fault 90 has occurred at a nearest end to the power converter 1A (or 1B, 1C) (Step S1), each power converter 1A, 1B, 1C detects that a protection level (e.g., current value), set in advance, of the power conversion device has been exceeded (Step S2), and turns off all the switching elements in each power conversion device 1A, 1B, 1C (Step S3). By turning off the switching elements, fault current flowing in each power conversion device 1A, 1B, 1C can be suppressed.
Next, each power conversion device 1A, 1B, 1C outputs, to the DC end, voltage that allows a protection relay not shown to perform fault determination and that each power converter 1A, 1B, 1C can output (Step S4), whereby the sensor group 91A, 91A', 91B, 91B', 91C, 91C' detects the fault and the breaker group 92A, 92A', 92B, 92B', 92C, 92C' is opened (Step S5).
When the fault has been removed, impedance of the DC lines 2, 3 becomes high, and thus, the power converter 1A, 1B, 1C determines that the DC line fault has been removed, on the basis of the fact that predetermined current does not flow, for example.
The power converter 1A, 1B, 1C having been disconnected from the DC lines 2, 3 can operate as STATCOM which supplies reactive power to the AC grid 9A, 9B, 9C (Step S6).
FIG. 15. FIG. 15
Next, a power conversion device according to Embodiment 8 of the present invention is described in detail with reference to is a schematic configuration diagram of a three-terminal HVDC system including a DC short circuit fault point determination unit according to Embodiment 8 of the present invention.
FIG. 15
As shown in , the open/close state of each breaker group 92A, 92A', 92B, 92B', 92C, 92C' on the DC lines is provided to a DC short circuit fault point determination unit 200. On the basis of the open/close state of the DC breakers, the DC short circuit fault point determination unit 200 determines a DC short circuit fault point, and provides each breaker with a command for operating the switch so as to remove the fault point.
FIG. 16
is a flow chart describing operation of fault point removal by use of the protection relay and the power conversion device according to Embodiment 8 of the present invention.
FIG. 15
FIG. 16
DC fault removal and power transmission between normal two terminals to be performed when the DC lines 2, 3 are short-circuited in the HVDC system in three-terminal configuration are described with reference to and .
First, a case where a DC short circuit fault has occurred at a nearest end to the power converter 1A is described. When a DC short circuit fault has occurred (Step S11), each power converter 1A, 1B, 1C detects that a protection level (e.g., current value), set in advance, of the power conversion device has been exceeded (Step S12), and turns off all the switching elements in each power conversion device 1A, 1B, 1C (Step S13). By turning off the switching elements, fault current flowing in each power conversion device 1A, 1B, 1C can be suppressed.
Next, the power converter 1A outputs, to the DC end thereof, voltage that allows a protection relay not shown to perform fault determination and that the power converter 1A can output (Step S14), whereby the sensor 91A detects the fault and the breaker 92A is opened (Step S15).
The fault point is between the sensors 91A and 91A', and thus, by the converter 1A outputting voltage to the DC terminal, current flows via the sensor 91A, the breaker 92A, and the fault point. The sensor 91A detects this current and the protection relay operates, whereby only the breaker 92A is opened. However, since the fault point is between the sensors 91A and 91A', power transmission between normal terminals (the power converters 1B, 1C) cannot be performed in this state.
At this time, a signal indicating that the breaker 92A has been opened is provided to the DC short circuit fault point determination unit 200 (Step S16). Then, if it is determined that the number of the opened breaker is 1 (Step S17), a signal for opening the breaker 92A' which is next to the opened breaker 92A on the farther side when viewed from the converter is provided (S18).
Through the operations described above, the breakers 92A and 92A' installed on the other side of the fault point are opened, whereby the fault on the DC lines is removed. That is, since the normal terminals (the power converter 1B, 1C) are not influenced by the fault point, power transmission can be started (S19).
Next, a case where a DC short circuit fault has occurred at a nearest end to the power converter 1B (1C) is described. When a DC short circuit fault has occurred (S11), each power converter 1A, 1B, 1C detects that a protection level (e.g., current value), set in advance, of the power conversion device has been exceeded (Step S12), and turns off all the switching elements in each power conversion device 1A, 1B, 1C (Step S13). By turning off the switching elements, fault current flowing in each power conversion device 1A, 1B, 1C can be suppressed.
Next, the power converter 1A outputs, to the DC terminal thereof, voltage that allows a protection relay not shown to perform fault determination and that the power converter 1A can output (Step S14), whereby the sensor 91A, 91A', 91B' (91A, 91A', 91C') detects the fault and the breaker 92A, 92A', 92B' (92A, 92A', 92C') is opened (Step S15).
The fault point is between the sensor 91B and 91B' (91C and 91C'), and thus, by the converter 1A outputting voltage to the DC terminal, currents flows via the sensor 91A, 91A', 91B' (91A, 91A', 91C'), the breaker 92A, 92A', 92B' (92A, 92A', 92C'), and the fault point. The sensor 91A, 91A', 91B' (91A, 91A', 91C') detects this current, and the protection relay operates to open the breaker 92A, 92A', 92B' (92A, 92A', 92C').However, since the fault point is between the sensors 91B and 91B', power transmission between normal terminals (the power converter 1A, 1C(1B)) cannot be performed in this state.
At this time, a signal indicating that the breaker 92A, 92A', 92B' (92A, 92A', 92C') has been opened is provided to the DC short circuit fault point determination unit 200 (Step S16). Then, if it is determined that the number of the opened breakers is a plural number (Step S17), a signal is provided that is for opening the breaker 92B' (92C') that is farthest viewed from the converter among the opened breakers, and the breaker 92B (93C) is next thereto on the further side when viewed from the converter, and for closing the other breakers 92A, 92A', 92C, 92C' (92A, 92A', 92B, 92B') (Step S18').
Through the operations described above, since the breakers 92B and 92B' (92C and 92C') installed on the other side of the fault point are opened, normal terminals (the power converter 1B, 1C (1B)) are not influenced by the fault point. Thus, power transmission can be started (Step S19).
Also, the power converter 1A having been disconnected from the DC lines 2, 3 can operate as STATCOM which supplies reactive power to the AC grid 9A (Step S19).
FIG. 15
As a configuration example of a multi-terminal HVDC, a configuration example of three-terminal HVDC system is shown in . However, the number of the DC terminals may be 4 or greater, and the number of the terminals and the connection method of the DC lines are not limited.
In the present embodiment, opening/closing of the breaker is performed through output from one power conversion device and communication to the DC short circuit fault point determination unit. However, a configuration may be employed in which opening/closing of the breaker is performed through outputs from a plurality of power conversion devices without using communication to the DC short circuit fault point determination unit.
Although embodiments of the present invention have been described, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment, and various design modifications can be made. It is noted that, within the scope of the present invention, the above embodiments may be freely combined with each other, or each of the above embodiments may be modified or abbreviated as appropriate.
1, 1A, 1B, 1C
2
3
4U, 4V, 4W
5U, 5V, 5W
6U, 6V, 6W
7U, 7V, 7W
8
9
10, 20, 30, 40
21, 22
31,32,34
41, 42, 43, 44
21s, 22s
31s, 32s, 34s
41s, 42s, 43s, 44s
21d, 22d
31d, 32d, 34d
41d, 42d, 43d, 44d
23, 35, 36, 45, 46
29, 39, 49
90
91
92
93
100
110 to 170
110
120
130
140
150
160A
160B
170A
170B
180A
180B
200
power converter
positive DC line
negative DC line
phase arm
positive arm
negative arm
AC connection point
transformer
AC power grid
converter cell
switch
switch
switch
switching element
switching element
switching element
diode
diode
diode
series unit
DC capacitor
DC short circuit fault
sensor
DC breaker
protection relay
control device
voltage command generation unit
normalization/calculation unit
DC-AVR/DC-ACR control unit
DC voltage adjustment amount calculation unit
DC voltage command value calculation unit
AC voltage control unit
positive arm voltage command value calculation unit
negative arm voltage command value calculation unit
positive-side each-cell individual control unit
negative-side each-cell individual control unit
positive PWM circuit
negative PWM circuit
DC short circuit fault point determination unit | |
Social work programs do not usually teach about dissociation. Often we think about Dissociative Disorders as something unwieldy that requires a high degree of specialized knowledge of clinical work to address. As social workers, however, we work with people who have experienced trauma all the time in all settings in social work practice. Whether or not our clients meet clinical criteria for PTSD, they most likely experience dissociation in some form. This workshop will discuss several models that explain what dissociation is, how it effects our work, and why it is essential to the success of our clients to be able to assess for dissociation in our clients and in ourselves. We will look at theory and research as well as case studies and anecdotal experience to begin to identify dissociation in our clients and ourselves and to learn when and how to use strategies and interventions to mitigate it.
The Science and Art of Leading Mutual Aid Support Groups: Developing Therapeutic and Group Alliances
Lawrence Shulman, MSW, Ed.D
The focus of this workshop will be on understanding the core dynamics and identifying the skills required to lead mutual aid support groups. Examples presented by the instructor and those shared by participants will be used to illustrate how to apply this understanding to a range of settings (e.g., hospitals, drug treatment agencies, schools, residential settings) and with a range of populations and problems. Discussion will include how to integrate elements from Evidenced-Based Practice (e.g., motivational interviewing, solution focused practice, cognitive behavioral) in a non-prescriptive manner so that the group leaders artistry is enhanced and not restricted by the science.
Changing the Aging Conversation in NH
Kelly Laflamme
Jennifer Rabalais
The population of older adults is growing in New Hampshire, because we are living longer and staying healthier as we age. However, negative attitudes and mental models about aging are still pervasive in our society. Research has proven that such attitudes about aging are bad for our health and are a barrier to advancing solutions to improve the experience of aging.The National Reframing Aging Initiative is working to advance a new story about aging that recognizes the challenges and opportunities that increasing longevity poses to our communities. The NH Alliance for Healthy Aging (NH AHA) is part of this national effort to change the aging conversation. NH AHA representatives will share research and tools developed by the experts at the FrameWorks Institute and engage participants in activities towards a new way to talk about aging that is better for everyone’s health.
Guns Violence and Mental Illness: Is There a Connection?
Kenneth Norton LICSW
Tragic incidents of mass shootings have dominated the news and furthered public perception of fear and stigma towards individuals with mental illness. Yet often left out of the media coverage and public conversations is that suicide deaths by firearms are more than double the number of homicide deaths. Media coverage of gun violence and mental illness is often anecdotal and rarely based on research and science. Through lecture, presentation, interactive polling and discussion, this workshop will explore the connection between violence, and mental illness as well as substance use disorders including a review of research identifying risk factors for violence. The workshop will also look at gun legislation and policy issues related to mental illness and or substance misuse as well as the role media plays in shaping this conversation.
Finding the Balance: Social Work Integration within the Interdisciplinary Health Care Team
Maria Koehler, MSW
Sarah Gilman, MSW
Megan Haaland, MSW
Social workers have become an essential and evolving role within health care. Social work expertise is a pivotal point for patient centered care. Behavioral health, primary care, case management, discharge planning, grief counseling, illness coping, support groups, and system work, are all examples of how integrated the social work role has become. Social workers have a unique opportunity to be the glue for the interdisciplinary team, acting as a team member and as a patient advocate; this is the challenge. Our advocacy and modeling serves as the basis for educating the team and improving patient care. How do we rise above the misconceptions that exist about social work in a host setting? How do we remain helpful but true to our scope of practice? How can we better care for the patient while improving the knowledge of their providers, and learning alternative ways to think about cases ourselves?
Affirming Healthcare for Transgender and Gender Diverse Clients - Social Workers Make a Difference
Brandy Brown, LCSW
Social workers have not consistently had adequate training in specific issues facing transgender and gender diverse people. However, with a growing population seeking care, social workers need to not only provide affirming care, but engage systems of care to improve equity and access. Social workers have the unique ability to lead change efforts for transgender people at all practice levels. This presentation will review assessment of healthcare needs that transgender people face, specific disparities that youth experience, change models used in effecting systemic change, and a call to action for social workers to increase their education and competency and to engage their systems of care to ensure transgender people, as a vulnerable population, receive equitable care.
Block E - 2 hour workshops
Off the Charts: Suicide Prevention and Older Adults
Bernie Seifert, MSW, LICSW
Suicide is a serious issue among older adults. Suicide rates are particularly high among older men, with men aged 85 and over having the highest rate of any group in the country. This workshop will outline the myriad of factors which may contribute to this, including how the physical frailty of this age group may lead to the likelihood of attempts to be more lethal. Risk factors that can be applied to the general population seem to be more profound in older adults, including the increased prevalence of co-morbid medical conditions, depression, social isolation, and decreased chance that individuals in this age group will seek mental health services. This program will go over these risk factors, as well as how to identify and expand upon protective factors to help prevent suicide.
This workshop qualifies for 2 Category A CEUs in Suicide Prevention
An Introduction to Internal Family Systems Therapy
Tammy Sollenberger, LCMHC
We all have been of two minds about something. For example, you may have thought, “A part of me wants kale, another part wants brownies.” IFS says we are all multiple and have inner voices who relate to one another like members of a family. All our parts, even the most critical and harmful ones have good intentions. When we befriend them with our Authentic Self, they can soften and we can heal. The Self is our internal natural leader who, when in the driver’s seat, helps us feel calm, connected, confident. In Self, we have clarity to reach goals and compassion for vulnerable parts of us. This workshop will teach the components of the IFS model and the 6 healing steps. You will walk away with practical tools to begin implementing the model and, most importantly, you will have space to get to know your own internal family.
The Importance of Self-Assessment in Cultural Humility Training
Jude Thaddeus Currier, LICSW
The teaching of cultural competence in social work has come a long way in the last 30 years. The movement towards the idea of cultural humility represents a wonderful maturing of the understanding of our own place in assessment of culture. What remains however is a gap in our own self-assessment around issues of racism and discrimination. This course seeks to elevate the importance of self-assessment of one’s own capacity for discriminatory attitudes as an integral part of learning about other people's cultures to improve service delivery.
Responding to Human Trafficking in New Hampshire
Rebecca Ayling
This presentation aims to assist attendees in developing an understanding of the needs, mindset and experience of survivors of human trafficking to enable a thoughtful and productive clinical response and relationship. Individuals across New Hampshire are experiencing human trafficking and have often gone unidentified and underserved. When ready to engage in supportive and therapeutic services survivors share that they struggle to describe their experiences and difficulties in order to receive the services they desperately need and desire. This session will discuss the shame and self-blame that survivors experience as well as the bias and challenges clinicians face when responding. This session will then discuss resources, tools and recommendations to assist clinicians in working with survivors of human trafficking.
Behavioral Health and Chronic Disease: Understanding NH’s Community Support System for Clients with Chronic Conditions
Whitney Hammond, MSW
Anna Rose Carrigan, MSW
Adam Burch
According to the CDC, 60% of adults live with a chronic illness, meaning that many clients seen by social workers are affected by an ongoing disease or condition. Those living with behavioral health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and trauma are more likely to develop chronic disease, and have a more difficult time managing it. Come learn about NH-specific data for diabetes, cancer, heart disease, arthritis, oral health, and asthma, as well as what community programs exist in the Granite state where clients can be referred to help manage these conditions.
Afternoon Plenary
Celebrating Generational Differences
Gerri King, PhD
Because this is the first time in American history where there have been as many as 4 or 5 generations in the workplace, challenges and opportunities have emerged.
Trying to change someone else's perspective, approach, and/or style may feel like a losing battle. It is more effective to capitalize on each person’s strengths and assets. Masterful communicators can connect with people from various generations by adapting, collaborating, and negotiating common ground. Social workers are trained to connect with those they work with and for, meeting people where they are at.
Engaged social workers make all the difference, but engagement isn't one-size-fits all. An excellent work environment is one that supports all generations, responds to diversity, builds on strengths, offers options, develops people's understanding of differences, and trains people to communicate effectively. Social workers are taught to engage like this with their clients, but does it translate within the workplace? Gerri will work to bridge this gap and recognize the strengths every generation brings to the workplace.
Gerri King, Ph.D., social psychologist and organizational consultant, works with educational, social service, healthcare, corporate, industrial, non-profit, and governmental clients throughout the United States and abroad. Gerri is also a facilitator and keynote speaker, presenting at numerous multinational, national, and regional conferences and seminars throughout the year.
Dr. King’s expertise includes a wide range of topics such as supervisory skills, team building, resolving conflicts and effective communication, motivating workforces, the dynamics of change, strategic planning, why people avoid success, and the changing role of leadership in the 21st century, creating a Blame-Free and Gossip-Free work environment.
Dr. King facilitates staff and executive retreats, departmental and cross-departmental conflict resolution efforts, mergers and acquisitions, strategic planning sessions, and mission & vision development. Gerri is a founding partner and President of the consulting and counseling firm Human Dynamics Associates, Inc. of Concord NH and the author of The Duh! Book of Management and Supervision: Dispelling Common Leadership Myths. | https://www.nasw-nhconference.org/friday |
- The learning and development requirements shape the activities and experiences we provide for your child.
- The early learning goals provide a general level of progress, covering knowledge, skills and understanding, that we will support your child to work towards having by the end of the academic year in which they turn five.
- The assessment requirements detail how we will monitor and plan for your child's progress.
- The safeguarding and welfare requirements are steps we follow to ensure your child is kept safe and has their welfare promoted.
How we support your childs Learning and Development
There are 7 areas of learning and devlopment within the EYFS through which your child will be gaining knowledge, learning skills, and showing understanding. These areas form the basis of the activities we provide for your child alongside their unique interests and needs, and enable us to plan for their progress.
Prime areas for Learning and Development
- Communication and Language
- Physical Development
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Specific areas of Learning and Development
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the World
- Expressive Arts and Design
These areas are connected with Learning and Development with each area contributing towards that of the others. Building confidence in the prime areas of learning and development is particularly important for children, as it enables them to progress well in the specific areas of learning and devleopment. As we support your child towards the Early Learning goals for each of these areas of learning, we aim to tailor the opportunies we provide to meet their personal learning and development needs.
How we observe your child's progress
We observe your child throughout the day to identify their interests, how they learn and their progress in each area of learning and development. This is recorded in their Indidual Profiles which are continually updated with contributions from you, the parents and carers, the key person and the children themselves. You may request to see your child's profile at any time. There is an opporunity to review your child's Individual Profile at least once a term, however we have an Open Door policy and your child's key person will be happy to talk to discuss your child's progress at any time. This assessment of your child helps us to identify and plan thier next steps. | http://www.felicitysnursery.com/site/learning-development/ |
A Time to Heal This 60-minute television documentary presents the memories and perspectives of Pennsylvanians who fought, protested, or prayed for their loved ones to come home.
Time to Lay it DownThis two-part audio documentary highlights the wide-variety of music during the Vietnam War era, exploring both the soundtrack at home and from the perspective of GIs serving in Vietnam.
The Pennsylvania Archive Our digital archive collects your personal photos, videos, sound recordings, and digitized materials to support reflection and a better understanding of the impact of the era from a Pennsylvania perspective.
A Time to Choose A “choose your own adventure” style interactive based on the stories of the men and women featured in the documentary, A Time to Heal.
The Traveling Wall The installation at Innovation Park at Penn State gathered over 8,000 people for ceremonies, screenings, musical performances, and time spent in reflection and remembrance at the Wall.
WPSU-FM Content Stories and oral history interviews with Pennsylvanians affected by the Vietnam War.
Resources & Lesson Plans A curated list of robust educational materials for parents and teachers.
Student Submissions Media created by students from Altoona and Bald Eagle Area High Schools. | https://atimetoheal.wpsu.org/ |
Made from a dry 100% viscose woven.
Extended dolman sleeve and open placket neck at front, easing onto a softly shirred waist. Shirring is designed to give waist shaping but not be tight.
Straight hem with side splits, relaxed fit and true to size.
This is an original print by 17 sundays in black base with multi coloured print.
Garment is approx 102 cm from shoulder to hem.
Wear it with runners or sandals for an easy summer look.
Do not tumble dry, cool machine wash. | https://www.17sundays.com/products/arrow-print-dress |
The Trans-Pacific trade agreement signed last week between the United States and 11 other Pacific Rim countries will be another nail in the coffin of the populist governments of Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela and other countries that will be left even more isolated from the global economy — and poorer — than before.
Once ratified by the countries that signed it, the agreement — officially known as Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and heralded as the biggest trade deal in history — is expected to cover 40 percent of the world economy. It’s likely to be a major boost to trade and investments among the United States, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Canada, Mexico, Peru, Chile and the remaining Pacific Basin signatory countries.
But what has gone almost unnoticed is that it will further isolate the struggling economies of Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela and other countries on Latin America’s Atlantic coast, whose disastrous populist governments have refused to enter free trade deals with the world’s biggest economies.
And what’s even sadder, this is not even a major topic of discussion in Brazil, Argentina or Venezuela, whose leaders live in an ideological bubble, oblivious to the fact that the commodity price boom their countries benefitted from in recent years was a stroke of luck that is not likely to be repeated anytime soon. | http://www.andresoppenheimer.com/the-fall-of-brazil-argentina-and-venezuela/ |
Over the past decade, Tropic Seafood has participated in the collaborative efforts to lead a major fishery improvement project (FIP) in the Bahamas. Tropic Seafood worked collaboratively with Bahamas Marine Exporters Association (BMEA), the Department of Marine Resources (DMR) of the Bahamas, and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to address fishing practices and environmental impacts to help the lobster fishery thrive for generations to come.
The goal of our fishery improvement projects is to ensure the long term sustainability of a fishery and to reach the Marine Stewardship Council standard.
The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is an organization that promotes sustainable fishing practices through their fishery certification program worldwide. MSC certification relies on three main principles; the sustainability of wild fish stocks, the environmental impact and how effectively the fishery is managed.
Tropic Seafood became the first Caribbean fishery to earn certification from the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), the leading global standard for wild-caught seafood environmental performance. Tropic Seafood is proud and honored to have played a role in this initiative, in order to achieve this accomplishment for the fishery. | https://www.tropicseafood.com/responsibility-msc-nassau-bahamas/ |
The Aryans were semi-nomadic Nordic Whites, perhaps located originally on the steppes of southern Russia and Central Asia, who spoke the parent language of the various Indo-European languages. Latin, Greek, Hittite, Sanskrit, French, German, Latvian, English, Spanish, Russian etc. are all Indo-European languages; Indo-European, or more properly Proto-Indo-European (PIE), is the lost ancestral language from which those languages ultimately derive. The “Proto” indicates that the grammar and vocabulary of this long extinct language, probably spoken up until 3000 BC, are a hypothetical reconstruction by modern philologists. Just as Romance languages like Italian and Spanish derive from Latin, so Latin derives from PIE. Indo-European philology traditionally used “Aryan” both to denote a people, understood racially or ethnically, and the language group itself (“Aryan speech”), irrespective of the race or ethnicity of the people speaking its various branches. In the wake of National Socialist Germany’s defeat, the term fell out of general scholarly use in both senses, and “Indo-European” (IE) became the preferred designation of the language group, “Indo-Europeans” of both the people who occupied the original Aryan homeland and their descendants, who gradually spread out across Europe, much of the Indian sub-continent, and parts of the Near East. Racial nationalists are not, of course, obliged to adopt the timid PC-lexicon of contemporary scholarship, but we should be aware of imprecision of “Aryan” as a racial or ethnic classification.
Arya, meaning “noble,” appears in various Indo-European languages. Its plural form (Aryas=”nobles”) was probably the name the Aryans used to describe themselves prior to their dispersal, and it may survive in Eire (Ireland) and certainly survives in Iran (Airyanam vaejo=”realm of the Aryans”). The discovery of thousands of such cognate words in widely separated languages, along with similar grammatical structures, led philologists to conclude, early in the nineteenth century, that most European languages had evolved from a common proto-language spoken millennia ago by a distinct people who gradually left their original homeland in a series of migrations, carrying their language with them. Traditionally Greek, Latin and Sanskrit were considered the closest languages to PIE, and much of the reconstructed Aryan proto-language is based on them. Modern Lithuanian, however, is the most archaic living language, closer to the original Aryan speech than any other. There is even an IE language, Tocharian, attested in Chinese Turkestan, which indicates that Aryans must have made an appearance in the Far East, a long-standing piece of linguistic evidence which has been recently confirmed by the discovery of the physical remains of a blond-haired people in China.
One Model of Indo-European (“Aryan”) Migration
Perhaps the most famous proof for the prehistoric existence of PIE is the word for king: rex in Latin, raja in Sanskrit, ri in Old Irish, along with a host of other cognates. All are obviously variants of a common word for king. Since none of the peoples speaking these various languages were in physical contact with one another during the historical period — i.e. at a time for which written records exist — comparative philologists inferred that their respective languages must have evolved from a single proto-language, which is the only way of explaining the presence of the same word for “king” among such widely dispersed peoples. The Romans clearly didn’t borrow rex from the Irish or the Indo-Aryans; each had instead inherited their own word for “king” from a common ancestral language. Philologists can also, moreover, safely conclude that the Aryans must have had kings prior to emigrating from their original homeland in southern Russia. In fact a fairly detailed body of evidence about prehistoric Aryan political organization, marriage practices, and religious beliefs can be reconstructed on the basis of the survival of common vocabulary in the various extant Indo-European languages: They worshiped a sky-god, they traced descent through the male line, they raised cattle, they drank meed, they used horse-drawn chariots (which they probably invented) as weapons of war, etc. Even the red, white and blue/green that appears in so many modern flags may have an Aryan pedigree. It is likely a survival from the Aryan tripartite social division of their communities into priests (white), warriors (red), and herders and cultivators (blue/green).
Aryans, or more specifically Indo-Aryans, make their first notable appearance in history around 2000-1500 BC as invaders of Northern India. The Sanskrit Rig Veda, a collection of religious texts still revered by modern Hindus, records (often enigmatically) their gradual subjugation of the dark-skinned inhabitants, the Dasyus: e.g. “Indra [=Norse Thor, Celtic Taranis] has torn open the fortresses of the Dasyus, which in their wombs hid the black people. He created land and water for Manu [=Aryan man]”; “lower than all besides, hast thou, O Indra, cast down the Dasyus, abject tribes of Dasas”; “after slaying the Dasyus, let Indra with his white friends win land, let him win the sun and water”; “Indra subdued the Dasyu color and drove it into hiding.” With all-outstripping chariot-wheel, O Indra, Thou, far-famed, hast overthrown the twice ten kings … Thou goest from fight to fight, intrepidly Destroying castle after castle here with strength. (RV 1.53)
The Aryans were remarkably expansionist, and almost everywhere they went they conquered and subjugated the indigenous peoples, imposing their languages and (to varying degrees) their religious beliefs on the natives, and receiving in turn contributions from the peoples whom they conquered. Aryan invasions — or more accurately, a long sequence of different invasions by speakers of Indo-European languages — swept across Old Europe beginning as early as the fourth millennium BC, and over time the conquerors and the conquered melded into specific peoples with distinctive languages. Most of the contemporary inhabitants of Europe, along with their respective early national cultures, are the result of interaction between successive waves of Aryan invaders and culture of the particular White people that they conquered and with whom they later intermarried, and as a result almost all modern European languages are members of the Western branch of the IE family tree. The birth of a European culture, however, predates the arrival of the Indo-Europeans: The cave art of Lascaux, which some have identified as the first flowering of Western man’s creative genius, was the work of Old Europeans, as were Stonehenge in the North and the Minoan Palace culture of Crete in the South. A pan-European religious symbolism had already evolved, much of which was later incorporated into IE mythologies, including various regional adaptations of the ubiquitous Old European reverence for the Mother Goddess. Many of the principal figures in Greek mythology predate the arrival of Aryans, and during the course of ancient history Old European religious beliefs and practices continually reasserted themselves. [Image: Minoan snake goddess, from the Palace of Minos, circa 1600 BC]
Europe is European because the conquerors and the conquered were members the same White race, different branches on the same family tree; India is a morass of poverty because the bulk of the conquered, with whom the Indo-Aryans eventually intermarried, were non-White Veddoids. The lesson is obvious. Even today high-caste Hindus can still be identified by their Caucasian features and light skin, and the poorest and most backward parts of India are generally the darkest. As an aside, recent genetic studies have indicated that the Basques of Aquitaine and the Pyrenees are probably the purest form of Old Europeans as they existed prior to the arrival of Indo-European invaders. They evidently emerged from the invasions of Europe unconquered, and they remained sufficiently isolated to retain their own unique, non-IE language. | https://www.little-egypt.com/who-were-the-aryans.html |
The Electoral College is the constitutionally mandated mechanism for selecting the president of the United States. A total of 538 votes exist in the Electoral College and are distributed among the American States based on the combined number of senators and representatives each state has on the United States Congress (Sabato and Ernst 133). In this system, only the candidate who wins a majority in the Electoral College can attain the presidency. The paper details why the framers of the constitution came up with the Electoral College and how it works. It also outlines the pros and cons of the Electoral College and finally evaluates whether the Electoral College is democratic or not. Electoral College is the most controversial and unique aspect of American democracy and; therefore, it is inconsistent with the cherished principle of one person one vote.
How the Electoral College Currently Works
The framers of the Electoral College wanted a president who was independent, and they wanted the states to have a direct role in his election. The framers assumed that the state legislatures would choose the electors and people would vote for an elector who would then vote for president. McClanahan indicates that the whole system was designed to prevent direct democracy and its attendant evil of demagoguery, including the corruptions of money and patronage, and preserve the power of the states (13). The framers created the Electoral College to stand between the people and the election of the president. The Electoral College was their answer to the potential abuse of power by the masses. The Electoral College was created to ensure that each state mattered in the presidential election because the electors would be chosen by the states to represent their interests.
The Electoral College is composed of electors selected by the states of the United States to cast the votes that elect the president of the United States. Each state appoints a number of electors equal to the number of senators and representatives the state has in the United States congress, and those electors meet in their respective states to cast votes for president (Rowley and Schneider 206). Each state receives a number of electors equal to the number of senators and representatives it has in congress.
A candidate must receive a majority of the electoral votes (270) out of 358 to win the election. The electors meet in December in each state’s capital to cast their ballots. Genovese says that, in January, a joint session of Congress opens and agrees to the electoral votes submitted by the states (170). The people have direct involvement today in the selection process than in the past. On Election Day, voters go to the polls and cast their ballots for a slate of electors. Electors are usually activist members of the party whose presidential candidate carried the state (Sabato and Ernst 133). A candidate who receives a plurality of the votes in the state receives all the electoral votes. If one candidate gets votes from a majority of the electors, that person becomes the president. Rowley and Schneider indicated that if no candidate gets a majority vote that is 270, then the House of Representatives selects the president from the three candidates with the largest number of electoral votes (206).
The Main Pros and Cons of the Electoral College
The Electoral College is criticized because the popular vote winner might not be elected president. This happened in the 2000's presidential election when Al Gore won the popular vote by roughly 500,000 votes but lost the electoral vote. In 1876, 1888 and 2000, the Electoral College named as president the candidate who came in second in the popular balloting (Woshinsky 190). The second disadvantage of the Electoral College is that it can exaggerate the winner’s victory making it appear as if the public has given the newly elected president a mandate. For example, in 1984 Ronald Reagan won 58.8% of the popular vote, but 98% of the electoral vote (Genovese 170). In both 1992 and 1996, Bill Clinton failed to win a majority of the popular vote but still won roughly 70% of the electoral vote in both elections.
The proponents of the Electoral College argue that it protects the smaller states. Because of the two electors each state receives despite population electors in Wyoming represent fewer people than electors in California. Without the Electoral College, a candidate could run solely in the most heavily populated states and win while ignoring rural states. The proponents of the Electoral College argue that a direct election would raise the potential for voter fraud or recounts (Genovese 170). The system provides minority voters with greater voice in the election. For example, instead of comprising roughly 10% of the national electorate, in some states African Americans might make up 20-25% of a state’s electorate.
An Evaluation of Whether the Electoral College is Democratic
Democracy is defined as a rule by the people where every member must have equal and effective opportunity to vote and all votes must be counted as equal. The Electoral College is essentially undemocratic because the electoral vote often deviates from the popular will, and it is the winner-take all system. This is based on the criteria that all votes must be counted as equal. States which cast only three electoral votes such as Alaska, Vermont and Wyoming, are disadvantaged compared to states such as California with 55 votes, which constitute more than 20% of the electoral votes needed to win the presidency. The system essentially assigns to the winner the votes of the people who voted against that candidate, and not everyone’s vote counts equally on a national level. Streb says that there is no guarantee that the majority or even the plurality, winner of the popular vote will become president (142). While democracy dictates that the process of electing the president should develop a national campaign and produce a winner who has a popular majority. The Electoral College system has the potential to elect a presidential candidate who obtains an electoral vote majority but fewer popular votes than their opponents.
The method used to determine a state’s number of electors is not democratic because when people vote in a presidential election, they cast their vote not for a presidential candidate, but for an elector pledged to support that candidate, which renders it undemocratic. By giving a fixed number of electoral votes per state that is adjusted only after each census, the Electoral College does not accurately reflect state population thus rendering the process undemocratic. Neale further asserts that the process of electing electors is undemocratic because the office of presidential elector itself and the resultant faithless elector phenomenon provide opportunities for political mischief and deliberate distortion of the voter’s choice (5).
Conclusion
In conclusion, supporters of the Electoral College argue that violations of the majority rule are just an example of constitutional provisions that require supermajorities to take action. Unlike in other democracies, the Electoral College is different because it allows minority to take action that is to select the president. It is important to note that the winner-take-all system effectively disenfranchises everyone who voted for the candidates. | https://best-writing-service.net/essays/research/the-electoral-college-and-democracy.html |
Requesting your medical records in a personal injury case
When you are embarking on a personal injury claim, you will have to request your medical records, as these documents will serve as key evidence in any settlement demand or offer. These records confirm details such as:
- Proof of your physical injuries
- Assessment of the injuries
- Medical treatment costs, which can help to calculate any economic damages that you sustained
- The presence of any pre-existing injuries, which the alleged at-fault person will not want to pay for
Medical experts for both sides will analyze your records and determine what caused you to be injured. If your claim is for medical malpractice, then these documents make it easier to tell whether the physicians you are suing exercised reasonable care when treating you.
Who can request your medical records
Your personal health information is kept confidential by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), which also ensures your right to access and obtain copies of your own medical records. In your request, identifying personal information must be submitted, such as:
- Your name
- Date of birth
- Social security number
- Account number
- Address
- Spouse’s name (if applicable)
If you sign a Release of Information, then you are no longer protected by HIPAA, but some insurance companies ask you to sign a release form when you file a claim, as the adjuster will want to examine the nature and extent of your medical treatment before deciding on a settlement offer. You can, however, release only the records that pertain to your current injuries and leave the rest confidential.
In almost all instances, copies of your medical records must be requested in writing and by you personally. Exceptions may be made if you have been deemed physically or mentally unable to make the request, in which case a signed Power of Attorney can be sufficient. If you’re represented by a personal injury attorney, then they can also make the request on your behalf.
Limitations on accessing your records
Under certain circumstances, there may be limitations on the medical information that you are allowed to access. HIPAA allows doctors to withhold certain information, such as:
- Information you have provided that you have specifically requested
- Personal notes not related to your medical treatment, such as personal observations and messages to other staff at the facility
- Information that you requested be kept confidential
- Treatment details concerning a minor
- Information that the doctor believes may cause harm to you or others, or cause a public panic
- Information about your treatment by other doctors: those physicians must be approached directly to provide treatment details
If you are injured in New York and plan to sue the parties responsible, then contact a New York personal injury attorney right away. Jayson Lutzky is a Bronx accident and personal injury lawyer who handles car accident, medical malpractice, building injuries as well as other types of accident cases Mr. Lutzky can advise you on which records are needed to support your claim, how to apply for them, and even make the request on your behalf. Call 718-514-6619 to set up a free in-person consultation or visit www.MyNewYorkCityLawyer.com. | https://mynewyorkcitylawyer.com/requesting-your-medical-records-in-a-personal-injury-case/ |
The invention of weather satellites has opened a new area in weather forecasting. Satellite observations enable to continuously monitor the weather regimes on the whole globe. Therefore they provide a powerful tool in weather forecasting. The first lecture of the satellite course leads from the invention of weather satellites to technical inventions and the current operational satellites.
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Satellite orbits depend on the flying height of the satellites. This height is definded by gravitational and centrifugal forces. Geostationary satellites operate in a height of 36000 km and provide high temporal resolution. In contrast polar satellites are found closer to the surface and therefore offer higher spatial resolution. The second lecture of the satellite course leads from the physical principals to benefits and limitations of selected satellite orbites.
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Satellite instruments measure radiation at different wavelenghts. To correctly assess the information provided by these measurements, it is essential to know about laws of radiation as well as special characteristics of atmospheric gases. This lecture leads from phyiscal principles to applications such as IASI measurements.
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For the correct assessment of satellite images, the processes involved in data processing should be known very well. Data processing and applied algorithms have essential impact on the satellite images, such as for example gamma correction. This lecture leads from single counts to radiances and brightness temperatures. Finally a well chosen selection of applications will be shown.
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Satellite instruments measure at various wavelenghts. Since atmospheric gases reveal different proporties when being measured at different wavelengths, this information can be essential to filter information. This lecture guides you the basic characteristics of the various SEVIRI channels to their applications.
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Geostationary satellites enable to closely monitor the weather development at selected locations. This is particularly important for nowcasting convection and high impact weather. This lecture leads from general advantages of geostationary satellites to specific applications.
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Polar orbiting satellites fly at relatively low altitudes of about 800 km above Earth. Therefore they can provide satellite images at high horizontal resolution. When only one polar satellite is employed, the same spot on Earth is visited only twice per day. Therefore more than one polar satellite with different equatorial crossing times is required in order to attain more frequent observations. This lecture introduces you with the different instruments onboard of MetOp A and gives insight into the application of the retrieved information.
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The Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT) is one of the new-generation European instruments carried on MetOp and will be used to determine information about the wind for use primarily in weather forecasting and climate research. Data from ASCAT will also find applications in a number of other areas such as the monitoring of land- and sea-ice, snow cover and soil moisture.
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SAFs are dedicated centres of excellence for processing satellite data, achieved by utilising specialist expertise from the Member States. SAFs generate and disseminate operational EUMETSAT products and services and are an integral part of the distributed EUMETSAT Application Ground Segment.
Each SAF is led by the National Meteorological Service (NMS) of a EUMETSAT Member State, in association with a consortium of EUMETSAT Member States and Cooperating States, government bodies and research institutes. The lead NMS is responsible for the management of each complete SAF project. The research, data and services provided by the SAFs complement the standard meteorological products delivered by EUMETSAT’s central facilities in Darmstadt, Germany.
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The general objective of the Nowcasting Satellite Application Facility (NWC-SAF) is to provide operational services to ensure the optimum use of meteorological satellite data in Nowcasting and Very Short Range Forecasting by targeted users. This is applicable to the MSG and the PPS satellite systems. To achieve this goal, the SAFNWC is responsible for the development and maintenance of appropriate SW Packages, as well as of all related tasks for user's support. Moreover, the SAFNWC intends to be a Centre of Excellence for Nowcasting in EUMETSAT.
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Concerns about the Earth’s climate have increased the need not only for international control of greenhouse gases but also for climate monitoring on a global scale. Only space-based observations can deliver this type of global data and the CM SAF uses these data to provide the European contribution towards climate research.
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Information on land surface characteristics is needed for many important applications such as modelling and simulation of weather and climate, forecast and analysis of natural hazards and the monitoring of ecological and hydrological systems. The LSA SAF specifically addresses these requirements, delivering a range of products including land surface temperature, surface albedo and snow cover.
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Although may considered as the answer to all problems, satellite also come with some limitations. In this lecture one such limitation \"Parallax Shift\" is explained and how you have to take this into account. Fortunately there are some solutions available to overcome this problem, which are also explained by Martin Setvak (CHMI)
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István KAMARÁS OJD: Attitudes towards Dialogue and Rapprochement among Religions
István KAMARÁS OJD:
Attitudes towards Dialogue and Rapprochement among Religions (manuscript)
Is the chance of rapprochement and dialogue among religions growing in Hungary today? What kind of reception can the ideas of such thinkers as Hans Küng, Bede Griffith and Fritjhof Schuon, expect? Is a change of paradigms possible today in Christian missionary work? I will try to give the answers on the evidence of my empirical, sociological surveys on different religious attitudes concerning ecumenism and dialogue among religions.
About the survey and the basic religious attitudes of the interviewed
In the programme of an ongoing empirical, sociological survey I am studying the attitude of people towards rapprochement and dialogue among religions. The interviewed are regular church-going Christian intellectuals between 30 and 70 (“lays”), priests, pastors and RE teachers between 30 and 50 and undergraduates of seminars and RE students in teacher training colleges between 20 and 30 (“clerics”). I wonder
a, what their opinions are about the border of orthodoxy and heresy,
b, how much they can accept from the doctrine of official Christian churches concerning rapprochement and dialogue among religions,
c, how much they can accept from the radically open-minded (“avant-garde”) teachings of e.g. Bede Griffith, or Hans Küng concerning the same issue,
d, what they think about Fritjhof Schuon’s view on transcendent unity of religions,
e, how close or far they feel their own religions/churches/ denominations to other religious groups.
As I haven’t finished my work yet, in this lecture I am dealing with Catholic, Calvinist, Lutheran and Evangelical Neoprotestant answers only. First of all I am showing the characteristics of their attitudes towards rapprochement and dialogue using the percentages of agreements and rejections, then on a 1-5 scale I will give the index of agreement.
In one case out of the four the interviewed expressed a unanimous opinion, as they rejected the statement: “outside my religion/church there is no salvation”. Of course in this respect we can find quite big differences between the more open-minded “lays” and the more careful and conservative (sometimes biased) “clerics”. Although while valuating the other statements we can see that the interviewed are rather divided, it also looks unambiguous that a considerable percentage of them (30-50) do not suppose Christianity to be the only way of salvation. We have to be aware that the interviewed accepted Christianity as the only valid religion, rather than the statement about the different Christian ways to salvation. There are quite a lot of people among the interviewed who think that any of the monotheistic religions leads to salvation . Two thirds of Calvinists and a bit less part of Catholics, Lutherans and Evangelicals think like this. It is interesting to consider that “lays” are more open-minded than “clerics” while the former represent the generation of parents (or sometimes grandparents) and the latter belong to the generation of sons and daughters. It is also striking, that the Evangelicals are the least of all open-minded in this respect.
Reception of “official” Christian doctrines
All the Christian churches and denominations got a long distance from their original points of view concerning mission. Avery Dulles, the Jesuit distinguishes four different models of Christian mission:
a, model of compulsion – in case the inhabitants of a certain area are forced to follow the religion of the rulers;
b, rapprochement – in case missionaries base upon the similarities in the religions in question and upon a certain religious openness in everybody;
c, pluralism – in case the Christians living in a non-Christian area claim that diversity of religions is a blessing and religions together surpass the barriers and mistakes in any of them;
d, tolerance, or peaceful coexistence – this view coincides with the notions of Vatican Council II. and with those of most protestant churches.
Dulles thinks that some authors like Bede Griffith and Thomas Merton clarify how the experiences of mystic prayer can become bonds of unity for the members of different religions, or denominations. Ghislain Lafont, the Benedictine theologian even surpasses this statement when in his book entitled How should we imagine the Catholic Church? he writes: “Instead of using a unified language it is necessary to acknowledge mutually the validity of different languages.” Later he adds: “neither the Catholic Church has understood so far all the elements of revelation” (Lafont 2007: 162,164).
Today Christian missionary practice and its theological conclusion go even further saying that among different religions there should be a dialogical communication in which the partners are ready to understand the truths of the others. I have had the interviewed give their opinions about some statements originated in the spirit of dialogical communication.
In all the groups the interviewed more or less agreed with the “official” teaching concerning dialogue among religions. Nevertheless Catholics were more open-minded this time than the other religious groups, and also the “lays” than the “clerics”.
Then I composed the question even sharper and asked where they would put the border between heresy and orthodoxy. In this respect I found a considerable dividedness, cautiousness and uncertainty among the interviewed.
The interviewed rather accepted than rejected – insisting on the golden mean – the evolution of doctrines, as well as the attitudes and intentions of people believing in false teachings.. A great deal of them also agreed with a possibly critical attitude towards their own religions.But they rather rejected than accepted the relative statements (“We can decide only on the base of a given historical and social situation which teaching is true or false”, “We can never find a definite border between orthodoxy and heresy. There are frontier zones only”) emphasising that “false teachings are against the Bible”, or “we have to take the situations into consideration, but their importance can never be conclusive”.
Judging orthodoxy and heresy it is definitely the Lutherans and the lays are first of all open-minded, and the Evangelicals and clerics take up an opposite position.
Reception of radically progressive Christian thinking
Bede Griffith, the Benedictine spent 40 years in
The following question is: how it is possible to explain that the statements corresponding with the “official” Christian teachings are often rejected by a lot of the interviewed, while most of Hungarian Christians (including the young generation) are rather conservative. If we want to answer this question we have to see the reception of
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Table 4. Some statements examined by Bede Griffith
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Catholics
(77)
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Calvinists
(74)
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Lutherans
(25)
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Ev. Np.
(37)
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“lays”
(63)
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“clerics”
(139)
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A. The meeting point: the infinite, everlasting, constant being that is beyond life and death, thinking and emotion.
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38-10%
3.7
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28-17%
3.4
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71-0%
4.5
|
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27-19%
3.3
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34-17%
3.4
|
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33-8%
3.6
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B. The meeting point is in the Holy Spirit.
|
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7-27%
2.4
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21-33%
2.7
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24-28%
2.3
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23-33%
2.8
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13-48%
2.0
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18-24%
2.6
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C. The meeting point: is that they all reconstruct the unity of the person in body, mind and spirit.
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9-14%
2.7
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9-20%
2.7
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4-20%
2.5
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17-27%
2,7
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21-12%
3.2
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5-19%
2.6
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D. Each religion is only a stop on the pilgrims’ path towards the City of
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18-15%
3.2
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19-7%
3.5
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16-28%
2.7
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22-37%
2.7
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33-9%
3.7
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18-12%
3.2
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E. The appearance of a religion is given us as a visible sign in order to awaken faith. True worshippers worship God in spirit and truth, not on holy mounts, or in temples. New Jerusalem, the heavenly city hasn’t got a temple.
|
|
29-19%
3.3
|
|
40-1%
3.9
|
|
29-13%
3.5
|
|
41-3%
4.1
|
|
40-1%
3.8
|
|
33-13%
3.5
|
|
F. For the renewal of Christian churches it is suggested that they should turn to the religi-ons of East. They can also find initiatives in the intuition rooted in African tribal religions.
|
|
3-47%
1.9
|
|
0-69%
1.5
|
|
5-70%
1.6
|
|
3-87%
1.2
|
|
6-43%
2.2
|
|
0-60%
1.9
|
|
G. Christianity as a religion can flourish only if it abandons the masculine and rational prejudices of western culture and accepts the feminine and intuitive mind of East.
|
|
3-44%
2.1
|
|
2-47%
1.8
|
|
0-50%
2.0
|
|
0-60
1.7
|
|
9-43%
2.3
|
|
0-46%
1.9
We cannot be surprised for the interviewed were mostly attracted by statement “The appearance of a religion is given us as a visible sign in order to awaken faith. True worshippers worship God in spirit and truth, not on holy mounts, or in temples. New Jerusalem, the heavenly city hasn’t got a temple”, as it has a connection with the Gospel of John (4, 20-23) – while it is interesting that the percentage is not higher. It is not surprising that the Protestants, who are very familiar with the Bible, felt sympathy with this statement. At the same time it looks very strange that the “lays” (who are less familiar with the Bible than the “clerics”) expressed their sympathy with this thought of Jesus more often than the “clerics”. The statement concerning symbols (“Each religion is only a stop on the pilgrims’ path towards the City of
Hans Küng, the Catholic theologian and scholar of religion – appointed to be a counsellor in the second Vatican Council – was the head of Ecumenical Institute at
With the exception of “lays” (on the positive side of the scale) and Evangelicals (on the opposite side) everybody among the interviewed accepted or rejected Küng’s statement (“the most important ethical principles of world religions are in concordance; the evidence is that they all have very similar ten commandments”) about religions roughly in 50-50 percents.
Reception of the theory on transcendent unity of religions
Christians that regularly practice and know well their religion can react either with honour, or also with indignation to some of Schuon’s thoughts – e.g: “Religions are essentially – i.e. esoterically – similar, they are different only in their visible forms – i.e. exoterically – and on the metaphysical level they are identical.”, or “In the depth of religions we can find a metaphysical unity that is more relevant than a moral or a theological coincidence.”, or “Impersonal Divinity exceeds personal God” (Schuon 2005: 21-24, 25-26, 70). For the believers of God incarnated in Christ the sentences like these may seem to be false teachings rooted in Buddhism, Hinduism, or New Age. However if they take serious what Jesus revealed in Jn.4, 20-23 – willy-nilly - they must meditate on Schuon’s quoted statements.
We have a good reason to think that a number of Christian believers show antipathy against Schuon and his concept of a unified religion when they appear in the above-mentioned spiritual context. In my research the interviewed did not know either about
Although the majority of the interviewed rejected all these statements д- except for statement (“All religions converge in God. On lower levels (in morals, liturgy, or theology) they differ”) – it is worth paying attention to the fact that the interviewed accepted them to a certain extent, and that the proportion of rejections - with the exception of Evangelicals - does not exceed 47 %. Explaining their views the interviewed emphasised first of all that the central point of Christianity (i.e. Jesus Christ) is a personal God incarnated in history (= exotery). They rejected statement D the most vigorously giving the same reason. At the same time most of them agreed on statement B (= identity in God), but here we can also find several objections. Some of them say that Taoism and Buddhism do not speak about God as such, others refer to different concepts of God, while others in the same group think that there are very close correlations between esoteric and exoteric levels.
Among the four statements it is the last one (“The meeting point: impersonal divinity that exceeds personal God”) that made the most significant division among the interviewed – especially among “the lays”. Although the statement can be interpreted as “God is spirit”, which is not in contradiction with Christian faith (i.e. the doctrine saying that Christ is real God and real man), the percentage of rejections – 52 – shows that here is the border of dialogue also for non-average, but educated and open-minded Christian believers. We should not be surprised at this information because the essence of Christian faith can be interpreted – in Schuon’s terms – as esotery got incarnated into exotery, which contradicts to Schuon’s conception. On top of all that Schuon considers our period of time to be the era of Darkness, and it can remind a lot of Christians of the millenary sect and their teaching.
The Catholics reacted in a bit more open-minded way than the Calvinists and Lutherans, and much more than the Evangelicals. The “lays” – apart from statement C – were much more understanding than the “clerics” as the latter group is closely attached to tradition and dogmas. We cannot guess whether the aversion of the interviewed Christians shown in their answers is due to Schuon’s super-religion or to mysticism as such. I think that the rejection of the statement (“The meeting point of religions is mystic experience in question”) proves the second hypothesis. The evidence can be seen on table 7.
I have to draw your attention to the fact that this statement can be read in a work representing the “official” teaching of Catholic Church. Having considered al this I think that less than one third of both the young (also in religion) educated and the other church-going generations are ready to have a dialogue with Schuon’s unified theory.
How far are the different religions and denominations from the views of the interviewed?
I asked the interviewed to sign their distance from 29 different religions, or denominations. From these 29 I chose 19 to show how their attitude towards dialogue in this survey worked. In other words I wondered how they judge the other religions.
While the Catholics and Lutherans were a little bit more understanding towards the other religions than Calvinists and Evangelicals, you can realize it seeing the tables before. The Catholics felt themselves close especially to Lutherans and Calvinists and Orthodoxies (above 7.0), the Lutherans to Catholics, Calvinists, Anglicans and Methodists, the Calvinists only to Lutherans. The Catholics felt themselves closer to Orthodoxies and Muslims than the Calvinists who - in the test - preferred Baptists, Methodists, Jews and the
Let us remember that the majority (57 %) of the interviewed considered Christianity t be the only legitimate. In this way we can understand the cautious and rejecting attitude towards non-Christian religions. The data – here again – show that the “lays” were more accepting than the “clerics”.
Some conclusions
Only a few (15 pc-s) of the interviewed people think that there is no salvation outside their religion/denomination/church. Quite a small part (25 pc-s) of them think that only the ways of Christianity can lead people to salvation and the half of them connect salvation to the belief in one God. But only a small percentage (6-20) of them accepted Schuon’s views on essential unity of religions. The interviewed were more understanding towards the thoughts of some radical and modern representatives of Christianity – like Griffith, or Küng – most of their statements about rapprochement and dialogue were accepted. The acceptance of ideas that suggest the renewal of Christianity with the help of eastern religions and feminine issues are quite exceptional. This is the border of dialogue for the majority.
The interviewed all agreed – more or less – on the “official” Christian teaching about the dialogue among religions. On the other hand we can experience a rather strong dividedness, uncertainty and cautiousness when they fix the border between orthodoxy and heresy.
Answering the questions the Catholics ans Lutherans – nearly always - seemed to be more open-minded than the Calvinists and much more than Evangelicals.. Maybe, it is due to the second Vatican Council. We also ca see several differences between “clerics” (i.e. priests, pastors, RE teachers, students of theology and future RE teachers attending one of the teachers’ training colleges) and “lays” (i.e. church-going Christian intellectuals). It is the “lays” that show a more understanding attitude.
Judging the other religions all the interviewed (especially the “clerics” among the Calvinists and Evangelicals) are rather cautious, or definitely refusal. They think both the eastern religions and the small Christian denominations t be something that is called “sect” by pubic thinking.
On the base of all these we can conclude that the chance of further rapprochement and dialogue among religions depend quite a lot on correct pieces of information and knowledge about religions. We should organize more and more meetings, common religious, cultural and political actions for the believers of different religions, churches and denominations. Readiness and willingness for rapprochement and dialogue can be influenced by theories and ideologies on essential similarity, or transcendental unity of religions. That’s why it is very important in which cultural, ideological, or political context they appear. Their chance may decrease if these – essentially positive – thoughts take the forms of fundamentalism, pseudo-science, nationalism, or right-wing extremism.
References
II. Vatikáni Zsinat dokumentumai (2000) Szerk. Diós István. Bp. Szent István Társulat
Béky Gellért (2005) Lótusz vagy kereszt. Katolikus kézikönyv buddhizmusról és kereszténységről. In: Új ember, 31. sz.
Csörgő Zoltán (2005): A metatudat, avagy „Az agy ábránd”. In: Metaelmélet, metafilozófia Szerk.Varga Csaba. Bp. Stratégiakutató Intézet Kht.
Dulles, Avery (2002) Krisztus a vallások között. In: Mérleg, 2002. 1. sz.
Farkas A. Márton (2001) Ezoterikusok Haynau Baráti Köre. In: Élet és irodalom, 30. sz.
Griffiths, Bede: Kelet és Nyugat házassága. Bp. 2006. Filosz Kiadó.
Hankiss Elemér (1999) Proletár reneszánsz. Bp. Helikon.
Héjjas István (2005) A valóság kvatumfizikai szintje. In: Metaelmélet, metafilozófia (2005) Szerk.Varga Csaba. Bp. Stratégiakutató Intézet Kht.
Horváth Róbert (2001) Konzervatív forradalom. Demokrata, jan. 4. 20-22. o
Kamarás István (2003) Kis magyar religiográfia. Pécs, Pro
Kecskés Péter (2003): Tükör által homályosan. A tradíció, tradicionalitás, tradicionalizmus kétfajta értelmezése In: Ökotáj. 31-32. sz. 43-50. old
Konnonenko, Igor (2008) Scienceand spritulality. (lecture at the Conference of Unified Theory II.
Küng, Hans (1994) Világvallások etikája. Bp. Egyházfórum
Lafont, Ghislain (2007) Milyennek képzeljük el a katolikus egyházat? Pannonhalma, Bencés Kiadó.
László András (2001): Szellem, jobboldaliság, tradíció. In: Sacrum imperium. 7. 3-8.
Melton, Gordon (2000) The Post-New Age Spiritual Emergence Movement, Cesnur 2000
Metaelmélet, metafilozófia (2005) Szerk.Varga Csaba. Bp. Stratégiakutató Intézet Kht.
Mund Katalin: Kelet istenei Nyugaton. http://hps.elte.hu/~/keletist.
Tomka Miklós (2001) Inkulturáció. [hálózati elektronikus dokumentum]. Budapest, MTA Filozófiai Kutatóintézet, Akadémiai-Filozófiai Nyitott Egyetem.
Varga Csaba (2003) Az új világlátvány = U.ö. Új elmélet-horizontok előtt. Bp. Tertia
125-177.
Varga Csaba (2007) A globalizáció metafilozófiája. www. metaelméleti.hu/ujtanul/html
Varga Csaba Hogyan nőhetünk naggyá? parokia.net/helyszini/ereformatika/traning/htlm
Varga Csaba (2009) Egyesített elmélet: metafilozófia. In. Napút Füzetek 23.
Vorgrimler, Herbert (2006) Új teológiai szótár. Bp. Gönczöl Kiadó.
Schuon, Frithjof (2005): A vallások transzcendens egysége. Debrecen, Kvintesszencia Kiadó
Baptist, Adventist, Methodist and Pentecostal-
This notion is similar to that of Symmachus, the famous orator in the 4th century. Having a dispute with St. Ambrosius he claimed: „It is impossible that such a tremendous mystery can be reached from one direction only.”
Dei Verbum, a dogmatic constitution on divine revelation (Second Vatican Council – documents published in 2000).
Except for Judaism , of course, as it has a special position.
„There is a point where the different religions meet.”, “They all make an answer to the secrets of human existence” (Vorgrimler 2007: 696), “They all contact their followers with the sacred, help them experience the secret power that is present in the proceedings and events of human life” (Vorgrimler 2007: 696), “It is necessary to make up a dialogical communication among religions that helps the partners become open towards the cultural richness, teachings and religious evolution of the others” (Tomka 2001), “In the mirrors of other religions we can see our faith clearer. Dialogue and self-criticism do not mean that we refuse to stay in our church, or religion”.
„…the hour cometh when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.”
In each group we can find both men and women – in proportion 50-50 – who – in this respect – think in a similar way.
Küng characterizes
He reveals this teaching not to his disciples, but to the Samaritan woman, to an alien.
Herbert Vorglimmer: New Theological Dictionary (Vorglimmer 2006: 696)
The distance is measured on a ten-degree scale. If a religion, or church is given 10 it means that the interviewed feels very close to it.
In the eyes of several theologians Jehovah’s Witnesses are not Christian (just Restorian), but they declare themselves to be Christian.
Public thinking take these phenomena as mixtures of science and religion. | http://www.kamarasistvan.eoldal.hu/cikkek/in-english--in-german--in-russian/attitudes-toward-dialogue-and-rapprochement-among-religions-i_.html |
11 Feb How To Make the Most of a Vacation to St. George, Utah
St. George, Utah is located on the southwest border of the state, which is near the junction of Nevada and Arizona. Its convenient location coupled with breathtaking natural scenery and a wealth of attractions makes it a popular tourist destination. The most enjoyable vacations, however, require planning. Getting all your ducks in a row to ensure that you and your family or friends have a stellar time doesn’t have to be stressful. These four tips cover the basics of a trip to the Beehive State.
1.Create an Itinerary
It might seem exciting to visit a new city with no plan for what to do. In actuality, this approach wastes time and results in a disappointing experience. Creating an itinerary ensures that you can visit the places that speak to you the most, whether its restaurants, museums or national parks. It’s as simple as having a conversation with the members of your group to discover what interests them and making a list of where you want to go. Internet search engines and guide books are great resources for research.
Of course, your itinerary might change on a whim depending on circumstances that can arise as you’re exploring all that St. George has to offer. Vacations don’t happen often and many veer from their established plans when they spot a new, interesting place or if they change their mind and decide that a destination doesn’t sound as fun as when they were researching it from the comfort of their homes. An open mind is beneficial when you’re navigating the intricacies of travel.
2.Pack Carefully
Throwing a minimal amount of clothes and some toiletries in a suitcase is ok, but preparing for mishaps, unexpected events or emergencies is even better. Items such as sunscreen, rain jackets, hand sanitizers, snacks and extra phone chargers can be useful in a pinch. Packing more clothing than you think you need is also a smart strategy. Even a small event like spilling food on yourself at a diner or dressing incorrectly for the weather can dampen your mood. It’s comforting to know that you have everything you need in your hotel room and that running to a store isn’t necessary.
3.Budget
One of the most appealing things about St. George is its affordability. It’s also easy to get excited and spend more money than you have. Avoid this pitfall by budgeting your expenses. Start saving well before the start of your trip so that you don’t have to use a credit card and go into debt during a period that’s supposed to be about relaxation and peace of mind. Research the total cost of travel, accommodations, sightseeing activities and food to ensure you have enough. If possible, save a little extra so that you can splurge on pricey souvenirs or a second appetizer at a restaurant.
Bigger parties require more money for everyone to have a blast. If everyone can chip in and keep an eye on their finances during the expedition while maintaining a positive mindset, then the fun is guaranteed.
4.Enjoy Creature Comforts
A vacation is an opportunity to venture into the unknown in more ways than one. Don’t miss taking advantage of a hotel that can pamper you after a day of traversing an unfamiliar city. The best hotels in st george utah have amenities that are more luxurious than your home such as a pool, spa, exercise room, outdoor BBQ and children’s wading pool. Discounts are available through booking sites and if you make a reservation well in advance of your arrival date.
Engaging in these activities for even an hour or two can promote relaxation and bring you closer to your friends and family. The memories that you make during these moments stay with you long after your departure.
St. George is one of Utah’s most gorgeous cities. These four tips can ensure that your visit is as stellar as the stars in the sky after a desert sunset. | https://www.thevikingabroad.com/how-to-make-the-most-of-a-vacation-to-st-george-utah/ |
Week-ends du monde teaches kids about other cultures
Have you ever wanted to travel around the world? Although most of us aren’t fortunate enough to have had that opportunity, once a year; the city has a way of bringing the world to us.
Week-ends du monde, which takes place at Parc Jean-Drapeau, is a free event that takes place over two weekends from July 5-13, and gives people a chance to celebrate the traditions of several countries by educating visitors about international food, dance and music. Artisans can also sell jewelry, clothing, musical instruments, and more.
This event has been taking place since 2005, and reaches new levels of popularity with each edition. Last year, 218,000 people attended.
There will be various countries represented. On the first Saturday, it will be Jamaica, Mexico and Cambodia and on Sunday, the focus will be on European countries. On the second Saturday, representatives from Peru, El Salvador, and Africa will have their turn and on Sunday, it will be Columbia, Cuba, Haiti and Brazil. The festival will end with a live projection of the FIFA World Cup final match.
For more information, visit parcjeandrapeau.com/events/week-ends-du-monde. | https://www.montrealfamilies.ca/week-ends-du-monde-teaches-kids-about-other-cultures/ |
---
abstract: |
In this paper, we provide a new upper bound for the $\alpha$-domination number. This result generalises the well-known Caro-Roditty bound for the domination number of a graph. The same probabilistic construction is used to generalise another well-known upper bound for the classical domination in graphs. We also prove similar upper bounds for the $\alpha$-rate domination number, which combines the concepts of $\alpha$-domination and $k$-tuple domination.
[Keywords: [*Graph; Domination; $\alpha$-Domination; $\alpha$-Rate Domination*]{}]{}
author:
- |
A. Gagarin\
[Department of Mathematics and Statistics]{}\
[Acadia University]{}\
[Wolfville, Nova Scotia, B4P 2R6]{}\
[Canada]{}\
\
A. Poghosyan and V.E. Zverovich\
[Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Mathematical Sciences]{}\
[University of the West of England]{}\
[Bristol, BS16 1QY]{}\
[UK]{}
title: '**Upper Bounds for $\alpha$-Domination Parameters**'
---
23.5cm 16.2cm -1.2cm .1cm .1cm
Introduction
============
Domination is one of the fundamental concepts in graph theory with various applications to ad hoc networks, biological networks, distributed computing, social networks and web graphs [@alb1; @coo1; @dai1; @hay]. Dominating sets in graphs are natural models for facility location problems in operational research. An important role is played by multiple domination, for example $k$-dominating sets can be used for balancing efficiency and fault tolerance [@dai1].
We consider undirected simple finite graphs. If $G$ is a graph of order $n$, then $V(G)=\{v_1,v_2,...,v_n\}$ is the set of vertices of $G$ and $d_i$ denotes the degree of $v_i$. Let $N(v)$ denote the neighbourhood of a vertex $v$ in $G$, and $N[v] = N(v)\cup
\{v\}$ be the closed neighbourhood of $v$. A set $X\subseteq V(G)$ is called a [*dominating set*]{} if every vertex not in $X$ is adjacent to at least one vertex in $X$. The minimum cardinality of a dominating set of $G$ is the [*domination number*]{} $\gamma(G)$. A set $X$ is called a [*$k$-dominating set*]{} if every vertex not in $X$ has at least $k$ neighbors in $X$. The minimum cardinality of a $k$-dominating set of $G$ is the [*$k$-domination number*]{} $\gamma_k(G)$. A set $X$ is called a [*$k$-tuple dominating set*]{} of $G$ if for every vertex $v\in V(G)$, $|N[v]\cap X|\ge k$. The minimum cardinality of a $k$-tuple dominating set of $G$ is the [*$k$-tuple domination number*]{} $\gamma_{\times k}(G)$. The $k$-tuple domination number is only defined for graphs with $\delta\ge k-1$. A number of upper bounds for the multiple domination numbers can be found in [@car1; @fav1; @fav2; @GZ; @Z2].
Let $\alpha$ be a real number satisfying $0<\alpha\le1$. A set $X\subseteq V(G)$ is called an [*$\alpha$-dominating set*]{} of $G$ if for every vertex $v\in V(G) - X$, $|N(v)\cap X|\ge \alpha d_v$, i.e. $v$ is adjacent to at least $\lceil\alpha d_v\rceil$ vertices of $X$. The minimum cardinality of an $\alpha$-dominating set of $G$ is called the [*$\alpha$-domination number*]{} $\gamma_{\alpha}(G)$. The $\alpha$-domination was introduced by Dunbar et al. [@DHLM]. It is easy to see that $\gamma(G)\le\gamma_{\alpha}(G)$, and $\gamma_{\alpha_1}(G)\le\gamma_{\alpha_2}(G)$ for ${\alpha_1}<{\alpha_2}$. Also, $\gamma(G)=\gamma_{\alpha}(G)$ if $\alpha$ is sufficiently close to $0$.
For an arbitrary graph $G$ with $n$ vertices and $m$ edges, denote by $\delta=\delta(G)$ and $\Delta=\Delta(G)$ the minimum and maximum vertex degrees of $G$, respectively. The following results are proved in [@DHLM]: $$\label{Dunbar}
{{\alpha\delta n}\over {\Delta + \alpha\delta}} \le
\gamma_{\alpha}(G) \le {{\Delta n}\over {\Delta +
(1-\alpha)\delta}}$$ and $${{2\alpha m}\over {(1+\alpha)\Delta}} \le \gamma_{\alpha}(G) \le
{{(2-\alpha)\Delta n - (2-2\alpha)m}\over {(2-\alpha)\Delta}}.$$ Interesting results on $\alpha$-domination perfect graphs can be found in [@DRV]. The problem of deciding whether $\gamma_{\alpha}(G)\le k$ for a positive integer $k$ is known to be $NP$-complete [@DHLM]. Therefore, it is important to have good upper bounds for the $\alpha$-domination number and efficient approximation algorithms for finding ‘small’ $\alpha$-dominating sets.
For $0<\alpha\le 1$, the $\alpha$*-degree* of a graph $G$ is defined as follows: $${\widehat d}_{\alpha} = {\widehat d}_{\alpha} (G) = {1\over n}
\sum_{i=1}^n \pmatrix{d_i \cr {\lceil \alpha d_i \rceil -1 }}.$$ In this paper, we use a probabilistic approach to prove that $${\gamma}_{\alpha}(G) \le \left(1-{\widehat{\delta} \over
{(1+\widehat{\delta})}^{1+1/\widehat{\delta}} \, {{\widehat
d}_{\alpha}}^{\;1/\widehat{\delta}}} \right) n,$$ where $ \widehat{\delta} = \lfloor \delta (1 - \alpha) \rfloor +1
$. This result generalises the well-known upper bound of Caro and Roditty ([@hay], p.48). Using the same probabilistic construction, we also show that $${\gamma}_{\alpha}(G) \le {\ln(\widehat{\delta}+1) + \ln {\widehat
d}_{\alpha} +1 \over \widehat{\delta}+1} n,$$ which generalises another well-known upper bound of Alon and Spencer [@alo], Arnautov [@arn], Lovász [@lov] and Payan [@pay]. Finally, we introduce the $\alpha$-rate domination number, which combines together the concepts of $\alpha$-domination and $k$-tuple domination, and show that the $\alpha$-rate domination number satisfies two similar upper bounds. The random constructions used in this paper also provide randomized algorithms to find $\alpha$-dominating and $\alpha$-rate dominating sets satisfying corresponding bounds.
New Upper Bounds for the $\alpha$-Domination Number
===================================================
One of the strongest known upper bounds for the domination number is due to Caro and Roditty:
\[Caro\] For any graph $G$ with $\delta\ge 1$, $$\label{Car-Rod}
{\gamma}(G) \le \left(1-{\delta \over {(1+\delta)^{1+1/\delta}}}\right)
n.$$
The upper bound (\[Car-Rod\]) is generalised for the $\alpha$-domination number in Theorem \[main\]. Indeed, if $d_i$ are fixed for all $i=1,\ldots,n$, and $\alpha$ is sufficiently close to 0, then $ \widehat{\delta} = \delta$ (provided $\delta\ge
1$) and ${\widehat d}_{\alpha} =1$.
\[main\] For any graph $G$, $$\label{bound1}
{\gamma}_{\alpha}(G) \le \left(1-{\widehat{\delta} \over
{(1+\widehat{\delta})}^{1+1/\widehat{\delta}} \,{\widehat
d}_{\alpha}^{\;1/\widehat{\delta}}} \right) n,$$ where $ \widehat{\delta} = \lfloor \delta (1 - \alpha) \rfloor +1
$.
[[**Proof:** ]{}]{}Let $A$ be a set formed by an independent choice of vertices of $G$, where each vertex is selected with the probability $$\label{p_max}
p = 1-{\left(1 \over {{(1 + \widehat{\delta}){\widehat
d}_{\alpha}}}\right)}^{1/\widehat{\delta}}.$$ Let us denote $$B = \{v_i\in V(G) - A\ :\ |N(v_i)\cap A|\le {\lceil
\alpha d_i \rceil -1 }\}.$$ It is obvious that the set $ D = A \cup
B$ is an $\alpha$-dominating set. The expectation of $|D|$ is $$\begin{aligned}
E(|D|) &=& E(|A|)+E(|B|)\\
&=& \sum_{i=1}^{n}P(v_i\in A)+ \sum_{i=1}^{n}P(v_i\in B)\\
&=& pn + \sum_{i=1}^{n} \sum_{r=0}^{\lceil \alpha d_i \rceil
-1}\pmatrix{d_i \cr r} p^r {(1-p)}^{d_i -r +1}.\end{aligned}$$ It is easy to see that, for $0\le r\le \lceil \alpha d_i
\rceil -1$, $$\pmatrix{d_i \cr r} \le
\pmatrix{d_i \cr {\lceil \alpha d_i \rceil -1 }}\pmatrix{\lceil
\alpha d_i \rceil -1 \cr r}.$$ Also, $$d_i-\lceil \alpha d_i \rceil \ge \lfloor \delta (1-\alpha) \rfloor .$$ Therefore, $$\begin{aligned}
\nonumber
E(|D|) &\le& pn + \sum_{i=1}^{n}{\pmatrix{d_i \cr {\lceil \alpha
d_i \rceil -1 }} {(1-p)}^{d_i-\lceil \alpha d_i \rceil +2}}
\sum_{r=0}^{\lceil \alpha d_i \rceil-1}{\pmatrix{\lceil
\alpha d_i \rceil -1 \cr r}p^r (1-p)^{{\lceil \alpha d_i \rceil-1-r}}}\\
\nonumber
&=& pn + \sum_{i=1}^{n}{\pmatrix{d_i \cr {\lceil \alpha
d_i \rceil -1 }} {(1-p)}^{d_i-\lceil \alpha d_i \rceil +2}}\\
\nonumber
&\le& pn + {(1-p)}^{\lfloor \delta (1-\alpha) \rfloor +2}\widehat d_{\alpha}n \\
\label{expr}
&=& pn + {(1-p)}^{\widehat{\delta}+1}\widehat d_{\alpha}n \\
\nonumber &=& \left(1-{\widehat{\delta} \over
{(1+\widehat{\delta})}^{1+1/\widehat{\delta}} \,{\widehat
d}_{\alpha}^{\;1/\widehat{\delta}}} \right) n.\end{aligned}$$ Note that the value of $p$ in (\[p\_max\]) is chosen to minimize the expression (\[expr\]). Since the expectation is an average value, there exists a particular $\alpha$-dominating set of order at most $\left(1-{\widehat{\delta} \over
{(1+\widehat{\delta})}^{1+1/\widehat{\delta}} \,{\widehat
d}_{\alpha}^{\;1/\widehat{\delta}}} \right) n$, as required. The proof of the theorem is complete. [$\rule{.05in}{.1in}$]{}
Notice that in some cases Theorem \[main\] provides a much better bound than the upper bound in (\[Dunbar\]). For example, if $G$ is a 1000-regular graph, then Theorem \[main\] gives ${\gamma}_{0.1}(G) < 0.305n$, while (\[Dunbar\]) yields only ${\gamma}_{0.1}(G) < 0.527n$.
\[Corollary1\] For any graph $G$, $$\label{bound2}
{\gamma}_{\alpha}(G) \le {\ln(\widehat{\delta}+1) + \ln {\widehat
d}_{\alpha} +1 \over \widehat{\delta}+1} n.$$
[[**Proof:** ]{}]{}We put $$p=\min \left\{ 1, {\ \ln(\widehat{\delta}+1) + \ln{\widehat d}_{\alpha}\over \widehat{\delta}+1} \right\}.$$ Using the inequality $1-p\le e^{-p}$, we can estimate the expression (\[expr\]) as follows: $$E(|D|) \le pn + e^{-p (\widehat{\delta} +1)}{\widehat d}_{\alpha} n.$$ If $p=1$, then the result easily follows. If $p={\
\ln(\widehat{\delta}+1) + \ln{\widehat d}_{\alpha}\over
\widehat{\delta}+1}$, then $$E(|D|) \le {\ln(\widehat{\delta}+1) + \ln {\widehat d}_{\alpha} +1
\over \widehat{\delta}+1} n,$$ as required. [$\rule{.05in}{.1in}$]{}
Corollary \[Corollary1\] generalises the following well-known upper bound independently proved by several authors [@alo; @arn; @lov; @pay]: $$\label{classical}
{\gamma}(G) \le {\ln(\delta+1) + 1 \over \delta+1} n.$$
$\alpha$-Rate Domination
========================
Define a set $X\subseteq V(G)$ to be an [*$\alpha$-rate dominating set*]{} of $G$ if for any vertex $v\in V(G)$, $$|N[v]\cap X|\ge \alpha d_v.$$ Let us call the minimum cardinality of an $\alpha$-rate dominating set of $G$ the [*$\alpha$-rate domination number*]{} ${\gamma}_{\times\alpha}(G)$. It is easy to see that $\gamma_{\alpha}(G)\le {\gamma}_{\times\alpha}(G)$. The concept of $\alpha$-rate domination is similar to the well-known $k$-tuple domination (for example, see [@KL; @Z2]). For $0<\alpha\le 1$, the *closed $\alpha$-degree* of a graph $G$ is defined as follows: $${\widetilde d}_{\alpha} = {\widetilde d}_{\alpha} (G) = {1\over n}
\sum_{i=1}^n \pmatrix{d_i+1 \cr {\lceil \alpha d_i \rceil -1 }}.$$ In fact, the only difference between the $\alpha$-degree and the closed $\alpha$-degree is that to compute the latter we choose from $d_i+1$ vertices instead of $d_i$, i.e. from the [*closed*]{} neighborhood $N[v_i]$ of $v_i$ instead of $N(v_i)$.
The following theorem provides an analogue of the Caro-Roditty bound (Theorem \[Caro\]) for the $\alpha$-rate domination number:
\[main3\] For any graph $G$ and $0<\alpha\le1$, $$\label{bound4}
{\gamma}_{\times\alpha}(G) \le \left(1-{\widehat{\delta} \over
{(1+\widehat{\delta})}^{1+1/\widehat{\delta}} \,{\widetilde
d}_{\alpha}^{\;1/\widehat{\delta}}} \right) n,$$ where $ \widehat{\delta} = \lfloor \delta (1 - \alpha) \rfloor +1
$.
[[**Proof:** ]{}]{}Let $A$ be a set formed by an independent choice of vertices of $G$, where each vertex is selected with probability $p$, $0\le p \le
1$. For $m\ge0$, denote by $B_m$ the set of vertices $v\in V(G)$ dominated by exactly $m$ vertices of $A$ and such that $|N[v]\cap
A|<\alpha d_v$, i.e. $$|N[v]\cap A| = m \le \lceil \alpha d_v \rceil - 1.$$ Note that each vertex $v\in V(G)$ is in at most one of the sets $B_m$ and $0\le m\le \lceil \alpha d_v \rceil -1$. We form a set $B$ in the following way: for each vertex $v \in B_m$, select $\lceil \alpha d_v \rceil - m $ vertices from $N(v)$ that are not in $A$ and add them to $B$. Consider the set $D=A\cup B$. It is easy to see that $D$ is an $\alpha$-rate dominating set. The expectation of $|D|$ is: $$\begin{aligned}
E(|D|) &\le& E(|A|) + E(|B|)\\
& \le & \sum_{i=1}^{n}P(v_i\in A)+
\sum_{i=1}^{n}\sum_{m=0}^{\lceil
\alpha d_i \rceil - 1}(\lceil \alpha d_i \rceil - m) P(v_i\in B_m)\\
& = & pn + \sum_{i=1}^{n}\sum_{m=0}^{\lceil \alpha d_i \rceil -
1}(\lceil \alpha d_i \rceil - m) \pmatrix{d_i+1 \cr m} p^m (1-p)^{d_i+1-m} \\
& \le & pn + \sum_{i=1}^n \sum_{m=0}^{\lceil \alpha d_i \rceil - 1} \pmatrix{d_i+1 \cr \lceil \alpha d_i \rceil-1} \pmatrix{\lceil \alpha d_i \rceil-1 \cr m} p^m (1-p)^{d_i+1-m}\\
& = & pn + \sum_{i=1}^n \pmatrix{d_i+1 \cr \lceil \alpha d_i \rceil-1} (1-p)^{d_i-\lceil \alpha d_i \rceil+2} \sum_{m=0}^{\lceil \alpha d_i \rceil - 1} \pmatrix{\lceil \alpha d_i \rceil-1 \cr m} p^m (1-p)^{\lceil \alpha d_i \rceil-1-m}\\
& = & pn + \sum_{i=1}^n \pmatrix{d_i+1 \cr \lceil \alpha d_i \rceil-1} (1-p)^{d_i-\lceil \alpha d_i \rceil+2}\\
& \le & pn + (1-p)^{\lfloor \delta (1-\alpha) \rfloor +2}
\sum_{i=1}^n
\pmatrix{d_i+1 \cr \lceil \alpha d_i \rceil-1}\\
& = & pn + (1-p)^{\widehat{\delta}+1} {\widetilde d}_{\alpha} n,\end{aligned}$$ since $$(\lceil \alpha d_i \rceil - m) \pmatrix{d_i+1 \cr m} \le \pmatrix{d_i+1 \cr \lceil \alpha d_i \rceil-1} \pmatrix{\lceil \alpha d_i \rceil-1 \cr m}.$$ Thus, $$\label{again}
E(|D|) \le pn + (1-p)^{\widehat{\delta}+1} {\widetilde d}_{\alpha}
n.$$ Minimizing the expression (\[again\]) with respect to $p$, we obtain $$E(|D|) \le \left(1-{\widehat{\delta} \over
{(1+\widehat{\delta})}^{1+1/\widehat{\delta}} \,{\widetilde
d}_{\alpha}^{\;1/\widehat{\delta}}} \right) n,$$ as required. The proof of Theorem \[main3\] is complete. [$\rule{.05in}{.1in}$]{}
\[Corollary2\] For any graph $G$, $$\label{bound5}
{\gamma}_{\times\alpha}(G) \le {\ln(\widehat{\delta}+1) + \ln {\widetilde
d}_{\alpha} +1 \over \widehat{\delta}+1} n.$$
[[**Proof:** ]{}]{}Using an approach similar to that in the proof of Corollary \[Corollary1\], the result follows if we put $$p=\min \left\{ 1, {\ \ln(\widehat{\delta}+1) + \ln{\widetilde d}_{\alpha}\over \widehat{\delta}+1} \right\}$$ and use the inequality $1-p\le e^{-p}$ to estimate the expression (\[again\]) as follows: $$E(|D|) \le pn + e^{-p (\widehat{\delta} +1)}{\widetilde d}_{\alpha} n.$$ [$\rule{.05in}{.1in}$]{}
Note that, similar to Corollary \[Corollary1\], the bound of Corollary \[Corollary2\] also generalises the classical upper bound (\[classical\]). However, the probabilistic construction used to obtain the bounds (\[bound4\]) and (\[bound5\]) is different from that to obtain the bounds (\[bound1\]) and (\[bound2\]).
Final Remarks and Open Problems
===============================
Notice that the concept of the $\alpha$-rate domination number ${\gamma}_{\times\alpha}(G)$ is ‘opposite’ to the $\alpha$-independent $\alpha$-domination number $i_{\alpha}(G)$ as defined in [@DRV]. It would be interesting to use a probabilistic method construction to obtain an upper bound for $i_{\alpha}(G)$.
Also, the random constructions used to obtain the upper bounds (\[bound1\]), (\[bound2\]), (\[bound4\]) and (\[bound5\]) provide randomized algorithms to find corresponding dominating sets in a given graph $G$. It would be interesting to derandomize these algorithms or to obtain independent deterministic algorithms to find corresponding dominating sets satisfying the upper bounds (\[bound1\]), (\[bound2\]), (\[bound4\]) and (\[bound5\]). Algorithms approximating the $\alpha$- and $\alpha$-rate domination numbers up to a certain degree of precision would be interesting too. For the $k$-tuple domination number, an interesting approximation algorithm was found by Klasing and Laforest [@KL].
Using probabilistic methods, Alon [@alo2] proved that the bound (\[classical\]) is asymptotically best possible. More precisely, it was proved that when $n$ is large there exists a graph $G$ such that $${\gamma}(G) \ge {\ln(\delta+1)+1 \over \delta+1} n (1+o(1)).$$ We wonder if a similar result can be proved for the bounds (\[bound2\]) and (\[bound5\]), and conjecture that when $n$ is large enough there exist graphs $G$ and $H$ such that $${\gamma}_{\alpha}(G) \ge {\ln(\widehat{\delta}+1) + \ln {\widehat
d}_{\alpha} +1 \over \widehat{\delta}+1}n(1+o(1))$$ and $${\gamma}_{\times\alpha}(H) \ge {\ln(\widehat{\delta}+1) + \ln
{\widetilde d}_{\alpha} +1 \over \widehat{\delta}+1} n(1+o(1)).$$
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| |
TWIN EXPLOSION: The Current Debt System has Reached it’s Expiration Date (Part 2) - The dominance of Cartels and Banks in Europe
The budget deficits of European countries
have increased 8-fold in 2010, compared with 2007, reaching -581 Billion Euros,
from -60 Billion Euros previously. Of these, -360 Billion Euros are attributed to the five most dangerous «countries
of the South», which quadrupled their deficits in just three years.
According now to the prevailing view of Euro-zone governments, accountable for
these outcomes are solely the countries themselves, that were proven incapable
of managing their own financial problems – despite the fact that in many of
these countries, like for example Greece, the annual interest charges are now
approaching nearly 30% of government revenues.
Continuing, the Euro-zone private sector in
2000, the multinational companies in particular, had reached a combined funding
deficit of -202 Billion Euros. Ten years later, in 2010, the deficit had
converted into a surplus of 82 Billion Euros – of which, 55 Billion Euros of
surplus was attributable to German companies, which in 2000 had a deficit of
-129 Billion Euros. Across the European
Union as a whole now, the total deficit of businesses, around -346 Billion
Euros in 2000, converted into a 300 Billion Euros surplus(source:
Ringier AG, CH. Ringier is a major media company in Switzerland, Zurich
It publishes over 120 newspapers/magazines. It was founded in 1833).
In 2000 now, European (multinational) companies were financing their investments
in a natural way – partly from their equity capital, as well as from credit
obtained by banks. Today, these companies are practically receiving 300 Billion
Euros in excess of what they spend on their products, wages, taxes and
investments – since their balance sheets show a surplus of this amount
(«over-charging» their products obviously). At the same time, they sell goods
valued at 300 Billion Euros on credit.
Since these companies now have increased
their receivables (company demands), and at the same time reduced their
payable’s (debt), states or
households then have either increased their debt levels or decreased their
savings levels. In reality, household savings halved between 2000 and 2007
– from 170 Billion Euros to 84 Billion Euros.
Furthermore, since the beginning of the
crisis, the private financial sector surpluses increased by 500 Billion Euros in
the 27 member EU – with the corresponding deficits burdening the state coffers.
This of course is not surprising, since
governments, for the first time in history, took on the bad debts of banks
(indirectly reinforcing the profitable ones), while at the same time funding
efforts to reinvigorate the economy.
To conclude, this development did not work
equally in all countries, since in those that experienced an increase in wage
levels, along with an increase in productivity (Greece, Spain, etc.), effects
on corporate profits were very little. On
the contrary, in countries like Germany, where real wages dropped considerably,
company profits increased, and so did the external account balance surpluses.
At the same time, Germany increased its credit levels towards the importing
countries of the South running a deficit – a situation that will be proven
rather painful for the country’s economy in the future (bad debts).
INTERIM CONCLUSIONS
The global economy, despite the «treatment»
it was put through by Reagan-Thatcher, did not grow faster compared with the
previous period – meaning, it has not
benefited from the privatizations, the liberalization of markets and the
«opening» of closed professions.
And in stark contrast with the «new world
order» of the Anglo-Saxon School, some of the richest countries of the world,
Scandinavian, still maintain high tax rates and a large state – with public employees constituting up to
30% of the total work-force (about 12% in Greece). How do we justify this?
According to many, most people are not
working for the sole purpose of generating money – but out of interest for
their job, as well as for public «recognition», both of their personality and
the work-service they provide, by the social environment. These same people believe that the «key» towards acquiring true wealth
is access to a better education, social stability and the quality of
infrastructure – elements far more important than incentives, that stem
from the «hunt» for profit and from large income differences.
Also, quiet
often one hears that the major technological progress, as well as
globalization, are continuously generating inequalities. However, these
conclusions are not as obvious as we had assumed in the past – especially since
in countries with high technology and open borders, as for example in the «open
societies» of Sweden and Finland, inequalities are very limited.
The use of machines, as well as the free
exchange of goods and services without tariffs or other «state-imposed»
obstacles, certainly contribute to the elimination of job positions – creating
others though, in «new» areas. Of course the
government can rightfully engage in actions, that would help avoid income
inequalities – so that not only some citizens benefit from growth, but all
together (Table I):
TABLE I: The «distribution»
of income in selected European countries
Source: Eurostat
Table: V. Viliardos
Note 1: The development of
income disparities between the richest 20% and the poorest 20% of citizens
where, for example, the index 3.7 means that the income of the richest 20% of
the population of a country is 3.7 times higher than the income of the poorest
20% (on average).
Note 2: The index for China
was 8.34 in 2005 – 8.96 for Russia in 2007 and 8.42 for the U.S. in 2000 – in the EU-27, the average ratio was 10.13
in 2008, facts that highlight the huge imbalances between European countries(Source: F.E. Stiftung, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, a German political
foundation established in 1925).
Continuing, there are of course economists
who also argue that the high concentration of wealth in few, is disastrous for
the growth of an economy. The higher the
income levels, the more one saves and the less the demand for consumer goods.
According to Schopenhauer:
’’People who have not inherited a
fortune, but manage to earn money using their personal abilities and skills, almost always succumb to the illusion
that their talent is the capital stock and therefore the money they acquire
through it the interest – and so they don’t save part of the acquired wealth,
in order to generate a capital, but rather spend everything they earn. On the
contrary, anyone who has grown up in inherited wealth, has learned to separate
what is capital and what is the interest, safeguarding his property with his
own life – and therefore remains neat, careful and thrifty’’.
Furthermore, the U.S. tried to fight the
concentration of wealth in few (a phenomenon they themselves created, thus
reducing consumption levels because of the low salaries the majority of workers
earned), with the help of the «consumer» loans given mainly to lower income
classes (instead of taxing heritage and the rich). But as we all know, these efforts led to the enormous global crisis we
are experiencing today, which began with the purchase of property on credit,
aiming at reselling it at a profit, so that consumption would increase – until
real estate prices collapsed, making it impossible to pay-off the loans to
banks.
So one can only wonder today, whether the massive «attack» against the
welfare state was necessary from an economic standpoint – or whether a
simple correction of the 1970?s excesses would have been enough, excesses
largely caused by labor unions.
Either way, it has been historically
proven, that capitalism can survive both under a larger and a smaller state. The question or better stated the issue of
the ideal income distribution, is therefore essentially not relevant to the
economy, but to Politics – although today’s politicians do not seem to be
able to assume their responsibilities.
THE FINANCIAL MARKETS
After the prevalence of the «smaller
state», that we described earlier, the «invisible hand of the market» was
released from its «bonds» and began moving undisturbed/unobstructed, the same
way it did before the 1930s, in the financial market.
Shortly after, two devaluations of the
dollar followed, with the famous «oil shocks» of 1973 and 1979 – accompanied by
intense, devastating recessions. The
interest rate levels exceeded the growth mediums, while modern financial
products, namely derivatives of all kinds, but all the other «products» as well
(credit cards, consumer loans at loan shark rates above 20% etc.), led to the
«trend towards higher profit hunting», i.e. from the production of products to
speculation. Table II below is typical:
Table II: The development
of the U.S. public debt in Trillions of Dollars, Public debt as a percentage of
GDP, deficit/surplus in Trillions of Dollars
*U.S. government predictions.
Source: Spiegel, Germany
Table: V. Viliardos
Note: The household debt
of the country approaches 14 Trillion Dollars (100% of GDP), and has increased
20 times, compared with the 1970?s.
The industrial groups, which marked the
growth after the 1930?s, focusing on the production of real products, «mutated»
into financial «beasts». The banks, that
up till then were at the service of the real economy, transformed into «money
alchemists». Simply stated, the «miracle» of economic growth after 1980,
took place in the financial world – with increased lending, as well as with the
constant shrinking of «real world business», i.e. the businesses that produced
goods and services (a gap that China eventually filled – the country that is
currently being characterized as the production engine of the West).
The theoretical explanation of this
undoubted fact, according to which the «invisible hand of the market» generates
wealth in the real economy, but causes destruction in the financial (economy),
is rather obvious. For example, when
demand for a product increases, its price rises – as well as the profit motive
for the «manufacturer». What happens next, is that the entrepreneur
increases the quantity produced (or new businesses enter the market, because of
the positive profit outlook), the supply that is, and therefore the price
decreases – while the balance between demand and supply is restored.
But when demand increases in financial
markets (equities etc.), followed by higher prices, supply cannot be increased
– since the quantity of shares is usually limited (of course markets use
certain «tricks», such as «splitting», i.e. the production of two or more
shares from one initial – the company though remains the same). Also, when demand for shares increases,
brokers and financial advisers usually recommend a «buy» – so,
instead of an increase in supply (as would happen in real products), demand
increases even further, and with it, the prices once again.
These conditions result in twisted price
developments of stocks, raw materials, interest rates and currencies, developments that eventually lead (mid to
long-term) to upward or downward financial markets – in other words to
depressive price fluctuations, instead of normal and balanced ones.
The second reason Adams Smiths’ «invisible
hand» operates destructively in financial markets is, that in these markets no products are created nor any real value – but
there is simply a redistribution of business generated value, among
participants. In this
«game», those who have the most information available (Goldman Sachs, BIS,
Hedge Funds, etc.), let alone «internal/insider» information, always win, while
the rest usually loose – from amateur «investors» to large pension funds.
The financial markets make it possible to
effectively disperse risks, those they themselves generate. And with the
ever-faster speculation tools (online trading – casino) available, they
eventually manage to destabilize stock prices, commodity prices etc. –selling
at the same time new «investor insurance» products (CDS etc.), that are supposed to protect «investors»
from dangers they themselves cause, thus obtaining double profits. The
developments in Greece and Ireland (many others are to follow, like for example
Spain, Belgium, Britain, the U.S. etc.), are «exemplary»:
The markets, by «betting» on Greece’s
bankruptcy, caused an increase in the country’s borrowing rates (above 10%). In
this way, the chances of a bankruptcy magnified – so the «markets» now, not
only gain from higher interest rates, but also from products they sell (CDS,
etc.), to «protect» their clients from the risk they themselves create. At the
same time, they borrow money from the ECB at a rate of 1% – and use that money
to buy government bonds, with yields close to 10%. Now if they happen to lose
their money, then they simply ask for state assistance – i.e. financial aid
«billed» on taxpayers, the same people they just tried to rob.
Finally, the funds gathered from citizens
of indebted countries, i.e. from workers and businesses, with wage reductions, taxes and other sacrifices, eventually go,
through interest rates, to these financial beasts – and as a result, public
debts continue to grow.
In reality therefore, the problem are the
«loan shark» interest rates – as well as the willingness of «people in charge»,
to compensate the «markets» for dangers they themselves create, in order to
speculate. The political elite do not
seem to understand, that the «invisible hand of the market» generates
«falsified» prices in the financial system – since, in stark contrast to
the real economy, it is unable to work in balance, i.e. to obey the laws of
supply and demand.
This twisted functioning of the financial
markets further increases insecurity, to
the detriment of business initiatives – while all the turmoil and the
economic crises since 1970, are directly linked to the instability these
unregulated markets as well as the monopolistic, multinational
hyper-businesses, generate.
CONCLUSIONS
The only solution to the systemic crisis we
are experiencing today, as far as the «markets» are concerned, is the
regulation and limiting of the financial sector – in order to drive back the healthy tendency towards profit generation
in the real economy and businesses, that produce real products, vital for
both our survival and the betterment of our quality of life.
An even better solution would most
certainly be the nationalization of the markets – namely, the nationalization
of both large banks (first and foremost the Bank of International
Settlement/BIS, which is an international organization that serves as a bank
for central banks and is currently not accountable to any single national
government), as well as national stock exchanges. This would ensure the proper functioning of the financial system
(flow of funds to the real economy, rational consumption, realistic borrowing
etc.) and would radically confront the dependence of states on greedy,
dangerous and depressive markets.
As far as the multinational monopolistic
businesses are concerned (cartels), which are also responsible for the current
systemic crisis, since they drain off national economies, it is necessary to
set limits on their sizes – in
principle, with the proper operation of the commissions responsible for issues
relating to fair competition, which have rather weakened, if not distracted
completely from the original purpose of their establishment.
Moreover, governments should not privatize
in any way public utilities (electricity, water, telecommunications, etc.),
which ought to remain in their property – operating
of course with absolute transparency (Financial Statements posted online
etc.), so that they can be controlled by responsible citizens.
Closing, we must point out to workers, that
a smaller state (privatizations etc.), means limited social benefits, as well
as lower wages for them. On the
contrary, a bigger state, translates into higher wages and more social benefits
– up to the point, of course, when their demands would «threaten» to
overpass the capacity of businesses, opening the «Pandora Box» (as happened 40
years ago and we still continue paying our dues for it).
Therefore instead of wasting their energy
on criticizing the state deficiencies, essentially playing the game the
«markets» set for them (setting various social groups into opposing camps and
dominating, by means of «divide and conquer»), it is rather wiser to contribute
actively to the good functioning of the state – without excessive demands from
companies and states, but also without
allowing the extremely dangerous privatizations to take place/continue,
which would ultimately make them slaves of the financial markets and of
monopolies (or, perhaps, colonies of the planets strongest economies).
Either way, the exit from the current, national and global crisis, cannot come
from the economic elite, but from Politics – which must be restored to
power, assuming the responsibilities for its proper functioning: by requiring a
more direct and effective democracy, with the help of new institutions.
Vassilis Viliardos is an Economist and an Author of several books on the
Greek economic crisis. He has earned his Economics degree in ASOEE (Greek
University of Economics) and in Hamburg, Germany. He lives in Athens, Greece.
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Logic plays an important role in many disciplines, including Philosophy and Mathematics, but it is particularly central to Computer Science. This course emphasises the computational aspects of logic, including applications to databases, constraint solving, programming and automated verification, among many others. We also highlight algorithmic problems in logic, such as SAT-solving, model checking and automated theorem proving.
The course relates to a number of third-year and fourth-year options. Temporal logic is used extensively in Computer-Aided Formal Verification and Probabilistic Verification. Propositional and predicate logic are also central to Complexity Theory, Knowledge Representation and Reasoning and Theory of Data and Knowledge Bases.
Understand and be able to explain and illustrate the meaning of given logical formulas, to translate such formulas into English and vice-versa.
Be able to use the resolution proof system in proposiitonal logic and in predicate logic.
Be able to express and formalize in a logical language properties of models such as graphs, strings and transition systems, and be able to determine the truth or falsity of such formulas in a given model.
Syntax of propositional logic. Translating combinatorial problems to propositional logic. Truth tables.
Validity and satisfiability of formulas. Logical equivalence and algebraic reasoning.
Normal forms: CNF, DNF, Tseitin's encoding.
Polynomial-time algorithms for Horn formulas and 2-SAT.
Resolution: soundness and refutation completeness.
Examples: graphs, trees, strings, relational databases and number systems.
Formula evaluation on finite structures.
Prenex normal form and Skolemisation.
Herbrand models and ground resolution.
Unification and resolution for predicate logic.
Linear Temporal Logic (LTL) and example specifications.
Model checking LTL formulas by inspection.
Introduction to propositional logic. Syntax of propositional logic. Truth tables. Resolution. Davis-Putnam procedure. Notions of soundness and completeness.
Introduction to first-order logic. Syntax of first-order logic. Semantics of first-order logic: graphs, strings, databases and number systems as first-order structures.
Herbrand models and ground resolution. Unification and resolution for predicate logic.
Introduction to Linear Temporal Logic. Kripke structures and model checking.
Logic for Computer Scientists. Uwe Schoning. Modern Birkäuser Classics, Reprint of the 1989 edition.
Logic in computer science: modelling and reasoning about systems,2nd edition, by M. Huth and M. Ryan (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2004). | http://www.cs.ox.ac.uk/teaching/courses/2012-2013/logicandproof/ |
252 million years ago, massive volcanic eruptions sent a vast amount of lava flowing out onto the earth, and spewed huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the air, chemically altering the oceans in a series of events that would change life on earth forever.
It sounds like the dramatic plot of a science fiction thriller, but those are the findings of a new study published this week in Science that found that the largest extinction event on earth was caused by ocean acidification.
One of the lead authors, Matthew Clarkson, said in a press release, “Scientists have long suspected that an ocean acidification event occurred during the greatest mass extinction of all time, but direct evidence has been lacking until now. This is a worrying finding, considering that we can already see an increase in ocean acidity today that is the result of human carbon emissions.”
Clarkson and his colleagues looked at rocks in the United Arab Emirates that submerged in the oceans hundreds of millions of years ago. There, they found chemical evidence that the oceans went from alkaline to acidic relatively quickly in geologic terms–over the course of a few thousand years. There was so much CO2 ejected into the atmosphere in a second huge pulse of volcanic eruptions that the oceans quickly acidified, creating horribly inhospitable conditions for the marine life, destroying food chains and causing the collapse of most of the life in the ocean.
The aftermath of the eruptions killed off 90 percent of marine life and over 66 percent of terrestrial life over the course of 60,000 years. Life bounced back eventually, but the animals that emerged from the Great Dying were vastly different from the ones that came before. Among the winners? The ancestors of dinosaurs, whose descendants would be killed in another catastrophic disaster nearly 200 million years later.
Oceans today are rapidly acidifying due to increased CO2 emissions. Already scientists are finding that rising acidity levels in the oceans is affecting shellfish like lobsters, forcing fisheries around the country and world to plan for a future that hopefully won’t resemble the past. | https://www.popsci.com/ocean-acidification-caused-largest-mass-extinction-ever/ |
The UK's terror threat level has been reduced as fresh arrests and raids were carried out linked to the Manchester suicide bombing.
Troops will be gradually withdrawn from the streets from Monday onwards, having been drafted in to bolster police numbers, Prime Minister Theresa May said.
The de-escalation suggests confidence that a wave of counter-terror operations against attacker Salman Abedi's suspected network has stifled any imminent threats.
But Mark Rowley, the country's most senior counter-terror officer, said "more arrests and more searches" were likely as the huge investigation continues.
Monday night's massacre at the Manchester Arena left 22 dead, including seven children, and scores of others injured - the worst terrorist outrage to hit Britain since the July 7 attacks in 2005.
It led the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) to increase the terror threat level to "critical", the highest on the scale, meaning a further terror attack was considered "imminent".
It has now been reduced to "severe", meaning an attack is "highly likely".
Speaking after a meeting of the Government's Cobra emergency committee, Mrs May said the decision had been taken after "a significant amount of police activity" over the last 24 hours.
She said: "The public should be clear about what this means - a threat level of severe means an attack is highly likely. The country should remain vigilant."
The terror threat had been at critical for the first time in a decade.
Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Ian Hopkins hailed "significant progress" in the investigation, following revelations that "key players" allegedly connected to the attack had been arrested.
Currently 11 people remain in police custody after a raid on an address in the Cheetham Hill area of Manchester saw a 20-year-old and a 22-year-old detained on suspicion of terror offences.
It followed searches at a separate property in Cheetham Hill and an address in the Longsight area in south Manchester, while a road in Moss Side was evacuated by officers searching a home there.
Mrs May also said Operation Temperer, allowing the military to be deployed to protect key sites, will be rolled back after the bank holiday.
She said: "To provide maximum reassurance to the public Operation Temperer will continue to operate until the bank holiday concludes.
"Then, from midnight on Monday onwards, there will be a well-planned and gradual withdrawal of members of the armed forces, who will return to normal duties."
A huge bank holiday weekend security operation is under way as tens of thousands of people attend major spectacles including the FA Cup Final at Wembley and the Premiership Rugby Final at Twickenham.
Arrangements have been reviewed at more than 1,300 events, while the pool of armed officers available to be deployed around the country has been boosted by 1,100 after military personnel were drafted in to cover guard posts at key sites. | https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/somerset-news/terror-threat-level-reduced-more-78936 |
HSSMI worked with a UK commercial OEM, specialised in electric vehicle manufacture, that was looking to launch a new product. The manufacture of the new product, alongside existing ones, created more complex processes and logistical challenges in managing over 200 suppliers across the UK and Europe. As the OEM aims to transition towards net-zero for manufacturing and supply chain operations, it was imperative to solve these challenges by streamlining operations. Through collaborative analysis of relevant processes, HSSMI was able to design a bespoke and customisable digital solution - the Timeboard System.
In particular, this approach helped the OEM tackle challenges related to inbound process standardisation and control, visibility and traceability of stock, and delivery planning and scheduling.
THE CHALLENGE
The key challenges were:
THE APPROACH
HSSMI worked collaboratively with the OEM key stakeholders to analyse the challenges. This effort led to the development of a Timeboard System that provides a platform for tracking and improving efficiency in inbound logistics operations. The platform allows for collaboration amongst supply chain members with live data that allows real-time updates to be visualised so the supply chain can react to updated situations. The built-in intelligence helps to coordinate and streamline deliveries and reduce the costs incurred due to delays.
This tool is unique in that it is easily customisable and is deployed in modules to allow users to pick and choose different functionalities based on their distinctive requirements. As shown in the image below, the Timeboard system provides information on multiple points along the delivery schedule. The data nodes i.e. suppliers, truck locations and schedules, are integrated by the internal logic with customised views and dashboards presented by clear user interface. Additionally, the Timeboard is able to integrate with existing systems using Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) to capture updates.
The tool has three main functionalities that directly addressed the issues identified in the OEM’s supply chain and logistics operations.
The image below gives an overview of the delivery timeline for the Timeboard. Generally, the Timeboard System distinguishes itself from other off-the-shelf solutions in that the solution architecture is based on the customer’s processes. The key advantage here is that the solution is able to directly meet the unique needs of the customer rather than a one-size-fits-all approach which is often expensive to adapt to different customers.
Additionally, the simple and modular nature of the design makes it effective in using modern technology to tackle real problems by aligning application directly to processes. The delivery timeline has three gateway nodes G1, G2 and G3 to allow for a collaborative design approach.
THE RESULTS
The implementation of the Timeboard led to three significant improvements:
Although this project focused on the automotive industry, the Timeboard System can be used to manage logistics in any supply chain. Optimising logistics can enable companies to take vital steps in moving towards net-zero and negating their environmental impact.
HSSMI is currently refining the Timeboard System and looking to establish links with interested businesses and stakeholders that could benefit from it. Joint research and development projects could help improve the Timeboard System by extending its functionality and developing solutions for other supply chain systems.
DOWNLOAD THE CASE STUDY
Download the full case study here:
Contact us today for a short initial conversation on how HSSMI can help your organisation achieve its strategic goals. | https://www.hssmi.org/works/building-a-digital-platform-to-solve-inbound-logistics-challenges/ |
Feb. 24, 2014
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan head football coach Brady Hoke and the Wolverines coaching staff will host the annual Michigan Football Coaches Clinic Thursday through Saturday, March 27-29.
In addition to members of the Michigan coaching staff being available throughout the three days, featured speakers will include several of the top high school head football coaches across the country and Michigan football coordinators Doug Nussmeier and Greg Mattison, who will speak on Friday at 7:30 p.m. The evening will end with chalk talks in the Michigan Stadium suites with the coaching staff.
Meetings for film sessions and guest speakers are tentatively scheduled to be held in Crisler Center. The clinic also includes three days of Wolverine spring practices starting on Thursday, March 27. Practices will be held in either Glick Field House or Michigan Stadium and will be dictated by weather conditions.
In addition to featured speakers, there will be a strength and conditioning overview on Friday by assistant strength coach Lewis Caralla and breakout sessions with members of the Michigan Athletic Department. Also on Friday, members of the Michigan coaching staff will run on-field drill demonstrations following the conclusion of practice.
The clinic costs $60 per coach if registered before March 26 and $70 at the door. Registration and payments may be made online at www.MichiganCoachesClinic.com. A complete schedule with speakers is available on the site.
For more information on the clinic, call 734-763-4422 or email the football program at [email protected].
Contact: Justin Dickens (734) 763-4423
» Learn about season ticket opportunities for the 2017 Michigan football season. | http://www.mgoblue.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/022414aaa.html |
Professor Nathan Nelson of Tel Aviv University has discovered a crystal that could revolutionize solar energy in a common vegetable. In his search for “green” energy, Nelson discovered a complex membrane structure located in the pea plant that could teach humans how to produce energy with far greater efficiency.
The structure, called the Photosystem I (PSI) complex, is used by the plant to turn sunlight into fuel with a 100 percent yield. The complex's minute crystals could be used as microscopic batteries, Prof. Nelson suggests, or could form the core of solar cells.
"My research aims to come close to achieving the energy production that plants can obtain when converting sun to sugars in their green leaves,” he explains.
Current solar energy technology remains impractical in many climates, and is generally unable to meet energy demand. “If we could come even close to how plants are manufacturing their sugar energy, we'd have a breakthrough,” Nelson says.
Nelson's team has already met with some success in attempting to harness the power of the pea plant in the creation of electricity. By placing the plant's PSI crystals on a gold-plated surface, the scientists were able to generate 10 volts of power. This initial success will not solve the energy crisis, Nelson says, but could already be put to use in meeting small-scale solar power needs. | https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/136383 |
I just couldn't resist having just one more trip before the season ended and the lakes froze. So, on the third weekend of October, when everyone was glued to their television watching the special news reports about the calamities of Boston and Fort Erie shoveling their first major snow, I invited a neighbor to go on a post-fall canoe trip. I'll admit it was darn cold, and the sun only came out once or twice. In fact, it rained, and then snowed most of the time we were out. But we were out, and that in itself was worth numbing our fingers and toes.
The worst weather condition we had to deal with was the rain; a cold rain that tried desperately to soak ever piece of gear we had brought along. And then, once we stopped for the day, preparing a dry camp was the ultimate reward. Here are a few tips that kept us comfortable.
Waterproofing Gear I found the best way to keep everything dry, especially while out paddling and portaging, is to first store items in a number of waterproof bags. I don't mean garbage bags. Even if you're using heavy-duty plastic bags, they will eventually tear open. I'm talking about solid dry bags you buy from high quality outdoor stores, or, to save you money, heavy-duty plastic placed between two nylon sacks.
I start off by placing my waterproof liner inside my regular pack, with the liner over-sized for the pack to give plenty of length to roll up and secure at the top. Or better yet, I use a totally waterproof NRS Bill's Dry Bag. Then, in a number of separate color-coded stuff sacks I place my cloths, sleeping bag, first-aid kit/repair kit, and anything else that's important to keep dry.
My food is either stored in a regular barrel pack or one or two of those smaller olive barrels slipped inside a Duluth-style pack, The large blue barrel is my wife's favorite, as long as she has a top-of-the-line harness for it. The smaller olive barrels stuffed in a regular pack, with a sleeping pad placed between the barrels and your back, is a much cheaper way though. You can buy these barrels at some outdoor stores or find your own, free of charge. I visit any place that buys olives in bulk (ie. large-chain grocery stores, delicatessens, or restaurants) and either ask for them, or wait until garbage day and pick them out of their recycle bin. Make sure to stay away from mushroom barrels. They look similar but will leak if submerged.
Cameras have to be the worst to keep dry on a trip. I've tried everything over the years, from ammunition boxes to roll-tope rubber bags. I once even made my own out of a small plastic pail. Five years ago, however, I finally splurged and bought a Pelican Case. It's the best solution, not only for keeping your camera dry, but to keep it from getting knocked-about. I've had mine go down three major rapids and everything inside was still dry and intact. The medium-sized box was perfect for one camera body, three lenses, and six rolls of film. It also makes a perfect solo seat for my canoe.
Rain Tarp
My tent is only used for sleeping in, basically because it's smaller than a dog house. So when it rains out, I depend on a good tarp to shelter me. I started off with one of those big blue nylon-reinforced plastic tarps. It actually worked quite well, but was a real pain to carry. The material was extremely stiff and bulky. And the cheap corner grommets had a tenancy to snap in heavy winds. Eventually I upgraded to a light-weight, polyurethane coated, rip-stop polyester tarp (you can get them in the even lighter nylon material). I love it. As soon as it rains, I erect the 10' x 12' (2.9m x 3.9m) tarp, build a small fire under it, and sit, relax and cook up a pot of tea or hot soup. There's nothing like it.
There's no specific trick to putting up a tarp. It's just that some campsites have a better arrangement of trees than others. The perfect scenario is a tree for each of the four corners. More than likely, however, you'll have to unpack an extra length of rope and extend one or two corners to a nearby exposed root or alder bush.
The most common shape the tarp should be placed in is a "lean-to" style. This consists of having two ends placed up high, preferably attached to a rope strung between two trees, and the other two placed low to the ground, towards the prevailing winds. Make sure it's snug or the tarp will flop around in the wind and irritate you to no end throughout the night. I've attached small bungee cords on each corner grommet to help keep the ropes tight. A center pole also helps keep the tarp taunt. However, rather than searching all over for a tree limb to place in the center of the tarp, purchase a paddle strap. This neat device was designed by Thomas Benian of Outdoor Solutions and works by lashing two paddles tightly together to act as a solid center pole.
Bed Time Warming Techniques:
You will rarely have difficulty staying warm during the day on the trail, but the night air brings a bone-numbing chill. Here's a few ways to keep yourself more comfortable.
- Daylight is greatly shortened during the off season and it usually takes much longer to set up camp, so be prepared to end the day early.
- Avoid making camp on designated summer sites; with the heavy use they receive throughout the prime season, they are usually far too exposed and have limited wood for a fire. Choose a well-protected forested area, well away from the wind.
- Make sure to provide a lot of ventilation inside the tent. Condensation will quickly form from your breathing and cause the interior of the tent to become damp.
- The moment you finish setting up camp, change into extra dry pair of long underwear and socks (keep a spare set in the front pouch of your parka so they are nice and warm to put on) and wear a wool tongue to bed.
- Sleep on a thick foam pad or Therm-a-rest (not an air-mattress). Your body will definitely lose more heat to the cold ground than the air.
- Fluff your sleeping bag (a top-of-the line, high quality four-season design) before crawling in. The action creates more air space between the fibers or feathers.
- Use a liner to increase the efficiency of your sleeping bag. Or better yet, double up two sleeping bags and share your warmth with a partner.
- Munch on high calorie snacks just before bed time. The fuel your body has to burn off will help you stay warmer.
- If you find yourself shivering inside your sleeping bag, put on your rain gear to act as a vapor barrier and hold in your body heat.
- Keep an empty (well-labeled) water bottle inside the tent to pee in. A full bladder robs the body of more heat than an empty one; and besides, who wants to crawl out into the cold night air to relieve themselves at two in the morning.
Kevin Callan is the author of eight books including 'The Happy Camper: An Essential Guide to Life Outdoors'. He is a recipient of the National Magazine Award and a regularly featured speaker at North America's largest paddling events. | https://paddling.com/learn/cold-weather-paddling |
1. Introduction {#sec1}
===============
Pituitary tumour-associated haemorrhage was described for the first time by Bailey in 1898, but only in 1950 Brougham et al. introduced the term pituitary apoplexy describing a case series of five patients \[[@B1]\]. According to recent epidemiological studies, pituitary apoplexy has prevalence of about 6.2 cases per 100000 inhabitants \[[@B2]\] and its incidence is estimated as 0.17 episodes per 100000 per year \[[@B3]\].
In more than 80% of the patients, pituitary apoplexy is often the first presentation of an underlying pituitary tumour (especially nonfunctioning adenomas) \[[@B4], [@B5]\]. It is estimated that the incidence of intralesional bleeding in a pituitary adenoma is five times higher than that in other intracranial neoplasms \[[@B6]\]. However, apoplexy can also occur in nonadenomatous lesions, such as hypophysitis \[[@B7], [@B8]\], craniopharyngioma, Rathke\'s cleft cyst, sellar tuberculoma \[[@B9]\], and sellar metastasis \[[@B10]\], or even in normal pituitary gland, as a consequence of sever hypovolemic events during the delivery or the puerperium (Sheehan\'s Syndrome) \[[@B11], [@B12]\].
2. Pathophysiology {#sec2}
==================
The pathophysiology of pituitary apoplexy is not fully understood, but intrinsic features of pituitary tumour make it prone to bleed and undergo infarction ([Figure 1](#fig1){ref-type="fig"}). Indeed, pituitary adenomas have a high-energy requirement but a limited expression of angiogenic factors and a reduced vascular density and, therefore, a limited blood supply ([Figure 1](#fig1){ref-type="fig"}) \[[@B13]\]. As a consequence, any event that alters the balance between tumour perfusion and tumour metabolism may cause an acute ischemia or infarction ([Figure 1](#fig1){ref-type="fig"}). Moreover, an increased intratumoural and intrasellar pressure could concur to the reduction of tumour perfusion, further contributing to ischemia\'s pathomechanisms. Constitutional vascular fragility could also make pituitary tumours more susceptible to haemorrhage \[[@B14], [@B15]\].
In terms of triggering factors, the use of anticoagulants is reported in more than a quarter of patients \[[@B16]--[@B18]\]. New oral anticoagulants may also be involved \[[@B19], [@B20]\]. A precipitating role has been attributed also to the use of dopamine agonists (either at the beginning or after discontinuation of therapy) \[[@B21]--[@B28]\] and to oestrogen administration \[[@B29]\]. Angiographic and surgical procedures, especially cerebral angiography and cardiac or orthopaedic surgery, have been reported to be associated with pituitary apoplexy \[[@B30]--[@B35]\]. In other cases, it has been diagnosed within hours or days after traumatic brain injury \[[@B36]\] or pituitary radiosurgery \[[@B37]\]. Pituitary apoplexy has been also described in pituitary tumour patients undergoing hormone stimulation testing (with insulin, TRH, GnRH or GHRH and, more rarely, CRH), probably because of an imbalance between the test-induced metabolic demand and the blood supply modulation within the pituitary tumour \[[@B38]--[@B49]\].
Unlike previous studies, a recent publication suggests that diabetes and arterial hypertension do not predispose patients to pituitary apoplexy \[[@B16]\].
Finally, germline AIP gene mutations have been associated with apoplexy predisposition, probably because of the rapid growth of the pituitary tumour \[[@B50]\].
3. Clinical Features {#sec3}
====================
Pituitary apoplexy is more frequent in men and during the 5th and 6th decades of life \[[@B10], [@B51]\]. Moreover, it has been suggested that a large pituitary tumour size is associated with a significantly increased risk of apoplexy \[[@B16], [@B52]\].
Pituitary apoplexy is, by definition, symptomatic and its clinical presentation can be acute or slowly progressive (subacute), depending on bleeding extent, oedema extension, and necrotic evolution \[[@B53]\]. Patients with symptomatic apoplexy complain of sudden and intense headache, rapid and dramatic visual impairment, vomiting, and, in the most severe cases, altered state of consciousness \[[@B54]\]. Headache is mainly retroorbital or frontal, violent and lancinating, and resistant to analgesics and is generally unlike other headaches patients commonly experience \[[@B55]\]. On the other hand, subclinical intratumoural haemorrhage can be incidentally detected by routine neuroimaging in about 25% of patients with pituitary adenomas \[[@B6], [@B56]--[@B58]\]. This circumstance does not represent a clinical emergency and management will depend on tumour\'s hormonal activity and size.
The diagnosis of pituitary apoplexy can be challenging, especially if the underlying pituitary tumour is still undiagnosed, because the above-mentioned symptoms occur also in patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH), bacterial meningitis, or cerebral ischemia \[[@B59]\]. Therefore, the main issue in the management of pituitary apoplexy is the misdiagnosis at admission, which can result in an inappropriate therapeutic approach. Thus, a correct interpretation of patient\'s history and of brain imaging can contribute to making the right diagnosis.
At presentation, the majority of pituitary apoplexy patients (nearly 80% of them) show one or more anterior pituitary hormone deficiencies \[[@B51], [@B54], [@B55]\]. Central hypoadrenalism has been reported in more than 70% of the patients and can have acute critical clinical consequences \[[@B4], [@B51], [@B54]\]. Since headache, visual impairment, hypotension, nausea, and, sometimes, hemodynamic shock may require rapid administration of high doses of glucocorticoids, endocrine investigations, for example, the biochemical evaluation of adrenal function, should be carried out preliminarily. Hyponatremia has been reported in up to 40% of patients, although it has been shown to be less common in some series \[[@B4], [@B51], [@B59]--[@B61]\]. Hyponatremia can be due to either severe hypocortisolism or inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion caused by hypothalamus irritation \[[@B62]\].
Thyrotropin (TSH) and gonadotropins (LH and FSH) deficiencies are observed in around 50% and 75% of patients, respectively, but they generally become clinically relevant only after several months when directly caused by pituitary necrosis \[[@B4], [@B51], [@B54]\].
The pathogenesis of the apoplexy-related hormone deficiencies is relatively complex and often multifactorial. In some cases, the pituitary function was already compromised before the apoplectic event because of the presence of a pituitary tumour \[[@B51], [@B54]\]. In many other cases, the endocrine impairment is directly due to the sudden and massive necrosis of pituitary tissue. Indeed, pituitary apoplexy causes a dramatic increase in intrasellar pressure, compressing the portal circulation, the pituitary stalk, and the pituitary gland, resulting in further damage of normal residual tissue \[[@B9], [@B63]\].
As suggested by the study of Zayour et al., serum PRL levels could be an excellent marker, with inverse relationship, of apoplexy extension and a reliable prognostic predictor of pituitary functional recovery. Accordingly, patients with low serum PRL levels at presentation would have the highest intrasellar pressure and they would be the least likely to recover from existing hormonal deficiencies after decompressive surgery \[[@B63]\]. It is worth mentioning that pituitary apoplexy can occur also in hormonally active pituitary adenomas. In these cases, it is possible to have a transient or persistent clinical and biochemical resolution of signs and symptoms of hormone hypersecretion after pituitary apoplexy \[[@B55], [@B64]--[@B67]\].
Visual impairment and ocular motility abnormalities are frequent \[[@B6], [@B51], [@B53], [@B54], [@B68]\]. Variable degree of visual impairment may be observed in more than 80% of the patients, with hemianopsia reported as the most common finding. Visual acuity loss, even to complete blindness, can rarely occur within a few hours from headache onset. About half of the patients report diplopia, and some of them have ocular paresis due to functional impairment of the third, sixth, or, less frequently, fourth cranial nerve \[[@B11], [@B51], [@B54], [@B69a], [@B69b]\]. The third cranial nerve is the most frequently affected, resulting in ptosis, mydriasis, and limited eye movements in adduction \[[@B54], [@B70], [@B71]\]. Visual field evaluation, especially its on-going evolution, ideally performed by an ophthalmologist or neuroophthalmologist, is critical not only for the diagnosis but also for planning the therapeutic approach modalities and, to some extent, for predicting prognosis. Visual function evaluation should include the assessment of (i) visual acuity, (ii) visual field defects, preferably detected by computed perimetry or by dynamic nonautomated Goldmann field analysis, and (iii) ocular motility. According to UK guidelines \[[@B59]\], severely impaired visual acuity and severe and persistent visual field defects are generally an indication for surgery, whereas isolated ocular paresis is not. Patients with mild visual deficits at presentation should be monitored because they could rapidly evolve.
4. Radiological Findings {#sec4}
========================
Haemorrhage and/or necrosis within a pituitary tumour are frequently incidentally observed by Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) or Computed Tomography (CT). They are often asymptomatic, configuring the subclinical pituitary apoplexy, and occur in 14--22% of patients with a pituitary macroadenoma. On the contrary, massive haemorrhage is diagnosed in only 0.6--9.0% of cases and usually induces remarkable clinical consequences \[[@B72]--[@B74]\]. In patients with pituitary apoplexy, both CT and MRI show typical heterogeneous intrasellar and/or suprasellar lesions, with the coexistence of solid and haemorrhagic areas \[[@B77], [@B76]\]. CT is able to demonstrate alterations of pituitary parenchyma already during the acute phase of apoplexy, showing hyperdense intralesional areas due to recent bleeding. Later, during the subacute or chronic phase, hypodense areas can be visible due to progressive degradation of heme products, resembling other lesions with necrotic or cystic components. CT is also able to detect SAH or cerebral ischemia, which represent the most severe intracranial complications of pituitary apoplexy and have a critical role in the short-term management \[[@B77]\]. Nevertheless, first-line imaging technique for pituitary apoplexy diagnosis is MRI. After the first 12--48 hours from clinical presentation, MRI is more sensitive than CT for intralesional bleeding detection \[[@B77]\]. Precontrast T1-weighed scan can demonstrate intralesional areas of high intensity signal. This finding is due to the presence of methemoglobin resulting from subacute bleeding and it is generally arranged in the periphery of the lesion ([Figure 2](#fig2){ref-type="fig"}). On T2-weighted scans, the haemorrhagic areas frequently show low signal, whereas cystic areas are characterized by high signal intensity (Figures [3(a)](#fig3){ref-type="fig"} and [3(b)](#fig3){ref-type="fig"}). In both sequences, it is possible to find a fluid-fluid intralesional level ([Figure 3(c)](#fig3){ref-type="fig"}), in which the lower area corresponds to the red blood cells sediment, while the cranial one is constituted by free extracellular methemoglobin. After contrast injection, a peripheral "ring" enhancement is generally observed ([Figure 4](#fig4){ref-type="fig"}). MRI also shows cavernous sinus infiltration and optic chiasm compression \[[@B77]\]. Special techniques, such as T2^*∗*^-weighted Gradient Echo (GE) and Diffusion-Weighted Images (DWI), can usefully complete conventional MRI imaging \[[@B78]\]. T2^*∗*^-weighted GE MRI images are particularly useful in the identification of haemorrhagic focus in a pituitary macroadenoma, both in the acute phase and in the chronic phase. In these images, heme degradation products are markedly hypointense. In rare cases, these sequences show a leptomeningeal hemosiderosis, a real hemosiderinic tattoo, due to repeated bleeding of a pituitary tumour. On the other hand, DWI images allow early detection of necrotic areas, markedly hyperintense, in the tumour. In pituitary apoplexy patients, some authors reported the thickening of the sphenoid sinus mucosa ([Figure 3(b)](#fig3){ref-type="fig"}) \[[@B79]\]. It can occur during the acute phase of pituitary apoplexy and generally improves spontaneously. This thickening does not indicate infectious sinusitis and is not a contraindication to the surgical transsphenoidal route \[[@B80]\]. However, although neuroradiological evidence of pituitary bleeding strongly suggests a pituitary apoplexy, this is not pathognomonic. Indeed, other sellar lesions such as metastasis, craniopharyngioma, or hypophysitis can be associated with bleeding and, therefore, neuroradiological findings must always be correlated to clinical, anamnestic, and laboratory data.
A correct neuroradiological diagnosis can be difficult in patients with pituitary apoplexy and SAH. SAH can be caused by the apoplexy of the gland, but, considering the known association between pituitary adenoma and intracranial aneurysm \[[@B81]\], it is mandatory to exclude the presence of an intracranial aneurysm by a CT angiography or Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA) \[[@B82]\].
The rare association between a ruptured aneurysm with SAH and pituitary apoplexy \[[@B83]\] as well as the rupture of an aneurysm embedded within a pituitary adenoma with a clinical evidence of epistaxis has also been reported \[[@B84]\]. Suzuki et al. reported a case of pituitary apoplexy caused by an unsuspected aneurysm bleeding into a pituitary adenoma and in which catastrophic intraoperative haemorrhage occurred \[[@B85]\]. Chuang et al. described a case of a coincidental pituitary adenoma and a giant ruptured intracavernous internal carotid artery (ICA) aneurysm \[[@B86]\]. On the other hand, ICA aneurysms can extend into the sella, simulating pituitary adenomas. The differential diagnosis, also in these cases, requires a preoperative CT angiography or DSA and the identification of associated radiological signs such as the erosion of the adjacent bony wall around the cavernous sinus or the presence of lamellar/circumferential calcification within the wall of the aneurysm. Nevertheless, the thrombosis of an intracavernous ICA aneurysm is reported as a potential catastrophic trap for the surgeon \[[@B88]\]. According to literature data, a critical evaluation of neuroradiological features is crucial in order to avoid catastrophic surgical decompression. Therefore, the possibility of a vascular lesion simulating or associated with a pituitary adenoma should be always taken into consideration by surgeons approaching a sellar mass.
5. Therapeutic Strategies {#sec5}
=========================
The best approach to the patient with pituitary apoplexy is extremely controversial. Indeed, early surgery is considered necessary in patients with consciousness state deterioration or in case of severe visual loss for optic chiasm compression. Nevertheless, increasing evidences show that a more conservative management can ensure favourable neuroophthalmological and endocrinological outcomes, at least in patients with moderate or spontaneous remission of visual impairment \[[@B56], [@B88]--[@B92]\]. In these cases, hydrocortisone administration (100--200 mg in bolus) is indicated also when signs or symptoms of hypoadrenalism are absent. Hydrocortisone infusion should be continued for 48 hours, decreasing the doses gradually (2--4 mg/hour in continuous infusion i.v. or 50--100 mg every 6 hours i.m.), according to clinical course \[[@B59]\]. If nausea and/or vomiting are absent or disappear, steroid therapy can be also challenged orally after few days (hydrocortisone 10 mg, 1 tablet tid, or 25 mg cortisone acetate, 1 tablet bid). Dexamethasone administration (4 mg i.m., every 12 hours), associated with lower-dose hydrocortisone infusion, has been also proposed in presence of visual loss or ophthalmoplegia \[[@B59]\]. However, if the patient is haemodynamically stable, steroid treatment should start after sampling for routine chemistry and endocrine parameters determination, while in presence of hemodynamic instability the glucocorticoid therapy should be promptly started. If endocrine evaluation performed before treatment shows low FT4 levels, replacement with L-thyroxine is recommended. It is worth noting that L-thyroxine substitution can unmask subclinical hypoadrenalism and, for this reason, hydrocortisone treatment should be started previously or at the same time \[[@B93]--[@B95]\].
Regarding the surgical approach, some studies show that rapid decompression of optic pathway generally associates with favourable outcome in patients with visual impairment, especially if progressively worsening \[[@B96]\]. Surgical decompression normalizes visual acuity in about one-half of cases and improves it in 6--36% of cases \[[@B4], [@B97]\]. However, the impairment of the III, IV, or VI cranial nerve can be permanent and surgery could not induce a significant improvement of ocular motility. On the other hand, isolated ophthalmoplegia is not an indication for surgery \[[@B9]\]. External ventricular drainage should be performed if intracranial pressure increases leading to changes of consciousness state. If an urgent approach is not required, surgery may be postponed until hemodynamic stabilization has been reached \[[@B99]\]. In some cases, it can become unnecessary for the spontaneous shrinkage of the pituitary mass. Some authors suggested that an early surgical treatment, within 7-8 days from the onset of symptoms, is associated with a better neuroophthalmological and endocrinological outcome \[[@B11], [@B51], [@B90], [@B99], [@B100]\]
Recently, Rajasekaran et al. proposed a diagnostic and therapeutic algorithm aimed at identifying the best therapeutic approach \[[@B59]\]. Accordingly, we suggest that management of patients with pituitary apoplexy should be based on a multidisciplinary evaluation which involves endocrinologists, neuroradiologists, neurosurgeons, and neuroophthalmologists, referring the patient to surgery only if severe visual field defect or consciousness state impairment occurs ([Figure 5](#fig5){ref-type="fig"}). In addition, Rajasekaran et al. have also introduced a Pituitary Apoplexy Score (PAS), which should be calculated at patient\'s admission. It is based on three neuroophthalmic parameters (visual acuity: 0, 1, and 2; visual field defect: 0, 1, and 2; and ocular paresis: 0, 1, and 2) and on Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS: 0, 2, and 4). This scoring system ranges from 0 to 10, with a higher score indicating extensive neuroophthalmic impairment \[[@B59]\]. Bujawansa et al. retrospectively applied the PAS system to their patient cohort. In this study, PAS was calculated in 84% of 55 patients with pituitary apoplexy evaluated retrospectively. At admission, 87% of them complained of headache, 47% of diplopia, and 36% of visual field impairment. Surgical decompression was performed in 32 cases within 7 days after diagnosis, while a conservative strategy was adopted in the other patients. Overall, visual field and ocular paresis improved in 85% and in 91% of cases, respectively, but recovery of visual field and endocrine function was not significantly related to therapeutic strategy. Surgery was necessary in all patients with PAS ≥ 4 \[[@B101]\].
Finally, Jho et al. recently proposed the Pituitary Apoplexy Grading System: grade 1 patients are asymptomatic and pituitary apoplexy is detected incidentally ("subclinical" apoplexy); grade 2 patients present endocrine dysfunction; grade 3 patients complain of headache; and grade 4 patients show ocular paresis, while grade 5 subjects present acute visual deficits or altered mental status, precluding visual assessment. The authors suggested that endocrine dysfunction recovers more frequently in grades 1--3 patients, whereas early surgery is recommended in those with higher grading \[[@B102]\]. However, subclinical apoplexy could have been underestimated in this study since it was based on a retrospective surgical series.
6. Prognosis {#sec6}
============
Endocrine and neuroophthalmological prognosis of pituitary apoplexy inevitably depends on the appropriateness of the management during the acute and subacute phase of the disease. Indeed, patients with severe neurological or ophthalmological impairment can remarkably improve if correctly approached, while the outcome of those with mild sings/symptoms can be worse if the diagnosis is delayed or they are incongruously treated.
The middle- and long-term outcome of patients with pituitary apoplexy is strictly related to (i) the pathomechanisms of pituitary damage, (ii) the involvement of optic tract and oculomotor nerves, and (iii) the occurrence of SAH \[[@B103]\]. At the same time, in our opinion, a multidisciplinary management as well as a skilled and dedicated surgical team could affect the outcome of pituitary apoplexy. Some evidences suggest that an early surgical approach would increase the chances of visual impairment recovery \[[@B11], [@B53], [@B82], [@B104]\]. Turgut et al., by reviewing the literature of pituitary apoplexy patients presenting with monocular or binocular blindness, concluded that delayed surgery could have a negative impact on visual recovery \[[@B82]\]. On the contrary, the resolution of ocular paresis is not related to the surgical timing \[[@B11], [@B72], [@B93]\]. However, there are controversial data on the influence of different treatment modalities, conservative or surgical, on visual outcomes. Indeed, spontaneous visual improvement has also been described \[[@B64], [@B82], [@B91], [@B105]\].
SAH following pituitary apoplexy is due to the bleeding into the suprasellar cistern. It is a rare event, which, however, increases the risk of brain stroke due to secondary vasospasm \[[@B36], [@B106]\]. This complication is mainly responsible for neurological consequences and consciousness impairment.
Regarding endocrine deficiencies, signs and symptoms of hypocortisolism are generally observed in the early stage after apoplexy onset, while hypothyroidism, hypogonadism, or growth hormone deficiency is extremely frequent and may occur progressively during weeks, months, or years. Accordingly, a periodic reevaluation of anterior pituitary function is recommended \[[@B37]\]. On the contrary, diabetes insipidus is extremely rare, being present in less than 5% of patients \[[@B107]\]. The impairment of the pituitary function can be due to the haemorrhagic destruction of the gland or due to the compression of residual normal tissue. In the former condition, hypopituitarism is frequently permanent, while in the latter one recovery of endocrine function can be obtained by debulking of the pituitary mass \[[@B63], [@B108]\]. However, in terms of endocrine outcome, some studies showed that pituitary hormones deficiencies consequent to pituitary apoplexy infrequently recover and the persistence of hypopituitarism seems to be not related to management modalities \[[@B4], [@B97], [@B101], [@B103], [@B109]\].
Finally, Pal et al. reported that residual pituitary tumour regrowth occurs in 21.4% of patients within 5 years after apoplexy; therefore a periodic radiological evaluation of pituitary gland is recommended \[[@B110]\]. This risk appears to be comparable in secreting and nonsecreting tumours and is lower in patients treated with radiotherapy \[[@B110]\]. Recurrent pituitary apoplexy is a rare event, although few cases have been reported \[[@B111]\]. It appears to be more common in patients managed conservatively than in those surgically treated \[[@B52]\].
7. Conclusions {#sec7}
==============
Pituitary apoplexy is a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge, even because largely adopted specific guidelines are lacking. In many cases, it is a serious medical emergency that requires a multidisciplinary approach, which involves endocrinologists, neuroradiologists, neurosurgeons, and neuroophthalmologists. The outcome is difficult to predict and highly variable \[[@B51], [@B112], [@B113]\]. The optimal time of surgery and its impact on visual impairment are still matter of debate. Surgical decompression may be necessary when the visual deficits are rapidly progressive and high-dose corticosteroid therapy or CSF shunt placement is ineffective. Surgery is indicated within 7-8 days after diagnosis when the visual field defects do not improve or worsen or even later if ophthalmoplegia persists. Pharmacological treatment with high-dose steroids is the approach of choice when symptoms are mild. Finally, long-term hormone replacement treatment can be necessary if hypopituitarism occurs, but pituitary function should be reassessed over the medium term and long term, because resolution of existing deficiencies or development of new ones has been reported \[[@B114]\].
Competing Interests
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The authors declare that there are no competing interests regarding the publication of this paper.
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[^1]: Academic Editor: Sabrina Corbetta
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Wellman 40th Anniversary Celebration
An enthusiastic and joyful crowd celebrated the Wellman Center's 40th anniversary on October 30. Much of the day was spent catching up with old friends and colleagues, sharing stories amongst all Wellmanites and hearing about recent research.
The morning program began with John Parrish's recounting of Wellman history, all the way from its fascinating beginnings. He then outlined factors underlying the success of Wellman researchers to improve healthcare, focusing especially on multidisciplinary high synergy collaborations. Rox Anderson presented John with a significant token of appreciation, namely, the diffraction grating John used in 1981 to establish the UV action spectrum for treatment of psoriasis, a treatment still routinely used. Rox described the many research areas of Wellman researchers today and nominated some ideas for future research areas. Next, Reginald Birngruber, a former Wellman faculty member, extended John's theme of the importance of multidisciplinary collaborations for translational research by detailing the development of the photodynamic therapy treatment for the wet form of age-related macular degeneration.
After a short, conversation-intense break, Howie Schlossberg from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research described the support received by Wellman from the Department of Defense and the unique enabling effect this support had research (with several humorous asides.) Tom Flotte, previously a faculty member and first leader of the Photopathology group, rapidly traced the history of surgical pathology, noted a significant contribution by Rob Webb, and provided a vision for its future.
The morning program concluded with birthday wishes to Wellman from Hensin Tsao and Seok-Hyun (Andy) Yun. They acknowledged many of the achievements of Wellman researchers as "wishes that have come true" and concluded with an imaginative wish list of future light-based diagnostics and therapeutics, e.g., selective "genolysis" and photopsychotherapy.
After lunch, stimulating research talks were presented by former Wellman trainees who now have highly productive research groups at other universities (Daniel Côté, Irene Georgakoudi, Aydogan Ozcan, Brian Pogue), or have remained at Wellman as successful independent investigators (Conor Evans, Seemantini Nadkarni) or are established investigators in the Wellman Center (Tayyaba Hasan, Gary Tearney). Each included anecdotes and thoughts about their experiences in Wellman as well as describing their current research.
The early evening reception resounded with conversations and laughter from the over 300 attendees. By the end of the day it was apparent that working at Wellman was, and still is, a meaningful time in everyone's life. The Wellmanites and their guests then dispersed to spend the rest of the evening with friends.
The Program, Handouts (coming soon), and Celebration Booklet are available by clicking on these titles.
Help find missing Wellmanites!
A great effort was made to invite all current Wellmanites and everyone who has worked in Wellman to the celebration, but many email addresses were missing or no longer accurate. You can help by looking through this list and sending any contact information about the "missing Wellmanites" to .
Photos and comments
Photos taken by many attendees are posted below. If you would like to share your photos from the 40th celebration, please send them to .
Wellman Stories
Did you enjoy reading the Wellman stories in the 40th celebration booklet? Many, many memories and stories were exchanged during the celebration. Your stories will be appreciated and enjoyed by everyone when you send them to for posting on this site. | http://wellman.massgeneral.org/news-ForWellmanites.htm |
Generally Asked Questions and Answers
Questions: What is the ID-Mild program?
Answer: In response to the question “What is the ID-Mild program?”, ID-Mild is the abbreviation for Intellectually Disabled, Mild. By definition, Intellectually Disabled refers to students who have a significantly sub average general cognitive functioning and a reduced rate of learning. This condition exists concurrently with deficits in adaptive behavior, is manifested during the developmental period, and adversely affects the student’s educational performance.
That basically means a student who has been identified as ID-Mild has developed at a below average rate and experiences difficulty in learning and social adjustment. Intellectually disabled does not mean they have a disease or have a mental illness. It means they learn at a slower rate and with difficulty.
The ID-Mild program would be classes that are specifically set up to serve students with this type of disability.
Question: As a parent, who do I voice my concerns to about the Special Education program?
Answer: You may request, through the Case Teacher at that school, for an IEP Team meeting to be scheduled. Any concerns about the Special Education program at the school can be addressed at that meeting.
Question: What if the school is not meeting the needs of the child or the family?
Answer: If you feel your child’s needs are not being met you can request an IEP Team meeting through the Case Teacher at the school. The IEP Team, of which you are a part, should discuss your child’s needs and determine if the IEP needs to be modified. You should receive a Handbook of Parent Rights at the meeting. If you do not, you should ask for one. The Handbook of Parent Rights explains your Due Process rights as a parent to request mediation if you can not reach resolution.
Question: What role does the school play in meeting the needs of the child?
Answer: When students are experiencing academic and/or behavioral difficulties it may be necessary for the student to be referred to the student Services team at the school. The Student Services Team is responsibility for reviewing concerns, conducting any necessary screenings (e.g. vision and hearing) and developing interventions to address student needs. The Student Services Team may refer the student to the IEP Team when interventions prove unsuccessful. It is the responsibility of the IEP Team to determine the appropriateness of referrals, evaluations, eligibility, and placement for students with disabilities. Placement would include the development of and Individual Education Program based upon the individual needs of the student.......................................................................................................................................... | http://ec.ccs.k12.nc.us/frequently-asked-questions/faqs-general/ |
Horizontal integration occurs when there is a merger between two firms in the same industry operating at the same stage of production.
For example, if two newspapers like the Independent and the Guardian merged, this would be a horizontal integration.
Horizontal integration is different to vertical integration which occurs when firms at different stages of production merge. For example, if the Guardian merged a firm producing paper, this would be a type of vertical integration.
In industries with high fixed costs, horizontal integration enables firms to benefit from greater economies of scale. With higher output, the firm can benefit from greater efficiency, lower costs and lower prices for consumers.
As well as share fixed costs, the firm may benefit from marketing economies of scale and access to a more efficient distribution network.
More profit and resources to invest in research and development. This is important for industries like the drug industry and commercial aeroplanes.
Horizontal integration could lead to an increase in market share and monopoly power. (If the firm has more than 25% of Market share). This could lead to all the problems of monopoly power.
It could also lead to diseconomies of scale – when bigger firms become more inefficient. | https://www.economicshelp.org/blog/glossary/horizontal-integration/ |
BACKGROUND
SUMMARY
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Displaying interrelated changes in a grid is a process for identifying changes that arise in a document having a grid due to a change to a particular cell by a user. In some situations, when creating or maintaining a grid, the user may allow a cell in a grid to use information from other cells (interrelation). For example, when using a grid to create or maintain scheduling information, a user may have to change certain dates due to unforeseen circumstances, i.e., a delay in receiving materials. Such changes may effect other deadlines which rely on the established due date for receiving the materials. Accordingly, if a week delay in receiving materials occurs, other deadlines which rely on the receipt of materials may also be delayed by a week. However, the changes to interrelated cells resulting from the delay may not be readily apparent to the user. An inability to detect such changes may prevent the user from recognizing how other dates are affected by the change and may delay or prevent the user from addressing matters caused by the change in a timely manner. It is with respect to these and other considerations that the present invention has been made.
Displaying interrelated changes in a grid may be provided. This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter. Nor is this Summary intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.
In accordance with one embodiment, a method is provided for displaying interrelated changes in a scheduling document by monitoring a scheduling document used to create a schedule. The method also determines if any changes are made to any data elements (cells) within the scheduling document. If a change to a scheduling event (i.e., an altered cell) in the scheduling document occurs, the method determines whether other scheduling events in the scheduling document have changed by determining if other cells (transitive cells) in the grid have changed due to their reliance on data within the altered cell. Once the transitive cells have been determined, the method highlights the appearance of the altered cell and the transitive cells to alert the user to changed data. The scheduling document is then displayed to a user including the highlighted cells.
According to another embodiment, a system is provided for displaying interrelated changes in a grid including memory storage, a display device for viewing the grid, and a processing unit coupled to the memory storage for user controlled monitoring of a document having a grid. The system also determines if any changes are made to any data elements within the grid. If a change to a data element occurs, the system determines if transitive data elements in the grid have changed due to their reliance on data within the altered data element. Once the transitive data elements have been determined, the system modifies the appearance of the altered data element and the transitive data elements to bring attention to these data elements. The grid is then displayed to a user including the modified data elements using the display device.
In accordance with yet another embodiment, a computer-readable medium is provided which stores a set of instructions which when executed performs a method for displaying interrelated changes in a grid by monitoring a document having a grid. The computer-readable medium also determines if any changes are made to any data elements within the grid. If a change to a data element occurs, the computer-readable medium determines if transitive data elements in the grid have changed due to their reliance on data within the altered data element. Once the transitive data elements have been determined, the computer-readable medium modifies the appearance of the altered data element and the transitive data elements to alert the user to changed data. The grid is then displayed to a user including the modified data elements.
Both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description provide examples and are explanatory only. Accordingly, the foregoing general description and the following detailed description should not be considered to be restrictive. Further, features or variations may be provided in addition to those set forth herein. For example, embodiments may be directed to various feature combinations and sub-combinations described in the detailed description.
The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the following description to refer to the same or similar elements. While embodiments of the invention may be described, modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possible. For example, substitutions, additions, or modifications may be made to the elements illustrated in the drawings, and the methods described herein may be modified by substituting, reordering, or adding stages to the disclosed methods. Accordingly, the following detailed description does not limit the invention. Instead, the proper scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims.
Displaying interrelated changes in a grid may be provided. Consistent with embodiments of the present invention, a method and system for identifying and displaying data in a grid as a result of a direct change to a grid cell by a user or an indirect change to a grid cell sharing data with a grid cell that has changed is disclosed. Often when creating or editing a document having a grid, for example, a scheduling document created using software (EXCEL®, PROJECT™, etc.), a user will cause a particular grid cell to use data from another grid cell (interrelation). Accordingly, if the user changes data in a first grid cell that is used by a second grid cell, the data in the second grid cell also changes. However, the user may not realize that a change to the second grid cell has occurred because, for example, the size of the grid, or the location of the first grid cell in relation to the second grid cell. If the user does not realize that a change to a grid cell has occurred due to a change elsewhere, the user may not make adjustments to other scheduling activities to compensate for the change. Accordingly, an embodiment of the invention may provide the user with a visual indicator to bring attention to any grid cell that change due to a change caused by the user.
An embodiment consistent with the invention may include a system for displaying interrelated changes in a grid. The system may comprise a memory storage and a processing unit coupled to the memory storage. The processing unit may be operative to monitor a document having a grid that can be controlled by a user using a toggle button and determine if a first grid cell has changed. If a change to the first grid cell occurs, the processing unit is operative to change viewing characteristics of the first grid cell to a change state, i.e., highlight, bold, etc., and determine if the change to the first grid cell changes a second grid cell. If the change to the first grid cell changes a second grid cell, the processing unit is operative to change viewing characteristics of the second grid cell to the change state. The system may use a display device to display the document to the user.
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Referring to , a networked system is illustrated where example embodiments may be implemented. The networked system may include a server , a server which manages a database , a document which may be created, edited and displayed using a desktop computer , and a laptop computer that may be used to create, edit and display document . Various data types may be created and/or processed using the document or the document having a spreadsheet or any other type of grid (document). Examples of different data types may include scheduling information and mathematical calculations. Accordingly, a user may create, modify, and utilize the document to perform a variety of tasks.
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The networked environment may transmit and receive data to and from other computing devices such as the server , the desktop computer , and the laptop computer . Exchanged data may include any of the types described above or the like. Furthermore, networked environment may transmit or receive data to a storage system , which is managed by server . Other computing devices may participate in this networked system as well, and a computing device such as the desktop computer may also be used as a standalone device.
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Computing devices connected to the networked environment may communicate over network(s) . Network(s) may include one or more networks. The network(s) may include a secure network such as an enterprise network, or an unsecure network such as a wireless open network. By way of example, and not limitation, the network(s) may include wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media.
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is a block diagram of a system including a computing device , which may be used in conjunction with server , server , desktop computer , and laptop computer . Consistent with an embodiment of the invention, any suitable combination of hardware, software, or firmware may be used to implement a memory storage and processing unit. For example, the memory storage and processing unit may be implemented with computing device or any of the other computing devices in combination with computing device . The aforementioned system, device, and processors are examples and other systems, devices, and processors may comprise the aforementioned memory storage and processing unit, consistent with embodiments of the invention. Furthermore, the computing device may comprise an operating environment for an associated system. The system may operate in other environments and is not limited to computing device .
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With reference to , a system consistent with an embodiment of the invention may include a computing device, such as computing device . In a basic configuration, computing device may include at least one processing unit and a system memory . Depending on the configuration and type of computing device, system memory may comprise, but is not limited to, volatile (e.g. random access memory (RAM)), non-volatile (e.g. read-only memory (ROM)), flash memory, or any combination. System memory may include operating system , one or more programming modules , and may include a program data . Operating system , for example, may be suitable for controlling computing device 's operation. In one embodiment, programming modules may include a document creation application for creating and editing a document. Programming modules may include a change display application for visually changing a grid cell view when data within the grid cell changes through direct or indirect alteration by a user. Furthermore, embodiments of the invention may be practiced in conjunction with a graphics library, other operating systems, or any other application program and is not limited to any particular application or system. This basic configuration is illustrated in by those components within a dashed line .
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Computing device may have additional features or functionality. For example, computing device may also include additional data storage devices (removable and/or non-removable) such as, for example, magnetic disks, optical disks, or tape. Such additional storage is illustrated in by a removable storage and a non-removable storage . Computer storage media may include volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information, such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. System memory , removable storage , and non-removable storage are all computer storage media examples (i.e. memory storage.) Computer storage media may include, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, electrically erasable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store information and which can be accessed by computing device . Any such computer storage media may be part of device . Computing device may also employ input device(s) such as a keyboard, a mouse, a pen, a sound input device, a touch input device, etc. Output device(s) such as a display, speakers, a printer, etc. may also be included. The aforementioned devices are examples and others may be used.
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Computing device may also contain a communication connection that may allow device to communicate with other computing devices, such as over network in a distributed computing environment, for example, an intranet or the Internet. Communication connection is one example of communication media. Communication media may typically be embodied by computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal, such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, and includes any information delivery media. The term “modulated data signal” may describe a signal that has one or more characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media may include wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, radio frequency (RF), infrared, and other wireless media. The term computer readable media as used herein may include both storage media and communication media.
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As stated above, a number of program modules and data files may be stored in system memory , including operating system . While executing on processing unit , programming modules may perform processes including, for example, one or more method 's stages as described below. The aforementioned process is an example, and processing unit may perform other processes. Other programming modules that may be used in accordance with embodiments of the present invention may include electronic mail and contacts applications, word processing applications, spreadsheet applications, database applications, slide presentation applications, drawing or computer-aided application programs, etc.
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is a flow chart setting forth the general stages involved in a method consistent with an embodiment of the invention for displaying interrelated changes in a grid using computing device of . Ways to implement the stages of method will be described in greater detail below. Method may begin at starting block and proceed to stage where computing device may be utilized by a user to create a document, for example, a schedule. Accordingly, computing device may be used to schedule tasks and other activities. Once the user creates the document, the method proceeds to stage where computing device monitors the document for changes to the document. Next, at stage , the computing device may allow the user to enter data into the document, i.e., additions, deletions, and edits.
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Next, at stage , the computing device may determine if any changes to the document have been entered by the user. For example, the user may edit the document by allowing a one week slip in completing a task due to a one week delay in receiving materials to complete the task. If the computing device determines that no changes has occurred to the document due to the week delay, the method returns to stage . If the computing device determines that a change has occurred to the document due to the week delay, the method proceeds to stage where the computing device modifies the appearance of the changed data, for example, highlighting, bold, underline, text color, to alert the user to the change. Such a modification by the computing device may override any formatting of the data previously instituted by the user. Subsequently, at stage , the computing device may determine whether the data change that occurred at stage affects other data in the document due to data interrelation. If the computing device determines that the changed data is interrelated to other data in the document, at stage , the computing device modifies the appearance of the interrelated data as described above. If the computing device determines that the changed data is not interrelated to other data in the document, the method returns to stage .
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Subsequently, at stage , the computing device may display the document to the user including any data having a modified appearance. Accordingly, when the user makes changes directly to the document, the user may readily perceive the direct change made to the document, but may also perceive indirect changes that occur in the document due to data being interrelated to the data directly changed.
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Method may be used during successive changes to the document by the user. If a subsequent application of method does not change data in grid cells that may have been modified during a previous implementation of method , the method returns the previously modified grid cells to a normal state for display to the user. If the subsequent application of method does change data in grid cells that may have been modified during a previous implementation of method , the method maintains the modified state of the grid cells for display to the user.
FIG. 4
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illustrates an exemplary user interface for the computing device , according to one embodiment. Grid may display grid cells having data used to create a schedule. A user may be required to change the finish date for a task in grid cell (t finish date), for example, t, for a variety of reasons. For example, the finish date for task may be changed to Aug. 27, 2004 by the user, changing the duration of task to 5 days because the allotted 6 day duration would cause the finish date for task to fall on a Saturday. To indicate to the user that a change has occurred in t finish date and t duration , the computing device may modify the cell appearance of one or more changed grid cells by, for example, highlighting the grid cells, t finish date and t duration . Accordingly, upon cursory inspection of the document, the user is aware that data in finish date and duration has changed. In addition, because task t is dependent upon the t finish date of task t, which has changed, both t start date and t finish date for task t will change accordingly. Thus, in order indicate to the user that a change has occurred in the t start date and the t finish date , the computing device may modify the cell appearance of one or more changed grid cells by, for example, highlighting the t start date and the t finish date .
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The user interface may allow the user to control whether the computing device changes the cell appearance of grid cells having data that has changed using a toggle switch or the like in a toolbar, by navigating through a series of menu options , or through a registry file (not shown). In addition, the user may specify grid cells whose cell appearance should not be altered even though data has changed within the grid cells. Using the user interface , the user may also set change display levels, i.e., how many levels of indirect change from a direct change may be modified by the computing device . For example, if the change display level is set to 4, for grid , any interrelated data associated with task through task would receive grid cell modification when the t finish date of task changes although the change to task may affect additional tasks.
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If upon review, data that is changed is not acceptable to the user, the user may undo the change to restore the grid to a previous state using the user interface . For example, if the previous state showed t finish date and t start date having a modified appearance, the computing device may display the t finish date and the t start date at a state earlier than the undo operation. The computing device may permit the user to perform multiple undo operations.
Consistent with embodiments of the present invention, interrelated changes in a grid are displayed to a user. Accordingly, the user will be notified that changes to data within a document have occurred by modifying the appearance of the data or the appearance of a location housing the data. While embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated using a grid, other documents, for example, charts, diagrams, timelines or the like may also be used.
Generally, consistent with embodiments of the invention, program modules may include routines, programs, components, data structures, and other types of structures that may perform particular tasks or that may implement particular abstract data types. Moreover, embodiments of the invention may be practiced with other computer system configurations, including hand-held devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. Embodiments of the invention may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.
Furthermore, embodiments of the invention may be practiced in an electrical circuit comprising discrete electronic elements, packaged or integrated electronic chips containing logic gates, a circuit utilizing a microprocessor, or on a single chip containing electronic elements or microprocessors. Embodiments of the invention may also be practiced using other technologies capable of performing logical operations such as, for example, AND, OR, and NOT, including but not limited to mechanical, optical, fluidic, and quantum technologies. In addition, embodiments of the invention may be practiced within a general purpose computer or in any other circuits or systems.
Embodiments of the invention, for example, may be implemented as a computer process (method), a computing system, or as an article of manufacture, such as a computer program product or computer readable media. The computer program product may be a computer storage media readable by a computer system and encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process. The computer program product may also be a propagated signal on a carrier readable by a computing system and encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process. Accordingly, the present invention may be embodied in hardware and/or in software (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.). In other words, embodiments of the present invention may take the form of a computer program product on a computer-usable or computer-readable storage medium having computer-usable or computer-readable program code embodied in the medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system. A computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be any medium that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.
The computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be, for example but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device, or propagation medium. More specific computer-readable medium examples (a non-exhaustive list), the computer-readable medium may include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, and a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM). Note that the computer-usable or computer-readable medium could even be paper or another suitable medium upon which the program is printed, as the program can be electronically captured, via, for instance, optical scanning of the paper or other medium, then compiled, interpreted, or otherwise processed in a suitable manner, if necessary, and then stored in a computer memory.
Embodiments of the present invention, for example, are described above with reference to block diagrams and/or operational illustrations of methods, systems, and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. The functions/acts noted in the blocks may occur out of the order as show in any flowchart. For example, two blocks shown in succession may in fact be executed substantially concurrently or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts involved.
While certain embodiments of the invention have been described, other embodiments may exist. Furthermore, although embodiments of the present invention have been described as being associated with data stored in memory and other storage mediums, data can also be stored on or read from other types of computer-readable media, such as secondary storage devices, like hard disks, floppy disks, or a CD-ROM, a carrier wave from the Internet, or other forms of RAM or ROM. Further, the disclosed methods' stages may be modified in any manner, including by reordering stages and/or inserting or deleting stages, without departing from the invention.
While the specification includes examples, the invention's scope is indicated by the following claims. Furthermore, while the specification has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, the claims are not limited to the features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example for embodiments of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate various embodiments of the present invention. In the drawings:
FIG. 1
illustrates a networked operating environment where embodiments may be practiced;
FIG. 2
FIG. 1
is a block diagram of a system including a computing device for use in the networked operating environment of ;
FIG. 3
is a flow chart of a method for displaying interrelated changes in a grid; and
FIG. 4
FIG. 2
is an exemplary screen shot illustrating a user interface for use with the computing device of . | |
After composer Edison Vasilievich Denisov (1929–1996) finished his graduate work at the Moscow Conservatoire, he launched into an independent examination of composers whose music had been banned by the Soviet authorities during his conservatory years (1951–1959). It was during this time in his compositional development that he composed his Sonata for Flute and Piano (1960). The first section of this document provides a biographical summary of Edison Denisov and the circumstances surrounding the composition of the flute sonata. The second section is devoted to formal, harmonic, and stylistic analysis of the sonata. The final section of the document provides a guide for performing and teaching the piece, and includes information for available audio recordings.
Waite, Esther June, "Background, analysis, and performance guide for Edison Denisov's Sonata for flute and piano" (2013). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 4019. | https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/4019/ |
Earlier this summer, Lightbend CTO & Co-founder (and creator of Akka) Jonas Bonér and Enterprise Advocate Kevin Webber were seeing their vacation time more as a far-off dream than a plausible reality.
Jonas had just published the free O'Reilly book titled Reactive Microservices Architecture–called "the best single source of the key ideas needed to design modern Reactive systems" by John Nestor–and we wanted to make it even easier to get the principles of microservices architectures into the hands of Enterprise Architects, CTOs, App Dev Managers and other decision makers. With the story of going Reactive with microservices in place, Jonas and Kevin set to work breaking down this concise, valuable book into a three-part series.
This post consolidates all three webinar presentations in a single place, so get some popcorn out and enjoy the show(s)!
Part 1 - Microservices, Monoliths, SOA and How We Got Here
As microservices-based architectures continue to rise against traditional monolithic systems, it's useful to take a look back to the past to understand how we got to where we are today with heritage applications, and the challenges they pose to productivity, agility, and performance.
In Part 1 of 3, Kevin reviews a bit of history of application development, from the early days of monoliths and SOA to the emergence of Microservice architectures. Looking at the drawbacks of heritage architectures, Kevin describes how the principles of Reactive can help you build isolated services that are scalable, resilient to failure, and combine with other services to form a cohesive whole.
Part 2 - The 6 Traits of Reactive Microservices: Isolated, Asynchronous, Autonomous and more
It's a different world, and when it comes to computing, everything from multi-core processors to the price of RAM and disk have changed remarkably compared to 10 years ago...
In Part 2 of 3, Jonas shares the 6 characteristics of Reactive Microservices that matter for having responsive, elastic, resilient systems that harness the power of advances in hardware and cloud infrastructure. Starting with importance of decomposing systems in discrete, isolated services that are decoupled in both time (i.e. concurrency) and space (i.e. distribution and mobility), Jonas continues with reiterating the need for asynchronous, message-driven communication and maintaining service mobility with these 6 principles for successfully working with microservices:
- Isolate All the Things
- Act Autonomously
- Do One Thing, and Do It Well
- Own Your State, Exclusively
- Embrace Asynchronous Message-Passing
- Stay Mobile, but Addressable
Part 3 - Exploiting Reality with Microservices in Production Systems
One microservice is no microservice: they come in systems. To get the benefits of truly distributed systems (i.e. and not "distributed monoliths"), a new set of challenges present themselves to architects and development teams.
In Part 3 of 3, Jonas returns to discuss what any Enterprise Architect will come to understand––to exploit reality, we need to live and operate within its constraints (i.e. accepting that time is relative, information has latency and so on), in order to bend these laws of concurrency and distribution. Here we review the real-life needs of systems of Microservices, including details on how to manage:
- Service discovery
- API management
- Communication patterns management
- Integration
- Security management
- Data coupling minimization
- Reducing the cost of coordination
Don't wait for a blocker to arise...
We are on this journey together and your success is our top priority. If you want to jumpstart your modernization initiative with Reactive Platform technologies, Lightbend is the best way of building distributed systems on the JVM.
A Lightbend Subscription goes far beyond the traditional vendor support offering: our customers benefit from the incredible value that our technical expertise and subscription program brings to their development initiatives, resulting in less mistakes and a faster time to value. | https://www.lightbend.com/blog/a-new-trilogy-the-enterprise-architects-intro-to-microservices |
Our client is currently looking forward to strengthening the IT Security team by hiring a Senior Security Audit and Control Engineer. Our client is a mid-size company (800 employees) active in research and engineering and based in Luxembourg.
Position
As part of the Security Information Service and under the supervision of the Head of Information Security, you will define, implement and follow the various necessary steps required for security compliance of the management system. You will be required to propose, create and follow security indicators which translate an adapted and pertinent level of security.
You will manage the technical audit missions (internal/external pen tests, configurations, hardening) of the information systems. Consequently, you will analyze the risks, deviations and malfunctions, as well as make proposals for improvements or correctives actions to put in place.
Your mission also includes active participation in the implementation and maintenance of the Business Continuity Plan.
Main tasks:
- Continuous analysis of security indicator needs and security controls
- Assessment and analysis of information security risks and threats
- Define and implement relevant KPI and dashboard
- Participation in security technical audits
- Definition of Action plans in cooperation with the different actors involved
- Active contribution to the Business Continuity Plan project
- Ensuring the collection of appropriate data to evaluate security, including the KPI updates
- Implementing remediation action plan
- Contribution to the implementation and review of security documentation
- Contribution to the definition and control of the management of access rights
- Active contribution to the continuous improvement of the company Information Security management system life cycle
- Providing knowledge and expertise on Information Security to all staff members
Profile
You hold an engineer degree or master specialized in security/cybersecurity in IT, with a minimum of 5 years of experience in the field of Information systems.
For this role it’s important you have a very good knowledge of:
- Audit methodologies of security management systems (ISO27K)
- Continuity management methodologies (ISO22301)
- Security risks management and methodologies
- Access and identity tools and methodologies
- Good overall knowledge of IS, IT components of IS architectures and security in the area of software development lifecycle (web and database security) and IT technical areas
- Certification: ISO27002, CISA or CEH is considered as an asset
- Network architecture and protocols TCP/IP, IPV6, WiFi, mobile telephony, ToIP, DNSSec, SD-WAN
- Authentication servers AD, ADFS, LDAPS, radius, MFA
- Office 365 security: CASB, AIP, etc.
- Operating systems (VMWare, Windows 10, Windows Server, Linux, Ubuntu, CentOS, Mac OS)
- Containers (docker, kubernetes, etc.)
- System scripting language (Powershell is an asset, bash, python, etc.)
- Databases (Oracle is an asset, MySQL, SQL)
Additionally, we expect that you have a good knowledge in domains, tools or technical aspects such as:
- Security software and materials related to web, Cloud and mobile resources like:
- Firewalls, NDR, WAF, IDS, IPS, NAC, DLP
- Switches, DNS
- CASB and security gateways for email and web accessEDR, antivirus, antispam
- Encryption solutions
Ideally you also have a proven experience in:
- SIEM solutions – Splunk is an asset
- Security, scanning and vulnerability detection tools for IT infrastructures or web applications components
- Monitoring, supervision and measuring tools and methodologies of SI
- Log collection and event analysis
- Communication protocols: http, https, ssl, ftp, ssh, VPNs, etc.
For more information please feel free to contact Nicolas Hurlin by phone on +352 26 29 45 20.
THE RECRUITER is a recruitment and executive search company specialised in ICT – Telecoms – Digital – Cleantech – Services & Industry. THE RECRUITER empowers companies in their recruitment and HR projects, trusting that Human Factor, thanks to committed, motivated and implicated people, will bring success and added value in any business. THE RECRUITER defines its core values as: transparency, flexibility, professionalism and commitment. We apply these rules to any HR project we are in charge of. | https://www.therecruiter.lu/senior-security-audit-and-control-engineer-m-f/ |
Acknowledging Situational Loss and Grief
To get through life's problematic challenges, it helps to have the tools to cope. The 3-A Coping Framework: Acknowledge, Assess, Assist® is such a tool. To apply this framework in addressing adversity and loss, a major assumption is:
Wherever There is Adversity, There is Loss.
The following comprehensive definition precisely defines the situational losses people experience that can involve a variety of challenging circumstances:
Situational Loss is loss of a person, thing or quality resulting from an alteration of a
life situation involving changes related to illness, body image, environment and death.
Mosby’s Medical Dictionary, 8th ed., 2009
Another assumption of the 3-A Framework is that grief is a reaction to situational loss. To provide an example, situational loss is involved in the caring for a family member with any progressive neurological or chronic condition. Betsy Peterson acknowledged the situational loss and the grief that accompanies it. She relayed in her 2006 article “One Caregiver’s Search for Help” her experience as a family caregiver for her spouse, Pete, who lived over 10 years with Alzheimer's disease. In her writings, she expressed that it took her years to recognize that while caregiving, she was grieving the loss of her husband in similar ways that individuals grieve a death. She stated there was no guidance for family members in dealing with the grief. Consequently, she felt there was something wrong with her, but continued to believe that what she was experiencing was not unusual or unhealthy. She questioned why the grief had not been addressed.
Her own experience inspired the writing of her book “Voices of Alzheimer’s: Courage, Hope and Love in the Face of Dementia”. She wrote:
Some family members recognize on their own the grief which accompanies dementia....
a substantial number of caregivers only recognize they are grieving after they are told
this is what is happening to them.
Often people will not acknowledge on their own they are experiencing situational loss and grief. They need to be told so their reaction to the situational losses can be processed. Strengthened resiliency and personal growth are potential benefits from grief processing, which is another assumption in applying the 3-A Coping Framework.
Although “Acknowledge” is the first in sequence of the 3-A's Acknowledge, Assess, Assist, it is not necessarily the first step/phase or stage in applying the 3-A Framework. Rather, the components each feed into one another as they can be applied simultaneously. In the case of family caregiving or assisting any patients/clients experiencing adversity, a healthcare provider is assisting by assessing and acknowledging the losses being experienced, assessing if the family member is acknowledging the situational loss and how the reaction to the situational loss is manifesting. For self care, family caregivers or anyone experiencing loss can assist themselves through acknowledging their situational loss and assessing for themselves how the reaction to loss is manifesting. So this framework serves professionals as an intervention tool providing guidance and by sharing with your patients/clients, it also serves those experiencing situational loss so they can use the framework themselves with awareness as a self monitoring tool. | https://www.eleanorsilverberg.com/single-post/2012/01/24/acknowledging-situational-loss |
To celebrate The Met's 150th anniversary, The Costume Institute's 2020 exhibition explores the nature of time by tracing a century and a half of fashion.
About Time: Fashion and Duration explores fashions from 1870 to the present day and shows how clothes "generate temporal associations that conflate past, present, and future".
With this idea of the past coexisting with the present, museum curator Andrew Bolton and designer Es Devlin have conceived the exhibition as a clock. The 60 garments are strictly arranged chronologically to reveal the evolving silhouettes and the body language that accompanied them.
The end of the exhibition looks to the future of fashion and examines the issues surrounding sustainability and ethics in the industry.
About Time: Fashion and Duration takes place at Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute from 29 October 2020 to 7 February 2021. | https://www.dezeen.com/eventsguide/2020/10/about-time-fashion-duration-2020/ |
Thank you for your interest in serving in a board or advisory role for Hack Mental Health. Below you can find information about the expectation of roles and responsibilities for these roles, keeping in mind they may be customized to the expertise of the individual. Please also view our Hack Mental Health Mission and Vision.
If you have any questions, please reach out to [email protected]
HackMentalHealth Board of Directors
The Board will support the work of Hack Mental Health and provide mission-based leadership and strategic governance. While day-to-day operations are led by HackMentalHealth's CEO, the Board-CEO relationship is a partnership, and the appropriate involvement of the Board is both critical and expected. We will hold five positions on the Board at maximum. Specific Board Member responsibilities include:
- Leadership, governance and oversight
- Serving as a trusted advisor to the CEO as s/he develops and implements Hack Mental Health's strategic plan.
- Reviewing outcomes and metrics created by Hack Mental Health for evaluating its impact, and regularly measuring its performance and effectiveness using those metrics; reviewing agenda and supporting materials prior to board and committee meetings.
- Approving Hack Mental Health annual budget, audit reports, and material business decisions; being informed of, and meeting all, legal and fiduciary responsibilities.
- Assisting the CEO and board chair in identifying and recruiting other Board Members.
- Partnering with the CEO and other board members to ensure that board resolutions are carried out.
- Representing Hack Mental Health to stakeholders; acting as an ambassador for the organization.
- Ensuring Hack Mental Health's commitment to a diverse board and staff that reflects the communities Hack Mental Health serves.
- Fundraising
- Hack Mental Health Board Members will consider Hack Mental Health a philanthropic priority. They will either make annual gifts that reflect that priority, or assist in garnering financial support for the organization.
- Board terms/participation
- Hack Mental Health Board Members will serve a one-year term to be eligible for re-appointment in additional terms. Board meetings will be held semi-annually.
- Qualifications
- This is an extraordinary opportunity for an individual who is passionate about Hack Mental Health's mission. Selected Board Members will have achieved leadership stature in business, government, philanthropy, or the nonprofit sector. His/her accomplishments will allow him/her to attract other well-qualified, high-performing Board Members.
- Ideal candidates will have the following qualifications:
- Extensive professional experience with significant executive leadership accomplishments in business, academia, government, philanthropy, or the nonprofit sector.
- A commitment to and understanding of Hack Mental Health's beneficiaries, preferably based on experience.
- Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and a passion for improving the lives of Hack Mental Health beneficiaries.
HackMentalHealth Advisory Board
The Advisory Board will support the work of Hack Mental Health in a regular, committed role to give advice and support to a nonprofit's board of directors or executive staff. Unlike the Board of Directors, the Advisory Board has less directional influence over the organization. The Advisory Board will be led by a Chair of the Advisory Board, who is responsible for serving as the main contact with the Advisory Board.
We will hold ten advisors in this position at maximum. Advisors are expected to be experts in their given field, with 10+ years of experience.
Expectations:
- Act annually in a significant way to support the organization's mission (e.g. expert advice, funding, fundraising).
- Schedule meetings on a regular basis with the HackMentalHealth CEO for counsel and advisory sessions. | https://www.hackmentalhealth.care/hackmentalhealth-board-and-advisory-leadership |
The invention discloses a device and method for zero-point on-line self-correction of a two-dimensional ultrasonic anemometer. According to the method, the measuring passage vector direction of the ultrasonic anemometer is rotated for two times according to the measuring result, conducted by the two-dimensional ultrasonic anemometer, of the current vector air direction, the air speed value in the two-dimension measuring passage of the ultrasonic anemometer is measured for two times, and finally a decision algorithm is used for correcting the zero-point value of the two-dimension ultrasonic anemometer on line. The method can remarkably remove the influence of a zero-drifting phenomenon on the measuring precision of the two-dimension ultrasonic anemometer. The method for the zero-point on-line automatic self-correction of the two-dimension ultrasonic anemometer is simple in utilization, low in economic cost, high in zero-point correction accuracy, and capable of being widely used in method for two-dimension ultrasonic anemometers with different product grades. | |
The Gill WindObserver is a precision, solid-state ultrasonic anemometer providing wind speed and direction data via 1 digital and 3 optional analogue outputs and features and IP66 rated stainless steel housing, which is particularly suitable for use in salt-water environments. Offering a high wind speed measurement range, this anemometer has an optional de-icing system enabling the sensor to operate effectively in environmental conditions experienced at high altitude or at sea and is recommended for use in aviation, marine and offshore applications.
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LED display
Wireless combo
*Prices are pre-tax. They exclude delivery charges and customs duties and do not include additional charges for installation or activation options. Prices are indicative only and may vary by country, with changes to the cost of raw materials and exchange rates. | https://www.nauticexpo.com/prod/skyview-systems/product-63248-473661.html |
Knowledge Distillation (KD) offers a natural way to reduce the latency and memory/energy usage of massive pretrained models that have come to dominate Natural Language Processing (NLP) in recent years. While numerous sophisticated variants of KD algorithms have been proposed for NLP applications, the key factors underpinning the optimal distillation performance are often confounded and remain unclear. We aim to identify how different components in the KD pipeline affect the resulting performance and how much the optimal KD pipeline varies across different datasets/tasks, such as the data augmentation policy, the loss function, and the intermediate representation for transferring the knowledge between teacher and student. To tease apart their effects, we propose Distiller, a meta KD framework that systematically combines a broad range of techniques across different stages of the KD pipeline, which enables us to quantify each component’s contribution. Within Distiller, we unify commonly used objectives for distillation of intermediate representations under a universal mutual information (MI) objective and propose a class of MI-objective functions with better bias/variance trade-off for estimating the MI between the teacher and the student. On a diverse set of NLP datasets, the best Distiller configurations are identified via large-scale hyper-parameter optimization. Our experiments reveal the following: 1) the approach used to distill the intermediate representations is the most important factor in KD performance, 2) among different objectives for intermediate distillation, MI-performs the best, and 3) data augmentation provides a large boost for small training datasets or small student networks. Moreover, we find that different datasets/tasks prefer different KD algorithms, and thus propose a simple AutoDistiller algorithm that can recommend a good KD pipeline for a new dataset.
2019
Dive into Deep Learning for Natural Language Processing
Haibin Lin | Xingjian Shi | Leonard Lausen | Aston Zhang | He He | Sheng Zha | Alexander Smola
Proceedings of the 2019 Conference on Empirical Methods in Natural Language Processing and the 9th International Joint Conference on Natural Language Processing (EMNLP-IJCNLP): Tutorial Abstracts
Deep learning has become the dominant approach to NLP problems, especially when applied on large scale corpora. Recent progress on unsupervised pre-training techniques such as BERT, ELMo, GPT-2, and language modeling in general, when applied on large corpora, is shown to be effective in improving a wide variety of downstream tasks. These techniques push the limits of available hardware, requiring specialized frameworks optimized for GPU, ASIC, and distributed cloud-based training.A few complexities pose challenges to scale these models and algorithms effectively. Compared to other areas where deep learning is applied, these NLP models contain a variety of moving parts: text normalization and tokenization, word representation at subword-level and word-level, variable-length models such as RNN and attention, and sequential decoder based on beam search, among others.In this hands-on tutorial, we take a closer look at the challenges from these complexities and see how with proper tooling with Apache MXNet and GluonNLP, we can overcome these challenges and achieve state-of-the-art results for real-world problems. GluonNLP is a powerful new toolkit that combines MXNet’s speed, the flexibility of Gluon, and an extensive new library automating the most laborious aspects of deep learning for NLP.
Search
Co-authors
- Sheng Zha 2
- Haoyu He 1
- Jonas Mueller 1
- Mu Li 1
- George Karypis 1
- show all... | https://aclanthology.org/people/x/xingjian-shi/ |
Economic, Dietary, Exercise, Nutrition And Physique Weight Transitions In South Korea.
The meals we eat plays a significant position in how we feel and look. Incorporating the five flavors into your weight-reduction plan supports the free stream of qi (important life-force power) and calms and nourishes shen (spirit and the psyche), an integral element of spiritual diet. Your body can create full proteins from the meals you eat all through the day. | http://www.thecufflinks.net/tag/economic |
Booth, KI (2010) Place matters: Finding deep ecology within towns and cities. PhD thesis, University of Tasmania.
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PDF
(Front matter)
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front-matter.pdf | Download (112kB)
Available under University of Tasmania Standard License.
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PDF
(Whole thesis)
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Place_Matters.pdf | Download (1MB)
Available under University of Tasmania Standard License.
Abstract
Deep ecology is a branch of ecophilosophy with a focus on wilderness philosophy and that appears to hold little relevance within an urbanising world. Yet deep ecology’s holistic account claims that everything is interconnected – not just those entities definable as wild or natural – but everything, including all those things that deep ecology has remained wary of and aloof from – machines, exotic species, department stores, concrete and tar.
This dissertation is an exploration of deep ecological metaphysics, specifically that of transpersonal ecology, within towns and cities. It considers how engagement within towns and cities may influence or change the metaphysical premise of deep ecology, and looks at how revisiting the holism therein may alter how we understand world and self, particularly with reference to towns and cities.
The particularities of the place within which this research is grounded are described. The suburb of Risdon Vale and the author’s sense of place are introduced in terms of locality and locale, and with reference to two streams within place discourse – memory and place, and geographer Doreen Massey’s ‘global sense of the local, a global sense of place’. Three phenomenological encounters are narrated and discussed. The first encounter, entitled ‘gum-tree-man’, initiates a discussion of Norwegian philosopher Arne Naess’s gestalt ontology. The second, ‘touch me, this tree’, takes a fresh look at the concepts of wildness and wilderness from the perspective of gestalt ontology, and the third, ‘capillary shawl’, moves to consider self and the notion of consciousness as emergent from encounter between the author and her washing machine.
A notion of place emerges that forms the basis for the development of a concept termed ‘the locality of place’. The locality of place and symbiosis are offered as alternatives to transpersonal ecology and Self-realisation. Accusations that deep ecology harbours fascist tendencies are addressed in light of the emerging ideas. Deep ecology emerges as a poignant ontological perspective holding relevance and significance for considerations of self, place and world.
Finally, a re-conception of towns and cities, including of our selves, technologies and exotic species is explored. The notions of relational familiarity and unfamiliarity are offered as means of understanding current trends in relational enmeshment, and the increasingly problematic nature of these trends is discussed. An embodied turn towards familiarising ourselves within our own relational enmeshments is offered as a means of increasing our understanding of ourselves, world and where we are at within towns and cities. | http://eprints.utas.edu.au/10117/ |
The rain erosion of wind turbine blades is caused by raindrop impacts on the leading edge and is an engineering challenge for the wind industry. This erosion damage due to rainfall is directly related to the raindrop impact energy. Therefore, using an energetic approach, three different variables, namely the total kinetic energy, the kinetic power and the kinetic energy per impact, to characterise the erosion capacity of the raindrop impacts have been calculated using actual meteorological data from the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) of the last 25 years. These erosive variables need to be used as a joined set of variables to monitor, predict and prevent the rain erosion damage on the leading edge blades. Moreover, this work has also analysed the effect of different velocity contributions, the log time of data, type of rain and period of data to be considered. Finally, as the main findings, the wind speed is the main contribution to the erosive variables and the intensity of the rainfall, as well as the frequency in log meteorological data, are also significant factors affecting the three erosive variables. | https://research.tudelft.nl/en/publications/meteorological-data-to-monitor-prevent-and-predict-the-rain-erosi |
On April 17, I rode a bicycle from Kisaasi via the Northern Bypass to Namboole roundabout, through Kireka, Banda, Kyambogo, Nakawa, Namuwongo, Kololo, and back to Kisaasi through Bukoto and Ntinda.
Throughout the journey, I encountered motorists who are inconsiderate to other road users, especially cyclists. Since a number of people have taken to riding bicycles due to the ban on private vehicles, some safety precautions are listed below.
Ride at your pace
According to Alex Kasozi whose car is parked at home and now mostly moves by riding his bicycle from his home in Mutungo to his office in Bugolobi, both kampala suburbs, sometimes when you get on the road, you may feel as if you can ride at the same speed as cars.
“The braking efficiency of a car is totally different from that of your bicycle. With a bicycle, you need to ride as slowly as you possibly can because you cannot compete with cars. Riding at your pace allows you to control your bicycle,” Kasozi cautions.
Act like a pedestrian
Ronnie William Kyazze who also parked his cars since the lockdown started, advises that as you ride your bicycle, act as if you are a pedestrian by looking left and right and left again, especially if you get tired and are pushing the bicycle.
Use hand signals
Most, if not all bicycles do not have electronic indictors as cars. This means you ought to use hand signals to warn other road users, especially motorists when you intend to stop or make a turn.
And when you are stopping by the roadside, use your left hand to indicate left as you reduce speed and then place the left foot on the ground and alight or get off your bicycle from the left side of the road and not from the right.
Stop at junctions
Kyazze advises that before crossing at any junction with or without traffic lights, always stop and look to see if there are no vehicles coming from the left or right. This is because junctions are accident prone areas because of traffic conflicts that normally occur there. A traffic conflict is when two or more road users want to use the same road space at the same time. You should not only stop your bicycle completely at junctions but also at give way areas and stop signs.
Wear protective gears
Cycling protective gear include a cycling helmet that must have a lockable hook under your chin, gloves for holding onto the handlebars firmly to avoid developing bruises and comfortable shoes. You should also wear light coloured or fluorescent clothes for easy visibility.
Maintain cycling behaviour
You should not only avoid cycling on pavements but also practice good cycling habits such as keeping both hands on the handlebars except when signalling. Keep both feet on pedals but also avoid riding closely behind any vehicle. “When riding up the hill, do not gain support from any vehicle by touching on its sides or the rear. It compromises your visibility of other obstacles,” Kyazze says.
Avoid carrying heavy loads
If your bicycle has a carrier, do not carry anything heavier than what you can easily move around. It could even be a backpack. These will affect your balance on the bicycle and might lead to an accident. If you cannot ride any load, it is safer when you push the bicycle with the load tightly tied.
Look out for obstacles
Be on the lookout for loose gravel such as sand, puddles and other road hazards such as potholes or ditches. Slowing down should help you get through them safely.
“Be alert. Never ride with earphones or headphones plugged in your ears,” Kyazze advises.
Follow road markings and signs
Kasozi says you must know where you are riding to and mark road signs such as road lanes and traffic signs. Do not attempt to go when the lights are indicating red because you will be knocked by cars.
Must have items
Before you start riding, do not forget your mobile phone and identification card. If, God forbid, anything bad happens to you along the way, your identification will help emergency responders know who you are and how to help you.
Maintenance checks for bicycles
• Like your car, your bicycle must be well maintained. The handle bar must not only be tight and adjusted properly but the seat should be adjusted according to your height, with the feet being able to touch the ground.
• Brakes should be able to work perfectly well. The hind or rear brake should be used mostly because if you use the front one and you are riding fast, instant braking may lead to overturning, thus injuring yourself.
• Tyres must be well inflated and should also have treads. The bicycle horn or bell for hooting must also be functional. If your bicycle has a provision of changing gears, make sure the chain link is well oiled to avoid friction for easy gear engaging.
• If there is no need or urgency to ride your bicycle, please stay home. | https://www.monitor.co.ug/Business/Auto/Staying-safe-while-riding/688614-5545006-9735moz/index.html |
Participation in the litigation and debate skills or the preparation of oral argument for a case is an important part of the preparation in Law. If you have not had previous experience in discussions or speech, this can cause great stress to the participants. For this reason, we include some tips to prepare you for that important event.
What is the best thing that an argumentative can do?
- Have confidence. Even the best arguers are not perfect and not all cases are winning cases. However, presenting your argument with confidence, with clear voice and a sure tone, can make all the difference.
- Get ready for all levels of knowledge in a judge. You will never know beforehand if you will post before a judge who read in passing the competition material or a judge who spent his last thirty years practicing the law which turns the argument. Learn to read the level of comfort of the judge with the material and adjust the detail or complexity of your argument accordingly. Persuasion is not always the art of having more details, it is about knowing your audience and adjusting the message to recipients.
- Start with your strongest point instead of going little by little. Prepare your plot with a sketch and prepare to continue if you are not interrupted quickly. Prepare to articulate the topic in the first or second sentence.
- When you are asked a question, answer it directly. If possible start with a yes or no, but if the answer requires a qualification to protect the client’s position, answer and continue immediately with that qualification.
What is the biggest mistake that can be made in an oral argument?
- Show nerves
- Be too formal
- Start giving an answer before thinking about what to answer. Some lawyers are quick to give an answer for not having silence but then, in the middle of the answer, they change the course of their response. It is much better to wait a moment to make sure you know what to answer, instead of starting to answer without knowing.
- The most serious error in oral argumentation is not listening carefully to the questions and therefore not addressing the concerns raised by the judges.
- Never make a concession. You must be able to defend your terrain at all levels.
What is the best way to prepare for an oral argument?
- Be comfortable with the record.
- Be able to articulate the standard of review applicable to the presented questions. Anticipate questions about jurisdiction and know all available options that the judge has to solve.
- Prepare the argument so that when it becomes apparent that a judge disagrees with his position on a point, it can be said that even if the court does not accept that premise, must still prevail.
- Try to put yourself in the place of the judges and think what questions they would ask and work on short, clear and precise answers for all of them.
- Investigate, investigate and investigate, then think about how to explain the case and its arguments in a convincing way.
- Rehearse, rehearse and rehearse, practice aloud, feel comfortable with the way your argument sounds and tell the names of the parties, cases and applicable laws. Once you feel comfortable with the language of the case and with its details it will be easy to talk about it in a fluid way and without looking at the notes.
What does the draft of an arguer look like?
- It should look short, with keywords and perhaps a phrase that you want to repeat.
- No more than two pages, with annotations in a letter size 14 at least. The outline should be a support tool and the information should be easy to find.
- You should be able to read your notes, so include keywords that remind you of other important points. However, you must know the case at the level that the notes are superfluous.
How much of the argument should I memorize?
- Memorize the introduction so you can make contact with the judges. Memorize the last paragraph so that the end is perceived planned rather than a freshly crafted thought.
- Get ready for any questions that could ask you. Although you will not be able to memorize the answers, you will have an idea of what to answer. Internalize the substance of those answers instead of memorizing the words so that you can form your argument and fit the questions that the judges could ask you.
During the argumentation
- What is the most effective way to use the cases or the material provided?
- Appoint the names of the cases only if (1) the legal rule is disputed and you are trying to convince the court that your version of the rule is correct or (2) you are making an analogy of a case to show the court by what you must prevail.
- Study the case well and be prepared to answer all possible questions about the facts or what happened in the case. Do not recite the facts of the case in your argument, do so only if necessary in response to a question.
- The cases are more persuasive when they directly support your point or when they are strong analogies to a point that is being made.
- Remember that arguments are short because time is limited and spending too much time on quotations will take substance from your argument. It’s great to be well informed, but it’s bad to look pretentious.
- Make sure you are aware of what they mean and represent. | https://lawtrack.com/tips-for-participants-of-oral-argument-and-litigation-skills.html |
The Founders of Firepoint were team leads and agents that were frustrated with software that just couldn’t keep up. This drove them to build a CRM that they and other teams and agents would actually want to use.
Firepoint combined all the tools we needed in one system, and it worked — really well. Word spread and Firepoint became one of the most in-demand software solutions for real estate business management and intelligence on the market.
Each day, we listen to agents, brokers, and loan officers to develop solutions that provide business performance insights, manage client relationships, and keep teams of any size connected and productive.
Our most valuable product consultants are our clients. We use your insights and suggestions to improve everyday and continue to build Firepoint by agents, for agents. | https://revaluate.com/integrations/firepoint |
Fossils of the oldest-known ancestors of most living mammals, including human beings, have been unearthed in southern England.
Teeth belonging to the extinct shrew-like creatures, which scampered at the feet of dinosaurs, were discovered in cliffs on the Dorset coast.
Scientists who identified the specimens say they are the earliest undisputed fossils of mammals belonging to the line that led to humans.
They date back 145 million years.
''Here we have discovered from the Jurassic coast a couple of shrew-like things that are to date unequivocally our earliest ancestors,'' said Dr Steve Sweetman of Portsmouth University, who examined the ancient teeth.
The mammals were tiny, furry creatures that probably emerged under the cover of night.
One, a possible burrower, dined on insects, while the larger may have eaten plants as well.
Their teeth were highly advanced, of a type that can pierce, cut and crush food.
''They are also very worn which suggests the animals to which they belonged lived to a good age for their species,'' said Dr Sweetman.
''No mean feat when you're sharing your habitat with predatory dinosaurs."
The fossils were discovered by Grant Smith, then an undergraduate student. He was sifting through rock samples collected at Durlston Bay near Swanage for his dissertation when he found teeth of a type never before seen in rocks of this age.
''The Jurassic Coast is always unveiling fresh secrets and I'd like to think that similar discoveries will continue to be made right on our doorstep," said Prof Dave Martill of Portsmouth University, who supervised the project.
One of the new species has been named Durlstotherium newmani after Charlie Newman, who is the landlord of a pub close to where the fossils were discovered, and is also a keen fossil collector.
The second has been named Dulstodon ensomi, after Paul Ensom, a local palaeontologist.
The findings, published in the Journal, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, add new evidence to a hotly-debated field.
Recent fossil discoveries from China pushed back the date of the earliest mammals to 160 million years ago.
However, this has been disputed, based on data from molecular studies.
A separate study revealed this week suggests that the earliest mammals were night creatures that only switched to daytime living after the demise of the dinosaurs.
The research, published in the journal, Nature Ecology and Evolution, could explain why many mammals living today are nocturnal. | https://www.foxnaija.com/2017/11/fossil-of-earliest-ancestors-found-in.html |
YEREVAN.- Armenin President Armen Sarkissian issued a statement on Monday.
The steatment reads:
“Dear fellow citizens,
The second round of the election of the Prime Minister of Armenia will take place tomorrow at the National Assembly.
This is a breakthrough and responsible moment for Armenia’s future. All of us and first of all political figures, as well as our entire nation in Armenia, Artsakh and Diaspora, should assess the situation with this understanding and act in accordance. If we want to get out of this situation with benefit, and we have to get out with benefit, we must carefully use the great vigor of our society generated during these days and preserve the reputation that Armenia gained in front of the international community due to the popular movement.
We expect that the parliamentary political forces will display maximal reasonability and farsightedness when making decisions and will be guided by the principle of public welfare and national interest. I am convinced that all the issues can be solved by the spirit of national consensus.
This is what our people expect from political figures. I am confident that in case of a solution for the benefit of the society an atmosphere of public trust will be formed in Armenia and our citizens, together with Armenians worldwide, will be set to rebuilding our Motherland. Therefore, let’s get to work for the sake of New Armenia”. | https://news.am/eng/news/450102.html |
The Foster Hospital for Small Animals is extremely fortunate to have two Board Certified Veterinary Nutritionists® on the faculty to help pet owners and their veterinarians incorporate nutrition into their pet’s wellness and treatment plans. The Clinical Nutrition Service has extensive experience in nutritional management of dogs and cats, from healthy animals to those with very complex health concerns. The nutritionists will work with you and your veterinarian to optimize your pet’s nutrition.
There are several ways for pet owners to utilize Tufts Clinical Nutrition Service:
Current Patients at our Hospitals
If your pet is currently hospitalized at or under the care of a veterinarian at one of the hospitals, ask them if a nutrition consult might benefit your pet.
To prepare for your appointment, please fill out the Request for Consultation (a requirement before making an appointment). If you have questions or need more information, please contact the Clinical Nutrition Service liaison. | https://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/services/ |
Red Dead Redemption 2 (stylized as Red Dead Redemption II) is an action-adventure game developed and published by Rockstar Games. The game is a prequel to the 2010 game Red Dead Redemption, and the third entry in the Western-themed Red Dead series. Set in 1899, it follows the story of outlaw Arthur Morgan, a member of the Van der Linde gang, and also details the time of a younger John Marston in the same gang and his eventual departure.
Red Dead Redemption 2 was released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on October 26, 2018. It was universally acclaimed by critics, who praised the story, characters, open world, and considerable level of detail. The game generated $725 million in sales from its opening weekend, shipping over 17 million copies in two weeks.
FAR CRY 5
Far Cry 5 is an action-adventure first-person shooter video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft Toronto and published by Ubisoft for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It is the successor to the 2014 video game Far Cry 4, and the fifth main installment in the Far Cry series. The game was released on March 27, 2018.
The game is a standalone successor to its predecessor, and takes place in Hope County, a fictional region of Montana. The main story revolves around the Project at Eden’s Gate, a doomsday cult that rules the land under the guise of its charismatic leader, Joseph Seed. Players control an unnamed junior deputy sheriff who becomes trapped in Hope County, and must work alongside factions of a resistance to liberate the county from the despotic rule of the Seeds and Eden’s Gate. Gameplay focuses on combat and exploration; players battle enemy soldiers and dangerous wildlife using a wide array of weapons. The game features many elements found in role-playing games, such as a branching storyline and side quests. The game also features a map editor, a co-operative multiplayer mode, and a competitive multiplayer mode.
Forza Horizon 4
Forza Horizon 4 is a racing video game set in an open world environment based in a fictional representation of the United Kingdom and features over 450 licensed cars. The game features a route creator which enables players to create their own races. The game takes place in a synchronised shared world, compared to the AI-driven Drivatars from its predecessors, with each server supporting up to 72 players. The game is also playable in offline mode.
Players have the opportunity to buy in-game houses which unlock new items, cars and game-play perks. The game features a dynamic weather system that also depicts the change of seasons. The environment in the world will change depending on the season: for example, lakes will freeze over in winter and allow players the ability to explore regions of the game world that would be inaccessible during all the other seasons. The seasons are fixed across the game’s servers, meaning that all players will experience the same conditions at the same time.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is a 2018 action role-playing video game developed by Ubisoft Quebec and published by Ubisoft. It is the eleventh major installment, and twentieth overall, in the Assassin’s Creed series and the successor to 2017’s Assassin’s Creed Origins. Set in the year 431 BCE, the plot tells a fictional history of the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta. Players control a male or female mercenary (Ancient Greek: μίσθιος misthios) who fights for both sides as they attempt to unite their family and uncover a malign cult.
The game was released worldwide for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and (in Japan only) for Nintendo Switch on October 5, 2018. It was praised for its open world, visuals, combat, story, and characters, while receiving criticism for some reliance on grinding, microtransactions.
Just Cause 4
Just Cause 4 is an upcoming action-adventure game developed by Avalanche Studios and published by Square Enix. It is the fourth game in the Just Cause series and the sequel to 2015’s Just Cause 3 and is scheduled to be released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on December 4, 2018.
The game is set in a fictional South American country called Solis. Rico Rodriguez takes on the Black Hand, the world’s most powerful private army run by Gabriella Morales, a newly introduced character. The Black Hand serve as mercenary group to dictators Salvador Mendoza of Just Cause 1 and Sebastiano Di Ravello in Just Cause 3. When Rico is shown evidence that his late father was working with The Black Hand, he plunges into the South American nation of Solís, the homeland of the Black Hand in search of answers.
Fallout 76
Fallout 76 will be Bethesda Game Studios’ first online multiplayer game. Players may play individually or with a party of up to three others. All the servers for the game will be dedicated, with the player automatically allocated to one of them. While the game is expected to launch with public servers only, game director Todd Howard revealed plans for private servers to be introduced some time after the game’s launch. These private servers will allow players to invite friends to play in order to prevent undesirable aspects of player versus player gameplay such as griefing from affecting an individual player’s experience of the game. Howard described the delay as being necessary to allow Bethesda time to assure the stability of public servers. Elements of previous Fallout games will be present and modified to work with the real-time game. The V.A.T.S. system—a mechanic first introduced in Fallout 3 that allows players to pause the game to target specific locations on an enemy’s body to attack—will be used in Fallout 76 as a real-time system, though it will still allow players to specify targets on an enemy’s body. | https://786games.com/top-6-best-games-2018/ |
Signs Showing That Your Blood Sugar Is High
Blood sugar levels show the amount of glucose in the blood. Glucose is the main source of energy for the cells in the body. Glucose is ingested through the foods we eat.
In most cases, high blood sugar, also known as hyperglycemia, can be caused by two things. Therefore, there are two types of diabetes. First is type 2 diabetes-when the body is unable to use glucose properly and type 1 diabetes-a condition caused by lack of glucose in the body. When this condition lasts too long, it may harm certain body parts like the kidneys, blood vessels, eyes, and nerves, permanently.
The main reasons for increase of sugar in diabetics are:
Overeating
Steroid medications
Over-treating a hypoglycemia episode
Missing a dose or taking a wrong dose of the diabetes medications
Lack of physical exercise
Too much stress
Some disease, for example, a common cold
Dehydration
The following symptoms could be indicating that your blood sugar levels are too high:
Nerve issues
Excessive thirst
Stomach problems
Dry mouth
Impotence
Itchy and dry skin
Constant hunger
Weight gain
Lack of concentration
Slow healing of wounds, cuts, and bruises
Urination at night or frequent urination
Blurry vision
Fatigue
Recurrent infections
How to lower high blood sugar levels with glycemic food.
The glycemic index, also known as GI, is the ranking of carbohydrates in foods according to their influence on the blood glucose levels. The numbers vary from 1 to 100; that is, there are low-GI foods, moderate-GI foods, and high-GI foods. The first group is processed slower than the third, i.e. they decrease the insulin levels and encourage healthy weight loss.
Low-GI foods (0-54); consume them on a regular basis:
An egg-0
A cup of hummus-6
A cup of broccoli-10
A mid-sized yellow onion-10
A cup of walnuts-15
A cup of cherries-22
A cup of cashews-22
A cup of yogurt-28
A turkey sausage-28
A cup of kidney beans-31
A cup of butter beans-34
8-ounces of tomato juice-38
A mid-sized apple-38
A cup of spaghetti-42
A cup of green grapes-26
8 ounces of pineapple juice-46
A large carrot-47
A medium orange-48
One grapefruit-50
A banana-52
A cup of peas-54
Moderate GI-foods (55-69); consume them moderately:
A cup of brown rice-55
A tbsp of raw, organic honey-55
A cup of oatmeal-58
A cup of regular white rice-64
A serving of Mac&Cheese-64
High-GI foods (70-100); try to avoid them as much as possible:
A slice of white bread-70
Two cups of popcorns-72
A donut-76
Rice cake-78
Baked potato-85
A serving of corn flakes-92
50 grams of glucose-100
All in all, we can easily conclude that your diet has a major impact on your wellbeing, especially the blood sugar levels. If you happen to experience some of the previously mentioned symptoms, be sure to make changes in your nutrition and consume only low and moderate-GI foods to avoid sugar spikes and additional complications.
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Signs Showing That Your Blood Sugar Is High
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In a mean-variance framework, the indifference pricing approach is adopted to value weather derivatives, taking account of portfolio effects. Our analysis shows how the magnitude of portfolio effects is related to the correlation between weather indexes and other risky assets, the correlation between weather indexes, and the payoff structures of the existing weather derivatives in an investor’s asset portfolio. We also conduct some preliminary empirical analysis. This study contributes to the weather derivative pricing literature by incorporating both the hedgeable and unhedgeable parts of weather risks in illustrating the portfolio effects on the indifference prices of weather derivatives.
|Original language||English|
|Pages (from-to)||55-76|
|Number of pages||22|
|Journal||Financial Review|
|Volume||41|
|Issue number||1|
|DOIs|
|Publication status||Published - 1 Feb 2006|
Keywords
- G12
- G13
- Incomplete market pricing models
- Indifference prices
- Portfolio effects
- Weather derivatives
- Weather risk contract valuation
- Weather risk securitization
Fingerprint Dive into the research topics of 'Portfolio effects and valuation of weather derivatives'. Together they form a unique fingerprint. | https://scholars.ln.edu.hk/en/publications/portfolio-effects-and-valuation-of-weather-derivatives |
You are teaching a course in English Literature after 1800 and you have to deliver the last lecture of the semester. What single issue do you want to impress upon your students about this period in English literature and why? Using one writer from each of the literary periods (Romantic, Victorian, 20th Century), develop an argument explicating the single most important issue of the time. Make sure to develop a focused analysis that makes a point and uses specific evidence from the texts to illustrate and support.
Important Things to Remember:
- Remember, analyzing any work of literature involves making an argument: You must make a claim (thesis) and support it with specific evidence, details, and examples from the texts—this means your analysis MUST include quotations from the texts in order to be successful. Only with careful attention to detail, solid evidence, and careful reasoning will you persuade.
- No outside research is needed or may be used. You may use materials provided within this course only. Use of outside materials will result in failure of the assignment. If use of those materials is in the form of plagiarism, you will fail the course.
- Make sure your video responds to the prompt.
- A clear thesis statement. Have you developed an angle? Are you specific? Does your video follow that thesis (claim) all the way through to the end?
- Whether or not you have successfully defended your point of view.
Requirements:
- Video must be a minimum of 4 minutes long, not to exceed 6 minutes.
- Quoting specific text to illustrate/support your response.
- You will be using ONLY the materials within the course. All work is expected to be your own. No outside sources are allowed or needed. Use of outside sources will result in failure of the assignment.
- Review this file carefully for directions about how to record and attach a video to this assignment: Video Assignment Directions.docx
- Say your first and last name at the beginning of the video.
*A note about file format and the deadline:
Videos must be submitted per the directions provided in "Requirements." Videos uploaded in any other format will not be graded and a 0 will be entered in the gradebook. There are no exceptions to this requirement. Videos must also be submitted no later than the deadline. Technical difficulties or lengthy upload times are not valid excuses for late submissions. Give yourself enough time to record, upload, attach, and submit the video. Do not wait until the last minute to submit this assignment because it might not load by the deadline.
**A note about plagiarism:
DON’T DO IT. Please review the course policy and definition of plagiarism included in the syllabus and Lesson 1. Plagiarism results in failure of the course. There are no exceptions to this course policy.
***A note about presentation:
Be sure to organize your thoughts ahead of time, but do not record yourself reading a paper. This video is private (only I can see it), but think of it as a product that best represents you and the best of what you can accomplish. | https://www.studypool.com/questions/468676/i-need-someone-to-write-a-paper-for-me-2 |
We are very pleased to announce that the next RTR Tour will take place from March 10, 2015 to March 22, 2015. Participants will visit to historic and cultural Zoroastrian sites in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, and Gujarat, with world-renowned experts and local guides explaining the cultural, religious and economic significance of the sites being visited.
We are currently accepting applications from Zoroastrians between the ages of 20 and 35. However, consider applying even if you fall outside of the suggested age range. All participants must have had their Navjote/Sudreh Pooshi ceremony and have a Zoroastrian mother or father. Click here to apply.
To make the RTR tours accessible to all participants, we rely on the financial support of the community. Our future as a global community relies upon the connectivity and collaboration of our youth. We work hard to strengthen the bonds and passion of the next generation of Zoroastrians. If you would like to support our work, please donate here. We accept money in all currencies.
Links
Contribute and Support Zoroastrian Return To Roots
Return to Roots is a youth-initiated program designed to strengthen community identity amongst Zoroastrian youth the world over. The idea of a Zoroastrian Return to Roots Program was born out of the increasing disconnect between those Zoroastrians in the diaspora with their ancestral communities in Iran and India. It is a unique means of fostering community links and identity by taking small groups of youth on trips to explore their religious, social and cultural heritage. | http://zororoots.org/zoroastrian-return-to-roots-launches-track-b-tour-2015-applications-open/ |
Rutgers University will require the COVID-19 vaccine for students who are enrolled for the 2021 fall semester and wish to take in person classes, even if they live off campus.
“We are committed to health and safety for all members of our community, and adding COVID-19 vaccination to our student immunization requirements will help provide a safer and more robust college experience for our students,” said Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway.
Thursday’s announcement goes directly against statements made in this Jan. 8 video discussion, where Rutgers announced they will not be requiring its students or professors to get the COVID-19 vaccine to return to campus.
“Since the start of the pandemic, we have said that the safety of the Rutgers community is a shared responsibility,” said Antonio Calcado, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Rutgers. “An effective vaccination program is a continuation of Rutgers’ commitment to health and safety for all members of our community of more than 71,000 students, the cities we are in and the communities we serve throughout New Jersey.”
As vaccine supplies are made available to the wider population, faculty and staff are strongly urged to receive the vaccine, Calcado said. Rutgers will only be requiring its more than 71,000 students to get vaccinated, not faculty. Students may request an exemption for medical or religious reasons.
“The COVID-19 vaccines have proven to be safe and effective in preventing serious illness, hospitalization and death,” said Brian Strom, chancellor of Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences and executive vice president for health affairs at Rutgers. “Vaccination is key to stopping the current pandemic and to the return of campus instruction and activities closer to what we were accustomed to before the pandemic drastically changed life at Rutgers.”
Students enrolling at Rutgers who are under age 18 will be advised to receive the Pfizer vaccine, the only one of three vaccines currently approved in the United States that may be administered to 16- and 17-year-olds. Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are approved for those 18 years and older.
Rutgers has received approval from the State of New Jersey to administer vaccines on campus to faculty, staff and students once vaccine supplies are available to the university. More information will be forthcoming on vaccination clinic sites. However, faculty, staff and students are urged to not wait to sign up for vaccines at a Rutgers site.
The list of vaccines that Rutgers currently requires of its students can be found here.
COVID-19 VACCINATION SITES AROUND THE U.S. | https://925xtu.com/2021/03/25/rutgers-requiring-all-students-be-vaccinated-against-coronavirus-before-returning-to-school/ |
Ever wonder what the world will look like 10 years from now? Say you were to hop into a time-traveling rocket and set the touch-down date not for some...
Commentary By Andrew Tolve
0
Groupe PSA has launched its car-sharing service in Washington DC. The group claims its Free2Move service provides DC residents and visitors with “access to a fleet of 600 cars”...
0
Eric Volkman asks: is the ride-sharing king about to become a publicly traded company? That’s the scuttlebutt in the transportation and tech worlds these days regarding Uber. The company... | https://www.tu-auto.com/tag/jump/ |
We put people at the core of all we do. We strive to make AniCura the employer of choice in the market by putting in measures to attract, develop and retain the best people in the industry. The Learning & Talent Development function plays a fundamental role to drive our ambition of a supreme associate experience for AniCura to be the employer of choice and transform the profession. We strive to create a high performing organization where people can develop and grow. Start with us, grow with us, stay with us. The role is a part of the Group People & Organization (P&O) department and reports to the Group P&O Director. Group P&O covers an international wide organization with more than 8,000 employees in 14 countries with continued rapid growth in both people and markets. AniCura is a part of Mars Petcare, a family-owned company focused on veterinary care and pet nutrition with 75,000 employees in 50 countries.
Role Overview
This role is key for our long-term success with responsibility for driving the Learning and Talent Development agenda within our Group. In close collaboration with leaders, members of the Leadership Team(s), colleagues within the P&O organization and colleagues within the Mars Petcare organization, the work is on a strategic level but also including more operational projects for planning, design, and implementation of group wide programs and initiatives across the AniCura Group.
The scope of work is to design and implement relevant structures, processes, and solutions to build a effective and engaging learning and development platform including system support. It is also to drive the talent agenda with targeted and effective leader growth activities to support leaders to maximize impact in current role as well as empower progression into more complex roles to create readiness for future leaders and secure succession. Furthermore, to create a continuous performance feedback culture and improve capabilities and behaviours for leaders to increase performance, productivity, and development. Finally, to support compelling career paths to build pipelines for veterinaries and nurses, and to engage rising talent.
The role requires an understanding of people, including their motivations, behaviours, and what drives performance. To be successful, you need to have a consultative approach and keep up with best practices and trends to influence the business direction/decisions both short and long term from a learning and talent development perspective.
Key Responsibilities
Contribute to shaping and implementing people strategies and driving employee engagement
• Set learning and talent development strategies and drive transformation from vision to implementation across the AniCura Group
• Design and implementation of the Leadership framework, to identify, develop and retain critical talents within various areas in AniCura
• Establish development portfolio with activities and programs targeting our key populations
• Design, develop and implementation of Performance Development Process with associated guidelines and template(s)
• Enable business transformation by supporting the business to create a high performing culture. | https://karriarvag.se/jobb/jurek-bemanning/group-learning-talent-development-manager |
When leading during times of uncertainty and adversity, crisis and change, leaders must avoid showing any signs of immaturity or lack of preparedness that will make employees feel unsafe and insecure. Here are 6 ways to maintain your leadership composure during the most pressure-packed moments:
1. Don’t allow your emotions to get in the way
Seasoned leaders know they must not to wear their emotions on their sleeves. They don’t yell or get overly animated when times get tough. Experienced leaders have sufficient emotional self-control that their body language doesn’t give anything away. If leaders allow their emotions to overwhelm them, employees interpret this as a sign of weakness or that their leader is not being objective enough or is too passionate about the situation at hand. Strong-willed leaders maintain their composure whilst still expressing concern and care – but not to the point where their emotions become a distraction.
2. Don’t take things personally
Leaders shouldn’t take things personally when things don’t go their way. Business decisions and circumstances don’t always play out logically because factors outside of the leader’s control – such as market forces or politics – often come into play. As the leader, remain calm and don’t get defensive or think that you must always justify your thinking and actions. If you take things too personally, it’s difficult to maintain your composure and make those around you believe that you have things under control. In fact, leaders who take issues too personally or worry too much about what other people think can suffocate their thinking and decision-making capabilities.
3. Keep a positive mental attitude
Employees are always watching their leader’s actions, behaviour, relationships and overall demeanour. During the most difficult times, leaders must maintain a positive mental attitude and hold fast to a positive narrative that keeps their employees inspired and hopeful. Remember, leaders set the tone for the organisation they serve. A positive attitude can neutralise chaos and allow the organisation to overcome a negative situation. Employees feed off the attitude of their leaders during times of uncertainty. Keep a positive mental attitude and never stop seeking solutions to problems.
4. Remain fearless
When leaders project confidence, they instill it in others. During uncertain times, leaders must remain fearless and project a cool persona that communicates composure to those they lead. If you begin to show fear or start to fear adverse circumstances, you not only put yourself in a position of vulnerability, but it becomes extremely difficult to act rationally and objectively. When you panic, you mentally freeze and your mind loses focus. When you notice you are anxious, ask yourself: “What is the worst possible thing that can happen?” If you are objective about it and have the will and confidence to face the challenge head-on, you will eventually realise that the situation is manageable and can be resolved. Faced with adversity several times over, your fears will eventually vanish and uncertainty will become your best friend.
5. Take ownership and positive action
Leaders show composure during times of crisis and change when they are fully committed to resolving the issue at hand. By taking ownership of the situation and instilling a positive mindset in others, you are more likely to take the right action and find solutions. This will give employees a sense that everything is under control and that the current situation can be resolved.
6. Act like you have been there before
Great leaders know that one of the most effective ways to maintain composure during difficult times is to act like you have been there before. Leaders that act to show they have been through the problem solving process numerous times before are those with strong executive presence who approach the matter at hand with a sense of elegance and grace. They are patient, are active listeners, and they will genuinely take a compassionate approach to ease the hardships that anyone else is experiencing.
So remember, it’s easy to lose composure during times of crisis and change if you let concern turn into worry and worry turn into fear. By maintaining composure, the best leaders remain calm, cool and in control – enabling them to step back, critically evaluate the cards that they have been dealt and face problems head-on. A show of composure also puts those you lead at ease and creates a safe and secure workplace culture where no one need panic in the face of adversity.
As the saying goes, “Keep Calm and Carry On! | http://www.philipperry.com/?p=4595 |
Alcoa Foundation Hall of American Indians explores four distinct Native American cultures in an exhibition organized around their relationships with the natural world.
The hall explores the contemporary cultures of societies living in four major geographical areas: Tlingit of the Northwest Coast, Hopi of the Southwest, Lakota of the Plains, and Iroquois of the Northeast. Explore a large collection of Hopi Katsina dolls, touch a real buffalo, grind corn, or sit in a miniature planetarium that tells the story of how the stars got in to the heavens.
Visitors can view nearly 1,000 historical and contemporary artifacts including artwork and traditional garments. The museum partnered with approximately 50 Native people to develop Alcoa Foundation Hall of American Indians. Their historical and cultural knowledge, personal experiences and belongings, talents, artwork, guidance, and time has shaped the messages and impact of the hall. | https://www.meer.com/en/48655-alcoa-foundation-hall-of-american-indians |
Fixed Magnification Lenses are used to provide a fixed degree of magnification for imaging applications such as factory inspection or microscopy. Fixed Magnification Lenses are imaging lenses that feature fixed image magnifications. Fixed Magnification Lenses allow small or unclear objects to easily be viewed. Fixed Magnification Lenses are simple, easy-to-use options for imaging applications that do not require multiple image magnifications.
Edmund Optics offers a wide range of Fixed Magnification Lenses suited for many imaging needs, including a range of fixed magnification microscope objectives. Many Fixed Magnification Lenses feature longer working distances than many other imaging lenses, providing additional versatility when examining specific objects. Fixed Magnification Lenses are ideal for many general imaging needs or in applications that do not require multiple magnifications. Without the need for additional adjustment, these lenses ease system implementation or setup. A wide selection of magnifications is available to fit any number of imaging or image magnification needs. | https://www.edmundoptics.com/c/fixed-magnification-lenses/1004/ |
The Government’s investment into school infrastructure on either refurb or new build projects provides schools in NZ with modern learning environments (MLEs). This opening session will delve into the crux of how learners (adults and children) can operate in MLEs and collaborate effectively to drive results that helps improve New Zealand’s education sector.
- Understanding the shift from traditional classrooms to MLEs – diving into the need for an infrastructure upgrade
- Learning how teachers can effectively collaborate in 21C learning spaces that require a change of behaviour for all
- Tips and tricks on what changes need to happen to effectively collaborate
- The future of work is changing. How do we keep up as education providers and can tech be the answer?
- Insights into the top technological innovations in education
- A case in point: how Mission Ready blends technology, learning and workplace experience to prepare students for the future
A discussion of key concerns for schools in procuring projects from a legal perspective, including:
- How to set up the project for success and protect the school’s legal and commercial interests; and
- Ensuring the school understands its legal obligations to protect students, staff, workers and others on the site
Katrina Van Houtte, Special Counsel, Dentons Kensington Swan
- Discussing the challenges that architects are facing within a school rebuild project
- Taking into account the needs of the school as well as the Ministry – how does the architect work with all the stakeholders and end-users involved to deliver the best possible solution?
- Delivering the project within budget and on time – what are the ways of achieving this for school rebuild or refurbish projects?
- Showcasing the role design, and pedagogy play in achieving a school's desired education outcome?
- Adjusting to the shift – what practices can be put in play to adapt to a new teaching environment?
- Developing curious minds – how are the teaching methods preparing students for the future
- Shedding insight into how Hobsonville Point Secondary School has developed over the last 5 years
- Documenting the evolution of Hobsonville Point Secondary School – how has the design and pedagogy evolved in the last 5-years
- Implementing practices to help new teachers and students adapt to the learning environment – how is Hobsonville Point Secondary School helping their stakeholders settle in
- Establishing the guidelines of a project manager within a school build project – what is expected from them?
- Discussing the differences between a private school project and public-school project – how do the outcomes differ? Where does the funding come from? What are the differences in the project contract?
- 5YA projects- what do the project manager and school need to consider when executing this efficiently?
- Looking at options to have principals and architects collaborate on rebuild or refurb projects – what are some effective ways of achieving this?
- Tips and tricks on adding influence on a project from all stakeholders involved
- Sharing the challenges faced and solutions to overcome those in such build projects
Brett Heaven, Director, Rubix
Raj Bhikha, Property Chairperson, Mt Albert Grammar School; Board Chair & Mt Roskill Primary School
Haeata Community Campus is a state-owned school that has been in operation for 3-years. In this session, Karyn, delves into the teaching approaches the school has implemented.
- Diving into teaching practices that incorporate project-based learning as well as ‘play’ based learning
- Catering to the educational needs of kids of all ages – how is Haeata Community Campus achieving this?
- Discussing how Haeata’s learning from aspects that haven’t gone to plan – how have they grown with this knowledge?
Avonside Girls High School was severely damaged in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake and as a result, their school building was demolished. It has taken 8-years for the school to be fully functional again. This session will dive into the hurdles that Avonside Girls High School faced. | https://www.conferenz.co.nz/events/building-designing-maintaining-modern-schools-facilities/agenda |
Season 4 advances the story to the late 1970s, when Queen Elizabeth (Olivia Colman) and the Royal Family are preoccupied with finding an appropriate bride for Prince Charles (Josh O’Connor), who is still unmarried at age 30. At the same time, divisiveness builds in Britain thanks to the policies of Margaret Thatcher (Gillian Anderson) and war with the Falkland Islands.
The Reagans
8 p.m. on SHOWTIME – Series Premiere
This four-part documentary series explores several of the previously unexamined aspects of the presidential administration of Ronald Reagan and what life was like inside the White House during those eight years. Given special emphasis is how Nancy Reagan’s widely held public image as a paper doll and a clotheshorse actually was dramatically at odds with the immense hidden power she wielded throughout husband “Ronnie’s” presidency.
The E! People’s Choice Awards 2020
9 p.m. ET on E!
The 2020 E! People’s Choice Awards will originate this year from Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif., with hosts Ryan Seacrest and Giuliana Rancic. Among the categories for these fan-based awards, competing for best show are “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Never Have I Ever,” “Outer Banks,” “The Bachelor,” “The Last Dance,” “The Masked Singer,” “This Is Us” and “Tiger King.” Nominees for the best movie include “Bad Boys for Life,” “Extraction,” “Hamilton,” “Project Power,” “The Invisible Man,” “The Old Guard” and “Trolls World Tour.”
Candy Land
9 p.m. ET on FOOD – Series Premiere
Broadway superstar Kristin Chenoweth hosts this colorful new competition series based on the popular board game, with such familiar (and edible) lands as Peppermint Forest, Gumdrop Mountains and Lollipop Woods. In the series premiere, “An Inside Look at Magical Creatures,” Chenoweth challenges five teams of cake and sugar artists to create their vision of fantastic creatures from this enchanted realm. Nacho Aguirre and Aarti Sequeira are the judges. David Bromstad also hosts a behind-the-scenes look at this production. | https://ontvtoday.com/todays-top-tv-picks-sunday-november-15 |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
EXAMPLE
Example 1
Method of Synthesizing/Heat-Treating PVA Polymer (B)
Examples 2 to 12
Comparative Example 1
Comparative Examples 2 and 3
Comparative Example 4
Example 13
Method of Synthesizing/Heat-Treating PVA Polymer (C)
Examples 14 to 20
Comparative Example 5
Example 21
Method of Synthesizing/Melting and Kneading PVA Polymer (B)
Examples 22 to 23
Comparative Example 6
Example 24
Method of Synthesizing/Melting and Kneading PVA Polymer (C)
Example 25
Example 26
Method of Synthesizing/Heat-Treating PVA Polymer (B)
Examples 27 to 28
Example 29
Comparative Example 7
Example 30
Method of Synthesizing/Heat-Treating PVA Polymer (C)
Example 31
Example 32
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to dispersion stabilizers to be used for suspension polymerization or emulsion polymerization. More particularly, the present invention relates to dispersion stabilizers having excellent polymerization stability when being used for suspension polymerization or emulsion polymerization of a vinyl compound.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, polyvinyl alcohol polymers are used widely as dispersion stabilizers for suspension polymerization and emulsion polymerization of vinyl compounds. Particularly, they are useful for suspension polymerization for a polyvinyl chloride resin (hereinafter, may be abbreviated as “PVC resin”).
Since a PVC resin is excellent not only in, for example, chemical resistance and electrical insulation properties but also in processability and can be either hard or soft, it is used as various molding materials in a wide range of applications.
Generally, the PVC resin is manufactured on an industrial scale by a suspension polymerization method in which monomers of, for example, vinyl chloride (hereinafter, a vinyl chloride type monomer may be abbreviated as vinyl chloride) are polymerized in the presence of a dispersion stabilizer in an aqueous medium using an oil soluble polymerization initiator.
Examples of the factors that control the quality of the PVC resin when the PVC resin is manufactured by the suspension polymerization method include the rate of polymerization of the PVC resin, the ratio between water and vinyl chloride in a polymerization reaction system, polymerization temperature, the type and amount of polymerization initiator, the type of polymerization tank, the rate of stirring of a polymerization reaction solution, and the type of dispersion stabilizer. Among these, the type of dispersion stabilizer has a considerable effect.
[Patent Document 1] JP 51(1976)-45189 A
[Patent Document 2] JP 10(1998)-67806 A
[Patent Document 3] JP 2004-250695 A
[Patent Document 4] JP 8(1996)-259609 A
In many cases, polyvinyl alcohol (hereinafter, may be abbreviated as “PVA”) is used preferentially as a dispersion stabilizer that is used for suspension polymerization of vinyl chloride (Patent Documents 1 to 4). For the purpose of improving the stability (polymerization stability) during polymerization of vinyl chloride, it has been proposed to use heat-treated PVA for a polymerization reaction (Patent Documents 1 to 3). However, when those conventional dispersion stabilizers are used to carry out the suspension polymerization of vinyl chloride, a satisfactory effect is not always obtained in terms of the polymerization stability.
On the other hand, PVA also is heavily-used as a dispersant for emulsion polymerization of unsaturated monomers. PVAs used in general are so called “completely saponified PVA” with a saponification degree of about 98 mol % and “partially saponified PVA” with a saponification degree of about 88 mol %. In the case where the former is used as the dispersion stabilizer, a comparatively good unsaturated polymer is obtained in terms of water resistance and fluidity (high-speed coating properties). However, since the surface activity of the dispersion stabilizer itself is low, there are problems in that the viscosity of an aqueous medium increases at low temperatures and gelation occurs that makes it difficult to perform emulsion polymerization itself. On the other hand, in the case where the latter is used as the dispersion stabilizer, although the problems are solved including an increase in viscosity at low temperatures of the aqueous medium and occurrence of gelation, there is a problem in that the resultant unsaturated polymer is inferior in terms of water resistance. In order to solve such problems, both PVAs are used in combination or a PVA with a saponification degree inbetween the two is used. In the current situation, however, satisfying both the stability during polymerization and the water resistance of an unsaturated polymer at the same time has not yet been achieved.
The present invention is intended to provide a dispersion stabilizer that has excellent polymerization stability when being used for suspension polymerization or emulsion polymerization.
As a result of keen studies made assiduously, the present inventors have found that the aforementioned problems can be solved with a dispersion stabilizer composed of a polyvinyl alcohol polymer (B) that has a double bond in its side chain and that is obtained by esterifying a polyvinyl alcohol polymer (A) with a carboxylic acid having an unsaturated double bond or a salt thereof. Furthermore, they also have found that the aforementioned problems can be solved with a dispersion stabilizer composed of a carboxylic acid-modified polyvinyl alcohol polymer (C) that is obtained by esterifying a polyvinyl alcohol polymer (A) with an aliphatic carboxylic acid and/or aromatic carboxylic acid containing no olefinically unsaturated bond in the molecule or a salt thereof. Thus, the present invention was completed.
When the dispersion stabilizer of the present invention is used for suspension polymerization of, for example, vinyl chloride, the vinyl chloride can be polymerized stably. This makes it possible to obtain excellent effects that scale adhesion and blocking caused by polymerization instability are reduced. Furthermore, polymer particles can be obtained that include less coarse particles and have a sharp particle size distribution. Similarly, when the dispersion stabilizer of the present invention is used for emulsion polymerization of unsaturated monomers, the polymerization of the unsaturated monomers can be performed stably and an excellent effect that the amount of filtration residue of the resultant polymer is small can be obtained.
Examples of the carboxylic acid having an unsaturated double bond that is used in the present invention include: unsaturated monocarboxylic acids such as acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, crotonic acid, isocrotonic acid, propynoic acid, 2-pentenoic acid, 4-pentenoic acid, 2-heptenoic acid, 2-octenoic acid, cinnamic acid, myristoleic acid, palmitoleic acid, oleic acid, elaidic acid, vaccenic acid, gadoleic acid, erucic acid, nervonic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, eleostearic acid, stearidonic acid, arachidonic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, clupanodonic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, and sorbic acid; unsaturated dicarboxylic acids such as maleic acid, fumaric acid, itaconic acid, citraconic acid, and mesaconic acid; unsaturated carboxylic acid anhydrides such as maleic anhydride, fumaric anhydride, itaconic anhydride, and citraconic anhydride; unsaturated carboxylic acid alkyl esters such as acrylic acid alkyl ester, methacrylic acid alkyl ester, and crotonic acid alkyl ester; unsaturated dicarboxylic acid monoesters such as maleic acid monoalkyl ester, fumaric acid monoalkyl ester, and itaconic acid monoalkyl ester; and unsaturated dicarboxylic acid diesters such as maleic acid dialkyl ester, fumaric acid dialkyl ester, and itaconic acid dialkyl ester. These carboxylic acids also can be used as salts thereof. The carboxylic acids or salts thereof can be used independently, or two or more of them can be used in combination.
Examples of aliphatic carboxylic acids containing no olefinically unsaturated bond in the molecule that are used in another present invention include: aliphatic monocarboxylic acids such as formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, valeric acid, caproic acid, caprylic acid, capric acid, lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, cyclohexane carboxylic acid, acetoacetic acid, glycolic acid, lactic acid, and ascorbic acid; aliphatic dicarboxylic acids such as oxalic acid, malonic acid, succinic acid, glutaric acid, adipic acid, pimelic acid, suberic acid, azelaic acid, sebacic acid, tartaric acid, and malic acid; and aliphatic tricarboxylic acids such as citric acid.
Furthermore, examples of aromatic carboxylic acids containing no olefinically unsaturated bond in the molecule include: aromatic monocarboxylic acids such as phenylacetic acid, benzoic acid, toluic acid, and salicylic acid; and aromatic dicarboxylic acids such as phthalic acid, isophthalic acid, terephthalic acid, and p-hydroxybenzoic acid.
These aliphatic carboxylic acids and/or aromatic carboxylic acids also can be used as salts thereof. Among these, particularly aliphatic carboxylic acids and/or aromatic carboxylic acids having at least two carboxyl groups in the molecule or salts thereof are preferable. The aliphatic carboxylic acids and/or aromatic carboxylic acids or salts thereof can be used independently, or two or more of them can be used in combination.
When a PVA polymer (B) having a double bond in its side chain or carboxylic acid-modified PVA polymer (C) that is obtained by esterifying a polyvinyl alcohol polymer (hereinafter, the polyvinyl alcohol polymer may be abbreviated as “PVA polymer”) (A) is used as a dispersion stabilizer for suspension polymerization, the saponification degree of the PVA polymer (A) is preferably at least 60 mol % and more preferably at least 70 mol %. The upper limit of the saponification degree is not particularly limited.
Furthermore, when the PVA polymer (B) having a double bond in its side chain or carboxylic acid-modified PVA polymer (C) that is obtained by esterifying the PVA polymer (A) is used as a dispersion stabilizer for emulsion polymerization, the saponification degree of the PVA polymer (A) is preferably at least 50 mol %, more preferably at least 70 mol %, further preferably at least 80 mol %, and particularly preferably at least 83 mol %. The upper limit of the saponification degree is not particularly limited.
Moreover, the polymerization degree of the PVA polymer (A) is not particularly limited but is preferably 100 to 8000, more preferably 200 to 3000, and further preferably 250 to 2500.
In the present invention, the vinyl ester polymer that is used as a material for manufacturing the PVA polymer (A) can be manufactured by polymerizing vinyl ester monomers using a conventionally known method such as a bulk polymerization method, a solution polymerization method, a suspension polymerization method, an emulsion polymerization method, or a dispersion polymerization method. From the industrial viewpoint, preferable polymerization methods are the solution polymerization method, the emulsion polymerization method, and the dispersion polymerization method. For a polymerization operation, it is possible to employ any polymerization method selected from the batch method, the semibatch method, and the continuous method.
Examples of the vinyl ester monomers that can be used for polymerization include vinyl acetate, vinyl formate, vinyl propionate, vinyl caprylate, and vinyl versatate. Among these, the vinyl acetate is preferable from the industrial viewpoint.
In polymerization of the vinyl ester monomers, the vinyl ester monomers can be copolymerized with other monomers, as long as it is in the range in which the spirit of the present invention is not impaired. Examples of the monomers that can be use include: alpha-olefins such as ethylene, propylene, n-butene, and isobutylene; acrylic acid and a salt thereof, acrylic acid esters such as methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, n-propyl acrylate, i-propyl acrylate, n-butyl acrylate, i-butyl acrylate, t-butyl acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, dodecyl acrylate, and octadecyl acrylate; methacrylic acid and a salt thereof; methacrylic acid esters such as methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, n-propyl methacrylate, i-propyl methacrylate, n-butyl methacrylate, i-butyl methacrylate, t-butyl methacrylate, 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate, dodecyl methacrylate, and octadecyl methacrylate; acrylamide, acrylamide derivatives such as N-methylacrylamide, N-ethylacrylamide, N,N-dimethylacrylamide, diacetone acrylamide, acrylamide propanesulfonic acid and a salt thereof, acrylamide propyldimethylamine and a salt thereof or quaternary salt thereof, and N-methylolacrylamide and derivatives thereof, methacrylamide, methacrylamide derivatives such as N-methylmethacrylamide, N-ethylmethacrylamide, methacrylamide propanesulfonic acid and a salt thereof, methacrylamide propyldimethylamine and a salt thereof or quaternary salt thereof, and N-methylolmethacrylamide and derivatives thereof, vinyl ethers such as methyl vinyl ether, ethyl vinyl ether, n-propyl vinyl ether, i-propyl vinyl ether, n-butyl vinyl ether, i-butyl vinyl ether, t-butyl vinyl ether, dodecyl vinyl ether, and stearyl vinyl ether; nitriles such as acrylonitrile and methacrylonitrile; halogenated vinyls such as vinyl chloride and vinyl fluoride; halogenated vinylidenes such as vinylidene chloride and vinylidene fluoride; allyl compounds such as allyl acetate and allyl chloride; unsaturated dicarboxylic acids such as maleic acid, itaconic acid, and fumaric acid, and salts thereof or esters thereof, vinylsilyl compounds such as vinyltrimethoxysilane; and isopropenyl acetate.
Furthermore, in polymerization of vinyl ester monomers, a chain transfer agent can be present together for the purposes of, for example, adjusting the polymerization degree of the vinyl ester polymer to be obtained. Examples of the chain transfer agent include: aldehydes such as acetaldehyde, propionaldehyde, butyraldehyde, and benzaldehyde; ketones such as acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, hexanone, and cyclohexanone; mercaptans such as 2-hydroxyethanethiol and dodecyl mercaptan; and halogenated hydrocarbons such as trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene. Particularly, aldehydes and ketones are used suitably. The amount of the chain transfer agent to be added is determined according to the chain transfer constant of the chain transfer agent to be added and the target polymerization degree of the vinyl ester polymer. Generally, the amount is desirably 0.1 to 10 wt % with respect to the vinyl ester monomers.
In the present invention, a PVA polymer that has a large content of 1,2-glycol bonds and that can be obtained through saponification of a vinyl ester polymer obtained by polymerizing vinyl ester monomers under a higher temperature condition than usual also can be used preferably. In this case, the content of 1,2-glycol bonds is not particularly limited but is preferably at least 1.9 mol %, more preferably at least 2.0 mol %, and further preferably at least 2.1 mol %.
An alcoholysis or hydrolysis reaction that is carried out using a conventionally known basic catalyst such as sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, or sodium methoxide, or an conventionally known acidic catalyst such as p-toluenesulfonic acid can be used for the saponification reaction of a vinyl ester polymer. Examples of the solvent that is used for the saponification reaction include: alcohols such as methanol and ethanol; esters such as methyl acetate and ethyl acetate; ketones such as acetone and methyl ethyl ketone; and aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene and toluene. These can be used independently, or two or more of them can be used in combination. Particularly, it is easy and preferable to use methanol or a mixed solution of methanol and methyl acetate as the solvent and carry out the saponification reaction in the presence of sodium hydroxide that serves as a basic catalyst.
The PVA polymer (A) that is used in the present invention may have ionic functional groups at the end thereof. Examples of these ionic functional groups include a carboxyl group and a sulfonic acid group. Particularly, the carboxyl group is preferable. Those ionic groups also include salts thereof, and an alkali metal salt is preferable from the viewpoint that the PVA polymer (A) is preferably water dispersible. The method of introducing ionic functional groups into the end portion of the PVA polymer can be, for example, a method in which vinyl ester monomers such as vinyl acetate are polymerized in the presence of a thiol compound such as thiolacetic acid, mercaptopropionic acid, or 3-mercapto-1-propanesulfonic acid sodium salt, and the polymer thus obtained is saponified.
In the present invention, there is no particular limitation with respect to the method for esterifying the PVA polymer (A) with a carboxylic acid having an unsaturated double bond or a salt thereof or aliphatic carboxylic acid or aromatic carboxylic acid that contains no olefinically unsaturated bond in the molecule or a salt thereof (hereinafter these also may be abbreviated simply as “carboxylic acid (or a salt thereof)”). Examples of the method include: (i) a method in which the PVA polymer (A) is allowed to react with carboxylic acid or a salt thereof in an anhydrous solvent in the suspended state; (ii) a method in which carboxylic acid or a salt thereof that is in the powdered state or that has been dissolved or dispersed in water or alcohol such as methanol, ethanol, or propanol is mixed with the PVA polymer (A) in the slurry state or the powdered state, which is then heat-treated under a nitrogen or air atmosphere to be reacted; (iii) a method in which a PVA polymer (A) obtained by adding carboxylic acid or a salt thereof to polyvinyl acetate in the paste state and saponifying it is heat-treated; and (iv) a method in which a PVA polymer (A) and carboxylic acid or a salt thereof are dry-blended with, for example, a ribbon Brabender, a V-type Brabender, or a Henschel mixer, which is then melted and kneaded using, for example, a Banbury mixer, a mixing roll, a single or twin screw extruder, and a kneader. Among these, preferable methods are the method (ii) in which the PVA polymer (A) and carboxylic acid or a salt thereof are mixed, which is then heat-treated under a nitrogen atmosphere to be reacted and the method (iv) in which the PVA polymer (A) and carboxylic acid or a salt thereof are melted and kneaded.
In the above-mentioned method (ii), the conditions for heat-treating the mixture of the PVA polymer (A) and carboxylic acid or a salt thereof are not particularly limited. However, the heat treatment temperature is preferably 60 to 190° C., more preferably 65 to 185° C., and further preferably 70 to 180° C. Furthermore, the heat treatment time is preferably 0.5 to 20 hours, more preferably 1 to 18 hours, and further preferably 1 to 16 hours.
In the aforementioned method (iv), the temperature to be employed for melting and mixing the PVA polymer (A) and carboxylic acid or a salt thereof is preferably 130 to 250° C. and more preferably 140 to 220° C. The period of time for which the PVA polymer (A) and carboxylic acid or a salt thereof are retained inside the apparatus used for melting and kneading them is preferably 1 to 15 minutes and more preferably 2 to 10 minutes.
When the PVA polymer (A) and carboxylic acid or a salt thereof are heat-treated, a plasticizer that is used generally for PVA can be mixed to prevent coloring caused by the decomposition of PVA or formation of polyene in the main chain of PVA, and this also makes it possible to decrease the heat treatment temperature. Examples of the plasticizer include: polyhydric alcohols such as glycerol, diglycerol, polyethyleneglycol, polypropylene glycol, and sorbitol; compounds obtained by addition of ethylene oxide to those alcohols; water; saccharides; polyethers; and amide compounds. One of these can be used, or two or more of them can be used in combination. The amount of those plasticizers to be used is generally 1 to 300 parts by weight, more preferably 1 to 200 parts by weight, and further preferably 1 to 100 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the PVA polymer.
When the PVA polymer (A) and carboxylic acid having an unsaturated double bond or a salt thereof are heat-treated, it also is possible to heat-treat them with a polymerization inhibitor mixed thereinto in order to prevent a gel from being formed through thermal polymerization of the PVA polymer (A) or carboxylic acid having an unsaturated double bond or a salt thereof during the heat treatment. Examples of the polymerization inhibitor include phenolic polymerization inhibitors such as hydroquinone and hydroquinone monomethyl ether, phenothiazine, and N,N-diphenyl-p-phenylenediamine. The amount of the polymerization inhibitor to be mixed is preferably 0.00001 to 10 parts by weight and more preferably 0.0001 to 1 part by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the PVA polymer.
Furthermore, when the PVA polymer (A) and carboxylic acid or a salt thereof are heat-treated, it is preferable that alkali metal ions be contained at a ratio of 0.003 to 3 wt % with respect to 100 parts by weight of the PVA polymer (A), because in this case, for example, thermal degradation, pyrolysis, gelation, and coloring of the PVA polymer (A) can be prevented from occurring. Examples of the alkali metal ions include potassium ions, sodium ions, and magnesium ions. They are mainly present as a salt of lower fatty acid such as acetic acid or propionic acid. When the PVA polymer (A) has a carboxyl group and a sulfonic acid group, they are present as salts of these functional groups. The content of the alkali metal ions in the PVA polymer can be measured by the atomic absorption method.
In the present invention, in order to promote esterification of the PVA polymer (A) with carboxylic acid or a salt thereof, it also is possible to heat-treat the PVA polymer (A) and carboxylic acid having an unsaturated double bond or a salt thereof, with an acid substance or basic substance to serve as a catalyst being mixed therewith. Examples of the acid substance include inorganic acids such as hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, and phosphoric acid; organic acids such as formic acid, acetic acid, oxalic acid, and p-toluenesulfonic acid; salts such as pyridinium p-toluenesulfonate and ammonium chloride; and Lewis acids such as zinc chloride, aluminum chloride, iron(III) chloride, tin(II) chloride, tin(IV) chloride, and a boron trifluoride diethylether complex. One of these can be used, or two or more of them can be used in combination. Furthermore, examples of the basic substance include alkali metal hydroxides such as sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide; alkali metal carbonates such as sodium carbonate and potassium carbonate; metal oxides such as barium oxide and silver oxide; alkali metal hydrides such as sodium hydride and potassium hydride; alkali metal alkoxides such as sodium methoxide and sodium ethoxide; and alkali metal amides such as sodium amide and potassium amide. One of these can be used, or two or more of them can be used in combination. Generally, the amount of such an acid substance and basic substance to be mixed is preferably 0.0001 to 5 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the PVA polymer.
In the present invention, the PVA polymer (A) may be used independently, or two or more PVA polymers (A) whose properties are different from each other may be used in combination.
By esterifying a PVA polymer (A) with a carboxylic acid having an unsaturated double bond or a salt thereof, a PVA polymer (B) having a double bond in its side chain is obtained. The amount of modification with the carboxylic acid having an unsaturated double bond or a salt thereof can be measured by, for example, a method in which the PVA polymer (B) is dissolved in a d6-DMSO solvent, which is measured by 1H-NMR and thereby the signal derived from the double bond is analyzed, or a method in which unreacted carboxylic acid is measured and determined by high performance liquid chromatography.
In the present invention, with respect to the PVA polymer (B) and PVA polymer (C), the amount of modification with the carboxylic acid or a salt thereof introduced through esterification is preferably 0.01 to 50 mol %, more preferably 0.01 to 25 mol %, further preferably 0.02 to 20 mol %, and particularly preferably 0.05 to 15 mol % with respect to monomer units of the PVA polymer (A).
In the present invention, when the PVA polymer (B) is a PVA polymer obtained by esterifying the PVA polymer (A) with unsaturated dicarboxylic acids or when the PVA polymer (C) is a PVA polymer obtained by esterifying the PVA polymer (A) with dicarboxylic acids or tricarboxylic acids, in order to improve the water solubility thereof, the carboxyl group that is not involved in the ester bond is reacted suitably with any one of hydroxides of monovalent to trivalent metals, salts, alkoxide, ammonia, ammonium salt, amine salt, and amine salts.
The PVA polymer (B) or PVA polymer (C) is used suitably, as a dispersion stabilizer for suspension polymerization, particularly for suspension polymerization of a vinyl compound. Examples of the vinyl compound include: vinyl halides such as vinyl chloride; vinyl esters such as vinyl acetate and vinyl propionate; acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, and esters and salts thereof; maleic acid, fumaric acid, and esters and anhydrides thereof; styrene, acrylonitrile, vinylidene chloride, and vinyl ether. Among these, particularly suitably, vinyl chloride is used independently or vinyl chloride and monomers capable of copolymerizing with vinyl chloride are used together in suspension polymerization. Examples of the monomers capable of copolymerizing with vinyl chloride include: vinyl esters such as vinyl acetate and vinyl propionate; (meth)acrylic acid esters such as methyl (meth)acrylate and ethyl(meth)acrylate; alpha-olefins such as ethylene and propylene; unsaturated dicarboxylic acids such as maleic anhydride and itaconic acid; acrylonitrile, styrene, vinylidene chloride, and vinyl ether.
For suspension polymerization of a vinyl compound, an oil soluble or water soluble polymerization initiator can be used that is used conventionally for polymerization of, for example, vinyl chloride monomers. Examples of the oil soluble polymerization initiator include: percarbonate compounds such as diisopropyl peroxydicarbonate, di-2-ethylhexyl peroxydicarbonate, and diethoxyethyl peroxydicarbonate; perester compounds such as t-butyl peroxyneodecanate, t-butylperoxypyvalate, t-hexylperoxypyvalate, and alpha-cumyl peroxyneodecanate; peroxides such as acetyl cyclohexyl sulfonyl peroxide, 2,4,4-trimethylpentyl-2-peroxyphenoxyacetate, 3,5,5-trimethylhexanoyl peroxide, and lauroyl peroxide; and azo compounds such as azobis-2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile and azobis(4-2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile). Examples of the water soluble polymerization initiator include potassium persulfate, ammonium persulfate, hydrogen peroxide, and cumene hydroperoxide. These oil soluble or water soluble polymerization initiators can be used independently, or two or more of them can be used in combination.
In the suspension polymerization of a vinyl compound, other various additives can be added to the polymerization reaction system as required. Examples of the additives include polymerization regulators such as aldehydes, halogenated hydrocarbons, and mercaptans, and polymerization inhibitors such as phenol compounds, sulfur compounds, and N-oxide compounds. Furthermore, a pH adjuster and a cross-linker also can be added optionally.
In suspension polymerization of a vinyl compound, the polymerization temperature is not particularly limited and can be adjusted to not only a lower temperature of around 20° C. but also a higher temperature exceeding 90° C. Furthermore, one of preferred embodiments also includes the use of a polymerizer equipped with a reflux condenser in order to improve the heat removal efficiency of the polymerization reaction system.
When the PVA polymer (B) or PVA polymer (C) is used as a dispersion stabilizer for emulsion polymerization, the amount thereof to be used is not particularly limited. It is used preferably in the range of 1 to 20 parts by weight, more preferably 2 to 15 parts by weight, and particularly preferably 3 to 13 parts by weight in terms of solid content with respect to 100 parts by weight of unsaturated monomers that is used for emulsion polymerization. When the PVA polymer (B) is used as the dispersion stabilizer in an amount within the aforementioned range, polymerization stability further improves.
Examples of the unsaturated monomers include: olefins such as ethylene, propylene, and isobutylene; halogenated olefins such as vinyl chloride, vinyl fluoride, vinylidene chloride, and vinylidene fluoride; vinyl esters such as vinyl formate, vinyl acetate, vinyl propionate, and vinyl versatate; acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, acrylic acid esters such as methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, butyl acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, dodecyl acrylate, and 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate; methacrylic acid esters such as methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, butyl methacrylate, 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate, dodecyl methacrylate, and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate; dimethylaminoethyl acrylate, dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate, and quaternized products thereof. Further examples thereof include: acrylamide monomers such as acrylamide, methacrylamide, N-methylolacrylamide, N,N-dimethylacrylamide, acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid, and sodium salts thereof; styrene monomers such as styrene, alpha-methylstyrene, p-styrenesulfonic acid, as well as sodium and potassium salt; N-vinylpyrrolidone; and diene monomers such as butadiene, isoprene, and chloroprene. These unsaturated monomers can be used independently, or two or more of them can be used in combination. Examples of preferable polymer of unsaturated monomers include polyvinyl acetate, an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, and a (meth)acrylic acid ester (co)polymer.
Additives such as a preservative, a fungicide, an antiblocking agent, and an antifoamer that are used commonly for suspension polymerization and emulsion polymerization can be added to a dispersion stabilizer composed of the PVA polymer (B) or PVA polymer (C) of the present invention as required.
When the dispersion stabilizer of the present invention is used for suspension polymerization or emulsion polymerization, the dispersion stabilizer may be used independently but can be used together with water-soluble cellulose ether such as methylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose, or hydroxypropyl methylcellulose; a water-soluble polymer such as polyvinyl alcohol or gelatin; an oil-soluble emulsifier such as sorbitan monolaurate, sorbitan trioleate, glycerol tristearate, or an ethylene oxide/propylene oxide block copolymer; or a water-soluble emulsifier such as polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate, polyoxyethylene glycerol oleate, or sodium laurate.
Furthermore, when the dispersion stabilizer of the present invention is used for suspension polymerization, a water-soluble or water-dispersible dispersion stabilizing aid can be used together. A dispersion stabilizing aid that is used suitably is a partially saponified PVA with a saponification degree of lower than 65 mol % and a polymerization degree of 50 to 750 and preferably with a saponification degree of 30 to 60 mol % and a polymerization degree of 180 to 650. Moreover, the dispersion stabilizing aid may be one provided with self-emulsifiability through introduction of an ionic group such as carboxylic acid or sulfonic acid.
The weight ratio (dispersion stabilizer/dispersion stabilizing aid) between the dispersion stabilizer and the dispersion stabilizing aid that are added when the dispersion stabilizing aid is used together cannot be specified uniformly since it varies according to, for example, the type of the dispersion stabilizer to be used. However, the weight ratio is preferably in the range of 95/5 to 20/80 and particularly preferably 90/10 to 30/70. The dispersion stabilizer and the dispersion stabilizing aid may be introduced together in the early stage of polymerization or may be introduced in fractional amounts in the middle of polymerization.
Hereinafter, the present invention is described in further detail using examples. In the following examples and comparative examples, “parts” and “%” denote “parts by weight” and “wt %”, respectively, unless otherwise specified.
After 100 parts by weight of the powdered PVA polymer (A) with a polymerization degree of 700 and a saponification degree of 70 mol % was added to a solution in which 5 parts by weight of fumaric acid had been dissolved in 200 parts by weight of methanol and was then allowed to swell, it was dried under reduced pressure at a temperature of 40° C. for 24 hours. Subsequently, this was heat-treated under a nitrogen atmosphere at 130° C. for one hour and was then subjected to Soxhlet washing using tetrahydrofuran (THF). Thus a PVA polymer (B) was obtained. This PVA polymer (B) was dissolved in a d6-DMSO solvent and was then subjected to 1H-NMR measurement. As a result, a signal derived from a double bond was observed at 6.5 ppm. The amount of modification of the PVA polymer (B) with the carboxylic acid was 0.5 mol %. Furthermore, the amount of alkali metal ions contained in the resultant PVA polymer (B) was measured by the atomic absorption method. As a result, sodium ions that seemed to be derived from a saponification by-product were observed and the amount thereof was 1.5 wt % in terms of sodium acetate.
<Suspension Polymerization of Vinyl Chloride>
The PVA polymer (B) obtained above was dissolved in deionized water in an amount equivalent to 600 ppm with respect to vinyl chloride and thereby a dispersion stabilizer was prepared. Then 1150 g of dispersion stabilizer thus obtained was introduced into a glass-lined autoclave with a volume of 5 L. Subsequently, 1.5 g of 70% solution of diisopropyl peroxydicarbonate in toluene was introduced into the glass-lined autoclave. Oxygen was then removed through deaeration carried out until the pressure inside the autoclave was reduced to 0.0067 MPa. Thereafter, 1000 g of vinyl chloride was introduced, the temperature of the content inside the autoclave was increased to 57° C., and polymerization was then started under stirring. The pressure inside the autoclave at the start of polymerization was 0.83 MPa. At the time when seven hours had elapsed after the start of polymerization and the pressure inside the autoclave had reached 0.44 MPa, polymerization was stopped, and unreacted vinyl chloride was removed. Thereafter, the polymerization slurry was taken out and was dried overnight at 65° C. Thus, vinyl chloride polymer particles were obtained.
<Evaluation of Vinyl Chloride Polymer Particles>
With respect to the vinyl chloride polymer particles, the average particle diameter, particle size distribution, and scale adhesion amount were measured according to the following methods. Table 1 indicates the evaluation results.
(1) Average Particle Diameter of Vinyl Chloride Polymer Particles
A metal mesh of Tyler mesh standard was used to measure the particle size distribution by dry sieve analysis and the average particle diameter was then determined.
(2) Particle Size Distribution of Vinyl Chloride Polymer Particles
The content retained on a 42-mesh JIS standard sieve was indicated in wt %. The smaller the number, the smaller the amount of coarse particles and the sharper the particle size distribution, which indicates excellent polymerization stability.
(3) Scale Adhesion Amount
After the polymer slurry had been removed from the polymerization tank, the adhesion state of scale on the inner wall of the polymerization tank was observed visually and was evaluated according to the following criteria:
⊚: Scale had hardly adhered,
◯: Some scale had adhered, and
x: White scale had adhered considerably.
Using a PVA polymer (B) synthesized in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the PVA polymer (A) and carboxylic acid indicated in Table 1 were used and the heat treatment was carried out under the conditions indicated in Table 1, suspension polymerization of vinyl chloride was carried out in the same manner as in Example 1. Thus, vinyl chloride polymer particles were obtained. Table 1 indicates the evaluation results of the vinyl chloride polymer particles.
Powder of the PVA polymer (A) was used directly as a dispersion stabilizer, and the suspension polymerization of vinyl chloride was carried out in the same manner as in Example 1. However, polymerization was not possible due to blocking of vinyl chloride. Thus, vinyl chloride polymer particles were not obtained.
A PVA polymer was synthesized in the same manner as in Example 1 except that powder of the PVA polymer (A) indicated in Table 1 was added to a methanol solution free from fumaric acid and this was heat-treated. Using this, suspension polymerization of vinyl chloride was carried out in the same manner as in Example 1. Thus, vinyl chloride polymer particles were obtained. Table 1 indicates the evaluation results. Coarse particles were contained and uniform polymer particles were not obtained. Furthermore, a large amount of scale had adhered and thus polymerization was not carried out stably.
Suspension polymerization of vinyl chloride was carried out in the same manner as in Example 1 except that no heat treatment was carried out. However, polymerization was not possible due to blocking of vinyl chloride. Thus, vinyl chloride polymer particles were not obtained.
After 100 parts by weight of the powdered PVA polymer (A) with a polymerization degree of 750 and a saponification degree of 72 mol % was added to a solution in which 5 parts by weight of malonic acid had been dissolved in 200 parts by weight of methanol and was then allowed to swell, it was dried under reduced pressure at a temperature of 40° C. for 24 hours. Subsequently, this was heat-treated under a nitrogen atmosphere at 140° C. for two hours and was then subjected to Soxhlet washing using tetrahydrofuran (THF). Thus, a PVA polymer (C) was obtained. The amount of modification of the PVA polymer (C) with the carboxylic acid was 0.8 mol %. Furthermore, the amount of alkali metal ions contained in the resultant PVA polymer (C) was measured by the atomic absorption method. As a result, sodium ions that seemed to be derived from a saponification by-product were observed and the amount thereof was 0.5 wt % in terms of sodium acetate.
<Suspension Polymerization of Vinyl Chloride>
The PVA polymer (C) obtained above was dissolved in deionized water in an amount equivalent to 800 ppm with respect to vinyl chloride and thereby a dispersion stabilizer was prepared. Then 1150 g of dispersion stabilizer thus obtained was introduced into a glass-lined autoclave with a volume of 5 L. Subsequently, 1.5 g of 70% solution of diisopropyl peroxydicarbonate in toluene was introduced into the glass-lined autoclave. Oxygen was then removed through deaeration carried out until the pressure inside the autoclave was reduced to 0.0067 MPa. Thereafter, 1000 g of vinyl chloride was introduced, the temperature of the content inside the autoclave was increased to 57° C., and polymerization was then started under stirring. The pressure inside the autoclave at the start of polymerization was 0.83 MPa. At the time when seven hours had elapsed after the start of polymerization and the pressure inside the autoclave had reached 0.44 MPa, polymerization was stopped, and unreacted vinyl chloride was removed. Thereafter, the polymerization slurry was taken out and was dried overnight at 65° C. Thus, vinyl chloride polymer particles were obtained.
Using a PVA polymer (C) synthesized in the same manner as in Example 13 except that the PVA polymer (A) and carboxylic acid indicated in Table 1 were used and heat treatment was carried out under the conditions indicated in Table 1, suspension polymerization of vinyl chloride was carried out in the same manner as in Example 13. Thus, vinyl chloride polymer particles were obtained. Table 1 indicates the evaluation results of the vinyl chloride polymer particles.
Suspension polymerization of vinyl chloride was carried out in the same manner as in Example 13 except that no heat treatment was carried out. However, polymerization was not possible due to blocking of vinyl chloride. Thus, vinyl chloride polymer particles were not obtained.
TABLE 1
Conditions for
Vinyl chloride polymer
PVA(A)
heat
Average
Particle
Saponification
Sodium
treatment
Modification
particle
size
Polymerization
degree
content<sup>2)</sup>
Temperature
Time
Carboxylic
amount
diameter
distribution
Scale
degree
mol %
wt %
° C.
hr
acid<sup>1)</sup>
mol %
μm
%
adhesion
Ex. 1
700
70
1.5
130
1
Fumaric
0.5
137
0.0
⊚
acid(5)
Ex. 2
700
70
1.5
130
1
Maleic
0.4
140
0.0
⊚
acid(2)
Ex. 3
700
70
1.5
130
1
Acrylic
1.2
158
0.0
⊚
acid(5)
Ex. 4
700
70
1.5
130
1
Crotonic
1.0
153
0.0
⊚
acid(5)
Ex. 5
700
60
1.5
130
1.5
Fumaric
0.5
165
1.0
⊚
acid(5)
Ex. 6
2000
80
0.5
130
1
Fumaric
0.3
134
0.0
⊚
acid(1)
Ex. 7
700
70
1.5
100
1
Maleic
0.005
190
3.0
◯
acid(0.1)
Ex. 8
700
70
1.5
130
2
Maleic
5.0
122
2.0
◯
acid(20)
Ex. 9
700
70
1.5
130
2
Maleic
12.0
112
2.0
◯
acid(50)
Ex. 10
700
70
3.5
130
2
Maleic
30.0
188
3.0
◯
acid(100)
Ex. 11
700
70
0.5
120
4
Itaconic
0.2
140
0.0
⊚
acid(1)
Ex. 12
2000
80
0.5
80
2
Maleic
0.4
135
0.0
⊚
Anhydride(1)
C. Ex. 1
700
70
1.5
None
None
—
—
Polymerization was not
possible due to blocking
C. Ex. 2
700
70
1.5
130
1
—
—
256
10.0
X
C. Ex. 3
2000
80
0.5
130
1
—
—
177
5.0
X
C. Ex. 4
700
70
1.5
None
None
Fumaric
—
Polymerization was not
acid(5)
possible due to blocking
Ex. 13
750
72
0.5
140
2
Malonic
0.8
165
0.0
⊚
acid(5)
Ex. 14
750
72
0.5
140
2
Adipic
0.6
162
0.0
⊚
acid(5)
Ex. 15
750
72
0.5
140
2
Propionic
0.5
187
2.0
◯
acid(5)
Ex. 16
750
72
0.5
140
4
Adipic
10.5
151
0.5
⊚
acid(50)
Ex. 17
750
72
0.5
140
4
Adipic
26.0
172
1.0
◯
acid(100)
Ex. 18
750
72
0.5
100
2
Adipic
0.005
182
1.2
◯
acid(0.5)
Ex. 19
2400
80
0.2
140
2
Adipic
1.4
143
0.0
⊚
acid(10)
Ex. 20
2400
80
0.2
140
2
Phthalic
1.0
153
0.0
⊚
acid(10)
C. Ex. 5
750
72
0.5
None
None
Malonic
—
Polymerization was not
acid(5)
possible due to blocking
<sup>1)</sup>The number indicated in parenthesis denotes the amount (parts by weight) mixed with respect to 100 parts by weight of PVA (A)
<sup>2)</sup>In terms of sodium acetate
With respect to 100 parts by weight of the powdered PVA polymer (A) with a polymerization degree of 500 and a saponification degree of 74 mol %, 1 part by weight of fumaric acid was dry-blended. This was melted and kneaded at a temperature of 203° C. for two minutes using a Labo Prastomill. The kneaded mixture was subjected to Soxhlet washing using THF. Thus, a PVA polymer (B) was obtained. The PVA polymer (B) was dissolved in a d6-DMSO solvent and was then subjected to 1H-NMR measurement. As a result, a signal derived from a double bond was observed at 6.5 ppm. The amount of modification of the PVA polymer (B) with the carboxylic acid was 0.5 mol %.
<Suspension Polymerization of Vinyl Chloride>
Suspension polymerization of vinyl chloride was carried out in the same manner as in Example 1. The resultant vinyl chloride polymer particles were evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1. Table 2 indicates the evaluation results.
Using a PVA polymer (B) synthesized in the same manner as in Example 21 except that carboxylic acid indicated in Table 2 was used and the heat treatment was carried out under the conditions indicated in Table 2, suspension polymerization of vinyl chloride was carried out in the same manner as in Example 1. Thus, vinyl chloride polymer particles were obtained. Table 2 indicates the evaluation results of the vinyl chloride polymer particles.
Using a PVA polymer (B) synthesized in the same manner as in Example 21 except that fumaric acid was not dry-blended and melting and kneading were carried out under the conditions indicated in Table 2, suspension polymerization of vinyl chloride was carried out in the same manner as in Example 1. However, polymerization was not possible due to blocking of vinyl chloride. Thus, vinyl chloride polymer particles were not obtained.
With respect to 100 parts by weight of the powdered PVA polymer (A) with a polymerization degree of 550 and a saponification degree of 74 mol %, 1 part by weight of glutaric acid was dry-blended. This was melted and kneaded at a temperature of 200° C. for two minutes using a Labo Prastomill. The kneaded mixture was subjected to Soxhlet washing using THF. Thus, a PVA polymer (C) was obtained. The amount of modification of the PVA polymer (C) with the carboxylic acid was 0.5 mol %.
<Suspension Polymerization of Vinyl Chloride>
Suspension polymerization of vinyl chloride was carried out in the same manner as in Example 13. The resultant vinyl chloride polymer particles were evaluated in the same manner as in Example 13. Table 2 indicates the evaluation results.
Using a PVA polymer (C) synthesized in the same manner as in Example 24 except that 1 part by weight of adipic acid was used instead of 1 part by weight of glutaric acid and the heat treatment was carried out under the conditions indicated in Table 2, suspension polymerization of vinyl chloride was carried out in the same manner as in Example 11. Thus, vinyl chloride polymer particles were obtained. Table 2 indicates the evaluation results of the vinyl chloride polymer particles.
TABLE 2
Vinyl chloride polymer
PVA(A)
Conditions for
Average
Particle
Saponification
Sodium
melting and kneading
Modification
particle
size
Scale
Polymerization
degree
content<sup>2)</sup>
Temperature
Time
amount
diameter
distribution
adhesion
degree
mol %
wt %
° C.
min
Carboxylic acid<sup>1)</sup>
mol %
μm
%
amount
Ex. 21
500
74
1.2
203
2
Fumaric acid(1.5)
0.5
152
0.0
⊚
Ex. 22
500
74
1.2
195
2
Maleic acid(0.5)
0.2
149
0.0
⊚
Ex. 23
500
74
1.2
195
2
Itaconic acid(1)
0.4
145
0.0
⊚
C. Ex. 6
500
74
1.2
210
2
—
—
Polymerization was not possible
due to blocking
Ex. 24
550
74
0.6
200
2
Glutaric acid(1.5)
0.5
152
0.0
⊚
Ex. 25
550
74
0.6
198
2
Adipic acid(1.5)
0.4
149
0.0
⊚
<sup>1)</sup>The number indicated in parenthesis denotes the amount (parts by weight) mixed with respect to 100 parts by weight of PVA (A)
<sup>2)</sup>In terms of sodium acetate
A PVA polymer (B) was synthesized in the same manner as in Example 1 except that powdered PVA polymer (A) with a polymerization degree of 1700 and a saponification degree of 98.5 mol % was used, 1 part by weight of fumaric acid was used as carboxylic acid having an unsaturated double bond, and heat treatment was carried out under the conditions indicated in Table 3.
<Emulsion Polymerization of Vinyl Acetate>
After 312 g of PVA polymer (B) whose concentration had been adjusted to 2.5% was introduced into a glass reactor with a volume of 1 L that was equipped with a stirrer, a reflux condenser, a dropping funnel, a nitrogen introducing tube, and a thermometer and the temperature thereof was adjusted to 60° C., 26 g of vinyl acetate and 15 g of 20% aqueous solution of sodium tartrate were introduced. The atmosphere inside the system was then replaced by nitrogen. While the content of the reactor was stirred at 200 rpm, 30 g of 5% hydrogen peroxide solution was dropped continuously over 2.5 hours and thereby polymerization was carried out. Completion of initial polymerization was confirmed 30 minutes after the start of polymerization. Further, 234 g of vinyl acetate was added continuously over two hours and the polymerization was completed. Thus, a polyvinyl acetate resin emulsion with a solid content concentration of 48% was obtained. The emulsion thus obtained was filtered with a 200-mesh metal mesh made of stainless steel. As a result, the amount of filtration residue was small, specifically 0.1% (solid content), and the stability during polymerization also was very good. Table 3 indicates the results.
Using a PVA polymer (B) synthesized in the same manner as in Example 26 except that carboxylic acid indicated in Table 3 was used, emulsion polymerization of vinyl acetate was carried out in the same manner as in Example 26. Thus, a polyvinyl acetate resin emulsion was obtained. The emulsion thus obtained was filtered with a 200-mesh metal mesh made of stainless steel. As a result, the amount of filtration residue was small, specifically 0.2% (solid content), and the stability during polymerization also was very good. Table 3 indicates the results.
Using a PVA polymer (B) synthesized in the same manner as in Example 23 except that PVA with a polymerization degree of 1700, a saponification degree of 98.5 mol %, and a 1,2-glycol bond content of 2.2 mol % was used as the PVA polymer (A), emulsion polymerization of vinyl acetate was carried out in the same manner as in Example 26. Thus, a polyvinyl acetate resin emulsion was obtained. The emulsion thus obtained was filtered with a 200-mesh metal mesh made of stainless steel. As a result, the amount of filtration residue was small, specifically 0.05% (solid content), and the stability during polymerization also was very good. Table 3 indicates the results.
Using a PVA polymer (B) synthesized in the same manner as in Example 26 except that fumaric acid was not used, emulsion polymerization of vinyl acetate was carried out in the same manner as in Example 26. Thus, a polyvinyl acetate resin emulsion was obtained. The emulsion thus obtained was filtered with a 200-mesh metal mesh made of stainless steel. As a result, the amount of filtration residue was 20% (solid content), and it was not possible to perform the emulsion polymerization stably. Table 3 indicates the results.
A PVA polymer (C) was synthesized in the same manner as in Example 13 except that powdered PVA polymer (A) with a polymerization degree of 1700 and a saponification degree of 98.5 mol % was used, 1 part by weight of malonic acid was used as carboxylic acid, and heat treatment was carried out under the conditions indicated in Table 3.
<Emulsion Polymerization of Vinyl Acetate>
After 312 g of PVA polymer (C) whose concentration had been adjusted to 2.5% was introduced into a glass reactor with a volume of 1 L that was equipped with a stirrer, a reflux condenser, a dropping funnel, a nitrogen introducing tube, and a thermometer and the temperature thereof was adjusted to 60° C., 26 g of vinyl acetate and 15 g of 20% aqueous solution of sodium tartrate were introduced. The atmosphere inside the system was then replaced by nitrogen. While the content of the reactor was stirred at 200 rpm, 30 g of 5% hydrogen peroxide solution was dropped continuously over 2.5 hours and thereby polymerization was carried out. Completion of initial polymerization was confirmed 30 minutes after the start of polymerization. Further, 234 g of vinyl acetate was added continuously over two hours and the polymerization was completed. Thus, a polyvinyl acetate resin emulsion with a solid content concentration of 48% was obtained. The emulsion thus obtained was filtered with a 200-mesh metal mesh made of stainless steel. As a result, the amount of filtration residue was small, specifically 0.2% (solid content), and the stability during polymerization also was very good. Table 3 indicates the results.
Using a PVA polymer (C) synthesized in the same manner as in Example 30 except that adipic acid was used instead of malonic acid, emulsion polymerization of vinyl acetate was carried out in the same manner as in Example 30. Thus, a polyvinyl acetate resin emulsion was obtained. The emulsion thus obtained was filtered with a 200-mesh metal mesh made of stainless steel. As a result, the amount of filtration residue was small, specifically 0.3% (solid content), and the stability during polymerization also was very good. Table 3 indicates the results.
Using a PVA polymer (C) synthesized in the same manner as in Example 30 except that PVA with a polymerization degree of 1700, a saponification degree of 98.5 mol %, and a 1,2-glycol bond content of 2.2 mol % was used as the PVA polymer (A) and adipic acid was used as carboxylic acid instead of malonic acid, emulsion polymerization of vinyl acetate was carried out in the same manner as in Example 30. Thus, a polyvinyl acetate resin emulsion was obtained. The emulsion thus obtained was filtered with a 200-mesh metal mesh made of stainless steel. As a result, the amount of filtration residue was small, specifically 0.03% (solid content), and the stability during polymerization also was very good. Table 3 indicates the results.
TABLE 3
Vinyl acetate
PVA(A)
Conditions for
resin emulsion
Saponification
1,2-
Sodium
heat treatment
Modification
Amount of
Polymerization
degree
Gly<sup>2)</sup>
content<sup>3)</sup>
Temperature
Time
amount
filtration residue
degree
mol %
mol %
wt %
° C.
hr
Carboxylic acid<sup>1)</sup>
mol %
%
Ex. 26
1700
98.5
—
0.3
130
1
Fumaric acid(4)
0.5
0.1
Ex. 27
1700
98.5
—
0.3
130
1
Maleic acid(3)
0.7
0.2
Ex. 28
1700
98.5
—
0.3
130
1
Itaconic
0.3
0.1
acid(2)
Ex. 29
1700
98.5
2.2
0.3
130
1
Fumaric acid(4)
0.5
0.05
C. Ex. 7
1700
98.5
—
0.3
130
1
—
—
20.0
Ex. 30
1700
98.5
—
0.1
140
1
Malonic acid(5)
0.8
0.2
Ex. 31
1700
98.5
—
0.1
140
1
Adipic acid(5)
0.9
0.3
Ex. 32
1700
98.5
2.2
0.1
140
1
Adipic acid(5)
1.2
0.03
<sup>1)</sup>The number indicated in parenthesis denotes the amount (parts by weight) mixed with respect to 100 parts by weight of PVA (A)
<sup>2)</sup>The content of 1,2-glycol bonds
<sup>3)</sup>In terms of sodium acetate
The dispersion stabilizer of the present invention is excellent in polymerization stability when used in suspension polymerization. Accordingly, it reduces the blocking and scale adhesion that are caused by instable polymerization, and polymer particles with less coarse particles and a sharp particle size distribution can be obtained. When used in emulsion polymerization, it also is excellent in polymerization stability, and therefore a polymer with a less amount of filtration residue can be obtained. Thus, it is industrially very useful. | |
International Rescue Committee is one of the major actors in humanitarian aid and post-conflict development in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The IRC began working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1996 to meet the humanitarian needs of people affected by armed conflict in the east of the country. Currently, the IRC works in the sectors of health including the Ebola response, community governance and reconstruction, the protection and empowerment of women, responses to emergencies, child protection and education.
In August 2018, the DRC witnessed an EVD outbreak that has continued till date. The IRC is one of the major organizations contributing to stop the spread of the epidemic through health, IPC/WaSH interventions, and integrated protection in the North Kivu and Ituri Provinces. The IRC is currently recruiting a Deputy Child Protection Coordinator.
Scope of Work
Under the supervision of the Deputy Field Director, the Deputy Child Protection Coordinator will be responsible for overseeing implementation and monitoring of the child protection component of IRCs EVD response while ensuring quality program delivery of the child protection in emergencies program activities including interventions among host communities. The Deputy Child Protection Coordinator will be responsible for ensuring technical quality of IRC’s interventions related to child protection case management; Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and psychosocial support to children, adolescents, and youth; parenting skills; and strengthening community-based child protection networks (RECOPE). She/he ensures integration as well as smooth teamwork within and across other sectors.
Specific Responsibilities:
• Provide technical supervision of, and technical support and guidance to IRC DR Congo EVD Response child protection program, in close coordination and with technical support of the Child Protection Coordinator
• Ensure that all child protection activities are consistent with established international and national best practices, in close collaboration with the Child Protection Coordinator and the HQ Child Protection TA
• Provide direct support to the child protection case management team and coach case management officers in supervising case management services
• Supervise CP staff and volunteers directly, working closely with the CP Manager to ensure that activities are implemented on time, within budget, and in compliance with IRC and donor guidelines
• Ensure regular follow-up on monitoring data relevant to the IRC EVD child protection program
• Monitor evolving needs in the target communities and adjust the programmatic priorities as necessary
• Design and lead technical assessments to determine needs for child protection program development
• Regularly assess and implement capacity building initiatives for project staff, including a staff capacity building plan to ensure quality child protection programming
• Build the capacity of the child protection team through mentoring, coaching and facilitating technical trainings
• Ensure Child Protection risk mitigation activities are incorporated into other sectors and humanitarian activities, through trainings, advocacy and other mentoring or support
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with all stakeholders – including community leaders, NGOs, UN agencies, community-based organisations and other IRC sectors to enhance multi-agency and multi-sectoral cooperation and coordination.
• Participate actively in external coordination and cluster forums, including supporting IRC as co-lead of the Child Protection Working Group in Beni; participate in internal coordination and management meetings to promote effective and efficient information sharing, problem-solving and decision making
• Ensure that relevant information from coordination meetings is shared internally and with other sectors.
• Ensure the child protection teams understand and are following IRC HR policies, including the Child Safeguarding policy, policies related to PSEA, and code of conduct, and donor Policies and Procedures
Qualifications
• A Bachelor’s degree in Child Protection, Social work, humanities or other related discipline.
• At least 5 years professional experience in Child Protection programming within increasingly complex levels of management responsibility, preferably in an emergency context. Experience in conflict and / or outbreak contexts preferred.
• In-depth understanding of Child Protection international standards, and prevention and response strategies
• Demonstrated experience in Child Protection program start up, including recruiting and building the capacity of a new team, preferably in emergency contexts
• Demonstrated experience in program design and monitoring; experience developing and monitoring budgets, work plans and other program management tools.
• Demonstrated experience facilitating trainings and workshops on Child Protection in emergencies issues
• Experience in working collaboratively and/or advocating with other sectors and teams to promote gender equality and prioritize needs of women and girls
• Demonstrated team management skills with medium or large-size teams; experience with remote team management a plus
• Demonstrated coordination, networking and relationship building skills with key partners including government, donors, INGOs, national and local organizations, UN agencies
• Good interpersonal and team building skills and experience using participatory approaches
• Willingness to travel in remote and conflict affected areas
• Ability to work under pressure.
• Self-motivated, honest, highly responsible, and punctual
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• Flexibility, adaptability, culturally sensitivity, sense of humour
• Fluency in French and English required. Knowledge of Swahili is an asset.
Specific Security Situation/Housing
Beni is security phase 4 (Red) so staff are expected to respect the various security protocols in place in the province and in country. Phase 4 requires clear contingency planning in place with staff prepared should hibernation or evacuation be called. The Deputy Child Protection Coordinator position is an unaccompanied position and will be provided with shared housing/hotel accommodation. | https://www.generationcab.org/2019/10/25/deputy-child-protection-coordinator/ |
<p>The use of children as laborers in Ohio's agricultural and industrial occupations occurred from the very beginning of the state's history. Native American societies commonly relied on children to assist in hunting, the growing of crops, and other tasks. European farmers continued this tradition, relying on children to assist in the fields and in other chores. Once factories and mines arrived in Ohio, children commonly provided a cheap source of labor for these establishments. Business owners routinely paid children one half of a grown man's salary. The employers' rationale was that children could not work as hard or as fast as adult men, but the children commonly had the same jobs and expectations as the adults did. Mine owners especially sought out children as workers. There were two principal reasons for this. First, mine owners paid less than most other employers during the nineteenth century, making their jobs unattractive to adults. Second, the owners commonly had to extract mineral wealth, like coal and iron ore, by digging holes into the earth. The size of the worker generally determined the size of the hole. Since they were much smaller than adults, children required smaller holes, allowing the miners to extract primarily the coal and iron ore and not unnecessary rocks to make the hole larger.</p>
+
<p>The use of children as laborers in Ohio's agricultural and industrial occupations occurred from the very beginning of the state's history. American Indian societies commonly relied on children to assist in hunting, the growing of crops, and other tasks. European farmers continued this tradition, relying on children to assist in the fields and in other chores. Once factories and mines arrived in Ohio, children commonly provided a cheap source of labor for these establishments. Business owners routinely paid children one half of a grown man's salary. The employers' rationale was that children could not work as hard or as fast as adult men, but the children commonly had the same jobs and expectations as the adults did. Mine owners especially sought out children as workers. There were two principal reasons for this. First, mine owners paid less than most other employers during the nineteenth century, making their jobs unattractive to adults. Second, the owners commonly had to extract mineral wealth, like coal and iron ore, by digging holes into the earth. The size of the worker generally determined the size of the hole. Since they were much smaller than adults, children required smaller holes, allowing the miners to extract primarily the coal and iron ore and not unnecessary rocks to make the hole larger.</p>
<p>By the early 1850s, many Ohioans came to oppose child labor. In 1852, Ohio was one of the first states to implement limits on the number of hours that children could work. Ohio also prohibited children younger than twelve from working in mines. In 1905, Progressive reformers convinced the state to prohibit boys less than fifteen years of age and girls less than sixteen years of age from working during the school year. Many employers ignored this law. Some families, especially those struggling economically, violated this legislation as well. These families sent their children to nearby states, like Kentucky and West Virginia, where labor laws were less stringent. </p>
<p>By the early 1850s, many Ohioans came to oppose child labor. In 1852, Ohio was one of the first states to implement limits on the number of hours that children could work. Ohio also prohibited children younger than twelve from working in mines. In 1905, Progressive reformers convinced the state to prohibit boys less than fifteen years of age and girls less than sixteen years of age from working during the school year. Many employers ignored this law. Some families, especially those struggling economically, violated this legislation as well. These families sent their children to nearby states, like Kentucky and West Virginia, where labor laws were less stringent. </p>
<p>In 1921, the Ohio enacted the Bing Act, which required children to attend school until they were eighteen years old. This act also required children to be at least sixteen years of age to hold jobs in several different industries. The state government hoped that, by requiring children to remain in school until the age of eighteen, child labor would be greatly reduced if not ended entirely. Progressive reformers also emphasized the need for education for people to be able to lead productive and successful lives. In the Progressives' minds, this legislation helped provide Ohio's children with the opportunity to succeed in life. </p>
<p>In 1921, the Ohio enacted the Bing Act, which required children to attend school until they were eighteen years old. This act also required children to be at least sixteen years of age to hold jobs in several different industries. The state government hoped that, by requiring children to remain in school until the age of eighteen, child labor would be greatly reduced if not ended entirely. Progressive reformers also emphasized the need for education for people to be able to lead productive and successful lives. In the Progressives' minds, this legislation helped provide Ohio's children with the opportunity to succeed in life. </p>
Latest revision as of 15:49, 15 July 2015
The use of children as laborers in Ohio's agricultural and industrial occupations occurred from the very beginning of the state's history. American Indian societies commonly relied on children to assist in hunting, the growing of crops, and other tasks. European farmers continued this tradition, relying on children to assist in the fields and in other chores. Once factories and mines arrived in Ohio, children commonly provided a cheap source of labor for these establishments. Business owners routinely paid children one half of a grown man's salary. The employers' rationale was that children could not work as hard or as fast as adult men, but the children commonly had the same jobs and expectations as the adults did. Mine owners especially sought out children as workers. There were two principal reasons for this. First, mine owners paid less than most other employers during the nineteenth century, making their jobs unattractive to adults. Second, the owners commonly had to extract mineral wealth, like coal and iron ore, by digging holes into the earth. The size of the worker generally determined the size of the hole. Since they were much smaller than adults, children required smaller holes, allowing the miners to extract primarily the coal and iron ore and not unnecessary rocks to make the hole larger.
By the early 1850s, many Ohioans came to oppose child labor. In 1852, Ohio was one of the first states to implement limits on the number of hours that children could work. Ohio also prohibited children younger than twelve from working in mines. In 1905, Progressive reformers convinced the state to prohibit boys less than fifteen years of age and girls less than sixteen years of age from working during the school year. Many employers ignored this law. Some families, especially those struggling economically, violated this legislation as well. These families sent their children to nearby states, like Kentucky and West Virginia, where labor laws were less stringent.
In 1921, the Ohio enacted the Bing Act, which required children to attend school until they were eighteen years old. This act also required children to be at least sixteen years of age to hold jobs in several different industries. The state government hoped that, by requiring children to remain in school until the age of eighteen, child labor would be greatly reduced if not ended entirely. Progressive reformers also emphasized the need for education for people to be able to lead productive and successful lives. In the Progressives' minds, this legislation helped provide Ohio's children with the opportunity to succeed in life.
Many Ohioans also supported an amendment to the United States Constitution outlawing child labor. An amendment was proposed in the United States Congress during the 1920s and again in the early 1930s, but many Americans, including numerous Ohioans, feared that this legislation would prevent children from being able to help parents on farms or in family-owned businesses. Although the amendment never passed, the Bing Act and other pieces of state legislation began to protect Ohio's children from exploitation in the workforce.
| |
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Our mission is to provide connection and fellowship through the common belief that we are living in the last days, and connection and relationship are more important than ever in living the kingdom of God on earth. We uphold the fundamental truths of Scripture as given to train, equip, and build up in the body towards a common goal of unity. (2 Timothy 3:17.
We have a collective understanding that we live in the last days, and as such, times will increase through greater pressures, storms, and tribulations. Part of this time in history, and as prophesied, people will have a form of godliness but no power. There will be a loss of diminishing power and authority in the Church, and we stand together to dam up its progression. Choosing to bind up, cast out, and take hold of our authority in Yeshua that the Holy Spirit has greater reign and influence through us as an end-time army.
As the people of God, we are called to take dominion for kingdom influence within our spheres of influence. We live humbly with a servants heart, but authoritative over the devil's works in our lives, and are influence makers through the work and gifts of the Holy Spirit. By HIS grace, we reflect the Lord's character through our manner of living. Our lives are to be defined by integrity, respect for others, empathy, Godly sympathy, gentleness, kindness, and forgiveness. Always seeking to bring the Truth of the Saving work of Messiah to all. We believe that all believers are called to a ministry of serving and proclaiming the Truth of Messiah; that all are called to operate in the power of the Holy Spirit for daily living, and through the Word of God as our daily bread, become spiritually strong in these last days.
Freedom Ministry seeks to support the development of end-time Kingdom living through ongoing fellowship in these trying times and cultivate a Glory Presence in our lives and ministries, thereby bringing heaven's atmosphere into our daily lives. To this end, we uphold each other, learn from each other, and together become a force for change for those who do not yet know the Lord. Through the proclamation of Salvation through Yeshua Jesus, a life lived with respect, kindness, and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, we bring The Light into ever-increasing darkness.
Joining Together
for the Kingdom! | https://www.chofesh.org/joining-our-nework |
5 edition of Golden treasures of Troy found in the catalog.
Published
1996
by H.N. Abrams in New York
.
Written in English
Edition Notes
Includes bibliographical references (p. 136) and index.
|Statement||Hervé Duchêne ; [translated from the French by Jeremy Leggatt].|
|Series||Discoveries, Discoveries (New York, N.Y.)|
|Classifications|
|LC Classifications||DF212.S4 D8313 1996|
|The Physical Object|
|Pagination||143 p. :|
|Number of Pages||143|
|ID Numbers|
|Open Library||OL824067M|
|ISBN 10||0810928256|
|LC Control Number||95079942|
|OCLC/WorldCa||34678169|
The Gold of Troy: The Story of Heinrich Schliemann and the Buried Cities of Ancient Greece by Robert Payne: The Golden Treasures of Troy: The Dream of Heinrich Schliemann by Hervé Duchêne: The Great God Pan by Donna Jo Napoli: The Greek epic cycle and . Peru's Golden Treasures American Museum of Natural History Price:US $ Quantity:1 Publisher: American Museum of Natural History Condition:Used: Very Good Binding: Paperback (Saddle Stitched) Dust Jacket (if applicable). Date: ISBN: (if applicable): Unmarked. Booklet for an exhibition of pre-Columbian gold from Museo Oro del Peru presented by The American Museum of Natural Rating: % positive.
Furthermore, Treasures of Troy is a game that enables to implement different playing solutions in use, including bonus systems and jackpots that a player can run for free at casinos online. It is possible to play for real money as if you are a member of historic battles that take place for Troy as caused by stealth of Helen of Troy.4/10(1). Blegan unearthed convincing evidence that Troy VII-a was the Homeric city. Dorpfeld, in his eighties by that time, came to agree with him. In Schliemann, who was growing old by then, decided he needed to find a permanent home for the Treasure of Troy.
In this ultra-dynamic video slot game, players are invited to stay on the lookout for the generous free spin bonus - which comes with big multipliers as well. So step into the shoes of a Greek hero and make your way within the walls of Troy to empty the city of its many treasures. We have compiled a full review of Trojan Treasure to help you /5(). Golden Treasures, Fort Payne, Alabama. 3, likes 2 talking about this were here. Golden Treasures is a formal wear shop located in Fort Payne, AL. We offer the finest names in dress & shoes /5(46).
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A letter from the Hon. Timothy Pickering, a senator of the United States, from the state of Massachusetts
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The Golden Treasures of Troy book. Read 4 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Well-written, loaded with information, and with a rich /5. Discoveries: Golden Treasures of Troy (Discoveries (Harry Abrams)) Paperback – Ma by Herve Duchene (Author) out of 5 stars 6 ratings.
See all 2 formats and editions Hide other formats and editions. Price New from Used from /5(5). Finally, he came away with golden treasures and precious jewels typical to rich and royal of the time including the likely funeral mask of King Agamemnon.
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The Treasures of Priam: Golden Riches from the Legendary City of Troy. For many centuries, Homer’s Troy, the city besieged by the Greeks, was considered to be a myth by scholars. One of the prize treasures of the Priam hoard. Golden diadem with pendants in the shape of "idols" (Wikimedia Commons)Author: Dhwty.
Hervé Duchêne is the author of The Golden Treasures of Troy ( avg rating, 20 ratings, 4 reviews, published ), Une Partie De Campagne, Guy De Ma /5. The Laud Troy Book and the alliterative Destruction of Troy are near contemporaries. All three poems follow the arc of Guido's narrative as it moves from the remote origins of the war in Jason's quest for the Golden Fleece to the heroic battles and downfall of Priam's Troy and finally to the catastrophes awaiting the Greek victors on their.
Get this from a library. Golden treasures of Troy: the dream of Heinrich Schliemann. [Hervé Duchêne] -- A German businessman-turned-archaeologist, Heinrich Schliemann () had a lifelong dream: to find the world of Homer--the mythical cities of Troy, Ithaca, and Mycenae--and search for its.
True Location of Troy and Its Hidden Treasures The precise location of Priam's, Trojan King's city was unknown and always provoked disputes already since ancient times.
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The Treasures of Priam: Golden Riches from the Legendary City of Troy – Turkey. During the 19th century, German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann embarked on a quest to prove that the legendary city of Troy actually existed.
Get this from a library. The golden treasures of Troy: the dream of Heinrich Schliemann. [Hervé Duchêne; Jeremy Leggatt] -- "Heinrich Schliemann created his own myth - the poor uneducated boy who became a millionaire and spent his fortune on excavating the sites of Troy and Mycenae. He became famous for his discovery of.
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"We. Priam's Treasure is a cache of gold and other artifacts discovered by classical archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann at Hissarlik in modern Turkey. The majority of the artifacts are currently in the Pushkin Museum in Moscow. Schliemann claimed the site to be that of Homeric Troy, and assigned the artifacts to the Homeric king assignment is now thought to be a result of Schliemann's.
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Treasure: In Search of the Golden Horse is a treasure hunting puzzle published in by the Intravision production company. It was conceived as a story-based contest by filmmaker Sheldon Renan similar in concept to that of Kit Williams' book puzzle was presented in two formats, one in an elaborate book illustrated by Jean-Francois Podevin and published by Warner Books, and the.
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You'll likely end up achieving your goals faster—and be much happier
On social media, many of us are bombarded with images portraying the perfect life. We see others excelling past us in their careers and relationships, which can often make us feel bad about our own.
First things first: What you see on social media can be far from reality. It's crucial to understand that, more often than not, those individuals who you idolize on Facebook and Instagram are battling with their own insecurities. Who knows? Maybe they've spotted your profile once or twice and felt a tinge of jealousy.
“Nobody’s perfect, but perfectionists want to be that person who is,” says Gordon Flett, Ph.D., professor of psychology at York University in Toronto and specialist in the role of perfectionism in psychopathology. All that pressure gets exhausting, and it may lead to chronic stress, anxiety, depression, and a lack of self-acceptance, he says.
When you start feeling the need to be absolutely perfect in life, here’s how to let that go.
1. Set Small Goals and Finish Them
Having things “just right” may seem like a good thing but striving for perfection can actually hurt our ability to accomplish our goals, Flett says. In fact, he says that there is no strong link between perfectionism and higher achievement. When we’re trying to be perfect, instead of focusing on the task, we get derailed and lose focus because we’re too worried about making a mistake.
Set a small goal, finish it, and leave it behind you. Perfectionists tend to drag things until the very last minute before they let them go, or dwell on minor corrections, Flett says. While a major project can be overwhelming, focusing on mini goals can help you stay productive, without the fear of messing up in a big way.
2. Voice Your Frustrations
The connection between trying to be perfect and ending up being lonely is strong, Flett says. When you always expect negative feedback, or can’t handle your mistakes, it isolates you, especially when you avoid social situations. “Perfectionists are pretty hard on themselves in terms of not cutting themselves some slack,” he says. “They tend to find any way to beat themselves up.”
Instead of suffering alone, give up the front that everything’s fine. Talk to your friends or co-workers about what you’re struggling with and work together to find solutions. That may mean letting someone else take charge, or asking your partner to share household responsibilities.
3. Avoid Projecting Insecurities
“Some people tend to take things out on others under the guise that they’re improving people’s lives,” Flett says. They’re willing to tell people what is wrong with them, and often set unreasonable goals for others (especially in relationships), he says. Demanding perfection from our relationships plays a major role in marital problems and dating difficulties.
Ease up. Instead of focusing on making someone else perfect, reflect more on what you’re feeling. Are you projecting your insecurities onto your partner? Rather than nitpicking, focus on what you can control, Flett suggests.
4. Accept Your Flaws
“We get our standards from idealized ways that things should be, but if perfectionism is part of your identity, what’s left when you remove it?” Flett says. Learn to be okay with imperfection by reassessing how you react to the little things, like smudged mascara or spilled paint. These minor incidents shouldn’t ruin your attitude or day. Try these tips from Flett to learn how to accept that things won’t always be perfect:
- Have a day full of (little) mistakes. The psychologist Albert Ellis used to recommend that his patients go out and make mistakes, intentionally, in order to break perfectionist habits. Try to avoid touching up chipped nail polish, purposely hang a picture frame lopsided, or spend half as much time picking out an outfit in the morning than you normally do.
- Share embarrassing stories with your kids. Kids love to hear about their parents’ pitfalls, he says. So describe a blooper moment to your children, and laugh it off together. Plus, you’ll teach your kids that people don’t need to be perfect.
- Try a breathing exercise. Studies show that perfectionists do not always practice mindfulness. “We can train ourselves to relax to avoid upsetting patterns of thinking,” Flett says.
Our imperfect moments can be our most defining. “Learning how to accept oneself and accept other people is essential for life,” Flett says. When we lower the pressure a little bit, it can be more satisfying to go for excellence, not idealism. “Embrace the ‘ideal’ of imperfection, it’s unique!”
For any questions regarding mental health coverage, benefits, or providers, please call the Mental Health/Substance Abuse phone number on the back of your member ID card.
Don’t forget you can visit the Behavioral Health section of ibx.com 24/7 and access Magellan’s On To Better Health self-assessment tool.* This assessment offers confidential online access to self-help tools and resources proven to help emotional health and wellness. The resources include screening software and a resource library. Learn more. | https://demo-plus.hlthlink.com/article/embrace-your-imperfections |
Climate change is already making life harder on farmers, especially in developing nations. New sources of funding can help alleviate the burden but resources are limited. So where should governments, philanthropists and development agencies prioritize investment?
Using a combination of the latest crop models and local expertise from farmers and others–and applying them to our current trajectory of high greenhouse gas emissions–scientists built a tool to assess climate risk vulnerability to help pinpoint communities most in need of support for adaptation and mitigation.
The study was carried out in Vietnam, Uganda and Nicaragua–developing countries that embody many of the climate shocks in store for the coming decades, including propensity for droughts, floods and high-temperature extremes–by the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS). The findings were published March 27 in PLOS ONE.
The crop models in this study simulate the climate suitability of specific crops, including rice, maize, beans, coffee and cacao, under current and future climate conditions.
Vulnerability assessments already exist but the Climate Risk Vulnerability Assessment (CRVA) is novel in its focus on integrating a wide range of natural hazards, crops, and factors indicating social vulnerability into a standardized score. The fine resolution of outputs, which allows users to pinpoint hotspots as small as a district in Vietnam, for instance, will be useful for national policymakers and others who must decide which areas of a country to prioritize for support. CRVA is designed to be robust, replicable, and flexible enough to accommodate limitations in data-scarce countries, drawing on national datasets where possible. | http://www.sidna.net/2019/03/29/identifying-hotspots-for-adaptation-funding/ |
he subledger, or subsidiary ledger, is a subset of the general ledger used in accounting. The subledger shows detail for the accounting records such as customer invoices, adjustments, and payments. The subledger detail includes such items as the actual date something was sold, whom it was sold to, and when the invoice was due. The total of the subledger would match a line item amount in the general ledger.
For many years, the General Ledger module of Oracle E-Business Suite covered most of the accounting complexity, ...
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This project explores some of the ways in which social interaction structures the linguistic forms that are put to work in discourse activities. It studies anaphoric choices from a recently developed socio-interactionist view of grammar, strongly inspired by conversation analysis. Its aim is to challenge the idea according to which the thematic (i.e. informational) structure of discourse, and in particular the organization of referents, can fully account for the discourse functions of the linguistic coding of reference. It is argued that a more comprehensive understanding of these functions needs to take into account both the information structure of discourse and its socio-interactional organization. Consequences are drawn with regard to the way we conceptualize and analyze the relation between grammatical form and the dynamics of social interaction.
Keywords: anaphora, reference, grammar and interaction, interactional linguistics, conversation analysi
The problem
It has become widely accepted that the functioning of anaphora in discourse is not directly rooted in the text itself but pertains to the mental representations of the speaker and the addressee. The speaker's selection of the linguistic means for expressing reference is understood as essentially grounded in his or her assessment of the recoverability or mental accessibility of the referent to the addressee. According to this principle, speakers tend to use pronouns for highly accessible entities and fuller nominal expressions for less accessible ones.
This project aims at showing that the way speakers code discourse objects cannot be limited to a pure referential functionality. It explores anaphoric processes from an alternative view, focusing on the relation between linguistic resources and the social co-ordination of discourse activities. This view is based on three fundamental assumptions:
- discourse objects are not pre-established entities influencing the way speakers talk or the linguistic resources they select to do so, but are themselves emerging from talk as a social activity;
- referential processes are crucially involved in the social-interactional organization of this activity and cannot be reduced to the transmission or structuring of informational content;
- the cognitive correlates of these processes, such as the accessibility or identifiability of referents, are themselves locally contingent socially co-ordinated processes.
Aims
The project aims to show that
- speakers' choices of referential expression fulfil a number of socio-interactional functions, beyond their purely referential functionality;
- these choices are motivated not only by information flow but also by the social action structure of talk;
- these choices are part of the means by which speakers manifest (as indexicals) and establish (as regulative devices) various types of discourse organization and frames for interpretation.
Attempting to combine insights from functionalist approaches to grammar and interaction-oriented approaches to discourse, the project argues that a better understanding of referential processes in face-to-face interaction presupposes that we integrate the question of formal choices and of accessibility conditions into a consistent understanding of the functioning of interaction as social action.
Objects studied and procedures
The project is based on close analysis of face-to-face interactions in French (mostly) and English of various types (research interviews, radio talk-shows, ordinary conversation). Two types of anaphoric phenomena are mainly focused, both constituting a challenge for current models of reference: Uses of informationally minimal referential codings (i.e. pronominal expressions) for long distance anaphora and uses of apparently overspecified referential expressions (e.g. lexical NP for immediate coreference). Besides these, some aspects of person deixis are also analyzed.
General results
The analyses show that referential processes rely not merely on the interlocutors' shared knowledge about referents, but also - and in some cases essentially - on shared assumptions about the dominant organizational principles of a segment of talk (e.g. the structure of turns at talk, the sequential organization of activities such as questions and answers, preference organization, etc.). These processes are crucially linked to the way talk is co-ordinated as a social-interactional undertaking: choices of the linguistic means for expressing reference are both motivated by and contributing to organizing the structure of activities deployed in talk.
Implications result from the analyses with regard to
- an understanding of referential processes as situated, reciprocally configured socio-cognitive activities;
- an understanding of linguistic forms - grammar - as emergent and locally configured resources for accomplishing social activities.
Organization
This project is the basis for Simona Pekarek Doehler's habilitation. Work related to the issues described above is ongoing.
Equipe de projet
Publications
- Pekarek, Simona (1998): "Deixis and the interactional construction of context". in: University of Pennsylvania Working Papers in Linguistics, vol. 5.1, 127-138.
- Pekarek, Simona (1998): ""on parle pas tellement maintenant je parle pas de médias hein": pronoms déictiques et dynamiques de l'interaction". in: Acta Romanica Basiliensia (ARBA), no. 8. Bâle: Séminaire des Langues et Littératures Romanes, 97-112.
- Pekarek, Simona (1999): "Linguistic forms and social interaction: why do we specify referents more than is necessary for their identification?". in: Verschueren, Jef (ed.): Pragmatics in 1998 (vol. 2). Antwerp: International Pragmatics Association, 427-448.
- Pekarek Doehler, Simona (2000): "Anaphora in conversation: Grammatical coding and preference organization". In: University of Pennsylvania Working Papers in Linguistics vol. 7.1, 183-196.
- Pekarek Doehler, Simona (2000): "Long distance pronominal anaphora: a grammar-in-interaction account". In: Proceedings of the Discourse Anaphora and Reference Resolution Conference (DAARC2000). Lancaster: University Centre for Computer Corpus Research on Language Technical Papers, vol. 12, 185-196.
- Pekarek Doehler, Simona (2001): "Referential processes as situated cognition: pronominal expressions and the social co-ordination of talk. In: Cognition in Language Use: Selected Papers from the 7th International Pragmatics Conference, vol. 1. ed. Enikö Németh T., Antwerp: International Pragmatics Association, 302-317. | http://www.unine.ch/islc/home/recherche/linguistique-appliquee/processus-anaphoriques-et-organi.html |
Speakers: Education Evolution
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:
Joanna Davinson
Chief Digital, Data and Technology Officer, The Home Office
Joanna joined the Home Office in November 2017 following a 28 year career with Price Waterhouse Coopers and IBM, where she focussed on delivering large Public Sector ICT programmes, often in the UK but also for governments across Europe and in the US and Canada.
Before that Joanna enjoyed 5 years in the Civil Service in the National Audit Office and is delighted to now be back in central Government at the Home Office. She is the department’s Chief Digital, Data and Technology Officer, leading a team of over 3,000 employees reporting directly to the Permanent Secretary, with a seat at the departmental Board.
Julia von Klonowski
Digital Director, Careers Colleges
Julia has over 35 years’ experience in the Digital and Technology industry and has spent the last 15 years concentrating on the effective use of technology in education. Prior to this, Julia lived and worked in South Africa, where she ran her own business delivering IT solutions.
On her return to the UK in 2001, Julia joined Sun Microsystems (and later Oracle) as a senior Project Manager and then as Program Director for Schools. Her experience stretches from programming, software support, large project delivery and consultancy.
Julia is passionate about education and sits on various Department for Education (DfE) and industry advisory boards, promoting the use of technology to improve education and skills. Her role at the Career Colleges Trust includes leading the annual digital project with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and supporting our digital Career Colleges.
Theo Blackwell MBE
Chief Digital Officer, London
Appointed in 2017 as London’s first Chief Digital Officer, Theo leads on London-wide digital transformation, data and smart city initiatives at City Hall.
His role involves:
- Strategic leadership on the digital transformation agenda for London’s public services, across the GLA group and the wider public sector.
- Convening on behalf of the Mayor, across London local government to support the take-up of innovative, technology, and data-led approaches to service delivery and public engagement.
- Developing and promoting partnership between the public, private and community sectors to enable and support the development of new public service-oriented technology and innovation
Dr Vijak Haddadi
Head of Digital Innovation at LSBU Business School
Academically trained in philosophy, business management, and political economy (PhD, MBA, MA) Dr Haddadi has a knack for developing conceptual systems. Having been a professional leader in global innovation and venture ecosystems for +10 years, Dr Haddadi is deeply versed in real world applications of tools and frameworks to generate tangible outcomes and bottom line impact.
Dr Haddadi is currently leading a world class team in a new technology startup and am teaching and contributing to digital innovation efforts at LSBU Business School in London having previously founded and led Tract 9, one of Toronto’s most impactful startup incubators, cofounded Syndikat, a London-based entrepreneurial alliance, designed and led digital transformation campaigns for governmental institutions and NFPs.
Nick Hynes
Co-founder and CEO Somo Global
A true business visionary, Nick co-founded Somo in 2009 and has led the business to become one of the world’s biggest independent digital product firms.
Somo is one of the fastest-growing digital product and experience agencies, helping the world’s biggest brands and coolest startups become leaders in digital change.
Somo design and build intuitive digital products and accelerate the transformation journey, solving technical and creative challenges from a truly customer-first perspective.
Chris Rothwell
Microsoft UK Director of Education
Chris oversees a team which helps schools, teachers, pupils and others embrace technology to achieve their goals. The team work with schools, colleges, universities, museums and libraries to help them use technology to achieve their goals.
Eddie Copeland
Director, London Office of Technology and Innovation
Eddie is Director of the London Office of Technology and Innovation (LOTI), a public sector start-up that helps London boroughs work together, bringing the best of digital, data and innovation to improve public services for Londoners. Previously he was Director of Government Innovation at Nesta, the innovation foundation. There, he oversaw the organisation’s work helping governments and public sector organisations improve public services, increase citizen engagement and tackle big social challenges.
He is the author of six reports on government use of technology and data, and a book on UK think tanks. He is also a member of the Smart London Board, a group that advises the Mayor of London on how London can harness digital technology and data for the benefit of those who live and work in the capital. In 2018 and 2019 he was on Apolitical’s list of the World’s 100 Most Influential People in Digital Government.
Christina Cole
AWS Educate Programme Lead, EMEA, Amazon Web Services
Program leader for AWS Educate for Europe, Middle East & Africa. Working to build the next generation of technology and cloud professionals.
Extensive experience of working with public and private sectors tackling solutions to close the digital skills gap.
Mark Smith
The National College for Digital Skills
Ada was founded by Mark Smith and Tom Fogden, both of the inaugural Teach First cohort which aims to get talented teachers into classrooms in low income areas. Previously Smith assisted Lord Adonis writing his book Education, Education, Education.
Ada, the National College for Digital Skills. (Ada College) is a further education college in Tottenham Hale, London and Whitechapel, London. It is named after Ada Lovelace and opened in September 2016. Its curriculum is designed with input from founding industry partners such as Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Gamesys, IBM, Deloitte, and King. | https://www.caterhamschool.co.uk/whats-on/educationevolution/speakers-education-2-0/ |
I am a fan of email. Email does not interrupt me. Email is fast when it needs to be, and slow the rest of the time. Email has no character limits. Email is private by default, preventing it from becoming performance art.
I’ve been using Google Inbox for my email since the beta period. I like Inbox. Inbox understands that when I am done reading my Social Media folder for the day, I am done. I do not want to see that folder pop up again until tomorrow. Inbox understands that every email is an action item, even if the action is “decide if I care about this”. And that it should be possible to be done with action items for the day.
I have split out the majority of my business-related emails to Front, where I can share them with my assistant and where I do not see them unless I specifically go looking for them. This is good. I do not need to be tempted to address customer service issues on a Saturday.
I receive nearly all of my news, both of the larger world and of my industry, in the form of email newsletters. This is good. When I’m done reading a newsletter, I’m done. There is no refresh button on a newsletter. I click through to a few particularly notable items, queue them up in Pocket, and move on.
And yet. All is still not well in email-land.
Like many humans, I am fond of reading news with my coffee in the morning. This may not be the best idea in the world, but it’s not overly deleterious to my productivity. Most news is not actionable beyond “hmm, I would like to read more about this later”.
But if I go into my inbox looking for newsletters, I run the very real risk of seeing other emails, like:
- Letters from friends and associates which deserve thought and response.
- Notifications of Bad Things that have happened and which I must address (“Your daily backup job has failed!”)
- Social media notifications. Oh my gosh, what are people saying to me?? I must know, right now!
This isn’t good. I’m susceptible to distraction. And being distracted by email first thing in the morning is very, very bad for getting things done.
Similarly, if I go into my mailbox with the intent only to send a message, I run the risk of being distracted by notions unrelated to sending an email. I’ve been considering going back to a native email client on my computers, just to make it easier to write an email without accidentally seeing my inbox.
If I open my inbox during my 1-hour “upkeep” period, intending to deal with assorted notifications, I run the risk of spending the whole hour distracted by community forums, newsletters, or thought-provoking personal emails.
The truth I’m realizing is that, even with my “business” mail split out, the items in my inbox represent very different categories and modes of work. Categories like:
- Personal and group correspondence
- Requests for my time/energy/thought.
- Administrative notifications (you have been invited to an event; your package has shipped)
- News
- Social networks and community forums. I don’t have to read/participate in these, but I like to when I can.
- Promotions (I have unsubscribed to most of these, but there are a few I care about, like upcoming events at nearby parks and venues)
Some of these items are things I want to see in the morning. Some of them I very much do not need to see in the morning. Some of them I need to see when I’m doing upkeep near the end of the day, when creative work is already done. Some of them I guess need some sort of “correspondence time”, separate from upkeep. And some of them really ought to be relegated to discretionary periods of time, separate and apart from work hours.
Like I said, I’m not immune to temptation. Seeing the wrong items at the wrong time is one of the the things that hurts my daily output. Even if I manage to avoid the urge to deal with everything in my inbox at once, research has shown that simply being aware of unread/un-dealt-with items in your inbox can reduce your mental effectiveness.
I’m not sure what to do about all this. Anyone have any ideas?
I mean, it could if I enabled notifications for it on my phone, PC, watch, refrigerator, and cat. But good god, why would I want to do a silly thing like that?
This is a fuzzy line. I get a lot of emails from people who want to talk about programming-related topics, and whom I only know because my business involves interacting with programmers. Does this make the email business-related? Or personal? | https://journal.avdi.org/2016/04/10/email-still-not-perfect/ |
Background: Religion/spirituality plays a vital role in most aspects of Muslims' lives. However, there has been little research on the part of religion/spirituality in health professionals' clinical experience with patients with genetic disorders, including long QT syndrome. Methods: This qualitative study explored health professionals' views working in Saudi Arabia concerning the role of Islam in their clinical practice. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 12 health professionals from two cardiogenetic centers in Saudi Arabia. Results: The participants included clinical geneticists (4/12), genetic counselor (1/12), molecular geneticists (2/12), cardiologists (3/12), and patient coordinators (2/12). The data were analyzed using thematic analysis, and three main themes were identified: (1) the value attributed to religion/spirituality in the context of genetic counseling, (2) professional and patient-level barriers to formal religious assessment and conversations in the context of genetic counseling, and (3) incorporating religion/spirituality into genetic counseling sessions. Conclusion: The study sheds light on the advantages of using informal religious language to establish rapport and build trust between patients and health professionals in genetic counseling. It also draws attention to the importance of exploring patients' willingness to discuss religious issues. Participants identified a lack of appropriate training as a significant barrier to attending to patients' religious/spiritual needs during genetic counseling.
Keywords: Islam, religion/spirituality, genetic counseling, Saudi Arabia, long QT syndrome, lived experience
If you wish to reuse any part or all of this article please contact the copyright holder, [email protected].
Copyright ©2021. All Rights Reserved. | http://jbcgenetics.com/?mno=121467 |
Friday, June 9, 2017
The cover of this recipe book will draw you in immediately. Beautiful, VIBRANT colors pop out and make you reach out and pick up this book. You won't be disappointed. Ms Agrawal introduces her book with a fascinating family history. She is a lifelong vegetarian who grew up picking fruits and vegetables in India. This heritage of selecting the best produce and preparing delicious vegetarian meals help lead to her own experimenting and creating recipes. The book has a section specifially on Indian cooking tips and techniques. She has a section with suggestions on how to fill your pantry to prepare the delicious Indian dishes found in this recipe book. Ms. Agrawal also has a chapter on which kitchen tools are essential for preparation of her recipes. The recipes are shown in lovely full color photographs. Recipes are found in sections: breakfast/light meals, salad/yogurts, stir-fries/curries, ric/bread, soups/stews/lentils, festive bites/snacks, sweets/drinks, and chutneys/pickles. A special section is devoted to how to make homemade power spices. This is a very complete recipe book which includes meal planning and sample menus and where to buy ingredients and equipment.
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