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By Serena Ingalls
Seventy-five years ago, in April 1948, Ampex began to sell the first audio tape recorder commercially to the public, the Ampex Model 200. This product, a rather large and bulky unit, was first marketed towards local and regional radio broadcasters and promised to be well worth the cost due to its utility. As time went on, audio recording technology only became less expensive, smaller, and more widely available, notably with the creation of the cassette tape by Philips. The invention of audio tape recorders made a huge mark on the world, and it impacted the daily lives of many, particularly those who spent much of their time interviewing and taking notes. In the archive of the UC Berkeley Oral History Center, there are many casual mentions of tape recorders that reveal the importance of these devices, and how people thought about and experienced the recording of interviews.
Sports journalist and UC Berkeley alum Glenn Dickey began his career before tape recorders were generally used in the field, so he became very skilled at taking shorthand notes. His ability to take notes and remember conversations verbatim was so remarkable that others doubted that he didn’t use a tape recorder. In his oral history, Dickey talks about tape recorders and reflects on a personal experience. “One time when Garry St. Jean was an assistant coach for Don Nelson, he had a bet with Don Nelson that I have a tape recorder hidden,” explained Dickey. “Because he’d be there when I was talking to Nelson, and he knew that what I was writing in the column was what Nelson said—he says, ‘He can’t remember all that.’”
“It is easy to say now that I can narrate the story of my life on a tape recorder before writing these memoirs down, but for millennia it was impossible and everything hinged upon the spoken word, and all traditions and all the knowledge gradually accumulated by humanity depended upon this knowledge.” — Alexander Paul Albov
Others took full advantage of the tape recorder as a memory aid. Jo DeJean, the personal assistant to Gary Rogers at the Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream Company, was one such person. She recalls in her oral history that “on my ride home I would talk into a tape recorder about things that I needed to do. We didn’t have cell phones back then. Because I had all these things swimming around in my head, so I needed to record them. So that’s what I did.” This strategy is now employed by many through the means of “voice memo” features on smartphones.
When tape recorders became inexpensive and easily accessible, they were used consistently by interviewers. Tape recorders were incredibly useful tools for longer interviews. Sometimes during the oral histories conducted by the Oral History Center, the methodology of the interviewers makes its way onto the record through the mention of tape recorders and other tools.
One interviewee, George W. Waters, former editor of Pacific Horticulture, became curious about the tape while his interview was being conducted. While chatting about interviewing techniques, Waters asked about what would become of the tape after the interview was done, and the interviewer, Suzanne Riess, replied “You can ask that the tape be destroyed, if you really wish.” This remark seemed to surprise Waters, and he replied, “Well, I appreciate the fact that somebody else has accepted the job of transcribing it. No, there are advantages and disadvantages [to using the tape recorder], and well, I wouldn’t have missed this for the world. It’s so rare, isn’t it, that one gets an opportunity to talk about himself to someone who’s actually interested in staying?”
Sometimes, however, the presence of a tape recorder could create an awkward barrier between the interviewer and interviewee. Robert D. Harlan, professor of the UC Berkeley School of Librarianship (later the UC Berkeley School of Information), who also conducted oral history interviews for the Oral History Center (then the Regional Oral History Office), was asked about his experience in his own oral history. Harlan reflects that “Having been both the interviewer and the interviewee, it’s easier to be the interviewee, I think. It’s more reactive. You know, I don’t have to change the tapes and that sort of thing. [laughter]” At the same time, he recalls that one of his interviewees had difficulty in opening up because “he found the process intimidating, sticking this thing [tape recorder] in front of him, so I had to work at it. And well, you’re certainly aware of this. It can be a problem. I wish he’d been a little more forthcoming.”
Even if they sometimes initially hindered the flow of conversation between the interviewer and the interviewee, tape recorders and more modern recording devices are invaluable to the creation of oral histories. They allow for relaxed conversations that can be transcribed at a later date by someone who wasn’t present at the original interview. Recording devices and the transcripts that are produced are more accurate than one’s memory and shorthand notes as well.
More than anything, these recording devices allow us to do what we’ve always done: pass down stories of one generation to the next. Today, the Oral History Center not only records their words, but we also record videos of the narrators. This allows us to capture the sound, rhythm, and accent of someone’s voice, which will make a new viewer of an oral history video feel as though the story is being told to them directly. Although the transcripts usually contain photos of the narrator, the additional video content shows the person in motion and the nuances of their expressions. The combination of oral history transcripts and video recordings, only possible now due to advancements in technology since the first tape recording device, preserves the stories of those in our past and present for future generations. Like a fossil preserved in amber, these histories are immaculately preserved, but rather than being a gift from nature, the preservation of oral histories is a product of evolving technology — and the extensive work of all of the interviewers, transcribers, and professional and student staff of the Oral History Center.
Find these interviews and all our oral histories from the search feature on our home page. You can search by name, keyword, and several other criteria.
Serena Ingalls is a fourth year student in History and French at the University of California, Berkeley. She works at the Oral History Center as a research and editorial assistant.
Related Resources from The Bancroft Library
For sources related to athletics, see the Oral History Center’s project, Athletics at UC Berkeley. The Bancroft Library also holds several books written by Glenn Dickey, including Glenn Dickey’s 49ers : the rise, fall, and rebirth of the NFL’s greatest dynasty ; Bancroft (NRLF) ; GV956.S3 D518 2000.
For sources related to Dreyer’s ice cream, see the Oral History Center’s projects, Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream; Food and Agriculture — Individual Interviews; and Commerce, Industry, and Labor — Individual Interviews. See also: Dreyers: history in the making. Bancroft Pamphlet Folio ; pf HD9281.U54 D7 1997.
For sources related to horticulture, see the Oral History Center’s project, Natural Resources, Land Use and Environment — Individual Interviews. See also: California’s horticultural statutes with court decisions and legal opinions relating thereto, also county ordinances relating to horticulture and list of state and county horticultural officers corrected to March 1, 1908. Bancroft ; F862.21.C2.1908. Read the Oral History Center article, “U.S. Forest Service, California Water History, and Horticulturalists in the Natural Resources, Land Use, and Environment Oral History Project,” by Ricky J. Noel.
For sources related to University History, see the Oral History Center project, Education and University of California — Individual Interviews. See also: Robert D. Harlan papers, 1947-2000. BANC MSS 2003/225 c.
About the Oral History Center
The Oral History Center of The Bancroft Library preserves voices of people from all walks of life, with varying political perspectives, national origins, and ethnic backgrounds. We are committed to open access and our oral histories and interpretive materials are available online at no cost to scholars and the public. You can find our oral histories from the search feature on our home page. Search by name, keyword, and several other criteria. Sign up for our monthly newsletter featuring think pieces, new releases, podcasts, Q&As, and everything oral history. Access the most recent articles from our home page or go straight to our blog home.
The UC Berkeley Library is hosting the 2018 Library Carpentry Sprint on May 10th and 11th. This sprint it a part of the larger 2018 Mozilla Global Sprint, and will take place in the Berkeley Institute for Data Science (BIDS), 190 Doe Library from 2-5pm on Thursday, May 10th and from 1-5pm on Friday, May 11th. All are welcome and no experience with Library Carpentry or participating in a sprint is required. Come help us update the existing Library Carpentry curriculum or just come to see what Library Carpentry is all about. If you wish to sign up in advance, simply add you name to the Library Carpentry sprint etherpad under the UC Berkeley section. More information about Library Carpentry can be found here.
Library Carpentry Sprint is an international campaign that is a part of the larger Mozilla Global Sprint 2018. The goal of this Library Carpentry sprint is to improve/extend Library Carpentry lessons. Participants can contribute code or content, proofread writing, help with visual design and graphic art, do QA (quality assurance) on prototype tools, or advise or comment on project ideas or plans. All skill levels are welcome!
You can drop by anytime on May 10th from 2-5pm or May 11th from 1-5pm
Berkeley Institute for Data Science (BIDS), 190 Doe Memorial Library
Contact Scott Peterson, [email protected]
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Celebration of Scholarship and Creative Activity 2022
My 5-day STEAM lesson plan, created for First through Third grade, will focus on the laws of motion & learning about Newton Third Law. Students will make their way through a 5 day lesson focused on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Art, with Newton Third Law being the center focus of each day. Students will learn the song “Newton’s Third Law” from day one and work with different materials to learn about the third law. Students will also create a bumper guard and color it which will be the main activity for the Art and Engineering-focused days. For science and math students will bounce different types of balls to see how high they can go as well as finding the height difference by subtracting the starting and ending points. Students will then go on to play with Newton’s cradle simulator to allow them to see what happens with each action they make during the Technology-focused day. At the end of the 5-day lesson, students should be able to accurately what Newton’s third law is and where they see it being used in their day to day lives.
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Salt is one of the most ancient elements of the human diet. For centuries, it has been used across civilizations for a variety of reasons, but food preservation was particularly key. Our ancestors were also keen on the flavor that salt gave to meat and vegetables, and in that sense, not much has changed.
Most of us love salt so much, we eat way too much of it. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on average, Americans eat around 3,400 milligrams of sodium (one of the minerals that make up salt) per day, which is about 1100 milligrams over the recommended amount. This is a problem, because, in excess, too much sodium can be harmful to health.
But before you purge salt from your diet, it’s also important to note that in moderation, salt can be beneficial, and it can help you seriously elevate your vegan cooking, too. Here’s what you need to know about some of the many different types of salt there are out there to experiment with. But first, let’s dive into the health side of things.
Is salt always unhealthy?
Salt is made up of two minerals: sodium and chloride. And, in the right amounts, they’re good for us, explains Ana Reisdorf, MS, RD, of The Food Trends platform.
“Sodium gets a lot of attention, but both minerals have functions in the diet, primarily as electrolytes that help us stay hydrated,” she notes. “Sodium helps maintain fluid balance in and outside the cells, working together with potassium. It also plays a role in nerve and muscle function. Chloride is used to make hydrochloric acid in the stomach, which is essential for digestion.”
When people consume salt to excess, however, this can be associated with high blood pressure, says Reisdorf, which can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death around the world. “High sodium levels can also contribute to other health issues such as kidney stones, osteoporosis, and stomach cancer,” she explains. “Additionally, it can lead to water retention, causing bloating and swelling.”
This is why paying attention to how much salt you’re consuming is important. While the FDA’s recommended daily allowance is around 2,300 milligrams (that’s about one teaspoon), Reisdorf notes that the American Heart Association advises reducing this intake even further, to around 1,500 milligrams per day.
One way to reduce sodium intake is to swap to a plant-based diet. While vegan meat alternatives can sometimes be higher in salt, plant-based, whole foods, like whole grains, vegetables, leafy greens, legumes, fruits, and nuts, are widely considered to be heart-healthy foods. Earlier this year, for example, researchers analyzed 20 clinical trials and noted that a plant-based diet may help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Different types of salt to level up your cooking
While it’s important to be careful around salt intake, a little bit can help to benefit your health and add depth of flavor to your food. There are many different types of salt, but here, we’ve listed some of the most popular choices, as well as the best recipes to try them with.
1 Table salt
This is your run-of-the-mill, everyday type of salt. The type you’d find on the table alongside the pepper shaker—hence why it’s called table salt. It’s granulated, and typically made by mining underground deposits. “Table Salt is typically 97 percent to 99 percent sodium chloride,” says Reisdorf. “It often contains added iodine and anti-caking agents, and may have fewer trace minerals compared to other forms.”
Try it with: most recipes!
2 Kosher salt
Kosher salt is a type of sea salt. It’s coarser than other types of salt (hence why you’ll sometimes see it labeled as coarse salt), and is particularly effective at drawing out the flavor of foods. It’s called Kosher salt because, traditionally, it is used in the Jewish method of Kosher meat.
Try it with: Beans Marbella With Salty Roasted Potatoes
3 Sea salt
Sea salt, as you may have guessed, is salt taken from the sea. The water is evaporated, leaving the salt behind. For that reason, it is generally less processed than table salt and does retain some trace minerals. “It contains a similar sodium content to table salt,” says Reisdorf. “But may have trace amounts of other minerals like potassium, zinc, and iodine.”
Try it with: Avocado Nori Crostini
4 Fleur de sel
Fleur de sel is another type of sea salt. Intricately harvested off the coast of France, it’s delicate, with a unique briney flavor. For that reason, it’s considered a staple of luxury cooking and is both expensive and highly sought after.
Try it with: Ina Garten’s roasted vegetables
5 Kala namak
Kala namak, which is also known as black salt, comes from the salt mines of Himalayan countries, like India, Pakistan, and Nepal. It was first used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine, but it has become increasingly popular among Western vegans for its ability to mimic the taste and smell of eggs. “It is similar to the other types of salt but also contains small amounts of sulfur compounds, responsible for its smell,” says Reisdorf. “It may also have trace amounts of other minerals, depending on the source.”
Try it with: Tofu Egg Salad
6 Himalayan pink salt
Also from the Himalayan region, pink salt is (as you may have guessed) naturally pink in color. It is hand-extracted from Pakistan’s Khewra Salt Mine and likely contains more minerals than other types of salt. “It contains trace minerals like potassium, magnesium, and calcium, giving it its pink color,” says Reisdorf.
Try it with: Meaty Vegan Lentil Chili Con Chili
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A previous TWW post focused on ways to align your course and syllabus with recent findings in The Meaningful Writing Project. This month’s tip continues this thread by suggesting ways to make your meaningful assignments clear and timely for your students.
Establish the Situation for Your Assignment
“At the heart of every assignment is the rhetorical situation — someone writing to someone about something for some purpose” (Wilhoit, quoted in Melzer, 20). As writing researchers Gottschalk and Hjortshoj point out, students are better prepared to write effectively in response to an assignment when the following questions are clearly addressed in the prompt: (1) What am I writing about? (2) For whom am I writing? (3) For what purpose am I writing? (4) In what form am I writing? Making clear the purpose, the audience and the specific genre and format (e.g. lab report, prospectus, white paper, memo, literary analysis, memoir, etc.) for your assignment can help students focus their efforts, which in turn can lead to more authentic writing.
Examples: Along with establishing a specific writing scenario, each of these prompts provides clear language about the task, purpose, audience and genre of the assignment.
from Environmental Engineering:
“Montgomery Burns sits on the Springfield City Council, and he is always looking for ways to save money. He insists it is perfectly acceptable to operate the flocculation basin according to instructions he read on Wikipedia, using G = 700 sec-1 and Θ = 700 sec. As an expert in this area, kindly explain to your client in the cover letter why this approach will not work and why a tapered flocculation is the better way to go” (Oulton, California Polytechnic State University).
from Spanish Literature:
“Imagine that you are an Andalusian adib living in tenth-century Córdoba. Write a letter to a like-minded friend in North Africa (or Barcelona) and describe your life so as to convince him to join you at the Umayyad court. Also tell him something about your favorite genre of poetry and what you have been hearing and writing lately” (Gottschalk and Hjortshoj 44).
“You are a staff nurse at a large urban hospital. Recently the hospital became embroiled in a major controversy when several nurses were discovered to be practicing therapeutic touch (TT) on patients without the permission or knowledge of their supervisors or of attending physicians. The hospital governing board reprimanded the nurses and issued a general statement forbidding the practice of TT, which they called ‘non-scientific quackery.’ Research the professional literature on TT, looking especially for evidence-based studies. Then write a 4–-5 page argument addressed to the hospital board, supporting or attaching the board’s decision to forbid the practice of TT. Support your position with reasons and evidence based on the professional literature” (Bean 232).
Ask for the Concrete before the Abstract
Research in learning theory has shown that students are more successful at complex tasks, such as argumentation, synthesis, and the application of theories, when they have had initial opportunities to work with concrete examples, cases, and personal experiences.
Example: Prior to writing an essay analyzing a current public health issue through the lens of “structural violence,” students in a medical anthropology course write short pieces defining structural violence and identifying examples.
Measure Progress through Repetition
Scaffolding shorter assignments or segmenting longer ones can help students move through key learning phases from the concrete to the abstract. Equally effective is the repetition of meaningful assignments and sequences. To develop skills of summary, explication, analysis and synthesis, students need repeat opportunities to practice such skills in their writing. If you have a meaningful assignment, consider using it more than once.
Contribute to a Community of Teachers
Do you have an assignment prompt or a sequence of assignments that have worked well in your class? If so, please consider sharing your assignment with us. We’re updating our web examples and would love to include yours.
Bean, John. Engaging Ideas: The Professor’s Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking and Active Learning in the Classroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1996.
Gottschalk, Katherine and Keith Hjortshoj. The Elements of Teaching Writing: A Resource for Instructors in all Disciplines. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2003.
Melzer, Dan. Assignments Across the Curriculum: A National Study of College Writing. Logan: Utah State University Press, 2014.
Soliday, Mary. Everyday Genres: Writing Assignments Across the Disciplines. NCTE/CCCC and Southern Illinois University Press, 2011.
See the Teaching with Writing pages on the Center for Writing website for teaching resources, including sample assignments and syllabi. As many of you know, our WAC program also hosts the popular Teaching with Writing event series. Each semester, this series offers free workshops and discussions. To schedule a phone, virtual, or face-to-face teaching consultation, click here.
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If you’re health-conscious and interested in drinking water that’s not only refreshing but also good for you, then mineral water might be just what you’re looking for. It has become increasingly popular due to its many health benefits and unique taste.
Understanding mineral water is important if you want to make an informed decision about whether or not it’s right for you. Mineral water is different from other types of water because of the minerals it contains. Mineral water can be sparkling, depending on the presence or absence of added gases.
- Mineral water is a type of water that comes from natural sources and contains minerals like calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
- Mineral water is different from other types of water because it contains minerals and can be still or sparkling.
- Mineral water has become increasingly popular due to its unique taste and many health benefits.
Understanding Mineral Water
Mineral water contains minerals such as salts and sulfur compounds. Unlike tap water, mineral water comes from natural springs and is sourced from underground wells. Mineral water is known for its unique taste and is often marketed as a healthier alternative to regular water.
The composition of mineral water varies depending on the source. Some mineral waters may contain high calcium, magnesium, and potassium levels. In contrast, others may have lower levels of these minerals. Some mineral waters may also be carbonated, while others may be still.
One of the defining characteristics of mineral water is its mineral content. The mineral content of mineral water is naturally occurring and is not added during the bottling process. This makes mineral water popular for people looking to increase their mineral intake. However, more research is needed to fully understand mineral water’s potential health benefits.
Manufacturing of Mineral Water
Manufacturing mineral water involves several steps to ensure it is safe and clean for consumption. Here are the basic steps involved in the manufacturing of mineral water:
The first step in manufacturing mineral water is identifying a suitable source. This could be a natural spring or a well. The water source should be free from contaminants and pollutants.
Once the water source has been identified, it is purified to remove impurities. This is done through reverse osmosis, which involves passing the water through a semi-permeable membrane to remove impurities.
Minerals enhance their taste and nutritional value after purifying the water. The type and amount of minerals added depend on the brand and type of mineral water produced.
Some types of mineral water are carbonated to give them a fizzy texture. Carbonation is the process where carbon dioxide gas goes to the water under pressure. Bottling and labeling: Once the mineral water has been processed, it is bottled and labeled. The bottles are sterilized to ensure they are free from bacteria or other contaminants.
Natural Sources of Mineral Water
Mineral water is sourced from natural underground reservoirs and springs. The minerals in the water are dissolved as it passes through rock and soil layers, giving it its unique taste and composition.
Natural springs are one of the most common sources of mineral water. Springs are formed when groundwater flows to the surface through a natural opening in the earth’s surface. The water in these springs is typically high in calcium, magnesium, and potassium minerals. The exact composition of the water depends on the geology of the area where the spring is located.
Another source of mineral water is wells. These are typically drilled into underground reservoirs that contain high levels of minerals. The water in these wells is usually pumped to the surface and then bottled for consumption.
Wells can be found all over the world, and the composition of the water can vary widely depending on the location. Some wells are known for their high levels of sulfur, which gives the water a distinct smell and taste. Others are high in calcium and magnesium, believed to have health benefits.
What is the Impact of Mineral Water on Health?
Drinking mineral water has several potential health benefits but also some potential risks and side effects.
Advantages of Mineral Water
Mineral water has also been associated with several other potential health benefits.
- One of the main advantages of drinking mineral water is that it can contribute to the overall hydration your body requires.
- Unlike other types of water, mineral water contains minerals that can help replenish electrolytes and other nutrients lost through sweat and other bodily processes.
- Recent studies and studies have suggested drinking mineral water lowers blood pressure, improves cardiovascular health, helps strengthen bones, and reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
Potential Risks and Side Effects
While mineral water can offer several potential health benefits, some risks and side effects must be considered.
- Some types of mineral water may be high in sodium, which results in high blood pressure and other health problems.
- Additionally, drinking too much mineral water may lead to an overconsumption of certain minerals, leading to health problems over time.
- Excessive intake of calcium and magnesium can lead to kidney stones and other health problems.
- Furthermore, some people may be sensitive to certain minerals and other compounds in mineral water, which can lead to allergic reactions or other adverse effects.
Where can we get Mineral Water?
Mineral water can be found in various places, including:
These springs are found in various locations around the world, and the mineral content of the water can vary depending on the source.
Mineral water can be purchased in bottled form from grocery stores, health food stores, and online retailers. Check the label to ensure that the water is mineral water, not just purified or distilled water.
Restaurants and Cafes
Most of the restaurants and cafes offer mineral water as an alternative to tap water or other beverages. If you’re dining out and want to try mineral water, ask your server if it’s available.
Spas and Resorts
Mineral water is often used in spas and resorts for its therapeutic properties. Some spas even have natural hot springs rich in minerals, allowing guests to soak in the mineral-rich water.
Comparison Mineral Water with Other Types of Water
You have several options when choosing the right type of water to drink. Here’s a quick comparison of mineral water with other common types of water:
Tap water is considered a convenient and inexpensive option for most people as it is readily available in most homes and public places and is usually drinkable. However, tap water can contain trace amounts of contaminants, such as lead, chlorine, and fluoride, which can have adverse health effects if consumed in large amounts over time. Tap water is often treated through certain processes to kill bacteria and other harmful organisms.
Distilled water is made by boiling water followed by condensing the steam into liquid form. This process helps remove the impurities and minerals from the water, making it pure and safe to drink.
However, distilled water can also be stripped of beneficial minerals your body needs, such as calcium and magnesium. It’s also not recommended for long-term consumption because it can lead to mineral deficiencies.
Spring water is collected from natural springs, which contain minerals naturally filtered by the earth. It’s often considered a healthier option than tap water because it’s free of contaminants and can contain beneficial minerals. Some spring water can have harmful bacteria or chemicals.
What is the difference between mineral water and spring water?
Mineral and spring water are both natural sources of water. Still, mineral water contains higher levels of minerals and trace elements. On the other hand, spring water may contain fewer minerals and is often filtered to remove impurities.
Where can I purchase mineral water?
Mineral water can be purchased at grocery stores, health food stores, and online retailers. It is important to read the labels carefully before buying genuine mineral water.
Is mineral water good for digestion?
Mineral water may aid in digestion due to its natural mineral content. It can also help remove symptoms of indigestion and acid reflux.
Are bottled water and mineral water the same?
No! Both are different. Bottled water may come from various sources, including tap water. So, it is always recommended to read the labels carefully before buying mineral water.
As you have reached the end of this guide, you must have acknowledged that mineral water is a type of water that is naturally sourced and contains minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
When choosing mineral water, it is important to read the labels carefully to ensure you get the best quality product. Look for mineral water sourced from a natural spring with a balanced mineral content.
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Chaining Streams Java
Java comes with low-level byte streams and high-level byte streams and similarly low-level and high-level character streams. Sub classes of FilterInputStream and FilterOutputStream are known as high-level streams. There are four high-level streams on input streams side – LineNumberInputStream, DataInputStream, BufferedInputStream and PushbackInputStream.
The job of high-level streams is to add extra functionality to the existing streams. For example, LineNumberInputStream adds line numbers in the destination file that do not exist in the source file. DataInputStream increases performance with its readInt() and readLine() methods etc.
For higher functionality, one stream can be linked or chained to another, but obeying some simple rules. Chaining is very simple. The output of one stream becomes input to the other. Or to say, we pass an object of one stream as parameter to another stream constructor; this is how chaining is affected.
Rules of chaining (Chaining Streams Java)
If streams are chained just like that, you will land in compilation errors. Following rules are to be followed.
- The input for a high-level stream may come from a low-level stream or another high-level stream. That is, in programming, the constructor of a high-level stream can be passed with an object of low-level or high-level.
- Being low-level, the low-level stream should work by itself. It is not entitled to get passed with any other stream.
In programming, the low-level stream opens the file and hand it over (passes) to a high-level stream. High-level stream cannot open a file directly. That is, high-level streams just add extra functionality and depend solely on low-level streams.
For example, see the following.
String str1 = "Accept\ngreetings\nfrom\nway2.java";
StringBufferInputStream sbi = new StringBufferInputStream(str1); // low-level
LineNumberInputStream lis = new LineNumberInputStream(sbi); // high-level
DataInputStream dis = new DataInputStream(lis); // high-level
Before going into explanation, let us find out what are low-level and high-level streams. In stream hierarchy, the subclasses of FilterInputStream and FilterOutputStream are known high-level streams and all the remaining are low-level.
The intention of code is to give line numbers to the words of string str1 separated by \n. This string is passed to the constructor of low-level StringBufferInputStream because StringBufferInputStream can hold a string. The sbi object is passed to the constructor of high-level LineNumberInputStream to give line numbers. Again, the lis object is passed to another high-level stream constructor DataInputStream which can read each line separately.
Here, the functionalities achieved with different streams chained are
- Low-level FileInputStream opens the file.
- High-level LineNumberInputStream adds line numbers.
- High-level DataInputStream reads line by line.
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Tumors Hide out from the Immune System by Mimicking Lymph Nodes
ScienceDaily (Mar. 26, 2010) ”” A new mechanism explaining how tumors escape the body’s natural immune surveillance has recently been discovered at EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) in Switzerland. The study shows how tumors can create a tolerant microenviroment and avoid attack by the immune system by mimicking key features of lymph nodes.
The discovery, published in Science and in Science Express, online March 25, 2010, underscores the role of the lymphatic system in cancer and may open up new possibilities for cancer treatment.
“The tumor tricks the body into thinking it is healthy tissue,” says lead author Melody Swartz, head of the Laboratory of Lymphatic and Cancer Bioengineering (LLCB) and EPFL professor. Swartz and her team set out to understand how immune tolerance is induced by tumors, allowing them to progress and spread. The researchers from EPFL concentrated their efforts on a certain protein that is normally present in healthy lymph nodes to attract T cells and program them to perform vital immune functions. They found that some tumors can secrete this protein to transform the outer layer of the tumor into lymphoid-like tissue. This outer layer then attracts and effectively re-programs the T cells to recognize the tumor as friend not foe, resulting in a tumor that goes undetected by the immune system.
Since most tumors progress only if they have escaped the immune system, this new understanding of one mechanism by which the tumor can bypasses or hides from immune defenses is an important step towards future cancer therapies. “The finding that tumors can attract naïve and regulatory T cells and educate them has important implications for tumor immunotherapy,” says Jacqui Shields, from LLCB. The study also opens up potential novel areas of research focusing on the relationship between lymphatic systems and cancer research. According to Shields, the concept that tumors mimic lymphoid tissue to alter the host’s immune response represents a new understanding of tumors’ interactions with the lymphatic system.
The laboratory is affiliated with the EPFL’s Institute of Bioengineering and the Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research.
Authors include Jacqueline D. Shields, Iraklis C. Kourtis, Alice A. Tomei, Joanna M. Roberts, Melody A. Swartz, from the the Laboratory of Lymphatic and Cancer Bioengineering at EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Jacqueline D. Shields, Iraklis C. Kourtis, Alice A. Tomei, Joanna M. Roberts, Melody A. Swartz. Induction of Lymphoidlike Stroma and Immune Escape by Tumors That Express the Chemokine CCL21. Science, March 25, 2010 DOI: 10.1126/science.1185837
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Squinting into the sun and focusing in bright light is very hard on your eyes. Eye care professionals stress the importance of sunglasses and shading your eyes to protect your vision, but many people aren’t aware of the benefits that come from polarized lenses. They’re not just for fishermen to see into the water!
When you’re not on the dock or deck of your boat, you will continue to see the benefits of polarization. Polarized lenses can help cut glares off of surfaces like the road in front of you or the hood of your vehicle. Even bright light outdoors or through windows can be mellowed with polarized lenses.
The reason that polarized lenses work is that they cut out certain waves of light. Normal light tends to go in all directions, but light that bounces off of a surface tends to “polarize” and align itself horizontally. So sunlight beating down on the water doesn’t appear as ambient light once it bounces off the water, because it hits that reflective surface and bounces up, glaring into your eyes. Polarized lenses are specially made with a vertical polarization so that they cut out that intense reflected light and let you see more of the natural light you’d see if there was no glare. Pretty cool, right? You can even experiment with glasses to see if they’re polarized by holding them out and rotating the lens to see if the glare lessens or not.
Some people may notice instances where polarized lenses are not helpful, however. Cell phone screens, LCD and GPS displays can be more difficult to read. In some cases, much brighter light is something you need to see, like in downhill skiing. A bright patch alerts the skier to ice, and polarization would make it harder to see. But most everyday skiers and snowboarders would like to ease the bright light reflecting off of the snow if they’re not in icy conditions. Other than a few rare occasions, polarized lenses can do a lot to improve your vision for many applications. Ask your eye care professional for help deciding if polarization is right for your eyewear.
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Does tree mulch kill grass?
Mulching can be done at planting time, but it can also be done around established trees. Just spread a deep layer of mulch right over the existing grass. Before long the shade of the mulch will smother the grass. Any grass that comes through can be pulled or sprayed with a weed killer.
Should grass be removed around trees?
Reasons to Remove Grass Around Trees Grass and trees have different water and fertilization needs, so keeping one well-fed may harm the other. Grass removes nutrients from the soil that the tree needs for growth. Some grasses, such as red fescue and bermudagrass, release chemicals that slow the growth of tree roots.
Will mulch choke out grass?
Will Mulch Kill Grass? Yes, a thick enough layer of any mulch will kill any grass that is underneath the mulch. Some types of mulch could also sicken or kill certain weed types or weed seeds.
Why should you not mulch around trees?
Problems Caused by Mulch That’s Too Thick Around Trees Problem: Too much mulch smothers the tree’s roots. Consequence: Roots might grow up through the mulch in search of air. That can cause them to “girdle” or wrap around the trunk, which chokes the tree by cutting off its water supply. Problem: Moisture builds up.
How do you keep grass from growing under trees?
Mulching. Mulch is any material used to cover soil to help it better retain moisture and to reduce the amount of light that hits the soil, reducing weed and grass growth. Natural mulches you can use include wood chips, sawdust and dead leaves. You can also opt for synthetic mulches, such as landscape fabric.
How deep should mulch be to stop grass?
A 1- to 2-inch layer of fine mulch should be sufficient, while a coarser material should be 3 to 4 inches deep. Too much of either type can suffocate your plants. In areas where you simply want to keep anything from growing, you can lay it on as thick as you like.
What happens if you put mulch over grass?
The mulch cuts off sunlight and air to the grass and provides a barrier to its growth. Over time, the mulch-covered grass stops growing, leaving you a new area for planting.
How far should you mulch around a tree?
Trees, especially young ones, typically benefit most from a 2- to 3-inch layer of mulch around their base. However, for the first 12 inches immediately surrounding the trunk, thin the mulch layer so that it just covers the soil. This will prevent the common problems associated with excessive mulching.
Should you mulch around mature trees?
Q: Should I mulch around mature trees? A: Mulching mature trees prevents the spread of disease and pests, reduces weed spread, and reduces the need to use fertilizer if you use organic mulch.
How do I stop grass from growing in my garden bed?
Establishing a border (“edging”) is the easiest way to keep your lawn from creeping into your garden beds. Hard borders can be made from virtually anything, from store-bought bands of plastic or metal edging that push part-way into the ground through to natural rocks.
Can you put bark mulch on top of grass?
Bark chips, bark nuggets and other large particle mulches can allow enough light and air through the pieces for grass to survive even under the newspaper. Because it takes two to three months to kill the grass, you should start this project in the fall or winter.
Should you put mulch around the base of a tree?
How far around a tree should you mulch?
Make sure the mulch is at least 5 inches away from the trunk of the tree and no more than 2 to 4 inches deep. Spread the mulch around the tree into the surrounding landscape as wide as you like, tapering out to the ground level at the edge of the ring. Use fresh natural mulch such as wood chips or bark chips.
What should I not mulch?
DON’T mulch with rocks. Especially avoid rocks around common foundation plants like azalea, hydrangea, and yews; these plants thrive in acidic soils (those with a pH level below seven), and rock mulch elevates soil pH, making an acidic soil more alkaline.
How do you keep grass clippings out of mulch?
1. Cover the mulch or soil from the edge of your garden bed to the first set of plants growing inside with a piece of folded landscaping fabric. Do not cover the edge of the grass with the fabric. This will help to catch grass that is cut.
How do I permanently get rid of grass in my garden?
Cut the grass to a short length and then cover the area with plastic or glass. Black plastic works best but you can also use clear plastic. Hold the plastic down with rocks, soil staples, boards or whatever you have handy. It can take a few weeks to a month to kill the roots completely.
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Which element has atoms with 6 electrons?
Electrons orbit in spheres around the atom. Before you start, take a look at carbon on the periodic table. It has an atomic number of 6. That means a carbon atom has 6 protons, 6 neutrons, and 6 electrons.
Which of the following elements has 6 electrons orbits?
Selenium is a member of the sulfur family with elements including tellurium and polonium. This family has six electrons in the outermost shell.
Do elements have 6 electrons?
Carbon is a chemical element. Its atomic number is 6; its atomic weight is 12.011. It is a group IVA element, residing between boron and nitrogen on the periodic table, and it has 6 protons, 6 neutrons, and 6 electrons.
What element is the number 6?
The elements of the periodic table sorted by atomic number
|Atomic number||Name chemical element||Symbol|
What family has 6 valence electrons?
Oxygen Group or Chalcogens: – Group 16 (VIA) – 6 valence electrons.
Does sulfur have 6 valence electrons?
The superscripts associated with these orbitals total to 6. Therefore, sulfur has 6 valence electrons.
What does an atomic number of 6 represent?
The element carbon (C) has an atomic number of 6, which means that all neutral carbon atoms contain 6 protons and 6 electrons.
What does the 6 represent periodic table?
Carbon the element that is atomic number 6 on the periodic table. This nonmetal is the basis for life as we know it.
What element has 6 valence electrons in period 3?
This puts Sulfur in the third period, with electrons in the p block and a total of 6 valance electrons.
How many valence electrons does zinc have?
So, the no. of valence electrons in zinc are 2.
What do group 6 elements have in common?
The elements in the group, like those of groups 7–11, have high melting points, and form volatile compounds in higher oxidation states. All the elements of the group are relatively nonreactive metals with a high melting points (1907 °C, 2477 °C, 3422 °C); that of tungsten is the highest of all metals.
How many electrons does neon-22 have?
Neon-22 is composed of 10 protons, 12 neutrons, and 10 electrons.
How many electrons does Fe?
2, 8, 14, 2Iron / Electrons per shell
How many electrons does zn2+ have?
The Zn2+ ion has lost two electrons, which leaves it with 30 protons and 28 electrons.
What element has 6 protons and electrons?
Element atomic number 6 is carbon. Forms of pure carbon include diamond, graphite, and amorphous carbon. Dave King / Getty Images Each atom of carbon has 6 protons and electrons. The element naturally exists as a mix of three isotopes.
What is the 6th element on the periodic table?
Carbon the element that is atomic number 6 on the periodic table. This nonmetal is the basis for life as we know it. It’s familiar as a pure element, as diamond, graphite, and charcoal. Element atomic number 6 is carbon. Forms of pure carbon include diamond, graphite, and amorphous carbon.
How many electrons does an atom have in its valence orbit?
An atomic element has 6 electrons in its valence orbit which will make it 1. non-renewable 2. – Brainly.com 9tailed4n is waiting for your help.
Which electrons determine the valence of an atom?
The electrons that determine valence – how an atom reacts chemically – are those with the highest energy. For a main group element, the valence electrons are defined as those electrons residing in the electronic shell of highest principal quantum number n.
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On the left is a representation of Dr. Raymond Wheeler’s Drought Clock. He created this clock in the 1940s to help others predict cycle turns based on changes in historic climate. Dr. Wheeler found major climate cycles of 25, 100, 170, and 515 year intervals. For a larger representation of his clock and more information on it, click here.
The 515 climate cycle is also a major civilization cycle where virtually everything around us changes. This weekend, I’m pulling out a few of those changing cycle top “traits” with some short examples of how the same events recur over and over again, not verbatim, but with changes. It’s the reason we often say that “history rhymes.”
“Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” George Santayana
It’s amazing to me how quickly the world is devolving into complete chaos. Of course, this is a trait of moving to a colder climate, and has happened throughout history at both 172 and 515 cycle tops. After going sideways for the past 19 years or so (since 1998) world temperatures are gradually turning down. The first part of a cold period is wet, the balance is dry. However, it’s not only the climate that’s predictable.
“As far back as I can remember, I’ve always been a strong believer in the importance of cycles. You’d better try to understand them, because all of your timing and often your luck is tied up in them.” Lee Iacocca, past President and CEO of Chrysler Corporation (1978-1992)
There are many major cycle top traits that appear right on schedule, but in a slightly different manner than the last time. If you’re a student of cycles, like I am, you recognize the similarities to mass historic changes of the past that “the herd” simply doesn’t recognize.
Above is a representation of relative temperature highs and lows (cycles) and how they correspond with the rise and fall of civilizations. This data on temperature comes from the Greenland Ice Sheet Project, funded by Denmark, Switzerland, and the United States in the 1970s and 80s.
The building of walls always happens are major cycle tops in history. The cycle tops occur roughly at 500 year intervals, so 500 BC, AD 100, 600, 1000, 1500, and right about now.
President Trump is talking about the “Great Wall of Meximerica.” But it’s not the first wall at a cycle top.
In AD 122, Hadrian, then emperor of a struggling Roman Empire built Hadrian’s Wall (an 80 mile long wall in Northern England) to keep out the barbarians.
China’s Great Wall was built in stages, but the majority of construction happened during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) to keep out the Mongolians. This happened at the top of another ~515 year cycle.
So President Trump is not doing anything new—just working to the cycle clock.
The Jewish Diaspora: from the 6th century BC
An early story of the movement of peoples begins in the Middle East in the 6th century BC (a 500 year cycle top). After the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, many Jews lived in Egypt or Babylon. In these alien surroundings they preserved their own customs.
It was the beginning of the process by which the Jews spread throughout the world – the Diaspora – remaining always a minority in the societies they entered (until the creation of the modern state of Israel). Other tribes on the move either become a majority in their new home or were absorbed. Only the Jews, through retaining a religious and to a lesser extent a racial identity, survived through two and half millennia as a recognizable, though widely scattered people.
There as another mass Jewish migration around the time of the next major 500 year cycle top. The Jews revolted against the Roman Empire in 66 CE during the period known as the First Jewish–Roman War which culminated in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE. During the siege, the Romans destroyed the Second Temple and most of Jerusalem. This event marked the beginning of the Roman exile, also called Edom exile. Jewish leaders and elite were exiled from the land, killed, or taken to Rome as slaves.
Germans on the move: 2nd century BC
In the 2nd century BC, Germanic tribes moved south and east from Scandinavia. Other Germans pressed south along the Rhine as far as the Danube, forcing the Helvetii – a Celtic tribe – to take refuge among the Swiss mountains.
Two German tribes, the Teutones and the Cimbri, migrated so far south as to threaten Roman armies in southern France and northern Italy. They were finally defeated and pressed back in 101 BC. But from the Roman point of view a long-term threat had been identified – that of the German barbarians whose territory became the region beyond the Rhine and the Danube.
Angles and Saxons: 5th – 6th century
With Gaul in the hands of Germanic chieftains, and the Roman legions withdrew from Britain. At the same time, land-hungry tribes were tempted by the short step across the English Channel. Among those who take this step were invading the eastern and southern coasts of England, are Angles and Saxons. They came from Denmark, from northwest Germany and from the lower reaches of the Rhine. This migration was so large that it caused the re-settlement of Brittain.
The Arab conquests: 7th century
One of the most dramatic and sudden movements of any people in history was the expansion, by conquest, of the Arabs in the 7th century (only the example of the Mongols in the 13th century can match it). This was responsible for the spread of Islam. It began with the Islamic Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century.
The desert tribesmen of Arabia formed the bulk of the Muslim armies. Their natural ferocity and love of warfare, together with the sense of moral rectitude provided by their new religion, formed an irresistible combination.
Gypsy Migrations from 1417
Whatever their origins, the Gypsies spread rapidly through western Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. Their refusal to settle and assimilate with the local population enabled them to retain a separate identity. But it also provokes hostility and persecution.
This is seen, from the start, in the removal of Gypsies from western kingdoms – akin to the expulsion of Jews (whose sufferings the Gypsies also share in the 20th century). Gypsies were expelled successively from Germany (1497), Spain (1499), France (1504), England (1531), Denmark (1536), Scotland (1541) and Poland (1557).
Inflation vs. Deflation
Let’s go back to Ancient Rome for a good lesson in inflating the money of the population, the favourite past-time of most governments throughout history. Over the course of the destruction of the Roman Empire, the coinage was inflated by about 95%.
Today there’s an inflationary war being raged across the globe. Governments love to inflate their money, as it boosts trade. When you inflate (create and disperse more money within the economy), money decreases in value. If you decrease the value of your money, the products you produce end up being less expensive to the inhabitants of other countries that have more valuable money (have not inflated their money).
Eventually, however, the economy of the host country suffers (the one that inflates the money supply). That’s because lowering the value of money at home increases the general cost of living. Prices of items within the country increase. Over time, the population attempts to keep up their standard of living but to do so, has to go deeper in debt. Eventually, it leads to a loss of confidence in the economy and eventually, deflation, leading to a complete financial collapse.
The above chart shows the declining value of today’s dollar due to inflation. Over the past 100 years, it has declined by 96%. That means that compared to 1913, today’s dollar is worth four cents. However, costs have not collapsed to the same degree, so we’ve rolled into heavy amounts of debt in an attempt to keep up our lifestyles. This is unsustainable.
This has happened over and over again throughout history. It took place in the 1920s in the US, leading to a financial bubble and eventually, a stock market and real estate crash: The Great Depression. The Greater Depression is just around the corner.
We’re heading into trade wars once again. The writing is already on President Trump’s wall, even before construction starts. You’d think the country would have learned its lesson in trade wars and their impact on the economy from the 1930s. Apparently not.
In 1930, President Herbert Hoover approved the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, which raised tariffs on over 20,00o imported goods. This was akin to a trade war and resulted in reducing America’s imports and exports by more than half. It exacerbated the depression.
In fact, if you do a bit of reading about President Hoover, you’ll find an uncanny parallel between the financial situation of the 1920’s and that of today. It was a period of inflationary expansion, caused by central banks, and resulted in a financial stock market bubble and ensuing crash.
Stock Market Bubbles
The above chart shows the extraordinary financial bubble created over the past 43 years by our current monetary system, which is based solely on debt. There’s as much debt in the world as there is wealth. As a result, most of the wealth is an illusion. Bubbles always crash and this is the largest debt bubble in history. In the next few months, we’ll see the top.
There are many more traits that arise at these 515 year cycle tops. I’ll continue to focus on a different group of them over the coming weeks. They’re predictable because they’re periodic (they’ve happened at regular intervals historically). They’re well-documented in history books and, of course, books about cycles. But, nobody reads history …
All the Same Market
“All the same market” is in place once again. This is the movement of currencies and equities seemingly in sync. In retrospect, it was the defining feature of the past week. All the USD currency pairs have wandered around at the top of their waves as the US indices have completed theirs.
I’m on the fence regarding ES, SPX, and the USD currency pairs regarding whether they have to test their tops, or exceed them slightly, or head down from here. My preference here is for a double top. So, we could get a double top or even a touch higher in wave5 of (3) on Monday.
Either way, the count really won’t change. Wave (3) up is done or will be on Monday and wave (4) down is on the agenda for this week.
As I often say,
“The market does the most predictable thing in the most unpredictable manner.”
This past week was a great example.
Even though the USD currency pairs and the US indices are virtually back in sync once again, the above adage will likely continue to play out. Both the USD currency pairs and the US indices should move down as one.
However, there’s one currency pair that has a mind of its own, and that’s the British pound. It looks to be completing the first wave up of a new sequence and may get aligned with the other currency pairs and the US indices a little later this week. That would put everything more or less back in sync.
I’m still projecting that US indices and the USD currencies will get to the start of the fifth waves together. Volume is extremely low everywhere, and the fourth wave is a countertrend (corrective) wave, so there’s not a lot of motivation for a strong move. However, once we get into the final fifth wave up to an all time new high, that should change and volume should pick up somewhat.
As we reach the very top of the final wave, though, volume should drop right off to virtually nothing. That’s when we’ll see the turn and the strong set of waves down, which will be the start of a multi-year bear market, or crash.
The Ending Diagonal Option
I’m keeping the option for an ending diagonal open, but my preference is that we’re heading down into a regular wave 4. The ending diagonal at the top of wave 3 has changed my mind
Based on relabelling as a 5 wave move in ES wave (3), I’m still projecting a final top to our five hundred year set of Supercycle waves sometime in the early part of this year. I’ve given up on being specific, as these waves have been moving very slowly. Ultimately, Mr. Elliott’s waves will forecast the end and give us adequate warning of the turn.
There are no changes in the prognosis. The dismissal of the ending diagonal pattern simply means that wave 4 down will seek its own bottom and is not confined by the requirements of an ending diagonal. It’s therefore likely to retrace 38% of the C wave at its own pace (to about 2202). This new count also aligns ES with the wave structure in the DOW, and it’s always a good thing when the structure is similar across the major indices. Having the DOW that out of sync with the SPX has been pointing to an issue with the SPX count.
The 4th wave will come down in three waves. After we finish the A and B waves, we should be able to project an end to the C wave of the 4th wave. Once we finish the fourth wave , we’ll get a final blow-off wave for the month of February, with a potential top that month or into very early March. We may very well see the ending diagonal as the 5th wave.
Here are the path predictions going forward:
- Wave 4 will come down in 3 waves with any of the corrective patterns possibly in play.
- Wave 5 is likely to be an ending diagonal. In any event, it will be in 5 waves (not motive).
Summary: We either in the fourth wave heading down, or are going test the top of wave (3) one more time before heading down. Monday should see the turn down, one way or the other. USD currency pairs and the US indices are getting aligned to make the next move down together. After completing the fourth wave, we’ll have one more wave to go, which is likely to be an ending diagonal as a fifth wave. The long awaited bear market is getting closer.
Sign up for: The Chart Show
Thursday, February 9 at 2:00 pm EST (US market time)
The Chart Show is a one hour webinar in which Peter Temple provides the Elliott Wave analysis in real time for the US market, gold, silver, oil, major USD currency pairs, and more. You won’t find a more accurate or comprehensive market prediction anywhere for this price.
Get caught up on the market from an Elliott Wave perspective. You’ll also get Andy Pancholi turn dates for the balance of the current month. There’ll be a Q&A session during and at the end of the webinar and the possibility (depending on time) of taking requests.
All registrants will receive the video playback of the webinar, so even if you miss it, you’ll be sent the full video replay within about an hour of its conclusion. For more information and to sign up, click here.
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Why is corporate nutrition so important?
Companies everywhere are always looking for new ways to attract and retain talent, as well as to keep their employees satisfied. But, sometimes, the basics are overlooked, and they are not given enough importance.
Nutrition is a topic that might not be immediately associated with companies. But it can greatly impact the well-being of employees, as well as the results of a company.
What can bad nutrition do to employees?
Nutrition is the basis of everyone's health and well-being. Having good eating habits is essential to maintain a healthy weight, good levels of energy, and balanced mental health.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defends that a good diet is vital for good health and a strong immune system.
Studies show that healthy eating has many benefits and helps to lower the risk of many chronic diseases, such as:
- Heart disease
- High cholesterol
- Type 2 diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Some cancers
However, even though nutrition is important for everyone, many people still don't follow healthy guidelines on a day-to-day basis.
Some motives that stop people from eating better are the lack of time, guidance, and motivation.
The lack of guidance is a big concern since many people think they are eating properly, but they are not. The internet and the wide access to social media have brought more information than ever to the hands of people. But the internet is full of poor information about nutrition and can be a big vehicle of bad information.
How can corporate nutrition have an impact on the workplace?
Unhealthy eating, with foods with too much salt, sugar, and saturated fat, raises the risk of low productivity. The consumption of high amounts of these types of foods can drastically decrease the efficiency and motivation of an employee.
The majority of people spend around 8 hours at work. Most of them tend to make some eating mistakes during the workday. Who doesn't indulge in a chocolate bar or cake at times? Who doesn't drink too much coffee and has some chips in the afternoon?
In a healthy diet, there is space for these kinds of indulgences. However, too many of these actions can have a real impact on the productivity of employees.
Eating too many sweets can cause nervousness and irritation. Having too much coffee can cause dehydration and lead to a decrease in mental performance, as well as headaches.
On the other hand, good corporate nutrition can help employees maintain their energy levels, avoid headaches, and control stress.
How can companies invest in good nutrition?
Research has shown that poor eating habits can affect a team's productivity by up to 20%. On the other hand, chronic illnesses increase absenteeism and healthcare costs.
Of course, habits are not easy to change, but companies can play an educational role in their employees. Health also starts at work, and sometimes small actions are enough.
Healthy snacks ready to grab
We all know that working on an empty stomach is an impossible mission! And when hunger strikes, fast food - or from vending machines - is the top of mind for employees who don't want to waste their work time.
So why not offer healthy snacks that are just a “table away”? Nuts, fruit, roasted chickpeas, or even dark chocolate are good options to boost your employee's energy and happiness.
This initiative can be a “two in one”! Make your team healthier while strengthening the bonds between employees. Use your company's channels - Slack, Whatsapp, MS Teams - to promote recipe-sharing. You can be the moderator and give extra points to healthy and nutritious recipes.
Next step: Decide who will be responsible for bringing the snack to the office the next day. It will be funny!
Corporate nutrition programs
By investing in a corporate nutrition program, companies can have healthier, happier, and more productive employees. It can also help your company to retain more workforce and become more attractive to new talent.
A corporate nutrition program is a great way to improve employees' overall health. It can help to guide and encourage them to embrace new, healthier eating habits.
There are different types of programs that offer nutrition for companies. Still, the most complete ones usually include different spheres, that complement each other to achieve the best results.
Nutrition appointments with registered dietitians are usually one of the pillars of a nutrition program. These professionals can have different areas of expertise, which makes them ideal for dealing with a big variety of problem, from weight loss to patients with diseases such as diabetes, high cholesterol, or osteoporosis. But nutrition appointments are not only for people with diseases or excess weight: everybody can benefit from them.
A good dietitian can help with almost any problem, as such:
- lack of energy
- sleep issues
- low concentration
- improvement in sports performance
- transition to a vegan diet
- food allergies
- help to make better food choices
If you're thinking: 'but do these nutrition programs for companies exist?', let us introduce you to Nutrium Care. Large companies - such as Vodafone, AGEAS, and Randstad - have already adopted this program and are extremely satisfied.
Through this program, you can offer your employees follow-up with excellent nutritionists, a 100% personalized food plan, workshops, webinars, themed days, and exclusive content in the area of health and nutrition.
In fact, education is another strong point that must not be overlooked when choosing a corporate wellness program. Even when having nutrition appointments, providing educational tools is important to solidify the knowledge and ensure better results. These could be, for example, informative webinars, cooking workshops, and newsletters with recipes.
Some companies combine these programs with initiatives that promote physical activity among employees. Exercise is also becoming increasingly important, considering the low levels of physical activity registered worldwide today.
In addition to the impact on physical well-being, these initiatives improve the mental health of employees. It promotes gains in terms of self-esteem, confidence, and motivation, in particular.
Investing in a corporate nutrition program to prevent and combat unhealthy trends can make employees healthier, happier, and more productive.
Now that you know “why,” “what,” and “how,” take the next step and have a voice in the success of your company and even the world. Everyone eats every day, but almost no one knows how to eat right. Embrace this mission and ask your company to be part of the change. We count on you to take an educational and active role in the well-being of employees.
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A lone worker is a person who performs tasks in remote locations, away from supervisors or co-workers. People who work in these conditions are often in higher-risk positions where they could face immobilizing injuries, further separating them from essential help. Monitoring these types of employees is essential in ensuring worker safety and reducing liabilities.
Any worker who is exposed to risk in work conditions needs to have some sort of monitoring method to keep them safe. Depending on the method used to monitor their safety, blue collar workers who experience life-threatening events can face extreme injury and even death. In order for companies to protect their employees and reduce liability, they need to demonstrate that they took reasonable measures to ensure employee safety. Implementing a personal emergency response service (PERS) can do just that. Because of their fall-detection capabilities and single-action button, PERS devices can provide invaluable backup a fraction of the cost of sending two employees to every job.
There are several methods used to monitor the safety of employees. Some of those methods are:
Depending on the environmental conditions that lone workers frequent, they may need devices that track gas levels, falls, have panic buttons and are voice activated. Considering the items listed above, there are several pros and cons to each.
Simply put, phone-based check-in systems are bulky and inefficient. They require additional, routine actions by the workers themselves and a person at the headquarter location.
Buddy systems function best when the work already requires more than a single person to perform. In situations where work only requires a single person, this method makes the operation much more expensive.
Smartphone applications on the other hand can be incredibly economical. Their hidden presence often offers voice-activated technology that only needs to function when the user activates it. That is, if it functions better than Siri. We already know that the majority of people don’t trust or even like virtual assistants, however.
The last method of monitoring is by using dedicated, specially-designed monitoring devices. These may be able to track gas levels, detect falls and only require the press of a single button to activate. This method is perhaps the best combination available. It is an easy-to-use, low-cost solution that serves its function well. One type of device, which is typically used to monitor seniors who want to retain their independence, can double as a monitoring system for lone workers. Better known as PERS devices, they perform the function that most lone workers require.
Read out PERS Device Eguide To Learn More About Devices On The Market:
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- Mindfulness is a practice of focusing on the present moment in a nonjudgmental manner.
- Researchers have suggested that mindfulness may improve prosocial behavior, but studies looking at this have been inconclusive.
- In the present study, the researchers explored whether a person’s self-conception can determine whether mindfulness will improve their prosocial behavior.
- The researchers found mindfulness decreased prosocial behavior for people who see themselves as independent and increased it for those who perceive themselves as interdependent.
A new study has shown that people who consider themselves interdependent improve their prosocial behavior following mindfulness practice. Those who view themselves as independent, however, have decreased prosocial behavior.
The study, which is available as a preprint and is due for publication in the journal Psychological Science, suggests that mindfulness is a tool that can be put to different effects depending on the context.
In 1994, Prof. Jon Kabat-Zinn described mindfulness as “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally.”
Some research has found that mindfulness can improve a person’s prosocial behavior, that is, the extent to which they act on behalf of others. However, other research has found that this is less clear.
The authors of the present study note that mindfulness can be understood as increasing a person’s self-awareness.
As a consequence, the study authors suggest mindfulness may amplify a person’s preexisting “self-construal,” which can be understood as being either interdependent or independent.
A person with an interdependent self-construal will see themselves in relation to others, be it close friends or family or a group they perceive themselves to be a part of.
In contrast, a person with an independent self-construal will understand themselves on their own terms, separate from others.
The authors of the present study suggest that people with an independent self-construal will have this amplified by mindfulness and be less likely to act on behalf of others.
Conversely, they expected mindfulness to increase prosocial behavior for people with an interdependent self-construal.
To test this, the authors analyzed data from a previous study and conducted another one.
In the first study, 366 participants had their level of independence or interdependence measured. They were then instructed in 15 minutes of one of two types of meditation practice.
The first, which asked people to focus on their breathing, was designed to cultivate a state of mindfulness. The second asked people to let their mind wander and was designed as an active control to not cultivate mindfulness.
In order to assess how meditation affects information processing, participants were then asked to read a newspaper article.
The participants were told this was randomly selected. In reality, however, all participants read the same article, which was from a local newspaper and talked about a charity supporting rural or homeless people.
The researchers then measured the participants’ compassion. To do that, they gave them a letter said to be from the director of the lab noting that some participants who had read the article expressed an interest in helping the charity.
The experimenters then asked the participants whether they wanted to stuff envelopes on behalf of the charity to help raise donations. Those who agreed were given no guidance on how many envelopes to stuff or how long to maintain the task.
The second study involved 325 participants and resembled the first, except it was conducted online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, instead of stuffing envelopes, participants were asked to sign up to time slots or speak to potential donors, asking them to financially support the charity.
In both studies, the researchers found that a person’s self-construal was a key determinant in whether they then engaged in prosocial behavior.
Mindfulness made people who saw themselves as interdependent more likely to act in a prosocial manner.
By contrast, those who thought of themselves as independent were less likely to exhibit prosocial behavior following mindfulness practice.
According to Dr. Michael Poulin, an associate professor of psychology at the University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences, NY, and the paper’s lead author, “mindfulness can make you selfish. It’s a qualified fact, but it’s also accurate.”
However, this does not mean that mindfulness is ineffective or not useful.
For Dr. Poulin, “that would be an oversimplification. Research suggests that mindfulness works, but this study shows that it’s a tool, not a prescription, which requires more than a plug-and-play approach if practitioners are to avoid its potential pitfalls.”
The research may be important for improving our understanding of when and how mindfulness may be valuable. According to Dr. Poulin and co-authors of the study,
“[O]ur results point towards ways to modify mindfulness interventions, perhaps by incorporating a focus on interdependence, to promote the best outcomes for individuals and for society.”
Article By: MedicalNewsToday.com
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We rely on electricity to stay warm, keep our homes illuminated, cook, heat or pump water, and to keep us entertained on our TVs and other devices. A power outage can be a short-term annoyance or last for days. It is worthwhile, with weather systems changing, to have a plan in place, so your family stays safe in a lengthy power outage.
Keep a Supply of Ready-to-Eat Food and Drink on Hand The last thing you need is to run out of food and drink during a power outage. Have a supply of canned foods, protein bars, dried fruit, peanut or other nut butters, canned juices, cereal and non-perishable milk or non-dairy milk, and plenty of water in your home that you are prepared.
Create an Emergency Kit Every home should have an emergency kit that is fully equipped with everything you may need if a lengthy power outage occurs. Supply it with a first aid kit, water purifying tablets, flashlights, space blankets, a battery-operated radio, batteries, a battery-operated cell phone charger, and extra prescription medications that may be needed in an emergency.
Equip Your Home with a Safe Power Generator if Possible You can keep your basic home systems functioning if you have a home generator, but ensure it is out-of-doors and if it is a gas generator, so no exhaust fumes enter your home. If a gas generator, keep a safe supply of fuel in an area inaccessible to children and away from any source of heat.
Check on Your Neighbors It is important that you help your neighbors, should they need it, particularly the elderly. Check on them and provide any help needed, such as contacting their relatives, providing food, or other assistance. When a long-term power outage occurs, the community needs to pull together.
Stay Together Keep your family together if you plan to venture out. Losing track of a family member can be dangerous and extremely stressful. If your home is cold due to a power outage, staying close together will also help you stay warm.
Surviving a Heatwave A power outage during a heatwave is particularly dangerous for everyone, particularly the elderly and babies. Prepare to leave your home if needed. Keep ice in your freezer and an ice chest so that if the power is out, some foods and critical medications can be kept cold. Apply bags of cold ice and water to the neck, head, and other body areas, and drink plenty of water. Find a local cooling station if possible. Keep your vehicle full of gas, rather than running it down to empty, as if a power outage occurs, you will be unable to fill it.
Power Outages and Your Insurance Coverage
Your insurance coverage can become an important matter if your home has been damaged due to a fire, flood, earthquake, storm, or other natural disasters. It is important that you understand the coverage you have, and that you and your family are protected in the event of a disaster that leads to a power outage or other challenging situation. Contact our local agency to speak with one of our team. We are happy to look over your policies and ensure you have everything you need to protect your home and family at the lowest rates.
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Small bronze statuettes of mice were commonplace in Ancient Rome. The fine modelling and insightful details that could have only come from careful observation reveal Roman sympathy towards these animals. They may have served as household decorations, ornaments for larger objects, or votive offerings. Since they often sit on their haunches and hold or gnaw on seeds or nuts it is possible that they acted as apotropaic images used to guard food stores.
Roman Bronze Mouse Statuette
A finely cast Ancient Roman bronze statuette of a mouse. The tiny creature is depicted on all fours with the front paws brought close to the mouth as if nibbling at food. The animal has pointy ears and a long straight tail. Fine details like round eyes, open mouth and marks imitating fur add greater naturalism.
Provenance: ‘The Ancient Menagerie Collection’ formerly the property of a Cambridgeshire lady, collected since the 1990s and acquired from auctions and dealers throughout Europe and the USA, now ex London collection.
Condition: Very good condition. Damage to the left ear, some earthly encrustations and patination to the surface.
|Dimensions||L 6.6 x W 1.2 x H 2.1 cm|
Reference: For a similar item,The British Museum, item 1867,0508.803
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How Technology is Changing the Face of Archaeology
This week, Peruvian archaeologists announced plans to use mini remote control helicopters with high definition cameras to study and protect archaeological sites in Peru. Through a partnership between the Catholic University of Peru and Harvard University, prototypes are now in use in San Jose de Moro where the new technology is being used to compile a complete and detailed record of the many archaeological sites in the region.
The technology replaces countless hours spent by researchers on top of ladders taking photographs and guarding the precious ruins. One of the key roles of the helicopters will be to increase the security and protect the invaluable ruins which are under threat from the growth of agriculture, land trafficking, as well as criminal activity. In a recent example, a 5,000-year-old pyramid was decimated in Peru by two private building companies who claimed to own the state-run archaeological site at El Paraiso. It is hoped that the new remote control helicopters would prevent such irreversibly damaging acts from taking place and, at the very least, to catch those responsible.
But the addition of the mini helicopters is just one example of how technology is beginning to change the face of archaeology. Last month, Australian archaeologists used cutting edge remote-sensing technology to make the remarkable discovery in Cambodia of a 1,200-year-old lost city that predates the Angkor Wat temple complex. The sensing technology, called Lidar, has opened up new and exciting possibilities for archaeological exploration by replacing the need for explorers and researchers to aimlessly hack their way through dense jungles. Instead they are led directly to sites of significance through the aerial mapping technology.
Dramatic progress has also been made in nuclear physics and x-ray technology where new technology involving transportable instruments enables archaeological finds to be analysed in situ rather than having to remove them from the site and study them in a laboratory. According to nuclear physicist , Professor Claudio Tuniz, advanced scientific technology in nuclear physics and x-rays have revealed more about palaeoanthropology in the last few years than in the hundred years prior.
Archaeology has reached an exciting and fast progressing period in which mysteries of our past are rapidly emerging and new knowledge about our ancient origins is finally getting pieced together.
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In less than a year, Hawai‘i will be the first state in the country to ban the sale of sunscreens formulated with oxybenzone and octinoxate–two of the most detrimental chemicals that harm our reefs (and even our bodies!).
What is Oxybenzone?
Oxybenzone, in particular, is one of the most common ingredients and can be found in over 3,500 commercial brands of sunscreen. This chemical badly alters coral DNA, making the coral more susceptible to fatal bleaching. It also acts as an endocrine disruptor, causing baby coral to encase itself in its own skeleton and ultimately die.
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Are Snails and Slugs a menace to your plants? Having a little set of these creatures in your garden could be useful yet not completely safe.
An army of them can wreak havoc on your property, ruining your beloved plants.
They have a fondness for consuming the soft as well as tender fallen leaves of outside potted plants in your yard. Newly sprouted leaves are their faves.
Snails and Slugs are comparable pets that come under the group of soft-bodied pets called Gastropods within the larger category of Mollusks.
The distinction between both animals is the covering the snail lugs as it creeps around your yard. Slugs have no coverings with them.
Generally, you will certainly notice an increase in their populace throughout the stormy period.
While a lot of us understand that snails belong to the environment, that does not indicate we wish to share space with them.
After all, snails are slimed, hideous, and harmful sufficient to harm your grass and also yard.
In this article, we'll share our top tips to eliminate snails around your residential property as well as redeem your outdoor room.
Let's dive in.
· Garden slugs as well as snails are generally gray, dark brown, or plain orange and step 1-3 inches long. · Sometimes they are hard to detect in the dirt due to their dark shade. Also, Gastropods mostly feed at night and also hide during the day. · You can identify their eggs in moist soils or compost. · They leave slimy secretion behind that you are most likely to find in your potted plants or the bordering dirt throughout the day.
What Do Snails Eat? Snails and Slugs consumes organic matter, including a wide range of living plants and decaying wood, plants, as well as plant leaves.
They will additionally consume plants and blossoms, and are specifically fond of the complying with: · Basil · Beans · Cabbage · Dahlia · Delphinium · Hosta · Lettuce · Marigolds · Various vegetables
The brown garden snail (the most common snail to invade homes and gardens in California) will eat succulents, turfgrass, and herbs as well.
What Attracts Snails to My House and Yard? If you have a snail issue, the first step is to identify what caused it.
Like any type of parasite, snails are possibly seeking two things when they appear on your residential property: food and shelter.
Due to their slimy, moist bodies, snails flourish in environments that shelter them from the warm of the sunlight.
They're active on clouded, cloudy, or rainy days, and also will certainly feed on a selection of plants in the lawn or garden.
Why Should You Get Rid Of Snails and Slugs? For a tiny animal, snails can load a large punch. Snails have a rough, rasp-like tongue, which they scuff across the sides of plant leaves.
The result is huge openings and also chips throughout the surface area of the plant, which can damage or even kill your greenery. However that's not all they do.
Below are a couple of reasons to do away with snails as soon as you see them: · They're not pretty
To some, snails and also slugs are an eye sore. Their mucus-covered bodies and also slime trails are not aesthetically pleasing.
As well as this is one of the factors I maintain them out of my house as well as yard, especially where they accumulate around the water tank, faucet, aquarium, washroom, and fish pond.
· They damage plants and crops
In addition to being a turn-off, these mollusks are pests. They eat plants, so they can truly reduce crop return as well as do some damages to ornamentals.
They feed mainly on fallen leaves, which means they can be a real hazard in your leafy vegetable yard.
· They can wreak havoc on water features
Snails and also slugs near fish ponds or other water functions in your yard can be destructive in a number of ways. Initially, if the mollusks are parasitic, they can kill the fish. Second, if they are delegated replicate without control, they compete for resources. Third, they can clog the container, swimming pool, or pond filters and pipework.
· They host parasites
Some of the mollusks are hosts of deadly bloodsuckers and microbes.
For example, the tap as well as mud gastropods carry liver flukes. Various other gastropods carry parasitical worms that create bilharzia.
Why You Shouldn’t Kill Snails? Whilst eliminating snails is a long-term method to keep them from your plants, there are specific factors as to why you must prevent doing this.
These factors are listed below.
· Benefits to your garden
Despite the fact that snails eat your plants, they do supply some advantages to your yard. These benefits consist of cleaning up plant debris as well as consuming other yard insects and also their eggs.
· Bad for the environment
There are a couple of reasons eliminating snails can be poor for the atmosphere.
Eliminating snails implies that there is much less food for other wildlife so it can interrupt the balance of the community.
As well as this, numerous business snail killers, such as pesticides, include chemicals that are damaging to the atmosphere and they can also cause health problem to various other sort of wild animals.
Now that we have actually reviewed why you may wish to stay clear of eliminating snails, allow's have a look at several of the different methods that you can use to keep snails away from specific plants that you want to shield.
How to Get Rid of Snails Natually? 1. How to get rid of snails in garden? · Present predators
One efficient organic snail control is to introduce or encourage killers. Make your garden friendly to small serpents, like the garter snake. These serpents enjoy consuming yard snails as well as various other typical yard parasites. You can likewise present decollate snails to your garden. Decollate snails will certainly not harm your plants however will certainly consume the typical garden snail.
· Put down grit
Many sandy materials make effective snail repellents. Gritty substances will certainly reduce the body of the snail, which will certainly lead to it being hurt.
Crushed eggshells, sand or diatomaceous planet sprinkled around plants that the yard snails seem to prefer will certainly discourage and also at some point eliminate these pests.
· Set out traps
A typical snail catch is the beer pan. Simply fill up a superficial pan with beer and also leave it out overnight.
The snails will certainly be attracted to the beer and also will sink in it. The beer will certainly require to changed every couple of days to stay efficient.
· Mollusk-resistant plants
Some plants quickly fend off snails as well as slugs in your yard.
Other plants you can use as companion plants to your potted plants to repel them are the aromatic natural herbs. Rosemary, Sage, Lavender, Chives, Garlic, as well as Onion are rather reliable.
· Change your watering routine
One wonderful method to assist fight these creatures is to change your watering routine. Instead of watering in the evening, begin doing it in the early morning.
This will certainly make your garden less beneficial for the insects during the night, as it will be completely dry.
2. How to get rid of snails in house plants? · Seal all gaps
The first step to stopping snails is identifying their accessibility factors. Utilize a flashlight to identify dried out sludge routes as well as map them back to entrance points. Seal all spaces around windows, doors, and structures, as well as replace weather condition removing on doors. Usage caulk or silicone sealant for little splits and also increasing foam for larger fractures.
· Dispose of the mollusks by hand
If you have nerves of steel, you can handpick the mollusks as well as get rid of them. The very best time for this exercise is in the early morning or late in the evening.
Usage hand gloves when handpicking them, deploying tweezers to make the job easier. Do this completely to guarantee you are not leaving some hanging around.
· Snail proof containers with copper rings
Snails and Slugs are sensitive to copper rings, and that's why you wish to utilize them to shield your potted plants.
The slime from the snail or slug's body reacts with copper producing an unpleasant electric shock.
Enclose your potted plants with these rings to see to it the insects enter into contact with them when trying to cross over.
· Prune eggs off the potted plant leaves
While getting rid of snails as well as slugs from your plants, you might observe clusters of snail eggs below the leaves, branches, or stems.
The simplest way to eliminate their eggs is to trim off the fallen leaves or entire branches cluttered with them. This assists you get rid of many snails as well as slugs at the same time.
3. How to get rid of snails in aquarium? · By hand remove the snails
Just disposing of the snails that you can see in the tank will help to lower numbers, though is not likely to completely remove the trouble.
· Predatory snails
Predative snails are an all-natural and also wonderful option for taking care of aquarium snails These snails will eat any type of snail in the fish tank, including the queen as well as her eggs. Predacious snails are simple to find as well as low-cost, making them a fantastic choice for any individual seeking to dispose of aquarium snails.
· Control snails with traps
You can keep aquarium snails numbers low by using traps and predators. Float a lettuce leaf in your aquarium every night. In the morning, the bottom will be covered in snails, allowing you to remove them. Commercial snail traps attract snails with bait, but snails cannot escape. Used every night, snail traps keep snail populations down. Alternatively, introduce snail predators to your aquarium. Assassin snails (Cleahelena) and fish botias called eat snails.
4. How do I get rid of snails in my fish tank? · Water changes
Another means to remove fish tank snails is by doing a water adjustment. A water change entails changing the water in your aquarium, which can assist kill the snails and various other insects that are in your container.
· Fish that consume snails
There are many ways to remove undesirable snails, but one method is by adding fish that enjoy consuming them. Catfish and cichlids consume anything, including other fish tank inhabitants, like flatterers or loaches.
Conclusion Snails and slugs are a vital part of the food cycle and the entire ecosystem. They eat decomposing plants and assistance in the recycling of important nutrients.
Normally, you should expect to discover them in your yard. Nevertheless, points might take a twist for the worst when their population outgrows percentage.
They are an eyesore and also a source of damaged plants and clogged up waterways. They likewise compete for sources with other useful microorganisms in your yard.
Your interior plants could likewise be at threat because the mollusks love feeding on them.
The good news is, we just noted a series of all-natural ways you could utilize to eliminate the insects.
Select what matches you best. We hope your plants are safe again.
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Weve all left an unwashed can of Fancy Feast out for too long, just to come back and also discover it covered in a swarm of maggots. Right? Just us? Whether you recycle your empty cat food canisters promptly, the reality that youre right he...
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Ultrasonic Raccoon Repeller | Beware Of Cute And Dangerous Raccoons
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Over centuries, sugar ants have adapted to the point that billions of them march about in different parts of the world. Hence, they are probably among the most common bugs throughout continents. To discover how to get rid of sugar ants, you...
Earwigs are part of the ecological community.
Nevertheless, they can be quite damaging in enormous numbers because most of them consume the fallen leaves of plants that could be either money, food, or decorative plants. Past their devastating capacity, they add little or no value to your yard or indoor home.
The good news is that you can do away with them as quickly as you find their presence.
This article describes how to get rid of earwigs and also stop them from occurring in the future....
What to do in summer if you’re a magnet to mosquitoes
If youre a magnet to mosquitoes, youll understand the struggle of finding the right clothes to wear during the hot summer months. Long sleeves and pants can feel stifling, but having itchy bites all over your arms, legs and face doesnt feel...
Generally, you will certainly notice an increase in their populace throughout the stormy period.
While a lot of us understand that snails belong to the environment, that does not indicate we wish to share space with them. After all, snails are slimed, hideous, and harmful sufficient to harm your grass and also yard.
In this article, we'll share our top tips to eliminate snails around your residential property as well as redeem your outdoor room....
Moles are unique creatures that spend their lives underground, constantly digging to hunt and navigate under the earths surface. Their digging habits notoriously destroy lawns, gardens, and golf courses, frustrating home, and business owner...
Slugs are the scourge of garden enthusiasts lives, consistently topping surveys of yard pests. They bite the brand-new growth of priceless plants, destroy seedlings overnight, as well as munch irregularly-shaped openings in fallen leaves, s...
Do you need to know how to swiftly eliminate termites? After that look, no further-you have involved the best place.
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Get Rid of Flying Ants. Fruit flies, houseflies, and wasps are bad enough when they break into your house. Now, you may have to face flying ants. They are quite troublesome, especially when they get together in large groups while mating. But...
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Cat repeller - How to get rid of stray cats in the UK?
Ideal and real cat.When it comes to cats, the most famous one is the movie Garfield. The protagonist of the Garfield series, Garfield (Garfield) is an orange, mischievous, funny and funny fat cat that eats human food. In real life, the Garfield breed is also called British Shorthair, which is a pet cat with a long history in Britain. It originally came from the UK and is loved by many people in the UK, as well as by cat lovers all over the world....
We can all agree that we do not like the holes that carpenter bore right into our pergolas, patios, potting benches, fences as well as exterior buildings. When those large bees appear in the springtime, were advised just how they got their...
Australia 2023: Still Using Only Snake Repellent Spray? Try Sonic Repellent Instead!
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Gnat is the usual name for numerous types of little flying pests with brief wings as well as long legs. They consist of drainpipe flies, fruit flies, and also fungus gnats. While gnats are often mistaken for tiny or immature house flies, they are not the exact same types....
Voles as pests Voles: theyre tiny animals that can make gardeners or homeowners crazy! They are known for digging deep and crisscrossing tunnels. Voles can bring great damage to your lawn or garden. If youve ever wondered how to get rid of...
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Sustainable architecture is a term used to describe buildings that have a low impact on the environment or the buildings that leave lesser carbon footprint. The green building market is growing, and it’s expected to be among the fastest-growing industries worldwide in the next few years.
States like Illinois, Massachusetts, and Maryland are already topping the list for having the most sustainable architecture, so how can you join them when building your solar home?
There are nine practices of sustainable architecture you can use effectively when building your new solar home. These building techniques will reduce your environmental impact without sacrificing your comfort.
1. Keep It Small
How much space do you really need? Studies have shown that people don’t use all of the rooms in their homes. Dining rooms and guest rooms are often left untouched, so what’s the point in having them when they require the use of finite resources?
The smaller house you design, the fewer resources will be used to build and maintain it. That means you can build with a clear conscience knowing that you’re not wasting material for rooms that will hold nothing but clutter. A smaller home is also easier to heat and cool, especially when using solar power.
2. Be Energy-Efficient
Since you’re building a solar home, you probably already know some solar facts, but let’s revisit just in case. Solar energy is the cleanest form of renewable energy and it produces 80% fewer carbon emissions than traditional electricity.
It also lowers your electricity costs, so now is the time to contact a solar installer. Calling an installer with good ratings and satisfied customers now, means that your house can be up and running with solar power on day one.
In addition to using solar power, you can be energy-efficient by installing eco-friendly appliances and lights.
3. Build A Root Cellar
A root cellar is a structure that is partially or fully underground that is used to safely store food. Before the invention of the refrigerator, root cellars were the go-to way to keep food from going bad. Root cellars can store large amounts of food without needing power, so consider adding one to your plans.
4. Install A Tankless Water Heater
Traditional water heaters hold and re-heat gallons of unused water throughout the day. This wastes a significant amount of energy to keep water hot when you aren’t even using it. Tankless water heaters, on the other hand, heat water only as you need it.
Because of this, they’re 24 to 34 percent more energy-efficient than traditional water heaters. This number can go up when paired with a solar energy system. Installing a tankless water heater is an easy way to save resources and money in your new home.
5. Choose Recycled Materials
Using recycled materials for your build prevents the consumption of new wood and other resources. As sustainable building becomes more popular, so do ethical contractors, so look for one who can help you. They’ll know where to find high-quality recycled materials for your project without breaking the bank.
6. Build A Home That Lasts
In recent decades there’s been an increase in poor workmanship in homes. Our culture’s throw-away mindset has led to the idea that new is always better. This thinking leads to homes that fall apart and must be replaced or repaired in just a few years.
You can help offset this by building a solar home that’s meant to last. Hiring a responsible contractor who uses quality workers and materials will guarantee you a good build. Setting your home up with sustainable features like solar power also makes it easier to resell. This means your house will last for years to come and can make someone else happy one day.
7. Look For Local Materials
Local materials don’t have to be shipped in, which cuts down on the fossil fuels used to transport them. Additionally, they give your home the feeling of belonging in the area you’re building it in.
For example, if you’re in a rocky area, you might consider using local stones to do stonework on your house. These kinds of natural materials blend in with other sustainable features, like your root cellar and solar energy setup. They’re also known to be better for your health when used in your home.
8. Make Use Of Windows
Windows are typically responsible for the loss of about 10% of your home’s heating and cooling. When you lose that air, the heating and cooling system has to keep working to replace it. That wastes energy, even if you’re using solar power. Because you’re building your home, you have the chance to prevent that before it starts.
Choosing energy-efficient windows will lower your air loss, allowing you to use less heat and air and keep the thermostat where it should be. So how do you choose the best windows for your home? There are a few options to consider including double and triple-paned windows. Here are a few quick facts about them.
- Triple-paned windows keep in 7% more heat than double-paned windows.
- Double and triple-paned windows offer the same amount of noise cancellation.
- Triple-paned windows are considered more secure because there’s an additional layer that must be broken to enter.
- Double-paned windows are easier to install.
When in doubt, seek a professional opinion about which option is the best choice for your sustainable build.
9. Keep Your Trees
Sustainable architecture extends to what’s around your home too. Don’t cut down all the trees to make room. Instead, look for areas of your land where they’re naturally sparse and build there so you won’t have to remove as many trees.
Any trees you do have to cut down can be used in the building of your home. That allows you to recycle them immediately and prevents them from being burned or otherwise destroyed.
While large trees too close to a house can be a safety issue, small trees help keep your home cool by providing shade. That means your solar energy system doesn’t have to work as hard. So if you must cut down large trees, plant some small trees to replace them. Both you and the environment will benefit.
Sustainable architecture comes in many forms. These are only nine great practices you can use when building your new solar home. Consult with an experienced contractor to come up with other ways to make your house as sustainable as possible.
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|SUTTON, B. - Florida Department Of Agriculture|
|STECK, G. - Florida Department Of Agriculture|
|RODRIGUEZ, E. - Florida Department Of Agriculture|
|SRIVASTAVA, P. - Florida Department Of Agriculture|
|NOLAZCO, ALVARADO - Instituto Nacional De Innovacion Agraria (INIA)|
|COLQUE, F. - Instituto Nacional De Investigacion Y Technologia Agraria Y Alimentaria|
|YABAR, LANDA - Agteca|
|LAGRAVA, SANCHEZ - Agteca|
|QUISBERTH, E. - Agteca|
|AREVALO, E. - Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario|
|RODRIGUEZ, CLAVIJO - Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario|
|ALVAREZ-BACA, J. - Universidad Peruana|
|GUEVARA, ZAPATA - Universidad Peruana|
|PONCE, P. - Central University Of Ecuador|
Submitted to: ZooKeys
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/25/2015
Publication Date: 11/26/2016
Citation: Sutton, B.D., Steck, G.J., Norrbom, A.L., Rodriguez, E.J., Srivastava, P., Nolazco, A., Colque, F., Yabar, L.E., Lagrava, S., Quisberth, E., Arevalo, E., Rodriguez, C., Alvarez-Baca, J.K., Guevara, Z.T., Ponce, P. 2016. Nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) variation in the Anastrepha fraterculus cryptic species complex (Diptera, Tephritidae) of the Andean region. ZooKeys. 540:175-191.
Interpretive Summary: True fruit flies include numerous major agricultural pests from many parts of the world, most of which do not occur in the U.S. The introduction of these exotic pests is a constant threat to American fruit industries. The South American fruit fly, one of the most important fruit pests in the American tropics and subtropics, attacks a wide variety of commercial fruits, including citrus, apple, mango, peach, and many others. It is believed to be a complex of extremely similar, morphologically cryptic species, with different distributions, host preferences, and pest status. A variety of methods are being studied to try to resolve this complex, including analysis of DNA sequences. In this paper, the results are presented for an analysis of one DNA region that appears to be useful to discriminate at least 4 of the cryptic species. The ability to recognize them is essential to regulatory agencies such as APHIS-PPQ to prevent the spread of these pest species. The information provided will also be valuable to scientists studying the biology and management of these pest fruit fly species.
Technical Abstract: The nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) was sequenced for Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedemann, 1830) originating from 85 collections from the northern and central Andean countries of South America including Argentina (Tucumán), Bolivia, Perú, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela. The ITS1 regions of additional specimens (17 collections) from Central America (Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Panama) and Brazil were sequenced and together with published sequences (Paraguay) provided context for interpretation. A total of six ITS1 sequence variants were recognized in the Andean region comprising four groups. Type I predominates in the southernmost range of A. fraterculus. Type II predominates in its northernmost range. In the central and northern Andes, the geographic distributions overlap and interdigitate with a strong elevational effect. A discussion of relationships between observed ITS1 types and morphometric types is included.
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GitOps is a methodology for Continuous Deployment, where you use Git to store (and track changes of) a declarative definition of your deployment configuration, and have a GitOps tool apply this configuration to your (production, etc.) environment. In this GitOps introduction you will learn how GitOps is defined. By looking at several examples, you will better understand who does what, when and where. I also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of GitOps, and give pointers where to find out more about available implementations.
A key component of building and running a software system is the deployment of your code. With the advent of cloud technology came the desire to automate and track as many tasks as possible. Traditional ways of deployment are that someone from the operations team is told (e.g. via a ticket, filed by the development team) to deploy an updated version of the software, so they fire up their terminal, log into the production systems via SSH, and type a bunch of commands to update the application. It’s evident that this is not automated at all, and that it will be hard to track which version is running where.
One solution to this problem is GitOps. A longer, more descriptive name would be “Git-powered Ops”. The basic idea is that you either encode the deployment process (e.g. as shell scripts), or describe the desired deployed state (e.g. as YAML files), version these files in Git, and have automated tooling apply the changes. The main advantage is that you can now trace back where, who and when deployments have changed, by looking at the Git log, and can also undo bad deployments by reverting a Git commit. The overall goal is to reduce friction in the deployment process, making it easier and faster for your organization to deploy new changes, and thus move your product forward faster.
In the remainder of this article, I first take a look at the predominant definition of GitOps, and then discuss several concrete implementation variations, by example. I then go into the advantages and disadvantages of GitOps, and briefly hint at the available implementations.
Assumed prior knowledge
The term “GitOps” was originally coined by WeaveWorks in 2017. Since then, different definitions have spread (depending on who you ask), with subtle differences. To me, it looks as if differences often result from the fact that some tool manufacturer wants to earn money with the tool they are selling, so they bend the definition of GitOps slightly so that they can claim that their tool is “fully GitOps-capable”…
Since it would serve no purpose to have detailed list of different definitions and how they vary, I’d like to focus on the definition you get when looking at one of the oldest definitions by WeaveWorks, and combining this with the vendor-independent GitOps working group definition (which is still in progress), and the gitops.tech site. All these definitions have the following in common:
- Developers store declarative descriptions of an application’s environment in Git. Declarative descriptions describe the desired state of the environment (but not how to get there). Side note: the different GitOps definitions don’t agree on what exactly this “environment” is, e.g. whether it includes infrastructure aspects (e.g. spinning up a new Kubernetes cluster), or only describes which software (+configuration) & version should run in already-provisioned infrastructure.
- Some deployment system (sometimes called agent) continuously compares the actual environment’s state with the currently desired one (retrieved from Git), and (somehow) manipulates the actual state so that it matches the desired one. Side notes: this definition considers the exact mechanism that turns the environment’s current state into the desired state to be an implementation detail. The tools you find in practice are most likely Kubernetes operators.
This definition explicitly dismisses push-based approaches (also referred to as the “CI Ops anti-pattern” by WeaveWorks) as being not really GitOps-like. Push-based solutions simply add a few shell commands that deal with deployment to the end of your (already existing) CI pipeline – or they are placed in a separate CD pipeline which is triggered once the CI pipeline finished. These deployment commands could be something like
kubectl apply, or
sshing into the environment (remote server) and running a few commands there, which deploy your code. We can see an example of the flow in the diagram below:
The CI Ops approach does not meet the expectations of the GitOps paradigm (as defined above), because:
- a) CI Ops uses imperative shell commands, which mutate the target environment’s state, rather than declaring a desired state. [Note: this argument only applies if your deployment commands use SSH or something similar, but not if they use e.g.
- b) CI Ops does not continuously ensure that the environment’s state matches the declared state stored in Git. Instead, the CI system (pipeline runner) is only in touch with the target environment for a few seconds, while the deployment commands are running. The CI pipeline then goes to sleep until it is triggered again. Thus, a developer or admin could manipulate the deployment manually (e.g. by manually SSHing into the production environment and changing the deployment), and this would only be fixed by the CI Ops pipeline on its next run. Consequently, from just looking at the Git log (specifically those commits that deal with your environment), you cannot tell with absolute certainty whether those changes really are deployed all the time, due to the lack of continuous reconciliation.
Instead, the implementations of GitOps tools presented below are pull-based. A typical form of implementation is a Kubernetes operator, which regularly checks your Git repositories (and/or Docker/OCI image registries) for changes, and applies them to your Kubernetes cluster. The operator also continuously monitors the cluster’s state for unexpected external changes made by someone else, and reverts them.
The above GitOps definition sounds simple, but it is very vague. When I learned about GitOps for the first time, I was puzzled by how things work in detail. I had questions like:
- If the GitOps operator is separate from the CI system and only monitors Git commits, how do I make sure the operator does not (attempt to) deploy software for commits whose CI pipeline has not finished (yet), and thus the (Docker) images are (still) missing?
- Different GitOps articles mention the use of multiple Git repositories (application repository vs. environment / config repository). Should I follow this advice, and what are the benefits? And how should I structure each repository – e.g. which files belong where?
- What is the exact workflow to get a change deployed? Who (e.g. developer vs. operations team member) commits what, in which order, and where?
- How can I deploy my application(s) in multiple environments (e.g. staging vs. testing vs. production)? Do I repeat the GitOps setup process (as if I were to deploy 3 different applications), or can I have dynamically-created environments?
- What do I do if the GitOps operator itself has a bug, causing mayhem in my environments? Do I have to uninstall it to get my environment back under control?
The short answer is: there are no definitive answers (yet)! Each and every GitOps tool (see below for a list) has different opinions about how to solve these issues – consequently, articles that explain GitOps in general terms tend not to answer these questions.
Understanding GitOps by example
I don’t want to leave you out in the rain, so let’s take a look at a few exemplary approaches, so that you understand who does what, when and where:
Suppose you are building a web application (e.g. an API backend), packaged as Docker image, with a dependency on a NoSQL database. Let’s also assume that you already created a Helm chart, that let’s you (manually) install your application into a Kubernetes cluster with Helm, and the chart includes the database dependency as sub-chart. Of course, alternative such as a Kustomize directory structure would also work.
Your application is stored in a single Git repository (the application repo) that contains your app, and files describing how to deploy it into your environment. For instance, the
/app directory contains the applications sources and the
Dockerfile to build it, and
/helm contains our self-made Helm chart. The chart also contains the concrete Docker image version/tag that should be deployed.
For sake of simplicity, suppose that there is only a single
production environment, and changes committed to the
main branch shall automatically be deployed to it by a GitOps operator.
Let’s also assume that your application repository is configured s.t. the
main branch cannot be manipulated by commits directly, but only allows merge/pull requests from feature branches, and only if the feature branch’s CI pipeline succeeded. I’ll use the term “MR” from now on, for Merge Request.
Let’s now implement a simple GitOps workflow: initially, someone from the operations team has to set up the K8s cluster and install a GitOps tool (such as Flux v2) to observe your Git app repo, specifically the Helm chart in the
/helm directory in the
main branch. If the Git repo is not publicly accessible, the operations team must also create a read-only access token (e.g. a GitLab deploy token) for the app repo, and make it known to the GitOps operator (via K8s secrets). The following image illustrates how the deployment of a new version works:
- Developer creates a feature branch called
feature, implements changes, and pushes them to
- CI Pipeline builds/test, and pushes the Docker image to the OCI registry, tagging the image with the commit SHA of the latest commit. Suppose this SHA is
- If the CI pipeline finished successfully, the developer creates and pushes a new commit in which they update the referenced Docker image tag to
1234in the Helm chart.
- Developer creates a MR to merge
main(and has someone approve it)
- The GitOps operator detects the change in the Helm chart in the
mainbranch and deploys the updated version of the application into the cluster.
In the above workflow, a caveat is that there is always a manual step involved for the developer: they have to wait for the CI pipeline (from step 2) to succeed first, before they can create and push yet another commit in step 3. You can get around this caveat by automating this image-update-step. For instance, you can create a CI job (only run for merge commits to the
main branch) that will automatically create and push a new commit to
main. In this commit, the CI job updates the Docker image tag in the Helm chart to match the latest commit SHA (
1234 in our example) of the merge commit’s source branch. If you are using GitLab CI, see here and here for pointers.
Extending to multiple environments
Suppose your system consists of multiple microservices, each of which is stored in its own app repository. Similar to the Simple scenario presented in the other tab, you built a Helm chart (or Kustomize configuration) for each app, which lets you install that particular app into a K8s cluster. To control the deployment, we now introduce a centralized environment repository.
In this example we use ArgoCD. In a nutshell, the ArgoCD GitOps operator is configured by an ArgoCD-specific
Application CRD (Custom Resource Definition). In the corresponding CR object, you specify things like: source from which changes should be pulled (like the Git repo URL, branch/tag name, and path within the repo), the concrete source file format (e.g. that ArgoCD should expect a Helm char, or Kustomize), as well as configuration parameters (e.g. concrete Helm
value.yml overrides). While creating such an
Application CR file is typically the job of the operations team (who do this e.g. by manually creating the
Application CR file and pushing it into the cluster via
kubectl apply, or by using the
argo CLI tool), you can also use the App of Apps pattern. Here you create a very simple Helm chart (such as this one) which does not have the typical workload objects (like
Service, …), but
Application CR YAML files. The ArgoCD GitOps operator will then recursively monitor those
Application CRs for you.
You create an environment repository with 3 branches (
testing). All branches contain only an App-of-Apps Helm chart, with slightly different values in each branch (variations include the K8s namespace, the number of
replicas, or the Docker image tags). The operations team sets up the Kubernetes cluster, installs ArgoCD, and configures it 3 times, where each configuration monitors one of the branches of the environment repository for changes in the App-of-Apps Helm chart. The operations team also sets up Git repo access tokens, so that the CI pipeline of the application repos can push to the environment repo, and the ArgoCD operator can read from the environment repo. The following image illustrates how the deployment of a new app version works:
- In one of the app repos, the developer creates a feature branch called
feature, implements changes, and pushes them to
- The app repo’s CI Pipeline builds, test, and pushes the Docker image into the OCI registry, tagging the image by the commit SHA. Suppose this SHA is
- If that CI pipeline finished successfully, the developer creates a MR to merge the
featurebranch into one of the app repo’s environment branches (e.g.
- Once the MR is merged, another CI pipeline of the app repo (configured only for the environment branches) may check again that everything is in order (build, run tests, push image to OCI registry), then it clones the environment repository’s respective branch (here:
staging), updates the corresponding app’s
ApplicationCR file (which is part of the app’s Helm chart) with the new image tag (SHA
1234) and pushes the changes to the environment repository.
- The ArgoCD operator detects the change in the
ApplicationCR file in the
stagingbranch of the environment repo and deploys the updated version of the application to the corresponding environment (
Deployment approvals in production
The following example is based on this article, where a clever configuration of the CI pipeline and GitOps operator will cause the dynamic creation (or destruction) of a new environment (in the form of a Kubernetes namespace) for each new merge request in the application repository.
Let’s assume you already have a setup as described by the Multi-repo example, but with only one application repo. Your environment repo has one (or more) branches for your statically configured environments. The idea is to create a single additional branch in the environment repository, e.g. named
dynamic-envs, which will store one ArgoCD
Application CR per dynamic environment. This CR file has to reference e.g. a Helm chart (or a set of other
Application CRs) that completely describe your entire system, i.e., all microservices you want to deploy in that new, dynamic environment.
The operations team sets up the ArgoCD GitOps operator to monitor the directory
/apps in the
dynamic-envs branch of the environment repo. In the
/templates directory of the
dynamic-envs branch you create a templated
Application CR file (see here for an example), where variables like the K8s namespace name or Docker image tags need to be replaced with the MR’s source branch name or the most recent commit SHA, e.g. by a tool like kyml. The operations team also sets up Git repo access tokens, so that the CI pipeline of the application repo can push to the environment repo, and the ArgoCD operator can read from the environment repo.
The creation of a dynamic environment works as follows:
- In the app repo, the developer creates a feature branch, e.g. called
f, implements changes, and pushes them to
- The developer creates a MR to merge the branch
mainbranch of the app repo has a CI pipeline configured that only runs when a new MR is created. It builds, test, and pushes the Docker image into OCI registry, tagged by the commit SHA. Then the pipeline pulls the
dynamic-envsbranch of the environment repo, fills the
ApplicationCR file from the
/templatesdirectory with concrete values (like the K8s namespace, or the Docker image tag), saves the filled CR file into
/apps/f.yml(because the feature branch’s name is
f), creates a new commit (which adds this file) and pushes it to the environment repo.
- The ArgoCD operator detects the new
/apps/f.ymlCR file in the
dynamic-envsbranch of the environment repo and deploys the application. Note: you must design the Helm chart in the app repo in such a way that it creates a new namespace for its other workload objects.
The destruction of a dynamic environment works as follow:
- The MR is either rejected or successfully merged in the app repo, e.g. by another developer.
- Either outcome triggers a “destruction” CI pipeline in the app repo, which clones the environment repo, deletes the filled CR file (here:
/apps/f.yml) and commits and pushes this change.
- The ArgoCD operator detects that the CR file in the
dynamic-envsbranch of the environment repo has disappeared. Consequently, it deletes the corresponding namespace and all its included workload objects.
Discussion of the examples
In the simple scenario, we only needed a single repository, which reduces the complexity. However, considering question #1 that I asked above, we have to implement custom measures to ensure that the GitOps operator only deploys changes that have already been successfully tested by the CI pipeline.
Transitioning from a single repo to multiple repos (with the introduction of an environment/config repository), as done in the Multi-repo example, is the next logical step. This gets you advantages such as:
- The environment repository’s Git log is cleaner, as it no longer contains development-related commits. This also makes auditing easier.
- You can tie together multiple microservice (each stored in a different Git application repo) into one deployment: the environment repo’s files define which concrete microservices to deploy, and the corresponding versions.
- Separation of access: your developers no longer have direct access to the production environment, and thus can no longer (accidentally) mess with it.
- You avoid accidentally triggering infinite loops in your CI pipeline, or flooding the CI pipeline. Imagine the single-repo scenario where you define that successfully-passed CI jobs trigger a CD job (e.g. on every code change). The CD job updates deployment manifest files (e.g.
values.yamlof your Helm chart), makes a new commit, and pushes it to the same repository. This push would cause the CI pipeline to run again (unless you very carefully fine-tune the triggers of the CI jobs), which is not only inefficient, but could also start an infinite loop.
The drawback of having one (or more) environment repos is increased complexity: you need to decide what the exact layout of the environment repo should be (e.g. one environment repo per environment, or to have a single environment repo with one branch per environment, or one directory per environment, or one ArgoCD
Application CR file per environment, or … etc.). Similarly, there is complexity when it comes to your environments themselves. For instance, should you have different environments/namespaces in a single K8s cluster, or build one cluster per environment or team? Do you create a new, dynamic environment for each build/MR, or do you choose a static number of environments? The more complex and powerful your solution, the more initial (and continuous maintenance) work you should expect for setting up the GitOps workflow. This article has more details.
Oh, if you are wondering about question #5 from above: typically, you can (temporarily or permanently) disable the automatic reconciliation mechanism of the GitOps operator, without having to uninstall it completely. See e.g. here (Flux v2) or here (ArgoCD, disable the automatic sync).
Advantages of GitOps
Let’s take a look why you should go through the motions and adopt GitOps:
|Advantage||Also applies to CI Ops|
|Workflow: use the same simple and established developer workflow (such as creating a feature branch, then a merge request, then approve it) also for operations. Everything stays in one system, the SCM, rather than developers sending email tickets to ops, who then maintain the deployment status in a separate system (or don’t maintain it at all).||✅|
|More regular releases: assuming that all tests passed after a push, the deployment is fully automated – this results in more frequent releases and thus better interaction with your end-users.||✅|
|Better reproducibility: because GitOps only declares the desired state, we leave the task up to specialized tools which make it so that the declared state matched the actual one (such as the K8s operator and scheduler). This achieves a better reproducibility compared to implementing our own brittle, maintenance-intensive scripts that mutate the environment’s state via SSH.||❌|
|Auditing: the Git log collects all changes made to our environment(s). The GitOps operator will continuously ensure that whatever is declared in Git is also what is currently deployed. This gives the Git log actual validity.||❌|
|Improved security: getting HTTP access to a Git server is easier achieved (e.g. regarding firewall policies, and using a read-only access token) than achieving that a CI pipeline can access the K8s API server.||❌|
|Improved security: it is no longer necessary to give access to the production K8s cluster to developers||✅|
At the present, early stage, GitOps still has many rough edges. In the example discussion section I already mentioned the problem of complexity and decision making, e.g. having to decide how to structure your repositories (app vs. environment). GitOps lacks best practices in this regard (and many others). The GitOps working group is working on improving this, but it will take time. Also, there is the issue with the disconnect between CI and CD, now that CD is done by a separate system (the GitOps operator) – if a deployment failed, the developers also need to know about it, but they won’t find this bit of information in their CI system anymore (which would have been the case when using CI Ops). You need to configure your monitoring and alerting system such that your developers also get notified if a deployment failed (not just the operations team). There are many other challenges, summarized well elsewhere, see this article or this one.
Finding the best-suitable implementation is tricky. If you like vendor lock-in, you can use cloud-vendor-specific solutions, such as AWS Code Deploy, GCP Cloud Build or Azure DevOps. But you may want to refrain from tying yourself to one cloud provider…
You will most likely be better off using a solution from the vendor-independent OSS landscape. Unfortunately, there are many different tools on the market, where each one has a slightly different focus and is meant for different use cases. There are (incomplete) lists such as this one, which are of little help, because they don’t keep up with the market (-> become out of date), and they don’t explain the suitable use cases for each tool.
My general recommendation is to go for maturity first, because new (immature) solutions are risky. Use existing “awesome GitOps” lists, complemented by Internet-search-results for “gitops tools”, as a basis, then immediately sort out those that don’t yet have thousands of GitHub stars, or that are very new (e.g. less than one year old). At the time of writing, this article by cloudogu is an excellent resource to get started, as it also features these maturity metrics.
Next, you will need to study the manuals of the remaining solutions to identify which ones best serve your needs, and then implement proof of concept prototypes to see whether they really serve your needs ;). The devil is always in the details!
Although GitOps is still in an early stage, it’s benefits can outweigh the costs (of adoption) in some situations, and may be worthwhile especially for larger organizations. The GitOps working group will hopefully define best practices soon, which should help drive and simplify GitOps adoption. However, the fact that CI Ops is considered an “anti pattern” by a “true” GitOps tool provider (Weaveworks) is partly a marketing stunt (remember, they want to sell their own tool). If you are a small software shop or start up, the simplicity of CI Ops (with
kubectl apply at the end of a pipeline) may suit you better. You can always migrate to GitOps later.
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Half Shekel of Tyre, Temple Tax Coin (dated AD 33/34-crucifixion year)
Known as didrachms (two-drachmas) or half shekels (meaning 2 drachmas/denarii), they were the second largest silver denomination common to the eastern Roman provinces. Tyrian silver was renowned for its purity which is why, despite the pagan imagery, Tyrian shekels and half shekels were used as the primary coins in Jewish Temple transactions. Each Jewish male was levied an annual didrachm/two-drachma tax to pay for the upkeep of the Temple (Matt 17:24-27). A didrachm was valued at two days work for an unskilled labourer.
- Hot struck in 6-6.5g of .999 pure silver (*see 'Methodology')
- Just like the original ancient coins, each is hand struck, so allow for slight irregularity and variance from the photos
- Each coin shipped outside of Canada is marked discreetly with a tiny punch on the back making it a legal 'replica'
Obverse: Laureate head of Melqart (aka Melkart, Melqarth, or Hercules - patron deity of the city of Tyre).
Reverse: ΤΥΡΟΥ ΙΕΡΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΑΣΥΛΟΥ (Tyre the Holy and Inviolable City), eagle standing on stylized ship's prow, palm branch over shoulder. Date to the left of the eagle as PNΘ (Year 159 of Tyre = AD 33/34), stylized club below. KP (short for KAICAPOC [Caesar]) right of the eagle with moneyer's mark below.
©2011 Awestruck Workshop
All rights reserved
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Solar Energy Engineering - Elsevier
With the threat of global warming, and the gradual depletion of petroleum supplies, solar electric power is rapidly becoming significant part of our energy mix. The range of solar cells spans different materials and different structures in the quest to extract maximum power from the device while keeping the cost to a minimum. Devices with efficiency exceeding 30% have been demonstrated in the laboratory.
Solar Energy Engineering: Processes and Systems. Solar Energy Processes and Systems includes all areas of solar energy engineering. All subjects are presented from the fundamental level to the highest level of current research. The book includes subjects such as energy related environmental problems, solar collectors, solar water heating, solar space heating and cooling, industrial process heat, solar desalination, photovoltaics, solar thermal power systems and modelling of solar systems including the use of artificial intelligence systems in solar energy systems modelling and performance prediction.
- Environmental consequences of solar energy
- Solar desalination including indirect systems
- Modelling and performance prediction of solar energy systems
- Worked examples and cases studies
Click here for further information
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Cinematography is an art that requires both technical expertise and creativity. It is capturing moving images on film or digital media and turning them into a visual masterpiece. Cinematographers, also known as Directors of Photography (DOPs) or DP, work closely with filmmakers to help bring their vision to life. This article will explore the techniques every filmmaker should master to create stunning cinematography.
One of the most crucial elements of cinematography is composition. A skilled cinematographer understands the principles of composition, including framing, balance, and symmetry, to create aesthetically pleasing shots. The proper composition can evoke emotions, convey a message, and enhance the storytelling of a film.
Lighting is an essential aspect of cinematography that can significantly impact a film’s overall look and feel. A skilled cinematographer can manipulate lighting to create the desired mood, convey meaning, and evoke emotion. They can use different types of lighting, such as natural, artificial, or a combination of both, to create the desired effect.
Colour plays a critical role in cinematography. It can set the tone of a scene, convey a mood, and create visual contrast. A skilled cinematographer understands the psychology of color and can use it effectively to tell a story. They know how to use color grading to adjust the color and tone of a shot to create the desired effect.
Knowing the Camera
A cinematographer must have a thorough understanding of the camera they are using. They should know the camera’s features, capabilities, and limitations. A skilled cinematographer can adjust the camera settings, such as aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, to create the desired effect.
Planning and Storyboarding
Planning and storyboarding are essential aspects of cinematography. A skilled cinematographer understands the importance of pre-production planning and knows how to create a storyboard to visualize the film’s shots. They work closely with the director and other members of the film crew to plan the shots, framing, and camera movements.
Using Camera Movement
Camera movement is a powerful tool that can add depth, movement, and emotion to a shot. A skilled cinematographer knows how to use camera movement, such as pans, tilts, dollies, and cranes, to create dynamic shots that enhance the storytelling of a film.
A cinematographer must have a thorough understanding of lenses and how they impact the image. They know how to choose the right lens for the shot, depending on the desired effect. For example, a wide-angle lens can create a sense of depth and perspective, while a telephoto lens can compress the image and create a shallow depth of field.
Working with Actors and the Director
A skilled cinematographer knows how to work collaboratively with actors and the director to create the desired effect. They understand how to frame shots to capture the actor’s performance, convey their emotions, and enhance the storytelling.
Post-production is the final stage of the filmmaking process, where the raw footage is edited, color-graded, and sound-mixed to create the final product. A skilled cinematographer should be involved in the post-production process, working closely with the editor and colorist to ensure that the visual style and tone of the film are consistent throughout.
In conclusion, cinematography is a complex and multifaceted art that requires a wide range of technical and creative skills. To be a successful cinematographer, one must have a deep understanding of camera technology, lighting, composition, camera movement, and post-production. By mastering these techniques, a filmmaker can create visually stunning and emotionally impactful films that engage and captivate audiences.
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1 Kings 5:9-14
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Solomon’s Renown. 9 (A)Moreover, God gave Solomon wisdom, exceptional understanding, and knowledge, as vast as the sand on the seashore. 10 Solomon’s wisdom surpassed that of all the peoples of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt. 11 He was wiser than anyone else—wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, or Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the musicians—and his fame spread throughout the neighboring peoples. 12 Solomon also uttered three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered a thousand and five. 13 He spoke of plants, from the cedar on Lebanon to the hyssop growing out of the wall, and he spoke about beasts, birds, reptiles, and fishes. 14 (B)People from all nations came to hear Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.
Preparations for the Temple.[a]Read full chapter
- 5:15–32 The fifth major unit of the Solomon story explains the preparations Solomon made for the construction of the Temple. He negotiates with Hiram of Tyre for materiel (5:15–26), and conscripts a labor force for personnel (5:27–32). Compare 9:11–23, which returns to the same two themes after the Temple has been built and dedicated. 2 Chr 2:1–17 presents another version of the same material.
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2,000 years ago, Jesus walked by a man who had been blind since birth and his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind? ”Think about the assumption behind that question. The disciples assumed the blindness was a punishment. Is blindness a punishment? Or to broaden that question into today’s topic, when we suffer, does that mean we are being punished?
Thanks for watching this episode of Bible Mountain dotcom. This is the sixth episode in a series on the book of Job called “Why do People Suffer?”. Today we’re going to study Job chapters 4 and 5 and answer the question: Is suffering caused by sin? Let’s start with some context.
The Old Testament covers the time period from the beginning of time up until about 400 BC. Within the Old Testament, the first book is Genesis which covers the time period from the beginning of time up until about 2000 BC. Also within the Old Testament is the book of Job which tells us about some events that took place in the life of Job. The Bible doesn’t tell us when Job lived, but Job’s lifestyle indicates he probably lived sometime around 2000 BC.
The first five verses of the book of Job introduce us to Job the man, telling us he was blameless, upright, fearing God, and turning away from evil. He had seven sons and three daughters, and he was very wealthy. The rest of chapter one tells us Satan was allowed to test Job’s loyalty to God by taking away all of Job’s possessions. Even though Job’s children were killed and he lost all his possessions, he did not sin nor charge God with wrong. Job 2:1-10 tell us Satan was allowed to test Job a second time by covering his body with boils from the bottom of his feet to the top of his head. Even though Job was in agony and his wife encouraged him to curse God and die, Job did not curse God, nor did he sin with his lips. The rest of chapter two tells us Job’s three friends visited Job to sympathize with him and comfort him. They sat with Job for seven days with no one saying a word. The third chapter tells us Job broke the silence and spoke first.
Job’s words are recorded in poetical form, so let’s review Hebrew poetry by contrasting it with English poetry. English poetry is all about rhyme. Roses are red, Violets are blue, Sugar is sweet, And so are you. You rhymes with blue. This is typical English poetry. English poetry is all about rhyme. Hebrew poetry is all about parallelism. There is synonymous parallelism in which the same idea is stated two or more times using different words. There is antithetic parallelism in which two thoughts are contrasted. And there is synthetic parallelism in which an idea is stated and then expanded. Because of all the repetition, a Hebrew poem can be summarized in just a few statements.
Job’s speech recorded in Job chapter 3 can be summarized in about six statements. Job said, “Let the day perish on which I was to be born, Because it did not shut the opening of my mother’s womb. Why did I not die at birth? For now I would have lain down and been quiet; Or like a miscarriage which is discarded, I would not be. Why is light given to him who suffers?” The bulk of chapter three indicates Job was feeling sorry for himself and wanted to die.
Towards the end he asked a question that has been pondered throughout all of human history: “Why is light given to him who suffers?” In other words, if people are going to suffer, why do they exist? Would they not be better off dead? That is how Job was feeling about his life: if he was going to suffer the way he was suffering, would he not be better off dead?
So that is a summary of the first three chapters of Job. When Job was finished, Eliphaz spoke. Notice the width of the yellow block. Eliphaz’s speech is two chapters long: Job chapters 4 and 5. This is our passage for today. Let’s start at Job 4:1.
Job 4:1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered,
Notice the word answered. Eliphaz was responding to Job’s lament in chapter 3 about his suffering and his desire to be dead.
Job 4:2 “If one ventures a word with you, will you become impatient?
But who can refrain from speaking?
The word ventures indicates Eliphaz was a bit hesitant to respond to Job. He was hesitant because he was afraid Job would be impatient. However, Eliphaz felt compelled to speak.
Job 4:3 “Behold you have admonished many,
And you have strengthened weak hands.
Job 4:4 “Your words have helped the tottering to stand,
And you have strengthened feeble knees.
Notice the synonymous parallelism in verses 3 and 4. Each line essentially says the same thing in different ways: Eliphaz reminded Job he used to help those in need.
Job 4:5 “But now it has come to you, and you are impatient;
It touches you, and you are dismayed.
Notice the word “but”. This indicates some antithetical parallelism. Verse 5 is a contrast to verses 3 and 4. Job had seen many people suffer over the years as indicated in verses 3 and 4, but now he was suffering and he was impatient. Eliphaz rebuked Job’s attitude toward his suffering.
Job 4:6 “Is not your fear of God your confidence,
And the integrity of your ways your hope?
Notice the connection between Job’s confidence/hope, and his fear of God and integrity. Job had confidence and hope because he feared God and had integrity. However, notice Eliphaz worded this as a question. It appears Eliphaz was questioning whether or not Job truly did have integrity. That brings us to verse 7. Everything Eliphaz said up to this point was merely a warm up. Verse 7 is where Eliphaz started speaking what was really on his mind.
Job 4:7 “Remember now, who ever perished being innocent?
Or where were the upright destroyed?
Job 4:8 “According to what I have seen, those who plow iniquity
And those who sow trouble harvest it.
Basically, Eliphaz said only guilty people suffer; therefore, since Job was suffering, he must have done something wrong. Let me make a short comment about inerrancy. Inerrancy means the authors of the Bible inerrantly recorded what happened and what was said. That doesn’t mean everything you read is true because sometimes inerrancy means the author accurately recorded a lie or a false teaching. In this case Eliphaz was not inspired, the author of Job was inspired. The author of Job inerrantly recorded what Eliphaz said, but that doesn’t mean Eliphaz was correct. At the end we will discuss whether or not Eliphaz was correct.
Job 4:9 “By the breath of God they perish,
And by the blast of His anger they come to an end.
Job 4:10 “The roaring of the lion and the voice of the fierce lion,
And the teeth of the young lions are broken.
Job 4:11 “The lion perishes for lack of prey,
And the whelps of the lioness are scattered.
The pronoun “they” refers to those who plow iniquity or sow trouble. Verses 9 through 11 are synthetic parallelism. They add to the concept presented in verse 8. Verse 8 is the idea that those who sow trouble harvest it. Verses 9 through 11 basically say those who sow trouble are punished by God, the implication being Job was being punished by God because of sin. Verses 12 through 16 talk about a vision Eliphaz claims he saw.
Job 4:12 “Now a word was brought to me stealthily,
And my ear received a whisper of it.
Job 4:13 “Amid disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night,
When deep sleep falls on men,
Job 4:14 Dread came upon me, and trembling,
And made all my bones shake.
Job 4:15 “Then a spirit passed by my face;
The hair of my flesh bristled up.
Job 4:16 “It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance;
A form was before my eyes;
There was silence, then I heard a voice:
Job 4:17 ‘Can mankind be just before God?
Can a man be pure before his Maker?
This is actually a very good question. Can mankind be just before God? The answer is no. Next, Eliphaz expanded on this.
Job 4:18 ‘God puts no trust even in His servants;
And against His angels He charges error.
Job 4:19 ‘How much more those who dwell in houses of clay,
Whose foundation is in the dust,
Who are crushed before the moth!
Job 4:20 ‘Between morning and evening they are broken in pieces;
Unobserved, they perish forever.
Job 4:21 ‘Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them?
They die, yet without wisdom.’
Again, Eliphaz had a point, however, he intended to prove Job had sinned, but according to his logic, every human on earth should be suffering all the time because none of us is ever pure before God. The fact that not everyone is suffering all the time means this argument does not prove Job was sinning. Chapter five, verse one: Eliphaz continued arguing that people suffer because they are sinning.
Job 5:1 “Call now, is there anyone who will answer you?
And to which of the holy ones will you turn?
Job 5:2 “For anger slays the foolish man,
And jealousy kills the simple.
Job 5:3 “I have seen the foolish taking root,
And I cursed his abode immediately.
Job 5:4 “His sons are far from safety,
They are even oppressed in the gate,
And there is no deliverer.
Job 5:5 “His harvest the hungry devour
And take it to a place of thorns,
And the schemer is eager for their wealth.
Job 5:6 “For affliction does not come from the dust,
Nor does trouble sprout from the ground,
Job 5:7 For man is born for trouble,
As sparks fly upward.
These two verses summarize Eliphaz’s philosophy: “For affliction does not come from the dust, Nor does trouble sprout from the ground, For man is born for trouble, As sparks fly upward.” Again, the implication is Job was suffering because he had sinned. Starting in verse eight, Eliphaz began giving advice.
Job 5:8 “But as for me, I would seek God,
And I would place my cause before God;
Notice Eliphaz’s description of God in the following verses. Remember, Eliphaz was not inspired so he was not necessarily correct in what he said, inerrancy simply means the author accurately recorded what Eliphaz said.
Job 5:9 God does great and unsearchable things,
Wonders without number.
Job 5:10 “He gives rain on the earth
And sends water on the fields,
Job 5:11 So that He sets on high those who are lowly,
And those who mourn are lifted to safety.
Job 5:12 “He frustrates the plotting of the shrewd,
So that their hands cannot attain success.
Job 5:13 “He captures the wise by their own shrewdness,
And the advice of the cunning is quickly thwarted.
Job 5:14 “By day they, the cunning, meet with darkness,
And grope at noon as in the night.
Job 5:15 “But He saves from the sword of their mouth,
And the poor from the hand of the mighty.
Job 5:16 “So the helpless has hope,
And unrighteousness must shut its mouth.
Verse 17 is Eliphaz’s final bit of advice.
Job 5:17 “Behold, how happy is the man whom God reproves,
So do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.
Eliphaz told Job to not despise the discipline of the Almighty. In the following verses, notice all the good benefits that supposedly would accrue to Job if he would repent.
Job 5:18 “For God inflicts pain, and gives relief;
He wounds, and His hands also heal.
Job 5:19 “From six troubles He will deliver you,
Even in seven evil will not touch you.
Job 5:20 “In famine He will redeem you from death,
And in war from the power of the sword.
Job 5:21 “You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue,
And you will not be afraid of violence when it comes.
Job 5:22 “You will laugh at violence and famine,
And you will not be afraid of wild beasts.
Job 5:23 “For you will be in league with the stones of the field,
And the beasts of the field will be at peace with you.
Job 5:24 “You will know that your tent is secure,
For you will visit your abode and fear no loss.
Job 5:25 “You will know also that your descendants will be many,
And your offspring as the grass of the earth.
Job 5:26 “You will come to the grave in full vigor,
Like the stacking of grain in its season.
Notice how many times Eliphaz said to Job, “You will …. You will laugh, you will not be afraid, you will know, etc.” Eliphaz promised Job would prosper if he repented. Once again, remember Eliphaz was not speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit so what he said is not necessarily true.
Job 5:27 “Behold this; we have investigated it, and so it is.
Hear it, and know for yourself.”
And that is the end of Eliphaz’s speech. Let’s review Eliphaz’s main message.
Job 4:7-8 “Remember now, who ever perished being innocent?
Or where were the upright destroyed?
According to what I have seen, those who plow iniquity
And those who sow trouble harvest it.”
Job 5:6-7 “For affliction does not come from the dust,
Nor does trouble sprout from the ground,
For man is born for trouble, As sparks fly upward.
Is this true? Is it true that suffering is an indicator that someone has sinned? In Job’s case it was not true. Consider Job 1:8.
Job 1:8. The LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.”
This is Yahweh Himself praising Job’s righteousness. Obviously, Job’s suffering was not the result of sin.
Job 2:3 The LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause.”
Again, this is Yahweh Himself praising Job’s righteousness. Job’s story is proof that suffering does not necessarily indicate that someone has sinned. Having said that, let’s look at the opposite argument.
2Chr. 26:16 But when King Uzziah became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful to the LORD his God, for he entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.
Only priests were allowed to burn incense in the temple.
2Chr. 26:20 Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and behold, he was leprous on his forehead; and they hurried him out of there, and he himself also hastened to get out because the LORD had smitten him.
Notice it clearly says Yahweh had smitten Uzziah.
2Chr. 26:21 King Uzziah was a leper to the day of his death;
This is a clear example of a person suffering because of his sin. Here’s another example.
1Cor. 11:27-30 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.
In the case of the Corinthians, some of them were weak, sick, and dead due to sin.
So, we have evidence that sometimes suffering and sickness are the result of sin. So, how do we know? When we are suffering, how do we know whether or not there is some sin in our life we need to address?
This may sound simplistic, but it’s true. We need to know the Bible. If a person is Biblically illiterate, then when suffering comes he is just guessing whether or not there is some sin he needs to address. On the other hand, if a person knows the Bible, then when suffering comes and he starts to question his righteousness, he has objective, written criteria to evaluate himself and come to a correct conclusion.
One last thought: ultimately, our health and comfort is not the indicator of our righteousness or lack thereof. In other words, sometimes suffering is the result of sin and sometimes it is not; therefore, we shouldn’t wait for suffering to come to evaluate our own righteousness. Instead, the Bible is the indicator of our righteousness or lack thereof; therefore, we need to constantly study the Bible so that we can correctly evaluate our own righteousness and take corrective action.
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This is the tenth lesson in a series of lessons on the book of Obadiah. In this lesson I’m going to look at verse 10 and talk about the danger of opposing the Jewish people.
Watch the video or scroll down to read a transcript.
Thanks for visiting Bible Mountain. This is the 10th lesson in a series of lessons on the book of Obadiah. In this lesson I’m going to look at verse 10 and talk about the danger of opposing the Jewish people.
1Cor. 10:11 Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
This verse tells us the things written in the Old Testament are examples for us to learn from. What I’m going to look at in this lesson is an example in Obadiah of somebody being punished because they opposed the Jewish people. I’m going to start by looking at verses in the book of Genesis which tell us God extended special protection to the Jewish people. Then I’ll read the verses in Obadiah that give an example of what happens when someone opposes the Jewish people. Then I’ll talk about what this means for you and me living in the 21st century.
Gen. 12:1 Now the LORD said to Abram,
“Go forth from your country,
And from your relatives
And from your father’s house,
To the land which I will show you;
2 And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And so you shall be a blessing;
3 And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
We see here a promise to Abram that whoever blessed Abram would be blessed and whoever cursed Abram would be cursed. That promise was given to Abram. Abram had a son named Isaac. Isaac had a son named Jacob. Here are some verses that tell us the promise was extended to Jacob.
Gen. 27:26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Please come close and kiss me, my son.”
27 So he came close and kissed him; and when he smelled the smell of his garments, he blessed him and said,
“See, the smell of my son
Is like the smell of a field which the LORD has blessed;
28 Now may God give you of the dew of heaven,
And of the fatness of the earth,
And an abundance of grain and new wine;
29 May peoples serve you,
And nations bow down to you;
Be master of your brothers,
And may your mother’s sons bow down to you.
Cursed be those who curse you,
And blessed be those who bless you.”
We see the pronoun you multiple times. While it refers to Jacob, it also refers to Jacob’s descendants. Jacob was also named Israel. All of Jacob’s descendants are the Israelites. We see the blessing here on the Israelites was that peoples would serve them, nations would bow down to them, and they would be master of their brothers.
We also see at the end that part of the blessing was that anyone who cursed the Israelites would be cursed, and anyone who blessed the Israelites would be blessed. Those verses show us that God extended special protection to the Israelite nation and the Jewish people. Now let’s take a look at an example of what happens to someone who does not treat the Israelites properly.
Obadiah 1:10 Because of violence to your brother Jacob, shame smothers you and you will be cut off forever.
We see here that because Edom did violence to their brother Jacob, they were going to be cut off forever. That happened to Edom because God had promised that whoever blessed the Israelites would be blessed, and whoever cursed the Israelites would be cursed. When Edom decided to attack and plunder the Israelites, they were punished for that.
Now let’s talk about what this means for you and me. First of all, it means we should not oppose the Jewish people. There are Jewish people living in many countries around the world. Those countries need to be very careful how they treat the Jewish people in their midst. Likewise, individuals need to be careful how they treat the Jewish people in their midst. There’s a lot of anti-semitism around the world, and being anti-semitic is dangerous because God extended special protection to the Jewish people. Anyone who is anti-semitic does so at great risk to themselves.
It also means we should not oppose the nation of Israel. The nation of Israel is a nation in the Middle East. There are many countries who are enemies of and against the Israelite nation. That is very dangerous because God promised to bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse Israel. Any country that opposes Israel, mistreats Israel, and attacks Israel puts themselves in great danger because God may decide to punish them just as He punished Edom.
Thanks again for visiting Bible Mountain. If you have already joined my email list, thank you, and please forward this to someone else who would benefit from visiting Bible Mountain. If you have not joined my email list yet, please do so now. My email list is free. This is the best way to make sure you receive all my content. In order to join, go to www.BibleMountain.com, click on email, and that will take you to a page where you sign up. Your email address will not be sold nor given away. Once again, thank you for visiting Bible Mountain.
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Fallow Deer - Norman invaders
Though probably Britain's most familiar deer, the fallow deer is a continental interloper. Thought to be native to the Eastern Mediterranean, they moved westwards with the Romans, and were finally introduced to the British Isles by the Normans around the 11th century.
Today, they are widespread and the most common deer in England.
The fallow deer is an elegant, medium-sized deer, with a typically spotted coat. Males have broad, palmate antlers. They have long been prized as ornamental species and their history in the UK is closely linked to that of deer parks. Fallow deer are also farmed for their venison.
During the autumnal breeding season, known as the 'rut', males make a loud belly belch to proclaim their territory and fight over the females. This display may involve groaning and stylised walking, but often results in dangerous, physical contact as they lock antlers. The resulting fawns are born the following summer.
Fallow deer prefer deciduous or mixed woodland with large clearings, typically living in small herds. They are more widespread in England and Wales than in Scotland. They eat grasses and herbs, and will browse young, broadleaf trees. They live up to 16 years.
Links to external websites are not maintained by Bite Sized Britain. They are provided to give users access to additional information. Bite Sized Britain is not responsible for the content of these external websites.
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College Farm, Finchley - north London model home of the first bottled milk
The first ever bottled milk in the UK was produced in 1884, at College Farm in Finchley, North London, run by Express Dairies and regarded as one of the 'model farms' of the time and thereafter.
The site and the listed buildings still survive, but preservation campaigners have had to fight off several threats to its future.
In 1868, George Barham, a businessman who owned Express Dairies, bought the farm that had existed since the 14th century. He was concerned to address the common practices of watering down milk with river water, and making cream out of snail slime. It was a time when farming was being urged to be modernised along scientific/industrial lines, and with higher standards of hygiene and working practices - indeed, the Great Exhibition of 1851 had a whole hall devoted to the latest farm machinery
The name College Farm was chosen because the copper top of Christ’s College, Finchley, could be seen from the site. By 1882, Barham ordered the demolition of the original farm buildings and commissioned architect Frederick Chancellor to design a new, model dairy farm. The buildings, which are now Grade II-listed, included spacious clean stalls for the cows' milking. Each cow had its name on the wall behind it, and a luxury diet of oatmeal, bran and biscuit, as well as root vegetables, hay and cabbages. The milk that was collected was distributed in the newly created glass bottles.
The most important function of College farm was as a public relations exercise and shop window for the dairy industry. Its contribution to London’s milk supply was always quite small in quantity, but its importance was great, as a showplace of all that was newest and best in dairy livestock and equipment. The progressive farm became the first to test dairy for diseases in the 1920s, and to pioneer the distribution of milk in cartons in the 1930's, 30 years before they reached the supermarket shelves.
In 1973 College Farm's future was threatened when it was bought by the Department for Transport under plans to widen the North Circular Road, and by the end of 1974, the last Express cows were taken away. The buildings were shut and the farm laid desolate and was frequently vandalised.
In 2004, local activists led by Chris and Jane Ower set up the College Farm Trust, with the intention of re-establishing the farm as a visitor centre. Tearooms were opened in the old dairy itself. The Trust now owns the whole 10-acre site, but there have been disputes amongst the Trustees about its future. Threatened with redevelopment plans, the Owers obtained a court ruling recently to confirm their agricultural tenancy, and they are now working to raise funds to repair the deteriorating buildings and reopen to the public.
Links to external websites are not maintained by Bite Sized Britain. They are provided to give users access to additional information. Bite Sized Britain is not responsible for the content of these external websites.
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The Bible's Song Book - Lesson 8
The Bible’s Song Book
A Study of the Psalms
Pastor Robert Soverall
Lesson 8: Psalm 37
This is a long song! Some songs are like that. Sometimes, the length is due to extended musical sections that allow the listener to get immersed in the groove or “vibe”. Most of the time, the length allows the singer to really hammer home the theme of the lyrics. What’s the theme here? GOD’s faithful ones are not to envy godless people in any way or for any reason. This psalm expounds on that theme by comparing the lives & legacies of the “wicked” versus those of the righteous:
The wicked wither and wilt but the righteous dwell securely (vs.2-3).
Evildoers will be destroyed, but the righteous will inherit the land (vs.9).
The wicked will soon be no more but the humble will enjoy abundant prosperity (vs.10-11).
The little that the righteous has is better than the abundance of the wicked (vs. 16-17).
“The wicked man borrows and does not repay; but the righteous one is gracious and giving” (Psalm 37:21 all references here are from the HSCB).
There are more such comparisons in this psalm; take the time to read them. They will not only encourage you but they will inform your actions the next time you feel pressured to compromise when you see an unprincipled person getting ahead. We’ve all been there...
There are some legendary verses in this psalm that deserve mentioning:
Verses 23-24: GOD has ordered your steps. You won’t fall (to utter destruction) because He holds your hand. Do you believe that? Then remember this promise as you live your life!
Verse 25 is not just for “old people”. It’s for people who have history. Even young people can look back and see how GOD has led and provided in their past. GOD’s dealings with your yesterdays are an assurance that He will carry out every promise regarding your tomorrows!
Think about it: why does it seem so hard to do the right thing at times? Why does GOD put us through this struggle? What do I get out of it?
Extend your faith—in times like these we may be forced to curtail our giving. But remember what this song teaches about the generosity of the righteous. Can/will you trust GOD in a difficult season?
Pray: Dear GOD—if I keep my eyes on YOU, I won’t be tempted to envy someone who is wicked or ungodly. Help me, LORD, to stay focused...
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The core of bluetongue virus binds double-stranded RNA.
Diprose JM., Grimes JM., Sutton GC., Burroughs JN., Meyer A., Maan S., Mertens PPC., Stuart DI.
Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) viruses conceal their genome from the host to avoid triggering unfavorable cellular responses. The crystal structure of the core of one such virus, bluetongue virus, reveals an outer surface festooned with dsRNA. This may represent a deliberate strategy to sequester dsRNA released from damaged particles to prevent host cell shutoff.
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What strategies do wild animals use to survive in winter?
Winter is a cold season of the year that does not benefit animals. As it approaches or during this season, domestic animals rely on their owners to protect them from the cold while wild animals have to fend for themselves. So, to protect themselves from the cold, wild animals use a variety of strategies. Find out more about their strategies in this article.
The classic animal migration
Of all the strategies that wild animals put in place to survive the cold, migration is the most common. This strategy involves leaving the winter region for another region in which the temperature is much milder. The animals that are part of this migration are birds. They implement this strategy for two reasons. The first is to escape the cold, but the main reason is to feed. Very often during the winter, their food is scarce, so they move to feed themselves. It can then be said that they are encouraged more by the lack of food than by the installation of coolness itself.
Torporation, an ideal solution
During the winter, there are some animals that have an effective strategy to combat the chill. This strategy is known as torpor. It is a complex mechanism put in place by some animals. This mechanism allows them to regulate the internal temperature in some way to keep it at a constant level throughout the winter period. This is one of the best solutions, but it requires a lot of energy, which leads some animals to adopt body temperature. Others, however, choose to hibernate, such as bats and groundhogs. Torpor allows animals to live in slow motion during the winter.
The use of fat
During the winter period, mammals and birds use their fat to keep warm. Indeed, when the cold weather sets in, a very special form of fat is formed in these animals. This fat is called brown adipose tissue. These are very rich in mitochondria, essential elements of a cell capable of releasing energy. This energy is efficiently released in the form of heat, which allows them to warm up the body.
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Do Our Biases Affect Our Financial Choices?
Investors are routinely warned about allowing their emotions to influence their decisions. However, they are not often cautioned about their preconceptions and biases that may color their financial choices.
In a battle between facts & biases, our biases may win. If we acknowledge this tendency, we may be able to avoid some unexamined choices when it comes to personal finance. It may actually "pay" to recognize blind spots and biases with investing. Here are some common examples of bias creeping into our financial lives.
Letting emotions run the show.
How many investment decisions do we make that have a predictable outcome? Hardly any. In retrospect, it is all too easy to prize the gain from a decision over the wisdom of the decision and to, therefore, believe that the findings with the best outcomes were the best decisions (not necessarily true). Put some distance between your impulse to make a change and the action you want to take to help get some perspective on how your emotions affect your investment decisions.1
Valuing facts we "know" & "see" more than "abstract" facts.
Information that seems abstract may seem less valid or valuable than information related to personal experience. This is true when we consider different types of investments, the state of the markets, and the economy's health.1
Valuing the latest information most.
The latest news is often more valuable than old news in the investment world. But when the latest news is consistently good (or consistently bad), memories of previous market climate(s) may become too distant. If we are not careful, our minds may subconsciously dismiss the eventual emergence of the next market cycle.1
The more experienced we are at investing, the more confidence we have about our investment choices. When the market is going up, and a clear majority of our investment choices work out well, this reinforces our confidence, sometimes to a point where we may start to feel we can do little wrong, thanks to the state of the market, our investing acumen, or both. This can be dangerous.2
The herd mentality.
You know how this goes: if everyone is doing something, they must be doing it for sound and logical reasons. The herd mentality leads some investors to buy high (and sell low). It can also promote panic selling. The advent of social media hasn't helped with this idea. Above all, it encourages market timing, and when investors try to time the market, it can influence their overall performance.2,3
Sometimes, asking ourselves what our certainty is based on and reflecting on ourselves can be helpful and informative. Examining our preconceptions may help us as we invest.
1. Investopedia.com, July 5, 2022
2. Investopedia.com, May 2, 2023
3. WebMD.com, 2023
The content is developed from sources believed to be providing accurate information. The information in this material is not intended as tax or legal advice. It may not be used for the purpose of avoiding any federal tax penalties. Please consult legal or tax professionals for specific information regarding your individual situation. This material was developed and produced by FMG Suite to provide information on a topic that may be of interest. FMG, LLC, is not affiliated with the named broker-dealer, state- or SEC-registered investment advisory firm. The opinions expressed and material provided are for general information, and should not be considered a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any security. Copyright FMG Suite.
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CHURCHILL OUT OF HIBERNATION, WEEK 44
A HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH-SPEAKING PEOPLES was Winston Churchill’s final opus magnum. As history, it is flawed; as literature it is marvelously illuminating and entertaining. Just like the man himself. We explore it next, with the finish line in sight, on our marathon race through his book-length works.
Almost immediately upon arriving at Chartwell after vacating Downing Street in April 1955, Winston Churchill picked up a 16-year-old manuscript, the first draft of which he had laid aside on the September night in 1939 when Britain had gone to war. He reconvened his research team (specifically his assistant, the lawyer Denis Kelly, and the historian Alan Hodge) and resumed work on A History of the English-Speaking Peoples.
The idea for such a history had first occurred to Churchill in the early 1930s, as he flailed and flogged for publishable projects to keep himself financially afloat. It is apt that he would peg his theme to the English language he so venerated and ennobled in his own writings, and to the peoples who spoke it, rather than merely to Anglo-Saxon culture and its institutions. That the final work would prove to be a bit of both was also fitting. Churchill’s writing always followed where the fancies of his mind led. Or as Churchill’s old Labour colleague and predecessor as PM the second time around, Clement Atlee, remarked, a better title for A History of the English-Speaking Peoples might well have been: “Things in History Which Interested Me.”
Churchill originally envisioned a single volume work, when Cassell first handed him a £20,000 advance for it in 1932. The end result comprised four volumes, published over three years, from 1956-1958. British island history dominates, with the U.S. a distant second, and Britain’s Commonwealth English-speaking nations, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, virtually ignored. Volume I, The Birth of Britain, fascinatingly delineates England’s tribal origins, through the rule of Richard III. Volume II, The New World, triumphantly addresses Britain’s ascent to a global power and the incipient existence of its North American colony. Volume III, The Age of Revolution, embraces Churchill’s favorite touchstones of history: the adventures of his ancestor Lord Marlborough, America’s war of independence, and Napoleon’s rise and fall. Volume IV, The Great Democracies, covers most of the 19th Century before abruptly halting at the 20th. “I could not write about the woe and ruin of the terrible twentieth century,” Churchill explained sadly to his doctor, Lord Moran. One can only wonder what he might have written about our 21st.
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Farm-to-school (FTS) programs began in two schools in 1996 as a grassroots movement and now reach approximately 23.6 million students in 42% of U.S. school districts (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2016a). FTS programs are supported by policy and funding at the federal and state government levels and financial support from private foundations (National Farm to School Network, 2016b). Interest in assessing the impact of FTS programs and other local food initiatives has recently grown, not only to evaluate progress, but also to demonstrate efficacy to funders (Jablonski and Schmit, 2015; Thilmany McFadden et al., 2016).
FTS programs leverage food procurement and educational programming to increase nutritional knowledge and skills among students, improve the nutritional value of school meals, and provide economic opportunities for local farmers (Conner et al., 2012; Izumi, Wright, and Hamm, 2010; Vogt and Kaiser, 2008). While FTS programs vary considerably from one school to another, all programs use a multi-pronged approach that includes a mix of core elements such as school gardens, local food procurement, nutrition education, and agricultural literacy (National Farm to School Network, 2016a; Vermont FEED, n.d.).
Economic impact studies of local food initiatives beyond FTS programs have shown positive impacts, but these impacts tend to be modest or overstated (Gunter, 2011; O'Hara and Pirog, 2013). Overall, claims related to economic development benefits remain largely untested (Hughes and Boys, 2015). We look at the economic impacts of local food procurement, which is a central component of FTS programs.
There are two ways in which local food procurement by schools are viewed as an economic development strategy. First, local purchases lead to increased economic activity at the community level through import substitutions and spillover effects (Martinez et al., 2010). Second, farmers gain access to larger markets, enabling them to grow their operations because of increased demand. Farmers participating in FTS programs tend to have small- and medium-scale operations and to sell directly to consumers or to institutions through a middleman (Low et al., 2015). These small- and medium-scale farmers are believed to have a greater impact on the social and economic development of their communities because they purchase more inputs locally and interact directly with their consumers. Goldschmidt (1947) hypothesized that farm scale and farm management impact community well-being, and the concept of Civic Agriculture holds that communities have a civic duty to support local food producers due to their positive impact on economic and community development (Lobao, 1990; Lyson, 2000, 2004).
Several studies have assessed the economic impact of FTS local food procurement (see box 1 for a description of economic impact studies). Table 1 summarizes six economic studies of FTS local food procurement. These studies used an input-output model called IMPLAN to examine various scenarios of local food use (see box 2 for a description of the IMPLAN model) at varying geographic scales, with varying levels of details, assumptions, and customizations of the model. Haynes (2009) and Gunter (2011) customized the agricultural sector in IMPLAN to better reflect the patterns of how small- and medium-scale operations that participate in FTS programs spend money. The IMPLAN model is frequently customized so that it appropriately represents the impacts of smaller, diversified farms and other small-to-medium scale operations that frequently participate in FTS programs (Lazarus, Platas, and Morse, 2002; Schmit, Jablonski, and Kay, 2013; Swenson, 2011). Customizing the model requires access to data: the Roche et al. (2016) study specifically mentioned its inability to customize the IMPLAN model due to lack of secondary data.
An economic impact study measures the changes in spending in a geographic area that would result from a hypothetical change in economic activity, such as a plant closing or opening, a festival, or a natural disaster. This type of analysis calculates the cumulative amount of money that cycles through the economy among industries, households, and government agencies, as a result of the change (Day, n.d.). Similarly, an economic contribution study measures the cumulative economic activity from an existing industry or events. Economic impact and contribution studies should not be confused (Watson et al., 2007), but results for economic impact and economic contribution studies are generally reported and interpreted in the same way.
The economic impact or contribution of an activity or event has three types of effects on the economy: direct, indirect, and induced effects. Taking FTS local food procurement as an example:
Each of the effects (direct, indirect, and induced) result in output (also referred to as total sales), value added (equivalent to gross domestic product), labor income, and employment. The sum of the direct, indirect, and induced effects is the total economic impact.
Economic impact and contribution studies use input-output (IO) and Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) models. The combination of these two models represents the whole economy under study, including transactions among industries, institutions, and households. The software package and database IMPLAN (IMpact Analysis for PLANing) is commonly used to conduct these types of studies. Data for the IMPLAN database are supplied by the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and other federal and state government agencies. The latest IMPLAN version uses 536 sectors based on the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) to represent the economy. The agricultural sector is represented by 19 sectors and the food manufacturing sector is represented by 45 sectors.
Notes. *Calculation made by authors. # study included schools and health care facilities.
Beyond the actual results of these studies, the diversity of approaches is noteworthy. Some of the studies looked at demand for local food, including existing school purchases, purchasing goals, and changes in menus (Haynes, 2009; Kane et al., 2010; Pesch, 2014; Roche et al., 2016). The other studies looked at supply, including changes in the growing season, purchase shifts from wholesaler to direct from farmers, and changes in prices (Gunter, 2011; Haynes, 2009; Pesch, 2014).
The diversity of approaches and geographic areas makes it difficult to compare results across studies (table 1). While the IMPLAN multipliers allow for some level of comparison, direct comparisons are still not recommended. Still, multipliers can provide an indication of the general magnitude of impacts that can be expected from FTS programs. In general, smaller geographic areas show smaller impacts. The studies reported a sales multiplier that varied from 1.03 in the 2009 Minnesota study to 2.4 in the Florida study (Haynes, 2009; Kluson, 2012). The employment multiplier ranged from 0.49 in the 2014 Minnesota study to 3.3 in the Colorado study (Gunter, 2011; Pesch, 2014). Not all studies reported an income multiplier, but the studies that did, reported an income multiplier between 1.4 and 2.8 (Roche et al., 2016; Gunter, 2011; Pesch, 2014). Gordon and Mulkey (1978) explain that income multipliers should be between 1.05 and 2.5 and that a multiplier over 2.5 is suspect.
Studies on how FTS programs affect farmers are limited both in number and in scope. Overall, sales to FTS programs seem limited, as previous studies have found that these sales represented just 1% to 5% of farmers’ overall sales (Conner et al., 2012; Izumi et al., 2010; Joshi et al., 2008). Despite the low sales, some farmers have found benefits in selling to schools, including market diversification and generating social benefits. Market diversification can include adding a market channel, identifying an outlet for small, visually imperfect, or otherwise unsold produce, while social benefits can include embedding farmers into the community, networking, and increased social capital (Conner et al., 2011). Barriers for increased sales are related to complex supply chain networks required for school delivery, the price sensitivity of schools, and the mismatch between the growing season and the school year (Becot et al., 2014; Conner et al., 2011).
As the studies point out, the economic impact of FTS local food procurement appears to be modest, particularly when studies account for wholesalers’ loss of economic activity due to schools purchasing directly from food producers. Only two of the studies highlighted above customized the agricultural sector in IMPLAN. Yet the IMPLAN model needs refinement because the expenditure patterns of farmers participating in local food system activities differ from the average farm sector in IMPLAN. These differences have bearings on the results of economic impact studies, as some impacts might be overstated or understated . However, access to the data needed to customize the model is difficult to obtain, and thus, restrains research in this area .
From the farmers’ perspective, sales to schools have been small as a proportion of all sales. Furthermore, limited information exists about how these sales impact farmers’ profitability in the short and long term. Social benefits seem to prevail in these transactions, and components of FTS programs such agricultural literacy and nutrition education might work to build a larger customer base in the long term . Though increased farm profitability has been touted as a benefit, the lack of knowledge about the interactions between sales to schools and profitability represents a research gap.
Beyond the economic impacts of FTS programs related to local food purchasing, there are large gaps in knowledge about the economic impacts of food waste, health outcomes, and educational outcomes as related to FTS programs. Still, these additional economic impacts have been highlighted by farm to school advocates as benefits of the program.
First, anecdotal evidence suggests that FTS programs lead to reduced food waste, representing a cost saving for schools (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2016b). The reduction in food waste might be due to improved quality of meals served and increased awareness of the value of food through FTS class programming. Since the current evidence is anecdotal, future research is needed to explore the relationship among FTS programs, food waste, and food costs.
Second, focus on healthy diets and education through food and agricultural literacy leads to improved nutritional intake, which could ultimately lead to improved health outcomes among children (Joshi et al., 2008; Roche et al., 2012). Improved health outcomes, including reduced rates of obesity and weight-related illnesses, would likely lead to healthcare costs savings (Fung et al., 2012; Qian et al., 2016). If FTS programs lead to improved health outcomes—and given that better health leads to healthcare cost savings—economic impact modeling may show that these programs have a negative impact on the economy. However, despite potential losses for the healthcare industry, gains at the societal level would likely be greater. The impacts of FTS on health and the ensuing economic impacts are currently large research gaps.
Third, educational programming is a cornerstone of FTS programs, but its effect on educational outcomes for students has received little attention. Research has shown that these educational approaches lead to improved outcomes because increased student engagement lead to positive attitudes towards learning (Bamford, 2015; Block et al., 2012). Schools participating in FTS programs have seen a decrease in behavioral referrals and school nurse visits, further indicating improved educational outcomes (Dirks and Orvis, 2005; Waliczek, Bradley, and Zajicek, 2001; Zipparo, 2016). Better educational outcomes have been associated with improved economic outcomes due to increased earning potential (Card, 1999). Research is needed to assess the relationship between FTS programming, educational outcomes, and future labor market productivity and labor earnings.
Interest in better understanding the economic impact of FTS programs has increased as the resources available to these programs have grown. While this article focused on the economic impacts of FTS programs, the likely impacts of FTS programs go beyond economics. Beyond the health and nutritional outcomes highlighted above, advocates argue that FTS programs lead to increased food and agricultural literacy, environmental awareness, lunch participation, perceived value of food service workers, and connections between schools and the community (National Farm to School Network, 2016b; University of Minnesota Extension, 2016; Vermont FEED, n.d.). Research to explore these impacts has been limited so far, likely due to a lack of resources, but this research is crucial. Changes such as improved health and educational outcomes are long-term changes that require longitudinal studies. Many of the other potential changes listed above could be suited for qualitative research approaches. No matter the research methodologies employed, much work remains to be done to gain a holistic understanding of the impacts of FTS programs.
Bamford, K. 2015. “The Role of Motivation and Curriculum in Shaping Pro-Sustainable Attitudes and Behaviors in Students.” MS thesis, University of Vermont, Burlington.
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Qian, Y., R.M. Nayga, Jr., M.R. Thomsen, and H.L. Rouse. 2016. “The Effect of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program on Childhood Obesity.” Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy 38, 260–275.
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U.S. Department of Agriculture. 2016b. “Farm to School Programs Invest Nearly $800 Million in Local Economies.” Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Communications. Available online: https://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentid=2016/03/0066.xml&contentidonly=true
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Waliczek, T.M., J.C. Bradley, and J.M. Zajicek. 2001. “The Effect of School Gardens on Children's Interpersonal Relationships and Attitudes toward School.” HortTechnology 11: 466–468.
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Zipparo, A. 2016. “Agency of Ag Celebrates Farm to School Awareness Month with State Leaders at Winooski School District and Announce New Grant Funding for Universal Meals.” Montpelier, VT: Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets. Available online: http://agriculture.vermont.gov/node/1369
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A joint energy research program will be extended and expanded to include water.
By Brett Walton
Circle of Blue
President Barack Obama and President Xi Jinping of China announced on Wednesday new targets for reducing the amount of heat-trapping gases that their countries release into the atmosphere. The announcement is a historic move that both sides hope will catalyze a global climate agreement at a United Nations conference in Paris next year to rein in carbon emissions and avoid the devastating ecological changes that scientists predict will occur on a roasted planet.
An encouraging sign of cooperation between the world’s two largest economies, the carbon-reduction commitments are part of a wide-ranging agreement announced in Beijing during President Obama’s week-long trip to the Asia-Pacific region. The two powers, which accounted for 44 percent of carbon dioxide emissions in 2012, will work together in several areas of shared interest. They will collaborate to develop technologies that pull carbon out of the air, swap ideas on urban planning, welcome trade delegations for green technology, and test new solar energy facilities. The agreement also expands the mission of a joint energy research program to include, for the first time, investigations of the connections between water and energy use.
The U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center (CERC) will see its mandate extended through 2020, and it will house a new water-energy research program. The water-energy program will receive $US 50 million over five years from a mix of government, academic, and private-sector sources, according to Robert Marlay, U.S. director of CERC. Each country will contribute half the funding.
The addition of the water program reflects growing concerns both in China and the United States that developing new natural gas and oil resources and meeting renewable energy goals will be limited by insufficient water resources. Coal, the source of three-quarters of China’s electricity, makes up one-fifth of the country’s water use. Yet China’s coal deposits are located primarily in desert regions in Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia. In the United States, power plants draw more water out of rivers, lakes, and aquifers than any other economic sector, and the recent shale oil and gas boom is threatened by civic worries about water use.
“China has a lot of the same water issues we do,” said Mark Philbrick, a U.S. Department of Energy science and technology policy fellow, in an interview with Circle of Blue. “They have water stress where most of their energy resources are located. Their power plants need a lot of water to operate. Water is a pressing issue for both countries.”
A Unique Partnership
Today, little is known about CERC’s water-energy program, but the outline will soon take shape. Marlay told Circle of Blue that, over the next nine months, CERC leaders will organize a research plan and select a coordinating agency to oversee the research, which will begin next October, in fiscal year 2016.
“There is no specific plan outlined yet,” Marlay said.
The water-energy program will follow the template set by the three existing CERC research programs — coal technology, low-carbon vehicles, and energy-efficient buildings — all established in 2009. The U.S. Department of Energy and China’s Ministry of Science and Technology are the lead government agencies for CERC. They each select a national coordinating agency to guide an individual research program, which has both a Chinese research team and a U.S. research team. The coordinating agencies can be universities, government laboratories, or independent groups.
These layers of partnership have helped build trust between the two governments over energy issues, according to Jennifer Turner, director of the China Environment Forum at the Woodrow Wilson Center, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank. The Wilson Center brought together many researchers working on water and energy in the two countries, and Turner called herself “a matchmaker” for connecting like minds.
“CERC is a different way for governments to cooperate,” Turner told Circle of Blue. “The way it is structured insulates it from political changes in the two countries because they’ve broadened the participants who are doing substantive work. CERC has more staying power. It’s a more regular forum for the United States and China to talk with each other.”
Although the details of the water-energy program still must be worked out, clues do exist as to its direction. Philbrick, the policy fellow, said that the Department of Energy is interested in three areas:
- Reducing the water needed to cool electric power plants.
- Using less energy to turn brackish water, salt water, and wastewater into usable fresh water.
- Using sewage as an energy source by recovering the methane and nutrients it holds, while using less energy to do so.
Agreements on protecting intellectual property rights have set a foundation for developing new technologies through the research partnership, Turner said.
Turner speculated that the CERC research program might follow the path blazed by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, a regional policy forum. Announced earlier this week, the APEC water-energy research program will look at improving computer models, increasing efficiency, and pinpointing vulnerable sectors and cities.
Whatever the direction, the two sides will spend the next nine months setting their compass.
“They’ll bring ideas, and we’ll bring ideas, and we’ll find where the most value is,” Marlay said.
Jennifer Turner and the Wilson Center’s China Environment Forum provided research assistance for Circle of Blue’s Choke Point reporting series.
Brett writes about agriculture, energy, infrastructure, and the politics and economics of water in the United States. He also writes the Federal Water Tap, Circle of Blue’s weekly digest of U.S. government water news. He is the winner of two Society of Environmental Journalists reporting awards, one of the top honors in American environmental journalism: first place for explanatory reporting for a series on septic system pollution in the United States(2016) and third place for beat reporting in a small market (2014). He received the Sierra Club’s Distinguished Service Award in 2018. Brett lives in Seattle, where he hikes the mountains and bakes pies. Contact Brett Walton
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Project Management Triangle
The ANSI Standard for project management known as Project Management Body of Knowledge(PMBoK) defines project management as an area of activity which determines and achieves a clear project objectives, balancing among the volume of work, resources (such as money, materials, energy), time, quality and risks.
A key factor in the project management success is to have a clear specific plan in advance, to minimize risks and deviations from the plan, to have an effective change management (as opposed to the process approach, functional management and service level management).
Project Management Triangle model represents the balance between the project scope, project cost, time and quality. The quality was included later, so initially this model is known as "Triple Constraint".
As required by any undertaking the project should proceed and reach the final, encountering certain restrictions. Classically, these constraints are defined as project scope, time and cost and are related to the Project Management Triangle, each side of which represents one of the constraints. Changing one of the triangle sides invariable affects the others. Further refinement of the constraints contributed scope quality and effect, turning quality into the fourth constraint.
The constraint of time is determined by the time available to complete the project. The constraint of cost is determined by the budget allocated for the project. The constraint of scope is determined by a set of actions required to achieve the final result of the project. These three constraints are often competing with each other.
Changing the scope of the project usually leads to a change in time and cost. Tight schedule may cause an increase in cost and a decrease in the scope. A small budget may cause an extension in time and a decrease the scope.
Another approach to project management is to consider the following three constraints: finances, time and human resources. If it is necessary to reduce the time, a project manager can increase the number of employed people to solve problems, although that will inevitably lead to an increase in the budget. Due to the fact that this problem will be resolved quickly, it is possible to avoid the growth of the budget, reducing costs by an equal amount in any other segment of the project.
This project management triangle chart example is included in the Pyramid Diagrams solution from Marketing area of ConceptDraw Solution Park.
Example 1. Pyramid Diagram. Project management triangle diagram
This diagram was redesigned using ConceptDraw DIAGRAM diagramming and vector drawing software from Wikimedia Commons file Project-triangle-en.svg.
See more Pyramid Diagram:
- Zooko Triangle Diagram
- Time, Quality, Money Triangle Diagram
- Project Triangle Diagram
- Purchase Funnel Diagram
- Project Triangle Chart
- Priority Pyramid Diagram
- Organization Triangle Diagram
- Knowledge Triangle Diagram
- Triangular Graphic
- Inverted Pyramid
- Fundraising Pyramid
- 3D Triangle Diagram
- DIKW Pyramid
- Five level pyramid model
- Four level pyramid model
- Three level pyramid model
TEN RELATED HOW TO's:
Mathematics Solution from the Science and Education area of ConceptDraw Solution Park includes a few shape libraries of plane, solid geometric figures, trigonometrical functions and greek letters to help you create different professional looking mathematic illustrations for science and education.
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We often listen to music to feel good. But, do you know, listening to the right kind of music and in a proper way is medicinal, too. How? Let's explore...
MEDICINAL MUSIC FACT #1
Music can lower the levels of cortisol (the stress hormone)
The number one enemy of man in today's competitive world is the stress hormone, cortisol. This enemy is known to interfere with our memory, weight, cholesterol and immunity. However, one of the best and free medicinal treatments for lowering the effect of attack of this enemy is to listen to soft music. Music embedded with inspirational lyrics is more effective for this treatment. Prof. Daniel J. Levitin (Professor of psychology and behavioural neuroscience) of McGill University has found through experiments that listening to music impacts our body chemistry directly because it increases immunoglobulin A and killer cell counts, which help in lowering the level of cortisol.
In a study by Miluk et al. (Dept. of Surgery, Military Institute of Aviation Medicine, Warsaw, Poland), they examined on a group of patients the importance of listening to music in reducing stress. The study dealt with measuring the cortisol levels in patients when they were informed that they would undergo a surgery the next day. The patients were divided into two groups. One group of patients heard music immediately after the news, while the other group listened to no music. In the experiment, it was found that the news about surgery produced a 50% increase in cortisol within 15 minutes in both the surgical groups. However, the group that listened to music showed reduction in the cortisol level. On the other hand, the patients who did not listen to music displayed a higher level of cortisol.
For this reason, R&D is being done on the fact that music can potentially be used in clinical settings, in which negative emotions such as pain and anxiety often reduce an individual's subjective well-being. Such situations otherwise demand the application of anxiolytic, analgesic, and anesthetic drugs as an anti-stress medium.
MEDICINAL MUSIC FACT #2
Enhances blood vessels' functioning
Music not only lowers the level of cortisol, but also improves the heart's capacity for exercise by 19 percent– a European Society of Cardiology explored this fact. Further, Deljanin Ilic (professor, Institute of Cardiology at the University of Nis in Serbia) carried out a research to find the attributes that can lead to improvements in endorphins released by the body when listening to music. In the experiment, she was interested to discover if music had any effect not only on the heart but also on the deepest regions of the heart. The inside surface of blood vessels is layered by a substance called endothelium, which has a strong impact on the blood vessel tone besides regulating the blood flow. It also plays an important role in the development of cardiovascular disease. Ilic conducted a test on a group of people about how the endothelium (the lining of blood vessels) answers to a wide range of stimuli, from exercise to emotions to music as medications. For this, she conducted some test after which each volunteer was exposed to music for 30 minutes. Additional dilation measurements were employed throughout each phase to find changes from the test. It was found that the average upper arm blood vessel diameter increased 26 percent after the joyful music phase; whereas, listening to the music that caused anxiety narrowed blood vessels by six percent. This experiment not only showed the impact of music on the heart, but also highlighted the importance of listening to the right type of music. You can also perform this simple experiment to study the impact of music and its type on the heart beat rate–
Step 1: Play melodious music on your music set.
Step 2: Place your hand on your heart and feel the rate of your heart beat.
Step 3: Now, change the track to rock or some other music that causes anxiety.
Step 4: Place your hand on your heart and feel the rate of your heart beat.
What did you observe? Surely, the latter kind of music must have increased the rate of your heart beat. Such is the impact of music on the heart. Therefore, take care of your heart by making it listen to soft and happy tones of harmony and peace.
MEDICINAL MUSIC FACT #3
Improves sleep quality
Another major problem in this era of cut throat competition is the problem of sleep. Often people complain about the lack of proper sleep. Music-assisted relaxation may improve sleep quality, according to a report published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing in 2009. The report's authors analysed five clinical trials (with a total of 170 participants) and found that music impacted the quality of sleep of patients having sleep complaints.
Research reveals that listening to music helps to lengthen sleep duration, shorten the time it takes to fall asleep, reduce the number of night-time wake-ups, and enhance daytime functioning in people with sleep problems. Furthermore, a study published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing (2005) suggests that music has a cumulative effect on sleep, with improvements in sleep quality increasing over time.
OTHER HEALTH BENEFITS OF MUSIC
Music can also reduce the perceived intensity of pain, especially in geriatric care, intensive care, or palliative medicine. It increases workout endurance, elevates mood, and above all, it induces a meditative state.
Regarding the type of music, His Holiness Ashutosh Maharaj Ji puts forth a beautiful message. He once asked a spiritual aspirant from the music field, “Have you ever noticed how people react when they listen to devotional music versus when they listen to anxiety-driven music?” When the aspirant could not distinguish, the revered Master said, “You will always observe that while listening to spiritual music your head swings in ecstasy to its tone, while in the latter, it is prominently the feet which tap.” What a wonderful message! While the anxiety-driven music feeds our lower tendencies, devotional music nourishes our higher energies.
Well! That's the case with the outside music. There is yet another music, which excels the benefits and melody of the outside music in all respects. It is the 'Anhad-Naad'- the music that is being played on its own, relentlessly in our inner world. This music, which can be listened to through Divine Knowledge, brings our soul at peace. Undoubtedly, when the seed is nurtured, it leads the way for the whole fruit to be healthy. And, that's what happens, when we take care of our health at the level of the soul because, then, the physical and psychological dimensions are also nurtured. Therefore, don't miss out to fill some moments of your day with the melodies of divine music. Enjoy the ecstasy as well as good health!
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- Bitcoin mining is crucial for maintaining the security and integrity of the network by validating transactions
- The SHA256 hashing algorithm plays a significant role in ensuring network security through its unique digital fingerprints
- Miners play a vital role in maintaining network consensus, integrity, performance and the decentralized nature
How Does Bitcoin Mining Secure the Network?
Bitcoin mining, often heard in cryptocurrency circles, plays a critical role in securing the network and ensuring its integrity. This complex yet essential process not only validates transactions but also leads to the creation of new Bitcoins.
With an ever-growing interest in cryptocurrencies, understanding Bitcoin mining’s significance has become imperative for investors and enthusiasts alike.
Dive into this informative blog to uncover how miners contribute towards a secure and transparent Bitcoin network while discovering emerging green technologies that address environmental concerns surrounding mining activities.
Understanding Bitcoin Mining: Proof Of Work And Network Validation
Bitcoin mining refers to the process of validating transactions and creating new blocks on the blockchain, a process that is critical to ensuring network integrity and security.
What is Bitcoin Mining and How Does It Work?
Bitcoin mining is a crucial process that helps to maintain and secure the Bitcoin network. In simple terms, it involves solving complex mathematical problems using powerful computers for validating transactions on the blockchain.
When a miner successfully solves these calculations, they are rewarded with new Bitcoins and transaction fees paid by users making those transactions.
For a beginner in cryptocurrency, you could think of Bitcoin mining as an extensive digital treasure hunt happening behind the scenes while people transact using Bitcoins around the world.
Miners race against each other to find unique codes called “hashes” that validate each block of transactions added to the blockchain.
One fascinating aspect of Bitcoin mining is its decentralized nature; no single entity controls or governs how these puzzles get solved or when new blocks are formed. Instead, miners from around the globe work together in what’s known as ‘mining pools’ combining their computer power to solve problems faster than doing so individually – all while sharing rewards proportionally based on contributed effort.
Validation of Transactions and Creation of New Bitcoin
Bitcoin mining is an essential process that validates transactions on the network and rewards miners with new Bitcoin. When someone makes a transaction using Bitcoin, it needs to be verified by the network before it can be confirmed.
This verification process involves solving complex mathematical problems, which requires significant computational power.
The role of miners in creating new Bitcoin ensures that there is a constant supply of the cryptocurrency available in circulation. Without this reward system, there would be no incentive for miners to validate transactions or secure the network.
The Role of Miners in Securing the Network
Bitcoin miners are essential to the stability and security of the network. They play a critical role in validating transactions on the blockchain and adding new blocks to it, which keeps the records immutable and transparent.
Miners use powerful computers to solve complex mathematical problems that validate transactions before they can be added to the blockchain.
The decentralized nature of Bitcoin allows miners to serve as watchdogs who prevent fraudulent activity from occurring within its ecosystem.
The Significance of SHA256 and Mining in Bitcoin Security
The SHA256 hashing algorithm is a critical component of Bitcoin mining, as it ensures the security and immutability of the blockchain by creating unique digital fingerprints for each block.
The Process of Finding Blocks and Transaction Order
To understand the process of finding blocks and transaction order in Bitcoin mining, we must first know what a “block” is. A block can be considered as a chunk of verified transactions that are added to the Bitcoin blockchain.
Once a miner solves the puzzle, they add the newly validated block to the existing chain of blocks, creating an immutable record of all previous transactions on the network.
The order in which these blocks are added is determined by their cryptographic hashes, with each block containing a hash pointer to the previously mined block.
The complexity and difficulty level of these mathematical problems increase over time as more miners join the network, making it increasingly challenging for individual miners without significant computational resources to compete effectively.
The Influence of Miners on the Network
Bitcoin miners play a vital role in the network’s overall operation and performance. Miners validate transactions by solving complex mathematical equations, and their work is critical to maintaining the integrity of the Bitcoin blockchain.
The number of miners on the network affects its hash rate, which determines how quickly new blocks can be created. This, in turn, impacts transaction speed and confirmation times.
Additionally, as more miners join the network, it becomes increasingly decentralized since no single entity controls a majority of computational power.
Halving, Rewards, and Protecting the Blockchain
One critical aspect of Bitcoin mining is the concept of “halving.” This refers to the adjustment in rewards that miners receive for successfully validating transactions and creating new blocks.
Every 210,000 blocks, which typically takes about four years, the reward halves from its original value.
Halving helps to control inflation and regulate the supply of Bitcoin by gradually reducing rewards over time. Protecting the blockchain also involves ensuring that only valid transactions are recorded on it and preventing fraudulent activities like double-spending or altering transaction data.
What Are the Risks Associated With Bitcoin Mining?
What Are the Risks of Mining Bitcoins?
There is also an issue of security, as the decentralized nature of the blockchain makes it a target for hackers. If a miner’s computer is compromised, their bitcoins could be stolen.
Mining often requires specialized hardware and software, which can be vulnerable to security breaches. Governments and regulators are beginning to take an interest in the cryptocurrency market, which could lead to increased scrutiny and regulation.
This could limit the profitability of mining, or force miners to operate within a more regulated framework. While there is money to be made, mining bitcoins carries significant risks that should be carefully considered before investing in the endeavor.
What Happens if a Miner Mines an Invalid Block?
A miner who mines an invalid block, one that does not conform to the network’s protocol rules, is effectively wasting their energy and resources. Invalid blocks are typically rejected by the network, and any reward or transaction fees in the block are lost.
This can be costly for miners, as they bear the expenses of running their operations while receiving no monetary compensation.
If a miner intentionally mines an invalid block, they risk losing their reputation and credibility in the cryptocurrency community. This behavior can result in other miners refusing to collaborate with them, leading to isolation and reduced profits.
If a miner accidentally mines an invalid block due to technical glitches or errors in their system, they can take steps to identify and rectify the issue. This can involve debugging their code, reviewing their hardware setup, and upgrading their software to meet the network’s requirements.
The miner can then attempt to connect to the network again, hoping to successfully mine a valid block. Mining an invalid block is a costly and risky undertaking for miners. It can result in financial losses, reputational damage, and legal consequences, making adherence to the network’s protocol crucial to maintain effective collaboration and profitability.
What is Mining Centralization?
Mining centralization refers to the concentration of mining power in the hands of a few individuals or entities. In the context of cryptocurrencies, mining is the process of validating transactions and adding them to the blockchain.
As the difficulty of mining increases and the rewards decrease over time, it becomes harder for individual miners to compete with large-scale operations. This has led to the emergence of mining pools, which are groups of miners who combine their resources and share the rewards.
While mining pools can improve the chances of earning a steady income, they also pose a risk of centralization, as a few pools can dominate the network and potentially undermine its security and decentralization.
Some countries or regions may have an advantage in terms of energy costs, regulatory environment, or access to cheap hardware, which can further contribute to centralization.
To counteract the negative effects of mining centralization, some cryptocurrencies have implemented measures such as proof-of-stake consensus algorithms, which do not rely on computational power but rather on token ownership and participation in governance.
Other projects have explored alternative mining methods, such as using renewable energy sources or harnessing the unused computing power of ordinary users, to promote a more democratic and sustainable mining ecosystem.
What is Bitcoin Mining?
Bitcoin mining is the process of using computing power to validate and record transactions on the Bitcoin network and to generate new bitcoins.
How Does Bitcoin Mining Work?
Bitcoin mining works by using powerful computers called miners to solve complex mathematical equations. The first miner to solve the equation and validate a block of transactions is rewarded with a set amount of bitcoins, which serves as an incentive to continue mining.
What is the Block Reward?
The block reward is the amount of bitcoins that are awarded to the miner who successfully validates a block of transactions. Currently, the block reward is 6.25 bitcoins.
How Do Bitcoin Transactions Get Processed?
Bitcoin transactions are processed by nodes on the network. These nodes validate transactions and group them into blocks, which miners then compete to validate.
What is an ASIC?
An ASIC is a computer that is designed specifically for the purpose mining bitcoins. These chips offer significant performance advantages over traditional computer processors.
How Often Are New Bitcoins Generated?
New bitcoins are generated approximately every 10 minutes, when a miner successfully validates a block of transactions.
What is the Mining Difficulty?
The mining difficulty is a measure of how hard it is to solve the mathematical equations required to validate a block of transactions. This difficulty is adjusted periodically to ensure that new blocks are generated at a consistent rate.
Is Mining Bitcoin Profitable?
Whether or not mining bitcoin is profitable depends on several factors, including the cost of electricity, the cost of mining hardware, and the current price of bitcoin.
Can Anyone Participate in the Mining Process?
Yes, anyone with the necessary processing power can participate in the mining process and compete to solve blocks of transactions.
What is the Role of Mining Pools in the Mining Process?
Mining pools involves a collaboration of individuals aiming to increase the probability of block validation and reward by combining their computational resources. By pooling resources, miners can generate new blocks more quickly and efficiently than they would as individuals.
Conclusion: The Future of Mining and Its Role in Bitcoin Network Security
Bitcoin mining is a crucial process that ensures the security and integrity of the network. Miners play a significant role in verifying transactions, creating new blocks for the blockchain, and preventing fraud.
The Proof of Work consensus algorithm used for mining is based on computational power, making it highly competitive and energy-intensive.
As technology advances, we can expect to see emerging green mining technologies that improve efficiency and minimize negative impacts on the environment.
The role of Bitcoin mining in securing the network is important for anyone interested in cryptocurrencies or blockchain technology.
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The Copyright is the right of the ownership which is entitled to literature, drama, music, paintings. Copyright registration grants to the applicant all the rights to the reproduction, adaptation and the translation of the work. The copyright registration is done as per the Copyright Act 1957. This protects the honour for the creator. This lasts long for 60 years. Also the infringement is abstained. As per Section 2(o) of the copyright Act 1957, the literary work includes the computer programs, tables, compilations. Source code is also considered. Thus a tech-savvy can also apply for the copyright registration.
Importance of copyright registration
- The copyright registration provides the goodwill to the owner. It precludes the unauthorized usage of the creation.
- The copyright registration avails the global protection.
- The copyright registration keeps the track of the creator.
- The copyright registration is one of the intellectual property rights and it is a record for the date of publication of the work.
- The copyright registration provides the royalty rights to the owner.
- Name and the address of the applicant
- Identity proof
- Nationality of the applicant
- Features of the original work and its supporting documents
- Publication date of the work
- Title of the work
- Artistic works
- Audio visual works
- Sound tracks
- Media works
- Choreography works
- Computer programs
Documents required for Copyright Registration
What are the types of works will have the copyright protection?
Procedure for registration
Step 1: Application filed
The copyright application should be filed with all the details of the works mentioned. Type of work is also mentioned.
Step 2: Documents verification
All the applications and the forms must have duly signed by the applicant and the power of attorney should be executed.
Step 3: Diary number
Once the document and other process will be verified and the applicant receives the diary number.
Step 4: application status
The examiner reviews for the potential discrepancies and the objections.
Step 5: Issuance of registered certificate
Once the inconsistency is removed, a copyright will be registered and the certificate will be issued.
The ideas or the expressions cannot have the copyright registration. Under the section 15 of the copyright Act 1957 or Design Act 2000, the copyright registration is refrained. It is one of the intellectual property rights and is a tangible asset.
No. acquisition of the copyright is automatic. This does not need any formality. During the infringement, it serves as prima facie evidence.
It refers to the registered collective administration society under the Section 33 of Copyright Act 1957.
Authors and owner of the copyright cannot keep the track of all the works of the work. It keeps vigil over the uses of those works.
- Indian Performing Right Society Limited (IPRS)
- Indian Reprographic Rights Organization (IRRO)
- Indian Signers Rights Association (ISRA)
The registration is granted for 5 years.
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If you yourself don’t wear them, you almost definitely know someone who does: Contact lenses — those small, curved pieces of plastic that correct vision impairment — are one of the most successful medical device technologies. They are a part of daily life for millions of Americans. But how were these clever lenses developed, and how are they made?
Contact lenses are corrective or cosmetic devices worn on the eye, typically made of thin plastic that sits atop a layer of tears over the cornea. For many of our patients, especially athletes and those with an active lifestyle, they are the preferred vision correction method over glasses because they offer convenience and freedom of movement.
There are three main types of contact lenses in use today: soft, gas-permeable, and hybrid. Soft lenses are the most comfortable because they have the highest water content. The downside is that the thin plastic can rip very easily. If you wear daily lenses, you wear soft lenses. Hard or gas-permeable lenses are another option that offers the best vision correction for specific eye shapes or vision conditions. While these can last for years (if you don’t lose or crack one), they can “pop” out of the eye, and their rigid nature can require an adjustment period before they feel comfortable. There is a third type – a compromise between hard and soft lenses: Hybrid lenses feature a rigid plastic center surrounded by a softer “skirt” of plastic at the edges. They offer the crisp vision of a hard lens with the increased comfort of a soft lens.
History of Contact Lenses
Long before today’s plastic technologies existed, the first contact lens was developed by German physiologist Adolf Fick in 1887. It was made of glass and covered the entire white part of the eye, known as the sclera. Other scientists developed corneal and scleral lenses made of Plexiglas and plastic, but fitting them required an uncomfortable process of creating an impression of the eye (ouch!).
The first successful soft contact lenses were developed in Czechoslovakia in 1954, made of a hydrophilic gel polymer plastic that was comfortable enough to wear in the eye. Despite initial scorn from the optics community, Czech scientist Otto Wichterle persisted in perfecting soft contact lenses in his kitchen. He and his wife eventually produced thousands of pairs for testing.
The raw material for contact lenses is a plastic polymer, with hard lenses typically made of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and soft lenses made of poly hydroxyethyl methacrylate (pHEMA) or other hydrophilic materials. Hydrophilic means “water-loving,” so it absorbs and mixes well with water and the tear layer of your eyes. Lens manufacturers continue to make advances in materials that will provide the best vision and comfort. While most contact lenses are worn during the day and removed at night for cleaning, extended-wear and daily wear lenses are also available for added convenience.
How contact lenses are made
Contact lenses are made from a variety of materials, each with its unique properties. The modern manufacturing process involves 7 steps.
- Lens Shape and Design. Manufacturers must first design a contact lens that meets the specifications of the prescription. This process is based on factors such as the degree of refractive error, pupil position, and eye shape. Special design software enables precise calculations and adjustments.
- Lens Material. There are various lens materials available for contact lenses, including soft hydrogels, silicone hydrogels, and rigid gas-permeable materials. The ideal material is selected based on prescription strength, oxygen permeability level, and wearer comfort.
- Lens Molding. The lens molding process shapes the lens material according to design specifications. Using specialized, automated machinery, manufacturers can produce very precise and intricate shapes to accommodate the unique eye shape of each wearer.
- Lens Casting. The plastic lens material is heated until it is soft and pliable, then injected into the lens mold, where it is pressed into the correct shape. The lens is then cooled to set its shape.
- Lens Cutting. The lens-cutting process is a precision, typically automated operation with careful attention to detail to ensure that the lens is cut to the exact design specifications for the prescription.
- Lens Finishing. Finishing involves smoothing and polishing the lens surface to remove any rough edges or imperfections to ensure it is smooth and comfortable for the wearer.
- Lens Inspection and Packaging. Contact lenses undergo a rigorous inspection process to ensure they meet the highest optical clarity and precision. Then they are packaged in a sterile container that keeps the lenses clean and safe during shipping and storage.
The end result is a high-quality lens that provides the wearer with clear and accurate vision!
Are You Contact-Curious? Call Us Today
If you or a loved one are curious about contact lens options, call us today to make an appointment. We will discuss and recommend the best contact lens options for your unique eye shape, vision impairment, and lifestyle needs. We’re excited to help you on your journey toward enjoying the freedom of vision that contact lenses can provide for your active lifestyle.
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One of the better arguments for the adoption of national standards is that it is necessary to prevent a race to the bottom among states and localities. States wishing to look good rather than actually be good may be tempted to lower their academic expectations so that they can more easily declare victory without having to make any educational progress. Imposing a national standard would prevent this race to the bottom because all states would have to compete on the same scale and could not manipulate the measuring tape to appear 10 feet tall.
There is some evidence that this kind of race to the bottom has been occurring. Rick Hess and Paul Peterson, for example, have compared state cut scores for proficiency on their state tests to results on the U.S. Department of Education’s National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to show that the level of achievement required to be declared proficient in many states has been dropping over the last decade. In his recent review of the Maranto and McShane book on Obama’s education policies, Nathan Glazer described how advocates for national standards see them as a fix for this race to the bottom:
in Race to the Top, “the Obama administration tacitly gave its approval to a set of ‘Common Core Standards’ developed by a consortium of state school officers and tied Race to the Top dollars to participation in the program.” This may be a path to finally getting a set of national standards and overriding the standards the states set, which have in many states been pushed lower. This “race to the bottom” has made it easier to show adequate yearly progress (AYP) and avoid triggering measures required for schools that do not show AYP.
So does competition among states and localities really produce a race to the bottom or does competition motivate improvement and spark continual improvements? The answer depends on what states and localities are competing for. If states and localities are competing to receive federal funds and/or avoid federal sanctions, as Glazer describes states seeking to make AYP, then competition will produce a race to the bottom. In competing for bureaucratic approval from the feds, states only have to appear good (satisfy the bureaucratic requirements), but they don’t have to actually be good. Competing for the bureaucratic approval of the federal government turns education into a redistributive policy where the goal is to get a larger share of the federal largess.
But if states and localities are competing for residents and businesses to increase their tax base, then the incentive from competition is to increase standards and quality. Millions of individuals are not so easily fooled and can distinguish between phony claims of progress created by lowering the bar and real progress. Clever bureaucrats can also tell the difference but they are bound by the rules for dispersing rewards and sanctions and so are forced into encouraging a race to the bottom. Individual face no similar constraints. They want to move to the areas with the best schools to help their kids, enhance their property values, and have access to a quality labor force. Individuals may make mistakes or have bad taste, but in aggregate they reward real educational progress not fake, race to the bottom, manipulation.
The history of U.S. education is filled with evidence of how this competition for residents and tax base has spurred improvements in quality and increases in rigor. The economic historian, William Fischel, carefully documents how the development and spread of high school education in the United States was driven by localities seeking to compete for residents demanding a more rigorous education. And the standards required for graduating high school have steadily increased over time. Graduation requires more college-prep coursework. In almost half of the states students now have to pass a state test to receive a standard diploma. And 37 states instituted their own testing and accountability systems before NCLB was adopted. The result of these state and local efforts was not always a rigorous education, but they clearly show a trend toward higher standards and quality in response to consumer demand. Competition produces a race to the top as long as it is competition for individual taxpayers and business instead of competition for federal government handouts.
So, if a race to the bottom is fueled by the desire to satisfy federal bureaucratic rules, why would we think the solution is in the adoption of more federal bureaucratic rules? National standards will just create a new regime of gaming, manipulation, and the appearance of progress without the actuality of it. Expanding choice and competition for individuals is the solution to a race to the bottom, not more centralized control that stifles that competition.
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This post lists the confirmed errata for Effective Perl Programming, Second Edition. We’ll collect reports and fix up what we can for subsequent printings.
We classify problems into five types, encoded by their first letter:
- A Serious technical mistake usually means we said something that was completely wrong and there is no hope in salvaging it.
- A Minor technical mistake usually means that the code we show somehow has an error, but once fixed, its main point is still valid. For example, we might have used a different variable name in the text (so
strictis violated) or we used the wrong module name.
- A Formatting error might look like a technical mistake, but when we look at our original source, we see that we got it right. On its way to the book, however, something didn’t convert it correctly. A problem with formatting is usually easily solved by reformatting, while a true technical error needs more adjustments.
- A Typo or typography problem can be a simple misspelling, or a problem where the typeface obscures the meaning. For instance, a typeset
@might look too fancy to be recognizable as a Perl sigil, or something that is supposed to stand out doesn’t (or something that shouldn’t, does).
- A Clarification usually means we left out something we assumed everyone already knows, but is important for the point we are making. That is, we should have explained more of the issue.
To report a problem, send us an email at errata at effectiveperlprogramming dot com or use this Google spreadsheet form. The erratum won’t appear in the spreadsheet until we confirm it.
This is a Google spreadsheet displayed in an iframe. If you can’t see the spreadsheet, you can try accessing it directly.
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One of Mark Zuckerberg’s first steps toward building the metaverse may be physical instead of virtual. Meta, as Facebook is now known, has discussed opening stores to showcase its virtual reality and augmented reality devices. https://t.co/VFVUnOoxdb
— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 5, 2021
Virtual reality is a hot topic these days, but what is this hype actually about?
Are you old enough to remember the first days of the internet?
My dad was in the computer industry in the early 90s. I remember how his friends made fun of him when he said, “One day, everyone will use the internet on a daily basis.”
Before he died in 2001, he told me to buy stocks of the first company able to build a device that could be used for communication, taking pictures, and listening to music. A few years later, the first iPhone was released by Apple. Saying that this device changed our lives would be an understatement.
And I am not talking about iPhone, I am talking about all the devices we use every day. I am talking about the time we spend online as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
Let’s imagine doing a time travel to the 70s.
First of all, if we somehow managed to bring a smartphone to that time, we would have been able to sell it for billions of dollars. If you feel that I am exaggerating, please google what computers looked like at that time. The devices in our pockets are far more advanced than any technology available in the 70s that would fill up an entire house.
After explaining what a smartphone is, we would have to explain social media to our friends from the 70s. They wouldn’t believe a single word of our explanations. They would probably ask, “Why would anyone spend their days arguing with strangers on the internet?”
What sounds normal to us today would have been labelled as crazy talk a few decades ago—and I feel the same thing is about to happen again.
Let’s say we are at the supermarket. We see bananas and think about buying them. But before buying them, we want to know more. We want to know where these bananas came from and if they were grown in an eco-sustainable way. And that’s where our AR glasses come to play.
This is how Walmart envisions Shopping in the #Metaverse.
Thoughts? ? pic.twitter.com/5l7KhoBse7
— Homo Digitalis (@DigitalisHomo) January 3, 2022
But there are even more useful ways to use AR.
A few weeks ago, I was thinking about getting some new furniture. A friend told me about a new app released by IKEA. This app uses AR to show us what the furniture looks like in our home (virtually). I had a lot of fun playing with that app but decided not to get the bed that looks like a spaceship (after consulting my partner).
One of the most famous applications of AR is gaming. You might have heard about “Pokémon Go“—the first game ever that makes gamers spend time outside. Who would have thought 20 years ago?
In the future our lives will be infused by #6G-powered #MixedReality, at a very high speed (up to 200 Gbps) #AR #VR #MR #Metaverse #China #CES2022 @JoannMoretti @CurieuxExplorer @anand_narang @Hana_ElSayyed @TheAdityaPatro @PawlowskiMario @MargaretSiegien @kalydeoo @enilev pic.twitter.com/waTtNYDFGs
— Franco Ronconi ?? (@FrRonconi) January 7, 2022
But what about the Metaverse Mark Zuckerberg is dreaming about? What is that supposed to be?
One of the most popular video games of all time gives us an idea of what the Metaverse could look like—I am talking about Grand Theft Auto (GTA). This game allows the player to move around in a virtual city, interacting with other players.
When one player stops to play, the rest of this virtual city keeps going. The virtual playground exists 24/7, and players decide when to enter (or leave) it.
And that’s basically the concept of the Metaverse. The only difference is that Zuckerberg doesn’t want us to steal virtual cars; he wants us to spend money on virtual items, meetings, and real estate. Deepak Chopra is already setting up a virtual mediation center in the Metaverse.
And, of course, this all sounds so far-fetched today. But maybe we are witnessing the same dynamic like decades ago when some nerds claimed that almost everyone would have internet access one day, and people laughed at them.
I am not here to judge any of that. I don’t know if I want to hang out in a virtual coffee shop talking to avatars. And I am worried about the impact on humanity.
These VR games getting a little too dangerous ??? pic.twitter.com/GZzjdt2N5d
— Hood Comedy (@HoodComedyEnt) December 30, 2021
The last two years showed us how important face-to-face meetings are (and I am not talking about Zoom). So, I am not sure if the Metaverse is able to nurture these needs. There is a difference between virtually meeting someone and meeting someone in the real world.
But what do I know? I also don’t use dating apps, but I hear that some folks love them. Some of us might actually enjoy meeting others in a virtual space instead of attending a crowded nightclub—I am looking at all the introverts out there.
Only time will tell how all of that works out.
And that brings us to the part that I called shenanigans in the title—I am talking about money. How are we going to pay for stuff in the Metaverse?
Today, social media is dominated by folks who are trying to sell products, coaching packages, and other stuff. The former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey thinks that this is a result of content creators not getting paid for their work. Wait, what?
As many smart people pointed out over the last years, the main problem with social media is that we are feeding it with content without any compensation. Zuckerberg makes money because we spend time looking at each other’s content. Big-tech makes money with the time we spend online—why not pay those who make us stay online instead?
That’s Dorsey’s vision for the future of the internet. He wants content creators to get directly paid for their content and make them less dependent on advertisements and affiliate links. That doesn’t sound too bad, right?
But before we enter a promising future for content creators, there are a lot of problems that need to get solved.
The main problem is the energy consumption of cryptocurrencies. The last thing we need is a new technology that wastes energy and worsens the ongoing climate crisis.
And there is some hope; it’s based on renewable energies. The need for cheaper (and more eco-friendly) energy might also drive the evolution of renewable energies to the next level.
I am aware that all of this sounds like science fiction to many of us—but it wasn’t any different with the so-called internet decades ago, right?
I often ask myself what my dad would say about all this. But he died more than 20 years ago. It would take a long time to update him on what happened in the last two decades—and that’s exactly how we might feel 20 years from now.
Let’s keep an open mind and try to make sense of it all. All these new technologies will change our lives, but we don’t know in which way.
And that part depends on our actions.
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Late drilling of cereals this year has been inevitable after the challenges of a very wet autumn and winter.
In general Scotland’s winter barley crops went in before the weather broke and are looking relatively well despite saturated soils. Winter wheat is a different story and crops where drilling was delayed by wet weather until late October or later have commonly struggled with emergence, often looking very poor and with seed often rotting in the drills.
Wheat drilling has continued into the new year where ground conditions have allowed but the crop protection needs of late drilled crops are very different to those of early drilled crops. SRUC trials conducted as part of an AHDB project on wheat agronomy show that delaying drilling for a month has the broadly the same reduction on Septoria levels as drilling a susceptible 4 rated variety versus a resistant variety rated 8. That gives plenty of scope to reduce early inputs to the late drilled crop, which probably aligns with a more reduced yield potential. The need for a T0 spray timed for before the first application targeted at leaf 3 emerging (T3) is very reduced in a late drilled scenario. One reason for a T0 might be to manage mildew although with the reduction in Leeds in the Scottish acreages there are fewer reports of mildew this year. Yellow rust is another reason why a T0 might be justified but with less winter crop in the ground and very few early reports, even south of the border, the risk is probably lower this year than most.
Stem base disease risks are another factor reduced by late drilling and this might allow for further rationalisation of T1 inputs where commonly SDHI and prothioconazole actives have helped to manage the risk from eyespot. If eyespot is less of a risk then reducing rates or taking out the SDHI component might be an option if other disease risks allow.
In winter barley the overwintering issues can be varied and include rhynchosporium, net blotch and mildew. Crops to date seem fairly clean but if the disease does get established then it can be hard to nail at the main T1 timing aimed at the start of stem extension and an early spray at mid-tillering could be justified. If the early disease is highlighted from crop walking then a T0 spray using different fungicide groups to those intended for later in the season is a sensible approach to reduce the risk of fungicide resistance in your later chemistry.
Tailoring fungicides to suit the seasonal risks and the drilling dates of crops is very much part of an Integrated Pest Management Approach – and a plus when you fill in your in-line IPM plan at https://www.fas.scot/environment/biodiversity/integrated-pest-management/
Fiona Burnett SRUC, for the Farm Advisory Service.
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When you are in your twenty’s, you get perpetual recitations on money saving and management
This indeed is a great thing, because an advise like this is always treasure worthy.
However apart from managing finances and saving money, it is also crucial to master the art of spending right.
Let’s discuss about where you should be spending your money.
Health is something that should be kept on top priority. You might not want to think about health when you are young, but health insurance is one of the things 20-somethings should spend their money on. While being a student you maybe covered under your parent’s health plan. However beyond that stage, you need to invest in order to be better prepared when an emergency strikes.
Medical bills are scary, especially when they get piled up. So it is imperative to sort out these finances in order to escape the last moment distraught.
From personal experience, one trip to the emergency room can cost thousands of dollars, which can easily deplete your savings account.
Even if you can’t afford the best coverage, some coverage is better than none.
There are various life insurance policies to opt for in india.
Life insurance is relatively cheap if you’re a young adult with no major health problems.
If you’re single with no dependents, you may feel life insurance is unnecessary at this point in your life.
However, a policy can pay off your debts.
Plus, the death benefit can cover your funeral and burial, taking the financial burden off your family.
You should monitor credit report once in a year. This helps in keeping a check on your credit scores.
Even if you do not have a credit history or a long credit history, it is imperative to stay on top of your report.
Erroneous credit has many implications on future loan requests and applications.
You can evaluate your credit once on CIBIL by paying Rs 550. Then there are different plans that you can take to monitor your account at regular intervals.
Building a retirement account
Retirement is a far-fetched idea. Thinking about retirement is one of your least priorities.
However money grows exponentially if you start investing at the right time. This would create a very comfortable and at ease retirement phase for you.
For retirement plans check our blog http://earlysalary.com/planning-for-retirement/
Investing in property
Most of you twenty-something’s would not think of buying a home. A rented space is what you need at this stage.
However with approaching stability and firm finances, thinking of investing in property is a great step indeed. This helps in safeguarding your future
You can build equity, and when you’re ready to sell your starter home, you can put the proceeds down on a nicer place..
Investing in reliable and cost-effective vehicles
It is a sensible decision when you choose to buy a vehicle that is both reliable and cost-effective.
You need to avoid buying new used cars, or stop dealing with numerous repairs that drain your pocket. A wiser decision is to purchase a newer model car that requires optimum maintenance. You can pay off the loan for the car gradually.
Money can be employed in various ways. But the best ways are something that you need to seek out. This helps in planning your present and future in a much better fashion.
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Plants with blue flowers add a calm, cooling splash of color to your landscape. Choose from these easy-care perennials, annuals, shrubs, vines, and bulbs that bloom in various shades of blue.
Blue is a color that comes in many different shades, and can compliment just about any home garden or landscaped area of your home. But which blue flowers should you plant?
Platycodon grandiflorus or Balloon Flower – An easy-to-grow perennial that gets its name from the puffed-up, balloon-like buds they form before blooming into star-shaped flowers.
Felica ammeloides or Kingfisher Daisy – A indigenous herbaceous perennials that grow quickly and produce the classic daisy blooms we know and love– just in a pretty blue color!
Viola ordorata or Sweet Violet – The sweet violet may be a common sight in gardens, but its purple-blue blooms areuniquely spectacular. Its leaves are heart-shaped, topped with white-throated blue blossoms.
Evolvulus glomoratus or Dwarf Morning Glory – a gorgeous,herbaceous perennial plant that grows flowers that are lavender to blue. These plants adore the sunlight and will drink it in all day, closing at nightfall– similar to the morning glory.
Muscari hybrids or Grape Hyacints – low-growing bulb that develop adorable, tiny, bell-shaped flowersthat grow in clusters– much like grapes. Great for you winter garden.
Hydrangea macrophylla or Blue Cristmast Flower – If you want to grow blue hydrangeas, you will have to pay attention to the pH levels of the soil; highly acidic soils produce blue flowers, while more alkaline soil produces pink flowers.
Agapanthus africanus or blue Nile Lily -The lily of the Nile is bright, showy, and alluring, coming in gorgeous shades of blue to blue-purple. These flowers absolutely love the sun and will need 6 to 8 hours of sunlight each day.
Scabiosa columbaria or Pincussion Flower – A compact perennial forming clumps of flowers, blooming with blue blossoms for a very long time– from late spring to the first frost.
Plumbago auriculatat – A resilient and attractive scrambling shrub that is versatile and used in gardens throughout the world. It has delicate, pale green leaves and produces masses of powder blue flowers throughout summer.
Buddleja salviifolia or Butterly Bush – One of the toughest indigenous shrubs, Buddleja salviifoliais evergreen with attractive grey-green leaves. It bears lovely clusters of fragrant, blue flowers in late winter or early spring.
Blue is truly a regal, gorgeous color that can bring a lot of life and joy into your garden. Now that you know the basics of how to care for many of these fantastic flowers, why not bring some into your home and see for yourself just how wonderful they are?
Join us this Friday 10 February 2023 for our FREE online workshop on: ‘Blue Bayou’, with Garden Guru Sue Both.
Please use the following login details to join us at 11am sharp over Zoom:
GardenShop is more than a plant nursery. Step into a sanctuary filled with gardening inspiration, garden ideas, indigenous and flowering plants, plus a wide selection of on-trend flower pots, top quality bird feeders, exquisite patio furniture and classic garden décor. Transform your indoor living space into a green oasis filled with luscious indoor plants, paired with stylish indoor pots and beautiful containers.
Shop indoor and outdoor plants at our plant nursery in Parktown North. We have a wide range of products that will cater for almost all your needs.
GardenShop is more than a nursery. Step into a sanctuary filled with gardening inspiration, garden ideas, indigenous and flowering plants, plus a wide selection of on-trend flower pots, top quality bird feeders, exquisite patio furniture and classic garden décor. Transform your indoor living space into a green oasis filled with luscious indoor plants, paired with stylish indoor pots and beautiful containers.
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Before September 11, 2001, the general public did not have a clear idea of what search and rescue (SAR) dogs did. They were mostly viewed as dogs who did rescues out in natural disasters. However, that would all change when over 300 search and rescue teams would be called in for the rescue and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center and the Twin Towers. The dogs would take center stage and show their value during such a time of tragedy.
Though the last known 9/11 search and rescue dog sadly passed away in 2016, the actions of these dogs will reverberate for years to come. Alas, due to the severity of the tragedy, they were not able to recover many souls. However, through the solid canine-human bond, they were a source of comfort for those who worked at ground zero and people all over who learned about SAR dogs.
The AKC Museum of the Dog, an art museum located in New York City dedicated to man’s best friend, wishes to assist in keeping that legacy alive.
The Museum preserves, interprets, and celebrates the role of dogs in society and educates the public about the human-canine bond through its collection of art and exhibits that inspire engagement with dogs, including our next special exhibition, 9/11 Remembered: Search and Rescue Dogs, opening on September 1.
This exhibition will feature artwork highlighting search and rescue dogs, including sculptures from the DOGNY project. DOGNY was a public art installation and fundraiser conceived by Dennis Sprung, which raised two million dollars for canine search and rescue organizations throughout the United States. The exhibit will also include winners of the “Salute to Search and Rescue Dogs” art contest, which is accepting submissions until August 16.
In addition to our upcoming 9/11 Remembered exhibit, the Museum of the Dog celebrates dog heroes of all kinds. This summer, we are hosting a series with Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation that follows guide dogs in training as they learn how to be seeing-eye dogs for the blind and visually impaired. You can learn more about upcoming events and the history of SAR dogs and war dog heroes like Smoky and Sgt. Stubby from the comfort of your own home by visiting museumofthedog.org
The AKC Museum of the Dog preserves, interprets and celebrates the role of dogs in society and educates the public about the human-canine bond through its collection of art and exhibits that inspire engagement with dogs.
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Photo credit to Delia Giandeini on Unsplash.English translation: "All languages, all countries, always everywhere, for equality".
For well over 100 years now, the 8 March has marked International Women’s Day, a day to celebrate women’s achievements and fight for women’s equality. The observance has its roots in women workers’ demonstrations for shorter hours, better pay and the right to vote. The fact remains that a century on, women still do not have equal rights to their male counterparts. For this reason, we continue to observe International Women’s Day, to shine a light on women, and to demonstrate and protest for equality.
Until equality is achieved and we live in a truly inclusive, equitable and diverse world, International Women’s Day, similar to other observances, like Black History/Futures Month, Environment Days, Mother Language Day, and Remembrance Days, are key in educating and mobilising communities towards this goal.
Further than awareness-raising, education - regardless of gender - is essential in driving equality and forging a better future for all humans and the ecosystem on which we rely. In fact, quality education is one of the most powerful tools for lifting children and adults out of poverty and specifically narrows the gender gap for girls and women. Its impact is felt on every level from individual to international. The PEW Research Center showed that increased education of women contributed to the narrowing of the gender wage gap between 1980 and 2018. Limited educational opportunities for girls cost countries between $15 trillion and $30 trillion in lost lifetime productivity and earnings, according to a 2018 World Bank report.
This importance of empowering girls and women through inclusive, equitable and diverse education, in creating a better world for all ties in with Globethics.net’s core mission and values. We work to embed ethics in higher education, by empowering people, transforming societies with a holistic approach, standing up for integrity, developing competences, and acting sustainably. In fact, our 2021 international conference on Building New Bridges Together focused on finding solutions to the issues of inclusion, equity and diversity in higher education.
This morning, on 8 March, Globethics.net India marked International Women’s Day by holding a panel discussion under the topic of “Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow”. Organised in collaboration with the Department of Psychology and Counselling at St. Joseph University, Dimapur, Nagaland, the speakers put this important debate in context with a focus on the status of women today with reference to North-East India. Christine Housel, who gave the keynote address, noted how inspiring it was to see a roomful of young women reflecting and learning on such a day.
Globethics.net India: Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow Panel Discussion
Huge steps have of course been made in closing the gender gap over the past 100 years. Women have greater visibility as role models in every aspect of life, from politics to science to the boardroom and elsewhere. We have more legislative rights and more choices than before, the wage gap between men and women has got smaller - but it still exists, and is yet more severe for women of colour. Globally, violence against women, women’s health, and women’s education remain worse than that of men. Again, the situation of indigenous women and girls, and women and girls of colour, is even worse.
This year, one of the themes for IWD is #BreakTheBias. It calls for all of us to break the bias, whether conscious or unconscious, in our homes, workplaces, schools, colleges, universities and communities to work towards a world that is equitable, inclusive and diverse, and free from stereotypes and discrimination.
International Women’s Day has been observed in many different ways since its conception. Demonstrations, marches and political rallies, conferences, activities run by national and local governments, corporations and organisations, networking events, theatrical performances, parades and more. In some countries, IWD is similar to Mother’s Day, with small presents given to mothers, grandmothers, wives, friends and colleagues. In others, 8 March is a public holiday - in some, for women only, like in China, Madagascar, and Nepal.
With a view to sharing some insight on what International Women’s Day means to different women around the world, some of the women of Globethics.net have shared their own thoughts, words and actions:
Globethics.net Interim Head of Library Anja Andriamasy shares a poem she wrote, in French [English translation on right], inspired by women and by International Women’s Day.
Dans les mains d’un être humainIl y a l’amour pour son prochainQui ne souhaite que s’élever et brillerDans un avenir sans peur du lendemain
Dans les mains de l’être humainIl y a la capacité de créerEt de construire un avenir juste, sereinEt durable pour le monde sans en exclure certains
La femme est un être humainAvec toutes les qualités et les capacitésQue l’être humain possède par sa bienveillanceEt son courage pour défendre ce qui paraît insignifiant
La femme est l’être humainQui voit le monde avec les yeux de l’amourPour son prochain et tout ce qui l’entourePour lui rappeler son unité avec la nature
Son courage dans les combats contre les maux dans le mondeEst digne de reconnaissance et de considérationCar dans les mains d’une femmeIl y a la vie et la sagesse pour éclairer les humains à être plus humain
In the hands of a human beingIs love for their neighbourWho wishes simply to rise and to shineIn a future without fear of tomorrow
In the hands of a human beingIs the ability to create and buildA future that is just, serene and sustainable,A world without exclusion
The woman is a human beingWith all the qualities and capacitiesOf the human, through her benevolenceAnd her courage to defend what may seem insignificant
The woman is the human beingWho sees the world through the eyes of loveFor her neighbour and all that surrounds herA reminder of her unity with nature
Her courage in fighting the evils in the worldIs worthy of recognition and considerationFor in the hands of a womanAre the life and wisdom to enlighten humans to be more human
Rajula V., Globethics.net India Regional Programme Executive and organiser of this morning’s panel discussion on the importance of gender equality for a sustainable future, sees IWD as a day of power and pride.
“8 March is International Women’s Day - devoted to celebrating the achievements of women and seeking gender equality. This year's theme being BreakTheBias, which is aimed at imagining a gender equal world and I extend my solidarity and support for breaking the bias for creating a just world for women. Women's Day means power to me. Yes, women power all over the world and I am proud to be a woman. In India, whether a women is from the South or North or East or West, women are considered inferior to men and we need to break the bias for a just world for women.”
For María Eugenia Barroso, Regional Programme Executive for Globethics.net Latin America, International Women’s Day is a day to commemorate and a day to fight for equality.
"En América Latina, una región con más de 331 millones de mujeres, el 8 de marzo ha dejado de ser una fecha de festejos, para convertirse en una fecha de conmemoración y lucha. El 8 de marzo representa para estas millones de mujeres la oportunidad de reivindicar los reclamos, los anhelos, batallas ganadas y las que restan por luchar. Desde hace cerca de un lustro, en la región ya no se escucha “feliz día”, sino #NiUnaMenos, #VivasNosQueremos y #YoTambién (versión latina del “#MeToo”), #8M, entre otros.
América Latina es la región más desigual del planeta, por lo que corregir los desequilibrios y crear sociedades más inclusivas para las mujeres continúa siendo un imperativo. De acuerdo con el informe del Banco Mundial “Mujer, Empresa y el Derecho”, la inclusión de la mujer como empresarias, consumidoras, tomadoras de decisiones y como líderes es clave para el progreso de la región. A pesar de que hubo progresos en los últimos años, existen brechas que llevará décadas eliminarlas. Asimismo, la pandemia del coronavirus ha provocado un retroceso en en este proceso".
"In Latin America, a region with more than 331 million women, March 8 has ceased to be a date of celebration, to become a date of commemoration and fight. March 8 represents the opportunity to vindicate the claims, the desires, the battles won and those that remain to be fought. For nearly five years, in the region, we no longer hear "happy day", but #NiUnaMenos, #VivasNosQueremos and #Yo Tambien (the Latin version of the "#MeToo"), #8M, among others.
Latin America is the most unequal region on the planet, so correcting imbalances and creating more inclusive societies for women is imperative. According to the World Bank report "Women, Business and the Law", including women as businesswomen, consumers, decision-makers and leaders is key to the region's progress. However, although there has been progress in recent years, there are gaps that will take decades to eliminate. Also, the coronavirus pandemic has caused a setback in this process."
For Christine Housel, of Globethics.net Donor Relations and Strategic Partnerships, International Women’s Day offers a supportive space to develop herself and to support other women in their development and flourishing.
"My own experience of International Women’s Day began when I led delegations of young women (with some men) to the UN Commission on the Status of Women, which falls in the same timeframe. Being together in spaces of mostly women was a new experience for me. Here I learned new things about the plight and the potential of women in different contexts around the world and new things about how I could contribute to creating a more loving and just space for women to develop, exercise their gifts and experience their full human rights. I found support to grow in using my own voice and develop my leadership, which marked me deeply. Each International Women’s Day my resolve is reinforced to remain active in support of women’s flourishing as well as deepened partnership with men for the flourishing of all."
Lucy Howe López, Globethics.net Deputy Executive Director, reflects on IWD as a day to remember the important women in her life and the love and learning they have shared.
"IWD for me is the occasion to remember all those women in our lives who have taught us, cared for us, loved us into being who we are today. I think in particular of those who are role models, my grandmother, my high school English teacher, the neighbour who always invited me in, my aunt who just passed on who found joy in difficult times in tending her garden, my colleagues and my mother who never stopped teaching, who had faith in me."
To me, International Women’s Day is a reminder to be thankful for the actions of those women who have paved the way for me today, a reflection on my privilege and my responsibility in that respect, and a call to take further action towards equality of all human beings. It is also a celebration of the incredible love, support and achievements of all of the women in my life, and a day of hope, that we may see real change in our lifetimes.
Almost two-thirds of the world’s 775 million illiterate adults are women. Girls in most of Afghanistan have not been allowed back to school beyond grade 7 since the Taliban takeover in August 2021. Empowering women through education and creating an ethical education ecosystem is key to forging gender equality and forging a better, safer, more inclusive world for all. So our work continues at Globethics.net, and so the observance of International Women’s Day continues, until we achieve our mission.
With huge thanks to the Globethics.net team for sharing your perspectives and for your ongoing support not just today but always.
Josie HoughGlobethics.net Communications & Project Assistant
Conferencia Internacional Conjunta
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Ubuntu as an opportunity for change
Quality for Impact in the Real World
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To get us in the mood for that, Earth Day Network has created this "Foodprints for the Future." We all know what a "footprint" is, but what's a "foodprint?" From their website:
"A foodprint measures the environmental impacts associated with the growing, producing, transporting, and storing of our food— from the natural resources consumed to the pollution produced to the greenhouse gases emitted."To learn more about footprints and the merits and health benefits of a plant-based diet, check out the mini movie Earth Day Network created. It does a great job of doing some myth busting about moving to a more plant-based diet...and may inspire you to throw in a few more meatless meals into your meal planning!
Earth Day Network's "Foodprints for the Future" website. You can also learn more about our food impact (including food waste), their projects, and tips on what you can do.
Don't forget to check out their wealth of resources (including infographics, articles, and calculators).
Video from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Etpk74K_lU&feature=emb_logo ; Images from https://theworldlink.com/community/bandon/entertainment/earth-day-event-to-celebrate-years/article_bce1482f-df82-55b3-9a5c-02d183b9b52b.html and https://www.earthday.org/campaign/foodprints-for-future/
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Equality Court prohibits display of old South African flag
Old flag should only be displayed for “genuine artistic, academic or journalistic expression in the public interest”
The gratuitous display of the old South African flag now constitutes hate speech. This is according to a ruling by Judge Phineas Mojapelo in the Equality Court which sat in Johannesburg on Wednesday.
This means that the display of the old South African flag both in public and private spaces has been prohibited. The exception is where the old flag is displayed for “genuine artistic, academic or journalistic expression in the public interest”.
The court found that the constitutional right to freedom of expression “does not extend to” advocacy of hatred based on race. Because the display of the old flag amounts to hate speech, it is not constitutionally protected speech.
On 30 October 2017, a protest – dubbed by the organisers as “Black Monday” – was held against farm murders and violence on farms in South Africa. During the protest, some participants displayed the old South African flag in public, sparking widespread outrage and public debates. (See GroundUp’s report the of the Black Monday protest in Cape Town.)
The Nelson Mandela Foundation and the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) then approached the Equality Court to declare the gratuitous display of the old flag hate speech. They also wanted the court to declare that it amounted to unfair discrimination and “harassment” on the basis of race in terms of the Equality Act.
Afriforum opposed the application, arguing that the right to freedom of expression includes the right to display the old flag. The Federasie van Afrikaanse Kultuurvereniginge (FAK), was admitted as a friend of the court. FAK is the oldest organisation in South Africa which is dedicated to protecting Afrikaans culture and heritage. They were also opposed to the old flag being banned.
Johannesburg Pride, the NGO which is responsible for the annual LGBT+ pride parade in Johannesburg, was also admitted as a friend of the court. They argued that the old flag was a symbol of racism and homophobia.
The old flag was adopted in 1927, when only whites could stand for Parliament. The flag was introduced at the time to forge unity between Afrikaners and the English. The Equality court stated that when the old flag was adopted, people of colour were excluded from the discussions.
The court noted that the Immorality Act (which banned marriage and sexual relationships between blacks and whites) and other pieces of racist legislation were passed during the time that the old flag was the official one of the country. This meant that the old flag was part of a scheme of laws which sought to entrench “racial segregation and white supremacy.”
The court case
During the hearings, the court had to decide whether the “gratuitous display” of the old flag constituted hate speech, unfair discrimination and harassment in terms of the Equality Act. This meant examining whether the “gratuitous” display of the old flag other than for academic, journalistic or artistic purposes, was protected by the right to freedom of expression. To do this, the court had to consider the rights to human dignity and equality against the right to freedom of expression.
The old flag was only abolished in 1994, when South Africa ushered in its first multi-racial and democratically elected government. The new flag represents a “united democratic non-racial South Africa,” the court said.
Most of the parties conceded that the old flag was a symbol of the apartheid regime which dehumanised black people. Afriforum conceded that “most South Africans recoil from the old flag” but also argued that the flag has multiple meanings. FAK on the other hand argued that the old flag represented reconciliation between Afrikaners and the English. But the court rejected this argument. “A reconciliation between white Boers and white British … which excludes black people is simply racist,” the judge wrote.
The court said that in 1976, the United Nations passed an international treaty which acknowledged that apartheid was a crime against humanity. Also, the flag was an international symbol of white supremacy. For example, in 2015, convicted murderer, Dylan Roof, killed nine black congregants in Charleston, South Carolina. He was wearing the old flag at the time of the murders. “All peace-loving South Africans must be ashamed of the display of the old flag,” the court said.
Does the display of the flag constitute hate speech?
In terms of the Equality Act hate speech is defined as any “words” which clearly intend to propagate, or advocate hatred based on race or other grounds. The court had to determine whether the display of the old flag constituted a form of “words.” The court pointed out that the purpose of the Act was to protect the right to dignity and freedom from racial discrimination.
The court found that the reference to “words” includes speech, ideas, ideologies, beliefs and instructions. It covers all expressions of ideas, verbal and otherwise that amount to hate speech. A narrow interpretation would mean a person is prohibited from calling their black colleague a baboon but not prohibited from circulating an image of that same colleague’s face superimposed on the body of a baboon. That would be absurd.
The impact of the old flag
The court said that it did not matter that some people might be indifferent to the profound suffering black people endured during apartheid and not care about the display of the old flag. The fact remains that objectively, the old flag demeans and dehumanises people based on their race. It impairs their human dignity.
“When people display the old flag, they choose an oppressive symbol over a symbol of liberation,” the court said. Also, for many black people the display of the flag invokes painful memories of the brutality of apartheid. This includes being called the “K-word” and other dehumanising acts.
The court said that for black South Africans still seeing the old flag in peoples’ private homes (when they visit them or are employed in a person’s household) could impair their dignity and equality. The court concluded that the ban extends to private settings too.
The implication of this judgment is that the display of the old flag in public or private settings constitutes hate speech. But the old flag is not completely banned. A person is still entitled to display the old flag for genuine artistic, academic or journalistic reasons in the public interest.
© 2019 GroundUp.
This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
You may republish this article, so long as you credit the authors and GroundUp, and do not change the text. Please include a link back to the original article.
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Child sexual abuse (CSA) involves the forcing or enticing of a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, not necessarily involving a high level of violence, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The behaviours and acts associated with CSA may involve physical contact or non-contact activities. CSA covers a range of offending behaviours that can fall into a variety of criminal offences and legislation. The important first step is to recognise the risk and make a referral to the Police to provide the opportunity to bring perpetrators to justice and protect victims.
There are two types of CSA:
1. Contact CSA
Contact abuse is when an abuser makes physical contact with a child and includes:
- Sexual touching of any part of a child’s body, whether they’re clothed or not.
- Using a body part or object to rape or penetrate a child.
- Forcing a child to take part in sexual activities.
- Making a child undress or touch someone else.
- Contact abuse can include touching, kissing and oral sex.
- Sexual abuse isn’t just penetrative
2. Non-contact CSA
Non-contact abuse is when a child is abused without being touched by the abuser. This can be in person or online and includes:
- Exposing or flashing.
- Showing pornography.
- Exposing a child to sexual acts.
- Making them masturbate.
- forcing a child to make, view or share child abuse images or videos
- Making, viewing or distributing child abuse images or videos.
- Forcing a child to take part in sexual activities or conversations online or through a smartphone.
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Keeping Children Safe
Safeguarding children and child protection
All organisations that work with or come into contact with children should have safeguarding policies and procedures to ensure that every child, regardless of their age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation, has a right to equal protection from harm.
Setting up and following good safeguarding policies and procedures means children are safe from adults and other children who might pose a risk. This includes voluntary and community organisations, faith groups, private sector providers, as well as schools, hospitals and sports clubs.
What is safeguarding?
Safeguarding is the action that is taken to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm.
protecting children from abuse and maltreatment
preventing harm to children’s health or development
ensuring children grow up with the provision of safe and effective care
taking action to enable all children and young people to have the best outcomes.
Child protection is part of the safeguarding process. It focuses on protecting individual children identified as suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. This includes child protection procedures which detail how to respond to concerns about a child.
At Headstart School the safety and welfare of our children is of the utmost importance.
We all have a duty to protect children from harm and abuse and be aware that any child may be at risk.
Please see below our Safeguarding team and our policies to ensure children are safe.
Contact below if you have a safeguarding concerns:
This communication will go directly to our Safeguarding lead and/or the Safeguarding Governor.
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High cholesterol, also known as hypercholesterolemia, is often associated with men. But this doesn’t mean that it cannot affect women. Female hormone estrogen may give extra protection so premenopausal women are less likely to develop the condition. But when going through menopause, this hormone declines and the cholesterol level will increases easily.
Cholesterol, a fatlike substance, is naturally produced in the liver. It’s required to help serve some functions in the body. For example, healthy-balanced cholesterol level is required for the production of certain hormones, vitamin D, and plays a part for the formation of cell membranes. So cholesterol is not always bad.
You can also get cholesterol from your diet. There are lots of foods that can boost you cholesterol up. The main ones are foods high in saturated fats and cholesterol – typically foods of animal origin such as red meat, egg-yolk, and high-fat dairy products.
And when there are more cholesterols than your body needs, this can lead to a number of health conditions. High cholesterol in the blood can lead to a dangerous plaque (a hardened buildup of cholesterol and fat) to form in your arteries.
The effect of the condition takes years or even decades to develop. So it doesn’t kill you today or tomorrow. Over time the plaque will clog the blood vessel which may end with a clogged artery like a blocked pipe.
The complication is dependent on where the clogged artery occurs. If it affects artery that carries blood to the brain, you may have a stroke. And if it occurs in your coronary artery, the consequences could be heart disease and heart attack.
To travel through bloodstream, cholesterol needs to attach to particles called lipoproteins – otherwise it cannot travel through the body because it doesn’t dissolve in the water. Lipoproteins are categorized into two main forms:
- LDL (also known as bad cholesterol), which stands for low-density lipoproteins. It is your main target to reduce in your cholesterol diet.
- HDL, high-density lipoproteins. Unlike LDL, HDL is good for your cardiovascular system since it can help carry LDL back to the liver for elimination. Therefore it is also called as good cholesterol.
There is no symptom of high cholesterol. The only way to know it is by taking a blood test to check it. In general, blood test for cholesterol is recommended at least once every five years.
Normally, your LDL level should be around 100 to 129 mg /dL (lower is better) – and 40 to 60 mg /dL for HDL (higher is better). From your LDL and HDL, you can get the number of your total cholesterol. Normal total cholesterol level is less than 200 mg /dL.
Menopause is a normal condition that signal the end of your childbearing age (typically confirmed when you have missed your periods for more than a year and there is no another obvious cause)! So actually it is not a disease.
This natural event is associated with decreased functioning of your reproductive ovaries due to aging. Your ovaries will start making less menstrual hormones (estrogen and progesterone) as you approach the late 30s. For such case, you go into a phase called pre-menopause (a natural biological process that precedes menopause). Your fertility declines during pre-menopause, but you can still get pregnant!
When does menopause occur? The answer varies, but on average it is usually found at the age of 50s (especially between ages 45 and 55). The phase after menopause is called post-menopause – here your estrogen becomes very low.
While high cholesterol is quite rare in women of childbearing age, it is common in postmenopausal women. Even during and after menopause, regular exercise and heart-healthy diet may be not enough to control your cholesterol.
Estrogen is highest in your childbearing age. On the other hand, it declines significantly after menopause. Since premenopausal woman have enough estrogen, they have higher HDL than men and less likely to have hypercholesterolemia.
The decline of estrogen is not the single answer. The following conditions can also increase the risk of high cholesterol and cardiovascular diseases in women with menopause:
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Tarantulas “Feel” Sounds
“If a tree falls in a forest and there’s no one around to hear it, does it make a sound?”
For tarantulas, this age-old philosophical question has an answer: Yes. While they do not possess ears or an auditory cortex, and therefore lack the ability to hear like we do, tarantulas use sound waves to navigate the world. They have extremely sensitive hairs on their legs that feel the displacement of air when a sound is emitted. Some smaller spiders, like jumping spiders and ogre-faced spiders, actually have special nerve cells on their forelegs that send signals to the brain when certain frequencies are detected. Studies have shown that the accuracy of this “hearing” is remarkably accurate. Sound waves can help the spiders pinpoint the location of prey up to six feet away.
Whales Can Communicate Long-Distance
For decades, the hearing capabilities of dolphins and whales mystified scientists. These animals could obviously hear very well underwater, but since they lack external ears, marine biologists wondered how. Now we know that whale skulls amplify sound through bone conduction. Even more amazing is the fact that baleen whales, such as humpbacks and blues, are capable of vocalizing over a distance of tens of thousands of miles. This means that a whale swimming in Ireland can have a conversation with another whale basking in the Caribbean!
Unfortunately, there is a growing body of research that suggests that human activities like oil drilling and commercial fishing have made our oceans so noisy that whales are having trouble hearing one another. Scientists aren’t yet sure what the consequences of these findings will be, but since sunlight does not penetrate water very well and whales must rely more on hearing than eyesight, it’s likely that their migration and mating patterns will be disrupted.
Pigeons and Moths Have the Best Hearing in the Animal Kingdom
There’s a reason pigeons have long been renowned for their incredible navigational abilities: They have extraordinary hearing! Much of this ability is due to their detection of infrasound, which occurs in frequencies too low for the human ear to hear. Some of this infrasound even comes from the earth’s electromagnetic field, giving pigeons a 360-degree sonic view of their surroundings and allowing them to easily map the landscape.
And what about the best high-frequency hearing? That honor goes to certain moth species, which often detect sounds up to 300,000 Hz. For comparison, the upper range of human hearing extends only to about 20,000 Hz. These moths are locked in an evolutionary race with the bats that prey on them, with each species developing more acute hearing over the passing of time.
Pet Birds Enjoy Music
It’s commonly accepted wisdom that playing music for your parakeet, cockatoo, or finch will make your bird happy, but is it true? Turns out, it is! Bird brains process musical sounds in much the same way human brains do, and — just like us — birds are individuals, with their own likes and dislikes. Some parrot owners have discovered, much to their chagrin, that their feathered friends’ favorite tunes are in a genre they can’t stand. This can be especially frustrating with male birds, who often incorporate songs that they enjoy into their repertoire. Fortunately, most birds appreciate soft, relaxing music, such as classical and smooth jazz, regardless of their personal taste. If you share your home with one of these wonderful animals, try creating a playlist for the two of you to enjoy together.
If you loved this article, be sure to check out these four other amazing animal facts!
Contact us today if you need to schedule a hearing evaluation.
Yong E. The Insect That Hears Like a Human, With Ears on Its Knees.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/phenomena/2012/11/15/the-insect-that-hears-like-a-human-with-ears-on-its-knees/. Accessed Nov. 22, 2019. DOSITS. Hearing in Cetaceans and Sirenians, the Fully Aquatic Ear. https://dosits.org/animals/sound-reception/marine-mammals-hear/hearing-in-cetaceans. Accessed Nov. 22, 2019. St. Fleur N. An Elephant’s Silent Call. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2012/08/elephants-silent-call. Accessed Nov. 22, 2019. Snowden C, et al. Cats Prefer Species-Appropriate Music. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2015;166:106–111.
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Manufacturing of Brick This Technical Note presents fundamental procedures for the manufacture of clay brick. The types of clay used, the three principal processes for forming brick and the various phases of manufacturing, from mining through storage, are discussed. Information is provided regarding brick durability, color, texture (including coatings and glazes), size variation, compressive strength and absorption.
Specifications for and Classification of Brick This Technical Note describes the predominant-consensus standard specifications for brick and the various classifications used in each. Specific requirements — including physical properties, appearance features and coring — are described. Additional requirements for each brick specification also are covered.
Fire Resistance of Brick Masonry This Technical Note presents information about the fire resistance of brick masonry assemblies in loadbearing and veneer applications. Fire resistance ratings of several brick masonry wall assemblies tested using ASTM E119 procedures are listed. For untested wall assemblies, procedures are presented for calculating a fire resistance rating.
Accommodating Expansion of Brickwork Expansion joints are used in brickwork to accommodate movement and to avoid cracking. This Technical Note describes typical movement joints used in building construction and gives guidance regarding their placement. The theory and rationale for the guidelines are presented. Examples are given showing proper placement of expansion joints to avoid cracking of brickwork and methods to improve the aesthetic impact of expansion joints. Also included is information about bond breaks, bond beams and flexible anchorage.
Brick Veneer Wood Stud Walls This Technical Note deals with the prescriptive design of anchored brick veneer over wood stud backing in new construction. The properties of the brick veneer/wood stud system are described, which lead to design considerations. Selection of materials, construction details and workmanship techniques are also included.
Adding Brick Veneer to Existing Construction This Technical Note presents information on adding anchored brick veneer and thin brick adhered veneer to existing construction. Considerations and recommendations for design, detailing, material selection and construction specific to retrofitting existing walls with brick veneer are presented. Other Technical Notes are referenced for general brick veneer construction information not specific to the retrofit of existing construction.
Brick Veneer Steel Stud Walls This Technical Note addresses the considerations and recommendations for the design, detailing, material selection and construction of brick veneer/steel stud walls. This information pertains to behavior of the veneer and steel studs, differential movement, anchors, air space, detailing, selection of materials and construction techniques.
Thin Brick Veneer This Technical Note presents design and construction information on the use of thin brick in adhered veneer systems. Methods of thin brick construction discussed include thick set, thin set, modular panels and prefabricated panels consisting of architectural precast concrete, tilt-up concrete and wood or steel stud frame panels. Properties of the finished construction and comparisons to other systems are presented.
Brick Veneer/Concrete Masonry Walls This Technical Note presents design, material and construction information for anchored brick veneer on concrete masonry backing. Description of properties, theories of structural design and proper detailing are presented. Refer to Technical Notes 28 and 28B for specific information related to drained wall assemblies with non-masonry backing.
Bonds and Patterns in Brickwork The word bond, when used in reference to masonry, may have three meanings: Structural Bond: The method by which individual masonry units are interlocked or tied together to cause the entire assembly to act as a single structural unit. Pattern Bond: The pattern formed by the masonry units and the mortar joints on the face of a wall. The pattern may result from the type of structural bond used or may be purely a decorative one unrelated to the structural bonding. Mortar Bond: The adhesion of mortar to the masonry units or to reinforcing steel.
Brick Masonry Arches The masonry arch is one of the oldest structural elements. Brick masonry arches have been used for hundreds of years. This Technical Notes is an introduction to brick masonry arches. Many of the different types of brick masonry arches are discussed and a glossary of arch terms is provided. Material selection, proper construction methods, detailing and arch construction recommendations are discussed to ensure proper structural support, durability and weather resistance of the brick masonry arch.
Maintenance of Brick Masonry Even though one of the major advantages of brick masonry construction is durability, periodic inspections and maintenance are needed to maximize the life of brickwork in structures. This Technical Note discusses the elements of suggested inspection programs and describes specific maintenance procedures, including replacement of sealant joints, grouting of mortar joint faces, repointing of mortar joints, removal of plant growth, repair of weeps, replacement of brick, installation of a dampproof course, installation of flashing in existing walls and replacement of wall ties.
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Diversity and inclusion are essential components of an organization’s success, referring to the policies, practices, and initiatives aimed at creating a diverse, inclusive, and equitable work environment. Diversity refers to the variety of differences among people, such as age, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, and cultural background. Inclusion, on the other hand, refers to the extent to which individuals feel valued, respected, and included in the organization’s activities and decision-making processes. Embracing diversity and fostering an inclusive culture can lead to increased innovation, enhanced decision-making, improved employee satisfaction, and overall organizational effectiveness.
Key aspects of diversity and inclusion include:
- Recruitment and hiring: Organizations should strive to attract a diverse pool of candidates and ensure that their hiring processes are fair, unbiased, and focused on selecting candidates based on skills, experience, and cultural fit. This may involve using diverse job boards, implementing structured interviews, and incorporating blind resume reviews or other unbiased selection methods.
- Workplace policies and practices: Organizations should establish and enforce policies and practices that promote diversity, inclusion, and equity. These may include anti-discrimination and harassment policies, flexible work arrangements, and equal opportunity initiatives.
- Training and development: Providing employees with diversity and inclusion training can help raise awareness, promote understanding, and foster a culture of respect and inclusion. Training programs may cover topics such as unconscious bias, cultural competence, and inclusive leadership.
- Leadership commitment: Leaders play a critical role in fostering diversity and inclusion within an organization. They should model inclusive behaviors, actively promote diversity initiatives, and hold themselves and others accountable for creating an inclusive work environment.
- Employee resource groups (ERGs): ERGs are voluntary, employee-led groups that promote diversity and inclusion within an organization by providing networking, professional development, and support opportunities for employees from diverse backgrounds. ERGs can also contribute to organizational success by offering insights into diverse markets and supporting recruitment and retention efforts.
- Inclusive communication: Organizations should promote open, honest, and inclusive communication, ensuring that all employees feel heard, valued, and included in the decision-making process. This may involve offering multiple channels for employee feedback, actively soliciting input from diverse perspectives, and fostering a culture of psychological safety.
- Measurement and accountability: Organizations should regularly track and evaluate their progress toward diversity and inclusion goals, using metrics such as employee demographics, employee engagement survey results, and diversity recruitment and retention rates. Establishing clear goals and holding leaders accountable for progress can help ensure ongoing improvement.
To create a diverse and inclusive work environment, organizations should consider implementing the following strategies:
- Develop and communicate a clear diversity and inclusion strategy that aligns with the organization’s values and objectives.
- Implement diverse recruitment and hiring practices, focusing on attracting and selecting candidates from a wide range of backgrounds.
- Offer diversity and inclusion training and development opportunities to raise awareness and promote understanding among employees.
- Establish and enforce workplace policies and practices that promote diversity, inclusion, and equity.
- Encourage and support the formation of employee resource groups to provide networking, professional development, and support opportunities for employees from diverse backgrounds.
- Foster a culture of open, honest, and inclusive communication, ensuring that all employees feel heard, valued, and included in decision-making processes.
- Regularly measure and evaluate progress toward diversity and inclusion goals, holding leaders accountable for creating an inclusive work environment.
In conclusion, embracing diversity and fostering an inclusive work environment is essential for an organization’s success. By implementing targeted strategies and initiatives, organizations can create a supportive and inclusive culture that values and respects individual differences, promotes innovation, and drives overall effectiveness.
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Impact of reclaimed asphalt pavements on pavement sustainability
- Impact of reclaimed asphalt pavements on pavement sustainability
- Aurangzeb, Qazi
- Issue Date
- Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
- Al-Qadi, Imad L.
- Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
- Al-Qadi, Imad L.
- Committee Member(s)
- Buttlar, William G.
- Hilton, Harry H.
- Ozer, Hasan
- Huber, Gerry
- Department of Study
- Civil & Environmental Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Degree Granting Institution
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Degree Name
- Degree Level
- Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP)
- Mix design
- Performance testing
- Life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA)
- Life-cycle assessment (LCA)
- Multiaxial viscoelastic characterization
- Poisson's ratio
- Highway pavements are one of the main building blocks of the United States infrastructure and economy. Asphalt concrete is the most common material to construct highway pavements. Billions of dollars are spent every year to maintain and rehabilitate two-million-mile the U.S. highway network. Asphalt pavement recycling is one of the few ways to reduce the amount of dollars spent on maintenance and new pavements construction. Reclaimed asphalt pavements (RAP), being a source of aggregates and asphalt binder, is the most recycled material in the U.S. However, incorporating high amount of RAP in asphalt mixtures can pose significant mix design issue and could compromise the pavement performance. Technical complications aside, for RAP to be considered a sustainable material, it is essential for it to be cost effective and socially and environmentally beneficial. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of using high RAP in base-course asphalt mixtures. A holistic approach is taken to achieve the objective of the study; mixtures with high RAP contents are not only designed and characterized, their economic and environmental impacts have also been evaluated. The asphalt mixtures with high RAP content (up to 50%) are designed with desired and similar volumetrics as those of asphalt mixtures prepared with virgin materials, setting a great precedent for any future study conducted on high RAP content. The effect of RAP content as well as the effect of binder-grade bumping on the laboratory performance of asphalt mixtures was evaluated. Results showed that the asphalt mixtures with RAP can perform equal to the mixtures produced with virgin aggregate provided they are designed properly. The asphalt binder-grade bumping is found effective in helping to retain the original properties of the virgin mixture. An in-depth multiaxial viscoelastic characterization of the recycled mixtures is conducted by implementing a novel analytical approach. The new approach bypasses the controversial viscoelastic Poisson’s ratios and measures Young’s, shear, and bulk moduli directly in time domain. It has been shown that incorrect assumption of constant PRs for viscoelastic materials can lead to significant errors in estimating the moduli values. Use of Poisson’s ratios should be completely avoided in characterizing the asphalt concrete. The outcome of life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) and life-cycle assessment (LCA) conducted in this study showed viability of using high RAP content in asphalt mixtures. Significant reduction in cost as well as in energy consumption and global warming potential (GWP) have been observed. The economic and environmental LCA conducted under various performance scenarios highlighted the importance of achieving equivalent field performance for recycled mixtures to that of the virgin mixtures. The actual field performance of these mixtures would eventually dictate their net benefits over the virgin mixtures.
- Graduation Semester
- Copyright and License Information
- Copyright 2014 Qazi Aurangzeb
Edit Collection Membership
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An international team of scientists has discovered the furthest and brightest pulsar yet. It's an extreme object and they think its properties depend on an incredible magnetic field structure.
According to the research paper, published in Science, this pulsating neutron star is an Ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) emitting more than 30 million times the luminosity of the Sun. The star is located in NGC 5907, a galaxy 55 million light-years away from us.
“What makes this object unique are its properties. First of all, it’s the most distant pulsar ever detected,” lead author Gian Luca Israel from the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) stated in a press briefing. “When the pulsation we detected originated in the neutron star, humans were not yet roaming on Earth. Secondly, this pulsar is also the most luminous we have ever detected.”
The researchers believe that an intense magnetic field has allowed the star to grow so luminous. Material falls onto a star due to gravity but the pulsar light is also propelling it away. When these two are balanced this is the maximum luminosity a star can achieve, known as the Eddington luminosity.
The ULX in NGC 5907 is 1,000 times brighter than its Eddington luminosity and the scientists think that a complex multipolar magnetic field is helping the pulsar increasing its mass. Its magnetic field could be a million billion times stronger that the magnetic field of our planet.
Neutron stars are incredibly dense objects, which sometimes form from supernovae, and pulsars are a special class where the neutron star is rotating very quickly and emitting light pulses. This particular pulsar pulsates every 1.13 seconds.
The pulsation is another indication that the object is acquiring mass. When material falls onto the star it speeds up its rotation, and this pulsar had previously been recorded as pulsating every 1.43 seconds back in 2003, meaning it has acquired a lot of material to speed it up. This is an incredible change in such a short period.
If we were to compare this to Earth’s rotation it would mean a day would have become five hours shorter in just over a decade.
This result is part of a wider project called Exploring X-ray Transient and variable Sky (EXTraS), devoted to the search of hidden sources and their properties in a very large archival database of observations from the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton observatory.
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Oral plaque is one of the most common oral lesions that occur in the form of recurrent ulcers. Various factors are effective in the etiology of oral plague, including immune disorders, blood defects, and mental stress. Various methods are recommended to treat these lesions, including the use of steroids. In this study, a type of mucosal adhesive was introduced that was examined alone as well as a steroid carrier for the treatment of aphthous ulcers. Aim: The purpose of the studies in this piece of research work is to focus on mucosal bioadhesive on oral aphthous ulcer pain how it affected the human body and it will give information to research scholars, doctors, and the public to explore their knowledge. Materials and Methods: This study was an experimental and double-blind study with simple random sampling. Two groups were studied: the first group (pre-test), including 20 people, who received drug-free adhesive to determine the degree of adhesion and other side effects of mucosal adhesive. The second group, including 20 people, was selected as case and control with a history of minor aphthous ulcer and during two periods of aphthous ulcer, once treated with drug-free mucosal adhesive (control) and again with drug-containing mucosal adhesive (case) was located. Statistical analysis was performed using a student t-test. Results: In the pre-test group, the duration of adhesion in all subjects was at least 20 minutes, and no specific taste or odor, or side effects, not reported. In the case and control groups, the time to analgesia and the time to complete recovery were almost the same. Recovery time was shorter after treatment than in pre-treatment patients. Conclusion: Since aphthous ulcer pain is usually due to secondary infection or mechanical and chemical irritation, the use of mucous adhesive as a covering and protective material can cause analgesia and accelerate the healing time. Mouth sores. The presence or absence of triamcinolone in the mucosal adhesive also affects reducing pain and accelerating the duration. There is no healing of aphthous ulcers.
Select your language of interest to view the total content in your interested language
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With the advent of teeth whitening, it seems as though you can’t turn on the television or open a magazine without seeing a gleaming white smile staring back at you.
White teeth have become such a common cosmetic dental treatment that there are currently hundreds of products and procedures on the market today aimed specifically at providing consumers with pearly white smiles.
However, most of us do not have perfectly white teeth naturally. Have you ever wondered why our teeth darken over time? Dr. Thomas Prendergast recognizes that staining is a common complaint among their patients and would like to provide some insight into this problem and offer suggestions on how to correct it.
Why Do Teeth Darken?
Teeth discoloration can be caused by a variety of factors. Most commonly, tooth darkening occurs as a natural effect of aging. As we get older, the outer hard tissue covering our teeth, called enamel, wears away and exposes the darker dentin beneath it. This can cause our teeth to appear more gray or yellow rather than white.
Additional tooth staining can also be caused by certain medications. The most notable of these is tetracycline staining, which occurs during tooth development in infancy and childhood when tetracycline antibiotics become incorporated into the tooth structure itself. This causes a translucent, gray appearance to teeth.
Diet can also have a significant impact on tooth color. Colored beverages such as coffee, tea, and soda, as well as some fruits, can cause teeth to darken with repeated intake. In addition, cigarette smoking and the use of other tobacco products can cause staining and tar buildup on teeth.
If teeth discoloration is a cosmetic concern for you, don’t hesitate to discuss your options with Dr. Prendergast during your next visit. Professional teeth whitening treatments, porcelain veneers, and composite tooth bonding can all help you achieve the look that you desire!
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For learners with dyslexia, ADHD and autism, education can often be a struggle. Traditional teaching methods and school systems may feel like they aren’t built for neurodiverse learners, and it can be tough to find resources – even for students in higher education. For the team at the digital therapy start-up Orange Neurosciences in Kingston, Ontario, the passion for helping neurodiverse people be successful is the driving force behind everything they do.
Dr. Vinay Singh started Orange Neurosciences in 2017 as a primarily self-funded start-up, with support from an angel investor and a special education expert, both with dyslexia. After working at Queen’s University for ten years as a professor and helping many students access limited learning resources, Singh saw many gaps in the support for students, including those with learning differences and associated mental health conditions.
“There are not many resources, not many tools for them. That was the time when, as a scientist, as an entrepreneur, I knew that this significant unmet need impacted a lot of people. It’s not just one individual who struggles; the entire family is affected,” Singh said.
Orange’s first product, ReadON, addresses literacy using an online platform developed with a team of global experts in special education, medicine, cognitive science, neurotech, and computer engineering. ReadON uses the science of neuroplasticity (the ability of the brain to re-train itself) and artificial intelligence to address the cognitive barriers that hinder reading fluency and comprehension. ReadON is now available in eight countries through more than four hundred specialists. The 15-week program sees results faster and delivers them more affordably than traditional therapies.
Sylvia, a mother whose son used ReadON, said: “Peter was in grade six and was reading at a grade one-to-two level and struggled immensely with reading and writing. He gave up and was no longer trying. We were both in tears and fighting constantly for him to do his reading homework. After completing ReadON, we saw a complete turn-around in his attitude. It is very noticeable that he has gained confidence in his reading and is reading everything he can from signs and any other text that he encounters.”
Therapists have also expressed how impressed they are with the behavioural changes they see in their patients – changes that go beyond improved reading. “I have used various tools to assist my clients with their reading ability, but ReadON is the one I now rely upon. It has improved outcomes for every child in my practice. Parents tell me of the positive changes they see in their children, not only in reading but in their ability to focus and their self-confidence, among other things. ReadON is truly a game-changer.” Dr. Sulata Shenoy, Ph.D., clinical psychologist and director at the Turning Point Centre for Psychological Assessments, Therapies and Counseling in Bengaluru, India.
The start-up has also seen challenges. When the pandemic struck in early 2020, Orange Neurosciences suffered due to the global closures, including schools and in-person therapy. With this came the opportunity to work on features they had not had time to undertake, including upgrading the new ReadON 2.0 to include more management features to support global distribution and remote online learning.
“Everything stopped. We literally went from hundreds of students doing the program to zero in March, and almost all long-term contracts were cancelled, but that was also a chance to revisit and look at the future of our digital therapy platform,” said Singh.
The company recently launched ReadON Plus, a free 10-minute survey app that provides a rapid evaluation of reading fluency and executive function. Parents can have their children take the survey weekly to understand their reading progress. A free online demo of ReadON is also newly available for parents and specialists to try ReadON and see how it works.
The next venture for Orange Neurosciences?
The launch of a new digital therapy platform, Titli – which means “butterfly” in Hindi – will focus on the core symptoms of autism and ADHD such as hyperactivity, irritability and disruptive behaviour. Like ReadON, Titli will be a gamified platform that is so much fun, kids won’t even realize they are learning new skills!
The team at Orange Neurosciences has taken the science of neuroplasticity to a whole new level that shows promise for application across a range of neurological conditions.
Learn more about Orange Neurosciences!
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Written & Reviewed by Alisa Matsushita-Bomba
What is being physically active?
When you think of physical activity, what comes to mind? People may think of going to the gym, running a marathon, and playing soccer for a few hours. These are all examples of physical activity, but not the only examples. Being physically active means engaging in any activity that involves movement and can help improve physical fitness and overall well-being. Physical activity can be done in several ways.
What are the different types of exercise?
Here are some different types of exercise:
These exercises are great for improving your cardiovascular health and burning calories. Examples include running, cycling, swimming, brisk walking, and dancing.
Strength training exercises:
These exercises help to build muscle and improve overall strength. Examples include weightlifting, push-ups, pull-ups, and squats.
These exercises help to improve your range of motion and prevent injury. Examples include stretching, yoga, and Pilates.
High-intensity interval training (HIIT):
This is a form of cardiovascular exercise that involves short bursts of intense activity followed by periods of rest. Examples include sprinting, jumping jacks, and burpees.
These exercises are great for people who want to exercise without putting too much stress on their joints. Examples include walking, swimming, and cycling.
Why is physical activity beneficial for seniors?
Some people think that physical activity isn’t recommended, or even harmful to older adults. This is not true; older individuals still benefit from being active, however they choose to do so. It can be difficult for older adults to exercise and be physically active when they don’t know what can be defined as “being active”. As you age, your body naturally experiences a decline in physical function. This “wear and tear” is universal; the amount will depend on the person, but naturally, everyone will experience this. This decline in physical function can have a direct impact on an individual’s mobility and independence. However, seniors still benefit from being active. Here are some reasons why physical activity benefits seniors:
Improved physical health:
Regular exercise can help seniors keep their strength, flexibility, and balance, lowering their risk of falling and injuring themselves. Exercise can also improve cardiovascular health, lower blood pressure, and lower the chance of developing chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease.
Improved mental health:
Exercise has been shown in studies to improve mood, reduce anxiety and depression, and increase cognitive performance in seniors. It can also aid in stress reduction and general mental well-being.
Increased social interaction:
Exercise can provide a chance for seniors to meet new people and connect with others, which can help reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation.
Increased independence and overall quality of life:
Regular exercise can help seniors keep their independence and overall quality of life. It can also encourage them to participate in activities they love and improve their overall sense of well-being.
Chronic disease prevention:
Regular physical exercise may be helpful in the prevention of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and some types of cancer. This has been shown to help seniors enjoy longer, healthier lives.
How can older adults be physically active?
Studies have shown that 150 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) is recommended for seniors. For older adults who want to be physically active, they have several options. Some of the most effective ways for older adults to stay active include regular aerobic exercise, strength training, and flexibility exercises. Walking, swimming, and hiking are great options for aerobic exercise, while light weights can be used for strength training. Flexibility exercises such as yoga or stretching can help older adults improve their balance and prevent injuries.
Here are some other activities older adults can do to reach their recommended MVPA:
Gardening is a great hobby that can be done to promote physical activity. Gardening is a low-impact form of exercise that can help improve strength, flexibility, and balance. Tasks such as weeding, digging, and planting can help seniors build muscle and improve their overall fitness. Gardening outside is beneficial for other health reasons as well. Exposure to sunlight while gardening can help seniors increase their vitamin D intake, which is important for bone health, immune function, and overall well-being. Gardening can be done in small or large spaces such as a pot or a garden, as long as there is soil to plant the seeds.
Dancing can be a fun and engaging way for seniors to get active, improve cardiovascular health, and socialize with others. Many community centres and senior centres offer dance classes specifically for seniors. There are also free and paid videos online that teach people how to dance for those who do not have access to community centres. This can be done with no equipment, making it an easily accessible way of being active.
Cycling can be a fun and enjoyable way to get outside and enjoy the great outdoors. It is an excellent way to improve cardiovascular health and reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and other chronic conditions. Cycling can be done outside, or in a gym or at home with a stationary bike.
Seniors with disabilities:
Seniors with disabilities can have a harder time staying active. Being physically active for seniors can look different depending on their abilities, interests, and overall health. This can be from many reasons, such as mobility issues or chronic pain that causes them to not be able to perform certain activities. Some of the common reasons why they may have a hard time staying active include:
Many seniors with disabilities have mobility limitations, chronic pain, or other physical impairments that make it difficult for them to participate in physical activities.
Lack of accessibility:
Many community centers, parks, and other recreational facilities are not designed to be accessible to seniors with disabilities, which can make it hard for them to engage in physical activities.
Older adults with disabilities may have limited financial resources that prevent them from joining gyms or other fitness programs, or from purchasing the equipment they need to exercise at home.
Lack of social support:
Some individuals with disabilities may feel isolated or unsupported, which can make it difficult for them to participate in physical activities or find motivation to stay active.
Fear of injury:
Seniors with disabilities may be concerned about the risk of injury or exacerbating their existing conditions, which can prevent them from engaging in physical activities.
Here are some activities for elders with disabilities that can allow them to participate:
For seniors with limited mobility or who use a wheelchair, chair-based exercises can be a great choice. Seated leg lifts, arm circles, shoulder shrugs, and seated calf-raises are examples of these movements.
Water exercises can be a great choice for seniors with disabilities because they are low-impact and easy on the joints. Swimming or water aerobics are both suitable options.
Yoga or Tai Chi:
These gentle exercises can help in the improvement of balance, flexibility, and strength in older adults with disabilities. There are plenty of chair-based yoga and Tai Chi routines that can be personalized to various levels of ability.
For all individuals with or without disabilities, resistance bands can be used to provide a low-impact strength exercise. They can be used while seated or standing and can aid in muscle development and mobility.
Walking aids, such as canes or walkers, can help seniors with mobility issues remain active. They can be used for things like strolling, dancing, and hiking.
It's important for older individuals with or without mobility issues to consult with their doctor or a physical therapist before starting any new exercise routine to ensure that it is safe and appropriate for their specific needs. They may also want to consider working with a qualified personal trainer or physical therapist who can help them design an exercise program that is tailored to their abilities and goals. By staying active, older adults can improve their physical and mental health and enjoy a higher quality of life.
To make exercise a bit easier, June Adaptive has a selection of active styles. Take a look at these grip socks that are popular for doing yoga, as well as these women’s pull-on active capri pants with internal pull-up loops for hassle-free dressing, and velvety-smooth knit fabric for sensitive skin. The women’s lightweight cushioned shoes with rear zipper access have easy shoe access that creates larger entry portals and is easier to pull than straight, lateral, or wrap-around zippers. These adaptive clothes are perfect for older adults to use when exercising.
For more from June Adaptive, make sure to check out our community blog. We have many different blog posts with topics such as supporting dressing people with paralysis, the role of fashion in promoting independence for people with disabilities, and 13 helpful items for elderly people. Check out June Adaptive’s clothing brand for adaptive clothing, made for the abilities of all people.
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Muscular dystrophy is a genetic disease characterized by progressive weakness and degeneration of the skeletal muscles which controls movement. The muscles of the heart and some other involuntary muscles are also affected in some forms of muscular dystrophy. There are also a few other forms that involve other organs as well. Over time, muscles break down and are replaced with fatty deposits. Common symptoms associated with muscular dystrophy are clumsy movement, difficulty climbing stairs, frequent tripping, and falling, inability to jump or hop normally, tiptoe walking, leg pain, facial weakness, inability to close eyes or whistle, and shoulder and arm weakness.
Types of muscular dystrophy
Examination and history help to distinguish the type of muscular dystrophy. Specific muscle groups are affected by different types of muscular dystrophy. Often, there is a loss of muscle mass (wasting), which may be disguised in some types of muscular dystrophy by an accumulation of fat and connective tissue that makes the muscle appear larger (pseudohypertrophy). Joint contractures are also common. Shortening of the muscle fibers, fibrosis of the connective tissue, and scarring slowly destroy muscle function. Some types of muscular dystrophy involve the heart muscle, causing cardiomyopathy or arrhythmias. A muscle biopsy may be the primary test used to confirm the diagnosis. In some cases, a DNA test from the blood may be sufficient.
Clinical phenotype spans from mild to severe. Most types of muscular dystrophy are multisystem disorders with manifestations in body systems, including the heart, gastrointestinal and nervous systems, endocrine glands, skin, eyes, and other organs. Muscular dystrophy presents itself with the following clinical features: muscle weakness, muscle wasting, hypotonia (low muscle tone), myotonia (slow relaxation of muscles after voluntary contraction), cardiac conduction abnormalities, respiratory insufficiency, and mental retardation. Histologically, patients with muscular dystrophy show a variation in fiber size, fiber necrosis, macrophage invasion, fatty displacement, nuclei are centrally placed, inclusions, cores, stored materials (glycogen), inflammation, and necrosis/regeneration.
There are five types of muscular dystrophy: Congenital muscular dystrophy, Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Becker muscular dystrophy, and Limb-Girdle muscular dystrophy. Each with its own classification determined by the mode of inheritance, the age of onset, distribution of predominant muscle weakness, the involvement of particular skeletal muscle types, and overall progression. However, accurately diagnosing this disease can be very difficult. But, with the use of special muscular dystrophy staining, the determination of the type of muscular dystrophy can be narrowed down.
Proteins involved in muscular dystrophy
- Dystrophin: Part of the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex. Dystrophin deficiency disrupts the membrane localization of both dystroglycan and sarcoglycans. Deficiency of one or more of these proteins causes tears in the sarcolemmal membrane
- Spectrin: Monitors membrane integrity. Fibers that show negative labeling for dystrophin and spectrin are damaged or in the early stages of regeneration and are thought to play a mechanical role at the erythrocyte membrane.
- Utrophin: Homologue to dystrophin. Known as a dystrophin-related protein. Restricted to neuromuscular junctions in normal muscle. Labeling appears around the periphery of most fibers in dystrophin-deficient muscle. Links the actin cytoskeleton to the extracellular matrix.
- Sarcoglycan Antibodies: Patients with mutations in any one of the sarcoglycan genes usually show reduced expression for the whole group. Many patients with a clinical diagnosis of childhood autosomal recessive muscular dystrophy show defective expression in the sarcoglycan complex proteins, which involve a-sarcoglycan and g-sarcoglycan.
- Merosin (Laminin alpha 2): The heavy chain component of the laminin-2 complex located in the basement membrane. It is the ligand for the a-dystroglycan of the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex, and deficiency of merosin disrupts the extracellular anchor for the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex.
- Myotilin: Is a structural protein of sarcomeric Z discs and sarcolemma in human skeletal and cardiac muscle. Myotilin interacts with alpha-actinin, actin, and gamma-filamin and is associated with LGMD1A and is an autosomal dominant disease characterized by proximal limb weakness.
- Emerin: A transmembrane protein on the inner nuclear membrane where it then projects in the nucleoplasm. Found in skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle and skin. Emerin may belong to a family of lamina-associated structural proteins and whose function is unknown.
- Caveolin-3: An integral membrane protein is a major component of the caveolae membrane, which are micro-domains of the plasma membrane that have been implicated in signal transduction. Most commonly located in the scaffolding domain of the protein and may act as a scaffolding protein to organize and concentrate specific caveolin-interacting lipids and proteins.
- Dysferlin: Plasma membrane protein. Present at the periphery of fiber in muscle. Absent or reduced in patients with LGMD2B. Localized to the muscle plasma membrane. Dysferlin-deficient patients, absent reaction at the sarcolemma but positive nuclear membrane labeling. Partially dysferlin-deficient patients scattered granular positive cytoplasmic areas and diffuse reaction in regenerating fibers.
When an accurate diagnosis is reached, treatment is usually based on controlling the onset of symptoms and maintaining a high quality of life. Management of individuals with muscular dystrophy depends very much on the type of muscular dystrophy and its severity. Prevention by counseling and prenatal diagnosis is now possible for almost all muscular dystrophies. However, for prevention to be reliable, a precise diagnosis is essential. Diagnoses are based on clinical examination to establish the types of muscular dystrophy, where laboratory investigations help identify the mutation type, and research is focused on a form of gene therapy. As advances in medicine continue, effective drug treatment might also be a possibility.
Muscular dystrophy is a heterogeneous group of inherited disorders characterized by progressive muscle wasting and weakness. The genes and protein products that are responsible for the dystrophies have been identified for most types of dystrophy. Using muscle protein studies and molecular genetic studies in the majority of cases, it is possible to establish a precise diagnosis, provide a prognosis, detect preclinical cases, identify carriers, and offer prenatal diagnostic testing. The quality of life of individuals with dystrophy can be much improved by a positive attitude to management, which includes respiratory care, physiotherapy, and the surgical correction of contractures. A molecular genetic approach seems to offer the best prospect for developing effective treatment in the future.
For the use of any product, the applicable product documentation, including information guides, inserts and operation manuals should be consulted.
Copyright © 2023 Leica Biosystems division of Leica Microsystems, Inc. and its Leica Biosystems affiliates. All rights reserved. LEICA and the Leica Logo are registered trademarks of Leica Microsystems IR GmbH.
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Everything You Need to Know About Holistic Doctors
Holistic medical doctors combine the modern scientific treatment with complementary or alternative medicine like massage, acupuncture and chiropractic. The holistic doctor looks at everything and then gives a pharmaceutical drug option as well as an alternative treatment that could include homeopathic remedy. Homeopathic treatment isn’t something many doctors and institutions embrace, but it is under the umbrella of holistic medicine.
A holistic doctor will most often encourage some diagnostic testing like hormone levels and adrenal function. This is done so as to try and find if there are any underlying causes that have led to an imbalance. The whole person is considered in the whole healing process so as to have health at its optimal by having balance.
The practitioners in this area are of the belief that a human has parts that are interdependent and when one isn’t working as it should, all the others are affected. This means that if there is any kind of imbalance regardless of the type, it affects the overall health to a great extent.
A good example is a person suffering from migraines. If they decide to visit this kind of doctor, they may not work out with only medications. The doctor will take time to look at all the possible factors that could be causing the headaches. He will also search for any other health problems that could cause the migraines including personal problems, stress, sleep habits and even diet. Treatment can involve using drugs as well as modifications to one’s lifestyle to make sure that the headaches don’t recur.
Holistic medicine also believes that unconditional support and love are very powerful healers and that a person is actually responsible for their own wellbeing and health. Other principles are:
- The patient isn’t a disease but a person
- Everyone has got innate healing powers
- Treatment should involve the fixing, of course not just dealing with the symptoms.
- There is a need for a team approach for healing to be effective and it should involve the doctor and patient and should address all the different aspects of personal life of the patient using a wide range of practices in health care.
Types of treatment
Different treatment techniques are applied to help patients to be responsible and to achieve their optimal health. The approaches depend on the training of the practitioner and they can include:
- Education regarding self-care and lifestyle changes so as to promote wellness, including spiritual counseling, relationship counseling, and psychotherapy and even exercise among many others.
- Alternative and complementary therapies including naturopathy, massage therapy, homeopathy, chiropractic care and acupuncture. And so on
- Surgical procedures and modern medicine.
Where to find a holistic doctor?
Holistic providers can include homeopathic doctors, chiropractors, Naturopathic doctors, osteopathy doctors and even medical doctors. There are different associations that can help you get in touch with such a doctor depending on where you are based. There are online lists that can help you in finding someone close to you.
Don’t settle for the first person you find. This is a profession like others, meaning there are people who do a better job than others. A recommendation from, a trusted source like someone close to you or a health organization that is credible could be a great idea.
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what is fake news?
fake news & social media
Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter enable information sharing among their users, and many of these platforms present ‘news’ items, ads or ‘sponsored content’ in a manner that makes it difficult to distinguish real news sources from spoofed sites, or hoax sites. Most social media platform ad space is sold through brokers, meaning the platform often has no idea what is being advertised on their site. These characteristics make social media platforms an ideal place for fake news to flourish.
How do I spot fake news?
Use the five W's
Who Wrote it?
Check for the author’s name. Is their name listed or is it missing? Most authors will attach their byline to articles and opinion pieces they have written.
Are they qualified?
If the author’s name is listed, find out who the person is and what their credentials are. Do a search on the author in order to find out their occupation and any other articles they have written.
Is the author an expert in their field? Does the author work for a reputable organization or university? Are the articles well-researched and cited?
Is the Website valid?
On the top or bottom of the website there should be a link to a page called “About Us.” This section outlines the mission of the organization and how to get in touch in touch with them.
Does this organization have an established team of journalists or writers or show who their staff is? Or do they encourage and post articles written by members of the general public?
Reading about the host of and contributors to the website will help you determine whether it is a trustworthy source of information.
Is the article biased?
News articles should strive for neutrality in tone with the goal of providing you with facts from various viewpoints regarding the topic. If the article showcases only one side of the argument, readers should keep in mind that they are not seeing the full story and the article may contain bias or personal opinions.
is the article consistent?
Does the headline match the content of the article? The purpose of a headline is to inform you of what the entire article is about; however, it can also be used to persuade you to believe something or entice you to click through. Authors may falsify their headlines in order to entice readers to click through and read the full article or to simply believe the claim without reading the article in its entirety.
check the web address (url)
Typing in the wrong web address will direct you to a web-page that you were not intending to visit. Be careful, as many websites are registered with common misspellings or with an alternate domain, for example .org instead of .gov, and may look official or valid. A professional looking website can still post fake news.
With few exceptions, web addresses and domains can be purchased or registered by anyone. This makes it easier to create imitation websites that look legitimate.
Where did I find this article?
Social Media websites like Facebook and Instagram, are NOT news organizations. These are websites are for people to create and/or share content. Monitoring of fake news is virtually non-existent on social media websites and blogs. They use algorithms to curate content that would be of interest to you.
Additionally, videos and photos may have been altered and edited. Photo and video manipulation allows people to create life-like images and videos, so fake news stories, photos and videos can be manipulated to seem legitimate.
what type of website is it?
Websites can be created and maintained by individuals, organizations, groups and corporations. Blogs are usually maintained by individuals or small groups and are personal in opinion and are usually written informally. Websites and blogs may use sensational headlines to entice you to click through. Individuals can generate advertising revenue from page views. Articles may be written from certain perspective and designed to appeal to specific audiences. Be cautious of websites that use strong language to generate a click through or reaction.
Newspapers, journals, and network and cable news networks hire reporters and journalists to gather information and report the on news. These organizations have strict policies and journalistic standards.
When was this article published?
Out-of-date articles may not contain up-to-date facts and might have broken links. Out-of-date articles may contain information that has been disproven or debunked.
Is the date really important?
Yes, the date of the article will indicate when it was originally published. If the article is out-of-date is it related to a current event or is there another reason for it to be recirculated?
Articles, alerts and stories that are out-of-date or have been disproven circulate widely on social media as they are not read or verified before being shared.
Use a search engine, such as Google, to see if other websites are reporting on the same story.
Was the article updated or retracted?
Articles may be updated or retracted as more information is discovered. Reputable websites will indicate at either the beginning or the end of the article that it has been altered, by who, and when. Additionally, news organizations may link to or update older articles if they relate to a current event.
is the article informative?
What information is the author trying to convey? Think critically about the information presented. Is this author an expert in the subject? Can you verify the author’s facts or claims? Have the author provided a worked cited or list of sources? Are these sources credible? Has the author provided links to resources that will provide additional information? Are the provided links broken? What type of websites do the links lead to – educational, blogs, corporations?
is the article selling something?
Is the author trying to get you to buy or try something? Sometimes advertisers will style their marketing as a news article to give the appearance of credibility to their claims. These articles may be marked as paid, ad, or sponsored.
is the article entertaining?
Is the article from the Onion or a similar site? Authors may create articles or political cartoons that use satire, exaggeration, or irony to express their views or opinions on current affairs. These articles and cartoons are often humorous and may reflect the views of the creator or the general public and are not considered fake news.
is the article persuasive?
It is common for an author to try to persuade their audience to believe one thing or another. One of the keys to writing a good article is knowing your audience. Are you an objective reader who can tell when you are being persuaded on a topic? Can you the author’s point of view? Is the author neutral and objective, offering both sides of the topic or are they biased and only present one point of view? Can you determine why the author has that point of view, and why they might want you to persuade you? Are there reasons or current events happening that may compel the author to share accurate information or misinformation?
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September 30, 1882
Dr Lucas discusses theories on why an all-meat diet is able to cure scurvy, guessing that the value is in fresh or immediately frozen meat.
To the Editor of the Lancet
p913 "Sir, —In a foot-note to page 49G of his " Manual of Practical Hygiene,", fifth edition, (London, Churchill, 1878), Parkes says : —"For a good deal of evidence up to 1848, I beg to refer to a review I contributed on scurvy in the British and Foreign. Medico-Chirurgical Review in that year. The evidence since this period has added, I believe, little to our knowledge, except to show that the preservation and curative powers of fresh meat in large quantities, and especially raw meat (Kane's Arctic Expedition), will not only prevent, but will cure scurvy. Kane found the raw meat of the walrus a certain cure. For the most recent evidence and much valuable information, see the Report of the Admiralty Committee on the Scurvy which occurred in the Arctic Expedition of 1875-76 (Blue Hook, 1877)."
I think that the last sentence in the above is not Parkes' own, but that it must have been added by the editor in order to bring it up to the date of the issue of the current edition. The experience since then of the Arctic Expedition in the Eira coincides with these. I refer to that portion of the report where the author tells us that "our food consisted chiefly of bear and walrus meat, mixing some of the bear's blood with the soup when possible." And again: "I do not think that, spirits or lime-juice is much use as an antiscorbutic, for if you live on the flesh of the country, even, I believe, without vegetables, you will run very little risk of scurvy. There was not a sign of scurvy amongst us, not even an anaemic face," (Lancet, Aug. 26th.)
So that, as far as this question of fresh meat and raw meat and their prophylactic and curative properties are concerned, ample evidence will be found in other published literature to corroborate that of the Eira. But when you take up the question of the particular change which takes place in meat from its fresh to its stale condition, you will find a great deal of diversity and little harmony at opinion. Without taking up other authors on the subject, we stick to Parkes and compare his with Dr Ralfe's views on this point. Parkes thought "fresh, and especially raw meat, is also useful, and this is conjectured to be from its amount of lactic acid; but this is uncertain,"1 while on the other hand Dr. Ralfe repeats, as a probable explanation, too, of the reason of fresh meat being an anti-scorbutic, but that it is due to the absence of lactic acid. For, from well-known chemical facts he deduces the following: — "In hot climates meat has to be eaten so freshly killed that no lime is allowed for the development of the lactic acid : in arctic regions the freezing arrests its formation. The muscle plasma, therefore, remains alkaline. In Europe the meat is invariably hung, lactic acid is developed freely, and the muscle plasma is consequently acid. If, therefore, scurvy is, as I have endeavoured to show ("Inquiry into the General Pathology of Scurvy"), due to diminished alkalinity of the blood, it can be easily understood that meat may be antiscorbutic when fresh killed, or frozen immediately after killing, but scorbutic when these alkaline salts have been converted into acid ones by lactic acid decomposition. The view of the alkalinity of the blood coincides with Dr. Garrod's theory, which, however, appears to have as a sine qua turn the absence of a particular salt- namely, potash. I am inclined to think that, taking into account the nervous symptoms which are not infrequently associated with a certain proportion of scorbutic cases, resulting probably from the changes taking place in the blood, not unlike those which occur in gout and rheumatism, there must be some material change produced in the sympathetic system. In many of the individuals tainted with scurvy there were slight and severe attacks of passing jaundice in the cases which occurred in Afghanistan. Can we possibly trace this icteric condition to this cause? This is but a conjecture so far. But there certainly is in Garrod's observations an important point which, if applicable to all countries, climates, and conditions of life, is sufficiently weighty to indicate the necessity for farther research in that direction, and that point is this : the scorbutic condition disappeared on the patient being given a few grains of potash, though kept strictly on precisely the same diet which produced scurvy.
—I am, Sir, yours truly, Ahmedabad, India, 30th Sept., 1882.
JOHN C. LUCAS."
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According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG) more than 10,000 Americans will die each year as a result of asbestos exposure.
Indiana is home to many historic buildings and trades. These locations have upheld traditions and stood the tests time. Throughout the early half of the century, asbestos was one of the most common materials used to manufacture goods and create jobs. This practice continued well into the late 80’s despite the dangers presented by the mineral asbestos. The dangers of exposure to asbestos were not widely known among the general Indiana workforce or their families. By the time the risks were disclosed, many people had already spent decades working with asbestos without any protective equipment. Asbestos is a fibrous mineral that has been proven to be dangerous when inhaled or ingested. And any amount of exposure could cause a health risk. It has been linked to many forms of cancer including Mesothelioma, Asbestosis and other asbestos related diseases.
Indiana Workers and Asbestos Exposure
Currently, Indiana ranks 23rd in the U.S. for Malignant Mesothelioma deaths. From 1920 through the late 1980‘s, asbestos was a one of the most popular materials used in construction. Nearly every building constructed during this time incorporated some use of asbestos. Because of the versatility and popularity of asbestos, a high number of people in Indiana worked with asbestos. This led to the exposure of many without their knowledge or consent.
Indiana has no naturally-occurring asbestos deposits within its borders; however, over the course of 60 years, Indiana received a total of 1,100 tons of asbestos shipments.
These shipments were delivered to Indiana construction sites, manufacturing sites, oil refineries, steel mills, industrial centers and many other commercial locations where they were used extensively. The highest frequency of reported Mesothelioma cases are among insulators, plumbers, electricians, pipe-fitters and auto mechanics because of the many asbestos-related products used by each profession. Indiana workers were exposed to asbestos while using heat resistant gloves and other protective gear. When these workers returned home at the end of the day, they had asbestos fibers in their clothes and hair. This caused secondhand exposure to their friends, families and loved ones.
Indiana has various power plants across the state. Many of these buildings have reported exposures to asbestos because of the large amounts of asbestos insulation used in high temperature areas. Asbestos exposures have also been reported in Indiana manufacturing industries like oil refineries, steel mills and automotive plants.
Many state public water systems have also held trace amounts of asbestos because asbestos was used extensively in pipe insulation. Asbestos was part of cement composition between 1920 and 1970 and was used to manufacture water pipes. Indiana has also had many day laborers, contractors and other types of workers that were exposed to asbestos during their daily routines.
Asbestos was used in the construction of military buildings before 1980. Veterans serving at Grissom Air Reserve Base and NSWC Crane Division may have also been exposed to asbestos.
Asbestos-containing products were also used in Indiana building and construction trades. Asbestos-containing products included: ventilation systems, floor tiles, air ducts, furnace ducts, door gaskets, cement sheets, millboards, ceiling tiles, paints, boilers, drywall, insulation, heating equipment, air conditioning equipment, roofing materials, electrical wiring, soundproofing materials, fireproof gloves, welding equipment, ovens, artificial embers and ashes, stovetop pads, fireplaces, automobile brake pads, turbines, generators, gaskets, pumps and roofing shingles.
With asbestos in so much industrial equipment, it is no wonder that so many Indiana workers would have been unknowingly exposed to harmful levels of asbestos. Residents who live close to areas where asbestos was used in construction and workers who have used equipment containing asbestos should consider seeking medical attention and receiving a screening for Mesothelioma.
Indiana Asbestos Exposure and Mesothelioma Claims
In recent years, there have been over 820 asbestos related deaths in Indiana. In Marion County alone, there have been more than 104 reported asbestos-related deaths and over 89 fatalities caused by Mesothelioma. Mesothelioma and asbestos related cancers are diagnosed 10-50 years after initial exposure. Symptoms include: chronic cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, fever, anemia, weight loss, bowel obstruction, abdominal pain, abdominal swelling, and swelling of the neck or face. Mesothelioma can also spread to the tissues covering the lungs, heart, abdomen and genitals in men.
People diagnosed with Mesothelioma or other asbestos related diseases are entitled to compensation in the form of medical expenses, loss of wages, funeral cost, expenses for traveling to receive medical treatments and any other expenses not covered by a patient’s insurance. Currently there are two types of Mesothelioma claims.
1) Mesothelioma Personal Injury Claims: are claims filed by a person diagnosed with Mesothelioma
2) Mesothelioma Wrongful Death Claims: where a claim is filed by the surviving family members on behalf of a patient who died of Mesothelioma.
The Statute of limitations to file a claim in Indiana is 2 years from the initial date of a Mesothelioma Diagnosis and 2 years from the event of a wrongful death. The Indiana Supreme Court has ruled that family members exposed at home to asbestos through the clothing of a person who worked with asbestos are entitled to make a claim as a “Bystander” under the Indiana Products Liability Act. Indiana courts have also ruled that those responsible for asbestos exposure are only responsible if a direct causal relationship can be proven. Furthermore, Indiana courts have ruled that asbestos companies are not liable for negligence that resulted in asbestos exposure among independent contractors. Indiana also has special circumstances when filing personal injury lawsuits which can provide victims with an even greater window to file a claim. Special Circumstances can provide a window of up to 10 years after the delivery of an asbestos product to it’s initial user or customer. If a victim develops an additional asbestos-related injury, Indiana courts consider it a new injury and it can also be considered a separate claim.
The state of Indiana has had multi-million dollar lawsuits that have ruled in favor of victims of asbestos exposure, even exposures that date as far back as the 1920’s. Individuals, who are living near areas that have been known to have levels of asbestos or those who have worked with any of the equipment or in the locations described, should consider frequent screenings to check for any signs of Malignant Mesothelioma or asbestos-related diseases. Victims should contact the appropriate legal aid as soon as possible to find out if their case falls under the acceptable statute of limitations for Indiana.
Indiana victims who have been exposed to asbestos and are diagnosed with Mesothelioma or an asbestos related disease are entitled to damages including:
- Pain and Suffering
- Physical Impairment
- Medical Expenses
- Economic Damages
- End-of-Life Expenses
- Future Medical Bills
- Loss of Income
- Loss of Parental Care
- Loss of Spouse
- Product Liability
- Punitive Damages
- Monetary Compensation
In order to make a claim against an asbestos manufacturer, a plaintiff must be able to:
- Prove that damages have taken place
- Identify the asbestos-containing product which caused damages
- Prove that the defendant’s asbestos-related product was a factor in causing such damages
Those who have been exposed to asbestos and developed an asbestos-related disease should contact an Indiana Mesothelioma Lawyer to get compensation for their pain and suffering. If you have lost a loved one to asbestos related cancer, you may also be entitled to compensation.
Indiana Mesothelioma Verdicts and Settlements:
There have been many successful claims that have ruled in favor of florida plaintiffs:
- $1.1 Million dollars was awarded to an Indiana woman who developed Malignant Mesothelioma after washing the clothes of her family. Her husband’s asbestos-contaminated work clothing was among the clothing that was washed.
- $2.5 Million dollars was awarded to an Arizona Plumber who developed Mesothelioma after being exposed to asbestos.
- $5,252,916 was awarded on behalf of a 47 year old Indiana woman who was diagnosed with Mesothelioma.
- $1.8 Million dollars was awarded to an Indiana Carpenter who developed Malignant Mesothelioma at the age of 68.
Indiana Mesothelioma Legal Help
We help Mesothelioma patients and their families make educated decisions about how to start with filing asbestos and Mesothelioma claims. We will also recommend an experienced Indiana Mesothelioma Lawyer or Indiana Mesothelioma Doctor to help you get your claim started.
We have a Mesothelioma Hotline - Toll Free: 800.291.0963 that is available 24/7 to talk with a live Mesothelioma Help Center counselor. We understand that those dealing with asbestos cancers face a number of challenges, including the tremendous costs of Mesothelioma treatment.
We have helped many families get experienced legal and medical help for their Mesothelioma cancer and asbestos cancer cases. We will actually walk you through the process of contacting an experienced Indiana Mesothelioma lawyer that we have worked with to get you the best possible settlement for your Indiana Mesothelioma claim.
Indiana Mesothelioma Lawyer - Experience
Deciding which Indiana Mesothelioma law firm to represent you and your case is very important.
Choosing the right lawyer will also be important to your Indiana Mesothelioma settlement.
Many Mesothelioma and asbestos-related cancer cases in Indiana have settled or received multi-million dollar verdicts.
Mesothelioma cases are not restricted to just one state. Filings are usually in multiple states.
Mesothelioma cases are contingency based cases. This means that no money should be paid by you. Mesothelioma lawyers earn their money only if they win you case. You are entitled to an experienced Indiana Mesothelioma lawyer that has a track record of success in Indiana asbestos lawsuits.
Experience - The Mesothelioma Help Center has been helping Indiana Mesothelioma victims and their families for more than 12 years.
- It has been well documented for many years that asbestos exposure can result in the development of deadly cancers, particularly Mesothelioma.
- Mesothelioma has a latency period of 20 to 50 years after the first exposure to asbestos. It is estimated that there will be about 250,000 cases of Mesothelioma before 2020.
- There are currently about 3000 new cases of Mesothelioma diagnosed per year, mostly in men over the age of 40.
- About 4,000 People die each year from Mesothelioma. During the 20th century, some 30 million tons of asbestos were used in industrial sites, homes, schools, shipyards and commercial buildings in the U. S.
- More than 700,000 people have filed claims against more than 6,000 Asbestos companies.
- The number of Mesothelioma and asbestos related victims is projected to increase steadily over the next 10 years.
- According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG) more than 10,000 Americans will die each year as a result of asbestos exposure.
- One out of every 125 American men who die over the age of 50 will die from an asbestos related cancer.
- Asbestos companies knew of the dangers of asbestos exposure in Indiana for many years before ever warning the public of those risks. It is thought that around eight million people in the United States have been exposed to asbestos over the past half a century, and many more asbestos related cancer cases are expected to be reported in the next 25 years.
We help with you file Mesothelioma and Asbestos-related claims in each state
Call us toll free at 800.291.0963 or use quick contact form located at the right of this page and we will contact you within 24 hours.
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CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. — The Eastern oyster is one of South Carolina’s most treasured coastal species – and now it’s receiving formal recognition in Charleston. Thanks to a proclamation by Mayor Tecklenburg, Tuesday, Nov. 22 will be declared Oyster Recycling Day in the Holy City.
South Carolina has a critical shortage of the oyster shell that’s needed to replenish the state’s oyster reefs. Just a fraction of the oysters consumed in South Carolina are recycled – which means the state must purchase increasingly scarce, out-of-state shells to meet its planting quotas.
With the Oyster Recycling Day declaration, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) biologists and city of Charleston staff hope to motivate more recreational harvesters, backyard roasters and restaurants to recycle their shells. Over 30 public drop-off sites across the state and participating restaurants from Greenville to Charleston make it easy for South Carolinians to make a difference.
“When we talk about preserving what makes Charleston so special, we mean not only our cobblestone streets and classical architecture, but the unmatched beauty of our natural environment as well,” said Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg. “That is why I’m grateful to SCDNR for their commitment to important initiatives like this, and proud of our city staff’s work in support of those efforts.”
“We’re already partnered with 36 restaurants in the greater Charleston area, and we’re asking patrons of these restaurants to thank them for their dedication to sustainable fisheries and restoring oyster habitat throughout the Lowcountry, said SCDNR biologist Stephen Czwartacki, who leads the agency’s shell recycling program.”
“If a restaurant would like to participate in our shell recycling program, they simply have to reach out to our program at [email protected].
Oysters are hard-shelled mollusks that grow together in reef structures, and they play a critical role in South Carolina’s coastal economy, environment and culture. Reefs provide clean water through filtering, a natural barrier to protect coastal homes and communities from storms, a sustainable food resource and habitat to countless other marine species.
South Carolina’s coast is dotted with archeologically important shell mounds, a testament to the fact that humans have harvested and enjoyed the bivalves for thousands of years. Today, winter in the Lowcountry is synonymous with oyster roasts, and many South Carolinians enjoy harvesting the oysters themselves.
But oyster reefs need continual replenishment in order to remain sustainable – and the best way to provide that replenishment is by planting clean, quarantined oyster shells along the shoreline, which provides the preferred growing surface for baby oysters. That’s what SCDNR biologists and volunteers, through the South Carolina Oyster Recycling and Enhancement (SCORE) program, have done along the coast for over two decades.
As oyster populations have declined in some parts of the country and competition for shells has increased, sourcing enough oyster shells to replant South Carolina’s reefs has become a challenge.
By recycling your shells, you can make a difference toward a healthy future for these iconic Lowcountry resources.
Tips for Recycling Your Oyster Shells
- DO bring your shell to the nearest shell recycling center. Find the nearest drop-off location online. If you’re hosting a large roast, please call 843-953-9397 to find out if SCDNR can provide recycling bins for your event.
- DO separate shell from trash. Shell mixed with trash (including shell in bags or containers) is not suitable for recycling. Provide separate containers at your events for shells and trash.
- DON’T put live oysters or freshly shucked shells in South Carolina waters. If the oysters you purchased were harvested outside South Carolina, it is illegal to place them in South Carolina waters. Placing live oysters in our waters can create environmental problems and may harm local oysters or other animals. To avoid contamination, shell should be recycled to SCDNR and properly quarantined for six months.
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As the world becomes more aware of the need for sustainable living, energy-efficient lighting solutions are at the forefront of the conversation. Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology has revolutionized the way we think about and use lighting, providing a contemporary solution that is both cost-effective and environmentally friendly. In this article, we will delve into the benefits of LED lighting, discuss how it has evolved over the years, and explore its various applications in the modern world.
The Evolution of LED Lighting
The invention of LED technology dates back to the early 1960s when Nick Holonyak Jr., an engineer at General Electric, created the first visible-spectrum LED. However, it wasn't until the 1990s that LED lighting became more commercially viable, thanks to advancements in material science and manufacturing processes.
Rapid Development and Growth
In the 21st century, LED technology has experienced exponential growth and development, making it an attractive alternative to traditional incandescent and fluorescent lighting. The advent of high-efficiency blue LEDs and white LEDs, along with the continual improvements in brightness and color quality, has facilitated their adoption in various applications, from residential to commercial and industrial settings.
The Benefits of LED Lighting
LED lights are significantly more energy-efficient than incandescent and fluorescent bulbs. They consume up to 90% less energy, leading to substantial cost savings on electricity bills. Furthermore, the reduced energy consumption has a direct positive impact on the environment by lowering carbon emissions.
The lifespan of LED lights far surpasses that of traditional lighting options. LEDs can last up to 50,000 hours or more, which is around 25 times longer than incandescent bulbs and about 5 times longer than compact fluorescent lights (CFLs). This longevity translates to reduced maintenance costs and less frequent replacements, benefiting both the consumer and the environment.
LEDs are free of toxic materials, such as mercury, found in CFLs. This makes them more environmentally friendly and easier to dispose of at the end of their lifespan. Additionally, the energy savings associated with LED lighting help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to a more sustainable future.
Versatility and Design Flexibility
LED lighting offers incredible versatility in terms of color, brightness, and control. Designers and architects can use LEDs to create unique lighting solutions that cater to specific needs and preferences. From mood lighting to task lighting and accent lighting, LEDs provide a wide array of options for customization.
Applications of LED Lighting
In residential settings, LED lighting can be used for both indoor and outdoor applications. Indoors, LED lights can be integrated into various fixtures, such as recessed lights, under-cabinet lighting, and pendant lights. Outdoor applications include landscape lighting, security lights, and pathway illumination.
Commercial and Industrial Spaces
LED lighting is widely used in commercial and industrial settings due to its energy efficiency and long lifespan. It can be found in retail stores, offices, warehouses, and manufacturing facilities. LED lights are suitable for general lighting, task lighting, and accent lighting in these environments.
Street and Public Lighting
LED technology is increasingly being adopted for street and public lighting due to its energy efficiency, long lifespan, and improved visibility. This transition has the potential to save cities and municipalities a significant amount of energy and maintenance costs while enhancing public safety.
The automotive industry has embraced LED lighting for both exterior and interior applications. LED headlights and taillights offer improved visibility, energy efficiency, and a sleek design aesthetic. Additionally, LEDs are used for interior lighting, providing a more comfortable and customizable cabin environment.
Horticulture and Agriculture
LED lighting has found its way into the agriculture industry, providing energy-efficient solutions for indoor and greenhouse farming. The ability to tailor the light spectrum for optimal plant growth makes LED lights an attractive choice for horticulture applications. LEDs can help improve crop yields, enhance nutritional content, and extend growing seasons, leading to more sustainable and efficient food production.
Future Outlook and Developments in LED Technology
As LED technology continues to advance, we can expect further improvements in efficiency, longevity, and cost-effectiveness. Researchers are working on developing new materials and processes to make LEDs even more sustainable and environmentally friendly. Some emerging trends in the field include:
Organic LEDs (OLEDs)
OLEDs are made from carbon-based materials, offering thinner and more flexible lighting options. This technology has already made a significant impact in the display industry and is expected to influence the future of LED lighting as well, potentially leading to new design possibilities and applications.
Li-Fi (Light Fidelity)
Li-Fi is a cutting-edge technology that uses LED lights to transmit data wirelessly at high speeds. This technology could revolutionize the way we access the internet while simultaneously providing energy-efficient lighting solutions.
Smart Lighting and IoT Integration
The integration of LED lighting with the Internet of Things (IoT) and smart home technology will continue to gain traction. This will enable more advanced lighting control systems, allowing for energy savings, customization, and enhanced functionality.
Energy-efficient LED lighting technology has come a long way since its early beginnings, offering numerous benefits over traditional lighting options. With its widespread applications, environmental advantages, and ongoing advancements, LED lighting is poised to play a significant role in shaping a more sustainable and energy-conscious future. As the technology continues to evolve, we can anticipate even more exciting developments and innovations in the world of contemporary lighting. Nauradika offers a wide range of Modern Lighting, most of which are equipped with LED technology, which often comes in a variety of hues and sometimes even colours than can be adjusted with a remote control.
You will find many more relevant articles referenced in this article. Modern Lighting Trends and Concepts: Expert Insights. We hope you enjoy the read.
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A metering pump, also known as a chemical dosing pump, is a type of dosing pump that is used to dispense a precise and accurate amount of liquid or gas at a specific flow rate. Metering pumps are commonly used in industrial, chemical, and water treatment applications where precise control of fluid flow is required. They are used to add chemicals to water treatment systems, to dispense precise amounts of additives in manufacturing processes, and to dispense medication in medical settings.
Metering pumps operate on the principle of a positive displacement mechanism, typically using a piston, diaphragm, or rotary gear design to move the fluid. The flow rate of the pump can be controlled by adjusting the stroke length or stroke frequency of the pump.
There are different types of dosing pumps such as:
Each of these types of metering pumps has its own advantages and disadvantages, and the best type for a specific application will depend on the fluid being pumped, the flow rate and volume required, and the operating conditions.
When selecting a metering pump, it is important to consider factors such as the type of fluid being pumped, the viscosity and chemical compatibility of the fluid, the desired flow rate and volume, the operating pressure and temperature, and any safety and regulatory requirements that may apply.
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From between Perth and Geraldton on the south west of Western Australia, Verticordia muelleriana is another outstanding example of the genus. Brilliant pink to red flowers in spring and attractive foliage make it a great garden plant.
The foliage is a mid green, small and rounded, and held closely to the stems.
Although a number of Verticordias have been cultivated over the last 100 years, they are often regarded as ‘difficult’. However with modern grating techniques and a better understanding of basic care and growing requirements, these beautiful plants are now finding a place in the garden.
- The number one factor in growing these plants is sun, they need long periods of good sun every day.
- They also must have a very free draining soil or potting mix, waterlogged root systems mean fungal problems and decline of the plant.
- Although these are a drought tolerant plant once established, watering over the first summer is advisable.
- A light mulch around the plant will also assist in establishment.
- Fertiliser is a vexed question. In poor soils, a little specialist native plant fertiliser can be used. Over fertilisation can cause problems so use at 1/4 of the recommended rate.
- You can prune Verticordia, however we suggest only when its is flowering, or just after.
- Never prune back into old bare wood, regular tip pruning leaving good foliage in the stem is the best method.
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While previous studies have established that omega-3 and vitamin D are beneficial in improving cognitive function and behaviour, the exact mechanisms relating to this were unknown.
Co-author of the study, Dr Bruce Ames from the Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI), suggests that omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and vitamin D work together to maintain healthy levels of serotonin in the brain.
“This synergy of omega-3 and vitamin D can be explained in part by their effects on the serotonin system: vitamin D regulates serotonin synthesis, EPA influences serotonin release, and DHA improves membrane embedded serotonin receptor accessibility,” says the study.
According to the researchers, low serotonin levels in normal individuals are associated with antisocial behaviour, increased uncontrolled aggressive behaviour and self-injury.
The study, published in the FASEB Journal, also suggests that mental illnesses are less prevalent among women due to a protective effect provided by oestrogen, which increases brain serotonin synthesis.
Supplementation: ‘practical and relevant’
According to Ames, many sufferers of mental illness are deficient in micronutrients, particularly vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids.
“This may explain why supplementation with these essential micronutrients has been shown to be effective for treating symptoms associated with ADHD, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, impulsive behaviour, depression, and obsessive compulsive disorder,” they say.
“Vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acid supplementation would be a safer therapeutic treatment than serotonin enhancing drugs, which often have negative side effects,” says the study. According to the NHS, side effects of selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) include anxiety, nausea and blurred vision.
While the researchers call for further clinical trials to determine the optimal doses of vitamin D, EPA and DHA for each specific illness, there is great scope for success in supplementation.
“Vitamin D and omega-3 supplementations are practical interventions and are of great therapeutic relevance because of the massive and widespread vitamin D and omega-3 deficiencies in the United States and in particular populations.”
According to the study, 70% of adults and 67% of children aged 1–11 years in the United States do not have adequate levels of vitamin D even when fortification and supplementation are taken into account.
Harry Rice, PhD, VP of regulatory & scientific affairs for the Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3s (GOED), told Nutraingredients: “I've known for many years that EPA and DHA are intimately involved in serotonergic pathways, but I never gave much thought about the role of vitamin D in the regulation of serotonin synthesis.
Reading this article was like putting pieces of a puzzle together. Given that the majority of the American population is considered to be vitamin D deficient, as well as consuming inadequate amounts of omega-3s, it stands to reason that the impact of supplementation on multiple mental health conditions with a combination thereof may extend well beyond the benefits of supplementing with omega-3s alone. In the name of public health, Ames' hypothesis needs to be explored,” said Rice.
The first part of this two-part study suggested that adequate levels of vitamin D are required to produce serotonin in the brain where it acts as a neurotransmitter, affecting social behaviour.
In this second part, Ames and Patrick extended their research to include omega-3 fatty acids, as well as applying their findings to ADHD, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and impulsive behaviour.
Source: The FASEB Journal
Published online ahead of print February 24, 2015, doi: 10.1096/fj.14-268342, see link
"Vitamin D and the omega-3 fatty acids control serotonin synthesis and action, part 2: relevance for ADHD, bipolar, schizophrenia, and impulsive behavior"
Authors: Rhonda P. Patrick and Bruce N. Ames
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There have been numerous explanations and definitions of war through theories, such as: Historical, Psychological, Demographic, Marxist, Economical, and Rationalist, among others. In one word; war is any large scale or violent act which many times resolves in the destruction of one's territory, nation, and lives. War is learned and has evolved through history, these days war is conducted through military campaigns, which includes: armed conflict, intelligence, troop movement, propaganda, aircraft, bombs and missiles.
Terrorism, on the other hand has been described as the threat of violence, or other harmful act committed for political or ideological goals. The main goals of terrorists are to spread fear among the world population and get global attention for their actions in order to accomplish their goals. The most common terrorist tactics are: car bombing, aircraft hijacking and suicide attacks. Almost every country and organization have different definitions for terrorism, therefore, it is still impossible to give an official one. Up to now, the United Nations has not accepted, nor given definition for terrorism.
If we compare these two, we can see that both of them have violence as their main subject, also: armed conflict, bombs and missiles, propaganda and intelligence. War has aircraft and troop deployment, while terrorism has believers and people willing for sacrifice. What makes them different is that war requires mass organization, Governments, countries and thousands of volunteers and military personnel, while terrorism can be performed with just one or two individuals. Maybe the biggest difference is that terrorism sometimes does not choose targets, and as a result, most times, innocent people get hurt and die. War, on the other hand knows its targets, but in war innocent people also die. They are euphemistically called "Collateral Damage".
Terrorism has something that war has not, and that is the element of surprise. Terrorist attack can be done at any time and any place. While, war has to be declared and organized, therefore, this gives some time for the other side to get prepared or surrender before the first strike.
Here is one very interesting example: one person comes to a shopping mall or school and start shooting people with an automatic firearm, killing ten, and dies at the end. General opinion would be that this person is crazy, a lunatic, and mentally challenged. However, that same person could come to the same shopping mall or school and detonate an explosive, killing ten and dies at the end. General opinion would be that this person is a terrorist. What if the person from the first example is a terrorist just he/she did not have explosives at that time, and instead he/she used a firearm. Also, what if the person from second example is crazy just he/she did not have a firearm at the time, and instead he/she used explosives. Judging by this example we allowed ourselves to make a selection and categorize a violent act by weapons used to kill and destroy human life. While there's no difference, ten people lost their lives, and nothing can bring them back.
So, what is the correct definition for war and terrorism?
War has become so ordinary that it has lost its original meaning, at this moment we have wars for everything; still, war is just another way of conducting harmful and aggressive acts, which brought untold sorrow to mankind and instability on the international stage. Our society came to the point in which we don't need wars any more. Now, we have plenty of International Organizations and Laws to help secure peace among nations, for instance; the United Nation, Security Council, Diplomacy, and Geneva Convention. In our modern world, war is pointless: it starts with negotiations and diplomacy, followed by military actions, and ends with diplomacy and negotiation. With proper use of real Diplomacy, not Gunboats and Cowboys, wars could be avoided. However, it appears that these days wars do not start with the leader or the ruler of one country; it rather starts with industry which benefits from it. As old saying says "in war there are two kinds of people: ones who profits from it and ones who suffers from it".
Terrorism is immature and perfidious, but a highly organized violent act without emotions or regret for loss of innocent lives and without respect for International Laws. Today, terrorism is also described as resistance to foreign occupation. However, it is important to distinguish between terrorism, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Terrorism is usually triggered by war and some sort of dissatisfaction, such as: political disagreements, nationalism, retaliation, personal disappointment, religion, among others. Terrorism is not new to the world; history has it that first signs of terrorism were seen in 10th century. Terrorist now feels like actors, as more media attention their actions get, the more we are going to see them.
At the moment, the world’s biggest fear is use of Bio-Chemical and Nuclear weapons in wars and terrorism. Maybe, the world would be a better place without discoveries and inventions like: gun powder by the Chinese, dynamite by Alfred Nobel and Uranium by Pierre and Maria Curie. With these inventions and discoveries, a new era of war and terror began, an era that destroyed millions of lives, homes, countries and cultures.
Will additional wars prevent terrorism, or will additional terrorism prevent further wars?
It is impossible to tell, since leaders of war and terrorism believe they are doing the right thing, maybe, as we speak a new war and terrorist attack is being prepared somewhere in the world. However, one thing is clear; people suffer every day because of it.
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08 Aug Helping to Eradicate Rabies One Vaccine at a Time
Helping to eradicate rabies one vaccine at a time is at the heart of a partnership between PetWellClinic and Merck Animal Health. “Working toward a world free of rabies” is the goal of this program from Merck. Rabies is an entirely preventable disease and mass vaccination is the most effective method of eradication. This belief is why Merck joined the fight to eradicate rabies by donating more than one million doses of canine rabies vaccine to two organizations, Mission Rabies and Afya Project. Both organizations are involved in programs to vaccinate dogs in India and Africa.
PetWellClinic primarily uses vaccines manufactured by Merck Animal Health because of their commitment to produce excellent, high quality vaccines. For every vaccine we purchase from Merck, they make a donation to Mission Rabies.
Worldwide, rabies cause approximately 59,000 deaths annually. Forty percent of these deaths occur in children younger than 15 years old. Though vaccination programs coupled with reducing the number of stray dogs dramatically decreases the incidence of human rabies, rabies deaths still occur at alarming rates in countries with deficient public health funding coupled with inadequate preventive treatment.
The fight against rabies in the United States has been successful in the prevention of the spread of rabies in dogs. Between 1960 to 2018, 125 cases of humans rabies were reported here in the US. Twenty-eight percent of the reported cases were actually as a result of contact with an infected dog from outside of the United States. The cases which occurred within the US were a result of contact with infected bats, raccoons, skunks and foxes. Most cases of confirmed rabies cases in the US result from contact with an infected bat. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 7 out of 10 cases of rabies in the US are caused by contact with infected bats.
One goal of The World Health Organization is to eradicate dog to human rabies transmission around the world to zero by the year 2030. Mission Rabies, a nonprofit organization, has chosen to make Goa, India an example of how an effective rabies program can stop the spread of rabies. They began the campaign to stop rabies in Goa in 2014. Since 2017, they have spent approximately $300,000 annually to vaccinate 100,000 dogs each year. As a result, death from rabies fell to zero in Goa last year. When the campaign began in 2014, 15 deaths from rabies were recorded. There have been no deaths since the beginning of 2019. According to Ryan M. Wallace, who is head of the rabies epidemiology unit at the CDC and is a veterinarian, the Mission Rabies campaign in Goa “is one of the most successful programs in lower/middle income countries that I have seen in a decade.”
A concept called one health recognizes the health of people is connected to the health of animals and the environment. Rabies is a perfect example of this concept. Around the world, wherever you find dogs, you find people. Therefore, the concept of one health is when dogs are suffering and dying from rabies, humans are as well. By saving dogs, humans are saved.
India has about 35 million dogs compared to the estimated 90 million dogs here in the US. Because most people in India are not dog owners, it is not possible to have dogs brought to a central location for vaccination. In India, many stray dogs roam freely. Though they are not owned by people, they are not really wild. The community helps to care for the dogs. Most people freely share what food they have with the dogs. Mission Rabies has developed a program which sends teams out in the streets to locate and vaccinate dogs. The three major aspects of the program are vaccination, education and gathering data. Using smartphone technology, the teams map areas to vaccinate and accumulate data for analysis.
The cost to vaccinate one dog by Mission Rabies is approximately $2.50. This amount includes salaries and other costs. Using this figure, every dog in India could theoretically be vaccinated for less than $90 million. This is far less than the $490 million spent annually by India for medical treatment required to treat those infected with rabies.
Though the Mission Rabies program in Goa has been quite successful and international experts agree mass vaccination is the best way to stop rabies, systemic and cultural hurdles exist in India which make this a difficult endeavor. Regardless of the challenges free roaming dogs present for the people of India, they are very tolerant and do not wish for the dogs to leave. While Mission Rabies won’t be able to solve the hurdles presented by systemic and cultural issues, they are making a real difference in the health of dogs and people in India.
Together you and PetWellClinic help support the Mission Rabies’ effort to make real change in the lives of dogs and people worldwide by implementing programs to make the eradication of rabies an attainable goal. The one health approach is working. The goal of achieving optimal health by recognizing the interconnection of people, animals and the environment is a worthy one.
Gorman, James (July 22, 2019). Rabies Kills Tens of Thousands Yearly. Vaccinating Dogs Could Stop It. New York Times,
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We know that COVID-19 has caused some very serious medical conditions, including neurological issues, blood clots and damage to the heart, lungs and kidneys. I know it’s the last thing you want to hear, but we are also seeing that COVID-19 may have negative effects on male reproductive health as well. As a urologist, I haven’t been on the front lines of this global health crisis, but I suspect I will have a front-row seat to the ensuing waves of complications that are yet to come.
Although it seems like the pandemic has lasted forever, in the grand scheme of things, we’re still in the beginning phases when it comes to understanding long-term side effects that patients might experience. According to the studies that have been conducted so far, it does appear that a COVID-19 infection has the potential to negatively affect male fertility.
A recent study involving 120 Belgian men, ages 18 to 69 years, who had recovered from documented COVID-19 infections, illustrates some of the dangers that SARS-CoV-2 poses to male fertility in general and sperm motility and sperm count specifically. For this study, blood and semen were collected between one week and about 53 days after the participants had recovered from the coronavirus. Here’s what they found.
When we talk about sperm motility, what we’re talking about is a sperm cell’s ability to swim. The Belgian study found that 60% of the study participants had reduced sperm motility when measured during the first month after their coronavirus infection. When sperm motility was tested between one to two months after infection, 37% of participants had reduced sperm motility, and 28% showed reduced sperm motility after two months.
The technical term for poor sperm motility is asthenozoospermia. When a sperm cell moves in a straight line or travels in large circles, it’s labeled as progressive motility. If a sperm does not travel along a straight line or if it swims in tight little circles, it’s considered non-progressive motility. Progressive sperm motility is an important factor when it comes to fertility. If your little swimmers are floundering, they’re less likely to fertilize an egg because they’re less likely to even reach the egg.
According to this study, it’s likely that men will experience some degree of decreased fertility due to poor sperm motility after a COVID-19 infection although sperm motility seems to improve with time. The severity of the infection did not appear to affect the outcomes. Men who had recovered from mild cases and men who had recovered from severe cases had similar results.
The other major factor at play when it comes to male fertility is sperm count. The more sperm you have, the more likely at least one is going to cross the finish line and fertilize the egg. The technical term for a low sperm count is oligospermia, and it refers to the amount of sperm that’s present in your ejaculate. A sperm count is considered low when it’s measured at fewer than 15 million sperm per milliliter of semen.
Like sperm motility, the Belgian study showed that sperm count also suffers in the wake of a COVID-19 infection. During the first month post-infection, 37% of study participants had a reduced sperm count. When measured at one to two months post-infection, this percentage decreased to 29% and then continued to decrease to 6% when measured after two months of recovery. There’s definitely cause for hope here. It appears that sperm counts dramatically increased with time.
A Perfect Target
It’s suspected that men are at higher risk for fertility complications with COVID-19 because there is a high expression of the ACE2 receptor in the testicles. (The ACE2 receptor is what the coronavirus binds on to in order to enter our cells.) The high-quantity of ACE2 and the ability of SARS-CoV-2 to cross the blood-testis barrier may mean that testicular involvement occurs early in a COVID-19 infection.
In one study, testicular tissue that was examined from men who died from COVID-19 revealed a reduction in testosterone-producing cells high in ACE2 along with inflammation and swelling (Yang). Because there is an abundance of ACE2 in the cells that produce sperm, one might also assume that there could be similar negative effects on reproductive function. Sperm cells themselves have an ACE2 receptor, which could explain why COVID-19 has been found in semen (Li).
Fact vs. Fiction
While you may not have heard about the scientific studies being done on how COVID-19 affects fertility, you no doubt have heard someone talking about COVID-19 vaccines causing infertility, impotence or some other negative sexual side effect. Let me be very clear – COVID-19 vaccines do NOT cause infertility. Whether you heard it from Nicki Minaj or your Uncle Steve, it’s just not true.
A study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) followed more than 2,000 couples to find out if vaccination in the male, female or both affected the chances of conceiving a child. They found that there was no difference in the vaccinated couples as opposed to the unvaccinated couples. What they did find was a slightly lower chance of conception in couples where the man had a COVID-19 infection within 60 days before the female’s menstrual cycle.
The moral of the story – get vaccinated! If you’re a man, you’re less likely to experience fertility problems if you avoid a SARS-CoV-2 infection altogether.
In the Future
We still don’t know what COVID-19’s impact on fertility will be in the long term. We simply haven’t had enough time pass. However, the research emerging shows that while there’s room for continued caution, there’s also room for hope as we move into a post-pandemic future.
For some other coronavirus side effects, genetic and physiological predispositions are being identified. We may very well find the same connections to reproductive side effects as well. That could help us identify men who are at an increased risk for sexual side effects from COVID-19. Either way, we are seeing that the instance of these side effects does seem to lessen with time, and that’s a good thing.
If you have concerns about COVID-19 as it relates to fertility, semen quality, sperm count, sperm motility, sexual function or reproductive health, make sure you talk to your doctor. Sexual function is vital to a person’s quality of life. As sexual health experts, my colleagues and I may not be frontline healthcare workers, but we’ll definitely be there in the aftermath of COVID-19 to support patients as we navigate these new challenges together.
Yang M, Chen S, Huang B, Zhong JM, Su H, Chen YJ, et al. Pathological findings in the testes of COVID-19 patients: clinical implications. Eur Urol Focus. 2020 doi: 10.1016/j.euf.2020.05.009.
Li D, Jin M, Bao P, Zhao W, Zhang S. Clinical Characteristics and Results of Semen Tests Among Men With Coronavirus Disease 2019. JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(5):e208292. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.8292
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Handling Covid-19: Guidance for Community Gardens
COVID-19 is not a foodborne illness. It is extremely unlikely that someone will catch it through eating. The virus is most likely to cause illness through respiratory transmission, not eating. The routes to be concerned about include being in very close proximity to many people or coming in contact with high touch surfaces.
- Limit the number of people at the garden at one time or space people out to prevent groups of ten or more.
- If gardens stay open to the public, have a manager or gardener present to monitor the garden and visitors.
- Cloth face coverings should be worn by employees while working.
- Cloth face coverings should also be encouraged for customer use, based on local guidance.
- Communicate that anyone displaying symptoms of COVID-19, or have come in contact with someone who has, should not come to the gardens and if they are displaying symptoms on site they will be asked to leave.
- Communicate to gardeners and the public through signs, social media or newsletters, etc.
- Cloth face coverings should be encouraged for customer use, based on local guidance.
- Communicate that gardeners will not work if they have symptoms or were exposed.
- Remind visitors of school gardens to follow school procedures and/or closures.
CLEANING AND DISINFECTION
- Gardens should provide handwashing stations, if at all possible, and/or hand sanitizer to all guests and request that they wash their hands before entering the garden and upon exiting.
- Disinfect surfaces on a regular basis, including: reusable bins and buckets, shared tools, railings, doorknobs, tables, etc.
- Use non-porous plastic tables that can be easily disinfected whenever possible.
- CDC advises using compounds on the list of EPA recommended disinfectants, which can be found at: go.ncsu.edu/epacovid-19
- Note: this list is based on current data, but compounds have not been validated for inactivation of the virus causing COVID-19
- Bleach may be used to disinfect surfaces, but the concentration is higher for COVID-19 than for everyday sanitation: 5 tablespoons bleach per gallon of water
- Businesses should follow CDC and FDA guidance for screening employees who have been exposed to COVID-19.
- Pre-screen employees for symptoms or fever before starting work.
- Employees with fever and symptoms should be advised to see a doctor for evaluation and should be deferred to Human Resources for next steps.
Virginia Cooperative Extension materials are available for public use, reprint, or citation without further permission, provided the use includes credit to the author and to Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, and Virginia State University.
Virginia Cooperative Extension is a partnership of Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments. Its programs and employment are open to all, regardless of age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, military status, or any other basis protected by law
March 18, 2020
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Whether traveling home from work or rushing to a dinner party, Texas motorists fill the roadways even after the sun goes down. Although the roads are lit with streetlights and the glow from headlights, the lack of natural sunlight poses a threat all its own.
Not only is it harder for people to see at night, but bright lights can also make it more difficult for drivers to see. These visual issues can cause serious car accidents, injuries and even death.
What is the problem?
Human eyes often have trouble determining the distance and speed of oncoming traffic. Darkness can compromise one’s peripheral vision, depth perception, central vision and color contrast. This is especially true for those suffering from visual disorders, such as glaucoma, macular degeneration or cataracts. Furthermore, drivers over the age of 50 require twice as much light to see as well as a younger motorist.
Bright headlights can cause temporary blindness for motorists who look directly into oncoming traffic. According to ABC Action News, many vehicles have more intense LED lights, which can result in temporary blindness. This can cause delayed responses to objects, animals or people on the road.
What can drivers do?
There are steps drivers can take to minimize their risk of getting into a late-night accident, according to the National Safety Council. These include the following:
- Avoid looking directly into oncoming headlights
- Make sure your lights are working properly
- Have regular eye exams
- Reduce speed
- Avoid distractions
- Drive defensively
It is also important to get plenty of sleep, as driving at night can increase drowsiness for those who are sleep deprived.
Drivers who are victims of a nighttime accident may receive compensation for any injuries they have received at the negligence of another motorist.
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Generally, when we talk about lung cancer and its causes, our initial focus is on smoking. That’s to be expected, as smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer for men and women around the world. However, there are other environmental factors that can contribute to an increased risk for developing lung cancer. Radon, a colorless and odorless gas, is the second leading cause of lung cancer in Americans, and the single most common cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. Unfortunately, the hazards of radon are rarely discussed, and many people may be risking exposure without even knowing it. However, there are proactive steps that people can take to limit their exposure to this dangerous gas, and to reduce their risks for developing radon induced lung cancer.
Radon – A Primer
Radon is a naturally occurring gas that is produced by the normal decay of uranium deposits in soil. As the uranium decays, the radon gas is released into the surrounding soil, or into the atmosphere. Radon is both odorless and colorless, making it difficult to detect without proper testing equipment. Radon can enter people’s homes through cracks in the foundation and walls, through gaps around sump pumps or drains, and through cracked or poorly fitted pipes. Radon has also been detected in the water supplies of people whose home’s depend on well water.
Radon and Lung Cancer
Radon gas carries a low level of radiation, which has been linked to an increased risk for a number of disorders, including lung cancer. When radon is released into the home, it binds with particles in the air which are then breathed in by the inhabitants. Smokers are particularly susceptible to radon related lung cancer, mostly due to the prolonged damage that has already been done to their lungs. But people who live with smokers are also at a greater risk, as smoking produces an abundance of air particles that the radon gas can bind with to produce a toxic home environment. Some people may be at a greater risk for radon related cancers due to infirmity or a genetic predisposition to cancer. Children and the elderly are at a significantly higher risk than otherwise healthy adults.
Testing for Radon
While the thought of a colorless and odorless cancer causing gas permeating your home is certainly frightening, there is some good news. Testing your home for radon gas is easy and inexpensive. The EPA recommends that all home owners, and anyone considering the purchase of a new home, should have the property tested for radon gas. Testing kits are available at most hardware stores, and typically cost between $20 and $40. After the test has been performed according to instructions, the kit should be returned to the manufacturer who will process the results and send you a detailed report. In the United States, any radon level above 4pCi/L (pico curies per liter) is deemed hazardous to the home owner’s health. In Canada and Europe, radon levels over 2pCi/L are considered abnormal. Ideally you want as low a reading as possible.
What to Do if Your Home Has Elevated Radon Levels
If, after testing, your home shows signs of elevated radon levels there are some simple steps you can take to reduce your exposure. Hire a certified contractor to inspect your home. Many licensed contractors are certified by the EPA for radon detection and repairs, and these firms will be able to located the source of the exposure and suggest repairs to eliminate the problem. In most cases repair costs are minimal, averaging between $1200 and $2200.
The World Health Organization estimates that nearly 15% of all lung cancer cases worldwide are the result of radon exposure. To put that into perspective, a person exposed to a radon level of 4pCi/L is five times more likely to die of lung cancer than in a car crash. The statistics are startling, and more than a little chilling. Fortunately, there are steps everyone can take to limit their exposure to this dangerous gas. If you are a home owner, or are thinking of buying a new home, now is the time to have it tested for radon. If you are an apartment dweller, contact your landlord and ask if they have tested the property, and if they have taken steps to limit the potential radon exposure. Your health, and the health of your family, may depend upon it.
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Rhode Island Library Report
WEST WARWICK, R.I. (April 27, 2013) – The workshop was about the chronic heartaches and sometimes heady rewards of preserving the historic character of old library buildings when they are rebuilt to meet modern needs.
But what drew gasps from the audience was a photograph of the Westerly Public Library in 1937 – not because of an impending crisis for the library, but the disaster awaiting the ghostly shape that could be seen above the library’s distinctive roof.
Passing over the library was the German airship Hindenburg, tailfins emblazoned with Nazi swastikas. The day of the photo, said library director Kathryn Taylor, was May 6, 1937; the time 1:21 p.m. About six hours later, the Hindenburg would explode while landing in New Jersey, one of the world’s most famous air disasters, which killed 36.
While technically, the photograph didn’t fit the topic, “New Libraries in Old Buildings,” it was an apt symbol of why many older library buildings are worth preserving: because the structures, just like their print and digital materials inside, dramatically connect their patrons’ pasts with their futures.
The session, attended by about 30 people, was part of the much larger annual statewide conference sponsored by the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission, which drew about 500 people from Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut to this one-time manufacturing town, now celebrating its centennial.
Taylor was one of three panelists representing a range of libraries: the Westerly library at the southern edge of the state; the Willett Free Library in the North Kingstown village of Saunderstown, probably the state’s smallest library; and the state’s largest system, the nine-branch Providence Community Library.
In each case, the buildings discussed are key landmarks on the psychological as well as physical landscapes of their communities. Each has confronted unique challenges; each has managed to come up with solutions.
Completed in 2011 was a $6.5 million project involving interior work, along with a new outside ramp, replacing one constructed years ahead of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, but built with twists and turns that made it difficult for wheelchairs to navigate.
“They really wanted it to be like an archeological dig, so you could see what used to be there,” Taylor said. That produced many grumbles, and a comment from an official of the Champlin Foundations, which had helped with financing, to the effect that a “small house” could have been built with the resources that went into the ramp.
However, Taylor said, that project turned out to be a net plus: it features a long, gentle slope that makes it more of a walkway than ramp, running elegantly alongside the building.
“Look how beautiful that is,” Taylor said, as she brought up a photo of the finished project on a screen in a meeting room in the West Warwick Senior Citizens Center. “I thank the Rhode Island Historic Preservation & Heritage Commission for making us more beautiful than we planned to be.”
Leaky roof and a faltering stairway
Marlane focused on just one of the libraries – the Knight Memorial in the capital city’s Elmwood neighborhood. Its roots go back to 1915, when Elmwood women raised funds for a library which rapidly outgrew its quarters above a fire station. In 1924, the family of Robert Brayton Knight, founder of Fruit of the Loom Company, established the new building.
“It is truly a spectacular building,” Marlane said, showing photos of stained glass windows and reading rooms with huge windows and sturdy old tables and chairs. Then-and-now pictures documented that the library has changed very little over the decades.
“In some ways,” she said with a note of irony, “neglect has the benefit of not having buildings suffer through really nasty ‘70s renovations that made things really, really ugly. So while things fall apart, which we’re fixing, you still have all of this stuff preserved.”
Thus, Marlane noted, the staff at Knight Memorial react with “Pavlovian response” when they hear rain falling, grabbing their assigned buckets and rushing them to where leaks occur.
However, the roof is being worked on, paid for by private donations, and the repairs should be finished in mid-May. Next up: rebuilding iconic stone stairs at the front entrance, which are pulling away from the building and which are now blocked off by a security fence.
A Community Development Block Grant from the city will pay for much of the work, she said, and the Friends of the Knight Memorial Library on May 9 will hold a fundraiser, with a $13,000 goal to make up the difference.
Meanwhile, the PCL’s Smith Hill Library will undergo major renovations, helped by the Champlin Foundations, to repair that building’s leaky roof, and bring the interior up to standards outlined in the disabilities’ law.
Both the Knight Memorial and Smith Hill repairs should be completed by summer, “so then we’ll have two building in really, really good shape, and we are really excited about that,” Marlane said.
Big changes at a small library
The current library, designed in the early 1900s by Christopher Grant LaFarge, who helped design the Cathedral of St. John the Devine in New York City, is the state’s smallest library by many measures – it has about 253 cardholders compared to 56,783 at Providence Community Library.
Popular with residents, who love features like its working fireplace, it was so crammed with books that librarian John Edwards called it more “kiosk” than library, and there was no place to sit down with a laptop computer. So in 2001, Renshaw said, the trustees raised enough money, including a Champlin grant, to renovate the building which reopened this past January.
The result is that elements like the fireplace were retained. Adding some square footage and slightly raising the roof, resulted in better use of space, helped by having moveable bookcases that can be rolled back to allow seating for events.
As with the Westerly library, he said that installation of a wheelchair accessible ramp turned out to have unexpected benefits, in this case an added porch that provides space for space for warm weather use.
“It’s a wonderful community center,” he said. “This has a tremendous sense of place that has the historic integrity that the neighbors just didn’t want to lose.”
The panel session, moderated by the writer of this article, ended with questions from the audience, including the crucial issue of raising money.
Marlane, the Providence Community Library director, said some libraries are forming tax-exempt organizations to raise money that municipalities can’t or won’t, and that library directors have to take on new roles.
“I think libraries have to become advocates much more than ever before,” Marlane said. “Directors need to be political; they need to be really active in their community to generate the fundraising that they need.
“It’s always been difficult for libraries,” she said. “They are usually the first thing cut in any budget. That’s just been traditionally the way it’s been. But now with the economy where it is, libraries really need to advocate for themselves, and build their position in the community and become more of a community center.”
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The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2018
The ENDS Committee was established in December 2016 under the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, with an ambitious timeline to complete a review of the science that can inform the understanding of public health risks and benefits of e-cigarettes. What are the short- and longterm health risks of regular use of e-cigarettes? What variables of the numerous types of devices and use patterns are important determinants of risk? Are e-cigarettes an effective means to quit smoking combustible tobacco cigarettes? Are e-cigarettes an “initiation pathway” of youth to smoking combustible tobacco cigarettes? These are just some of the important questions addressed by the committee in this report. Where feasible, the committee applied the most important attributes of systematic review methodology to the scientific literature to establish the strength of evidence surrounding the health risks (e.g., direct harmful effects, initiation of smoking) and benefits (e.g., smoking cessation) associated with e-cigarette use. Although the use of these products is relatively new, the committee identified more than 800 peer-reviewed scientific studies in this report. Based on this review, the committee has provided a summary of the current state of knowledge about the health risks and benefits of e-cigarette use, and has provided a series of research recommendations.
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Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs
Comprehensive tobacco control programs are wide-reaching, coordinated efforts to prevent and reduce
the use of tobacco. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes key components of
comprehensive tobacco control programs including state
and community-level interventions, mass-reach
health communications interventions, and cessation
Comprehensive tobacco control programs have been effective in increasing tobacco cessation and decreasing the
prevalence of tobacco use and the incidence of tobacco-related diseases. This model is recommended by the
to Community Preventive Services.
The CDC developed Best
for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs, a resource for communities implementing this model. CDC
lists the following goals for a comprehensive tobacco control program:
“Prevent initiation among youth and young adults.
Promote quitting among adults and youth.
Eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke.
Identify and eliminate tobacco-related disparities among population groups.”
Communities seeking to design a comprehensive tobacco control program may need to consider
implementing the following components:
Community programs. While comprehensive tobacco control programs are often managed
at the state level, they require strong support at the community level in order to reach individuals
in rural settings. Community engagement is essential to supporting tobacco-free norms and making
meaningful changes to the way that tobacco is marketed and sold in local jurisdictions.
Advocacy and policy changes. Program planners may need to advocate for policy
changes in order to achieve the goals of a comprehensive tobacco control program. This could include
smoke-free policies in schools, businesses, and other organizations or taxes on cigarette sales.
Cessation programs. In order to promote quitting among adults and youth, program
planners should incorporate cessation activities into their comprehensive program. This could involve
working with insurers to increase coverage of cessation services and nicotine replacement therapies,
working with healthcare organizations to ensure that physicians are conducting screenings and
providing counseling for tobacco use, and referring tobacco users to a quitline.
Mass-reach communications campaigns. Communications campaigns may focus on a wide-range of
tobacco-related issues, including preventing initiation of tobacco products, promoting quitting among active
users, and educating users about the importance of screening for tobacco-related diseases.
School-based programs. School-based programs ensure that children and young adults receive
anti-tobacco messaging, education about the risks of tobacco use, and information about tobacco cessation.
Point of retail sale and enforcement programs. These programs may focus on stopping the
sale of tobacco in certain businesses, such as pharmacies, and enforcing existing laws that prohibit the
sale of tobacco to minors.
Surveillance and evaluation programs. The CDC states that surveillance and evaluation are
critical components of a comprehensive tobacco control program. These activities will help program planners
determine whether the program is achieving its goals.
Examples of Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs
Baby & Me - Tobacco Free Program
addresses the need to reduce smoking among pregnant women. The Chautauqua County Department of Health
provided Baby & Me – Tobacco Free to pregnant women in Chautauqua County, New York and two other rural
counties, Cattaraugus and Allegany. The Chautauqua County Coordinator partnered with the New York State
Tobacco Control program in order to offer this program to 17 other New York State counties.
Tobacco Free Florida is a comprehensive
tobacco education and prevention program that is administered by the Florida Department of Health's Bureau
of Tobacco Free Florida. The state program provides funding to counties to implement evidence-based
practices from the Guide to Community
Preventive Services and the CDC's Best
Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs.
The health departments in
rural Jefferson and Madison
County in Florida elected to implement community mobilization interventions (which involved
establishing community-wide advisory committees); developed policies to increase the price of tobacco
products and require that retailers move tobacco products behind the counter; and developed mass
anti-tobacco media campaigns directed at teens and adults.
Montana Tobacco Use Prevention Program
(MTUPP) has implemented programs to reduce tobacco use in Montana. These include an American
Indian Commercial Tobacco Quit Line where American Indian populations can connect with Native
Coaches and receive cessation counseling, the Montana
Tobacco Retail Mapper that provides information about point-of-sale strategies that retailers use to
advertise tobacco and maps the distance between schools and tobacco retailers, and a partnership with the
Montana High School Rodeo Association to promote tobacco-free
rodeo events. MTUPP has a YouTube
page with videos that describe its programs and anti-tobacco advertising.
Tobacco Control Program has a long history of success utilizing several different types
initiatives to achieve their goals. These include the Tobacco
Tax and Health Protection Act which allocated 20% of the tobacco tax to go towards funding
tobacco control efforts. Other programs include a statewide media campaign bringing awareness to
deceptive marketing strategies used by tobacco companies, local prevention programs targeting
specific demographics, and a data-driven surveillance and evaluation component.
Considerations for Implementation
Comprehensive tobacco control programs require substantial funding to carry out program
Community Guide states that “increases in program funding are associated with increases in program
effectiveness.” The CDC describes the
minimum and recommended funding levels for comprehensive tobacco control programs in Best
Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs. The minimum level describes the amount required
to allow a state to fund and sustain a program ($2.3 billion across all states), while the
recommended level also accounts for funds needed to attain resources that will have the greatest impact on
reducing the use of tobacco ($3.3 billion across all states). For information about funding individual tobacco
control and prevention programs, see Module 5.
Due to their wide-reaching and comprehensive scope, comprehensive tobacco control programs require
extensive collaborations with partners at the state, community, and local level. Depending on the
focus of the program, communities may need to form partnerships with national research organizations,
business owners, schools, advocacy groups, local and state health departments, healthcare providers,
and media organizations. Coalition
building across sectors is particularly important when trying to create policy changes.
Program Clearinghouse Examples
Resources to Learn More
Texas Tobacco Prevention Pilot Initiative:
Processes and Effects
This article describes a study on the effects of an anti-smoking comprehensive community program and
media campaign on teen tobacco use and attitudes toward smoking.
Author(s): Meshack, A.F., Hu, S., Pallonen U.E., McAlister, A.L., Gottlieb, N. & Huang,
Citation: Health Education Research, 19(6), 657-68
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Upper Center Plate
Upper Center Plate, also called car body center plate, is the connecting part installed under the chassis (Car body).
Normally, the upper center plate is mounted by rivet under the car body in a longitudinally extending center sill, to which a main bolster extending transversely relative. Upper center plate, wear disc and lower center plate (center plate on bogie) are threaded together by a pivot pin, thus connecting the car body and the bogie.
Upper Center Plate is made by casting or forging process, according to AAR M-201 standard or Chinese standard materials. SCHBER Rail could design and manufacture various upper center plates for railway freight cars according to customer requirements and related railway standards.
|Upper center plate
||Casting or Forging
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UCL published research supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14: Ensure access to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development.
Through its world-class research and teaching, and the way it operates as an institution, UCL is playing a leading role in responding to the challenges set out in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
There is a growing realisation that the world’s ongoing economic growth needs to take place while protecting the environment and addressing social inequalities. The UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a framework for this sustainable development. Adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, the SDGs are an urgent call for action by all countries in a global partnership.
At UCL we are already playing a leading role in these efforts through our world-class teaching, research and distinctive cross-disciplinary approach.
This collection lists all UCL contributed published content pertaining to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14 Life Below Water. For more information about how UCL is supporting the SDGs, visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/sustainable-development-goals.
A special series on Water and the UN Sustainable Development Goals
UCL and UCL Press's own broad scope open science journal called UCL Open: Environment has in support of the UN SDGs opened a special series call for papersconcerned with the theme of Water and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Find out more information about the special series at https://ucl-about.scienceopen.com/water-sdgs. Submission is open to anyone.
|Main image credit:|
Copyright © 2020 UCL
|ScienceOpen disciplines:||Earth & Environmental sciences, Oceanography & Hydrology, Ecology, Environmental studies, General environmental science, Life sciences|
|Keywords:||overfishing, ecotourism, coastal waters, marine protected areas, sea life, mass species extinction, SDG 14, marine life, ocean pollution, ocean conservation|
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Addiction at a Distance:
Brain Reward Decreases and Danger of Relapse Increases with
Heavy Cocaine Use
By Jason Socrates
A group of researchers from The Scripps Research Institute
(TSRI) have experimentally demonstrated the validity of a
new hypothesis of drug addiction that may have important implications
for treating chronic cocaine addicts.
The hypothesis holds that the body responds to the prolonged
and escalated use of cocaine that accompanies cocaine addiction
by establishing a new "hedonic set point"the point at
which euphoria is achieved. Over time, this set point is elevated
so that it takes more of the drug to achieve the same effect,
which in turn elevates the hedonic set point further.
After cocaine use is stopped, the set point remains elevatedperhaps
for months after the drug has worn off. The TSRI group demonstrated
that this "allostasis" of the hedonic set point correlates
with increased relapse into cocaine use during withdrawal.
Allostasis is a concept in physiology where an organism maintains
the stability of a physiological parameter outside of the
homeostatic (normal) range.
"This is the first demonstration that the depression and
anhedonic effect one sees in withdrawal of drugs of abuse,
particularly cocaine, is very long lasting," says Athina Markou,
who led the study, which will be published in an upcoming
issue of the journal Nature Neuroscience.
Cocaine's Costs to Society
Americans spend more on cocaine than on all other illegal
drugs combined, says a White House Office of National Drug
Control Policy study that came out in the mid-1990s. The study
estimates that $38 billion was spent on cocaine in the years
1988 to 1995 alone.
These costs are a small wedge of the total pie. Cocaine's
secondary costs to society due to cocaine treatment and prevention
programs, emergency room visits and other healthcare costs,
lost job productivity, lost earnings, and costs to society
through cocaine-related crime, incarcerations, investigations,
and social welfare are estimated to be in the billions of
dollars annually. And the drug's human toll is of even more
alarming proportions. Cocaine abuse is a major public health
problem in the United States today. According to the National
Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), there are nearly 2 million
regular cocaine users, and cocaine is the leading cause of
heart attacks and strokes for people under 35.
Cocaine, a chemical extracted from the leaf of the Erythroxylaceae
coca plant, is a highly potent salt when it is consumed
in soluble powder form that users snort or dissolve in water
and inject. The salt is frequently neutralized to make an
insoluble "free-base" form that is smoked.
Once in the bloodstream, the drug crosses the bloodbrain
barrier and accumulates rapidly in the ventral tegmental area
of the brain.
This area is connected by nerve cells to the nucleus accumbens,
the so-called pleasure center of the brain. There, the cocaine
molecules interfere with the normal regulation of dopamine
by binding to dopamine transporters and blocking them from
recycling the neurotransmitter.
This leads to the build-up of dopamine in the brain's pleasure
center, which produces a euphoric feeling in the usera
quick rush that hits seconds after the user takes the drug
and lasts several minutes.
The New Hypothesis
Relapse, unfortunately, is a reality for many addicts. Addicts
continue to crave the drug and are vulnerable to relapse into
drug use for extended periods of time after stopping use of
cocaine. For many years, scientists believed that the basis
of relapse was positive reinforcement of the highthat
doing the drug was so enjoyablewhich conditioned the
addicts to return to the drug.
But in recent years, a new theory has arisen that claims
risk of relapse in cocaine addiction is a legacy of the neurological
effects of prolonged cocaine use. The positive reward of taking
cocaine remains the same regardless of whether one is chronically
addicted to cocaine or not. It is the negative effects associated
with the neurological changes that take place while a heavy
cocaine user is on the drug that drive addiction.
The new theory arose, in part, because scientists like TSRI's
Markou have developed the ability to monitor cocaine use and
the activity of the brain reward system in laboratory models.
In this and earlier studies, Markou and her colleagues found
evidence that the brain's reward system changes during prolonged
cocaine use, particularly with regard to the hedonic set point,
and that this hedonic allostasis is long lasting and is correlated
with vulnerability towards relapse.
During hedonic allostasis, the absolute magnitude of the
effect of cocaine is the samethe drug continues to be
absorbed, cleared from the blood, and metabolized in the same
way. And the euphoria associated with the cocaine remains
What changes is the amount of cocaine one must ingest to
achieve that euphoria. And the amount keeps getting larger.
"The drug has the same effect, but the hedonic set point
is at a different level," says Markou.
Once a new hedonic set point has been established, it takes
more cocaine to reach this point. The increase in cocaine
consumption then pushes the hedonic set point even further.
This only happens when there is extended access to large
amounts of cocaine, which allows for an escalation in cocaine
use over time. Under such conditions, the hedonic set point
increases, and the amount of drug that must be taken to achieve
euphoria also increases. This leads to further drug intake
and further alteration of brain reward neurobiology.
The results of this latest study suggest that in chronic
cocaine use, tolerance and risk of relapse are related to
It is this negative reinforcement, rather than the positive
one that drives addiction to cocaine. The addicts may not
be seeking pleasure as much as they are seeking to quell their
bodies' inability to deal with a cocaine-altered brain reward
The current study is also one of the first demonstrations
that this risk of relapse is long-lasting.
"Normal brain reward function is a limited resource," says
TSRI Professor George Koob, "High amounts of cocaine deplete
that resource and lead to an allostatic state."
"Translated into the human condition," he adds, "large amounts
of cocaine leads to diminished reward in normal pleasurable
activities, and that leads to more cocaine use and [the continuation]
of the subsequent vicious cycle."
The investigators are now attempting to identify possible
treatments based on these findings that might prevent addicts
from relapsing into drug use.
The research article "Neurobiological evidence for hedonic
allostasis associated with cocaine use" is authored by Serge
H. Ahmed, Paul J. Kenny, George F. Koob, and Athina Markou
and was published online on June 10, 2002 in advance of its
publication in an upcoming issue of the journal Nature
The research was supported by the Centre National de la
Recherche Scientifique (France), the Peter McManus Charitable
Trust, and grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse
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Sensor-based monitoring systems for tire pressure can warn of potential problems, but there’s much more to the story than just a pressure-measurement system.
You may have had the misfortune to have the “Check Engine” light come on in your car. This single illuminated indicator encompasses a wide range of possible problems ranging from trivial where you can keep driving (the gas tank cap is not on properly) to severe requiring an immediate stop (major engine problem such as loss of coolant). It’s coarsely informative and thus frustrating and frightening, all at the same time.
But there’s another car-console indicator with the opposite information aspect that tells the very specific tale of low tire pressure (Figure 1). The symbol’s appearance is the culmination of a complicated system mandated for installation in all cars as of 2007 and is called the Tire Pressure Monitoring System, or TPMS.
This article will look at how TPMS and its mandate came about, how it is implemented, and some issues associated with its operation and maintenance.
Mandating the TPMS
The story of the TPMS begins in the late 1990s when there was a surge of rollover crashes, primarily in Ford Explorer SUVs fitted with Firestone tires that were underinflated (Figure 2). Apparently, the underinflated tires would overheat, the tread layers would separate, and the vehicle would roll over as the driver attempted to compensate and maintain control. The relatively lower tire pressure was due to the lower pressure specification which Ford used to overcome some other issues with that vehicle, or the user not filling the tires to specification, or both.
The relatively high center of gravity of the vehicle added to the problem. It was estimated that there were over 3,000 injuries and approximately 250 deaths due to Explorer-Firestone-related incidents. Firestone blamed Ford for poor stability design in the cars. In response, Ford blamed Firestone for tires designed and built to be overly susceptible to poor performance with lower-than-intended pressure. Many of the resulting lawsuits were settled out-of-court, and the specifics of the payment were never disclosed. The entire issue resulted in several vehicle and tire recalls.
These patterns of accidents and deaths received considerable publicity, which created demands by politicians for the industry to “do something” about this problem. The lawmakers then did the high-profile and obvious thing: in 2000, they passed the Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability, and Documentation (TREAD) Act which mandated that by 2007 all cars must be equipped with a TPMS system indicating to the driver when pressure in any one of the four tires was 25 percent or more below its nominal value.
The mandate was practical since developments in MEMS-based, and other bulk-crystal pressure sensors made them relatively inexpensive and reliable to fulfill that requirement. Further, the pressure of a car tire is typically around 30 pounds per square inch (PSI; 30 PSI is about 2 bar) which is easier to measure with reasonable accuracy than the very low pressure within the human body (under 3 PSI) or high pressures of industrial systems (hundreds of PSI).
Of course, a sensor alone is far from a complete system. In addition to sensor signal conditioning, the complete TPMS would also need a wireless way to report to the car “management” computer, which would then determine if the pressure was too low. The total TPMS design comprises a complicated, safety-related system that must function for years in the harsh automotive environment (ambient temperature extremes plus heated air in the tire, vibration, shock, and more). It’s aggravated by the fact that a representative 15-inch (25-inch total wheel diameter) tire rotates at around 840 rpm at 60 mph and 1,120 rpm at 80 mph (the exact number is a function of the specific tire/wheel diameter, of course).
The next part of this article looks at some perspectives related to the reality of the TPMS.
EE World related content
EEPROM-configurable IC enables easier development of TPMS modules
Smart Tires Pave the Road for Future of Autonomous Cars
When tire pressure monitoring gets smart
Miniature transponder coils target uses in tire pressure monitoring
TPMS Background and History
- Schrader TPMS Solutions, “Schrader History”
- CarID, “What Is The History Of Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems?”
- Gregg’s Automotive, “The Story Behind Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)”
- TMPS Direct, “A Brief History of TPMS”
- Wikipedia, “Firestone and Ford tire controversy”
- Tirebuyer, “What is TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System)?”
- Wikipedia, “Tire-pressure monitoring system”
- Inertion, “The Better Way to Fill Your Tires”
- TiresPlus, “Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)”
- TMPS Direct, “TPMS Sensor Batteries”
- Priority Tire, “TPMS 101: What Is it and How it Works?”
- Car and Driver, “A Tire-Pressure Sensor Can Save You From Having a Blowout”
- How Stuff Works, “How Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems Work”
- Mechanic Base, “How to Reset Tire Pressure Light (TPMS) – By Car Model”
- Autel, “MaxiTPMS TS401”
- Subaru 2010, “How much does change in tire pressure affect tire circumference?”
TPMS ICs and Components
- Melexis, “World’s smallest TPMS solution”
- NXP, “Tire Pressure Monitoring Sensors”
- NXP, “TPMS Selector Guide”
- NXP, “A Global Solution for Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems”
- Infineon, “Tire Pressure Sensor (TPMS)”
- Infineon, “SP400-11-11 Automotive Tire Pressure Monitoring Sensor”
- Infineon, “SP40PLUS Tire Pressure Monitoring Sensor”
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Compared to many years ago, the life expectancy of our four-legged friends has increased considerably, so much so that it is no longer so unusual to hear about hundred-year-old dogs and cats (of course based on the ratio of human years / animal years). To ensure a long life for our animals, however, it is not enough to just take care of their body, but we must also pay close attention to their mind. A young and well-stimulated brain is an essential feature for optimal old age. But how can we do it?
Why is it so important to "train" the brain?
Most of the cells in our body are able to grow, multiply and in some cases even repair any damage. Not all this, happens to the brain, which from the moment we are born, is growing and changing rapidly to be able to learn all the new experiences we live.
Every new face encountered, every new word learned, every poem memorized at school, involves a certain expenditure of energy and great mental abilities, which only the reactive brain of the youngest is able to bear. Then we grow, reaching the peak of our abilities, until progressively adulthood begins to get closer and closer to old age, with its consequences.
If our grandparents begin to hear poorly what we say and maybe find it hard to keep up with more complex conversations, it is precisely because we slowly encounter a slowdown in the activity of the individual cells that make up our brain, neurons, which unfortunately cannot repair or multiply.
This is how in the long run more and more cells die, whilst the remaining ones must make up for this deficiency, but they do not have the full capacity
Not all this is necessarily a negative fact, if we consider that it is part of the long and inevitable aging process that we will all face sooner or later. On the contrary, it becomes a problem when the brain ages in a "strange" way, giving rise to pathologies such as senile dementia or Alzheimer's disease.
The key to keeping the brain constantly young is represented above all by a good training from an early age, activating memory, logic, reasoning and everything that can be used to "increase" mental functions more and more. However, just like when we train in the gym, it is not necessary to have reached steel abs, however, we must continue to sculpt them day after day.
The same thing applies to our brain, for which a very curious speech counts, defined in technical terms "use it or lose it", or if you don't use it, you lose it. This means that perhaps as children many of us were very skilled at reciting entire poems by heart, but without developing this ability in adulthood, they would probably now have difficulty even remembering the plot of a film. Basically, we lose all the skills that we don't cultivate. Just like steel abs.
The brains of our pet work exactly the same way, but we have to consider some differences related mostly to lifestyle. If we can go to school to learn how to use our brain, our pet need the owner's guide who teaches them some basic notions such as speaking and the basic commands such as "sit" and "stay".
True, we have books, computers, crossword puzzles and every other thing to activate the mind, but our dogs and cats have their toys, hide and seek with the owner, hunting and many other ways that stimulate them to get away from home.
Even the ability to relate to others is not given to us from birth. With parents, relatives, classmates and friends we slowly learn how we behave and how we interact with people different from us. In the same way, the animal needs to socialize, knowing the rest of the world, starting with humans and other dogs, but also extending its relationships to other species.
What can we do to keep their mind young?
Intelligence games: you never say no to a snack, so let's hide them in various parts of the house, letting them find a way to reach them or buy some intelligence games to present them in the right way, as indicated in the guide. The game of intelligence should be used from an early age, because it represents a powerful tool for the mental activation of the animal
Walks: the elderly animal will hardly have enough energy to face long walks, considering also that joint problems often advance, but let's not forget to keep his interaction with the outside world active;
Interaction with the owner or with other animals: we must always keep in mind that older dogs and cats are often less tolerant of those who want to disturb them and that they may also feel pain, so if we notice that they do not accept the turbulent attentions of puppies and children, we should try to satisfy their need for tranquillity;
Supplements and suitable feed: on the market there are many products that take into account the specific nutritional needs of the elderly animal. Precious substances, such as Omega fatty acids -3 and antioxidant substances help to protect nerve cells. Ginkgo biloba also improves the microcirculation of the brain.
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Weekly writing task:
This week, complete this section of writing tasks. It's all about superheroes!
Similar to White Rose Maths, Oak National Academy have designed an online classroom where they are uploading a range of lessons each week tailored towards the year 2 curriculum. These include 5 English and Maths lessons and a range of foundation subjects including Science, History and Modern Foreign Languages. This may be a resource that you would like to use at home throughout the next couple of weeks. https://www.thenational.academy/online-classroom/year-2
BBC Bitesize have created daily lessons for the children to do which follow the Year 2 curriculum. They include daily maths and English lessons and 1 topic lesson. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/tags/z7s22sg/year-2-and-p3-lessons/1
All children now have access to reading books on their book band level through Bug Club. Individual login's have been sent through MarvellousMe as well as the link to the login page, which can also be found here:
Here are some talk for writing booklets that your children can use.
Natre is a website where you will find free resources and activities to complete during this home learning period. It covers a range of aspects relating to Religious Education and has lots of fun activities for the children to do. https://www.natre.org.uk/about-natre/free-resources-for-you-and-your-pupils/key-stage-1/
Here are some resource booklets for internet safety that your children can use.
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A 6-axis press brake is a type of metalworking machine that is used to bend and shape sheet metal. It is capable of performing complex bending operations with high precision, and is commonly used in the manufacturing industry for producing metal components and parts.
The "6-axis" designation refers to the six different axes of motion that the press brake can control. These axes are:
Y-axis: This controls the vertical movement of the ram (the part of the press brake that presses down on the sheet metal).
X-axis: This controls the horizontal movement of the sheet metal as it is being bent.
Z-axis: This controls the depth of the bend, or how far the ram presses down on the sheet metal.
R-axis: This controls the position of the back gauge (a metal bar that helps to position the sheet metal before it is bent).
A-axis: This controls the angle of the bending tool.
C-axis: This controls the rotation of the bending tool.
The six-axis press brake is typically controlled by a computer program that allows the operator to input precise measurements and specifications for each bending operation. This results in highly accurate and repeatable bending operations, which are essential for the production of high-quality metal components.
DA-66T DA-Touch series 2D graphical control for CNC press brakes, features:
Due to the many options offered, these machines are strictly built on order. Feel free to customize and build your ideal machine.
Delivery 10-14 Weeks from Deposit
Using a 6-axis press brake involves several steps and requires some knowledge of metalworking and machine operation.
Here is a general overview of the process:
Preparation: First, the sheet metal to be bent is cleaned and checked for imperfections or defects. Then, the operator sets up the machine, including adjusting the back gauge and installing the appropriate bending tool.
Programming: The operator inputs the specifications for the bending operation into the machine's computer system. This includes the angle of the bend, the depth of the bend, and the position of the back gauge.
Loading: The operator places the sheet metal onto the bed of the press brake, ensuring that it is positioned correctly against the back gauge.
Bending: The operator activates the press brake, which uses the six axes of motion to precisely bend the sheet metal to the desired shape.
Unloading: Once the bending operation is complete, the operator removes the bent sheet metal from the machine.
Inspection: The operator inspects the bent sheet metal for any imperfections or defects, and makes any necessary adjustments to the machine or the bending process.
Repeat: The operator repeats this process as necessary to produce the desired number of bent metal components.
It is important to note that using a 6-axis press brake can be dangerous, and requires proper training and safety precautions. Always follow the manufacturer's instructions and use appropriate personal protective equipment when operating a press brake.
*Information shown may differ or change without warning*
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What Is 2 Percent of 60 + Solution with Free Steps?
The 2 percent of 60 is equal to 1.2. It can be easily calculated by dividing 2 by 100 and multiplying the answer with 60 to get 1.2.
The easiest way to get this answer is by solving a simple mathematical problem of percentages. You need to find 2% of 60 for some sale or real-life problem. Divide 2 by 100, multiply the answer by 60, and get the 2% of 60 value in seconds.
This article will explain the full process of finding any percentage value from any given quantity or number with easy and simple steps.
What Is 2 percent of 60?
The 2 percent of 60 is 1.2.
The percentage can be understood with a simple explanation. Take 60, and divide it into 100 equal parts. The 2 parts from the total of 100 parts is called 2 percent, which is 1.2 in this example.
How To Calculate 2 percent of 60?
You can find 2 percent of 60 by some simple mathematical steps explained below.
Firstly, depict 2 percent of 60 as a fractional multiple as shown below:
2% x 60
The percentage sign % means percent, equivalent to the fraction of 1/100.
Substituting this value in the above formula:
= (2/100) x 60
Using the algebraic simplification process, we can arithmetically manipulate the above equation as follows:
= (2 x 60) / 100
= 120 / 100
This percentage can be represented on a pie chart for visualization. Let us suppose that the whole pie chart represents the 60 values. Now, we find 2 percent of 60, which is 1.2. The area occupied by the 1.2 value will represent the 2 percent of the total 60 values. The remaining region of the pie chart will represent 98 percent of the total 60 values. The 100% of 60 will cover the whole pie chart as 60 is the total value.
Any given number or quantity can be represented in percentages to understand the total quantity better. The percentage can be considered a quantity that divides any number into hundred equal parts for better representation of large numbers and understanding.
Percentage scaling or normalization is a very simple and convenient method of representing numbers in relative terms. Such notations find wide application in many industrial sectors where the relative proportions are used.
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Families who have a loved one with special needs know how important it is to have a plan for their care for the rest of their lives. People with special needs often qualify for government support such as Social Security Disability or Medicaid. Government support is able to meet their basic needs for people who have cognitive or physical disabilities. Many times, these benefits are awarded based on a person’s financial need and the recipient could lose their benefits if their financial situation changes, such as when they receive an inheritance. This is why it is important to keep public benefits in mind when planning for their loved one’s future.
One way for a family to make sure their special needs child continues to qualify for government assistance while making sure they are taken care of for the rest of their lives is by establishing a special needs trust. A special needs trust can be used to enhance the beneficiary’s quality of life without jeopardizing their government benefits. While government assistance can pay for food, housing, and medical care, funds in a special needs trust can cover things like:
- Out-of-pocket medical expenses
- Personal care attendant
- Special education programs
- State of the art wheelchair or other assistive technology
- Medical transportation
- Communication aides
- Funding travel, entertainment and other life-enhancing activities
A legal professional who is skilled in estate planning can help their client understand the different special needs trusts, help them establish a trust to protect their assets, and also make sure their child will still qualify for government benefits. They will ensure their client’s trust is customized to their needs and goals in life and in death.
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Social media giant Facebook has announced a new partnership with the French satellite operator Eutelsat with the aim of bringing free internet access to Sub-Saharan Africa, with the project coming online in the second half of next year.
The agreement between Facebook and Eutelsat is set to last for a number of years and includes leasing satellites from Israeli satellite communications firm Spacecom. The plan is to use the AMOS-6 satellite to beam connections to the internet across ‘large parts’ of the region.
The announcement follows the detailing of a UN report that states over 50% of the world’s population still lack a reliable connection to the internet. Of these, almost 90% live in the poorest countries in the world, the 48 countries that the UN designates as the Least Developed Countries (LDCs).
The report showed the stark contrast between different parts of the world. For example, the Republic of Korea has the highest household penetration with 98.5% of households being connected to the internet, with Qatar in second place at 98% and Saudi Arabia third with 94%. Yet to contrast this, the lowest levels of penetration are found in the Sub-Saharan area of Africa with less than 2% of households in countries such as Burundi, Eritrea, Guinea and Somalia being connected.
As a global whole, African internet users only account for around 10% of the world’s online population. Nearly half the users are from Asia, with another 20% from the Americas and a similar figure from Europe. Only the sparsely populated Oceania comes in lower than the highly populated African continent.
There are a number of reasons why internet access across the Sub-Saharan region is so poor. One major issue is the lack of telephone lines – in 2000, Sub-Saharan Africa has a smaller amount of fixed telephone lines than the island of Manhattan and by 2006, the whole continent only added 2% to the total number of lines in the world. This means that the majority of those using the internet in Africa are doing so through servers located elsewhere, most commonly in Europe.
When it is available, the quality of the internet service is another problem. Overall bandwidth is irregularly distributed and shows what is often referred to as the ‘inner digital divide’. In 2007, there were sixteen African nationals with one international internet connection that has a capacity of 10 Mbit/s or lower. Or to put it another way, the total bandwidth available to Africa was less than what is on offer in Norway alone.
The final issue is the lack of network hosts with the entire continent having fewer hosts than the country of Finland. Nearly 90%of the hosts were found in just three countries – South Africa, Morocco and Egypt –while Nigeria, with a population of 155 million, has one third as many hosts as the tiny country of Lichtenstein, population 35,000.
This disparity in connectivity and access around the world is behind the initiative called Internet.org, founded by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The scheme was founded in August 2013 with the aim of bringing the internet to the whole world and involved a series of partnerships with big name companies around the world including Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung. The scheme aims to deal with three specific challenges:
- Cheaper means of access including smartphones.
- Data efficiency that means less bandwidth is needed.
- Actual access to the internet.
Already, the scheme has seen testing of solar powered drones that would be used to delivery internet connections in developing countries. It has also seen the platform open up to more companies to allow third-party developers to add their services to the Internet.org platform.
One initiative already in place through the scheme is the Free Basics by Facebook, available in sixty countries. It offers free health and finance tools as well as access to Facebook and comes in the form of a smartphone app.
The scheme has also focused on the role of satellites in dealing with the barriers stopping parts of Africa from gaining reliable internet connections, according to vice president Chris Daniels. This belief is behind the partnership with Eutelsat that has been announced.
Eutelsat Communications are a European satellite operator and are offering ‘affordable, off-the-shelf’ hardware that will provide internet via satellite to regions that otherwise don’t have connections or that are unreliable.
The system will allow people in medium density areas to connect to the internet in an economical and reliable manner. The system will also include an increase in Eutelsat’s broadband activity in the region using Ku-band satellites for professional users.
The scheme will see the setting up a new company that will focus entirely on the African broadband vision and the associated business. It will be headed by founder and former CEO of Tiscali International Network, Laurent Grimaldi, and will be focused on premium consumer as well as professional areas.
Eutelsat chairman and CEO Michel de Rosen added that the company were excited by the chance to accelerate the deployment of their broadband strategy as well as to work with Facebook on the new initiative. The company’s strong track records with their High Throughput Satellite systems show they can ‘delivery accessible and robust Internet solutions to get more users online and part of the Information Society’ he added in a statement.
Why the Internet matters
For those who already have access to the internet, it is easy to take it for granted. But for the five billion people who don’t, schemes such as this one could make a massive difference to their lives. Mark Zuckerberg in particular has spoken in the past about the importance of everyone being able to access and use the internet.
Ahead of a speech he gave to the UN, the Facebook CEO spoke about people deciding ‘what kind of government they want, accessing healthcare for the first time and connecting to family members hundreds of miles away’. He added that he believed connectivity was a human right and that was the motivation behind the founding of Internet.org as well as this latest partnership with Eutelsat.
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Elizabeth Varadan | The Children’s Book Review | March 22, 2014
Written by Anna Witte, Illustrated by Micha Archer, Narrated by The Amador Family
Age Range: 5-8
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Barefoot Books (September 1, 2011)
What to Expect: Spanish Culture, Flamenco Dancing, Sibling Rivalry, Self-Discovery, Special Birthdays
Lola’s family lives in an apartment building called The Park. Lola admires and envies her older sister, Clementina: Clementina has artistic talent, good looks, beautiful hair, and her own room. Lola wishes she could be just like her.
One day, Lola finds a pair of shoes in her mother’s closet and everything changes. Her mother will only say the shoes are for dancing, not walking. But Lola queries her father and learns her mother was once a flamenco dancer. Her father was, too. Lola talks him into teaching her the dance. “Just your wrists,” says Papi. “Your hands should move like the wings of birds.” She wants it to be a surprise for her mother’s birthday. They practice secretly on the rooftop, when her mother and Clementina go shopping.
Recurring phrases give a reader the feel of the dance: “Toca toca TICA, toca toca TICA. Snap! Snap! Tap! Tap!” The author has many poetic images to convey what Lola is discovering about Flamenco. Spanish words are sprinkled throughout the text, and there is a short glossary of terms at the end, along with a brief history of Flamenco dancing. (Fandango is just one of many Flamenco rhythms.)
The bright, colorful illustrations have a “collage feel and capture the upbeat energy of this story and the rhythm of the dance. A CD provides narration accompanied by music and clapping. This is a charming book in so many ways, and definitely fun for a family to enjoy together. It will appeal to readers ages 5 to 8, who like stories about Spanish culture, stories about sisters, and surprising revelations about parents.
Add this book to your collection: Lola’s Fandango
About the Author
Anna Witte was born in Germany and grew up in Spain before moving to America where she has lived for the last eighteen years. She has also written and illustrated The Parrot Tico Tango for Barefoot Books. Micha Archer has always loved the way words and pictures go together. Her illustrations are created using gouache, watercolor, pen and ink, and collage. She is influenced by her travels in West Africa, Mexico and Central America. Micha lives in Massachusetts with her family. She has also illustrated The Wise Fool for Barefoot Books.
About the Illustrator
Micha Archer is an artist, illustrator and educator living in Western Massachusetts.A world traveller, her sense of colour and pattern is influenced by the folk art, crafts, and architecture of India, Nepal, West Africa, and Mexico, among other countries. Working with gouache, watercolours, pen and ink, and collage, she creates layered pieces from various materials on paper and digitally. With a B.A. in Multicultural Education from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst she taught for 15 years in a Kindergarten classroom. In addition to consulting with teachers on incorporating art into their classrooms, she offers workshops and classes to children, adults and other artists. Her design and illustration clients include; the Massachusetts Department of Parks and Recreation, Liberty Bottles, A series of book covers for Interlink Publishing, Cricket Magazine, McGraw Hill, Hartcourt, Scholastic, Pearson-Scott Foresman and two children’s books with Barefoot Books; Lola’s Fandango and The Wise Fool.
Lola’s Fandango, by Ann White, was reviewed by Elizabeth Varadan.
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On one hand, the Biden administration extols electric vehicles and renewable energy as part of the dawn of a bright new sunny day in America’s energy history.
But on the other, it admits that critical pieces of EVs and solar panels are part of a long, dark story of child labor, forced labor and child exploitation, citing cobalt mining in Africa and polysilicon production in China.
“We are drawing attention to critical supply chains in clean energy — highlighting China’s use of forced labor in polysilicon production (a key input in solar panels) and the use of child labor in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the mining of cobalt (an input in lithium-ion batteries),” Thea Mai Lee, deputy undersecretary for foreign affairs, wrote in this year’s report on child labor and forced labor by the Bureau of International Labor Affairs.
The report was released in September.
Cobalt produced in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been on the list of products produced with child labor since 2009.
“Children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo labor under harsh and dangerous conditions to mine cobalt ore,” the bureau’s 2018 report noted, citing at the time the use of cobalt in cell phone batteries and laptops as well as EVs.
The Department of Labor noted that “40,000 children, some as young as 6 years old, work in cobalt mines. Often working in tight spaces underground without proper safety equipment or procedures, child laborers face serious risks of injury or death.
“The DRC’s laws prohibit children under the age of 18 from working in mining. However, due to lack of enforcement of labor laws, widespread poverty and a growing global demand for cobalt, children continue to work in dangerous conditions mining this critical mineral,” the report continued, noting that the Congo produces 70 percent of the world’s cobalt.
China has a hand in the exploitation, the 2022 report stated.
“Chinese firms own, operate or finance most of the DRC’s cobalt mines,” it stated.
“In the process of refining cobalt prior to export, cobalt from multiple sources is mixed together. When this happens, cobalt produced with child labor becomes impossible to distinguish from cobalt mined without child labor, tainting DRC’s cobalt exports with child labor.”
The report stated that often a story of exploitation stands behind the label “made in China,” noting that often “entire families may work in cobalt mines in the DRC, and when parents are killed by landslides or collapsing mine shafts, children are orphaned with no option but to continue working.”
Polysilicon from China was added to the list in 2021, according to a release from the Department of Labor.
The product is made by the forced labor of Uyghur families, the bureau said.
“The world and the American people cannot abide the presence of goods made under the exploitative conditions experienced by Uyghur and other ethnic minority groups in its global supply chains,” Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh said in a news release at the time.
“The Bureau of International Labor Affairs is taking this historic step to raise awareness of this injustice, and we will continue to support additional U.S. government efforts to tackle it,” he said.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
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- Posted by Bert Middleton
- On May 16, 2012
- 0 Comments
- Gout Disease, Gout Symptoms, What Is Gout
If you are trying to figure what gout really is, can your actually call gout a disease? I mean, how does something get classified as a disease? It’s sort of like alcoholism or obesity being called a disease…like we don’t have any choice (victim!) about what we put in our mouths. Weird, although there have been times (in the past) when a beer was sitting on the bar right in front of me and just sort of flew down my throat before I even knew it.
I got so curious about the idea of gout disease, or why you could even call gout a disease and went searching around and found something good on Wikipedia that I could relate to – here it is:
“In humans, “disease” is often used more broadly to refer to any condition that causes pain, dysfunction, distress, social problems, or death to the person afflicted, or similar problems for those in contact with the person. In this broader sense, it sometimes includes injuries, disabilities, disorders, syndromes, infections, isolated symptoms, deviant behaviors, and atypical variations of structure and function, while in other contexts and for other purposes these may be considered distinguishable categories.”
Aha! Gout Disease! “A Deviant Behavior”!
This is starting to make more sense. Now that I’ve been at this gout game for a while now, my perspective and outlook about what gout is and what to do about it continues to evolve.
Since I finally grew beyond the notion that you swallow synthetic chemicals (that your body really doesn’t want inside it in the first place) to try “fix” something that’s wrong with your “health”, I’ve sort of solved the gout mystery. You see, they often talk about gout symptoms, but…gout IS THE SYMPTOM! You’ve whacked out your system and you’re too acidic. This is just the harbinger of worse things to come bro.
You are the “go to” person for gout!
Seems you have really gotten into this. It’s a disease nobody really knows about. You are becoming the ‘go to’ person about Gout. Thanks so much. ~ Jeff
So the real question is: “How did you get this way?” Your doctor, his insurance company, and the pharmaceutical industry would like you to believe that’s all genetic, (and that’s convenient . . . for them) but the fact of the matter is you’ve just plain made some piss poor choices about how you’re running life over the last 2o or 30 years. Hence…deviant behavior…dude, your a deviant.
Ok, ok…that’s all just for entertainment – you’re not really a deviant…in the usual context of the word, BUT your behavior has deviated from properly maintaining your miraculous body and the good health that it deserves. So you see, this is not a physical problem…it’s a mental problem – gout is a mental disorder. (lol! haha!)
Let me explain. Gout, like any other physical problem, basically starts because of what you do…or don’t do. And everything you do or don’t do all starts as a decision…everything starts as a thought. So most physical maladies are just the result of what’s going on in your head.
- How conscious you are of your breathing is the starting point.
- How well hydrated you decide to keep yourself in next.
- Then comes the choices about what to eat or not eat.
And lastly, the chemistry you stir up inside your body by getting pissed off, mad, and emotional in general is also within your mental control.
Now of course I could go on and on about all of this but I’m going to save it for another day and another juicy rant session. But just to finish up, it’s like this: If you want to control your inner gout beast, you have to watch your thoughts and where they come from…that’s the big one – where do your thoughts come from…(?!) Gout is now becoming a spiritual path to enlightenment!
☆ It’s all just a game…and it’s 90% mental.
SHARE THE LOVE!
☆ ☆ ☆
Bert Middleton, The Original Gout Killer
“I know your pain. Let me help you kill your gout for good! And teach you to advocate for yourself and take ownership of your gout recovery, by showing you how to live the gout-free lifestyle.”
Two decades ago, Bert Middleton found himself diagnosed with gout. Like 8.3 million other people in the United States (approximately 4% of the population), he struggled helplessly with the physical, emotional, social, and financial impact that gout left unchecked can have on your life.
Prescription drugs were of limited help…
And the terrible pain of regular gout attacks left him unable to enjoy even the simplest daily pleasures. His marriage was suffering. His finances were spiraling due to the impact gout had on his ability to work. And maintaining a social life was often nearly impossible.
Tophi surgeries left him in terrible pain. And he found himself depressed … and angry … that gout was stealing years of his life.
Until one day, after hundreds of hours of research and self-experimentation, Bert finally had a breakthrough and created a blueprint for a way of living that would prove to be “the answer” to living gout-free for nearly a decade now.
Today, Bert and his “Gout Wife” Sharon devote their evenings and weekends to educating other gout sufferers on how to live the gout-free lifestyle via their website TheGoutKiller.com
Showing others his 911 Emergency Response Gout Recovery Plan for getting PAINFUL gout attacks under control in as little as 4 hours.
And then, how to make daily choices that keep gout under control for GOOD!
So you can finally start LIVING again!
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The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is part of China’s grand strategy for a peaceful, prosperous and beautiful world.
President Xi Jinping summarised China’s grand strategy by putting forward the vision of a community with a shared future. He launched four global initiatives – Belt and Road Initiative, Global Security Initiative, Global Development Initiative and Global Civilisation Initiative – for the purpose.
Belt and Road Initiative was the first programme. It was designed to cater to the needs of people – decent employment, poverty eradication, quality infrastructure, etc. It was envisioned the objectives of BRI would be achieved by investing in infrastructure, industrial base and revolutionising agriculture among others.
China was cognizant that achieving these objectives would be meaningless if the environmental needs and emerging challenge of climate change are ignored or undermined. Hence, during the second BRI forum in 2019, it tasked BRI-relevant Chinese ministries, institutes and companies to lead the discourse and path in promoting green and environment-friendly development under the BRI.
Ministry of Ecology and Environment, National Development and Reforms Commission, Ministry of Commerce and other institutions joined hands to realise the dream of green and environment-friendly development.
These ministries and institutes launched numerous initiatives. These include Green Silk Road Envoys Programme, BRI Environmental Big Data Platform, Belt and Road South-South Cooperation Initiative on Climate Change, Belt and Road Green Lighting Initiative, Belt and Road Green Cooling Initiative, Belt and Road Bankers Roundtable Mechanism, Belt and Road Green Cooling Initiative and BRI International Green Development Coalition (BRIGC).
Being the focal ministry of BRI, the National Development and Reform Commission is working to design and execute the projects according to the principles of sustainable development and ecological civilisation. NDRC is closely working with the Ministry of Ecology and Environment to develop comprehensive guidelines and policies for implementing the green BRI agenda.
NDRC, in collaboration with the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and others, introduced new guidelines on March 28, 2022 to foster implementation of the vision of green BRI. The Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Commerce are also playing their role in executing the agenda of green BRI.
The BRI International Green Development Coalition (BRIGC) is one of the most important initiatives to realise the dream of green and environment-friendly development. It is a joint venture of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and over 100 international intergovernmental and non-government organisations. Many BRI member countries’ environmental and climate change ministries have also joined BRIGC. The Ministry of Ecology and Environment is hosting BRIGC and leading the implementation of its agenda.
The BRIGC came into existence with three specific objectives: promote policy dialogue and communication, act as an environment knowledge platform, and technology transfer platform. It was envisioned BRIGC would assist in changing the mindset of policymakers and help integrate sustainable development principles into the design, execution and implementation of BRI projects.
BRIGC, under the auspices of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, has forged close partnerships with NDRC, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Commerce, companies and other institutions to achieve the prescribed objectives. It also assists them in creating knowledge and policy guidelines and steering the policy dialogue with stakeholders.
BRIGC has ten thematic areas – biodiversity and ecosystem management; green energy and energy efficiency; green finance and investments; improvement of environmental quality and green cities; south-south environmental cooperation and SDG capacity building; green technology, innovation and corporate social responsibility; sustainable transportation, climate change governance and green transformation; environmental legislation and standards; maritime community with a shared future and marine environment governance. The list shows all the essential areas for building a green and sustainable future have been covered.
Since its launch, GRIGC has been striving hard to change the mindset and promote green growth and development policies. It has launched numerous initiatives on multiple fronts. It started the work by engaging institutions to build a global movement for green growth and development. It has involved various stakeholders in policy dialogue and research projects.
BRIGC promotes open and transparent dialogue among governments, intergovernmental organizations and non-government organisations. The dialogue and communication process has accelerated during the last two years.
The continuous engagement is bearing fruit, and BRI countries are focusing more on designing and executing projects by adhering to principles of sustainable development. It is helping to mainstream the agenda of green growth and environment-friendly development under the BRI.
BRIGC is equally focused on the creation of quality knowledge.
It has launched several projects and commissioned studies to understand the needs of the member countries and provide policy guidance to them for green transition.
A few examples are the BRI Green Development Case Study Report 2020, BRI and Carbon Pricing Mechanism, Biodiversity Areas and Impact Assessment in BRI-covered Areas etc.
BRIGC is also busy issuing different reports and policy documents to guide the implementation of green BRI. For example, in 2020 it developed and issued Green Development Guidance for BRI Projects Baseline Study (GDG).
It again developed and published Application Guide for Enterprises and Financial Institutions and Guide for Railways and Highways Infrastructure Sectors for the GDG in 2021.
These are a few examples of the success story. The good thing is that BRIGC is not content with it. It is working to enhance its impact further. BRIGC is also coordinating with the Ministry of Ecology and Environment to make the upcoming high-level Green BRI forum a success. It is in the process of engaging stakeholders from across the world.
However, there are certain areas where BRIGC can further refine its work. First, BRIGC should launch a special initiative for youth engagement. Youth engagement will ensure sustainability of BRIGC activities and carry forward the message of green BRI.
It will also help disseminate the message on a grander scale. Youth engagement will help promote a culture of innovation and technology adaptation.
Second, there should be some dedicated initiatives for young girls. BRIGC should launch a “Girls Alliance for Green BRI”. The proposed alliance should be mandated to promote females’ role in policymaking and implementation.
Third, BRIGC should include agriculture and livestock theme in its list of thematic areas. It would be easier for it because agriculture is emerging as one of the significant areas of cooperation under BRI. Agriculture is one of the major areas of collaboration in the second phase of CPEC.
The inclusion of agriculture is needed because it plays multiple roles in achieving sustainable development goals. It helps developing and least-developed countries secure food security and provide low-cost raw materials. It is also a major source of employment and income for many developing nations.
Agriculture is important because it is a leading emitter of GHG in developing countries. Many of these countries are BRI members. They need help to lower emissions without compromising the agriculture sector’s economic and development role.
BRIGC should create a dedicated group at the secretariat and develop sustainable and climate change smart agriculture guidelines under the BRI to guide the member countries.
In conclusion, it is hoped BRIGC, under the auspices of Ministry of Ecology and Environment, will continue to innovate the path for smooth implementation of green BRI agenda. Moreover, it will continue to assist NDRC, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Commerce by providing them with high-quality knowledge and leading the policy dialogue and discussion on the agenda.
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An unavoidable consequence of repairing wounds is the formation of scar tissue. Depending on the cause or nature of injury, the quantity of scar tissue generated will vary from one patient to the other. Wound care professionals should seek to minimize scar formation by promoting and providing optimal healing conditions. This article will focus on some essential principles for scar management.
What is Scar Tissue?
Scarring is a normal healing reaction to the presence of tissue injury. When a patient sustains a wound, the body undergoes the various stages of wound repair including re-epithelialization with the formation of granulation tissue. In smaller wounds, tissue repair and resolution are usually comprehensive with minimal scarring. However, serious injuries lead to the formation of dense masses of granulation tissues in the healing phase. These newly formed repair materials are made of recruited fibroblast cells and collagen materials that aggregate to form scar tissue or cicatrix.
Pathology of Scar Tissue Formation
Immediately after an injury occurs, the normal body response is to begin the tissue repair process and resolve the wound. Smaller wounds measuring under 2 mm in thickness will generally heal without scarring within two weeks if no complications arise. However, deeper, more extensive, and slower healing wounds will form varying degrees of scar tissue. The mechanical stress and inflammation resulting from a more severe injury is the basis for scar tissue formation as the extracellular matrix will be triggered to deposit denser repair materials at the wound site.
The pathology of wound scar formation can be summarized as follows:
- Overexpression of non-randomized collagen fibers which are less sturdy than randomized collagen in the original non-wounded tissues.
- Fibroblast consolidation around collagen material results in stiff, less elastic tissues.
- Myofibroblast deposition resulting in further scarring, and healed wound contraction.
- A combination of the above factors will result in the deposition of scar tissue which is significantly less resilient than normal unaffected skin/body tissue.
Scars fall into several categories based on the extent, severity, duration, and appearance or morphology. Scars can be physiological or pathological, such as cicatrices, keloids, hypertrophic scars, and wound contractures.
Some of the most common examples of complex scars include keloids, hypertrophic scars, and contractures.
These are elevated scar tissues that are the same color as the unaffected skin surrounding the healed wound site. Like other forms of scar tissue, keloids are a result of excessive deposition of collagen and can cause significant pain and deformity. Keloid typically forms unsightly claw-like scars on healed skin of susceptible individuals.
Hypertrophic scars usually aggregate on wound sites (cuts, burns, bruises, and body piercings). This category of complicated scars causes elevated, hyperpigmented areas of healed skin tissues that are not as prominent as the ones in patients with keloids. Hypertrophic may contain blood vessels and nerves which make them more prone to repeated trauma and sometimes pain.
This is perhaps the most concerning form of complicated wound scarring as it can diminish limb function, and restrict a patient’s ability to carry out normal daily activities. The scars formed in contractures are composed of tight bands of rigid collagen tissue with little or no elasticity. When they occur in normally flexible joints, they hamper free motion around that axis.
The typical risk factors for developing scars after tissue injury include:
- Age, with older individuals more susceptible to worse scarring
- The presence of infection prolongs the period of wound healing
- Trauma to skin
- Dermatological conditions that weaken the skin barrier
- The presence of chronic medical diseases like hypertension
Scar Treatment Strategies
Regardless of the type of scar a patient gets, there are general principles that guide treatment. Among the routine management options are the following:
- Pressure therapy
- Moisturizers, ointments, gels, and creams
- Polyurethane dressings
- Laser treatments
- Scar excision
- Corticosteroid injections, fluorouracil, and bleomycin
- Vitamin supplements
Firmly applied dressing materials can be placed over an injury site and will provide a sustained pressure that will inhibit the formation of keloid and other scar tissues. This treatment strategy can also be used after scar excision to prevent a recurrence.
Moisturizers, Ointments, Gels, and Creams
Moisturizing agents are particularly beneficial in patients at risk of developing wound contractures. In addition to regular exercises for joints, the application of moisturizers can help keep scarred areas flexible. Silicone-based ointments, gels, and sheets are also useful in limiting scar tissue expansion, managing wound site itchiness, and reducing stiffness.
Moist dressings made of polyurethane can be used to reduce scar stiffness, itching, and extent.
Laser therapy can be used to diminish the likelihood of complex scar formation, as well as diminish associated pain, redness, and itching at the wound site.
Targeted application of extremely low temperatures can be used to destroy scar tissue, improve wound scar pigmentation, and minimize pain at the healed site.
Conventional surgical techniques can be employed to remove symptomatic keloids, cicatrices, and other significant scars. To obtain the best results, surgical excision should be combined with pressure dressing to limit scar tissue reformation.
Corticosteroids Injections, 5-Fluorouracil, Bleomycin
Injection of potent corticosteroids like triamcinolone into scar site can be used to inhibit further scarring, and reduce pain or itching. Other chemotherapeutic agents like 5-fluorouracil and bleomycin are also effective in scar tissue management.
Targeted radiation therapy has a similar effect on scar tissues as other treatment techniques.
Vitamins E and A have found some use as treatment adjuncts in the management of scarring.
The Wound Pros deploys licensed, qualified health care professionals (Physicians, Surgeons, Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners) providing advanced surgical wound consultation and treatment services at the patient's bedside in long-term care facilities. Our specialty-trained health-care providers deliver wound care expertise, to develop treatment plans, to consult and guide patient treatment, and to provide in-service education to nursing staff.
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Since 2002, Federal assistance for watershed rehabilitation has been provided on 72 watershed projects.
This program provides technical and financial assistance to State agencies and units of local government in addressing public health and safety concerns with homes and businesses downstream from the dams.
These projects also reduce flooding and sediment damage some projects also include the development of multipurpose facilities for such uses as recreation, improvement of fish and wild-life habitat, irrigation, and water supply to municipal and industrial users.
Examples: watershed rehabilitation projects protect public health and safety of residents in the communities of Gwinnett County, Georgia (Yellow River Watershed); McKinney, Texas (East Fork Above Lavon Creek Watershed); Ramon, Oklahoma (Double Creek Watershed), and Carlsbad, New Mexico (Hackberry Draw Watershed).
Established in 1862, the Department of Agriculture serves all Americans through anti-hunger efforts, stewardship of nearly 200 million acres of national forest and rangelands, and through product safety and conservation efforts. The USDA opens markets for American farmers and ranchers and provides food for needy people around the world.
Not available at this time.
Uses and Use Restrictions
Technical assistance is provided in planning, designing, and implementing watershed rehabilitation works of improvement.
Financial assistance is provided for sharing costs of measures for watershed rehabilitation projects.
Watershed rehabilitation projects may include reconstruction or decommissioning of the dam and relocation or flood proofing of downstream property.
Sponsoring local organizations for existing watershed projects that include dams that were originally constructed with assistance from one of the following water resource programs: Public Law 78-534, Section 13 of the Flood Control Act of 1944; Public Law 156-67, the pilot watershed program authorized under the heading Flood Prevention of the Department of Agriculture Appropriation Act of 1954; Public Law 83-566, the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act of 1954; and Subtitle H of Title XV of the Agriculture and Flood Act of 1981, commonly known as the Resource Conservation and Development Program.
Any State agency, county or groups of counties, municipality, town or township, soil and water conservation district, flood prevention or flood control district, Indian tribe or tribal organization, or any other nonprofit agency with authority under State law to carry out, maintain, and operate watershed works of improvement may become a sponsoring local organization for a watershed rehabilitation project.
Applications must designate the proposed dam to be rehabilitated, be properly signed and attested to by all sponsoring local organizations of the existing watershed, and set forth the need for the proposed project.
Aplication and Award Process
The standard application forms, as furnished by the Federal agency and required by OMB Circular No.
A-102, must be used for this program.
Environmental assessments or an Environmental impact statement are required for all projects.
This program is eligible for coverage under E.O.
12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the Single Point of Contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review.
The standard application forms, as furnished by the Federal agency and required by OMB Circular No. A-102, must be used for this program. Environmental assessments or an Environmental impact statement are required for all projects. This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the Single Point of Contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review.
Applications are evaluated by analyzing the condition of the dam and consequences of failure of the dam. The State Dam Safety Agency is also consulted for input. Details of the procedure are available from the State Offices of the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act, Public Law 83-566, 68 Stat. 666, as amended; Public Law 84-1018, 70 Stat. 1088; Public Law 85-624, 72 Stat. 563; Public Law 85-865, 72 Stat. 1605; Public Law 86-468, 74 Stat. 131, 132; Public Law 86-545, 74 Stat. 254; Public Law 87-170, 75 Stat. 408; Public Law 87-703, 76 Stat. 608; Public Law 89-337, 79 Stat. 1300; Public Law 90-361, 82 Stat. 250; Public Law 92-419, 86 Stat. 667; Public Law 95-113, 91 Stat. 913; Public Law 97-98, 95 Stat. 1213; Public Law 99-662, 100 Stat. 4196; Public Law 101-624, 104 Stat. 3359. Public Law 106-472, 114 Stat. 2077; Public Law 107-171, 116 Stat. 274.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time
Receipt of the application is acknowledged as soon as it is determined to be valid.
Formula and Matching Requirements
Federal funds may be available for 65 percent of the total rehabilitation project cost, but shall not exceed 100 percent of the actual construction cost incurred. The total rehabilitation project cost includes land acquisition, easements, construction, and non-federal technical assistance and project administration. The cost of technical assistance provided by the natural Resources Conservation Service is not considered as part of the total rehabilitation project cost. The sponsoring local organizations shall be responsible for the cost of all water, mineral, and other resource rights, and cost of permits which are not part of the total rehabilitation project cost. Costs associated with adding new purposes to the watershed rehabilitation project may be cost-shared according to provisions of the Watershed Projection and Flood Prevention Act.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
Continues until all works of improvement are installed or their installation is terminated by mutual agreement.
Post Assistance Requirements
Annual operation and maintenance inspection and report.
In accordance with the provisions of 7 CFR Part 3052, "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Nonprofit Organizations," which implement OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 27, 2003), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Nonprofit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $500,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $500,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in 7 CFR 3052.
Records of operation and maintenance activities are maintained for the life of the project.
(Financial Assistance) FY 07 $8,262,000; FY 08 est not available; and FY 09 est not reported. (Salaries and Expenses) FY 07 $7,038,000; FY 08 est not available; and FY 09 est not reported.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
(per State) $0 to $6,451,000; $770,000 average per state.
Regulations, Guidelines, and Literature
Policy for implementation of this program is contained in the National Watershed Manual and NRCS General Manual. Program fact sheets, case studies, and guidelines are available from NRCS State Offices and can also be accessed through the NRCS website (www.nrcs.usda.gov).
Regional or Local Office
For list of NRCS State offices with telephone numbers and addresses, see Appendix IV of the Catalog.
Watersheds and Wetlands Division, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Department of Agriculture, P.O. Box 2890, Washington, DC 20013. Telephone: (202) 720-3534. http://www.nrcs.usda.gov.
Criteria for Selecting Proposals
(1) The existing watershed project must meet the requirements of the law; (2) operation and maintenance of the existing dam must be current; (3) the local sponsors must agree to carry out the watershed project including acquiring land rights, permits, local cost-share, and operating and maintaining the rehabilitated dam for the life of the project; (4) the project has environmental, economic and social benefits that exceed the costs for a favorable benefit-cost ratio.
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