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Cives is the Latin term for citizens; Solutions, the state of being solved. CivesSolutions. More than 15 years of intensive research have formed the basis for the development of the Distributed Citizen Participation (DCP). The basic idea of the model is cooperation. It assumes that complex issues can be addressed more effectively and creatively, as more people is involved in the decision-making and solution-making processes, following the specific methodology of DCP. How can one imagine the constantly changing exchange in a model like the DCP? This is where the Liquide Collaboration Network (RLC) comes into play. What motivates us is to generate spaces for innovation for people, allowing them to strengthen their civic identity and provide them with new tools that allow them to design and develop the cities where they want to live, in the present and in the future. To form a society capable of generating sustainable and real solutions, which facilitates a greater innovation in the cities and greater citizen satisfaction in real time. In other words, to promote democratic innovation tools that increase citizen inter-relationship for a better quality of life. To form a society capable of generating intelligent and sustainable solutions that facilitate a greater process of innovation in smart cities and greater citizen satisfaction in real time. The Liquid Networks of Cooperation (LNC) offers the opportunity to integrate citizens meaningfully into the debate in order to enable a much wider range of development potential. Strategic planning of smart governance is achieved through the use of strategic collaborative processes in which organized collaborative networks make successful decisions making process in real time. Promote active participation in areas where citizens can significantly increase economic activity. We advise and support in technical aspects such as: Project Management, Smart Citizen Participation Activities, Smart Government and Sustainable Administrative Management, Public Services Process Optimization, technically based on the IoT, IoS and IoP. We design projects using state-of-the-art technology tools and techniques, in favor of the Smart City: development of public and private financing proposals, planning of roadmap, implementation and validation. In addition, we promote the design of projects by experts in tune with citizens, to analyze the feasibility of the proposals, their implementation and monitoring in the faithful compliance of the project. Smart Participation Activities, based on new technologies, and new form of Citizen Participation 4.0, where citizens, municipalities and non-governmental institutions exchange and develop solutions from their own perspective and autonomy, freedom and communication in a continuous process of interaction. We provide practical and theoretical training tools for the effective development of Smart Education. The training program allows participants to improve and encourage, in an efficient way, the use of technical tools for the establishment of emerging urban strategies through technology, it allows the inhabitants of a community to be involved in the sustainable development of their city. The CivesSolutions team analyzes and permanently studies the development of Smart Cities in the world. Thorough observations it is linked the politics, citizenship, the city, the environment aspects and the use of technologies. With this we seek to identify those elements that facilitate the creation of a true smart city. Smart City Professional Academy® provides a new methodology based on Smart Education and also provides new ways of thinking about the future life in smart cities, in particular social cohesion, the dissemination of knowledge, creativity, innovation in science, technology, social inclusion, environmental conservation, as well as the welfare and safety of communities. Smart Government Diplomatura Oct - 2018 Smart Law Certification May - 2018 Smart Participation Smart City [email protected] Copyright © 2018 CivesSolutions - All Rights Reserved.

https://civessolutions.com/english

WASHINGTON – The Kurdish National Council in Syria (KNC) in an official statement rejected a transition plan proposed by the the Syrian opposition’s High Negotiations Committee (HNC), that is now lobbying in New York for this transition plan. According to the KNC, the proposed plan does not recognise the Kurdish rights in Syria. Starting yesterday, September 19, a delegation of the HNC campaigns for this paper at the 71st Session of the UN General Assembly in New York without taking into account the reservations submitted by the KNC, the Kurdish council said on Tuesday. On September 7, 2016, the High Negotiations Committee (HNC) released a document in London called “Executive Framework for a Political Solution”, representing its draft for a transitional period in Syria which does not recognize any form of federalism, or the new self-administrations set up by the Syrian Kurds. Dr Riyad Hijab, the General Coordinator of the HNC, addressed a Ministerial event hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and co-sponsored by France, Germany, Qatar, Turkey, the United States and the United Kingdom on Monday, calling for the establishment of a Transitional Governoring Body, and elections under international supervision. “This document is not part of a solution, but rather a danger to a democratic, pluralistic and unified Syria guaranteeing cultural, social and political rights to all its ethnic, religious and linguistic groups,” the KNC statement said. The KNC was especially angered that the transition plan refers to Islam and Arab culture as the source “for intellectual production and social relations” in Syria. “This definition clearly excludes other cultures – be they ethnic, linguistic or religious – and sets the majority culture as the leading one,” the Kurdish National Council said. “As Syrian Kurds, we feel repulsed by this narrow perception of the Syrian people. The similarities between this definition and the chauvinist policies under the Assad regime are undeniable,” it added. The KNC demanded the recognition and the support of cultural diversity in Syria through a visible acknowledgement of all components of the Syrian people and by protecting their equal rights. Moreover, the KNC also disagrees that Arabic is the only official language, without recognizing Kurdish or Aramic as second official languages. “The current formulations allow for a centralised authoritarian rule of the majority over minority groups. As a result, this document can neither facilitate (social) peace nor democracy,” the KNC stressed. The Kurdish council called on the international community to take a stand for ethnic, religious, linguistic diversity, equality, political decentralisation and democracy as essential parts of any agreement structuring the transitional period and the future of Syria. The KNC might consider leaving the Syrian opposition if it does not change it’s views on Kurdish political rights. “If the international community would allow the potential exclusion of the Syrian Kurds from political participation in their country – an option in no way ruled out by the HNC’s “Executive Framework” – the Kurdish people would not only face hard times, but may have to take critical decisions regarding their future,” the KNC concluded.

http://aranews.net/files/2016/09/syrian-oppositions-transition-plan-excludes-minorities-reflects-chauvinism-kurdish-national-council-says/

It is often difficult to attribute the invention of the Internet to a single individual. This is due to the vast technologies and inventions that have led to the use of the internet today. The Internet is a product of pioneering innovations by scientists, engineers and programmers. In fact, computer, telephone and radio inventions were a basis for internet functions. However, there are two people who are usually considered the inventors of the Internet: Robert Kahn and Vinton Cerf. Individual contributions Internet was born in the mind of Nikola Tesla in 1900. He imagined a “global wireless system”. Later, Paul Otlet visualized a mechanized system where books could be stored and searched for use. Despite these previous contributions to a global computer network, the big step forward came in 1962. In several notes, JCR Licklider discussed the concept of a “galactic network”. He imagined a worldwide computer connection where everyone could access programs and data as quickly as possible. Licklider discovered this concept while working as a head of a DARPA computer research program. He influenced his successors as Ivan Sutherland, Bob Taylor and Lawrence G. Roberts with the concept. In July 1961, Leonard Kleinrock developed the theory of packet switching. He went on to write a book on theory in 1964. He shared his discovery with Lawrence Roberts. The packet change theory explained the possibility of communicating using packets instead of circuits. It was an important step towards the creation of computer networks. Furthermore, it has been recommended to the government as a method to resolve the vulnerability of its network of advanced research agencies (ARPANET). The first government agency to use it was the United States Department of Defense. After this invention, Roberts partnered with Thomas Merrill to explore the look of computers that talk to each other. This led to the development of the Interface Message Processor (IMP). Robert Kahn and Vinton Cerf Robert Kahn and Vinton Cerf were the inventors of the Internet. Mr. Kahn was born in December 23, 1938 in New York, United States. His parents were Beatrice and Lawrence Kahn. In 1960, Robert graduated as an electrical engineer from the City College of New York. He then went on to Princeton University and received a master’s degree in 1962 and a degree in 1964. On the other hand, Vinton Cerf was born in the coastal city of New Haven, Connecticut. He was born on June 23, 1943. His mother was Miguel Cerf while his father was Vinton Thurston Cerf. Cerf’s mother was a housewife while her father was an aerospace executive. Vinton attended the Van Nuys school. He later joined Stanford University and earned a degree in Mathematics. Robert Kahn and Vinton Cerf have been credited as internet inventors due to their development of two key components of the Internet. They found the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and Internet Protocol (IP) in 1973. TCP was a model that could allow information sharing between multiple computer networks. In 1983, APRANET began applying the use of the TCP / IP protocol. From that moment on, the developers started to put together different “pieces of the network” to create the modern Internet.

https://notesread.com/who-invented-the-internet/

Securin-independent regulation of separase by checkpoint-induced shugoshin-MAD2. Separation of sister chromatids during the eukaryotic cell cycle time with the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) and finally triggered when cutting separase-mediation cohesin1-3 cohesion. Silencing of SAC during metaphase activate ubiquitin ligase APC / C (anaphase promoting complex, also known as cyclosome) and results in the destruction of securin1 separase proteasomal inhibitor. In the absence of securin, separate the chromosomes of mammals are still on schedule, but it is unclear how separase regulated in this conditions4,5. Here we show that human shugoshin 2 (SGO2), an important patron of the meiotic cohesin with unknown function in the soma6,7, turned into separase obstacle in relations with MAD2 SAC-activated. SGO2-MAD2 can functionally replace most separase securin and locked up in a cell securin-KO. acute loss of securin and SGO2, but not both individual proteins, resulting in deregulation separase associated with premature cohesin cleavage and cytotoxicity. Similar to securin8,9, SGO2 is a competitive inhibitor which uses pseudo-substrate sequence to block the active site of separase. APC / C-dependent ubiquitylation and actions of AAA-ATPase TRIP13 in conjunction with a special adapter p31comet MAD2 liberate separase of SGO2-MAD2 in vitro. Latter mechanism facilitates a considerable degree of separation of sister chromatids in securin-KO cells lacking the activity of APC / C. Thus, our results identify an unexpected function of SGO2 within mitotically dividing cells and regulatory mechanisms that are independent of securin separase but still supervised by SAC the. Intertwined functions of Separase and Caspase at the Cell and Programmed cell death. chromatid separation in time, promoted by separase, is essential for faithful chromosome segregation. Separase is a member of the clan CD cysteine proteases, which also includes pro-apoptotic enzymes known as caspases. We reported a role for C. elegans separase SEP-1, primarily known as an important activity in cell division and cortical granule exocytosis, programmed cell death development when the dominant pro-apoptotic CED-3 caspase compromised. Losing SEP-1 results in an extra surviving cells in weak ced-3 (-) mutant, and suppress lethal mutant embryos from defects for suppressing apoptosis ced-9 / Bcl-2 involving SEP-1 in the execution of apoptosis. We also report non-apoptotic role clear to CED-3 in promoting the proliferation of germ cells, meiotic chromosome disjunction, the formation of egg shells, and the normal rate of embryo development. In addition, the loss of soma-specific (CSP-3) and the germline-specific inhibitor (CSP-2) generate CED-3 caspase-dependent suppression of lethal embryos and meiotic chromosome non-disjunction respectively, when separase function is compromised. So, while caspases and separases have evolved specificity of different substrates associated with specific functions they are in apoptosis and cell division each, they seem to have retained the ability residual to participate in the process, supporting the view that the co-option component in cell division may have led to innovations programmed cell suicide in early metazoan evolution. mitotic kinase initial degradation is therefore important to prevent the activation of apoptosis on scheduled separase in metaphase. | | MAP4K4 (pS801) Antibody |abx031987-80l||Abbexa||80 µl|| | EUR 286 | | Separase (pS801) Blocking Peptide |20-abx162232||Abbexa|| || | | | Separin Phospho-Ser801 (ESPL1 pS801) Antibody |20-abx326180||Abbexa|| || | Accelerate mitosis by the annulment of the spindle assembly checkpoint in overlapping temporal NEK2A enzymatic activity and separase and consequently cell death. We propose NEK2A and separase jointly inspect the integrity of the spindle assembly checkpoint and eliminate cells that are susceptible to chromosomal missegregation for accelerated development through early mitosis.

https://separase.com/securin-independent-regulation-of-separase-by-checkpoint-induced-shugoshin-mad2/

Rutter took on the prominent role of Kennedy Center president in September, and is the first woman to hold that position. While her remarks received some national media attention, here are a few interesting highlights we took away: Art Tells Stories. In the manner of all good speakers, Rutter sought common ground with her audience of journalists. She talked about her recent move to D.C. and how moving unearths one’s own life stories contained in friendships and belongings. Once relocated, she and her daughter introduced themselves with stories of their past, while learning stories of their new home. “Storytelling connects us and represents the drawstrings of our lives,” Rutter said. She described journalists as “true professional storytellers” whose “work provides the recorded history we reflect back on to understand who we are as a culture…” Rutter then named art as another form of storytelling – including theatre, opera, dance, music, film and the visual arts. In summarizing her own reaction to the opera Evita, Rutter beautifully captured the emotional value of art and the duality between individual and group audience experiences: “The performing arts highlight all of the emotions of our world, shine a spotlight on those topics we sometimes dare not to debate, force us to experience feelings we may want to brush aside. The quiet of a darkened theatre allows us to enter a world simultaneously shared with others in the audience, and yet experienced individually in our heart and our mind.” Art Frees the Spirit. Before the Kennedy Center, Rutter was president of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO); she told the NPC audience about a remarkable outreach effort launched by CSO music director Riccardo Muti. He wanted to share the gift and power of music throughout the greater Chicago community; the most surprising venue was a prison. Young women in a juvenile detention center were visited weekly by CSO musicians who helped turn their stories and lyrics into musical compositions. Rutter felt privileged to witness several performances, which were also attended by these girls’ families. She vividly described the powerful emotions that flowed as their life stories were expressed through art. Muti’s example can be seen as a challenge to other arts organizations, to seek out the marginalized in society and engage them in meaningful ways. Not engaging to garner headlines or positive social media buzz, but because it’s the right thing to do. Art Enhances Learning. Toward the end of her remarks, Rutter gave an overview of the Kennedy Center’s impressive educational outreach, which includes more than $1 million is spent annually in regional schools. Lesson plans, audio and video podcasts, student interactive games and other tools are provided to help teachers incorporate the arts into their classrooms. Rutter claims the Kennedy Center’s education efforts directly touch 11 million people annually! “We want to support this storytelling of the future, and for the future of art, for life’s sake.” Challenge for Tomorrow. While Rutter’s world-renowned organization and its sizable budget may seem disconnected from local or regional performing arts groups with smaller reaches and finances, her motivational words are truly one-size-fits-all. After considering her remarks, we hope everyone in the performing arts community is inspired to look outside themselves for new ideas, to look into the mirror to foster self-improvement and to look into the future to better reach tomorrow’s audiences.

http://performance.wengercorp.com/kennedy-center-president/

. Meet other similar minded people. Its Free! X All Updates Description: Sydney sandstone is the common name for Sydney Basin Hawkesbury Sandstone , historically known as Yellowblock , is a sedimentary rock named after the Hawkesbury River north of Sydney, where this sandstone is particularly common. It forms the bedrock for much of the region of Sydney, Australia . Well known for its durable quality, it is the reason many Aboriginal rock carvings and drawings in the area still exist. As a highly favoured building material, especially preferred during the city's early years—from the late 1790s to the 1890s —its use, particularly in public buildings , gives the city its distinctive appearance. The stone is notable for its geological characteristics; its relationship to Sydney's vegetation and topography ; the history of the quarries that worked it; and the quality of the buildings and sculptures constructed from it. This bedrock gives the city some of its 'personality' by dint of its meteorological , horticultural , aesthetic and historical impact. One author describes Sydney's sandstone as "a kind of base note, an ever-present reminder of its Georgian beginnings and more ancient past." Geology, vegetation, topography Sydney sandstone dates from the Triassic Period and is the caprock which controls the erosion and scarp retreat of the Illawarra escarpment . Six kilometres of sandstone and shale lie under Sydney. In Sydney sandstone, the ripple marks from the... Read More No feeds found All Posting your question. Please wait!... Type your question here Answered questions | Questions No updates available. No messages found Suggested Pages Atrangi Re RRR Hum Do Hamare Do Rashmi Rocket Tell your friends > about this page Create a new Page for companies, colleges, celebrities or anything you like.Get updates on MyPage.

http://pages.rediff.com/sydney-sandstone/1536901

766 S.W.2d 424 (1989) 298 Ark. 195 DELTA SCHOOL OF COMMERCE, INC., D/B/A Delta Career College and Steve McCray, Appellants, v. Earlene WOOD, Appellee. No. 88-276. Supreme Court of Arkansas. March 13, 1989. Rehearing Denied May 1, 1989. *425 Tim Boe, Jess Askew, III, Little Rock, for appellants. Everett O. Martindale, Little Rock, for appellee. HOLT, Chief Justice. Appellee Earlene Wood (Wood) filed suit against appellants Delta School of Commerce, Inc. (Delta), and Steve McCray (McCray), alleging that they fraudulently induced her to enter a course in nursing by making false representations that the course would lead her to a position of employment similar to that of a Licensed Practical Nurse. Delta and McCray denied making any false statements or fraudulently inducing Wood to enter a course of study. The jury found in favor of Wood and assessed compensatory damages of $3,064.00 and punitive damages of $50,000.00 against Delta and McCray. The trial court entered judgment accordingly. From this order, Delta and McCray appeal. We find no error and affirm. Wood testified that in May or June of 1986, she read a newspaper article concerning a course of study at Delta leading to a diploma as a nursing assistant. Shortly thereafter, she made an appointment to talk with McCray, president of Delta, concerning the program. During their meeting, she asked him if a nursing assistant was the same thing as a nurse's aide. McCray replied that it was not. He also told her that "they are phasing out the LPNs (Licensed Practical Nurses) in the State of Arkansas, so the nursing assistants will be taking the place of the LPNs" and that "she would not get rich as a nursing assistant but that the pay would be comparable to that of a LPN." Based upon these statements, she enrolled at Delta the next day. In addition, she got a student loan for $3,064.00. After completing seven months of the eight or nine-month program, she dropped out because she discovered she was studying to be a nurse's aide. Wood further testified that the training for nursing assistants and LPNs is quite different: Nursing assistants learn to make beds, empty bed pans, and take vital signs; LPNs learn to assist in surgery and give medication and injections. Although McCray denied that he told Wood "they are phasing out the LPNs in the State of Arkansas, so the nursing assistants will be taking the place of the LPNs," he acknowledged an awareness of the issue by stating that "the question that keeps coming up, whether or not LPN's are being phased out, I've heard before." Maxine Ottey, Director of Nursing Practice with the Arkansas Board of Nursing, testified that "a nursing assistant certainly cannot and does not take the place of a LPN." EXCLUSION OF EVIDENCE The appellants contend that the trial court erred in excluding nursing magazine and journal articles concerning a debate in the nursing profession on phasing out the existing levels of entry into nursing practice (Registered Nurse, Licensed Practical Nurse, and nurse's aide) and replacing them with two levels of entry into practice: professional nurse, which would contain persons entitled Registered Nurse, and technical nurse, which would contain persons entitled associate nurse or registered associate nurse. These articles were tendered at the close of the trial for the limited purpose of "showing the credibility" of Wood, "that the statements she relied on may have come from others and not Delta Career College." After an exchange with *426 appellants' and appellee's counsel, the court refused to admit the articles into evidence, stating in part that "the authenticity of a statement he never stated would not seem to be relevant."[1] The appellants apparently have abandoned their "credibility" argument made to the trial court as they now contend on appeal that by excluding these relevant articles, the trial court denied them the opportunity to present their theory of the case that the representations were true and that McCray did not know the representations were false. As enunciated in Grendell v. Kiehl, 291 Ark. 228, 723 S.W.2d 830 (1987), see also McWilliams v. Zedlitz, 294 Ark. 336, 742 S.W.2d 929 (1988), the essential elements of an action for deceit are as follows: (1) a false, material representation (ordinarily of fact) made by the defendant; (2) scienter—knowledge by the defendant that the representation is false, or an assertion of fact which he does not know to be true; (3) an intention that the plaintiff should act on such representation; (4) justifiable reliance by the plaintiff on the representation; and (5) damage to the plaintiff resulting from such reliance. Contrary to the assumption made by appellants' counsel, the articles in question contain nothing showing that the representations made by McCray were true. They merely show that there is a debate in the nursing profession concerning phasing out the existing levels of entry into nursing practice and replacing them with two levels of entry—professional and technical nurses. Furthermore, the theory of appellants' case at trial was not, as they now allege on appeal, that the representations were true or that McCray believed them to be true, but rather that he did not make the representations. In fact, his testimony at trial (as well as in a pre-trial deposition) indicates he did not know whether LPNs are being phased out in Arkansas or what the future is for LPNs. The admissibility of evidence is a matter within the sound discretion of the trial court. Missouri Pacific R.R. v. Mackey, 297 Ark. 137, 760 S.W.2d 59 (1988). Under the circumstances, we find no abuse of discretion by the trial court in excluding the articles. EXPRESSIONS OF OPINION/PREDICTIONS OF FUTURE EVENTS The appellants argue that the representations in question were expressions of opinion and predictions of future events, not representations of fact, and therefore not actionable. We disagree. In general, an expression of opinion, i.e., a statement concerning a matter not susceptible of accurate knowledge, cannot furnish the basis for a cause of action for deceit or fraud. Grendell, supra. See also Vickers v. Gifford-Hill & Co., Inc., 534 F.2d 1311 (8th Cir.1976); St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Co. v. Hundley, 354 F.Supp. 655 (E.D.Ark.1973); Ryan v. Batchelor, 95 Ark. 375, 129 S.W. 787 (1910). However, an expression of opinion which is false and known to be false at the time it is made is actionable. Horn v. Ray E. Friedman & Co., 776 F.2d 777 (8th Cir.1985). The general rule only applies where the person expressing his or her opinion does so in good faith. Anthony v. *427 First National Bank of Magnolia, 244 Ark. 1015, 431 S.W.2d 267 (1968). In Grendell, supra, we held that statements by the defendant that an oil investment was a "good thing" and would "make money" and that the wells would pump "fifty barrels a day" were in the nature of puffing and constituted mere expressions of opinion. In Cannaday v. Cossey, 228 Ark. 1119, 312 S.W.2d 442 (1958), we held that a statement by a vendor that he had a "good house" was also a statement of opinion. In the case at bar, the statements made by McCray to Wood that "they are phasing out the LPNs in the State of Arkansas, so the nursing assistants will be taking the place of the LPNs" and that "she would not get rich as a nursing assistant but that the pay would compare to that of a LPN" were representations of fact, not expressions of opinion. Unlike the loose general statements made by sellers in commending their products which we found to be expressions of opinion in Grendell and Cannaday, the statements made by McCray were specific and definite. Even if McCray's statements were construed to be expressions of opinion, it does not automatically follow, as appellants erroneously assume, that such expressions cannot form the basis of a cause of action for fraud or deceit. It is clear from Anthony and Horn that expressions of opinion which are false and known to be false when made are actionable. From the testimony and other evidence presented at trial, the jury reasonably could have concluded that the statements made by McCray were false and that he knew them to be false at the time he made them. Appellants' contention that the statements made by McCray were predictions of future events is also without merit. In general, an action for fraud or deceit may not be predicated on representations relating solely to future events. See Anthony, supra; Lawrence v. Mahoney, 145 Ark. 310, 225 S.W. 340 (1920); Harriage v. Daley, 121 Ark. 33, 180 S.W. 333 (1915); Conoway v. Newman, 91 Ark. 324, 121 S.W. 353 (1909). However, the general rule is inapplicable if the person making the representation or prediction knows it to be false at the time it is made. See Anthony, supra; Greenwood v. Dittmer, 596 F.Supp. 235 (W.D.Ark.1984). See also Victor Broadcasting Co., Inc. v. Mahurin, 236 Ark. 196, 365 S.W.2d 265 (1963). The statements in question were not predictions of future events, but statements of existing situation. Moreover, even if the statements were considered to be predictions, the appellants would still be liable if McCray believed them to be false when he made them to Wood. See Anthony, supra; Greenwood, supra. Again, in light of the testimony and other evidence presented at trial, the jury reasonably could have concluded that McCray knew the statements were false at the time he made them. JURY INSTRUCTIONS The appellants assert that one of the trial court's instructions to the jury was erroneous in that the instruction omitted an essential element of the tort of deceit. We do not reach this issue. Prior to trial, defendant-appellants submitted, among other instructions, an instruction on deceit (noted as defendants' requested instruction # 11). At the conclusion of trial, the trial judge instructed the jury on deceit, apparently utilizing the submitted instruction. However, in reading the instruction to the jury, the trial court omitted one of the essential elements of deceit (scienter) contained in the submitted instruction. Neither party objected to the instruction as read by the trial court. No party may assign as error on appeal "the giving or failure to give an instruction unless he objects thereto before or at the time the instruction is given, stating distinctly the manner to which he objects and the grounds of his objection." Ark.R.Civ. P. 51. See also Hill Construction Co. v. Bragg, 291 Ark. 382, 725 S.W.2d 538 (1987); Wallace v. Dustin, 284 Ark. 318, 681 S.W. 2d 375 (1984). Since appellants voiced no *428 objection when the instruction was given to the jury, they cannot now complain. MOTION IN LIMINE Finally, the appellants contend that the trial court erred in denying their motion in limine. We disagree. Before trial, the appellants filed the following motion in limine: Comes now the Defendants, Delta Career College, et al., by their attorneys, Wood Law Firm, and move the Court to restrict and prohibit testimony of witnesses of Plaintiff which is not contemporaneous or occurring prior in time to the allegation of Plaintiff and which purports to confirm statements made by Delta Career College by any of its officers, directors, agents, or employees, more particularly described as: "The LPN program is being phased out and nursing assistants will be taking their place." The presentation of such testimony would be extremely prejudicial to the Defendants. The trial court denied their motion with the understanding that the questioned testimony would be admissible under certain circumstances, depending on how the proof developed. Thereafter, Kristie Woody, who was an instructor at Delta from May of 1986 to June of 1987, testified that while she was teaching at Delta, she heard McCray tell students that "they would be phasing out LPNs and there would be RNs and nursing assistants in hospitals." Gladys Adair, who was in the same class as Wood, testified that when she applied for admission to Delta, Kathy McCray, Steve McCray's wife and an employee of Delta, told her that "that they are phasing out the LPN program and, as nursing assistants, we will be taking their place." Joetta Flowers, also a classmate of Wood, testified that after classes had started, a female representative of Delta informed her that "they were phasing out LPNs, that the nursing assistant would take the place of a LPN, and that we would be making the same rate of pay of a LPN." Debbie Oliver, who worked as an admissions representative for Delta from October 1986 until May of 1987, testified that Steve McCray told her that "LPNs were to be phased out and nursing assistants were taking over." The appellants did not object to any of this testimony. We have held that where a motion in limine is made to specific evidence, and denied, no further objection is necessary to preserve the issue for appeal. See Schichtl v. Slack, 293 Ark. 281, 737 S.W.2d 628 (1987). However, this rule should not apply where, as in the case at bar, the judge does not make a final or determinative ruling on the motion in limine but, rather, conditions the admissibility of the evidence on "how the proof develops." By failing to object at trial to the testimony in question, the appellants cannot now raise this issue on appeal. Affirmed. NOTES [1] Attention is directed to Ark.Sup.Ct.R. 9(d), which provides in pertinent part that "[t]he appellant's abstract or abridgment of the records should consist of an impartial condensation, without comments or emphasis, of only such material parts of the pleadings, facts, documents, and other matters in the record as are necessary to an understanding of all questions presented to this court for decision." The appellants' abstract of the exchange between counsel and the trial court concerning the articles is incomplete and biased. First of all, material portions of appellants' counsel's statements concerning the purpose for which he was proffering the articles and significant parts of the trial court's ruling on the admissibility of the articles are omitted. Secondly, the statement in the abstract that "Mr. Woods proffered evidence tending to show that the alleged representation was in fact true ...," is a biased factual conclusion which is unsupported by the record.

Effect of mevinolin on cholesterol metabolism in obese and lean Zucker rats. Mevinolin is a potent competitive inhibitor of HMG-CoA reductase, the enzyme catalyzing the major rate-limiting step in cholesterol synthesis. In this study the drug was administered as an intragastric dose at 2.5 mg/kg/day to 10 to 12-week-old lean and obese Zucker female rats over a 5-day period. Mevinolin showed no effect on plasma cholesterol levels in the lean rat; however, in the obese rat there was a significant decrease in plasma cholesterol (about a 40% decrease from initial levels). Although there was a difference in effect on plasma cholesterol levels in obese and lean rats, hepatocytes isolated from both fed lean and obese rats incubated with various concentrations of mevinolin exhibited similar levels of inhibition of cholesterol synthesis and showed no effects on the other metabolic processes studied. These results indicate that the drug was effective acutely on cholesterol synthesis in hepatocytes isolated from both lean and obese rats, but on a chronic treatment basis the hypocholesterolemic effect was observed only in the obese Zucker rat. This study supports the idea that the naturally occurring hypercholesterolemic obese Zucker rat may be a good model for testing potential new cholesterol lowering agents.

Reporting & Accountability The UIC Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL) community is guided by a set of shared values and standards for behavior, where members and organizations must adhere: individually; as part of membership into the organization where they have initiated; among their governing council by-laws; and within the community at large. The FSL Handbook, plus chapter/council by-laws outlining rights and responsibilities for full FSL community participation, are the foundation of fraternity and sorority expectations. Should there be any concern that an individual student or a fraternity or sorority as an organization may be exhibiting behavior that stands contrary to these expectations, we ask you to please report that directly to your UIC FSL staff advisor in the 3-South office suite, located in Student Center East (SCE) 340, or through direct contact at 312-996-7537, or [email protected], so the university may then best address the situation at hand based on the evidence provided. In addition to not meeting the expectations of the FSL community, some behaviors may violate the community standards set out by the University of Illinois at Chicago's Student Disciplinary Policy, the most explicit expression of the University's values and expectations for students. Should you have first-hand knowledge of such behaviors, we encourage you to report. You can use the links below, which will initiate further outreach and inquiry by the Office of the Dean of Students. - go.uic.edu/ConductIR: This link can be used to report both individual and organizational behavioral misconduct. - go.uic.edu/HazingIR: This link is intended to report hazing involving student organizations. - go.uic.edu/WitnessForm: This link is to provide direct supporting evidence related to incidents that have already been documented. Direct evidence includes eyewitness testimony or in some limited cases of certain types of abuse, outcry witnesses or those directly witnessing trauma-related behaviors. While not necessary, having the case number from the original report is helpful. Should you seek additional help or guidance for a student impacted by such behavior, the Office of the Dean of Students can assist with connecting the individual with resources once the student is brought to their attention via the Student Assistance Request. - go.uic.edu/StudentAssistIR: This link is meant to report students who need help or resources on campus. This might include someone who is experiencing housing or food insecurity, mental health concerns, or one-time emergency funds. Reporting Information concerning Sexual Misconduct: To report information about possible sexual misconduct to the University, contact UIC's Title IX Coordinator. The Title IX Coordinator, Donald Kamm, can be contacted at the Office for Access and Equity, 809 S. Marshfield, 717 MAB (MC 602), Chicago, IL 60612; by phone at 312-996-8670; or by email at [email protected]. To report a possible crime, contact the UIC Police at 312-355-5555 (on-campus) or the Chicago Police Department at 911 (off-campus). To report a possible violation of the Student Conduct Code, contact the Office of the Dean of Students (DOS) by phone at 312-996-4857 or email Dr. Keith Ellis, Assistant Dean of Students, at [email protected]. You can also submit an Incident Report Form. To explore your reporting options or ask questions in a confidential setting, contact a Confidential Advisor in the Office for Access and Equity at 312-996-8670, or the Confidential Advisor, Dr. Kelly Maginot, at the UIC Campus Advocacy Network (CAN) at 312-413-8206. If you are a Campus Security Authority (CSA), complete the Anonymous Crime Report Form: Crime Report Form. To explore on and off campus resources, where you can obtain information and services, options for reporting, advocacy, and support for victims and respondents, visit our Campus and Community Resources page. - The When You ARE Ready booklet (downloadable PDF) is a wonderful university guide for students, sharing rights, resources, and options. Refer to the Reporting Sexual Misconduct section of this website for more detailed information about filing reports, reporting options available for student victims, and reporting responsibilities for university employees.

https://fsl.uic.edu/community-support/standards-of-accountability/

1. The Sudden Rise of Algorithmic Transparency In the autumn of 2018, a colleague, and a friend, Riikka Koulu (associate professor of legal and social implications of AI at University of Helsinki) suggested we join forces on a research project. I had been delving critically into the ideal of transparency for a good time beforehand, whereas Riikka had been doing research on law and digitalization. Quite naturally, our topic became algorithmic transparency and its promise and perils. Our application was successful, and the project was generously funded by the Academy of Finland (The Promise and Boundaries of Algorithmic Transparency; AlgoT). I must confess that, before this, I had not thought much about what ‘algorithmic transparency’ could possibly mean and whether it was important enough to merit an entire research project. To me, transparency was a concept of law and democratic theory, which promises immediate visibility for external monitoring of power. During the last couple of decades, however, it had become a nebulous governance catchword, whose connection to technology was far from obvious (a topic explored most thoroughly in my recent book “The Transparency Paradox – Questioning an Ideal”). Discussing the connection between transparency and digitalization with Riikka made it clear to us both that connecting critical transparency studies to the debates on algorithmic governance was necessary. Little did we know how much en vogue we were. During these first three years of the project, academic interest in digitalization and transparency has grown significantly. Since the inception of the project, we have moved from having a shortage of legal and policy material and academic literature to support our arguments to an overabundance of it.1For an inventory of different ethical codes, most published in 2018 or 2019, see Algorithm Watch, AI Ethics Guidelines Global Inventory. Much of the literature focuses on AI ethics and outlining the core principles of the ever-digitalizing society. Automated decision-making has so far made the most important context of the requirement of algorithmic transparency. Transparency is called for because it is assumed that it will solve the so-called ‘black box problem’ (uncertainty about how inputs translate into outputs in algorithmic systems) and, by so doing, legitimize automated decision-making and other use of automated tools.2Koivisto, Thinking Inside the Box: The Promise and Boundaries of Transparency in Automated Decision-Making. In Curtin & Catanzariti (eds), Data at the Boundaries of European Law. Oxford University Press (forthcoming 2023). That said, transparency seems to be becoming an even more fundamental principle in the digitalizing society, as I will shortly argue. 2. The EU’s Digital Strategy—In Transparency We Trust Literature, of course, mirrors the current legal developments. Recently, the accent of academic debate has moved from AI ethics and self-regulation towards hard law, as algorithmic transparency is gaining legal significance. The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has been a trendsetter in this: in it, transparency is called for as a protective measure in automated decision-making, as a characteristic of appropriate language, in information furnishing obligations—and as an overarching principle. However, data protection has proved an important but insufficient way of regulating digitalization, so-called surveillance capitalism, and the use of AI. The EU is in the process of preparing a whole array of legislation to bring about a functioning digital and data-driven market. Transparency seems to be a normatively attractive concept in this process. For example, the proposed Artificial Intelligence Act and the new Digital Services Act both rely heavily on (algorithmic) transparency as a legitimating strategy. Following the entry into force of the latter, the Commission is even setting up a new European Centre for Algorithmic Transparency (ECAT). It is important to notice, nonetheless, that the proliferation of transparency norms covertly reflects the problem it attempts to solve. If transparency is to help us to understand how power operates, the increasing call for transparency signals decreasing understanding on the operations of the digital society.3As a societal phenomenon, see Pasquale, The Black Box Society. Indeed, as technology becomes more sophisticated and machine learning algorithms are increasingly adopted, an average individual understands less and less what is going on in the digital chambers of power, be they public or private.4Ananny and Crawford, Seeing without knowing: Limitations of the transparency ideal and its application to algorithmic accountability. In the wake of this, opacity and secrecy—and increasingly, inexplicability, the difficulty in deciphering the operations of an algorithm—have gained a bad name. The core of legally defined transparency has traditionally been the right to access documents.5E.g., in the EU, Regulation 1049/2001. This meaning is present also in digital transparency. Namely, although documents as paper objects no longer hold privileged importance in the digital society, questions of access linger. Can we access the inner workings of black box algorithms? Can we access our own personal data and its use? How can we assess the trustworthiness of AI systems? Accessibility and proactive information-furnishing obligations are central aspects of transparency also in the suggested legislation. However, power circulates differently in society due to the digitalization of our information and its processing. As a result, access is not enough. It seems that transparency, understood as immediate access, cannot promise truth as it once did.6Koivisto, Digital Rear Window – Epistemologies of Digital Transparency. In fact, we can notice a new understanding of transparency in a digital society is emerging; transparency is turning increasingly into understandability. In a way, it is easy to see why: even if information is available, it is often highly specialized, and most of us lack the expertise to assess its validity and reliability. Therefore, we need intermediaries to explain what the specialized technological information means. 3. Paradoxes of (Digital) Transparency It is important to stress that although transparency in the EU is adopted as a one of the leading principles in the Digital Strategy, it is a part of a bigger phenomenon. In my previously mentioned book, “The Transparency Paradox”, I argue that transparency’s growth in popularity was made possible through two interconnected trends: the idea that transparency is inherently good, and that the actual meaning of the term is becoming harder and harder to pin down. The book provides an account of the hidden logic of the ideal of transparency and its legal manifestations. It shows how transparency is a covertly conflicted ideal. As its main argument, the book argues that counter to popular understanding, truth and legitimacy cannot but form a problematic trade-off in transparency practices. This conflicted nature of transparency has not hindered its popularity. In fact, in my book, I argue that transparency is a paradoxical concept for several reasons. One of the paradoxes, which very much touches the topic of algorithmic transparency, is its promise of immediacy and understanding. As I argue in my book, transparency specifically privileges immediate seeing over intermediaries and explanations, which are inevitably more mediated. However, if transparency is interpreted as an understandability, problems may arise. For example, the academic debate on whether the GDPR grants the right to explanation reflects this form of transparency. If transparency becomes a synonym for explanation, it inevitably loses something from its legitimating power. The core promise of transparency—“do not believe what I say, see for yourself” —would thus be turned upside down, into: “do not believe what you see, let me explain instead”. This interpretation makes transparency a justification of the power used rather than creating an avenue for democratic monitoring. It justifies the functioning instead of the existence of the power in question. In other words, it becomes macro-legitimation through micro-critique. At the same time, even if transparency builds on the idea of immediate observability and firsthand knowledge, it is paradoxically necessarily a matter of mediation and technology—and mediating technology.7Flyverbom, The Digital Prism: Transparency and Managed Visibilities in a Datafied World. Therefore, I am not surprised that demands for explainable AI (XAI) have emerged into the discourse. 4. A Critical Approach is Necessary As the EU’s Digital Strategy proceeds in the EU legislative machinery, it is more urgent than ever to ponder the soundness of its core principles, their meaning, and perhaps their unintended consequences. Even though transparency has gained an almost mythical status in our modern society, its inherent tensions have not disappeared but adopted different manifestations. This cannot but have profound consequences on both transparency theory, and, more importantly, the way in which we are governed as denizens of digitalized society. In our current hyper-mediated condition, immediacy is harder and harder to reach. This is what the growing number of transparency regulations conversely suggests. Therefore, it is necessary to look at transparency as a wider socio-cultural condition, whereby transparency is considered an unalloyed good. Although we worry about transparency in both analog and digital contexts in similar ways, the latter poses technological, regulatory, and ethical challenges, which may not always find a perfect analogy in the analog environment. For this reason, transparency needs to be approached critically as a principle of a digital society. Although the AlgoT project is coming to an end soon, the triangle of transparency-law-digitalization keeps producing important research topics. It seems that we will stay busy in the Legal Tech Lab—in the Commission’s words—in the Digital Decade. Suggested citation Ida Koivisto, ‘Transparency goes Digital in the EU — What is it Good for?’ (The Digital Constitutionalist, 12 January 2023). Available at https://digi-con.org/transparency-goes-digital-in-the-eu–what-is-it-good-for/ - 1For an inventory of different ethical codes, most published in 2018 or 2019, see Algorithm Watch, AI Ethics Guidelines Global Inventory. - 2Koivisto, Thinking Inside the Box: The Promise and Boundaries of Transparency in Automated Decision-Making. In Curtin & Catanzariti (eds), Data at the Boundaries of European Law. Oxford University Press (forthcoming 2023). - 3As a societal phenomenon, see Pasquale, The Black Box Society. - 4 - 5E.g., in the EU, Regulation 1049/2001. - 6 - 7 Ida Koivisto Ida Koivisto is associate professor of public law at University of Helsinki. She is both a member of Erik Castrén Institute and Legal Tech Lab at University of Helsinki.

https://digi-con.org/transparency-goes-digital-in-the-eu-what-is-it-good-for/

Figure 11.7-1 presents a general process flow diagram for ceramic products manufacturing. ... Capillary suction of the mold draws the liquid from the mold, thereby consolidating the cast ceramic material. After a fixed time the excess slurry is drained, and the cast is … 8 Phenol resin Molding/core sand binding 11 75-07-0 Acetaldehyde ... Stainlesssteelvalve manufacturing process (casting) Flow of manufacturing process Release point. 8 3.5. Faucet manufacturing process ... [Release flow chart] ･Annual handled quantity of the material containing the Class I Substances: M Releases to air: ... Foundry sand casting process Sand casting foundry process flow chart. How to improve sand casting process. Foundry sand casting process ppt. Foundry processes employed in sand casting. The melting of sand is the most versatile between production methods and gives engineers freedom to design complex parts from an unlimited number of metals and ... K. N. Toosi University of Technology Investment casting requires the use of a metal die, wax, ceramic slurry, furnace, molten metal, and any machines needed for sandblasting, cutting, or grinding. The process steps include the following: Pattern creation - The wax patterns are typically injection molded into a metal die and are formed as one piece. Shell molding, also known as shell-mold casting is an expendable mold casting process that uses a resin covered sand to form the mold. As compared to sand casting, this process has better dimensional accuracy, a higher productivity rate, and lower labor requirements. It is used for small to medium parts that require high precision. The sand casting process involves the use of a furnace, metal, pattern, and sand mould. Hand ramming of sand around the pattern is used for simple casting. For complicated castings, the sand mixture is compacted by moulding machines. moulding machines not only increase the production cost but also improve the quality of casting by improving the ... Transcribed image text: Sand casting is traditional method of casting that has been used to produce machine bases, large impellers, propeller and a wide variety of other products and components. Describe the outline of production steps in typical sand casting operation Make sure to use a diagram flow chart in your description [6 Marks] () You are designing an insulated mold to produce silver ... Properties of Molding Material Dry Strength - ` It is the strength of the molding sand in dry conditions. ` When the molten metal is poured in the mold, the sand around the mold cavity is quickly converted into dry sand as the moisture in the sand evaporates due to the heat of the molten metal. ` At this stage the molding sand must posses the sufficient strength to retain the exact shape of ... strength, more flexibility, or other required properties. Figure 11.31-3 presents a process flow diagram for the manufacturing of coated abrasive products. The production of coated abrasive products begins with a length of backing, which is passed through a press that imprints the brand name, manufacturer, abrasive, grade number, and other Sand casting is the most popular casting process employed in industry because of its great geometric freedom capability and for its cost effectiveness. In this article, we provide design rules for optimal sand casting performance. Aluminum Casting Mold Making uses steel molds to produce a large number of identical castings. For aluminum, like other metals, molten metal is pressed into these types of cast aluminum molds under high pressure. This is a universal process that can produce a large number of small and medium-sized castings. Shell mould. sand casting process as a method to make the final product. In sand casting process, mold material and coating are two significant concerns, but they have different impact in surface finish. In producing part using sand casting, analyzing test is commonly made … Molds in die casting are not as thick as those used in the sand casting or investment casting processes Metal die casting process is used to produce various shapes from a number of non-ferrous metals such as brass, zinc, aluminum, magnesium and copper among other metals. 1) Ensure the sand is hard before attempting to remove the mold. 2) Obtain assistance if needed to remove the sand mold. 3) Tap the bottom of the mold to jar the sand lose from the edges. 4) Remove the sand mold and place it in an area where it will not get knocked or dropped. 5) Repeat for all parts of the sand mold that are needed. Sand casting Sand casting requires a lead time of days for production at high output rates (1-20 pieces/hr-mold), and is unsurpassed for large-part production. Green (moist) sand has almost no part weight limit, whereas dry sand has a practical part mass limit of 2300-2700 kg. The sand is bonded together using clays (as in green It is process for production of simple and complex shape, in which part weights ranging from a few grams to ... method, mould material or casting process employed. Thus in single step, simple and complex shape can be made from any material that can be melted. PRESSURE DIE CASTING . ... PROCESS FLOW PART 1: Design Input Also known as sand molding casting, sand casting is a casting-based manufacturing process that involves the use of a sand mold. It's used to create metal products and components in a variety of sizes and shapes. To put its popularity into perspective, statistics show over half of all metal castings — about 60% — are produced using sand ... Definition of Sand Casting Process: It is a process in which the liquid molten metal is poured into the casting cavity whose shape is the same as that of the shape of the casting to be produced, allowing to solidify and after solidification, the casting will be taken out by breaking the mold called as Sand Casting Process. Sand casting: In sand casting which is also known as sand molded casting, an object is produced by sand mold. The process involves pouring of the … It is a type of process used in the foundry industry, in which a mixture of sand and plastic (phenolic, thermoset polyester, etc.) is placed on to a preheated metal pattern (producing half a mold) causing the plastic to flow and build a thin shell over the pattern. Sand Casting. The oldest known casting process, sand casting can be traced back to earlier than 1000 B.C. Process controls, material options, tolerance capabilities, the ability to produce elaborate parts, broad size ranges – those have all come a very long way, of course. But the metals fundamentals are relatively unchanged. Sand Casting Description: Tempered sand is packed into wood or metal pattern halves, removed form the pattern, and assembled with or without cores, and metal is poured into resultant cavities. Various core materials can be used. Molds are broken to remove castings. Specialized binders now in use can improve tolerances and surface finish. process diagram for casting production in a casting industry is shown below . Figure 2-Process Flow Chart A. CASTING DESIGN ... A riser, also known as a feeder, is a sand made passage in the mould during ramming the cope. The primary function of the Sand casting. can be used to cast larger and more complex shapes as it uses a two-part mould: a former is made, usually by hand, and is placed in the 'green' sand, which is packed tightly ... sand casting process as a method to make the final product. In sand casting process, mold material and coating are two significant concerns, but they have different impact in surface finish. In producing part using sand casting, analyzing test is commonly made between these two features to get good quality surface finish. Investment casting provides superior surface finish, and high dimensional accuracy. There are no parting lines like there are in sand casting. Full mold or casting process. The full mold or casting process is a combination of sand and investment cast processes. A ed polystyrene pattern is used. The sand casting process contains six basic steps. While proper equipment and experience is required to produce a casting free of defects, the sand casting process itself is actually quite simple: 1. Create a Mold. The first step is to create the mold for the casting. A sand mold is formed by packing sand into each half of the mold (learn more ... The sand casting process encompasses, moulding, metal melting, solidification, shake out and fettling . The mould is a cavity where the molten metal is poured into and allowed to solidify. During the sand casting process, the sand is rammed around the pattern to … Basic Of Injection Moulding Process -Diagram, working INJECTION MOULDING PROCESS. Injection moulding is the most widely used polymeric fabrication process. It evolved from metal die casting, however, unlike molten metals, polymer melts have a high … d) Mold - Any living or dead fungi or related products or parts, including spores, hyphae, and mycotoxins. e) Mold remediation - The removal, cleaning, sanitizing, demolition, or other treatment, including preventive activities, of mold or mold-contaminated matter that was not purposely grown at a location. The Process. Die casting first requires the creation of a steel mould (called a 'die') of the part to be cast, these moulds once created are fitted to the die casting machine and injected under pressure with the desired molten metal or alloy of choice. There are two methods of injection, these being hot chamber and cold chamber. Mould Step 1: Customer Order. When Poly Vision takes an order from customers, a record will be created and information is gathered. The order will be submitted for processing after the customer provides the billing address, shipping address, and payment information.

https://www.dein-skilehrer.ch/Jan-12+35540.html

The convergence of processor cores, memory blocks and other analog circuitry on systems-on-a-chip for wireless, networking and multimedia consumer electronics is proceeding apace, levying increased demand for detailed circuit-level verification of SoC designs. Indeed, at nanometer process technologies of 0.18 micron and below, SoC designers face electrical and parasitic effects that make it extremely difficult if not impossible to achieve first-time correct silicon with traditional verification methods. However, newer approaches allowing designers to employ circuit-level simulation and analysis on the complete full-chip design bring a promising solution to manage this SoC verification challenge. At the heart of these new tools and methods, hierarchical circuit databases combined with advanced simulation algorithms are able to provide the high capacity, accuracy and speed needed to ascertain circuit functionality and to optimize timing and power behavior in large mixed-signal SoC designs in the face of increasingly tight project schedules. SoC designers are already using nanometer process technologies to mix circuit types from full-custom to ASICs or PLDs in their designs containing processor cores, memory blocks, analog circuitry, standard-cell or PLD blocks on the same large chips. For instance, ARM cores and MIPS cores are used widely in many communication applications along with embedded memory blocks. Microprocessors are SoC devices, for they typically have on-chip cache memory blocks, phase-locked loops (PLLs) and a number of standard cell blocks. As a result, SoC design has moved beyond its purely digital roots and now increasingly requires high-speed mixed-signal design techniques to improve its verification process. Yet analysis and verification capabilities typically available in conventional EDA env ironments become less and less adequate outside the digital domain. Traditional design methods and EDA environments approach design verification largely as a front-end activity that works well in digital design for defining a product or verifying functionality in the early stages of the design cycle. HDL-based design with synthesis and digital simulation form the backbone of design and functional verification early in the logic design stages of complex IC development. Nevertheless, traditional digital design has already begun to experience problems in handling mixed-signal SoC in the front end, and has also encountered substantially more difficulties in back-end design verification involving parasitic effects. Many designers find themselves limited in this stage to performing delay calculation with back annotation to high-level digital simulators-approaches that are unable to deal accurately and reliably with the additional complexity of high-speed or low-power nanometer designs. Successful n anometer SoC design requires significantly better approaches for circuit design, verification and optimization than are generally available in conventional EDA environments. In new designs with feature sizes at or below 0.18 micron, nanometer electrical behaviors arise that simply cannot be captured by conventional digital approaches. First of all, interconnect delay in these designs accounts for 70 percent or more of total delay. In addition, electrical and parasitic effects such as the crosstalk and substrate coupling noises, the inductance effects, the electromigration concern and IR drop of the power net all contribute to increased design complexity and verification difficulty. Together, they rise as a real barrier to delivering first-time working silicon. At high clock frequencies beyond 500 MHz, even pure digital SoC designs begin to exhibit nondigital mixed-signal circuit characteristics including some of the above-mentioned nanometer effects such as inductive ground voltage bouncing. Unfortun ately, traditional EDA methods typically do not include these electrical and parasitic effects. So they are not equipped to address and to satisfy the nanometer SoC design and verification requirements. As a result, nanometer SoC designs tend to have longer than desired design and verification cycles and more than affordable silicon respins. For designers, the need to resolve these nanometer effects and to ensure first silicon success has become substantially more urgent than ever. To make a real-world design and verification environment effective, a fast full-chip circuit simulator and analyzer can play a key role because it takes the nanometer effects into account and can simulate and analyze the entire design accurately and efficiently. Such an environment capable of enabling full-chip circuit-level verification requires the database capacity to handle designs ext ending well past 10 million transistors; model and simulation algorithm accuracy sufficient to resolve nonlinear nanometer design and mixed-signal circuit behavior, and high execution performance to provide useful results with acceptable turnaround time for the user. The key circuit simulator thus has to go way beyond the speed and capacity limits achievable by Spice. With it, designers no longer need to partition circuits and simulate smaller circuit segments piecemeal using Spice. Instead, they can understand, verify and optimize the complete circuit behavior. In particular, SoC design increasingly requires verification of huge post-layout netlists with extracted parasitics to improve full-chip timing and power performance and to increase design margin and product reliability. However, few designers are actually practicing such back-end verification and optimization today due to a lack of post-layout tools and methodology. In today's SoC environment, more and more designers need to deal wit h designs with tens of millions of transistors and growing. The sheer size of these massive designs limits the full-chip verification approaches to two basic options: mixed-level or hierarchical. In mixed-level approaches, design representations are maintained at different levels of abstraction and elaborated as details become available. Although this is useful in front-end design, it does not help for detailed full-chip verification to ascertain the correct circuit implementation in the physical design. Neither does it ensure working silicon for the design. This is mainly because the mixed-level simulators do not have the capacity and sometimes accuracy to handle large numbers of low-level circuit elements. Yet the real circuit response at that detailed low level, which often differs from the front-end model prediction because of parasitic or interface effects, will determine the true behavior of the final silicon product. As a result, designers cannot rely on conventional mixed-level verifi cation tools to ascertain nanometer design success. Hierarchical approaches can more easily deal with capacity problems, because a hierarchical verification tool does not need to store every design element in memory. Instead, hierarchical circuit simulation tools such as Nassda's HSIM (Hierarchical Simulator) need only store single templates of distinct circuit elements for each design. For HSIM, memory storage efficiency is obtained by instantiating specific instances from the templates as needed in simulating circuits with regular structures or repeated elements such as memory, data path circuits or even standard-cell functional blocks built from cell library elements. Although hierarchical storage helps minimize memory usage in HSIM, a new solution algorithm is implemented to solve Spice equations hierarchically to gain a substantially higher simulation speed. As a result, HSIM has a very high circuit-capacity limit and can run circuit-level simulations at three to four orders of magnitude faster than Spice-permitting full-chip circuit simulation of SoC-class designs with accuracy close to that of Spice. Indeed, HSIM can complete full-chip transistor-level verification of a large circuit such as a 256-Mb DRAM memory design comprising over 300 million elements in a matter of hours on a PC. It simulates mixed-signal SoC design with a similar efficiency because of the on-chip memory blocks and regular structures existing in such designs. Designers can take advantage of the new breed of hierarchical tools without disrupting their current design processes. For a typical design, the engineer has already established hierarchical partitioning from the earliest stages of design, when design elements such as memory blocks, glue logic and bus structures are captured hierarchically in the netlists in terms of nested subcircuit instantiations. More importantly, without forcing any particular hierarchical structure, HSIM can back-annotate extracted layout parasitics in Detailed Standard Par asitic Format (DSPF) onto a hierarchical prelayout netlist. This post-layout verification process will save storage space significantly while simulating all the parasitic effects in details. It allows designers to look at the post-layout circuit behavior in an environment where design hierarchy and subcircuit definitions remain unchanged with respect to those in the very familiarized prelayout environment. Post-layout problems can be more easily identified and resolved, and design can be optimized, vs. the large post-layout Spice netlist obtained from flat extraction. Full-chip circuit-level verification is vital for nanometer SoC designs as designers take on designs comprising tens of millions of transistors influenced by nanometer effects and analog and memory components. Current digital-centric approaches that depend on limited circuit simulation will prove less and less effective as digital and analog memory elements converge more rapidly in high-end SoC designs. In these increasingly mixed-signa l SoC designs, detailed full-chip circuit-level verification will provide critical information for verifying design functionality at implementation, optimizing timing and power, correcting nan-ometer electrical effects and ensuring the silicon success of nanometer SoC designs.

https://www.design-reuse.com/articles/2526/soc-submicron-issues-detailed-circuit-verification-vital-for-soc.html

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. It’s so important because it allows leaders to know how others are feeling, which helps them make better decisions. This article will walk through why empathy is an important aspect of leadership: Empathy leads to innovative solutions. A report by Catalyst shows that empathy leads to innovation, flourishing, and higher retention rates. It is a critical component of creative thinking, which means that empathetic leaders are more likely to come up with innovative solutions to their problems. When employees feel like their needs are being met, problems solved, and ideas acknowledged, they want to stay with your company. It inspires employees Empathy is what helps leaders connect with employees and understand their needs to provide them with meaningful feedback and solutions. It can also be used as a powerful tool for motivating your team members by showing them that you care about their well-being—both personally and professionally. When you’re able to empathize with an employee who is struggling with something they’re working on, they’ll feel supported by you and will want to do better because they know you’ll be there for them if things go wrong again later down the road. And it can encourages collaboration Empathy is an essential leadership skill because it encourages collaboration, which helps you build trust. For example, if you empathize with someone, it’s easier to collaborate with them as you can find common ground and work together towards a shared goal. Empathy also helps you understand the needs of your team members and other stakeholders. This insight will help leaders make decisions that benefit everyone involved. Conclusion Empathy is a leadership skill that will help leaders connect with their team members and build trust in the organization. By using empathetic language and asking genuine questions, you can learn to understand how your employees feel about their jobs. And an HRIS like HRWize can be an integral part of that process.

https://hrwize.com/the-most-important-leadership-skill-is-empathy/

Public Relations Fundamentals and Practice is an overview of the public relations profession: what it is, how it is practiced and the role of a public relations practitioner. Students learn that public relations is a profession with its own distinct body of theory and knowledge. Students examine the history, role and purpose of public relations in society and examine the fundamental concepts of strategic communication. As well, students are introduced to the ethics and professionalism inherent in the practice and process of public relations. PREL 233 Media Relations and Mass Media 3 Credits Weekly (3-0-0) Students explore current theories and practices on how the media functions in society today and learn practical approaches to media relations for the public relations profession. Students apply strategies and techniques for providing media relations expertise in a variety of professional settings. PREL 238 Public Relations & Digital Media 3 Credits Weekly (3-0-0) Students gain a working knowledge of digital media such as blogs, social networking sites and web content management systems. Instruction is provided on the ongoing history of media and the impact they are having on society and the public relations profession. Students learn how organizations use these media to communicate with their key publics and how to analyze and interpret media content. Students are introduced to the composition basics of a variety of new media vehicles. Note: it is recommended that PREL 230 - Public Relations Fundamentals and Practice be completed before or taken concurrently with this course. PREL 240 Integrated Marketing Communications 3 Credits Weekly (3-0-0) Unprecedented message clutter and a more selective consumer spell new challenges for organizations of all types. Students examine how the disciplines of public relations and marketing and communications are closely linked through the concepts of Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC). Students learn how IMC incorporates activities designed to build relationships with consumers, and can employ a wide range of communication tools, both traditional and non-traditional. Students learn the principles of advertising and promotions and how the industry operates today. Participants develop an integrated marketing plan that incorporates both strategic and tactical thinking. PREL 241 Writing for Public Relations 3 Credits Weekly (3-0-0) Students apply the skills in writing style and structure acquired in PROW 211. Students develop a working understanding of the various forms of public relations writing, including when and how to apply them. Students learn to write creatively and persuasively, edit their work and the work of others, and to work under tight deadlines. Emphasis is placed on writing in the Canadian Press style. Prerequisites: PROW 211. PREL 242 Internal Communications and Organizational Dynamics 3 Credits Weekly (3-0-0) Students learn theories and concepts of organizational dynamics and structures and how they impact internal communication. Students apply internal communication theory and concepts to various tools and techniques including intranet and email. Students also learn presentation techniques and professional ethics, values and practices. Prerequisites: PREL 230. PREL 245 Communications Research and Planning 3 Credits Weekly (3-0-0) Students learn the role of formal and informal research in the public relations process and how to apply it in a communications context. Students experience the research process through the development of a strong research question, applying appropriate methodology and data collection methods, and collecting and analyzing data. This information is used to create and present a communications plan, giving students a well-rounded experience in essential analysis and problem solving. PREL 246 Issues and Reputation Management 3 Credits Weekly (3-0-0) Organizations and governments face intense public scrutiny in an increasingly competitive environment. Students examine how issues originate and the impact of issues on the reputation of the organization. Students learn the communication strategies, tools and techniques applied by an organization to communicate its image to key publics and to manage reputational damage. PREL 250 Professional Practicum 5 Credits Total (0-0-294) Students gain first-hand experience in the public relations profession. Students are supervised in a public relations setting over an eight-week period where they apply the skills and abilities learned in the classroom setting. All program courses and requirements must be successfully completed before students embark on their practicum component. Prerequisites: All courses in the PR diploma program must be successfully completed before the practicum can be taken.

https://calendar.macewan.ca/course-descriptions/prel/

Permalink Renowned archaeologist, Egyptologist and remote sensing expert Sarah Parcak, Ph.D., is recognized for her use of satellite imaging in the identification of potential archaeological sites in the former Roman Empire. (Contributed) Each year, the journal awards a prize for the best article published the previous year. The journal’s editorial advisory board is asked to nominate a short list, from which the winners are chosen by the Antiquity Trust. Parcak and Mumford received the award for their journal article, “Satellite evidence of archaeological site looting in Egypt: 2002–2013,” published in the February 2016 issue of Antiquity. Using Google Earth, Parcak, Mumford and collaborators David Gathings, Chase Childs and Eric Cline looked at satellite images from 1,100 archaeological sites in Egypt’s Nile Valley and Delta between 2002 and 2013. The group found that looting escalated dramatically in 2009 with the onset of the global economic crisis, and intensified with the Arab Spring in 2011. The team also noted an increased volume of Egyptian artifacts sold at auctions around the world, suggesting that looting is driven by external demand as well as internal economic pressures. Of the 1,100 archaeological sites monitored, the team found evidence of looting at 267 sites and counted roughly 200,000 looting pits. Archaeological excavations were being conducted at 12 of the sites, nine were ticketed tourist attractions and three were UNESCO World Heritage sites. “In a worst-case scenario, if the looting identified in this study continues at its current rate, data extrapolation indicates that all of Egypt’s 1,100 known archaeological sites and associated landscapes could be affected to varying extents by looting and/or encroachment by the year 2040,” Parcak wrote. Satellite analysis provides valuable intelligence for international policing of the illegal antiquities trade by helping researchers predict the types and periods of antiquities entering the market. Since the article was published, the team has continued to work with the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities to combat looting at archaeological sites. They are developing training tools for inspectors, as well as a joint field school in Lisht that will help train young Egyptians to preserve and protect sites. In January, Parcak used her $1 million TED Prize to launch GlobalXplorer, an online crowd sourcing platform that allows anyone with an internet connection to analyze satellite imagery to discover and protect ancient sites.

You will be responsible for working as part of an agile team that delivers business value to its customers. They ensure software is delivered to high quality standards by collaborating with their agile team members and by leveraging various testing techniques. Test Engineers embrace the planning, design, management, execution and reporting of tests, using appropriate testing tools and techniques while conforming to agree upon process standards and industry specific regulations. To apply for the Automated Test Engineer Role, please send your CV to Shane.carton(a)solasit.ie or call Shane on 015367384 for more information. Responsibilities of the Automated Test Engineer Role: - Responsible for ensuring the quality of existing and new features through both manual and automated testing and use of continuous integration techniques where practical - Produces test scripts, materials and regression test packs to test new and amended software or services. Specifies requirements for environment, data, resources and tools. - Evaluates and plans for regression testing for new releases of 3rd party/cloud-based solutions and any specific configurations or customization - Is an advocate for Quality Assurance best practices across the entire team throughout the deliverables - Analyses and reports test activities and results using industry best practices that align with the companies reporting and metrics needs - Creates and maintains trace-ability records, from test cases back to requirements. - Automates testing of software to industry standards - Create and maintain appropriate test artefacts for the team Required Knowledge and Skills for the Automated Test Engineer Role: - Bachelor’s degree preferred, or equivalent experience - 2+ years of successful performance in the Associate role or equivalent relevant work experience - Shows evidence of analytical ability - Knowledge of Agile Development Methodologies - Demonstrates strong focus on quality delivery and delighting customers; holds self to high standards of delivery - Demonstrates good oral and written communication skills. - Takes an innovative approach to problem solving - Test Certifications are preferred (ISTQB certifications, CSM, CSD, CSP) Desired Skills but not Essential for the Automated Test Engineer Role:

https://www.solasit.ie/job/automated-test-engineer-mobile/

Quantitative research is a research with a lot of respondents, objects, organisations or cases. What distinguishes quantitative research from qualitative research In a lot of textbooks authors find it hard to distinguish quantitative research from qualitative research. In my opinion this is easy. Just look at the number of objects or respondents. If it is only one, the research should be denoted as a case study. If only a few respondents or objects participate in the research, it is a qualitative research. If a lot of respondents, or objects participate in the research - say over 30 - it is a quantitative research. Solely the number of participants makes the difference. Then why do authors argue that in qualitative research new theory is developed and in quantitative research a theory is tested? I really do not know. Developing and testing theories can be done with both types of research. Besides that, theories are visions or ideas. It is a cognitive process and has nothing to do with research methodology. Then why authors do argue that qualitative research is explorative and quantitative is confirmative? Again, I really do not know. Nowadays a lot of information is gathered and analysed. It is called big data. It is not a small quantity and all kinds of data can be part of the database. So explorative research can be done with many respondents as well. And confirming a theory can be done with only a few respondents. Then why do authors argue that with qualitative research a better insight is gained in the relationship between all the aspects than in quantitative research? I really do not know. If the argument is that more aspects could be viewed in qualitative research, then use these aspects too in quantitative research. Quantitative research does not have an upper limit of aspects for a research. If the argument is that qualitative research discovers more relationships between the aspects, this might be a kind of prejudice or superficial too. Then why do authors argue that in qualitative research open questions and interviews are used and in quantitative research closed questions and surveys? Now this argument makes sense, but it is based on the numbers of respondents or objects. Have you ever tried to analyse open questions for 50 respondents? Every single answer will probably show a tiny little bit of difference that makes it hard to find the essence, to make a general statement or to draw a conclusion based on these answers. Scientists, who see themselves confronted with such data, classify the answers and start counting them. Now they are even able to divide the data between groups of respondents so this gives more insight too. If the response is large enough all kinds of statistical techniques can be used. And take notice of this aspect too: interviews can be done with a lot of persons, and a survey can be done with only very few respondents. But it is problematic to analyse the data of open questions for many people, and it is strange to send a survey to just a few people. Therefore usually open questions are used in interviews with a few people and closed questions are used in a survey for a lot of people. Is there a breaking point between qualitative and quantitative reserarch? If the difference between qualitative and quantitative research merely depends on the number of cases, then when does qualitative become quantitative research? Where is the breaking point? According to me the breaking point is gradual. Up to ten respondents it is not a (too) big problem to analyse the data. Ten respondents however are not enough to apply statistics. A change in an answer of one person has an effect of 10% change in the total. One hundred respondents will give a more stable result. For most statistical analysis a normal distribution is assumed. Statisticians state that with a response of thirty a normal distribution can be assumed. So, if a breaking point should be mentioned, then it is somewhere around 30. Is there a preference for qualitative or quantitative research? Is quantitative research better than qualitative research? No. Then, is qualitative research better than quantitative research? No. Both types of research have their pros and cons. They are both needed for acquiring knowledge about the empery. Depending on the research question, sometimes a qualitative research is prevalent, sometimes a quantitative research. Always try to find the best way to answer the research question. Finally, if the population is too small, only a qualitative research can be applied. Do not worry, there is nothing wrong with that. And what about quantitative values? Some students think they are dealing with quantitative research when numbers are used. Using numbers however is not a guarantee that a quantitative research is performed. A number is a quantitative value, but it might be qualitative data. For instance, if in an interview the member of the board says the turnover of the company is € 10.000.000 it is nice to know. Although it is a number, it cannot be used for calculations. No mean can be computed or a standard deviation. This number is a pure qualitative datum. Qualitative data can be given numbers. In a survey the answers to a multiple choice question like Where do you study? are usually numbered starting with 1 for the first alternative. Though it is a number now, it is still is a qualitative datum. A 1 might mean in the library, and 2 might mean at home. Again, only the number of participants or the number of participating objects are indicative for dealing with a case study, a qualitative research or a quantitative research. Related topics to Quantitative research Deepen your knowledge and read our manual about ... - How to formulate a good research question - The statistical test procedure - How to find the correct statistical test Research can be divided into three dimensions: 1) the research design, 2) the location of data collection and 3) the number of cases. Together they form the research cube.

https://research-coaches.com/dictionary/quantitative-research/

Psychosocial stressors including social trauma, loss and isolation, violence, human rights violations, prejudice, Islamophobia, social exclusions and other micro-aggressions have profound impact on mental health and wellbeing of Somali Communities. Yet, access to mental health services that are locally contextual and grounded in Somali communities’ specific experiences, and reflect their cultural and worldviews is limited. In fact, mental health practitioners continue to experience barriers in understanding the religio-cultural frame through which Somalis view healing. The Somali Mental Health Professional Network (SMPH Network) is responding to this lack of access to appropriate and culturally responsive mental health services and supports by taking an important step towards finding a solution to this complex challenge. We are committed to improving access to quality care and to facilitate appropriate and culturally sensitive mental health supports for Somalis, in Somalia and in the Diaspora.

https://www.smhpnetwork.com/

Is 1997 a prime number? It is possible to find out using mathematical methods whether a given integer is a prime number or not. Yes, 1 997 is a prime number. Indeed, the definition of a prime numbers is to have exactly two distinct positive divisors, 1 and itself. A number is a divisor of another number when the remainder of Euclid’s division of the second one by the first one is zero. Concerning the number 1 997, the only two divisors are 1 and 1 997. Therefore 1 997 is a prime number. As a consequence, 1 997 is only a multiple of 1 and 1 997. nombre premier Find out more: nombre premier Therefore year 1997 was a prime year. Since 1997 is a prime number, 1997 is also a deficient number, that is to say 1997 is a natural integer that is strictly larger than the sum of its proper divisors, i.e., the divisors of 1997 without 1997 itself (that is 1, by definition!).

https://www.numbers.education/1997.html

West Toronto Community Legal Services (WTCLS) is a non-profit community legal clinic and housing help service for low income people in Toronto’s west end. WTCLS can help with legal matters relating to: - Landlord and Tenant Law - Social Assistance (including Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program) - Employment Insurance - Workers’ Rights and - Consumer Law They also prepare affidavits and can commission documents. West Toronto Housing Help Services is one of 7 Housing Help Services in the City of Toronto. The Housing Help workers at WTCLS provide assistance with: - Finding safe and stable housing - Finding emergency shelter - Solving problems with existing housing - Applying for subsidized or supportive housing. The community legal clinic is funded by Legal Aid Ontario. The housing help service is funded by the City of Toronto. Call (416) 531-7376 A Community News blog post West Toronto Support Services (WTSS) is committed to engage our readers with relevant community news and access to resources, services and programs in our community. A healthy community is a diverse and connected community! Sign-up to our news blog to receive more community news!

https://wtss.org/2016/03/25/west-toronto-community-legal-services-2/

- This event has passed. Accessing Reentry Services After Incarceration During COVID-19 November 4, 2020 @ 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm The Juneau Reentry Coalition (JREC) invites you to a Zoom community meeting on accessing reentry services and supports. Presenters from key Juneau agencies will discuss accessing behavioral health, case management, employment, and housing during the pandemic. Presenting organizations are Front Street Clinic, GHS, JAMHI Health and Wellness, St. Vincent de Paul, and others. Through a moderated chat room, audience questions will be addressed by presenters. The Juneau Reentry Coalition is a collaboration of individuals, community stakeholders, tribal, public and non-profit agencies, faith-based and business partners who are committed to reducing recidivism and supporting individuals returning to the community after incarceration.

https://juneaureentry.org/event/accessing-reentry-services-during-covid-19/

Flashcards in exam 3 chp 10 Deck (44) Loading flashcards... 1 muscle formation is known as? myogenesis 2 expression of myoD family of muscle specific basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors is known as? gene activation 3 Wnts from the bone morphogenetic protein [BMP-4] regulate the beginning of? myogenesis 4 what genes are important for development in the hypaxial and epiaxcial muscles? MyoD and Myf-5 genes 5 the dorsal neural tube and surface ectoderm induce the? dermomyotome 6 the inductive signal of the dermomyotome has been identified as proteins encoded by the _____ gene family. Wnt gene family 7 the myotome inner layer forms the? forms the muscles 8 the three classification of skeletal muscles? 1. skeletal muscles 2. smooth or visceral muscles 3. cardiac muscles 9 which class of muscle is derived from the myotomes of somites, mesenchyme of brachial arches, and mesenchyme of limbs? skeletal muscles 10 during the development of muscles there is a change in the ___________ of fibers. there is a migration of __________. Fusion of successive _____________ may occur. change in direction of fiber -(craniocaudal direction) Migration of muscle -Latissimus Dorsi Fusion of successive myoyomes may occur -Rectus Abdominis 11 also during the development of muscles. the _____________ of the myotome occusr. as well as The _____________ splittting of myotomes and the ____________ of mytomes forms ligaments. Longitudinal splitting of muscle -sternohyoid Tangential splitting of the myotomes -oblique and transverse muscles of the abdomen Degeneration of myotomes forms ligaments -Tensor Fascia Lata 12 what forms the extensor muscles of the vertebral column? Epimers 13 what gives rise to the muscles of the limbs and body wall? Hypomers 14 the small dorsal part that is formed from the dorsomedial cells of the somite? epimere/epiaxial 15 the larger ventral part formed from the migration of the dorsolateral cells of the somite? hypomere/hypaxial 16 What are the hypomers/hypaxial of the cervical region? Prevertebrals Scalenes Part of trapezius Part of sternocleidomastoid Infrahyoid 17 What are the hypomers of the thoracic region? Intercostal muscles Transversus thoracis 18 What are the four hypomers of the abdominal region? Psoas Quadratus lumborum External and internal transverse abdominis Rectus abdominis 19 The nerves of the epitaxy and the hypaxial that innervate the segmental muscles? Dorsal primary rami Ventral primary rami These nerves will remain in their original muscle segment throughout their migration 20 The ________ cause the muscles in the wall of the thorax to maintain their segments. The ribs 21 Muscles of the head develop from the ___________ of the brachial arches. Mesenchyme 22 The temporalis, masseter, pterygoid, myelohyoid, anterior belly of the digastric, tensor tempani, and tensor veli palatini are muscle formed from what arch? These muscles of mastication are formed from the first arch 23 The orbicularis oculi, orbicularis oris, risorius, platysma, front-occipitalis are the muscle of the face formed by which arch? The second arch 24 The stylo-pharyngeal muscle is formed from which arch? The third arch 25 The laryngeal, some pharyngeal, palate muscles, part of the sternoclastoid, and part of trapezius are formed from which arch? The fourth and sixth 26 What is the innervation of the first branchial arch? Trigeminal nerve (5) 27 What is the nerve innervation of the second branchial arch? Facial nerve (7) 28 What is the nerve innervation of the third branchial arch? Glossopharyngeal (9) 29 What is the nerve innervation of the 4th and 6th branchial arch?

https://www.brainscape.com/flashcards/exam-3-chp-10-1707066/packs/3058873

Based on the design of foundation pit is the pit position according to the elevation of basement and foundation excavation plane size, is the foundation of all engineering projects. So it is important to ensure the safety of foundation pit. The safety foundation determines the construction can be completed successfully, for foundation pit monitoring is to nip in the bud, to ensure the engineering safety. 1, horizontal displacement monitoring Determination of horizontal displacement in specific directions can be used when the collimation method, small angle method, cast point method; visual monitoring points of the horizontal displacement distribution determination of monitoring points in any direction, using intersection method, free station method, polar coordinate method; when the reference point is far from the pit can be used. GPS measuring method or triangle, three edge and angle measurement and reference line method combined measurement method. When the monitoring accuracy requirements are relatively high, it can be used to monitor the accuracy of micro deformation measurement radar for automatic all-weather real-time monitoring. Horizontal displacement monitoring datum point should be buried in the depth of excavation is not affected by the construction of the stable area beyond 3 times the range, or the use of construction control points has been stable, should not be buried in the low-lying water, collapsibility, frost heave and swell shrink effect range; embedded benchmarks should be in accordance with relevant regulations, executive measure. It is advisable to set up a force to the observation pier; the use of precision optical alignment device, the error is not greater than 0.5mm. 2, vertical displacement monitoring The vertical displacement monitoring can be used in the method of geometric or liquid static leveling. Heave (rebound) should be set by using standard geometric leveling monitoring rebound, and with the elevation of the auxiliary equipment transfer monitoring, elevation transfer of metal rod or ruler, of temperature, foot and tension correction, retaining wall (slope), the top wall surface and the column of the vertical displacement monitoring accuracy according to the vertical displacement of the alarm value determined. 3, deep horizontal displacement monitoring The monitoring of the deep horizontal displacement of the retaining wall and the soil around the pit should be used in the wall or in the soil. 4, tilt monitoring Buildings tilt monitoring shall determine the monitoring object relative to the bottom of the top horizontal displacement and elevation, were recorded and calculated the monitoring object tilt, tilt and tilt rate. According to the different observation conditions and requirements, selection of cast point method, horizontal angle method, intersection method, straight line method, differential settlement method etc.. 5, crack monitoring Crack monitoring should include the location, direction, length, width and degree of change of the crack. Crack monitoring number according to need to determine, the main or change of the larger cracks should be monitored. Crack monitoring can adopt the following methods: (1) the crack width monitoring, post gypsum cake, cracks in the draw parallel lines or stuck metal signs, using methods such as vernier caliper or micrometer measuring directly; also can use crack meter and paste installation gauge method, photography measurement method. (2) the crack depth measurement, when the crack depth is better than the use of chisel out method and one side contact ultrasonic method to monitor; the depth of the large cracks should be monitored by ultrasonic method. It should be recorded before the foundation pit excavation to monitor the distribution of the existing cracks in the location and quantity of the direction, length, width and depth of the case, the logo should have a clear end face or center. Crack width monitoring accuracy is not less than 0.1mm, length and depth monitoring accuracy is not less than 1mm. 6, supporting structure internal force monitoring The internal force of the retaining structure can be measured by the strain gauge or the stress meter installed in the structure. For reinforced concrete support, it is appropriate to adopt the steel stress gauge (bar gauge) or concrete strain gauge for measurement; for the steel structure support, it is appropriate to use axis force meter for measuring. The internal force of retaining wall, pile and purlin should be in reinforced retaining wall, pile making, welding steel stress meter embedded method of measurement on the main reinforcement. The monitoring value of the internal force of the supporting structure should be considered, and the influence of the temperature variation should be taken into consideration, and the influence of concrete shrinkage, creep and crack development should be taken into consideration. 7, earth pressure monitoring Earth pressure should be measured by earth pressure. The embedded boundary or burying soil pressure gauge (contact). Laying shall meet the following requirements: (1) the stress surface and pressure required for monitoring the vertical direction and close to the object being monitored; (2) membrane protective measures should be embedded in the process of soil pressure; (3) the drilling method is laid, backfill should be uniform and dense, and the surrounding rock and soil backfill materials should be consistent. (4) to complete burial record. Shall be inspected immediately after testing buried soil pressure gauge before excavation for at least 1 weeks after monitoring and obtain stable initial value. 8, pore water pressure monitoring Pore water pressure should be buried by the steel string strain, such as pore water pressure or strain measurement using frequency meter. Pore water pressure meter should meet the following requirements: measuring range should meet the requirements of the range of the pressure and the water pressure and excess pore water pressure and 1.2 times; precision is not lower than S - 0.2%F, resolution is not less than 0.5%F - S. The indentation method, drilling method of buried pore water pressure gauge. 9, underground water level monitoring Underground water level monitoring should be set up through the hole in the water level tube, using the method of water level meter and other methods of measurement. Underground water level monitoring accuracy is not less than 10mm.

http://jsyuandongtm.com/en/news/4_4

Book Description This book traces the visual and conceptual relationships evident in the works of Marcel Duchamp (1887—1968), Joseph Cornell (1903—1972), Jasper Johns (b. 1930), and Robert Rauschenberg (b. 1925). Although scholars have previously explored the biographical contact between these four artists, this is the first close look at the aesthetic consequences of their interactions. Dorothy Kosinski argues for a notion of dialogic exchange rather than influence, noting a number of shared characteristics in these artists’ works including iconography (for example, appropriation of Leonardo’s Mona Lisa ), process (assemblage and collage), form (boxes), integration of text into the visual field (sardonic subtitles, nonsense inscriptions, etc.), and shared fascination with simple machines. Featuring around 50 major works by these pivotal artists, including Duchamp’s Green Box and Johns’s Device, Dialogues reveals the...

http://www.libring.ru/books/135386

Where We Work Mozambique After a devastating cyclone in 2019, which decimated farmland throughout the central region of the country and affected hundreds of thousands of people, Mozambique is working to recover from widespread destruction and rebuild its economy. Prior to the cyclone, Mozambique was already considered one of the most underdeveloped countries—ranking in the bottom 10 countries in the world on the UN’s Human Development Index—making the cyclone’s impact even more severe. However, Mozambique’s rich natural resources and farmland, combined with its advantageous geography that makes it an essential country for regional trade, hold significant potential. These resources have the power to support economic growth and improve livelihoods for some of the lowest-income families. Over the next decade, investing in agricultural development, especially climate-resilient agriculture, will be essential to build and protect the livelihoods of Mozambican families. Mozambique by the Numbers - 30.4M total population - 63% of the population lives in rural areas, and 70% of the workforce is employed in agriculture - 62% of people live on less than $1.90/day - 33% of people have an account at a financial institution - 52% of children complete primary school Opportunity in Mozambique Opportunity’s programs in Mozambique are designed to serve vulnerable populations like small-scale farmers, women, and youth. As Mozambicans continue to recover from Cyclone Idai, they are working to rebuild businesses and farms and ensure that their children can stay in school. In response, Opportunity is investing in initiatives like: - Training farmers to increase their outputs and their income through better agricultural practices. In Mozambique, many of the families Opportunity serves are farmers who raise poultry or grow staple crops such as maize, cassava, cabbage, and beans. Most farmers, especially women, are producing far below their potential and remain vulnerable to climate shocks. Opportunity helps these farmers receive training in good agricultural practices, access loans to invest in better, more resilient seed, and connect to sellers who will purchase their crops at a fair price. - Promoting gender equality for farming families so that women have the opportunity to be productive members of the local economy, too. Mozambique struggles to provide equal opportunities to women, ranking in the bottom 10 countries in the world on the UN’s Gender Equality Index. Opportunity equips women to participate in the economy by training rural farming households on women’s empowerment. When women are excluded from decision-making on a family farm, they are often left out from learning agricultural best practices, lack agency to negotiate and purchase inputs or sell crops, and lack confidence to participate equally in local cooperatives. Opportunity trainings educate entire households on the importance of empowering women as equal participants, who then become more skilled farm laborers, farm managers, and leaders—resulting in more productive, more successful farms. Meet Katarina Katarina and her husband live in a small town in Mozambique, surrounded by farmers. For years, they struggled to provide for their six kids. They didn’t have particular skills or training, so they sold rice and oil at the local market, doing whatever they could to survive. When they received a corn-grinding machine from a friend, Katarina and her husband suddenly had access to a brand-new future. They set up in the courtyard outside of their home and opened a business turning their neighbors’ crops into cornmeal. This simple machine changed everything for Katarina’s family. In the same way that the corn grinder was the missing piece Katarina needed to build her small business, Katarina’s business has been the missing piece for her neighbors. Katarina received her own opportunity, then created opportunities for everyone around her. Through one small tool in her courtyard, she built a bridge between her community and the market, connecting farmers with the supplies and relationships they need to survive. Now, other families have futures full of possibilities, too. Katarina and her husband now manage eight different locations where farmers can grind grain. They employ 16 people and have used their proceeds to send all six of their children to school.

https://opportunity.org/our-impact/where-we-work/mozambique-facts-about-poverty

Reed Procurement & Supply Chain are working with a Manufacturing company in Basildon, Essex and need a Project Buyer to join the company on a long term temp basis. Working Hours are Monday-Friday 8:30am-5pm with flexibility What is the role? The Project Buyer is responsible for the supply of goods and services in accordance with company procedures and achieving lowest cost, consistent wit the required quality level and meeting delivery requirements. You will be the relationship manager between procurement and product group stakeholders. Main responsibilities? - Identify and select suppliers for the purchase of parts or services achieving lowest cost without comprising delivery and quality for systems components for new Projects - Responsible for the RFQ process for parts for contracts compliant with the preferred and approved supplier list - Lead contract negotiations with suppliers on all aspects (cost, warranty, payment terms,) - Develop and implement system component supply base for right-fit through consolidation and rationalisation of the number of suppliers - To negotiate sub-con contracts by utilising a technical, commercial and bid knowledge. - Timely issue and expediting of Purchase Orders in accordance with company procedures and processes to ensure the best possible terms. Obtaining written order acknowledgements against all PO’s in a timely manner will be instrumental to the procurement process. - Utilise competitive tendering wherever product design and/or time constraints allow. - To measure and report vendor performance, implement improvement plans and implement corrective actions for unsatisfactory performance. - Support procurement department objectives and KPI’s and be instrumental in supporting their achievement. What experience will you need and requirements - Experience in Project Buying concept to manufacturing release. - Knowledge of legal agreements NDA, SOR, LOI - Sage 50 accounts package experience and/or SAP (or similar) desirable. - Be familiar with manufacturing documentation such as drawings, Bills of Materials and procurement specifications. - You’ll be a strong negotiator. - Minimum of 3 Years Purchasing Experience - This is an office-based position with possible visits off-site to meet and negotiate with suppliers. - Able to manage/priorities your own time effectively and work in a diverse, organically growing, global business whilst maintaining excellent attention to detail.

https://www.reedglobal.com/jobs/senior-buyer-134

Leonardo da Vinci: good and evil Different funny situations and wonderful and touching stories often happen to great and famous people. Sometimes they precede the appearance of fascinating novels, godlike sculptures or unspeakable pictures, incredibly deep in their context and unbelievable in their realism. The life of a great Italian artist, scientist, mathematician and naturalist Leonardo da Vinci was full of such stories, both funny and tragic. Lots of them occurred in his life, but there is one unique and most tragic story which led to creation of one of the most well-known and popular work of the great artist. Leonardo da Vinci worked on creation of a mural painting ‘The Last Supper’ for three long years. Besides the work’s significant value, it is quite big in size: 4,5х8,7 meters. The painter had a rather difficult problem to solve while working on the ‘The Last Supper’. The major goal was to succeed in expressing so different and sometimes even inconsistent nature of a human being with the help of the main characters of the mural painting. The image of Jesus was to show the purity of thoughts and aspirations, love and the highest virtue. The images of disciples were to express the humility of mind, the contrition of the heart and conformity to God. The image of the twelfth Epistle Judas, on the contrary, should convey to viewers the sense of self-interest, insidiousness, and on the whole be the Evil itself. The work was in full string, days and nights the great painter toiled over it until it was finally ready. But there were still two things left to do – the painter had to depict two main characters: the protagonist and the antagonist, Jesus and his disciple Judas. The task was not a simple one. Leonardo da Vinci spent long hours wandering about looking for the right man. He came into every monastery and school church on his way in search of a man whose image could serve to help him in creation of the representation of Christ. Once Leonardo heard church choir singing and he immediately went into the church. He noticed a man there – one of the singers- whose features perfectly fit with the painter’s requirements . The young man’s face expressed kindness, mercy and love. Having made several sketches, Leonardo realized that he had made the right choice and so, some time later, he managed to create the image of Jesus on the mural painting and today everybody knows it perfectly well. Unfortunately, the painter couldn’t give the finishing stoke to the painting yet. The portrait of Judas who accepts the Master’s bread and wine but who has already betrayed him for thirty silver coins was missing. The master just couldn’t manage to depict Judas in the way he wanted. He was eager to embody in Judas’ face the Evil, hatred and arrogance. He tried more than once or twice but he never seemed to be satisfied with results. Leonardo simply couldn’t allow himself to depict merely an ugly man or express only one feeling reflected in that man’s features. His strict requirement was to depict a face which was the embodiment of each human sins – from envy towards close ones to meanness, betrayal and willingness to murder for lucre. He kept trying, making sketches over and over again but still the portrait of Judas was no good. One day, when the genious had almost lost faith in his abilities, he was wandering along the narrow Milan streets. Suddenly he noticed a man standing on the side of the road. The man was drunk, dirty and ugly, evidently he was a beggar as he was wearing horrible rags. His twisted face expressed such traits which Leonardo had been looking for during such a long time. He felt his heart filling with joy – he thought: ‘That is it! I’ve finally found it!’. Thus, Leonardo da Vinci asked his apprentices to bring that fallen man to the Monastery of Saint-Mary-delle-Grazie. That was the place where this famous historical mural painting was created. Leonardo’s apprentices exchanged puzzled glances but they followed the painter’s wish. When the drunkard stepped into the refectory of the monastery and saw ‘The Last Supper’ (which was not finished yet) he grinned and said that he had already seen that painting several years ago. At that time he had believed in mercy and kindness, he’d hoped and he’d loved and some unknown painter had depicted the image of Jesus in his portrait. Kindness and Evil, altruism and self-love, humbleness and arrogance can be crowded inside one person and can even get along together. The story of Leonardo da Vinci’s mural painting ‘The Last Supper’ only proves one more time that our future and our fate depends only on us and on our choice and our aspirations – we ourselves are responsible for everything that goes on in our life.

https://fampeople.com/articles-leonardo-da-vinci-good-and-evil

Hi, My Recipe Box My Newsletters My Account Customer Care Log out Sign up for Our Newsletters Sign Up for Our Newsletters Home Recipes Dishes & Beverages Meatloaf Meat Loaf Muffins Serve these tangy meat loaf muffins for dinner or slice them up for a take-along sandwich lunch. They're just as flavorful after freezing. —Cheryl Norwood, Canton, Georgia Meat Loaf Muffins Recipe photo by Taste of Home Next Recipe Test Kitchen Approved Be the first to review Recommended 13 Chicken Sheet Pan Dinners Rate Comment Save Share Print Next Recipe Total Time Prep/Total Time: 30 min. Makes 6 servings Read Next What Is Juneteenth? Muffin-Pan Meat Loaves BBQ Meat Loaf Minis Ingredients 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper 1/4 cup barbecue sauce 1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef (90% lean) 3 tablespoons ketchup Additional ketchup, optional Text Ingredients View Recipe Directions Preheat oven to 375°. Mix the first 5 ingredients. Add beef; mix lightly but thoroughly. Press about 1/3 cupful into each of 12 ungreased muffin cups. Bake 15 minutes. Brush tops with 3 tablespoons ketchup; bake until a thermometer reads 160°, 5-7 minutes. If desired, serve with additional ketchup. Freeze option: Bake meat loaves without ketchup; cover and freeze on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet until firm. Transfer meat loaves to an airtight freezer container; return to freezer. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Place meat loaves on a greased shallow baking pan. Spread with ketchup. Bake in a preheated 350° oven until heated through. Nutrition Facts 2 mini meat loaves: 260 calories, 11g fat (4g saturated fat), 102mg cholesterol, 350mg sodium, 15g carbohydrate (7g sugars, 1g fiber), 24g protein. Every editorial product is independently selected, though we may be compensated or receive an affiliate commission if you buy something through our links.

https://stage.tasteofhome.com/recipes/meat-loaf-muffins/

This application claims the benefit of Taiwan application Serial No. 101110402, filed Mar. 26, 2012, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference. 1. Field of the Invention The invention relates in general to a digital television broadcasting technique, and more particularly, to a technique for determining a carrier frequency offset of a digital television signal. 2. Description of the Related Art With advancements in communication techniques, digital television broadcasting gradually matures. Apart from being transmitted via cables, digital television signals can also be transmitted in a form of wireless signals via a base station or a satellite. The Digital Video Broadcasting—Satellite (DVB-S) and the Digital Video Broadcasting—Satellite—Second Generation (DVB-S2) are prevalent standards in digital television broadcasting. In DVB-S and DVB-S2 specifications, symbol rates of digital television signals range between 0 to 45 MHz, while carrier frequencies of digital television signals range between 950 to 2150 MHz. As a result, the possible combinations of the two values above are rather formidable. Since a receiver cannot in advance be informed of a carrier channel and a symbol rate selected by the transmitter, it is critical that the receiver must be capable of accurately determining the two values in order to decode and restore a received signal. FIG. 1A 1 In one conventional method for determining a carrier frequency offset, fast Fourier transform (FFT) is performed on an input signal, and a spectral line is generated by superimposing energy square values of all transform results, as shown in . In the spectral line, a difference between a center C of a high-energy region and a center R (corresponding to one-half of computing points in the foregoing FFT) of the horizontal coordinate corresponds to a size of the carrier frequency offset. FIG. 1A FIG. 1B As being interfered by in-channel noises or signals of neighboring channels during wireless transmission, not all signal spectrums appear as ideal as that shown in . For example, an actual spectrum of an input signal may have two energy peaks as shown in . A possible reason causing such spectrum is that the noise interference between the energy peaks is particularly severe. Another possible reason is that a neighboring channel is too close to a frequency band of desired target signal. If the occurrence of one of the energy peaks is contributed by the neighboring channel, a carrier frequency offset directly determined according to the spectrum inevitably contains an error. Yet, a current digital television broadcasting receiver system falls short in effectively determining which of the energy peaks truly represent(s) a desired target signal. In view of the above issue, the invention is directed to a signal processing apparatus and associated method. The signal processing apparatus and associated method, by adopting a symbol rate having higher credibility, determines which of the energy peaks truly represent(s) a desired target signal and identifies a carrier frequency offset. According to an embodiment the present invention, a signal process apparatus is provided. The signal processing apparatus includes an initial detecting module, a mixer, a symbol rate detecting module, a judging module and a correcting module. According to a spectrum of an input signal, the initial detecting module determines an initial carrier frequency offset of the input signal. The mixer adjusts the input signal according to the initial carrier frequency offset to generate a frequency-compensated signal. The symbol rate detecting module determines a symbol rate of the input signal. The judging module performs a phase recovery on the frequency-compensated signal, and judges whether the initial carrier frequency offset is correct as a judgement result according to whether the phase recovery renders a phase locking. The correcting module selectively determines a corrected carrier frequency offset according to the symbol rate and the frequency-compensated signal and providing the corrected carrier frequency offset to the mixe based on a judgment result of the judging module. According to another embodiment of the present invention, a signal processing method is provided. The method includes steps of: determining an initial carrier frequency offset of an input signal according to a spectrum of the input signal; adjusting the input signal according to the initial carrier frequency offset signal to generate a frequency-compensated signal; determining a symbol rate of the input signal; performing a phase recovery on the frequency-compensated signal, and judging whether the initial carrier frequency offset is correct according to whether the phase recovery renders a phase locking; and selectively determining a corrected carrier frequency offset according to the symbol rate and the spectrum based on a judgment result of the judging step. The above and other aspects of the invention will become better understood with regard to the following detailed description of the preferred but non-limiting embodiments. The following description is made with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 2 100 100 11 12 13 14 15 100 100 shows a signal processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. The signal processing apparatus includes a spectrum generating module , an initial detecting module , a mixer , a symbol rate detecting module , a judging module and a correcting module . In practice, for example, the signal processing apparatus may be integrated in a DVB-S or DVB-S2 compliant digital television signal receiver. 11 100 11 11 The spectrum generating module receives and analyzes an input signal to generate a spectral line of the input signal. Assuming the signal processing apparatus is located at a digital television signal receiver, the input signal may be a digital television signal of a particular channel. In practice, the spectrum generating unit may divide a digital input signal into multiple segments (e.g., 32 segments or 64 segments), respectively perform fast Fourier transform (FFT) having same computing points, and superimpose energy square values of all transform results into a superimposed result. That is, the spectral line is in fact composed by many dots corresponding to different frequencies/energies. The spectrum generating unit may further perform a smoothing procedure (e.g., through a moving average circuit) on the superimposed result to filter and remove noises in the spectral line to reduce possible misjudgments caused by the noises. 12 11 12 12 FIG. 3 The initial detecting module determines an initial carrier frequency offset according to the spectrum provided by the spectrum generating module . In this embodiment, the initial detecting module first finds a maximum energy max and a minimum energy min in the spectral line, and accordingly determines a threshold TH, as shown in . For example, the threshold TH is an average of the maximum energy max and the minimum energy min. The initial detecting module then determines an initial carrier frequency offset CFO according to two intersections X and Y formed by the spectrum and the threshold TH. For example, a difference between an average frequency of the two intersections X and Y and a central frequency (corresponding to one-half of the computing points of the foregoing FFT) as the initial carrier frequency offset CFO. 13 12 15 15 The mixer adjusts the frequency of the input signal according to the initial carrier frequency offset CFO generated by the initial detecting module to generate a frequency-compensated signal, such that the spectrum of the frequency-compensated signal is substantially symmetrical to a DC coordinate axis. Next, the judging module judges whether the initial carrier frequency offset CFO is correct according to the frequency-compensated signal. In this embodiment, the judging module performs a phase recovery on the frequency-compensated signal, and judges whether the initial carrier frequency offset CFO is correct according to whether the phase recovery generates a locked result. When the phase recovery generates a locked result, the initial carrier frequency offset CFO is judged as correct. Conversely, when the phase recovery fails a phase locking and cannot generate a locked result for a predetermined period of time, the initial carrier frequency offset CFO is judged as incorrect. FIG. 3 FIG. 3 12 15 In practice, if one energy peak of two energy peaks in is contributed by a neighboring channel, the carrier frequency offset determined by the initial detecting module according to the spectrum is incorrect, such that the phase recovery performed by the judging module fails the phase locking. For example, assume that the right energy peak in is contributed by the neighboring channel and the left energy peak represents the real target signal. Thus, between the two intersections X and Y formed by the spectrum and the threshold TH determined by the spectrum, only the intersection X is correct while the intersection Y is incorrect. It is then obvious that an error exists in the carrier frequency offset obtained according to the frequency average of the intersections X and Y. FIG. 2 FIG. 4 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 2 As shown in , the input signal is also provided to the symbol rate detecting module that determines a symbol rate of the input signal. is a detailed block diagram of the symbol rate detecting module according to one embodiment. The symbol rate detecting module includes a power calculating unit A, an FFT unit B, a squaring unit C and a symbol rate determining unit D. In this embodiment, the power calculating unit A obtains a signal strength (in power) of the input signal by performing a calculation of |r(n)|or r(n)*conj[r(n−d)], where r(n) represents a signal value of the input signal, n represents a time index, d represents a non-zero integer, and conj is a conjugate symbol. The FFT unit B performs FFT on a power calculation result generated by the power calculating unit A to generate a transform result, i.e., a power spectrum of the signal in the frequency domain. The squaring unit C squares an absolute value of the power spectrum to generate an accurate spectrum and obtain a peak value. 14 14 14 14 FIG. 5 The square result generated by the squaring unit C may be depicted as an accurate spectrum in . The symbol rate determining unit D determines the symbol rate of the input signal according to a peak position in the accurate spectrum. Assuming that the number of computing points of FFT performed by the FFT unit B is N, a horizontal coordinate of the spectrum then ranges from 0 to (N/2−1). After determining the horizontal coordinate C corresponding to the peak value, the symbol rate determining unit D calculates the symbol rate SR according to an equation: <math overflow="scroll"><mrow><mrow><mi>SR</mi><mo>=</mo><mrow><mfrac><mi>C</mi><mi>N</mi></mfrac><mo>×</mo><mi>F</mi></mrow></mrow><mo>,</mo></mrow></math> 14 12 13 15 where F represents a sampling frequency of the input signal when the input signal is received. It should be noted that, the procedure of generating the symbol rate by the symbol rate detecting module may be simultaneously performed with operations of the initial detecting module , the mixer and the judging module . FIG. 2 11 15 14 16 15 16 Referring to , the spectrum generated by the spectrum generating module , the judgment result generated by the judging module and the symbol rate generated by the symbol rate detecting module are all provided to the correcting module . When the judgment result of the judging module is negative, the correcting module determines a corrected carrier frequency offset CFO′ according to the symbol rate SR and the spectrum. FIG. 6A FIG. 6A 15 15 15 16 1 1 1 16 1 11 13 Referring to a spectrum in for example, when the judgment result of the judging module is negative, it implies that one energy peak of the two energy peaks in the spectrum is much likely contributed by another signal of a neighboring channel. Theoretically, when the threshold TH is the average of the maximum energy max and the minimum energy min of the same signal, the frequency difference between the two intersections X and Y is substantially equal to the symbol rate SR when the judgment result of the judging module is affirmative. When the judgment result of the judging module is negative, the correcting module first utilizes the signal corresponding to the left energy peak as the real target signal, and, regarding the intersection X as a start point, selects a frequency segment B having a width corresponding to the symbol rate SR from the spectrum, as shown in . After identifying a center C of the frequency segment B, the correcting module adopts a difference between a frequency corresponding to the center C and a reference frequency (corresponding to one-half of computing points in the foregoing FFT performed by the spectrum generating module ) as the corrected carrier frequency offset CFO′, and sends the corrected carrier frequency offset CFO′ back to the mixer . 13 15 15 According to the corrected carrier frequency offset CFO′, the mixer generates another frequency-compensated signal, and provides the frequency-compensated signal to the judging module . The judging module again performs the phase recovery on the new frequency-compensated signal, and judges whether the corrected carrier frequency offset CFO′ is corrected according to whether the phase recovery generates a locked result. When a phase locked result is generated in the phase recovery, the corrected carrier frequency offset CFO′ is judged as correct. Conversely, when the phase recovery fails a phase locking and cannot generate a locked result for a predetermined period of time, the corrected carrier frequency offset CFO′ is judged as incorrect. 15 16 2 2 2 16 2 11 13 15 FIG. 6B When the current judgment result of the judging module is negative, the correcting module then utilizes the signal corresponding to the right energy peak as the real target signal, and, regarding the intersection Y as a start point, selects a frequency segment B having a width corresponding to the symbol rate SR from the spectrum, as shown in . After identifying a center C of the frequency segment B, the correcting module adopts a difference between a frequency corresponding to the center C and the reference frequency (corresponding to one-half of computing points in the foregoing FFT performed by the spectrum generating module ) as the corrected carrier frequency offset CFO″, and sends the corrected carrier frequency offset CFO″ back to the mixer . Similarly, according to the corrected carrier frequency offset CFO″, the judging module again performs the phase recovery on the new frequency-compensated signal, and judges whether the corrected carrier frequency offset CFO″ is corrected according to whether the phase recovery generates a locked result. FIG. 6A FIG. 6B FIG. 6A FIG. 6B 15 15 16 1 2 In other words, when the signal corresponding to the left energy peak in or truly represents the real target signal, the corrected carrier frequency offset CFO′ should enable the judging module to render an affirmative judgment result. Conversely, when the right energy peak in or truly represents the real target signal, only the corrected carrier frequency offset CFO′″ enables the judging module to render an affirmative judgment result. It should be noted that, the correcting module does not necessarily choose the intersections X and Y as the start points of the frequency segments B and B to select the frequency segments having the width corresponding to the symbol rate SR. 100 In conclusion, by referring to the symbol rate having higher credibility, the signal processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention effectively determines which of the energy peaks truly represent(s) the desired target signal to identify the correct carrier frequency offset. 200 200 100 14 13 12 14 14 14 13 FIG. 7 According to another embodiment of the present invention, a signal processing apparatus shown in is provided. A main difference between the signal processing apparatus and the signal processing apparatus is that, the symbol rate detecting module in this embodiment determines the symbol rate SR according to the frequency-compensated signal generated by the mixer . In practice, regardless of whether the initial carrier frequency offset CFO generated by the initial detecting module is correct, the symbol rate detecting module can still obtain the correct symbol rate SR according to the foregoing method. Hence, the symbol rate detecting module can determine the symbol rate SR according to the frequency-compensated signal generated at the first time. In other words, the symbol rate detecting module is not required to recalculate the symbol rate SR even if another frequency-compensated signal is generated by the mixer . 17 14 200 17 14 Moreover, the frequency-compensated signal passes through a low-pass filter before entering the symbol rate detecting module in the signal processing apparatus . An advantage of such approach is that the low-pass filter may first filter out interferences from other neighboring channels to further increase the accuracy of the symbol rate SR generated by the symbol rate detecting module . 300 300 200 12 0 11 0 14 14 14 14 FIG. 8 FIG. 8 FIG. 2 FIG. 8 According to another embodiment of the present invention, a signal processing apparatus shown in is provided. A main difference between the signal processing apparatus and the signal processing apparatus is that, besides the initial carrier frequency offset CFO, the initial detecting module in this embodiment further determines an initial symbol rate SR according to the spectrum generated by the spectrum generating module , and provides the initial symbol rate SR to the symbol rate detecting module . As shown in , compared to the symbol rate detecting module in , the symbol rate detecting module in the embodiment shown in further includes a down-sampling unit E. 0 300 0 14 0 0 12 14 Assume that the input signal is sampled according to an original sampling frequency F while entering the signal processing apparatus . As previously stated, the symbol rate of digital television signals range between 0 to 45 MHz. For example, the original sampling frequency F of the digital television signal may be 96 MHz, which is slightly higher than twice of the maximum symbol rate. The down-sampling unit E determines a down-sampling ratio d according to the original sampling frequency F and the initial symbol rate SR generated by the initial detecting module , and down-samples the frequency-compensated signal according to the down-sampling ratio d to generate a down-sampled signal. For example, the down-sampling unit E determines the down-sampling ratio d according to the equation: <math overflow="scroll"><mrow><mrow><mi>d</mi><mo>=</mo><mfrac><mrow><mi>F</mi><mo></mo><mstyle><mspace width="0.3em" height="0.3ex" /></mstyle><mo></mo><mn>0</mn></mrow><mrow><mi>SR</mi><mo></mo><mstyle><mspace width="0.3em" height="0.3ex" /></mstyle><mo></mo><mn>0</mn><mo>×</mo><mi>m</mi></mrow></mfrac></mrow><mo>,</mo></mrow></math> 14 14 14 14 14 FIG. 8 where m represents a sampling magnification preferably being between 2 and 4, e.g., 2.5. That is to say, a lower limit of the reduced sampling frequency is approximately twice of the symbol rate SR. Under reasonable sampling conditions, a smallest possible sampling magnification m is preferred. According to the above principles, the down-sampling module E determines the down-sampling ratio d, and accordingly down-samples the frequency-compensated signal. In practice, for example, the down-sampling E may be implemented by a four-stage anti-aliasing filter. Referring to , the calculating unit A in this embodiment generates a calculation result according to the down-sampled signal. Operation details of the circuit blocks A to D may be referred from above associated descriptions. One of the reasons for implementing the down-sampling is that, since a variation range of the symbol rate is rather large (e.g., the symbol rate may range between 0 and 45 MHz in the DVB-S and DVB-S2 standards), a large number of computing points are also needed by the operation unit performing the FFT to obtain an accurate symbol rate. However, the large number of computing points equals high costs. Therefore, an optional approach is to employ down-sampling, so that an appropriate and acceptable FFT unit is allowed to perform operations on signals of all symbol rates. FIG. 9 91 92 93 94 93 95 93 96 94 91 92 94 92 According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, a signal processing method is provided, as shown by a flowchart in . In Step S, an initial carrier frequency offset of an input signal is determined according to a spectrum of the input signal. In Step S, the input signal is adjusted according to the initial carrier frequency offset to generate a frequency-compensated signal. In Step S, it is judged whether the initial carrier frequency offset is correct according to the frequency-compensated signal. In Step S, a symbol rate of the input signal is determined. When a judgment result of Step S is negative, Step S is performed to determine a corrected carrier frequency offset according to the symbol rate and the spectrum. When the judgment result of Step S is affirmative, the process for signal processing ends in Step S. In practice, when the symbol rate is generated according to the input signal itself, Step S may be simultaneously performed with Steps and . On the other hand, when the symbol rate is generated according to the frequency-compensated signal, Step S is performed temporally after Step S. 100 300 FIG. 9 It should be noted that, variations in circuit operations given in descriptions associated with the signal processing apparatuses to may be applied to the method for detecting a symbol rate in , and details thereof shall be omitted herein. Therefore, the signal processing apparatus and signal processing method disclosed by the above embodiments of the present invention, by referring to the symbol rate having higher credibility, are capable of effectively determining which of the energy peaks in the spectrum truly represent(s) the desired target signal to identify the correct carrier frequency offset. While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of the preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements and procedures, and the scope of the appended claims therefore should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements and procedures. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1A FIG. 1B and are examples of signal spectrums generated by fast Fourier transform (FFT). FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a signal processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 FIG. 5 FIG. 6A FIG. 6B , , and are examples of related dots of spectrums according to embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 4 14 is a detailed block diagram of the symbol rate detecting module according to one embodiment. FIG. 7 FIG. 8 and are block diagrams of a signal processing apparatus according to embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a signal processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

This article lists 10 innovative teaching techniques which will help you make your classes interesting and happy. Teaching 21st century children requires innovation and creativity. The focus is on engaging the students in a classroom and keeping the classroom happy. Earlier teachers used to write on the blackboard and explain the concept orally. But these conventional methods do not leave a lasting impression on students’ minds. Here are 10 Innovative teaching techniques that you can implement for making your teaching interesting:- 1. Learning by doing: Experiential Learning In this teaching technique, students engage in opportunities to learn by doing and then reflect on those tasks and activities. This is a student-centered teaching method. This enables the students to apply their knowledge in the real world. John Dewey and David Kolb were proponents of this technique. As an example, if you teach a unit on how a post office works, first tell them to write a letter to their best friend in the class. Take your students to a post office and let them post the letter to their friend. There must be less of your intervention in the post office and let them explore on their own. You will find your students getting help from the help counter and buying the correct postage stamps and then putting the letter in a letter box. One of our readers has contributed this photo on the left where she took her students on the playground and asked them to make tents from things available. The topic was ‘Early settlements.’ Many educational institutions use this technique extensively. These institutes focus on teaching students problem solving and decision making skills. You can apply this technique in any subject you teach. Students love to experiment, make and break things to join them again. 2. Thinking Maps Thinking maps are popular teaching techniques which are used in teaching primary and secondary school students. It is a scientific technique which studies how the human brain grasps and processes information. Thinking maps make great visual learning tools. They help in life-long learning as topics studied through this technique are retained for a longer period of time. This teaching technique takes into account the thinking process as it remains the same throughout a students academic years. For example classification of things in the earlier grades can be through sorting different things based on color, size, etc. When the students reach to a higher grade, then they use the same thinking process of classification to categorize ideas. Teachers can use these thinking maps for any subject across any grade. Types of Thinking maps are:- - Circle Map - Bubble Map - Flow Map - Brace Map - Tree Map - Double Bubble Map - Multi-flow Map - Bridge Map 3. Brainstorming Students like to get involved in the process of learning. When students get an opportunity to suggest ideas and give their opinion, there is a feeling of empowerment and confidence. Brainstorming is an activity which encourages free flow of ideas. Teachers can use this as a part of teaching to involve children. If you are a teacher, you can have brainstorming session in the class by presenting a problem before the students. Then you can ask your students to find solutions to the problem. As they come up with ideas and suggestions, you can jot them on the blackboard and then examine the ideas without criticism by discussing at the end of the session. This technique is used by teachers in various schools to instill decision making and problem solving skills in their students. 4. Educational Games Educational games are designed for the purpose of imparting education. Teachers can use these games as tools for helping students learn, expand the concepts and retain their learning. Games like Treasure Hunt can be played to impart leadership qualities, creativity, out of the box thinking, and flexibility. Traditionally card and board games are recommended for explaining certain concepts to students. As a teacher, you can also use video games which are educational in nature to help students learn. Games like Scrabble, Word Game, Monopoly are perfect examples. In the past, games like chess have been used by armies to learn strategies for battle. Some games help students to learn certain concepts through simulation and then they can apply the knowledge in real world. Games can improve social and cognitive skills of a child. Present generation can also play educational mobile phone games to learn mathematical and language concepts. Also many phone games can help in learning problem solving skills. Though as a teacher, you must ensure that children do not play violent games or it will have adverse effects on the development of the child. 5. Story Telling To last a longing impression on your students, tell them stories. Stories stick forever with us. Stories touch our emotions. Children love story-tellers. Story telling can be spontaneous or prepared before hand. It can also be used as a teaching technique to seek and retain attention from students and take a place in their hearts. You can use stories as an Introduction to a lesson which will setup a platform for the topic. Make sure it is relevant or the purpose will be defeated. Stories can be used to explain a difficult concept. For example, for children in lower grades, certain values like honesty or kindness can be taught with moral stories. You can find some stories for kids on our site which you can use for your teaching. 6. Crossover learning Learning does not cease in the classroom. Learning is an on going process even outside the classroom. So, as a teacher, you must encourage your students to combine formal and informal learning environments. You can pose a question in the classroom and ask your students to get answers when on field trips, museums, etc. They can collect pictures and can ask questions to people. Then they can bring the answers back to the class and present in front of the classroom. This teaching technique gives a touch of personal experience to the textbook knowledge. The students can further develop their interest in the topic. Students will learn from their mistakes and self correct themselves. 7. Digital Classroom This is the 21st century, so the traditional lecture method seems obsolete for the new generation of students. Hence, a method to keep students engaged and interested in the lessons taught is through smart class or e-Class or Digital Classroom. This involves making Slide Shows or video presentations which can be through animated videos. Students seem to retain more with these techniques. As a 21st century teacher, you must have presentation making skills so that you do not depend on anyone else. Making presentations on programs like PowerPoint or Google Slides is easy. 8. Arranging Quiz Contests Quiz contests can be arranged every now and then to develop problem solving skills in students. Students get motivated to study and come prepared for the quiz. A reward will further motivate them. You can divide your students into groups. Then you can ask questions based on the topic. You can have a fast paced quiz for higher grade students. Students will also learn the value of working in a team. Quiz contests can be arranged for any grade across any subject. So every teacher must use this teaching technique to foster cognitive as well as social development of children. 9. Role Play This is one of the innovative teaching techniques which is underused in schools. Role play builds confidence, problem solving skills and even communication skills Children can act out as a character from the book in a setting. Students can then explore possibilities and decide which is the best possibility. Students interact with their peers . They listen and take turns. They learn to talk confidently. Students can then be told what was the purpose of the role play. 10. Constant Time Delay This teaching method is used widely with flash cards. Flash cards are cards containing information which are used to teach children some concept or idea, especially in a language or Science subject. In the constant time delay technique, a teacher prompts a student and waits for some time before answering it to the student. Prompting the child to respond correctly can help him or her reduce mistakes and become better. During the first few sessions, you must give the prompt immediately. After some sessions, you can allow the learner to answer independently. If you have students with special needs in your classroom, you can use this constant time delay technique to teach your student. This technique requires patience, but it is very effective to teach certain skills. Final Words In conclusion, I can say that as a teacher, you can teach in different ways and make your class more interesting and engaging. Use one or more of the above innovative teaching techniques to have a happy, healthy classroom.

https://www.indianstudycircle.com/teaching-ideas/innovative-teaching-techniques/

Quinine is a natural product extracted from the bark of the cinchona tree, which is native to South America. Quinine is used as an antimalarial agent. When 1.20 g of quinine is dissolved in 25.0 g of cyclohexane, the freezing point of the solution is lowered by 3.07 °C. The freezing point and Kf constant for cyclohexane can be found here. Calculate the molar mass of quinine. cyclohexane C6H12(formula) 20.8 (Kf value C/m) 6.59 (freezing point C) 2.92( Kb value C/m) 80.7 (normal boiling point C) Experts are waiting 24/7 to provide step-by-step solutions in as fast as 30 minutes!* Q: A sample of a compound containing only magnesium and oxygen is found to have 194g Mg and 256 g of O ... A: The percentage of Magnesium and oxygen are calculated as, Q: d). For the electrochemical cell, Fe(s) | Feaq) || Cu aq)| Cu'(aq) | Pt(s), determine the equilibriu... A: Analyzing the given cell shows that it contain two half reactions depicted as below, Q: ba Provide the major organic product of the reaction below. 3. 1. Mg, ether 2. CH,CH,CH,CHо 3. Н,о* A: Grignard reaction:It is an organometallic reaction in which alkyl, vinyl or aryl-magnesium halides r... Q: The mass-to-change ratio for the positive ion F^+ is 1.97 * 10^-7 kg/C. Using the value for 1.602 * ... A: Given information, Q: Please devise Syntheses of the product Campaunds belou from ther respective Startng madenal Each of ... A: Oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde, Q: When blue food coloring is dissolved in water, the result is a ________? a. homogeneous mixture call... A: When particles moves from higher concentration to lower concentration than diffusion occurs. The pro... Q: Calculate the equilibrium constant for the following reaction at 25o C, given that change in standar... A: Given:The free energy change is 163.4 kJ/mol.Temperature = 250C = 25 + 273 K = 298 K. Q: For the molecular compound sulfur trioxide, disulfur decafluoride, H20 what would you multiply the m... A: 1 mole of a compound is equal to its 6.022×1023 molecules. Therefore, 1 mole of SO3 is equal to 6.02... Q: If 54.7 grams of propane (C3H8) and 89.6 grams of oxygen (O2) are available in the balanced combusti... A: limiting reactant:The limiting reactant is the reactant that limits the amount of other reactant tha... Q: how to correlate the size of an atom with its chemical reactivity? A: The size of atom is the distance between the center of nucleus and the valence electron. The size o... Q: A first order reaction has a rate constant of 0.239 sec-1 at 25.6 oC. If the activation energy is 62... A: Ea = activation energyA = pre-exponential factor,R = gas constant,T = absolute temperaturek = react... Q: According to valence bond theory, which orbitals overlap to form the bond in HBr 1. 2s on H and... A: The valence bond theory is used to describe the bonding which is present in organic molecules. In th... Q: For the reaction 2 ICl(g) <==> I2(g) + Cl2(g) the value of Kc = 0.110 Calculate the value of K... A: The reactions and the expressions to calculate the equilibrium constants is, Q: Please name the following compounds A: The compound (I) contains carboxylic acid as a functional group. The longest chain in the compound i... Q: A student determines the value of the equilibrium constant to be 06×106for the following reaction.3F... A: Gibb's free energy is defined as the maximum amount of useful work that can be obtained from the sys... Q: Fill in each blank with either "polar" or "nonpolar": In O3, the O-O bonds are ____________ covalent... A: Covalent bonds are the chemical bonds which involves sharing of electrons between two atoms. The ato... Q: e. 1 2. What is the wavelength of a photon having a frequency of 1.65 x 1015 Hz? (c 34 J s) 100 m/s,... A: We can use the following equation: (Frequency)(Wavelength) = speed of light in a vacuumWavelength = ... Q: The energy change, q, for a system is given by the formula q=m * C * change T. C is the specific hea... A: The change in energy of a system is given by, Q: What proportion of the 14C present in Otzi's body when he died is still there today? When he died, i... A: The half-life time of carbon-14 is about 5,730 years. Thus a sample that had 1/4 of its original pr... Q: How much NaOH (in moles) must be added to 1 L of a buffer solution that a 1.8 M in acetic acid and 1... A: A buffer solution is that solution which resists the change in its pH when small amount of acid or b... Q: State 2 differences between SN1 and SN2 reaction? Give an example of each. A: Substitution reactions are those reactions which involve substitution of a group with another. If th... Q: Which of the following reactions will occur spontaneously as written? A. 3Fe2+(aq) + Cr3+(aq) ->... A: The relationship between ΔGo and Eo is shown below,ΔGo = -nFEo Q: Question # ei Name the following compounds: 1- HOCH2CH2OH CO2H 2 SH A: 1) In this compound, two carbon atoms and two alcohol groups are present. Two carbons indicates eth... Q: calculate density of 0.625 g/L to g/cm cubed A: Unit conversation is given below,1 g/L to gram/cubic meter = 1000 gram/cubic meter Q: what mass of insulin must be dissolved in 100.0mL of water to produce a solution with an oosmotic pr... A: The osmotic pressure is one of the colligative properties of solutions which has influence on solute... Q: Calculate the pH of a 3.5 x 10-3 M HNO3 solution. A: Nitric acid HNO3 is a strong acid. Hence, it completely dissociates in the aqueous solution. Q: The first order decomposition of C3H6(g) at a given temperature has a half-life of 5.522 x 103 secon... A: Half-life is the time required by any substance to reduce to its half of initial concentration. Q: X X Experimer 0 Mail Dirk X Experiment 10 B Homepag G sodium + + Yuzu: Safe X https://www.the colleg... A: Solution for sodium chloride solute :First we have to calculate the mass of sample. Q: How to write a chemical equation for: _______Cu (s) + _____ O2 (g) ---> ______ Could you provid... A: The given equation is to be completed- Q: how do i determine degree of unsaturation for an equation if it includes elements such as N, O, F. w... A: Degree of Unsaturation:Degree of Unsaturation is based on the ring and multiple bond in a compound. ... Q: Draw the Lewis Dot structure for PBr3 (on paper, not on Canvas) then answer the questions. a. How ma... A: The Lewis structure of PBr3 is given by, Q: Which of the following statements best describes the role of neutrons in the nucleus? The neutrons s... A: The atom is smallest particle of any element that exists. The atom itself is composed of three sub-p... Q: A first-order reaction has a rate constant k = 0.0815 s-1 at a temperature of 65oC and a rate consta... A: To calculate activation energy of the reaction in kJ/mole with the given rate constant at different ... Q: EL3N OH Brt Na C三N- + H20 A: Benzoic acid reacts with pivaloyl chloride in presence of triethylamine to gives benzoyl chloride. Q: When 7.121 x 10-1 mol of NH3 and 7.121 x 10-1 mol of O2 are introduced into a 2.305 L reaction vesse... A: Kc of the reaction is to be calculated Q: How do you determine how many significant figures should be in your answer? A: Rules for counting significant figures:Count the number of significant figures in the decimal portio... Q: For the reactionN2(g) + O2(g)2NO(g)H° = 181 kJ and S° = 24.9 J/KThe equilibrium constant, K, would b... A: Gibb's free energy : It is defined as the maximum amount of useful work that can be obtained from th... Q: Keactions Br2 FeBr3 C12 Fecl3 S03 7 H2soy 7 HNO A: The products of the given reactions can be written asBenzene reacts with chlorine or bromine in an e... Q: Q#5. (5 points) Write the chemical equation for the Fisher esterification reaction of acetic acid an... A: Fischer– esterification: it is a type of esterification reaction of acid react with excess of alcoho... Q: The carbon dioxide you breathe out comes from A. glycolysis. B. the electron-transport chain. C. ana... A: This biochemical reaction occurs inside human bodies are mainly sugars, carbohydrates, fats and prot... Q: 2eo H H. H HSDar H2SO4 HT HO 2ea H leg LDA/-78°C H A: Aldol Condensation: An organic reaction in which enolate ion reacts with a carbonyl compound to form... Q: Calculate the pH of a solution prepared by mixing 15.0 mL of .100 M NaOH and 30 mL of .100 M benzoic... A: The moles of given acid and base can be calculated as Q: The vapor pressure of benzene (C6H6) and toluene (C7H8) at 25 degrees Celcius are 95.1 and 28.4 mm H... A: According to the Dalton’s law of partial pressure, the total pressure of the solution is the sum of ... Q: If the energy change for a system is equal to the mass of the substance x the change in temperature ... A: Specific heat is the amount of heat needed for one gram of a substance to increase its temperature b... Q: A chemical engineer is studying the two reactions shown in the table below. In each case, he fills a... A: The first reaction is written as follows: 6Cl2(g) + 2Fe2O3(s) →4FeCl3(s) + 3O2(g) Gibbs free energy ... Q: What is the value of delta G at 120.00 C for a reaction in which delta H = 5.0kj/mole and delta S = ... A: The change in Gibbs free energy is calculated as, Q: 3. According to the general trend in electron affinities, which group (or family) of elements tend t... 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https://www.bartleby.com/questions-and-answers/quinine-is-a-natural-product-extracted-from-the-bark-of-the-cinchona-tree-which-is-native-to-south-a/43014c31-a52b-40b1-a308-2dc1e7378827

To be a thriving, well-known and sought-out education resource that reflects the rich diversity of the state. Community: We empower others and ourselves by listening to, learning from, and respecting local knowledge. We value our partnerships and believe community voices are critical to success. We work in community with one another to build a culture of collegiality. Discovery: We promote lifelong learning, unbiased transformational education and excellence through our scholarly work. We integrate University research with community-based knowledge to explore new solutions and their practical applications. We encourage innovation in teaching, research and outreach to serve the public good. Inclusiveness: We recognize, appreciate and honor the differences, similarities and contributions of all people and communities. We are intentional in our efforts to ensure equity, justice and fairness. We embrace new ideas and approaches in our work. Relationships: We foster positive relationships through honesty, open communication and accountability. We meet educational needs by creating linkages among cultural, economic and environmental contexts. We recognize and trust the essential and interconnected nature of all roles within Cooperative Extension. Respect: We appreciate and serve as stewards of our state’s resources. We honor and value each other’s time and talents. We seek to maintain a balance between life and work priorities.

https://counties.extension.wisc.edu/purpose/

Loudoun County Extends Park Discounts to Employees Loudoun County supervisors last week adopted a new policy that will allow the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Service to offer employee discounts and seasonal sales. Following a study with a third-party contractor, PRCS asked the board to give the department more flexibility to set its own fees. The new fee schedule gives that flexibility, as well as guidelines for cost recovery rates for each type of program. It also provides free admission to recreation centers and in-county rates for all PRCS programs for county employees. The new policy also allows PRCS to establish reduced fees for children of low-income families who want to take part in the Children’s After School Activities (CASA) program. Eligibility for lower CASA fees will be based on students’ eligibility for free and reduced lunch. The department’s outreach to underserved communities will help it achieve national accreditation with the Commission for Accreditation of Parks and Recreation Agencies, agency representatives said.

https://loudounnow.com/2016/07/28/loudoun-county-extends-park-discounts-to-employees/

The Natural Dye Proj. A Textile research project (2018) A project to discover how natural dyes work and how they could be applied on the four most used natural based materials in our industry: silk, cotton, wool and linen. Samples and try outs show the research that’s done, collected together with recipes in my book. Sometimes in combination with beforehand treated textiles (to open up the fibers) or after the dye process treated textiles with for example iron or vinegar. This to discover how the natural pigments change when they come in touch with a different pH level.

http://evasonneveld.nl/natural-dye-proj/

In recent years, ecologists have been able to confirm the existence of species previously thought to be lost from former parts of their range. For example, in 2020, lowland gorillas were confirmed to persist in central mainland Equatorial Guinea by University of the West of England researchers. This year, Babirusa, a southeast Asian wild pig species, were documented for the first time in 26 years on Buru Island, Indonesia. Collecting this evidence is possible due to the increasing use of remotely triggered cameras, commonly known as camera traps. Camera traps are triggered by motion and take photos of an animal that passes in front of the camera's detection zone. By deploying cameras in wildlife habitat, we can gather valuable information about the animals that live there and how many may be left. This is especially important in areas subject to intense human pressure, which has increasingly left species under threat. In 2019, our research team deployed 19 camera traps in southern Cameroon in Central Africa. A sighting of an adult leopard was captured by one of our camera traps in the Campo-Ma'an area. This was the first sighting of a leopard in 20 years. Photos showed only one individual, but its presence provided real evidence that leopards still occur in this conservation area. This would make leopards the apex predator in this area. The leopard has the widest range of any big cat species in Africa, and can persist in a range of habitat types including savanna and rainforest environments. Population estimates are not known, though numbers in Africa are thought to be declining. A 2016 study estimated that the African leopard's range has reduced to 67%. Read more: Exploitation changes leopard behaviour with long-term genetic costs There is little information about leopard populations in Central Africa but in sub-Saharan Africa as a whole, prey loss within protected areas as well as habitat loss and illegal hunting are expected to have played an important role in leopard declines in this region . Although the Congo Basin was previously thought to be a stronghold for leopards, they are now believed to be absent in many parts of this region, so our recent sighting of a leopard in Campo-Ma'an shows the importance of conservation efforts to protect leopard habitat and their prey. In light of increasing habitat loss and fragmentation in the region, further research in our study area is urgently needed. Campo-Ma'an The region is part of the Congo Basin which, besides Cameroon, spans parts of Equatorial Guinea, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Congo and Gabon. The Congo Basin is a biodiversity hotspot that is home to thousands of species and is the second largest tropical rainforest on the planet after the Amazon. This forest system is also home to several endangered species, including the western lowland gorilla, forest elephant, chimpanzee, mandrill and giant pangolin. Campo-Ma'an National Park is a 2,680 square km protected area in southern Cameroon. Campo-Ma'an was thought to have one of the last remaining leopard populations in the region. But after decades of hunting and forest loss, there had been no indisputable evidence that leopards were still there. An unexpected find In 2019, one of our camera traps photographed a leopard, as an unexpected byproduct of a study on the ecology of endangered forest elephants in Campo-Ma'an. Cameras were deployed in areas thought to be used by elephants so we were surprised to see an adult leopard in one of the photos. Knowing that leopards still exist in Campo-Ma'an helped us secure research funds to expand our camera trapping efforts in the area in 2022. Working with local communities and the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife in Cameroon will help us collect data to better understand what leopards need to be able to live in this area and importantly, prevent human-leopard conflict. Our team will carry out an extensive camera trap survey throughout the Campo-Ma'an conservation area to gather more information about leopard habitat use there. This will help us get a better idea of how many leopards there are, and in turn, encourage strategies to protect the species. This is urgently needed as human disturbance and encroachment is a major threat to wildlife in the area. Campo-Ma'an National Park is surrounded by more than 100 human settlements, as well as palm oil plantations and logging concessions. Our findings were valuable in confirming the presence of leopards in the area but a great deal more work needs to be done. Our work will form the basis of a long-term wildlife monitoring programme in the region which we hope will contribute to conservation efforts in Campo-Ma'an, for leopards as well as the many other endangered species that live there. The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

https://www.modernghana.com/news/1104788/african-leopard-sighting-raises-hopes-for-their.html

Employment and Wages of Part-time Workers in Pennsylvania and the United States, 1979-1996 For many decades Americans have considered a long-term, full-time job with a single employer the “standard” employment arrangement. But “nonstandard” work arrangements (e.g., part-time, temporary, and fixed-term contract employment) have been growing. Expanding non-standard employment is one reason many Americans are anxious about their economic prospects. Nonstandard work typically pays lower wages and offers fewer employee benefits than standard work. While many standard work arrangements offer employment security and predictable opportunities for economic advancement (although less so today than in the past), nonstandard arrangements often do not. Part-time work (defined by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics as work for less than 35 hours per week) is by far the most widespread kind of nonstandard work, and the kind for which the best measures exist of growth over time. Parttime work is not always a problem; many workers prefer a part-time schedule which gives them time for education, leisure, or family responsibilities. Nevertheless, large numbers of part-timers would prefer to work full time.

https://www.keystoneresearch.org/publications/research/employment-and-wages-part-time-workers-pennsylvania-and-united-states-1979-199

Tjukayirla Roadhouse, Warburton (Ngaanyatjarra) and Warakurna in Western Australia are extremely popular among visitors interested in Indigenous art, history and culture and can be accessed along the Outback Way, north of Laverton, or from Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. The Tjukayirla Roadhouse lies 315 kilometres north of Laverton and 250 kilometres south-west of Warburton, and takes its name from the Tjukayirla rockholes located nearby. Join a tour of the local Indigenous caves, operated by the knowledgeable roadhouse staff, and view rock art dating back some 5,000 years. Visit Empress Springs, which saved the life of explorer David Carnegie in 1896. Check out the Royal Flying Doctor Service airstrip, which forms part of the Outback Way, just 500 metres from the roadhouse. Keep a look out for dingoes, emus and kangaroos and a large variety of birds that are often sighted here. And in May, witness the stunning spectacle of the Western Australian wildflowers. Meals, fuel, motel-style accommodation, and caravan and camping facilities (including powered sites) are available at the Tjukayirla Roadhouse. Right in the heart of Australia, on the Outback Way (950 kilometres north-east of Kalgoorlie and 1000 kilometres south-west of Alice Springs), lies the Warburton (Ngaanyatjarra) community. It’s home to the largest of the Ngaanyatjarra Indigenous communities, the magnificent Warburton Ranges and the red sandy plains of the Gibson Desert. A must-see is the Tjulyuru Cultural and Civic Centre, which features the Tjulyuru Regional Art Gallery and the Warta Shop. This Centre reflects the vivid colours of their homelands and exhibits an extensive collection of Indigenous art, including beautiful paintings, artefacts, spinifex paper, baskets, art and glassware. Accommodation options include cabins at the Warburton Roadhouse and caravan park where meals and a general store are also available. Warakurna community is located in the spectacular Rawlinson Ranges near the Western Australian/Northern Territory border, approximately 310 kilometres west of Uluru. The nearby Giles Weather Station is fully operational and welcomes visitors to view the daily release of weather balloons at 9.30am and 2.30pm (CST). Named after Ernest Giles, an explorer of the area during the 1870s, the station includes the remains of the first Blue Streak Rocket, launched from Woomera on June 5 1964, and the grader that was used to build the Gunbarrel Highway. The surveyor of the Gunbarrel Highway, Len Beadell, who was also a talented artist and author, provided the Giles Weather Station with interesting wall murals, which often become a talking point among visitors. Accommodation is available at the Warakurna Roadhouse.

https://www.australiasgoldenoutback.com/destination/tjukayirla-warburton-and-warakurna

This grade 1-2 collection contains eleven familiar holiday songs from divergent ethnic groups, each arranged in two performance formats: duet and string orchestra. These formats provide directors with versatility and variety in meeting the performance needs of beginning level string orchestras. In the duet arrangements each instrument has the melody line and a harmony (duet) line. In the string orchestra arrangements, each instrument has two parts that follow standard instrumentation, allowing for various instrument combinations between upper and lower strings. The optional piano book includes both duet and string orchestra accompaniments that will strengthen the confidence and sound of ensembles of any size. Titles: Up On The Housetop · We Wish You A Merry Christmas · Silent Night · O Come, All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles) · Joy To The World · Go Tell It On The Mountain · God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen · Ding! Dong! Merrily On High · La Pinata · Ma oz Tzur (Rock Of Ages) · and S'Vivon.

https://www.penders.com/p-272150-holiday-strings.aspx

Folk, Jazz and Loudoun: Quentin Walston’s Quintessential Mix Improvisational musicians often are like chemists—experimenting with notes, chords and arrangements instead of chemical compounds. Similar to chemistry, mixing two musical approaches can result in an entirely new style as unique and interesting as the elements used to create it. Pianist, composer, performer, music teacher and Loudoun resident Quentin Walston has created a distinctive sound through his mixology of folk and jazz music with his Loudoun upbringing. His style is on full display on his new album, which is being released June 8 in unison with a performance at Franklin Park Arts Center.

https://loudounnow.com/2019/06/04/folk-jazz-and-loudoun-quentin-walstons-quintessential-mix/

What is Self-Confidence? Two main things contribute to self-confidence: self-efficacy and self-esteem. We gain a sense of self-efficacy when we see ourselves (and others similar to ourselves) mastering skills and achieving goals that matter in those skill areas. This is the confidence that, if we learn and work hard in a particular area, we’ll succeed; and it’s this type of confidence that leads people to accept difficult challenges, and persist in the face of setbacks. Some people believe that self-confidence can be built with affirmations and positive thinking . At Mind Tools, we believe that there’s some truth in this, but that it’s just as important to build self-confidence by setting and achieving goals – thereby building competence. Without this underlying competence, you don’t have self-confidence: you have shallow over-confidence, with all of the issues, upset and failure that this brings. Building Self – Confidence: So how do you build this sense of balanced self-confidence, founded on a firm appreciation of reality? The bad news is that there’s no quick fix, or five-minute solution. The good news is that becoming more confident is readily achievable, just as long as you have the focus and determination to carry things through. And what’s even better is that the things you’ll do to build your self-confidence will also build success – after all, your confidence will come from real, solid achievement. No-one can take this away from you! So here are our three steps to self-confidence, for which we’ll use the metaphor of a journey: preparing for your journey; setting out; and accelerating towards success. Step 1: Preparing for Your Journey: The first step involves getting yourself ready for your journey to self-confidence. You need to take stock of where you are, think about where you want to go, get yourself in the right mindset for your journey, and commit yourself to starting it and staying with it. In preparing for your journey, do these five things: Look at What You’ve Already Achieved: Think about your life so far, and list the ten best things you’ve achieved in an “Achievement Log.” Perhaps you came top in an important test or exam, played a key role in an important team, produced the best sales figures in a period, did something that made a key difference in someone else’s life, or delivered a project that meant a lot for your business. Put these into a smartly formatted document, which you can look at often. And then spend a few minutes each week enjoying the success you’ve already had! Think About Your Strengths: Next, use a technique like SWOT Analysis to take a look at who and where you are. Looking at your Achievement Log, and reflecting on your recent life, think about what your friends would consider to be your strengths and weaknesses. From these, think about the opportunities and threats you face. Make sure that you enjoy a few minutes reflecting on your strengths! Think About What’s Important to You, and Where you Want to Go: Next, think about the things that are really important to you, and what you want to achieve with your life. Setting and achieving goals is a key part of this, and real confidence comes from this. Goal setting is the process you use to set yourself targets, and measure your successful hitting of those targets. See our article on goal setting to find out how to use this important technique, or use our Life Plan Workbook to think through your own goals in detail (see the “Tip” below). Inform your goal setting with your SWOT Analysis. Set goals that exploit your strengths, minimize your weaknesses, realize your opportunities, and control the threats you face. And having set the major goals in your life, identify the first step in each. Make sure it’s a very small step, perhaps taking no more than an hour to complete! Start Managing Your Mind: At this stage, you need to start managing your mind. Learn to pick up and defeat the negative self-talk which can destroy your confidence. See our article on rational positive thinking to find out how to do this. Further useful reading includes our article on imagery – this teaches you how to use and create strong mental images of what you’ll feel and experience as you achieve your major goals – there’s something about doing this that makes even major goals seem achievable! And Then Commit Yourself to Success!: The final part of preparing for the journey is to make a clear and unequivocal promise to yourself that you are absolutely committed to your journey, and that you will do all in your power to achieve it. by The Mind Tools Editorial team.

http://www.teo-education.com/teo/?p=41654

I recently spent two days working with 80 high school basketball players who were participating in the MidAmerica Baskeball Academy camp at Benedictine College. This camp gives these young men the opportunity to showcase their basketball skills in front of numerous college coaches as they continue their quest to attempt to obtain a college scholarship. The athletes are separated into eight teams, with four teams playing and four teams spending time in the classroom. While in the classroom, they have the opportunity to hear a number of speakers discuss topics like nutrition, NCAA rules, motivation and life skills. I spend close to ten hours with each group over the two day period talking about a variety of topics from team building to concentration training and relaxation/visualization development. One of the exercises I have the teams participate in has them make a list of the issues they face as high school athletes who want to make it to the next level. Each of the eight teams makes a list of the issues they have to deal with on a daily basis. After they share the list with the group, we discuss the topics and attempt to find ways to assist them at dealing with these issues. Although they listed a wide variety of topics, the one common issue that each group listed was building self confidence. Throughout our discussions, the athletes all mentioned how their confidence was perhaps the most important attribute they needed to maintain in order to achieve their goals of advancing to play in college. Almost all of them mentioned that there were times when their confidence was negatively effected by coaches, parents, teammates as well as opponents and referees. Many of these young men stated that often they were more concerned with what others said or thought about them, than what they needed to do to be more focused about themselves. Self confidence, which I feel essentially means how you believe in yourself, is one of the easiest things an athlete can lose, and can be one of the hardest things an athlete can build. I equate to climbing a mountain of mud, one slip and down to the bottom you go and you have to start all over again. For years, this has been one of the most important topics I have worked on with athletes at all levels of competition. I have found that the best way to build it, is to develop and establish a strong foundation. This can be done by setting realistic, short term, easily attainable goals. By accomplishing these goals, one step at a time, I think it gives the athlete the opportunity to taste success, yet not jump to far ahead of himself. For example, if you are teaching a tennis player how to hit a serve, break the serve down into three parts; footwork, the toss and the serve itself. Too often, athletes get confused by being told too many things at once by a coach, and consequently get overloaded too quickly. If you work on the short term goals, one step at a time, you will give the athlete the opportunity to feel good about himself, too see his success and to give themself the opportunity to try a little harder, or more difficult task the next time. I have found the other main component related to building self confidence has to do with who influences you. Many of these basketball players shared how easily distracted they became before, during and after games by others. Consequently, they were at times, so easily effected by others opinions, that they would lose their focus and eventually, their self confidence. I asked these athletes to draw four concentric circles. In the center circle, I asked them to list the most important people in their life. In the second circle, people who they cared about outside of their inner circle. In the third circle, people they had to deal with, who were not that important to them and in the fourth circle, list the people they had to deal with that they did not like. I have found this exercise can make you aware of who has an influence on you positively and negatively. By realizing this, you can then make a decision about who you want to effect your self confidence.

https://www.winnersunlimited.com/building-self-confidence/

Published Version Digital Version Editor: We are witness to an emerging wave of change in electronic discovery. What is driving these changes? Kane: Primarily cost, and to a lesser extent, fear of sanctions. Cost is driven by the size and nature of document populations in modern discovery. Electronic document populations are typically much larger than those at issue historically in paper discovery cases. The needle is buried in a larger haystack. The other cost driver is the ephemeral nature of electronic data, i.e., it is not fixed, making it harder to deal with. The significant cost of collecting and reviewing electronically stored information in modern litigation is spurring approaches that seek to limit rising discovery costs, but which do so in a reasonable and defensible manner. Editor: Would if be fair to say that e-discovery as a business process and as currently conducted is actually broken? Kane: I don't know if I would say it is broken, but it's far from ideal. Current practices are not cost efficient. It's a challenge to keep electronic discovery costs from becoming a determining factor in litigation, particularly in cases where the amount in controversy does not justify "bet the company" type efforts. The current process has to catch up to the demands of modern practice - not just the demand to meet discovery obligations, but also the demand to do so in a cost-effective manner. Editor: Squire Sanders has announced a new approach to electronic discovery - Intelligent Discovery. What is behind your approach? Kane: Our approach seeks to reduce client costs by limiting, to the greatest extent possible, human review of large data populations. Modern litigation delivers a tsunami of data. The cost of reviewing it in traditional fashion - linear page-by-page review by teams of human reviewers - is becoming prohibitively expensive. We combine review by experienced trial lawyers with automated analysis and prioritization of documents, as well as sampling and other best practices, to reduce document review costs. You can never completely eliminate human review, nor would we advocate that. But we can significantly reduce its scope and still deliver reliable, defensible, high-quality review results. Editor: Is Intelligent Discovery mainly technique or mainly technology, or both? Kane: It's both. One without the other is not sufficient to achieve the desired result. Certainly, there's a strong technology component insofar as you are using technology to leverage the efforts of experienced human reviewers. But it's not sufficient only to rely on technology - you need to make educated, reasoned decisions about how best to apply the technology as part of a broader workflow. You also need to ensure that you're employing the technology in a way that is reasonable and defensible. Combining the technology with a well thought out process lets you deliver enhanced review quality in a cost-effective manner. Editor: Please describe the technology you are using and how it works. Kane: We are not wed to any particular technology. The best solution can vary from case to case and often does. A product that is well-suited to one type of case may not be the best option for another case with different needs. One technology that fits very well with our Intelligent Discovery approach is Equivio>Relevance. We have had great results with it. It's a powerful tool that uses predictive coding and classification rather than discrete keyword searches. Unlike keyword searches, Equivio>Relevance takes into account all the words in a document along with the relationship of the words to one another to determine what is and what is not likely to be relevant. Equivio>Relevance lets us leverage the results of review by experienced trial attorneys across very large document populations. Editor: Is it organized around a compound group of algorithms that elicit the right kind of information? Kane: That is exactly right. It's organized around algorithms that allow classification by concept, rather than specified keywords, through interaction with an experienced human reviewer. The technology is "trained" by a human reviewer telling it what is relevant in samples of the data set. This interactive training process continues in iterative fashion through the review of multiple sample sets. This allows the importance of document terms, and their relationship with one another, to be identified and refined through the search algorithms. The technology then leverages this training across the entire document population to rank and prioritize documents according to predicted relevance. Editor: How much time does it normally take to train the system? Kane: It can vary from case to case, depending on the complexity and the types of documents. It might be as little as ten to fifteen hours or as many as thirty or forty hours, depending on the pace of the document review and the "richness" of relevant documents within a data set. Equivio>Relevance generates sample sets in batches of forty documents. We haven't tried to determine exact mathematical averages, but we're seeing forty-five passes of forty documents as a rough benchmark. The technology eventually reaches a point where the review is stabilized, essentially telling you that the technology can't "learn" anymore from the review of additional sample sets. Editor: How do you know when you do have a statistically significant group of documents reviewed? Kane: With the Equivio>Relevance tool, the technology will tell you when the review has stabilized, indicating that the review of additional sample sets will not materially influence the review results. The point of stabilization is always after review of a statistically significant number of documents. Because the review of the sample sets is iterative, the technology is refining the predicted importance of terms. When no further refinement is possible, the review of sample batches ends. Editor: Do you have your technology staff present at the same time the lawyers are doing the review and doing the initial sample for the machine? Kane: We routinely involve technology professionals in e-discovery projects in addition to the lawyers to assist with the overall workflow, but not to participate in the actual document review. The Equivio>Relevance system is easy to use so that you don't need an IT person or a litigation support professional looking over your shoulder, but certainly we want them involved in other aspects of large e-discovery projects. Editor: I assume Equivio does cut your costs by eliminating some personnel in the review process. Kane: Absolutely. It cuts costs by dramatically reducing the number of reviewer hours. You can find and prioritize the relevant documents much quicker than through other methods. Editor: What are the benefits of this approach over the legacy keyword approach? Kane: Traditional keyword searching is both under-inclusive and over-inclusive. You can't identify all the relevant terms on the front end, and the ones you do identify will generate false positives - i.e., documents that contain the keyword but are not relevant. Equivio>Relevance and similar technologies look at all the terms in a document as well as their relationship to each other. If you have a dispute that centers around a commercial transaction called "Project Maple," then "Maple" will be an important term. A traditional keyword search would locate documents containing that phrase, but would also return documents addressed to someone on "1000 Maple Street." Equivio and other predictive coding technologies go beyond looking at individual terms and would "learn" that Maple is an important concept, but only in relation to "Project" and not in relation to "Street." This is a very simplistic example, but helps understand what Equivio does with all the words in all the documents. Keyword searching can't replicate that. Editor: The billable hour has reigned supreme in litigation for as long as law firms have existed. Do you think this will diminish the importance of the billable hour? Kane: I do. I am reluctant to say that the billable hour is ever coming to an end because, although we all roundly criticize it, we haven't identified a fully translatable alternative. Whatever its other faults, the billable hour is easy to understand and measure. In the discovery arena, with tools like Equivio>Relevance, we're moving to a process that allows us to review in a way that is not so dependent on the number of hours expended. If you deploy these tools effectively, a client is buying expertise and results rather than just hours of review time. We like it because it aligns the interests of the client and counsel to deliver high-quality results at a relatively lower cost. Editor: Cost is, of course, one thing, but is the use of predictive coding technology defensible? I understand it's never really been tested in the courts. Kane: It is defensible. There is no reported decision that explicitly blesses the use of predictive coding. But the ideas behind it are well-recognized. For example, the Advisory Committee Notes to Rule 502 of the Federal Rules of Evidence favorably reference the use of advanced analytical and linguistic tools to identify potentially privileged documents. Numerous cases and other authorities, including the Advisory Committee Notes to the 2006 amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, discuss the importance of sampling data populations. Predictive coding is essentially a very powerful and sophisticated method of sampling large document sets to determine in an efficient way what is likely to be relevant. Our Intelligent Discovery approach does not rely on the use of technology alone. If you apply technology in an informed manner, in a way that is reasonable and is intended in good faith to identify relevant documents, it is just as defensible as human review if not more so. Empirical studies will tell you that human review locates fewer relevant documents from a data set than the well-applied use of technological approaches. Editor: How is the market responding to this new approach? Kane: I would say the market remains in a nascent stage. Everyone is keenly interested in this technology and its potential and it's hard to find a vehement critic. But the interest in the technology has not translated into its actual employment in the e-discovery market. Lawyers are inherently risk adverse and they worry about possible challenges to new approaches. My view is that if you employ the technology effectively, and also a broader process to make sure that your overall review is diligent and reasonable, then you shouldn't worry about a potential challenge. We have considered the issues carefully and we think the use of these approaches is defensible and in our clients' best interest now, particularly with respect to reducing discovery costs. Editor: How did you test it initially? Kane: We had a class action case that involved review in traditional fashion of a very large population of documents. The case settled after review was complete and just before documents were to be produced. Using this sample, we tested Equivio's technology by applying it to a portion of that same document population to see how it would measure up against our previous review. An attorney with an extensive knowledge of the case did the Equivio-assisted review, which involved the review of 42 passes of 40 documents each. We found that Equivio matched up well to the prior human review and located relevant documents effectively in a fraction of the time. There were instances where the prior human review team and Equivio differed as to whether a document was likely to be relevant. Focusing on those documents, we found that Equivio was just as likely to be "right" concerning relevance as the human reviewer. Subsequent reviews and tests have borne this out. No review approach is perfect. But the use of advanced technology, employed in a reasonable and good faith overall process, is as good or better at finding relevant documents as traditional human review. Editor: In ten years' time, we might look back and view firms like yours as the firms that took the lead in changing the history of e-discovery. Who would you say are the chief beneficiaries of this change - the law firm, the client, or maybe even the justice system? Kane: I think clients are the ultimate beneficiaries of this approach. They're paying the bills for the cost of litigating commercial disputes. We want to offer them an approach that allows the cost of discovery and document review to be as low as reasonably possible. To the extent we can employ advanced technologies to do so, my clients are better served because we are meeting discovery obligations in a less expensive and more productive way. I think you can make a good argument that this improves the entire civil justice system. Regardless of differences in any particular matter, clients as a whole - both mine and my opponent's - benefit if we can resolve commercial disputes more efficiently and less expensively.

https://www.metrocorpcounsel.com/articles/13389/intelligent-discovery-provides-cutting-edge-technology/

An exploration of compulsory licensing as an effective policy tool for antiretroviral drugs in India. Access to affordable drugs for the treatment of HIV/AIDS and other diseases is increasingly challenging in many developing countries such as Brazil, South Africa, and India. These challenges are in part the result of strengthened patent laws mandated by the 1994 Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) treaty. However, there are underutilized instruments within TRIPS that governments can use to limit the adverse effects of patent protection and thereby ensure a supply of affordable generic drugs to their people. One such instrument is compulsory licensing, which allows generic manufacturers to produce pharmaceutical products that are currently subject to patent protection. Compulsory licensing has been used by a number of countries in the last few years, including the United States, Canada, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brazil, and Thailand, and is particularly significant for countries such as India, where large numbers of people are infected with HIV. This Article explores the feasibility of compulsory licensing as a tool to facilitate access to essential medicines within the current patent regime in India, drawing on the experiences of other countries.

Architects, engineers, and main contractors all involved in sharing information when using BIM-models For a very long time, the construction process of buildings remained the same. Specifically, architects were primarily responsible for the design phase, whereas general builders were responsible for the construction phase. However, there has been a strong shift towards digitalisation in the construction process over the last decade. Digitalisation primarily involves Building Information Modelling (BIM), which is a digital representation of a building in 3D, 4D, or even 5D. Such models allow immediate changes to walls or materials. Why is this relevant, and how does this change the construction process? For instance, because BIM allows for clash control which makes it easier to already detect possible problems in an early stage. The European Architectural Barometer Q4 2019 shows how the cooperation between different parties in the construction value chain goes and what information are architects are sharing with other parties in the construction process. Architects mostly exchange BIM information with engineering companies The general idea of BIM is to link people, technology, and processes to improve outcomes in building and construction. While architects were the first professional group that adopted BIM, the exchange of information has begun to happen on a broader scale with other parties also being involved in the BIM model in the last few years. Architects indicate that information sharing is currently happening with structural engineers. MEP engineers and main contractors have become part of the BIM process as well, indicating a change over time from mainly architecture users towards a broader usage of BIM-models within the entire chain. Sharing 3D drawings is the most common practice 3D visualization and animation, and the generation of 2D drawings from 3D models are the most used functionalities of BIM. Therefore, it is not surprising that 2D and 3D drawings are among the most shared information with other parties in the construction process. It is worth mentioning though, that about one third of the architects already share complete models of the projects with other parties using BIM, which is an important step towards better collaboration and efficient communication. Working in one BIM model has many different advantages, amongst which are preventing data loss and making sure that stakeholders have easy access to up-to date project information. Countries with high BIM adoption among architects show broader cooperation between architects and other parties using BIM In the Netherlands many architects share information using BIM with engineering companies and main contractors. Next to engineering companies and main contractors, one third of architects also share BIM information with electrical and HVAC installers. Dutch architects are among the most advanced in terms of the type of information they share – 41% share the complete model of the projects already, suggesting that the parties they work with are also BIM ready, having the knowledge and software to work in the model. The high value of BIM is not yet realized BIM has far more added-value than only facilitating a projects during the design phase, or offering clash controls and 3D visualization. Determining quantities of construction materials, equipment, and man hours is done on a limited scale and linkage with planning and costs is still not very common in the architects practice. The fact that main contractors already start being involved in the circulation of BIM information is very positive, and the same refers to the involvement of electrical and HVAC installers in the Netherland. With this, the role of BIM is expanding from the design phase to the building phase as well. However, the steps towards using BIM models in operation and maintenance still needs to be taken. For more detailed information we refer you to the European Architectural Barometer Q4 2019. Learn more? Please contact Dirk Hoogenboom or Jeroen de Gruijl [email protected] +31 6 52 09 89 24LinkedIn Related news Attic renovations more popular than before European Home Improvement Monitor - USP Marketing Consultancy Home office leads to changing consumer needs... Read more How do you become a leading European brand in construction?

https://www.usp-mc.nl/en/insights/architects-engineers-and-main-contractors-all-involved-in-sharing-information-when-using-bim-models-890/

This workshop is designed to provide an overview of children’s reactions to disasters, crisis and stress. Emphasis will be placed on descriptions of DSM-5 diagnostic criteria and risk/persistence. The workshop will conclude with a discussion of evidence-based treatments for traumatic stress for youth. About the Presenter Andrea Allen Keener, PhD, LMHC received her PhD in Developmental Psychology from Florida International University and is a licensed therapist and qualified supervisor in the State of Florida specializing in anxiety and mood disorders. Dr. Keener serves as Dean for the School of Professional and Career Education and is an Associate Professor of Behavioral Sciences at Barry University. Dr. Keener’s research interests focus on childhood anxiety disorders, children’s reactions to trauma, and community responses to trauma. She has worked with mental health professionals and first responders in New Orleans in an effort to address anxiety and post-traumatic stress in children after Hurricane Katrina and has served as consultant to the Terrorism and Disaster Center of the University of Oklahoma’s Health Sciences Center, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, and the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine Disaster and Extreme Event Preparedness Center (DEEP Center). RSVP Oh oh .... We are sorry but it appears that JavaScript is disabled on your browser.Our site is very interactive and it requires JavaScript to be enabled.Click on the link below for instructions on how to enable JavaScript on your browser.

CROSS REFERENCES TO CO-PENDING APPLICATIONS This application is related to Ser. No. 07/446,599, filed Dec. 6, 1989, pending, entitled &quot;Steroid Eluting Intramuscular Lead&quot; by the same assignee; Ser. No. 07/446,811, filed Dec. 6, 1989, pending, entitled &quot;Muscle Contraction Control by Intramuscular Pressure Monitoring&quot; by the same assignee; Ser. No. 07/446,592, filed Dec. 6, 1989, pending, entitled &quot;Muscle Work Output Monitor by Intramuscular Temperature Variation Measurement&quot; by the same assignee; and Ser. No. 07/446,593, filed Dec. 6, 1989, pending, entitled &quot;Muscle Fitness Detection by Colorimetry&quot; by the same assignee. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to the field cf muscle stimulation, and more particularly, relates to monitoring of cardiac assist systems which are powered by skeletal muscle. 2. Description of the Prior Art Cardiac assist systems do not replace the human heart but merely supplement it. Many techniques have been proposed using a variety of mechanical power sources. Typically these require some form of percutaneous energy transfer, because of the difficulty in storing sufficient energy subcutaneously. Such systems are cumbersome and inconvenient for the patient and are prone to infection along the percutaneous energy transfer path. A technique holding a great deal of promise is to power the cardiac assist system from a surgically modified skeletal muscle. The cardiac assist system is thus powered by normal biochemical processes. U. S. Pat. No. 4,813,952 issued to Khalafalla teaches a number of configurations of a skeletal muscle powered cardiac assist system. U.S. Pat. No. 4,411,268 issued to Cox teaches a technique for conditioning skeletal muscle to be used in such a cardiac assist system. Whereas the feasibility of a skeletal muscle powered cardiac assist system has been established in the literature and the clinic, a practical system must address concerns regarding efficiency and safety of operation. Of specific concern is the tying of the rate of stimulation of the skeletal muscle directly to the heart rate. This seems appropriate in some instances, but care must be exercised because of the wide range of possible rates. For example, it may be quite inefficient to stimulate the skeletal muscle at the cardiac rate when the patient is at rest and requires only modest cardiac output. Similarly, it may be inefficient and even dangerous to stimulate skeletal muscle contraction at very high rates. The nature of the skeletal muscle stimulation may also be changed to improve efficiency over the range of available rates and cardiac demands. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention employs two sensors to control the rate and nature of stimulation of a chronically implanted skeletal muscle powered cardiac assist system. One of the sensors is that which measures the electrical activity of the heart. This sensor would normally be present in any cardiac assist system for purposes of synchronization. It is also used in a demand pacing system to determine natural heart activity. In the present invention this sensor is used to measure cardiac rate. The duty cycle of the skeletal muscle stimulation varies with this measured rate. At very high rates the duty cycle is lowered to improve hemodynamic efficiency and add safety to the system. The second sensor is used to determine cardiac demand. In the preferred embodiment this is accomplished using an activity sensor although other types of sensors may be used, such as blood oxygen level. During periods of low demand, such as when the patient is at rest and the patient's heart requires little assistance, the duty cycle is lowered to improve overall efficiency. As cardiac demand increases, the duty cycle is increased ensuring that the patient's heart obtains greater assistance at higher loads. Above a very high rate, the duty cycle is again decreased to improve overall hemodynamic efficiency and as a safety measure. The nature of the skeletal muscle stimulation is also changed with cardiac demand. At low demand levels, the number of pulses in a given burst and the amplitude are decreased to improve efficiency. As demand is increased, pulse count and amplitude are increased to increase the amount of cardiac assistance. Pulse count and amplitude are again decreased at arbitrarily high cardiac rates as a safety measure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other objects of the present invention and many of the attendant advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated as the same become better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the figures thereof and wherein: FIG. 1 is a first embodiment of the present invention wherein the skeletal muscle is wrapped about the myocardium. FIG. 2 is an alternative embodiment of the present invention wherein the skeletal muscle is wrapped about the descending aorta. FIG. 3 is an alternative embodiment of the present invention wherein the skeletal muscle performs counter pulsation of the descending aorta. FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the implantable pulse generator of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a graphical representation of stimulation pulse amplitude as a function of cardiac demand. FIG. 6 is a graphical representation of number of stimulation pulses per burst at a function of cardiac demand. FIG. 7 is a graphical representation of synchronization ratio. FIG. 8 is a graphical representation of stimulation rate as a function of cardiac rate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention employs a sensor to monitor cardiac electrical activity and cardiac demand in a skeletal muscle powered cardiac assist system. The invention uses the output of these sensors to vary a number of parameters of the skeletal muscle stimulation to improve efficiency and safety. The parameters to be varied are duty cycle, pulse amplitude, pulse width, pulse interval, and the number of pulses per burst. The basic cardiac assist system may be configured in a variety of ways as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,952 issued to Khalafalla, herein incorporated by reference. Several of these configurations are discussed herein by way of illustration and are not intended to limit the present invention. FIG. 1 is an embodiment of the present invention wherein skeletal muscle 22 is wrapped about human heart 100. Skeletal muscle 22 is conditioned as a &quot;slow twitch&quot; muscle as described by Cox in U.S. Pat. No. 4,411,268, herein incorporated by reference. Implantable pulse generator 36 is coupled to pacing lead 34 to produce a demand pacemaker as taught by Cox. In addition, implantable pulse generator 36 stimulates skeletal muscle 22 to contract in synchrony with human heart 100. Assistance to human heart 100 is provided by the simultaneous contraction of skeletal muscle 22 to increase systolic pressure in descending aorta 102 and elsewhere in the circulatory system. According to the present invention, implantable pulse generator 36 employs activity sensor 104 in addition to the cardiac activity sensed via pacing lead 34. These inputs are used by implantable pulse generator 36 to adjust the various parameters of the skeletal muscle stimulation regimen as explained below. The parameters to be adjusted are duty cycle, pulse count, and pulse amplitude. FIG. 2 is an alternative embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment skeletal muscle 22 is wrapped about artificial chamber 20 which is inserted in series with descending aorta 102. Unlike the embodiment of FIG. 1, implantable pulse generator 36 stimulates skeletal muscle 22 to contract following evacuation of human heart 100. This is accomplished by the insertion of a delay between a paced or sensed beat of human heart 100 and the stimulation of skeletal muscle 22 as discussed below. FIG. 3 is a further embodiment wherein artificial chamber 20 is coupled external to descending aorta 102. In this configuration skeletal muscle 22 is stimulated to counter pulse human heart 100. This raises diastolic pressure, thereby increasing perfusion of human heart 100. This is accomplished by the generation by implantable pulse generator 36 of a sufficient delay, between a sensed or paced contraction of human heart 100 and stimulation of skeletal muscle 22 to cause the desired counter pulsation. FIG. 4 is a block diagram of implantable pulse generator 36. It includes a pacing generator 154 which operates in the demand mode as is known in the art. Basically, the electrical activity of the patient's heart is monitored via pacing lead 34. Whenever a naturally occurring contraction of the heart is found, sense amplifier 156 detects it and notifies pacing generator 154. If this naturally occurring contraction is sensed within the allotted time, the output of pacing generator 154 is inhibited. However, if pacing generator 154 determines that sufficient time has elapsed since the last contraction of the heart, it produces a pulse which is conveyed to the heart via pacing lead 34 to artificially stimulate the desired contraction. The main purpose of stimulation generator 166 is to produce a burst of pulses to cause contraction of skeletal muscle 22 in the proper timing relation to the contraction of the patient's heart. To do so, or- gate 160 produces an output whenever sense amplifier 156 senses a naturally occurring contraction or pacing generator 154 supplies an artificial pacing pulse. In either situation, timing logic 162 is started to generate the desired amount of delay. This delay is nearly zero for the embodiment of FIG. 1, because maximum assistance to t e myocardium is provided when skeletal muscle 22 contracts at the same time as the heart. The embodiment of FIG. 2 requires a much longer delay. This period is on the order of one-half of the cardiac cycle (i.e. R-to-R interval). The embodiment of FIG. 3 requires yet a slightly longer delay, being somewhat greater than one-half of the cardiac cycle. This is necessary because this embodiment is intended to increase diastolic pressure in the aorta. The output of timing logic 162 is a pulse which is synchronous with the naturally sensed or artificially stimulated contraction of the patient's heart but delayed in time according to the specific embodiment as described above. This pulse is supplied to duty cycle timing circuit 164. This circuit is simply a variable digital counter which produces an output corresponding to a variable number of pulses received from timing logic 162. The normal output of duty cycle timing circuit 164 is one pulse for each pulse received from timing logic 162. This corresponds to the one-for-one stimulation mode of skeletal muscle 22. A lesser ratio of output pulses to input pulses is determined by overall cardiac rate and anticipated cardiac demand. Overall cardiac rate is determined by integrator 158. It is a circuit which receives inputs from both sense amplifier 156 and pacing generator 154 much as with or-gate 160. In this way integrator is notified of both naturally occurring and artificially paced contractions of the patient's heart. Integrator 158 simply integrates these two signals to produce an average current heart rate. This signal is sent to duty cycle timer circuit 164 to adjust the variable rate counter in a manner which is described in more detail below. The anticipated cardiac demand may be determined in a number of ways known in the art of cardiac pacing. These include without limitation, measurement of venous blood oxygen level, measurement of blood ph, determination of respiratory rate, computation of minute volume, and measurement of stroke volume. The preferred mode of the present invention uses an activity sensor such as found in MEDTRONIC ACTIVITRAX&reg; pacemakers. Those of skill in the art will readily be able to substitute yet other sensors to determine anticipated cardiac demand. In the preferred embodiment, an activity sensor 104 is mounted permanently to the housing of implantable pulse generator 36. This activity sensor is preferably a piezo electric crystal which converts mechanical energy received at the housing of implantable pulse generator 36 to electrical energy. It has been sown in the literature that activity sensing in this way is a very good means for anticipating cardiac demand. The output of activity sensor 104 is amplified and integrated by signal processing circuit 152. The result is a signal indicative of anticipated cardiac demand which is transferred to duty cycle timing circuit 164. The output of duty cycle timing circuit 164 is a pulse train which is a variable number of counts of the output of timing logic 162. The exact relationship is described in more detail below. Stimulation generator 166 receives the output of duty cycle timing circuit 164 and generates an output burst of energy corresponding to each of the output pulses of duty cycle timing circuit 164. The number of pulses in this burst is determined in part by the output of signal processor 152 such that additional pulses are added to the burst when the anticipated cardiac demand becomes high. Conditioning generator 168 supplies conditioning pulses as needed. The stimulation pulses of stimulation generator 166 are combined with the conditioning pulses of conditioning generator 168 and supplied to skeletal muscle 22 by stimulation lead 32. An alternative implementation of implantable pulse generator 36 is through the use of a microprocessor controlled general purpose implantable pulse generator such as PROMETHEUS&reg; pulse generator manufactured by Medtronic, B.V. of the Netherlands. The primary advantage of such as implementation is the ease with which such a programmable device can change modes of operation. This is particularly useful when doing clinical research. A description of the use of such a device may be found in the paper &quot;Pulse Generator for Biomechanical Cardiac Assistance by Counter-Pulsation Technique&quot;, by Grandjean, et al., published in the &quot;Record of the Conference on Skeletal Muscle for Cardiac Assist and Repair, Banff Sept. 28-Oct. 2, 1988&quot;, published by Futura Editions (August 1989). FIG. 5 is a graphical representation of a relationship between the pulse amplitude and the anticipated cardiac demand. In this case anticipated cardiac demand corresponds to the appropriate cardiac rate which is determined from the output of activity sensor 104. This is computed in the manner known in the art from U.S. Pat. No. 4,379,402 issued to Anderson, et al. As can be seen, points 202 and 204 correspond to very low and low anticipated cardiac demand, respectively. These are on the order of less than 70 beats per minute. At these rates, stimulation generator 166 supplies output pulses of minimum amplitude. These pulses must be greater than the stimulation threshold of skeletal muscle 22. However, considerable energy is saved through using an amplitude which is only slightly greater than this threshold. Points 206 and 208 correspond to average and high anticipated cardiac demand, respectively. These correspond to rates in the range of 70 to 120 beats per minute although the exact values are patient dependent. At this demand level, the cardiac loading is sufficient to benefit from the additional amplitude and therefore additional assurance of capture. Point 210 is above 120 pulses per minute for most patients. Again notice that this is the anticipated cardiac demand and not the actual heart rate. FIG. 6 is a graphical representation of the number of pulses in a given stimulation burst as a function of anticipated cardiac demand. The ranges along the abscissa are as explained above for most patients. Average and high anticipated cardiac demand again require the greatest number of pulses per burst and therefore the highest energy demand. The number of pulses per burst is decreased at very high anticipated demands because efficiency is impaired if the individual pulse occur too frequently. FIG. 7 is a graphical representation of the synchronization ratio performed by the variable counter of duty cycle timing circuit 164. A one- to-one synchronization ratio is used for average anticipated cardiac demand. This provides the greatest chronic assistance to the myocardium with the least battery consumption by implantable pulse generator 36. The synchronization ratio is greater for less than average anticipated cardiac demand because less assistance is actually required. The synchronization ratio increases as the anticipated cardiac demand increases to ensure the fatigue of skeletal muscle 22 is minimized. FIG. 8 is a graphical representation of actual cardiac rates on the ordinate in relation to actual rates of stimulation of skeletal muscle 22 along the ordinate abscissa. Shown is the change in duty cycle with actual rate. The duty cycle is one-for-one (e.g., points 262, 264, 266, 268, 270 and 272) in the typical patient in the range of 50 to 100 beats per minute. At point 272, the actual cardiac rate is 100 beats per minute and the rate of stimulation of skeletal muscle 22 is 100 beats per minute. Above that rate, skeletal muscle 22 is stimulated only once for every two cardiac cycles (e.g., see points 274, 276, 278, and 280). At point 280 (140 beats per minute), the duty cycle becomes one stimulation of skeletal muscle 22 for every three cardiac cycles (e.g., see point 282) . Having thus described the preferred embodiments of the present invention, those of skill in the art will be able to readily apply these teachings to other embodiments without deviating from the scope of the claims hereto attached.

This article deals with the annual assessment of California real property taxes for all California property owners. For a discussion of the up-front documentary transfer tax payable when real estate is transferred, see our discussion of California Documentary Transfer Taxes and Recording Costs. The assessment of property taxes is an important consideration in any transfer of California real estate. An outright sale of property to an unrelated third party will usually trigger a reassessment at a higher tax rate. But some other transfers may be exempt from reassessment if structured correctly. Understanding the reassessment rules can save significant property taxes. County tax assessors assess all California real estate on January 1. The calculation of the tax involves several cascading provisions of the California Revenue and Tax Code. Section 51 – Provides that taxable value of real estate is the lesser of its base year value (which is compounded annually by an inflation factor and capped at 2 percent of the prior year’s value) or the full cash value, considering any reductions in value. Section 50 – Defines base year value as the full cash value or market value as of the later of March 1, 1975, or the date of the most recent change in ownership or new construction. Because increases in the assessed value are capped at 2 percent of the prior year’s value, the increase in the fair market value of a property may be much higher than the assessed value. Example: John purchased a property 30 years ago for $100,000. The property has appreciated at 8 percent per year and is now worth $1,006,265.69. But the assessed value for tax purposes is limited to an annual 2 percent increase. As a result, the assessed value is only $181,136.16. This means that John is only taxed on the $181,136.16 assessed value, not the $1,006,265.69 fair market value. A “change in ownership” means a transfer of a present interest in real property, including the beneficial use thereof, the value of which is substantially equal to the value of the fee interest. When a change in ownership occurs, the 2 percent cap is removed and the property is reassessed at its then-current fair market value. This increase in assessed value results in higher property taxes. Because a change in ownership causes a property to be reassessed at a higher value, it is important to determine whether a change in ownership has occurred and, if so, whether the change in ownership is exempt from reassessment. This is relatively easy when the property is sold from one party to another. With an outright sale to a third party, a change in ownership occurs and the transfer is usually not exempt from reassessment. But other transactions are more ambiguous. The most common exceptions involve transfers to spouses, transfers to children, transfers to joint owners, transfers to trusts, and transfers to business entities. Like the California community property laws, the California Revenue and Tax Code treats a married couple as a single economic unit. As long as the owners were married at the time of the transfer, a transfer from one spouse to another does not cause reassessment. The interspousal transfer exception applies to both lifetime and at-death transfers. Assume, for example, that the spouses hold title as community property with right of survivorship. This means that the property will pass to the surviving spouse upon the death of the first spouse to die. Upon the first spouse’s death, the surviving spouse will own the entire property. This at-death transfer will not cause a reassessment of the property for tax purposes. The interspousal transfer exception also applies to transfers to spouses or ex-spouses as part of a divorce. A transfer to a spouse or former spouse in connection with a property settlement agreement or decree of dissolution of a marriage or legal separation will not cause the property to be reassessed for tax purposes. Similar rules apply to registered domestic partners. A transfer of California real estate between registered domestic partners on or after January 1, 2006, is exempt from reassessment. This includes transfers in or out of a trust for the benefit of a domestic partner, the addition of a domestic partner on a deed, transfers up on the death of domestic partner, and transfers under a settlement agreement or court order upon termination of the domestic partnership. There are two ways that a parent may transfer California real estate to his or her children without triggering property tax reassessment. Transfer of $1 million – Transfers of up to $1 million of real property between parents and their children, other than a principal place of residence. The $1 million limitation is based on the assessed value of the property, not the fair market value. Because the assessed value typically trails the fair market value—especially in areas with high property appreciation—this means that a parent can transfer a property worth more than $1 million fair market value and still qualify for the exemption. Example: John purchased property 30 years ago for $100,000. The property has increased in value each year, but for tax assessment purposes the increase in value is limited to 2 percent. Because the assessed value is subject to a 2 percent cap, the property is assessed at $181,000. It’s current fair market value is $2 million. Even though the fair market value of the property is $2 million, the assessed value of $181,000 is below the $1 million limitation. This means that John can transfer the property to his children without triggering reassessment. In both cases, the property will only be exempt from reassessment if a completed application is filed on time with the county tax assessor’s office. The Claim for Reassessment Exclusion must be filed within three years of the transfer or before the property is transferred to a third party. The parent-child exception applies to both outright transfers and transfers of the present beneficial ownership of California real estate by lifetime or testamentary trust. This allows parents to create trusts for the benefit of their children that qualify for the parent-child exclusion. A properly structured trust can leave assets for the benefit of the trust creator’s children without causing the property to be reassessed for tax purposes. These two exemptions can be stacked and are applied on a per-parent basis. This means that, theoretically, a child could receive two primary residences and two additional properties of up to $1 million each in cash value without triggering reassessment. Similar rules apply to transfers from grandparents to grandchildren, but only if the grandchild’s parent (i.e., the grandparent’s child) must have died on or before the date of transfer and the transfer occurred on or after March 26, 1996. As discussed in our section on Using Deeds to Avoid Probate of California Real Estate, joint ownership of real estate can avoid the need for probate at a deceased owner’s death. Upon the death of a co-owner, property titled as joint tenants with right of survivorship or community property with right of survivorship will pass to the surviving owner. If the property is titled as a tenancy in common, the deceased owner’s share will pass through his or her estate, but could still pass to the surviving owner if, for example, the deceased owner’s will leaves the property to the other owner. The surviving joint owner must sign an affidavit affirming that he or she continuously resided at the residence for the one-year period preceding the decedent cotenant’s date of death. If these requirements are satisfied, the transfer of property to one joint owner upon the death of the other joint owner will not be reassessed at a higher property value. Property owned as community property with right of survivorship that passes to one spouse upon the death of the other spouse will also qualify for an exemption from reassessment under the rules that apply to interspousal transfers, discussed above. Likewise, the transfer from the trustee back to the person creating a trust described above is also exempt from reassessment. The creation of termination of a trust in which the trust creator retains the reversion (the right to reacquire the property at a specified time or on a specified event) will also qualify, as long as the interest of other beneficiaries is no longer than 12 years. As an extension of the interspousal transfer rules, a transfer by a spouse is treated as a transfer by the other spouse for purposes of determining whether the property will be reassessed. In other words, property will not be reassessed upon transfer to a trustee for the beneficial use of a spouse, or the surviving spouse of a deceased transferor, or by a trustee of such a trust to the spouse of the trust creator. Most revocable living trusts become irrevocable upon the death of the trust creator. This can create special problems under California law. When the trust becomes irrevocable—or if the trust is irrevocable to begin with—the transfer constitutes a change in ownership and is subject to tax if not structured correctly. To avoid this result, the trust may be structured in a way that qualifies for the parent-child exception (discussed above) or another exception from reassessment. As discussed above, the parent-child exclusion applies to transfers in trust for the benefit of the trust creator’s children. This allows trust creators to leave property to their children in trust without worrying that the children will be burdened with higher California property taxes. But special care must be taken if there are multiple children and only some want the property. Example: Upon John’s death, his revocable trust calls for a transfer of John’s property to his two children, Able and Beth, in equal shares. Beth does not want the property and offers to sell her interest to Able. The transfer of property from Beth to Able is a sibling-to-sibling transfer that does not qualify for the parent-child exception. As a result, the property will be reassessed at the current fair market value. To avoid this result, the trust should be structured as a non-pro-rata trust that allows the trust assets to be distributed among the parties without a pro-rata split. In the above example, a non-pro-rata trust would allow Able to receive the property and Beth to receive assets of equivalent value. The right to a non-pro-rata distribution is assumed by California law unless the trust provides otherwise. Note, however, that the opposite is true for property that passes by will: Property that passes under a will is presumed to pass to the beneficiaries in equal shares on a pro-rata basis unless the will provides otherwise. Care must also be taken to ensure that a non-qualifying beneficiary does not receive a present beneficial use of the property or receive income from it. If, for example, the non-qualifying beneficiary lives on the property or receives rent from it, property taxes will be reassessed. Only one non-qualifying beneficiary can cause the entire property to be reassessed. Real estate is often transferred to limited liability companies or other business entities for liability and asset protection purposes. If property is transferred from an individual to a legal entity, or between two legal entities, the transfer is a change in ownership. Unless an exclusion applies, the transfer will trigger a property tax reassessment. When more than 50 percent of the interests of the original business owners (measured cumulatively) are transferred. This rule prevents property owners from avoiding reassessment by creating a business entity to own real estate and then transferring the interest in the business entity instead of creating a new deed to the property. Both before and after the transfer, the proportional interests of the transferors and the transferees is the same for every piece of real property involved in the transfer. This rule is intended to protect property from reassessment if there is no change in the economic interests of the owners. Example: John and Mary each own a 50 percent interest in California real estate. For asset protection purposes, John and Mary each deed their 50 percent interest in property to Acme LLC. John owns 50 percent of the interest in Acme LLC and Mary owns the remaining 50 percent interest. Because the 50 percent interest in the LLC is equivalent to the 50 percent interest that John and Mary each held in the property, the transfer is exempt from reassessment. If the ownership interests in the business entity are not proportional to the prior ownership interests in the property, the entire property is subject to reassessment.

https://www.deedclaim.com/california/property-tax-reassessment-transfers/

‘Urgent’ Need in China to Better Diagnose AIP, Study Says A large proportion of people with acute intermittent porphyria (AIP) may still be undiagnosed in China, according to a recent study — and without a proper diagnosis, they’re not receiving needed treatment, researchers say. “More nationwide epidemiological surveys and study of the prevalence rate of AIP patients in China are urgently required,” the scientists wrote, adding that undiagnosed patients “are at risk of developing acute attacks.” The study, “Acute intermittent porphyria: prevalence of pathogenic HMBS variants in China, and epidemiological survey in Hebei Province, China,” was published in the journal Annals of Translational Medicine. AIP, the most common type of acute porphyria, is caused by mutations in the HMBS gene. This gene contains instructions for making the enzyme hydroxymethylbilane synthase, which is required for heme production. Heme is a molecule that is needed for oxygen transport throughout the body. The lack of this enzyme causes porphyrins to accumulate inside cells, including in nerve cells, and can lead to acute attacks. Symptoms of such attacks can include pain, urinary and gastrointestinal issues, and altered mental status. The prevalence of disease-causing mutations in the HMBS gene has been reported mostly for people living in Europe and America. Few studies have assessed its prevalence in the general Chinese population. To date, more than 500 different genetic variants have been described. Now, researchers in China calculated the potential prevalence of five of these variants in the Chinese population. “The number of people with pathogenic [disease-causing] HMBS variants may exceed 790,000 in China, a country with 1.4 billion population,” the researchers wrote. Investigating the prevalence of AIP in China For their study, the team used the China Metabolic Analysis Project (ChinaMAP) database to assess the prevalence of likely disease-causing mutations in the HMBS gene, according to guidelines established by the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG). The ChinaMAP database includes whole genome sequencing (WGS) and metabolic data from people of different ethnic groups and across diverse regions in China. WGS is a technique that allows researchers to assess the entire human genome, or all genes in the human body. The researchers compared their findings to the prevalence of disease-causing HMBS gene mutations estimated using the Genome Aggregation Database (gnomAD) genome V3.0 database. That database includes genomic data from East Asian, Ashkenazi Jewish, mixed American, African/African American, Amish, Finnish, non-Finnish European, South Asian (SAS), and other populations. The analysis identified a total of 501 HMBS gene variants in the ChinaMAP database, of which five were deemed to be disease-causing or likely disease-causing. This resulted in an estimated overall prevalence of one disease-causing variant per 1,765 in the Chinese population. The variants, also identified outside China, varied among different racial groups. Since AIP is a rare disease, researchers conducted an epidemiological analysis of cases reported in Hebei province from 2011 to 2020. This province lies in the north of China and has a population of more than 70 million people. During this period, the annual incidence of AIP was estimated to range from 0.03 to 0.08 cases per million inhabitants. While generally low until 2017, it increased in 2018 and remained stable thereafter. Over the course of that decade, 36 women and three men, with an average age of 25.59, were newly diagnosed with AIP in the province. According to researchers, that’s less than 10% of the estimated AIP patients in Hebei. “Approximately 400 symptomatic AIP patients are estimated to exist in Hebei, whereas only 39 AIP patients have been diagnosed over 10 years, indicating a large proportion of AIP patients remain unidentified,” the researchers wrote. While “China has made great strides in the management of rare diseases including AIP,” these findings suggest that a large proportion of patients do not have a proper porphyria diagnosis, the team noted. “More nationwide epidemiological surveys and studies related to the penetrance rate of AIP patients in China should be performed,” they concluded.

https://porphyrianews.com/news/urgent-need-china-better-aip-diagnosis-porphyria-study/

Hi there! I love Gilmore Girls with all my heart. Last summer, I binged it to its entirety, staying up late into the night watching episode after episode, completely absorbed in Rory and Lorelai’s life. The show gave me so much comfort during my first summer at home from college. While watching the show, I felt that I learned a lot about forming relatable characters and developing them throughout long periods. With the few projects I’ve touched since finishing the show, I have seen drastic changes in the way I write my characters. And I believe, wholeheartedly, that’s it’s because of Gilmore Girls. If you haven’t watched Gilmore Girls, it is probably obvious, but I suggest you give it a go. It is honestly such a heart-warming show, packed full of drama, and is the perfect way to encourage you to drink even more coffee! The show centers a mother-daughter relationship and follows them along their path through dating, school, work, and general life issues. Lorelai, a single mother who ran away from home at a young age, raises Rory, practically by herself, in the small town of Stars Hollow, and together they navigate their way around relatable conflicts that are engaging, yet comforting. The whole show has such a cozy aesthetic about it. There are some things I both liked and disliked about the character development, and in today’s post, I’m here to share both sides with you–how to form well-rounded, relatable characters, and how NOT TO form well-rounded relatable characters. These are tips all derived from lessons I’ve learned from Gilmore Girls (and yes, I will be briefly discussing the horrendous revival). I will avoid spoilers to the best of my ability, using only elements from the plot and general character knowledge to defend my points! Grab a cozy drink (I have hot chocolate), settle down, and let’s dive right in! How to form well-rounded, relatable characters 1. Give them more than one conflict/focus at a time In Gilmore Girls, both Rory and Lorelai have many conflicts they are going through at once. Not only do they have boy problems, but problems at school/work, with friends, and are each going through their own, interpersonal struggles. For example, in the first episode, Pilot, we can see that Lorelai is wanting to start her own inn, while also trying to figure out how to get Rory into boarding school, while also dealing with the fact that she must face her parents again, after many years. When characters are battling more than one problem at a time, it makes them more relatable and helps them grow in many areas of their life, all at once. Not only do we see Lorelai make decisions as a mother, and in her work life, but we also see her grow as a daughter. Give your characters more than one focus. Give them three–three is a good number. Then, have them switch from each focus because at specific moments, some are more important than others. This may also help speed up your novel and keep the reader engaged. 2. Give each character a fear/stressor, and make sure it appears consistently For Lorelai, her consistent stressor is her relationship with her parents and trying to be independent. For Rory, hers is not getting into Harvard, or not being good enough. At times, they “overcome” these fears, but they always appear again in later episodes, as its relatable–even if people find solutions to their stressors, they are still buried in the subconscious and will arise again. For example, if someone goes through trauma, and they heal through that trauma, their experience will (almost always) still remain prominent, as it is brought up in conversation, or they may be uncomfortable in certain situations. Having a consistent fear in your character’s life will also help you to make decisions for them, or understand how they may behave when around certain people or in situations. If you had family issues, would you want to be around them? You may act normal and civil, but that tension will be there. 3. Give them a general, set-in-stone personality It’s obvious from the first few moments of the show–Lorelai never quite grew up and has a strong, rebellious personality. Rory is the opposite, being the mature one in the dynamic as well as a book nerd, great student, wearing neutral colors and staying to herself. The wild, silly mom, and the quiet literature girl. Got it. The show does a good job at maintaining these personalities. In all types of situations, their personalities shine and remain prominent–the characters’ voices are clear all throughout (this goes along with every other character in the show, by the way–they all have their own, rooted personalities, and it’s wonderful). Give your character a clear personality from the start, and then give them conflicts and solutions to those conflicts based on their way of communicating and thinking. How NOT TO form well-rounded, relatable characters (or, what not to learn from Gilmore Girls) 1. DON’T give them an easy way out Please, don’t give your characters an easy escape route. Doing so will make the conflict seem meaningless, as the characters won’t grow or learn much, and the story suddenly feels unrelatable. In Gilmore Girls, Rory is kicked out of her apartment in a later season, and she is literally homeless. But luckily, her wealthy boyfriend at the time, who lives in a giant penthouse, offers for her to move in. While this makes clear sense, as they are dating, it was such an easy way out that Rory learned nothing from why she was kicked out in the first place. Instead, she found a quick solution and didn’t try any harder to get her apartment back. Make your character struggle a bit to find answers. Induce fear in them, make them scared, wandering around, calling everyone they know. Maybe, set them up so that they just went through a fight with their rich boyfriend, so they can’t call him right now, but then they have to–learning to let go of their stubbornness and ask for help. 2. DON’T make them unlikeable This is probably obvious. But it’s easy to make your character unlikeable… probably easier than you may think. Later in the show, Rory became unlikeable for three reasons 1) she is incredibly smart, 2) every guy is obsessed with her, 3) she has a crap ton of money. Well, now I just sound judgmental, but I can explain myself. It’s set up in the beginning that Rory is smart and loved studying, but later in the show, she becomes so unrealistically smart that literally everything becomes easy to her. She never really struggles and pretty much accomplishes anything and everything she desires (except for one time, which leads her to breakdown), which not only sets up a bad example for young people watching the show but makes her fall a bit flat. There’s only one instance when a guy doesn’t like Rory. Yes, one, out of six, if I recall correctly. And these fives guys love her, not just like her. They don’t always treat her the best, but they are drop-dead obsessed with her, and this also not only creates a false expectation for young viewers but makes her both annoying and free of conflict. Yes, she still has boy trouble, but regardless of her many not-so-great actions, the boys are still at her side, constantly (even when married). It’s… a bit unrealistic. Be sure to give your characters relatable struggles, and if they do have superpowers, lots of money, and the eyes from all the boys, things not everyone can relate to, make sure to give them weaknesses and, as I said above, relatable, everyday struggles. Otherwise, they’re just… annoying, and you stop caring. 3. DON’T make it all for nothing, leaving the characters as clueless as before In stories, we expect the characters to learn and grow through conflicts. When they are being beaten up by conflict after conflict, undergoing all sorts of stressors, they need to learn something in the end, or else it’s all for nothing, and the characters become whiney-babies (*cough, cough* like Rory in the revival *cough, cough). I won’t say much here, as I might spoil things, but there were a few times in the show when the conflicts presented in the beginning were ended loosely, or nothing was really learned or taken from it all besides drama for the viewers to watch. Create a clear message that the character learns in the end, after overcoming the conflict. This is how you show growth, and make not only the story but the character, feel complete. Happily ever after, as they say. Even without a happy ending, give your character some sort of realization that they took away from the story. Be sure, too, to string this realization throughout the story. For Lorelai, it could be “Family is more important than you think” and for Rory, it could be, “I don’t have to accomplish so much in order to live a fulfilled life.” That is if that’s what they learned, in the end… Your characters will be seen as intelligent, open-minded, and powerful when they learn from their mistakes and struggles and your readers will feel that fuzzy, yet the heart-ripping feeling of completing a story, and learning something. Your readers will feel inspired by the characters, taking away some sort of message. Don’t make it all for nothing–at least shine some light at the end. (Which the revival should’ve done… I won’t keep bashing the revival but… just please, don’t watch it. I still cry about it.) Did you like the revival or not? Please, let me know; I’d love to break it down with someone. I hope you liked this Gilmore Girl-themed post! If you enjoyed it and want me to write similar posts, be sure to let me know so that I can do so! Do you enjoy Gilmore Girls? Do you agree with the tips I shared? Be sure to let me know below, or message me on Instagram! Don’t mind me… I’m going to go rewatch Gilmore Girls. Have a wonderful, peaceful night! Probably writing,

https://www.mindfullybrittney.com/writing/what-gilmore-girls-taught-me-about-forming-relatable-characters/

Fort Collins, Colorado: Reports Globe added the latest research report on future growth opportunities, development trends, and forecasts for 2027 of the Liposomal Verteporfin Market. Global Liposomal Verteporfin Market Report provides an overview of the segments and sub-segments including Product Types, Applications, Companies, and Regions. This report describes the overall size of the Liposomal Verteporfin market through analysis of historical data and future forecasts. The report presents unique and pertinent factors that are expected to have a material impact on the Liposomal Verteporfin market during the forecast period. This report also provides an analysis of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Liposomal Verteporfin market. This report contains a substantial and detailed amount of information that will provide new entrants with the most complete understanding. The report explains the historical and current trends that are shaping the growth of the Liposomal Verteporfin market. The Following Companies are Major Contributors to the Liposomal Verteporfin Market Research Report: Novartis Bausch & Lomb Segment Analysis The report categorizes the Liposomal Verteporfin industry by segment, including product type and application. Each segment is valued based on its growth rate and share. In addition, analysts examined potential regions that could prove useful for Liposomal Verteporfin manufacturers in the coming years. The regional analysis includes reliable value and volume forecasts and thus helps market participants to better understand the Liposomal Verteporfin industry as a whole. The Liposomal Verteporfin Market Research Report is a comprehensive publication that aims to determine the financial outlook for the market. For the same reason, it offers a detailed understanding of the competitive landscape. It examines some of the leading players, their leadership styles, their status in research and development, and their expansion strategies. The report also includes product portfolios and a list of products in development. It provides a detailed explanation of the advanced technologies and investments to upgrade existing technologies. Collectively, this research repository encapsulates data of Liposomal Verteporfin market to offer strategic decision-making abilities to various investors, business owners, decision-makers as well as policymakers. 1. What is the Keyword Market’s Growth Potential? 2. Which product segment will get the lion’s share? 3. Which regional market will lead in the coming years? 4. Which application segment will grow steadily? 5. What growth opportunities could arise in the Liposomal Verteporfin industry in the coming years? 6. What are the main challenges for the Liposomal Verteporfin market in the future? 7. Which companies lead the Liposomal Verteporfin market? 8. What are the main trends that are positively influencing market growth? 9. What growth strategies are players considering to stay in the Liposomal Verteporfin market? The report is insightful documentation and provides significant insights to customers, business owners, decision-makers, providers, distributors, suppliers, policymakers, manufacturers, investors, and individuals who have a keen interest in the Liposomal Verteporfin market. How Reports Globe is different than other Market Research Providers: The inception of Reports Globe has been backed by providing clients with a holistic view of market conditions and future possibilities/opportunities to reap maximum profits out of their businesses and assist in decision making. Our team of in-house analysts and consultants works tirelessly to understand your needs and suggest the best possible solutions to fulfill your research requirements. Our team at Reports Globe follows a rigorous process of data validation, which allows us to publish reports from publishers with minimum or no deviations. Reports Globe collects, segregates, and publishes more than 500 reports annually that cater to products and services across numerous domains.

Purpose:The RDN and residents of Nanoose value sustainable water supply within the area. To better understand water in Area E, the RDN is working to collect more data and better information on local groundwater and surface water. Long-term monitoring of wells and streams will enable trends to be observed and management practices to be based on the state of the water resource. Overall context:In 2013, a preliminary Water Budget Study for the Regional District of Nanaimo was completed. This Nanoose-specific monitoring program is a follow-up to the regional water budget study, focusing on this sub-region. This Nanoose (Area E) Water Monitoring will see expanded data collection within the geographical area, resulting in a higher resolution understanding of groundwater and surface water characteristics in Nanoose. This will enable more accurate water budget calculations that look at supply, demand and resulting stress level. Ultimately this information will be used to support sustainable development decisions and protect water resources over the long term. Monitoring Plan:Phase 1 of this long-term monitoring program commenced in the Parker Road area of Nanoose, in the immediate vicinity of where a new RDN water service area well is located. The objective of this phase 1 monitoring program is to understand long-term capacity of the aquifer and determine sustainable operating parameters for the RDN well, so that the wells in the surrounding area are not significantly impacted. Monitoring of volunteered private wells for phase 1 began April 1st, 2015 and continues to present. Water levels are tracked with a data logger in each well, to understand impacts of pumping, seasonal changes to do with climate and long-term trends with both. Electrical conductivity is monitored in some of the coastal wells to gauge if there is concern with saltwater intrusion occurring. In 2016 a water monitoring plan for Area E as a whole was developed; click here to see the report. In the summer of 2017, 5 new volunteer observation wells will be added within the area, to fill spatial gaps in groundwater level data. A streamflow monitoring station has also been added on Nanoose Creek as of February 2017. Data Graphs:(UPDATED SEPTEMBER 5, 2018) The following graphs are for the wells monitored in the Parker Road area as a part of this program. Individual well owners know the unique identifier for their well so they may look-up their results. 'B' stands for bedrock and 'O' stands for overburden. The data displayed in the graphs shows groundwater elevation (water level), rainfall (from the Fairwinds Golf Course rain gauge), and electrical conductivity (EC) where applicable. Data has been collected since April 2015 and these graphs are now current to February 2018. Note that well B8 withdrew from the program in Oct. 2015. Groundwater Level Graphs - All Wells - Current to Feb 2018 (downloadable PDF) B1 – the RDN well on Parker Road – pumping history is as follows: - July 21, 2015 for commissioning - Sept 26, 2015 for the stepped pump test (to determine an appropriate pumping rate for the 72 hour test) - Oct 20,21,22, 2015 for the 72 hour pumping test - Not pumped again until Jan 30, 2017 where it came into operation, pumping at 30.8 igpm. - May 25, 2017 pumping rate was slightly increased to 37.4 igpm. - July 4, 2017 pumping rate was slightly increased again to 39.6 igpm. - August 14, 2017 pumping rate was decreased back to 30.8 igpm. - October 6, 2017 well was taken off line. - July 25, 2018 well was brought online, pumping at 32.9 igpm, now averaging 30.7 igpm. - September 7, 2018 well was taken off line. **Important Notes:** Water levels in the bedrock wells, particularly in the summer months, are influenced by the cumulative effect of all bedrock wells pumping in the vicinity. Water levels in the overburden (sand and gravel) wells do not appear to react to pumping in the bedrock aquifer. The next data download will take place in fall 2018. Further background info: The purpose of the 72 hour pump test was to intentionally stress the well in order to understand the connection and response in other nearby wells. This is standard professional practice in well assessment procedures. The 72 hour pumping test was run at 105 US gpm, which is a much higher rate than a community well would ever be operated at. The test was successful in identifying relationships between wells that will allow us to determine safe, sustainable operating rates for the well that will not significantly impact the functioning of neighbouring wells. Please note that short term deviations in conductivity readings in the proposed community well during the 72 hour test is largely due to instrumentation errors and re-calibration resulting from flow velocity changes at the beginning and at the end of the test. Also note that during the 72 hour pump test, all data loggers were reprogrammed to collect water level readings at 1 minute intervals. Therefore if the water level graph looks different in the wells between Oct. 19-26, it is for this reason; there are more data points being recorded and so more pumping events are observed in the graph. Notes from meetings with the residents of the Parker Road area: - November 2014 - February 2015 - April 2015 - July 2015 - September 2015 - February 2016 - July 2016 - November 2016 - February 2015 Presentation from GW Solutions - July 2015 Presentation GW Solutions - July 2015 Presentation from Provincial Groundwater Protection Officer (MFLNRO) - September 2015 Presentation from GW Solutions - March 2018 Presentation from Staff Results of the first year of monitoring (April 2015 - April 2016) provides a baseline understanding for the 15 wells in the Parker Road area. This analysis is included in the report: "Rating and water quality of the proposed community well at 2729 Parker Road after a 72hr Constant Rate Test; and results of 1-year Baseline Monitoring of 15 Wells". [ CLICK HERE ] for the report. Please direct any questions to the contact form at the bottom of this page.

https://www.rdn.bc.ca/nanoose-area-e-water-monitoring

Report Forecasts Oil Prices to Stay WASHINGTON – Oil prices will persist near or above $50 a barrel for years and force a shift to more fuel-efficient cars and alternative fuels, the government said Monday, discarding earlier predictions that costs would drop to around $30 a barrel. The Energy Department forecast was more positive on natural gas prices. It said they would retreat from the recent spikes — to more than $14 per thousand cubic feet — and settle at under $5 in the long term as demand weakens, especially for electricity production. The analysis reflected a significant change from the department's projections a year ago when it predicted oil prices in constant dollars — not counting normal inflation — would retreat in the long term and settle at about $31 a barrel by 2025. The report issued Monday said that oil prices will remain in the mid-$40 range or higher in coming years and average $54 a barrel by 2025, increasing to an average of $57 a barrel by 2030 when adjusted for inflation. Crude oil prices have been hovering around $60 a barrel, briefly soaring as high as $70 earlier this year. The long-term forecast, which attempts to gauge the nation's energy picture 20 years from now, assumed no major policy shift such as future restrictions on so-called "greenhouse" gases — including carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels — to combat climate change. Nor did it assume the government will allow oil development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, which supporters said would produce a flow of 1 million additional barrels of oil a day by 2025, adding substantially to domestic production. A proposal to open the refuge to drilling currently is being heatedly debated in Congress. Any major policy shift such as curbing fossil fuel use to counter global warming "would change the picture dramatically" especially in the use of coal for generating electricity, said Guy Caruso, head of the Energy Information Administration, the Energy Department's statistical agency which issued the report. Demand for crude oil and natural gas is expected to continue to increase, but not as sharply as had been projected a year ago. And the report projected a growth in electricity production from nuclear power plants with construction of at least six large reactors, beginning after 2014. A year ago the agency said it saw no new reactors on the horizon. At the same time, the agency said energy production would result in a steady 1.2 percent a year increase in the amount of heat-trapping carbon dioxide that will flow into the atmosphere. Annual carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels will be 28 percent higher in 2025 than they are today, the EIA said. With oil prices expected to remain high, the use of unconventional transportation fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel will grow in acceptance, the agency said. The EIA report also projected a sharp increase in the use of more efficient hybrid gasoline-electric cars and trucks and more fuel efficient diesel technology. "We will see increases in fuel efficiency ... all directly related to the (new) price assumptions" for oil, said Caruso at a news conference. U.S. demand for oil is expected to be 2 million barrels a day less than what the EIA projected a year ago, or about 26 million barrel a day, or six million barrels more that what is used today. The EIA projected that U.S. reliance on oil imports will remain about the same as today with the country in 2025 projected to be importing about 60 percent of the oil and refined products it uses. A year ago the EIA said these imports would grow to 68 percent by 2025. The agency said it added about $21 to the projected future price of a barrel of crude because analysts no longer believe today's tight global oil market would ease in the coming decades. This is primarily due to a belief that OPEC oil production would be about 11 million barrels a day less in 2025 than previously had been projected. "The oil is there," said Caruso, dismissing suggestions by some oil economists that global oil reserves may be peaking. But Caruso said "it appears the pace of investment in oil production is less than what was anticipated a year ago" among OPEC countries. He did not name specific countries. The EIA's long-term energy outlook report also: —Scaled back the expected growth of liquefied natural gas imports into the United States. It said an increase of worldwide demand for LNG will reduce the amount coming into U.S. facilities. —Said that coal would remain the primary fuel for producing electricity through 2030. —Predicted that despite higher oil costs and some increases in efficiency, overall U.S. energy demand would increase by 1.1 percent a year between now and 2030.

https://www.foxnews.com/story/report-forecasts-oil-prices-to-stay

Feminist Ideals and the Women of "Jane Eyre" An Essay on Jane Eyre In the mid-nineteenth century, a woman would have carried the burden of "staying in her place." In other words, she was subject to the generally accepted standards and roles that society had placed upon her, which did not necessarily provide her with liberty, dignity or independence. Yet if Charlotte Bronte's character Jane Eyre had truly existed in that time period, she would have defied most of these cultural standards and proved herself a paradigm for aspiring feminists of her day. Jane's commitment to dignity, independence, freedom of choice, unwillingness to submit to a man's emotional power and willingness to speak her mind were fostered by some female characters in the novel. Yet these traits also contrast sharply with some of Bronte's other female characters Jane Eyre can be labeled as a feminist role model due to her relationships with men that defied the generally accepted roles of the nineteenth-century woman. This title is especially fitting when her life is compared and contrasted to other female characters in the novel. In order to understand Jane's role as a feminist, a definition of this term must be established. The word "feminist" is defined as "one who advocates equal rights for women" ("Feminist" 1). Yet a "feminist" does not necessarily protest in the streets; any woman who wishes to be equal with men and expresses this viewpoint in word and action can be considered to possess ideals on which the feminist movement is based. Though women had been writing feminist texts since the late 18th century, an actual feminist movement did not form in Britain until the late 19th century under leaders such as Emily Pankhurst and Millicent Fawcett ("Feminist" 1). Charlotte Bronte was publishing Jane Eyre just as First Wave Feminism was beginning to develop, with writers such as Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Louisa May Alcott, Emily Dickinson and Emily Bronte proving their worth as writers and incorporating feminist ideals into their work (Steelye 12-13). Jane Eyre was one of many post-Civil War novels "aimed at young female readers in which an adolescent woman attempts to gain maturity and ascendency over the terms of her world" (Steelye 13). Jane Eyre, of course, did not take to the streets with her feminist ideals, but she expressed her view of women's equality almost subconsciously, through word and deed. She lived in a "world that measured the likelihood of her success by the degree of her marriageability," which would have included her familial connections, economic status and beauty (Moglene 484). Yet, Jane does not allow her goals to rest solely upon marrying. True, Rochester's betrayal throws her into the depths of despair, but she tells St. John expressly that she could be perfectly happy as a simple teacher with her own school and a few pupils. Two of Jane's actions are the most explicit in proving her role as a feminist. The first is her attitude toward Mr. Rochester's attempts to lavish her with jewels and expensive garments for her wedding. In fact, she says that "the more he bought me, the more my cheek burned with a sense of annoyance and degradation" (Bronte 236). Her unwillingness to be objectified is the strongest indication that she does not define herself by two of the "marriageability" components previously discussed: economic status and beauty. The second action is Jane's leaving of Mr. Rochester, which exhibits her courage. By this deed, she both defies the Victorian expectation of submitting to a man's will (i.e., acting as Rochester's mistress) and shows that she can break from the emotional power that Rochester wields over her. Though it is hard for her to leave, she nevertheless draws up the courage to leave a life of security, promise and love for the unknown, refusing to let this man maintain his grip on her heart. In addition, her refusal to become a mistress shows that she has maintained a certain dignity, refusing to give in to her physical and emotional desires that would be seen as uncouth by society. Some may argue that Jane eventually "gives in" to her emotions when she returns to Mr. Rochester. This return, however, was not done in the spirit of surrender, but due to the realization that even if she returns to Rochester, his love will free her, not imprison her as will St. John's. Notably, she only returns after she has received a large inheritance from her uncle. Because she is now established as Mr. Rochester's social equal, her return is not out of neediness or greed. After all, she returns of her own free choice and because of her belief that she can "become a wife without sacrificing a grain of her Jane Eyre-ity" (Rich 474). In fact, Jane's relationship with Mr. Rochester is a constant struggle for her to maintain her own individual identity (Eagleton 493-494). In other words, she plays the role of servant yet makes it perfectly clear to him that she does not consider herself below him in terms of spiritual qualities. She insists to him that she is more than her social status, saying, "Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! I have as much soul as you--and full as much heart! And if God had gifted me with some beauty and much wealth, I should have made it as hard for you to leave me, as it is now for me to leave you" (Bronte 222). When Mr. Rochester refers to her as his equal and likeness, it appears that Jane has made headway in asserting her equality with the master. In some respects, Jane finds herself almost superior to Mr. Rochester morally, for Rochester's sin of keeping Bertha Mason a secret gives rise to questions about the quality of his character. Jane is comparatively moral, as evidence by her refusal to become nothing more than his mistress. Rochester's dilapidated state at the end of the novel not only displays the deterioration of his physical body, but perhaps is also a symbol of the weakening of his soul. Here it seems that he is now truly equal, or even less equal to Jane, who has developed her soul to its potential by finally discovering how to balance her independence with passion. After this journey of self-discovery, she can finally "rehumanise" him following his moral transgressions (Eagleton 493-496). Jane also refuses to give in to a man's patriarchal attempts by refusing St. John's demand that she marry him for reasons with which she does not agree. After all, St. John admits he does not love her and then uses his religious views as an excuse to goad her into marrying him. In fact, he even attempts to make her feel guilty by saying that God would not be pleased with two people living together with "a divided allegiance: it must be entire" (Bronte 357). By making this claim, however, he seems to be implying that God would only be happy if St. John had full and complete ownership of Jane. Though Jane is tempted, she does not give in because she realizes that in order to please him, "I felt daily more and more that I must disown half my nature, stifle my faculties, wrest my tastes from their original bent, force myself to the adoption of pursuits for which I had no natural vocation... it racked me hourly to aspire to the standard he uplifted" (Bronte 326). In other words, it pained her to realize that her marriage might be based on a lifestyle for which she had no desire and a partnership void of true love. This desire for independence has been apparent since Jane's early childhood experiences at Gateshead where she is subject to the cruelty of Aunt Reed. This woman shows the young girl no love and wishes to have ultimate authority over her mind and spirit, similar to St. John's intentions. Her punishment of locking Jane in the Red Room nurtures a central characteristic in the young girl: the desire to survive with dignity. Jane declares to Aunt Reed that this "violent" action is an injustice and that she cannot live in this unloving environment. At the end of her discourse, she feels her soul begin "to expand, to exult, with the strangest sense of freedom, of triumph, I ever felt... as if an invisible bond had burst and that I had struggled out into unhoped-for liberty" (Bronte 31). This is the beginning of a spirit that Jane carries forward into her future relationships with men, beginning with the detestable Mr. Brocklehurst. For example, she displays courageous defiance to Mr. Brocklehurst in answer to his question about where evil children are sent after death (Bronte 27). This scene, especially when put into context of the later part of the novel, emphasizes her willpower to stand up to a man. The cruel master of Lowood School is another example of a man in Jane's life who attempts to rule completely over women, as exemplified by his attempts to force the girls into subordination and simple living. This fortitude and mental strength begins with Mr. Brocklehurst but is further nurtured through more interpersonal interactions at Lowood School. At this institution is a woman whose feminist attitude influences Jane's thinking and who teaches the young girl that kindness and love exists in her world. Miss Temple has an independent spirit that has allowed her to accomplish a certain level of open-minded intellect. She is a successful teacher, forward thinking, unmarried and ambitious. She stands up to the authoritative male figure Mr. Brocklehurst, certainly an unexpected action of any woman in her position. As Jane's first positive female role model, Miss Temple encourages the spirit of independence and dignity in Jane. This dignity was also strongly influenced by her childhood friend Helen Burns. Helen faces her struggles with a dignity that is based more upon her Christian views than anything feminist, but dignity nonetheless. Even on her deathbed, she places her dire fate in the hands of God, in whom she has so much faith (Bronte 71). Though Jane struggles to understand this at first, she soon incorporates this dignity into her being. In addition, this experience was one of Jane's first opportunities to formulate her own, independent opinion of a highly complex topic: religion. She was introduced by Helen to a religion based on complete trust and faith, one based on hypocrisy and subordination by Mr. Brocklehurst and yet another based on ambition by St. John. She takes all of these examples into consideration but does not go to any of those extremes. She simply uses religion as a guide to ask God for help when in dire situations, such as the interruption of her wedding or when she is wandering the moors. She has the ability to form her own opinion of religion, just as she forms an opinion of social classes when, as previously discussed, she implores Mr. Rochester to look beyond her servitude and into the affairs of her heart. Diana and Mary Rivers inspire Jane to further this personal intellect. In fact, Diana urges Jane not to go to India, which may indicate she has the same opinion on independence as Jane. Diana and Mary, while not as passionate and forceful as Jane in their ideas, nevertheless embody the same "feminist" characteristic Jane: a desire for intellect. Jane aspires to their level of intelligence, saying, "They were both more accomplished and better read than I was; but with eagerness I followed in the path of knowledge they had trodden before me" (Bronte 308). While Jane is often inspired by women who share her views, two women contrast sharply with Jane, which emphasizes both her free-thinking tendencies and her role as a woman unconstrained by societal demands. Blanch Ingram and Bessie are two female characters in the novel who have given in to those demands. Blanche Ingram is probably the best example of a woman who does not fall under the category of "feminist," due to her misplaced self-worth. Blanche is not deeply in love with Rochester, yet she wishes to marry him because of his wealth. As Jane attests, Blanche "cannot truly like him, or not like him with true affection. If she did, she need not coin her smiles so lavishly, flash her glances so unremittingly, manufacture airs so elaborate, graces so multitudinous" (Bronte 164). These actions, along with her fancy garments and constant obsession with her appearance, show that Blanche places her self-worth on two components of "marriageability": her physical beauty and the social status that she has the potential to obtain. This stands in sharp contrast to Jane, who prides herself on being independent from a man and not defining herself by the riches Mr. Rochester offers her. Jane also contrasts, but in a different way, with her former maid Bessie Lee. Jane has the ability to finish her schooling and the opportunity to marry outside of her social class despite the challenge. Bessie marries Robert Leaven, a coachman who would be considered in the same social class, and is therefore confined to that class through the end of the novel. Though Bessie is happily married, her marriage contrasts with Jane's, which will "lift" Jane into a new social class and therefore a new life. If feminists challenge the norm, then Jane Eyre can definitely be defined as one. Her defiance of authority, or at least, those who try to wield authority over her, is proof of this assertion. Mr. Brocklehurst, Mr. Rochester and St. John each drew from her a certain defiance that portrayed her as nothing less than resilient and passionate. The fact that Jane refuses to give part of her nature to the will of any of these men shows that she does not consider herself below them, but wishes to maintain a dignified, independent self, free from their demands and desires. In addition, she is able to form her own opinions about religion and social standards as a result of (or in spite of) these men as well as other women in the novel. Her relationships to the other female characters are the strongest indications of Jane's strength, fortitude and insistence on breaking from societal standards of the day. Some women inspire her independent spirit while other contrast sharply with Jane's free-spirited attitude. Though Jane does not announce to the world that she is trying to begin any type of feminist movement, her actions and decisions nevertheless could set a model for any forward-thinking woman in the mid-nineteenth century. St. John's opinion that her "words are such as ought not to be used: violent, unfeminine, and untrue" (Bronte 363) seem to be Bronte's hint that indeed, Jane's actions were not typical of a woman in that era. Works Cited Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. W.W. Norton and Company, Inc, New York: 1987. Eagleton, Terry. "Jane Eyre's Power Struggles." Myths of Power: A Marxist Study of Bronte. Totowa, NJ: Barnes and Noble Books, 1975. Rpt. in Bronte 491-496. "Feminist." Oxford English Dictionary, 2008. Oxford English Dictionary Online. Oxford University Press. Canisius College Library. 10 April 2009. <http://0-dictionary.oed.com.cando.canisius.edu/cgi/entry/50083533?query_type=word&queryword=feminist&first=1&max_to_show=10&single=1sort_type=alpha>. Moglen, Helen. "The Creation of a Feminist Myth." Charlotte Bronte: The Self Conceived. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, n.d. Rpt. in Bronte 484-491. Rich, Adrienne. "Jane Eyre: The Temptations of a Motherless Woman." On Lies, Secrets, and Silences. Selected Prose, 1966-78. New York: W.W. Norton, 1979. Rpt. in Bronte 462-475. Seelye, John. Jane Eyre's American Daughters: From The Wide Wide World to Anne of Green Gables, A Study of Marginalized Maidens and What They Mean. Newark: University of Delaware Press, 2005. Comments Post Civil War - which one? It was published in 1847 so if you are referring to the American Civil War you need to get your dates in order. Brilliant. This is just the material I have been looking for!! Что произойдет, если экономика полностью развалится, и наши города поюморятся в анархию и хаос, как мы это видели в Новом Орлеане во время урагана Катрина? В некоторых крупных городах США, таких как Детройт, грабежи уже принимают угрожающие размеры. В Детройте уже есть целые кварталы париков, полностью разграбленных ворами, из них вынесено всё, что имеет хоть какую-то ценность. К сожалению, экономическая ситуация грозит стать намного хуже, чем она является на данный момент. Так не пришло ли время покинуть крупные города? Не должны ли «выживальщики» подыскивать более безопасные места для себя и своих семей? Это законные вопросы. My partner and i accustomed to find on top of life nevertheless these days I've developed the amount of resistance. ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Amazing essay Used it in my thesis... How do I cite this?? I need to understand how Bronte criticizes social classes and equality in the Victorian Age. brilliant essay :)this has helped me revise for my exam so much. this essay z undoubtedly amazing.........i've taken a lot 4m it..........it has provided me a really better n best understanding of feminist ideas in Bronte's Eyre!........thanks!:) - - THANKYOU SO MUCH, OH MY GOD. is this a valid essay? what level of writing is this for? Hi Mina, I'm doing my Masters in Sociology in Australia, and I'm sorry to say much American studies are not holistic in their paradigms, especially feminism. Do not be disheartened, you are on the right track! Let me discuss another approach with you. First of all, great essay from an Anglo-American perspective. Though, perhaps conceptualising the idea from a French feminism perspective would supplement a more intimate reflection of contemporary feminist ideologies. French feminism draws upon works from (in chronological order) Freud, Lacan, Cixous, and Irigary. The element of psychoanalysis deconstructs the text to view women's writing and literature as a product of patriarchal ideologies. Thus, women's literature can never really be feminine, as so called feminist writing is foundational from masculine culture and is phallogocentic. To exemplify this in contemporary society, many women participate in paid labour to disassociate the gendered division of labour. Although they believe they are emancipating themselves from subordinate class/status through financial independence, ironically much of the paid work they participate in is based around domestic duties of service and emotion. These jobs include retail, hospitality, child care....so called "feminine labour". (Yes this is a generalisation but I do not intend to be demeaning or belittle women.) The point is, (Irigary argues) that only once the boundaries of polar opposites (masculine/feminine) are nullified can there be full emancipation and equality for women. Do you see that patriarchal oppression is still evident? From a Marxist perspective the means of production is not in the hands of the feminine. That is, the bourgeois exercising power over the proletariat. When analysing these social relations, Jane and the other servants are often more like entities or commodities. Jane's class and status, or lack of kinship allows her to be exploited and oppressed. Assuming Cixous would argue capitalism is phallogocentric, capitalism is a form of patriarchy (especially seeing as the economic elite are predominantly Caucasian males). Furthermore, Jane Eyre is about women's exclusion and kinship. Jane's low socioeconomic status due to lack of kinship drives the capitalism engine. The superstructure of all social activities (politics, philosophy, production, religion) is also phallogocentric. The way this economic base determines the superstructure are the kinds that exist in culture (phallogocentric). Ideology is how society thinks about itself, and central to the phallogocentric ideology is class and gender. This ideology ties people to social functions, thus preventing them from understanding forces of production and patriarchy. I think Bronte understood this considering Jane eventually found her kinship and got wealthy. So please, make sure you look in to French feminist theorists. Virginia Woolf is also great. Although she writes more of postmodernism rather than feminism many of the ideologies are not dissimilar. Blake IM CITING YOU FOR MY ESSAY!!! sweeeet i can copy paste this for my essay - - this was amazing, great job. It helped me to understand the feminist ideas of Jane much bette. thanks :) Extremely well written and thought out, researched. I am a sycophant for female superiority: if a female ran the planet there would be less to no wars; every child would have an education, clothes, and no one would ever go hungry. I am not surprised one bit by the number of women who are expected to be the breadwinners of modern society. To strike a happy medium seems far from the reach of most women today. Http://www.savecreatively.com What an intelligent review and a unique approach to Jane Eyre. Charlotte Bronte remains my favorite muse, and I think that this book needs to be read more than once for a full understanding of the character's motivations. I am still ambivalent about Jane's final choice; but, I love her as a heroine and I cherish her adventure! Thanks for this enjoyable read ~ Have you read Villette? A very interesting subject. I have written a hub on 'Jane Eyre', myself, and have added a link to your item. I hope that's ok? 'Bertha' in Charlotte Bronte’s 'Jane Eyre' and Jean Rhys’s 'Wide Sargasso Sea.' This is an excellent and well written essay.

https://hubpages.com/literature/Feminist-Ideals-and-the-Women-of-Jane-Eyre

JLBC Cadet's Levels of trust/distrust will be adjusted based on interactions between parties. During times of conflict, however, it is essential to take steps to increase trust and decrease distrust. In building trust, parties need to do the following: JLBC Cadets behave consistently over time and in situations work to meet deadlines follow through on promises made This can be accomplished by explicitly explaining their expectations, agreeing on the steps necessary to complete tasks, outlining the consequences of not meeting expectations, and having procedures to evaluate performance. In addition, alternative ways to meet needs should be discussed, and communication should remain clear regarding how others view the version. Cultural diversity issues may need to be addressed and clarified. For example, if people from different cultures hold differing beliefs regarding work habits, those expectations need to be discussed and agreed upon up-front. To build trust, people need to set aside time to get to know one as JLBC Cadets and others, thereby discovering common interests, personal values, perceptions, motivation, objectives, and goals. They may even find that they react similarly in certain situations. A vital emotion component in IBT will help establish a secure base from which to build. The parties must develop enough trust to create a base of comfort in which each person can state their expectations of JLBC Cadets, negotiate expected behaviors, and even openly acknowledge their areas of mutual JLBC distrust. JLBC Cadets In some situations, it may be necessary for people to maintain a certain level of suspicion, especially in cases that could cause one harm to oneself or others or when two JLBC parties do not know one another very well.

https://www.juniorleadership.net/post/jlbc-managing-trust-and-distrust-in-conflict-situations

2-Aminoindan Market Will Reflect Significant Growth Prospects of US$ Mn during 2020-2025 with Major Key Player: 2-Aminoindan market has recently added by Grand View Report to its massive repository. It offers the continual advancements in technologies which helps to understand the platform for the development of the businesses. It offers numerous strategies for boosting the performance of the companies. Both primary and secondary research techniques carried out to find solutions to different issues faced by various stakeholders. Segmentation across regions such as North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Africa, and Europe was undertaken on the basis of productivity. Technological advancements pertaining to the specific market has been studied. Methodologies that can boost the outcome of the businesses have been mentioned in the report. The Global 2-Aminoindan Market Can Be Segmented As The key product type of 2-Aminoindan market are: , ?98.0%, ?98.0% 2-Aminoindan Market Outlook by Applications: , Medical Intermediate Significant Features that are under Offering and Key Highlights of the Reports: Detailed overview of 2-Aminoindan Market Changing market dynamics of the industry In-depth market segmentation by Type, Application etc. Historical, current and projected market size in terms of volume and value

Recently, increased attention has been given to the social and environmental context in which crimes occur (Wells & Weisheit 2004). This new interest in the human ecology of crime is largely demographic, both in terms of subject matter and increasingly in terms of the analytic methods used. Building on existing literature on the social ecology of crime, this study introduces a new approach to studying sub-county geographies of reported crime using existing census place and county definitions coupled with spatial demographic methods. Spatially decomposing counties into Census places and what Esselstyn (1953) earlier called “open country,” or non-places, allows for the development of a unique but phenomenological meaningful sub-county geography that substantively holds meaning in conceptualizing rural and urban localities in the demographic analysis of crime. This decomposition allows for the examination of core-periphery relationships at the sub-county level, which are hypothesized to act similarly to those at the national level (Agnew 1993; Lightfoot and Martinez 1995). Using 1990 to 2000 Agency-level UCR data within this approach, I propose to use spatial statistics to describe and explain patterns of crime across differing localities. Potential processes of spatial mobility in regards to the spread of criminal activity from places to non-place localities are also examined. In order to adequately understand these spatial patterns of crime while testing the usability of the new place-level geography, several of the generally accepted theories of crime and a number of explanatory factors and covariates are tested. Furthermore, using this sub-county geography, significant patterns of spatial diffusion and contagion are through the implementation and modification of the spatio-temporal model, which provides the current point of departure and put forth by Cohen and Tita (1999). The results are promising and suggest a meaningful contribution to the ecological analysis of crime and the larger sub-discipline of spatial demography. URI https://hdl.handle.net/11668/16219 Recommended Citation Porter, Jeremy Reed, "The spatial demography of reported crime: an examination of urban-rural crime articulation and associated spatio-temporal diffusion processes, U.S. 1990 - 2000" (2008). Theses and Dissertations. 4660.

https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td/4660/

Author: Robertson, Anne S. Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education Champaign IL. If an Adolescent Begins To Fail in School, What Can Parents and Teachers Do? ERIC Digest. "How was school today?" Carol's mother asked tentatively."Awful!" was the reply as Carol dropped her backpack in the middle of the kitchen floor and started stomping up the stairs to her bedroom. "It was the worst day ever. I don't know why you even bother to ask me!" Carol's mother sighed. She had expected that the teen years would be difficult, but she hoped that Carol would grow out of this difficult time soon. IS THIS SIMPLY A "PHASE?" Many teens experience a time when keeping up with school work is difficult. These periods may last several weeks and may include social problems as well as a slide in academic performance. Research suggests that problems are more likely to occur during a transitional year, such as moving from elementary to middle school, or middle school to high school (Baker & Sansone, 1990; Pantleo, 1992). Some adolescents are able to get through this time with minimal assistance from their parents or teachers. It may be enough for a parent to be available simply to listen and suggest coping strategies, provide a supportive home environment, and encourage the child's participation in school activities. However, when the difficulties last longer than a single grading period, or are linked to a long-term pattern of poor school performance or problematic behaviors, parents and teachers may need to intervene. IDENTIFYING ADOLESCENTS WHO ARE AT RISK FOR FAILURE Some "at-risk" indicators, such as those listed here, may represent persistent problems from the early elementary school years for some children (Jacobsen & Hofmann, 1997; O'Sullivan, 1989). Other students may overcome early difficulties but begin to experience related problems during middle school or high school. For others, some of these indicators may become noticeable only in early adolescence. To intervene effectively, parents and teachers can be aware of some common indicators of an adolescent at risk for school failure, including: * Attention problems as a young child--the student has a school history of attention issues or disruptive behavior. * Multiple retentions in grade--the student has been retained one or more years. * Poor grades--the student consistently performs at barely average or below average levels. * Absenteeism--the student is absent five or more days per term. * Lack of connection with the school--the student is not involved in sports, music, or other school-related extracurricular activities. * Behavior problems--the student may be frequently disciplined or show a sudden change in school behavior, such as withdrawing from class discussions. * Lack of confidence--the student believes that success is linked to native intelligence rather than hard work, and believes that his or her own ability is insufficient, and nothing can be done to change the situation. * Limited goals for the future--the student seems unaware of career options available or how to attain those goals. When more than one of these attributes characterizes an adolescent, the student will likely need assistance from both parents and teachers to complete his or her educational experience successfully. Girls, and students from culturally or linguistically diverse groups, may be especially at risk for academic failure if they exhibit these behaviors (Steinberg, 1996; Debold, 1995). Stepping back and letting these students "figure it out" or "take responsibility for their own learning" may lead to a deeper cycle of failure within the school environment. ADOLESCENTS WANT TO FEEL CONNECTED TO THEIR FAMILY, SCHOOL, TEACHERS, AND PEERS In a recent survey, when students were asked to evaluate their transitional years, they indicated interest in connecting to their new school and requested more information about extracurricular activities, careers, class schedules, and study skills. Schools that develop programs that ease transitions for students and increase communication between schools may be able to reduce student failure rates (Baker & Sansone, 1990; Pantleo, 1992). Some schools make a special effort to keep in touch with their students. One example is the Young Adult Learning Academy (YALA), a successful alternative school for adolescent dropouts. According to YALA's director, Peter Klienbard, if a student at YALA appears to be having a problem or family emergency, teachers and counselors follow up quickly (Siegel, 1996, p. 50). THE ROLE OF PARENTING STYLE Parenting style may have an impact on the child's schoolbehavior. Many experts distinguish among permissive,authoritarian, and authoritative parenting styles (Baumrind,1991). These parenting styles are associated with differentcombinations of warmth, support, and limit-setting andsupervision for children. The permissive style tends to emphasizewarmth and neglect limit-setting and supervision; theauthoritarian style tends to emphasize the latter and not theformer; while the authoritative style is one in which parentsoffer warmth and support, and limit-setting and supervision. Whenthe authoritative parenting style is used, the adolescent may bemore likely to experience academic success (Glasgow et al., 1997,p. 521). Authoritative parents are warm and responsive but arealso able to establish and enforce standards for their children'sbehavior, monitor conduct, and encourage communication.Authoritative parents make clear that they expect responsiblebehavior from their child their adolescent or the school when their teen seems to be having difficulty. However, it is important to remember that adolescents need their parents not only to set appropriate expectations and boundaries, but also to advocate for them. Teachers can ease a parent's concerns by including the parent as part of the student's educational support team. When an adolescent is having difficulty, parents and teachers can assist by: * making the time to listen to and try to understand the teen's fears or concerns; * setting appropriate boundaries for behavior that are consistently enforced; * encouraging the teen to participate in one or more school activities; * attending school functions, sports, and plays; * meeting as a team, including parents, teachers, and school counselor, asking how they can support the teen's learning environment, and sharing their expectations for the child's future; * arranging tutoring or study group support for the teen from the school or the community through organizations such as the local YMCA or a local college or university; * providing a supportive home and school environment that clearly values education; * helping the child think about career options by arranging for visits to local companies and colleges, picking up information on careers and courses, and encouraging an internship or career-oriented part-time job; * encouraging the teen to volunteer in the community or to participate in community groups such as the YMCA, Scouting, 4-H, religious organizations, or other service-oriented groups to provide an out-of-school support system; * emphasizing at home and in school the importance of study skills, hard work, and follow-through. CONCLUSION Understanding the factors that may put an adolescent at-risk for academic failure will help parents determine if their teen is in need of extra support. Above all, parents need to persevere. The teen years do pass, and most adolescents survive them, in spite of bumps along the way. Being aware of common problems can help parents know when it is important to reach out and ask for help before a "difficult time" develops into a more serious situation. REFERENCES Baker, Janice, & Sansone, Janet. (1990). Interventions with students at-risk for dropping out of school: A high school responds. Journal of Educational Research, 83(4), 181-186. EJ 411 142. Baumrind, Diana. (1991). The influence of parenting style on adolescent competence and substance use. Journal of Early Adolescence, 11, 56-95. Debold, Elizabeth. (1995). Helping girls survive the middle grades. Principal, 74(3), 22-24. EJ 496 198. George, Catherine. (1993). Beyond retention. A study of retention rates, practices, and successful alternatives in California. Summary Report. Sacramento, CA: California State Dept. of Education. ED 365 005. Glasgow, Kristan L.; Dornbusch, Sanford M.; Troyer, Lisa; Steinberg, Laurence; & Ritter, Philip L. (1997). Parenting styles, adolescents' attributions, and educational outcomes in nine heterogeneous high schools. Child Development, 68(3), 507-529. PS 526 807. In the middle. Addressing the needs of at risk students during the middle learning years. Technical team report submitted to the Commission for Students At Risk of School Failure. (1990). Baltimore, MD: Maryland State Dept. of Education. ED 326 333. Jacobsen, Teresa, & Hofmann, Volker. (1997). Children's attachment representations: Longitudinal relations to school behavior and academic competency in middle childhood and adolescence. Developmental Psychology, 33(4), 703-710. PS 526 910. O'Sullivan, Rita G. (1989, March). Identifying students for participation in a model middle school dropout prevention program. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, CA. ED 305 170. Pantleo, Sam J. (1992, December). Program to reduce failure rates of ninth grade students. Applied Research Project Report. Fort Lauderdale, FL: Nova University. ED 358 391. Siegel, Jessica. (1996, September). Schools that work: A second chance for success. Electronic Learning, 16, 48-51, 67. Steinberg, Laurence. (1996). Ethnicity and adolescent achievement. American Educator, 20(2), 28-35. EJ 531 782. Please note that this site is privately owned and is in no way related to any Federal agency or ERIC unit. Further, this site is using a privately owned and located server. This is NOT a government sponsored or government sanctioned site. ERIC is a Service Mark of the U.S. Government. This site exists to provide the text of the public domain ERIC Documents previously produced by ERIC. No new content will ever appear here that would in any way challenge the ERIC Service Mark of the U.S. Government.

https://www.ericdigests.org/1998-2/fail.htm

Week 47 of 2014 Chinese rate cuts and more signs of stimulus coming from the ECB saw US Indices leaping to new highs. The Dow closed at 17810 up 175pts on the week and its highest close ever. The FTSE 100 added 97pts to close at 6751 which is still some distance from its all time high. Will it top 7000 before the year is out? All eyes turn to the main event set for thursday as OPEC meet and decide whether to cut back Oil output and bolster the OIL price. The Saudi’s are up against it as major players like Iraq, Iran and Russian all need oil prices higher. Iran are set to conclude talks on Nuclear program on Monday and if all parties are in agreement, then sanctions could be lifted. On Dec 3rd, Osborne is set to announce the Autumn statement which should include some tax breaks and incentives to get the flagging north sea industry back up and running after one of the worst years for decades on production and of course tax receipts. Then – there’s Dec 8th/9th deadline for Baghdad and Erbil to agree a budget for 2015. If the two can agree a deal, then it could add further pressure to oil prices as more volumes hit the market. Hence – if you are focused on commodities and especially OIL/GAS, then the next 1 to 2 weeks should prove to be very meaningful. Whenever catalysts like these appear – be prepared for some volatility as the market (Casino) does like an ‘event’. A virtual portfolio has been set up using the 2013 final trading day close figures as a starting point and £1000 has been invested in each stock. This does not include buying fees or stamp duty and is purely intended to be used as a benchmark or summary for each week. Two newspaper top ten picks for 2014 have been included to help monitor/compare against. Week 47 stock picks performance review: The Independent storms back into positive ground after spending the majority of the last 6 months in the red. The Telegraph is not far behind but it’s looking pretty solid from here on for the reigning champions. COme top this year, and that’s 3 years on the trot. Very impressive stuff. The Hotlist is a commodity heavy pick list and hence is bearing all the scars of a beaten up sector. But after 3 years now of being ‘beaten’ up, perhaps it’s time for a change in direction in 2015. The sector needs some meaningful M&A to help kick re-ratings off and if share prices continue to fall, then surely some larger players are going to find it hard to resist. Watch out for HUR, SXX, PVR, LOGP and XEL as all head towards news sensitive periods which could involved transformational farm in talks. In SXX’s case, crucial planning approval stages are now heading into the decision in ‘weeks’ rather than months zone.

http://www.thesharehub.com/2014/11/24/2014-hotlist-rsults-week-47/

Globalshift Limited - copyright © 2009 to 2019; All rights reserved. Capital Population Land (sq kms) Oil prod (000s b/d) Gas prod (bcm/yr) Oil cons (000s b/d) Gas cons (bcm/yr) Excel files - low-cost histories and forecasts of production and wells in any category for all countries and regions n/a 564 mm 4,486,963 2,634 231 6,057 163 There are 10 countries listed by Globalshift within the region of Southeast Asia. Many of these have a long history of oil and gas exploration and production, once dominated by activity in Indonesia’s onshore basins of Java and Sumatra dating back to the 19th Century. Subsequently offshore fields in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei, the Philippines, and finally Vietnam, mostly in the South China Sea, were discovered and developed during the surge in global offshore activity in the 1970s and 1980s. Myanmar also has a long onshore oil production history with newer offshore gas fields. Cambodia has the potential to produce gas in basins adjacent to those in Thailand. Only Laos and Singapore are unlikely to ever yield commercial hydrocarbons but Singapore is a key importer and hub in the region for oil and gas services. In addition several of the producing countries are major exporters of LNG. Regional Group in Asia KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA Petronas Towers - the tallest pair in the world Vertical axis in chart corresponds to 000s of bbls of oil equivalent per day. Oil - fossil oil from on and offshore reservoirs, including tight sands/shales; and liquids extracted from gas. Gas - sales gas from on and offshore reservoirs, including tight sands/shales and coal beds. Full breakdowns are available in datafiles. Vertical axis in chart corresponds to number of wells spudded in year including stand-alone sidetracks. Wells in chart include those drilled in exploratory and development categories for oil and gas, but excluding CBM. Full breakdowns are available in datafiles. South East Asia mostly overlies the Sunda tectonic plate including the South China Sea in the east, the Andaman Sea in the west, southern regions of Indo-China and Thailand (south of the Red River Fault), the Malay Peninsula, the southwestern Philippines islands of Palawan and the Sulu Archipelago, and the islands of Borneo, Sumatra, Java, and part of the Celebes. Sunda is part of, but separated from, the Eurasian Plate, moving eastwards at a faster rate than Eurasia. The modern structural development of Sunda was (and still is) almost entirely controlled by the impact of the Indo-Australian Plate on the Eurasian Plate through most of the Cenozoic. Although there are some older Palaeozoic and Mesozoic basins within the Sunda continent, including the Khorat Basin in Thailand, nearly all the petroleum potential in the region originates from Cenozoic rifting, uplift and erosion. Sunda is bounded to the east by the Philippine Plate, where subduction of the Pacific Ocean is occurring beneath the Philippines archipelago. In the southeast a complex set of plate fragments underlie Eastern Indonesia, bounded to the north by the Molucca Sea Collision Zone where northwards subduction is taking place. These include the Molucca Sea Plate, the Banda Sea Plate and the Timor Plate. South and west of Sunda is the Australian Plate with its long active subduction zone running around Indonesia up to the small Burma Plate, besides which the Indian Plate is pushing up into Eurasia. North of Sunda is the Eurasian Plate, including the South China Craton (Yangtze Plate). The margin is defined by the The Red River Fault in Vietnam coupled with the Sagaing Fault in Myanmar which both accommodate eastwards directed stress imparted by the Indian Plate. A group of failed rifts underlie the South China Sea which extend in an arc from offshore Vietnam, through the western Philippines (Palawan Basin) around north Borneo, through the Natuna Sea, into offshore Malaysia (Malay Basin), and up into the Gulf of Thailand and onshore beneath the Chao Phraya River. An extensive post-rift depression covers most of this offshore region whilst back-arc basins were created north of the active volcanic spines of Java and Sumatra, with fore-arc basins between these volcanoes and the subducting Australian Plate. Failed rifts are also present east of Malaysia within the Burma Plate. These lie below the Andaman Sea and extend northwards into onshore Myanmar where they are engulfed by sediments of the Irrawaddy Delta. Finally to the east of Borneo the Kutei Basin is a back-arc basin adjacent to the complex set of plate fragments which form the islands and basins of Eastern Indonesia and the southern Philippines. Finally, New Guinea, whose western half is in Indonesia, underlies the Australian Plate, separated by fault zones, whilst the land area of Timor Leste, included in Australasia, underlies the Timor plate fragment, which is geologically part of Southeast Asia. copyright © Globalshift Limited Click below for:

http://globalshift.co.uk/asise.html

I hope you all enjoyed time with family and friends during the holidays. As the FGS enters the new decade, we are embarking on significant advancements to benefit Florida geoscience and society. In this issue of FGS News and Research, I invite you to read about the Florida Geological Survey Geologic Mapping Initiative (FGSMI), which has a goal of completing an updated statewide surficial geologic map of Florida by 2026. This initiative will complement the successful STATEMAP program. Our second major push in 2020 is to roll out GEODES – the Geologic Data Enterprise System. GEODES was developed last year by DEP contractor, Kyra Solutions Inc., alongside major efforts by FGS and other DEP staff in the Office of Technology and Information Services. FGS geologists can now respond more efficiently to customer requests, make better use of our existing data, and offer improved web-based public access to Florida geoscience data. In 2020, we will be migrating massive amounts of geoscience information into GEODES before a public rollout. In this issue, the history of geologic data collection since the inception of FGS in 1907 is a fascinating story that brings us forward to the realization of GEODES. Our standing articles - GEOFACT, Featured Formation, and Geology in… The Real Florida ® (a rock-solid spin on Florida’s Award-Winning State Parks) - discuss meteorites, the Chipola formation, and the fascinating geology of Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park. Every year, the FGS provides outreach and education opportunities to people across the state through field trips, presentations, facility tours and our fall Open House. In 2019, we reached more than 2,600 people from across our customer base, including members of professional organizations, environmental groups, advisory groups and government organizations as well as school and university students, and seniors. One of the most exciting events of the year was the designation of Falling Waters State Park as Florida’s newest State Geologic Site. I challenge you to find a waterfall at the top of a hill anywhere else in the state. Wishing you the best in 2020! Sincerely, Jonathan D. Arthur, Ph.D., P.G.Director and State GeologistFlorida Geological SurveyFlorida Department of Environmental Protection It is a clear Florida night. You’re outside having just let your dog out for his evening routine. You are standing in your backyard, taking in the cool evening air and the abundance of stars visible because of a waning moon. You continue your gaze up to the night sky. Just then, it happens: You see a shooting star, only this one is brighter, bigger, lasts longer, and seems to be lower than a usual shooting star. In fact, it’s so bright that it nearly lights up the entire sky. This is no ordinary shooting star. It is a meteorite! According to NASA, a meteorite is a piece of rock from space that travels through the Earth’s atmosphere without entirely burning up and impacts the Earth’s surface. A meteor, on the other hand, is a space rock that enters the Earth’s atmosphere but burns up. Meteorites (meteoroids that have made contact with Earth) can range in size from a small pebble to as large as a car weighing tens of tons! There are three types of meteorites: stony, iron and stony-iron. Meteorites generally range in color from black to dark gray-brown. They commonly have a smooth outer crust developed from their fiery entry through our planet’s atmosphere. By studying their compositions, scientists have found most meteorites are very old, with most having formed billions of years ago. Most meteorites are small and do little harm to the Earth’s surface on impact. Large meteorites, on the other hand, can be very destructive. To see the impact of a large meteorite, search the internet or travel to Winslow, Arizona, to see National Natural Landmark Barringer Crater or, as most people know it, Meteor Crater. The meteorite that impacted this site is estimated to have been approximately 0.6-miles wide! The crater is approximately 3,900 feet in diameter and 560 feet deep. What about meteorites in Florida? According to the Meteoritical Society’s online Meteoritical Bulletin Database, six meteorites have fallen on the state. The database records the meteorite’s name, confirmation status, year, state, meteorite type, weight, and an approximate map location. The oldest observed meteorite in Florida fell in 1916 in the Orlando area and was estimated to weigh 1,000 grams (2.2 pounds). The most recently observed meterorite fell in 2016 in the Osceola National Forest area and was estimated to weigh 1,099 grams (2.4 pounds). For more in-depth information on meteorites or to visit the online database of meteorites, please visit the below websites: Resources: NASA – Meteors & Meteorites The Meteoritical Society – Meteoritical Bulletin Database: Contact: Clint Kromhout, P.G. Administrator Back to top Geologic formations are the basic rock units used in stratigraphy, the branch of geology that deals with the layers of sedimentary rock (called strata) that have accumulated over geologic time. In 1889, U.S. Geological Survey geologist Frank Burns visited several localities on the Chipola and Apalachicola rivers and made collections of the fossils that were eroding out of the riverbanks. He used the name Chipola marl in his field notes to refer to the geologic stratum containing the fossils. Since then, numerous geologists and paleontologists have worked on various aspects of the Chipola formation, with most of the attention focused on the diverse and well-preserved fossil mollusks it contains. Fossils are important components of geologic units, but they should not be used to define a lithostratigraphic unit (formation). Lithostratigraphic units are bodies of rock or sediment defined and recognized by the kinds of rocks and minerals they are composed of. Like many of Florida’s fossiliferous formations, the Chipola formation was originally defined by the fossils it contains. As a result, it should be considered an informal lithostratigraphic unit. The Chipola formation was deposited during the early Miocene Epoch (~18 million years ago) based on fossil and geochemical evidence. It is primarily a subsurface unit that occurs in the Florida Panhandle from the Apalachicola River west into southern Walton and Okaloosa counties. It is not usually visible at the surface, but it is exposed along the Chipola and Apalachicola rivers. Here, it consists of a bluish-to-white, fossiliferous, carbonate cemented quartz sand. Unfortunately, the lithology of the formation is highly variable and can change over short distances, making the identification of this formation difficult without the use of fossils. The shallow, warm, nearshore marine environments that existed while the Chipola formation was being deposited included coral reefs, tidal flats, tidal channels, and beaches. The diversity of environments within a relatively small area was responsible for creating the complex rock and sediment types that compose the Chipola formation. One of the most remarkable things about the Chipola formation is the number of different kinds of fossil mollusks found in it. It has been estimated that more than 1,100 different species of mollusks occur within the Chipola formation, making it one of the most diverse fossil deposits in Florida (Vokes, 1989). This is largely due to the tropical conditions that existed 18 million years ago in north Florida. The Chipola Formation represents the last time tropical conditions existed in north Florida. Modern tropical marine environments contain similar numbers of species and are used as analogs for some of the ecosystems represented in the Chipola formation. Contact: Harley Means, P.G. Administrator References: Vokes, E.H., 1989, An overview of the Chipola formation, northwest Florida, Tulane Studies in Geology and Paleontology, Volume 22, Number 1, pp. 13 – 24. Geologic maps show the distribution of different rocks and sediment at the Earth’s surface. They can also show the locations of geologic structures, like folds and faults, as well as other features. Land-use planners, water managers, mineral-resource companies, and local, state and federal government agencies use geologic maps as a primary source of geologic information. As we confront the challenges of sea-level rise, geologic hazards and the need for additional water and mineral resources, having an accurate and refined surficial geologic map will become increasingly important to improve public health, safety and welfare. Geologic mapping is a core function of state geological surveys. The Florida Geological Survey was established in 1907 and produced the first statewide surficial geologic map in 1909 at a scale of 1:1,000,000 (Matson et al., 1909). Since then, additional updated versions have been produced and published in 1929, 1945, 1959, 1964 and, most recently, in 2001. Updates contained additional data that were generally collected by field geologists who worked newly acquired cores and cuttings and observed the limited number of outcrops and exposures in Florida. The FGS has recently focused more staff and resources on both surficial and three-dimensional geologic mapping with a goal of updating the statewide surficial geologic map of Florida by 2026. The newly created Florida Geological Survey Mapping Initiative will utilize our ongoing STATEMAP Program as well as additional staff who will work to maximize surficial geologic mapping efforts. To date, the STATEMAP Program has mapped approximately 54% of the state and will continue to map 1:100,000 scale quadrangles each year. Other FGS geologists will map parts of the state not covered by STATEMAP. The surficial geologic map of Florida will contain more than 26 years of new and reinterpreted geologic information and will benefit from recently acquired, highly accurate elevation models (LiDAR based). Additionally, GIS software that was unavailable in 2001 will allow the FGS to utilize the large quantities of geologic data needed to complete the new map. Matson, G.C., Clapp, F.G., and Sanford, S., 1909, Geologic and topographic map of Florida, in: Florida Geological Survey Second Annual Report 1908-1909, 299 pages. Most people who visit Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park are surprised to discover that a place labeled a prairie with herds of bison and horses roaming free is at times completely submerged by water. In fact, the water was deep enough to support travel by paddle-boat ferries from 1871 to 1891. The prairie nearly became a permanent lake and was even given the name Alachua Lake. However, the lake has never been permanent due to the prairie’s geology. Separated from land surface by only 20 to 50 feet of clayey sands to sandy clays, limestone (called the Ocala Limestone) is near land surface at Paynes Prairie. Limestone is a sedimentary rock made up of calcium-carbonate, which comes from skeletal and algal fragments of marine organisms. As rainwater infiltrates into the subsurface, naturally occurring weak acids slowly dissolve the limestone. Once the water reaches the Ocala Limestone, it becomes part of the Floridan aquifer system, Florida’s primary source of drinking water. Water prefers an unobstructed flow path, so it will travel along fractures and beds within the limestone, preferentially dissolving the rock. Over time, dissolution (a chemical process) will cause cavities to form within the limestone. When the cavities become large, the limestone’s ability to hold up the clayey sands and sandy clays above it is weakened. If the cavity collapses, a sinkhole is formed at land surface. This process forms a special topography called karst. Land forms common in karst regions include sinkholes, caves, springs, and disappearing and reappearing streams. Peering north from the park’s observation tower at the visitor center, one will observe that the prairie is in part a marsh. The prairie’s topography is on average lower than the areas surrounding it. This is due to the dissolution of the Ocala Limestone below the prairie and the lands surrounding it containing thicker sequences of clay protecting limestones below from dissolution. Traveling to the northside of the park, one can hike several trails, one of which (the La Chua Trail) takes hikers by Alachua Sink. Alachua Sink is a large sinkhole in the bottom of Paynes Prairie. The sinkhole is generally covered by water and not directly visible. Occasionally, however, sediments partially plugging the bottom of the sinkhole will unclog and flush most of Paynes Prairie’s marsh water into the subsurface. This scenario occurred in 1891, allowing bison and horses to roam the prairie. On the chilly morning of Friday, November 1, FGS employees and high school volunteers eagerly set up their learning stations in anticipation of the largest-scale outreach event of the year. The theme of the Open House was “Geoscience is for Everyone,” in keeping with the theme of the American Geoscience Institute’s 22nd Earth Science Week celebration in October. Nearly 250 visitors from all over the state walked the halls of the FGS to discover their path to a career in geoscience. A “career wheel” (above) highlighted learning stations and how they can lead someone to employment in Research, Writing and the Arts, Business and Policy, Education, Geoengineering, and much more. Guests included first- and second-graders from Gilchrist Elementary School and students from the Magnolia School, as well as home school groups from the region. Outside, visitors enjoyed a drill rig and core display and were able to watch a geologist conduct geophysical logging and water level readings from a deep well, one of two wells on-site at FGS headquarters. Water Ventures – Florida’s Learning Lab, a traveling science center, provided educational exhibits both outside and inside the 53-foot vehicle. Upon entering the building, guests were greeted in the museum, where they viewed the FGS collection that showcases our state’s unique geology. Guests also enjoyed seeing an extinct mako shark jaw and a dugong skeleton. Visitors got a crash course in Florida’s native rocks, minerals and fossils at the Florida specimens table. The always-popular “young geoscientist activity room” showcased smiling children making fossils using shells and Play-Doh. Curious minds visited the “Ask the State Geologist” booth, explored magnification of various rocks and minerals with microscopes, and learned about 3D visualization of geological data in the FGS GIS Lab. And of course, the #FGSRocks campaign continued as guests painted their own rocks to participate in the interactive hide and seek game. New stations for 2019 included a “rock swap” and the FGS Publications booth, where guests could view and obtain copies of some of FGS’ publications, including bulletins and posters. Sixth- through ninth- grade students provided their submissions to win a “prize that rocks” in FGS’ second annual writing and art contests, which focused on the topic of “Earth Science and Me.” In the “Geology Kitchen,” children and young adult volunteers were invited to participate in demonstrations of the rock cycle using food with FGS geologic “chefs.” The product was an educated audience along with an odd mixture of melted chocolate, gummy worms and crumbled graham crackers that had undergone pressure and heat. “Earth Matters” was another station that made its debut, which involved a demonstration of physical and structural properties in the Earth. Thanks to a combination of water and corn starch, known as Oobleck, students were engaged in discussions of viscosity, brittle and ductile rock behavior. Each year at this event, educators are provided with AGI teacher kits, rock kits, posters, and other resources to use in their classrooms. Visitors are also provided with giveaways. Contact: Sarah Erb, Operations Manager C The Florida Geological Survey, established in 1907, was housed during its first year in an unused committee room at the Old Capitol building in Tallahassee. The mission of the Survey at the time was to conduct a geological survey of the state. Periodic reports on the progress of investigations included full descriptions of surveys and explorations, occurrences and locations of minerals and other deposits of value, surface explorations, and surface and subterranean water supply. The reports also included analyses of sediments, minerals and mineral waters with maps, charts and drawings. To gather this information, the State Geologist conducted field work, performed surveys, and collected additional information from other interested parties and researchers. Geologic tools used during the early 20th century included rock hammers, hand augers, surveying equipment, and photography. Early field data collection was accomplished by using field notebooks. Reports of investigations were compiled from these field notebooks and other correspondence and materials. The oldest field book on record at FGS is by E.H. Sellards prior to his tenure as State Geologist. With entries dating from 1905-1906, the inside cover includes the following text: “E.H. Sellards, Entomologist to the Fla. Exp. Station, Lake City, Fla. This book contains notes relating to experiments in progress by the State Experiments Station.” In this field book, Sellards lists outcrops and formations in alphabetical order, along with their locations. The book also includes Sellard’s travel journal from when he was examining the outcrops. Photo of a flowing artesian well - Palatka, Florida. (Used in FGS Annual Report 1) – photo by E.H. Sellards. Photo ID: GE0188, 1908. The Florida Geological Survey has a collection of historic photographs shared through the State Library and Archives. Additionally, The FGS has added nearly 8,000 photos and slides and posted them to its Resource Space page. As time went on, field data collection methods improved. Although a field notebook and camera were still the mainstays, enhancements in exploratory drilling allowed for complete sample collection and retrieval of samples from greater depths. The late 1920s saw the introduction of geophysical logging tools in the United States, and by 1939, the technology made its way to Florida. The first geophysical log submitted to the FGS belongs to an oil and gas well in Monroe County (pictured to the right). The addition of new mapping and navigation techniques along with aerial imagery aided researchers in their efforts to map the state. To date, the FGS has a collection of nearly 19,000 geophysical logs associated with more than 5,400 boreholes. To access these log images today, visit the FGS website and look them up by county. Interested parties can also go to DEP’s interactive map site called MapDirect to search for records. The FGS archives an additional 4,700 oil and gas geophysical logs across the state associated with 1,110 active oil and gas permits. Images of those logs are located on the FGS ftp site. Early computers aided geologists and researchers in completing their projects. The earliest computers were used to perform complex calculations and store data. In the late 1970s a database was designed that utilized punch cards, thanks to the programming skills of geologist Jim May. These cards represented data, and the computer systems read the paper cards by the presence and absence of holes punched in predefined positions. The cards stored geologic descriptions for easy indexing and retrieval. In the mid-1980s, a new system based on the punch cards was put into place and the data was stored on hard disks. Through a public-private partnership with Dr. Bob Lindquist of GeoSys Inc., a DOS-based system was developed and used to enter and archive lithologic descriptions (Enterlog.exe) and decode and print those same descriptions (Printlog.exe). Years later, through GeoSys/4G, geologists could plot wells on a map and select them to view lithologic or geophysical logs, and even generate cross sections. The 1990s also saw the integration of computer-aided design with geologic mapping, which allowed for enhanced map delivery. With the onset of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software, more efficient field mapping, data collection and dissemination ensued. Geologists quickly realized the potential and picked up the skills necessary to use the software and create high-quality georeferenced geologic maps. This technology continues to offer ways to visualize and analyze geological data. Geologic data for Florida can be found at DEP’s Open Data Portal. By the turn of the century, the FGS developed within Microsoft Access a database system to store geologic data. This data system retained the GeoSYS/4G data structure to more efficiently import legacy data. Today, the FGS has GEODES (Geologic Data Management Enterprise System), a cloud-based Software as a Solution (SaaS) product. With help from other DEP staff and our contractor, Kyra Solutions LLC, FGS now utilizes this off-the-shelf customized solution, effectively replacing the need for the Microsoft Access database system. Today, the FGS has an entire section devoted to data management where staff members oversee the collection, storage and discoverability of data. This involves locating and accrediting all geologic information from historical and current projects. It includes indexing, cataloging and authentication of data and samples in the Florida Geological Sample Repository. The Geologic Information and Data Management section is integral in all aspects of data collection, organization and visualization. Just last year, the FGS was able to complete a full inventory of its sample repository in Tallahassee, which contains samples from a well dating back to a well drilled in 1886. The job took a full year to complete and thousands of staff hours. The section built a Survey 123 for ArcGIS application to accomplish this. Teams of two dispatched to the repository to inventory each box with tablets to use this form-centric solution. All total, FGS staff confirmed the location and condition of over 74,000 boxes of samples at the repository. From the inventory, geoscientists are better able to account for sample types, condition and availability. FGS geoscientists regularly use DEP resources to develop new field mapping tools and conduct fast data acquisition as well as on-the-fly data collection from custom applications. The largest data producer at the FGS is provided by the STATEMAP program. Each year, this team maps up to 2,100 square miles as part of a grant through the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, which is administered by the U. S. Geological Survey. To facilitate this activity, the team requires access to vetted and reliable borehole descriptions as well as availability of quality samples to describe. The team also must collect large amounts of data on the fly while performing fieldwork. This includes quick feature identification, collection and navigation. To accomplish this, the GIS department of DEP assisted the FGS with building a new application called FDXplorer, part of the Collector for ArcGIS toolset. This is a versatile data collection app that works with mobile devices, allowing for the capture and editing of data on or offline and integrates with ArcGIS. Contact: Alan Baker, P.G. Administrator View current newsletter online: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/FLDEP/bulletins/2766c51To subscribe to the Survey and Research newsletter and other DEP notifications and newsletters, enter your email address at our subscriber page and you will be taken to the subscription page. You may update your subscription preferences at any time.

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/FLDEP/bulletins/2766c51

Olive oil consumption reduces risk of death from all causes (ORDO NEWS) — Regular consumption of olive oil helps reduce the risk of death from all causes in the long term, including due to cardiovascular disease and cancer. This conclusion is contained in a study conducted by specialists from the Spanish University of Miguel Hernandez in Elche (Autonomous Community of Valencia). According to a post published Wednesday on the university’s website, “After analyzing the diet and lifestyle of more than 1,500 participants over 18 years, the researchers concluded that regular olive oil consumption is associated with a lower risk of all-cause death.” including heart disease and cancer. “It is recommended to consume two or more tablespoons of olive oil per day,” the study authors concluded. “After 18 years of follow-up, it was found that, compared with not drinking, regular consumption of two or more tablespoons of olive oil per day was associated with a 31% reduction in overall risk of death, a 46% reduction in risk of death from cardiovascular disease, and a reduced risk of cancer deaths by 51%,” the experts said. — Online: Contact us: [email protected]

https://ordonews.com/olive-oil-consumption-reduces-risk-of-death-from-all-causes/

Olive oil, which is a key component of the Mediterranean diet, has long been known as a heart-healthy oil due to its high levels of mono-unsaturated fat which help keep LDL cholesterol levels in check. Recent studies have also suggested a link between olive oil and a reduced risk of various types of cancer. The most convincing evidence is for breast cancer where numerous studies have found reductions in breast cancer risk of between 20-40% for those who regularly consume olive oil. Some of these studies are summarised below. The latest Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report released by the CDC contained some interesting data on the prevalence of smoking across different occupational groups. The prevalence estimates were based on data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) 2004-2010 which involved a combined 113,226 participants. Researchers found huge differences in smoking rates across various occupational groups with rates as high as 31.4% and as low as 8.7%. Statin use has increased dramatically in the United States over the past two decades. In 1990 just 2% of adults over 45 were taking statins to control cholesterol compared to 25% in 2010. Statins are among the most commonly prescribed drugs and are a huge source of revenue for the pharmaceutical industry. While there is no doubt that statins have had a tremendous impact on reducing the prevalence of hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol), concerns have been raised about whether long term statin use might increase the risk of cancer.

http://healthhubs.net/cancer/page/2/

Math is cool, and my 16 year old son is looking at me like I'm even older than I am. First of all, you may have been sent here because you missed Question 11 of the amazing math maze (twice). Or, you may have just done a search for the title of this page. Either way, you're in a good place. I'll address the question first and then I'll pontificate a bit on the coolness of mathematics. In our equation examples, x and y are the variables. You plug in a value for x and it gives you a value for y. So, the value of y is dependent on the value that you give to x. The exponent or power of x determines the type of equation. If you set up one side of the equation to be y and have that equal to something else, we can look at the exponent of x and determine whether the exponent is a 1 or not. If the power of x is 1, then the equation is linear. To make things a little more confusing, if there is no exponent, we assume the exponent is 1. So, in the equation y = x, the exponent of x is considered to be 1. In our question, we had the following choices. a) y = x + 4 b) y = x + 22 c) y = x2 + 7 d) y = 4x + 4 Most of the equations are linear. You were supposed to pick the one equation that was not linear. There is no exponent on x in "a", so we assume an exponent of 1. Choice "a" is linear. I tried to trick you in choice "b". The exponent on the 2 is not an exponent on x. There is no exponent on our variable x, so we assume it to be 1. The answer is not "b". In "c" x has an exponent of 2. The exponent is the number above the rest of the numbers. Since it's a 2, it means take x times itself. If it was a 4 it would mean take x times itself 4 times. If x has an exponent that is not 1, then x is not linear. Let's give it one more try. Remember to choose the one that does not have an exponent of x that is 1. By the way, the reason we call these linear is because - if you graph them - the solution points form a straight line. a) y = x + 3 b) y = - x2 + 7 c) y = x + 24 d) y = 3x + 3 Click the letter corresponding to the equation that is not linear. Well, no - not really. Math is Cool in the sense that it is extremely powerful. It is always correct. And I believe it to be the language of God. But, if - by "Cool", you mean it will make you attractive to the opposite sex. Well, probably not. However, to be fair - I am happily married and I've always been a nut about math. There's an interesting website with an article that attempts to answer the question "Why Must I Learn Math" by Mark Karadimos. But does it make you "cool". I don't really know. Will a lack of mathematics make you an idiot - definitely. You'll soon find yourself making statements like - "The town was decimated by a horrific flood" which actually means that 90% of the town was untouched. Wait a minute, that may not be math - this could be a vocabulary problem. So - "Math is Cool", that statement is up for debate. Should math be cool? Definitely!

https://www.myhsmath.com/mathiscool.html

The Therapeutic Relationship in Psychotherapy Practice: An Integrative Perspective explores the key components of the patient–therapist relationship in psychotherapy, as well as how these elements affect the treatment process and outcomes and what therapists may do to enhance the relationship. Dr. Gelso posits a tripartite model in which the therapeutic relationship is seen as being composed of three interlocking elements: a real or personal relationship, a working alliance, and a transference–countertransference configuration that exist in each and every therapeutic relationship. Focusing on what psychotherapists can do to foster strong and facilitative relationships with their patients, the book includes substantial material drawn from clinical practice, with an ever-present eye on research findings. "Yes, of course the primary answer to why therapy works is ‘the relationship,’ but what about the relationship? That’s the harder and by far the more important and clinically compelling question, and that's exactly what Dr. Gelso answers for us in this extremely knowledgeable, readable, and eminently useful book. Integrating his theoretical perspective—a tripartite clinical model of the relationship—with multiple, experience-near clinical vignettes, Dr. Gelso offers practitioners of every variety the means to facilitate deeper, richer, and more effective therapist-client relationships."

https://www.routledge.com/The-Therapeutic-Relationship-in-Psychotherapy-Practice-An-Integrative-Perspective/Gelso/p/book/9781138999800

A thought crossed my mind after reading a short missive by Procurement Leaders' Paul Teague about what makes an ideal category manager. Paul starts his note by suggesting that an ideal background for category management often includes "extensive knowledge and even experience within the category; a deep understanding of the market the category represents, especially including the supply base; a handle on where technology, pricing, and other business trends in the category are heading; analytical skills; project-management skill." Yet he then notes a suggestion by Justin Hughes stating that rather than try to achieve this blended nirvana – after all, we all know the quintessential sourcing and procurement professional is unlikely to have all of these attributes, especially early enough in their careers – we focus on hiring "category team managers" with the requisite skills "to find people with the ability to coordinate the activities of an ad hoc team of other professionals from a variety of backgrounds and sources." While this is a useful suggestion, I think it reeks too much of a consulting world viewpoint vs. the real procurement world. Procurement consultants, whether they're working on more narrow procurement transformation efforts involving category strategy, sourcing, contracting and talent development or broader efforts such as make vs. buy decisions, inevitably succeed based on their ability to work within an organization and create a combination of embedded expertise and DNA. But when it comes to a "leave behind" in the form of an expert to manage a specific category on an ongoing basis, it is likely that true experts, often from the business, for example a marketing or IT leader, will have better results at implementation, influence and marshaling. Generic management skills with a cursory knowledge of the category – regardless of broader sourcing expertise – simply won't cut it. Except, perhaps, for the most basic indirect categories such as office supplies and industrial MRO. But if you're still focusing much of your overall new initiatives on those, you've got a bigger problem than category management coming up short!

https://spendmatters.com/2012/12/19/finding-the-right-category-manager/

Frogs are full of surprises when it comes to reproduction – there are species that incubate eggs below the skin of their backs and in the vocal sacs, while others carry them wrapped about their rear legs or construct foam nests on land. But in May of this year Boston University biologists working in Panama uncovered what may well be the oddest reproductive strategy of all – a frog that actively chooses to lay its eggs on either land or in water, depending upon the threats presented by each habitat. To date this is the only example of an egg that can hatch in either environment, and these frogs are the only vertebrates known to show such reproductive flexibility. When breeding near shaded ponds, hourglass frogs lay their eggs on tree leaves overhanging the water (the tadpoles drop into the water upon hatching), thus avoiding fish and other aquatic predators. However, when utilizing ponds exposed to the sun, the majority of the frogs lay their eggs directly in the water, lest they dry out before hatching. The “decision” is not governed genetically, because the same female frog will choose different egg laying sites when placed in a shaded or un-shaded pond. Amphibians were the first group of vertebrates to evolve some independence from water. Biologists are now studying the hourglass frog to determine if its unique egg-laying flexibility might shed light on the evolution of terrestrial amphibian eggs. You can read more about the hourglass treefrog and its relatives at:

http://blogs.thatpetplace.com/thatreptileblog/2008/08/21/research-notes-hourglass-treefrogs-dendropsophus-ebraccatum-can-choose-either-land-or-water-as-egg-deposition-sites/

We are currently sourcing for a Systems Analyst to work in organization’s New Jersey or New York locations. The team is responsible for providing electronic trading solutions for organization’s Capital Markets division. This is a hands-on role as an individual contributor and responsibilities include technical leadership, insight, and mentoring to peers. Client: Financial Services Role: System Analyst Location: Jersey City, NJ OR New York, NY Duration: Long Term Contract The Expertise Required The Skills Needed The Value To Be Delivered COVID work policy Safety is our top priority. Once we can be together in person with fewer safety measures, this role will follow our dynamic working approach. You’ll be spending some of your time onsite depending on the nature and needs of your role. Dynamic working – post pandemic Our aim is to combine the best of working offsite with coming together in person. For most teams this means a consistent balance of working from home and office that supports the needs of your role, experience level, and working style. Your success and growth is important to us, so you’ll want to enjoy the benefits of coming together in person – face to face learning and training, quality time with your manager and teammates, building your career network, making friends, and taking full advantage of cultural and social experiences company provides for you. Company Culture We reward ambitious, hard-working individuals with a work environment that fosters diversity, teamwork and collaboration as well as encourages innovative ideas and fresh thinking. We recognize the value that employees’ individual differences can contribute to the bright and strong future of our company. Kindest Regards,

https://www.careerinny.com/other-general/systems-analyst-6701389459/

As technology becomes the largest infrastructure investment for enterprises and governmental organizations, the potential to impact lives and do good (as well as harm) becomes a critical new business metric for our industry. Increasingly, employees and investors want to work with companies that align with their own desires to make a positive social impact. This has far-reaching business consequences that impact shareholder decisions, employee recruitment and retention decisions, and investors' portfolios. The Technology for Social Good research will identify critical new social impact metrics and showcase new and emerging mission-based social entrepreneurs that are harnessing technology to have positive social impact across three primary areas: climate impact and environmental sustainability, diversity and inclusion, and communities at risk. This program also covers growth in CSR programs at major technology organizations and their impact on business and social outcomes. This research is intended to aid technology organizations, CSR teams, educators, policymakers, investors, governments, and NGOs and mission-based organizations to devise strategies and policies that maximize technology benefits and minimize damaging social consequences. This includes providing a business case for positive social impact and understanding the broad economic effects of technology investments and proposes new metrics and measurement systems for evaluating market success that complement traditional economic measures. This research is supported by 11 IDC analysts: Michelle Bailey, Jonathan Share, Matthew Eastwood, Ashish Nadkarni, Curtis Price, Mary Johnson Turner, Rory Duncan, Leslie Rosenberg, Jen Cooke, Sean Riley, and Arnal Dayaratna.

https://emea.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=IDC_P40096

I would like to discuss in relation to action. We mentioned in earlier blogs that all action does not necessarily involve motion that is apparent as such to us. To one extent or another, all actions are unfoldings. The action of dreaming itself is partially a physical phenomena. There is, then, the outside action that makes dreaming possible, the action that is dreaming. Dreaming is amazing and can be quite complex, if you are having trouble sleeping then you may want to check out some sleeping tips, this post from VisionBedding has great sleep tip ideas to help you rest and get a good nights sleep, this will enable you to dream better dreams too as you will be more relaxed. The there are the endless varieties of actions within the dream which is, in itself, a continuing act. The images within a dream also act. They move, speak, walk, run. There is, at times, a dream within a dream where the dreamer dreams that he or she dreams. Here, of course, the dimensions of action are more diverse. Many of these actions performed by dream images are muscular ones, physical manipulations. But many of these actions are also mental manipulations or esthetic realizations and even aesthetic performances. These dream images are not one-dimensional cardboard figures by any means. Their mobility, in terms of perspectives and within space, is far greater than our own. We perceive but a small portion of these images which we have ourselves created. We cannot bring them back into the limited perspectives of our present physical field and are left with but glimpses and flimsy glimmerings of images that are as actual, vivid and more mobile than normal physical ones. I have said before in previous blogs that the dream world is composed of molecular structure, and that it is a continuing reality, even though our own awareness of it is usually limited to the hours of our own sleep. There is a give-and-take here. For if we give the dream world much of its energy, much of our own energy is derived from it. Nor is the dream world a shadow image of our own. It carries on according to the possibilities inherent within it, as we carry on according to the possibilities in the physical system. In sleeping, however, we focus our awareness in altered form into another world that is every bit as valid as our physical one. Only a small amount of energy is focused into the physical system during sleep, enough simply to maintain the body within the environment. In many respects, actions within the dream world are more direct than our own. It is because we remember only vague glimmerings and disconnected episodes that dreams appear often chaotic or meaningless, particularly to the ego which censors much of the information that the subconscious retains. For most people, this censoring process is valuable, since it prevents the personality from being snowed under by data that it is not equipped to handle. The ability to retain experience gained within other fields is the trend of further developments. Nevertheless, every man and woman intuitively knows his and her involvement here. Some dream events are more vivid than waking ones. It is only when the personality passes out of the dream experience that it may seem unreal in retrospect. For [upon waking] again, the focus of energy and attention is in the physical universe. Reality, then, is a result of focus of energy and attention. I used the term, pass out of the dream world purposely, for here we see a mobility of action easily and often accomplished — a passing in and out that involves an action without movement in space. The dreamer has, at his or her fingertips, a memory of his or her ‘previous’ dream experiences and carries within him or her the many inner purposes which are behind his or her dream actions. On leaving the dream state, he or she becomes more aware of the ego and creates, then, those activities that are meaningful to it. As mentioned earlier, however, dream symbols have meaning to all portions of the personality. The dream world has a molecular construction, but this construction takes up no space as we know it. The dream world consists of depths and dimensions, expansions and contractions that are more clearly related, perhaps, to ideals that have no need for the particular kind of structure with which we are familiar. The intuitions and certain other inner abilities have so much more freedom here that it is unnecessary for molecules to be used in any imprisoning form. Action in the dream world is more fluid. The images appear and disappear much more quickly because value fulfillment is allowed greater reign. The slower physical manifestation of growth that occurs within the physical system involves long-term patterns filled by atoms and molecules which are, to some extent, then imprisoned within the constructions. In the dream world, the slower physical growth process is replaced by psychic and mental value fulfillment which does not necessitate any long-range imprisonment of molecules within a pattern. This involves a quickening of experience by the sort of time necessities inherent within the physical universe. Action is allowed greater freedom. This is not to say that structure does not exist within the dream world, for structures of a mental and psychic nature do exist. But structure is not dependent upon matter, and the motion of the molecules is more spontaneous. An almost unbelievable depth of experience is possible within what would seem to us a fraction of a moment. One of the closet glimpses we can get of pure action is action as it is involved with the dream world and in this mobility as the personality passes into and out of the dream field. Within the physical world, we deal with the transformation of action into physical manipulations — but this involves only a small portion of the nature of action, and it is my purpose to familiarize you with action as it exists, more or less, in pure form. In this way, you will be able to perceive the ways in which it is translated into other fields of actuality that do not involve matter as we know it. Within the reality of the dream world, fulfillment and dependence, then, are not dependent upon permanence in physical terms. Bursts of developments are possible that have matured in perspectives that are not bound up in time. These developments are the result of actions that occur in many perspectives at once and not developments that happen as within the physical system through a seeming series of moments. Basically, even the physical universe itself is so constructed, but for all practical purposes, as far as perception and experience is concerned, time and physical growth apply. As a result, the ego portion of personality is, to a large extent, dependent for its maturity and development upon the amount of time that the physical image has spent within the system. A certain portion of physical growth, in terms of a series of moments, is, therefore, necessary for value fulfillment to show itself within a physical organism. But in the dream world, ‘growth’ is a matter of value fulfillment which is achieved through perspectives of action — through traveling within any given action, and following it and changing with it. Now, we experience action as if were moving along a single line, each dot on it representing a moment of our time. But at any of these ‘points,’ action moves out in all directions. From the standpoint of that moment-point, we could imagine action forming an imaginary circle with the point as apex. But this happens at the point of every moment. There is no particular boundary to the circle. It widens outward indefinitely. Now, in the dream world, and in all such systems, development is achieved not by travelling our single line, but by delving into that point that we call a moment. Basically the physical universe is at the apex of such a system itself. “In Midnight Thickets” In midnight thickets Dreamers plunge, While the moon Shines calmy on. The town is sleeping, Bodies lie Neat and empty Side by side. But every self Sneaks out alone, In darkness with No images on, And travel freely, All alert, Roads unlisted On a map. No man or woman can find Where he or she have been, Or follow in flesh Where the self tread, Or keep the self in Though doors are closed, For the self moves through Wood and stone. No man or woman can find The post or sign That led the self Through such strange land. The way is gone, The self returns To slip its bony Image on.

http://zzzesus.com/dream-images-and-dreams-as-actions/

Achieving an effective deployment of trustworthy AI technologies within process indsutries needs a coherent understanding of how these different technologies complement and interact with each other in the context of domain-specific requirements that industrial sectors require3, such as process industries who must leverage the potential of innovation driven by digital transformation, as a key enabler for reaching Green Deal objectives and expected twin green and digital transition needed for a full evolution towards circular economy. One of the most important challenges for developing innovative solutions in the process industry is the complexity, instability and unpredictability of their processes and impact into their value chains. These solutions usually require: running in harsh conditions, under changes in the values of process parameters, missing a consistent monitoring/measurement of some parameters important for analysing process behaviour and difficult to measure in real time. Sometimes, such parameters are only available through quality control laboratory analysis that are responsible to get the traceability of origin and quality of feedstocks, materials and products. For AI-based applications, these are even more critical constraints, since AI requires (usually) a considerable amount of high-quality data to ensure the performance of the learning process (in terms of precision and efficiency). Moreover, getting high quality data usually requires an intensive involvement of human experts for curating (or even creating) the data in a time-consuming process. In addition, a supervised learning process requires labelling/classifying the training examples by domain experts, which makes an AI solution not cost-effective. Minimizing (as much as possible) human involvement in the AI creation loop implies some fundamental changes in the organizations of the AI process/life-cycle, especially from the point of view of achieving a more autonomous AI, which leads to the concept of self-X AI4 . To achieve such autonomous behaviour for any kind of application it usually needs to exhibit advanced (self-X) abilities like the ones proposed for the autonomic computing (AC)5: Self-X Autonomic Computing abilities Autonomic Computing paradigm can support many AI tasks with an appropiate management, as already reported in the scientific community 6 7 . In AI acts as the intelligent processing system and the autonomic manager (continuously executes a loop of monitoring-analyzing-planning-executing based on the knowledge (MAPE-K) of the AI system under control for developing a self-improving AI application. Indeed, such new (self-X) AI applications will be, to some extent, self-managed to improve their own performance incrementally5. This will be realized by an adaptation loop, which enables “learning by doing” using MAPE-K model and self-X abilities as proposed by autonomic computing. The improvement process should be based on continuous self-Optimization ability (e.g. hyper-parameter tuning in Machine Learning). Moreover, in the case of having some problems in the functioning of an AI component, the autonomic manager should activate self-Configuration (e.g. choice of AI method), self-Healing (e.g. detecting model drify) and self-Protection abilities (e.g. generating artificial data to improve trained models) as needed, based on knowledge from AI system. In just a few weeks, CARTIF will start a project with the help of AI experts and leading companies of various process industry sectors across Europe to tackle these challenges and close the gap between the AI and automation by proposing a novel approach for a continuous update of AI applications with minimal human expert intervention, based on an AI data pipeline, which exposes autonomic computing (self-X) abilities, so called self-X AI. The main idea is to enable the continuous update of AI applications by integrating industrial data from physical world with reduced human intervention. We’ll let you know in future posts about our progress with this new generation of self-improving AI applications for the industry. 1 Processes4Planet, SRIA 2050 advanced working version 2 EFFRA, The manufacturing partnership in Horizon Europe Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda.

https://blog.cartif.es/en/author/aniren/

The new measures follow concerns about workers getting too close to get the job done. Work can and will continue on roads, bridges, health care facilities, utilities and affordable housing are all deemed essential. A project on Broadway and Dey Street is mixed-use affordable housing. Thirty percent of the rental units will be affordable. Robert Cerrone is vice president of operations at All Island Masonry and Concrete, and hopes work there can go on, saying halting construction “would delay New York City. Construction is a big part of New York City. Hundreds of thousands of workers out here every day, providing for their family, and we consider ourselves essential.” A construction crew walked CBS2’s Jenna DeAngelis through the site, pointing out safety measures being taken. Before workers can even enter the site, they have to meet with a physician’s assistant who checks them for symptoms and takes their temperature using a thermal scanner, DeAngelis reported. “If they are deemed hot, we have a secondary scan that we do which is with an oral thermometer or non-contact thermometer as well, to have accuracy,” said physicians assistant Nadeem Mir. For construction sites not shutting down under the new order, they must follow the rules: Maintain social distance and safety practices, or close. The state ill enforce this and fine violators up to $10,000. DeAngelis spoke to a superintendent for a general contractor who does commercial work. Under the new guidelines, he won’t be able to work, but believes it’s what’s best. “In the end, the well being and health of everyone is more important than a couple weeks worth of paychecks. Some people may be worse off than others but money is there to be made, the well being and health of general community and citizens is most important,” he said. His perspective: The sooner we all distance, the faster we can all be back together working, building and rebuilding the economy. NYCDCC Executive Secretary-Treasurer Joseph A. Geiger released a statement about the decision to shut down non-essential construction work: During this extreme crisis, difficult decisions must be made to ensure the future of not just one, but millions of New Yorkers and countless others in our region. While we know it may not have been an easy decision, we commend Governor Cuomo’s order to temporarily shut down nonessential construction in New York. We believe his decision will keep many construction workers safe and ultimately save many lives. The order was released earlier today, and the District Council is working with our partners in government to determine which jobs will be impacted. The staff at the District Council will be working tirelessly with the Benefit Funds to keep every member updated and informed as we navigate the impact the order will have. Many of our union brothers and sisters are on the front lines combating this deadly virus. Members across the state are answering the call for help by responding to emergency jobs, building out desperately needed hospital capacity, and ensuring critical infrastructure projects move forward. I have never been prouder to be a part of this extraordinary union. During trying times, we continually prove that we can rise to the occasion.

Malcom McDowell narrates a powerful documentary charting the premiere in Spain of Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 masterpiece A Clockwork Orange, which was banned for clashing head-on with strict moral codes by censors who wished to clamp down on subversive ideas entering the country. In 1975, after a lengthy embargo under fascist dictator Francisco Franco, Kubrick’s film was screened at a long-running religious film festival in the conservative provincial city of Valladolid, an unlikely home for an event that would forever shape the lives of those in attendance. Explosive and eye-opening, A Forbidden Orange (La naranja prohibida) looks back at a film that, nearly 50 years later, still raises questions about the nature of freedom and film’s ability to change the world. Get Even More With HBO Max All of HBO plus blockbuster movies, epic originals, and addictive series.

https://www.hbomax.com/feature/urn:hbo:feature:GYa529wJJ4qaLgwEAAABB

A written composition is fundamentally a structured debate which provides proof to support its points with facts and statistics. In order to attain the right arrangement for the argument, it is important that you understand the various parts which compose a fantastic essay. The content is the most crucial online assignments for money aspect and the essay ought to be well-written so as to achieve the purpose. The format of a great article follows a sensible pattern of flow and structure. The very first portion of the essay is the major body. It’s usually an introduction to the subject and the primary argument for the guide or essay. So as to write an impressive debut, you need to know what’s needed to create an effective introduction. The introduction must be clear and precise. It should describe the nature of the essay or the topic being discussed. The introduction serves as a jumping-off point for the remaining part of the essay and a point of view. The following section of this essay is made from the conclusion paragraph. This is a concise but complete statement of the writer’s views on this issue. The conclusion has to be logically consistent. The author has to be able to logically justify his or her arguments in a clear way. The conclusion paragraph has to be easy to read and offer an accurate and succinct description of the author’s positions. It might even end with the conclusion. This will permit the reader to have an opportunity to assess the writer’s debate and decide if the author’s arguments are legitimate. The previous portion of the article or the beginning paragraph is generally the body of the essay. This is where you devote some of the arguments and motives. The body needs to be logically established and shouldn’t include any illogical reasoning. The entire composition should be completed prior to submitting it. A poorly-written essay will not be approved by an academic journal and it will not get you a fantastic grade. Writing is a skill and it needs to be handled as such. The structure is the crucial element which sets an outline of what should be written, followed by the principles of this writing business. There are lots of books and courses on the best way to write a better written composition. There are also websites that provide advice on how best to compose an impressive and productive essay. It is very important to adhere to the rules laid out for composing your own essay. The principles are not as complex they are sometimes hard to follow. So as to have a simple time composing your composition, you must be prepared for a long, challenging job. Writing an article takes practice. There is not any magic miracle formula. You must continue to update your written work till you come up with an superb essay. Good luck!

https://fuegosartificialesdecostarica.com/2021/08/04/how-to-write-a-powerful-essay/

University researchers analyze Hepatitis C spread Mosquito disease transmission contributes to new mathematical model To better understand and analyze how Hepatitis C spreads in communities through injection drug use, University researchers compared the spread to a similar means of disease transmission mosquitoes. Hepatitis C is a viral infection that can spread through contact with contaminated blood, a spread occurring with increasing frequency among communities where injection drug use is common. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the estimated number of cases of acute Hepatitis C reached close to 44,300 in 2017. This project created a mathematical model that documents the spread of Hepatitis C in injection drug-using communities by treating it as a vector-borne disease, or a disease that uses an environmental intermediary like a mosquito to transmit infectious pathogens into an organism. The research was led by senior author of the study and Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Brandon C. Ogbunu. The team also included University researchers Miles Miller-Dickinson and Victor Meszaros and Professor Salvador Almagro-Moreno of the University of Central Florida. The model is an ordinary differential equation, which uses the averages of populations in its calculations. It allows for the calculation of how many people will be infected at the outbreak of the disease and is more simple and tractable than its predecessors. The model also allows researchers to examine how reducing the number of needles in a community affects the spread of Hepatitis C. Ogbunu has long held an interest in vector-borne diseases and the role of environmental intermediaries in disease transmission, as shown in his previous research regarding the spread of cholera through drinking water. Research focusing on the spread of disease mayoffer influential insights into the issue of disease prevention, particularly within drug-using communities. The implications of this model are crucial in Hepatitis C prevention efforts. “One of the things that our model suggests is that the key to decreasing the rate of infection in a population is really about changing the ratio of uninfected to infected needles,” Ogbunu said. The greater number of uninfected needles relative to infected needles, the less likely it is that Hepatitis C can spread through the community. At face value, actively decreasing the number of any needles used for injection drugs in a population might help stop the spread of disease. But this approach fails to consider the detrimental outcomes which may arise from offsetting the ratio of needles, Ogbunu said. The researchers acknowledged the stigma surrounding drug use and the barrier it places between people and necessary help. The idea that people who are using drugs may need aid from the community could be conceived by some as a radical notion, Ogbunu said. Additionally, the prevalence of Hepatitis C in rural areas that have limited access to safe injection sites and limited needles in circulation is much greater. The dissemination of knowledge about safe drug use and more specialized efforts in rural areas will prove to be necessary steps to further prevent the spread of disease, Ogbunu said. Future work aims to account for variations within communities to create more accurate results. When using an ODE, “everyone’s kind of clumped in the same population, and you kind of have to average over a number,” Miller-Dickinson said. “In reality, different folks will have different sharing networks.” By modeling the spread of disease in specific communities, the researchers anticipate that upcoming work can fill in any gaps that might be missed in the model. Ogbunu hopes that his model can be used as a “framework for thinking about the public health problem,” and one that will create more conscious efforts to limit the spread of disease in injection drug-using populations.

Paul Gr: I've just finished writing a horror novel which is partly set in the modern age and partly set in the 1600s. Two modern people are transported back in time to this period, then return to the modern age. I've written a couple of chapters to explain the back story to the novel, it explains why they are transported back in time. At first I placed the two chapters at the beginning of the story, as normal chapters. Then I had the idea of placing them further into the story, so the story cuts from the modern age to the 1600s then cuts back to the modern age. After looking at the story a few times I decided that this was too jarring, so put them back at the beginning of the story. The problem is, the Look Inside, on Amazon, and the, let's call it the 'look at the first few pages' on other publishing platforms. Anyone reading the Look Inside will think that it's historical fiction, and might not bother to read any further if they aren't interested in this genre. I should add that these first two chapters are 2919 words long in total, which at 250 words per page is mmm let's see about 12 pages long. I could use them as a prologue and introduce them as such, of course. Does anyone else use prologues, and if so how long are they? Are they as concerned about 'Look Inside' etc. as I am, or not concerned at all? notthatamanda: I am still a prawn but these are my thoughts. Cover should signify horror. Blurb should mention time travel. I have used short prologues, one page and long prologues, eg 2000 + words. In that case it was the characters meeting for the first time as children, then skipped to the meat of the story years later. To me it depends on the story. If they are traveling back in time, I would put it in chronological order, as the characters live it. But you can hook people with a page of a prologue, set in the 1600s, then go back to the beginning. You could have a one or two paragraph horror hook, as a premonition. But I don't think if someone has seen your cover and read your blurb and those are doing their job they will try the look inside and thing "OH NO not historical fiction" and :catrun Jeff Tanyard: Check out Eric Flint's 1632. He wrote an explanatory prologue. It's short and to the point, and it gives the reader all the info necessary to dive into the story proper. PJ Post: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0671319728 :tup3b Maggie Ann: I've used prologues but keep them to a few pages. I took a scene from the first book and used it as a prologue for the second book. Did the same between the second and the third. Prologues can be useful, but they really shouldn't be overly long. There's also the danger they can fall into info dump territory.

https://writersanctum.com/index.php?topic=3048.0;wap2

What does 2050 hold for Sydney’s skyline? Bates Smart proposes a sky-high CBD for the future A Sydney-based architectural practice Bates Smart has proposed a vision for the city's 2050 skyline. Director Philip Vivian has created a concept that challenges height limits while incorporating sustainability, transport and economic development. The debate began in 2014 through a Sydney-based lobby group - the Urban Taskforce - who commissioned three architects to design their vision for Sydney in 2050. Not only did Vivian forge a design, but he took it further and pitch his concept in New York this year to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), an international body assessing tall buildings and sustainable urban design. Vivian's study looks at the best way to accommodate the city's growth, height and density, and defies Sydney's current height limit of 235m to do this. For years cities around the world have set height restrictions, even Bali restricted the height of new structures to not bypass the height of a palm tree while undergoing a population boom in the 1970s. The concept returns to the city's aesthetics and ensuring its character and beauty are not lost. Sydney's tall building limit is in accordance with the underside of the habitable floors of Sydney's Centre Point Tower - a landmark of the city similar to those in Seattle, Vancouver and Auckland. However the Bates Smart proposal believes the tower, built in the 1970s, is no longer a cause to define the height restrictions. 'To be a global city Sydney must have ambitions beyond a 1970s landmark,' says Vivian. Comparative view of Sydney's skyline. Top: Sydney's statutory (LEP) Height Limit encourages a horizontal skyline. Middle: existing skyline. Bottom: the proposed skyline with additional LEP envelopes with supertall floor space The projected population growth from 2011 to 2051 is huge, going from 4.39m to an estimated 7.26m. The design suggests a new transport system - a 'Rapid Transit System' or RTS - that would assist the city in its density increase. The existing heavy rail network will service outer ring suburbs and express lines into the CBD, while a new lighter rail will service the inner ring suburbs and city centre. 'For Sydney to sustainably increase density it needs a fully integrated transport system. Our proposal is for future supertall development in the city to fund a sustainable transport system' says Philip Vivian. Funding for the RTS will be drawn from a new concept deemed 'Supertall Floor Space' purchased by the government. This works by allowing supertall floor space on buildings within 200m of a rapid transit station. There are other parameters included in the proposal, such as overshadowing, which account for the wellbeing of the public. Comparison of existing city skyline, proposed rapid transit stations, and potential development around Metro stations The Urban Taskforce's commission for proposals has caused a huge media stir in Sydney including criticism from the Planning Authority and disputes with the local chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects. One of the factors contributing to the media uproar is the strict and complex planning legislation of the City of Sydney which is more than any other Australian city. The public debate has led to the New South Wales state premier and planning minister announcing their support of additional height in the city's future growth.

http://www.designcurial.com/news/what-does-2050-hold-for-sydneys-skyline-4712334

Charlie Thorne and The Last Equation is about a twelve-year-old girl prodigy. One day, she is recruited to help with an FBI mission. Albert Einstein was said to have discovered an equation, Pandora, that could solve the world’s energy problems but could also power an incredibly powerful and dangerous nuclear bomb. Because of this, Einstein hid Pandora, but the FBI has a clue to its location. The problem is, so does a terrorist group called the Furies. And, unfortunately, unlike the FBI, they know exactly where the equation is. So, it’s Charlie’s job to decipher the clue, and figure out the location of Pandora. Will she be able to decipher the clue in time to get Pandora and stop the Furies? This book was amazing. I really enjoyed it, and I can’t wait to read the second book! There are two books in the series, and the second one just came out this March! Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation kept me hooked, because just as you think they have everything figured out, there’s always some sort of plot twist, or conflict that pops up. Stuart Gibbs kept the action going, and there is never any time for Charlie, or the FBI agents, to breathe because something always comes up. It’s such a fun book, and I highly recommend it. This book is for 4th-8th graders, although I’m sure anyone older would enjoy it, too. Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation has 416 pages. I give this book 5 out of 5 bookworms. **Parents Only — If you would like to buy this book, or the second, support us by clicking the image of the book you would like below.

https://thereadingrockstar.com/2021/10/13/charlie-thorne-and-the-last-equation-by-stuart-gibbs/

Standards with the same topic and subject but for other grades Describe triangles, squares, and rectangles by the number of sides, vertices, and right angles. Trace triangles, squares, rectangles, and circles. Identify properties of quadrilaterals including parallel, perpendicular, and congruent sides. Children should have experiences with different types of triangles (e.g., equilateral, isosceles, scalene, right, acute, obtuse); however, at this level, they are not expected to name the various types. Identify pictorial representations of a circle, triangle, square, and rectangle, regardless of their position and orientation in space. Describe a circle. Identify the name of the geometric figure when given information about the number of sides, vertices, and right angles. A trapezoid is a quadrilateral with exactly one pair of parallel sides. Develop definitions for parallelograms, rectangles, squares, rhombi, and trapezoids. A circle is the set of points in a plane that are the same distance from a point called the center. A circle is not a polygon, because it does not have straight sides.

https://sharemylesson.com/standards/page/899460/related/other-grades

As December and the holiday period can be a time of over-eating and disturbed sleep due to too much food and too little exercise, I thought it might be useful to look at some of the causes of sleeplessness or insomnia. Some of my clients complain they either cannot fall asleep when they go to bed or they wake up at around 3 a.m. with their mind full of problems and things to do from home or work that seem insurmountable, during the night, and which prevent them from going back to sleep again. Consequently, at 6.30am when they need to get up, they feel unrefreshed and tired and certainly not ready for their day ahead. If this happens to you, then maybe try some of these ways to help you through the night: - Don’t eat heavy meals late at night. Think about what you are going to eat before you eat it. People who eat small meals at least four hours before bedtime are more likely to sleep well right through the night. A balanced diet consisting of fruit and vegetables, wholegrain carbohydrates, oily fish, nuts, seeds, lean meat and plenty of water can help promote good sleep. Of course, if you drink coffee in the evening, you are probably going to have to visit the bathroom and as caffeine is a strong stimulant, you may take a long time to get to sleep after your Americano or expresso! It has been said that for every cup of coffee after 8pm in the evening, you can lose one hour’s sleep! - Exercise: naturally not at night, but research shows that some regular exercise during the day can assist you to enjoy a restful night’s sleep, every night. - Make yourself comfortable: Establish a peaceful routine before you go to bed. Make sure that your bedroom is quiet and comfortable and not too hot. If you have air-conditioning it should be set not higher than about 18 C, or preferably a little lower to be conducive to restful sleep. Obviously, noise should be kept to a minimum with no TV or other music intruding upon your rest. Your bedroom should be an oasis relaxation and peace. You should remove all electronic equipment on standby from your room and that includes televisions, radios, routers, computers, iPads, eReaders, games consoles and, of course, cellphones. Many times clients say to me that they have their phones next to their bed which, of course means that not only are they are disturbed by the charging lights but they are also not consciously switching off at night as they are keeping themselves always on call. And TFT digital lit computer screens have been found to disrupt the sleep-promoting neurons in your brain. Better to have an old-fashioned book next to your bed! - Don’t lie-in late: it is very tempting to stay in bed in the morning if you have had a disturbed night but that could just be getting you into a bad habit. Your body will start to get used to this pattern and whereas it might work at the weekend, it will not be beneficial if you have to rush to your job during the week. If you feel regularly tired during the afternoon, then try to take a cat-nap for 20 minutes which you could do during your lunch hour. When you awake, you can feel hugely refreshed and ready for an afternoon’s work. - Feeling worried or anxious? It could be worth trying a herbal remedy. If you find one that is natural and non-addictive, then you will not have to worry about becoming dependent on it and the very fact that you have taken something may help your mind relax and assist your dropping-off to sleep naturally. Finally, going to sleep is an activity of its own. It needs planning and preparation. Your room should be somewhere that you happy to be in and somewhere that is your haven of peace, your ‘dar es salaam’, far away from the frenetic world in which you may live. So plan it, enjoy it and recharge your batteries for the next day ahead. Have a good night and pleasant dreams! Written by Carole Spiers and reprinted with the kind permission of Gulf News. Need a Motivational Speaker or Awards Host for your next Conference? Work Stress expert, Carole Spiers will deliver a charismatic, high-impact keynote presentation, ‘Show Stress Who’s Boss!’ based on her new book, at your next conference. Contact us: [email protected] or call + 44 (0) 20 8954 1593. Proven Work Solutions: Take a look at our corporate website where you will find work stress management techniques. www.carolespiersgroup.co.uk or call + 44 (0) 20 8954 1593 Learn How to Deal with Stress: Carole’s book, Show Stress Who’s Boss! shows you how to deal with stress, manage your stress & anxiety and overcome symtoms of stress. You’ll find tools and stress management techniques to make your life stress-free. Inside this book, you’ll find 4 proven steps to relieve your stress symptoms. Buy your personally signed copy and receive a FREE stress test card. www.showstresswhosboss.co.uk. Also available on Kindle.

https://www.carolespiersgroup.co.uk/insomniac-get-a-good-nights-sleep/

Our chef’s signature dishes served in exquisite unique flavors of the traditional Cebuano palate. Filter by category: Fried whole chicken 45minutes preperation Explore our wide selection of delicious and affordable cuisine. Spaghetti pasta with mixed seafood, herbs, parmesan cheese, served with toasted bread. Like the linarang, a spiced fish dish, the feistiness and unwavering courage of Heneral Leon Kilat inspired… Beef tenderloin steak wrapped in bacon with sour cream and spices.

https://abtikpaskilat.com/menu/main-dish/crispy-fried-chicken-whole

It is generally agreed upon, that the art of composition is the most personal form of self-expression. It is a way to find one’s inner voice and identity. It’s not by chance that so many conductors starting with G. Mahler to Pierre Boulez, to name a few, have chosen to combine the two careers, leaving behind fascinating works to explore. What makes one a great composer is arguable. Possessing good technical capabilities as well as a high level of artistic depth, nevertheless originality, vision and perfectionism are some of the qualities that matter most. One should be honest with themselves in their artistic search and should write music, which corresponds to their ideals and believes. A composer should be a visionary. It requires a great amount of hard work. It is the feeling when I write sometimes, knowing that I have reached a comforting sense of balance. I do not recount many times when trying to be original has been of any importance to me. Originality is something felt not sought after. Complexity is not to be mistaken with complex. Every note I write must come from somewhere, or if it does not, it must make a point why. If I feel that an aesthetically pleasing moment for me occurs in my work, I keep it. An artist shouldn't make compromises with his artistic satisfaction. Besides writing instrumental music, Viktor Ilieff has been emphasizing the importance of his teacher Beat Furrer and particularly his operas or so called “Musiktheater” in his development as a composer. Trying to write dramaturgically exciting new work, where text, music, staging, and visual aspect share equal importance as a whole unity, is also the starting point in his new opera Parsifal Incerto (Parsifal in doubt). Besides his own compositions, Viktor Ilieff has been also working on number of “creations” where he has experimented with multi-art match forms, creating performances with various artists from different fields.

http://viktorilieff.com/composer.html

Accreditation means both a process and a status. It is a process, in which educational quality of an institution or a programme is being appreciated. As a result of a successful review the award of “accredited status” is granted. Accreditation is a formal, independent verification that a program or institution meets established quality standards and is competent to carry out specific conformity assessment tasks. Conformity assessment tasks may include, but are not limited to, testing, inspection, or certification. Accreditation is given after the evaluation of services and programmes an institution pursues by an external body. This value proposition demonstrates that the adequate standards are met and thereby the institution is credible, has competency and authority to provide a high quality education. If an organisation meets the required standards, the European Association for Business Studies as an independent external body issues the accreditation. Only highest calibre programmes achieve our accreditation award. It is important to stress, that the accreditation act is a voluntary process based on non-governmental and external rewiew of the ability of schools and educational institutions to provide quality learning programs. It is very usefull for all participants, because it allows students to select really good schools providing high-quality educational programs, ensures them the access to the best learning materials, provides them with information and allows to schools and organisations to cooperate in their further improvement of services provided.

http://www.euabs.com/accreditation/1-2

At New York Blood Center, one of the most comprehensive blood centers in the world, our focus is on cultivating excellence by merging cutting-edge innovation with diligent customer service, groundbreaking research, and comprehensive program and service development. Join us as we work towards meeting and exceeding the growing needs of our diverse communities, further our lifesaving strategic goals in a rapidly changing environment, and expand our impact on the local, national, and global communities we serve. As a key member of our team, you will accurately obtain required information from autologous and directed donors via telecommunications, schedule appointments for the organization, address any donor concerns, and correctly enter all necessary data pertinent to the medical procedure. Responsibilities include: To qualify, you must have a High School diploma, one to three years of customer service experience, preferably in a call center environment, and the ability to work flexible shifts. Strong attention to detail, excellent oral/written communication skills, and PC proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite will be required. The ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment, effectively plan/organize tasks, and effectively identify problems will be expected.

https://careers-nybloodcenter.icims.com/jobs/2198/special-collections-representative/job

HUNTINGTON — While the COVID-19 virus has created many challenges for the region’s healthcare systems, telehealth, or telemedicine, is experiencing a boom during the pandemic. Telemedicine is the distribution of health-related services and information via electronic information and telecommunication technologies, so with a cell phone, an iPad or computer and from a remote location, medical professionals are able to offer patients advice and guidance on what to do next through telehealth services. Dr. Mathew Weimer, Valley Health’s vice president of health dervices and chief medical officer, said many patients have and are transitioning to video visits where they can. “We have enabled telehealth capabilities at all of our health centers and across all service lines for which telehealth is possible,” he said. “We can provide telehealth specifically for COVID-19 testing through a drive through testing center and anyone can access this by calling 304-399-3358. For telehealth services for other sick visits, routine follow-up visits, and well visits, patients should call their usual Valley Health location. Since we started telehealth, we have been able to see 2,630 telehealth visits as of March 30 data.” Weimer said the Valley Health Information Technology team provides hardware and software for providers using telehealth to see patients. “Providers are able to use the electronic medical record in the usual manner to document their visits with patients,” he explained. “There are some specific documentation requirements as well as consent processes required for telehealth, and providers and staff have received training and education on these requirements. Providers meet with patients via an audio-visual connection but can also connect via telephone in some cases.” Weimer believes the landscape of health care in our region could change even after the COVID-19 crisis is over. “This pandemic has been a catalyst for moving providers to use telehealth. Some of the rules and regulations related to Telehealth have been temporarily relaxed, so we will evaluate our processes and capabilities for continuing Telehealth once the national emergency has been lifted, and we will continue to provide this option for all service lines for which it is available when the emergency period ends,” he said. “Using Telehealth for sick, well, and routine appointments is safe and effective, and this is an incredibly important tool for maintaining access to care for our patients while also practicing social distancing. Our patients are encouraged to call and connect with their physicians and other providers at Valley Health at this time. Furthermore, when we determine that a patient should be seen in person, we will do so and will follow strict infection control processes for both sick and well patients.” In response to increasing demand, Valley Health Systems announced that it opened a new drive-through COVID-19 testing site at Cabell-Huntington Health Department, located at 703 7th Ave. in Huntington, on Tuesday. The Cabell-Huntington Health Department testing site will bring Valley Health’s number of drive-through testing sites to three. Valley Health also operates testing sites at its East Huntington health center, located at 3377 U.S. Route 60 in Huntington, and at its former Milton health center, located 1 Harbour Way in Milton. In order to access testing at a Valley Health drive-through testing site, patients must first call 304-399-3358 to register for a telehealth visit with a Valley Health provider. The patient will be asked to visit Valley Health’s website, www.valleyhealth.org/telehealth/ to learn more about telehealth services and to complete an online informed consent for telehealth. If unable to go through this online process, staff will assist patients with registration and consent on the telephone. Patients will be asked then to complete a virtual telehealth visit with a Valley Health provider using a free app, Google Duo, which can be downloaded to a smartphone or computer. The Valley Health provider will review symptoms, exposure risk factors, medical history, medications and other relevant information. Based on the telehealth evaluation, the provider will give recommendations, which may include testing. Patients unable to access care at Valley Health using Google Duo may have a visit over the telephone. In addition to using telehealth for COVID-19 assessments, Valley Health has been granted temporary permission to use telehealth technology to meet the ongoing medical and behavioral health care needs of other patients. “While Valley Health is still seeing patients in their health centers for urgent and time-sensitive needs, telehealth now provides a means for patients and providers to practice social distancing for behavioral health, MAT, family medicine, internal medicine and pediatric visits,” the company said in a news release. “For these types of telehealth appointments, patients may call the Valley Health location of their choice to schedule a telehealth visit with their regular provider.” Valley Health’s telehealth services are available for all community members. As a community health center network, Valley Health serves all individuals regardless of insurance status or ability to pay, the release added. For complete information about telehealth services, a list of Valley Health locations and hours of operation for drive-through testing sites, visit www.valleyhealth.org. For information about all accessible community resources in response to COVID-19, visit the Cabell-Huntington Health Department’s website at www.cabellhealth.org. Others in the region are also offering telehealth services. HIMG institutes telehealth visit option The Huntington Internal Medicine Group (HIMG) announced it is continuing to see patients in the HIMG Regional Medical Center and have also instituted a telehealth visit option. The option allows patients to meet face-to-face with their HIMG provider via their mobile device. “If patients have a scheduled appointment with their physician at HIMG, it is still scheduled. We understand some people may not want to come see their provider during this period. As such, we were able to launch this technology to maintain our patient relationships and to address their healthcare needs. If you have a scheduled appointment, you will be contacted to see if you prefer to come to the office or if you would like to use the telehealth option with your smart phone. In just three days we have achieved over a 100 visits,” Mark Morgan, CEO of HIMG, said. Patients who wish to utilize the HIMG telehealth visit option can visit the HIMG website at www.himgwv.com/telehealth and get started, Morgan said. “The telehealth visit option is available for all HIMG providers and departments,” he said. The HIMG Regional Medical Center is located at 5170 U.S. Route 60 East in Huntington. For more information, visit www.himgwv.com. OVP Health OVP Health, based in Huntington, hires physicians to work in rural emergency rooms and hospitals in West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky and South Carolina. If patients feel they have been exposed to the virus, they don’t have to go to an ER, or a crowded waiting room. Health officials will go over a list of concerns face to face, or over the internet, to find the best way to move forward for the patient. Paul Cowsar, chief operating officer at OVP HEALTH, is over all the telemedicine services for the company. “We are doing a lot of addiction treatment utilizing telehealth services for both medical and therapy visits,” Cowsar said. “We are also utilizing a group platform for group therapies and counseling.” OVP HEALTH is also using telehealth for COVID-19 screening and has screened over 20 patients. “If they have symptoms of COVID-19, we can screen them and then send them to sites and order actual tests,” Cowsar added. “Follow-up care can also be done through our telehealth services.” Boone Memorial Hospital In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Boone Memorial Hospital is offering telemedicine in an effort to continue keeping its patients safe, while providing health services. “Basically it makes it possible for providers to treat patients whenever needed and wherever the patient is, by using a computer or smartphone,” explained Charissa Workman, Boone Memorial Hospital clinical IT analyst. “Our patients’ health and safety is our utmost priority,” said Boone Memorial Hospital Chief Executive Officer Virgil Underwood. “Therefore, telemedicine is an excellent way to merge the two. We feel we can continue to offer quality healthcare during this pandemic by allowing patients to receive the help they need from a remote location.” Based on current legislation, at this time, telemedicine will only be offered at Boone Memorial during the COVID-19 Pandemic. “It is a safe and secure service, which will be offered through Doxy.me,” said Workman. Doxy.me is a cloud-based electronic medical records (EMR) and telemedicine program which is HIPAA-compliant, and Android and iOS apps are available for mobile devices. Doxy.me allows patients to start sessions by clicking on a URL (also known as a web address) shared via email or SMS (Short Message Service). A phone, computer or tablet with access to a camera and microphone are preferred to initiate face-to-face video calling, the hospital said. Once a telemedicine visit is scheduled, the patient will receive a link, which will allow them to check into the physician’s waiting room to conduct their appointment. “We understand this is a new service and one that may be foreign to some. However, we are here to make the experience an easy one. Our goal is to keep our patients healthy throughout this epidemic and we will continue to think outside the box to make programs like telemedicine available to our patients,” Underwood said. Telemedicine at Boone Memorial began March 31. Patients should call Boone Memorial at 304-369-1230 during clinic hours to schedule an appointment. Welcome to the discussion. Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything. Be Nice. 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Prevalence and factors associated with Hepatitis B among children admitted in Mulago hospital. (2008-05) INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B (HBV) is a major health problem worldwide. About 2 billion people are exposed to hepatitis B all over the world, with an estimated 350 million people being carriers. The prevalence ... Predictors of treatment failure among patients with smear positive pulmonary tuberculosis in the treatment clinic in mulago hospital: A case control study. (2008-08) Title: Predictors of treatment failure among patients with smear positive pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) in the tuberculosis clinic in mulago hospital. BACKGROUND: Treatment failure is a threat to the control of tuberculosis ... Prevalence and factors associated with malaria parasitemia in infants below 6 months of age on the out-patient clinic of Mulago Hospital (2008-06) BACKGROUND: Malaria remains the most important parasitic cause of mortality and morbidity in infants in sub-saharan Africa. Previously it had been thought that malaria in infants below six months of age was infrequent in ... The effect of Aids defining conditions on immunological recovery among patients initiating antiretroviral therapy at JCRC, Kampala, Uganda (2008-10) BACKGROUND: During 2005, the world health organization (WHO) estimated that there were over 1.3 million people receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART). As the number of individuals able to access treatment is ever increasing, ... Prevalence and morphologic types of anemia among adult patients admitted to the meidcal emergency ward in mulago hospital. (2008-07) INTRODUCTION: Anaemia is a common condition worldwide although the burden is highest in the developing countries where nutrient deficiencies and chronic infections are prevalent. The tends in prevalence and causes of ... Prevalence and factors associated with microalbuminuria among children with sickle cell anaemia attending the sickle cell clinic in mulago hospital. (2008-07) BACKGROUND: Sickle cell anaemia is by far the commonest hereditary haemolytic disease in Uganda; it is a chronic disease with multi organ complications. Chronic renal failure is one of the most serious complications of ... Accuracy of rapid tests as compared with field microscopy for the diagnosis of malaria in adolescents and adult patients in mulago hospital. (2008-08) BACKGROUND: Blood smear microscopy is the recommended gold standard test for laboratory confirmation of malaria. However, due to some limitations associated with microscopy such as being labour intensive and time consuming, ... The safety of adult male circumcision in HIV-infected and uninfected men in Rakai, Uganda. (Public Library of Science, 2008-06) Background The objective of the study was to compare rates of adverse events (AEs) related to male circumcision (MC) in HIV-positive and HIV-negative men in order to provide guidance for MC programs that may provide ... Bacterial aetiology and outcome in children with severe pneumonia in Uganda (Maney Publishing, 2008-12) Background: Pneumonia is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the ‘under-5s’ and in Uganda accounts for 10–30% of childhood deaths. Antibiotic resistance is increasing. Objective: To describe the bacterial aetiology, ... A study to evaluate psychiatric rehabilitation services at the occupational therapy department of Butabika Hospital. (2008-08) INTRODUCTION The field of psychiatric rehabilitation has developed with the recognition that most psychiatric disorders are associated with persistent disability that become chronic and impair functional capacities. Psychiatric ...

http://dspace.mak.ac.ug/handle/10570/5/discover?filtertype_0=dateIssued&filter_0=%5B2000+TO+2009%5D&filter_relational_operator_0=equals&filtertype=dateIssued&filter_relational_operator=equals&filter=2008

Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX2 6DP Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide in Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offices in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press in the UK and in certain other countries Published in the United States by Oxford University Press Inc., New York Translation, commentary, notes, and other editorial matter © Edmund Ryden 2008 Introduction © Benjamin Penny 2008 The moral rights of the authors have been asserted Database right Oxford University Press (maker) First published as an Oxford World's Classics paperback 2008 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by law, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reprographics rights organization. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above You must not circulate this book in any other binding or cover and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Data available Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Laozi. [Dao de jing. English] Daodejing / Laozi; translated with notes by Edmund Ryden; with an introduction by Benjamin Penny. p. cm.—(Oxford world's classics) Includes bibliographical references (p.). ISBN 978–0–19–920855–5 I. Ryden, Edmund. II. Title. BL1900.L26E5 2008b 299.5' 1482—dc22 2008011595 Typeset by Cepha Imaging Private Ltd., Bangalore, India Printed in Great Britain by Clays Ltd., St lves plc ISBN 978–0–19–920855–5 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 **OXFORD WORLD'S CLASSICS** _For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics have brought readers closer to the world's great literature. Now with over 700 titles—from the 4,000-year-old myths of Mesopotamia to the twentieth century's greatest novels—the series makes available lesser-known as well as celebrated writing_. _The pocket-sized hardbacks of the early years contained introductions by Virginia Woolf, T. S. Eliot, Graham Greene, and other literary figures which enriched the experience of reading. Today the series is recognized for its fine scholarship and reliability in texts that span world literature, drama and poetry, religion, philosophy and politics. Each edition includes perceptive commentary and essential background information to meet the changing needs of readers_. **_Refer to theTable of Contents to navigate through the material in this Oxford World's Classics ebook. Use the asterisks (*) throughout the text to access the hyperlinked Explanatory Notes._** **OXFORD WORLD'S CLASSICS** **LAOZI** # _Daodejing_ _Translated with Notes by_ **EDMUND RYDEN** _With an Introduction by_ **BENJAMIN PENNY** **OXFORD WORLD'S CLASSICS** **DAODEJING** The _Daodejing_ or _Classic of the Way and the Life Force_ dates from the fifth to fourth centuries BCE and is the best-loved of all classical Chinese texts. The author or editor is thought to have been someone who rejected the scholastic philosophy of Master Kong (Confucius) in favour of a way of thinking that was closer to nature. Deliberately void of all proper names—even the author is known only as the Old Master (Laozi)—the text is set in an eternal and universal present. Revered as a religious classic by Chinese Daoists, it is not only one of the foundational texts of Chinese thought, but has been rightly acknowledged as one of the most inspiring books in world literature. EDMUND RYDEN teaches at Fujen University in Taiwan. He was the first director of the John Paul II Peace Institute at Fujen University and has edited a series of conference papers in the field of human rights. Among his other publications is a translation of Zhang Dai-nian's _Key Concepts of Chinese Philosophy_ (2002). BENJAMIN PENNY is Fellow in the History of China in the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies at the Australian National University. He is the editor of _Biography and Religion in China and Tibet_ (2002) and _Daoism in History: Essays in Honour of Liu Ts'un-yan_ (2006). ## **CONTENTS** _Introduction_ _Note on the Text and Translation_ _Select Bibliography_ _A Chronology of the Daodejing_ **DAODEJING** The Way The Life Force _Explanatory Notes_ _Table of References_ ## **INTRODUCTION** How easily we can find our own image in the _Daodejing_! It is a magic mirror, always found to reflect our concept of the truth. The _Daodejing_ is one of the foundational texts of Chinese thought. Its fortunes have risen and fallen with different dynasties and regimes, with influential scholars and writers acclaiming it as a pre-eminent work of the Chinese tradition or damning it as metaphysical nonsense. Nonetheless, it has been a feature on the landscape of learned Chinese people for more than two millennia. In more recent times the _Daodejing_ has become known and been celebrated beyond the Chinese world. First translated into French in 1841, and into English in 1868, it has been re-translated numerous times, with ever more versions appearing today in electronic form. Some of these versions are serious attempts at making sense of a famously difficult text, but many more have little to do with the original; as little, perhaps, as that stream of books whose titles begin with 'The Tao of...'. As interest in the _Daodejing_ has become more widespread and as its popularity as a text for translation has grown, it has sometimes been considered as a philosophical gem suspended in a historical and cultural void, removed from its ancient Chinese context. Without this context, some translators and writers on the _Daodejing_ have dressed it in clothes of their own choosing, often inappropriately. Strangely, this process has taken place at the same time as our knowledge of the origins of the text has increased immeasurably. In the west, as Sinology developed in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and as our familiarity with the wealth of literature from ancient China grew, so our knowledge of the conceptual world of that time and place broadened and became more nuanced. Indeed, from the 1970s remarkable archaeological discoveries—particularly the texts on silk and bamboo strips unearthed from Mawangdui near Changsha in Hunan in 1972–4 and Guodian near Jingmen in Hubei in 1993—have caused our ideas about the origins and composition of the _Daodejing_ to be revised in fundamental ways. We are, therefore, in the extraordinary position of being more informed about the original _Daodejing_ now than any reader for the last 1,500 years or more. This new translation takes these discoveries into full account, restoring the context in which the _Daodejing_ came into being. ### _Reading the_ Daodejing The _Daodejing_ is traditionally ascribed to Laozi, a title that simply means 'the old master'. Who this 'old master' was, or if there really was such a person, has been a subject of discussion since at least the first century before the Common Era. Similarly, when he lived—and therefore when the _Daodejing_ was written—has long been a matter of dispute. The version of the _Daodejing_ that has been handed down to us—known as the 'Wang Bi edition'—probably derives from the third century CE, although it is clear that versions of the text much like it were circulating some 500 years earlier. The Wang Bi edition is also the text most familiar to western readers as, until the 1980s, it formed the basis for all the translations into European languages. It has eighty-one short chapters divided into two sections. The first section consists of thirty-seven chapters and goes under the name of the _Daojing_ , since its opening chapter focuses on the _Dao_ , or Way. The second section has forty-four chapters and is known as the _Dejing_ , as Chapter 38, the first in this section, concentrates on the _De_ —Life Force or Vitality. Thus the _Daojing_ and the _Dejing_ together form the _Daodejing_ , the name by which the text is often known today. One reason why the _Daodejing_ has generated so many studies and translations is that the text itself can be read in a multiplicity of ways, both in a strictly grammatical sense, and in terms of its content. Chinese texts from before the twentieth century are written in a language that is usually called literary Chinese. Terse and economical in expression, literary Chinese can be technically precise as well as capable of great beauty, happily rendering both dry bureaucratic instructions and delicately evocative poetry and prose. Some writers, in fact, composed fine examples of official documents in their role as government functionaries while also exchanging verse with their friends. Literary Chinese is notable, however, for its lack of punctuation: it has no commas and full stops, no paragraph markings, no fixed parts of speech, and, of course, no capital letters. Deciding where one sentence ends and the next begins, for instance, might seem like a challenge (and it sometimes is), but usually texts in literary Chinese are clear, as particular characters often act as grammatical markers, doing the work of punctuation and spacing in western texts. One of the problems with the Wang Bi edition, discussed at greater length below, is that its use of such particles, as these characters are called, is rather limited. In other words, a reader does not have the benefit of many of the grammatical markers we might expect, and do indeed find, in other ancient Chinese texts. Even for skilled Chinese readers of literary Chinese, therefore, there are important points of genuine ambiguity in the _Daodejing_ , where two or more readings of certain passages are equally possible. In addition to these grammatical considerations, the _Daodejing_ also has a particular mode of expression: aphoristic, sometimes enigmatic, and often counter-intuitive. The Way, as readers will note almost as soon as they encounter the text, is not easily characterized. We encounter this difficulty in the opening chapter of the book, where the Way is described in terms of what it is not, rather than what it is: Of ways you may speak, but not the Perennial Way; By names you may name, but not the Perennial Name. Here, the Way is represented in its most general aspect as, perhaps, befits the opening lines of the text—although, as we will see, the position that these lines occupied in the _Daodejing_ may not always have been the same. One of the reasons why the Way is described in negative terms is that it cannot be adequately defined by making positive statements about it, even knowing what to call it. The _Daodejing_ addresses this issue explicitly in Chapter 25: I do not know her name; I entitle her the Way; I force myself to name her Great. For the same reasons, the Way is also sometimes defined paradoxically, thus: Looking at her, you will not see her; Listening to her, you will not hear her, Yet she cannot be used up. (Ch. 35) However, the most pervasive manner in which the Way is characterized in the _Daodejing_ is by using metaphor—the Way is like a gully, a mother, the course of a river, or a path or road. In fact, the word _dao_ is not exclusive to the _Daodejing_ but is used by many Chinese philosophical texts to describe their teachings. A 'Way' is put into practice by walking a particular road, and someone who does this is, therefore, a 'Way-farer' in this translation. However, readers expecting to find easy or direct insight into how to become such a Way-farer, according to the _Daodejing_ —in contrast with other, more straightforward, philosophical texts of ancient China—may struggle to find instruction: these Way-farers are 'unseen, mysterious, communing with the abstruse, deep so they could not be fathomed' (Ch. 15). Thus, to define the nature of the Way, it is necessary to place these metaphors in the foreground, to begin with the images used in the _Daodejing_ to clarify how the Way is characterized. Metaphor, here, is understood to be much more than a literary decoration; it is a way of writing that reveals meaningful relationships between objects and processes and is crucial to an understanding of the text. However, before discussing the use of metaphor in the _Daodejing_ in detail, it is important to give some background into one specific aspect of ancient Chinese thought. In ancient China, the workings of the cosmos were often understood in terms of 'correlative cosmology' by authors across a range of philosophical schools. This was a way of thinking in which features of the natural world and the changes that transformed them were grouped in sets—notably of two, where the core structuring pair was _yin_ and _yang_ , but also of five in the form of the elemental phases of wood, earth, fire, water, and metal, and sixty-four in the hexagrams of the _Yijing_ , or _Book of Changes_. Countless aspects of the world formed pairs in parallel to the _yang_ and _yin_ —heaven/earth, male/female, ruler/minister, summer/winter, stretching/contracting, above/below, father/son, and so on. Thus, heaven, male, and ruler were correlated with _yang_ , and earth, female, and minister were correlated with _yin_. It is important to remember that these pairs refer to complementary relationships rather than to intrinsic features: in ancient China, a minister ( _yin_ ), for instance, would certainly have been male ( _yang_ ), and be both a father ( _yang_ ) and a son ( _yin_ ). The terms _yin_ and _yang_ appear only once in the _Daodejing_ (in Chapter 42), but the use of complementary pairs that pervades _yin -yang_ thinking is a recurrent feature in the text. Furthermore, the Way is consistently compared with characteristics that are correlated with _yin_. It is 'the mother of the myriad things' (Ch. 1) and 'the mother of the world' (Chs. 25, 52), 'the gully's spirit' and 'the mysterious cleft' (Ch. 6), it is like water that floods (Chs. 8, 34), it is characterized by reversal and weakness (Ch. 40). One of the most notable features of this translation is that it takes these characterizations seriously, by rendering the Way as female. In literary Chinese gender is not marked, so the translator must decide on the most appropriate English word to use when a pronoun is required: in this translation the pronoun chosen for the Way is 'she'. It should be emphasized that this femaleness of the Way is derived from the images used to describe it rather than female gender being marked in the language of the text. A similar pattern of imagery is used to describe the figure of the Sage in the _Daodejing_. Generally taken to be the person who epitomizes the teachings of a particular school of philosophy, how he should behave depends, of course, on the nature of the teachings concerned. Indeed, in one of the few references in the _Daodejing_ to other philosophical schools of ancient China, it says that the figure of the Sage is 'not benevolent' (Ch. 5), a statement in direct opposition to Confucian teachings where benevolence is a key virtue. Since the Sage is the one who embodies the Way, he takes on her typically _yin_ characteristics. He 'holds himself back' (Ch. 7); he is like 'a baby that has not yet smiled' who appreciates sucking milk from its mother, who as we have seen is the Way herself (Ch. 20); he does not compete but, rather, bends (Ch. 22); he does not act and does not grasp (Ch. 64); he is compared to the hen, the 'valley of the world', and reverts to the state of an infant (Ch. 28). In fact, it is in the Sage's not acting that one of the most characteristic ideas of the _Daodejing_ is revealed, namely, that precisely by not acting, everything can be accomplished: A person given to the Way makes daily regress. Regress and again regress, until coming to not acting. When not acting then there is nothing not done. (Ch. 48) Like the Sage, the state that embodies the Way acts by not acting. This might appear counter-intuitive, especially in the China of the period when the _Daodejing_ was composed, aptly described in Chinese history as the 'Warring States'. During the roughly two centuries prior to the unification of China under the Qin dynasty in 221 BCE, seven quasi-independent states fought to conquer each other in a drive for supremacy. It comes as no surprise, therefore, that this is the period in which the classic text of military strategy, Sunzi's _Art of War_ , was written. What must have appeared surprising for a contemporary reader, however, was how the _Daodejing_ recommended that a great state behave: A great state is like a river's lower course, She is the feminine aspect of the world. In the mating of the world: The feminine always conquers the masculine by stillness. It is because of her stillness that she is apt to take the lower position. (Ch. 61) The great state follows the lowest course as water flows downward, it is still rather than active, and adopts the feminine as its model—yet this is precisely how it conquers. Some passages such as these in the _Daodejing_ that concern political entities have given rise to the idea that it is essentially a book about statecraft and government. This is hinted at in other sections where advice is given to a ruler, or to a ruler's counsellors: One who helps the lord of men according to the Way, Does not use arms to subdue the world since such actions easily rebound. (Ch. 30) Or: Of old, those who fared by the Way Did not use her to enlighten the people, rather to fool them. Difficulty in governing people comes from their knowing too much. (Ch. 65) Another perspective sees the _Daodejing_ as primarily interested in self-cultivation. Traditions of 'nourishing life', as it was known in ancient times, have existed since records began in China. These methods involved physical or mental meditations, special diets or sexual practices, and prescriptions for both moral behaviour and for medicines. Those who pursued such activities were aiming to lengthen their lives, ideally to the ultimate condition of immortality. At the time the _Daodejing_ was composed adepts practised various methods of self-cultivation, and there are passages in the text where we can see references to breathing exercises involving particular forms of inhalation and exhalation, such as in the use of the metaphor of the bellows and the blow-tube in Chapter 5. However, if the _Daodejing_ was originally intended as a manual for self-cultivation, it could not serve that purpose today. In fact, even when it was composed it is hard to imagine how its enigmatic aphorisms could have been used to convey specific instructions. It may be best to think of the _Daodejin_ g—or parts of it—as a kind of pedagogical tool or mnemonic device that would have been used as a starting-point in discussion or practice between a master and a pupil. If some of the sayings of the _Daodejing_ were used as prompts for more extensive explanations in the context of teaching, we have lost the elaborations that a teacher might have used in their instruction. ### _The Text of the_ Daodejing Another layer of complexity is added to how we view the _Daodejing_ and its interpretation when we consider fundamental questions related to the actual text itself. It is to be expected that books from ancient times will have suffered as they were passed down from generation to generation. Especially in the days before printing and mass publication, mistakes were made in copying, parts of books could be destroyed by fire or flood or mould, books would pass out of favour for a period and be lost or forgotten, the comments of commentators could be absorbed into the main text, misguided editors could excise passages they thought were late additions or change some words they did not understand. The _Daodejing_ was no more immune from these tribulations than any other ancient book. In addition, though, aspects of the early history of the _Daodejing_ that have been revealed to us through archaeology have complicated our understanding of the nature of the original text. For many centuries, until modern times, the picture was relatively simple. The _Daodejing_ came down to us in various editions to which were typically attached commentaries of various kinds. As noted above, the most commonly accepted version of the _Daodejing_ (also known as the 'classical' or received version) is associated with the name of Wang Bi (226–49 CE), a scholar who lived under the State of Wei during the period of the Three Kingdoms. Wang is best known for his commentaries to the _Daodejing_ and the _Yijing_ , or _Book of Changes_. The version of the _Daodejing_ that goes under his name may not, in fact, have been exactly the version he used, and this edition itself probably belongs to a textual tradition associated with the other major early commentary, that goes under the name of Heshanggong (the 'master who lives by the river'). The date of the Heshanggong commentary, and therefore the text it is attached to, is also uncertain, but clearly this line of texts goes back to early medieval times, not long after the fall of the Han dynasty in the early third century. There are minor differences in the texts associated with the Wang Bi and Heshanggong commentaries (and some others in this line of transmission), but none of them affects the meaning of any passages. The first major challenge to this way of viewing the text of the _Daodejing_ came in the early 1970s, when three tombs were opened at a site at Mawangdui in the suburbs of the city of Changsha in southern China. These three tombs belonged to Li Cang, marquis of Dai, who died in 186 BCE, his wife, known as Lady Dai, who died after 168 BCE, and a second man, in all probability their son, who predeceased his mother in 168 BCE. The tombs contained an extraordinary collection of artefacts, including two magnificent painted silk banners, lacquerware, musical instruments, and much else. The tomb of the son also contained the texts of books written on silk; some of these were extant, some were of books whose titles were known from ancient bibliographies but had been lost, and some were previously unknown. Two of the texts were versions of the _Daodejing_ that have become known as Mawangdui A and Mawangdui B. Since they were found in the tomb of the son of the marquis, we know that both were inscribed before 168 BCE. However, by examining the style in which the characters were written, and observing which particular characters in the text were replaced by others of similar meaning or shape—characters were tabooed if they occurred in the personal names of emperors—we can be more specific and say that the 'A' text probably dates from about 200 BCE, and the 'B' text from about twenty years later. The Mawangdui texts are intriguing for a number of reasons. First, while the Wang Bi edition divides the _Daodejing_ into eighty-one chapters, the Mawangdui 'A' text—where new chapters often look to be marked with black dots—appears to have some chapter divisions where the Wang Bi edition has none, and has no division where the Wang Bi edition marks them. In a book where so much of the text is comprised of short aphorisms, context is particularly important; thus, the grouping of passages into chapters can be an important influence on how certain sections of the book are read. Secondly, while the Mawangdui texts divide the eighty-one chapters of the _Daodejing_ into two sections like the Wang Bi edition, both of them reverse the order of the two parts. That is, the Mawangdui texts begin with what we have come to know as Chapter 38, and the famous opening chapter of the Wang Bi edition ('Of ways you may speak/but not the Perennial Way, etc.') comes at the beginning of the second section. Thus, since it was the order of the two sections of the book that gave it the traditional title of _Daodejing_ , perhaps the Mawangdui texts should reverse the order of the two terms and be known as the _Dedaojing_ , or the _Laozi Dedaojing_ , as one translator has entitled his book. The third major difference between the Wang Bi family of editions and the Mawangdui texts relates to the classic observation (made in this Introduction as elsewhere) that the _Daodejing_ is notoriously ambiguous. One of the greatest differences between the Mawangdui texts and the Wang Bi edition is that they often include the grammatical particles that the latter edition lacks. By doing so, the Mawangdui texts have clarified many of the grammatical conundrums long considered to be characteristic of the _Daodejing_. It has also meant that some of the age-old arguments over which of two possible readings of some passages in the text was correct have now been settled. Not all the puzzles have been solved, but readers of the text are now in a much better position to know whether what seemed like intentional ambiguity was actually caused simply by the vicissitudes of transmission. As the scholarly community digested the importance of the Mawangdui texts, argued over their relevance, and recast their views of the original _Daodejing_ , in 1993 another excavation a few hundred kilometres north of Mawangdui produced another, even earlier, version of the book. This excavation was at Guodian, near the modern city of Jingmen, a little to the north of the Yangtse River, from a group of tombs close to the ancient capital of the state of Chu. Chu ruled the southern part of China during the period before China was unified by the state of Qin. The tomb from which this _Daodejing_ came was sealed between the mid-fourth and early third centuries BCE, and is, thus, possibly 150 years earlier than the tomb at Mawangdui which held the _Daodejing_ texts. It probably belonged to the teacher of a royal prince. Rather than being inscribed on silk, these texts were written on the much more common material of bamboo strips. Ancient Chinese books written in this manner were made from many of these strips tied together with string and rolled up—the standard Chinese word for a book chapter actually means 'to roll up'. Over time, the string in these rolls would rot and the strips would be detached from each other. When caches of such strips are found in tombs, they are commonly mixed up in a heap. The first task is, therefore, to work out how they should be reassembled. As at Mawangdui, the _Daodejing_ was not the only text found in this cache, which also included other known and unknown writings. Of the 800 strips found at Guodian, some 721 had writing on them, and of these about seventy-one had material associated with the _Daodejing_. When the strips had been reassembled, the text of this _Daodejing_ was different from any extant version. Since the strips themselves are of various sizes, and there are marks on them from where the string had bound them together, it appears that the Guodian material was originally in three separate bundles. Comparing the Guodian text with that of the Wang Bi and Mawangdui versions, there is material in the strips from thirty-one of the eighty-one chapters as they appear in later editions. However, the order in which they are found does not correspond with any other version of the text. Only sixteen of these chapters appear 'complete', with some lacking major parts of what we are familiar with from other editions. In total, the Guodian text has only about 40 per cent of the material of the Wang Bi edition. Importantly, if we compare the three bundles, only one section that corresponds to nine lines of the Wang Bi edition is duplicated (in bundles 'A' and 'C'). What, then, is the Guodian material? Is it three parts of the same text or three different texts? Is it—or are they—versions of the _Daodejing?_ Or should they be seen as artefacts of textual streams that led, after the intervention of an editor or editors, to the book we know today? If we were to reject the idea that the three bundles make up one complete text, should each of the bundles even be seen as representing something 'whole'? One possibility is that the three bundles together constitute a selection of passages from an already extant _Daodejing;_ in other words, the _Daodejing_ as it came to be known later already existed in something like the form we know it in today, and somebody selected the parts they found valuable from it to produce the Guodian material. Arguing against this position is evidence from the lines that are duplicated in bundles 'A' and 'C'. In the nine lines concerned—from what we have come to know as Chapter 64—there are no fewer than thirty-three variations in the texts, including whole lines being transposed. This would indicate strongly that the two versions of this passage could not have been copied from the same source text. This leaves two other possibilities. The first is that the Guodian material formed one of the sources for the text that eventually became the _Daodejing_ as we know it—bearing in mind that we do not know how many or what other sources there might have been. The second is that the sources that led to the _Daodejing_ that resembles the Mawangdui or Wang Bi versions also led, in some way, to the Guodian material. If this were true, then the Guodian material and the other extant versions of the _Daodejing_ do not exist in any direct ancestral relationship with each other. Without more evidence, it is impossible to decide whether either of these possibilities is likely, but in the light of this discussion we should also bear in mind another consideration. In what we might think of as the 'early days' of the _Daodejing_ , passages may not, in fact, have been written down. There is evidence in the various texts that have survived not only of the kind of aphoristic style that might lend itself to memorization, but also of rhyme. That is, the _'Daodejing'_ —or the early constituent parts or it, or parts of variants of it—might best be understood as originally existing in oral form, passed between master and student without ever being written down. If this were the case, there almost certainly would have been different sets of passages recited and committed to memory in different contexts; and when it came to writing these passages down, different sets of passages (or selections of passages) would be inscribed on to strips in different sequences by different hands. Possibly, then, one useful way of seeing the Guodian material is not as a single, unified version of the _Daodejing_ but rather as several selections of sayings that may have existed independently from each other, and which came from the circles around different teachers from related schools. Thus, when it comes to relating this material to later versions of the _Daodejing_ , comparison is probably best made on a passage-by-passage basis, as this translation does. This is not to say that the Guodian texts do not tell fascinating stories about philosophical ideas circulating in the fourth and third centuries BCE, about the relationship of the _Daodejing_ to other texts of the period, including ones that we know about and ones that are new to scholarship, and about the various topics these 'alternate' _Daodejing_ s give more or less weight to, but these discussions are best suited to another place. It will be clear, then, that the question of when the _Daodejing_ was written may not be answerable. This is not so much for lack of evidence, but rather because in the very nature of the composition of the book there does not appear to be a single point at which the _Daodejing_ could be said to have been completed. The _Daodejing_ was almost certainly compiled over a considerable period of time, entering into text (or even texts) at some point long after its aphorisms and verses had circulated orally. The text as we have it today (or something very like it) was, however, clearly established by the late third or early second centuries BCE, as we can see from the Mawangdui texts, as well as from other evidence. ### _Laozi_ The name attached to the _Daodejing_ has traditionally been Laozi, literally 'the old master', as was noted above. However, the earliest record we have of him does not appear until about the turn of the first century BCE, in Sima Qian's (?145–?90 BCE) _Historical Records (Shiji)_. This biography places Laozi as a senior contemporary of Confucius, who himself lived about 400 years earlier than Sima Qian. This span of time has led to doubt being cast on the veracity of the biography. In this record, to add to the confusion, Sima actually identifies Laozi with three different people: one Li Er, known as Li Dan after his death, who was a scribe in the archives of the state of Zhou; a certain Laolaizi who also lived at the time of Confucius; and another man called 'Dan'—written with a different character—who was the grand scribe of Zhou and who was alive in the middle of the fourth century BCE. As Sima himself notes: 'Some say that Dan was Laozi. Others say he was not. Our generation does not know the truth of the matter.' What is clear is that certain of the features of this biography formed the basis of later stories that grew up around the figure of Laozi. Two of the most important are the interview he had with Confucius and the record of the way the _Daodejing_ came into being. In the first, Confucius is said to have gone to Laozi to ask him about the codes of proper behaviour known as the 'rites'. Laozi replied by instructing his visitor that nothing Confucius cared about really mattered and that he should rid himself of his 'arrogant airs', 'many desires', 'contrived posturing', and 'overweening ambition'. Confucius famously observed in response that: 'As for the dragon, I can never know how it mounts the wind and clouds and ascends into the sky. Today I have seen Laozi; is he perhaps like the dragon?' The second element of the biography that proved influential told how Laozi, seeing the decline of the Zhou, decided to depart and headed west. At the pass that led out of the state, the Prefect of the Pass, Yin Xi, asked Laozi to write down his teachings—and this was the _Daodejing_. As the _Daodejing_ became more widely circulated and was taken up by the Daoist religion or the religious movements that were precursors to it in the early centuries of the Common Era, the figure of Laozi became elevated to the status of a deity, as an embodiment of the Way itself, an immortal, or a messiah who would usher in an era of Great Peace. In the second century CE the pivotal text _The Scripture on the Transformations of Laozi (Laozi bianhua jing)_ proclaimed that Laozi is, himself, 'the root of the Way' and existed before the cosmos came into being. He is a great creator god who became present in the world successively in the form of various sages of antiquity—the teachers of emperors—and who also made appearances in more recent generations. One of the most intriguing aspects of this text is the possibility that it refers to the so-called 'conversion of the barbarians' theory, not long after the introduction of Buddhism to China. This theory has it that when Laozi left through the passes and went west, he continued on until he reached India. There he tried to teach his doctrine to the inhabitants of that land, but they were too slow to grasp it; as a result he taught them an 'easy' version. Those easy teachings are nothing else but Buddhism, and the figure known as the Buddha was none other than one of Laozi's transformations. This theory was not, of course, accepted by Buddhists, and later texts that refer to it much more explicitly than _The Scripture on the Transformations of Laozi_ were declared illegal and destroyed under dynasties that were sympathetic to Buddhism. Not long before _The Scripture on the Transformations of Laozi_ was written, we find Laozi deified in early Daoism under the title Lord Lao, the Most High. He was the god who gave revelations to Zhang Daoling, the founder of what became the Celestial Masters sect, in 142 CE granting a new religious dispensation. The Celestial Masters sect is generally regarded as the first organized Daoist Church, in other words, the beginning of the Daoist religion. Under the influence of the various new streams of Daoism in the medieval period, the biography of this, now cosmic and divine, Laozi became much larger and more intricate, and his status in the culture grew in parallel. In the seventh century the Li clan came to power as the Tang dynasty. Since they shared the family name of Li with Laozi—at least according to Sima Qian's biography—they claimed descent from him. Laozi and the _Daodejing_ , along with Daoism in general, came to occupy an important place under the Tang, with the _Daodejing_ being declared a compulsory text in the official examinations for aspirants to the bureaucracy. The entire text was also inscribed on pillars and stelae in the capital by imperial order, lectures on it were given at court, and in 733 the emperor decreed that a copy of the _Daodejing_ should be kept in every home. ### _The Commentarial Tradition_ With the elevation of Laozi into their sponsoring deity, the Celestial Masters also accorded the _Daodejing_ a position of honour. A major element in this process was the determination of their own explanation of the book's meaning, known as the _Xiang'er_ commentary, which will be discussed below. Commentaries are a pervasive feature of Chinese scholarly practice. Sometimes explaining the meaning of passages in a text, sometimes providing extracts from other texts that illuminate or are parallel to the passage under examination, sometimes giving information on matters of pronunciation, sometimes noting textual variations in different editions, several commentaries are often found appended to the major works—and occasionally the minor ones—of the Chinese philosophical, historical, and literary traditions. Typically, they are written as interlinear comments: in a traditionally printed Chinese book they appear as half-sized characters interrupting the main text at appropriate points. Some commentaries have become so famous in their own right that other scholars from pre-modern times have written commentaries on them, known as sub-commentaries. Commentaries and sub-commentaries in the Chinese scholarly tradition were not like the notes to an old novel or play we might consult today if we come across a piece of terminology with which we are unfamiliar; rather, they were typically read as an intrinsic part of the text, providing a running interpretation, as well as pointing out references and glossing difficult words. The _Daodejing_ , according to Isabelle Robinet, has been the subject of about 700 commentaries from the third century BCE until the present, by Buddhists and Confucians as well as Daoists—including those of more philosophical bent and those of religious inclination. The fact that the _Daodejing_ was not the sole preserve of Daoists is illustrated by the fact that its earliest surviving commentary is found in the book known as _Hanfeizi_ , after its author who died in 233 BCE. The _Hanfeizi_ is associated with the so-called Legalist school, which was concerned with the preservation of the power of the state through adherence to law and political expediency—yet, perhaps surprisingly to a modern audience, it devotes two chapters to explaining the _Daodejing_. The three main early commentaries to the _Daodejing_ have already been mentioned in this introduction: Heshanggong, Wang Bi, and the _Xiang'er_. In broad terms, Heshanggong, who was probably writing at about the end of the Han dynasty—that is, the late second or early third centuries CE—sees the _Daodejing_ in terms of self-cultivation and the need to reduce desires and create harmony and longevity in both the body and the state. In common with much scholarly discussion in his time, Heshanggong is committed to an explanation of the _Daodejing_ based on the principles of _yin_ and _yang_ , and the pervasiveness of _qi_ or vital energy in the cosmos. Wang Bi, on the other hand, is generally seen as the main representative of the movement known as Dark Learning, and his reading of the _Daodejing_ is focused on philosophical speculations rather than any attempt to find practical instructions in it. For Wang, the Way is not personified, or deified, or capable of intentional action; it is, rather, radically transcendent, the ultimate non-being, the first cause. The third of these commentaries, the _Xiang'er_ , was rediscovered only in the twentieth century in a cache of manuscripts found in Dunhuang in the far north-west of China, a stopover on the Silk Route and site of a major Buddhist settlement in medieval times. The part of the commentary that survives—now in the collection of the British Library—only runs from halfway through Chapter 3 to Chapter 37. The meaning of the title _Xiang'er_ and when this commentary was written have both been subjects of scholarly discussion and dispute since its discovery. The consensus that seems to be emerging—although there are notable learned dissenters—is that the title means something like 'Thinking of You', which refers to the concern for humanity of the Way, here understood to be essentially identical with the deified Laozi, Lord Lao. The _Xiang'er_ belongs to the Celestial Masters tradition that began in the mid-second century CE, and quite possibly derives from the hand of its founder Zhang Daoling's grandson, and great organizer of the movement, Zhang Lu (d. 216). To better illustrate how very different these three commentaries are, we can compare their interpretations of a certain passage in the _Daodejing_ , in this case the opening lines of Chapter 6: 'The gully's spirit does not die; She is called "the mysterious cleft".' For Heshanggong, the character 'gully' should be read as 'nourish', and 'spirit' refers to the spirits of the five internal organs; thus, Heshanggong rereads the first line as: 'if you nourish the spirits of the five internal organs you will not die.' He further understands Laozi to mean that the key to not dying lies in the mysterious cleft, with 'mysterious' referring to heaven, and 'cleft' referring to earth. Finally, by relating the cosmos to the human body as macrocosm and microcosm (a standard trope in this period), 'mysterious', which is heaven, refers to the nose, while 'cleft', which is earth, refers to the mouth. For Wang Bi on the other hand, the spirit of the gully 'is the non-gully within the gully'. He claims that it has no shape and no shadow and it neither opposes anything nor moves around anything. It occupies the lowest position and therefore it is the highest of all things. Nonetheless, since it is so low, Wang says it cannot be given a proper designation: so when Laozi says he 'calls' it the 'mysterious cleft', part of the emphasis is on the verb: as he is unable to define it, he simply gives it a convenient label. _Xiang'er_ is different again. For its author, the word _gu_ that we read as 'gully' should be replaced by a similar character pronounced _yu_ that means 'to desire'. Thus, he rereads the first line as meaning 'if you desire that your spirits do not die', and proceeds to give instruction on how to do this. For him, the 'cleft' refers to earth, as it does for Heshanggong, and, by the logic of _yin_ and _yang_ theory, it is feminine. Man, he says, should follow the feminine and not give himself priority if he wishes to engender internal spirits and keep them alive. These three readings of the same pair of lines have little in common. Indeed, it would almost appear that the commentators have come to the _Daodejing_ with their interpretations already formed, or that, at least with a little tweaking of the text, they are able to make the words of the _Daodejing_ act as a skeleton on which they can place the flesh of their choice. This pattern continued through the history of Chinese commentary on the _Daodejing_ , with new interpretations of it appearing in concert with changes in the intellectual and religious climate of the times. Indeed, as Du Daojian observed in the fourteenth century, in an intriguing echo of the passage from Holmes Welch quoted as the epigraph to this Introduction: 'Each time the Way has descended to the earth, it has been different... Thus, Han dynasty commentators produced a Han _Laozi_ , Jin commentators produced a Jin _Laozi_ , and Tang and Song commentators produced Tang and Song _Laozis_.' Chinese commentaries on the _Daodejing_ did not stop in medieval times. Indeed, a particularly intriguing example was written by Yan Fu (1854–1921), one of the greatest transmitters of western thought to China, and translator of Thomas Huxley, Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill, Montesquieu, and Herbert Spencer, the Social Darwinist who coined the term 'survival of the fittest'. In his marginal notes to the _Daodejing_ , Yan found parallels to aspects of the writings of the authors he was reading in western languages, in particular to certain elements of Spencer's philosophy. He also noted echoes of Montesquieu's prescriptions for a democratic state in the descriptions of Laozi's ideal society in Chapter 80 of the _Daodejing_ , and of Darwinism in these lines from Chapter 5: Heaven and earth are not benevolent: They treat the myriad things as a straw dog. More than a hundred years before Yan Fu had found elements of western thought in the _Daodejing_ , the text had been discovered by Europeans: several translations into Latin were apparently made by Jesuits in China during the eighteenth century, one of which was presented to the Royal Society in 1788. The first complete translation into French appeared in 1841 under the name of Stanislaus Julien, and the first into English in 1868 by the Revd John Chalmers, who worked for the London Missionary Society in Hong Kong. Since then translations have appeared regularly—according to Holmes Welch's estimate, between 1934, when Arthur Waley's _The Way and Its Power_ appeared, and 1957, when Welch's own _The Parting of the Way_ was published, a new translation was produced every sixteen months. After 1957, of course, the _Daodejing_ acquired new audiences as one of the required texts of the hippy counter-culture, but this was also the period of increased activity in Chinese Studies in universities across the western world (a still very useful concordance to the text from 1968 is rumoured to have been produced to while away the hours during a student occupation in Munich). As a result, in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s the rate of production of _Daodejing_ translations undoubtedly increased—and since the occurrence of the Internet, growth in this industry has accelerated. Tracing the contours of _Daodejing_ translation is a mammoth task, and not one that will be attempted here, but some broad outlines can be noted. One of the motivations for the study of the Chinese classics, including the _Daodejing_ , in the early period was the attempt to find traces of monotheism in Chinese culture. Some western scholars of China, themselves men of religion, considered that the world had been populated by the scattering of nations after the destruction of the Tower of Babel, as the Jewish Bible narrates. Since this was the case, all peoples at one time must have believed in a single god. If traces of that belief could be found in ancient works from around the world, it would both prove the veracity of Scripture and assist in contemporary missionizing. Even though the word _dao_ was rarely actually translated as 'god'—although there are examples of this—the idea that it was singular, was present before the cosmos was formed, and generated all that existed must surely have been persuasive evidence of an ancient Chinese monotheism for people inclined to find it. Another frequently encountered motivation for translators of the _Daodejing_ is almost the opposite of the first; that is, rather than looking for something familiar in the text, it has been seen as the epitome of the exotic, the storehouse of a wisdom that is radically different from the traditions of the west. These translators proceeded from a position that western culture is, if not moribund, then seriously flawed or corrupt, certainly lacking in a complete understanding of the nature of the cosmos and spirituality. The apparent ambiguity of the _Daodejing_ argued, for them, for a stance towards the world in which not all knowledge could be derived with the tools of rationality. Of course, the danger with such a position is that, in the act of translating, either much of this ambiguity disappears or else the text simply becomes incoherent. Ironically, such an anti-rationalist position stood in direct opposition to other western interpretations that maintained that Daoism represented precisely a rationalist position in Chinese philosophy—one well-known translation from 1913 actually translated _dao_ as 'reason'. A third group of _Daodejing_ translations finds people approaching the text from already well-established spiritual or religious positions. For them, the _Daodejing_ reinforces what they know to be true already. Apart from those people who simply discussed the _Daodejing_ in terms of their own philosophy, like Madame Blavatsky, the founder of Theosophy, and the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, later known as Osho (the last building he lived in at his ashram in Pune was called Lao Tsu House), a prime example of a 'translation' based on this approach is one by Aleister Crowley, proponent of 'magick' and once called 'the wickedest man in the world'. Writing under the name Ko Hsüan, actually a Daoist immortal of the third century CE, Crowley's 'translation' was first published posthumously in 1971. In it, he blends Hermetic Qabalah with a pre-existing English version of the text. Like many others claiming to have translated the _Daodejing_ , Crowley had no knowledge of Chinese, relying instead on the Revd James Legge's version of 1891. The final category of translations that deserves to be mentioned is, of course, that produced by scholars. These are not limited to works of our time—Legge's, for instance, is most certainly scholarly—but it is true that with the growth in Chinese Studies, and the greater knowledge that has been gained of the nature of ancient China through historical research and philology as well as archaeology, many very fine studies and translations of the _Daodejing_ have appeared. This new translation is a case in point. By incorporating insights from the discoveries at Mawangdui and Guodian, and the work of contemporary scholars on many technical questions, Edmund Ryden has produced a _Daodejing_ that is not only as learned as any in circulation but also fresh, and sometimes startling, in its rendering. B. P. ## **NOTE ON THE TEXT AND TRANSLATION** The Chinese editions used as a basis for this translation are _A Concordance to the Daozang Wang Bi ben Laozi and Heshanggong ben Laozi ji Heshanggong zhu_ , ed. D. C. Lau and Chen Fong Ching (Hong Kong: Commercial Press, ICS series, 1995) and Liao Mingchun, _Guodian chujian Laozi jiaoshi_ (Beijing: Qinghua daxue, 2003). The translation follows that of the classical edited text, corrected where necessary with reference to the ancient versions that have been discovered in recent archaeological excavations (see Introduction, pp. xv-xx). The classical edited text is known in Chinese as the _Daodejing_ , or the _Classic of the Way and the Life Force_. Strictly speaking, this name refers to the text after it has been accepted as 'canonical'. Early versions that may pre-date this 'canonization' of the text may be known as the _Laozi_. However, in practice both appellations are used somewhat indiscriminately, and the two names have become synonymous. In the Mawangdui versions (see below), the second part in the classical edition seems to come first, and the title is reversed to _Dedaojing_ , the _Classic of the Life Force and the Way_. Readers who know no Chinese will probably also be confused by the various ways in which the Chinese has been transliterated. The current standard international transliteration is the one used here: hence 'the Way' is transliterated as _Dao_ and the 'author' is known as Laozi. Older forms of transliteration are still quite common, and the title of the book, _Daodejing_ , is also called _Tao-te Ching_ , and the 'author' Laozi can be given as Lau-Tzu or Lao Tzu. The translation is divided into two parts—'The Way' and 'The Life Force'—with eighty-one chapters, numbered according to the classical edition (also referred to as the 'received version'). For reference purposes the chapter numbers of the two principal texts discovered by archaeologists are also included. The first of these sources is a Han dynasty tomb of 168 BCE known as Mawangdui (MWD). In fact the tomb yielded two copies of the _Daodejing_ of slightly different date, but in most respects the two are similar and hence we can refer simply to the Mawangdui version, distinguishing the older (A) and newer (B) editions only when they differ. The second archaeological source is a tomb of around 300 BCE, in which three separate bundles of bamboo slips with chapters from the _Daodejing_ are recorded. The tomb is at Guodian (GD), and the three bundles are distinguished as A, B, and C, with chapter numbers given by the archaeologists. The chapters are numbered according to the classical edition, followed by the Mawangdui chapter number in brackets. Not all chapters appear in Guodian, but where they do the chapter number is also supplied. Square brackets [ ] in the translation are used to indicate phrases that are found in the received version but not in the Mawangdui and Guodian versions. These passages may be later additions, such as conjunctions inserted to link verses together, or even notes, which in Chinese style are inserted into the text itself. Round brackets ( ) indicate phrases found only in the Mawangdui or only in the Mawangdui and Guodian versions. When the _Daodejing_ was edited into its current standard form with eighty-one chapters, a number of lines and characters were cut out. The editors presumably wanted a more concise text, but in doing so they sometimes cut so much that the grammar became ambiguous. Hence these passages in round brackets show what was cut out in the process of editing. Complete reconstruction of the original texts of the ancient versions can be found in Henricks, _Lao-tzu's Tao-Te Ching_ (see Select Bibliography). Curly brackets { } indicate phrases found in the received and Mawangdui versions but not in the Guodian version. Short commentaries intended to elucidate the content of the chapters appear on the opposite pages; further explanatory notes to individual words and phrases can be found at the back of the book, signalled in the text with an asterisk. Three main sources inform the notes: recent scholars (especially D. C. Lau and Wingtsit Chan); variant readings from the original Chinese editing of the text; and the work done on the Mawangdui and Guodian versions by scholars such as Liao Mingchun, Robert Henricks, and D. C. Lau. The earliest known commentary on parts of the _Daodejing_ is by Hanfei ( _c_.280— _c_.233 BCE), a brilliant philosopher who died tragically young, and the mysterious 'master who lives by the river' (Heshanggong) (between _c_. early fourth century and late sixth century CE), whose verse-by-verse commentary provides the standard moralistic reading of the text. ## **SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY** The best-known translation of the _Daodejing_ in English is by D. C. Lau, and was published in 1963. Following the publication of the Mawangdui versions Lau revised his translation, publishing it in 1983 in Hong Kong with the Chinese text, and again in 1994 without: D. C. Lau, _Lao Tzu Tao Te Ching: Translation of the Ma Wang Tui Manuscripts_ (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1994). Another well-known version is by Wing-tsit Chan, and appears in his _Source Book in Chinese Philosophy_ (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1963). Robert G. Henricks has produced a version with detailed notes, and including the Chinese text of the Mawangdui versions: _Lao-tzu: Te-Tao Ching: A New Translation Based on the Recently Discovered Ma-wang-tui Texts_ (New York: Ballantine Books, 1989). To understand the basic metaphors of the Way and of Virtue, there can be no better book than Sarah Allan's _The Way of Water and Sprouts of Virtue_ (Albany: SUNY Press), published in 1997 after years of work. Although more technical and speculative, her essay on 'The Great One, Water, and the _Laozi:_ New Light from Guodian', _T'oung Pao_ , 89: 4/5 (Dec. 2003), 237–85, extends the thought of her book to suggest that the basic metaphor of the Way is that of the Milky Way. Dr Allan also wrote an introduction to the 1994 edition of Lau's translation. Benjamin Schwartz and Angus Graham have written two very different accounts of Chinese philosophy, both of which deal with the _Daodejing_. Schwartz's _The World of Thought in Ancient China_ (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1985) reads the text as a work of religious, mystical philosophy; whereas Graham's _The Disputers of the Tao: Philosophical Argument in Ancient China_ (La Salle: Open Court, 1989) sees it as using logical reversal to upset familiar patterns of speech and recover spontaneity. David Nivison's account of 'The Classical Philosophical Writings' in the _Cambridge History of Ancient China: From the Origins of Civilization to 221 BC_ (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999) places the _Daodejing_ in the context of the Legalist philosopher Han Fei, who provides the first commentary on it. All three accounts are worth reading. Max Kaltenmark's _Lao Tzu and Taoism_ (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1969) may be old but is still a good, simple introduction to Laozi, the _Laozi_ and Daoism. Specialists interested in the Guodian text should consult the proceedings of a conference edited by Sarah Allan and Crispin Williams, _The Guodian Laozi: Proceedings of the International Conference, Dartmouth College, May 1998_ (Berkeley: Institute for East Asian Studies, University of California, 2000), but this work does not actually give an English translation of the text. On the textual history of the _Laozi_ , William Boltz's short but very scholarly account in Loewe's _Early Chinese Texts: A Bibliographical Guide_ (Berkeley: Institute of East Asian Studies, 1993) is essential reading. On early religious Daoism the best introduction is the 'General Introduction' to Stephen R. Bokenkamp's _Early Daoist Scriptures_ (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997). An easily obtained one-volume study is Russell Kirkland's _Taoism: The Enduring Tradition_ (New York and London: Routledge, 2004). ### _Further reading in Oxford World's Classics_ Confucius, _The Analects_ , trans. Raymond Dawson. Sima Qian, _The First Emperor: Selections from the Historical Records_ , trans. Raymond Dawson. ## **A CHRONOLOGY OF THE _DAODEJING_** 571–480 BCE | Traditional dates ascribed to Laozi, the supposed author. ---|--- 551–479 | Traditional dates of Master Kong (Confucius). _475_ – _221_ BCE | _Warring States Period_. 300 | Probable date of the Guodian burial. 280–233 | Han Fei, the first to write a commentary on the _Daodejing_. _206 BCE-8 CE_ | _Western Han dynasty_. 201–169 | Jia Yi, author of the Owl Poem, which quotes the _Daodejing_. Pre-195 | Probable date of the Mawangdui A version. Pre-180 | Probable date of the Mawangdui B version. 4 April 168 | Date of Mawangdui Tomb 3 containing the earliest copies of the _Daodejing_. 80 BCE–10 CE | Yan Zun. The earliest transmitted version of the _Daodejing_ is associated with an essay by this writer. _9–23 CE_ | _Hsin dynasty of Wang Mang_. 25–220 | _Eastern Han dynasty_. 142 | Laozi appears to Zhang Dao-ling, the founder of religious Daoism. _c_. 170 | Supposed date of (apocryphal) Heshanggong ('the master who lives by the river'), who is associated with the most widely used version of the _Daodejing_. 226–49 | Wang Bi, the philosopher who wrote a famous commentary on the _Daodejing_. 365–448 | Celestial Master Kou Qianzhi, who has a vision of Laozi. 372–427 | Tao Yuanming, author of _Record of the Peach Orchard_ , which draws on the ideal life presented in Ch. 80 of the _Daodejing_. _618–907_ | _Tang dynasty:_ emperors believe Laozi is their ancestor. 558– _c_.639 | Fu Yi, Grand Astrologer at court, who studied many versions of the _Daodejing_ and produced a standard text. _960_ – _1279_ | _Song dynasty_. 1021–86 | Wang Anshi, statesman and commentator of the _Laozi_. 1037–1101 | Su Shi, author of _Record of the Land of Sleep_ , based on Ch. 80 of the _Daodejing_. _1368_ – _1644_ | _Ming dynasty_. 1521–66 | Reign of Jia Jing Emperor, a fervent practitioner of magical Daoism. 1899–1966 | Arthur Waley, translator. 1919–91 | Angus Charles Graham, Sinologist and translator. 1972–4 | Discovery of the Mawangdui tombs. 1993 | Discovery of the Guodian tomb. 1998 | Dartmouth College Conference on the Guodian _Daodejing_. ## **DAODEJING** ## **THE WAY** The basic metaphor in this chapter is of the Way as the mother who gives life to all that is. What exists comes from the darkness of her womb, but the text stresses that what is visible is the same as what is hidden within the womb. We are invited to think both in the direction of the whole of existence but also to follow life back to its source within the womb. The stripping away of yearning and desire helps us to go back to the womb; whilst allowing full play to yearning makes us long to see all that exists. ### **I** ### **( MWD 45)** The nameless is the inception of the myriad things;* The named is the mother of the myriad things. Therefore, Be ever without yearning* so as to observe her obscurity; Be ever full of yearning so as to observe what she longs for.* Both come forth alike and yet are named as opposites, Alike they are called 'abstruse'. Abstruse on abstruse, the gate to all obscurity. Chapter 2 takes us into a world of relative contrasts: hot is hot in relation to cold rather than because there is some absolute heat or coldness. This idea introduces us to the behaviour of the Sage. The Sage is both a wise person and the ruler. Since at the time such a wise ruler was almost certainly male, the translation uses masculine pronouns for the Sage to contrast with the feminine pronouns used for the Way. The Sage is portrayed as someone who does not interfere in the natural course of events. He does not _act_ , and as a result things are free to grow and act naturally. The paradox is that precisely by not engaging in deliberate activity, the Sage never loses control. ### **2** ### **( MWD 46; GD A9)** All under heaven know beauty as beauty, therefore there is ugliness; All under heaven know good as good, therefore there is badness. [Therefore], Being and beingless* generate each other; Difficult and easy form each other; Long and short shape each other; High and low complete each other; Note and voice match each other; Front and back follow each other. (Such are all perennial.) For this reason, The Sage abides in the practice of not acting, undertakes teaching without words. The myriad things act, yet he does not initiate them,* They generate, yet he does not possess them,* They act, yet he does not rely on them; Tasks come to fruition, yet he does not dwell on them.* Indeed, because he does not dwell on them, for this reason he does not lose them. Our normal expectation is that government officials should be competent persons, but here the Sage is advised to avoid all valuing of things or posts. When a society does not consider things valuable then there will be no competition and people will quietly go about their business, and the astute and clever people will have no means to supplant the ruler. ### **3** ### **( MWD 47)** Promote not the worthy, then the people will not compete. Esteem not objects hard to obtain, then the people will not be thieves. Display not what is desirable, then the people's hearts will not be turbid. For this reason, The government of the Sage is thus: He empties his mind,* fills his belly; Weakens his will, strengthens his bones, Ever making it such* that the people have no knowing, no longing. If you can make it so that the astute dare not act, Then you will discover there is nothing you cannot govern. The metaphysical notion of the Way is modelled on the Milky Way. The Milky Way (called Silver River in Chinese) was understood as emerging from the Pole Star. Like all rivers, it flows out of an empty abyss in the mountains (or in the sky). This chapter describes how the Milky Way comes down to earth, as her stars (the sharp points of light) become vague and the light weakens and all is merged with the earth, whilst yet still being the most ancient thing there is. Apart from being seen as a river or as stars, the Way is also like woven cloth, therefore she seems to unravel as she comes closer to earth. Heshanggong gives a moral reading of the passage, according to which the Sage casts off anger and becomes one with ordinary folk. ### **4** ### **( MWD 48)** The Way is empty, Yet in using her, there is something that does not fill her.* An Abyss —she is the forebear of the myriad things. She files away her sharp points;* She unravels her weft;* She dims her light; She merges with the earth.* Obliterated —she scarcely exists. I do not know whose child she is, —before the first god, she was. This chapter gives us three sayings which may be unrelated. The Sage's conduct is modelled on that of heaven and earth, which show no partiality to anyone. The _straw dog_ mentioned here was a substitute for a real animal offered in sacrifice. Once the sacrifice was over the model could be discarded. The second passage on the bellows and blow-pipe is joined to the first because both speak about heaven and earth. Two ideas are brought out: the inexhaustible life of heaven and earth and the fact that their vitality comes from emptiness. The third saying is perhaps a post-Guodian addition which takes up the theme of emptiness. ### **5** ### **( MWD 49; GD A12)** Heaven and earth are not benevolent: They treat the myriad things as a straw dog. The Sage is not benevolent: He treats the common people as a straw dog. Heaven and earth are like the bellows and the blow-tube:* As emptiness increases, they inhale less and less;* As they press together, they expel more and more. {To talk too much is merely chatter;* It cannot match retaining emptiness.}* As in Chapter 4, this chapter makes sense if we see the Way as a river, which is what the gully's spirit is; as female, the mysterious cleft is the entrance to her womb; and as woven cloth that continuously comes out from the womb. Weaving was done by women, and among the indigenous tribes of Taiwan men are never allowed to touch the women's looms. The weaver sits on the ground with the loom held by her feet and the cloth emerges as if from her womb. See also the Introduction, pp. xxv–xxvi. ### **6** ### **( MWD 50)** The gully's spirit does not die; She is called 'the mysterious cleft'. The gate to the mysterious cleft Is called 'the root of heaven and earth'. Weaving on, continuously existing, Use of her shall never end. The Sage models himself on heaven and earth, by putting himself in the last place and so becoming first. ### **7** ### **( MWD 51)** Heaven grows; earth lasts; The reason why heaven grows and earth lasts is because They do not generate themselves; Therefore they live a long time. For this reason the Sage Holds himself back and he is ahead; Puts aside his self and he exists. Were this not to be by not valuing his own affairs, how else could it be? Therefore he can accomplish his own affairs. This chapter lists seven activities, and in each case gives the quality that each activity should aim for. There is a progression from the inner qualities such as thinking towards outward activities which involve governing a state. The last line grants an assurance of success in language reminiscent of the declarations of the diviners recorded on the oracle bones, inscriptions on the shoulder-blades of oxen or turtle plastrons dating from between 1350 and 1100 BCE. ### **8** ### **( MWD 52)** The highest goodness is like water: Water benefits the myriad things and rests in the places everybody detests. Therefore, It is close to the Way. Dwelling aims to be earth-bound; Thinking aims to be profound; Giving aims to be like heaven;* Speaking aims to be trustworthy; Governing aims to be correct; Accomplishing aims to be capable; Undertaking aims to be timely. Only through not competing will there be no disaster. There is a balance in the way of heaven that should be imitated. It imposes a natural control. Four images are suggested: the desire to fill a cup to the brim; to sharpen a sword blade to its finest edge; to accumulate wealth; and to win high position; but all these need to be curtailed if one is to keep to the way of heaven. ### **9** ### **( MWD 53; GD A20)** To hold and fill is not equal to stopping when nearly full;* To whet and sharpen a blade means it will not keep for long. When gold and jade fill* the storeroom,* none can keep them; When riches and honour lead to pride, you heap disaster on yourself. When tasks are done, then retire, that is the way of heaven. The poet sets out ways for the ruler to engage in meditation. He is to let the world be, and in this way alone can he truly govern it. The _earthy soul_ is that aspect of a person that sinks into the ground at death. In meditation the Sage carries it, as it were, on his head. _Concentrating_ qi _to its weakest:_ the image here is masculine: _qi_ is the force that flows through the body and the world, but it is also the male seed, and the idea here is that the penis is small like that of a baby boy. The birth of a male child represents the rise of _yang. Opening and closing:_ here the image is female: the gate clearly being a reference to the entrance to the womb. ### **10** ### **( MWD 54)** Supporting the earthy soul, hugging the One, can you ensure they are not lost? Concentrating _qi_ to its weakest, can you be a baby boy? Washing and cleaning the dark mirror, can you make it without stain? Loving people and giving life to the state,* can you do it without knowledge? Opening and closing heaven's gate, can you do it like a woman? Discerning to the four directions, can you do it without knowledge? She generates them; nourishes them;* She generates yet does not own them; She quickens yet does not possess them; She stewards yet does not master them. She is called 'abstruse life force'.* The 'emptiness' at the centre of the wheel or in the pot or the doors and windows is what is most valuable. The frame, the pot, and the spokes simply enclose it. These are all images of the Way within the world. ### **11** ### **( MWD 55)** Thirty spokes held in one hub; —In beingless lies the cartwheel's usefulness; Moulding clay into pots; —In beingless lies the pot's usefulness; Chiselling doors and windows to make a room; —In beingless lies the room's usefulness; Therefore, Possess something to make it profit you; Take it as nothing to make it useful for you.* Art, music, tasty food, hunting, and rare objects are all attractive to the eye and awaken desire. The Sage must learn to say no to these desires. ### **12** ### **( MWD 56)** The five colours* turn a man's eyes blind; The five notes turn a man's ears deaf; The five tastes turn a man's palate dull; Racing through fields hunting turns a man's heart wild; Goods hard to obtain cause a man's progress to halt. For this reason, The ruling of the Sage* is by the belly not by the eyes. Therefore, Reject the latter and take up the former. _Grace_ (promotion) and _disgrace_ (demotion) are granted to a person by the ruler and both come from outside. But how they are seen depends on the reaction of the recipients themselves: this is what is meant by 'honour' and 'dishonour', the subjective evaluation of what has been granted. The poet argues that if we can forget about our own self esteem then it does not matter whether we are promoted or demoted. Such a person has attained to an indifference that makes him a worthy and impartial ruler of the world. ### **13** ### **( MWD 57; GD B4)** Grace and disgrace strike unexpectedly; Honour and dishonour are self-inflicted.* What is meant by grace and disgrace strike unexpectedly? Grace for those of low estate: When it comes, comes unexpectedly; When lost, it is also unexpectedly. This is what is meant by grace and disgrace strike unexpectedly. What is meant by honour and dishonour are self-inflicted? I come across a great disaster because I have a self. Now, if I did not have a self then what disaster could befall me? Therefore, One who values regulating himself as much as regulating the world, May be entrusted with the world. One who loves himself as much as he loves the world, May be granted keep of the world.* In this chapter the images of the Way as starlight (the Milky Way) and as a woven cloth constantly intertwine. The latter image is present in the ideas of 'winding and twisting' and the final reference to _the beginning of the Way_ , where the word for beginning refers to the head end of a thread. The image of light is clear from the translation itself. ### **14** ### **( MWD 58)** Look at her and you do not see her: name her invisible;* Listen to her and you do not hear her, name her inaudible; Touch her and you do not feel her, name her intangible.* These three cannot be investigated further and so they merge and become one. One:* there is nothing brighter above her nor darker below her. Winding and twisting: she cannot be named; She reverts back to when there was beingless. She is called 'the shape without a shape'; 'the image of what is not a thing'. She is obscure light! Welcoming her* you do not see her head; Following her you do not see her tail; Grasping the Way of old* so as to guide the beings of today; Know that the ancient beginning is called 'the beginning of the Way'. The ideal Way-farer, someone who really puts the Way into practice, is abstruse and profound. He is untouched by civilization and hence seems to be like solid wood or a muddy pool. He is _hun dun_ , an expression which refers to the chaos time before the world came to be in its present form: the cosmic soup. ### **15** ### **( MWD 59; GD A5)** The good Way-farers of olden days were always unseen, mysterious, communing with the abstruse, so deep they could not be fathomed. {It is because they could not be fathomed, that,} Therefore, I make this ode for them: Careful, as he in winter fords a river; Cautious, as he fears his neighbours; Formal, as a guest; Far off, as apart _as when ice drifts apart;* Hun_ like a wooden lump;* _Dun_ like a muddy dump. {Open like a valley.}* He who can make a muddy pool clear, It shall then indeed be clear. He who can make a woman his master,* She shall then indeed give life. He who keeps this Way does not want to overflow. {Only because he does not overflow, can he lie hidden and incomplete.}* The pattern set out here is that of death: returning to the root, stillness, and the allotted length of life. The Mawangdui texts use _heng_ as an adverb or adjective referring to what is perennial and _chang_ as the noun 'what is ever thus'. The received version obscures the distinction by using _chang_ in both cases, in order to avoid the personal name of Liu Heng, Emperor Wen of the Han (r. 180–157 BCE). ### **16** ### **( MWD 60; GD A13)** Attaining vacuity is perennial;* Keeping to emptiness is everlasting.* The myriad things leap forth;* I am at rest to watch their return. The heavenly Way* is flourishing; Each thing returns to its roots. Returning to the root is called 'stillness'; Stillness, this is called 'returning to life's decree'; Returning to life's decree is called 'what is ever thus'; Knowing what is ever thus is called 'being illuminated'; Not knowing what is ever thus is to be reckless; Being reckless is to court disaster. He who knows what is ever thus can embrace all; He who embraces all can be public-minded; He who is public-minded can be king; He who is king can be heaven; He who is heaven can be the Way; He who is the Way can last for ever. By obscuring himself* he never meets disaster. While no ruler wants to be laughed at, many seek to rule by inspiring fear among their subordinates or by awakening love and respect from their subjects, but the Sage ruler is so unobtrusive that people are hardly aware of his presence and things seem just to happen naturally. Mawangdui groups Chapters 17– as one unit. ### **17** ### **( MWD 61; GD CI)** Regarding the highest rulers, those below only know of their existence;* As for lesser ones, they love and praise them; As for even lesser ones, they fear them; As for the least ones, they mock them. When trustworthiness is lacking, then there is lack of trust. Ah-ha! What a valuable saying. If I complete affairs and achieve my goals, Then the ordinary people say: 'for us it was just natural.' In this chapter we learn that the great Confucian moral values of _benevolence, justice, filial piety_ , and _loyalty_ are not the highest perfection. The era of the Way itself is much nobler. For more passages criticizing these virtues, see Chapters 19 and below. The six relationships are those between parents and children, older and younger siblings, husband and wife. ### **18** ### **( MWD 62; GD C2)** Therefore, When the great Way is neglected there arises benevolence and justice; When wisdom comes forth, there arises great artifice; When the six relationships are disharmonious, there arises filial piety and fraternal affection; When the state is in chaos, there arises the loyal minister. This chapter rejects one set of ideals and proposes another. In the received version what is rejected are the Confucian values of benevolence and justice, and of sageliness and wisdom. There is also a rejection of business interests. The Guodian version is weaker: what is rejected are all practices that could fairly universally be condemned: sleight of word in debating, profiteering, and scheming. The ideal proposed is that of simplicity and the termination of desire. ### **19** ### **( MWD 63; GD AI)** Cut off sageliness,* get rid of wisdom, the people are better off a hundred times; Cut off benevolence, get rid of justice, the people return to filial piety and fraternal affection; Cut off knavery, get rid of profiteering, thieves and robbers are no more. Three sayings, yet their formulation is not sufficient: Therefore there must be an affirmative injunction:* Look to the simple; hold the lumpen; reduce self-love; curb desire. Learning teaches us what is right and what is wrong, but the _Daodejing_ questions whether such distinctions are worthwhile. The poet contrasts himself with those who rejoice and are successful. Even today, Chinese people celebrate the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) by climbing a terrace to view the countryside. The Sage of the _Daodejing_ is, however, like a stillborn baby. In fact the term is 'stagnant', and moral readings of the 'sign of life' give versions that read _I alone am still, showing no sign of desires_. But if we read it in conjunction with the next line, we see that the baby's smile is the sign of life. He is sucking his mother's milk, literally: _I value eating mother_. In keeping with the above, the image is that of the baby, here sucking its mother's milk, oblivious to all other concerns. ### **20** ### **( MWD 64; GD B3)** Ending learning brings no sorrow. Yea and Nay: what does it matter? Best and Worst: what's the difference? One whom others fear cannot but fear others too. Confusion: the end is not yet nigh! Everyone rejoices, as when enjoying a holiday, or when in Spring one climbs a terrace.* I alone am stillborn, showing no sign of life, Like a baby that has not yet smiled. Wearied: I have nowhere to go to. Everybody has more than enough and I alone am bereft. I have a fool's heart, dull, dumb. Common folk shine; I alone am gloomy; Common folk excel; I alone am downcast. Adrift like the sea, blown about with nowhere to halt. Everyone has good reasons; I alone have a bumpkin's stubbornness. I long to be alone and am unlike others, for I appreciate sucking my mother's milk. This chapter develops the maternal image of the Way, which I have brought out in the translation by using the term 'womb'. The sequence of the lines takes us back from the vague embryo to the seed that first brought about the pregnancy. ### **21** ### **( MWD 65)** That utmost life force* includes all things is only because it comes from the Way. The Way is without action: uniquely vague, uniquely elusive. Elusive ah! Vague ah! Within her womb there is a vague shape. Vague ah! Elusive ah! Within her womb there is a something. Recess ah! Obscure ah! Within her womb there is the seed. That seed is most authentic.* Within her womb it is sure. From of old till now, her name does not fade. By this we observe the emergence of all things.* How do I know the shape of the beginning of all things? By this. In the Mawangdui versions the order of the next four chapters is 24–22–23–25. ### **22** ### **( MWD 67)** Only by bending can you be whole; Only by twisting* can you be straight. Only by hollowing out can you be full; Only by being used up* can you be new. Only by reducing can you obtain; Only by having excess can you be tempted. For this reason, The Sage embraces the One so as to be the pointer of all under heaven.* He does not reveal himself,* therefore he shines brightly; He does not affirm himself; therefore he radiates out; He does not appropriate to himself, therefore he achieves. He does not magnify himself, therefore he increases. It is only because he does not compete that, therefore, under heaven there is none who can compete with him.* The old saying _Only by bending can you be whole_ is very true.* Truly it enables one to go home to wholeness. The initial metaphors make clear that everything only lasts for a certain period of time; there is a time of growth and a time of loss and both are aspects of the Way. Some translations associate only the time of growth with the Way and assume that the time of loss refers to losing the Way, but such a reading does not fit the grammar or structure of the passage. The words for _life force_ and _knife force_ sound alike in ancient Chinese and even in some older dialects today. ### **23** ### **( MWD 68)** Silent of speech is nature's course. Therefore a typhoon does not last all morning; Pounding rain does not last all day. Who makes them? Heaven and earth.* Yet if heaven and earth cannot make them last, Then how much less can men do so? Therefore,* For one who acts according to the Way: The Way-farer becomes one with the Way: The grower becomes one with the life force. The loser becomes one with the knife force. For one who is one with the Way, the Way likewise is happy to have him; For one who is one with the life force, the life force likewise is happy to have him; For one who is one with the knife force, the knife force likewise is happy to have him. When trustworthiness is lacking, then there is lack of trust.][* ### **24** ### **( MWD 66)** The puffed up* do not stand upright; The overleaping do not walk ahead; The self-revealing* do not shine brightly; The self-affirming do not radiate out; The self-appropriating do not achieve; The self-magnifying do not increase. With respect to the Way these are called 'over-eating and overdoing it'. As there are things that hate this, (Therefore,) Those who have the Way* do not indulge in them. This chapter, along with Chapters 1, , and , is one of the great metaphysical chapters of the _Daodejing_. The Way is transcendent to all that exists. No language can be adequate to describe her. The only name that is appropriate is 'great'. The title the 'Way' is the public designation and not a personal name. The text explains 'great' as going far away and then returning, clearly an image of the sun, which seems to go far away at sunset but next morning comes back. However, this does not mean the Way is the sun. It simply means that the image of the sun's cycle is one picture conjuring up the sense of surpassing greatness. The metaphysics of the _Daodejing_ is a political metaphysics. The king embodies the Way and is hence great, just as heaven and earth are. In pre-imperial China the Zhou king was the nominal ruler of all China, though the term 'king' was also used in the southern state of Chu and later by usurping states in the north. Use of the royal title involved a political-religious claim: the ruler sees himself as the centre of the world for his state is like the Way is to the world. ### **25** ### **( MWD 69; GD AII)** A thing* was formed murkily; she was generated before heaven and earth. Silent and vast,* unique she stands and does not change; She turns full circle and is not used up.* She can be the mother of the world.* I do not know her name; I entitle her* the Way; I force myself to name her Great. What is great goes afar; going afar she turns, turning she comes back. The Way is great,* heaven is great, earth is great, and the King is also great. In the realm there are four greats and the King is one of them. Humans imitate the earth; earth imitates heaven; Heaven imitates the Way; the Way imitates her natural self.* This chapter describes the Sage ruler who is not distracted by everything happening around him, but in the calm of his own home is able to be one with the Way and hence see beyond and more deeply into reality without being misled by superficial events. He must keep to the root, to the basic Way, and only then can he wield power over the world. ### **26** ### **( MWD 70)** Heaviness provides the root for what is light; Stillness wields her sceptre over what is noisy. For this reason, The Sage travels all day and does not leave his wagon-train.* Only when* in his gate tower* at rest, does he see beyond. How is it that the lord of ten thousand chariots can so lightly scorn the world? Were he light then he would fall away from the root; Were he noisy then he would fall away from the sceptre. The five images that open this chapter all suggest that the Sage acts in such a way as to leave no trace of his passing. This idea has already been encountered in Chapter 17. The second part of the chapter notes that nothing and no one are to be rejected. ### **27** ### **( MWD 71)** The good traveller leaves no cart rut; The good speaker is flawless in his admonition; The good accountant uses no marker or slip; The good closer of doors uses no bolt or bar, yet the doors cannot be opened; The good binder of knots uses no string or rope, yet the knots cannot be undone. For this reason, The Sage is Always good at saving people, therefore there is no one left out; Always good at saving things, therefore there is nothing left out. This is called 'Wearing Insight upon Insight'.* Therefore the good person is the teacher of the bad; The bad person is the raw material for the good. If you do not value your teacher or if you do not love your raw material, Then even if you are wise yet you will go greatly astray. This is called 'the Key to the Mystery'. Here we have three contrasting pairs: cock–hen, white–black, glory–shame. The conspicuous roles are what most desire: the pride of the cock, the purity of whiteness, and the glory of a high position. These must all be known, but the Sage is to aim for their opposites: the inconspicuous submissiveness of the hen, the impurity of blackness, and the shame of a low position, because only in this way can he attain to simplicity. ### **28** ### **( MWD 72)** To know the cock yet hold on to the hen is to be the valley of the world. Once you are the valley of the world, perennial life force will not desert you. Perennial life force not deserting you brings you back to the state of the infant. To know the white yet hold on to the black is to be the pointer of the world. Once you are the pointer of the world, perennial life force will not waver. Perennial life force not wavering brings you back to the limitless. To know honour* yet hold on to shame is to be the gully of the world. Once you are the gully of the world, perennial life force will now suffice; Perennial life force now sufficing brings you back to lumpen wood. Lumpen wood is cut up and made into cups; The Sage uses it,* however, to become the chief official. Therefore, Great ruling leaves no scar. The Sage has nothing to do with extremes, whether good (excellence) or bad (excess). ### **29** ### **( MWD 73)** There are those who want to take the world and run it: I see they will not succeed. The world is a spiritual vessel and cannot be run. One who runs it destroys it; one who seizes it loses it. Therefore for things: Some go ahead; some follow behind; Some blow hot; some blow cold; Some are strong; some are conquered; Some file down; some are filed down. For this reason, The Sage rejects extremes, rejects excess, rejects excellence. Chapters 30 and 31 deal with warfare. China has no tradition of pacifism, but there is much discussion of the morality of warfare. Conflict was seen as inevitable, and great Sages even engaged in conflict to bring about justice. The Tang dynasty general Wang Zhen wrote a commentary on the _Daodejing_ in a pacifist sense, urging the emperor, Xian Zong (r. 805–20) to reduce warfare. In this chapter the focus is on the attitude of the commanding general. Indeed, the greatest general is the one who can succeed without ever a battle being fought. ### **30** ### **( MWD 74; GD A4)** One who helps the lord of men according to the Way, Does not use arms to subdue the world since such actions easily rebound. Where armies are encamped, thorny bushes grow. After great battles there will inevitably be lean years.][* The good know when enough is enough and do not go on to win subjection.* When enough is done he does not boast of it;* When enough is done he does not brag about it; When enough is done he does not take pride in it.* [Even that enough is done only as a last resort.] This is called 'Doing enough and not going on to subdue.' When things are mature* then they turn old: this is called 'Negating the Way'. What negates the Way will soon be lost. In the Han dynasty, Liu An, king of Huainan _(c_. 179–122 BCE), supervised a compilation of pre-Han thoughts on many subjects. Chapter 15 of his _Huainanzi_ takes up the theme of warfare and describes the general leaving the temple to go to war dressed as if he were a corpse. On returning victorious he offers his apologies for the slaughter and retires. ### **31** ### **( MWD 75; GD C4)** Now as for weapons, they are instruments of bad luck; Such things: there are those that hate them; Therefore those who have the Way do not dwell on them. The Gentleman when at peace appreciates the left; when at war appreciates the right. For this reason it is said: Weapons are instruments of bad luck; They are not the instruments of a gentleman. Only as a last resort may they be used. Even then, concealing sharp edges* is the priority, They should not be indulged in.* To indulge in them is to enjoy slaughtering others. Now one who enjoys slaughtering others cannot realize his will in the world. Therefore, On festive occasions the left is the place of honour; At funerals the right is the place of honour.* For this reason, The lieutenant-general stands on the left; The commander-in-chief stands on the right. In other words, they take position as at a funeral. Therefore, When others are slaughtered in numbers, weep over it with sorrow and grief; When victory is won, mark it with a funeral ceremony. While the Way is named 'great', she is also small. As this chapter shows, she is like a little stream in a valley, but the stream will become the river and the ocean and hence it is both small and great at the same time. ### **32** ### **( MWD 76; GD AIO)** The Way is ever nameless, When lumpen she seems small, Yet heaven and earth do not dare to treat her as their subordinate. If counts* and kings could grasp her, The myriad things would pay court to them of themselves. Heaven and earth came together to send down sweet dew —Though none among the people commanded them— They spread it evenly by themselves. Once a beginning was determined, there were names. Once there were names, Then you must also know them; If you know them you will be able to avoid disaster.* The Way is to the world, as a small gully is to rivers and seas.* ### **33** ### **( MWD 77)** To know others is wisdom; To know oneself is insight. To conquer others is to have force; To conquer oneself is to be strong. To know what is enough is to be rich; To forcibly press on is to be ambitious. To not lose what one has is to last; To die yet not depart* is to be long-lived. This chapter again brings us to reflect on the paradox of the Way as both great and small. The image of water that is clear, from the first line, can help us to also understand the rest of the chapter: water enters into all things but does not claim lordship over them: rather, it enables them to grow and be themselves. The Sage is asked to carry out a similar role. ### **34** ### **( MWD 78)** The great Way floods her banks; she can go left or right. She completes her tasks, pursues her affairs, yet she is given no ownership for this. The myriad things flow back to her, yet she does not lord it over them,* On the contrary, She is ever without yearning and can be named among the small things. The myriad things flow back to her, yet she does not lord it over them, She can be named among what is great. For this reason, The reason why the Sage can do great things is because he never himself acts as great, Therefore he can be great. The Way lacks attraction and so most people ignore her, but the Sage knows better. ### **35** ### **( MWD 79; GD C3)** Model yourself on* the great symbol, and the world will turn to you. All will turn to you and be unharmed, thus there will be great peace. For entertainment and refreshments, passing travellers will halt. Therefore, The discourse of the Way* is insipid and tasteless: Looking at her, you will not see her; Listening to her, you will not hear her, Yet she cannot be used up.* A series of four paradoxes culminates in the idea of the weak overcoming the strong. The final metaphor contrasts fish and weapons. Both fish and armour have scales, so the fish is a symbol of the Sage, who is the secret weapon of a state. ### **36** ### **( MWD 80)** If you want to shrink something, you must definitely stretch it; If you want to weaken something, you must definitely strengthen it. If you want to abolish something, you must definitely elevate it;* If you want to snatch something, you must definitely donate it. This is called 'Subtle Insight'. What is weak and soft wins out over what is hard and strong. A fish should not be withdrawn from the deeps; The sharp weapons of the state should not be shown to others. ### **37** ### **( MWD 81; GD A7)** The Way is ever nameless. And so there is nothing she does not do.[*] If counts and kings could grasp her, then the myriad things would act* of their own accord. If they act and want to impel, Let them* correct* things on the pattern of the nameless lump. They will also know what is enough.* To know what is enough enables one to comprehend.* The myriad things will fix themselves* of their own accord. ## **THE LIFE FORCE** In the Mawangdui versions this is Chapter 1 of the text. It is also the first chapter commented on by Hanfei. The chapter opens the traditional second part, the _Dejing_ (Classic of the Life Force). Along with Chapter 19, it sees the Confucian values as a falling-away from the values of the Way. ### **38** ### **( MWD 1)** The highest life force does not cling to vitality, for this reason it is vital; The lowest life force does not let go of vitality, for this reason it has no vitality; The highest life force neither acts nor has any motive to do so. The lowest life force acts, yet it has a motive to do so;][* The highest benevolence acts, but still it has no motive to do so. The highest justice both acts and has a reason to do so. The highest ceremony acts, and if none respond, it rolls up its sleeves and forces them. Therefore, Once the Way was lost, only then was there the life force; Once the life force was lost, only then was there benevolence; Once benevolence was lost, only then was there justice; Once justice was lost, only then was there ceremony. This ceremony is the veneer of loyalty and trust and the ugly head of disorder. To be acquainted with this beforehand is the blossoming of the Way and the first step to becoming a fool. For this reason, the Great Man Abides in the substance, and does not dwell in the veneer; Abides in the fruit, and does not dwell in the flower. Therefore, Reject the latter and choose the former. The unique is another name for the Way but it is also a political claim: the unique ruler has absolute claims over his state. The Way enables things to realize their true essence and hence is the basis for political rule. ### **39** ### **( MWD 2)** Those of old who grasped the unique are the following: Heaven grasped the unique and became clear; Earth grasped the unique and became still; Spirits grasped the unique and became ghostly; Gullies grasped the unique and became full; [The myriad things grasped the unique and became alive;] Counts and kings grasped the unique and became the norm for the world. The sequel of this is: It is said: had heaven not been clear, then, I fear, it would have split; It is said: had earth not been still, then, I fear, it would have crumbled; It is said: had spirits not been clear, then, I fear, they would have ossified; It is said: had gullies not been full, then, I fear, they would have run dry; [It is said: had the myriad things not become alive, then, I fear, they would have perished;] It is said: had counts and kings not esteemed rank, then, I fear, they would have fallen. Therefore, Nobility is rooted in humility; high rank is founded in lowliness; For this reason, Counts and kings call themselves Orphan, Widower, Lack-Grain.* Is this not to be rooted in humility? Is it not? Therefore, They consider their army of chariots as having no chariot.* Wherefore, Seek not to jingle-jingle like jade pendants, Rather rumble-rumble like huge boulders.* Another of the metaphysical chapters. We have already seen that the greatness of the Way is defined in terms of a reversal, characterized by the movement of the sun with respect to the earth. Weakness is a characteristic of water and hence also of the Way. What makes this chapter famous is its sequence of 'beingless' to 'being' to 'all that exists'. Each is said to generate the next, where the verb 'generate' is that of plant growth. In other words the basic image is of a seed generating a sapling, which becomes a tree. There is a continuity of movement that is obscured if we take being-less and being as separate objects. It is instructive to see how the two most famous early commentaries read this chapter. Heshanggong comments: 'Heaven and earth, spirits bright, insects that fly and worms that wriggle all are generated from the Way. The Way is without form, hence it is said to be generated from nothing. This saying indicates that the root is more important than the flower, weakness more powerful than strength, humility overcomes pomposity.' Wang Bi writes: 'Things under heaven all are generated through being. What being begins from is by taking beingless as its root. If you want to attain to the fullness of being, you must return to beingless.' Since we cannot be sure of the date of the Heshanggong commentary it is not clear which of these two is earlier, but their joint existence gave rise to continuous discussions, with philosophers generally preferring Wang Bi. In the Mawangdui versions this chapter is found after the next (Chapter 41). ### **40** ### **( MWD 4; GD A19)** Reversal is the moving of the Way; Weakness is the using of the Way. The world's myriad things are generated from being; Being is generated from beingless. Only a few people understand the importance of the Way. Many simply laugh at it. From this observation the poet goes on to list various paradoxes associated with the Way or the Life Force (here translated as 'vitality'). The chapter ends with four cryptic lines. The Great Square is the symbol of earth, which was portrayed as square in some early Chinese cosmological models. By definition, a square has four corners, but earth is 'great' and hence more than the model which represents it, so it has no corners. The finished shape of an object is what defines what it is: a cup, a bowl, for instance; but the universe itself is never completed and so has no final shape. The other two paradoxes function in the same way: one in the realm of sound and one in the realm of visible images. All these are great and hence surpass fixed definitions and names. The Way is also like this. ### **41** ### **( MWD 3; GD B5)** Top officials hear the Way: they can (hardly)* fare by her. Average officials hear the Way: parts they keep; parts they lose. Low officials hear the Way and greatly mock her. Were there not this great mockery,* She could not be good enough to be the Way. Therefore, A proverb puts it: Bright Way looks obscure; Forward Way looks reversed; Smooth Way looks rough.* Utmost vitality looks like a gully; Great purity looks filthy; Expansive vitality looks inadequate; Affirmative vitality looks insouciant; Substantive authenticity looks unstable. The great square has no corners; The great completion is not completed; The great note has no voice; The great symbol has no shape. The Way is great* yet nameless. The Way alone is good at inaugurating and then completing things.* The identity of the _Unique, Double_ , and _Triplet_ (literally One, Two, and Three) has exercised many minds. Wang Bi says that the Unique is nonbeing and the Double is being and both together they are the Triplet. The Double could also be heaven and earth or _yin_ and _yang_ , which are mentioned in this chapter, one of the rare occurrences of a pair which later came to dominate Chinese philosophy. Indeed, if we read the terms in the context of this chapter alone, it would seem that the Unique is another name for the Way, the Double is _yin-yang_ , and the Triplet is _qi_. ### **42** ### **( MWD 5)** The Way generates the Unique; The Unique generates the Double; The Double generates the Triplet; The Triplet generates the myriad things. The myriad things recline on _yin_ and embrace _yang_ While vacuous _qi_ holds them in harmony. What people hate is none other than being an orphan, a widower, or lacking grain, Yet kings and dukes take these as their titles. Therefore, Among things: some are decreased by being increased, And some are increased by being decreased. Therefore, What others teach, I also teach. Therefore, A strong pillar does not die a natural death. I will take this as the father of my teaching. ### **43** ### **(MWD 6)** The softest thing in the world* canters over the hardest thing in the world; That-which-is-not enters where there is no crack. By this I know the benefit of not acting. Wordless teaching, the benefit of not acting: There are few in the world who attain to it. The sayings in this chapter all take up the theme of avoiding excess. ### **44** ### **( MWD 7; GD A18)** Reputation or self: which is more desirable? Self or possessions: which is more valuable? Gain or loss: which is more a hindrance? [Wherefore,] Extreme love leads to great waste; Much hoarding leads to much loss. (Therefore,) If you know what is enough you will not be shamed; If you know when to stop, you will not perish. It will be possible to last for long. As in Chapter 41, what is great is never defined and finished but because it is great it is also never used up. The images derive from the everyday world, but all suggest the transcendence of the Way. ### **45** ### **( MWD 8; GD B7)** Great achievement seems to lack: Yet its use has no end. Great fullness seems empty: Yet its use has no limit. Great straightness seems bent;* Great skill seems clumsy; Great eloquence seems tongue-tied. Exercise conquers cold; stillness conquers heat. If you can be calm and still, you can be the governor of the world. The first contrast here is between having the presence and absence of the Way. Lack of the Way implies war and disorder. One of the causes of war listed in ancient Chinese books on war is the desire for profit, so it is not surprising that the next section returns to the idea of being satisfied with what one has, avoiding desire for gain, as in Chapter 44. ### **46** ### **( MWD 9; GD A3)** When the world has the Way, trotting horses are used for their dung; When the world lacks the Way, war-horses are born on temple mounds.* (There is no graver crime than wanting too much;) There is no bigger disaster than not knowing what is enough;* There is no greater misfortune than wanting to get. {Therefore,} To know that enough is enough, this is ever to have enough. In Chapter 26 we have already seen that the Sage shuts himself off from the mundane world and becomes one with the Way and hence truly knows. The First Emperor of Qin tried to put this into practice and ruled from a secret room in a vast palace. However, he is better known for his harsh laws and cannot be said to have truly grasped the Way. ### **47** ### **( MWD 10)** Go not out the door, know all under heaven; Peep not out the window: see the way of heaven. The further away you go the less you know. For this reason, The Sage walks not, yet knows, sees not, yet names; acts not on things, yet they are completed. In Chapter 20 we saw that learning is a matter of distinguishing various things; but the true Way-farer seeks rather to unlearn and come to a point of quiet. Only then can he rule the world. ### **48** ### **( MWD 11; GD B2)** A person given to studies makes daily progress; A person given to the Way makes daily regress. Regress and again regress, until coming to not acting. When not acting then there is nothing not done. If you acquire the world, ever be without anything to do. Should there be something to do,* one is not up to acquiring the world. The Sage is like the Way in not imposing on the world. ### **49** ### **( MWD 12)** The Sage has no fixed mind: he takes the people's mind as his mind. The good ones I value; the not good ones I also value, Therefore I win* goodness; The trustworthy ones I trust; the untrustworthy ones I also trust, Therefore I win trust. The Sage joins with the world, And with the world he merges his mind.* The common people all fix their ears and eyes on him:* The Sage treats them all as his children. Tradition has bequeathed us two ways of translating the opening of this chapter. The problem lies in the expression _three ten_. The most logical sense is to read it as _three in ten_ and assume it means 'one third'. Reading this way, the chapter refers to people as one third devoted to life, one third to death, and one third who make such an effort to pursue life that they too die. The chapter can then be read as stressing the need to avoid a forced pursuit of life as it can only lead to premature death. A more grammatically correct reading of the phrase is as _thirteen_. Indeed, the earliest commentary on the passage in the _Hanfeizi_ read it this way. But this leaves us wondering what the thirteen are in each case. ### **50** ### **( MWD 13)** We come out into life and enter into death: Life's adherents are one third; Death's adherents are one third. People who strenuously pursue life, By their activities, are [likewise] one third adherents of death. Why is this so? Because they strenuously pursue life. Perhaps you have heard about those who are good at keeping hold of life: They walk on land and do not meet rhinos* or tigers; Joining the army they do not wear armour or carry weapons. The rhino finds no place to stick its horn; The tiger finds no place to sink its claws; Weapons find no place to catch their blade. Why is this so? Because there is no place for death in them. ### **51** ### **( MWD 14)** The Way generates them and the life force nourishes them; Material embodies them and the final shape* completes them. For this reason, Among the myriad things there is none][* That does [not] honour the Way and appreciate the life force; The honour paid to the Way and the appreciation owed the life force, Is not like the bestowal* of honours But is ever according to what is so of itself. Therefore, The Way generates them* and nourishes them; She grows them and raises them; She determines them and settles them; She nurtures them and protects them. She Generates and does not possess them; Acts and does not rely on them; Grows and does not lord over them.* She is called 'abstruse life force'. This chapter has three sections. In the first we learn that just as by understanding the mother we can know her children, so it is we understand what exists by knowing the Way. The second, found both here and in Chapter 56, tells us to go back to silence, away from the world, whilst the final section stresses the paradoxical nature of insight and strength, born from this return to the mother and to silence. ### **52** ### **( MWD 15; GD B6)** The world was conceived, by she who is the mother of the world. If you can attain the mother then you will know her child; If you know her child then you can go back and cling to its mother. Then for your whole life you will have no disaster. Bolt your ears; plug your mouth:* All life long you shall not fall ill. Open your mouth; plunge into your affairs: All life long you shall not be well.* To see what is small is called 'insight'; To keep to what is weak is called 'strength'. Use what light there is to return, go back to insight; You will not abandon yourself to disaster: This is called 'Putting into Practice what is ever thus'. While water is the dominant image used for the Way, that of a road is not absent. Here we find the Way is the straight and level road in contrast to tortuous mountain paths. The contrast provides a context to the following description of the luxurious life of courtiers, here condemned as robbery. ### **53** ### **( MWD 16)** If I had only little knowledge, When walking on the highroad, I would but fear to go astray. The highroad is level yet the people like mountain paths.* Courts are free of weeds, while fields are overrun with darnel. Granaries are empty, while robes are embroidered silk. Bearing sharp swords; feasting on drink and food; Riches in excess: this is called 'rapacious extravagance'. 'Rapacious extravagance': such is not the Way, oh no! There are five levels of society described here: the individual person, the family, village, state, and the whole world. Each has its own intrinsic independence and so should be seen only in its own context. ### **54** ### **( MWD 17; GD B8)** What is well established cannot be uprooted;* What is well protected* cannot be removed. The descent of children and grandchildren Is maintained by their rituals* and so is unending. By practising it in oneself, one's vitality is truly correct.* By practising it in one's family, one's vitality has a surplus. By practising it in one's district, one's vitality will grow. By practising it in one's country, one's vitality will blossom. By practising it in the world, one's vitality will be universal. Therefore, By what is proper to the self observe the self; By what is proper to the family observe the family; By what is proper to the district observe the district; By what is proper to the country observe the country; By what is proper to the world observe the world. How may I then know the world as it is? By this. Daoist meditation techniques stress returning to the state of a child, to breathe as a child does in the womb and, here, to grasp the paradox that a weak child will live longer than a strong man, since the latter is nearer death. ### **55** ### **( MWD 18; GD A17)** One who keeps the fullness of the life force, Is comparable to a newborn child. Wasps, scorpions, adders, and kraits* do not sting him; Fierce beasts do not seize him; birds of prey do not grasp him.* His bones are supple, sinews soft, yet he grasps firmly. He does not yet know the harmony of female and male yet his penis* is aroused: The epitome of essence! All day long he shouts and yet is not hoarse. The epitome of harmony To know harmony is called 'what is ever thus'; To know what is ever thus is called 'insight'; To block life* is called 'inauspicious'; The mind controlling _qi_ is called 'strengthening'. When things are at their peak they grow old. This is called 'Lacking the Way'.* {What is lacking the Way dies early.}* The Way is beyond speech, beyond the grasp of the senses, and untouched by the evaluations we may make of her, whether of praise or blame. ### **56** ### **( MWD 19; GD A15)** One who knows her does not speak of her; One who speaks of her does not know her. Plug your mouth; bolt your ears:* Dim the light, unite with the dust;* File your sharp points, unravel your weft. This is called 'Becoming one with the abstruse'. Therefore, You may neither befriend her, nor may you distance her; You may neither reward her, nor may you harm her; You may neither honour her, nor may you dishonour her. Therefore, She earns the world's appreciation. Although the Legalist school developed the idea of the Law as the visible embodiment of the Way, Chinese tradition remains suspicious of law. Confucians believed that people who lived virtuously would not have recourse to law, whilst the Daoists maintained that if the natural course of things was followed, as recommended in this chapter, the law would be a hindrance rather than a help. ### **57** ### **( MWD 20; GD A16)** Use orthodox methods to govern a state; Use stratagems to manoeuvre armies; Use doing nothing to gain the world. How do I know that this is so? By this: Now, When heaven* issues many prohibitions and ordinances, Then the people are more likely to revolt.* When the people have more sharp weapons, Then the state is disordered. When others have more cunning and tricks, Then strange things arise. When laws and commands are promulgated, Then brigands and robbers will be more. For this reason The words of the Sage say:* I do not act yet the people act* of themselves; I appreciate examining yet the people are correct* of themselves; I do not interfere yet the people become rich of themselves;* I long to be without longing,* yet the people are lumpen of themselves. Following on from the previous chapter, we see that the ideal state does not interfere, it allows the people to be simple; if it does make complicated laws then the people become skilled at getting round them. The chapter then includes a number of paradoxical sayings, designed to make us stop and think. The scholar Jia Yi (201–169 BCE) had been sent down in disgrace from the court and wrote his famous 'Owl Poem' in Changsha, the town where the Mawangdui tombs are. In this poem he reflects on the instability of life—all things change—and quotes the second stanza of this chapter: 'Disaster ah! Fortune's head-rest; Fortune ah! Disaster's back-rest.' ### **58** ### **( MWD 21)** Administration bumble-humble; people simple-simon. Administration nitty-picky; people* wheeling-dealing. Disaster ah! Fortune's head-rest; Fortune ah! Disaster's back-rest. Who knows their limit? Is there nothing orthodox? Orthodox reverts to strange; good reverts to monstrous. Humans being misled is attested from of old. For this reason,* Be square but do not cut. Be angular but do not poke. Be straight but do not force.* Be bright but do not dazzle. Just as agriculture depends on storing the harvest, so too the Sage rules by storing vitality and hence is strong enough to face adversity. ### **59** ### **( MWD 22; GD BI)** In governing others and serving heaven, there is nothing like storing. Such storing is achieved through prior collecting.* Prior collecting is called 'Doubling the Accumulation of Vitality'. If you double the accumulation of vitality, there is nothing you cannot overcome. When there is nothing you cannot overcome, none can know your limits. When none can know your limits, then you can possess a country. When you have the country, concentrate on the essentials,* you can endure for long. This is called: 'The Way of being deeply rooted, firmly entrenched, long lived, caring for ever.' The opening proverb of this chapter is justly famous. The little fish remain whole throughout the cooking, so too the Daoist Sage does not damage the state he rules. ### **60** ### **( MWD 23)** Governing a large country is like steaming small fish. When you employ the Way to approach the world, Ghosts will have no spirit. Or rather it is not that ghosts have no spirit, it is that their spirit cannot harm people. In fact, it is not that their spirit cannot harm people, it is also that the Sage does not harm people. Since neither does them any harm, Therefore, Their life forces intermingle and come back to them.* While the Warring States period is noted for the rise of one state, Qin, to the exclusion of all others, here the relationship of large and small states is seen as complementary, as the union of male and female. This depicts a more ideal relationship than what in fact came to happen with Qin's direct annexation and obliteration of the smaller states. ### **61** ### **( MWD 24)** Therefore, When a great state is below a small state, Then she shall take over the small state. When a small state is below a great state, Then she shall be taken over* by the great state. Therefore, The one is below so as to take over; the other is below and so is taken over. Therefore, The great state desires none other than to embrace and feed people,* The small state desires none other than to enter in and serve people.* Now for both to obtain what they desire, then the greater is fittingly below. This chapter argues that the Way is what is most valuable in the world, a fitting gift to be offered to one's overlord. ### **62** ### **( MWD 25)** The Way is The reservoir* of the myriad things; The treasure of good people; The protector of bad people. Eloquent speech can be used for bargaining; Fawning* conduct can be used for bribing* others. Though people treat something as not good, why reject it? Therefore, When the Son of Heaven is enthroned and the Three Ministers* placed, Rather than offering them jade disks followed by* teams of four horses, Sit down and offer this.* Why was this appreciated of old? Was it not said: 'By her one seeks and obtains; Should one have committed a crime, By her one avoids punishment.' Therefore, It is valued by the world. The initial action can determine the outcome of the whole, hence the Sage is careful with the beginning. This can be seen in the fields of daily life, government, and military affairs. ### **63** ### **( MWD 26; GD A8)** Undertake no action, perform no service, taste what is tasteless. Magnify the small, multiply the few, reply to injury with virtue. Plan what is difficult while it is yet easy; Undertake what is great while it is yet small. Tasks that are difficult in the world [are sure to] begin from what is easy; Tasks that are great in the world [are sure to] begin from what is small. For this reason, The Sage never undertakes what is great, therefore he can accomplish great things.* One who promises lightly is sure to be little trustworthy; Treating many things as easy is sure to lead to many difficulties. For this reason, The Sage treats things as difficult, therefore he never has any difficulties. Like many passages of the _Daodejing_ , this one allows for a variety of interpretations, but foremost among them is a military reading: the enemy who will bring chaos should be nipped in the bud. The _Huainanzi_ develops this thought to advocate humanitarian intervention. ### **64** ### **( MWD 27; GD A6, A14, C5)** While it is at rest, it is easy to master; While no sign has yet emerged, it is easy to plan. While yet small, it is easy to nip off; While yet minute, it is easy to destroy. Undertake before it has come to be; Regulate before it is yet disordered. A tree you can hug sprouts from a downy shoot; A nine-layered altar rises from a basketful of earth; An ascent of 100 paces* begins beneath your foot. Those who overdo anything destroy it, Those who grasp anything lose it. For this reason, The Sage Is without action, therefore he never spoils anything. Without grasping, therefore he never loses anything. {When the people undertake things, always on the point of completion they spoil them.} Therefore it is said:* The key to approaching things is:* Be as careful of the end as of the start, then there will be nothing spoilt. For this reason, The Sage desires to not desire and does not appreciate goods hard to obtain; Learns what others fail to learn;* Walks* on paths where all others went too far. For this reason, Follow* the naturalness of the myriad things and do not dare to act* outside it. The kind of knowledge that is proscribed here is the knowledge of trickery and deceit, which makes people ungovernable. ### **65** ### **( MWD 28)** Of old, those who fared* by the Way Did not use her to enlighten the people, rather to fool them. Difficulty in governing people comes from their knowing too much. Therefore, To know* the state by knowing is to take a knife to the state. To know the state by not-knowing is to give life to the state. (Be ever aware that)* these two are both models. Being ever aware of the models is called 'abstruse life force'. Abstruse life force is deep, far-reaching, And when things reverse only then does it flow with the current. The image of the sea being lower than the mountain streams is used to illustrate the Sage's way of governing. The streams all flow into the sea, which is therefore their king; so too all people will gravitate to the Sage. ### **66** ### **( MWD 29; GD A2)** The river and the sea are the king of the hundred gullies because they are good at tumbling down, Therefore, they are able to be the king of the hundred gullies. (For this reason,) The Sage Stands ahead of the people and so puts his person last, Stands above the people and so speaks with humility. Therefore, Though he stands above the people, yet the people do not extol him; Though he stands ahead of the people, yet the people are not jealous of him.* For this reason, The world happily accepts him unconditionally, because he does not compete. Therefore, no one in the world can compete with him. This chapter follows the previous one in setting out in what way the Sage is behind others and hence able to rule them. ### **67** ### **( MWD 32)** Everyone says I am great, great yet unlike others.* Now it is precisely because I am unlike others that I can be great. Were I like others then—oh so long ago!—I would have become small. Now I always have three treasures which I keep and protect: The first is called 'compassion'; The second is called 'moderation'; The third is called 'not daring to seek promotion'. Now because of compassion I can be brave; Because of moderation I can be generous; Because of not daring to seek promotion, I can be the premier of perfect ministers. If today I were to lay aside my compassion for the sake of bravery; I were to lay aside my moderation for the sake of generosity; I were to lay aside my rear position for the sake of priority; Then I should surely die. Now compassion in wartime results in victory and in defence results in security. When heaven wants to establish someone, It encircles him with compassion.* The _Art of War_ by Sunzi, which dates from around the time when Confucius was 50 ( _c_.500 BCE), and the many subsequent military books in Chinese tradition consistently hold that the best method of warfare is to overcome one's opponent without resort to arms. ### **68** ### **( MWD 33)** A good officer is no warmonger;* A good warrior is not wrathful. Those good at overcoming enemies do not fight them; Those good at deploying men put themselves beneath them. This is called 'the virtue of not competing'. This is called 'the power of deploying men'.* This is called 'matching heaven'. It is the peak of antiquity. This chapter is similar in tone to Chapters 30 and on military affairs. Here the final line recalls a famous incident in Chinese history. _Zuo's Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals of Lu_ , in a story dating from 596 BCE, tells how the Viscount of Chu was advised to erect a huge mound to celebrate his victory in battle, but he declined, pointing out that covering the ground with the bones of the fallen is not a glorious thing to do. His army went home mourning. ### **69** ### **( MWD 34)** In the deployment of troops there is a saying which runs: I dare not be an aggressor, rather shall I be a defender; I dare not advance an inch, rather shall I withdraw a foot. This is called, 'Marching when there is no road; Rolling up one's sleeve when there is no arm; Grasping when there is no weapon; Collaring when there is no enemy.' Of disasters none is greater than underestimating your opponent;* Underestimating your opponent is to come near to losing my treasures. Therefore, When armies are raised and are much alike,* then the one that grieves will win. This chapter sounds like the lament of many a teacher. Wisdom is taught, but no one is interested in learning about it because it is hidden in what is very ordinary. ### **70** ### **( MWD 35)** My words are most easy to understand and most easy to practise. Yet, among men,* there are none who can understand and none who can practise them. My words descend from an ancestor and my deeds are ruled by a prince.* It is only because they do not know that, For this reason, they are unable to understand me. When those who know* are few, then shall I be honoured. For this reason, The Sage, though wearing coarse clothes, yet bears a precious jade.* Admitting one's ignorance and being prepared for the worst lead one to be open to learning and prudent in acting. ### **71** ### **( MWD 36)** To know that one does not know is the best. To not know that one does not* know is the worst. [Now only if you understand that this worst is worst will it not be worst.] For this reason, The Sage avoids the worst by understanding that the worst is worst and so it is not the worst. The Sage cultivates self-knowledge and love and does not make demands of the people. This conduct is in contrast with those who do make demands on the people, and who praise themselves and seek their own aggrandizement. ### **72** ### **( MWD 37)** When people do not stand in awe of the awesome then great terror will soon come to pass. Do not constrict their dwelling-places; do not restrict their life's resources. Now it is only because you do not restrict them that they are not resentful. For this reason, The Sage knows himself yet does not manifest himself, loves himself yet does not appreciate himself. Therefore, He rejects the latter and chooses the former. Again, the Sage takes a back seat and so is able to rule. Rushing out in front would only lead to his premature death. ### **73** ### **( MWD 38)** To be brave in temerity leads to getting killed; To be brave in timidity leads to gaining life. Of these two: one brings profit, one brings loss. Regarding what heaven hates, who knows the cause thereof? [For this reason, the Sage also sees it as difficult.] The way of heaven is: not to fight yet still be good at winning victory; not to speak yet still be good at replying; not to summon yet still have people spontaneously arrive; to be at rest yet still be good at plotting. Heaven's net is broad, yet its mesh is such that none escape. The Sage does not need to interfere in what happens, because interference leads to injury. The text uses a contrast based on cutting wood, where the job should be left to the master craftsman and not undertaken by a novice carpenter. ### **74** ### **( MWD 39)** When the people are always not in awe of death, then how could you frighten them with death? When the people are always in awe of death, and I were able to arrest and slay the unorthodox, then, who would dare? When the people are always certainly in awe of death, then they always have an executioner. To deputize for the executioner is to deputize and cut wood for the master craftsman. Now of those who deputize and cut wood for the master craftsman, few are they who do not hurt their hands. Mozi, a younger contemporary of Confucius, was particularly famous for his criticism of the nobles' luxury. In fact, this is a common theme for all Chinese philosophers, as we can see here for the _Daodejing_. ### **75** ### **( MWD 40)** The people's famine comes from too many courtiers living off their food-tax, for which reason there is famine.* The hundred families' being ungovernable* comes from their superiors having ulterior motives, for which reason they are ungovernable. The people's looking on death lightly comes from their superiors seeking to lead a sumptuous life, for which reason they look on death lightly. One who has no use for life is worthier than one who values life. What is supple is alive; what is stiff is dead. Likewise, an army can only be successful if it is supple and ready to yield. ### **76** ### **( MWD 41)** Human beings in life are soft and weak, in death are always stretched, stiff, and rigid. The myriad things, grass and plants, in life are soft and pliant, in death are withered and dry. Therefore it is said, 'Stiffness and rigidity are indicators of death; Softness, weakness, (tiny and small)* are indicators of life.' For this reason, When an army is rigid it will not win; When a tree stands erect it will not last; What is stiff and large lies below ground; What is soft and weak, tiny and small, stands above ground. The image of firing an arrow from a long-bow is used to illustrate how the way of heaven works to bring balance to the world. The archer pulls the string and the bow bends at top and bottom. The string is stretched and then released to power the arrow. The Way and the Sage, who acts by the Way, work in the same fashion, constantly adjusting to the nature of the material and not overstretching anything. ### **77** ### **( MWD 42)** Is the way of heaven not unlike the stretching of a bow? You bend down the top, While pulling up the bottom; You pull back the slack string, To release it when taut. Therefore, The way of heaven takes from what has too much to provide for what does not have enough. The way of people is, however, not like this: it takes from those who do not have enough to offer to those who have too much. Now who can have too much and use it to offer up to heaven? Only the Way-farer. For this reason, The Sage acts but requires no thanks, accomplishes his tasks but does not abide in them, Inasmuch as he dislikes being considered worthier than others. The image of water, which is weak, overcoming rocks is used as the basis for showing why the Sage-king can accept shame and disgrace, because like water these are in a position of weakness and hence, paradoxically, of strength. ### **78** ### **( MWD 43)** In the world nothing is softer or weaker than water, Yet there is also nothing that can outdo her ability to attack the hard and firm, For there is nothing that can substitute for her. Water overcomes rock; soft overcomes firm.* No one in the world does not know this and yet none can practise it. Therefore, The Sage's words say: To accept shame for the state is said of* the lord of the altars of earth and grain; To accept misfortune for the state is said of the king of all under heaven. Orthodox sayings are seemingly reversed. Although the Sage has the right to make demands on others, he does not do so. ### **79** ### **( MWD 44)** In the reconciliation of great resentment, Surely some resentment shall remain. So how may this do good? For this reason, The Sage, though holding the right tally,* does not use it to enforce on others. Therefore, One with virtue is Minister of Contracts; One lacking virtue Minister of Tithes. Now, The way of heaven has no family of her own; She is, though, always related to every good fellow. This chapter is well known for its rustic ideal, which has served as a model for several similar pieces of literature. The two most famous are those of Tao Yuanming and Su Shi. Tao Yuanming (372–427 CE) entitled his story _Record of the Peach Orchard_. He tells how a fisherman entered a secret and peaceful village cut off from the outside world. The image is clearly developed from Chapter 80 of the _Daodejing_. Many centuries later, the great Song poet Su Shi (also called Su Dongpo, 1037–1101) wrote a _Record of the Land of Sleep_ , where we learn that: 'Politics are simple and customs uniform, the land flat and broad with no east, west, south, or north, the people at ease and free of sickness.' Mawangdui places Chapters 80- between Chapters 66 and . ### **80** ### **( MWD 30)** Let the state be small and people few; Let weapons of platoons and brigades* be unused; Let the people respect death and renounce travel.* Though there be boats and carriages, yet none do ride therein; Though there be armour and weapons, yet none do take them out. Let it be that people go back to the days of knots in ropes and use them. They relish their food, Embellish their dress. They cherish their ways, Establish their home.* Neighbouring states view each other. They hear the cries of chicken and dog, Yet people reach old age without meeting each other. This chapter gives us a set of proverbs. Proverbs play a much greater role in Chinese culture than in English. One of the Mawangdui manuscripts contains over fifty such proverbs ( _Four Canons of the Yellow Emperor: Designations_ ). ### **81** ### **( MWD 31)** Trusty speech is not embellished; Embellished speech is not trusty. The master of knowledge is not jack of all; The jack of all does not master knowledge.* The good fellow does not have much; The fellow with much is not good.* The Sage does not store: Having done all for others, he has yet still more; Having given all to others, he has yet made more. Therefore, The way of heaven profits and does not hurt. The way of sages* acts and does not compete. ## **EXPLANATORY NOTES** ### LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS Chan | Wing-tsit Chan, _Source Book in Chinese Philosophy_ (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1963), 136–76 ---|--- Henricks | Robert G. Henricks, _Lao-tzu: Te-Tao Ching: A New Translation Based on the Recently Discovered Ma-wang-tui Texts_ (New York: Ballantine Books, 1989) | Robert G. Henricks, _Lao-tzu's Tao-Te Ching: A Translation of the Startling New Documents Found at Guodian_ (New York: Columbia University Press, 2000) Lau | D. C. Lau, _Tao Te Ching_ (Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1963) Liao | Liao Mingchun, _Guodian chujian Laozi jiaoshi_ (Beijing: Qinghua University Press, 2003) Wu Hung | Wu Hung, 'The Art and Architecture of the Warring States Period', in M. Loewe and E. L. Shaughnessy (eds.), _The Cambridge History of Ancient China_ (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999), 651–744 **The notes are keyed to chapter numbers in the text.** myriad things: here the received version reads 'heaven and earth'. In practice the two expressions are similar. Both refer to all that exists. Be ever without yearning: Wang Anshi (1021–86) proposed that the punctuation of this line and the next should be placed in such a way that these lines are also talking about what is traditionally translated as non-being and being: Ever non-being: yearn to observe her secrets; Ever being: yearn to observe her bright shining. The Mawangdui versions, however, show that such a reading is impossible. For another translation of the terms non-being and being, see Chapter 2 below. what she longs for: the received version could read 'her shining', but as D. C. Lau points out, the Mawangdui version decides the issue against such a reading. Being and beingless: in this chapter we meet the contrast between being (Chinese _you_ ) and the Chinese _wu_ , which I have transcribed here as beingless. Conventionally these two terms are translated as 'being' and 'non-being' or 'being' and 'nothing'. Unfortunately the conventional translation gives rise to misapprehension. In the Chinese context _wu_ (beingless) is the plenitude that is so full that it surpasses language because no one term can fully apprehend it. It is like the fullness of the mountain which gives rise to the spring of water (being). For further comparisons one can look to Chapter 11, whilst the classic text on the two terms is in Chapter 40. yet he does not initiate them: the received version reads: 'The myriad things act, yet he does not stop them.' Lau notes that Gao Heng (b. 1894) interprets this as meaning: 'The myriad things act, yet he does not rule them.' They generate, yet he does not possess them: this line and the next are also found in Chapters 10, , and . Tasks come to fruition, yet he does not dwell on them: a similar line is also found in Chapter 77. He empties his mind: this phrase and the following can also be read as referring to the people: 'He empties their minds, fills their bellies.' In fact, both Sage and people should carry out these injunctions. All are called to become one with the original chaos time. Ever making it such: the received version reads these lines as: 'Ever making it such that the people have no knowing, no longing, so that the astute dare not act. While you, acting by non-acting, discover there is nothing you cannot govern.' there is something that does not fill her: the received version can also be read 'there is nothing that is not filled', but Mawangdui rules out this possibility. She files away her sharp points: this and the next three lines are also found in Chapter 56. She unravels her weft: moralistic interpretations, such as that of Heshanggong, read the character _fen_ (weft) as standing for a homophone meaning 'anger' or 'hatred'. She merges with the earth: Lau notes that the poet Lu Ji (or Lu Shiheng; 4th century CE), in his _Ode to Feng Wenpi Sent to Chiqiu_ , reads this expression as meaning 'merge with old wheel tracks'. The Chinese word is 'dust', hence Lu Ji saw it as the dust of the wheels. the bellows and the blow-tube: the bellows _tuo_ is of ox skin, while the _guan_ is a hollowed-out bamboo. In the received version the second character is read as _yue_ and simply seen as another word for bellows. The Guodian version suggests that originally the Way was being compared both to the bellows and to the bamboo pipe, which is still often used for making a fire. they inhale less and less: another possible reading is 'the vacuum is never exhausted', in which case this line and the next both describe the limitless capacity of the bellows. My reading sees a contrast between the inward and outward movements of the bellows. To talk too much... chatter: for these two lines, the Mawangdui version reads: 'Hearing (or learning) too much is very exhausting.' emptiness: traditionally the character _zhong_ is read as the 'mean' or the 'centre', but it seems to make more sense to read it as a homophone which can mean 'empty'. Giving aims to be like heaven: the received version reads this line as 'giving aims to be humane'. To hold and fill...full: some translations read this as referring to the tautness of a bow: 'To hold a bow and keep it taut is not equal to relaxing.' Lau explains rather that it refers to a special kind of vessel which overturned when full. fill: the received version writes _man_ 'fill', replacing the original _ying_ 'fill', which is found in the Mawangdui versions. This change observes a taboo on using the personal name of Emperor Hui (r. 195–188 BCE). Hence the Mawangdui versions must both be before his time. storeroom: most versions write _tang_ 'shrine', but in the Guodian version it is clearly the storeroom, which was behind the shrine. giving life to the state: the received version reads 'governing the state'. She generates... them: these four lines are all found in Chapter 51; whilst the first two also occur in Chapter 2. abstruse life force: often rendered 'dark virtue'. In English the term 'virtue' is increasingly understood only as an ethical word. In Chinese we must also include the idea of the life force of plants. The same title is found in Chapters 51 and . Possess something... useful for you: 'profit' refers to the surplus whilst 'useful' indicates the basic requirements. The five colours...: the order of these five injunctions here is that of the received version, but in the Mawangdui manuscripts the second _(five notes)_ and third ( _five tastes)_ are placed in the fourth and fifth places. The ruling of the Sage: the received version simply reads 'the Sage'. self-inflicted: this reading is proposed by Liao. keep of the world: the translation here follows one meaning of the verb _qu_ as 'keep', though it is better known as meaning 'get rid of', but this would not fit the sense. invisible: the word _wei_ (Mawangdui) means the same as _ji_ (received version), which here means 'invisible', though some translations give its literal meaning: 'minute'. intangible: a more literal reading is 'level and smooth'. One: not found in the received version. Welcoming her...: these two lines are in inverse order in the Mawangdui version. the Way of old: the Mawangdui version reads 'the Way of today'. as when ice drifts apart: this footnote is often taken as part of the text, but from Guodian we now realize it is simply an explanatory note. In Chinese notes are written in the text and not at the bottom of the page, so they can easily be confused with the original text itself. Hun like a wooden lump: see N. J. Girardot, _Myth and Meaning in Early Taoism: The Theme of Chaos (hun-tun)_ (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1983). Open like a valley: this line does not fit very well. It is not found in the Guodian version. The received version adds it after _'Hun_ like a wooden lump'. He who can make a woman his master: this line is often read as dealing with things at rest ( _an_ ), but the Guodian manuscript reads bi, which refers to the vagina. In fact both characters are very similar in form, and it is understandable that confusion arose. As translated here the lines make more sense: the woman gives birth because she has mastered the man. Only because he does not overflow... incomplete: this last line is not found in the Guodian version. My translation follows Mawangdui. The received version reads: 'Only because he does not overflow can he lie hidden and not newly completed.' Attaining vacuity is perennial: the line is translated according to the Guodian version. In fact, even the received version can be read with this meaning, but in practice it would more naturally read: 'The highest vacuity is extreme.' Keeping to emptiness is everlasting: the line is in parallel with the preceding. Many versions read 'silence' for 'emptiness', which is the result of confusion as to which character to write. They also read 'the centre' for 'everlasting', which is a matter of interpretation. leap forth: some texts read as 'the myriad things come side by side', but the word _bing_ , 'side by side', can also mean 'great', hence I translate the verb as 'leap'. We can imagine the myriad things pouring out in abundance from the womb of the cosmos. heavenly Way: this is the Guodian reading; all other versions read 'these things'. The meaning is pretty much the same: all things pour out in abundance and also return to their source. By obscuring himself: many commentators read 'to the end of one's days'. those below only know of their existence: Chan notes that some versions read 'not' instead of 'below' in this line. The two graphs are very similar. Cut off sageliness...: the Guodian version has a different order and wording for parts of this passage: Cut off wisdom, get rid of debating, the people are a hundred times better off; Cut off knavery, get rid of profiteering, thieves and robbers are no more. Cut off planning, get rid of scheming, the people return to filial piety and fraternal affection. an affirmative injunction: the reading of this passage is affected by one character, which can be read as _shu_ 'belonging' or as _zhu_ 'command'. Here I take the latter possibility. In other words, the poet says that it is not enough to have prohibitions ('cut off'...); there is also need for a positive affirmation 'look to the simple'. If it is read as 'belonging', then it means that another element must be added to the above three lines. Henricks supposes, not unreasonably, that the addition should also consist of three sayings and hence accepts one possible punctuation of this chapter, by which the first line of Chapter 20 is included here: 'Cut off study and you will have no worries.' However, Guodian A has Chapter 19 without this line and Guodian B opens Chapter 20 with this line, so it would seem it must belong to Chapter 20. one climbs a terrace: from the 6th century BCE onward, rulers began to construct huge artificial terraces with buildings atop. 'A Warring States palace... was centred on tall platforms that stressed a powerful three dimensional image and an immediate visual effect. Among excavated platforms, the one in Houma, the Jin capital, preserves a standard design of this type of structure. A road, 6m wide, led to a rectangular ground in front of a series of ascending terraces. The top level of these terraces, 35m north to south and 45m east to west, originally served as the foundation for a wood-framed pavilion' (Wu Hung, p. 670). utmost life force: the Chinese word used here is _kong_. Heshanggong says it means 'great', and in this he has been followed by all commentators. In fact _kong_ refers to the top of the skull, the hole (fontanelle) where the baby's skull has not yet come together. Hence it can then refer to holes in general, and because this is the point where the brain is, it also refers to what is great and important. That seed is most authentic: this section gives rise to metaphysical speculation. Most translations ignore the basic metaphors and hence produce readings such as 'The essence is very real; in it are evidences'. Chan notes that 'the essence is very real' is the foundation of the speculations of _Explanation of the Diagram of the Great Ultimate_ by Zhou Dunyi (1017–73 CE). By this we observe... of all things: Mawangdui reads _shun_ , 'By this we go along with'. The word 'emergence' _(fu)_ refers to the first ceremony or capping of a young man. By extension _fu_ refers to the beginning, and it is often translated this way. In modern Chinese it can refer to a father, hence Henricks translates as 'father of the multitude'. However, paternity is not the important point here. Rather what is referred to is the moment when things first emerge in their proper forms. Only by bending... Only by twisting: these metaphors both apply to wood. Only by hollowing out... Only by being used up: these two metaphors apply to water. pointer of all under heaven: the pointer is what John Major calls a 'cosmograph'—John S. Major, _Heaven and Earth in Early Han Thought_ (Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 1993), 39–43. This was a square plate representing earth, with a circular plate above, which could rotate, representing heaven. The movement of the upper plate indicated the movement of the stars. The Sage is like the pointer of the cosmograph, i.e. the Big Dipper which rotates around the Pole Star (the One). The stars of the Dipper reveal the Pole Star, which, being a Cepheid Variable, actually does periodically increase in brightness as the last line of these five indicates. The Mawangdui versions read 'shepherd' rather than 'pointer'. This reflects another tradition by which the ruler was the shepherd of his people, best known from the title of the first chapter of the _Guanzi:_ 'Shepherding the People.' The _Guanzi_ is a compilation of philosophy and statecraft dating from around 250 BCE. He does not reveal himself...: for the opposite consequences of these four lines see Chapter 24. It is only because he does not compete... with him: this line is also found in Chapter 66. is very true: here I follow Mawangdui. The received version writes this phrase with a double negation: 'This is not an empty saying.' Heaven and earth: the Mawangdui version seems to omit this response, though obviously it is presupposed by the next line. In fact the omission amounts only to the lack of a duplication mark after 'heaven and earth', something that could easily arise when a manuscript is being copied. Therefore...: Mawangdui has quite different text for the second half of the chapter. Notice in particular how the subject of the last two lines is the Way herself: Therefore, for one who acts: The Way-farer becomes one with the Way: The grower becomes one with the life force. The loser becomes one with the knife force. For one who is one with the life force, the Way also obtains him. For one who is one with the knife force, the Way also loses him/ cuts him off. When trustworthiness is lacking... trust: this line is also found in Chapter 17. It is not found in the Mawangdui versions. The puffed up: the received version reads 'The upstanding'. The Mawangdui version uses a verb 'to blow', which is used of rising smoke or dust from cart-wheels. Here it clearly means 'puffed up with pride'. The self-revealing...: the positive corollary of these statements is found in Chapter 22. Those who have the Way: both Mawangdui versions read 'Those who have desires'. Henricks believes that here the received version is correct and Mawangdui faulty. This line is also found in Chapter 31, where again the Mawangdui version has 'desires'. A thing: Guodian writes 'thing', whilst other texts read 'symbol or image'. But in Chapter 21 we find that the two words really share a common reference. vast: the word _liao_ refers to the vastness of the sky: Heshanggong reads as 'empty', which is also the root meaning of 'vast'. She turns full circle and is not used up: Guodian lacks this line. She can be the mother of the world: Mawangdui reads 'mother of heaven and earth'. I entitle her: as Henricks points out, the name was given at birth and is not normally used; whereas the 'title' was given at a man's capping ceremony and was his public name. Some scholars think the word 'force' should be included here before 'entitle' as in the following line: 'I force myself to name her...' The Way is great...: Guodian puts these four statements in the following order: 'Heaven is great, Earth is great, the Way is great, and the King is also great.' The version attributed to Fu Yi (558 – c.639) uses 'man' instead of the more normal 'king'. the Way imitates her natural self: some translations read: 'The Way imitates nature', but this suggests that nature is a higher entity than the Way. Others translate the word for nature literally, 'what is so of itself'. I combine both translations so as to avoid the pitfalls of each. wagon-train: literally 'light-heavy'. Only when: Mawangdui A reads 'only when'; all other versions literally read 'even if', but in fact the words used in Chinese are interchangeable in the script of the time. gate tower: the received version of this line reads: 'Even if there are splendid views, he sees beyond them.' The term 'gate tower' is translated as 'walled hostel' by Henricks. Lau reads it as 'a ring of watchtowers'. Like the terrace mentioned in Chapter 20, the 'gate tower' was developed in the Warring States period as a symbol of power. From here the ruler could observe his kingdom. 'Situated in front of a palace, a multistoried _guan_ (gate tower) invited its owner to climb thereon and look out; it thus raised the viewing point, empowering a lord to overlook his kingdom and subjects. But as a concrete symbol of authority, a _guan_ was also an object to be looked at, its imposing appearance and intricate design inspiring public awe' (Wu Hung, p. 672). 'Wearing Insight upon Insight': the verb used refers to putting one item of clothing on over another. In other words, it suggests a superlative kind of insight. To know honour...: in the Mawangdui versions this section is the second of the three rather than the last. The Sage uses it: the Mawangdui version can be read 'The sage is used'. After great battles... lean years: this line is not found in the Mawangdui versions. Guodian also lacks this line and several others. do not go on to win subjection: both Mawangdui and Guodian agree on this reading. The received version adds an auxiliary verb 'dare', 'dares not to go on and draw strength'. he does not boast of it: in the Guodian version this line is placed last in the series of three. he does not take pride in it: in the Mawangdui versions this line is placed first of the three. When things are mature...: these last two lines also appear in Chapter 55. However, the Guodian version does not include them here. Instead it reads: 'Such actions will lead to growth.' concealing sharp edges: the reading here is based on the Guodian version. Other versions generally translate as 'let calm restraint be the priority'. In fact the meaning is the same: do not rejoice in the exercise of weapons. They should not be indulged in: the received version here reads: 'Even when victorious, he does not paint it in a rosy light.' Mawangdui and Guodian make no reference to victory. On festive occasions... honour: the received version here reads: 'In good luck the left is the place of honour; in bad luck the right is the place of honour.' counts: the Chinese term _hou_ refers to the nobles appointed by the Zhou king. Later many of these adopted the title of _wang_ , 'king', for themselves. One can translate this name by finding an appropriate rank in, say, British aristocracy, but in the _Daodejing_ it is used in a very general sense. I have chosen 'count' rather than 'marquis' or 'earl' because of the original sense of the word. A count is the companion (Latin _comes_ ) of the ruler. Then you must also know them... disaster: the received and Mawangdui versions both read: 'Then you must know to stop; knowing how to stop, you will be able to avoid disaster.' It is probable that confusion has arisen over the words 'them' and 'stop'. rivers and seas: the received version reads 'rivers and streams'. To die yet not depart: Mair makes an issue of this line. He believes the final verb 'depart' is a mistake, and notes that in the Mawangdui version it is replaced by the verb 'to be forgotten', thus giving the reading: 'To die yet not be forgotten is to be long-lived' (Victor H. Mair, _Tao Te Ching: The Classic Book of Integrity and the Way_ (New York: Bantam Books, 1990), 118). Henricks also translates as 'to be forgotten', but he notes that the verb could still actually mean 'to die' because the Mawangdui version often uses non-standard versions of the characters. In other words, the paradox of dying and not dying is intended. She completes her tasks... over them: this is the Mawangdui reading. The received version makes the myriad things the subject of these two lines: 'The myriad things rely on her, and generate and do not fade away: when her task is done she does not claim credit for it. She clothes and nourishes the myriad things, yet she does not lord it over them.' Model yourself on: the Guodian version permits this reading, whereas the received and Mawangdui versions read 'hold fast to' and, indeed, Guodian could also be read thus. The discourse of the Way: Wang Bi reads, in a less felicitous turn of phrase, 'the Way in coming out of the mouth...'. Yet she cannot be used up: this again is the Guodian reading. The other versions all make this line match the grammar of the preceding lines: 'Using her, she cannot be used up.' elevate it: Mawangdui A has a slightly different version of this line, which could be translated: 'If you want to abolish something, you must definitely donate to it.' In the next line the Mawangdui version uses a different verb for 'donate'. And so there is nothing she does not do: the received version opens the chapter differently: 'The Way is ever without acting...' act: Guodian reads 'act'; all other versions read 'transform'. Let them: this is the Guodian reading. All other versions insert 'I', hence: 'I will subdue them _...'_ correct: Guodian reads 'correct'; all other versions read 'subdue'. what is enough: this is the Guodian reading. Mawangdui A reads 'not to be ashamed'. Other versions read 'have no desires'. The Chinese words for 'enough', 'shame', and 'desire' all rhyme and so could be confused. To know what is enough... comprehend: the reading of this line follows from the above, beginning with 'not being ashamed' (Mawangdui A) or 'Having no desires' (other versions). The next phrase _yi jing_ is traditionally read as 'so as to be silent', but according to the early Chinese dictionary, the _Shuowen_ , the verb _jing_ is to be read as _shen_ , meaning 'examine, comprehend'. The myriad things will fix themselves: Guodian reads 'the myriad things'; Mawangdui B reads 'heaven and earth'; the received version reads 'under heaven'. Also Guodian says that the myriad things 'fix themselves', whereas Mawangdui A says 'correct themselves'. The lowest life force... do so: this line is added in the received version, but it destroys the pattern of the section. Lack-Grain: Heshanggong reads as 'no hub', and explains this as the hub of the chariot wheel. no chariot: the received version has 'chariot', but many commentaries note that this should read 'praise'. Mawangdui B also reads 'chariot'. Heshanggong has 'chariot', and explains the line as referring to the parts of a chariot. Since the Chinese measured the size of a state by its number of war chariots, it would seem that the reference here is to this practice. rumble-rumble: the rumble of boulders is the sound of the river, especially in the typhoon season. hardly: Mawangdui stresses how it is difficult to fare by the Way even for the best persons. The received version reads 'with effort they can fare by her'. great mockery: only the Guodian version repeats the 'great' before 'mockery'. Bright Way... rough: the Guodian version has a different order for this proverb: 'Bright Way seems obscure; Smooth Way seems rough; Forward Way seems reversed.' The Way is great: this is the Mawangdui reading. The received version reads: 'The Way is hidden.' The Way alone is good... things: this is the Mawangdui B reading. The received version reads: 'The Way alone is good at providing and then completing.' The Guodian text begins the line 'The Way alone...', but the rest of the slip is damaged. The softest thing in the world: this is water. Great straightness seems bent: in the Guodian version this line comes after 'Great eloquence seems tongue-tied.' When the world lacks the Way... temple mounds: in modern Chinese the word _jiao_ ('temple mounds') means 'suburbs', and some translators translate it thus here, but Waley argues it keeps its old sense of 'temple mounds', placed outside the city walls. Lau reads as 'horses breed on the borders'. There is no bigger disaster... enough: in Guodian this line appears after 'There is no greater misfortune than wanting to get.' Should there be something to do: Chan notes that Heshanggong reads this as a conditional: 'If one likes to undertake activity...'. I win: the reading 'win' comes from the Fu Yi version. The received version actually reads 'virtue'. Both words are pronounced _de_ , and the two characters are used interchangeably. he merges his mind: Chan notes that Wang Bi reads this as meaning: 'The Sage in the world has no subjective viewpoint.' The common people... on him: this line is lacking in the received version, but found in the Mawangdui and Fu Yi versions. rhinos: Chinese archaeology has revealed a number of different kinds of rhinoceroses. By the time of _Homo sapiens_ there were Chinese one-horned rhinos _(Rhinoceros sinensis)_ and woolly rhinos. Given the climate, it is probably the former which are meant here. Captures of rhinos are noted in the oracle-bone inscriptions, but generally a maximum of two are caught. In one case thirty-six are recorded, but clearly the animal was nearing extinction. Tigers are, alas, also nearing extinction in China today. final shape: Mawangdui reads _qi_ 'vessel'; the received version reads _shi_ 'outside forces'. In fact both refer to the same thing, namely the final shaping of the material that the Way has generated and life force nourished. there is none: the received version adds this expansion and hence also adds a 'not' below so that the two negatives cancel each other to produce a positive statement. bestowal: the received version reads 'command'. The Way generates them...: the received version reads 'the life force nourishes them', and hence changes the subject of the following verbs to the life force. Mawangdui retains the Way as the subject of all these actions. In these three lines we can see the image of a growing tree. The first line refers to the growing seedling. In the second line we can discern what kind of a tree it is, and in the third we see the tree flourishing. Generates and does not possess... over them: these lines are also found in Chapter 10, where they apply to the Sage. The first two also appear in Chapter 2 and the third in Chapter 77. Bolt your ears; plug your mouth...: this is the Guodian reading. Other versions read: 'Plug your mouth; bolt your ears.' Some interpreters read the first injunction as referring to the 'orifices of the heart' rather than the mouth. The line also appears in Chapter 56. shall not be well: Wang Bi read this literally as 'you shall not be saved'. From the Guodian version it is clear that the verb used stands in contrast to 'falling ill' in the previous lines, and hence should be translated as such. mountain paths: the word used in the Mawangdui version is very rare. It clearly refers to twisting mountain paths. The received version uses a better-known word, generally translated as 'short-cuts'. uprooted: the character used in the Guodian version shows two hands pulling up a tree. protected: the Guodian reading; other versions read 'embraced'. Both Chinese words have a similar sound and sense. their rituals: Guodian has 'their'; other versions merely imply it. correct: the Guodian reading; other versions read 'authentic'. Both Chinese words have a similar sound and sense. adders, and kraits: the first word refers literally to 'triangular-headed snakes'. Such snakes are the Russell's Viper or Bamboo Snake, which are called 'viper' (lit. bearing live young) in English or 'adder'. In China a triangular head is associated in popular mentality with poison. In China poisonous snakes, not counting sea snakes, are either cobras (old English asp), kraits, or snakes with triangular heads (various kinds of pit 'viper', though not all are vipers in the strict sense). Here I choose 'adder' for the triangular headed snakes and 'kraits' for the rest. Fierce beasts... grasp him: the Guodian version here is odd. It reads: 'Birds of prey and fierce beasts do not seize him, grasp him.' Mawangdui follows Guodian but drops the first verb 'seize him'. penis: most versions have _yang_ and some interpretations read this as the male infant's penis. In the Mawangdui version the character used clearly refers to the male sexual organ. It should be noted that the Chinese term specifically refers to the sexual organ of an infant. The epitome of harmony!: Guodian lacks this line and gives quite a different version for what follows. It looks as if the Guodian text is inferior here. To block life: another possible reading is 'to force life'. Lacking the Way: literally 'not the Way'. The 'not' here must be understood as a falling away from the life force of the Way. What is lacking... early: not in Guodian. Plug your mouth... ears: this line is also found in Chapter 52 as part of a longer section on the same theme. Dim the light... dust: this line is also found in Chapter 4, where it applies to the Way. heaven: Guodian reads _tian_ 'heaven', referring to the ruler. Other versions read _Tian-xia_ 'the world' (lit. under-heaven). revolt: Guodian reads _pan_ 'revolt'; other versions read _pin_ 'impoverish'. The words of the Sage say: both here and in Chapter 78 the received version simply reads: 'The Sage says.' act: Guodian reads 'act'; other versions read 'are transformed'. correct: literally 'still', but earlier we read this verb in the sense of 'examine'. I do not interfere... themselves: Guodian opens this quotation from the Sage with this line. I long to be without longing: the received version reads 'I am without longing'. Mawangdui and Guodian agree in the reading 'I long to be without longing'. people: here Mawangdui reads 'state', but the meaning is clearly the same as 'people' in the first line. For this reason: here the received version adds 'the Sage', and hence the following poem must be read as a description of the Sage. force: in the received version the word translated as 'force' is _si_ , which carries a variety of meanings, among which 'straight' is one possible reading. The Mawangdui text writes _xie_ , which means a bamboo holder for the string of a bow. Since bamboo grows straight, this holder would keep a string straight. Hence the image here suggested, that things be left to their natural tendency to grow straight up and not forced into it in a rigid way. collecting: Guodian has the verb _bei_ 'gather', but all later versions read _fu_ , which would have had the same pronunciation in the past. If _bei_ is read in its original agricultural sense as 'collecting grain' and _se_ in the previous line as 'storing', then we can see that the basic metaphor here is derived from agriculture. Other readings give a moral interpretation. _Se_ is then read as 'frugality', whilst _bei/fu_ is read as 'submission' (Wang Bi) or 'recovery' (the historian and statesman Sima Guang, 1019–86). essentials: most versions take this line literally, which produces the reading, 'When you have the mother of the country...', and then explain that this mother is the Way. However, the word _mu_ 'mother' also means essentials, and the word _zhi_ 'of' can stand for _zhi_ 'will-power'. Hence it makes more sense to read this as 'apply will-power to the essentials', especially since there is no mention of any 'mother' of the country in the preceding line. Their life forces intermingle... them: both sages and ghosts share a similar kind of power. But as Chan notes, Hanfei understood this line to mean 'virtue will be accumulated in both for the benefit of the people'. It is because of her stillness... position: in the received version this passage is very confused. she shall be taken over: here the Mawangdui version has clarified the grammar. embrace and feed people: the great state plays a female role, holding her husband and feeding her children. enter in and serve people: the small state plays a male role, penetrating his wife and serving her children. reservoir: no extant version actually has the reading 'reservoir'. The received version reads _ao_ , the south-west corner of a house where treasure was kept. Mawangdui reads _zhu_ , drainage channel. The problem with the Mawangdui reading is that it could not possibly rhyme with treasure (bao) and protector (bao) in the next two lines. However, it may indicate that the traditional _ao_ was originally a similar word meaning 'reservoir' or 'bay', also read _ao_. Fawning: in the received version the word translated here as 'fawning' (literally 'honour') is added on to the end of this line, to read 'bargaining for honours'. bribing: this is the Mawangdui reading, as above, and makes sense of what had been rather incomprehensible in the received version. Three Ministers: Henricks notes that these were the ministers of education, war, and works. In the Han dynasty their roles fell into disuse and the Three Dukes—Grand Preceptor, Grand Mentor, and Grand Guardian—gained in prominence. Hence the received version here reads 'Three Dukes', according to Han custom. followed by: this can also be read as 'preceded by'. this: the received version adds 'this Way'; similarly in the next line. accomplish great things: Chapter 34 has a similar line but it refers to the Sage; here the line refers to what the Sage does. An ascent of 100 paces: 160 metres. In Chapter 20 we saw that people would ascend terraces in the Spring at Chinese New Year. Rulers built tall platforms to intimidate other states and display their own power. One in the southern state of Chu is said to have been _c_.160 m high; another in the central state of Wei was named the Platform Reaching Midway to Heaven (see Wu Hung, p. 670). In the received version this line has been changed to 'A journey of 1,000 _li'_ (a _li_ is a third of a mile). Therefore it is said: this is the Mawangdui reading. The received version simply reads 'Therefore'. The key to approaching things is: this line is only found in the Guodian version. Learns what... learn: since the verbs 'to learn' and 'to teach' could be written the same way, in Guodian this line could also read: 'He teaches what others fail to teach.' Walks: the verb _fu_ literally means to 'walk on', though it is more usually read as 'return to'. Follow: in reading the verb here as 'follow' I am following Liao. Most commentators read it as 'help'. dare to act: Guodian A is even more restricting: 'cannot act outside it'. fared: the received version reads 'those who were good at faring'. To know: the received version here and in the next line reads 'govern'. Be ever aware that: this injunction is not found in the received version. stands ahead...jealous of him: my translation follows the order in Guodian, where the four lines form a set according to the pattern A, B, B', A'. Mawangdui A keeps a similar pattern but in reverse order: B, A, A', B'. Mawangdui B and the received version use a different pattern: B, A, B', A'. Both Mawangdui versions read the initial half of A and B as 'If the Sage desires to...'; in the received version this formulation is used only for the A clause. I am great... others: The received version changes the subject from 'I' to 'my Way'. This affects the whole passage, which would then read: 'Everyone says my Way is great, seemingly unlike all others. Now it is precisely because of greatness that she seems to be unlike others. Were she like others, then, oh, so long ago she would have been small.' It encircles him with compassion: the received version reads slightly differently: 'When heaven wants to save someone, it defends him with compassion.' warmonger: Wang Bi tells us that this means that the officers do not run ahead. Waley suggests that the officers would have been in chariots, and so translates 'charioteers do not rush forward'. the power of deploying men: this follows the received version and balances the preceding phrase, but the Mawangdui version simply reads 'deploying men'. underestimating your opponent: Mawangdui literally reads: 'Of disasters none is greater than (thinking you have no) opponent.' are much alike: Mawangdui stresses that the armies are equal in all respects except in their attitude to battle. One side is sorry about the need to fight and hence that side will win. I have followed this translation. The received version does not stress equality. It reads: 'When armies attack and fight each other...' among men: the received version reads 'in the world.' My words descend... prince: Mawangdui B reads: 'My words are ruled by a prince and my deeds descend from an ancestor.' those who know: here the received version adds 'me'. precious jade: in Confucius' _Analects_ , jade refers to political ability. To not know that one does not know: Mawangdui A has this second 'not', but it is omitted in all other versions. The people's famine... famine: the grammar of these three observations is difficult. In the second it is clearly the case that the first and third parts of each line refers to the people and the second part to the ruler. In the received version this structure is also clear for the third observation. We must suppose the same for the first. ungovernable: Mawangdui; received version 'difficult to govern'. tiny and small: Mawangdui A is the only text with 'tiny and small'. Water overcomes rock... firm: the received version reads: 'Soft overcomes firm; weak overcomes hard.' is said of: Mawangdui; received version 'is to be'. right tally: only the Mawangdui A text reads 'right'; all other versions read 'left'. The right tally was the important part and could be used to demand payment in case of default. platoons and brigades: interpretations of this line vary widely. Some read it as referring to quantities of instruments (not necessarily weapons). Others see it as referring to military divisions (tens and hundreds). The Mawangdui version does not help to resolve this issue. renounce travel: the verb 'renounce' ( _yuan_ ) was misread as the adjective 'far' (also _yuan_ ) and a negative added, so the received version reads 'not travel far'. They cherish their ways... home: the received version inverts the order of the last two lines: 'Establish their homes; cherish their ways.' does not master knowledge: in the received version this proverb comes third in the series of three. The fellow with much is not good: the received version reads: 'The good fellow does not argue; the argumentative fellow is not good.' The way of sages: Mawangdui reads 'The way of people', but clearly it refers to sages, as in the received version. ## **TABLE OF REFERENCES** **References are to chapter numbers.** **METAPHYSICAL TERMS** | ---|--- Being | 2, 40 Beingless | 2, 11, 14, 40 Life force | 10, 38, 51, 55, 60, 65 Lump/lumpen | 15, 19, 28, 32, 37, 57 Name | 1, 14, 21, 25, 32, 34, 47 _Qi_ | 10, 42, 55 Symbol | 35, 41 The One | 10, 14, 22 The Unique | 25, 39, 42 Way | 1, 4, 8, 14–16, 18, 21, 23–25, 30–2, 34–5, 37–8, 40–2, 46, 48, 51, 53, 55, 59–60, 62, 65 Way of heaven | 9, 16, 47, 73, 77, 79, 81 **APOPHATIC TERMS** | Abstruse | 1, 10, 15, 51, 56, 65 Abyss | 4 Elusive | 21 Invisible/unseen | 14, 15 Mystery/mysterious | 7, 15, 27 Nameless | 1, 32, 37, 41 Not acting | 2, 43, 48 Not interfering | 59 Obscure | 14, 21, 41 Stillness | 16, 26, 45, 61 Vacuity | 16 **VIRTUES** | Beauty | 2 Benevolence | 18, 19, 38 Ceremony (rites) | 38 Compassion | 67 Harmony | 42, 55 Insight | 27, 33, 36, 52, 55 Justice | 18, 19, 38 **IMAGES OF WATER** | Current | 65 Flood | 34 Gully | 6, 28, 32, 39, 41 River | 15, 32, 61, 66 Sea | 20, 32, 66 Soft | 36, 43, 55, 76, 78 Valley | 15, 28 Water | 8, 78 **MATERNAL IMAGES** | Baby | 10, 20 Child | 4, 52, 55 Children | 49, 54 Cleft | 6 Gate | 1, 6, 10 Milk | 20 Mother | 1, 20, 25, 52 Womb | 21 **IMAGES OF RULING** | Lord (noun) | 26, 30, 78 Lord (verb) | 34, 51 King(s) | 16, 25, 32, 37, 39, 42, 66, 78 Pointer | 22, 28 Sage | 2, 3, 5, 7, 12, 22, 26–9, 34, 47, 49, 57, 60, 63–4, 66, 70–3, 77–9, 81 State (country) | 10, 18, 36, 57, 61, 65, 78, 80 Tally | 79 World (human) | 13, 25–6, 28–32, 35, 39, 43, 45–6, 48–9, 52, 54, 56–7, 60, 62, 66, 78 **MARTIAL IMAGES** | Armour | 50, 80 Arms | 30 Army/armies | 30, 39, 50, 57, 69, 76 Bow | 77 Chariot(s) | 26, 39 Death | 42, 50, 74–6, 80 Famine | 75 Troops | 69 Victory | 31, 67, 73 Warrior | 68 Weapons | 31, 36, 50, 57, 80 **SOCIAL STATUS** | Extravagance | 53 Fortune | 58 Disaster(s) | 8, 9, 13, 16, 32, 46, 52, 58, 69 Honour | 9, 13, 28, 31, 51, 56, 70 Dishonour | 13, 56 Pride | 9, 30 Puffed up | 24 Reputation | 44 **ANIMALS** | Cock/hen/chicken | 28, 80 Dog (Straw dog) | 80, (5) Fish | 36, 60 Horse(s) | 46, 62 Krait(s) | 55 Rhino(s) | 50 Scorpion(s) | 55 Tiger(s) | 50 **OBJECTS OF DAILY LIFE** | Bellows | 5 Cart rut | 27 Cartwheel | 11 Gate tower | 26 Jade | 9, 39, 62, 70 Knots | 27, 80 Pot | 11 Tree | 64, 76 Window | 11, 47 Holmes Welch, _The Parting of the Way: Lao-tzu and the Taoist Movement_ (London: Methuen and Co., 1957), 13. This approach follows that of Sarah Allan, especially as demonstrated in her book _The Way of Water and the Sprouts of Virtue_ (Albany: SUNY Press, 1997). On correlative cosmology, see A. C. Graham, _Yin-Yang and the Nature of Correlative Thinking_ (Singapore: Institute of East Asian Philosophies, 1986). For a brief overview of textual matters related to the _Daodejing_ , see William G. Boltz, 'Lao tzu Tao te ching', in Michael Loewe (ed.), _Early Chinese Texts: A Bibliographical Guide_ (Berkeley: Society for the Study of Early China and the Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California, 1993), 269–92. On the Mawangdui texts, see Robert G. Henricks, _Lao-tzu Te-Tao Ching: A New Translation Based on the Recently Discovered Ma-wang-tui Texts_ (New York: Ballantine Books, 1989). Ibid. On the Guodian finds, see Sarah Allan and Crispin Williams (eds.), _The Guodian_ Laozi: _Proceedings of the International Conference, Dartmouth College, May 1998_ (Berkeley: The Society for the Study of Early China and the Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California, 2000). The following discussion is based on Harold D. Roth, 'Some Methodological Issues in the Study of the Guodian _Laozi_ Parallels', in ibid. 71–88. William H. Nienhauser, Jr, _The Grand Scribe's Records: The Memoirs of Pre-Han China by Ssu-ma Ch'ien_ , vol. 7 (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1994), 23. Ibid. 22. On the _Laozi bianhua jing_ , see Anna Seidel, _La Divinisation du Lao-tseu dans letaoïsme des Han_ (Paris: École Française d'Extrême-Orient, 1969). It should be noted that there is a minority opinion that this dating of the text may not be correct. See T. H. Barrett, _Taoism Under the T'ang: Religion and Empire During the Golden Age of Chinese History_ (London: Wellsweep Books, 1996). Isabelle Robinet, 'Later Commentaries: Textual Polysemy and Syncretistic Interpretations', in Livia Kohn and Michael LaFargue (eds.), _Lao-tzu and the Tao-te-ching_ (Albany: SUNY Press, 1998), 119–42, at 119. For an overview of the Heshanggong and Wang Bi commentaries, see Alan K. L. Chan, 'A Tale of Two Commentaries', in ibid. 89–117. The best treatment of the _Xiang'er_ is in Stephen R. Bokenkamp, _Early Daoist Scriptures_ (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997), 29–148. Discussion of these commentaries is based on the following sources: Heshanggong: Alan K. L. Chan, _Two Visions of the Way: A Study of the Wang Pi and Ho-shang Kung Commentaries on the Lao-tzu_ (Albany: SUNY Press, 1991), 139–40; Wang Bi: Rudolph G. Wagner, _A Chinese Reading of the Daodejing: Wang Bi's Commentary on the_ Laozi _with Critical Text and Translation_ (Albany: SUNY Press, 2003), 139–40; _Xiang'er:_ Bokenkamp, _Early Daoist Scriptures_ , 83. Chan, _Two Visions of the Way_ , 4. See Benjamin Schwartz, _In Search of Wealth and Power: Yen Fu and the West_ (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1964). Welch, _The Parting of the Way_ , 14. D. T. Suzuki and Paul Carus, _The Canon of Reason and Virtue_ (Chicago: Open Court, 1913). This translation of the title was actually suggested some decades earlier by Samuel Wells Williams, the American missionary, scholar, and diplomat, in volume 2 of his _The Middle Kingdom: A Survey of the Geography, Government, Literature, Social Life, Art and History of the Chinese Empire and its Inhabitants_ (New York: Wiley & Putnam, 1848; rev. edn. 1883), in his chapter on the 'Religion of the Chinese'. Ko Hsüan [Aleister Crowley], _Tao Te Ching_ (York Beach: Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1995). James Legge, _The Texts of Taoism_ , Sacred Books of the East (ed. Max Müller), vols. 39 and 40 (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1891).

Warning: more... Fetching bibliography... Generate a file for use with external citation management software. Adenylate kinase from the extremely thermoacidophilic archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius has been overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The highly purified enzyme was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Analysis of FTIR spectra and estimation of secondary structure revealed a global protein structure similar to that of other adenylate kinases. Thermal unfolding of the protein with an estimated Tm value near 90 degrees C is irreversible due to protein aggregation. The enzyme exhibits long-term stability up to 80 degrees C, which is an excellent adaptation to the physiological growth temperature of 75-80 degrees C. Half-widths of secondary-structure-sensitive bands and hydrogen-deuterium exchange experiments revealed that in comparison to adenylate kinase from porcine muscle cytosol the Sulfolobus enzyme is characterized by a significantly more compact and rigid protein core structure, which is likely to contribute specifically to the extreme thermostability of the protein. National Center for Biotechnology Information,

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8806756?dopt=Abstract

# Complex manifold In differential geometry and complex geometry, a complex manifold is a manifold with an atlas of charts to the open unit disc in C n {\displaystyle \mathbb {C} ^{n}} , such that the transition maps are holomorphic. The term complex manifold is variously used to mean a complex manifold in the sense above (which can be specified as an integrable complex manifold), and an almost complex manifold. ## Implications of complex structure Since holomorphic functions are much more rigid than smooth functions, the theories of smooth and complex manifolds have very different flavors: compact complex manifolds are much closer to algebraic varieties than to differentiable manifolds. For example, the Whitney embedding theorem tells us that every smooth n-dimensional manifold can be embedded as a smooth submanifold of R2n, whereas it is "rare" for a complex manifold to have a holomorphic embedding into Cn. Consider for example any compact connected complex manifold M: any holomorphic function on it is constant by the maximum modulus principle. Now if we had a holomorphic embedding of M into Cn, then the coordinate functions of Cn would restrict to nonconstant holomorphic functions on M, contradicting compactness, except in the case that M is just a point. Complex manifolds that can be embedded in Cn are called Stein manifolds and form a very special class of manifolds including, for example, smooth complex affine algebraic varieties. The classification of complex manifolds is much more subtle than that of differentiable manifolds. For example, while in dimensions other than four, a given topological manifold has at most finitely many smooth structures, a topological manifold supporting a complex structure can and often does support uncountably many complex structures. Riemann surfaces, two dimensional manifolds equipped with a complex structure, which are topologically classified by the genus, are an important example of this phenomenon. The set of complex structures on a given orientable surface, modulo biholomorphic equivalence, itself forms a complex algebraic variety called a moduli space, the structure of which remains an area of active research. Since the transition maps between charts are biholomorphic, complex manifolds are, in particular, smooth and canonically oriented (not just orientable: a biholomorphic map to (a subset of) Cn gives an orientation, as biholomorphic maps are orientation-preserving). ## Examples of complex manifolds Riemann surfaces. Calabi–Yau manifolds. The Cartesian product of two complex manifolds. The inverse image of any noncritical value of a holomorphic map. ### Smooth complex algebraic varieties Smooth complex algebraic varieties are complex manifolds, including: Complex vector spaces. Complex projective spaces, Pn(C). Complex Grassmannians. Complex Lie groups such as GL(n, C) or Sp(n, C). Similarly, the quaternionic analogs of these are also complex manifolds. ### Simply connected The simply connected 1-dimensional complex manifolds are isomorphic to either: Δ, the unit disk in C C, the complex plane Ĉ, the Riemann sphere Note that there are inclusions between these as Δ ⊆ C ⊆ Ĉ, but that there are no non-constant maps in the other direction, by Liouville's theorem. ## Disc vs. space vs. polydisc The following spaces are different as complex manifolds, demonstrating the more rigid geometric character of complex manifolds (compared to smooth manifolds): complex space C n {\displaystyle \mathbb {C} ^{n}} . the unit disc or open ball the polydisc ## Almost complex structures An almost complex structure on a real 2n-manifold is a GL(n, C)-structure (in the sense of G-structures) – that is, the tangent bundle is equipped with a linear complex structure. Concretely, this is an endomorphism of the tangent bundle whose square is −I; this endomorphism is analogous to multiplication by the imaginary number i, and is denoted J (to avoid confusion with the identity matrix I). An almost complex manifold is necessarily even-dimensional. An almost complex structure is weaker than a complex structure: any complex manifold has an almost complex structure, but not every almost complex structure comes from a complex structure. Note that every even-dimensional real manifold has an almost complex structure defined locally from the local coordinate chart. The question is whether this complex structure can be defined globally. An almost complex structure that comes from a complex structure is called integrable, and when one wishes to specify a complex structure as opposed to an almost complex structure, one says an integrable complex structure. For integrable complex structures the so-called Nijenhuis tensor vanishes. This tensor is defined on pairs of vector fields, X, Y by For example, the 6-dimensional sphere S6 has a natural almost complex structure arising from the fact that it is the orthogonal complement of i in the unit sphere of the octonions, but this is not a complex structure. (The question of whether it has a complex structure is known as the Hopf problem, after Heinz Hopf.) Using an almost complex structure we can make sense of holomorphic maps and ask about the existence of holomorphic coordinates on the manifold. The existence of holomorphic coordinates is equivalent to saying the manifold is complex (which is what the chart definition says). Tensoring the tangent bundle with the complex numbers we get the complexified tangent bundle, on which multiplication by complex numbers makes sense (even if we started with a real manifold). The eigenvalues of an almost complex structure are ±i and the eigenspaces form sub-bundles denoted by T0,1M and T1,0M. The Newlander–Nirenberg theorem shows that an almost complex structure is actually a complex structure precisely when these subbundles are involutive, i.e., closed under the Lie bracket of vector fields, and such an almost complex structure is called integrable. ## Kähler and Calabi–Yau manifolds One can define an analogue of a Riemannian metric for complex manifolds, called a Hermitian metric. Like a Riemannian metric, a Hermitian metric consists of a smoothly varying, positive definite inner product on the tangent bundle, which is Hermitian with respect to the complex structure on the tangent space at each point. As in the Riemannian case, such metrics always exist in abundance on any complex manifold. If the skew symmetric part of such a metric is symplectic, i.e. closed and nondegenerate, then the metric is called Kähler. Kähler structures are much more difficult to come by and are much more rigid. Examples of Kähler manifolds include smooth projective varieties and more generally any complex submanifold of a Kähler manifold. The Hopf manifolds are examples of complex manifolds that are not Kähler. To construct one, take a complex vector space minus the origin and consider the action of the group of integers on this space by multiplication by exp(n). The quotient is a complex manifold whose first Betti number is one, so by the Hodge theory, it cannot be Kähler. A Calabi–Yau manifold can be defined as a compact Ricci-flat Kähler manifold or equivalently one whose first Chern class vanishes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_complex_manifold

Background {#Sec1} ========== The aim of genetic testing is to determine the etiology of a suspected genetic disorder to influence medical management or provide a diagnosis that can guide genetic counseling. For this reason, genetic variants must be classified accurately and consistently. Professional societies and governmental regulatory agencies have provided general guidance regarding the classification, reporting, and long-term follow-up of variants. Guidelines for the classification of variants were provided in 2007 by the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) (Richards et al. [@CR11]). The ACMG, in collaboration with the Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) and the College of American Pathologists (CAP), is currently updating their guidelines towards a more evidence-based system that provides semi-quantitative guidelines for variant classification. In publicly circulated near-final drafts of these guidelines (Lyon et al. [@CR8]; Richards et al. [@CR12]), the ACMG/AMP/CAP will be recommending a multi-tier classification system, grouping variants based upon perceived risk of disease association: pathogenic, likely pathogenic, benign, likely benign, and variant of uncertain significance. These guidelines will recommend that the reporting of novel sequence variants from a clinical diagnostic laboratory must include a clinical interpretation based on the best data available at the time of testing. In clinical practice, laboratories with additional gene-specific information and expertise can use these guidelines to complement their findings. For example, our laboratory has previously outlined its approach to variant interpretation for the *BRCA1* and *BRCA2* genes (Eggington et al. [@CR4]). Locus-specific variant databases (LSDBs) have evolved as a resource for both researchers and clinicians to interpret the clinical relevance of genetic sequence variants associated with Mendelian disorders. The aim of LSDBs is to facilitate variant interpretation through the use of aggregated data, with variant specific data and classifications provided by researchers, laboratories, and clinicians. The new ACMG/AMP/CAP sequence variant classification guidelines will likely continue to recommend the cautious use of LSDBs to establish whether a genetic variant has been reported as associated with disease (Richards et al. [@CR11]). Recently, a group of researchers and clinicians evaluated and curated the largest public Lynch syndrome (*MLH1*, *MSH2*, *MSH6*, and *PMS2*) variant database and demonstrated that the majority of user-submitted clinical classifications were incorrectly classified within the database when evaluated by evidence-based standards (Thompson et al. [@CR15]). This research demonstrates that a cautious use of LSDBs warrants a thorough review of each database's evidence-based methodologies for classification. In addition, there are many LSDBs available for clinical variant classification and it is generally well accepted that differences between databases exist (Celli et al. [@CR3]; Mitropoulou et al. [@CR9]). However, there has been no comprehensive review to systematically determine the extent of these discrepancies and, therefore, the potential impact on clinical classification. In this study, we undertook a cross-comparison of LSDBs to measure concordance across and within five publicly accessible *BRCA1* and *BRCA2* variant databases. Our aim was to analyze whether LSDBs provide a consistent classification for the possible disease association of genetic variants. Our results show substantial disparity of variant classifications among and within publicly accessible variant databases. We also show that the LSDBs in this study failed to provide sufficient evidence to verify the databases' pathogenic classifications for less straightforward variant classifications, with the exception of genetic variants that have been thoroughly characterized in the literature. Methods {#Sec2} ======= To establish an unbiased dataset for comparison of clinical classifications within and between public databases, we performed a retrospective database query of *BRCA1* and *BRCA2* variants identified among consecutive patients who were referred to Myriad Genetic Laboratories, Inc., for sequencing and large rearrangement testing in November and December of 2013 (Fig. [1](#Fig1){ref-type="fig"}). Using this snapshot of data as of November 6, 2013, we then cross-referenced each variant in the dataset with its classification in five publicly accessible databases: (1) the Breast Cancer Information Core (BIC), an online, open-access breast cancer mutation database maintained by the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (Szabo et al. [@CR14]); (2) the Leiden Open Variation Database 2.0 (LOVD, [chromium.liacs.nl/LOVD2/cancer/home.php?select_db=BRCA1](http://chromium.liacs.nl/LOVD2/cancer/home.php?select_db=BRCA1), [chromium.liacs.nl/LOVD2/cancer/home.php?select_db=BRCA2](http://chromium.liacs.nl/LOVD2/cancer/home.php?select_db=BRCA2)), maintained by the Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands (Fokkema et al. [@CR5]); (3) ClinVar, a freely accessible public archive maintained by The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) at the NIH with the goal of reporting relationships between human variations and phenotypes (Landrum et al. [@CR7]); (4) the *BRCA1* and *BRCA2* Universal Mutation Database (UMD, <http://www.umd.be/BRCA2/>), which contains published and unpublished information about *BRCA1* and *BRCA2* mutations reported in a network of 16 French diagnostic laboratories (Beroud et al. [@CR1]); and (5) the Human Gene Mutation Database (HGMD), a paid subscription database maintained by the Institute of Medical Genetics in Cardiff (Stenson et al. [@CR13]).Fig. 1Flow diagram of the study design showing *BRCA1* and *BRCA2* variants identified for study due to detection in the sequencing of 24,650 consecutive patient samples presumed to be unrelated or only distantly related. The number of unique variants among these patients and the number of these variants shared across the BIC, ClinVar, HGMD (paid version), LOVD, and UMD databases are represented Variants and their respective classifications in LSDBs were compiled to analyze discrepancy rates between and within databases. To facilitate comparison between different classification schemes, we grouped classifications within databases into three major categories: pathogenic (pathogenic and likely pathogenic), benign (benign and likely benign), and variants of uncertain clinical significance (VUS). The criteria used for group classifications from each database are listed in Table [1](#Tab1){ref-type="table"}. Multiple instances of the same variant, within the same database, were considered as "conflicting" if they were assigned both a pathogenic and benign classification. Classifications were not considered conflicting within the same database if a variant was classified as pathogenic and VUS or benign and VUS. In these cases, the pathogenic or benign clinical classification was used in cross-database comparisons. The variants with classifications that were found in the "Other Classifications" category were excluded from the comparison.Table 1Definitions of clinical classifications for comparison across databasesBICClinVarHGMDLOVDUMDPathogenic"Clinically important---yes""Pathogenic"\ "Probably pathogenic"DM\ DM?\ FTV"+/?"\ "+?/?""5---Causal"\ "4---Likely causal"Uncertain (VUS)"Clinically important---unknown""Variant of unknown significance"\ "Risk factor"N/A"?/?""3---UV"Benign"Clinically important---no""No known pathogenicity"\ "Probably not pathogenic"FP\ DP\ DFP"−/?"\ "−?/?""1---Neutral"\ "2---Likely neutral"\ "Polymorphism"Other classificationsNone"Not provided"\ "Conflicting data from submitters"NoneNone"−"Classifications for HGMD are defined as follows: "DM" is a disease causing (pathological) mutation, "DM?" is a likely disease causing (likely pathological) mutation, "FTV" is a frameshift or truncating variant with no disease association reported yet, "FP" is a polymorphism affecting the structure, function or expression of a gene but with no disease association reported yet, "DP" is a disease associated polymorphism, "DFP" is a disease associated polymorphism with additional supporting functional evidence (Stenson et al. [@CR13]). Classifications for LOVD are defined as follows: "+" is pathogenic, "+?" is probably pathogenic, "?" is effect unknown, "-" is no known pathogenicity, and "-?" is probably no pathogenicity. All classifications are listed in the format "Reported/Concluded", although for all variants in this data set, the Concluded classification was "?" (Fokkema et al. [@CR5]). A VUS classification in UMD is defined as "3---UV", referring to "uncertain variant" (Beroud et al. [@CR1]). For quality assurance of the data, once the classifications in the data set were recorded, a blinded review was performed by two independent reviewers who were given a list of 100 variants from the overall dataset. These 100 variants were randomly selected in order to obtain a representative subset of the variants analyzed here. Each reviewer queried all five databases, noting the classification if available. Once the review was complete, the subset of variants was compared to the initial list of classifications to verify their accuracy. This approach allowed for the discovery and correction of any systematic errors, which arose primarily from inconsistent nomenclature across databases. Agreement across databases {#Sec3} -------------------------- To investigate the degree to which LSDBs agree on variant classifications, we stratified the 2017 unique variants based on the number of databases in which they were present (e.g., all variants that were seen in four databases formed one group). For each database in which a variant occurred, its classification was noted. Agreement was defined as all LSDBs in which a variant occurred assigning the same classification. The frequency of agreement (%) was calculated as the number of variants where agreement was found against the number of variants assigned the specified classification in one or more databases (for sample sizes in the different categories, see Fig. [2](#Fig2){ref-type="fig"}). For example, a variant was judged to be in the "pathogenic" subset if at least one database assigned that classification. We recorded this agreement separately for all variants judged to be pathogenic, benign, and VUS.Fig. 2Agreement between database classifications of variants from an unbiased set of 2017 *BRCA1* and *BRCA2* unique genetic variants identified in patients. The proportion of agreement is presented according to the number of databases in agreement (*x*-axis) for (**a**) all databases examined (BIC, ClinVar, HGMD, LOVD, and UMD) and (**b**) all databases except HGMD, which had the highest degree of discrepancy. Variants listed in all databases as pathogenic and likely pathogenic were grouped into the "pathogenic" subset (*red*). Variants listed in all databases as benign or likely benign were grouped into the "benign" subset (*blue*). "VUS" (*grey*) represents variants for which all databases described assigned a classification of variants of uncertain significance Discrepancies within databases {#Sec4} ------------------------------ We also examined the potential for conflicting variant classifications to occur within the same database. BIC, HGMD, and UMD provide a single "master" clinical classification per unique variant on the primary variant report page; however, ClinVar and LOVD currently do not provide a single "master" classification and instead list the conflicting entries. The variants with conflicting entries in these databases are listed in the [Supplemental Material](#MOESM1){ref-type="media"}. We totaled the number of variants seen for each classification (pathogenic, benign, VUS) in each of the five LSDBs and recorded the conflicting classifications when multiple instances of the exact same variant were observed in the same database. Analysis of additional evidence utilized by databases {#Sec5} ----------------------------------------------------- The use of literature and unique empirical data is an important facet of variant classification. However, the clinical utility of such information may be subject to debate when, e.g., the raw data are unavailable to support a reported conclusion or an intermediate functional effect is reported in a biochemical assay. To assess the use of literature and unique empirical data by LSDBs, we first collected a subset of variants from the 124 unique variants found in all five LSDBs that could be conservatively classified as VUS. The following criteria were used to select this subset: (1) variant listed in all five of the databases, (2) variant receives a default classification of VUS when excluding literature and other empirical evidence, and (3) definitively classified by at least one of the five databases as pathogenic (or likely pathogenic). The draft form of updated guidelines from the ACMG/AMP/CAP Interpretation of Sequence Variations Workgroup was used for this analysis (Table [3](#Tab3){ref-type="table"}). To establish a default VUS classification for criteria \#2, the following types of variants were considered: missense variants, intronic variants greater than two nucleotides inside the intron from the native RNA splice acceptor or donor site, in-frame insertions/deletions, and variants within the 5\' untranslated region (UTR). We next noted the reported classification of these variants in the five LSDBs and plotted all pathogenic and benign classifications (Fig. [3](#Fig3){ref-type="fig"}). Any variants that already held a VUS clinical classification in a given database were excluded from further analysis.Fig. 3Analysis of the LSDB clinical classifications (benign or pathogenic) of variants considered "VUS" by the criteria outlined in the "[Methods](#Sec2){ref-type="sec"}" section. Sixty-three of the 124 unique variants shared across the BIC, ClinVar, HGMD (paid version), LOVD, and UMD databases met these criteria. To determine how LSDBs vary in their treatment of these "challenging to classify" variants, we compared the clinical classifications of each "VUS" in all five databases. Variants with conflicting entries of VUS and either pathogenic or benign in the same database are categorized as either pathogenic or benign in the figure (see Table [1](#Tab1){ref-type="table"}). Variants with conflicting classifications of both pathogenic and benign in the same database were excluded from this figure We also evaluated the content of the BIC, ClinVar, LOVD and UMD databases to determine whether they provided sufficient, verifiable supporting data for an independent reviewer to concur with the databases' pathogenic classification. As HGMD had the highest discrepancy rate when all databases were compared, it was excluded from this analysis. To perform this analysis, we chose a set of "challenging to classify" variants, which we defined as variants present in all four databases (BIC, ClinVar, LOVD, and UMD) that would be conservatively classified as VUS per the criteria listed previously but that were classified as "pathogenic" in one or more databases. The evidence listed in the database was then evaluated using the evidence-based criteria released in draft form by the ACMG/AMP/CAP Interpretation of Sequence Variations Workgroup, which are soon to be published (Lyon et al. [@CR8]; Richards et al. [@CR12]). Sufficient supporting data was defined as verifiable data contained or referenced in the database that met the minimal requirements for a "Likely Pathogenic" classification (note---for the purposes of this evaluation, a variant's listing in a public database was not used as a supporting line of evidence for classification). Results {#Sec6} ======= During the 2-month study period (Nov--Dec 2013), we evaluated the variants identified in 24,650 consecutive patient samples referred to our laboratory for sequencing and large rearrangement testing in the *BRCA1* and *BRCA2* genes. From these patient samples, we obtained 2017 unique *BRCA1* and *BRCA2* variants among the study population. We then categorized these variants by the number of databases in which they were identified. Of the 2017 unique finds, 1327 were present in one or more databases, 931 were present in two or more databases, 633 were present in three or more databases, 328 were present in four or more databases, and 124 were present in all five databases (Fig. [1](#Fig1){ref-type="fig"}). Agreement across databases {#Sec7} -------------------------- The ability of multiple LSDBs to agree on a given variant classification is illustrated in Fig. [2a](#Fig2){ref-type="fig"}. For pathogenic and VUS classifications, it is clear that the level of agreement consistently decreases as more database evaluations are added. For VUSs in particular, there is no agreement once the variant is observed in a least four of the five databases in this study. Although the percentage agreement increases slightly when a "benign" variant is observed in three databases, it falls off again when observed in four. Figure [2b](#Fig2){ref-type="fig"} illustrates the agreement analysis, excluding HGMD which had the highest rate of discrepancy, and shows the same general trend as Fig. [2a](#Fig2){ref-type="fig"}. Discrepancies within databases {#Sec8} ------------------------------ Of the 2017 variants evaluated in this study, ClinVar contained 455 variants with 18 of those having conflicting classifications (Table [2](#Tab2){ref-type="table"}). LOVD contained 470 variants with 61 assigned conflicting classifications. These results indicate that when differing classifications are allowed within a database, as is the case for ClinVar and LOVD, discrepancies in clinical classifications may occur.Table 2Discrepancies within *BRCA1/BRCA2* databases for the 1327 variants evaluatedBICClinVarHGMDLOVDUMDA "master" classification is assignedYesNoYesNoYesPathogenic classifications30517253662201Benign classifications8417212256199VUS classifications64593091434Conflicting classificationsN/A18N/A61N/ATotal unique variants1034455548470834 Analysis of additional evidence utilized by databases {#Sec9} ----------------------------------------------------- Of the 124 variants shared across all five LSDBs, 63 variants would be conservatively classified as VUS according to the simplified guidelines outlined in the "[Methods](#Sec2){ref-type="sec"}" section. However, Fig. [3](#Fig3){ref-type="fig"} illustrates that different databases vary significantly in the reported clinical classification for these variants when additional evidence is considered (i.e., literature and unique empirical data). Our results show that HGMD favors pathogenic clinical classifications for 61 of 63 variants in this subset that other databases classify as either VUS or benign (note---HGMD currently states on its Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) webpage that its current database is contaminated with variants listed as pathogenic that are now known to be benign and that "to resolve this issue is likely to be a slow iterative process."). Within the subset of 63 variants identified, 18 were found that could be considered "challenging to classify" (Table [3](#Tab3){ref-type="table"}). Among these 18 variants, without exception, those with sufficient empirical data to support the LSDB pathogenic classifications were those that had been published in peer-reviewed literature. In this subset, UMD and LOVD performed the best in supporting their pathogenic classifications through the use of appropriate literature references (71 % and 40 % of the pathogenic claims, respectively) (Table [3](#Tab3){ref-type="table"}). BIC and ClinVar performed equally poorly, both failing to support any of the pathogenic classifications with empirical evidence at the time of this study.Table 3Evaluation of the supporting data provided in *BRCA1/2* databases for the pathogenic classification of 18 challenging variants as measured by evidence-based guidelines for variant interpretation of "likely pathogenic"(Lyon et al. [@CR8]; Richards et al. [@CR12])BICClinVarLOVDUMD*BRCA1*\ c.2351C\>T\ p.Ser784LeuVUSBenign\ Data: none^a^\ InsufficientPathogenic\ Data: literature\ InsufficientVUS*BRCA1*\ c.3082C\>T\ p.Arg1028CysVUSBenign\ c.4484G\>T\ p.Arg1495MetPathogenic\ Data: none\ InsufficientPathogenic\ Data: none^a^\ Insufficient^b^Pathogenic\ Data: literature^c^\ SufficientPathogenic\ Data: literature^d^\ Sufficient*BRCA1*\ c.4868C\>G\ p.Ala1623GlyVUSPathogenic\ Data: none^a^\ Insufficient^e^Pathogenic\ Data: literature\ SufficientPathogenic\ Data: literature^d^\ Sufficient*BRCA1*\ c.5072C\>T\ p.Thr1691IleVUSVUSPathogenic\ Data: literature\ InsufficientVUS*BRCA1*\ c.4986+6T\>C\ (IVS16+6T\>C)Pathogenic\ Data: none\ InsufficientPathogenic\ Data: none^a^\ Insufficient^e^VUSPathogenic\ Data: literature^d^\ Sufficient*BRCA1*\ c.5074G\>C\ p.Asp1692HisPathogenic\ Insufficient*BRCA1*\ c.5408G\>C\ p.Gly1803AlaVUSVUSBenign\ Data: literature\ InsufficientPathogenic^f^\ Data: literature^d^\ Insufficient^f^*BRCA2*\ c.6290C\>T\ p.Thr2097MetVUSPathogenic\ Data: none^a,g^\ Insufficient^e^VUSVUS*BRCA2*\ c.6322C\>T\ p.Arg2108CysVUSVUSPathogenic\ Data: literature\ InsufficientVUS*BRCA2*\ c.7007G\>A\ p.Arg2336HisPathogenic\ Data: literature\ SufficientPathogenic\ Data: literature^d^\ Sufficient*BRCA2*\ c.7565C\>T\ p.Ser2522PheVUSVUSPathogenic\ Data: Literature\ InsufficientVUS*BRCA2*\ c.7868A\>G\ p.His2623ArgVUSPathogenic\ Data: none^a^\ Insufficient^b^Pathogenic\ Data: literature\ InsufficientVUS*BRCA2*\ c.7878G\>C\ p.Trp2626CysVUSVUSPathogenic\ Data: literature\ SufficientVUS*BRCA2*\ c.8168A\>G\ p.Asp2723GlyVUSVUSPathogenic\ c.9104A\>C\ p.Tyr3035SerVUSVUSPathogenic\ Data: literature\ InsufficientVUS*BRCA2*\ c.9235G\>A\ p.Val3079IleVUSPathogenic\ Data: none^ag^\ Insufficient^e^Benign\ Data: literature\ InsufficientVUS*BRCA2*\ c.9371A\>T\ p.Asn3124IleVUSPathogenic\ Data: none^a^\ Insufficient^b^Pathogenic\ Data: literature\ SufficientVUSShare of pathogenic classifications with sufficient evidence0/4\ 0 %0/11\ 0 %6/15\ 40 %5/7\ 71 %"Pathogenic" or "VUS" refers to the classification made in the associated database for the variant according to the groupings defined in Table [1](#Tab1){ref-type="table"}. For variants listed as pathogenic, "data" describes the type of data provided in the associated database to support the classification. "Sufficient" or "insufficient" represents whether or not the supporting data provided or referenced by the database is verifiable and meets the minimal requirements for a "likely pathogenic" classification according to ACMG/AMP/CAP evidence-based criteria (Lyon et al. [@CR8]; Richards et al. [@CR12])^a^Classification was submitted to ClinVar from the Sharing Clinical Reports Project (<http://sharingclinicalreports.org/>), but no supporting evidence provided in the ClinVar display^b^At the time of the initial ClinVar evaluation (November 6, 2013), ClinVar database did not provide supporting data for the clinical classification. However, at the time of manuscript preparation (March 11, 2014), the database listed an additional entry for the variant, which lacked a clinical classification, but did provide literature references which *did not* provide sufficient verifiable evidence required to meet minimal ACMG standards for at least a likely pathogenic classification^c^LOVD listed both pathogenic and uncertain classifications (see Table [1](#Tab1){ref-type="table"}) for this variant where the literature associated with the uncertain classification *did* provide sufficient verifiable evidence to meet minimal ACMG standards for a likely pathogenic classification, but the literature associated with the listed pathogenic classification *did not* meet these standards^d^UMD frequently provides the age of disease onset in anonymized patients who have been reported by UMD's contributors as carrying the variant. However, for the variants reported here, literature references were the primary data source for variant classification^e^Same as table footnote "b" for ClinVar, except that the entry added after our initial evaluation listed literature references which *did* meet minimal ACMG standards for a likely pathogenic classification, though the added entry did not provide a clinical classification^f^The database lists a pathogenic classification, but the supporting data trends for a contrary (benign) classification^g^ClinVar displays the most recent classification submitted from the Sharing Clinical Reports Project. At the time of the initial ClinVar evaluation (November 6, 2013), ClinVar database displayed a "pathogenic" classification" from the Sharing Clinical Reports Project. At the time of manuscript preparation (March 11, 2014), ClinVar displayed a "benign" or "likely benign" classification from the Sharing Clinical Reports Project Of special note, in Table [3](#Tab3){ref-type="table"} are the conflicting classifications for *BRCA1* c.5408G\>C (p.Gly1803Ala) between LOVD and UMD. The latter classifies the variant as pathogenic and the former as benign. The two databases provide overlapping literature citations to support their classifications. However, while UMD classifies the variant as pathogenic, the comments listed for the literature cited in the variant information suggest that the variant is trending towards a benign classification. The pathogenic classification is therefore likely to be a data entry error or an instance where incomplete information is provided to support the given classification. Similar differences were discovered in other databases. For example, a LOVD entry for the well-characterized pathogenic mutation *BRCA1* c.181T\>G (p.Cys61Gly) is listed as benign (Caligo et al. [@CR2]; Goldgar et al. [@CR6]). Also discovered were likely data entry errors for two of the 18 variants in Table [3](#Tab3){ref-type="table"}, which were submitted to ClinVar through the Sharing Clinical Reports Project (see Table [3](#Tab3){ref-type="table"} footnotes). Collectively, this highlights the importance of reviewing all available literature and supporting information regarding a variant classification before issuing a clinical report, as database classifications can be discordant and incomplete. Discussion {#Sec10} ========== Accurate and consistent data curation is critical to the value derived from LSDBs in categorizing the relationship between genetic variation and disease, particularly for clinical applications. In this study, we performed a retrospective analysis of 2017 *BRCA1* and *BRCA2* variants identified in our laboratory. We compared the clinical classifications of these variants across BIC, ClinVar, HGMD (paid version), LOVD, and UMD to determine whether LSDBs provide a consistent clinical classification. Our results show substantial disparity of variant classifications among databases. In our evaluation, it was rare for all five databases to agree on variant classification. For example, of 116 variants present in all five databases that received a classification of "pathogenic" in at least one database, only four variants were classified as pathogenic in all five databases (Fig. [2a](#Fig2){ref-type="fig"}). Even when the outlier database (HGMD) was removed from the comparison, this did not mitigate the decreased level of agreement we observed as more databases are considered. These results not only highlight an absence of increased accuracy when a variant is observed in multiple databases but also the disparity in classification schemes used across LSDBs. Although two thirds of the variants identified in the patient samples were listed in one or more *BRCA1* and *BRCA2* databases, the remainders were not listed in any LSDB, likely owing to their rarity. Two of the five evaluated databases do not provide a "master" clinical classification and allow for internal database conflicts (pathogenic and benign) for the same variant. These conflicts limit the overall utility of LSDBS and highlight the inconsistent methodologies used to populate the database. As information from genetic testing may be used to make important clinical decisions that may involve prophylactic surgery, the ACMG/AMP/CAP guidelines recommend a conservative and evidence-based approach to variant interpretation, with the goal of avoiding speculation. When sufficient data is absent for an evidence-based classification, the guidelines recommend classifying variants as having uncertain clinical significance. However, it is important to note that all public databases included in our analysis contain a disclaimer that the database is to be used for research purposes only. Our findings illustrate that some public databases frequently lean more towards aggressive classification when evidence-based protocols indicate that, in a clinical setting, a VUS classification would be more appropriate for particular variants. For an unbiased subset of 18 variants evaluated in this study, application of these evidence-based guidelines to existing US government-sponsored and international-based *BRCA1* and *BRCA2* databases shows that the BIC, ClinVAR, LOVD, and UMD databases failed to provide sufficient verifiable content, independent of published literature, to achieve evidence-based verification of their listed "pathogenic" classifications. This might suggest that the use of a database that relies solely upon literature references would be more prudent, such as the use of HGMD. Yet, as described on the HGMD FAQ web page, this database is known to be significantly contaminated with "pathogenic" variants classified in the literature as benign. This information correlates with our findings that HGMD variant classifications were frequent outliers (Fig. [3](#Fig3){ref-type="fig"}). However, not all literature used to support a LSDB's pathogenic classification provided sufficient evidence to meet the evidence-based standards for "likely pathogenic." This underscores the need for users to independently evaluate referenced literature. Interestingly, even when published literature provided sufficient evidence for a pathogenic classification, the four databases failed to show concordance in the use of the best available literature. Recently, Thompson et al. reported an evaluation of the LOVD-hosted InSIGHT database for mismatch repair variants. In this analysis, the application of evidence-based criteria resulted in the reclassification of 66 % of the eligible variant entries, including the reversal of pathogenic classifications to benign and vice versa (Thompson et al. [@CR15]). Considering that most public LSDBs do not include a user-tracking mechanism, it is unlikely that the laboratories, clinicians, and patients who previously used the incorrect, non-evidence-based classifications were actively notified of the variant reclassifications. This poses a significant challenge and burden for the user of public LSDBs that has not yet been resolved. The ability for laboratories to provide sufficient patient- and family-specific data in public databases is challenging because of country-specific laws protecting personal health information. To counter this, databases that attempt to provide empirical data often simplify complex phenotype/genotype information in efforts to anonymize the data for data sharing. However, such simplified data may be misleading. In *BRCA1* and *BRCA2* LSDBs in which only the proband disease status is provided (e.g., UMD), ascertainment bias must be considered in all assessments as the majority of tested patients are being selected for breast and/or ovarian cancers; thus, truly benign variants may seem to be associated with disease because of this bias. It is therefore critical to develop and use clinically validated methods that rely on rigorous control matching to account for this bias (Eggington et al. [@CR4]; Pruss et al. [@CR10]). Conclusions {#Sec11} =========== This analysis presents a systematic evaluation of several commonly used LSDBs and their limitations in clinical variant classification. Our results show substantial disparity of variant classifications among and within publicly accessible variant databases. Although LSDBs have been well established for research applications, our results suggest that several challenges inhibit their wider use in clinical practice. Healthcare providers should exercise caution when using these research tools for clinical purposes. With so many *BRCA1/2*-specific databases now available, it is a challenge to identify the most updated and accurate resources. The number of available databases also presents the challenge of curating the often conflicting variant classifications available (Celli et al. [@CR3]; Mitropoulou et al. [@CR9]). We recommend that for any test that may result in definitive and irreversible clinical intervention, the laboratory issuing the genetic report should carefully evaluate each piece of data used for variant classification. Electronic supplementary material ================================= {#Sec12} ###### (DOCX 32.8 kb) We thank Hannah Cox, Ph.D., for critical review of the manuscript. We also thank Kirstin Roundy for assistance with formatting and submission of the manuscript. Most importantly, we acknowledge the many patients, clinicians, and researchers who have worked towards the goal of accurate genetic variant classification in the genes responsible for hereditary cancers. Compliance with Ethical Standards {#FPar1} ================================= All authors are employees for Myriad Genetic Laboratories, Inc., and receive salary and stock as compensation.

This course is designed to enhance your organisation and communication capabilities, helping you to develop strategic planning capacities and enhance your personal leadership qualities. All the skills are transferable and therefore this course will suit professionals in a wide variety of fields, whether you are teaching others or managing (or would like to manage) a sales team, an office, healthcare workers, a creche etc. The course is designed to help you succeed in your own career progression. There are six key areas explored in Training Delivery and Evaluation 1 The theory of training and adult learning In this unit you look at effective communication, understanding group dynamics, you examine learning styles, learning outcomes and the theory underpinning training and education, you will also look ad different approaches to adult learning and the psychology of learning. 2 The role of the trainer In this unit you will explore the values which inform models of best practice, preferred learning styles, training styles and conflict and resolution techniques, how to deal with discriminatory attitudes and behaviours and how to establish work boundaries and identify personal training development needs. 3 Training needs analysis and programme design In this unit you will look to identify different job roles and behaviours, identify training needs, analyse training needs, explore performance objectives, evaluate learning effectiveness, design learning programmes that are relevant and ensure the programme conforms to the requirements of certification bodies where appropriate. 4 Preparing for programme delivery In this unit you plan the delivery of a training session, prepare visual aids to support your training session including flipcharts, PowerPoint slides etc. Produce exercises for use within the training session and prepare appropriate training methods for each element of the training session. 5 Delivery and assessment In this unit you evaluate and assess learners achievement of the training objectives, critically evaluate a range of assessment and delivery methodologies, distinguish between formative and summative assessment, provide effective feedback and promote and maintain a positive learning culture. 6 Evaluation of training delivery Evaluate a training programme, explore learner progress against learning objectives, listen to feedback from learners and identify opportunities for improvement of delivery. Post evaluation prepare a programme improvement plan.

https://www.nightcourses.com/course/training-delivery-and-evaluation-previously-train-the-trainer-in-mullingar-co-westmeath-157953/

I’m Exercising but I’m not Losing Weight. Why?! If you’re exercising regularly but you are just not seeing the results you want in terms of weight loss, it can be frustrating. There are a few possible reasons why this might be happening. One possibility is that you’re not burning enough calories as you think you are. It’s important to remember that obesity is a complex condition, and simply exercising more isn’t always going to lead to weight loss. In this article, we’ll explain what the various possible reasons are as to why the number on the weighing scale just simply refuses to drop to your desired number. Why Am I not Losing Weight? This is a complicated question with a multitude of different answers. The caveat is, no one answer will satisfactorily explain why your attempt to lose weight is facing so many obstacles, but here are five possible reasons: 1. You’re Not Burning Enough Calories Even if you’re exercising regularly, you might not be burning enough calories to make a difference on the scale. To lose weight, you’ll need to create a calorie deficit, which means burning more calories than you consume. If your workout routine isn’t intense enough or long enough, you might not be burning as many calories as you think. 2. You’re Not Eating the Right Foods If you’re exercising regularly and burning enough calories, but you’re not eating the right foods, you won’t lose weight. To lose weight, you’ll need to eat a healthy, balanced diet that includes plenty of lean proteins, whole grains, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables. 3. You’re Not Challenging Yourself If you’re doing the same workout day after day, your body will eventually adapt, and you’ll stop seeing results. To continue losing weight, you must keep your body guessing by mixing up your routine and challenging yourself with new exercises and setting new goals to surpass your limits. 4. You’re Not Setting Realistic Goals If your weight-loss goals are unrealistic, you’re setting yourself up for failure and frustration. Make sure you set fitness and weight-loss goals that are achievable and specific so that you can stay motivated and be on track. 5. You’re Not Consistent Weight loss is a process that takes time and consistency. If you’re only working out sporadically, it’s no wonder you’re not seeing results. To lose weight and keep it off, you’ll need to exercise regularly and make healthier decisions all the time. If you think one or more of these factors might be affecting your weight-loss efforts, talk to a specialist for more advice. With the right approach, you can reach the goals you have set and start seeing results on the weighing scale! What Should I Do? If you’re not seeing results even though you’re exercising on a regular basis, don’t give up. First, take a step back and analyse your current routine. There might be some changes you can make to help you see results in your attempts to combat obesity. Here are a few suggestions: 1. Eat Clean To lose weight, you must fuel your body with healthy, nutritious foods. This is the most important thing you can do for your body if you want to see results. Eating clean means consuming whole, unprocessed foods that are packed with nutrients and free from chemicals. This way of eating will help improve your overall health and fitness level, as well as promote weight loss. 2. Track Your Calories Apart from eating clean, it is also vital that you make sure you’re burning enough calories. If you’re not sure how many calories you should be burning, talk to a specialist or use a calorie-tracking app. It’s also vital that you eat the right foods that are properly labelled for tracking purposes, as you will need to make sure you’re getting the right macronutrient balance. 3. Get on a Guided Exercise Programme Getting on a guided exercise programme is a great way to stay motivated. It will also help you to focus your efforts so that you make the most out of your time at the gym. In a guided exercise programme, our specialists will work together with you to set realistic weight loss goals that are achievable and specific so that you can better measure your progress and success. This will keep you motivated. Lose Weight with Rapid Physiocare’s Guidance One of the most important things to remember when trying to lose weight is that it takes time and consistency to see results. There will be no quick fixes or magic solutions. So, make sure you’re in it for the long haul and that you’re consistent with your efforts. Here at Rapid Physiocare, we help you get the best out of your weight loss regimen. Our Exercise for Health Physiotherapists can help assess your health and wellness goals and recommend a suitable guided exercise programme for you. Employing the principles of SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely) goals as well as strength and conditioning activities, we will help ensure that you reach your target weight and fitness level. Learn more about our guided exercise programme and what it can do for you. Should you have any questions, feel free to contact us by phone or email.

https://rapidphysiocare.com/im-exercising-but-im-not-losing-weight-why/

“Getting into Shape”: An Illustrative Case Study of Mothers’ Key Motivation for Participation in an Exercise Program, Sydney, Australia - Publisher: - American Research Institute for Policy Development - Publication Type: - Journal Article - Citation: - International Journal of Gender and Women‟s Studies, 2019, 7 (1), pp. 1 - 6 - Issue Date: - 2019-05-30 Open Access Copyright Clearance Process - Recently Added - In Progress - Open Access This item is open access. Analysis of a community-based, illustrative case study investigating women's main reason for exercise class participation accessed through qualitative data, revealed how intended goals of body shape improvement and loss of weight motivated them into taking part. Ninety-percent of participants joined the program because they were attempting to improve their body shape and lose weight. According to the respondents, when exercise classes are perceived as helping to improve body shape, respondents receive positive comments from others, feel body tone, notice weight loss, perceive a better personal appearance and body image satisfaction. When exercise classes are considered as not helping with body shape improvement, women notice that body tone remains flabby, no weight loss occurs, or the classes are rated as not focusing enough on problem body part areas. A theoretical model is recommended illustrating three possibilities across a continuum of individual body image. Those people in psychological harmony with their physical bodies are considered the healthiest. Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:

https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/handle/10453/133722

It is important to note that the goal of the conspiracy does not need to be accomplished in order for you and those involved to be charged with conspiracy. Once one of the individuals takes a step in accordance with the plan, you can be charged. An example would be conspiring to embezzle funds from the company you work for or plotting to set fire to your home for the insurance money. Conspiracy to commit fraud can be either a misdemeanor or felony. A misdemeanor can be punishable by 1 year in jail. A felony may be punishable by 3 years in prison. Conspiracy against a government official is a felony punishable by up to 9 years in prison. Conspiracy to commit murder (or if executing the plan ends up in someone dying) you are punished equivalent to first-degree murder. A qualified criminal defense attorney will be able to help you better understand the complexities of criminal conspiracy. If you find yourself under investigation for conspiracy, contact a lawyer immediately.

http://hbcriminaldefense.com/conspiracy/

Despite their negligible mass the microbial agents, starters and non starters, play a profound role in the characterization of the fermented foods in terms of chemical and sensorial properties. In fact, fermented foods may be defined as foods processed through the activity of microorganisms. Fermentation processes take a special place in the evolution of human cuisine, by altering the taste experience of food products, as well as extending the storage period. In particular, foods fermented with lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have constituted an important part of human diet and of fermentation processes (involving various foods, including milk, meat, vegetables and fruits) since ancient times. They have played an essential role in the preservation of agricultural resources and in the improvement of nutritional and organoleptic properties of human foods and animal feed. Moreover, these organisms nowadays are increasingly used as health promoting probiotics, enzyme and metabolite factories and vaccine delivery vehicles . It is interesting to outline how the changes of food characteristics during the fermentation process can be described as dynamic fluctuations of the food environment itself and, at the same time, stress source for the microorganisms involved [3, 4], such as LAB. In fact, whenever autochthonous bacteria are adapted and competitive in their respective environment, the environment can be described as stressful for LAB [5, 4]. The fermentation parameters, including temperature, water activity (Aw), oxygen, pH, as well as the concentration of starter cultures, affect the regulatory mechanism and the response mechanisms of LAB, as well as their effects on the final products properties . When LAB are added to food formulations, several factors that may influence the ability of those microorganisms to survive, growth and become active in the new matrix have to be considered . These factors include: 1) the physiological state of the LAB used as starters (whether the cells are from the logarithmic or the stationary growth phase); 2) the physical conditions of product ripening and storage (eg. temperature); 3) the chemical composition of the matrix (eg. acidity, available carbohydrates content, nitrogen source, mineral content, water activity and oxygen concentration); 4) possible interactions of the starter cultures with probiotics and other microorganisms naturally occurring or added to the system . In figure 1 the main factors affecting the viability and the responses of LAB from production to storage are described . To better elucidate what happens to LAB during fermentation processes, we decided to use a model (defined “virtual food”) that mimics various steps occurring during processing and that can affect LAB performances or viability. 2. Lactic acid bacteria and stress: Basic concepts “Stress results from interactions between subjects and their environment that are perceived as straining or exceeding their adaptive capacities and threatening their well-being. The element of perception indicates that human stress responses reflect differences in personality, as well as differences in physical strength or general health” . Stress has driven evolutionary changes (the development and natural selection of species over time). Thus, the species that adapted best to the causes of stress (stressors) have survived and evolved into the plant and animal kingdoms we now observe. The same evolutionary process regarded microorganisms. In fact, bacteria, irrespective of natural habitat, are exposed to constant fluctuations in their growth conditions. Consequently they have developed sophisticated responses, modulated by the re-modelling of protein complexes and by phosphorylation dependent signal transduction systems, to adapt and to survive to a variety of insults. To ensure survival to environmental adversities, bacteria may adapt to changes in their immediate vicinity by responding to the imposed stress. These responses are different and vast and depend on the microorganism nature and on the environmental stress and are accomplished by changes in the patterns of gene expression for those genes whose products are required to combat the deleterious . In particular, cellular metabolic pathways are closely related to stress responses and the flux of particular metabolites to understand the hypothetically shifts and implications in the food systems has been studied in LAB [9-13, 4, 14, 15]. LAB are a functionally related group of organisms known primarily for their bioprocessing roles in food and beverages . LAB play a crucial role in the development of the organoleptic and hygienic quality of fermented products. These microorganisms are used as starter cultures in many fermented products (i.e. beer, milk, dough, sausages and wine). Therefore, the reliability of starter cultures in terms of quality and functional properties (important for the development of aroma and texture), but also in terms of growth performance and robustness, has become essential for successful fermentations . There have been some reports describing the physiological stress responses in LAB, particularly Lactobacillus species, which have a broad biodiversity [17-21, 13, 22, 4, 14, 15]. LAB evolved specific mechanisms to respond and to survive to environmental stresses and changes (stress-sensing system and defences). In fact, microorganisms could have specific regulators tailored to each of their regulated genes and adapt their expression according to environment. Stress defences are good examples of such integrated regulation systems. Bacterial stress responses rely on the coordinated expression of genes that alter different cellular processes (cell division, DNA metabolism, housekeeping, membrane composition, transport, etc.) and act in concert to improve the bacterial stress tolerance. The integration of these stress responses is accomplished by networks of regulators that allow the cells to react to various and complex environmental shifts. LAB respond to stress in a very specific way dependent on the species, on the strains and on the type of stress. The best-studied stresses are acid, heat, oxidative and cold stresses, although for the latter most of the studies focused on a specific family of proteins instead of analyzing the whole response . Despite the extensive use of LAB, there is a paucity of information concerning the stress-induced mechanisms studied in vivo for improving the survival of these organisms during real food processing. A better knowledge of the adaptive responses of LAB is important because the fermentation processes often expose these microorganisms to adverse environmental conditions. LAB should resist to adverse conditions encountered in industrial processes, for example during starter handling and storage (freeze drying, freezing or spray-drying) and during the fermentation environment dynamic changes. These phenomena reinforce the need for robust LAB since they may have to survive and grow in different unfavorable conditions expressing specific functions (for example during stationary phase or storage) . 3. Principal responses to the most common stresses Heat shock response: The effect of heat shock and the induction of a stress response in Lactobacillus spp. have been studied for Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Lactobacillus paracasei [24, 25], Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus helveticus , Lactobacillus collinoides , Lactobacillus sakei , Lactobacillus johnsonii , Lactobacillus rhamnosus , Lactobacillus plantarum [31-33] and Lactobacillus salivarius . The heat resistance of LAB is a complex process involving proteins with different roles in cell physiology, including chaperone activity, ribosome stability, stringent response mediation, temperature sensing and control of ribosomal functions . The time taken to initiate the stress response is different for different treatments and different strains. The major problem encountered by cells at high temperature is the denaturation of proteins and their subsequent aggregation. In addition Earnshaw et al. ,, Texeira et al. and Hansen et al. described also as response to heat stress the destabilization of macromolecules as ribosomes and RNA as well as alterations of membrane fluidity. Heat stress response is characterized by the transient induction of general and specific proteins and by physiological changes. In every strain tested the involvement of Heat Shock Proteins (HSPs such as DnaK, GroEL and GroES during the heat stress was clear) [23-38]. The role of these stress proteins is complex; in fact, the bind substrate proteins in a transient non-covalent manner prevent premature folding and promote the attainment to the correct state in vivo. The resistance to heat stress is higher when the cells were previously exposed and adapted to this type of stress in the stationary phase, otherwise, when pre-adapted in exponential phase, the cells are more sensitive. In particular, the storage stability of the culture that was heat shocked after stationary phase was superior to that of culture heat shocked after log phase [34, 23, 30]. Cold shock response: It is very important to improve knowledge about LAB behavior in cold environment. In fact, during industrial processes, like in cheese ripening and refrigerated storage of fermented products, these microorganisms are subjected to different temperatures far below the optimal growth temperature. When LAB living cells are exposed to these cold environments, important physiological changes occur, such as decrease in membrane fluidity and stabilization of secondary structures of RNA and DNA, resulting in a reduced efficiency of translation, transcription and DNA replication. The response of microorganisms to these effects is termed cold-shock response during which a number of Cold Induced Proteins (CIPs) are synthesized. The roles of these proteins are at the levels of membrane fluidity, DNA supercoiling and transcription and translation. Few papers have described cold shock proteins and mechanisms in LAB, in particular they have focused on Lactococcus lactis and L. plantarum [39-42]. Kim et al. [39, 40] tested different LAB to evaluate cold shock effects on cryotolerance. Improved understanding of cold-shock-induced cryotolerance may contribute to the development of environmental conditions that allow improved viability/activity of frozen or freeze-dried commercial LAB starter cultures. The results showed that, as with heat stress, there is also an improvement of the viability of the tested strains as concerning the cryotolerance after a cold shock. The process of freezing appeared to have different effects on different LAB as well as different effects on strains within the same genus. Moreover, the freezing response of the strains depends on the time of the cold shock process and the induction of cryotolerance appears to be dependent on the growth phase in which the cold shock took place [43-47]. Another interesting study regarding LAB response to sub-lethal cold stress was developed by Montanari et al.. These Authors separated and quantified the cell cyclopropane fatty acids lactobacillic (C19cyc11) and dehydrosterculic (C19cyc9) to study the adaptive response to sub-lethal acid and cold stresses in L. helveticus and Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis. These microorganisms showed different fatty acids composition and environmental adaptation to short term cold and acidic stresses. In L. helveticus C19cyc11 dramatically increased after 2 h at 10°C and with the pH decrease, particularly in micro-aerobic conditions, in the presence of tween 80, and in anaerobic conditions. The increase of lactobacillic acid in L. helveticus is necessary to maintain the cell membrane in a suitable state of fluidity. Moreover, cyclopropane fatty acids confer resistance to ozonolysis, singlet oxygen and mild oxidative treatments [48, 49], suggesting a cross protection and response of LAB cell membrane to physicochemical stresses. A combined analysis of the genome-wide transcriptome and metabolism was performed with a dairy Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis under dynamic conditions similar to the conditions encountered during the cheese-making process. Specific responses to acid and cold stresses were identified, but also the induction of unexpected pathways was determined. In particular, the induction of purine biosynthesis and prophage . Oxidative stress response: LAB are facultative anaerobic microorganisms that have in common the reduction of part of pyruvate produced to lactate production in order to regenerate NAD+ from NADH formed during glycolysis. They do not require oxygen for growth and, in fact, a negative effect of oxygen on the development of these bacteria has often been observed. It was generally believed that these bacteria could under no condition use oxygen as the terminal electron acceptor . However, many LAB have NADH oxidase and some can even express a functionally active respiratory chain in the presence of heme [51-57]. Respiration-competent LAB differ from the features of Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, since they carry limited equipment for respiration. All respiring LAB carry genes encoding electron donor (NADH dehydrogenase) and a single electron acceptor (cytochrome bd oxidase) . Addition of heme to the system activates respiration chain NADH oxidase activity, but none of the tested LAB synthesize heme . When for some reasons the generation of free radicals is higher than the rate of their detoxification the cells are exposed to a constraint called “oxidative stress” . For the food-associated LAB a still fragmented picture of the resistance mechanisms present emerges. Representatives of the different mechanisms have been described in different LAB [60-64]. Apart from the toxic effects of oxygen, aeration can induce important changes in the sugar metabolism of LAB. In fact, the presence of oxygen is a factor that greatly affects the outcome of a fermentation process. In general, LAB tolerate oxygen but grow better under nearly anaerobic conditions. However, in the presence of heme and oxygen LAB start respiration metabolism, by which the cell metabolism is reprogrammed so that pH, oxygen status, growth capacity and survival are markedly altered . In the presence of oxygen and during the fermentation metabolism, H2O2 is formed. Numerous species of LAB contain peroxidase and/or catalase to prevent and eliminate these deleterious effects . Concerning the prevention of reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation, the scope of the reactions is the eliminations of free oxygen. In a study on L. helveticus the fatty acids composition in the cell membrane changed in response to oxidative stress. In fact, the activity of oxygen consuming desaturase system increased to reduce the free radical damage to the cell . Generally, the response to oxidative stress of LAB is similar, but also depends on the species, on the strains and, with regard to catalase action, on the bacterial density . In L. lactis several genes have been identified and the respective encoded proteins have been shown to contribute to oxidative stress resistance. Moreover, the induction of these genes is growth phase-dependent (exponential or stationary) and their products confer multi-stress resistance . General stress resistance mechanisms may also confer resistance to oxidative stress. In fact, in a model system several acid resistant mutants of L. lactis that appeared also more resistant to oxidative stress were isolated . Acid stress response: Understanding the acid resistance mechanism used by LAB to survive to by-products of their own metabolism (i.e. homofermentative L. lactis converts 90% of metabolized sugar to lactic acid) and the response available in low-pH foods is of great importance. In LAB one of the most effective mechanisms for resistance in acid stress environment is the glutamate decarboxylase (GAD). In fact, few years ago, it was proposed that amino acid decarboxylase functions to control the pH of the bacterial environment by consuming hydrogen ions as part of carboxylation reaction . LAB are also capable of inducing an Acid Tolerance Response (ATR) in response to mild acid treatments. The system induced includes pH homeostatis, protection and repair mechanisms. Genes and proteins, involved in pH homeostasis and cell protection or repair, play a role in acid adaptation, but this role can also extend to more general acid tolerance mechanisms. A more specific study was developed on the effects of lactic acid stress on L. plantarum by transcription profiling . The difference, in terms of stress response, into the dissociated or undissociated forms of lactic acid has been highlighted. The toxicity of organic acids depends on their degree of dissociation and thus on the pH. For LAB end product inhibition by lactic acid could result in a disturbance of the regeneration of cofactor NAD+, especially under anaerobic conditions, in which the cell does not have the possibility of NAD+ regeneration by NADH oxidase. The response at membrane fatty acids level to acid stress was studied in L. helveticus and L. sanfranciscensis . The relevant proportion of dodecanoic acid in the latter species under acid stress suggests that carbon chain shortening is the principal strategy of L. sanfranciscensis to modulate fluidity or chemico-physical properties of the membranes in the presence of acid stress. Moreover, a specific shift in leucine catabolic pathway at pH 3.6 was identified in L. sanfranciscensis . In fact, the acid stress induced a metabolic shift toward overproduction of 3-methylbutanoic and 2-methylbutanoic acids, accompanied by sugar reduced consumption and primary carbohydrate metabolite production. The metabolites coming from branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) catabolism increased up to seven times under acid stress. While the overproduction of 3-methylbutanoic acid under acid stress can be attributed to the need to maintain redox balance, the rationale for the production of 2-methylbutanoic acid from leucine can be found in a newly proposed biosynthetic pathway leading to 2-methylbutanoic acid and 3 mol of ATP per mol of leucine. Leucine catabolism to 3-methylbutanoic and 2-methylbutanoic acids suggests that the switch from sugar to amino acid catabolism supports growth of L. sanfranciscensis in restricted environments such as sourdough, characterized by acid stress and recurrent carbon starvation. Osmotic stress response: In the various applications in food and feed industry LAB can be exposed to osmotic stress when important amounts of salts or sugars are added to the product . In fact, in most of the food habitats where lactobacilli live, they are confronted with salt and sugar stress . Study on the differences between salt and sugar osmotic stress revealed that the hyperosmotic conditions imposed by sugar stress are much less detrimental and only transient (transient osmotic stress), because the cells are able to balance the extra and the intracellular concentrations of lactose and sucrose . Bacteria need to adapt to this change in their environment in order to survive , and they can do it by accumulating (by uptake or synthesis) compatible solutes, generally of organic origin, under hyperosmotic conditions . The compatible solutes are defined as osmoprotectants. The main strategy to adapt to high osmolarity of non-halophilic bacteria is associated with the enhancement of the osmotolerance . Moreover, the osmoprotectants can also stabilize enzymes and provide protection not only against osmotic stress but also against other type of stresses (high temperature, freezing and drying). The intracellular accumulation of compatible solutes prevents the loss of water caused by high external osmolarity and allows the maintenance of turgor . The accumulation of carnitin, betain and proline was determined in LAB grown in MRS and complex diluted MRS medium (DMRS medium) . Moreover, a specific response mechanism to osmotic stress was identified in a sourdough model system . In particular, the growth of L. sanfranciscensis under osmotic stress resulted in a relevant accumulation of 3-methylbutanoic acid. Its synthesis is associated with the BCCAs., is NAD+ dependent and produces NADH during the reaction . The accumulation of 3-methylbutanoic acid as predominant metabolite has been also observed in model systems simulating sourdough as a consequence of osmotic, acid or oxidative stress [12, 15]. High pressure stress response: High-pressure processing (HPP) or high pressure homogenization (HPH) are non-thermal processes capable of inactivating and eliminating pathogenic and food spoilage microorganisms in specific foods [11, 72], and it represents an exceptional stimulus for most mesophilic bacteria. Several proteins are induced after high pressure treatment and some of these have also been involved in the response to other various stresses . The responses to HHP stress have been studied in particular on L. sakei and L. sanfranciscensis [73, 18]. These Authors suggested the presence of de novo protein synthesis as a consequence of HHP stress . As concerning HPH several interesting studies on the responses on Lactobacillus spp., at the level of proteolytic and metabolic activities point of view have been conducted [11, 21, 22, 74]. HPH treatment positively affects the proteolytic activity of some of Lactobacillus strains, but the activation and the quantitative and qualitative changes of the metabolic activity appear to be the most promising results. The pre-treatment at different pressure was able to induce relevant changes in term of fermentation dynamics and metabolism with respect to the untreated cells . The same approach was applied on L. acidophilus and L. paracasei to improve the technological performances of probiotic strains [21, 22, 74]. The sub-lethal treatment with HPH enhanced the capacity of some in vitro probiotic features (i.e. hydrophobicity and tolerance to simulated gastric acidity) in a strain dependant way. L. paracasei A13 enhanced cellular hydrophobicity and auto-aggregation capacity after HPH treatment at 50 MPa. On the contrary, the HPH treatment decreased these features in the other strains considered. Highest values of hydrophobicity were found for L. acidophilus DRU and its bile-resistant derivative L. acidophilus DRU+, while lower values were obtained for L. paracasei strain . Moreover, the stress responses enable survival under more severe conditions, enhancing resistance to subsequent processing conditions . HPH treatment at 50 MPa can favour the maintenance of cell viability during a refrigerated storage in buttermilk, a suitable medium to maintain the cell viability during refrigeration . The increased viability can be attributed to the increased precocious availability of low molecular weight peptides and free fatty acids such as oleic acid [21, 22]. Competition and communication: Food fermentations are typically carried out by mixed cultures consisting of multiple strains or species . Mixed-culture food fermentations are of primary economic importance. The performance of these cultures, consisting of LAB, yeasts, and/or filamentous fungi, is not the simple result of “adding up” the individual single-strain functionalities, but is largely determined by interactions at the level of substrates, exchange of metabolites and growth factors or inhibiting compounds . General microbial interference is an effective non-specific control mechanism common to all populations and environments including foods. It represents the inhibition of the growth of certain microorganisms by other members of the habitat. The mechanisms involved are common to all genera and include : Nutrient competition, Generation of unfavorable environment, Competition for attachment/adhesion sites. Most substrates for food fermentations have a highly heterogeneous physicochemical composition, which offers the possibility for the simultaneous occupation of multiple niches by “specialized” strains, for instance, through the utilization of different carbon sources. In these substrates, coexisting strains often interact through trophic or nutritional relations via multiple mechanisms . Carbon sources are often present at high concentrations in food substrates, and therefore competition concerns the rapid uptake of nutrients and conversion into biomass. In dairy fermentations nitrogen is limiting, and initially organisms compete for the free amino acids and small peptides available. While in the later stages of fermentation, they compete for the peptides released by the actions of proteolytic enzymes . In a cell-density-dependent quorum-sensing system, bacteria produce extracellular signaling molecules such as peptides or post-translationally modified peptides that act as inducers for gene expression when concentrations of these molecules exceed a certain threshold value . These changes might eventually lead to competitive advantages for the population, more effective adaptation and responses to changing environmental conditions, or the co-ordination of interactions between bacteria and their abiotic and biotic environments . In fact, microorganisms produce diffusible chemicals for the purpose of communication and it has been reported that the stress caused by the exposure of microbial cells to their own cell free conditioned media, containing metabolites and bioactive compounds including ‘‘quorum sensing” molecules, including 2(5H)-furanones, promotes cell differentiation, autolysis and overproduction of specific metabolites [12, 80, 9, 10]. In this way the microbial cultures used in food fermentations can also contribute (by “secondary” reactions and relations) to the formation of flavor and texture . 4. General steps regarding a virtual fermented food process In the figure 2, the steps that mainly interest food fermentation are reported. A model virtual fermented food was identified to resume the common denominator of the fermented foods dynamics, particularly focused on the reciprocal influences between environmental fluctuation and LAB fermentation. Whatever kind of food we want to produce, fermented or not, the first step of the process is the formulation: in this phase the main raw materials (meat, milk, fruit and vegetables or their derivatives) are mixed with other ingredients, that have different roles: salts or sugars to improve taste, spices to give specific sensorial quality and as antimicrobials, additives or other substances able to affect physical and structural properties, preservatives to improve microbial stability and shelf life. The addition of those ingredients can be perceived as stress. In fermented products, proper microorganisms, mainly yeasts and LAB, are also added as starter cultures, in order to start and lead the fermentation and to obtain a stable and standard final product. As a consequence, the microorganisms, naturally occurring or added as starter cultures, have to cope with a completely different system: in particular, naturally occurring microflora have to face the changes induced by the ingredients, while the starter cultures, deriving from growth media or added as lyophilized cultures, have to adapt to a real food system, where different sources of stresses are often present. In particular, the first sub-lethal stress, which LAB face, regards the difference between the growth medium composition and the real food. Generally, LAB lyophilized cultures can be added to the ingredients after a reactivation and subsequently added to the product. This procedure identify the presence of a stress for the LAB cells. Starter cultures are added to the raw materials in large numbers and incubated under optimal conditions, but the adaptation to substrate or raw material is always necessary . It is very important to consider the physiological state of the LAB before the inoculum. This state strongly depends on the time of harvesting of the culture (whether during the logarithmic or stationary phase of growth), on the conditions leading to transition to the stationary phase, on the treatment of the culture during and after harvesting and on the chemical composition of the environment. Therefore it is important during formulation and technological processes to consider also these factors, mainly for those products where microorganisms are added as starter cultures. The interaction between the starters and the ingredients and between the starters and the naturally present microbial population can trigger few important mechanisms that will influence the quality and the characteristics of the fermented product. Analogously, many food processes and formulations have been tested for safety by challenge test inoculating pathogen bacterial cells at different growth phases, and the results proved that cells grown to the stationary phase or adapted to various stresses have greater resistance than exponential cells . Other ingredients usually added to obtain safe and stable products are food preservatives, including: Antioxidants, Anti-browning agents Antimicrobials. These latter are arbitrarily classified into two groups: traditional or “regulatory approved” and naturally occurring . The former includes acidifiers such as acetic acid, lactic acid and citric acid and antimicrobials such as benzoic acid and benzoates, propionate, nitrites and nitrates, sorbic acid and sorbates and sulfites. The latter includes compounds from microbial, plant and animal sources that are, for the most part, only proposed for use in foods as antimicrobials (e.g. lactoferrin, lysozyme, nisin). Throughout the ages, food antimicrobials have been used primarily to prolong shelf-life and preserve quality of foods through inhibition of spoilage microorganisms, while only few are used exclusively to control the growth of specific foodborne pathogens (e.g. nitrite, used for hundreds of years to inhibit growth and toxin production of Clostridium botulinum in cured meats). In food formulation antimicrobials are part of a multiple intervention system that involves the chemical along with environmental (extrinsic) and food related (intrinsic) stresses and processing steps. Some of these substances (for example lactic acid and citric acid) provoke a direct acidification of a food or food ingredient, and therefore challenge the microflora inducing and increase of acid resistance of the microflora itself. In fermented food the situation can be somewhat different, because the pH is gradually lowered by LAB creating a pH gradient, more likely than a sharp alteration in the pH due to direct acidification. A good model describing the shock related to the inoculum of LAB in the raw complex material has been described during the production of fermented sausages . The relatively high pH of raw meat rapidly decreases during the initial fermentation phase because organic acids, mainly lactate, are formed by LAB and the water activity is reduced during ripening, because of the addition of salt as well as drying. Furthermore, adjuvants, such as potassium or sodium nitrite and/or nitrate, are mostly added to optimize the fermentation process. Generally strains used as starter cultures must tolerate these kinds of stresses and exhibit a high ecologic performance in the stressful food environment. Genes related to stress response are induced when L. sakei is inoculated in the raw meat system . In fact, ctsR, a gene that coded for a class III heat shock proteins repressor associated with the environmental stress response of Gram positive bacteria, increased its expression when L. sakei starts to adapt to the raw environment. This mechanism demonstrated that the sudden changes in the environment conditions are perceived as stress by Lactobacillus species. In particular, in the case of L. sakei, added to raw meat and spices, the principal stress response regarded high osmolarity and temperature shifts. Moreover, the presence of curing salt is regarded as one of the major hurdles in the initial phase of sausages fermentation. Because nitrite was found to be the effective for growth inhibition of pathogens, nitrite was also hypothesized as a stressor for L. sakei and the exposure of this strain to stresses can induce changes in metabolic activities in a food environment . The metabolic changes in L. sakei resulted in enhanced exploitation of available nutrients or increased activity of glycolytic enzymes, leading to the accelerated production of lactic acid by stress-treated L. sakei cells . However, the exposition of L. sakei to low temperature and high osmolarity gives rise to the repression of phosphofructokinase and consequently to a decreased flux through the glycolytic pathway . Moreover, it is important to consider that some ingredients can be also antimicrobials because of their own characteristics: in fact, if the recipe includes herbs and spices (aromatic plants, pepper), garlic and onions, an effect on microorganisms can be exerted by specific compounds characterizing these products, such as essential oils, terpenes and sulfur compounds . Another essential aspect affecting the performances and metabolism of LAB are the intrinsic characteristics of raw materials that sometimes act in a synergic way with other ingredients. Considering for example fermented vegetables, the microflora of the starting fresh vegetables is typically dominated by Gram negative aerobic bacteria and yeasts, while LAB make up a minor portion of the initial population and therefore they would not be able to start and lead a fermentation process. However, if anaerobic conditions are settled and salts are added, LAB can have a competitive advantage and induce spontaneous lactic acid fermentation. The growth of specific LAB is dependent on the chemical (substrate, salt concentration, pH) and physical (vegetable type, temperature) environments. As the environments change during fermentation, so can the dominant organisms, often leading to a specific and reproducible succession of bacteria. In sauerkraut [89, 90] the presence of 1.8-2.2% of NaCl and a temperature of 18°C inhibits many strains of LAB, with the exception of Leuconostoc mesenteroides that initiates the fermentation; however this species is sensitive to acid conditions, so after a few days, when the concentration of lactic acid increases, L. mesenteroides is replaced by more acid resistant LAB such as Lactobacillus brevis and L. plantarum, able to further lower the pH up to 3-3.5, stabilizing the final product. Considering olives fermentation is possible to outline the characteristics of the product affecting LAB: while the brine provides a good environment for LAB growth, with glucose, fructose and mannitol as the main source of fermentable sugars, the presence of high levels phenols (such as oleuropein) exert an antimicrobial activity, inhibiting some strains and selecting the types of organisms that predominate during the fermentation [91-93]. These LAB have to be resistant not only to phenols, but also to lye treatments and water washes, that can be performed during the processing and increase the initial pH, reducing also the nutrients content on the olive surface. The species able to face these kind of stresses usually belong to the genera Pediococcus, Leuconostoc and Lactococcus; after the first stage of fermentation, when the pH reaches 6, L. plantarum rapidly grows and dominate the fermentation, that goes on until the fermentable sugars are depleted. The viability and vigor of L. plantarum can be encouraged also by yeasts that are still present in this stage of fermentation and can produce vitamins . Moreover, the presence of some gases can modify the growth performances of LAB. That is also influenced by the mixing step of the ingredients in some food processes (e.g. dough mixing). In fact, in bread making process, the continuous agitation of the dough can increase the microbes exposure to oxygen, and this can be a source of oxidative stress, mainly for LAB that are usually anaerobic or facultative anaerobic. Also in these cases the bacteria can react in different ways, activating metabolic and transcriptional responses in order to detoxify ROS, as previously described. For the fermented vegetables,above reported, the rapid consumption of oxygen due to the presence of yeasts and aerobic bacteria in the first stage of fermentation has a positive effect on LAB. In fact, they are exposed only for a short time to oxidative stress and, due to their competitive advantage, they rapidly and intensively grow in the food system. After formulation, the technological processes involving LAB include a fermentation process. It is reported that various beneficial phenotypic traits of LAB in food fermentations such as rapid acidification, selective proteolysis, tolerance of osmotic and stresses, resistance to ROS, and ability to thrive in nutrient poor conditions and at low temperatures are influenced by stress responses in various species of LAB [95, 96]. The knowledge of these mechanisms, and mainly of the stress responses activated by the fermentation process parameters can be useful in order to develop strains with optimal fermentation characteristics . The first metabolic reaction regards the oxidation of carbohydrates (this reaction depends on the hetero-fermentative or homo-fermentative species involved) that give rise to acids, alcohols and CO2. These metabolites are directly involved in flavor, aroma and texture of the product and in a second time can influence the production and the availability of other metabolites such as vitamins and antioxidant compounds . Moreover, the LAB interactions with the ingredients increase also the digestibility and decrease the glycemic index, enhancing the healthy features of the fermented foods . At the same time with carbohydrates oxidation, other metabolic mechanisms interest LAB cells such as proteolysis and lipolysis. The first reaction produces polypeptides with interesting characteristics as antimicrobial compounds, salt substitutes (the oligopeptides are able to increase the palatability of the system), and amino acids deriving aromatic compounds. On the other hand lipolysis produces medium chain fatty acids, with important antimicrobial properties. All these reactions (carbohydrates oxidation, lipolysis and proteolysis) generate precursors for other mechanisms in the cells and in the food matrix that give rise to the dynamic environment characteristics of fermented foods. It is important to outline that the compounds produced by the cells, metabolizing the substrate, can modify the system, producing also compounds that can stimulate the growth of symbiotic species or inhibit the growth of antagonistic microorganisms. The conversion of carbohydrates to metabolites as acetic acid, lactic acid or CO2 implies the acidification of the system. The contemporary pH decrease and the presence of sugar (osmotic stress) stimulate the exopolysaccharides (EPSs) production. In fact, in sourdough EPSs can be involved in acid tolerance of sourdough LAB . EPSs are long-chain polysaccharides consisting of branched, repeating units of sugars or sugar derivatives. These sugar units are mainly glucose, galactose and rhamnose, in different ratios . The presence of EPSs in the system can create a novel stress to the cells. The inclusion of cells within biofilm can increase their resistance to unfavorable environmental factors such as extreme temperature, low pH and osmolarity, the changes in the texture can induce in LAB also specific stress responses. For example in yogurt production, the acidification by LAB implies proteins coagulation and thereby changes in the viscosity of the milk. In L. bulgaricus, during the acid adaptation present in the fermentation milk to obtain yogurt, some cellular changes were observed: the chaperones GroES, GroEL, HrcA, GrpE, DnaK, DnaJ, ClpE, ClpP and ClpL were induced and ClpC was repressed . Some genes involved in the biosynthesis of fatty acids were induced (fabH, accC, fabI), while the genes involved in the mevalonate pathway of isoprenoid synthesis (mvaC, mvaS) were repressed [101, 102]. The changes in Aw value are depending not only on EPSs production by LAB after the exposition to acidic and osmotic stress, but also on the ingredients composition and on the step of fermentation. Considering cheese, the Aw decreases during manufacture and ripening as a result of dehydration, salting, and production of water-soluble solutes from glycolysis, proteolysis, and lipolysis; the cheese Aw values range from 0.70 for extra hard cheeses to 0.99 for fresh, soft cheeses, such as cottage cheese, while semi-hard cheeses have Aw values of around 0.90. The cheese pH also decreases during manufacture and ripening . The effects of different Aw and pH on L. lactis simulating cheese ripening have been analyzed . The results evidenced that at low Aw, particularly at low pH, the growth and lactose utilization rates decreased and lactose fermentation to L-(1)-lactate switched to a pathway involving nontraditional saccharide products rather than the traditional lactococcal heterofermentative products. In L. plantarum WCFS1 the addition of 300 mM and 800 mM of NaCl induced mild osmotic stress and osmotic stress respectively. In the presence of 800 mM of NaCl several genes showed an increased expression with respect to the control culture. In particular, those genes were associated with various stress responses in prokariotes, i.e. genes encoding Clp protease, an excinuclease, catalase (peroxide stress) and Dpr-like protein (peroxide stress). These differences in the gene expression were also identified in the presence of acid stress. These results suggest that lactic acid stress in L. plantarum WCFS1 also induces a more general stress response (as above described for different Lactobacillus species). An overlap between the stimulus for lactic acid and those for peroxide and UV radiation has also been reported for L. lactis [104, 66]. The response of L. sanfranciscensis to osmotic stress (saccarose 40%) gives rise to the overproduction of 3-methylbutanoic acid and gamma-decalactones when L. sanfranciscensis was co-inoculated with yeasts, simulating a sourdough environment. The production of lactones can be indicated as unfavourable environment for microbial growth and metabolism. In fact, these compounds have both particular aromatic and antimicrobial features . The ability of the target strains to dominate the fermentation is related not only to the ingredients (as above described), but also to the fermentation conditions, mainly temperature and atmosphere. If the fermentation is not performed at the optimal growth temperature for the microorganisms, they could be unable to compete with naturally occurring microflora, and consequently the whole process could be compromised. On the contrary, some microbial species have developed specific thermal resistance mechanisms, and they can easily adapt to these unfavorable conditions without implications for the fermentation processes. Moreover, the adaptation to thermal stresses often leads to tolerance to other stresses, in a mechanism usually define “cross protection”, as reported for L. lactis . The ability of commercial L. lactis ssp. lactis and L. lactis ssp. cremoris to withstand freezing at –60°C for 24 h was significantly improved by a prior 25 min heat shock at ~40°C or by a 2 h cold shock at 10°C, opening interesting perspectives for the production on resistant starter cultures, both frozen or lyophilized . Other Authors with regard to different stresses reported the “cross protection” mechanism: for example the mechanisms of multiple adaptations to hops of two different strains of L. brevis have been characterized . Hop resistance of lactobacilli requires multiple resistance mechanisms. This is consistent with the stress conditions acting on bacteria in beer, which mainly consist of acid stress and the antimicrobial effect of the hop compounds, in addition to ethanol stress and starvation. The effect of interaction of acid stress and presence/absence of oxygen in the system on L. helveticus and L. sanfranciscensis, in particular on their cell membrane composition, has been reported . Upon acid stress the level of cyclopropane fatty acids increased at the expense of the level of long-chain unsaturated fatty acids. L. helveticus and L. sanfranciscensis, exposed to acid sub lethal stress demonstrated the same increase in cyclopropane fatty acids. In particular, L. helveticus presented higher concentration of C19cyc11 at pH 4 and pH 3, while L. sanfranciscensis presented more C19cyc9 at pH 3 in microaerophilic condition without tween 80, at pH 3.6 in anaerobiosis with tween 80, and at pH 4 in anaerobiosis without tween 80. These results demonstrated the same behavior in front of multiple stresses by LAB membrane [106, 14] Consider the atmosphere, i.e. the presence or not of oxygen, as another important variable during fermentation, it is known that oxygen can inhibit the growth of LAB, especially in the first stages. However, the food system is usually a consortium of different microorganisms: for example in bakery products and in fermented sausages the fermentation is carried out both by yeasts and LAB; the formers can therefore consume the amount of oxygen present in the mix, allowing the growth of LAB. The same thing happens for fermented vegetables, where naturally occurring Gram negative bacteria and yeast rapidly remove the oxygen, promoting the rapid predominance of Lactobacilli. Some secondary metabolites such as bacteriocins can play a role in LAB performances and metabolism, affecting also the total population and ecology of fermented foods [107, 108]. Bacteriocins are antimicrobial peptides or proteins produced by bacteria that can be active on different microorganisms, depending on their structure. LAB belonging to the genera Lactococcus, Pediococcus, Lactobacillus, Leuconostoc, Carnobacterium, Propionibacterium are known to produce bacteriocins with both narrow and broad inhibitory spectra . The use of functional LAB starter cultures (eg. bacteriocinogenic starter cultures), well adapted to the environment and the process conditions applied, may contribute to the development of better controllable and more efficient production processes . An example can be nisin, a peptide produced by L. lactis ssp. lactis, that has a narrow spectrum affecting primarily only Gram-positive bacteria and their spores, including lactic acid bacteria, Bacillus, Clostridium, Listeria, and Streptococcus. However some LAB such as Streptococcus thermophilus and L. plantarum are able to produce the enzyme nisinase, which neutralizes the antimicrobial activity of the peptide . Therefore these LAB could be suitable for a co-fermentation with L. lactis. Another interesting case of bacteriocin production, as a consequence of oxidative stress and carbon dioxide exposure, has been reported : oxidative stress and carbon dioxide are involved in the production of a specific bacteriocin, amylovorin L, by Lactobacillus amylovorus, able to inhibit other LAB species. During traditional sourdough fermentation, a decrease in redox potential of the rather firm mixture occurs. The oxygen initially present is consumed by Candida spp. or converted into hydrogen peroxide or water, thereby creating microaerophilic or anaerobic environment in which the growth of the desired LAB is favored. While in a large-scale sourdough type II fermentation currently the use of dough mixture with high dough yield is exploited. This sourdough has to be stirred to liberate part of the carbon dioxide produced to prevent running over. During mixing, oxygen is incorporated into the dough. Also, the development of yeast and hence the production of carbon dioxide is favored in continuously stirred sough mixtures with high water content. Elevation of the airflow rates leading to oxidative stress conditions resulted in an enhanced specific amylovorin L production. Growth in the presence of carbon dioxide also increased the specific bacteriocin production. Mild aeration or a controlled supply of oxygen as well as growth in an environment containing high amounts of carbon dioxide might thus contribute to the competitiveness of L. amylovorus DCE471 in a sourdough ecosystem . The production of plantaricin A by L. plantarum was also demonstrated in relation to a quorum sensing mechanism . Another example of the influence of the process on LAB metabolism has been widely described . These Authors monitored the evolution of the gene expression of L. plantarum IMDO 130201 during a sourdough process. In particular, the genes and the metabolites related to acidic stress were analyzed. It is interesting to highlight that during the pH decrease (production of lactic acid by L. plantarum) the genes coding for plantaricin production had higher levels of expression at low pH values, indicating that the bacteriocin production was activated under acid stress conditions by L. plantarum IMDO 130201 strain. The presence of the pheromone plantaricin A (PlnA) in a system inoculated with L. plantarum DC400 was also reported . Biosynthesis of PlnA was variously stimulated depending on the microbial partner. In fact, L. sanfranciscensis DPPMA174 induced the highest synthesis of PlnA, which, in turn, determined lethal conditions for it. The proteome of L. sanfranciscensis DPPMA174 responded to the presence of PlnA. The up-regulation of 31 proteins related to stress response, amino acid metabolism, energy metabolism, membrane transport, nucleotide metabolism, regulation of transcription and cell redox homeostasis was found. At the same time, other proteins such as cell division protein (FtsZ), glutathione reductase (LRH_11212) and response regulator (rrp11) were down-regulated. These results demonstrated a hypothetically and interesting waterfall of events all related with stresses response and with the typical fermentation products dynamics (Figure 3). At the same time, the low pH values implied a poor expression of the genes involved in carbohydrate degradation in L. plantarum IMDO 130201. The bacterium was directed toward survival at low pH by amino acid conversions rather than by relying on growth . The same behavior was identified in L. sanfranciscensis LSCE1 response to pH 3.6 . Under the adopted experimental conditions, which did not produce any decrease in viability of L. sanfranciscensis LSCE1, the acid stress, within 2 h, was accompanied by a reduction of the carbohydrate metabolism, as shown by the decrease of ethanol, acetate, and lactate. This mechanism suggests the existence of a switch from sugar to amino acid catabolism that supports survival and growth also in specific and restricted environments, such as sourdoughs, characterized by acid stress and recurrent carbon starvation. Under the acid conditions (pH 3.6) and in the presence of specific nutrients 3-methylbutanoic acid was the predominant metabolite among those detected by solid phase micro-extraction gas chromatographic analysis and mass spectrometry (GC-MS-SPME), released after 2 h of acid stress exposure . The acid stress implied less carbohydrate utilization and ethanol, lactate, and acetate production, but high amino acids catabolism that confers a different and characteristic metabolites pattern. Stress resistance assume great importance as one of the adaptation factors to gastrointestinal tract of probiotic strains as reported in a detailed review . 5. Stress resistance of probiotic LAB There are two main categories of factors that contribute to the optimal functioning of probiotic lactobacilli: factors that allow optimal adaptation to the new niches that they temporarily encounter in the host (adaptation factors) and factors that directly contribute to the health-promoting effects (probiotic factors) . Adaptation factors include stress resistance, active metabolism adapted to the host environment, and adherence to the intestinal mucosa and mucus. In fact, probiotic lactobacilli encounter various environmental conditions upon ingestion by the host and during transit in the gastro intestinal tract (GIT). They need to survive to: 1) the harsh conditions of the stomach secretion generating a fasting pH of 1.5, increasing to pH 3 to 5 during food intake; 2) the bile excreted by liver in small intestine represents another challenge for bacteria entering the GIT. Bile salts also seem to induce an intracellular acidification so that many resistance mechanisms are common for bile and acid stress. Indeed, the protonated form of bile salts is thought to exhibit toxicity through intracellular acidification in a manner similar to those of organic acids like the lactic acid produced by the lactobacilli themselves. For a detailed overview of acid, bile, and other stress resistance mechanisms of lactobacilli, the reader is referred to more extensive review . 3) In analogy to the stresses encountered by intestinal pathogens, they also encounter oxidative and osmotic stress in GI tract. 4) Interactions with other microbes and 5) Interactions with cells of the host immune system and the various antimicrobial products that they produce can also impose a serious threat for the probiotic microbes. Analogously to what described in food LAB, the phenomenon of cross-adaptation is often observed, i.e., that adaptation to one stress condition also protects against another stress factor, implying some common mechanisms. In this respect, also for probiotic LAB non-actively-growing stationary-phase cells are generally more resistant to various stressors than early-log-phase cells. 5.1. Maintaining integrity of the cell envelope The different macromolecules constituting the cell membranes and cell walls of lactobacilli have been shown to contribute to maintaining cell integrity during stress to various degrees. For example, low pH caused a shift in the fatty acid composition of the cell membrane of an oral strain of L. casei. Similarly, bile salts have been shown to induce changes in the lipid cell membrane of Lactobacillus reuteri CRL1098. The role of EPS in acid and bile resistance is less clear. However, EPS production has not been studied in detail after exposure to bile. In fact, to our knowledge, phenotypic analyses of dedicated Lactobacillus mutants affected in EPS biosynthesis genes have not yet been performed. Homopolysaccharides (HoPSs) from L. reuteri have been reported to have a more established role in stress resistance by the maintenance of the cell membrane in the physiological liquid crystalline phase under adverse conditions. 5.2. Repair and protection of DNA and proteins A number of proteins that play a role in the protection or repair of macromolecules such as DNA and proteins also seem to be essential for acid and bile resistance. Intracellular acidification can result in a loss of purines and pyrimidines from DNA. Bile acids have also been shown to induce DNA damage and the activation of enzymes involved in DNA repair. Perhaps even more vital in the general stress response are chaperones that intervene in numerous stresses for important tasks such as protein folding, renaturation, protection of denatured proteins, and removal of damaged proteins. 5.3. Two-component and other regulatory systems Mechanisms to specifically sense the presence of certain stress factors and regulate gene expression in response to these stimuli are also crucial for bacterial survival under adverse conditions. Although these mechanisms are not well characterized for lactobacilli, they often involve two-component regulatory systems (2CRSs). 2CRSs allow bacteria to sense and respond to changes in their environment after receiving an environmental signal through transmembrane sensing domains of the histidine protein kinase (HPK). 6. Methodological approaches to study the effects of stress on LAB The study of stress responses by LAB is getting closer and closer to the different "omic" fields: genomic, proteomic and metabolomic. Other traditional approaches regarding the membrane cells composition and modifications, both from a structural (cellular fatty acids composition by gas-chromatographic method) and morphological (membrane and wall modification by electronic microscopy) point of view are still used. Genes implicated in LAB stress responses are numerous and the levels of characterization of their actual role and regulation differ widely between species. The studies concerning stress responses in LAB sometimes benefit from the knowledge already acquired in other bacteria. For example, parts of the studies on heat response have been focused on specific genes because of their major role demonstrated in other microorganisms . The cheapest and easiest way to study a stress response in LAB is to follow some specific genes related to stresses such as heat shock, salts and acids [114, 115]. This type of study is useful especially if the entire genome sequence of some LAB is still unknown. However, nowadays the study of whole trascriptome (the total set of RNAs) is one of the most exhaustive ways to study modifications of gene expression as a result of a stress condition. The transcriptome of a cell contains information about the biological state of the cell and the genes that play a role under specific circumstances. The principal technique used to study the trascriptome is microarray . DNA microarray technology has been used in numerous experiments to analyze gene expression: one example is the evaluation of the general stress response of B. subtilis or the investigation of the transcription profiles of L. plantarum grown in steady-state cultures that varied in lactate/lactic acid concentration, pH, osmolarity [66, 104]. This approach is useful also to study the behaviour of bacteria in a real food system. Hüfner et al. studied the global transcriptional response of L. reuteri to sourdough environment, showing a significant changes of mRNA levels for 101 genes involved in diverse cellular processes, from carbohydrate and energy metabolism, to cell envelope biosynthesis, exopolysaccharide production, stress responses, signal transduction and cobalamin biosynthesis. The gene expression dynamics of L. casei during fermentation in soymilk when grown up to lag phase, late logarithmic phase, or stationary phase were also studied. Comparisons of different transcripts close to each other revealed 162 and 63 significantly induced genes, in the late logarithmic phase and stationary phase, whose expression was at least threefold up-regulated and down-regulated, respectively. Approximately 38.4% of the up-regulated genes were associated with amino acid transport and metabolism, followed by genes/gene clusters involved in carbohydrate transport and metabolism, lipid transport and metabolism, and inorganic ion transport and metabolism . The study of trascriptome is a good approach that gives a good overview of the changes that can occur inside a stressed bacterium. A limitation of this technique is that it is expensive and requires that the genome sequences of the organisms under study should be available for designing the oligonucleotides for the microarray . A different but, at the same time, related point of view regards the study of proteins and proteome. The most common method to obtain this information is to extract total proteins and separate them by a sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) followed by a western blotting (in the first case) or a two dimesional electrophoresis (2D-E) analysis (in the second case). Also in this case if the study is focused on a single protein, it is necessary to know before the characteristic of the target protein to optimize the analytical conditions. 2D-Electrophoresis can provide more than 10000 detectable protein spots in a single gel run. Thus, proteins with post-translational modifications (PTMs), such as processing, phosphorylation and glycosylation, can be easily detected as separate spots. A spot separated by 2D-E theoretically consists of an almost homogeneous protein, and thus can be identified following digestion with a sequence-specific protease by peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF) approaches, typically using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI)- time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometers. The same level of automation is also available for proteomic approaches involving tandem mass spectrometry (MS-MS) analysis, extremely useful when studying organisms with incomplete or partial genomic information . This kind of approach was used to investigate the cell surface proteins of a typical strain of L. casei in response to acidic growth conditions . They demonstrated that growth of L. casei under acidic conditions caused molecular changes at the cell surface in order to accomplish an adaptive strategy, resulting in slower growth at low pH. Moreover, the proteomic approach was useful to study the heat shock response respectively on L. helveticus PR4 and L. plantarum [26, 31]. The cold adaptation of Lactococcus piscium strain CNCM I-4031 was studied with the same approach . This analysis could be also performed to compare the effects that new technologies produce on bacteria comparing with the normal stress conditions. In fact, the HHP stress response of L. sanfranciscensis was compared with cold, heat, salt, acid and starvation stresses responses . Due to increasingly available bacterial genomes in databases, proteomic tools have recently been used to screen proteins expressed by microorganisms in food, in order to better understand their metabolism in situ. While up to now the main objective has been the systematic identification of proteins, the next step will be to bridge the gap between identification and quantification of these proteins . Proteomics has also been used to analyse the proteins released during the ripening of Emmentaler cheese. In an innovative study, proteomics was used to prepare a reference map of the different groups of proteins found in cheese . These authors were able to categorize these proteins into five classes: those involved in proteolysis, glycolysis, stress response, nucleotide repair and oxidation-reduction. In addition, information was obtained regarding the peptidases released into the cheese during ripening process. This study enabled the Authors to differentiate between the various casein degradation mechanisms present, and to suggest that the streptococci within the cheese matrix are involved in peptide degradation and together with the indigenous lactobacilli contribute to the ripening process. Using proteomics these Authors were able to get a greater understanding of the microbial succession involved in the ripening of Emmentaler cheese, which information could not have been obtained using other protein separation techniques. This example illustrates the power of proteomics as a tool for analyzing the composition of a complex mixture of proteins and peptides . The global identification of stress-induced proteins in a given organism has technical limitations. Membrane proteins, for example, are rarely detected by this method. Secondly, it may be that changes in membrane proteins composition result from long-term adaptation processes, while short-term responses may primarily be accounted for the activation (and/or stabilization) of proteins already present. The latter hypothesis is valid especially in the case of transport systems, although for some of the systems studied a transcriptional induction has also been observed . The use of this technique is not as widespread as that of DNA microarrays due to the challenges associated with the purification and separation of complex mixtures of proteins found in cell extracts. At the same time the study of the only transcriptome should take into consideration that a lot of post-transcriptional processes may act on RNA (ex. RNA interference, polyadenilation ecc) . As reported above, the stress responses of LAB are studied also through the analysis of membrane composition, structure and integrity. Not unexpectedly, in fact, the cell membrane plays an important role in stress resistance. First of all, the membrane itself can change in adaptation to environmental conditions and these changes contribute to the protection of the bacteria . The adaptive response to sub-lethal acid and cold stresses in L. helveticus and L. sanfranciscensis has been analyzed (as described above) . The extraction and identification by GC-MS of lipid fatty acids and free fatty acids could give an overview of the membrane fluidity state. In the same article they developed a gas chromatographic method to separate and quantify the cell cyclopropane fatty acids lactobacillic (C19cyc11) and dehydrosterculic (C19cyc9) demonstrating different responses of the strains tested in terms of cyclopropane fatty acids production, probably due to the different original optimal environment. The comparison between the wild type and the acid-resistant mutant L. casei LBZ-2 evidenced in the latter higher membrane fluidity, higher proportions of unsaturated fatty acids, and higher medium chain length. In addition, cell integrity analysis showed that the mutant maintains a more intact cellular structure and lower membrane permeability after environmental acidification . The last but not least approach used to study the stress response of LAB is the metabolic one. The study of the metabolites released, as a consequence of the stress exposure, can contribute to the understanding of the mechanisms that regulate the microbial interactions and the metabolic alterations induced by stress conditions. Moreover, these approaches can be exploited to identify which technological conditions induce microorganisms to produced desirable metabolites [4, 15]. With this perspective the use of GC-MS-SPME as a potent and easy tool to study the generation of volatile metabolite compounds such as flavoring molecules or aroma precursors was widely adopted [9,11-13, 15] and contributed to rationalize the process and optimize the products. In particular, the effects of HPH on different species of Lactobacillus involved in dairy product fermentation and ripening, monitoring the changes in volatile compounds as indicators of metabolic profiles has been studied . Analysing the oxidative and heat stresses in L. helveticus two new 2[5H]-furanones released by this strain both as a possible signalling molecules and as possible important flavouring compounds has been identified by GC-MS-SPME . On the contrary the study of non-volatile metabolites can be performed by normal chromatographic technique (HPLC), especially for amino acids and sugars , or by Fast Protein Liquid Chromatography (FPLC) separation for peptides, followed by a mass spectrometry identification . An NMR approach to evaluate the effects on the growth of L. plantarum raising the medium molarity by high concentrations of KCl or NaCl and iso-osmotic concentrations of non-ionic compounds was performed . Since all the techniques described above, if used alone, do not allow a total comprehension of stress responses, a lot of studies are trying to combine two or more approaches together. Combined transcriptomic and proteomic analyses were used to evaluate the glucose-limited chemo-stat in Enterococcus faecalis V583 or to study the effect of bile salts in the growth of L. casei . A combined physiological and proteomic approach, instead, was followed to unravel lactic-acid-induced alterations in L. casei . Therefore it is possible to understand, from the references above, that techniques used to study the stress responses of LAB are taking more and more "omic" approach. This comports an accumulation of a huge number of data that it is not easy to manage and to compare. For this reason the use of new programs of data analysis is required. One of these approaches could be the use of heat maps, a technique born as a tool to understand microarray results . Nowadays it could be useful also to manage the data from other fields: in fact, a heat maps was used to show the correlation between metabolites produced, the relative gene expression of specific genes and stress conditions . The same useful tool, combined with other statistical analyses, has been also applied . 7. Conclusion It is known that LAB can adapt to stress with different mechanisms widely studied in model and real systems. An overview of those responses has been described and reported in this chapter. Stress not only induces changes enabling better survival, but also different performances in a system. In fermented food, the knowledge of the mechanisms that regulate LAB metabolic changes and their effects gain importance especially when those responses can be exploited in order to improve the food properties . In particular, fermented foods are dynamic systems subjected to continuous evolution of their physico-chemical characteristics. The complex fluctuation of the food environment itself, during processing, is stress source for every microorganism involved and the changes that affect the fermented food habitats, can be perceived by LAB as stress. In this chapter examples of the dynamic fluctuation effect on LAB metabolism have been described in order to outline that every reaction can cause a waterfall of metabolic events influencing the sensorial quality, the shelf-life and the bioactive compounds production of fermented foods. The subjects of those events are LAB, indicating the importance of metabolism of these microorganisms in food. The cell physiology is crucial to ensure that cells are well suited to survival during downstream processes and that they exhibit high performances. The production and exploitation of naturally adapted strains can be interesting for companies because of the absence of ethical and legal concerns. The adapted strains are not considered genetically modified microorganisms (GMOs) and therefore they can be applied in food processing without legal restrictions and, more important, without affecting the consumer perception, currently (in Europe) not ready to introduce in his diet foods produced with GMOs. Individual stresses used in food processing and preservation may render probiotic LAB more resistant to further and different stresses, including those encountered in the human body, e.g. those encountered during gastro-intestinal passage (pH of the stomach, exposure to bile salts in small intestine etc.). A positive correlation has been recently observed between EPS production and resistance to bile salt and low pH stress in Bifidobacterium species isolated from breast milk and infant faeces . This knowledge can open interesting perspectives to improve at the same time the performances of LAB, the quality of fermented food and the health-promoting properties of the LAB used. Moreover, it will be interesting to identify the gastrointestinal tract also as a complex and dynamic system in which LAB need to adapt to adverse conditions, responding with metabolic shifts provided with interesting technological an healthy features. The “omics” technologies could be particularly useful for identifying the mechanism leading to LAB stress responses. These approaches could also help to identify the mechanisms for cell fitness and stress adaptation that will be needed to develop more generic and science based technologies . Acknowledgement We thank Prof.ssa Maria Elisabetta Guerzoni for her enormous scientific support and Luca Vagnini for his graphic abilities (http://www.lucavagnini.com).

https://www.intechopen.com/books/lactic-acid-bacteria-r-d-for-food-health-and-livestock-purposes/dynamic-stresses-of-lactic-acid-bacteria-associated-to-fermentation-processes

Hockey fans in New Jersey and across the United States have watched the first-year Vegas Golden Knights successfully make their way to the Stanley Cup Finals. Though they’re playing for their first championship, the Golden Knights are still officially registering their name and logos with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Two other entities initially complained about copyright issues when the Vegas Golden Knights first announced their team name and logo. The College of St. Rose, which initially opposed the name, is nicknamed the Golden Knights. The school never filed a formal complaint, however. The U.S. Army has a parachute team named the Golden Knights. They are working with the team on an amicable solution to the concern. The Vegas Golden Knights are not the only team currently in a trademark battle. The Baltimore Ravens have been accused of not giving credit to the person who designed their logo. A Baltimore security guard claims he originally designed the logo and has never received credit or compensation. The copyright lawsuit against the Ravens was filed in 2012 and is still being negotiated. When a business entity files for a trademark or logo that is similar to another, the entity that holds the original copyright or trademark can lodge a formal complaint. Copyright lawyers could then negotiate to find a solution to the concern. While many suits are able to be resolved without a trial, sometimes court action is necessary to reach a solution. In the case of the Vegas Golden Knights, a co-existence agreement, an agreement where two parties acknowledge the similar logos or trademarks in order to prevent future issues from arising, could be filed by an intellectual property lawyer. Because it is unlikely that the U.S. Army parachute team and the Vegas Golden Knights hockey team will be confused with one another, experts believe it is likely that the co-existence agreement will resolve the trademark concerns.

https://www.bappelbaum-patentesq.com/blog/2018/05/vegas-golden-knights-still-facing-trademark-concerns/

Scientific mission used Northrop Grumman-built primary mirror to study nearby stars from a sounding rocket. DEVENS, Mass., April 12, 2016 -- Designed to significantly advance the science and technology supporting exoplanet research, the PICTURE-B mission of the Lowell Center for Space Science and Technology at the University of Massachusetts Lowell successfully launched and returned to Earth on Nov. 25, 2015 from NASA's White Sands, New Mexico Test Facility. Using a primary mirror engineered and built by AOA Xinetics, a Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) company, PICTURE-B observed the star Rigel from space and reached an apogee of 217 km. Northrop Grumman provided the mirror to UMass Lowell to support this important astrophysics program. The 22-inch diameter silicon carbide mirror successfully withstood launch and impact on landing, and will be used for future missions. PICTURE-B (Planet Imaging Coronagraphic Technology Using a Reconfigurable Experimental Base) was designed to measure light reflected by dust in debris disks around nearby stars. Accurate measurements of dust are a critical part of exoplanet research, as the data enables astronomers to assess the impact of the debris and dust on their observations, thereby improving their ability to identify and study targeted planets. "The data gathered by PICTURE-B will have an important impact on exoplanet exploration," said UMass Lowell Physics Prof. Supriya Chakrabarti, director of the Lowell Center for Space Science and Technology. "We are just starting to analyze the information collected during this extremely exciting project and we are very pleased that AOA Xinetics was able to build a mirror that could survive the flight to help make this mission, and future missions, a success." To support the stringent scientific goals and minutes-long observation window of PICTURE-B, AOA Xinetics engineered a robust silicon carbide aspheric mirror with exceptional performance because of the optical figure and mission-matched material thermal properties. "AOA Xinetics is honored to work with Dr. Chakrabarti and his team on the PICTURE-B mission and proud to support the efforts to identify earth-like planets," said Michael Sheedy, business area manager, AOA Xinetics, Northrop Grumman. "Our silicon carbide mirrors are a new generation of high performance, lightweight mirrors for astrophysics and missions like PICTURE-B that require both precision and durability to advance scientific discovery." PICTURE-B is part of Northrop Grumman's continued focus on space as the next frontier for exploration. A worldwide leader in developing new technology to support current and future military and civil space programs, Northrop Grumman's innovation enables deep space discovery and advances knowledge of planet Earth.

https://news.northropgrumman.com/news/releases/university-of-massachusetts-lowell-picture-b-mission-completed

English Literature Essay Writing Service The sample example is an argumentative essay for English class. Legalization of Marijuana in all the States Washington DC and Colorado were the first US states to vote for the legalization of recreational marijuana in 2012. Amendment 64 added onto Section 16 of Article 18 in the State of Colorado Constitution the liberalization of recreational and medicinal use of marijuana. A similar amendment in Washington DC, dubbed I-502 “legalized the possession, production, and retail sale of marijuana” (Makin et al., 2019). Consequently, it has not been illegal for adults aged above 21 years to possess and consume marijuana in these states. While the legalization directive in Colorado allows adults above 21 years to grow up to six cannabis plants, Washington DC residents are prohibited to cultivate this plant in their homes. The main agenda in the legalization of cannabis in the two states was the decriminalization of marijuana use and possession, a move that would allow the police to allocate resources to handling other crimes (Makin et al., 2019). Other arguments for the legalization of marijuana have been medical use, commercial benefits, and the elimination of racial discrimination in the United States. Although the rate of arrests and incarceration of crimes related to marijuana use have drastically reduced in Washington DC and Colorado (Makin et al., 2019), the use of this herb results in high cardiovascular morbidity, increased rate of traffic accidents among users, and a high prevalence of emergency medical and mental cases attributable to marijuana. It means, therefore, it would not be appropriate to legalize marijuana in the states since this move would amplify the negative effects observed at the state level. A section of proponents of marijuana legalization cites the medical benefits of this drug. Despite scholarly evidence negating the presence of known benefits of this substance, it is widely noted that the self-reported effect of this drug alleviates pain and diminishes suffering in patients with terminal illnesses (Caulkins et al., 2015). While these perceived benefits have a strong correlation with the use of marijuana, it is impossible to quantify their overall positive impact as compared to measurable negative outcomes like psychosis, cardiovascular illnesses, and cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (Shelton et al., 2020). Cardiovascular conditions result in high mortality every year. The majority of these conditions emanate from an unhealthy diet that disturbs the normal metabolism in the body. However, data from research on the relationship between cannabis use and the development of heart diseases shows that over 2 million Americans with cardiovascular disease have a history of consuming marijuana. Some of the biochemical processes involved in cannabinoid cardiotoxicity are heart failure due to increased myocardial demand for oxygen, sympathetic activation of vascular muscles leading to hypertension, platelet activation, and increased low-density lipoprotein (DeFillipis et al., 2020). The consumption of marijuana in various forms is higher in states where the drug is legal than in those that have legalized it. According to Steigerwald et al. (2018), “the prevalence of marijuana use in the past year was 20% in states where recreational use is legal, 14.1% in states where medical use is legal, and 12% in states where no use is legal.” The trend is the same regardless of where users consume cannabis vapor, cigarettes, or edibles. In states where the drug is legal, Shelton et al. (2020) note that the number of emergency department (ED) visits related to its use is higher than where it is not legal. Most patients that report to the ED after consuming the substance complain of intoxication, psychiatric conditions, and gastrointestinal problems (Shelton et al., 2020). The drug exacerbates chronic mental problems like depression or triggers acute conditions such as panic attacks, suicidal thoughts, and psychosis. Road traffic accidents caused by motorists driving under the influence of marijuana can also lead to severe injuries that usually land in the hospital EDs. The data gathered from the various states that have already legalized marijuana for medical and recreational use shows that the criminological targets of these initiatives have been realized. In other words, police have been able to reallocate resources to more serious crimes like murder and street violence. Consequently, the clearance rates of such crimes have improved compared to the period before the legalization of marijuana (Makin et al., 2019). Proponents of legalization will argue that a nationwide liberalization of marijuana will translate to a significant reduction of crime at the national level. However, a careful cost-benefit analysis shows that the nation will have more mentally and physically incapacitated individuals, a factor that will tremendously lower the productivity of the national workforce as well as increase the healthcare budget. In conclusion, legalizing marijuana in all states is not a prudent move for the government to take. At the moment, it is not possible to quantify the benefits that states such as Colorado and Washington DC have realized after legalizing the drug. However, data on the morbidity associated with widespread marijuana use is available through various studies. It follows, therefore, that legalizing the substance at the national level will amplify both the perceived benefits as well as the observable harms, resulting in a high number of people with cardiovascular illnesses, gastrointestinal problems, injuries sustained during motor vehicle accidents, and mental conditions like psychosis. Cost-benefit analysis of the legalization of marijuana should instead inform the states where its use is legal to tighten the control protocols or suspend the legalization altogether.

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BEIJING, Dec. 25 -- More measures will be taken to stimulate consumption and support foreign trade, according to Wednesday's executive meeting of China's State Council, or the cabinet. A document released after the meeting, chaired by Premier Wen Jiabao, said to stimulate domestic consumption, efforts should be made to improve the rural circulation network, increase the variety of commodities available in rural markets, improve urban community service-facilities, promote upgrade of durable goods, support development of circulation companies, stimulate holiday consumption through exhibitions, and step up supervision over product quality and safety. Details of some of the seven measures to boost domestic consumption are as follows: -- On rural circulation network: Setting up more new stores and distribution centers and renovating existing stores in rural regions nationwide in the next two years. -- On varieties of commodities and household appliances to countryside: Increasing subsidies to encourage farmers to buy more goods; ensuring the quality of household appliances sold with after-sales services. -- On urban community service-facilities: Renovating and standardizing urban food markets nationwide to ensure convenient and safer consumption. -- On durable goods upgrading: Setting up more second-hand markets in cities; encouraging manufacturers and retailers to conduct trade-in activities for urban consumers. -- On circulation companies: Encouraging acquisition and merger by larger circulation companies to lower operating cost and cut commodity prices; supporting development of small and medium-sized commercial trade companies by helping them in financing. In the fiscal year of 2009, the central government plans to increase its financial support for the development of the rural circulation network and the service industry. The meeting adopted measures to relieve the difficulties of exporters and ensure a stable growth of foreign trade. The government plans to raise export tax rebates for high-tech and high-value-added products. A central government fund for trade development will be increased. The government will adjust the forbidden and limited commodity categories of processing trade. Standards on environment and technology will be eased. It will also encourage the transfer of processing trade from the eastern to the central and western regions. To improve financing services for importers and exporters, policy banks will be encouraged to provide more export credits. Trade between Guangdong, the Yangtze River Delta and Hong Kong and Macao, and that between Guangxi, Yunnan and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will be settled in Renminbiyuan on a trial basis. China will increase the imports of products that are needed in its market, particularly hi-tech products, critical equipment and elements, energy products and raw materials. The government will encourage foreign investment in hi-tech industries, energy-saving and environmental protection industries, modern service industries and outsourcing of services. Measures will be taken to facilitate trade, including 24-hour customs and inspection and quarantine services, exemption of inspection and quarantine fees for farm products exports, and lowering of inspection fees for textile exports. The government also plans to strengthen bilateral trade relations, properly settle trade frictions and disputes concerning the quality and safety of export products. Exporters will be encouraged to explore the emerging markets.

https://news.metal.com/newscontent/100000911/china-to-take-measures-to-spur-consumption-stimulate-foreign-trade/

The most prominent of the Roman processions was that of the Triumph, which had its origin in the return of a victorious army headed by their general, who accompanied by the army, captives, spoils, the chief magistrate, priests bearing the images of the gods, amidst strewing of flowers, burning of incense and the like (Ovid, Trist. iv. 2, 3 and 6), proceeded in great pomp from the Campus to the Capitol to offer sacrifice. Connected with the triumph was the pompa circensis, or solemn procession that preceded the games in the circus. It first came into use at the Ludi Romani, when the games were preceded by a great procession from the Capitol to the Circus. The praetor or consul who appeared in the ponipa circensis wore the robes of a triumphing general (see Mommsen, Staatsrec/zt I. 397 for the connection of the triumph with the ludi). Thus, when it became customary for the consul to celebrate games at the opening of the consular year, he came, under the empire, to appear in triumphal robes in the processus consularis, or procession of the consul to the Capitol to sacrifice to Jupiter. Christian practice Early After the ascendency of Christianity in the Roman Empire, the consular processions in Constantinople retained their religious character, now proceeding to Hagia Sophia, where prayers and offerings were made; but in Rome, where Christianity was not so widely spread among the upper classes, at first the tendency was to convert the procession into a purely civil function, omitting the pagan rites and prayers, without substituting Christian ones. Only after Theodosius did the processions become a religious event, replete with icons, crosses, and banners. There were other local processions connected with the primitive worship of the country people, which remained unchanged, but they were eventually overshadowed by the popular piety of the Church. Such were those of the Ambarvalia, Robigalia, which were essentially rustic festivals, lustrations of the fields, consisting in a procession round the spot to be purified, leading the sacrificial victims with prayers, hymns, and ceremonies to protect the young crops from evil influence. Tertullian (2nd century) uses processio and procedere in the sense of to go out, appear in public, and, as applied to a church function, processio was first used in the same way as collecta, i.e. for the assembly of the people in a church. In this sense it appears to be used by Pope Leo I, while in the version by Dionysius Exiguus of the 17th canon of the Council of Laodicea (about 363–364) Ancient Greek: σονάξεσι, is translated by processionibus. For the processions that formed part of the ritual of the Eucharist, those of the introit, the gospel and the oblation, the earliest records date from the 6th century and even later, but they evidently were established at a much earlier date. As to public processions, these seem to have come into rapid vogue after the recognition of Christianity as the religion of the empire. Those at Jerusalem would seem to have been long established when described by the author of the Peregrinatio Sylviae towards the end of the 4th century. Very early were the processions accompanied by hymns and prayers, known as litaniae, rogationes or supplicationes. It is to such a procession that reference appears to be made in a letter of St Basil, which would thus be the first recorded mention of a public Christian procession. The first mention for the Western Church occurs in St Ambrose. In both these cases the litanies are stated to have been long in use. There is also mention of a procession accompanied by hymns, organized at Constantinople by St John Chrysostom (c. 390–400) in opposition to a procession of Arians, in Sozomen. Some liturgists maintain that the early Church in its processions followed Old Testament precedents, quoting such cases as the procession of the ark round the walls of Jericho, the procession of David with the ark, the processions of thanksgiving on the return from captivity, &c. The liturgy of the early Church as Duchesne shows was influenced by that of the Jewish synagogue, but the theory that the Church's processions were directly related to the Old Testament ritual is of later origin. In times of calamity litanies were held, in which the people walked in robes of penitence, fasting, barefooted, and, in later times, frequently dressed in black (litaniae nigrae). The cross was carried at the head of the procession and often the gospel and the relics of the saint were carried. Gregory of Tours gives numerous instances of such litanies in time of calamity; thus he describes a procession of the clergy and people round the city, in which relics of St Remigius were carried and litanies chanted in order to avert the plague. So, too, Gregory the Great writes to the Sicilian bishops to hold processions to prevent a threatened invasion of Sicily. A famous instance of these penitential litanies is the litania septiformis ordered by Gregory the Great in the year 590, when Rome had been inundated and pestilence had followed. In this litany seven processions, of clergy, laymen, monks, nuns, matrons, the poor, and children respectively, starting from seven different churches, proceeded to hear mass at St. Maria Maggiore. This litany has often been confused with the litania major, introduced at Rome in 598 (vide supra), but is quite distinct from it. Funeral processions, accompanied with singing and the carrying of lighted tapers, were very early customary (see ceremonial use of lights), and akin to these, also very early, were the processions connected with the translation of the relics of martyrs from their original burying place to the church where they were to be enshrined. From the time of the emperor Constantine I these processions were of great magnificence. Festivals involving processions were adopted by the Catholic Church from the pre-Christian Roman festive calendar. The litaniae majores et minores, which are stated by Hermann Usener to have been first instituted by Pope Liberius (352-366). It is generally acknowledged that they are the equivalent of the Catholic Church of the Roman lustrations of the crops in spring, the Ambarvalia, &c. The litania major, or great procession on St Mark's day (April 25) is shown to coincide both in date and ritual with the Roman Robigalia, which took place ad. vii. Kal. Mai., and consisted in a procession leaving Rome by the Flaminian gate, and proceeding by way of the Milvian bridge to a sanctuary at the 5th milestone of the Via Claudia, where the flamen quirinalis sacrificed a dog and a sheep to avert blight (robigo) from the crops. The litania major followed the same route as far as the Milvian bridge, when it turned off and returned to St Peter's, where mass was celebrated. This was already established as an annual festival by 598, as is shown by a document of Gregory the Great that inculcates the duty of celebrating litaniam, quae major ab omnibus appellatur. The litaniae minores or rogations, held on the three days preceding Ascension Day, were first introduced into Gaul by Bishop Mamertus of Vienne (c. 470), and made binding for all Gaul by the First Council of Orléans (511). The litaniae minores were also adopted for these three days in Rome by Pope Leo III (c. 800). A description of the institution and character of the Ascensiontide rogations is given by Sidonius Apollinaris. The solemnity of these, he says, was first established by Mamertus. Hitherto they had been erratic, lukewarm, and poorly attended (vagae, tepentes, infrequentesque). Those he instituted were characterized by fasting, prayers, psalms, and tears. In the Ambrosian rite the rogations take place after Ascension, and in the Spanish on the Thursday to Saturday after Whitsuntide, and in November (Synod of Girona, 517). Baroque Catholicism The element of ritual was prominent in early modern Catholicism, even after Luther's critique of the "empty rituals" in late medieval Christianity. There were processions to commemorate almost all the holiday. Though 18th-century Church reformers made strides to simplify the liturgical year and its complex web of holidays, festivals and processions, these practices remained as essential to Catholic ritual traditions in 1750 as they had been in the 15th century. After 1650 the number of processions was on the rise as processions became as essential to the observance of feast days as Catholic Mass. Some processions were tied to agricultural lifestyles, while others were pilgrimages to shrines and holy places, or to develop ties with other parishes. During the Reformation, the Herrenjahr was central to the liturgical practices of Catholicism. Beginning with the Christmas season (from Advent to Epiphany) and followed by the feasts of Easter, Passiontide and the post-Easter feasts Pentecost (Pfingsten), Trinity Sunday, Kreuzwoche (Week of the Cross) and Corpus Christi. In the early 18th century there were eleven processions of note at the village of Ettenkirch (near Lake Constance). These processions could travel to destinations as far as two hours away. Monthly processions took place around the Church, and on All Souls' Day and Palm Sunday. Corpus Christi (Fronleichnam) was one of the most elaborate. Ascension Day (Christi Himmelfahrt) was another important ceremony that held strong anti-Protestant meaning. In Herbolzheim the procession involved villagers "flying flags, crosses held high, singing and loudly recited prayers" as they passed near neighboring Protestant villages. When the Bishop of Strasbourg forbade the Ascension Day procession in 1743, believing the practice would create conflict with Protestants in neighboring towns, the Rhine Valley villagers protested. One of the effects of the Tridentine reform was to ensure that the variety of devotions that sprang up in ecclesiastically fragmented parts of Europe were connected with the rituals of the Catholic Church. Not all devotional practices were tolerated. The Josephine Reforms banned Good Friday processions with costumed figures and palmesel processions for Palm Sunday, but some still went on. On Palm Sunday villagers carried green branches re-enacting Christ's entry into Jerusalem, and Palmesel processions still took place with a representation of Christ on a donkey. The parish of Niederwihl claimed possession of a piece of the True Cross and by the 18th century had introduced new processions for the Discovery of the True Cross (May 3) and the Elevation of the True Cross (September 14). The relic would be carried by the townspeople for processions through their agricultural fields integrating a Counter-Reformation devotional theme with the ancient fertility rites of the townsfolk's rural religion. Imperial China The Story of the Stone, written in the 18th century, contains a description of the procession accompanying an Imperial Concubine: Presently a faint sound of music was heard and the Imperial Concubine's procession at last came in sight. First came several pairs of eunuchs carrying embroidered banners. Then several more pairs with ceremonial pheasant-feather fans. Then eunuchs swinging gold-inlaid censers in which special 'palace incense' was burning. Next came a great gold-coloured 'seven phoenix' umbrella of state, hanging from its curve-topped shaft life a great drooping bell-flower. In its shadow was borne the Imperial Concubine's travelling wardrobe: her head-dress, robe, sash and shoes. Eunuch gentlemen-in-waiting followed carrying her rosary, her embroidered handkerchief, her spittoon, her fly-whisk, and various other items. Last of all, when this army of attendants had gone by, a great gold-topped palanquin with phoenixes embroidered on its yellow curtains slowly advanced on the shoulders of eight eunuch bearers. Procession elements Many elements may be used to make a procession more significant than just "people walking in the same direction": - A special mode of transport, such as a ceremonial barge, elephant howdah, horse-drawn carriage, or a palanquin carried on the shoulders of others. Cleopatra's arrival to seduce Mark Antony on a perfumed barge has taken on legendary proportion. African kings sometimes ride in palanquins carved to look like luxury cars or other status symbols, while Muslim brides travel in camel howdahs as shown in Bride Arriving in a Village, Biskra, Algeria by Philippe Pavy. The Pope has traditionally been carried in a special sedan chair known as the sedia gestatoria. In humbler terms, a mayor, grand marshal, or fair "queen" of a local parade will often ride in the town's fanciest automobile. - Music, including everything from the choir of a church procession to the marching band of a military procession. Criers may march before the procession, yelling to clear the way for it. Some high school homecoming parades include trucks filled with people who do nothing but make as much noise as possible. - Order of precedence: even without showy display, a group of people walking forward may be said to form a procession if their order and placement clearly visualize a hierarchy or symbiotic relationship. For instance, one's nearness to the king or others of high rank had important political connotations when the royal family walked to or from chapel services at the palace of Versailles. Similarly, precedence came into play when the grandest Edwardian parties progressed from the sitting room to the dining room, and the stylized movement and hierarchy of marching military units clearly sets up a formal procession. - Bearers of banners, fans, icons, treasure, or other eye-catching items, or leading exotic animals. This was a very important part of Roman triumphs, as booty gave the Roman populace visual proof of the warrior's success. The most elaborate evolution of this is the spectacular floats of Carnival parades. A simpler example is the ring bearer at a wedding. - Scent, provided by flower bearers or censers of incense. - Skilled performers, such as acrobats or dancers - Special costume: traditionally, the costumes of acolytes, footmen, ceremonial guards, or slaves help show off the wealth of the person staging a procession. An ornate example was the embroidered train of George IV of the United Kingdom, carried at his coronation by nine lords in waiting with their own matching silken clothes, capes, ruffs, and plumed hats. Other examples include the Swiss Guard and high vestments of the Pope. The formal, matching clothes of bridesmaids and groomsmen are in the same tradition, although sometimes purchased at the attendant's expense rather than by the people honored in the ceremony. In egalitarian times and places, whoever has taken the time and money to put together something impressive may appear in a parade; such costumes are of course the focal point of Halloween parades such as that staged in Greenwich Village, New York. Finally, processions may be staged simply to show off the costumes as one part of a larger event, such as at fashion pageants, military reenactments, pop concerts, or Renaissance Festivals. - Special lighting: candlelight vigils for the deceased or to show political solidarity often include a candlelit procession. Fireworks illuminate such diverse events as coronations, parades, and Thai royal barge processions. - Spectacle, such as an aircraft flyover, or the confetti of New York ticker tape parades - The dispensing of gifts, at one time often food or money. Today, most people are familiar with the dispensing of beads at Mardi Gras and the throwing of candy at local fair parades. Functions of processions Advertisement Edo-period documenters enjoyed drawing the processions of pleasure district beauties, such as Courtesan Parading With Attendants by Suzuki Harunobu. Similar parading courtesans feature in Cherry Blossom in the Evening on the Nakanomachi in Yoshiwara by Utagawa Hiroshige and True Scenery of the Gay Quarter of Minatozakimachi Shinminato by Utagawa Sadahide. The Lord Mayor's Show in London has long featured displays by the city's official trade guilds. Parades were at one time important advertisement when a traveling circus arrived in a new town. Today, many parades in the United States are sponsored by department stores, such as Macy's, which expect the public spectacle to lure shoppers to the store. Change in government The Reception of the Ambassadors From Siam at the Château de Fontainebleau was one such example, documented by Jean-Léon Gérôme in 1864. The signing of surrender by Japanese diplomats and soldiers aboard an American battle ship at the end of World War II involved a strictly codified procession on and off the ship. Processions play an important role in coronations, such as that of Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom in 1953, the Shah of Iran in 1967, Otumfuo Nana Osei Tutu II of the Ashanti in 1999, and Norodom Sihamoni of Cambodia in 2004. Display of power Such as ancient Roman triumphs, the durbar processions of India, and modern reviewing of the troops by generals and heads of state. Return From Vienna, a painting by Jozef Brandt, shows war booty taken from the Turks being escorted into eastern Europe by soldiers. Entertainment Some processions are arranged for entertainment, purely for fun, such as those of community organizations and friendly societies, so popular in Great Britain and the United States of America. Solidarity Religious ceremonies have since prehistory employed the procession of holy objects to inspire solidarity of belief. The Doges of Venice once staged elaborate barge processions to bless the waters on which Venice's tightly controlled maritime economy depended. Events Processions used to mark the beginning or end of an event, such as parades at the beginning of county fairs or at the Olympic Games, or processions that begin and end funerals, graduations, and weddings. Christian processions Processions are found in almost every form of religious worship, such as Holy Week processions. Some biblical examples were the processions with the Ark of Covenant and the procession of Jesus on a donkey into Jerusalem. In a narrower sense of going forth, proceeding, the term is used in the technical language of theology in the phrase Procession of the Holy Ghost, expressing the relation of the Third Person in the Triune Godhead to the Father and the Son. It is impossible to describe in detail the vast development of processions during the Middle Ages. The most important and characteristic of these still have a place in the ritual of the Catholic Church, as well as those of the Church of England and the Orthodox Church. The Procession Path (Lat. ambitus templi) is the route taken by processions on solemn days in large churches—up the north aisle, round behind the high altar, down the south aisle, and then up the centre of the nave. Eastern Orthodox Outdoors Typically the procession commences with the phanarion (a lantern) followed by the cross,[note 1] flanked by processional banners and icons, then choir and clergy, the deacons with censers, the priests with icons, and then the faithful. Hymns particular to the event are sung. Typically the outside of the church is circled thrice; however, some processions proceed to a designated place where a ceremony, e.g., a baptism or burial, is performed. - Well-known processions prescribed annually include: - Pascha (Easter) — During the Paschal Vigil at midnight on Easter Sunday. - Bright Week Each day following at the end of the Divine Liturgy, when the Artos is carried and the paschal canon is sung. - Great Saturday With the epitaphios carried around the church thrice, as at a priest's funeral, the choir singing the Trisagion[note 2] - Theophany — When the Great Blessing of Waters is at a body of water or an external baptistry[note 3] - Paraklesis — Often on the patronal feast of a church, a procession around the outside of the church in conjunction with the paraklesis (prayer of intercession) to the church's namesake - Lity — May be held outdoors with a procession - Great Thursday — Sundry local customs - Well-known processions for occasional events include: - Funeral — The coffin is carried to the grave accompanied by singing of the Trisagion.[note 4] - Consecration of a church — The relics to be placed in the altar are, after an all-night vigil, carried in solemn procession to a nearby church, placed on the altar for an early divine liturgy, and then carried in solemn procession back to the church being consecrated. Indoors - The "Little Entrance" at the divine liturgy and at vespers - The "Great Entrance" at the divine liturgy and, in modified form, at the divine liturgy of the presanctified gifts - Many occasions when a bishop presides, such as: - The meeting of bishop, when the youngest priest, all the deacons with censers, and lower clergy meet the bishop (who is escorted from his home by two subdeacons) at the western door of the church and solemnly escorted to the iconostasis and then to his throne for vesting - Whenever a bishop censes the entire church, he is accompanied by deacons with candles and subdeacons with the dikirion and trikirion - On Great Thursday, sundry local customs. Gallery of Eastern Orthodox processions Lity procession on the Feast of Saint Nicholas in Piraeus, Greece procession to behind the katholikon for the Lesser Blessing of Waters following an all-night vigil on Mount Athos at Esphigmenou Monastery on its patron feast, the Ascension pascal procession on Bright Tuesday (Easter Tuesday) at the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius in Sergiev Posad, Russia Priests in the pascal procession on Bright Tuesday (Easter Tuesday) at the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius in Sergiev Posad, Russia A stop for reading the Gospel and blessing with holy water during the pascal procession on Bright Tuesday (Easter Tuesday) at the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius in Sergiev Posad, Russia Russian Orthodox Old-Rite Church paschal procession in Guslitsa. Moscow region. May 2, 2008. Paschal procession by Russian Orthodox Old-Rite Church in Guslitsa, Moscow region Procession in Yaroslavl by Alexey Bogolyubov, 1863 Religious Procession in Kursk Province, Bright Week procession with the icon of Our Lady of Kursk (in shrine, at right), as painted by Ilya Repin, 1880-83 (State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow) Oriental Orthodox Gallery of Oriental Orthodox processions Ethiopian Orthodox clergy lead a procession in celebration of Saint Michael. During such processions, the clergy carry Ethiopian processional crosses and ornately covered tabots around the church building's exterior (Garland, Texas) Roman Catholics For the Roman Catholic Church, the rules governing them are laid down in the Rituale Romanum (Tit. ix.), and they are classified in the following way: - Processiones generales, in which the whole body of the clergy takes part. - Processiones ordinariae, on yearly festivals, such as the feast of the Purification of the Virgin (Candlemas), the procession on Palm Sunday or Holy Week (Easter Sunday), the Litaniae Majores and Minores, the Feast of Corpus Christi, in possible addition to Feast of the Ascension, Feast of the Cross, Forty Hours' Devotion and on other days, according to the custom of the churches. - Processiones extraordinariae, or processions ordered on special occasions, e.g. to pray for rain or fine weather; in time of storm, famine, plague, war, or, in quacumque tribulatione; processions of thanksgiving; translation of relics; or the dedication of a church or a cemetery. There are also processions of honor, for instance to meet a royal personage, or the bishop on his first entry into his diocese (Pontif. Tom. iii.). Those taking part in processions are to walk bare-headed (weather permitting), two and two, in decent costume, and with reverent mien; clergy and laity, men and women, are to walk separately. The cross is carried at the head of the procession, and banners embroidered with sacred pictures in places where this is customary; these banners must not be of military or triangular shape. Violet is the prescribed colour for processions, except on Corpus Christi, or on a day when some other colour is mandated. The officiating priest wears a cope, or at least a surplice with a violet stole, while other priests and clergy wear surplices. A Eucharistic procession is one in which the Host is carried in procession in a monstrance. It is often covered with a canopy and accompanied with candles. At the litaniae majores and minores and other penitential processions, joyful hymns are not allowed, but the litanies are sung, and, if the length of the procession requires, the penitential and gradual psalms. As to the discipline regarding processions the bishop, according to the Council of Trent (Sess. 25 de reg. cap. 6), appoints and regulates processions and public prayers outside the churches. The observance or variation of the discipline belongs to the Congregation of Rites; in pontifical processions, which are regulated by the masters of the ceremonies (magistri ceremoniarum pontificalium), these points are decided by the chief cardinal deacon. As to processions within the churches, some difference of opinion having arisen as to the regulating authority, the Congregation of Rites has decided that the bishop must ask, though not necessarily follow, the advice of the chapter in their regulation. Gallery of Catholic processions The Eucharistic Procession at St. Catherine of Siena Church, Trumbull CT on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Corpus Christi. "Sanch Procession" celebrating the passion of the Christ (since 1461), once forbidden, is still celebrated in the French southern cities and towns of Perpignan, Arles-sur-Tech and Collioure Procession in Salta City, Argentina Corpus Christi procession in Poznań, Poland, 2004: little girls carrying an Infant Jesus of Prague statue, followed by altar servers clothed in surplice and cassock Painting of the Monument of Richard Stapleton in Exeter Cathedral (painting by S. A. Hart), showing a liturgical procession Škofja Loka Passion Play is a revived Baroque Passion procession from Škofja Loka, Slovenia. It is shaped as a play and represents stories from the life of Jesus Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Miracles procession in Ponta Delgada (Azores) Grand Marian Procession in Los Angeles, California, an annual tradition revived in September 2011 by the Queen of Angels Foundation, founded by Mark Anchor Albert Annual procession of the Holy Blood in Bruges, Belgium Holy Week in Seville, Spain, Royal archbrotherhood of "La Carretería" Procession of the Burial of the Lord in Mafra, Portugal Reformed churches The Reformation abolished in all Protestant countries those processions associated with the doctrine of transubstantiation (Corpus Christi); the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, according to the 28th Article of Religion of the Church of England was not by Christ's ordinance reserved, carried about, lifted up, or worshiped. It also abolished those associated with the cult of the Blessed Virgin and the saints. The stern simplicity of Calvinism, indeed, would not tolerate religious processions of any kind, and from the Reformed Churches they vanished altogether. The more conservative temper of the Anglican and Lutheran communions, however, suffered the retention of such processions as did not conflict with the reformed doctrines, though even in these Churches they met with opposition and tended after a while to fall into disuse. Liturgical processions were revived in the Church of England by the members of the Oxford Movement during the 19th century. In Ritual Notes, an Anglo-Catholic liturgical manual, it is stated that "A solemn procession as part of the ceremony proper to the occasion, is ordered to be held respectively at Candlemas; on Palm Sunday; at the Rogations (i.e. on April 25th and the three days preceding Ascension); and on Corpus Christi ..." "A procession is a distinct act of worship in itself, though it is desirable (and accords with ancient practice) that it should have a definite purpose, such as to commemorate some notable event, or to honour the Blessed Sacrament". The Lutheran practice has varied at different times and in different countries. Thus, according to the Württemberg Kirchenordnung of 1553, a funeral procession was prescribed, the bier being followed by the congregation singing hymns; the Brandenburg Kirchenordnung (1540) directed a cross-bearer to precede the procession and lighted candles to be carried, and this was prescribed also by the Waldeck Kirchenordnung of 1556. At present funeral processions survive in general only in the country districts; the processional cross or crucifix is still carried. In some provinces also the Lutheran Church has retained the ancient rogation processions in the week before Whitsuntide and, in some cases, in the month of May or on special occasions (e.g. days of humiliation, Busstage), processions about the fields to ask a blessing on the crops. On these occasions the ancient litanies are still used. Processions in art The wealth of display associated with processions makes them a rich subject for literary and visual art. Some examples include: - Processions were popular subjects for the Romantic painters of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Fantastical Ludwig II of Bavaria was the subject of Sleigh Ride by Wenig. Spring, a painting by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, displays a romanticized Roman procession, while his Finding of Moses shows an heiress of the Pharaoh proceeding to the palace with her entourage. The exotic Queen of Sheba's Visit to King Solomon by Edward Poynter touches on a longstanding convention of elaborate processions from "the East". Walter Crane depicted Beauty being escorted by wigged monkeys in his 1874 Beauty and the Beast. - the opera Aida is known for its triumphal procession. The first staging included a live elephant on stage. - the processions of Tarkhaans and Tarkheenas are emblematic of Tashbaan's wealth and glamour in the book The Horse and His Boy by C. S. Lewis In film - elaborate Chinese wedding processions feature in the films Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and The Last Emperor - in the film Pillow Book, the heroine compares her wedding procession with the procession of a Heian Period empress. In another film by the same director, Peter Greenaway, the act of Prospero simply walking through his house becomes a lush, visual procession because of the house's wealth of literary and visual symbolism. - the Buddha discovers death, old age, and poverty while watching an elaborate procession in the film Little Buddha - the Nazi entourage in Raiders of the Lost Ark, upon arriving at their island base, begin an elaborate trek to the centre of the island, with soldiers holding aloft National Socialist standards. The procession is somewhat ostentatious given the climate, prompting the black-dressed Gestapo agent to remove his hat and wipe the sweat from his brow. - the film Jefferson in Paris includes a scene during which Thomas Jefferson and his daughter watch one of the daily processions that make up the royal ritual at Versailles - the funeral procession of Elizabeth I of England is portrayed in the film Orlando - the triumphal procession of Helen and Paris into Troy begins the 2004 film of the same name - a spectacular procession introduces Prince Akeem's appointed bride in the film Coming to America - Fantasy - a utopian parade is depicted by James Gurney in his Dinosaur Parade - Processions appear in several Star Wars films, including award ceremonies at the end of The Phantom Menace and A New Hope, a funeral procession at the end of Revenge of the Sith, and a military procession during Return of the Jedi - the god Ra appears in a formal procession shortly before being overthrown in the film Stargate - the procession of Audrey Hepburn as an Italian princess set up the dilemma of her character at the beginning of the film Roman Holiday - the procession of Prince Ali in the Disney film Aladdin allows the hero to show off his newfound prestige - the procession of the wicked Skeksis into their regeneration chamber, and the following procession of their spiritual counterparts, the Mystics, marks the climax of the film Dark Crystal In music - The Procession-Manchester Orchestra: where the singer tries to get over the death of someone at their funeral procession.[clarification needed] See also - Cavalcade - Funeral procession - Parade - Processional hymn - Processional walkway - Statio - Uthsavar - Good Friday processions in Baliuag - March for Jesus - List of Veiled Prophet Parade themes, St. Louis, Missouri Footnotes - ^ For which reason this is called in Russian: Крестный ход, Krestnyi khod, cross procession - ^ In some traditions, a procession takes place on Palm Sunday as well. - ^ A similar procession takes place sundry other times when the Lesser Blessing of Waters is performed. - ^ If the deceased is a priest or bishop the clergy chant the Great Canon of St. Andrew References Citations - ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Procession". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 22 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 414–416. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the - ^ Daremberg and Saglio, Dictionnaire des Antiquités Grecques et Romaines, s.v. Consul. - ^ See Preller, Rm. Mythologie, pp. 370-372. - ^ Du Cange, s.v. - ^ Ep. IX. ad Diosc. episc. c. 445: qui nostris processionibus et ordinationibus frequenter interfuit. - ^ Smith, Dic. of Class. Antiq. s.v. Procession. - ^ See Louis Duchesne, Origines, 2nd ed., pp. 77, 154, 181; 78, 194. - ^ c. 375. - ^ c. 388, Ep. 40 16, Ad Theodos. monachos ... qui psalmos canentes ex consuetudine usuque veteri pergebant ad celebritatem Machabaeorum martyrum. - ^ Hist. eccl. viii. 8. - ^ Josh. vi. - ^ 2 Sam. vi. - ^ Origines, ch. i. - ^ Vita S. Remig. I. - ^ Ep. xi. 57. - ^ See Gregory of Tours, Hist. Fr. x. i, and Johann. Diac. Vita Greg. Magn. i. 42. - ^ See e.g. St Ambrose, Ep. 29 and St Augustine, De civitate Dei, xxii. 8 and Conf. viii. 7, for the finding and translation of the relics of Saints Gervasius and Protasius. - ^ Alte Bittgange, in Zeller, Philosophische Aufsatze, p. 278 seq. - ^ Fasti praenestini, C.T.L.T., p. 317. - ^ Regist. ii. - ^ Ep. v. 14. - ^ Forster, Marc R. Catholic Revival in the Age of Baroque. p. 107. - ^ a b Forster, Marc R. Catholic Revival in the Age of Baroque. p. 116. - ^ Forster, Marc R. Catholic Revival in the Age of Baroque. p. 111. - ^ Forster, Marc R. Catholic Revival in the Age of Baroque. p. 119. - ^ Forster, Marc R. Catholic Revival in the Age of Baroque. p. 114. - ^ Forster, Marc R. Catholic Revival in the Age of Baroque. p. 115. - ^ The Story of the Stone by Cao Xuequin, translated by David Hawkes, published by Penguin Books, 1973. Volume I, page 356 - ^ Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. . - ^ public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Procession Path". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 22 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 417. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the - ^ The Great Book of Needs: Expanded and Supplemented (Volume 2): The Sanctification of the Temple and other Ecclesiastical and Liturgical Blessings, South Canaan, Pennsylvania: Saint Tikhon's Seminary Press, 2000, p. 57, ISBN 1-878997-56-4 - ^ Cutts, E. L. (1895) A Dictionary of the Church of England; 3rd ed. London: S. P. C. K.; p. 482 - ^ Cairncross, Henry, et al., comps. (1935) Ritual Notes; 8th ed. London: W. Knott; p. 104 Further reading - Serrarius, N. (1607) Sacri peripatetici, sive in Sacris Ecclesiae Catholicae processionibus libri duo. Cologne - Gretser, Jakob (1608) De Catholicae Ecclesiae sacris processionibus & supplicantibus libri duo. Cologne: H. Mylius - Dunlop, C. (1932) Processions. London: Alcuin Club - Cairncross, Henry; Lamburn, E. C. R. & Whatton, G. A. C., comps. (1935) Ritual Notes: a comprehensive guide to the rites and ceremonies of the Book of Common Prayer of the English Church; 8th ed. London: W. Knott; pp. 104–09 - Östenberg, I., S. Malmberg and J. Bjørnebye (eds). The Moving City: Processions, passages and promenades in ancient Rome. Bloomsbury, London 2015.

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- Authors: - L. P. Hughston, King's College London - K. P. Tod, University of Oxford - Date Published: January 1991 - availability: Available - format: Paperback - isbn: 9780521339438 £ 40.99 Paperback - This textbook provides an introduction to general relativity for mathematics undergraduates or graduate physicists. After a review of Cartesian tensor notation and special relativity the concepts of Riemannian differential geometry are introducted. More emphasis is placed on an intuitive grasp of the subject and a calculational facility than on a rigorous mathematical exposition. General relativity is then presented as a relativistic theory of gravity reducing in the appropriate limits to Newtonian gravity or special relativity. The Schwarzchild solution is derived and the gravitational red-shift, time dilation and classic tests of general relativity are discussed. There is a brief account of gravitational collapse and black holes based on the extended Schwarzchild solution. Other vacuum solutions are described, motivated by their counterparts in linearised general relativity. The book ends with chapters on cosmological solutions to the field equations. There are exercises attached to each chapter, some of which extend the development given in the text. Customer reviews Not yet reviewed Be the first to review Review was not posted due to profanity× Product details - Date Published: January 1991 - format: Paperback - isbn: 9780521339438 - length: 192 pages - dimensions: 230 x 153 x 14 mm - weight: 0.29kg - contains: 32 b/w illus. - availability: Available Table of Contents Preface 1. Introduction 2. Vectors and tensors in flat three-space 3. Aspects of special relativistic geometry 4. Tensor analysis on manifolds 5. Covariant differentiation 6. Properties of the Riemann tensor 7. Riemannian geometry 8. The Lie derivative 9. Geodesics 10. Geodesic deviation 11. Differential forms 12. The transition from Newtonian theory 13. Einstein's field equations 14. The slow motion approximation 15. The Schwarzschild solution 16. Gravitational red-shift and time dilation 17. The geodesic equation for the Schwarzschild solution 18. Classical tests 19. The extended Schwarzschild solution 20. Black holes and gravitational collapse 21. Interior solutions 22. The Kerr solution 23. Homogeneous and isotropic three-spaces 24. Cosmology: kinematics 25. Cosmology: dynamics 25. Anisotropic cosmologies Index.

https://www.cambridge.org/zm/academic/subjects/mathematics/mathematical-physics/introduction-general-relativity